5. Mr. Jealousy (1997)
Noah Baumbach is a bigger name these days. Ever since “The Squid and the Whale” got released, Noah who started his career in the mid 90s, got back to directing and made indie hits like “Frances Ha” and recently, even co-wrote a billion dollar-grossing movie “Barbie”. “Mr. Jealousy” is his second directorial effort and arguably his less-known film.
The story is about a jealous man who joins his girlfriend’s ex-boyfriend’s group therapy pretending he’s actually his friend. You can see how Baumbach hasn’t found his own voice yet, sometimes the his influence from screwball comedies of American cinema or European influences coming from Truffaut takes over but the film is still a highly entertaining watch because the rest of the elements are there, even if slightly more commercialized version.
It has that sharp writing, witty dialogues, interesting characters, screwball-ishly fun way of the plot revealing itself. Once again the film is full of flawed characters but you never stop being interested in them. Eric Stoltz is a decent leading man but it’s Annabella Sciorra’s charm that steals the movie, she has that Marisa Tomei-like quality that fits the material perfectly. Then there’s Baumbach’s friend and sort-of-mentor Peter Bogdanovich appearing as a therapist, two years before his eventual casting as another therapist in “The Sopranos”. This is a sweet, original indie that shows the early potential of the talented filmmaker.
4. Spring Forward (1999)
Tom Gilroy, a playwright directing his first film has made a wonderfully subtle, deep, complex film in much underrated and underseen “Spring Forward”. Starring Live Schreiber and late Ned Beatty in leading roles, it also feature other talents like Campbell Scott and Ian Hart in supporting roles. Set in a small city in Connecticut, this is one of the most beautiful films about friendship. That friendship is between ordinary two men working for the parks department.
Liev Schreiber character is a hothead who has a short fuse, especially in the presence of authority figures but he’s looking for a second chance in life. Betty character is in this job for much longer and is dealing with a family tragedy and encroaching old age. Two men, while not so similar, start to find common grounds and develop a friendship and the beauty of the film is how it carefully explores the nuances of their dynamic.
The direction is strong here because for a film that reveal itself through dialogues in limited locations could easily feel stagey but it never loses its cinematic feeling. Speaking of dialogues, they’re very well-written. They talk about everything, there’s some philosophy to be found but still it’s written in a way that feels natural. The cinematography captures the beauty of his locations and it has a wonderful score that fits to film’s themes and tone.
3. Ruby in Paradise (1993)
This is a beautiful movie in every way. It has such a soul relaxing tone but don’t mistake it for a subtle film where not much happens. Yes, it’s a character study but the journey of our main character is a fascinating one and you feel like a resident of this Florida town. Our lead character Ruby Lee is a young woman from Tennessee. She moves to this town to start a new life and that’s where the magic lies because the film is not about big events, she doesn’t want to save the town or whatever. She wants to have a ordinary life and she thinks she’ll find herself in this ordinary life.
What makes film work apart from the brilliant direction is Ashley Judd’s sensational performance. It’s her first leading role in a film and no wonder she won many accolades for it. Judd’s movie star career had ups and downs but as you can see from films like “Bug”, “Come Early Morning” and “Normal Life” , she had a tremendous range, which is why it’s possible to call her an underrated actress in general. This is film about finding those small important details in our lives, about our own discoveries, about what makes us human and our struggle to understand what makes us happy. Judd aside, it has a wonderful supporting cast, including the future Oscar nominated director Todd Field. Its lack of availability is probably what contributed to the film being less talked than it is.
2. Down in the Delta (1998)
One of the most underrated actresses around has to be Alfre Woodard, who has one Oscar nomination but there should’ve been more because when you look at her filmography, it’s full of gems like “Passion Fish” and “Crooklyn”. This one is one of her best performances, but since the film was heavily underseen, it didn’t get much traction. She plays an unemployed single mother with drug and alcoholic problem who is send by her mom to family’s hometown in the Mississippi Delta, where she and her children spend some time with relatives, especially Uncle Early. As you can expect, this will change her life.
Maya Angelou is known for many things; as a poet, as a singer, as a civil rights activist and her series of autobiographies. But she has also directed a film, which is this one. The film might have a “feel-good” tone in a way, it has a life-affirming quality but it’s not to say, this is a surface-level look at important topics. Not at all, it deals with its subjects with intelligence and care. That’s why nothing rings false in the movie and its narrative. This is a film about family, about overcoming your problems, about inspiration and about so many other things. Wesley Snipes was coming off “Blade” but probably the action fans didn’t particularly find his involvement in this particularly interesting, which Is a shame because the movie deserved more recognition.
1. Monument Ave. (1998)
“Blow” is probably director Ted Demme’s best-known work and for a good reason, it’s a well-made crime drama but the late filmmaker had such a great range. When you look at his filmography: “The Ref” is basically an underappreciated Christmas classic, “Beautiful Girls” is one of the most humane films of the era and “Life” is one of the career highlights for both Eddie Murphy and Martin Lawrence. To some level, they’re all well-known films but it’s hard to find someone who talks about “Monument Ave.”, which is also known as by the title “Snitch” In some markets.
Martin Scorsese supported the film and given it’s a crime drama, it should have helped to a degree but it didn’t. It has a very realistic look at the lives of small time criminals in Boston of the 90s, their own rules, their unhappy community and their working class lives. Denis Leary is giving a career-best performance in the leading role as a man who finds himself conflicted after he gets his cousin involved into his criminal activities.
The film has some funny dialogues as well which gives these characters a more naturalistic tone. It helps us to get to know them better and when things start to get serious, it hits us hard. There are many crime films criticized for “glamourizing” the crime life. It’s hard to find anything to make that accusation here, because its gritty tone shows that kind of life as realistic and depressing as it is. Brilliantly written and directed and also powerfully acted, this is one of the finest crime dramas of the decade.