‘97 marked one of the best days I’ve ever spent at a theater. During my first year of college, I had an 8am final exam and a 8pm final. I spent the in between hours catching LA Confidential, Boogie Nights, and Good Will Hunting.
Congratulations for such a comprehensive look at the cinema of 1997. It reminded me of so many films which are classics, to be watched over and over again. And so, with that in mind, it's back to the DVD library for LA Confidential, Boogie Nights, Gattaca and whatever else I may have of 1997 vintage.
What a video!! What a year!! Also this has to be the funniest of your video's yet...the one-liner's had me creasing, "a chillingly subtle performance from Al Pacino" 😂😂😂
1997 was my birth year, and Boogie Nights would certainly be my pick as movie of the year!! A huge launching pad for Paul Thomas Anderson whose gone on to be one of the greatest American auteurs of his generation and a lot of the ensemble cast including Mark Wahlberg, Julianne Moore, Philip Seymour Hoffman (RIP), John C Reilly and quite a few others along with a career best performance from Burt Reynolds!! What I presumed would be a softcore film given it’s setting in the porn film industry of the 70’s and 80’s turned out to be an exciting cautionary tale inspired by GoodFellas with amazing realistic characters and a focus on surrogate families and how their formed, which has become a running theme in PTA’s other films!! Brilliant writing and directing!!
Great list! I agree about Titanic. I really like it, and I think it's a technical marvel, but I don't really care for the love story. Honestly, I think James Cameron didn't care about that, he loves water, so he wanted to make a movie about a sinking ship. By the way, my favourite movies of 1998 are: - The Truman Show - American History X - Big Lebowski - Pleasentville - Antz - A Bug's Life (yeah, two bug movies in one year) - Prince of Egypt
Great Year for movies My top 20 for 1997 20. Mouse Hunt 19. Bean 18. George of the Jungle 17. Men in Black 16. Air Force One 15. Scream 2 14. Cube 13. Liar Liar 12. Con Air 11. The Devil's Advocate 10. Kiss the Girls 09. Contact 08. The Game 07. Event Horizon 06. Starship Troopers 05. Conspiracy Theory 04. Grosse Pointe Blank 03. Cop Land 02. Good Will Hunting 01. As Good As It Gets And yes Takeshi's Castle is Great Fun.
Great choices! My Top 10 was as follows.: 1. Boogie Nights 2. Eve’s Bayou 3. Cats Don’t Dance 4. Jackie Brown 5. The Full Monty 6. Hercules 7. The Boxer 8. Wag the Dog 9. Titanic 10. L.A. Confidential Honourable Mentions: Men in Black, The Ice Storm, Clockwatchers, The Spanish Prisoner, Gattaca, Pooh’s Grand Adventure: The Search for Christopher Robin, George of the Jungle, Trekkies, Kundun, Good Will Hunting
A great list. I like 97, it didn't have any films that are in my top 30 movies, but had a lot of films that i really like: 10 Men In Black 9 The Man Who Knew Too Little 8 I Know What You Did Last Summer 7 Scream 2 6 The Jackal 5 Tomorrow Never Dies 4 Batman And Robin 3 Jackie Brown 2 Air Force One 1 Con Air
One movie from 97 you should check out is The Sweet Hereafter by Atom Egoyan. Very good film about a small town dealing with the aftermath of a tragic school bus accident. Ian Holm and Sarah Polley are great!
My top ten (for now): 10. Air Force One 9. The Fifth Element 8. Insomnia 7. Men in Black 6. Jackie Brown 5. Anastasia 4. Hercules 3. Life is Beautiful 2. Perfect Blue 1. Princess Mononoke Apparently GKIDS will be releasing The End of Evangelion in theaters for a limited time on March 17th and 20th. I hope to see it on one of those days.
My number one would have to be Jackie Brown. I could watch that movie once a month and never get sick of it. A close second would be Good Will Hunting. For 1998, you should really try to check out “Eternity and a Day” by Theo Angelopoulos. It’s hard to get a hold of but is without a doubt a masterpiece.
Hi Harry Starship Troopers was a reluctant emission - what a riot! And yes, Face/Off is fun but ridiculous. Would be on a so bad it's good top 10 I haven't seen Perfect Blue or Princess Mononoke but I HAVE been to the Studio Gibli museum in Japan. My top 20 movies of 1997 20. *Good Will Hunting* 19. The Eel (Japan) 18. *Happy Together* (Hong Kong) 17. *Donnie Brasco* 16. Contact 15. *Jackie Brown* 14. The Full Monty 13. Lost Highway 12. Marius et Jeannette (France) 11. Titanic 10. Wings of The Dove 9. *Boogie Nights* 8. Taste of Cherry (Iran) 7. Funny Games (Austria) 6. *Hana-Bi* (Japan) 5. Open Your Eyes 4. Ma Vie En Rose 3. The Apostle 2. Nil By Mouth NUMBER ONE: (could it be anything else?) *LA CONFIDENTIAL* - Rollo Tomassi huh huh huh
Solid list as ever dude, with some good recommendations for ones I haven't seen (Brother and Perfect Blue for eg). Others I liked that year that didn't get a mention - Mrs Brown, Little Dieter Needs To Fly, The Spanish Prisoner and (despite it's faults) Career Girls. So many classics that year, I feel a binge of 1997 re-watching coming on after seeing your video.
