The Year In Film: 1992

Introduction By @TrueGodImmortal
-As the year in film series nears the end, I wanted to take a look at what I feel is one of the better years in film in the early 90's. While many years in the 90's came with top notch quality, there are some years that fell short, like 1990 and 1991. The films from those two years were decent, but overall those years just weren't enticing for most film viewers. For me, when I look back at the 90's, the first year in film that truly sticks out is 1992. The releases from this year were all solid, with a lot of diverse choices and differing genres. Today, we take a look back at the year 1992 in film, discussing our favorites and even a few that we didn't like. Let's get into it.

@CherchezLaPorsh
1992 was an interesting year in film. When I look back at the few releases I really liked, they were all released so late in the year, meaning that I spent the better portion of the year enduring some lackluster releases. The movies that stood out to me are as follows:

First, there was Of Mice and Men. Based on Steinbeck’s novel of the same name, this movie was profoundly touching and did an incredible job of bringing the book to life. John Malkovich and Gary Sinise are brilliant as co-stars and make the friendship between Lenny and George seem so real. The reason the story resonates with the audience is that the characters are so believable and truly come to life. I love that they are not “whole” on their own because what one lacks the other has and this aspect is developed throughout the entire film. I read the book before I saw the film, and what impressed me the most was how Sinise (also the director) was able to capture all of the important parts, lines and mannerisms on screen. 

Of course, I have to mention Aladdin. This doesn’t need much explanation because Aladdin is one of the greatest Disney movies of all time. The cast could not have been better, and the storyline makes everything about this so fun. Of course, like all Disney animated films, there are lessons of selflessness, the problem with prejudices and of course the entire concept of trust weaved in. As much as I loved all the characters (Iago and Raja included), Genie was the highlight. His friendship with Aladdin develops and eventually they become a couple of best friends who go through everything together. I don’t think there’s anyone who didn’t enjoy the songs, the quotable lines and everything else but my favorite part came at the end when Aladdin “frees” the Genie just like he promised. Overall, this was a great release and became a Disney classic! 

Another selection I enjoyed was A Few Good Men. I had heard so many good things about this movie, as it does have a very strong cast and people are constantly quoting lines and referencing scenes, so I gave it a chance and watched it. People were right. It is a great film, even though it deals with legal issues within the marines. Where it comes up short is that the audience is shown how things are going to play out, and it never deviates from that. There is nothing left to “theories” or “the viewer's imagination”. Tom Cruise, Jack Nicholson, Demi Moore and Kevin Bacon were really the best possible cast for a film like this, as they maintained their seriousness and had us convinced they were really in the US Services. While this movie is great, it isn’t as memorable after some time, so re-watching it is a good idea! 

My last choice is Scent of A Woman. One of Pacino’s best movies and his most well played roles. He’s a miserable, lonely, angry colonel who lost his sight out of stupidity and is wallowing in self-pity. He’s not easy to get along with because he’s also particular about who he associates with, but he is also a romantic and he has an interesting sense of humor so he’s likable. The movie is laced with a ton of lessons, a lot of obstacles and although there are clear cut “favorite characters” everything works together to create a solid story and overall movie. What Scent of A Woman did well was take viewers on a journey through the life of a miserable man, his emotions his struggles, and relationships/friendships. 

@JADBeats
1992 was actually a really good year in film. Home Alone 2: Lost In New York is one my top 5 Christmas movies and I think it is one of Macaulay Culkin's best. I could watch this over and over again, which I'm going to do in a few weeks since it's holiday time. Candyman was one of the creepiest films of my childhood and it came out in 1992 as well. Candyman was played by Tony Todd, who pops up and makes everything creepy. The movie takes a few turns you don't expect, and it was really creepy (the best word to describe it), but I still enjoyed it.

