Yearly Consensus - 1990

[Spinal]

It has been over four years since this project last began its cycle. The time has come for an update. But this time there will be a new twist. In addition to your top ten films, I will be asking Match Cut to select its top ten performances from each year.

So, as a reminder, here are the ground rules (with a few updates):

Submit your five favorite films and five favorite performances from this year and in a week I will give you a top ten in both categories. IMDb dates will be used.

The point system is as follows

1st Place-5 points
2nd Place-4 points
3rd Place-3.5 points
4th Place-3 points
5th Place-2.5 points

10.5 pts required to make either list.

There will be no restrictions on short films.

There will be no distinction made between male and female performances.
There will be no distinction made between lead and supporting performances.
Voice acting can be considered a performance.


I would like to be able to count votes as they come in. This means that if you change your vote, you need to make a new post. Please quote your old list and then add your new list so that I can easily track the changes. I will not be looking for edits. Once you make a post, consider your vote cast.

You may begin now.

To get you in the mood, I leave you with the top pop song of 1990 ...

iUiTQvT0W_0

[Boner M]

1. Goodfellas
2. Gremlins 2: The New Batch
3. Pump up the Volume
4. Trust
5. Sink or Swim

RU: The Match Factory Girl, Miami Blues, Life is Sweet, Metropolitan, Close-up, Tremors, Jacob's Ladder, The King of New York...

[eternity]

1. Miller's Crossing
2. Metropolitan
3. Trust
4. Edward Scissorhands
5. Wild at Heart

1. Adrienne Shelly, Trust
2. Nicolas Cage, Wild at Heart
3. Kathy Bates, Misery
4. Joe Pesci, Goodfellas
5. Diane Ladd, Wild at Heart
H.M. Sofia Coppola, The Godfather Part III <3

[StanleyK]

A couple of questions: Is it obligatory to vote both for films and performances, or can I only make one list? And is the minimum still three, or does it have to be five?

This is a very cool idea. If it isn't too much work tallying, we could even expand the categories (best score, best screenplay...)

[Pop Trash]

Can we opt out of the performance list?

[Pop Trash]

This is a very cool idea. If it isn't too much work tallying, we could even expand the categories (best score, best screenplay...)

Ugh. No. TOO MUCH WORKY. It's hard enough doing this for a current year, let alone 22 years ago.

[Spinal]

Can we opt out of the performance list?

You can, but I'd rather you didn't.

[Spinal]

A couple of questions: Is it obligatory to vote both for films and performances, or can I only make one list? And is the minimum still three, or does it have to be five?

This is a very cool idea. If it isn't too much work tallying, we could even expand the categories (best score, best screenplay...)

Minimum is three, though that rarely happens.

One additional category should be plenty. Otherwise, it becomes a chore.

[Dead & Messed Up]

1. Goodfellas
2. Misery
3. Gremlins 2: The New Batch
4. Miller's Crossing
5. Darkman

1. Kathy Bates, Misery
2. Ray Liotta, Goodfellas
3. Jim Varney, Ernest Goes to Jail
4. John Turturro, Miller's Crossing
5. Meg Ryan, Joe vs. the Volcano

[Spinal]

1. Miller's Crossing
2. The Grifters
3. Dreams
4. La Femme Nikita
5. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead

1. John Turturro - Miller's Crossing
2. Helena Bonham Carter - Hamlet
3. Al Pacino - Dick Tracy
4. Gary Oldman - Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead
5. Laura Dern - Wild at Heart

[elixir]

Lists!

1. Trust
2. Metropolitan
3. Days of Being Wild
4. Pump up the Volume
5. Nouvelle vague

1. Adrienne Shelly, Trust
2. Leslie Cheung, Days of Being Wild
3. Isaac De Bankole, No Fear, No Die
4. Christian Slater, Pump up the Volume
5. Martin Donovan, Trust

[StanleyK]

Minimum is three, though that rarely happens.

Yes, well, you see...



Films:

1. Days of Being Wild (Kar Wai Wong)
2. Close-Up (Abbas Kiarostami)
3. Miller's Crossing (Ethan Coen, Joel Coen)

Performances:

1. Denzel Washington (Mo' Better Blues)
2. Tony Leung (Bullet in the Head)
3. Kerry Fox (An Angel at My Table)

[Spinal]

I'll have to wait and see how the voting for performances shakes out. Hopefully, there is enough data to form a meaningful result.

[Pop Trash]

You can, but I'd rather you didn't.

FINE!

Movies:
1. Goodfellas
2. Pump Up the Volume
3. Darkman
4. Misery
5. Jacob's Ladder

6. Days of Being Wild
7. The Exorcist III
8. Cry-Baby
9. Total Recall
10. Kindergarten Cop

Performances:
1. Kathy Bates "Misery"
2. Lorainne Bracco "Goodfellas"
3. Brad Dourif "The Exorcist III"
4. Tim Robbins "Jacob's Ladder" (also Cadillac Man)
5. Meg Ryan "Joe vs. The Volcano"

If I could give neg points to Wild at Heart, I would.

[Pop Trash]

3. Jim Varney, Ernest Goes to Jail
5. Meg Ryan, Joe vs. the Volcano

haha awesome :pritch:

[Mysterious Dude]

1. Edward Scissorhands
2. La Femme Nikita
3. Miller's Crossing
4. After Dark, My Sweet
5. Dick Tracy

1. Joe Pesci, Goodfellas
2. Johnny Depp, Edward Scissorhands
3. John Turturro, Miller's Crossing
4. Al Pacino, Dick Tracy
5. Kathy Bates, Misery

This is one of my least favorite years. I almost voted for George Hardy from Troll 2.

http://www.badmovies.org/interviews/georgehardy/georgehardypic-ic.jpg

[Adam]

1) Miami Blues
2) Miller's Crossing
3) Dick Tracy
4) Life is Sweet (used to think this was one of Leigh's weakest - now I love it implicitly)
5) Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!

