Splice's Greatest Film's Ever Made To Come Out In The 90's (The 1990's)

#11 Toy Story 2

Preamble

As I said in the previous instalment of Splice's Greatest... I went back and watched the Toy Story films in anticipation of going to see the third one. Both are 90's films and both deserve to be on the list.

40 Words Or So

Woody and Buzz are now best friends but when Woody attempts to save a fellow toy at a yard sale he is stolen by a toy collector. It turns out he's a rare plaything and he completes the set of dolls made to tie in with an old TV show. Buzz and the gang set out to save him, only problem is he may not want saving...

Review

For many Toy Story holds up as a perfect example of a sequel that's better than its predecessor. It certainly has an even weepier "emotional moment":



Wipe it aff yer cheek there big yin.

Simply it isn't a better film than the first one. Background reading reveals that after A Bug's Life John Lasseter decided to take a holiday, leaving the team to do the sequel. Somehow they made a balls up of it though, so pressed for time Lasseter resumed control and somehow made a brilliant film regardless. The main difference though is that things feel a bit looser. This is probably down to the time constraints. Whereas the script for the original was honed to perfection, Toy Story 2 had a massive overhaul less than a year before it was released.

It still gets so much right, from the little knowing winks based around jokes in the first one to the emotional depth of the story. In fact Woody's predicament is arguably of a weightier nature than either his or Buzz's first time around. The biggest problem is that the secondary rescue story story feels rushed, although it does have some great set pieces:



These mainly occur in Al's Toy Barn where we're introduced to how toys live in there. But there isn't really a sense of danger, such as that provided by Sid in the first one. He kills and maims toys, Al just collects them to sell to the Japanese.

In the end Toy Story 2 is still a fantastic film, indeed it's a worthy successor to one of the finest ever made and great proof that sequels can be a good thing. It just can't quite live up to its earlier counterpart. But then, not many films can.

The 100 List (Where and Why)

There was a time that Toy Story 2 would be sitting right there behind the first one. In fact there would have been a wrestling match in my mind whether it should be sitting above it. Watching both again after a while away set me straight on this. The second one is great but has fallen in my affections in a way the first hasn't.

1. Toy Story
2. Braindead
3. Hudsucker Proxy
4. Grosse Pointe Blank
5. Tremors
6. Toy Story 2
7. Cube
8. Galaxy Quest
9. White Men Can't Jump
10. Groundhog Day
11. Porco Rosso

Splice's Greatest Films Ever Made To Come Out In The 90's (The 1990's)

#10 Toy Story

Preamble

With Toy Story 3 coming out it's time to look back at the first ever feature length movie to be created entirely on computer.

40 Words Or So

Woody is Andy's favourite toy. But on his birthday the kid gets the coolest new toy on the market, Buzz Lightyear who supplants Woody in his affections. Jealousy runs rife and Woody and Buzz end up in deep trouble thanks to Buzz's commitment to his mission. Oh, the toys come to life when the humans aren't around, did I mention that?

Review

The thing that struck me when watching Toy Story again was just how tight the whole shebang is. I'm pretty familiar with the film now after about fifteen years of watching it and knowing what's going to happen really helps you understand how well everything in the script works. Everything pays off. If I had to teach a scriptwriting class I'd use Toy Story to demonstrate Sid Field's model of constructing a script. It's got a perfect three act structure (hell it's even got a mid-point incident) and the cause and effect on show is breathtaking. In many ways it's the quintessential Hollywood script.

Why am I banging on about the structure of the film? Well there really isn't much more to say about Toy Story is there? The animation still looks great, although in light of recent films it's starting to get a touch rough, and of course we all know that it marks a watershed moment for the industry. Hindsight shows us that of course the Toy Story effect wasn't entirely a blessing, as anyone who sat through A Shark's Tale will tell you, but beyond the impact of how the film was put together it marks a special moment because it's Pixar's first full length film.

In many ways that is the most important thing about Toy Story. It introduced us to a way of film making that hasn't been bettered by any other group in the fifteen years since. It encapsulates everything that is the Pixar way, not only visually but emotionally as well. No matter how incredible the visuals, hilarious the gags, tightly plotted the stories, the thing that stands out about Pixar's films is heart. Look at those glorious moments, WALL.E flying through space with Eve, Carl seeing for the first time what was in the latter pages of his wife's scrapbook, or of course Buzz attempting to fly to prove he is indeed a Space Ranger and not a lowly toy:



Pixar cared about us feeling something watching Toy Story and set about achieving just that by making a movie worth caring about.

The 100 List (Where And Why)

It can't really go anywhere else but top spot so far can it? Beyond the almighty technical achievement this is an incredible film. The script, acting, humour, animation, and emotion are all pitch perfect and it's the most important film on the list so far. It kick starts what is arguably the greatest run of films to come from a single studio, it's even arguable that they haven't topped Toy Story.

1. Toy Story
2. Braindead
3. Hudsucker Proxy
4. Grosse Pointe Blank
5. Tremors
6. Cube
7. Galaxy Quest
8. White Men Can't Jump
9. Groundhog Day
10. Porco Rosso

Splice's Greatest Films Ever Made To Come Out In The 90's (The 1990's)

#9: Porco Rosso (Hayao Miyazaki, 1992)

Preamble

So I went and explained myself here as to why this took so bloody long and why I didn't go with the films I'd initially promised. Anyway on with Porco Rosso, one of Mayazaki's lesser known films. After watching Ponyo I got in the mood to go rewatch something else by the great man.

