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My Cousin Vinny (1992). Two New Yorkers accused of murder in rural Alabama while on their way back to college call in the help of one of their cousins, a loudmouth lawyer with no trial experience.
Re-watching this directly after Mr Saturday Night has me bumping up its score. What a great film! Charming, energetic, genuinely funny and yeah, that courtroom scene with Marisa Tomei lands every time. It gets said a lot, but they really don't make them like this anymore. 8/10.
Malcolm X (1992). Biographical epic of the controversial and influential Black Nationalist leader, from his early life and career as a small-time gangster, to his ministry as a member of the Nation of Islam and his eventual assassination.
Spike Lee, the filmmaker you are! I was honestly floored by this one. Electric, furious, intelligent, and still full of tenderness and heart, it's a brilliant screenplay on its own, yet somehow still elevated by Lee's brilliant direction and the astonishing performance by Denzel Washington at its centre. Truly an exceptional film and the best a bio pic can be. 9/10.
The Panama Deceptoion (1992). A film about the true reasons for the 1989 US invasion of Panama and big media complicity in these activities.
While the look and feel of it is unfortunately dated, this really is such a crucial and eye-opening documentary about the extent of US government interference, manipulation and terrorism in not just Panama, but the world. Brutal viewing, but now more than ever, it feels essential. 8/10,
Glengarry Glen Ross (1992). An examination of the machinations behind the scenes at a real estate office. Unscrupulous salesmen try to hawk dubious real estate to suckers.
There's something to the writing, the performances, the direction of this that just simmers with a claustrophobic fury. A savage, biting derision for the world these men live in, and it really just works. It feels like there are so many movies like this, but none that capture that angry impotence in quite the same way. Loved this one, and truly great performances across the board, but especially from Al Pacino and Jack Lemmon. What a movie! 8/10.
Enchanted April (1992). Four English women, after World War I, who are unhappy with their lives, and their time away on vacation in a beautiful Italian villa.
A charming albeit pretty slight film about four English women who rediscover themselves and their passion for life in Italy. It's the sort of film now that gets made every few years, but this one leans into the unexpected connections and is supported by some genuinely moving performances and gorgeous cinematography. Lovely. 7/10.
The Bodyguard (1992). A former Secret Service agent takes on the job of bodyguard to an R&B singer, whose lifestyle is most unlike a President's.
There were a lot of great romantic thrillers in the early 90s, but tragically despite Whitney Houston's talent, charisma and voice, this is not one of them. It's weirdly sexless, overwrought, and the plot is pretty nonsensical? It's a shame, because it does feel like there's a great, of the era movie in here somewhere, but man, this is not it. The soundtrack is truly killer though. 5/10.
Toys (1992). When Lieutenant General Leland Zevo (Sir Michael Gambon) inherits a toymaking company and begins making war toys, his employees band together to stop him before he ruins the name of Zevo Toys forever.
In some ways, this film feels ahead of its time. The gamification of war is upon us, and Levinson's '92 exploration of that through a toy factory succession plot is as surreal as it was preemptive. Unfortunately, the movie doesn't really have a ton beyond that to offer despite boasting a pretty incredible cast and some genuinely fun sets and art department. Alas! 4/10.
Chaplin (1992). An elderly Charlie Chaplin discusses his autobiography with his editor, recounting his amazing journey from his poverty-stricken childhood to world-wide success after the ingenious invention of the Little Tramp.
Robert Downey Jr's performance here is every bit as good as people say it is. Vulnerable, comic, single-minded, occasionally brimming with fury, and for that alone, it's worth watching. That said, it's hampered by a clunky script and the trap of too many bio=pics before and after it - by trying to lay bare a life in its entirety, they lose sight of the man himself. Chaplin deserved a better bio pic, and Downey's performance deserved a better movie. 6/10.