1) Alec Baldwin, Miami Blues
2) Gabriel Byrne, Miller's Crossing
3) Bill Murray, Quick Change
4) Jennifer Jason Leigh, Miami Blues
5) Tom Hanks, Joe Versus the Volcano

HMS Kati Outinen, Antonio Banderas, Adrienne Shelly, Nicolas Cage, Laura Dern, Jim Broadbent, Meg Ryan, Madonna

[Pop Trash]

IMDB voters really hate the early 90s.

[Lazlo]

1. Goodfellas
2. Miller's Crossing
3. Edward Scissorhands
4. Close-Up
5. The Rescuers Down Under

1. Ray Liotta - Goodfellas
2. Gabriel Byrne - Miller's Crossing
3. George C. Scott - The Rescuers Down Under
4. Johnny Depp - Edward Scissorhands
5. Joe Pesci - Goodfellas

[Grouchy]

I'm only voting the films:

1. Goodfellas
2. Miller's Crossing
3. ¡Átame!
4. Dreams
5. Total Recall

[Thirdmango]

Looking at this list (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1990_in_film) it seems I've only seen 11 movies from 1990.

1. Miller's Crossing
2. Edward Scissorhands
3. Boiling Point (Kitano)
4. Back to the Future III
5. Dick Tracy

[Pop Trash]

Contemplating my feelings re: Dances with Wolves. I seem to remember it being really cool to hate on around 95-99, but I don't think it was that warranted.

[Sycophant]

1. Bullet in the Head
2. Wild at Heart
3. Boiling Point
4. Miller's Crossing
5. Fight Back to School

6. Back to the Future III
7. Dreams
8. Mo' Better Blues
9. Metropolitan
10. Edward Scissorhands

If I can figure it out, I'll try to come up with a better performance list.

1. Laura Dern, Wild at Heart
2. Nicolas Cage, Wild at Heart
3. Christopher Lloyd, Back to the Future 3
4. Ng Man-Tat, Fight Back to School
5. Alan Young, DuckTales: Treasure of the Lost Lamp

Actually, I might be pretty happy with that.

[Spinal]

4. Ng Man-Tat

This is an awesome name.

[B-side]

1. Close-Up (Abbas Kiarostami)
2. Revenge (Tony Scott)
3. Wild at Heart (David Lynch)
4. Sure Fire (Jon Jost)
5. Trust (Hal Hartley)

1. Hossain Sabzian - Close-Up
2. Joe Pesci - Goodfellas
3. Adrienne Shelly - Trust
4. Danny Glover - To Sleep with Anger
5. Nicolas Cage - Wild at Heart

[Sycophant]

This is an awesome name.

It is. And he's one of the most awesome comic performers EVER.

[ContinentalOp]

1. Miller's Crossing
2. Goodfellas
3. Total Recall
4. Days of Being Wild
5. The Match Factory Girl

1. John Turturro- Miller's Crossing
2. Bill Murray- Quick Change
3. Kati Outinen- The Match Factory Girl
4. Ray Liotta- Goodfellas
5. Joe Pesci- Goodfellas

[Pop Trash]

4. Danny Glover - To Sleep with Anger


I really want to see this.

[Watashi]

1. Miller's Crossing
2. Trust
3. Edward Scissorhands
4. Goodfellas
5. Total Recall

HM: Ducktales: Treasure of the Lost Lamp

[Watashi]

It's weird that 1990 is generally regarded as a weak year but just looking at that year, it brought films from the following directors:

Martin Scorsese
Paul Verhoeven
Akira Kurosawa
Abbas Kiarostami
The Coen Bros.
Francis Ford Coppola
Mike Leigh
Jane Campion
Stephen Frears
Whit Stillman
Robert Zemeckis
Abel Ferrara
Lois Malle
Guy Maddin
Jean Luc Godard
Robert Altman
Ken Loach
Claire Denis
David Lynch
Joe Dante
Bernardo Bertolucci
Mike Nichols
Eric Rohmer
Philip Kaufman
Peter Bogdanovich
Peter Weir
Clint Eastwood
Pedro Almodovar
Sam Raimi
Zhang Yimou

I mean, holy shit?

[B-side]

I really want to see this.

It's not very good, but Glover is great in it.

[Raiders]

1. Days of Being Wild
2. Close-up
3. Miami Blues
4. To Sleep with Anger
5. Gremlins 2: The New Batch

Performances:
1. Alec Baldwin, Miami Blues
2. Danny Glover, To Sleep with Anger
3. Jane Horrocks, Life is Sweet
4. Leslie Cheung, Days of Being Wild
5. Adrienne Shelly, Trust

[dreamdead]

Yeah, this isn't a truly great year, given that I only hold two or three of these to be exceptional. Still, it'll be interesting to compare with the older list.

1. Metropolitan
2. A Tale of Springtime
3. Days of Being Wild
4. Close-up
5. Miller's Crossing

Performances:

1. Leslie Cheung, Days of Being Wild
2. Chris Eigeman, Metropolitan
3. Albert Finney, Miller's Crossing
4. Anne Teyssèdre, A Tale of Springtime
5. Samantha Mathis, Pump Up the Volume

[baby doll]

Films:
1. Nouvelle vague (Jean-Luc Godard)
2. Trust (Hal Hartley)
3. White Hunter, Black Heart (Clint Eastwood)
4. Close-Up (Abbas Kiarostami)
5. Pump Up the Volume (Allan Moyle)

Performances:
1. Christian Slater, Pump Up the Volume
2. Alain Delon, Nouvelle vague
3. Hossain Sabzian, Close-Up
4. Adrienne Shelley, Trust
5. Kati Outinen, The Match Factory Girl

Voting feels a bit pointless since we all know that Goodfellas is going to win by default.

[baby doll]

HM: Ducktales: Treasure of the Lost LampI believe this was the first movie I ever saw in a theatre.

[Raiders]

Voting feels a bit pointless since we all know that Goodfellas is going to win by default.

Nah, I think the Coens have this one.

[Mr. McGibblets]

1. Christian Bale, Pump Up the Volume


I don't think that's right.

[Thirdmango]

5. Fight Back to School

Oh this is 1990? I should go watch it before this week is up.

