Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me (1992)

★★★★
One of the television show's enduring images is that of Laura Palmer's reveal. We see it first within minutes of the premiere episode of Twin Peaks, and we see it again towards the end of David Lynch's Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me. It is heartbreaking. Those eyelids and her melancholy posture suggest the saddest of stories. Even as motionless Laura Palmer, Sheryl Lee was still acting. She conveyed emotion with a slight tilt of her head and that sorrowful frown. Hers was a life that ended horrifically when it should have been glorious. Blue Velvet opened with an immediate warning signal—that of burrowing ants—to suggest the horrors to come in a town of picturesque neighborhoods complete with white picket fences. Now imagine Blue Velvet was itself only the surface, and there exists a small town with even darker forces at work. Dennis Hopper's Frank Booth was an evil character, but the antagonist in Fire Walk with Me is a force of nature that feeds off suffering.

Ghost World (2001)

★★★★
Enid (Thora Birch) sits in the front row at her high school graduation. Decked out in her cap and gown, she watches as a classmate in a wheelchair and back brace gives a speech describing high school as the training wheels for the bicycle of real life. A trio of rappers in full '90s apparel (still in style in 2001) runs out on stage to entertain the class and audience. Enid is not amused. Her friend Rebecca (Scarlett Johansson) is equally unimpressed. After the ceremony, the two run out of the auditorium and stomp on their caps. That's what they think of their high school years. What do characters like this do afterwards? This is the story of Enid and Rebecca and that phase of their life when the future is uncertain. Based on the comic book by Daniel Clowes and directed by Terry Zwigoff, Ghost World is a funny and touching story taking place during that uncertain time when someone is old enough to start thinking about the future but too young to commit to anything.

Top Secret! (1984)

★★★★
I've seen the ZAZ Team's Cold War comedy Top Secret! too many times to laugh as hard as I did when I saw it years ago. I've seen it over a dozen times now, yet I can still get a good chuckle out of it. Even when I know what the next gag is going to be, I chuckle in anticipation. This kind of reaction speaks to how strong the comedy is. This movie has among the highest of joke densities that I've ever seen. At a short 90 minutes, Top Secret! is multilayered and stuffed to the edges with puns, sight gags, absurd dialogue and double entendres. The title sequence sets the tone for the rest of the show, and it's the funniest title sequence I've ever seen (vastly superior to the title sequence for Monty Python and the Holy Grail). It's a music video-style presentation of a Beach Boys-inspired song sung by the movie's hero, and it features surfers shooting clay pigeons (skeet surfin') while all manner of silliness plays out on the beach (the sunbather who leaves two impressions in the sand is a highlight). At one point, a crowd of surfers runs toward the ocean. Look closely, and you'll spot the elderly couple and two children among the adults.

Drive (2011)

★★★★
Nicolas Winding Refn's Drive is a gorgeous and thoughtful film. When I say that, I'm not talking about animation or computer generated effects, of which this movie has none. It is gorgeous because of its camera angles, its slow pace, its soundtrack, its sparse dialogue. The characters think about their actions. Tension builds slowly and lingers. This is truly poetry in motion. It's an action movie to the extent that the action is intense, sudden and heart-pounding, though these scenes are few in number and spaced far enough apart that an angry viewer sued the production company for false advertisement due to a misleading trailer that teased more. The hero is a loner who has few lines, like Mad Max, though this guy has no name. The plot is simple, and we get just enough information to know what's happening. There is mob money involved, but the movie isn't that interested in who gets it. The need for this money and the need to get rid of it serve only to disrupt the life of a getaway driver and his newfound chance for a normal life.

