Best Films Of 1997
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- DirectorJames L. BrooksStarsJack NicholsonHelen HuntGreg KinnearA single mother and waitress, a misanthropic author, and a gay artist form an unlikely friendship after the artist is assaulted in a robbery."Dr. Green, how can you diagnose someone as having obsessive compulsive disorder, and then act like I have some choice about barging in here?"
9/10 - DirectorPaul Thomas AndersonStarsMark WahlbergJulianne MooreBurt ReynoldsBack when sex was safe, pleasure was a business and business was booming, an idealistic porn producer aspires to elevate his craft to an art when he discovers a hot young talent.I once saw Tom Hanks on Letterman, in the early 2000's I believe it was, and he claimed this was his all time favorite film. He said mainly because it really captures the vibe of that time. I agree with him entirely in this sense, it really does capture the time period so well. In fact I still feel that Anderson has yet to make another film as good as this one. He gets a lot of credit for his more modern films, but I still feel this is clearly his best work, and by a decent margin actually. 9/10
- DirectorAng LeeStarsKevin KlineJoan AllenSigourney WeaverIn suburban New Canaan, Connecticut, 1973, middle-class families experimenting with casual sex and substance abuse find their lives beyond their control.Electro-magnificent!
- DirectorMike NewellStarsAl PacinoJohnny DeppMichael MadsenAn FBI undercover agent infiltrates the mob and finds himself identifying more with the Mafia life--at the expense of his regular one.Not Donnie. 8.5/10
- DirectorMartin ScorseseStarsTenzin Thuthob TsarongGyurme TethongTulku Jamyang Kunga TenzinFrom childhood to adulthood, Tibet's fourteenth Dalai Lama deals with Chinese oppression and other problems."Are you the Buddha?"
"I think I am a reflection, like the moon upon the water. Think of me as yourself."
8.5/10 - DirectorRobert ZemeckisStarsJodie FosterMatthew McConaugheyTom SkerrittDr. Ellie Arroway, after years of searching, finds conclusive radio proof of extraterrestrial intelligence, sending plans for a mysterious machine.8.5/10
- DirectorQuentin TarantinoStarsPam GrierSamuel L. JacksonRobert ForsterA flight attendant with a criminal past gets nabbed by the ATF for smuggling. Under pressure to become an informant against the illegal arms dealer she works for, she must find a way to secure her future without getting killed.8.5/10
- DirectorRene DaalderStarsBalthazar GettyTchéky KaryoAlice KrigeIn a future world where Earth's ozone layer has been completely destroyed, a brilliant but obsessed scientist, Hank Symes uses illegally obtained biological materials for an experiment that he hopes will save the world. In the course of his work, a terrible accident occurs, transforming him into a fantastic otherworldly lifeform and changing his house into a huge living entity which threatens all who enter.4.8 out of 10? Only 825 people have rated this film on here so far. These voters mostly of the absent-minded sort, or even worse I dare to assume. Daalder also made an old cult classic called Massacre at Central High that some of you may know. It's more the horror crowd that I think will enjoy this film the most, and some real Science fans as well.
8.5/10 - DirectorWoody AllenStarsWoody AllenJudy DavisJulia Louis-DreyfusSuffering from writer's block and eagerly awaiting his writing award, Harry Block remembers events from his past and scenes from his best-selling books as characters, real and fictional, come back to haunt him.8.5/10
- DirectorGus Van SantStarsRobin WilliamsMatt DamonBen AffleckWill Hunting, a janitor at M.I.T., has a gift for mathematics, but needs help from a psychologist to find direction in his life.8.5/10
- DirectorJohn WooStarsJohn TravoltaNicolas CageJoan AllenTo foil a terrorist plot, FBI agent Sean Archer assumes the identity of the criminal Castor Troy who murdered his son through facial transplant surgery, but the crook wakes up prematurely and vows revenge.8/10
- DirectorPaul W.S. AndersonStarsLaurence FishburneSam NeillKathleen QuinlanA rescue crew is tasked with investigating the mysterious reappearance of a spaceship that had been lost for seven years.Most people that love horror films and actually love real Science as well do tend to love this film. I fit into this myself. Though I'm not just a horror lover, I love films of all genres. This film does have some great real Scientific theories that it uses in the story, so it helps to know these theories prior to watching the film. Event Horizon really does blend together far better than most films of its type, a very real Scientific side, and pairs it with a supernatural side as well. It's awesomely creative stuff! Perhaps it should even be higher on my list. It's impossible to rank films perfectly. There isn't such a thing possible. Anyway, the acting here is exceptional too by both Fishburne and Sam Neill is crazy off the charts great here to be honest. One of the scariest evil characters in film history, right here! The more you understand and buy into the story of the film, obviously the more the viewer will see this as well.
