Reflection On “The Big Picture” 1990s Summer Blockbuster Draft

Loved this draft idea from The Big Picture crew. I am not going to be able to do my normal redrafting because there is just enough movies to pick from, but I will have fun going through all of the different categories and determining what my dream lineup would be from the movies i have seen.

Sean Fennessey created a list of films that are eligible for this draft, and for that I am eternally grateful. According to his list, I have seen 71% of the movies eligible. I have some that are massive holes, like Sleepless In Seattle (1993) and The Truman Show (1998). Also, randomly in looking at the list I have it that I have not watched The Hunchback Of Notre Dame (1996), City Slickers (1991) or George In The Jungle (1997), and I could have sworn I have seen them before. But they aren’t on my list. So I digress.

SEAN FENNESSEY LETTERBOXD LIST

This is my 15th reflection on a The Big Picture’s draft. Thus far I have Sean Fennessey in the lead with six victories among my reflections. Chris Ryan is in second place with five wins. Taking up the bronze position is Amanda Dobbins with two wins. Guest Joanna Robinson picked up the win in her celebratory appearance. The 1990s Blockbuster Draft has the normal trio drafting.

Now let’s head into the 1990s Summer Blockbuster movie draft.

ACTION

I have not seen Twister (1996), so I apologize to Chris Ryan.
While I think that Speed (1994) is the most 1990s of example of pure, simple action, it is impossible to not pick Jurassic Park (1993) in this category. One gave the berth to Keanu Reeves the action star, but the other gave birth to dinosaurs. Fucking dinosaurs man. You really can’t beat that. Some say that Jurassic Park is the best Steven Spielberg film, and there is a very compelling argument for it. Amanda Dobbins made that case, and it is compelling.
Amanda Dobbins takes a 1-0 lead over Sean and Chris.

COMEDY

Well, this one is easy, unfortunately. I have not seen There Is Something About Mary (1998) or My Best Friend’s Wedding (1997).
Huzzah for Sean Fennessey, he wins the category…by default. But with that being said, A League Of Their Own (1992) is an outstanding movie and one that I watched double-digit times as a kid. “There’s no crying in baseball” has been uttered by my family for years, and it will be till the day I die.
Amanda and Sean each have one category victory. Chris is still looking for his first.

DRAMA

Uhhh, sorry Chris again. Have not seen all of Ghost (1990). I have seen the pottery scene. The classic, but I have not seen anymore of Demi Moore and Patrick Swayze’s hot romance.
I have a feeling this would be a hard one to pick for some people, but for me it is not that hard. I am going to go with Spielberg, yet again. it is a Tom Hanks off, and if we were draft strictly on what is more Tom Hanksy, then it would it Apollo 13 (1995), but we are going for movies here and I have much more indelible memories of Saving Private Ryan (1998). AM I GOOD MAN??
Sean takes a 2-1-0 lead over Amanda and Chris.

Sequel

Oh hey, a category where I have seen everything!
I have seen all Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999), Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1991), and Die Hard With A Vengeance (1995). First one I am axing is the third of the Die Hard films because I am not nearly the fan of the movie as these three hosts are. Perhaps I need to rewatch it and appreciate the cat & mouse game for what it is, but my memories of it are middling.
Sean makes an argument for The Phantom Menace, and I get it. It was the rebirth of Star Wars and it was a cultural moment. It brought new people into the universe, and it introduced double-sided lightsabers and Darth Maul. I get it.
But Chris takes this category with Judgement Day. The movie is just better than The Phantom Menace in every way. It has better special effects, better action set pieces, more iconic parts, and a last impact. Judgement Day is in the argument for best movie sequel of all time. You can’t top that.
Chris gets on the board, but he and Amanda still trail Sean, 2-1-1.

OSCAR NOMINEE

Sorry Amanda, have not seen Sleepless In Seattle (1993).
Unforgiven (1992) is a very good movie. It is exceptionally good. It won four Oscars and is maybe the last “classic” Western. It’s Clint Eastwood’s last great project from start to finish. It has deep meaning thematically, and that’s amplified by great performances including a very evil Gene Hackman. But Unforgiven is no The Fugitive (1993). It doesn’t have Harrison Ford as Dr. Richard Kimble and it doesn’t have Tommy Lee Jones as Samuel Gerard. The Fugitive may be the best cat and mouse movie ever made, and I mean it.
Folks, we have a tie atop the leaderboard now. Chris and Sean have each won two categories, while Amanda has only won one.

WILD CARD

It may not be fair, but I have not seen Sean’s final selection, The Truman Show.
Point Break (1991) versus The Firm (1993). Honestly, a close call. Two very different type of movies. For me, I am going to go with the man I have spurned once already in my reaction. I am going to go with Keanu Reeves in Point Break. The main reason is that Point Break embodies summer more than The Firm. It has the waves, the beach, the surfing and the majestic hair. It has the vibes necessary for a summer blockbuster.
Chris can throw his hair back in the wind and scream into the waves….for he has sweet sweet victory.

