1991 might be the most interesting year of The 100 Project when it's all said and done. I saw comparative few movies released this year, failing to reach 50 (at this point) for the first time since 1981. Yet, a number of the movies I did see are serious contenders to make the final list of my top 100 movies of all-time. What makes it really interesting is that many of you will look at this year's list as completely out of order. Some of those many of you consider all-time greats make the cut, but below movies that are more personal to me. The battle between objectively great (or at least widely accepted as great) and deeply relatable to me as an individual rages on. Let's see how it plays out this time.
My Top 10 Movies of 1991
- According to my Letterboxd account, I've watched 46 movies released during 1991
- I've seen 3 of the 5 Best Picture nominees. 2 make the list, the other is an honorable mention
- 4 of the 7 movies I saw in theaters make the list
- 5 movies in my top 10 have an African-American lead
10. A Rage in Harlem
This story of a nerd saving the day and getting the girl strikes a chord with me. It's not quite a private eye noir, but borrows heavily from that genre. It's also a period piece giving us a ground zero of Harlem during its heyday as the centerpiece of Black culture, but exploring its criminal underbelly. Finally, it gives me my favorite Forest Whitaker performance.
9. The Naked Gun 2 ½: The Smell of Fear
If you've been following this project, you're aware I love well-done, self-aware movies. The Naked Gun series is filled with just that. I love this one nearly as much as the first. Leslie Nielsen continues to be a perfectly oblivious hero in a film that once again possesses the perfect combination of intelligence and stupidity.
8. Bugsy
I saw this one about 15 years after its release, so I was aware of all its acclaim. I set my skepticism on high when I pressed play, but it thoroughly won me over. The story of infamous mobster Bugsy Siegel and the genesis of Las Vegas as America's most famous adult playground mesmerized me.
7. Jungle Fever
Looking at TV, and just walking around in public gives the impression that this movie is incredibly dated. After all, the main plot deals with everyone's hang-ups about interracial relationships. I see people in them everywhere I go. Lots of them. And no one seems to bat an eye. On the other hand, I KNOW that conversations very similar to the ones in the movie (if not verbatim) still take place in private. Plus, the subplot about drug addiction ripping up families and entire communities is still brutally relevant.
6. Point Break
Sometimes all a movie needs to be is fun. That's the case with this cinematic shot of adrenaline. The action sequences are still jaw-dropping. Keanu Reeves is in a role that perfectly fits his strengths as an actor while avoiding his weaknesses. Patrick Swayze has never been better. NEVER. And director Kathryn Bigelow makes sure this thing moves.
5. The Silence of the Lambs
If I ever meet Anthony Hopkins in real life, he might scare the shit out of me. That's because for better or worse, he is Hannibal Lecter. It's one of the most amazing performances any of us have ever seen. At the same time, Jodie Foster is, and will forever be, Clarice Starling. And the movie housing these two towering achievements of acting is all sorts of unsettling to this day.
4. Terminator 2: Judgment Day
My love of the first movie in the franchise, and the promise of an amazing spectacle drew me to the theater for this one. I most certainly got the spectacle. Certain movies altered the cinematic landscape from a visual standpoint. This is one of them. What makes it endure, however, is its heart. It's the only movie in the franchise that gives us the warm and fuzzies to go with our excitement.
3. The Five Heartbeats
It's about a fictional singing group that mimics the rise and fall of The Temptations. It also works in elements from the stories of The Dells, The Four Tops, James Brown, and others. Director/star Robert Townsend who also co-wrote the script with Keenen Ivory Wayans, synthesizes all of this perfectly into a movie that I can both sing along to and quote every day life. I have been known to suddenly break into my imitation of a drunken Eddie King and stammer "Nights like this/I wish/Raindrops would faaaa-hahahahall. Dun-DUNNN!" I laugh even if no one else does and that's all that matters.
2. New Jack City
Speaking of movies I quote in daily life, there is this. I could tell you how a movie based on the rise of crack and the 'hood drug lord hits a little too close to home. I could tell you that this is the best performance Wesley Snipes has ever given. But I'd rather just share a few of the lines from this movie that I find myself saying from time to time. "That shit just be callin' me man, it be callin' me." "I never liked you anyway, pretty motherfucker." "Rock a bye, baby!" And my personal favorite: "Sit yo' five dollar ass down before I make change!"
1. Boyz N the Hood
Yes, I can quote this movie, too. But this one is much more than that. The fact it's a dissertation on the importance of fathers, particularly in the Black community, hits me right where I live. It examines this subject in every single frame and rips your heart out while doing so. Much has been made of the fact that it's an amazing debut from John Singleton, the lunacy of the idea that it didn't get an Oscar nomination for Best Picture, the wonderful acting debut of Ice Cube, and the film's overall message. What hasn't gotten nearly enough credit is the performance conveying that message and permeating the entire film whether he's on screen or not - that of Laurence Fishburne as the wonderfully named Furious Styles.Honorable Mentions (alphabetically listed): Beauty and the Beast, The Last Boy Scout, Madonna: Truth or Dare, My Girl, Other People's Money, The People Under the Stairs, Ricochet, The Super
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