Return to Paradise (1998)

★★★★
Before he found his groove as a reliable comedic actor in the 2000s, Vince Vaughn starred in this little-seen and barely-remembered drama from 1998 about two friends who contemplate whether they should help a third friend in need. Return to Paradise premiered in the middle of the late '90s creative surge for mainstream and independent films and costarred the late Anne Heche, who was on a roll during this time with appearances in Six Days, Seven Nights, Gus Van Sant's Psycho and Volcano, while finding time to appear in I Know What You Did Last Summer in a small role. Vaughn himself had recently appeared in Swingers and The Lost World: Jurassic Park, knocking on the door to stardom and proving here he could carry an emotionally heavy narrative.

Uncut Gems (2019)

★★★★
There are many things going on at the same time in Uncut Gems, but above it all rises Adam Sandler's performance. It is the performance of a lifetime. The day will hopefully come when somebody writes a book on his career. It will cover his beginnings on Saturday Night Live and his Happy Madison output, the good and the bad. It will cover his breakout role in Paul Thomas Anderson's Punch-Drunk Love before his career stalled thanks to some truly terrible movies like Jack & Jill. After a stint producing movies for Netflix, he came back in force, and by that I mean he came back with the gloves off and landed every single punch with deadly accuracy. Uncut Gems is a masterpiece. It is not only Sandler's best movie by far, but one of the best I've ever seen. It comes at you like a tornado that sweeps you away with its perfect storm of dialogue and music. In the book of Sandler's career, the chapter on Uncut Gems would be excruciating even if it captured just a tenth of the movie's chaotic unfolding.

The Edge (1997)

★★★★
The Edge is a beast of a film. Much like its monstrous antagonist, it is intimidating, scary and untamed. It's a survival movie with a raging pulse. I watched this in a theater back in 1997. I remember distinctly how a loudmouth customer behind me kept second-guessing the hero. Don't do this, do that, he said. When the hero came up with ingenious ways to get out of a difficult situation, I concluded that the guy behind me would have quickly perished in the wild. It isn't just about being stranded in the wilderness. The dynamics among the stranded men reveal some truths about status and wealth that could prove uncomfortable for people who make assumptions regarding the rich. This is not surprising, considering that writer David Mamet's reputation for complex characters and dialogue precedes him. When you see his name in the opening credits, don't think for a moment that he's settling for popcorn entertainment. In crafting this riveting story, he traversed the road paved by the likes of Runaway Train (1985) to force two dissimilar characters together in a crisis and have their experiences up to that point cause as much tension as the environment around them.

Vanilla Sky (2001)

★★★★
Vanilla Sky is magnificent. It is absolutely astonishing. From beginning to end, I couldn't take my eyes off it. 2001 was a strong year with some brilliant movies, which was a relief because 2000 was weak by comparison. I don't know what happened there. I loved Beautiful People and The Virgin Suicides, but few others stood out. Gladiator was good, but not that good. When 2001 came around, it was like a return to form, and all was well. Vanilla Sky premiered in December, and I never once considered that its proximity to the end of the year influenced my decision to place it at the top of my year-end list. If it had come out in January, it would have still been the best movie of the year. That's how strong it is. It has a story that's beautifully told, features wonderful cinematography and contains memorable performances and a great soundtrack that sets the mood appropriately. There isn't a flawed moment, and writer/director Cameron Crowe deserves high praise for delivering to us this ingenious creation. It is significantly better than his over-hyped Almost Famous.

Coming to America (1988)

★★★★
Coming to America represents peak Eddie Murphy during his rise in the 1980s. A string of failures followed, resulting in critical and box office disappointments that would finally be reversed with 1995's The Nutty Professor, although Murphy reached peak form again with 1999's outstanding Bowfinger. Before all that, we got to witness a comic dynamo full of energy, whose rapid delivery of hilarious vulgarities was unmatched. His gut-busting concert films Delirious and Raw are some of the greatest stand-up performances ever. Working again with director John Landis after the role-reversing comedy Trading Places, Murphy gives us one of his most memorable roles. It's a fish-out-of-water story with some of the expected culture shock that goes with the territory, but it works because it's so well executed. The humor is great. The chemistry between the would-be couple is great. The dialogue is fun. There are subtleties everywhere that enrich the viewing experience. The leads are terrific, but the supporting cast is every bit up to the task. This is truly one of the '80s best comedies. It's a complete experience—a neat and tidy story wrapped in Murphy's boundless optimism and handed to us on a silver platter.

Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022)

★★★★
Everything Everywhere All at Once belongs in the same category as Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Tree of Life and Synecdoche, New York—movies about the challenges of being alive and how it is worth it all the same. They have one thing in common. Their main characters experience a journey into worlds that stretch into infinity. Eternal Sunshine… went into the deepest recesses of the mind, the limits of which are unfathomable (imagine a human brain with the capacity of over 1000 terabyte hard drives). Tree of Life gave us a glimpse of the afterlife, which will exist well after the earth's destruction. In Synecdoche…, Philip Seymour Hoffman composed the grandest of plays to explore the nuances of his own life. The play eventually consumed him and everyone around him. Everything Everywhere All at Once works within the theory of infinite universes, based on the idea that every choice we make actually happens, resulting in the birth of new universes that branch off from those choices. In an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, Worf experienced this concept firsthand when he jumped into different versions of himself in multiple universes.

Being John Malkovich (1999)

★★★★
Every moment in Being John Malkovich, from the opening scene featuring a puppet show all the way to its conclusion, is a revelation. Here is a movie that bursts with so much originality that writing about it fails to do it justice. I remember when I first saw it. Appropriately, a new theater had opened in downtown Reno, and I had already watched Dogma there not long before I saw this. It looked impressive, having been built along the Truckee River and featuring a large lobby with above average offerings at the concession stand. The seats were very comfortable. I read a few reviews for the movie prior to seeing it, but nothing could have prepared me for its creative outburst and imaginative premise. I cannot emphasize enough how thrilled I was to see this. It further cemented 1999's position as one of the strongest years for movies of all time. When it was over, all I could do was watch the credits in admiration and contemplate the fates of its characters.

Bad Lieutenant (1992)

★★★★
Characteristic of an Abel Ferrera film, Bad Lieutenant is a gritty, dark crime story featuring a cop who has completely succumbed to his demons. He prowls the streets looking for ways to indulge his terrible habits, whether it's hard drugs, gambling or sexual harassment. As far as he's concerned, he has nowhere to go but down. Any chance he might have had to save himself is gone. When the opportunity presents itself, he will steal from crime scenes to fuel his descent even further. With his mind in a constant state of disarray, the cop can barely hold himself together as he pivots between his latest investigation and visiting his associates to obtain the only thing that matters to him anymore. His family is a distant reminder of how things used to be for him, while his position as a lieutenant puts him in position to manipulate everyone for his personal gain. He hasn't been happy for years.

L.A. Confidential (1997)

★★★★
Lieutenant Detective Ed Exley interrogates a man suspected of murdering multiple people in a diner, among them a former cop. Exley has the suspect right where he wants him, or does he? There are two other suspects, and after he sorts through their stories, he realizes that he just uncovered another crime. He shifts his questioning to get answers about the location of a missing girl. This is a small sampling of how L.A. Confidential plays out. It’s a richly layered story taking place in 1950s Los Angeles, a city and era brought to life with Danny DeVito’s opening narration and Curtis Hanson’s brilliant direction. The aforementioned crimes intersect, but even then, it’s half the story. The movie features lots of detours and many characters with different agendas, yet Hanson juggles these elements effectively and it all comes together in a smashing conclusion.

The Chaser (2009)

★★★★
The Chaser starts out as a routine thriller featuring a former cop, now a pimp, who uses his skills to track down a serial killer. It morphs into something more emotional, more raw, and takes twists that are devastating in their impact. The end is an outburst of pure anger, featuring a man driven to rage, gradually realizing the threat in front of him and the extent to which that threat has manifested itself. When it is over, the cop is exhausted, as are we. The story takes a toll on everyone.