So Chris Ryan gets the win. It is a come from behind win for Ryan after me not having seen his first two movies. Good for him. He now ties Sean for the most wins in my recaps.

*Chris won this more handedly than I thought he would have. Thought that Amanda would have more of a chance with Jurassic Park.*

	STANKO PICKS (All Movies Eligible)	STANKO PICKS (No TBP Movies)
Action	Mission Impossible (1996)	Mission Impossible
Comedy	The Mummy (1999)	The Mummy
Drama	The Fugitive	Air Force One (1997)
Sequel	Terminator 2: Judgement Day	Batman Returns (1992)
Oscar Nominee	Jurassic Park	Independence Day (1996)
Wild Card	Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace	The Lion King (1994)

HONORABLE MENTIONS: The Blair Witch Project (1999), American Pie (1999), Face/Off (1997), The Rock (1996)

ACTION

I, for one, was shocked that Mission Impossible was not drafted amongst the Big Picture crew. I thought that Chris Ryan was one of Brian DiPalma’s biggest fans? Maybe I was mistaken? Regardless. Mission Impossible is a first rate thrill ride that teems with excitement, sexual tension, and crowd-pleasing set pieces. Tom Cruise, while not the carrier of this franchise at this point, still manages to put together a performance you remember. But really its the unforgettable scenes of Mission Impossible that make it a must draft for me. The hanging from the ceiling and mouse tension, or the train helicopter madness, Take your pick. It all works.

COMEDY

Yea, I am picking one of my favorite movies of all time. The Mummy, while part action, is just as much part comedy. Brendan Fraser, Rachel Wiesz, and John Hannah have outstanding chemistry and there are laughs though out the adventure. Whether it be the wit of Rick O’Connell, the idiocy of the Americans, or Beni being on the wrong side of the river; it all works.

DRAMA

I have already spoken about The Fugitive and its outstanding quality. No more need to harp on it here. I have just moved from Oscar Nominee where it was picked by The Big Picture to Drama just for category manipulation.
Sticking with the Harrison Ford theme, I am picking Air Force One as my drama among the non Big Picture picks. The 1997 political, action is an absolute thrill ride. President James Marshall is one of the all-time presidents, and Gary Oldman as Ivan Korshunov is an all-time crazy villain. Wolfgang Peterson creates a thrilling hostage film that is able to highlight the action itself and the movie’s character. Air Force One was nominated for Best Sound and Best Film Editing, so it isn’t just me or audiences that loved it.

Sequel

Terminator 2: Judgement Day is an all-timer. James Cameron does not miss. Pretty easy choice here. The only real tough choice is which James Cameron sequel project is the best: Aliens (1986), Terminator 2: Judgement Day, or Avatar: The Way Of Water (2022)?
TIm Burton comes back for this sequel and he expanded the cast. Batman Returns doesn’t reach the pinnacle of The Batman (1989), but that’s just because it doesn’t have Jack Nicholson as the titular bad guy. Sure, Danny DeVito is great as The Penguin, but he is not the same thing as The Joker. With that being said, Batman Returns also has Michelle Pfeiffer introducing audiences to sexual kinks they didn’t know they liked. The move is memorable, without a doubt.

OSCAR NOMINEE

Yea, it’s Jurassic Park. It is fucking dinosaurs. It is Spielberg. It is John Williams. It’s incredible practical effects. It’s the perfect blend of science fiction, action, drama and adventure. Yea, this movie is pretty damn near perfect.
While WIll Smith is now a taboo person to talk kindly about, you can not deny his power when Independence Day came out. In 1995 Smith arrived as the edgy good guy with Bad Boys (1995), then a year later he was defending the world as captain Steven Hiller. In the year follow it was Men In Black (1997), followed by Enemy Of The State (1998). Will Smith is an icon, but he is not more iconic than Bill Pullman as the President. Do you remember when Roland Emmerich blew up the White House? What a moment. For the record, Independence Day was nominated for Best Sound at the 1997 Academy Awards. It did win for Best Visual Effects.

WILD CARD

Yes, I get it. The Phantom Menace is not a great movie. BUT, Sean was right when he was talking about the impact of the movie and the societal pull. I remember soda cans being designed for Phantom Menace. I remember the crazy amount of action figures I had, and the pod racing I would do during winter sledding. Also, Darth Maul was cool as shit. It is undeniable that it epitomized a blockbuster atmosphere…even if the quality wasn’t great.
The Lion King was my favorite animated movie as a kid. Being born in 1992, I watched The Lion King way to often. The music is timeless. The characters are iconic. The Lion King is a Disney Classic, and it doesn’t need much explaining.

Sean Fennessey – 6 Wins
Chris Ryan – 6 Wins
Amanda Dobbins – 2 Win
Joanna Robinson – 1 Win

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