40 Words Or So

Cursed, pig-like pilot does battle over the skies of war period Italy with air pirates and a dashing nemesis who may be able to steal the heart of his true love.

Review

Much like many of Miyazaki's films it's not really about the plot. Like Ponyo and My Neighbour Totoro, Porco Rosso is just happy to spend time in the world of the film with the fantastic characters. Hell, the reason Rosso is now a pig is never actually explained. The difference with this one in relation to those two is that this is Miyazaki making a film for grown ups, not because it's full of violence or profanity but purely because it's about aeroplanes and love and all those things kids aren't quite interested in yet. I suppose you could say this is the one for dad.

As such it's become a bit of an underrated gem in the Miyazaki canon. It has less magic than Totoro but also less action than Nausicaa Of The Valley Of The Wind. In fact apart from the pig shenanigans and air pirates it's probably the great man's most grounded (pardon the pun) work. The world is a lot more real than in, say, Spirited Away and yet still feels wonderful. Indeed it's a beautiful place and animation wise it ranks as one of Studio Ghibli's finest. Sadly it seems the things that make it so special are also what have left it ignored, even amongst fans of the director and studio. Even if you're not, or have never seen any, give Porco Rosso a go.

This isn't only the best scene in the movie, it may be the most beautiful and wonderful to appear in any of Miyazaki's:



The English dub that's available features Michael Keaton and Cary Elwes amongst others an they do a pretty good job. That's the one that's on the Studio Ghibli Collection DVD released by Optimum.

The 100 List (in chronological order)

1. Grosse Pointe Blank
2. Hudsucker Proxy
3. Galaxy Quest
4. White Men Can't Jump
5. Cube
6. Braindead
7. Tremors
8. Groundhog Day
9. Porco Rosso

Update: Splice's Greatest...

...you know the rest.

I was just checking through older posts for this on/(mainly) off feature thanks to Ruud picking up the ball again with the wonderful Groundhog Day. I now realise that the last post I made about it was in February, not too long ago you're probably thinking. That's February 2009, and it was an update on the next films I'd be looking at.

Whoops!

I'll forego the Coen Brothers' films for now as I've already done Hudsucker Proxy and I'm not quite ready to sit down and watch them all again so soon so I'm going for something else, another quirkier addition to the list. Expect it next week, he says knowing that the last film he added to the list was in October 2008. But seriously, next week. Honest.

As far as the list system goes I can't really remember it or how it works so from now on I'm just going to add films to the list at the bottom and for me anyway it's not in any particular order, it's just great films from a decade that was pretty damn good.

So see you next week with a quirker, but great little film.

Splice's Greatest Films Ever Made To Come Out In The 90's (the 1990's)

y #8: Groundhog Day (1993, Harold Ramis)

PREAMBLE

Time to get this feature back on the road so I scoured the DVD shelf and my eyes fell on this, Bill Murray, Harold Ramis? Early 90's? Plus I bought it years ago and the cellophane was still on it so i felt it was time, the planets were aligning I guess. Dont Think I had actually seen this since the 90's so that was a nice wee extra. Incidentally, how good is the poster to the right, I initially thought about finding a better quality one then thought fuck it, why not have what looks like 8 A4 section poster? Free from Look'in or Smash Hits or some other magazine of that time. Ha!

40 WORDS OR SO

Angry ego centric weatherman has to relive the same day over and over again in small Pensylvanian town to hilarious effect till he is happy or maybe just less of a angry ego centric weatherman. Stars a Groundhog.

REVIEW

Terrific film with a brilliant central performance by Bill Murray (does he do anything else?) Watching Groundhog Day your mind wanders to what you would do if you have to live one day over and over again, mostly though you find yourself reliving a good day or aday where you are in familiar surroundings. This film puts our central arsehole in a weird little twon he doesnt know with limited choices of things to do. High Concept comedy? oh yes. it really is superbly scripted, the way the story builds and makes sense while not ramming the concept down your throat is a credit to Danny Rubin and Harold Ramis. However, you have to take into account Murrays adlibbing skills, as many of the scenes are peppered for the better with cynical Philisms that surely come from Murray as the scenes are retaken. Ramis says as much on the commentary at the films finale which was written that Phil says "lets live here" to which Murray adds "we'll rent, to start!"

The myraid of characters who populate Punxsutawney are a joy to watch and repeat viewings makes you see how they all turn up at different parts, and also the continuity for me is first rate as many scenes are repeated at he lives out the same day none of it seems forced.

Excellent 90's comedy. though here is a snazzy trailer which is cut to make it a tense thriller, works well.



The whole film is available in parts on youtube too if you search for it, though you never heard that here. :)

THE TOP 100, WHERE AND WHY

1. Braindead
2. Hudsucker Proxy
3. Grosse Pointe Blank
4. Tremors
5. Cube
6. Galaxy Quest
7. White Men Can't Jump
8. Groundhog Day

Put it in at number 8, its good and it stands up, plus at this early stage I guess it doesnt really matter. its in and thats it.

