Franchise Review- The Matrix

   In 1999, a revolutionary sci-fi action film captured the imaginations of millions of moviegoers and set a new standard for the genre. That movie was SUPPOSED to be "Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace". But two months earlier, "The Matrix" came in the backdoor and stole George Lucas' thunder. The legendary "SW" creator unquestionably won at the box office but when you look beyond those shallow terms, more people were raving about kung-fu battles, slow-motion gunfights, and Keanu Reeves in a long black trench coat than they were about Jar Jar Binks, Jake Lloyd, and that business about the Trade Federation. Who would have ever thunk it?

   A cult-like fan-base emerged at the dawn of the new millennium and two sequels duly followed with substantial hype in 2003. It's ironic however, that this franchise suffered a very similar fate as George's much-maligned prequels. The Wachowski brothers were pressured to expand their mythology into a trilogy not because they had enough story to fill three films, but because that's what was expected. It's par for the course. After all, it worked out nicely for "Star Wars", "Back to the Future", and "Lord of the Rings". I'm not here to beat up on the series as a whole- that's been done enough. Simply put, the public thought "The Matrix" was going to become something that it didn't end up being. Was the first movie a fluke? The failure of "Speed Racer" and "Cloud Atlas" would suggest so. Nevertheless, let's look back at the Wachowski bros' crowning achievement.

"The Matrix"(1999)
Larry and David Wachowski weren't on anybody's radar going into their career-defining classic with the 1996 flop "Bound" as their sole directorial credit. Keanu Reeves hadn't had a major hit in the five years since "Speed", and his first foray into science-fiction was 1995's "Johnny Mnuemonic". It's safe to say that expectations were non-existent. The brothers confidently combined the cyberpunk subculture with Hong Kong cinema and the dystopian future already popularized by the "Terminator" films.   After Will Smith(thankfully) passed on the lead role, Reeves put his blank slate non-acting style to good use as restless hacker 'Neo', who is drawn into a rebellion against sentient machines trying to subdue and enslave the human population in a simulated virtual reality. He learns the truth from mysterious fugitive Morpheus(Lawrence Fishburne) and leather clad warrior Trinity(Carrie Anne Moss) and his destiny as the savior of mankind is slowly revealed. I'll admit that I couldn't fully grasp all of these concepts on my first viewing. All I knew is that there was a lot of cool stuff happening. Several scenes became instantly iconic(most notably the one pictured above) in the most imitated action film since "Die Hard".

   The movies that make the largest impact tend to come out of nowhere and blindside the unsuspecting masses, and that was certainly the case here. It's easier being the underdog sometimes, but the Wachowskis found themselves in a very different position when they set out to make their hotly anticipated follow-up.

"The Matrix Reloaded"(2003)
The second installment landed the coveted mid-May slot to kick off the summer of '03(a far cry from the quiet spring release of the original four years earlier) after being filmed back-to-back with the third film which was already slated for a pre-Thanksgiving launch six months later. If you can get past Morpheus' big speech and that rave on Zion(the two worst scenes in the sequels), this is a mostly worthy continuation that more than delivers in the action department. The show-stopping highlights are Neo's scrape with a hundred or so of Hugo Weaving's oddly compelling Agent Smiths and an 11 minute freeway chase that was universally praised(the two best scenes in the sequels). For many that barely compensated for an alienating plot and too much exposition.

   I acknowledge the flaws here, but I think the pros outweigh the cons when you add it all up, and a cliffhanger ending, undoubtedly inspired by "Empire Strikes Back" and "Back to the Future Part II", had everyone primed and ready for an epic finale.

"The Matrix Revolutions"(2003)
Unfortunately, that just wasn't on the agenda. The definition of anti-climactic, "Revolutions" is closer to "Alien 3" than "Return of the Jedi". We've got a hero that's largely absent from the proceedings, a long and tedious battle with the machines, and too much time spent with minor characters that the audience never got invested in. The 'big' set-pieces such as Neo facing down another army of Agent Smiths at the conclusion is more dreary than exciting, and all that pretentious dialogue and heavy-handed religious symbolism sure doesn't help. Did I mention that Zion sucks?

   I'm more forgiving than most, because I never saw these films as the Second Coming. There are worse ways to spend two hours, but there's no getting around the fact that the Wachowskis ran out of energy and fresh ideas and failed to deliver on the lofty expectations of hardcore sci-fi fans that got all worked up in 1999. They're a notoriously demanding bunch. Just ask George Lucas.

