1997 Ranked Films
The ranked list of 1997 films that I have seen so far.
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- 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.10/10
Colossal in size both literally and figuratively, Titanic is a groundbreaking romantic disaster film that perfectly encapsulates the talents of James Cameron. - DirectorRoberto BenigniStarsRoberto BenigniNicoletta BraschiGiorgio CantariniWhen an open-minded Jewish waiter and his son become victims of the Holocaust, he uses a perfect mixture of will, humor and imagination to protect his son from the dangers around their camp.10/10
Wonderfully charming but not at the expense of its grim, real-world implications, Life is Beautiful finds Roberto Benigni overseeing his writer-director-star roles with aplomb. - 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.10/10
With a Matt Damon-Ben Affleck screenplay that's universally relatable and potent, Good Will Hunting makes a case for itself as one of the most inspiring character dramas to date. - 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.10/10
Arguably perfecting the neo-noir formula, L.A. Confidential capitalizes on a terrific sense of tone to weave a multilayered tale of deception and corruption in the City of Angels. - 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.10/10
Thoroughly humorous and personable without underplaying the potent characterizations driving the emotion, As Good as It Gets has a terrific leading trio rounding it out in the best way possible. - 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.9/10
Energized by a dynamite script and direction from Paul Thomas Anderson, Boogie Nights owns both sides of the comedic-dramatic coin with the help of perfectly cast actors. - 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.9/10
Populated by interesting, realistic characters, Chasing Amy boasts more seamlessly scripted dialogue from writer-director Kevin Smith. - DirectorWes CravenStarsNeve CampbellCourteney CoxDavid ArquetteTwo years after the first series of murders, as Sidney acclimates to college life, someone donning the Ghostface costume begins a new string of killings.9/10
A slasher sequel that's surprisingly worthy of its innovative predecessor, Scream 2 ups the ante by doubling down on dynamic characters surrounded by danger and intrigue. - 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.8/10
Donnie Brasco doesn't crescendo in quite the way it should, however some truly tangible and intimate characterizations keep its undercover intrigue thriving. - DirectorRon ClementsJohn MuskerStarsTate DonovanSusan EganJames WoodsThe son of Zeus and Hera is stripped of his immortality as an infant and must become a true hero in order to reclaim it.8/10
While not the finest effort to come out of the Disney Renaissance, Hercules nevertheless does well to lean into its mythological angle as it tells a classic zero-to-hero narrative. - DirectorTom ShadyacStarsJim CarreyMaura TierneyAmanda DonohoeA pathological liar-lawyer finds his career turned upside down when he inexplicably cannot physically lie for 24 whole hours.8/10
Featuring a Jim Carrey at his energetic best, Liar Liar may have a simple setup but more than executes on its way to delivering a comedy that has something for just about everyone. - DirectorDon BluthGary GoldmanStarsMeg RyanJohn CusackChristopher LloydThe last surviving child of the Russian Royal Family joins two con men to reunite with her grandmother, the Dowager Empress, while the undead Rasputin seeks her death.8/10
Though it could be considered off-brand Disney, Anastasia nevertheless backs up its revisionist history with a slew of memorable songs. - 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
With John Woo at his most delightfully unrestrained, Face/Off relies on the zany antics of John Travolta and Nicolas Cage to ham up its absurd premise to entertaining effect. - 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
Appropriately weird and quirky, Men in Black thrives off the comedic chemistry between Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones. - 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.7/10
The Fifth Element can be unrestrained at times, but thanks to Luc Besson’s visual flair it works as an offbeat space epic. - 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.7/10
Jackie Brown is able to pull off its intricate story of deception with more richly drawn Quentin Tarantino characters, even if it feels a bit inert compared to his other films. - 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
The execution of its intriguing premise proves rather convoluted, though The Game is largely saved from the taut direction of David Fincher and its unflinching intensity. - DirectorWolfgang PetersenStarsHarrison FordGary OldmanGlenn CloseCommunist radicals hijack Air Force One with the U.S. President and his family on board. The Vice President negotiates from Washington D.C., while the President, a veteran, fights to rescue the hostages on board.7/10
Air Force One can get quite ludicrous as it tries to one-up similar action movies, but otherwise is fairly solid thanks to a staunch performance from Harrison Ford. - DirectorGeorge Tillman Jr.StarsVanessa WilliamsVivica A. FoxNia LongOne person can keep a family together and, when that one person is gone, a family can be torn apart.7/10
Even though it delves into melodrama at times, Soul Food remembers the first half of its title as it serves up some nourishing character development. - DirectorSteven SpielbergStarsDjimon HounsouMatthew McConaugheyAnthony HopkinsIn 1839, the revolt of Mende captives aboard a Spanish owned ship causes a major controversy in the United States when the ship is captured off the coast of Long Island. The courts must decide whether the Mende are slaves or legally free.7/10
More stagey than your average Spielberg drama, Amistad nevertheless has emotional vigor in the right place held aloft by a powerful ensemble. - 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.7/10
A wholly pleasing bridge between science-fiction and horror, Cube finds writer-director Vincenzo Natali taking a technically unique setup and surrounding it with crisp direction. - 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.7/10
The Devil's Advocate gets a little silly toward the end, but a pervasive sense of dread gives it the energy it needs to unnerve throughout. - DirectorGregory NavaStarsJennifer LopezEdward James OlmosJon SedaThe true story of Selena, a Texas-born Tejano singer who rose from cult status to performing at the Astrodome, as well as having chart-topping albums on the Latin music charts.7/10
Handling the tragic end of its eponymous star about as well as it can, Selena is a familiar rise-to-fame biopic that's elevated by the convincing performances from Jennifer Lopez and Edward James Olmos. - 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.6/10
Gattaca doesn’t always have the wherewithal to capitalize on its premise, but some weighty speculative fiction is more than enough to make it unique. - DirectorHayao MiyazakiStarsYôji MatsudaYuriko IshidaYûko TanakaOn a journey to find the cure for a Tatarigami's curse, Ashitaka finds himself in the middle of a war between the forest gods and Tatara, a mining colony. In this quest he also meets San, the Mononoke Hime.6/10
Princess Mononoke’s ecological themes beget a somewhat monotonous tempo, but it remains too richly rendered to ignore.