We have been looking at the best Movies of 1995
Part 1 (#20 - #11)
Part 2 (#10 - #6)
Yesterday we got down to #6, and I was almost astounded that HEAT, SEVEN and TOY STORY didn't make the Top Five. I mean, how strong a year is it when those films don't make the cut?
Before we get to the Top Five I want take a moment for an
Honorable Dishonorable Mention: SHOWGIRLS - I can't argue that the film is cheesy (and gets more so with the passage of time), but it deserves special recognition for its landmark status in pop culture. When the MPAA came up with its idiotic NC-17 (why oh why can't we have a simple "A" ?), there were a few artsy attempts, like THE COOK, THE THIEF, HIS WIFE AND HER LOVER and more infamously HENRY: PORTRAIT OF A SERIAL KILLER. While both have merit, they barely registered outside of the film school congnoscenti. But in 1995 two films made an attempt to craft mainstream Adult Entertainment (not porn, but just subject matter for adults). KIDS was such a great film I put it in my Top Ten list, while SHOWGIRLS...was the first (and only) NC-17 movie to hit #1 in the Box Office. While not a great movie, it was very entertaining, which explains why people went to see it. We could have ushered in an age where movie makers weren't scared by the X-rated associations and would venture to make adult movies...except somehow the tide turned and people were too embarrassed to admit what a fun movie it was, and SHOWGIRLS became a laughing stock. It's too bad, because I doubt there was a better time in the theatre all year.
Okay, on with the
Part 1 (#20 - #11)
Part 2 (#10 - #6)
Yesterday we got down to #6, and I was almost astounded that HEAT, SEVEN and TOY STORY didn't make the Top Five. I mean, how strong a year is it when those films don't make the cut?
Before we get to the Top Five I want take a moment for an
Honorable Dishonorable Mention: SHOWGIRLS - I can't argue that the film is cheesy (and gets more so with the passage of time), but it deserves special recognition for its landmark status in pop culture. When the MPAA came up with its idiotic NC-17 (why oh why can't we have a simple "A" ?), there were a few artsy attempts, like THE COOK, THE THIEF, HIS WIFE AND HER LOVER and more infamously HENRY: PORTRAIT OF A SERIAL KILLER. While both have merit, they barely registered outside of the film school congnoscenti. But in 1995 two films made an attempt to craft mainstream Adult Entertainment (not porn, but just subject matter for adults). KIDS was such a great film I put it in my Top Ten list, while SHOWGIRLS...was the first (and only) NC-17 movie to hit #1 in the Box Office. While not a great movie, it was very entertaining, which explains why people went to see it. We could have ushered in an age where movie makers weren't scared by the X-rated associations and would venture to make adult movies...except somehow the tide turned and people were too embarrassed to admit what a fun movie it was, and SHOWGIRLS became a laughing stock. It's too bad, because I doubt there was a better time in the theatre all year.
Okay, on with the
TOP FIVE MOVIES OF 1995
#5 RICHARD III -Before Baz Luhrman thought of it Ian McKellan took Shakespeare and put it in a more modern timeframe. (Although, I'm not sure there was ever a Nazi England in the '30s. Oh well.) The result is fantastic, with McKellan giving the performance of his life (yes, LOTR fans, you read that right), and Annette Benning and Robert Downy Jr. and Kristin Scott Thomas adding to the fun. They even throw in a Christopher Marlowe poem as a night-club song! III is a Shakespeare lover's delight.
And the number one film of 1995 isÂ…..