Rest In Peace- Ten Actors That Died During Filming

   Death doesn't take a holiday. Not even when a movie production is underway. Many of these tragic tales were major news stories. Some are still the subject of varied speculation. How did(fill in the blank) die again? What became of the film he or she was working on? How might things have turned out differently? Here are ten actors that left unfinished business.

Bruce Lee- "Game of Death"(1978)
It's common knowledge that the martial arts deity's last completed film was 1973's "Enter the Dragon". Suffering from seizures and headaches, Lee was in Hong Kong taking a break from shooting the aptly titled "Game of Death" on July 20th of that same year, when he took a nap that he never woke up from. The official cause of death was acute cerebral edema(swelling of the brain) brought on by a hypersensitivity to painkillers. The massive interest in Lee throughout the 1970s prompted Golden Harvest studios to enlist "Dragon" director John Clouse to finish the movie five years later with the use of stand-ins and archival footage from his previous films. The portions with the real Bruce that remained intact included three fight scenes in his iconic yellow track suit. It was enough to satisfy diehard fans despite the 'lookalikes' that bore little resemblance and the obvious difference in quality between the two prints that were melded together. Nearly forty years later, the cult of Lee lives on.

Natalie Wood- "Brainstorm"(1983)
The beautiful actress was best known for her roles in such classics as "Miracle on 34th Street", "Splendor in the Grass", "Rebel Without a Cause" and "West Side Story". She received three Academy Award nominations before age 25. During a production break on this sci-fi dud, Wood drowned during a late night weekend boat trip with husband Robert Wagner and co-star Christopher Walken on November 29, 1981. She was 43. "Brainstorm" almost wasn't released at all, and director Douglas Trumball insisted that the end result would have been much more cohesive had Natalie lived to complete her role. Her death was declared an accident for 31 years, however a new investigation in 2012 reclassified the cause as 'undetermined'.

Vic Morrow- "The Twilight Zone: The Movie"(1983)
The veteran film and television actor played an outspoken racist in the first of three stories in this big screen update of the classic TV show that aired from 1959-63. Morrow's character travels back in time and is thrust into various points in history where he finds out what's it's like to be a persecuted victim. As a Jew, he winds up in Germany during the Holocaust; he's then confronted by members of the Klu Klux Klan who think he's black; and finally he's transported to the Vietnam War where U.S. soldiers treat him like a Vietnamese man. During the filming of the Vietnam scenes, a pyrotechnics explosion caused a stunt helicopter to crash on top of Morrow and two child actors playing Vietnamese children on July 23, 1982. All three were decapitated. Director John Landis and several others including the pilot and producer Steven Spielberg were later acquitted of involuntary manslaughter in a 1987 trial.

Heather O'Rourke- "Poltergeist III"(1988)
The adorable child actor made her mark on horror film lore when she delivered the famous line, "They're here" as Carol Anne Freeling in the 1982 haunted house hit "Poltergeist". She was one of only two members of the original cast to come back for a cheap third installment that was symptomatic of an overworked genre that was being driven into the ground by cash-grab sequels. O'Rourke became ill shortly before beginning work on the film and was misdiagnosed with Crohn's disease and prescribed a medication that puffed up her cheeks. Her condition took a sudden turn for the worst during the latter stages of production and she was rushed to the hospital where she was pronounced dead of cardiac arrest one month after her twelfth birthday. A body double, a few script alterations and some messy special effects were employed to obscure the fact that Carol Anne's face is never seen in the closing moments of the film. This is the biggest example of the so-called 'Curse of Poltergeist'- Dominique Dunn, Julian Beck and Will Sampson all died soon after their appearances in the franchise.

Brandon Lee- "The Crow"(1994)
The rising young actor who made his film debut in 1992's "Rapid Fire" eerily died twenty years after his legendary father at the age of 28 from a freak on-set accident during the filming of his second starring role in this gothic comic book flick that clearly drew inspiration from Tim Burton's "Batman". He plays a slain rock and roll singer turned dark avenging angel that stalks the vile thugs who murdered him and his girlfriend. In the last days of filming, Lee was shot and killed by a 'prop' gun that contained a live round. This tragic event created a mystique that obviously helped the movie at the box office.  Would it have been as successful had he lived? Would Brandon have been a major star? We'll never know.

