1993: I like the idea of a Best Picture race that features these three wildly disparate films going head-to-head: Schindler's List, Groundhog Day, and Three Colors: Blue. I love the idea of a potential Best Actor race between Liam Neeson in Schindler's List, Bill Murray in Groundhog Day, Daniel Day-Lewis in In the Name of the Father, Anthony Hopkins in The Remains of the Day, Tom Hanks in Philadelphia, David Thewlis in Naked, Al Pacino in Carlito's Way, and Jeff Bridges in Fearless. I love the idea of everyone's watching Silverlake Life: The View from Here, Short Cuts, Searching for Bobby Fischer, Much Ado About Nothing, The War Room, King of the Hill (still my favorite Soderbergh film), This Boy's Life, and even A Perfect World, which I swear is 75% great. I like the idea of my finally watching The Nightmare Before Christmas, The Wedding Banquet, Sonatine, Surviving Desire, Thirty Two Short Films About Glenn Gould, A Bronx Tale, The Age of Innocence, The Secret Garden, and The Puppetmaster. I like the idea of acknowledging how well put together The Fugitive is, having just watched it again the other day. And I wouldn't mind revisiting Jurassic Park, True Romance, Tombstone, And the Band Played On, The Piano, Caro diario, and a few others. But most of all, I like the idea of the Filmspot eligibility of Clean, Shaven being the thing that gets faceboy to return to the forum.
Score: 7
1999:
1999's not looking quite as good as I expected it to look. It does contain the 90s US Bracket winner (Magnolia), which might be more of a curse than a blessing, plus two other films from our current Top 100 (Fight Club and The Matrix). There'd be almost of full slate of Animated Features for that race — Toy Story 2, The Iron Giant, South Park: Bigger Longer & Uncut, and My Neighbors the Yamadas — most of which could very well factor in the Best Picture Race as well. Any and all love for The Green Mile, The Boondock Saints, and The Cider House Rules would make my head hurt, as would a rehashed discussion of the various merits of American Beauty, The Sixth Sense, and Dogma. Being John Malkovich could maybe factor into the Best Picture race as well, along with my own favorites, Ratcatcher and Three Kings. I guess the real appeal of this year, for me, is that most of these films are ones I wouldn't mind revisiting, and I'd certainly love to see others catch up with It All Starts Today (!!!), Postmen in the Mountains, Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai, The Wind Will Carry Us, Peppermint Candy, The Road Home, Not One Less, and Topsy-Turvy. Plus I owe a watch (or rewatch) to Rosetta, Beau Travail, After the Rain, and Seventeen Years. I'd hope that Russell Crowe would walk away with the Best Actor Filmspot for The Insider (another dark horse for Best Picture), though I could see the sentimental vote giving it to Richard Farnsworth for The Straight Story. All About My Mother might well walk away with Best Non-English Language Film (and, heck, Best Picture), but we'll see. Documentary will be a better race, perhaps, with My Voyage to Italy, One Day in September, My Best Fiend - Klaus Kinski, American Movie, Mr. Death: The Rise and Fall of Fred A. Leuchter, Jr., Buena Vista Social Club, and On the Ropes all in contention. Some other films that might factor into the awards: Office Space, Boys Don't Cry, George Lucas in Love, Sleepy Hollow, The Hurricane, Election, Audition, The Talented Mr. Ripley, Go, Eyes Wide Shut, The Virgin Suicides, Sweet and Lowdown, Galaxy Quest, Arlington Road, Girl, Interrupted, The Limey, 6ixtynin9, and 10 Things I Hate About You.
Score: 7
My reasoning for 1993 and 1999 ... But, hmm, I'm not feeling all that great about either of them at the moment. 1991 would be so much better, if
A Bright Summer Day was available.
Top films from each of these years I'd like to (re)watch:
1993Surviving Desire
Sonatine [Far East Bracket]
Thirty Two Short Films About Glenn Gould
Silverlake Life: The View from Here
King of the Hill
The Wedding Banquet [Far East Bracket]
The Puppetmaster [Far East Bracket]
Fong Sai Yuk [Far East Bracket]
Time Indefinite
In the Name of the Father
The Remains of the Day
1999Ratcatcher
It All Starts Today
Rosetta
Peppermint Candy [Far East Bracket]
After the Rain [Far East Bracket]
Fight Club
Being John Malkovich
Beau Travail
Okay, 1993 gets my vote.
pixote