1997

The world was shrinking and I didn’t notice. 1997 was the peak of good times between the long Cold War and the fear of homeland attack. In this tranquil time we let the distractions of personal conduct cloud our vision.

Movies from 1997 were the best on average of three decades. Yes, there were better movies from other years, by far, but there were so many really enjoyable films in 1997 that I compare every year, including this one, by it.

I am so looking forward to this holiday season to see some good new movies I thought I would take a few minutes to reflect and remind you of the ones you may have overlooked from that stellar year.

Absolute Power – Clint Eastwood as a thief
Addicted to Love – Broderick and Ryan in dark romantic comedy
Affliction – Dark, gripping, powerful family conflict
Air Bud – Fun family romp
Air Force One – Han Solo as President kicks ass
Alan Smithee Film: Burn Hollywood Burn – Hollywood insider comedy
Alien Resurrection – saved the series from disaster – same director as Amilie
As Good as it Gets – Great Jack comedy
Austin Powers IMOM – only a few us knew then how good it would get
Boogie Nights – fun and creepy at the same time
Brest Men – HBO movie about implants
Chasing Amy – Before Ben was evil
Commandments – over looked retelling of biblical belly of whale
Con Air – fun action
Conspiracy Theory – I always have a copy of Catcher
Contact – insightful and visionary
Cop Land – reminds us why Stallone won an Oscar
The Devils Advocate – wonderfully evil
Donnie Brasco – Depp is the Don with Pachino
The Edge – Good for video or cable
Eight Days a Week – Small and very fun
Face Off – Action, action, and more great action
The Fifth Element – SciFi action with a Bruce smirk
Flubber – Pretty funny for a family film
Fools Rush In – Chandler Bing falls in love
The Full Monty – Surprising, real
The Game – Twists and turns
Gattaca – Huxley light but a delight
George of the Jungle – One of my favorite movies ever – it is so funny
Gross Point Blank – Love John, but it has nothing to do with Detroit
Hercules – Who puts the glad in gladiator?
I Know What You Did Last Summer – My girlfriend Jennifer Love Hewitt
The Ice Storm – I just want them to do the right thing, but it is the 70’s
In the Company of Men – bad, bad, don’t do it, so mean – but can’t stop watching
Insomnia – Swank? Yes Please.
Jackie Brown – Best Elmore Leonard adaptation, great movie
Julian Po – Quirky, takes it time, but pays off
Kiss the Girls – great script and pace
LA Confidential – Academy Award winner
Liar Liar – Carrey at his best
A Life Less Ordinary – A different kind of love story
The Man Who Knew Too Little – Bill Murray is funny even in this
Men in Black – first one good, sequel bad
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil – delightful to watch unfold
Mimic – low cost high pay
Princess Mononoke – slow in the middle but good on video
My Best Friends Wedding – Just the singing is worth it
Orgazmo – South Park Porn
Picture Perfect – My other girlfriend Jennifer
Private Parts – Yes, its good
The Rainmaker – one of my top 20 all time
Rocket Man – good for dumb humor
The Saint – Not Bond, but still good
Selena – Where the ass begins
Seven Years in Tibet – really interesting
The Spanish Prisoner – if you can keep up, you will love
Starship Troopers – “Think if Hitler had won” when watching this
Switchback – must see suspense, overlooked but great movie
Titanic – Not worth the budget, but you should see it once
Tomorrow Never Dies – I am a huge Bond fan
Trekkies – Documentary on fans who go too far
Ulee’s Gold – Bees make honey
Vegas Vacation – Why we still love Chevy
Wag the Dog – Hoffman is great
Weapons of Mass Distraction – small film
Welcome to Sarajevo – Can’t get enough Quaid, he needs to make 100 more films