1997 was truly and undoubtedly an amazing year for cinema. We got many great ones that year 1. Air Force One 2. Con Air 3. Turbulence 4. Liar Liar 5. Scream 2 6. Men in Black 7. Fifth Element 8. Starship Troopers 9. Gattaca 10. The Edge 11. LA Confidential 12. Tomorrow Never Dies 13. Titanic 14. The Relic 15. Contact 16. Lost World: Jurassic Park 17. Event Horizon 18. Anaconda 19. Jungle 2 Jungle 20. Hercules 21. That Darn Cat 22. Rocketman 23. Mr. Magoo 24. George of the Jungle 25. Mad City 26. A Simple Wish 27. The 6th Man 28. Good Burger 29. Devil's Advocate 30. Donnie Brasco 31. Private Parts 32. Conspiracy Theory 33. Spawn 34. Mimic 35. Chasing Amy 36. Mouse Hunt 37. Good Will Hunting 38. Trial & Error 39. Breakdown 40. The Peacemaker 41. Lost Highway 42. Vanishing Point 43. Austin Powers 44. Money Talks 45. Gone Fishin 46. 8 Heads in a Duffel Bag 47. Switchback 48. Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie 49. Jackie Brown 50. The Game 51. Boogie Nights 52. Vegas Vacation 53. Anastasia 54. Air Bud 55. Cube 56. I Know What You Did Last Summer 57. Laserhawk 58. Zeus & Roxanne 59. Metro 60. American Werewolf in Paris 61. Cop Land 62. Playing God 63. The Jackal 64. Most Wanted 65. Land Before Time 5 And.... Batman & Robin can just freeze in hell
Thank you... a lot of solid choices for '97! My personal favorites are L.A. Confidential and Hana-bi with guilty pleasures of The Man Who Knew Too Little and The Peacemaker. I only recently discovered Cure and Insomnia, but I think they both could make a run towards the top of my list after a re-watch or two.
Wow 1997 was such a big year in cinema! My top 10: 01) "Lost Highway" by David Lynch 02) "Jackie Brown" by Quentin Tarantino 03) "Boogie Nights" by Paul Thomas Anderson 04) "Princess Mononoke" by Hayao Miyazaki 05) "Hana-bi" by Takeshi Kitano 06) "L.A. Confidential" by Curtis Hanson 07) "The Ice Storm" by Ang Lee 08) "The Devil's Advocate" by Taylor Hackford 09) "Funny Games" by Michael Haneke 10) "Cube" by Vincenzo Natali Also great movies: "Contact" by Robert Zemeckis, "Cure" by Kiyoshi Kurosawa, "Donnie Brasco" by Mike Newell, "Face/Off" by John Woo, "The Sweet Hereafter" by Atom Egoyan
Nice list as usual, but there's some very, very worthwhile entries not in your video or in comments below. (I never really clicked with Sweet Hereafter). With twenty slots, I'd have dropped one or two "silly" films for a few of these: Men With Guns - I grew up worshiping John Sayles, and this is one of his best and least-seen movies. Almost all Spanish language with a supporting role by Mandy Patinkin as a daft American tourist. One of the first I watched to deeply explore the fates of third world populations, and the portrayal is chilling and sad. Fast, Cheap and Out of Control - One of my favorite documentaries (do you include docs?), and one of the first I saw that showed me a doc could do this kind of multi-pronged approach instead of a single story. The editing in it is beyond belief! The Spanish Prisoner - I actually prefer this Mamet piece to House of Games. I think he'd honed the artificial performance style that makes his films of this period so unique. Love con movies. Welcome to Sarajevo - Masterful modern war film. Watch this if you haven't already. Based on a true story, and Woody Harrelson is great in a supporting role. The Apostle - Probably the best character study of the 90s, and I'd take it a hundred times over Tender Mercies as a showcase for Robert Duvall. It's take on religion and salvation is so nuanced and perceptive without being judgy about the "born again" aspect of it. Real thought-provoker. "I'm going to jail, but you're going to heaven, my boy." The Butcher Boy - Simply the best film potrayal of a sociopath I've ever seen. Riveting. Star Maps - This year was a great one for independents, wasn't it? I'll never forget the line, "I just want a beautiful Mexican boy to fuck my brains out." Very class conscious and smartly written. The Wrong Guy - This is a dumb comedy that almost nobody saw, but I freakin' loved it! It's a Hitchcock sendup where Kid in the Hall Dave Foley thinks he's on the run for a murder he didn't commit, but in reality none of the other characters suspect him at all. It's a case of mistaken mistaken identity. Really good year, actually!