River Phoenix- "Dark Blood"(2012)
The brooding '80s teen idol whose credits included "Stand By Me", "Running on Empty", and "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" had three weeks of work left on this strange drama when he made that fateful trip to the Viper Room nightclub in LA on October 30, 1993. Phoenix overdosed on cocaine and heroin after a night of partying with girlfriend Samantha Mathis, brother Joaquin, Johnny Depp, and Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Unable to shoot important scenes involving his young star, Dutch director George Sluizer soon abandoned the project. Eighteen years later, Sluizer announced that with some re-editing and adjustments he would soon be able to complete the movie and screen it at the Netherlands Film Festival. The initial feedback indicates that he shouldn't have bothered. This is a film that would have most likely been long forgotten had River lived.

John Candy- "Wagon's East"(1994)

The gregarious funnyman whose presence lit up numerous comedic hits such as "The Blues Brothers", "National Lampoon's Vacation", "Splash", "Spaceballs", "Planes, Trains and Automobiles", "Uncle Buck", and "Home Alone" just to name a few, couldn't have wanted this dreadful mock Western to be his swan song. Candy had expressed a desire to graduate to more serious roles in the early '90s, yet Hollywood seemed unwilling to grant him those opportunities which led to depressing vehicles like this one. He's barely recognizable in a hat and scruffy beard as a drunken wagon master and his lack of enthusiasm for the project was evident. Candy died of a heart attack in his sleep on March 4, 1994 while on location in Mexico. The filmmakers claimed that he had finished his work on the film, others say he was replaced by a stunt double and many scenes were hastily rewritten not to include him. The movie flopped, but Candy's legacy as a comedy great remains secure.

Oliver Reed- "Gladiator"(2000)

The burly English actor was just as famous for his heavy drinking as he was for his tough guy roles in the '60s and '70s in films like "The Trap", 'Oliver!", and "The Three Musketeers"(he scarred his face in a 1963 bar brawl). He died of a sudden heart attack at the age of 61 on May 2, 1999 while working on Ridley Scott's historical epic as the old, gruff gladiator trainer Proximo who gives Russell Crowe's Maximus a chance at freedom. Some of his scenes had to be completed using CGI techniques at an estimated cost of $3.2 million and in one instance, a mannequin. It was worth the trouble. The film was a major box office hit and the winner of the Academy Awards for Best Picture and Actor(Crowe).

Gloria Fisher- "The Matrix Reloaded/The Matrix Revolutions"(2003)

The African-American stage actress became best known as the mysterious and powerful Oracle who helps Neo(Keanu Reeves) discover that he is 'The One' in the 1999 sci-fi classic "The Matrix". The two sequels were filmed back to back in 2001-02 and Foster was tapped to reprise her role but sadly she never made it to the third film. She passed away from diabetes at the age of 67 and was replaced by Mary Alice who coincidentally had worked with Foster in the theater in 1995. The Oracle is a computer program which explained the change in appearance and the increasingly muddled mythology of the series made it a relatively easy transition for the Wachowski brothers.

Heath Ledger- "The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus"(2009)
The daring Australian actor who received widespread acclaim for his performances in "Brokeback Mountain" and "The Dark Knight"(and a posthumous Best Supporting Actor Oscar for the latter) was exhaustively in the mist of shooting Terry Gilliam's bizarre fantasy in London when he decided to take a few much needed days off in New York. On January 22, 2008, he was found unconcious and unresponsive by his housekeeper in a rented Manhattan loft and was soon pronounced dead from an apparent abuse of multiple prescription medications. Gilliam temporarily suspended production of the film but ultimately decided that Heath's final performance needed to be preserved and enlisted Johnny Depp, Jude Law, and Colin Farrell to play the magical re-incarnations of his character Tony. All three actors donated their salaries to Ledger's daughter Matilda. How well the movie turned out is debatable, but there's no question that the film world was robbed of a great talent.

The Year in Review- 1991

   It was the year moviegoers met the most unnerving killer(s) since Norman Bates and James Cameron and Arnold Schwarzenegger crafted the ultimate summer sequel. Oliver Stone searched for the truth, Billy Crystal became cinema's unlikeliest cowboy, and Keanu Reeves and Patrick Swayze learned to surf. An animated movie was nominated for Best Picture, Warren Beatty still ruled Hollywood, and we all found out what really goes on in the hood. Here are the ten best films in order for 1991.