Splice's Greatest Films Ever Made To Come Out In The 90's (the 1990's): An Update

Well our super-duper list has been on hiatus for a while but I went and upgraded all my Coen Brothers films to DVD and I'm in the process of re-watching them all so there's going to be a few new entries on the list. Thought I'd post this to explain why there'll be a number of Coens ones in a row. Next one coming soon.

Splice's Greatest Films Ever Made To Come Out In The 90's (the 1990's)

Tremors (1990)

For some reason I keep thinking that Tremors is an eighties film. Of course it actually came out in 1990 and thus is eligible for Splice's Greatest... and so I'll pop it in. My write up is here so i won't bother doing that again. All I really need to do is place it in the list so:

1. Braindead
2. Hudsucker Proxy
3. Grosse Pointe Blank
4. Tremors
5. Cube
6. Galaxy Quest
7. White Men Can't Jump

Splice's Greatest Films Ever Made To Come Out In The 90's (the 1990's)

A Preamble

Aye, aye, it's been two months! Well now that Halloween's upon us I'm going to cover one of my favourite films of the 90's and one that would have definitely gotten done anyway:

Braindead (1992)

Synopsis

Peter Jackson trumps Pegg and Wright by doing a Rom-com with zombies over a decade before Shaun Of The Dead. Lovable loser Lionel falls for shopgirl Paquita but his overbearing socialite mother is having none of it. Then she gets bitten by a Sumatran Rat Monkey and all hell breaks loose. It's officially the goriest film ever by volume of fake blood used.

Review

Those who thought Peter Jackson was a bad choice for the Lord Of The Rings Trilogy may have watched Braindead before making that decision. In fact they could have seen any of his early movies, but the first three, this and the two previous Bad Taste and Meet The Feebles, will have brought them to the same conclusion. I'd have loved to have been in the room with the Tolkien fanatic who decided to check these out to see who this upstart New Zealand director was and if he was fit for the task of interpreting this blokes equivalent of a sacred text.

Braindead, for lack of a better word, is mental. Jackson had already shown his intense sense of humour and love of gross-out gore in Bad Taste and Meet The Feebles, but the third by him trumps them with such incredible gusto that it's difficult to actually stomach at times. A friend of mines had to turn it off after about half an hour. The thing is that's the movie at its tamest. sure there's the custard scene, the bit with the dog, a neat solution to the problem of getting bitten and a zoo keeper with a bad sense of tact. What probably finished him was the bit with the nurse's face. But that's nothing on one of the most notorious scenes from any splatter movie, one that was heavily edited in America when Braindead was originally released, as Dead/Alive thanks to another movie with the name. It is of course the lawnmower scene:



That's one hell of a set of blades on that thing! My lawnmower packs it in if you hit a patch of moss. Of course it's not just the level of gore in this scene, and the rest of the movie, that makes it. It's the ideas. Jackson has played with the convention of the zombie movie hero with his chainsaw in a way that fits into the film perfectly. It's quirky in that way non-American takes on these types of films tend to be. Why else would the central plot really be a pretty typical romantic comedy? And the supporting cast of characters are great, the main attraction being the Nazi war criminal vet, but the Kung Fu vicar comes close. Then there's Uncle Les a sick fuck you're glad gets killed, but at the same time appears to be the only one able to actually take on the plague. Of course it's his party that creates it. Another great twist in Braindead is that instead of the plague of zombies laying siege to the family home they are already in it thanks to Les' shindig.

The fact that the threat for Lionel is in the family home is central to Braindead's theme. It's really a film about family, or rather about the point when it's time to fly the nest. Lionel's mother is horribly overbearing but in Paquita he is presented with his escape. Of course Mum has to go and become a zombie and infect a few others forcing Lionel to make what appears to be the pretty bad decision to set up another, this time very dysfunctional, family in the basement. It's like he's actually not ready to give up his family, even when Mum dies and so creates a new family unit when surely it would have been easier just to kill the zombies. Of course he may also be creating the family he didn't have thanks to his Father's. Then there's his "grandchild", the zombie baby, the answer to the question "but what if zombies give into our other base instinct, to mate?". The scene where Lionel takes it for a walk is straight out of slapstick, except you won't see many old films where the hero punches the kid in the face. Again, why does he take it out? Eventually Lionel naturally is forced into the decision to give up on the family home but in a truly demented ending has to literally escape the womb.

Braindead isn't a scary film. It's really a comedy, but like Tremors it has some brilliantly constructed set pieces. As for the gore it is insane but actually gets to be so much that it just becomes hilarious. By the lawnmower scene you are almost numb to it after witnessing the myriad deaths, I won't ruin them for you, but how they managed to pull this off on the pretty small budget is a miracle. Then there are the different zombies, from the one who ends up with a gnome for a head to the one who ends up as three, his top half, his legs and his innards that dropped out the former which form into a creature by using his sphincter for a face. As I said, you wish you could have seen what the Tolkien enthusiast's face looked like taking this in, but as I pointed out it really is an incredible achievement given the budget and so actually does hold great significance into how Jackson pulled off his famed trilogy. They'll be the films that he is remembered for, but Braindead may well be his actual masterpiece.



Top 100 Where And Why?

Braindead goes in at number 1 at this point.

