024. The Bonfire of the Vanities

024. (22 Jan) The Bonfire of the Vanities (1990, Brian De Palma) 13



A notorious critical and commercial failure for all the right reasons, The Bonfire of the Vanities is all style, no substance. De Palma is so lost in his intricate tracking shots, he loses focus on a screenplay that's oblivious, offensive and irritating. He should be ashamed of himself, but then so should the ensemble. Kim Cattrall, Melanie Griffith and Tom Hanks are the worst in that order, but only Morgan Freeman comes off well. The courtroom scenes are some of the worst I've ever seen, defying reality in ways that should offend anyone with a shred of common sense.

097. Mannequin

097. (21 Mar) Mannequin (1987, Michael Gottlieb) 54



Between the outrageous supporting characters and a love story too weird to really be romantic, Mannequin should be too silly to work. But its sincerity works in its favor. The way Andrew McCarthy's friendship with a gay windowdresser named Hollywood is particularly charming. The villainous performances are too broad, with James Spader making a fool of himself, but they're peripheral enough not to derail things. It's mostly just fun watching the stupid and wacky affair between Kim Cattrall and McCarthy play out. It doesn't hurt that "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now" is an awesome Best Original Song nomination.

439. City Limits

439. (18 Oct) City Limits (1984, Aaron Lipstadt) 2