Aw, 1997…(takes a sip of Cognac and stares out the window)…I was married to a different woman and we were young and naive…we didn’t have much money, but it may have been the year I rented more movies than I had before or since. Fifth Element is still one of my favorite guilty pleasure movies. The opening to Contact is a beautiful demonstration as to how large the cosmos truly is. Boogie Nights is a great dysfunctional family film. I may be the only one who’s never seen LA Confidential???? Yes, this flys in the face of me saying I rented a lot of movies that year, but this is one that I never watched. And that clip from Event Horizon with Lawrence Fishburne saying “we’re leaving” is one of the most realistic human action ever put to film. A very flawed film, so let’s not ignore the nonsense such as the guy who was shot out into space and how he made it back. But still, that’s how a captain would act!
1997 is probably the best, deepest film year of my lifetime (1999 is often similarly heralded but I don't quite see it). I like a lot of Harry's list, but here are the films of my personal top 20 that aren't on Harry's list (or mentioned in his side comments): The Sweet Hereafter (my #1), Affliction, Nil By Mouth, Firelight, On connaît la chanson, My Best Friend's Wedding. Honorable mentions to Career Girls and Clockwatchers. In 1997 it really was true, at least if you were in a big city, that most weekends saw a couple of gripping new movies open and there seemed to be something for almost everyone. Economies everywhere seemed to be really humming and, not coincidentally, the worldwide film industry was firing on all cylinders too. Peak '90s.
I saw Batman and Robin with my dad in the cinema. It was a very long and quiet ride home... what a POS. Edit: yes i am one of those waaay to serieus Batman fans. 😂
The 90s wore amazing. You mentioned almost every film I loved, but I'm going to try and name a few more. Contact Tomorrow never dies Conspiracy theory Breakdown Bean Mouse hunt Seven years in Tibet Selena The Edge Mimic Rocketman Jackie chan's first strike Switchback Inventing the Abbotts 187 8 heads in a duffle bag Prefontaine The Boxer Hard Eight The Apostle
Do you ever have trouble deciding between where to put two movies? I don't think I could pick a favourite between Boogie Nights and LA Confidential. Anyways, great video.
I have huge problems ordering the lists. Often after posting I feel I've made a mistake but luckily for me LA Confidential has such nostalgic value for me that it was an easy number 1 for me!
This literally never happens. We watch videos like this and usually scream at the TV when we feel the lists are so wrong. There are only two, non-negotiable correct answers for number 1 & 2....and you got them BOTH correct!! This made me VERY happy!! Boogie Nights is the only film I've ever seen where I still wonder what happened to the characters. And LA Confidential is my very favorite film ever made in the history of cinema. Well done
TOP 20 FILMS OF 1997: 1. L.A. Confidential 2. Good Will Hunting 3. Boogie Nights 4. Princess Mononoke 5. Men In Black 6. Titanic 7. Hurricane Streets 8. Chasing Amy 9. As Good As It Gets 10. Hercules 11. The Full Monty 12. Insomnia 13. Face/Off 14. In The Company Of Men 15. Jackie Brown 16. Donnie Brasco 17. Gridlock'd 18. The Ice Storm 19. Anastasia 20. Scream 2
LA Confidential rules the map regardless of ur favorites!!!! I used to have others like One Eight Seven , Donnie Brosco , U-turn , Starship Troopers , Boogie Nights , Titanic , Face Off , Mad City , Air Force One , Good Will Hunting , The Negotiator , Jackie Brown, Species 2 , Alien Resurrection , Wishmaster ect.... but naw LA Confidential really is too damn perfect to even compare to everything else sorry & this is coming from someone who saw all these films on VHS back in 97 rented from the video store so I got 27 years to think about that very thurally since then !!!! ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ Masterpiece & Definitely no , Samuel Jackson definitely killed it better in One Eight Seven & The Negotiator that year over Jackie Brown !!!!! Also if u never seen Oliver Stones "U-Turn" feat. Sean Penn , J-Lo , Nick Nolte , Billy Bob Thornton , Joaquín Phoenix , Powers Booth & Jon Vought , definitely check it out because it's probably the second or third best film of that year!!!! It's a masterpiece just like LA Confidential is that isn't really known by too many ppl!!!!!
