Hanson took two successful ecclectic directorial turns after this with The Wonder Boys and 8 Mile, but seems to have hit a wall. Helgeland looked like a writing superstar in the making, but as was the case with a lot of the brilliant screenplays around this time, he never hit the bullseye again. (Strange phenomenom we should look into.) Pearce also looked like a future star, but while he's proven to be a helluva actor, he's never broken through to the acclaim he deserves. Crowe and Spacey, obviously, went on to bigger things (I love cusp of stardom Crowe. All that raw energy without the gigantic ego). Just a perfect confluence of talent.
I have to mention Boogie Nights here, too. It's a brilliant film and one of my favorites. But...there's this scene. This one scene that bothered me when I first saw it and every time since. It's early on and features Mark Wahlberg arguing in his room with his mother. And it's horrible. The acting. Horrible. Even when I know it's coming, it takes me out of the movie. Fair? Nothing about my brain is fair.
Films of Note: (Vin took care of most of the big ones)
Anaconda: One of the top entries in one of my favorite subgenres: Giant Killer Animals. So much better than it should have been, which is pretty much true of any halfway decent Giant Killer Animal movie. Or Killer Animal movie, for that matter.
Cube: SMC favorite and one of the top sci-fi movies of the decade. We're still waiting for Vincenzo Natali to break through. Maybe Splice is the start.
Donnie Brasco: The movie that gave the rest of the world fuhgedaboudit. Really, this is when everyone started saying it. Pacino is actually underrated in this. So many great jobs by veteran actors this year (see below. Also, see above for Jon Voight's awesomely cheesy turn as snake food.)
Eve's Bayou: Movies like this always get lost and we always think that it's a shame. It is. Just saying. This is a powerful little Souther Gothic film starring Sam Jackson and a terrific little girl named Jurnee Smollett. See it.
Ulee's Gold: Peter Fonda gave one of my all-time favorite performances. A quietly powerful, dignified job. Should have won the Oscar. Or at least Robert Duvall in The Apostle. But Nicholson was way too over the top in As Good as It Gets not to get handed the award.
you gotta remember that Wahlberg is really a terrible actor...but in that scene (and I have to watch it again)...his character is whiney and is playing a "man-child"...he matures throughought the film and I think Wahlberg does show growth of the character...in the prostitution scenes and the "you got the touch" scene which is one of my favorites...even at the end...the ens Raging Bull scene is just perfect...but I also cant argue with your choice of La Confidential...that was the film that sold be on Russel Crowe as Wolverine...it never happened but thats how good I though he was
ReplyDeleteYou are right about that being part of Wahlberg's character. It is really 1A and 1B here.
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