How long will each thread be going before tabulating? I assume a week.

[Melville]

1. Close-Up (Abbas Kiarostami)
3. Wild at Heart (David Lynch)
Now we're back on the same page.

Movies:

1. The Cow
2. Close-Up
3. Wild at Heart
4. Isle of Flowers
5. Goodfellas

Performances:

1. Nicolas Cage, Wild at Heart
2. Laura Dern, Wild at Heart
3. Joe Pesci, Goodfellas
4. Willem Defoe, Wild at Heart
5. Christopher Walken, King of New York

Yes, these are basically the only performances that have lingered in my memory, though I could swap in Turturro or Byrne.

[baby doll]

I don't think that's right.All white people look the same to me.

[Dukefrukem]

1. Goodfellas
2. Ghost
3. Total Recall
4. Die Hard 2
5. Back to the Future Part 3

[Yxklyx]

Top 5 Films:

1. Edward Scissorhands (Tim Burton)
2. Trust (Hal Hartley)
3. An Angel at My Table (Jane Campion)
4. Misery (Rob Reiner)
5. Joe Versus the Volcano (John Patrick Shanley)

Twin Peaks would top my list but I suppose it's not eligible.

Top 5 Most Distinctive Performances:

1. Alec Baldwin - Miami Blues
2. Nicolas Cage - Wild at Heart
3. Kati Outinen - The Match Factory Girl
4. Meg Ryan - Joe Versus the Volcano
5. Johnny Depp - Edward Scissorhands

[Spinal]

Twin Peaks would top my list but I suppose it's not eligible.



People voted for it last time. I leave the decision up to you.

[Raiders]

Though I suspect it is simply not on many people's lists because it isn't a favorite of theirs, I would like to ensure people realize that WKW's Days of Being Wild has changed in between the two consensuses. It used to be 1991 and is now 1990.

[Spinal]

Though I suspect it is simply not on many people's lists because it isn't a favorite of theirs, I would like to ensure people realize that WKW's Days of Being Wild has changed in between the two consensuses. It used to be 1991 and is now 1990.

Yes. Good tip. If people notice stuff like this, please bring it to our attention.

[Melville]

People voted for it last time. I leave the decision up to you.
Editing my vote for variety then.

1. The Cow
2. Close-Up
3. Wild at Heart
4. Twin Peaks
5. Isle of Flowers

1. Nicolas Cage, Wild at Heart
2. Kyle MacLachlan, Twin Peaks
3. Laura Dern, Wild at Heart
4. Joe Pesci, Goodfellas
5. Sinead O'Connor, Nothing Compares 2U video

Old votes:

1. The Cow
2. Close-Up
3. Wild at Heart
4. Isle of Flowers
5. Goodfellas

1. Nicolas Cage, Wild at Heart
2. Laura Dern, Wild at Heart
3. Joe Pesci, Goodfellas
4. Willem Defoe, Wild at Heart
5. Christopher Walken, King of New York

[baby doll]

Some 1990 movies I haven't seen but want to:

After Dark, My Sweet (James Foley)
Black Snow (Xei Fei)
Conte de printemps (Eric Rohmer)
Ju Dou (Zhang Yi-Mou)
Larks on a String (Jiři Menzel)
Miami Blues (George Armitage)
See You Later / Au revoir (Michael Snow)
Sink or Swim (Su Friedrich)
Sure Fire (Jon Jost)
To Sleep With Anger (Charles Burnett)

[Raiders]

Miami Blues (George Armitage)
To Sleep With Anger (Charles Burnett)

Really, these are mandatory viewings in my opinion. Especially the first one. I think many people here would love it, and Baldwin, a presence I have found increasingly annoying over the years, is sensational in it.

[Spinal]

5. Sinead O'Connor, Nothing Compares 2U video



I really only have myself to blame.

[Spinal]

I've seen Miami Blues. It's pretty good.

[Melville]

I really only have myself to blame.
She emotes like nobody's business.

[Pop Trash]

She emotes like nobody's business.

That music video is vastly more powerful than most of these feature films.

[Russ]

1. Twin Peaks: The Pilot
2. Miller's Crossing
3. Wild at Heart
4. Jacob's Ladder
5. Tremors


1. John Turturro, Miller's Crossing
2. Diane Ladd, Wild at Heart
3. Christopher Lee, The Rainbow Thief
4. Omar Sharif, The Rainbow Thief
5. Angelica Huston, The Witches

HM: Crispin "I'm MAKING my LUNCH!!" Glover, Wild at Heart

[Pop Trash]

It's weird that 1990 is generally regarded as a weak year but just looking at that year, it brought films from the following directors:


Yeah, but, maybe it's just the time they were made, but a lot of these directors seemed a bit off their game. I doubt a lot of their 1990 efforts would get high in a director's consensus. I know it has its fans, but Wild at Heart wouldn't beat out a lot of other Lynch films. Nor would Godfather III, Green Card, Postcards from the Edge, etc. rank very high for those respective directors.

[Watashi]

I tried to watch Metropolitan on Netflix Instant, but the quality is so bad. It skips and the sound is way out of sync.

So I watched The Grifters instead and it was meh.

[Spinal]

So, I think I'm going to make a basic guideline that 10.5 points is required to make either list. If, at any point, voting results in less than ten films or performances meeting that total, then the list will be shorter.

[Weeping_Guitar]

1. Miller's Crossing
2. Metropolitan
3. Edward Scissorhands
4. Goodfellas
5. Cyrano de Bergerac

-------------------------------

1. Chris Eigeman, Metropolitan
2. Johnny Depp,Edward Scissorhands
3. Gabriel Byrne, Miller's Crossing
4. Kati Outinen, The Match Factory Girl

[ThePlashyBubbler]

1. Joe Versus the Volcano
2. Metropolitan
3. Days of Being Wild
4. Gremlins 2: The New Batch
5. Goodfellas
______________________________

1. Kyle MacLachlan, Twin Peaks
2. Chris Eigeman, Metropolitan
3. Joe Pesci, Goodfellas
4. Albert Finney, Miller's Crossing
5. Steve Martin, My Blue Heaven

[Russ]

3. Christopher Lee, The Rainbow Thief


I can't believe this awesome clip was on YouTube. Undoubtedly the highlight of this little seen Jodorowsky film (little seen for good reason -- it's an interesting but very flawed work). Just look at how much fun Christopher Lee is having disinheriting his greedy kin in this NSFW clip (some nudity towards the end):


v7dXUNIVLgM

[ThePlashyBubbler]

HM: Crispin "I'm MAKING my LUNCH!!" Glover, Wild at Heart

:lol:

[Pop Trash]

We're including TV series now in these polls? Cuz...I vote nay on that.