1. "The Silence of the Lambs"(1991)

This seminal serial killer thriller gave us TWO iconic movie monsters, and became one of only three films in history to win the "Big Five" Academy Awards. Technically a sequel to 1986's financial flop "Manhunter", Gene Hackman and Michelle Pfeiffer famously turned it down. I'd like to thank them. The movie gods were smiling when Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkins met at in dungeon-like Baltimore Mental Hospital. They were BOTH GREAT. The 52 year old, not-yet super-famous Welshman, only needed twenty minutes to make Hannibal Lecter a legend, and is absolutely chilling as the brilliant imprisoned madman. Foster displays vulnerability and strength as FBI trainee Clarice Starling during her search for the gruesome Buffalo Bill(Ted Levine). Director Jonathan Demme took the novel/script of Thomas Harris and Ted Tally and stunned audiences with a depiction of real-world horror after a decade of interminable slasher flicks. This film is wholly deserving of it's status as a modern masterpiece.

 

2. "Terminator 2: Judgment Day"(1991)
The biggest moneymaker of the year and the greatest sequel of all time(yeah, I said it) is an immense achievement in sci-fi action cinema that surpassed the 1984 original in nearly every respect. The genius of writer-director James Cameron is on full display in the groundbreaking CGI techniques and $100 million budget that would soon force every other filmmaker in the genre to either evolve or get left behind. Sorry, but there's simply no one like the creator of "Avatar" and "Titanic". Is there a cooler sight in movies than a shotgun-wielding, leather-clad Arnie tearing through L.A. on a Harley? How about that mini-gun he uses on those cops gathered outside the Cyberdyne building? Robert Patrick's steely-eyed, unstoppable T-1000 is another awesome invention, and I haven't even mentioned Guns N' Roses and a ripped Linda Hamilton turning Sarah Connor into a badass icon in her own right. To many fans, there are only two REAL "Terminator" movies They're not wrong.

"I'm telling you, it could work. The whole world is engulfed in water..."

3."JFK"(1991)
Oliver Stone capped off an incredible five year run that included "Platoon", "Wall Street", and "Born on the Fourth of July" with this complex and riveting documentary-style thriller that follows New Orleans district attorney Jim Garrison(Kevin Costner) as he embarks on an exhaustive investigation into the 1963 JFK assassination. This film immediately became embroiled in controversy for it's unsubtle assertions that Lee Harvey Oswald(nicely played by Gary Oldman) was just a pawn in a massive conspiracy. Whichever side of that endless debate you fall on, there's no question that this is virtuoso filmmaking that combines meticulously researched facts with vivid dramatizations. There are no easy answers, but Stone wasn't afraid to ask the questions that had been gnawing on the nation's collective psyche for nearly three decades. The stellar star-studded supporting cast includes Tommy Lee Jones, Sissy Spacek, Kevin Bacon, Joe Pesci, Jack Lemmon, Walter Matthau, John Candy, and Donald Sutherland.

4. "Thelma & Louise"(1991)
Only a fool would call Ridley Scott's career-saving road movie a 'chick flick'(he wasn't exactly on a roll). Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis are both terrific as a pair of earthy longtime friends rollicking across the Southwest in a '66 Thunderbird. All they wanted was a weekend getaway from the drudgery and lousy men in their lives, but the killing of a rapist turns them into outlaw heroines and a symbol of feminism fiercely personified. Has there ever been a better movie with two women as the leads? I'm drawing a blank here. Brad Pitt got his big break as a thieving hitchhiker, and the shattering finale("Keep going") shouldn't ever be spoiled for the next generation. Callie Khouri's monumental screenplay was supposed to usher in a new era for female-fronted films(sigh).

5. "Beauty and the Beast"(1991)
The first(and to-date last) animated movie EVER to be nominated for Best Picture had to be featured prominently on this list. After a long dry spell in the '70s and '80s, the Mouse House experienced a full-blown renaissance starting with 1989's "The Little Mermaid". A classic, time-honored story(with a message), lush visuals, memorable songs(the title track is an all-timer), and colorful characters comprised the winning formula that no gender or age group could resist. A rejuvenated Disney would astonishingly wield their magic for the next two decades with stunning precision and regularity.