1. Braindead
2. Hudsucker Proxy
3. Grosse Pointe Blank
4. Cube
5. Galaxy Quest
6. White Men Can't Jump

Over to John and his list!

Splice's Greatest Films Ever Made To Come Out In The 90's (the 1990's)

Cube (1997)

Synopsis

Seven strangers wake up to find that they are in a cube shaped room. None of them know how they got there or why. then they realise that each wall houses a door to another room...

Review

Remember when Saw came out and everyone was like "oh the set-up's like so original! Imagine if that happened to you. I mean it could. You could be taken and locked in a room without knowing how you got there by a sicko and forced to do terrible things to try and escape. I'm getting another lock for my window", you know stuff like that. Well, yes, the set-up is a good one. Shamefully the guys who made Saw had clearly just watched the older (by seven years) Cube. The difference being that instead of two guys, a grotty, shit-encrusted warehouse and a couple of hacksaws what we have here is a cube-shaped room, surrounded by interlocking identical rooms. You see it's a big maze that the characters have to try and escape from. Oh and lots of the rooms have deadly booby traps in them.

Cube is a masterpiece of low-budget, high-concept film making. The premise sets it up to be an effects-ridden sci-fi movie, but instead the viewer is presented by a character-driven thriller that just so happens to be set where it is. The cube shaped rooms not only present a sterility that quickly provoke madness, but also serve as a money saving device. The entire film's shot on one set with the lights shining through the pattern on the walls changing. Understandably things become claustrophobic and tense incredibly quickly as the characters begin to irritate one-another.

In fact one of Cube's most brilliant features is messing with your pre-conceptions, such as what type of movie you're about to see. Witness the turns in the characters, Leaven quickly becomes a little bitch, Holloway a paranoid freak and the treatment of Rennes' revelation that he can probably lead them out thanks to his past is almost hilarious. Then there is Quentin, set up as a family man and cop, who better to be the hero that leads them through the maze, and Worth who claims to have nothing to live for and is clearly hiding something. These two are the most interesting characters, and the tension that builds between the two is essentially the lynchpin of the entire movie.

Shamefully with these two being so integral Cube's biggest minus has to be brought up, one that often afflicts low-budget movies. Some of the acting is far from stellar, and in particular Maurice Dean Wint who plays Quentin is hammy in the extreme. As I said, this thing often happens in otherwise great low-budget fair, but shamefully it may be something that renders the film non-enjoyable. Thankfully Davis Hewlett who plays Worth is pretty damn good.

If you can forgive the occasional amateur dramatics what you will find is an incredibly tense film, both brilliant in its set-up and execution. Some of the obstacles the characters have to overcome, and that refers to the trapped rooms as much as the internal strife, are fantastically thought out. the real reason that I'm trying not to say too much about what happens in Cube is that it relies so much on mystery to build its tension, witness the explanation for why they are there. To reveal too much really would spoil it for those who haven't seen it. But it really is a film that you should see. In a time when shows like Big Brother lock people in a house and force them to perform for us Cube becomes quite pertinent. It explores a darkness present within us all, something that can reveal itself when we become trapped, and that may be the scariest thing about Cube.

And all this without a Danny Glover or a ridiculous clown puppet on a tricycle in sight. the makers of Cube - geniuses.



Top 100, Where And Why

Cube is flawed, the autistic guy being good at maths anyone? It also suffers a bit on multiple viewings thanks to the mystery being partly stripped. But it remains a brilliant idea that is very well executed on the budget that was available. It also is a lot more influential thanks to the post-Saw wave we've seen than it gets credit for. Personally I'm going to put it in the number 3 slot.

1. The Hudsucker Proxy
2. Grosse Pointe Blank
3. Cube
4. White men Can't Jump
5. Galaxy Quest

Splice's Greatest Films Ever Made To Come Out In The 90's (the 1990's)

#4: White Men Can't Jump (1992)


PREAMBLE

I love sport and by extension i cant resist sports movies. In the 90s like all other people my age, i loved basketball. Maybe it was because channel four had the Sunday morning highlights show with Mark Webster, who was (and still is) cool and the game seemed good, Michael Jordan, Scotty Pippen, Charles Barkley etc etc, all those names still stick in my head so it obviously made an impression and NBA Jam was the computer game of choice, 2on2 b-ball it was and it was magic. Around that time though, White Men Can't Jump would be making its terrestial TV premiere and i, the big massive basketball junkie i was at the time, watched it.


40 WORDS OR SO

Sports comedy about a couple of mismatched basketball hustlers conning their way across the LA courts.


REVIEW

When i picked up the DVD box to re watch this after some years my abiding memory was that Rosie Perez was an annoying wee bitch in this! The glass of water pish (vid below) and the quote which i think i have always remembered wrong "you lost (she pronounces it loawst) all our fucking money Billy (again she pronounces it Bell-ee)" Yes these things plus every other scene she featured in that i could remember were enough to make my testicles retract into my stomach.