[StanleyK]

Has anybody else seen Mo' Better Blues?

[Spinal]

We're including TV series now in these polls? Cuz...I vote nay on that.

I intentionally leave this issue vague so that Match Cut can determine for itself whether something should be defined as a film or not. The pilot for Twin Peaks was packaged on VHS in Europe in a form that added extra footage to bring the story to a resolution. So, I can understand the argument for its eligibility, though I'm not voting for it myself.

This is simply to ensure that votes, rather than drawn-out discussions of semantics, are the ultimate decider. In this way, the problem tends to resolve itself.

[dreamdead]

Yeah, this isn't a truly great year, given that I only hold two or three of these to be exceptional. Still, it'll be interesting to compare with the older list.

1. Metropolitan
2. A Tale of Springtime
3. Days of Being Wild
4. Twin Peaks
5. Close-up


Performances stay the same, but I'll give Twin Peaks another vote (knocking Close-up down a spot and knocking off Miller's Crossing altogether).

[Watashi]

When does this close? I'll probably be editing my list this weekend.

Just watched Pump Up the Volume, which is pretty amazing. A Network for the Teenage Soul.

Also, how has Barty not seen this movie? This is destined to be his most favorite movie of all time.

[Spinal]

When does this close?

Deadline added to subject line.

I'll be staggering these every 3-4 days, so that we get through them at a reasonable rate.

[Watashi]

What order are you going in? Is 1991 next?

This is actually motivating me to watch movies again.

[Spinal]

What order are you going in? Is 1991 next?

This is actually motivating me to watch movies again.

Next will be 1980, 1970, 1960 ...

Saving the 21st century for the end, I think.

[Stay Puft]

No good with dates so basing this list on films already mentioned in the thread.

1. To Sleep with Anger
2. Days of Being Wild
3. Twin Peaks
4. Wild at Heart
5. Boiling Point

[Watashi]

No good with dates so basing this list on films already mentioned in the thread.

The internet is a wonderful thing. (http://lmgtfy.com/?q=Films+made+in+the+year+1990 )

[Spinal]

I like that there are websites specifically designed for generating snarky internet responses.

[Thirdmango]

I'm glad someone asked because I have three movies (on HBOGO/Netflix) that I've been meaning to get around to watching but putting off that came out in 1980 and I should watch them before I make that list.

[Ivan Drago]

I need to see a couple more movies from this year. After all, a part of me really doesn't want to put Home Alone on my list.

[Pop Trash]

I need to see a couple more movies from this year. After all, a part of me really doesn't want to put Home Alone on my list.

But then a part of you does. It really really does.

It's no Uncle Buck.

[Watashi]

1. Miller's Crossing
2. Trust
3. Edward Scissorhands
4. Goodfellas
5. Total Recall

HM: Ducktales: Treasure of the Lost Lamp

My new list:

1. Miller's Crossing
2. Pump Up the Volume
3. Trust
4. Goodfellas
5. Metropolitan

1. Christian Slater (Pump Up the Volume)
2. Johnny Depp (Edward Scissorhands)
3. Adrienne Shelly (Trust)
4. John Turturro (Miller's Crossing)
5. Ray Liotta (Goodfellas)

[Yum-Yum]

1. Pump Up the Volume
2. Frankenhooker
3. Welcome Home, Roxy Carmichael
4. Mirror Mirror
5. Class of 1999

1. Christian Slater - Pump Up the Volume
2. Winona Ryder - Welcome Home, Roxy Carmichael
3. Patty Mullen - Frankenhooker
4. Rainbow Harvest - Mirror Mirror
5. Maddie Corman - The Adventures of Ford Fairlane

[Gizmo]

1. Goodfellas
2. Edward Scissorhands
3. Misery
4. La Femme Nikita
5. Dances With Wolves


1. Kathy Bates Misery
2. Ray Liotta Goodfellas
3. Joe Pesci Goodfellas
4. Johnny Depp Edward Scissorhands
5. James Caan Misery

[EyesWideOpen]

I need to see a couple more movies from this year. After all, a part of me really doesn't want to put Home Alone on my list.

It's a better movie then Dick Tracy.

[EyesWideOpen]

1. Edward Scissorhands
2. Goodfellas
3. Days of Being Wild
4. Miller's Crossing
5. Boiling Point (Kitano)

[Thirdmango]

Looking at this list (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1990_in_film) it seems I've only seen 11 movies from 1990.

1. Miller's Crossing
2. Edward Scissorhands
3. Boiling Point (Kitano)
4. Back to the Future III
5. Dick Tracy

I'm not changing my movies I'm just adding my performances:

1. Albert Finney -- Miller's Crossing
2. John Tuturro -- Miller's Crossing
3. Warren Beatty -- Dick Tracy
4. Johnny Depp -- Edward Scissorhands
5. Hulk Hogan -- Gremlins 2

[Pop Trash]

3. Welcome Home, Roxy Carmichael


I saw this one in the theaters back in '90. That was some good Winona.

[Watashi]

1. Pump Up the Volume
2. Frankenhooker
3. Welcome Home, Roxy Carmichael
4. Mirror Mirror
5. Class of 1999

1. Christian Slater - Pump Up the Volume
2. Winona Ryder - Welcome Home, Roxy Carmichael
3. Patty Mullen - Frankenhooker
4. Rainbow Harvest - Mirror Mirror
5. Maddie Corman - The Adventures of Ford Fairlane

Post MOAR!

