Favorite Movies by Year (1940-2019)

1940: Fantasia

1941: Citizen Kane

1942:

1943: The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp

1944:

1945: I Know where I’m Going / Mildred Pierce

1946: A matter of Life and Death

1947: Black Narcissus

1948: The Red Shoes

1949: The Third Man (need to watch)

1950: In a Lonely Place

1951: Strangers on a Train

1952: Singin’ in the Rain

1953: Tokyo Story

1954: Rear Window

1955: Night of the Hunter

1956: Bigger Than Life

1957: Tokyo Twilight

1958: Touch of Evil

1959: Hiroshima Mon Amour

1960: Peeping Tom

1961: Through a Glass Darkly / The Innocents

1962: An Autumn Afternoon

1963: High and Low

1964: Dr. Strangelove / Gate of Flesh

1965: Kwaidan

1966: The Hero

1967: Branded to Kill

1968: 2001 A Space Odyssey

1969: My Night at Maudes

1970: Claire’s Knee

1971:

1972: Frenzy

1973: Don’t Look Now

1974: Young Frankenstein

1975: Nashville

1976: Taxi Driver

1977: 3 Women

1978: Autumn Sonata

1979: Alien

1980: the Shining

1981: Blow Out

1982: King of Comedy / Fanny and Alexander

1983: Videodrome

1984: Love Streams

1985: Tampopo

1986: Castle in the Sky / Blue Velvet/ Hannah and Her Sisters

1987: RoboCop

1988: A Fish Called Wanda

1989: The Killer

1990: Metropolitan

1991: Night on Earth

1992: Aladdin

1993: Groundhog Day

1994: Chungking Express

1995: Before Sunrise

1996: Fargo

1997: Perfect Blue

1998: A Tale of Autumn

1999: Toy Story 2

2000: The Emperor’s New Groove

2001: Millennium Actress

2002:

2003: Memories of a Murder

2004: The Incredibles

2005: Noriko’s Dinner Table / Linda Linda Linda

2006: Pan’s Labyrinth

2007: Hot Fuzz

2008: Love Exposure

2009:

2010: The Social Network

2011: From Up on Poppy Hill

2012:

2013: Her

2014: Whiplash

2015: Inside Out

2016: Arrival / Paterson

2017: Get Out

2018: The Other Side of the Wind

2019: Parasite

Hard-Boiled’s opening credits: The Tequila Popper

John Woo’s 1992 action extravaganza Hard-Boiled is a surprisingly personal film. Most reviewers  praise its intricate set pieces, absurd action sequences and dazzling shoot out scenes. The climatic hospital scene in particular is often singled out as one of the best action scene in film history.

Despite its praises, the most overlooked aspect of what makes Hard-Boiled so good is the emotionally complex protagonist, Tequila, played by Chow-Yun Fat. Tequila is a cop tasked with infiltrating a crime syndicate making illegal arms deals.  He handles this task throughout the film with a high moral sense of justice, but more importantly, he is aware of his own short-comings and vulnerability on the job.  Throughout the film, he frequently seeks the advice of his friend, an ex-cop and bartender at the film’s place of refuge, the smoky and sweat-drenched “The Jazz Club.”

Tequila is not a typical action hero. He’s gentle but cool, stern but playful, and passionate but aloof. All we need to know about Tequila (and the atmosphere of the film) is conveyed in the opening credit sequence of Hard-Boiled, a 2 and a half minute exercise in seedy, smooth jazz.

Continue reading Hard-Boiled’s opening credits: The Tequila Popper