Welcome to our new feature, The Year in Film! So much of our coverage is devoted to the here-and-now of movies, and that’s all well and good. We’re still going to be bringing you that coverage. But we also love film history, so we thought it would be good to do a weekly series where we look back at a random year and design what made it special. That includes looking at the top-grossing movies, the Oscar winners, and some underseen gems that you should put on your radar.
This week we’re traveling back to 1993. Let’s take a look at the top-grossing movies:
Top 10 at the Box Office
1) Jurassic Park - $357 million
2) Mrs. Doubtfire - $219 million
3) The Fugitive - $183 million
4) The Firm - $158 million
5) Sleepless in Seattle - $126 million
6) Indecent Proposal - $106 million
7) In the Line of Fire - $102 million
8) The Pelican Brief - $100 million
9) Schindler’s List - $96 million
10) Cliffhanger - $84 million
What immediately jumps out at you at this list is diversity. Yes, a blockbuster like Jurassic Park is the dominant film on this list in terms of box office gross, but 25 years ago, you could have a Top 10 list that included a family comedy, a Holocaust drama, a legal thriller, a romantic comedy, and a movie where a guy offers another guy a million dollars to have sex with his wife. Compare that to the box office Top 10 from 2017 where the only way to break into the top 10 is to be either a franchise feature or a lavish remake.
Oscar Winners
- Best Picture: Schindler’s List
- Best Director: Steven Spielberg, Schindler’s List
- Best Actor: Tom Hanks, Philadelphia
- Best Actress: Holly Hunter, The Piano
- Best Supporting Actor: Tommy Lee Jones, The Fugitivie
- Best Supporting Actress: Anna Paquin, The Piano
It’s hard to argue with Schindler’s List taking Best Picture. That’s not to say the other nominees were unworthy, and it’s kind of amazing that a straight-up action-thriller like The Fugitive could get a nomination back when there were only five nominees. What puts Schindler’s List over the top is that it was clearly a personal picture for Spielberg, who probably had the best year of his storied career by releasing both Schindler’s List and Jurassic Park in the same year. If there was a way for the director of classics like E.T., Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, and Raiders of the Lost Ark to go any further into being a Hollywood legend, this was it.
Film History
Historically, 1993 was marred by two shocking losses in the actor community. Brandon Lee was accidentally killed during the making of The Crow, and it remains one of the most macabre and shocking deaths in filmmaking history. It’s particularly tragic because you can see a road where Lee becomes a major star like his father, and that never happened. The other tragedy was the loss of River Pheonix, who was already a star, dying of a drug overdose. Whether he would have recovered and come out stronger or gone the way of tragic child stars is unknown, but his talent was undeniable.
In less tragic but noteworthy news, the collapse of Super Mario Bros. at the box office would basically cut Nintendo out of adapting their properties into movies until recently when they announced they would make an animated Mario movie with Illumination Entertainment (Minions). That kind of avoidance is surprising when you consider that Nintendo has such valuable IPs like The Legend of Zelda and Metroid. Perhaps they’ll give Hollywood another go now that 25 years have passed.
Classics
The Age of Innocence – Martin Scorsese’s period drama starring Daniel Day-Lewis recently arrived in The Criterion Collection.
Army of Darkness – Third entries in a franchise aren’t supposed to be this fun and different, but I guess nobody told Sam Raimi that.
Batman: Mask of the Phantasm – One of the better Batman movies ever made, it went to darker places that the animated series couldn’t go while still not being inappropriate for kids. It also features one of the best moments in any Batman movie.
Cliffhanger – They don’t really make goofy action movies like this anymore unless they’re packed with CGI. Cliffhanger was the last of a dying breed in more ways than one, but it’s loads of fun.
Cool Runnings – This is just a nice movie, and while it’s not going to change anyone’s world, it’s a solid sports film that’s worth checking out.
Cronos – Some guy name “Guillermo del Toro” made his first feature. Kid could be going places.
Dave – Another nice movie that perhaps steered some people wrong on how the government’s budget works, it’s still a nice little rom-com with Kevin Kline and Sigourney Weaver.
Dazed and Confused – “Alright, alright alright…”
Demolition Man – Perhaps not an all-around great movie, but there’s some sharp satire buried in the perfunctory action movie stuff, and Wesley Snipes is clearly having a blast.
Groundhog Day – Arguably one of the best films ever made, it didn’t make the Top 10 at the box office and won no Oscars.
Hard Target – This movie is a total blast, and one of the few good American movies made by John Woo. Jean-Claude Van Damme punches a snake!
Last Action Hero – A flop upon its release, the movie has gained a devoted following over the past couple of decades.
Mad Dog and Glory – You may want to give this one a shot; imagine if Robert De Niro and Bill Murray had to play each other’s typical roles.
Matinee – One of Joe Dante’s best movies, Matinee is an expert blend of nostalgia, fear, and love of B-movie cinema.
My Neighbor Totoro – Perhaps Hayao Miyazaki’s most lovable movie, the story focuses on two girls with a sick mother who discover a friendly woodland spirit.
The Nightmare Before Christmas – Still a classic 25 years later, if the Best Animated Feature Oscar had existed at this time, this would have won.
The Remains of the Day – A lovely Merchant-Ivory movie that’s a must-see for the outstanding performances from Anthony Hopkins and Emma Thompson.
Rudy – I’ve been told this movie is somewhat uplifting.
The Sandlot – Like Cool Runnings, it’s not an amazing movie, but it’s the kind of sports movie for kids they don’t really make anymore, and it’s charming.
Searching for Bobby Fischer – A surprisingly touching film, and also one that’s not really about Bobby Fischer, but instead about the strained father-son relationship when the child is a chess prodigy.
True Romance – Tony Scott’s romance/crime-thriller/action-movie is electric and insane, buoyed by a script from some dude named “Quentin Tarantino.”
The War Room – A terrific documentary that takes viewers inside the victorious Clinton campaign.
Wayne’s World 2 – Better than a comedy sequel has any right to be, there are gags in here that are better than the first movie.
Next week: 1976
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