Continuing my new series where I am looking back at my favorite movies from every year since my birth, I have arrived at 1991, which was a much better year for movies than 1990. This was the year that
Beauty and the Beast proved that
The Little Mermaid was no fluke and that a new Disney Golden Age was beginning, while movies like
The Silence of the Lambs scared people crazy to the point that it won the five biggest Oscars (Picture, Director, Actor, Actress, and Screenplay) for only the third time in Academy history. On top of that was Arnie's Terminator becoming a hero in
Terminator 2, Robin Williams knocking an adult Peter Pan out of the park in
Hook, and Kevin Costner still marvelous (sans the British accent) in
Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. All in all, 1991 was the first year to really solidify all of the trends of Nineties movies, with special effects driven blockbusters reigning at the box office alongside romantic comedies and some of the finest animated movies ever made. So with all that said, let's take a look back at my favorite things about the movies from 1991!
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Best Song - "Beauty and the Beast" from Beauty and the Beast
For me this was a no-brainer choice. Alan Menken and Tim Rice's songs for
Beauty and the Beast are still some of the most catchy Disney tunes ever penned, and the title song is pure Disney movie magic.
Runners-Up
2.) "Ninja Rap" from
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze
3.) "(Everything I Do) I Do It For You" from
Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves
4.) "Be Our Guest" from
Beauty and the Beast
5.) "Gaston" from
Beauty and the Beast
Best Score - Beauty and the Beast
As I said above, the music for
Beauty and the Beast is just top notch, with Alan Menken's score utilizing all of the themes introduced in the hummable songs in such an emotionally resonant way, that listening to the score alone tells the whole story of the movie.
Runners-Up
2.)
Hook
3.)
Father of the Bride
4.)
Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves
5.)
The Rocketeer
Best Make-up and Hair - Hook
The transformations of Bob Hoskins into Smee and Dustin Hoffman into Captain Hook are two of the most remarkable actor transformations I've ever seen done by make-up work, but it's the work done to age Maggie Smith into Granny Wendy that is the true standout work from
Hook.
Runners-Up
2.)
The Silence of the Lambs
3.)
Robin Hood: The Prince of Thieves
4.)
Cape Fear
5.)
The Rocketeer
Best Costumes - Beauty and the Beast
There is a bias with the Oscars only honoring live action movies in pretty much every category, but even though the costumes designed in
Beauty and the Beast are not real, that does not mean that their designs are any less stunning. The costumes in this movie are iconic, with Belle's ball gown being the most breathtaking accomplishment.
Runners-Up
2.)
Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves
3.)
The Rocketeer
4.)
Hook
5.)
The Silence of the Lambs
Best Sound - Terminator 2: Judgment Day
On the technical side of things,
Terminator 2 was a huge step forward in creating the modern blockbuster as we now know it. The sound work is really effective here with the sounds of the transformations for Robert Patrick's T-1000 being appropriately organic and mechanic at the same time.
Runners-Up
2.)
The Silence of the Lambs
3.)
Beauty and the Beast
4.)
Backdraft
5.)
The Rocketeer
Best Special Effects - Terminator 2: Judgment Day
Hands down,
Terminator 2 was such a huge leap forward in the art of special effects that there was no contest here. The CGI work done on the T-1000 still holds up to this day and paved the way for the dinosaurs in
Jurassic Park just two years later.
Runners-Up
2.)
Backdraft
3.)
The Rocketeer
4.)
Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves
5.)
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
Best Production Design - Beauty and the Beast
Similar to what I said about costumes, just because this movie is animated does not mean the production design is less astonishing. The look of the Beast's castle is very unique, and yet classic all at once.
Runners-Up
2.)
Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves
3.)
The Rocketeer
4.)
Terminator 2: Judgment Day
5.)
Hook
Best Editing - Terminator 2: Judgment Day
Terminator 2 is just a juggernaut of a movie, it is quite possibly the biggest and most explosive chase movie ever made, and keeping that propulsive energy going for two and a half hours is no small feat. Thankfully, the editors here managed to do just that.
Runners-Up
2.)
The Silence of the Lambs
3.)
Cape Fear
4.)
Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves
5.)
The Rocketeer
Best Cinematography - The Silence of the Lambs
This movie is all sorts of creepy and a lot of that is due to the dread that is created by the images. Add on top of that the well realized finale utilizing nightvision in Buffalo Bill's lair, and you have a masterfully shot thriller.
Runners-Up
2.)
Cape Fear
3.)
Father of the Bride
4.)
Only the Lonely
5.)
Regarding Henry
Best Supporting Actress - Maureen O'Hara, Only the Lonely
In one of her finest, and yet lesser seen performances of her storied career, Maureen O'Hara shines as the doting Irish Catholic mother of John Candy in
Only the Lonely. She is absolutely the funniest aspect of the whole movie, always upstaging Candy himself with her staunch manner.
Runners-Up
2.) Geraldine McEwan,
Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves
3.) Angela Lansbury,
Beauty and the Beast
4.) Maggie Smith,
Hook
5.) Kimberly Williams,
Father of the Bride
Best Supporting Actor - Alan Rickman, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves
There do not seem to be enough words in the English language to describe how great of an actor Alan Rickman was. He will always be one of the greatest chameleons to grace the silver screen, and as the Sherif of Nottingham he managed to make a devilish character charming and funny. That is a near impossible feat, even for the best actors, and Alan Rickman proved here that he was better than all the rest.