Very nearly the best year of the '90s in film. There is one that was better.... My Top 20: 20. Tomorrow Never Dies 19. Trial and Error 18. The Saint 17. Murder at 1600 16. The Game 15. The Devil's Advocate 14. Titanic 13. I Know What You Did Last Summer 12. My Best Friend's Wedding 11. Dante's Peak 10. The Full Monty 9. Good Will Hunting 8. Scream 2 7. The Fifth Element 6. Liar Liar 5. Starship Troopers 4. L.A. Confidential 3. Men in Black 2. Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery 1. As Good as It Gets
One of my treasured cinema watching memories was going to the Village East to see "Deconstructing Harry" by Woody Allen. I found it to be one of the better Woody Allen movies of the 90s. There is a hilarious scene where a film crew is in production and the lead actor (sort of played by Robin Williams) is constantly out of focus. It is a great inside joke about the technical issues of moviemaking. After it was over, my movie date suggested we sneak in downstairs to watch "Boogie Nights," around midnight. I can't lie--I was, as you Brits say, gobsmacked. Not a porno guy, but what an sprawling, ambitious, unrelenting and weirdly personal movie. An excellent introduction to the work of Paul Thomas Anderson. Surprised "Deconstructing Harry" didn't earn an honorable mention, but I can't blame you. I haven't even watched a tenth of all the Asian cinema you have. I will say, upon repeat viewing "L. A. Confidential" has fallen a little in my estimation, principally because the dialogue could have been a little more minimalist. Even so, it is a worthy number one. Setting aside the look and style of the film, director Curtis Hanson elicits especial performances from the actors. Kevin Spacey is debonair in an old-Hollywood way. James Cromwell proves he is a first-rate villain. Russell Crowe and Guy Pierce can indeed do American. Kim Basinger earns the comeback role of her dreams. Danny DeVito is basically Danny DeVito, but he fits the film just right. And David Strathairm wins the Harry Dean Stanton award for best character actor performance. He may not steal the movie, but he's fantastic in every scene he's in--and totally believeable. And Harry, if you come to New York again, definitely check out the Village East (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Village_East_by_Angelika). Since the pandemic we've lost so many more of our old movies houses, especially the little ones, but this one deservedly hangs on.
If ya wanna have a hoot or possibly even a hoot and a half The Sweet Hereafter is a barrel of monkeys. I find it terribly rewatchable but that might just be proof of my masochism.
The Lost World: Jurassic Park L.A Confidential Titanic Air Force One Con Air Austin Powers Jackie Brown Men In Black Good Will Hunting Tomorrow Never Dies Face/Off The Devil's Advocate Event Horizon Anaconda Scream 2 Liar Liar George of the Jungle The Fifth Element Home Alone 3 Flubber
My Best Movies Of 1997 Flubber Men In Black George Of The Jungle Nothing To Lose Money Talks Liar Liar Mouse Hunt Good Burger The 6th Man Con Air Face/Off How To Be A Player Booty Call Jackie Brown Hercules Jungle 2 Jungle
Boogie Nights L.A. Confidential Jackie Brown Good Will Hunting The Game The Rainmaker The Devil's Advocate Gattaca The Long Kiss Goodnight Donnie Brasco
So, your #6 is a russian movie that justifies mass killings of people of different nationality??? Ok. That movie was banned in my country due to its lying propaganda but I guess you are fine with it. Ok then! L.A. Confidential, Contact, Mimic, The Relic, The Fifth Element are my faves from this year
‘97 marked one of the best days I’ve ever spent at a theater. During my first year of college, I had an 8am final exam and a 8pm final. I spent the in between hours catching LA Confidential, Boogie Nights, and Good Will Hunting.
Congratulations for such a comprehensive look at the cinema of 1997. It reminded me of so many films which are classics, to be watched over and over again. And so, with that in mind, it's back to the DVD library for LA Confidential, Boogie Nights, Gattaca and whatever else I may have of 1997 vintage.
What a video!! What a year!!
Also this has to be the funniest of your video's yet...the one-liner's had me creasing, "a chillingly subtle performance from Al Pacino" 😂😂😂
Boogie Nights is my favourite 97 movie!!! It’s so rewatchable !!!
1997 was my birth year, and Boogie Nights would certainly be my pick as movie of the year!!
A huge launching pad for Paul Thomas Anderson whose gone on to be one of the greatest American auteurs of his generation and a lot of the ensemble cast including Mark Wahlberg, Julianne Moore, Philip Seymour Hoffman (RIP), John C Reilly and quite a few others along with a career best performance from Burt Reynolds!! What I presumed would be a softcore film given it’s setting in the porn film industry of the 70’s and 80’s turned out to be an exciting cautionary tale inspired by GoodFellas with amazing realistic characters and a focus on surrogate families and how their formed, which has become a running theme in PTA’s other films!! Brilliant writing and directing!!
@@andrewburgemeister6684What about Hard Eight. His career launched with it. Just saying
You are correct, LA Confidential, best of 1997.
Great list! I agree about Titanic. I really like it, and I think it's a technical marvel, but I don't really care for the love story. Honestly, I think James Cameron didn't care about that, he loves water, so he wanted to make a movie about a sinking ship.
