It’s been a long year of jumping through the portals of time to rewatch the specters of Disney films past, but I am pleased to say that this year has opened my eyes to lost treasures of Mickey’s vault. Also, there are some films that never need to premiere on Disney+. Obscurity isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Especially if the movie is bad.
Below are the top five films from a list of dozens this past year. These films make the mission of Touchstone and Hollywood Pictures proud, as they set Disney apart from traditional family films.
Best Pictures
1) Bringing Out the Dead: This Martin Scorsese fever dream of a nightmare is brilliant. From the style of the picture to the continual nightmare of reality, viewers will be sucked into a void of misery as we follow Nicolas Cage’s paramedic while he navigates his nightshifts of dealing with the dead, and nearly departed. An incredible performance by Cage, brilliant guidance by Scorsese behind the camera, and an over-the-top supporting performance from Tom Sizemore. One to watch.
2) Bicentennial Man: Robin Williams is the only one who could play a robot and show the progression of humanity that the robot gains as he is exposed to a family led by Sam Neil who loves him like a person, and not property. Williams has moments of mania, but the long-standing story of discovering yourself is the heart of the film, and Robin Williams is perfection in the lead. With another thankless and fun supporting role by Oliver Platt, Bicentennial Man is a must watch.
3) Step Up: I am unabashedly a fan of this trilogy of dance films that Disney helped coproduce through Touchstone. I would lump all three movies into one category. They are filled with energy and enthusiasm and while the story might be light and only surface deep, the feeling that each of the three Step Up movies leaves the audience with is joy.
4) 25th Hour: Spike Lee’s tale of a drug dealer on the eve of going to jail is a phenomenal character study of what makes a person bad or good, and how even those who may sell drugs, are normal people. Drug dealers have friends and lives outside of their criminal enterprises. Edward Norton plays Montgomery Brogan a criminal and purveyor of misery. Brogan is not someone to sympathize with, but Norton with a stellar supporting cast of Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Barry Pepper, Rosario Dawson, and Brian Cox makes this a must watch. 25th Hour is a film that we don’t see too often anymore.
5) Real Steel: Shawn Levy and Hugh Jackman didn’t just make a great film with Deadpool & Wolverine. The two were the dynamic force behind this robot boxing saga which was produced by DreamWorks and released by Touchstone Pictures. Jackman plays a washed-up boxer named Charlie who is trying to scratch a living out with robot boxers. When he is forced to look after his son Max for the summer, Charlie discovers a route to success thanks to Max’s faith in a robot they discovered. Real Steel is one of the best sports films of the 21st Century, and an underrated classic from the Touchstone Pictures library.
Left Off the Ballot
Not every film is great. Some are even bad. This past year certainly didn’t disappoint in showing the lowest of the lows. Here are my pics for the bottom five films I watched this year from Touchstone and Hollywood Pictures.
1) The Fifth Estate: This film is the story of Julian Assange and his battle to share the truth with the world. The problem is that Assange may think he is sharing the truth, but his knowledge will put people at risk. Assange is no crusader for truth and justice, he is narcissistic and power hungry. Benedict Cumberbatch is perfect in the role, but my problem was that I couldn’t care about Assange and his campaign, and I wouldn’t care for a film that tried to humanize this man.
2) Runaway Bride: I did not like Pretty Woman, and I absolutely did not like Runaway Bride. Richard Gere portrays Ike, a reporter who looks to expose Maggie, played by Julia Roberts, a cereal bride, who never says I do. The film has moments of humor, but it’s hard to like the story that is blatantly sexist and demeaning. I did not like this film, and do not recommend it.
3) Playing God: It’s not a great film. David Duchovny plays a disgraced doctor who starts working for a mobster played by Timothy Hutton. The movie has a low-grade late-night thriller vibe that would be dumped on the rerun channel of the 1990’s. Completely forgettable.
4) I Am Number Four: I am glad there is only one film in this series and not anymore. Alex Pettyfer plays an alien being hunted by another species on Earth, and he must survive to keep his species alive. It’s almost unwatchable at many parts, and the only good thing about the movie is Timothy Olyphant who doesn’t get enough time on screen. This is a film from the DreamWorks deal that needs to be lost to time.
5) When a Man Loves a Woman: A story about an alcoholic woman played by Meg Ryan, and how her husband played by Andy Garcia, deal with her recovery. I love everything Andy Garcia does, but I did not like this movie. There was something about the plot of the film that left me feeling cold and disconnected from both Ryan’s and Garcia’s leads. At some points, I found the two unbelievable as husband and wife, and while the movie addresses a serious topic, it just didn’t matter to me due to a failure to connect with the audience through the narrative.
And the Oscar Goes To: Bringing Out the Dead
This year's rewatch helped me discover a Martin Scorsese film that I hadn’t seen, nor knew much about. It is unlike anything else that he has done, and the style and performances have a fantastical approach in light and color as well as language. I couldn’t take my eyes of the screen.
Nicolas Cage gives one of his best performances of the decade, and while he is a paramedic who is depressed and in need of a break, he plays his role with the usual Cage enthusiasm of losing himself in the part to the point that as I watched the movie, I was on the edge of me couch wondering what would happen next.
Scorsese doesn’t get enough praise for this film, and sadly it is one of the only films he has made that didn’t get any Oscar nominations. If I had my way, I would rewrite history.
Coming Attractions
Next week, a look back at the Hollywood Pictures crime/thriller, Blood In Blood Out.