While the critics mostly panned this film, it's also very likely that the vast percentage of them have no idea how much very real complex and very plausible Scientific ideas went into this film. This is a very rare film in how it presents such crazy, but yet very real working Scientific theories in the story. Unfortunately because of this unique complexity however, many viewers and critics alike will not entirely get out of this film, what some other viewers will. I almost feel like some of Christopher Nolan's more modern films have tried to do much the same thing as this film does do very successfully. Think Tenet and Interstellar. Nolan's films however so far have not worked so well in my view. They all come off as both gimmicky and clunky because everything is too forced, and doesn't really fit together quite right. This film however to real Science theory lovers will not disappoint in this same way, and this is the far older film. It really shouldn't be the older film here that still holds up to real Science better. Nonetheless, this easily does. Sorry Nolan, but truth is truth. Anyway, I do really love a few Nolan films as well, especially Memento.
8/10 - DirectorTaylor HackfordStarsKeanu ReevesAl PacinoCharlize TheronAn exceptionally-adept Florida lawyer is offered a job at a high-end New York City law firm with a high-end boss--the biggest opportunity of his career to date.8/10
- DirectorAndrew NiccolStarsEthan HawkeUma ThurmanJude LawA genetically inferior man assumes the identity of a superior one in order to pursue his lifelong dream of space travel.8/10
- DirectorFrancis Ford CoppolaStarsMatt DamonDanny DeVitoClaire DanesAn underdog lawyer takes on a fraudulent insurance company.8/10
- DirectorJames CameronStarsLeonardo DiCaprioKate WinsletBilly ZaneA seventeen-year-old aristocrat falls in love with a kind but poor artist aboard the luxurious, ill-fated R.M.S. Titanic.
- DirectorPeter CattaneoStarsRobert CarlyleTom WilkinsonMark AddySix unemployed steel workers form a male striptease act. The women cheer them on to go for "the full monty" - total nudity.8/10
- DirectorVincenzo NataliStarsNicole de BoerMaurice Dean WintDavid HewlettA group of strangers awaken to find themselves placed in a giant cube. Each one of them is gifted with a special skill and they must work together to escape an endless maze of deadly traps.8/10
- DirectorKevin SmithStarsBen AffleckJoey Lauren AdamsEthan SupleeHolden and Banky are comic book artists. Everything's going good for them until they meet Alyssa, also a comic book artist. Holden falls for her, but his hopes are crushed when he finds out she's a lesbian.8/10
- DirectorLuc BessonStarsBruce WillisMilla JovovichGary OldmanIn the colorful future, a cab driver unwittingly becomes the central figure in the search for a legendary cosmic weapon to keep Evil and Mr. Zorg at bay.8/10
- DirectorAntonio TibaldiStarsRyan PhillippeNastassja KinskiJohn Savage19 y.o. Jimmy' s dad is a vicious, impotent Vietnam vet, who forces his wife and son to have incest. He has a secret he'll kill to keep. Jimmy won't abandon his two kid brothers by leaving.A very underrated and underseen film. If you don't mind your mystery films being a little disturbing, this film is one you should see.
- DirectorPaul SchraderStarsBridget FondaChristopher WalkenSkeet UlrichAt the discovery of his ability to work miracles, Juvenal becomes a media sensation, but now he's prone to those who want to exploit him.