Well i was wrong, watching this now as a grown up i realise that she isn't that bad, in fact her performance is pretty good and you certainly feel for her as her man, Bell-ee played by Woody Harrleson is a complete chump. i suppose that is another thing that i didn't realise when watching this as a teenager, WMCJ is about two basketball hustlers, Bell-ee and Sidney (Wesley Snipes) who are pretty damn cool, playing basketball all day. But in reality they are weak weak men, who have their women at their backs to keep them on the straight and narrow, White Men cant jump is actually a film about weak men, i said it and thus its true. it comes across as a comedy, two mismatched foes that become pals, one a white chump the other a superfly black guy, they con other players on the LA courts to make some cash and crack jokes about players mommas along the way. But in both their backgrounds they have women who are the strength of their relationships.

White Men Can't Jump is a different beast to most sports comedies, the generic bringing together of a dispirit bunch of no hopers to a championship or something, an inspiring coach who brings the best out of the underachievers. You know the kind. No, White Men at time concentrates more on looking good than winning, in fact this is how it deals witht he race issues inherent in its structure, Harrelson is basically the token white guy in bermuda shorts and grey tshirts, and Snipes in his baggy vest and flipped up hat (cool in 92 i am sure). a great scene is where they escape from gertting shot in Harrelsons motor driven by Perez and discuss hpow white guys dont get Jimmy Hendrix. The listen to it, they cant hear it, Snipes Sidney crows. That said there is a rather strange subplot that has perez's character studying and getting on gameshow Jepoardy which fits in too nice to the story but hey, its a film thats what happens.

What i am trying to say is that this film has been written off as a basketball movie, but its not, the basketball is merely the catalyst for the action (is this a maguffin, i am never sure) this is a film about human weakness and it is dealt with superbly. It has what looks like career turns from both its leads with terrific support from the rest of the cast and also the great LA landscape.




THE TOP 100, WHERE AND WHY

I am going to slide this one in under Grosse Point Blank and over Galaxy Quest. Its a good sports movie thats more than a sports movie, is there a better genre? Also for the simple reason, its not as good as GPB and i havent seen Galaxy Quest. To make up for that rather pathetic why i have hyperlinked the other films reviews in the series for ease of navigation, cos thats the kinda guy i am.

1. The Hudsucker Proxy
2. Grosse Point Blank
3. White Men Can't Jump
4. Galaxy Quest


Ruud Kerouac

Splice's Greatest Films Ever Made To Come Out In The 90's (the 1990's)

A Preamble

So it's meant to go turn-about but Ruud said to get on with it. Maybe it's punishment for taking so long to write the review of The Hudsucker Proxy. Whatever let's keep the momentum of our favourite films of the 90's going (since I nearly killed it). Oh and Ruud's working on his next film now and I've got another two up my sleeve so this list is gonna grow baby! So here we go with film number 3:

Galaxy Quest (1999)

Synopsis

When a race of peaceful, naive aliens get into a spot of bother with some nasty bugs (not the ones from Starship Troopers) they turn to Earth's finest heroes, the crew of Galaxy Quest. Shamefully the Galaxy Quest videos that the aliens have received aren't historical documents but rather a cheesy 80's Star Trek-like show that has transmitted across the galaxy. So obviously when they "beam up"* the crew aren't exactly the best suited people for the job.

*Last lame Star Trek reference I promise!

Review

Okay so it's essentially the same plot as the Three Amigos transported into space, but space and the Three Amigos are cool so what's the problem?

The thing I like about Galaxy Quest is that it's one of those smart, fun films that Hollywood occasionally plops out of its buttocks, wiping it up before anyone has really noticed that it done so in the first place. It's got all the CRASH, BANG, WALLOP! of a blockbuster, but at the same time it's parodying clunky sci-fi, mainly TV but movies can be counted too. A major criticism is that the parody doesn't go far enough. The cheesy original show is only tantalisingly touched and the crew learn how to adapt to really being in space a little too quickly.

But this is me griping about things that are easy to overlook. So many great things are in here, from the pig lizard's trip in the transporter, the rock monster (way better looking than those "guy in suit" efforts on Star Trek) and its lack of a weak spot and the great observational stuff about how ridiculous this stuff is through the fact that the aliens have designed the ship entirely by basing it on things shown on the show. Thanks to this there's an overly elaborate security system that the crew can't even navigate without help and a self destruct mechanism that brings a great spin on the old hitting the button just in time bit that I won't ruin.

Then there's the cast. To put it mildly they're perfect. Tim Allen channels his inner Shatner to become Jason Nesmith who plays the Captain of the ship and who outside the show has lost his self-awareness big time. His arrogance has led to his fellow cast hating him, and through the real mission realises the way to not only prove himself worthy of the Captain title, but to galvanise the crew/cast. Alan Rickman does his hammy thing as hammy ACTOR Alexander Dane, banished to a life as the ship's number two, forced to spout a catchphrase and wear silly forehead makeup. Of course worst of all is that he's forever in in Jason's shadow. Alexander's jealousy and disdain lead to some of the funniest one liners in the film ("I see you managed to get your shirt off", "oh, it's always about you") and his commitment to acting is something he forever throws in Jason's face (witness the scene with the rock monster where Alexander asks what its motivation is and then doubts Jason's commitment to the craft). Sigourney Weaver becomes the anti-Ripley by becoming blonde, a bimbo and all boobs, while Sam Rockwell almost steals the show from Rickman as Guy. Guy played an extra who died on the show and has ended up tagging along. For the most part he threats over the fact that he'll probably die for real as he's not a main character, a parody of the old Star Trek tradition of sending Kirk, Spock and a nobody down to the planet with one of them dieing. Guess who?