[soitgoes...]

1. Goodfellas (Scorsese)
2. Close Up (Kiarostami)
3. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead (Stoppard)
4. Days of Being Wild (Wong)
5. Miller's Crossing (Coens)

1. Joe Pesci (Goodfellas)
2. Gary Oldman (Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead)
3. Adrienne Shelly (Trust)
4. Gabriel Byrne (Miller's Crossing)
5. Leslie Cheung (Days of Being Wild)

Kind of a shitty year.

[ThePlashyBubbler]

5. Hulk Hogan -- Gremlins 2


Was soooooo close to including this.

[Spinal]

I'm really enjoying your performance lists. I like that it allows us to touch on a wider range of films for a given year.

[Mr. McGibblets]

Miller's Crossing
Metropolitan
Back to the Future Part III
Total Recall
Trust

Performances:


Adrienne Shelley (Trust)
John Turturro (Miller's Crossing)
Albert Finney (Miller's Crossing)
Gabriel Byrne (Miller's Crossing)
Elias Koteas (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles)

[Biff Justice]

The Films
1) The Grifters
2) Miller's Crossing
3) The Nasty Girl (Der Schreckliche Madchen)
4) Tremors
5) Rosencrantz & Guildenstern are Dead

The Performances
1) Jon Tuturro - Miller's Crossing
2) Angelica Huston - The Grifters
3) John Cusack - The Grifters
4) Gary Oldman - Rosencrantz & Guildenstern are Dead
5) Bill Murray - Quick Change

[baby doll]

Nah, I think the Coens have this one.I watched Miller's Crossing again last night and I didn't like it any more the second time. It's mechanical, heartless, and too complicated for its own good--basically, it plays like a Christopher Nolan movie (maybe this is why it's so popular with Match-Cutters) except that the Coens seem to realize that the relationship between Byrne and Finney is based on sublimated homosexual attraction, in contrast with the homo-eroticism of Nolan's movies which is never acknowledged as such. However, having established this relationship in the opening sequence, the Coens simply use it to motivate a series of plot twists that I couldn't give a shit about. It's a professional piece of filmmaking, attractively lit and upholstered, but emotionally dead. Plus, there's that scene where Finney suddenly turns into the Terminator.

[Pop Trash]

I seem to remember basically agreeing with you, but its been too long. I did 'like' it but I've always been a bit perplexed by the love for Miller's Crossing. I prefer the loosey goosey gonzo hysterics of Raising Arizona.

[Irish]

Films:

1. Ju Dou
2. Goodfellas
3. Reversal of Fortune
4. King of New York
5. A Bullet in the Head

Hon.: The Hairdresser's Husband

Performances:

1. Gary Oldman, State of Grace
2. Jeremy Irons, Reversal of Fortune
3. Kathy Bates, Misery
4. Fred Ward, Miami Blues
5. Christopher Walken, King of New York

[Llopin]

1. Twin Peaks
2. Total Recall
3. Milou en Mai
4. Close-up
5. The Match Factory Girl

1. Gong Li, Ju Dou
2. Chris Eigeman, Metropolitan
3. Adrienne Shelly, Trust
4. Kati Outinen, The Match Factory Girl
5. Beat Takeshi, Boiling Point

[Spinal]

Voting closed.

[Spinal]

Favorite Performances of 1990

#10

I've always planned to be a failure anyway, that's why I plan to marry an extremely wealthy woman.

Chris Eigeman, Metropolitan


-CwnfathXhU

Did you know?

In 1992 he filmed a pilot for an American version of the British cult sci-fi television show Red Dwarf playing the part of Arnold Rimmer, but the show was not picked up as a series.

[Spinal]

Favorite Performances of 1990

#9

All in all not a bad guy - if looks, brains and personality don't count.

Gabriel Byrne, Miller's Crossing


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Did you know?

At the 5th Jameson Dublin International Film Festival in 2007, Byrne was presented with the first of the newly created Volta awards, for lifetime achievement in acting.

[Mysterious Dude]

I did not notice that he actually lost his hat so many times. Those Coens...

[Spinal]

Favorite Performances of 1990

#8

Now I feel like killing myself, but luckly I'm too depressed to bother.

Christian Slater, Pump Up the Volume


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Did you know?

Slater was cast in Interview with the Vampire after friend, River Phoenix, who originally had the role, died. Slater subsequently donated his earnings from the film to Phoenix's favorite charities.

[Spinal]

Favorite Performances of 1990

#7

For as long as I can remember I always wanted to be a gangster. To me that was better than being president of the United States.

Ray Liotta, Goodfellas


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Did you know?

Driving to and from the set, Liotta listened to FBI audio cassette tapes of Henry Hill, so he could practice speaking like his real-life counterpart.

[Spinal]

Favorite Performances of 1990

#6

She turns over, peels off them orange pants, spreads her legs real wide and says to me... take a bite of Peach.

Nicolas Cage, Wild at Heart


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Did you know?

Before filming started, Laura Dern suggested that she and Cage go on a weekend road trip to Las Vegas in order to bond and get a handle on their characters. Dern remembers, "We agreed that Sailor and Lula needed to be one person, one character, and we would each share it. I got the sexual, wild, Marilyn, gum-chewing fantasy, female side; Nick’s got the snakeskin, Elvis, raw, combustible, masculine side."

[baby doll]

Did you know?

Driving to and from the set, Liotta listened to FBI audio cassette tapes of Henry Hill, so he could practice speaking like his real-life counterpart.I feel bad for his driver who probably wanted to listen to the radio.

[Spinal]

Favorite Performances of 1990

#5

Kevin, you wanna play scissors, paper, stone again?

Johnny Depp, Edward Scissorhands


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Did you know?

In preparation for the role, Depp watched many Charlie Chaplin films to study the idea of creating sympathy without dialogue

[Spinal]

Favorite Performances of 1990

#4

Nobody knows you're here. And you better hope nothing happens to me. Because if I die... you die.

Kathy Bates, Misery


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Did you know?