- DirectorNeil LaButeStarsAaron EckhartMatt MalloyStacy EdwardsTwo business executives--one an avowed misogynist, the other recently emotionally wounded by his love interest--set out to exact revenge on the female gender by seeking out the most innocent, uncorrupted girl they can find and ruining her life.7.5/10
- DirectorBarry LevinsonStarsDustin HoffmanRobert De NiroAnne HecheShortly before an election, a spin-doctor and a Hollywood producer join efforts to fabricate a war in order to cover up a Presidential sex scandal.7.5/10
- DirectorBarry SonnenfeldStarsTommy Lee JonesWill SmithLinda FiorentinoJames, an NYC cop, is hired by Agent K of a secret government agency that monitors extraterrestrial life on Earth. Together, they must recover an item that has been stolen by an intergalactic villain.7/10
- DirectorDavid FincherStarsMichael DouglasDeborah Kara UngerSean PennAfter a wealthy San Francisco banker is given an opportunity to participate in a mysterious game, his life is turned upside down as he begins to question if it might really be a concealed conspiracy to destroy him.7/10
- DirectorRidley ScottStarsDemi MooreViggo MortensenAnne BancroftLt. Jordan, a US Navy topographic analyst, joins the US Navy Special Warfare Group and struggles to prove her worth in a unit dominated by men. But a cynical woman Texan senator has sold her out.Demi Moore is actually pretty good in a few films, but certainly never better than in this one. She actually makes this based on a true story film feel quite believable; Which for a Hollywood film is pretty unusual in itself. I honestly think that Ridley Scott is a little overrated as a director generally, but to me this is one of his more underappreciated films really. It's not a great film, but it's definitely quite good. 7/10
- DirectorBetty ThomasStarsHoward SternMary McCormackRobin QuiversThe autobiographical story of Howard Stern, the radio rebel who is now also a TV personality, an author and a movie star.7/10
- DirectorPaul SchraderStarsNick NolteSissy SpacekJames CoburnA deeply troubled small-town cop investigates a suspicious hunting death while other events jeopardize his sanity.
- DirectorJean-Jacques AnnaudStarsBrad PittDavid ThewlisBD WongHeinrich Harrer, an Austrian climber, breaks out of prison and travels to the holy city of Lhasa. He is employed as an instructor to the 14th Dalai Lama and soon becomes his close confidante.7/10
- DirectorCurtis HansonStarsKevin SpaceyRussell CroweGuy PearceAs corruption grows in 1950s Los Angeles, three policemen - one strait-laced, one brutal, and one sleazy - investigate a series of murders with their own brand of justice.7/10
- DirectorJay RoachStarsMike MyersElizabeth HurleyMichael YorkA world-class playboy and part-time secret agent from the 1960s emerges after thirty years in a cryogenic state to battle with his nemesis Dr. Evil.7/10
- DirectorPat O'ConnorStarsLiv TylerJennifer ConnellyJoaquin PhoenixTwo working class brothers court three wealthy and beautiful sisters in a small Illinois town.I think I truly sorta fell in love with Jennifer Connelly in the 90's...but then again, who didn't?
- DirectorErik SkjoldbjærgStarsStellan SkarsgårdSverre Anker OusdalMaria MathiesenIn a Norwegian city with a 24-hour daylight cycle a Swedish murder investigator has been brought in on a special case. Sleep deprived, he makes a horrible mistake which is discovered by the killer he has been hunting.
- DirectorJames MangoldStarsSylvester StalloneHarvey KeitelRay LiottaThe Sheriff of a suburban New Jersey community, populated by New York City police officers, slowly discovers the town is a front for mob connections and corruption.7/10
- DirectorSteve JamesStarsJared LetoR. Lee ErmeyEd O'NeillBased on the life of Olympic hopeful Steve Prefontaine, a long distance runner who lived in Oregon and died young.7/10
- DirectorMaciej SlesickiStarsBoguslaw LindaAgnieszka WlodarczykCezary PazuraLeon, the 40-year-old former soldier who is an alcoholic now, gets a job as a bodyguard. His duty is to take care of one of the Mafia leader's daughters. His problems begin when he falls in love with the 16-year-old girl.This is basically a slightly more risqué Polish version of Leon: The Professional. It's more than just a somewhat exploitive ripoff however, it also very much makes itself its own, even though the Leon influence is strong. At least for a certain audience, it is very watchable. This is Leon meets Lolita in a very real sense.
- DirectorJohn DuiganStarsSam RockwellKathleen QuinlanMischa BartonWhen Devon, a 10-year-old girl, forges a friendship with Trent, a 21-year-old outsider who mows the neighborhood lawns, things suddenly get very complicated and private.