By the way, my favourite movies of 1998 are:
- The Truman Show
- American History X
- Big Lebowski
- Pleasentville
- Antz
- A Bug's Life (yeah, two bug movies in one year)
- Prince of Egypt
Great Year for movies
My top 20 for 1997
20. Mouse Hunt
19. Bean
18. George of the Jungle
17. Men in Black
16. Air Force One
15. Scream 2
14. Cube
13. Liar Liar
12. Con Air
11. The Devil's Advocate
10. Kiss the Girls
09. Contact
08. The Game
07. Event Horizon
06. Starship Troopers
05. Conspiracy Theory
04. Grosse Pointe Blank
03. Cop Land
02. Good Will Hunting
01. As Good As It Gets
And yes Takeshi's Castle is Great Fun.
Great choices!
My Top 10 was as follows.:
1. Boogie Nights
2. Eve’s Bayou
3. Cats Don’t Dance
4. Jackie Brown
5. The Full Monty
6. Hercules
7. The Boxer
8. Wag the Dog
9. Titanic
10. L.A. Confidential
Honourable Mentions: Men in Black, The Ice Storm, Clockwatchers, The Spanish Prisoner, Gattaca, Pooh’s Grand Adventure: The Search for Christopher Robin, George of the Jungle, Trekkies, Kundun, Good Will Hunting
Thank you! What a wonderful way to wake up! I'll be watching Con Air tonight. I've been avoiding it but you make it look fun. Enjoy your weekend.
A great list. I like 97, it didn't have any films that are in my top 30 movies, but had a lot of films that i really like:
10 Men In Black
9 The Man Who Knew Too Little
8 I Know What You Did Last Summer
7 Scream 2
6 The Jackal
5 Tomorrow Never Dies
4 Batman And Robin
3 Jackie Brown
2 Air Force One
1 Con Air
One movie from 97 you should check out is The Sweet Hereafter by Atom Egoyan. Very good film about a small town dealing with the aftermath of a tragic school bus accident. Ian Holm and Sarah Polley are great!
I saw it years ago. I need to see it again! I love Ian Holm.
My top ten (for now):
10. Air Force One
9. The Fifth Element
8. Insomnia
7. Men in Black
6. Jackie Brown
5. Anastasia
4. Hercules
3. Life is Beautiful
2. Perfect Blue
1. Princess Mononoke
Apparently GKIDS will be releasing The End of Evangelion in theaters for a limited time on March 17th and 20th. I hope to see it on one of those days.
You nailed 1 and 2! I would put Waiting for Guffman #3, a classic from Christopher Guest. His masterpiece was the his follow up, Best In Show.
97, I was 16, I remember waiting for the new millenium, now i wish i was back in the 90s
Breakdown with Kurt Russell was a great white knuckle thriller.
Also in 1997:
- Mother and Son (Aleksandr Sokurov)
- The River (Tsai Ming Liang)
- Gummo (Harmony Korine)
- Sue (Amos Kollek)
My number one would have to be Jackie Brown. I could watch that movie once a month and never get sick of it. A close second would be Good Will Hunting.
For 1998, you should really try to check out “Eternity and a Day” by Theo Angelopoulos. It’s hard to get a hold of but is without a doubt a masterpiece.
Hi Harry
Starship Troopers was a reluctant emission - what a riot! And yes, Face/Off is fun but ridiculous. Would be on a so bad it's good top 10
I haven't seen Perfect Blue or Princess Mononoke but I HAVE been to the Studio Gibli museum in Japan.
My top 20 movies of 1997
20. *Good Will Hunting*
19. The Eel (Japan)
18. *Happy Together* (Hong Kong)
17. *Donnie Brasco*
16. Contact
15. *Jackie Brown*
14. The Full Monty
13. Lost Highway
12. Marius et Jeannette (France)
11. Titanic
10. Wings of The Dove
9. *Boogie Nights*
8. Taste of Cherry (Iran)
7. Funny Games (Austria)
6. *Hana-Bi* (Japan)
5. Open Your Eyes
4. Ma Vie En Rose
3. The Apostle
2. Nil By Mouth
NUMBER ONE: (could it be anything else?) *LA CONFIDENTIAL* - Rollo Tomassi huh huh huh
Solid list as ever dude, with some good recommendations for ones I haven't seen (Brother and Perfect Blue for eg).
Others I liked that year that didn't get a mention - Mrs Brown, Little Dieter Needs To Fly, The Spanish Prisoner and (despite it's faults) Career Girls.
So many classics that year, I feel a binge of 1997 re-watching coming on after seeing your video.