6. "City Slickers"(1991)
A depressed New Yorker(Billy Crystal) and his two best friends(Daniel Stern, Bruno Kirby) confront various forms of mid-life crisises on a cattle drive across New Mexico in this hugely-enjoyable fish-out-of-water comedy hit. The story and humor resonates throughout with Crystal as funny and likeable as he was in "When Harry Met Sally". "Slickers" was Billy's idea, but super-screenwriters Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel turned that germ into a highly-relatable narrative packed with smart dialogue and insight. Veteran tough guy Jack Palance picked up the Best Supporting Actor Oscar as the crusty cowboy from a bygone era who extols the virtues of a simpler life. Not to be confused with the much-less successful(but still fun) 1994 sequel.

7. "Cape Fear"(1991)
The great Martin Scorsese was persuaded by his 7x star Robert De Niro to follow-up their instant classic "Goodfellas", with this intense remake of the 1962 noir that featured Gregory Peck and Robert Mitchum(both have clever cameos). De Niro is electrifying as Max Cady, a tattooed and terrifying rapist/ ex-con, in a performance that lingers in the memory right next to Hannibal Lecter in the '90s supervillian hall of fame. Nick Nolte, Jessica Lange, and Juliette Lewis are a dysfunctional North Carolina family whose daily dynamic adds depth and interest to what would have been standard, straightforward stalker fare in the hands of any other filmmaker. Elmer Bernstein's edgy score echoes Bernard Herrmann, helping turn "Cape Fear" into a classy, first-rate thriller.

8. "Point Break"(1991) 
Before Keanu Reeves became a bona fide action superstar in "Speed" and "The Matrix" trilogy, he got his feet wet in the role of Johnny Utah, the ex-college football star turned F-B-I AGENT(say it loud)! However, Patrick Swayze and his total conviction as the philosophizing, bank-robbing surfer-guru Bodhi, is the main reason that "Break" became a permanent fixture on cable for a good ten years. I swear, you couldn't escape this movie, not that you'd want to. "Terminator 2" was the must-see summer action movie event of 1991, but James Cameron's then-wife, director Kathryn Bigelow's ludicrously-entertaining effort garnered an unexpected legacy in the early 21st Century. No "Point Break", no "Fast and the Furious", got it?

9. "Bugsy"(1991)
We all love mobsters. No honest profession has provided more quality cinema or bolstered as many careers as these well-dressed psychopaths. Warren Beatty is a forgotten legend in Hollywood, and his forceful, charismatic turn as infamous, celebrity gangster Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel represents his last stand as a top tier leading man. On the flip side, his future real-life wife Annette Bening left little doubt that she was here to stay as Bugsy's beau, the tough-talking wannabe starlet Virginia Hill. "Rain Man" director Barry Levinson wisely sidesteps most mob movie clichés in his epic telling of Siegel's takeover of the bourgeoning Las Vegas landscape in 1947, while Ben Kingsley and Harvey Keitel both earned Supporting Actor nods as his shadowy cohorts Meyer Lansky and Mickey Cohen.

10(tie). "Boyz 'N The Hood"(1991)
At 23 years of age, John Singleton became the youngest director in history to be nominated for an Academy Award(and the first African-American to do so) for his stark, realistic account of life in South Central, Los Angeles, that he began writing as an ambitious film student. This eye-opening debut paved the way for many other similarly themed films in the early '90s, that further explored the urban black experience. The impressive cast includes Laurence Fishburne, Cuba Gooding Jr., Angela Bassett, and rapper Ice Cube in career-making breakout roles. The multi-talented Singleton died too young(April 2019), and only lived up to the sizzling promise of "Boyz" in one other film, 2001's "Baby Boy".

10(tie). "Frankie & Johnny"(1991)
"Pretty Woman" director Garry Marshall staged a low-key "Scarface" reunion of Al Pacino and Michelle Pfeiffer(now on roughly equal footing in the Hollywood hierarchy), which may be the most underrated film of 1991. Some critics couldn't get past the casting of two world-famous superstars as a pair of lonely, downtrodden people, in a NYC diner-set adaptation of Terrence McNally's off-Broadway play. This sensitive, moving love story is a must see for melancholy romantics. It's a welcome change of pace from crime epics for a loose, likeable Pacino, and a deglamorized Pfeiffer is phenomenal.

