The Oscars Project

[theoscarsproject]

The Fugitive (1993). Dr. Richard Kimble, unjustly accused of murdering his wife, must find the real killer while being the target of a nationwide manhunt led by a seasoned U.S. Marshal.

It was funny to watch this again for the first time in a minute - there was so much I'd forgotten! Particularly how thrilling the game of cat and mouse between Harrison Ford and Tommy Lee Jones is. They really deliver on the performance front too, and Ford in particular puts a lot of grief and anger into the character that feels against type for his better known performances. He's really great. Wish it didn't lean so heavily into the dead wife trope, but still, a pretty pitch perfect thriller. 8/10.

[theoscarsproject]

Cliffhanger (1993). Two mountain rescuers are forced to guide a group of thieves to their missing loot.

I totally get why people love this movie so much - it's Die Hard on a mountain! - and I mean, a part of me did too, haha, but the wooden performances and the side quests that veered into absurdity put it solidly in its place for me. A fun B-movie! Not really much more than that? Kind of wild it was nominated for an Oscar. 6/10.

[theoscarsproject]

The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993). Jack Skellington, king of Halloween Town, discovers Christmas Town, but his attempts to bring Christmas to his home causes confusion.

Stop motion, the artform you are! I feel like I've seen this movie a hundred times, and it never fails to enchant me. It's wicked as a sort of anti-Disney Disney film, but it's at its best when it centres on the desire for connection and agency that so many of the characters have. Plus What's This is honestly a straight up banger. 8/10.

[theoscarsproject]

Searching for Bobby Fischer (1993). A prepubescent chess prodigy is encouraged to harden himself in order to become a champion like the famous but unlikable Bobby Fischer.

Child prodigy films can feel a dime a dozen sometimes, so to find one that's not only good, but doesn't shy away from the uglier side of it - pressure, stolen childhoods, confusion around self-worth and parental love - feels genuinely pretty special. This one doesn't always achieve what it wants, and it does veer occasionally into schmalz, but on the whole, it really cares about this family and these characters, and that shines through in a way that makes you care about them too. A really lovely little film. 7/10.

[theoscarsproject]

Beethoven's 2nd (1993). Beethoven, the St. Bernard dog, becomes a father, but his girlfriend Missy is dognapped, and his puppies are in danger of the same fate.

It's interesting to rewatch these movies as an adult, because I think I really remember them as being a whole lot more charming than they are. This one veers into even more silliness than the first, but there are puppies at least, so that's cute. I just. Don't have much more to say about it than that. 4/10.

[theoscarsproject]

Mrs. Doubtfire (1993). After a bitter divorce, an actor disguises himself as a female housekeeper to spend time with his children held in custody by his former wife.

This is one of those movies that I kind of wish I'd watched when I was younger, because the levels of deception baked into the premise and the casual misogyny is a lot to experience the first time as an adult. Trying to turn that part of my brain off though, there is a lot of fun to be had here, and Robin Williams is as good as he ever is. Funny and vulnerable and mostly totally charming, he always sells the comedy, but he also always sells the heart, which he does here really well too. 7/10.

[theoscarsproject]

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.

[theoscarsproject]

Death Becomes Her (1992). Two women vie for a man and the secret of eternal beauty.

Can't believe I'd never seen this one! It really is magic and wildly funny. Body horror so rarely leaves the, well, horror genre and to see it so wonderfully utilised in this dark comedy makes this instantly memorable and just a whole lot of fun. Meryl Streep and Goldie Hawn are at their campy, scene chewing best too which makes it easy to forgive the film's flaws. Deeelightful. 8/10.

[theoscarsproject]

Schtonk! (1992). The slightly fictionalized story of an art forger, a journalist desperate for a big story, and the biggest press scandal in German history: the Hitler Diaries.

As a scathing satire about how deep fascism can plant itself and how hard it is to truly uproot instead of simply cut down, this really works. It’s insightful, funny and really committed to its own premise, which is why it kind of pains me that despite that, it never really worked for me as a film beyond that. A big part of that I think is for the choices it makes around its female characters, which just feels extremely of a time and a particular sense of humour that just isn’t for me. 7/10.

[theoscarsproject]

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.

[theoscarsproject]

Mr Saturday Night (1992). The life of Buddy Young, a comic legend in flashbacks but an old man looking for work in the present.

While it has its moments, this movie never really seems to find its footing or its focus, which might be less of an issue if Buddy was remotely compelling as a character to be around. Billy Crystal usually brings charm enough to make even the most frustrating characters work, and I'm not sure if it's because he's directing himself, but even he can't make Buddy likeable. Adding a star for David Paymer and the 'you could've been nicer' line, and another for a few fun beats, but removing half a one for the abundance of unfunny fat jokes. Overall this is unfortunately a clunker. 5/10.

[theoscarsproject]

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.

[theoscarsproject]

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.

[theoscarsproject]

Passion Fish (1992). After an accident leaves her a paraplegic, a former soap opera star struggles to recover both emotionally and mentally, until she meets her newest nurse, who has struggles of her own.

I wasn't really sure what to expect with this one, especially with the bonkers electric guitar score in the opening act, but this builds into such a tenderly told, heartfelt film about two women finding an unexpected connection in unexpected circumstances. It's more biting than I expected, but also soaked in compassion for these complicated characters, and Alfre Woodard and Mary McDonnell just rise to every moment. Lovely! 8/10.

[theoscarsproject]

Husbands and Wives (1992). When their best friends announce that they're separating, a professor and his wife discover the faults in their own marriage.

It’s always a challenge to rate Woody Allen films these days, not solely because of who he is outside of his films, but because of who he is within them. After all, whether ashamedly whispered or boldly declared, there’s a sense of confession built into so much of his work. Here, again, he plays a man who’s marriage with Mia Farrow teeters on a precipice as he pursues a much younger woman - a student and writer (an effervescent Juliette Lewis) of the college class his character teaches. That arc being what it is, by the filmmaker Allen is, casts a pall on what’s unfortunately a pretty great film about love, loneliness, and what we do and don’t choose when we choose marriage. There are great performances from the main cast, particularly Farrow and Judy Davis, and a script that allows for real and meaningful complexity and contradiction. It’s just a shame that the Allen of it all is unable to be divorced from it.

[theoscarsproject]

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.

[theoscarsproject]

Lorenzo's Oil (1992). Lorenzo Odone, a Virginia 5-year-old, develops a degenerative nerve disease so rare that nobody is working on a cure, so his parents decide to immerse themselves in research and tackle the problem themselves.

A kind of bonkers medical opera? You can never accuse George Miller of not committing! Much to my surprise, I actually really appreciated this, even if I didn’t exactly enjoy it. It’s melodrama at its finest, and it’s not afraid to lean into that whether that be in score, cinematography or performance, and more often than not, it really works. Susan Sarandon in particular is on fire the whole way through, and she really makes you feel every moment of the anger, the pain and the determined hope in the face of hopelessness. It’s a grim film, but it’s also a pretty thrilling one in its own way. 8/10.