Sleepwalkers was a Stephen King classic where shapeshifters move to town to feed on virgins. It gets a bit weird between the son and mother during this movie, but I guess that is expected with Stephen King films. I feel this movie would never come out in today's PC world because it definitely has elements that would not work for society I'm sure. Class Act was a good film that starred Kid N' Play. The plot revolves around a brilliant nerd and a juvenile delinquent who have their school records switched and begin to be mistaken for one another, so they make a deal then chaos comes after. This film is up there with House Party IMO and Alysia Rogers was one of my first crushes. South Central is one of the top 10 gangsta "hood" movies to me and I have to mention it. It revolves around a father who has changed his ways while in prison and he returns home to find his son took after him in the gang life. The story plays out very well.

Deep Cover is another great role for Laurence Fishburne where he loses himself in the drug world while trying to bring down a cartel. Basic Instinct, Poison Ivy and Single White Female were 3 films that I watched and I think I gained a vast understanding of how bat shit crazy women could be. Still, I think all three are classics though. Of Mice and Men shows two migrant workers, one of which is a gentle mentally challenged giant and the other his caretaker, who try to make money working the fields during the depression so they can fulfill their dreams. I never understood why we were made to watch this movie in middle school but it was a good film nonetheless.

Other films I loved were:
Critters 4
Meatballs 4
Reservoir Dogs
Wayne's World
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Juice
The Mighty Ducks
Twin Peaks
White Men Can't Jump
Sister Act
3 Ninjas
Dead Alive
Beethoven
Pet Sematary Two

Outro By @TrueGodImmortal
-For me, 1992 featured a number of films that I enjoyed, from animated films like the Disney classic Aladdin, the hood classics Juice and South Central, and of course, action movies like the Wesley Snipes classic Passenger 57. Wesley would have another big film on the year in White Men Can't Jump, a movie I watched recently and realized how much I liked it again. 1992 boasts a number of films that showcased crazy women, as Poison Ivy, The Hand That Rocks The Cradle, Basic Instinct, and Single White Female all dominated the year and were all popular films. One film that I think would probably get a lot of attention in this era is The Crying Game, a movie I've avoided for years due to knowing the plot, but perhaps the movie was ahead of its time due to society today and how the world seems to be.

There were comedies that I enjoyed like Wayne's World, My Cousin Vinny, and Beethoven. I thought all three were pretty funny, granted I was a kid when these released, but I still enjoy them now, not as much, but they're still enjoyable. I enjoyed American Me, though I haven't seen the movie in a little while, as well as the Laurence Fishburne classic Deep Cover. I actually watched Lethal Weapon 3 not too long ago for the first time in forever, and I was actually surprised how enjoyable I found the movie to be. It was fun comedy and good action throughout. Of course, I was a fan of Mo' Money and Bebe's Kids, and it was almost necessary for anyone in my neighborhood to watch both, much like Juice and South Central. The same could be said for the Kid N' Play film Class Act, the Whitney Houston hit The Bodyguard, and the Whoopi Goldberg classic Sister Act, which has a special place for me as a film, due to being one of my grandmother's favorites. Still, for me, my three favorite films of the year are on different spectrums and in differing genres.

My favorite on the entire year was the Spike Lee directed Malcolm X. It stars Denzel Washington as the incomparable revolutionary Malcolm and he does an excellent job here, as this movie doesn't even feel like it's 3 hours long. It flows very well and is my favorite Denzel performance and my favorite Spike Lee movie, and probably top 5 movie of all time to me, maybe top 3 personally. My second favorite on the year is my favorite comedy of the 90's, Boomerang. While Friday is a very close second and Life is a close third, Boomerang has managed to become my favorite comedy of the 90's and probably my 2nd favorite comedy ever (just behind another Eddie Murphy classic Coming To America). What makes this movie so engaging is the story and the plight of Marcus Graham, along with his love triangle, and his dealings with his friends. Everything about Boomerang is classic and I find myself watching this movie every time it comes on TV. My final choice and favorite is Batman Returns, and aside from The Dark Knight, this is my favorite Batman movie. It isn't a perfect film, but it is as close as the original Batman films have come to it and I think the actors involved all play their roles really well, especially Catwoman. All in all, 1992 is a great year in film to me. It gave me a lot of laughs, and two of my all time favorite movies came out this year, so it was enjoyable to me for sure. While it isn't 1995 or even 1994, 1992 had a lot of great films that made it a very good year in film. 

-DAR