Runners-Up
2.) Ted Levine,
The Silence of the Lambs
3.) Martin Short,
Father of the Bride
4.) Dustin Hoffman,
Hook
5.) Bill Nunn,
Regarding Henry
Best Actress - Jodie Foster, The Silence of the Lambs
As Clarice Starling, Jodie Foster manages to be both strong and naive at the same time. It is through her eyes that
The Silence of the Lambs plays out, and she is the main reason this movie works. When she is frightened, you feel it. When she is grossed out, so are you. It takes some genuine talent to be able to do that with a role, and she's got it.
Runners-Up
2.) Annette Bening,
Regarding Henry
3.) Linda Hamilton,
Terminator 2: Judgment Day
4.) Diane Keaton,
Father of the Bride
5.) Paige O'Hara,
Beauty and the Beast
Best Actor - Harrison Ford, Regarding Henry
From Anthony Hopkins (who actually won the Oscar for his creepified role as Hannibal Lecter in
The Silence of the Lambs), to the surprisingly soulful performance by John Candy as a man trying to break out from under his doting mother's thumb in
Only the Lonely, all the way to Steve Martin being the perfect personification of fathers everywhere in
Father of the Bride, 1991 was such a great year for actors, however only one performance can be my favorite and that one is Harrison Ford in
Regarding Henry. Ford has never been more vulnerable in a role, with the titular part of Henry he goes from being a suave businessman to essentially being like a child after a shot in the head. There is a playfulness that Ford brings to the part that I have never seen from him in any other movie, and I would argue this is one of his finest acting performances he's ever given.
Runners-Up
2.) Anthony Hopkins,
The Silence of the Lambs
3.) John Candy,
Only the Lonely
4.) Steve Martin,
Father of the Bride
5.) Arnold Schwarzenegger,
Terminator 2: Judgment Day
Best Ensemble - Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves
Kevin Costner's non-British accent aside,
Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves had the best cast from 1991. Costner was as likable as ever as Robin Hood, while Alan Rickman was devious and delightful as the Sherif of Nottingham, and Morgan Freeman had all of the best lines as Azeem. From top to bottom, you can't beat this cast.
Runners-Up
2.)
The Silence of the Lambs
3.)
Father of the Bride
4.)
Regarding Henry
5.)
Only the Lonely
Best Movie Moment - Sean Connery's Cameo, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves
My parents have always told me the story of seeing this movie in the theaters and how everyone was just shocked, I mean literally shocked, when Sean Connery showed up as King Richard at the end. He was not credited in the movie and his cameo was not publicized before release, so this is one of those rare instances in movie history where a surprise managed to go unspoiled. What makes this cameo all the more awesome is the fact that Connery had played Robin Hood in the movie
Robin & Marian, making it a funny, full circle kind of thing. Bottom line though is that this would not, and probably could not, happen today, thanks to the internet, making it all the more memorable of a movie moment.
Runners-Up
2.) The Ninja Rap,
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze
3.) Nightvision Hunt,
The Silence of the Lambs
4.) Belle and Beast Dance,
Beauty and the Beast
5.) The Terminator Sacrifices Himself,
Terminator 2: Judgment Day
Best Screenplay - Only the Lonely
Writer Chris Columbus (who also directed the movie) wrote a marvelously funny script that weaves in great one-liners with some genuine heart. The greatest thing about
Only the Lonely is the fact that it is not a farce, like so many of John Candy's other movies, it is a genuinely touching story about one lonely man's romantic woes and his doting mother trying to intervene. While the movie is chock full of funny moments, it's in the more serious moments where the movie touches your heart, and it is bar none the best written movie from 1991 for that reason.
Runners-Up
2.)
The Silence of the Lambs
3.)
Regarding Henry
4.)
Terminator 2: Judgment Day
5.)
Father of the Bride
Best Director - James Cameron, Terminator 2: Judgment Day
You really have to give it to James Cameron for this one. With
Terminator 2 he created one of the most propulsive chase movies ever made, managing to also create an emotional bond between the audience and Arnold Schwarzenegger's Terminator that wasn't there in the first movie because he was the bad guy, not the hero. The fact that Cameron was able to make the audience actually care about a hunk of metal, proves why his work on
Terminator 2 was the best directing from 1991.
Runners-Up
2.) Jonathan Demme,
The Silence of the Lambs
3.) Joe Johnston,
The Rocketeer
4.) Chris Columbus,
Only the Lonely
5.) Steven Spielberg,
Hook
Best Movie - Terminator 2: Judgment Day
1991 was full of great movies, with the adventurous likes of
The Rocketeer and
Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves nearly claiming my number one spot, but I have to give it to
Terminator 2: Judgment Day instead. There was no other movie from 1991 that was as awesome as
Terminator 2, hands down that is the only reason I feel I need to give.
Terminator 2: Judgment Day still is one of the finest action movies ever made, and no matter how many great action movies come in the future, this will be one that will always be referenced and fondly remembered.
Runners-Up
2.)
The Rocketeer
3.)
Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves
4.)
The Silence of the Lambs
5.)
Father of the Bride
6.)
Only the Lonely
7.)
Regarding Henry
8.)
Beauty and the Beast
9.)
Hook
10.)
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II
