1993 Year-End Movie Wrap-up

So, without further ado, here are what I consider to be the ten best films of 1993, in alphabetical order:

1. Falling Down - Michael Douglas did a superb job portraying a jangled, but otherwise normal guy, who snaps one day and wreaks havoc with anyone foolish enough to cross his path. A thoroughly original and enjoyable film.

2. The Fugitive - The summer's best thriller and one of the year's most substantial hits was this big-screen remake of the classic television show. The interaction between Harrison Ford and his on-screen nemesis Tommy Lee Jones was just one of the highlights of this intense, relentlessly-plotted film.

3. Groundhog Day - Hands down the year's most amusing movie, this Bill Murray vehicle hit just the right balance between comedy, story, and sentiment. I've said it before and I'll say it again, Bill Murray is the funniest person working in film today. He also has a fairly good knack for finding projects suited to his comedic talents, such as this endearing yarn about a weatherman forced to perpetually reexperience the same February 2nd.

4. Much Ado About Nothing - After the inexplicably plodding and dull "Peter's Friends", writer/director/actor Kenneth Branagh ("Henry V") returned to his Shakespearean roots to make the most accessible film yet based on the writings of The Bard. With odd but effective casting and a great deal of joviality, "Much Ado About Nothing" won over its audience in a big way.

5. Jurassic Park - Within six short months Steven Spielberg's mega-blockbuster bumped his own "E.T., the Extra- Terrestrial" out of the top spot on the all-time biggest moneymakers list. The ultimate summer movie, "Jurassic Park"'s success was due in large part to the ground-breaking, awe- inspiring special effects which made millions of movie-goers believe that dinosaurs had returned from extinction. Although light on character development, the film generated incomparable excitement and was a big hit with critics and audiences alike.

6. The Pelican Brief - Arguably much better than the other John Grisham book adaptation, "The Firm", this Julia- Roberts/Denzel Washington thriller is clever and watchable. Strong performances from the two leads and a top-notch supporting cast skillfully brought to life this tale of political intrigue.

7. The Remains of the Day - This film earns the distinction of featuring the year's best performance: Anthony Hopkins as an imperturbable, ultra-efficient butler. This finely-crafted drama from the makers of "A Room with a View" and "Howards End" proves that intelligent, character-driven films still have a place in today's increasingly escapist society.

8. Rising Sun - Michael ("Jurassic Park") Crichton's tale of murder within the business world met with unexpectedly mixed reactions. But for those who catch its stylish groove, "Rising Sun" is consistently interesting and suspenseful.

9. Schindler's List - Mesmerizing and daring are but two of the compliments one could easily pay to Steven Spielberg's finest serious film. The breathtaking black and white cinematography never overshadows the depiction of the harrowing ordeals that the Jewish people were subjected to by the Nazis during the second World War. A shoe-in for scads of Oscar nominations, this powerful drama ranks among the best of the decade.

10. The Secret Garden - An articulate and lyrical film based on a beloved children's story. Although too slow moving for the "Home Alone" crowd, "The Secret Garden" is perfect for older kids who can find enjoyment in a film that doesn't insult their intelligence.

Alive - A frighteningly realistic plane crash launches this fact-based film about a soccer team forced to cannibalize its dead.

Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story - Comes off more like a tribute to the fun, energetic films of Bruce Lee than an actual biography.

This Boy's Life - Newcomer Leonardo DiCaprio's does a tremendous job depicting the early years of author Tobias Wolff's life.

Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas - Outlandish and whimsical, this stop-motion animated film could only have come from the mind that brought us "Beetlejuice" and "Batman".

Of course, what would any year be without a fresh crop of cinematic stinkers? Films so bad that they made audiences shrug, groan, and/or walk out of the theater. Here are just a few of the years low-lights, again in alphabetical order:

1. Body of Evidence - Master thespian Madonna and wet noodle Willem Dafoe try to outdo the sexual antics of "Basic Instinct" without bothering with anything as mundane as a logical plot.

2. Carnosaur - This flick, about a scientist who hatches dinosaurs out of chicken eggs, was made on a shoestring budget and looks it. It faded from theaters faster than you can say "Jurassic Park".

3. &
4. Fatal Instinct & Hexed - Two hit-and-miss (mostly miss) comedies parodying "Basic Instinct", "Fatal Attraction", etc. which had less humor in them than their dramatic counterparts.

5. Fire in the Sky - In what is supposed to be a recreation of the most famous alien abduction in history, Travis Walton gets zapped aboard a spaceship while his goofy, redneck friends watch. If a fictionalized version of a "true story" is less believable than the National Enquirer, what's the point of making a film about it?

6. The Good Son - Macaulay Culkin, in a desperate attempt to establish that his success in the "Home Alone" films wasn't just a fluke, succeeds in doing just the opposite with this dreary, asinine thriller about a bad seed who fools others into believing that he's an paragon of virtue. Gimme Eddie Haskell any day.

7. Poetic Justice - Director John Singleton, who scored big with "Boyz 'N the Hood", does a belly-flop with this Janet Jackson dud about a hairdresser who goes on a road trip with three friends. "Poetic Justice" also wins the "Glengarry Glen Ross" award for most profane film of the year.

8. Sliver - Milking the same genre that made her a star, Sharon Stone comes up snake eyes with this yawner of a big- budget thriller. Unless she breaks out of her vixen mold soon, Ms. Stone may end up being just a footnote in American cinema.

9. Super Mario Bros. - The world's most popular video game heroes made the jump to the big screen in a movie which rendered unrecognizable nearly aspect of the games on which it's based. As if that weren't enough, the film is depressing, cheerless, and poorly constructed.

10. Weekend at Bernie's 2 - Bernie, as lifeless as this sequel, was one up on the audience: because he's dead he didn't have to see this excruciatingly unfunny clinker.

Amos & Andrew - A throwback to the art of stereotyping.

Boiling Point - A dull, macho, violent film.

Hard Target - Another dull, macho, violent film.

Striking Distance - Still another dull, macho, violent film.

And what would any year at the movies be like without disastrous adaptation of a Stephen King novel? Neither "The Dark Half" nor "Needful Things" set the world on fire, let alone the box office.

With 1994 soon to be upon us, hope is renewed that the new year will bring even more to crow about at the movies than that which is ending. Films to watch for in 1994 include the live- action version of "The Flintstones" featuring John Goodman; "Wolf", a contemporary werewolf story starring Jack Nicholson and Michelle Pfeiffer; and "Star Trek VII: The Next Generation", which finds Captain Picard (Patrick Stewart) and the crew of the Enterprise 1701-D taking over the silver screen reins from Kirk and his bunch. As always, it's a good idea to keep your mind open and your fingers crossed. I'll wade through the cinematic junk so that you don't have to. Take care.