Levity (2003)

★★★★
Levity is about a man with a wound so deep that he can't emerge from it and put the past behind him. Twenty-three years prior, Manuel Jordan (Billy Bob Thornton) killed a man in a robbery and spent those years behind bars. He admits that he likes prison, and he doesn't want to leave. He knows that he has done a terrible thing; he feels bad for it and having his life sentence shortened for good behavior was never his wish. As far as he's concerned, he deserves prison, but a review board doesn't agree. Manuel Jordan is a free man.

Fight Club (1999)

★★★★
Fight Club is really a tough one to pin down. I praised it upon its release but had reservations about its ending, which seemed like a surrender to big explosive finales than as a commentary on anything. I saw it again eight years later and its effect was much stronger. Now, seeing it once again twenty years later, its point is clearer than ever. It’s inevitable that this happens. Movies are free to make a point and comment on the current state of things, but that point can be lost on those who lack the experience to see it. I was not an office worker in 1999, but a college student on my way to a degree. I was in my fifth year, the result of changing my major and working full time in customer service, which limited the number of classes I could take. It was getting to be a drag. I absolutely couldn’t wait to graduate, so that I could get a better job and end the term papers, the studying, the all-nighters. While my situation at the time could be envisioned as being stuck in an endless trap (I graduated after my sixth year), I don’t believe Fight Club’s themes extend to a prolonged undergrad existence. In actuality, there are two themes present here. One is the uncertainty of the upcoming new millennium and the chaos that could ensue. The other is how suffocating a monotonous existence can be. I once walked into a Walgreens wearing my profession on my sleeve. A stock clerk whispered to me if I wanted to trade jobs. I don’t know if a fight club would have been right for her, but according to this movie, the tension built up after mundane employment could require extreme methods to provide relief.

The Incredibles (2004)

★★★★
Established nearly ten years ago [ed: This review was written in 2004] as the pinnacle of modern animation, Pixar keeps reaffirming its lofty status with every new release, and The Incredibles is no exception. This remarkably entertaining and meaty motion picture is all eye candy and goofy entertainment for children, but underneath lies a biting denunciation on a number of contemporary topics, such as frivolous lawsuits. Writer/director Brad Bird tackled Cold War fears with his amazing The Iron Giant, and he proves here that he's a sly commentator as well as animator and storyteller.

Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter...and Spring (2004)

★★★★

After Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter...and Spring concluded, I walked out searching for words to describe the experience. A helpful guy walking behind me uttered "that was amazing, that was amazing." (To his wife, I assume.) That fits the bill perfectly. Ki-duk Kim's film, the first of his work that I've encountered, is a powerful and, yes, amazing piece of cinema. On a purely emotional level, this is one of the most powerful films I've seen.

Beautiful Girls (1996)

★★★★

Paul Kirkwood (Michael Rapaport) sums up the movie's theme in one scene. His bedroom wall is covered with pinups of the most beautiful models upon which he has ever gazed. They represent the kind of person he would like to meet. He created for himself a set of ideals so grand that no one in his own hometown could qualify for his companionship. This mentality isn't limited to Paul. His buddies, in one way or another, have trouble relating to their closest female friends. They believe that somewhere out there, the right woman is waiting for them, and everything about her will be perfect. They fail to see the potential relationships just waiting for them right there in that snowy hamlet.

True Romance (1993)

★★★★

I have seen films from nearly every genre and nearly every decade, from Hollywood's Golden Age to the high art of the '70s to the modern wave of independent cinema. Of all those titles, there is one that stands apart from the rest. That is 1993's True Romance, a brilliant, wildly energetic and blistering masterpiece that puts every fiber of its being on a collision course with greatness, producing an explosion of crackling dialogue, devastating violence, varied personalities and, of course, young love. This is the kind of movie that gets better with every viewing. It's a testament to the talents of writer Quentin Tarantino and director Tony Scott to work in a genre that has seen many entries (Bonnie & Clyde, Drugstore Cowboy, Badlands), and come away with a funny, action-packed and thoroughly entertaining film.