Honorable Mentions- "White Fang"(1991) Ethan Hawke and an Alaskan wolf dog. "Not Without My Daughter"(1991) Sally Field is stuck in Iran. "L.A. Story"(1991) Steve Martin's quirky love letter to the City of Angels. "Sleeping with the Enemy"(1991) Julia Roberts rules in this dramatic thriller. "Guilty by Suspicion"(1991) Robert De Niro deals with the Hollywood blacklist of the early 1950s. "The Hard Way"(1991) Michael J. Fox and James Woods in John Badham's energetic action comedy. "New Jack City"(1991) Wesley Snipes and Chris Rock light up this drug dealer drama. "Defending Your Life"(1991) Albert Brooks in the afterlife. "The Doors"(1991) Jim Morrison is depicted by Oliver Stone and Val Kilmer. "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze"(1991) The TMNT craze continues. "Toy Soldiers"(1991) Sean Astin stars in this 'teens vs. terrorists' flick. "Switch"(1991) Ellen Barkin elevates this Blake Edwards sex comedy.

"Soapdish"(1991) Sally Field leads this lively soap opera spoof. "One Good Cop"(1991) Michael Keaton cares for his dead partner's three daughters. "Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead"(1991) Christina Applegate cares for her unruly siblings. "Only the Lonely"(1991) Chris Columbus directs John Candy in this "Marty" update. "Jungle Fever"(1991) Spike Lee's ensemble look at race relations. "What About Bob?"(1991) Bill Murray makes Richard Dreyfuss mad. "Backdraft"(1991) Kurt Russell fights fires. "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves"(1991) The Kevin Costner version of the storied swashbuckler. "The Rocketeer"(1991) Kids should like this live-action Disney adventure. "Doc Hollywood"(1991) Michael J. Fox is a hotshot surgeon. "The Naked Gun 2 1/2: The Smell of Fear"(1991) More deadpan laughs with Lt. Frank Drebin. "Dutch"(1991) Ed O'Neill hits the road for John Hughes. "The Doctor"(1991) is in, and he's played by William Hurt. "Dying Young"(1991) Julia Roberts is a nurse in love with a leukemia patient. "Slacker"(1991) Writer-director Richard Linklater turns $23,000 into $1.2 million. "Regarding Henry"(1991) Harrison Ford gets serious with Mike Nichols. "Hot Shots!"(1991) This "Top Gun" spoof was a top grosser. "Life Stinks"(1991) Mel Brooks said it best.

"Dead Again"(1991) Mystery thriller with Kenneth Branagh and Emma Thompson. "Class Action"(1991) Gene Hackman headlines this courtroom drama. "The Fisher King"(1991) Jeff Bridges and Robin Williams are an unlikely pair in Terry Gilliam's offbeat tale. "Rambling Rose"(1991) Laura Dern is great in this Depression-set drama. "Little Man Tate"(1991) Jodie Foster(who also directed) as the mother of a child prodigy. "Other People's Money"(1991) Danny DeVito's favorite thing. "Hearts of Darkness"(1991) Frances and Eleanor Coppola recall the making of "Apocalypse "Now". "Billy Bathgate"(1991) Dustin Hoffman as 1930s gangster Dutch Schultz. "Curly Sue"(1991) John Hughes hates directing. "The Addams Family"(1991) The gothic TV clan hits the big screen. "For the Boys"(1991) Bette Midler was a Best Actress nominee. "My Girl"(1991) Anna Chlumsky and Macauley Culkin in a coming-of-age charmer. "Star Trek IV: The Undiscovered Country"(1991) The final voyage for the original Enterprise crew. "Hook"(1991) Robin Williams plays the adult Peter Pan for Steven Spielberg. "Rush"(1991) Jason Patric is a narc and Jennifer Jason Leigh is his partner/love interest. "Grand Canyon"(1991) Lawrence Kasdans's L.A. ensemble has a large cast. "Shadows and Fog"(1991) So does Woody Allen's bizarre, black-and-white curiosity. "Father of the Bride"(1991) Steve Martin stars in Nancy Meyers' beloved remake. "The Prince of Tides"(1991) Barbra Streisand analyzes Nick Nolte. "Fried Green Tomatoes"(1991) Jessica Tandy tells Kathy Bates about the 1930s.