1997 was truly and undoubtedly an amazing year for cinema. We got many great ones that year
1. Air Force One
2. Con Air
3. Turbulence
4. Liar Liar
5. Scream 2
6. Men in Black
7. Fifth Element
8. Starship Troopers
9. Gattaca
10. The Edge
11. LA Confidential
12. Tomorrow Never Dies
13. Titanic
14. The Relic
15. Contact
16. Lost World: Jurassic Park
17. Event Horizon
18. Anaconda
19. Jungle 2 Jungle
20. Hercules
21. That Darn Cat
22. Rocketman
23. Mr. Magoo
24. George of the Jungle
25. Mad City
26. A Simple Wish
27. The 6th Man
28. Good Burger
29. Devil's Advocate
30. Donnie Brasco
31. Private Parts
32. Conspiracy Theory
33. Spawn
34. Mimic
35. Chasing Amy
36. Mouse Hunt
37. Good Will Hunting
38. Trial & Error
39. Breakdown
40. The Peacemaker
41. Lost Highway
42. Vanishing Point
43. Austin Powers
44. Money Talks
45. Gone Fishin
46. 8 Heads in a Duffel Bag
47. Switchback
48. Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie
49. Jackie Brown
50. The Game
51. Boogie Nights
52. Vegas Vacation
53. Anastasia
54. Air Bud
55. Cube
56. I Know What You Did Last Summer
57. Laserhawk
58. Zeus & Roxanne
59. Metro
60. American Werewolf in Paris
61. Cop Land
62. Playing God
63. The Jackal
64. Most Wanted
65. Land Before Time 5
And.... Batman & Robin can just freeze in hell
Thank you... a lot of solid choices for '97! My personal favorites are L.A. Confidential and Hana-bi with guilty pleasures of The Man Who Knew Too Little and The Peacemaker. I only recently discovered Cure and Insomnia, but I think they both could make a run towards the top of my list after a re-watch or two.
I still remember going to a sneak preview of Air Force One with my dad. We got to stick around for the late show of Men in Black for free.
Boogie Nights at 1, followed by LA Confidential, Anastasia, Uncle Sam (also with the late Robert Forster, RIP), Event Horizon...
Wow 1997 was such a big year in cinema!
My top 10:
01) "Lost Highway" by David Lynch
02) "Jackie Brown" by Quentin Tarantino
03) "Boogie Nights" by Paul Thomas Anderson
04) "Princess Mononoke" by Hayao Miyazaki
05) "Hana-bi" by Takeshi Kitano
06) "L.A. Confidential" by Curtis Hanson
07) "The Ice Storm" by Ang Lee
08) "The Devil's Advocate" by Taylor Hackford
09) "Funny Games" by Michael Haneke
10) "Cube" by Vincenzo Natali
Also great movies: "Contact" by Robert Zemeckis, "Cure" by Kiyoshi Kurosawa, "Donnie Brasco" by Mike Newell, "Face/Off" by John Woo, "The Sweet Hereafter" by Atom Egoyan
Nice list as usual, but there's some very, very worthwhile entries not in your video or in comments below. (I never really clicked with Sweet Hereafter). With twenty slots, I'd have dropped one or two "silly" films for a few of these:
Men With Guns - I grew up worshiping John Sayles, and this is one of his best and least-seen movies. Almost all Spanish language with a supporting role by Mandy Patinkin as a daft American tourist. One of the first I watched to deeply explore the fates of third world populations, and the portrayal is chilling and sad.
Fast, Cheap and Out of Control - One of my favorite documentaries (do you include docs?), and one of the first I saw that showed me a doc could do this kind of multi-pronged approach instead of a single story. The editing in it is beyond belief!
The Spanish Prisoner - I actually prefer this Mamet piece to House of Games. I think he'd honed the artificial performance style that makes his films of this period so unique. Love con movies.
Welcome to Sarajevo - Masterful modern war film. Watch this if you haven't already. Based on a true story, and Woody Harrelson is great in a supporting role.
The Apostle - Probably the best character study of the 90s, and I'd take it a hundred times over Tender Mercies as a showcase for Robert Duvall. It's take on religion and salvation is so nuanced and perceptive without being judgy about the "born again" aspect of it. Real thought-provoker. "I'm going to jail, but you're going to heaven, my boy."
The Butcher Boy - Simply the best film potrayal of a sociopath I've ever seen. Riveting.
Star Maps - This year was a great one for independents, wasn't it? I'll never forget the line, "I just want a beautiful Mexican boy to fuck my brains out." Very class conscious and smartly written.
The Wrong Guy - This is a dumb comedy that almost nobody saw, but I freakin' loved it! It's a Hitchcock sendup where Kid in the Hall Dave Foley thinks he's on the run for a murder he didn't commit, but in reality none of the other characters suspect him at all. It's a case of mistaken mistaken identity.
Really good year, actually!
Aw, 1997…(takes a sip of Cognac and stares out the window)…I was married to a different woman and we were young and naive…we didn’t have much money, but it may have been the year I rented more movies than I had before or since.
