A Cavalcade of Movies from 1992

1992 was a strange year for me. I graduated from high school, suffered from a self-diagnosed depression, made some friends, met a wife, learned about Old Testament poetry, briefly worked as a carpenter. It was a big transition year for me. Josh picked that year (after picking two other years I'd already done) for my next year to research, and I figured there would be some nostalgia since I knew I was seeing a lot of movies at dollar theaters with my future wife and friends around that time. I saw The Last of the Mohicans twice in one week, for example, and I remember being in a "third wheel" situation with an engaged couple where they made out voraciously during Under Siege. We saw a vertigo-inducing Cliffhanger from a second row, and my wife described Dennis the Menace as "cute." Some of those were 1993 though. Our first real date was to see Alive, a movie that features cannibalism, so that was pretty romantic. 

Anyway, I don't have much time in my life right now. I haven't watched many movies lately, but here's what I've seen from 1992 in the last couple of weeks. My wife and I also saw a 35mm print of Harold and Maude recently. God damn, I love that movie so much. 

Romper Stomper is like a gnarlier American History X, little polish with an almost cinema verite crust. It's a daring directorial debut from Geoffrey Wright, and a risky choice from future A-lister Russell Crowe. There are some tense moments, lots of terrible music, and an ending featuring Japanese tourists. One wild scene of fisticuffs is a highlight. I'd like this better if the line between glorifying the lifestyle and world views of these people and criticizing them was a little thicker. 15/20

One reason I like these movie year lists I'm working on is because it forces me to fill in some gaps that should have been filled in long ago. I avoided this because of its length and because I'm not the biggest fan of biopics. The cool kids call it X, of course, but I was never a cool enough kid to do that. This movie's got an infectious angry energy that makes you want to get up and do something. Spike Lee jabs a finger in your face from the opening shots. I knew only a little about Malcolm X since he doesn't get his special day. As you'd expect from a biopic, this skims along the surface of the high and low points in this figure's life, but it's really something when it slows down and allows moments to fester. Denzel Washington is fiery. 16/20

I didn't really need to watch My Cousin Vinny again. Don't tell my wife, but my reasons were probably Costanza-esque. Tomei's performance here, though still a strange choice for Oscar, just fills you with joy. She's effervescent, and she blends so well with Joe Pesci. The couple has miles of history, and there's something beautiful about the relationship even when it doesn't make sense. This movie has a real 80's feel, probably because of all the Ralph Macchio. I was surprised at how genuinely funny this movie was. I even laughed. 15/20

I already wrote about this movie, so you can read that if you want to see some other half-assed ramblings. I was surprised by how funny this movie was when I watched it this time. I love the performances and dialogue, and I love what this has to say about legend-making, storytelling, Old West myths. Though I'm not sure I like the shift in Eastwood's character near the end when this threatens to become just another Clint Eastwood Western, it's not enough to change my original rating. 17/20

At a game night at a friend's house last night, somebody announced that Clint Eastwood had died. Every single person at the table was skeptical because it's impossible for Clint Eastwood to die. Turns out, of course, that it was a hoax. The same person later tried to kill Michael Stipe as well. 

What a great cast, just spitting out this terrific dialogue, Death of a Fucking Salesman as it's been called. I love watching Al Pacino Pacino things up, but the entire cast is just perfect, showing off and knowing how to make every single word in this script count. Love Jack Lemmon, Ed Harris, and Alan Arkin as a trio of guys scrambling to be successful in a job when odds are stacked against them. Perhaps I'm a masochist because I derived a lot of pleasure from watching these characters suffer while doing their jobs. There's not enough scenery here for these actors to chew up, the whole thing taking place in 2 1/2 locations. That's barely enough to fill Alec Baldwin's big belly. 16/20

An exhilarating mosaic, just the perfect little movie about time and memory and loss for a guy watching movies from 1992 and getting all nostalgic. Visual snippets, sound collage, cinema poetry. I remember as a child staring at a spot on my grandmother's porch for over five hours, not moving at all from the rocker, just watching how the light changed how that spot looked while listening to cars driving by and birds chattering to each other about what the hell I was doing. There's a scene in this one where the camera just focuses on a carpet for about a minute. Light changes that rug, and it feels like the most important rug that has ever existed. Call it pretentious if you want. Call it profound. It made me think of those birds and my grandmother. 17/20