Galaxy Quest's flaws are mainly script based, the original draft was supposedly much darker, but they do not stop this from being a pretty great little comedy. It's smart, witty, the cast are universally excellent and although its target's an easy one, it does a good job of finding new ways to parody it. As I said it's one of those rare films that shows that just occasionally Hollywood entertainment doesn't need to mean loud and dumb.



The Top 100

Galaxy Quest is a (flawed) blast. It's great fun and it never fails to entertain me. That said I'd personally place it third on the list so far:

1. Hudsucker Proxy
2. Grosse Pointe Blank
3. Galaxy Quest

Splice's Greatest Films Ever Made To Come Out In The 90's (the 1990's)

The Hudsucker Proxy (1994)

Synopsis

When Waring Hudsucker decides to leave his 44th floor office, 45 counting the mezzanine, via the window the other board members of Hudsucker Industries are left in a pickle. Upon Waring's death the company's shares are to be offered up to the public come January 1st. The problem is is that with the company never doing better the others can't afford to buy a controlling share. But Waring's right-hand man, Sydney J. Mussburger, has a plan. If they install an imbecile as a proxy chairman the company shall run itself into the ground, and the shares shall become affordable. Enter Norville Barnes, just off the bus from Muncey, Indiana. The quick promotion leads reporter Amy Archer to start sniffing about, looking for the real reason as to why Barnes was made chairman. But unforeseen to all, Barnes may have an invention that may well save the company.

Review

The Hudsucker Proxy, it's fair to say, is one of the Coen Brothers least loved films. Out of their 90's output, Miller's Crossing, Barton Fink, Fargo and The Big Lebowski, it's probably the last one you'd see crop up on best 90's films polls. Let's be honest, in that company it's easy to see why it could be overlooked. It's seen as a disaster, mainly because it represented the first time that a studio was willing to give the Coens real money to make a movie only for them to return a flop. But if this is the Coen's big money adventure then the name sums it up. They were always looking to make the film they wanted to make and to hell with profit.

So why is it unloved? Maybe it's the frenetic pace, the zany comedy, the rat-a-tat dialogue, or the fact that audiences are presented with a modern day fairy tale, and the leaps of faith that come with such a story. Or maybe people expected to get more of the same after the moodier affairs that were Miller's Crossing and Barton Fink. It's almost as if people had forgotten that they had also made the zany comedy Raising Arizona, or the only film where it's acceptable to like Nic Cage doing his "crazy" bit, so the idea of something like this coming from the Coens was a shock. Whatever the reason(s) it means that The Hudsucker Proxy is perhaps the most underrated of all the Coen's output. It doesn't deserve to be placed next to Intolerable Cruelty and the ill-advised Ladykillers remake as one of their worst. Hell it may even be the most underrated film of the entire 90's.

So what's so good about it then? On the surface we're in usual Coen territory. First and foremost this is a film about film. The Coens obviously love the Screwball Comedies of the 40's, with The Hudsucker proxy acting like a canvass for them to play with each feature of them. Then of course they twist it all into some make-believe fantasy a la It's A Wonderful Life. In essence it most closely resembles the Coen's "lost" film, known as various things but to me as Crimewave, Sam Raimi's second film that the Coen's co-wrote. It's no surprise that Raimi also shares a writing credit on this as well. When Hudsucker came out it was unlike most of the Coen's output to the point, and in fact that still remains true, so in a way it can be baffling for people used to the likes of Fargo or Miller's Crossing.

And there's a lot here that can only be described as baffling. This is a film that revels in its own artifice. It essentially screams at you "I am a film!" thanks to the set designs. Much like Expressionist cinema it looks like it's set in a film studio. The locations always seem to be slightly off somehow, often thanks to their size. This suits the rags-to-riches, oh look time stopped narrative, as it too is very unrealistic, the type of thing found in a film. And Hudsucker is very aware of this fact. Witness the scene where Amy attempts to con her way into Norville's life. She plays every tried and tested trick until she succeeds. But while she does this two taxi drivers sit and watch and we take on their point of view. Instead of hearing what Amy and Norville say we hear the taxi drivers pointing out that everything she is doing is a cliche, an old trick they've seen many-a-time before, probably in the movies. And of course pointing this out does not harm the film, as it is full of the cliches of the cinema it is looking to recreate, and the Coens are distinctly giddy about that fact. They clearly love these films, and this is their own warped entry into the canon.

Of course it's not all zany and whimsical. At the heart of Hudsucker Proxy lies a critique of big business and the press. Hudsucker Industries is a faceless organisation, in fact I'm not entirely sure what they actually do or make before Norville takes over, where the people at the top care only about the money they stand to make from their shares and everyone below are damned to increasing levels of monotony. All of the classic big business bugbears are tackled, from the endless beurocracy (Norville's induction to the mailroom, man that guy has a set of lungs on him), to the heartless treatment of the workers ( being docked for the minutes silence they hold for Waring Hudsucker) and the nature of making money (the rows and rows of bean counters doing their work under huge "WHAT WILL THIS COST?" signs). The press don't get off much lighter, criticised for the way that they dictate reality. Opinions of characters are formed by people in the film based entirely on how they are depicted in the papers. And the reporters and editors only want to further their careers, not tell people the truth. To further hammer home the idea that what you read may not be true, much of The Hudsucker Proxy's artificial story is shown through how the papers are reporting the events, as witnessed in many of the montages in the film.