Starting in the 1990s, Bates forged a formidable career as a director. She has directed episodes of Homicide: Life on the Street, NYPD Blue, Oz, Six Feet Under, and Everwood.

[Spinal]

Favorite Performances of 1990

#3

Sure, mom, I settle down with a nice girl every night, then I'm free the next morning.

Joe Pesci, Goodfellas


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Did you know?

According to Pesci, Scorsese made transcripts of improvisation sessions, took the lines that the actors came up with that he liked best, and put them into a revised script. For example, the "what's so funny about me" scene is based on an actual event that happened to Pesci. Scorsese recorded 4-5 rehearsal takes, rewrote their dialogue and inserted it into the script.

[baby doll]

Will Adrienne Shelly crack the top two? It's a wonder what getting killed does for your popularity.

[Spinal]

Favorite Performances of 1990

#2

No, he's dangerous *because* he's sincere.

Adrienne Shelly, Trust


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Did you know?

On November 1, 2006, construction worker Diego Pillco, a 19-year-old Ecuadorian illegal immigrant, killed Shelly after she complained about the noise he was making in the apartment below hers. Pillco said later that he "was having a bad day."

[Spinal]

Favorite Performances of 1990

#1

It's my nature, Tom! I... I... I... can't help it, somebody gives me an angle, I play it.

John Turturro, Miller's Crossing


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Did you know?

Turturro participates as a member of the Jury for the NYICFF, a local New York City Film Festival dedicated to screening films for children between the ages of 3 and 18.

[Spinal]

Match Cut's Favorite Performances of 1990:

1. John Turturro, Miller's Crossing (37.5)
2. Adrienne Shelly, Trust (34.5)
3. Joe Pesci, Goodfellas (32)
4. Kathy Bates, Misery (24.5)
5. Johnny Depp, Edward Scissorhands (23.5)
6. Nicolas Cage, Wild at Heart (19.5)
7. Ray Liotta, Goodfellas (18.5)
8. Christian Slater, Pump Up the Volume (18)
9. Gabriel Byrne, Miller's Crossing (17.5)
10. Chris Eigeman, Metropolitan (17)

Honorable Mentions:

Kati Outinen, Match Factory Girl (15.5)
Alec Baldwin, Miami Blues (15)
Albert Finney, Miller's Crossing (15)
Leslie Cheung, Days of Being Wild (14.5)
Laura Dern, Wild at Heart (11)

[Pop Trash]

Off topic, but Adrienne Shelly in that is dressed like every single 20-something hipster girl I see around. Round rimmed glasses, peasant dress, letter jacket w/o letters. Jesus, fashion has come full circle back to 1990.

[Mysterious Dude]

Are the top films going to be listed? Are you still researching your interesting factoids?

[Spinal]

Guys, I'm on vacation. I was at Disneyland all day. I'll get to this when I can.

[Sycophant]

I'm surprised Dern didn't place higher on the performance list! These are a good addition. Pretty interesting. Well done, Spinal.

[Mysterious Dude]

Sorry, Joel! Just wondering.

[Spinal]

Sorry, Joel! Just wondering.

No problem. Your enthusiasm is appreciated.

[Watashi]

You're 10 minutes from my house and didn't visit?!?!

[Spinal]

Favorite Films of 1990

#10


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Twin Peaks (Pilot)

Director: David Lynch

Country: USA

The body of a young girl is washed up on a beach near the small Washington state town of Twin Peaks. FBI Special Agent Dale Cooper is called in to investigate her strange demise only to uncover a web of mystery.

An alternate version of the pilot was aired in Europe as a stand-alone television movie. This version is identical to the United States-aired version up until the last several scenes, when the killer of Laura Palmer is revealed. Lynch incorporated some of the footage shot for the European ending into Cooper's dream sequences that aired in subsequent episodes.

"In the spring of 1990, Twin Peaks was utterly unlike anything that had ever aired on American television. In fact, it still is." -- Josh Zyber

[Derek]

Favorite Films of 1990

Twin Peaks (Pilot)

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[Spinal]

Favorite Films of 1990

#9


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Wild at Heart

Director: David Lynch

Country: USA

Young lovers Sailor and Lula take off for New Orleans following Sailor's release from prison, with Lula's hysterical mother, a weary detective and a sinister hitman after them.

Early test screenings for the film did not go well; Lynch estimated that 80 people walked out of the first test screening and 100 in the next. When Jury President Bernardo Bertolucci announced Wild at Heart as the Palme d'Or winner at the Cannes awards ceremony, the boos almost drowned out the cheers.

"Starting with the outrageous and building from there, [Lynch] ignites a slight love-on-the-run novel, creating a bonfire of a movie that confirms his reputation as the most exciting and innovative filmmaker of his generation." -- Peter Travers

[Spinal]

Favorite Films of 1990

#8


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Pump Up the Volume

Director: Allan Moyle

Country: USA/Canada

Mark runs a pirate radio station and causes an uproar when he speaks his mind and enthralls fellow teens.

Moyle has described the film's protagonist as an amalgam of Holden Caulfield and Lenny Bruce. Lala Sloatman and Ahmet Zappa are real life cousins, but played girlfriend/boyfriend in the movie.

"Writer/director Moyle turns what could have been a wallow in teen angst into something altogether more forceful. The perfectly cast Slater effectively propels the film, his intensity and dry delivery giving it a definite edge." - Time Out Film Guide

[Spinal]

Favorite Films of 1990

#7


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Metropolitan

Director: Whit Stillman

Country: USA

In an apartment on Manhattan, friends from the New York upper-class meet to talk about social mobility, play bridge and discuss Fourier's socialism; the cynic Nick, the philosophical Charlie, partygirl Sally and austenite Audrey. They are joined by Tom. His background is much simpler and he is critical of their way of life.

Whit Stillman wrote the screenplay between 1984 and 1988 while he was running an illustration agency in New York and financed it by selling his apartment for $50,000 as well as acquiring contributions from family members and friends. He claims that the movie is based on a string of real-life events that happened to him late in 1970, while he was living with his divorced mother in Washington D.C.

