IT WASN'T A GREAT YEAR, BUT '91 HAD ITS MOMENTS

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, January 3, 1992                   TAG: 9201030325
SECTION: EXTRA                    PAGE: E-1   EDITION: METRO  
SOURCE: Chris Gladden
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium
IT WASN'T A GREAT YEAR, BUT '91 HAD ITS MOMENTS
This is the time of year when movie reviewers compile a 10-best list. Trouble is, sometimes there aren't enough; other times there are too many. It's a numbers game that allows little flexibility.
This year, I'm going for a different format. This is a very subjective survey of the year's highlights, roughly broken down into categories.
Two of the year's best movies were dark and violent thrillers made by two innovative and talented directors. "Silence of the Lambs" is a smart thriller about serial killers that featured riveting performances by Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkins. Director Jonathan Demme captured perfectly the unsettling tone of Thomas Harris' novel about sociopaths who commit unspeakable acts. Martin Scorsese's "Cape Fear" is a slick remake of a movie based on a John D. MacDonald novel. The cast is first rate. Robert DeNiro makes one of the more interesting villains on screen as a Nietzschean, redneck ex-convict with revenge on his mind.
Filmmakers' fascination with the dark side of man's nature continued with "Bugsy" and "JFK." The former is Barry Levinson's stylish look at gangster Bugsy Siegel. The latter is Oliver Stone's controversial view of the events surrounding the assassination of president John F. Kennedy. Whatever else "JFK" may be, it's one of the more compelling movie experiences of the year. And at three hours-plus, that's saying something.
Some intriguing, off-beat movies emerged during the year. Friends were shaking their heads over my enthusiasm for "The Commitments." But I still found Alan Parker's vivid portrait of the rise and fall of an Irish soul band one of the brightest moments of the movie year. "Slacker" is a droll, deadpan look at Austin, Texas, fringe-dwellers. "Barton Fink," from Joel and Ethan Coen, is an examination of a writer's pretensions wrapped up in a horror story. Disturbing, sometimes funny and completely grotesque, it is the year's strangest "big" movie.
"Paris Is Burning" is one of the best documentaries of the year, a look at the flamboyant gay dance clubs of Harlem and the folkways of those who frequent them. "The Fisher King," despite its flaws, revived an ancient myth and brought it to new audiences through the star power of Robin Williams. "Rambling Rose," a modest picture based on Calder Willingham's novel about a promiscuous servant girl who disrupts a Southern household, showcased a good performance by Laura Dern and an exceptional one from Robert Duvall. It was sweetly nostalgic and sexy at the same time.
Black filmmakers found a strong voice this year. Spike Lee's "Jungle Fever," a look at an interracial relationship, explores prejudices and racial mythologies from both sides. It's one of Lee's most complex works. "Boyz N the Hood," John Singleton's heartfelt indictment of senseless violence among urban black youth, was a work of conscience from a promising filmmaker. Unfortunately, in some cases its screening precipitated violence. Even more ironic is the fact that rap singer Ice Cube, who plays a central character, has issued a record calling for violence.
One of the year's very best movies is John Sayles' "City of Hope." The ever-impressive filmmaker has taken urban and societal decay as his subject. Sayles depicts a city where ethics have been replaced by a corrupt barter system.
"Terminator 2," predictably, is the best hardware movie of the year, with Arnold Schwarzenegger playing a good cyborg. The story wasn't substantial, but the special effects were.
It was not a great year for family pictures. But "The Rocketeer" soared with a feel-good sense of adventure and plenty of period flavor.
The best family picture of 1991 is Disney's "Beauty and the Beast." It embellishes the classic fairy tale with plenty of panache, Disney-style. State-of-the-art animation is combined with the kind of characters and attention to storytelling that distinguishes the best of the Disney animated features.
1991 may not go down in movie history as a vintage year, but there were some satisfying and even invigorating pictures tucked among the disappointments.

by Archana Subramaniam by CNB