So as I said, it's a baffling film. Baffling to those who know the Coens through their serious works, baffling in the way it looks, is played and it's narrative, with its juxtaposition of serious comments on the nature

The Top 100

Yeah, yeah, I know. I announced this as my first entry on April 28th and here I am finally publishing a review. "Lucky to make a top 5" you're probably saying. Well life got in the way, as I explained in a non-descript way here.

So anyway, I'd place Hudsucker Proxy above Grosse Point Blanke, but I know Ruud probably wouldn't. So it's over to him with his thoughts. And I promise to be quicker next time!

Splice's Greatest Films Ever Made To Come Out In The 90's (the 1990's): Film 2

So the opening film of our little project has been mulled over and now it's my turn to pick one. Now it would be very easy to go for the obvious great films that came out in the 90's (Bicentennial Man of course) so I won't, instead possibly leaving them to the end when the realisation strikes that we can't have a Greatest 90's film list without (fill in obvious film starring Robin Williams here, say Jumanji or Jack).

And so with that in mind and the fact that Ruud chose something quirky to begin with I'm going to do the same. But to upset the apple cart a little more I'm going to start with movie makers that may well be the finest exponents of the art during that decade; the Coen Brothers. But instead of going for all those films that always get touted I'm going to go with what I consider their forgotten gem, the film every Coen fan, casual or otherwise, dismissed before it was easy to do that with any of their works.

I am, of course, talking about THE HUDSUCKER PROXY (it may have helped if as you read that some dramatic music played). Keep the ol' eyeballs peeled for my review soon followed by Ruud's response.

Splice's Greatest Films Ever Made To Come Out In The 90's (The 1990's)

#1 Grosse Pointe Blank: The Response

Grosse Pointe Blank's one of those films that came out in the mid-90's in that post-Pulp Fiction era. Loads of cool, hip, jive... sorry I turned into an old man there! Basically it was one of those popular "indie" movies. I have to confess that at the time I didn't get it. And unlike Ruud, who thanks to the wonder of Minnie Driver's tits (let's be honest that's what he meant to say when he was prattlin' on about her hair and her sass!) has reignited some long-lost feelings from his youth, I don't want to revisit 1997. Sure Scotland actually qualified for a major tournament and Oasis' Be Here Now didn't sound like the coke-fuelled mess it actually is but see in 1997 I was a pleb.

Hard to believe I'm sure but at that point I was and my taste in movies was shite (it could be argued that that never changed as my choices on this list will probably attest) and so maybe that's why Grosse Pointe Blank never worked. I then never bothered to see it again until now. All I can say is; "thanks Ruud".

It's a cracking wee film. The soundtrack's a belter, Driver is adorable and Cusack is most certainly the man. Plus Jeremy Piven's in it which is always a good thing and it's probably the last time we'll ever see Dan Ackroyd good in anything, I'm still not forgiving him for playing Britney Spears' Dad in Crossroads, at least that bint frae Whores in the City had the good sense to scarper after one scene. Plus the killer going to his therapist and spilling his guts, not always to the therapist's liking? Grosse Pointe Blank only went and influenced one of mankind's towering achievements in art Analyze Th..., er, The Sopranos!

Basically I was a bit too young, mentally at least, to appreciate Grosse Pointe Blank when I first saw it. The music, the snappy dialogue, the genius setup all kind of passed me by. But something else rang true beyond just being able to appreciate film better. With being that bit older now I can identify with Martin Blank. The whole small town thing, the want to get away and how things change when you do. It's funny that Ruud chose the scene where Martin discovers his house is gone and a convenience store now stands in its place as I have recently discovered that the place I grew up in is to be demolished soon. Doubt a shop's going there (knowing this place it'll be mare unaffordable shitey hooses) and so the scene resonated with me. The whole shootout thing afterwards not so much, but then casual violence isn't rare here either so maybe it did.

When Ruud first declared Grosse Pointe Blank as his choice to start the whole thing off I was a bit unsure. Now I'm in full agreement that it's a very deserving film. It is in some ways also highly appropriate to start with it, as it does represent a strain of filmmaking quite common in the 90's, the cool, popular "indie" flick. Of course it wasn't long until "indie" pictures became those ones about white, middle-class American families that are all miserable because it turns out being comfortable's a bit dull (thanks alot American Beauty!). But in 1997, my plebishness aside, things seemed to be pretty cool indeed.