Fifth Element is still one of my favorite guilty pleasure movies.
The opening to Contact is a beautiful demonstration as to how large the cosmos truly is.
Boogie Nights is a great dysfunctional family film.
I may be the only one who’s never seen LA Confidential???? Yes, this flys in the face of me saying I rented a lot of movies that year, but this is one that I never watched.
And that clip from Event Horizon with Lawrence Fishburne saying “we’re leaving” is one of the most realistic human action ever put to film. A very flawed film, so let’s not ignore the nonsense such as the guy who was shot out into space and how he made it back. But still, that’s how a captain would act!
Great call mentioning Perfect Blue buttons I can't believe you just blew past Lost Highway like that
Boogie Nights is a classic
1997 is my birth year and some great movies definitely hit theatres then!!
My two favourites would be Boogie Nights and Good Will Hunting!!
i was so exited seeing donnie brasco on this list. one of my favourite movies of all time
1997 is probably the best, deepest film year of my lifetime (1999 is often similarly heralded but I don't quite see it). I like a lot of Harry's list, but here are the films of my personal top 20 that aren't on Harry's list (or mentioned in his side comments): The Sweet Hereafter (my #1), Affliction, Nil By Mouth, Firelight, On connaît la chanson, My Best Friend's Wedding. Honorable mentions to Career Girls and Clockwatchers. In 1997 it really was true, at least if you were in a big city, that most weekends saw a couple of gripping new movies open and there seemed to be something for almost everyone. Economies everywhere seemed to be really humming and, not coincidentally, the worldwide film industry was firing on all cylinders too. Peak '90s.
'Wag the Dog' really should be among top 10!
"Batman And Robin" and "Spice World" are the peek of guilty pleasures.
I saw Batman and Robin with my dad in the cinema. It was a very long and quiet ride home... what a POS. Edit: yes i am one of those waaay to serieus Batman fans. 😂
The 90s wore amazing. You mentioned almost every film I loved, but I'm going to try and name a few more.
Contact
Tomorrow never dies
Conspiracy theory
Breakdown
Bean
Mouse hunt
Seven years in Tibet
Selena
The Edge
Mimic
Rocketman
Jackie chan's first strike
Switchback
Inventing the Abbotts
187
8 heads in a duffle bag
Prefontaine
The Boxer
Hard Eight
The Apostle
Do you ever have trouble deciding between where to put two movies? I don't think I could pick a favourite between Boogie Nights and LA Confidential. Anyways, great video.
I have huge problems ordering the lists. Often after posting I feel I've made a mistake but luckily for me LA Confidential has such nostalgic value for me that it was an easy number 1 for me!
"Fire Down Below" is a 1997 American action film starring Steven Seagal is my nr. 1.
This literally never happens.
We watch videos like this and usually scream at the TV when we feel the lists are so wrong.
There are only two, non-negotiable correct answers for number 1 & 2....and you got them BOTH correct!!
This made me VERY happy!!
Boogie Nights is the only film I've ever seen where I still wonder what happened to the characters.
And LA Confidential is my very favorite film ever made in the history of cinema.
Well done
The Taste of Cherry is my personal favorite film from Kiarostami
Starship Troopers is still one of my favorite movies of all time!!!
I also love The Lost World for me that is the best Jurassic Park sequel
Definitely the best Jurassic Park sequel!
@@1-2many and of course the most Underrated film of 1997 is Breakdown starring Kurt Russell it has one of the best revenge scenes of all time
TOP 20 FILMS OF 1997:
1. L.A. Confidential
2. Good Will Hunting
3. Boogie Nights
4. Princess Mononoke
5. Men In Black
6. Titanic
7. Hurricane Streets
8. Chasing Amy
9. As Good As It Gets
10. Hercules
11. The Full Monty
12. Insomnia
13. Face/Off
14. In The Company Of Men
15. Jackie Brown
16. Donnie Brasco
17. Gridlock'd
18. The Ice Storm
19. Anastasia
20. Scream 2
LA Confidential rules the map regardless of ur favorites!!!! I used to have others like One Eight Seven , Donnie Brosco , U-turn , Starship Troopers , Boogie Nights , Titanic , Face Off , Mad City , Air Force One , Good Will Hunting , The Negotiator , Jackie Brown, Species 2 , Alien Resurrection , Wishmaster ect....
but naw LA Confidential really is too damn perfect to even compare to everything else sorry & this is coming from someone who saw all these films on VHS back in 97 rented from the video store so I got 27 years to think about that very thurally since then !!!!
⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ Masterpiece
& Definitely no , Samuel Jackson definitely killed it better in One Eight Seven & The Negotiator that year over Jackie Brown !!!!!