"Stillman's film depends on strong dialogue and language, his humor is submerged in the text and is played deadpan by his actors; no wonder some critics have compared him to the Gallic Eric Rohmer." - Emanuel Levy

[Spinal]

Favorite Films of 1990

#6


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Trust

Director: Hal Hartley

Country: USA

When high school dropout Maria announces her pregnancy to her parents, her father drops dead, her mother kicks her out of the house and her boyfriend dumps her. So, Maria is left alone and homeless. This is when she meets Matthew.

Hartley once explained that he made the movie on the spur of the moment because he wanted to work with Shelly again immediately after making The Unbelievable Truth, so he had very little money and very little time. The movie was shot in 11 days.

"Not many filmmakers have run their fingers along the scrubbed-down Formica countertops of suburbia and found their inspiration, but this is the territory Hartley knows best, and he walks it like an assured specialist, his ears keen to every cracked inflection, every palpitating rhythm." - Hal Hinson

[Spinal]

Favorite Films of 1990

#5


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Close-Up

Director: Abbas Kiarostami

Country: Iran

Pretending to be Mohsen Makhmalbaf making his next movie, Ali Sabzian enters a well-to-do family in Tehran. The actual people involved in the incident re-enact the actual events, followed by the footage from the actual trial that took place..

Chosen by Les Cahiers du cinéma as one of the year's 10 best pictures. Did not receive American release until December 31st, 1999.

"Call it what you will (documentary, mockumentary, self-fulfilling prophecy), Close-Up is still the definitive film-on-film commentary." - Ed Gonzalez

[Spinal]

Favorite Films of 1990

#4


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Edward Scissorhands

Director: Tim Burton

Country: USA

When the local Avon lady attempts one last stop to sell her products, she wanders off to a mansion on top of a large hill. Finding a lonely man named Edward with scissors for hands, she decides to bring him back with her into society.

A theatrical ballet adaptation by the British choreographer Matthew Bourne premiered at Sadler's Wells Theatre in London in November 2005. After an 11-week season, the production toured the UK, Asia and the United States. The giant hedge sculptures that Edward creates in the film were made by wrapping metal skeletons in chicken wire, then weaving in thousands of small plastic plant sprigs

"Depp is tender, affecting and, quite frankly, bloody pretty ... Squinty-eyed Wiest is perfect as the dippy mother who sells cosmetics ... Burton [is] a kitsching cousin to the satirical skewpoints of Gary Larson, David Lynch, Erroll Morris and others." -- Desson Howe

[Spinal]

Favorite Films of 1990

#3


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Days of Being Wild

Director: Wong Kar-Wai

Country: Hong Kong

Set in 1960, the film centres on the young, boyishly handsome Yuddy, who learns from the drunken ex-prostitute who raised him that she is not his real mother. Hoping to hold onto him, she refuses to divulge the name of his real birth mother. The revelation shakes Yuddy to his very core, unleashing a cascade of conflicting emotions.

The film gets its name from the title given to Rebel Without a Cause when it was released in China. Su Lizhen also appears in Wong's In the Mood for Love. Both Su Lizhens are played by Maggie Cheung, although it has never been clearly indicated that both Lizhens are the same character.

"Every shot is perfectly composed and compelling, with light and shadow manipulated to maximum effect. You just know each shot took hours, maybe days, to complete ... Somehow, this attention to visuals never detracts from the story's rawness." -- Carla Meyer

[Spinal]

Favorite Films of 1990

#2


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Goodfellas

Director: Martin Scorsese

Country: USA

The lowly, blue-collar side of New York's Italian mafia is explored in the crime biopic of wiseguy Henry Hill. As he makes his way from strapping young petty criminal, to big-time thief, to middle-aged cocaine addict and dealer, the film explores in detail the rules and traditions of organized crime.

Scorsese cast Ray Liotta after being surprised by "his explosive energy" in Jonathan Demme's Something Wild. The long tracking shot through the Copacabana nightclub came about because of a practical problem: the filmmakers could not get permission to go in the short way and this forced them to go round the back.

"More than any earlier Scorsese film, Goodfellas is memorable for the ensemble nature of the performances… The movie has been beautifully cast from the leading roles to the bits. There is flash also in some of Mr. Scorsese's directorial choices, including freeze frames, fast-cutting and the occasional long tracking shot. None of it is superfluous." -- Vincent Canby

[Spinal]

Favorite Films of 1990

#1


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Miller's Crossing

Director: Joel Coen

Country: USA

Two rival gangs vie for control of a city where the police are pawns, and the periodic busts of illicit drinking establishments are no more than a way for one gang to get back at the other.

While writing the screenplay, the Coens tentatively titled the film The Bighead. The first image they conceived was that of a black hat coming to rest in a forest clearing; then, a gust of wind lifts it into the air, sending it flying down an avenue of trees. This image begins the film's opening credit sequence.

"Miller's Crossing is as disturbing and densely beautiful as its opening image, a lofty forest that dwarfs the gangsters as they laugh over their kill. There is an uncompromising magic about this primeval setting, until it comes over you like a wolf's shadow that this is where the brutal truly belong." -- Rita Kempley

[Spinal]

Match Cut's Favorite Films of 1990:

1. Miller's Crossing (73.5)
2. Goodfellas (60.5)
3. Days of Being Wild (34)
4. Edward Scissorhands (33)
5. Close-Up (32.5)
6. Trust (28)
7. Metropolitan (27.5)
8. Pump Up the Volume (22)
9. Wild at Heart (20)
10. Twin Peaks (19.5)

Alternate #10 for those who do not accept the inclusion of TV pilots even if they were shown in Europe as stand-alone films:
Total Recall (16.5)

Honorable Mentions:
Misery (13.5)
Gremlins 2 (13)
Boiling Point (12)

Match Cut's 2008 poll:
1. Goodfellas 105.5
2. Miller's Crossing 83.5
3. Edward Scissorhands 63.5
4. Close-Up 38
5. Wild at Heart 30
6. Dances with Wolves 22
7. Nikita 19.5
8. Jacob's Ladder 17.5
9t. Archangel 17
9t. Metropolitan 17

Near Misses:

Total Recall 16.5
Trust 16.5
Pump Up the Volume 15
Twin Peaks Pilot 15
Misery 12
The Grifters 12

[B-side]

Four years and Close-Up drops a place. For shame, Match-Cut.

