The 90's: A Dark List
The following list of films represent my interpretation of the dark side of the 1990's. They're great, they're quirky, they involve exploration of the darker side of humanity, they're not mainstream and they're very watchable.
I first saw all of these films in the cinema and loved them. It's taken a few years for me to collect all these on DVD, and watching them again takes me back to a slightly darker time of my life.
Enjoy!
(Reviews below are scant in detail since IMDB have such great descriptions!)
I first saw all of these films in the cinema and loved them. It's taken a few years for me to collect all these on DVD, and watching them again takes me back to a slightly darker time of my life.
Enjoy!
(Reviews below are scant in detail since IMDB have such great descriptions!)
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16 titles
- DirectorAtom EgoyanStarsBruce GreenwoodElias KoteasDon McKellarA man plagued by neuroses frequents the club Exotica in an attempt to find solace, but even there his past is never far away.Four different peoples' lives converge around, of all things, a strip club.
- DirectorWilliam FriedkinStarsDavid CarusoLinda FiorentinoChazz PalminteriA bright assistant D.A. investigates a gruesome hatchet murder and hides a clue he found at the crime scene. Under professional threats and an attempt on his life, he goes on heartbroken because evidence point to the woman he still loves.A murder investigation that isn't so simple as it first appears!
- DirectorPeter O'FallonStarsChristopher WalkenDenis LearySean Patrick FlaneryA group of youngsters kidnap a respected Mafia figure.[Fail] "Hey, let's kidnap a mafia head man and see what happens ..."
- DirectorAbel FerraraStarsHarvey KeitelBrian McElroyFrank AcciaritoWhile investigating a young nun's rape, a corrupt New York City police detective, with a serious drug and gambling addiction, tries to change his ways and find forgiveness and redemption.Harvey Keitel really impressed me with this one ... he represents all the things that makes for a Bad Lieutenant, plus more!
- DirectorKevin SpaceyStarsMatt DillonFaye DunawayGary SiniseWhile escaping from a foiled robbery attempt, three thieves find themselves surrounded by police at a New Orleans bar--only they're not the people the police are searching for.A series of accidents involving police forces and a small a gang leads to an interesting standoff; more of a talkie film, but the psychology is good and there's a nice twist at the end.
- DirectorDavid CronenbergStarsJames SpaderHolly HunterElias KoteasAfter getting into a serious car accident, a TV director discovers an underground sub-culture of scarred, omnisexual car-crash victims who use car accidents and the raw sexual energy they produce to try to rejuvenate his sex life with his wife.Hmm ... sex, masturbation and car crashes, all combined into one.
- DirectorDenys ArcandStarsThomas GibsonRuth MarshallCameron BancroftSet in a dreary urban landscape of Edmonton, LOVE AND HUMAN REMAINS is a dark comedy about a group of twentysomethings looking for love and meaning in the '90s. The film focuses on roommates David, a gay waiter who has has given up on his acting career, and Candy, a book reviewer who is also David's ex-lover. David and Candy's lives are entangled with those of David's friends (a busboy, a psychic dominatrix, and a misogynistic civil-servant) and Candy's dates (a male bartender and a lesbian schoolteacher). Meanwhile, a serial killer menaces the concrete and asphalt neighbourhood in which David and Candy live.Modern love in the 1990's requires a rework - and this is quite a good interpretation. Thomas Gibson (Criminal Minds) stars.
- DirectorRoger AvaryStarsEric StoltzJulie DelpyMartin RaymondThe cab driver sets American Zed up with Zoe in his Paris hotel. Despite FFR1000 charged, she's an art student with day jobs e.g. bank. Safecracker Zed meets his junkie friend after 11 years to rob a bank.[Fail] "Let's rob a bank, but let's get really drunk first and get some Renters (prostitutes) the night before." Good flick!
- DirectorGeorge SluizerStarsJeff BridgesKiefer SutherlandNancy TravisThe boyfriend of an abducted woman never gives up the search as the abductor looks on."The Vanishing" come in two forms: This one (Netherlands, I think) and the American one. This version is darker and creepier than the American one. Besides, the victims in American films always seem to win, whereas ... <grin>
- DirectorAbel FerraraStarsChristopher WalkenDavid CarusoLaurence FishburneA drug kingpin is released from prison and seeks to take total control of the criminal underworld in order to give back to the community.Bring on David Caruso ("yeeeaaaaaa"), Christopher Walken and a bunch of others and the line between cop and mob man suddenly become rather blurred - who's the good guy here? <grin>
- DirectorGary OldmanStarsRay WinstoneKathy BurkeCharlie Creed-MilesA rough, short-tempered patriarch of a working-class family sees his life and the relationships around him slowly unravel.A rather violent and dark film involving copious alcohol, domestic violence, abuse and a whole bunch of pain. Gary Oldman has a rather hand (director and writer) in this painful-to-watch (but damned good) film.
- DirectorDavid CronenbergStarsJude LawJennifer Jason LeighIan HolmA game designer on the run from assassins must play her latest virtual reality creation with a marketing trainee to determine if the game has been damaged.Virtual gaming is represented here in a rather interesting form. But add David Cronenberg to the mix and it suddenly goes ... well, almost "Naked Lunch" in some ways. The restaurant scene is a good example of this.
- DirectorDavid CronenbergStarsPeter WellerJudy DavisIan HolmAfter developing an addiction to the substance he uses to kill bugs, an exterminator accidentally kills his wife and becomes involved in a secret government plot being orchestrated by giant bugs in a port town in North Africa.There's nobody "Naked" and nobody's having "Lunch"; it's not porn, but it's twisty and just a little off the planet. Having read the book (William S. Burroughs), I'm astounded the director and writer could actually make a fairly decent and watchable film; of course that person would be David Cronenberg ... !
- DirectorClive BarkerStarsScott BakulaKevin J. O'ConnorJ. Trevor EdmondA private detective gets more than he bargains for when he encounters Philip Swan, a performer whose amazing illusions captivate the world, but they are not really what everyone thinks.Clive Barker films don't translate very well for some reason, but this one is quite good. It seems that Clives' short stories make for a decent film basis ... shame really, because he has written SO many of them (all of which I've read) ...
- DirectorLana WachowskiLilly WachowskiStarsJennifer TillyGina GershonJoe PantolianoTough ex-con Corky and her lover Violet concoct a scheme to steal millions of stashed mob money and pin the blame on Violet's crooked boyfriend Caesar."Bound" can be seen in two parts: (a) the developing relationship between Corky and Violet, and (b) the Mafia bit. Very watchable, a real thriller ... !
Note: These days I'm used to seeing Christopher Meloni in "Law and Order", good cop, etc, but in his role as "Johnnie" (my first introduction to Christopher) is a total reversal ... - DirectorLuc BessonStarsJean RenoGary OldmanNatalie Portman12-year-old Mathilda is reluctantly taken in by Léon, a professional assassin, after her family is murdered. An unusual relationship forms as she becomes his protégée and learns the assassin's trade.This is an awesome film on many fronts: Luc Besson (director and writer), Jean Reno, Gary Oldman and Natalie Portman - wow. Leon is an lone assassin who has "inherted" the sole victim (Natalie Portman) of a hit organised by Gary Oldman - who is also a cop. Let the fun begin!