Also if u never seen Oliver Stones "U-Turn" feat. Sean Penn , J-Lo , Nick Nolte , Billy Bob Thornton , Joaquín Phoenix , Powers Booth & Jon Vought , definitely check it out because it's probably the second or third best film of that year!!!! It's a masterpiece just like LA Confidential is that isn't really known by too many ppl!!!!!
Also worth looking at:
- Wag the Dog
- Deconstructing Harry :)
Jackie Brown is by far, in my opinion, is he best film.
Very nearly the best year of the '90s in film. There is one that was better....
My Top 20:
20. Tomorrow Never Dies
19. Trial and Error
18. The Saint
17. Murder at 1600
16. The Game
15. The Devil's Advocate
14. Titanic
13. I Know What You Did Last Summer
12. My Best Friend's Wedding
11. Dante's Peak
10. The Full Monty
9. Good Will Hunting
8. Scream 2
7. The Fifth Element
6. Liar Liar
5. Starship Troopers
4. L.A. Confidential
3. Men in Black
2. Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery
1. As Good as It Gets
One of my treasured cinema watching memories was going to the Village East to see "Deconstructing Harry" by Woody Allen. I found it to be one of the better Woody Allen movies of the 90s. There is a hilarious scene where a film crew is in production and the lead actor (sort of played by Robin Williams) is constantly out of focus. It is a great inside joke about the technical issues of moviemaking. After it was over, my movie date suggested we sneak in downstairs to watch "Boogie Nights," around midnight. I can't lie--I was, as you Brits say, gobsmacked. Not a porno guy, but what an sprawling, ambitious, unrelenting and weirdly personal movie. An excellent introduction to the work of Paul Thomas Anderson.
Surprised "Deconstructing Harry" didn't earn an honorable mention, but I can't blame you. I haven't even watched a tenth of all the Asian cinema you have. I will say, upon repeat viewing "L. A. Confidential" has fallen a little in my estimation, principally because the dialogue could have been a little more minimalist. Even so, it is a worthy number one. Setting aside the look and style of the film, director Curtis Hanson elicits especial performances from the actors. Kevin Spacey is debonair in an old-Hollywood way. James Cromwell proves he is a first-rate villain. Russell Crowe and Guy Pierce can indeed do American. Kim Basinger earns the comeback role of her dreams. Danny DeVito is basically Danny DeVito, but he fits the film just right. And David Strathairm wins the Harry Dean Stanton award for best character actor performance. He may not steal the movie, but he's fantastic in every scene he's in--and totally believeable.
And Harry, if you come to New York again, definitely check out the Village East (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Village_East_by_Angelika). Since the pandemic we've lost so many more of our old movies houses, especially the little ones, but this one deservedly hangs on.
I think I saw The Shining at a midnight screening there about 10 years ago! I say saw, I fell asleep but it was late.
I would have included Schizopolis in my top 5. But great list, thanks!
If ya wanna have a hoot or possibly even a hoot and a half The Sweet Hereafter is a barrel of monkeys. I find it terribly rewatchable but that might just be proof of my masochism.
You also missed 2 pretty great ones from ‘97; David Fincher’s “The Game” and “The Edge.”
Where is ”The Sweet Hereafter”？
The Lost World: Jurassic Park
L.A Confidential
Titanic
Air Force One
Con Air
Austin Powers
Jackie Brown
Men In Black
Good Will Hunting
Tomorrow Never Dies
Face/Off
The Devil's Advocate
Event Horizon
Anaconda
Scream 2
Liar Liar
George of the Jungle
The Fifth Element
Home Alone 3
Flubber
Cure
Great film.
Spoiler Alert. This guy actually has Starship Troopers in his top ten!! I couldn’t believe it either.
Gummo. The film that got me obsessed with cinema in the first place. Not that that means anything to anyone other than myself😆
My Best Movies Of 1997
Flubber
Men In Black
George Of The Jungle
Nothing To Lose
Money Talks
Liar Liar
Mouse Hunt
Good Burger
The 6th Man
Con Air
Face/Off
How To Be A Player
Booty Call
Jackie Brown
Hercules
Jungle 2 Jungle
Boogie Nights
L.A. Confidential
Jackie Brown
Good Will Hunting
The Game
The Rainmaker
The Devil's Advocate
Gattaca
The Long Kiss Goodnight
Donnie Brasco
My favorite year. Still seems like yesterday.
Titanic Con Air Fifth Element Dantes Peak Face Off Volcano US Marshals Mars Attacks Starship Troopers Air Force One. Batman n Robin never counted.
Mononoke is like a top 10 film from the 90s what
You left out Copland.
The jackal?
No Nil by Mouth. Easy Top 3
Mimic!
So, your #6 is a russian movie that justifies mass killings of people of different nationality??? Ok. That movie was banned in my country due to its lying propaganda but I guess you are fine with it. Ok then!
L.A. Confidential, Contact, Mimic, The Relic, The Fifth Element are my faves from this year
No love for Ruby Rod?? Crazy