- DirectorOliver StoneStarsSean PennJennifer LopezNick NolteA man heading to Vegas to pay off his gambling debt before the Russian mafia kills him is forced to stop in an Arizona town where everything that can go wrong does go wrong.7/10
- DirectorDavid GreeneStarsVanessa RedgraveDennis FarinaNastassja KinskiStarting in Palermo, Italy, 1977 - The ups and downs of a mafia family opposed to drug trade until the men are murdered and the widows take over.7.0/10
- DirectorAndy WilsonStarsDavid DuchovnyTimothy HuttonAngelina JolieA disgraced surgeon leaves his former life and reinvents himself as a gunshot doctor in the criminal underworld.
- DirectorJames TobackStarsRobert Downey Jr.Heather GrahamNatasha Gregson WagnerTwo girls wait outside a young actor's door and find out he's had them both as "only" girlfriend the last ten months. They wait inside after breaking in. When Blake comes home he just can't stop lying but they stay.While the film itself really isn't that good, Robert Downey Jr. is phenomenal. The movie is worth its share of praise simply on the merit of his performance alone.
- DirectorAlan J. PakulaStarsHarrison FordBrad PittMargaret ColinA police officer uncovers the real identity of his house-guest, an I.R.A. terrorist in hiding.7/10
- DirectorMichael MooreStarsMichael MooreElaine BlyDan BurnsOn his book tour, Michael Moore exposes more wrongdoing by greedy big businesses and callous politicians around America.7/10
- DirectorClint EastwoodStarsClint EastwoodGene HackmanEd HarrisCareer thief Luther Whitney (Clint Eastwood) witnesses a horrific crime involving U.S. President Alan Richmond (Gene Hackman).7/10
- DirectorDarrell RoodtStarsIce CubeElizabeth HurleyThokozani NkosiVusi Madlazi returns to the South African village he left as a young boy (he was organizing against apartheid and left in fear of his life) to bury his father. He meets up with his brother Ernest, who tells him he couldn't contact their other brother Stephen. Vusi goes to Johannesburg to find him, but at first can only find his neighbor/girlfriend Karin, a stripper. Vusi proceeds to learn how conditions have changed since the end of apartheid: not always for the better for Black men.Far less than 2000 people have rated this film on here so far. I don't know, I kind of enjoy this film. It doesn't take itself too seriously, and just tells a pretty decent story with some heart and a good bit of fun. I like Ice Cube, because really he's just a pretty genuine guy (all his kidding aside.), and Hurley was a total knockout back then. 7/10
- DirectorJim SheridanStarsDaniel Day-LewisEmily WatsonDaragh DonnellyYoung Danny Flynn is released from prison 14 years after "taking the rap" for the IRA and tries to rebuild his life in his old Belfast neighborhood.6.5/10
- DirectorTom ShadyacStarsJim CarreyMaura TierneyAmanda DonohoeA pathological liar-lawyer finds his career turned upside down when he inexplicably cannot physically lie for 24 whole hours.6.5/10
- DirectorRichard MartinStarsMädchen AmickGraham GreeneAdrian PasdarThe forest rangers Julie Clayton and her boyfriend Don Powell find several grizzly-bear slaughtered in the forest. They report to their superior and he comes with the FBI Agent Eric Ashton and his partner and other rangers. They team-up and go to the wilderness by helicopter to seek out the poacher. However, the man kills the rangers and the FBI agent and Julie is seriously wounded. She miraculously survives and learns that her beloved Don was murdered. Julie is deeply affected but when she meets the alcoholic police detective Nick Rollins, he motivates her to live with hate planning revenge. Meanwhile the FBI decides to use Julie as bait to catch the poacher Hanaghan. But Hanaghan has developed a weird attraction for Julie.
- DirectorJan KounenStarsVincent CasselTchéky KaryoMonica BellucciDobermann is the world's most ruthless bank robber and with his gang rob bank after bank, now in Paris. What can the police do but to let the mad, morally bankrupt police commissioner loose on him?
- DirectorJonathan MostowStarsKurt RussellJ.T. WalshKathleen QuinlanA man searches for his missing wife after his car breaks down in the middle of the desert.
- DirectorLawrence O'NeilStarsDavid SchwimmerChris CooperEmily ProcterTwo doctors create breast implants, but when success and money come their way, they separate and follow different paths.6.5/10
- DirectorBill DukeStarsLaurence FishburneTim RothVanessa WilliamsBlack gangsters in 1930 Harlem fights Dutch Schultz who is trying to horn in on their numbers racket.