Splice's Greatest Films Ever Made To Come Out In The 90's (the 1990's)

#1: Grosse Pointe Blank (1997)


A PREAMBLE

here is how it is, i managed to dodge the bullet of going to see the stage play of mama mia, in order to do this i agreed to get tickets to see something else, i noticed that The Wedding Singer is now a stage production so in order to cement my not going to Mama Mia i stuck on my video copy of The Wedding Singer for the girl to watch and hopefully enjoy enough to want to go. It was watching this particular film that made me think a few things, the first is that as a film it hasn't really aged well, for a film from the 90s based on the 80s that's kinda saying something, secondly it got me thinking that i have seen plenty of nostalgia of the 80s things which this film has plenty but the 90s is as yet overlooked, maybe i can do something about this, and thirdly i thought, I'm sure there is a better 90s film which gets all nostalgic about the 80s, and then i remembered, so i looked out my video copy (a very 90s act) but it wasn't there, it must be at my mums house still, I will need to remember, so i put a notice on this blog site saying i had a terrific idea, hows about a top 100 list of 90s films, and then i remembered about that missing video, i dug it out. The film in question, the full screen with trailers before it and everything video i am talking about and what will kick off Splice's Greatest Films Ever Made To Come Out In The 90's (the 1990's). 1997's Grosse Point Blank.

40 WORDS OR SO

Black comedy about a hitman with issues who returns to his hometown for a job and also high school reunion. rekindling old feelings for an old girlfriend he rethinks his career but his peers and gov spooks presence in the titular Grosse Point mean, well they mean he cannae.

REVIEW

There are plenty of reasons o love Grosse Point Blank; its funny, its a teriffic script, its well directed, it stars John Cusack who is great in pretty much everything, it has Dan Ackroyd, it has 80s music, good 80s music i might add, in fact i will go into that a bit further later, and its edgy, a cult classic in all its glory but there is one reason, probably the main reason i love this film. Minnie Driver. Back then i loved her, going back to it now, i think maybe it wont be the same, maybe the film is rubbish and i had weird taste years ago. But i didn't and i don't, i still love Minnie Driver, maybe not modern day 2008 Minnie Driver, not seen her in ages so cant comment, no 1997 Minnie Driver playing Debbie Reynolds is my kinda girl, is it the sassy way she talks, is it the curly hair, is it all these things? probably! in fact i can even pinpoint it down to my absolute moment of love first time round and reingnition of the love, when she answers the door then runs back to her bed and jumps on it, she looks in her prime youthful and beautiful, funny and smart, and it makes me want to be back then, but i cant so fuck it. That scene, that part of a scene gets me every time. love it, love her, Grosse Point Blank, best 90s film ever.

But i cant simply sum it up that way, i suppose it has other redeeming qualities, in fact i know it does because i highlighted them before slevering over the quirky female co-star, basically the idea is a stoater, a hitman who is becoming jaded by his job, his psychiatrist who is terrified of him, fellow hitman played by Akroyd (funny as Fuck) wanting an assassins union started, a high school reunion, love story, violence, its all there. a good twist at the end also. John Cusack is one of the best under-rated (is he under-rated? not by me) of his generation, his performance is magical, cant imagine anyone else in this, so much so that i actually want him to get Debbie more than i want me to get her, no higher praise for his character is needed i think. And then there is the music, what actually turned me onto this, like i said it has the 80s nostalgia thing going on like The Wedding Singer but its musical choices are fantastic, plenty of the Clash, The Specials, guns and roses get played, all in all some great choices, the soundtrack is in a word amazing, then the credits reveal that the score was done by Joe strummer, it all makes sense now.

In the end its just a great film, the nostalgia doesn't go over the top, you want the main characters to succeed, the secondary characters are rounded but don't take over, and it has stood up to the passing of time, its still a fresh idea and works even now. Plus there is Minnie Driver, did i mention the green top type thing she wears to the reunion, no? well, oh my god, its tremendous.........................




THE TOP 100, WHERE AND WHY

This is how it works, Grosse Point blank is the first film reviewed so its #1 and also since its number 1 it goes straight in at number 1 on the list, when the next film is reviewed it is placed at either 1 or 2 depending on whether it is thought of a better than Grosse Point, then the third will be the same and so on, here will be a chance to see the thought process of the choice of position, but since this is number 1 then that doesn't happen here. The list will feature and will grow and grow and links to the pages of the the other films will be in the list making it easy to go from one to another. See? It'll all make sense.


1. Grosse Point Blank

Ruud Kerouac

Update: Splice's Greatest Films Ever Made To Come Out In The 90's (the 1990's)

Here's a wee update on how part 1 of Ruud's masterplan is coming along.

Grosse Point Blank has been thoroughly watched by our collected four eyes so expect Ruud's write up anytime now followed by my counter.

Then it's my turn to pick a film. Hmm, what to torture Ruud with I wonder...

In about four years time we'll have a list of films, and some of them might even be ones you want to watch so keep you're eyes peeled!

Splice's Greatest Films Ever Made To Come Out In The 90's (the 1990's)

That's right! You read it correctly. We here at Splice have chosen to undertake the mammoth task of watching a ton of movies that all came out in a single decade, the one right before the one you're in right now. At regular intervals, or when we can be arsed, myself or Ruud shall proclaim a movie from the decade they're already calling "that one that was a bit better than the 80's, Christ remember how shite they were?" and then watch it before both posting our thoughts. What will amass shall be the greatest movies ever made! (from that decade).

Ruud's going to kick it off with Grosse Point Blank.

As his idea goes that film is our number one. Then I'll suggest something. It'll be placed accordingly in perspective to the film already done. We'll keep doing this until there's a big list, that you'll probably disagree with but that's okay. It's called debate and trust me when I say myself and Ruud will be debating heavily as to how this list will pan out.

This should be interesting!