Lifetime Movies: 1988

Winner: Eight Men Out

Thus begins the golden age of baseball films. This is one of the best--an historical account of the 1919 Chicago Black Sox World Series-fixing scandal that still reverberates in the sports world today. Solid all the way through with a terrific ensemble cast and a great feel for the time period. No clear-cut front runner this year, so if you wanted to talk me into something else, I’d listen. (And, yes, I know Shoeless Joe batted left-handed, but what can you do. Watch the film in a mirror if it’s that big a deal.)

Fun fact about director John Sayles: he wrote an unproduced screenplay called Night Skies that Spielberg would later turn into a little something called E.T.

Films of Note:

There were a lot of good films this year, but overall, a little light on the great. Vin mentioned a bunch, so I won’t regurgitate those. (Funny, how we both picked period pieces, though.)

Beetlejuice: Tim Burton when his imagination was still working in original mode. My favorite director at the time. Michael Keaton at his best. And I love seeing the young Winona Ryder and Alec Baldwin. Plus, we might not have this without it.

Bull Durham: Wait, isn’t this better than Eight Men Out? Eh...I don’t think so. Maybe. Maybe I just never got the whole Susan Sarandon thing. Still a fun movie, though.

Cocktail: Wait, what? Ludicrous movie, but I remember being mesmerized by Tom Cruise flipping bottles.

I’m Gonna Git You Sucka: For a small window, the Wayans Brothers were the funniest people out there. This and the first 2 seasons of In Living Color were comedy gold. (Jim Carrey was on that show? I don't know what you're talking about.)

Scrooged: Not sure why this doesn’t get more play around the holidays. Maybe we can try only 22 hrs. of A Christmas Story this year?

And finally...

The Last Temptation of Christ: Still not sure how Vin did not even mention this. I'm holding onto this with an asterisk since I haven't seen it in a long time. It's definitely one of the most important films of the decade, if not all time. Like I said above, go ahead and change my mind.

Lifetime Movies: 1988

1988...my favorite film from this year...I will give you some hints...I saw this film the summer after 8th grade with a bunch of Junior High School friends that I never saw again....I hated the film as soon as we left the theater, probably during the first few scenes...I have seen this film many many more times after that day, but my appreciation took probably 10 years to really come to a head...I hate...I mean HATE ever other film this director made (except his second film which was genius--Ed. Note: Mike Nichols)...the film also is David Schwimmer's movie debut.

There is not a GREAT film here in this year...this is probably the year I started to go see a lot of films by myself...or at least films I chose to go see...when I look at lists of films from this year I see a lot of comedies like Coming to America, Big, Naked Gun, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Twins, etc...and films like Die Hard, A Fish Called Wanda...films I like...but only 3 stand the test of time to be nominated for me.

Rain Man, Biloxi Blues, The Chocolate War

The winner this year is Biloxi Blues

As I got older I started to appreciate the subtle humor of everyday life and events, this film was a true enough life story which continued the story of Neil Simon from Brighton Beach Memoirs...I mean I am not Jewish so why should I "get this"...I just never gave it a chance...these days my wife and I quote this film all the time...especially living in Florida...

"Man i'ts hot, It's like Africa Hot, Tarzan couldn't take this kinda hot...it ain't this hot in Brooklyn"

It's just written perfectly...and I give no credit to the director...this is all Neil Simon's brilliance...the casting of Christopher Walken as the Drill Sargent...for me starts him as a comic genius...look on IMDB...every film before this was Walken as a serious actor...a drama actor...maybe points of Annie Hall and the Deer Hunter (kinda a joke)...are funny...but this was a new level for Walken. The film has great timeless lines...a great true to life feel, and to me the best film of the year.

Others of note:

Rain Man is a close second here...its got everything you need...but even Dustin would not go "Full Retard"...Tom Cruise is great..its heartfelt and a fun film.

The Chocolate War...directed by Arnie from Christine (Keith Gordon)...maybe its the fact that I went to an all boys catholic school...maybe its that I too was ridiculed in Mr Gatti's class for not selling any Super Dance tickets...but this to me ends the era of "80's" films...it had great 80's music, great acting, IIan Micheal-Smith is now a Professor at like Texas University (kid opposite Anthony Micheal Hall in Weird Science)....It's a great film

Midnight Run: haven't seen this one in a while...but I remember watching it over and over again...Walken had Biloxi Blues the same year DeNiro had this...his first Comedy? Too bad for DeNiro it was down hill from here on the comedy front.

Thats it...1988

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