5. Honeymoon In Vegas: You’d think a Nic Cage / James Caan comedy wouldn’t work…but it does.
4. El Mariachi: If you wanted to pinpoint the year that indie films went mainstream for good, it would be 1992. This was one of the two films to make that happen. Rodriguez’s tale of mistaken identity, love and revenge was made for just $7,000. And it kicks ass.
3. The Last of The Mohicans: Probably the most successful film set in the time of the French and Indian Wars. Daniel Day-Lewis does his usual great job of acting. The score and cinematography were just as impressive. This is a fantastic movie that I think gets overlooked to some degree.
2. Reservoir Dogs: The other film that helped to cement independent film in the public eye. Tarantino’s tale about a robbery-gone-bad is violent, funny and multi-layered. Just a remarkable piece of work.
1. Unforgiven: One of the best Westerns ever made and one of the best movies ever made. Eastwood’s ultimate piece of work in his decades-long deconstruction of the Western genre.
Films I Like But Didn't Make The List: The Babe, Glengarry Glen Ross, A Few Good Men, Howards End, A League of Their Own, Indochine, The Player, Patriot Games, Basic Instinct, My Cousin Vinny, Batman Returns, Wayne’s World, Singles, Buffy The Vampire Slayer, School Ties, Malcom X, Bob Roberts*, Stay Tuned
Underappreciated – Diggstown: A movie about a con-man (Warwick’s Own Jimmy Woods) and his partner/former boxer (Lou Gossett, Jr.) trying to take $1.5 million from a sleazy one-time manager by betting Gossett’s character can box, and beat, 10 men in 24 hours. It’s funny and layered, with some twists that are damned good. But it never caught on in the theaters, which is a crime. Definitely worth watching.
Guilty Pleasure – Waxwork II: Lost in Time: I can’t even pretend to defend this movie as being a quality film. But I like it. I like the whole concept of traveling around pocket dimensions fighting evil and teleporting back and forth. And it has The Bruce in it. You can’t hate on a film when The Bruce is involved. Well, maybe McHale's Navy, but that’s it.
Insane Film That Must Be Mentioned – Dr. Giggles: Remember the guy who played the mentally-disabled Benny Stulwicz on L.A. Law? Am I seriously dating myself with that reference? Well, now imagine Benny as a homicidal psycho who uses medical instruments to kill people. There’s your main character for Dr. Giggles, which is nuts even by slasher standards. How many films have you seen where the killer suffocates someone with a 3-foot Band Aid? That’s what I thought.
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* This film is much less funny and much more scary once George Bush became President. Now it seems like a template for how whack jobs can become Senators (*cough* Ted Cruz *cough*)
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