3.18.2006

100 Overlooked Films of the '90s

according to the Online Film Critics Society (a name that strikes me funny given the lack of esteem normal film critics command these days...)

There are some worthy films listed.

Glancing over the top ten:

Miller's Crossing was good, but I'd hardly call it the MOST OVERLOOKED FILM OF THE 90's. Without even leaving the Coen Brother's own filmography Barton Fink was both a better film and a more overlooked one (at least in this country, where a Palm D'Or and three bucks will get you a cup of shitty burnt coffee at Starbucks).

Safe? What a pile of dogshit that was. -1 point for the OFCS. If it was overlooked that was only just.

Sweet Hereafter was okay, but I'm not a big fan of Egoyan's. I liked Exotica better, and it got less play. (edit: oh, and there it is further down the list...I'd probably flip the two).

Lone Star is a great film and was in NO WAY overlooked. It got great critical response and did huge business for a true indy film, one not backed by the botique indy arm of a major studio. Off topic, it had the most perfect ending since Some Like it Hot.

Heavenly Creatures: Great, and overlooked.

Waiting for Guffman: Great, and overlooked. It amazes me how many people who carry on about Best in Show or Mighty Wind have never seen the prototype.

Hudsucker Proxy: see Miller's Crossing.

Babe: Pig in the City? It had like an 80,000,000 advertising budget and was the sequel to an Oscar-nominated smash hit. How the hell is that "overlooked"? Full disclosure: my pal Rocco spent several months compositing digital pigs for Pig in the
City


Dead Man: should have been #1. Probably the greatest film American film of the last 20 years, and shamefully overlooked.

Fearless was actually pretty good, and had a bowel-loosening plane crash I'm kinda glad I didn't see on the big screen. But Rosie Perez got an Oscar nomination out of it and it got a big ad push from the studio...so, what's their definition of 'overlooked'?

I'm beginning to think they should retitle their list "Good Movies That Tanked at the Box Office"

Highlights from the rest of the list you should all see IMHO:


Chungking Express
Wong Kar Wai's most accessible film, a lovely, moving trifle.
Devil in a Blue Dress GREAT adaptation of the Walter Mosely novel. I was surprised and disappointed it wasn't a big hit- noir done right.

Cemetary Man : The best zombie movie you've never seen. Hilarious, and Rupert Evertt's best role.


Hard Eight
PT Anderson's first film, and a great one.

Hana Bi (Fireworks): REALLY overlooked- you can barely find it in this country. I saw it in Paris at a Takeshi Kitano film festival, and it's probably his most complete film. Highly recommended.

My Neighbor Totoro: my favorite Miyazake film. My neice loves it too...hell, even my WIFE likes it. They *finally* released a widescreen version this week, but Dakota Fanning does one of the voices so I may stick with my old fullscreen copy.


The Limey: one of Terrence Stamp's best performances, and one of Soderberg's best directorial efforts. Great film.

that's enough for one post...but I might revisit the rest of the list later, there are a bunch of great films on it.

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