[Spinal]

You're 10 minutes from my house and didn't visit?!?!

I just assumed that Disneyland was where I would find you. I spent all day at the Disney Princess Fantasy Faire.

[Spinal]

Four years and Close-Up drops a place. For shame, Match-Cut.

Mostly because Wong Kar-Wai's film got moved from 1991.

[Pop Trash]

Dances With Wolves placed #6 in '08 and got what? zero votes this year? This place is so weird.

[Spinal]

Dances With Wolves placed #6 in '08 and got what? zero votes this year? This place is so weird.

It received one fifth-place vote.

[Irish]

Most surprising to me is Pump Up the Volume's surge in popularity.

[baby doll]

Evidently Match-Cut loves movies about gangsters, alienated young people, and in the case of Wild at Heart, a movie about alienated young people on the run from gangsters.

[Boner M]

Evidently Match-Cut loves movies about gangsters, alienated young people, and in the case of Wild at Heart, a movie about alienated young people on the run from gangsters.
sez the Godard diehard.

[Melville]

Most surprising to me is Pump Up the Volume's surge in popularity.
Yeah, not having seen it since it first came out, I never would have guessed it was so popular here (or anywhere else for that matter). Boner was the only fan I knew of.

[Boner M]

Never underestimate the influence of Boner.

[Raiders]

I did it wrong. I saw Moyle's Empire Records first and since it is among the most obnoxious films I have ever seen, I have avoided anything with his name on it. I know of PUTV's rep, I just never have convinced myself to watch it.

[Melville]

Never underestimate the influence of Boner.
Boner must be a powerful force indeed to tempt me to rewatch an early 90s Christian Slater movie about teen angst.

[Boner M]

I did it wrong. I saw Moyle's Empire Records first and since it is among the most obnoxious films I have ever seen, I have avoided anything with his name on it. I know of PUTV's rep, I just never have convinced myself to watch it.
I'd fight you to the death for title of Empire Records Hater #1, but PUTV is just lovely. Watch it.

[Irish]

Yeah, not having seen it since it first came out, I never would have guessed it was so popular here (or anywhere else for that matter). Boner was the only fan I knew of.

I think it's a fun movie. Slater is Slater and you get to see Samantha Mathis' boobs.

I don't think it's "best of" material, though, and I don't think it's terribly relevant to anyone out of high school.

But maybe the board skews younger than I thought?

[Spinal]

There aren't a whole lot of films with wide support in 1990. Lots of room for something to sneak in.

[Pop Trash]

I think it's a fun movie. Slater is Slater and you get to see Samantha Mathis' boobs.

I don't think it's "best of" material, though, and I don't think it's terribly relevant to anyone out of high school.

But maybe the board skews younger than I thought?

I find it endlessly rewatchable, has a great soundtrack (esp. for 1990 when if you recall Amy Grant and Warrant were considered 'acceptable' listening), is actually pretty well made (I like the pans of all the random junk in Slater's room and the sound mix of all the teen radio voices at the end), is a bit cheesy and earnest in the best possible ways, and the plot mechanics of the school issues are oddly prescient with 'no child left behind' about a decade away.

And yes, Samantha Mathis boobs, but I actually really like her character as well.

[Melville]

Prompted by this thread, I watched Pump Up the Volume. It was a lot like Footloose. But without Kevin Bacon. The message-ifying definitely didn't work for me, possibly because the film's attempt to capture the feeling of high school is completely alien to any experience I ever had (a problem I have when watching almost any movie about high school).

[baby doll]

the film's attempt to capture the feeling of high school is completely alien to any experience I ever had (a problem I have when watching almost any movie about high school).Personally, I'm not of the mind that a movie about high school has to be exactly like my experience of high school in order to have any value. I mean, I didn't play basketball (or any sport) in high school, but I still loved Hoop Dreams.

[Melville]

Personally, I'm not of the mind that a movie about high school has to be exactly like my experience of high school in order to have any value.
Nor am I. Nor did I say anything like that. I only said that the movie's emphasis on messages (which are delivered loudly and with a heaping dose of cheese) doesn't work for me because the basis for the messages is completely alien to all my experiences. Although regarding my broader statement, movies about high school do have a tendency, more than most films, to present themselves as capturing a panorama of their social setting—as if to say, 'this is high school, I'm sure you recognize it'—and if not that, to rely on certain notions of how high school is, with certain stock characters, situations, and attitudes used as a crutch. For me that crutch is broken, since the stock things don't relate back to my own experiences or to anything I ever cared about.

[StanleyK]

Nor am I. Nor did I say anything like that. I only said that the movie's emphasis on messages (which are delivered loudly and with a heaping dose of cheese) doesn't work for me because the basis for the messages is completely alien to all my experiences. Although regarding my broader statement, movies about high school do have a tendency, more than most films, to present themselves as capturing a panorama of their social setting—as if to say, 'this is high school, I'm sure you recognize it'—and if not that, to rely on certain notions of how high school is, with certain stock characters, situations, and attitudes used as a crutch. For me that crutch is broken, since the stock things don't relate back to my own experiences or to anything I ever cared about.

That makes two of us. Did you, by chance, do high school outside the US? Because sometimes I wonder if that's the problem with me.

[Melville]

That makes two of us. Did you, by chance, do high school outside the US? Because sometimes I wonder if that's the problem with me.
I went to high school in Canada. It was an alternative school, small and focused on independent studying. So I never experienced the whole locker-and-schoolbell thing. I'm also just an antisocial guy alienated from mainstream social norms. That's probably the bigger issue.

But of my friends and family, only one person's (a Brit) experience of high school sounded like the movies (social cliques and strata of 'coolness', trying hard to fit in, rebellion against oppressive authority figures, stifling parental expectations, etc.)