The Year in Review- 1992

   It was the year that Clint Eastwood got back on the horse and rode all the way to Oscar glory. Quentin Tarantino came in the back door, Penny Marshall hit a home run, and Michelle Pfeiffer helped me through puberty. Joe Pesci took us to court, Tom Cruise wanted the truth, and Sharon Stone showed us her...acting talent. Here are the ten best films in order for 1992.

1. "Unforgiven"(1992)
This dark, deglamorised Western was a career-saver for Clint Eastwood(he was coming off a string of flops in the late '80s and early '90s) and a glorious return to the genre that made his name nearly three decades earlier. It also came to represent a fond farewell of sorts- Clint never made another Western despite many requests because he just knew he couldn't do it any better. With the ever-reliable Morgan Freeman in tow, Eastwood's introspective gunslinger William Munny heads to the town of Big Whiskey to collect a bounty and their arrival isn't taken too kindly by sadistic, tough-as-nails sheriff Little Bill Daggett, played by Gene Hackman in a masterful turn that earned him the Best Supporting Actor Oscar. The Academy Awards for Best Picture and Best Director(Eastwood) were equally well deserved, but rather than representing his peak behind the camera, this rejuvenated legend was just getting started.

2. "Reservoir Dogs"
Former video store clerk Quentin Tarantino's meteoric rise as cinema's undisputed king of cool started the moment his charismatic black-suited crooks strolled out of a diner in slow motion to the sounds of George Baker Selection's 'Little Green Bag'. A watershed moment in retrospect that signaled a seismic shift was about to take place. I don't think it's hyperbole to call QT's assault on stale Hollywood conventions the most significant change in movies since that first attack on the Death Star. "Dogs" is raw, realistic, low budget, and uncomfortably violent- a more confidant directorial debut you will not find. The indie film movement was officially underway.

3. "A League of Their Own"(1992)
Director Penny Marshall's funny and affectionate tribute to the women's professional baseball league during World War II quickly earned it's place among the pantheon of best loved sports movies. Geena Davis is the MVP of this female ensemble, but Tom Hanks threatens to steal the show at every turn as the drunken ex-player turned very reluctant coach. 'The nicest guy in Hollywood' had to get uncharacteristically riled up to get the ball rolling on his eventual takeover of Tinsel-town and it should also be noted that Madonna, Rosie O'Donnell and Lori Petty were never better in a film(a backhanded compliment, I know).

4. "Batman Returns"(1992)
Tim Burton let his twisted imagination run wild in this arguably superior sequel to his 1989 game-changer that set the template for all modern superhero movies. I know this is a controversial statement in a post-Nolan world, but you won't find more depth or psychological complexity in any other film in this genre. Michael Keaton is back in black, but there was no way he wasn't getting upstaged by the villainous double act- Danny Devito is terrific as the Penguin, a deranged freak responsible for more than a few nightmares, and Michelle Pfeiffer's conflicted Catwoman is a sensual eruption. Every shiny appearance she makes in that skintight vinyl is a moment to treasure. With Christopher Walken adding to the overall weirdness and Danny Elfman's epic omnipresent score driving the action, "Returns" was the year's best and most original blockbuster.

5. "Aladdin"(1992)
The year's biggest box office hit continued Disney's stunning resurgence as an animated powerhouse. Robin Williams' boisterous, blue Genie is the reason A-list stars gravitated toward cartoon characters, bringing pop culture references to the previously impenetrable fairy tale world of the Mouse House, ultimately paving the way for the hipness found in everything from "Toy Story" to "Shrek". Williams' manic vocals coupled with Alan Menken's Oscar-winning music propelled this magic carpet ride, that delighted children and adults alike throughout the '92 holiday season and way beyond.

6. "A Few Good Men"(1992)
Director Rob Reiner's slick military courtroom drama boasts a sharp script from Aaron Sorkin and one of the most scintillating closing scenes of the entire decade. Just try changing the channel during this epic exchange between Tom Cruise's eager Navy lawyer Daniel Kafee and Jack Nicholson's steely, no-nonsense Col. Nathan Jessup. Here's the truth, I hope you can handle it- "Men" is one of the top-ten most most rewatched '90s movies during it's ubiquitous TNT/TBS loop. I ordered the "Code Red" on more than a few lazy Sundays with the all-star supporting cast that includes Demi Moore, Kevin Bacon, Kevin Pollack, Kiefer Sutherland, and J.T. Walsh. I have no regrets.