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Best Actor Award
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C heeks for a U eeer Y ear
Out of the closet and on to the big screen— 1995 was a record year for homo-cinema
▼
by Rupert Kinnard
Y
es, it’s the time of year to endure film
critics from all over the country whin­
ing about how bad the year was for
movies.
And yes, as a self-proclaimed
movie buff, I am the first to
admit that I’ll see just about
anything (though I am still
proud to say that I’ve never
seen a Jean-C laude Van
Damme, Chuck Norris or
Rambo movie).
But usually after going over
the list of movies viewed within
the past year, I can always find at
least 10 movies that are worth
recommending to those search­
ing the shelves of the local video
store. A lot of those movies were
small films, ones that didn’t linger
at the theaters for very long and
they were quickly forgotten. When
I go over my list, I start remember­
ing some of the real gems that really
affected me after I saw them.
For example? How many of you remember
The Browning Version? It starred Albert Finney,
as a repressed British professor, and Matthew
Modine, as Finney’s wife’s lover, and is one of
my picks for favorite movie of the year. I had
forgotten about it and
how wonderful it was,
because it came and went so quickly, but I’m
really glad 1 got the chance to see it on the big
screen.
As far as the really horrid movies of the year
go, I must make it clear that a number of the
movies listed below were seen
as free previews and, though I
knew they wouldn’t be great,
I wasn’t prepared for just how
bad they would be. They are
listed here as a public service
to warn those who might
consider renting them on
video.
As in previous years, I
list problematic movies as
“ugly” because they usu­
ally contain glaring ele­
ments that prevent a good
film from being much bet­
ter.
I also believe there is
a difference between
what one acknowledges
to be the best movies of the
year and what one might consider to be his or her
favorite movies of the year. The films listed as
“good” and “ugly,” featured on the following
alphabetical lists, represent some of my favorite
movies of 1995 that were touching to me in a
special way and, in retrospect, are hauntingly
memorable.
The good (better than I could’ve ever hoped
for)...
The Browning Version, Clockers, Home fo r
the Holidays, Jeffrey, Muriel’s Wedding, Once
Were Warriors, Priest, Strawberry and Choco­
late, The Secret o f Roan Inish, To Die For.
Honorable mentions: A Great Day in Harlem,
Apollo 13, Clueless, Death and the Maiden, Tales
from the Hood, The Incredibly True Adventure o f
Two Girls in Love, The Last Seduction, The Sum
o f Us, The Usual Suspects, Martha and Ethel, Toy
Story and When Night Is Falling.
the bad (worse than I could’ve ever imagined)...
A Walk in the Clouds, Desperado, Dumb and
Dumber, Forget Paris, Money Train, Something
to Talk About, The Ties That Bind, Three Wishes,
Vampire in Brooklyn and White Man's Burden.
and the ugly (enthralling but problematic)...
Boys on the Side. Kids, Legends o f the Fall,
Leaving Las Vegas, Losing Isiah, Panther and
Seven.
Continued on page 19