1980
"Raging Bull" Martin Scorsese
Critical success (95% fresh) street drama "Raging Bull" earned Scorsese an Oscar nomination and a BAFTA nomination. Also got Robert De Niro his 2nd Oscar. An auto-bid as the other heavy hitters laid eggs (De Palma's "Dressed to Kill") or just took the year off.
A notable exclusion, you may notice, is Stanley Kubrick's "The Shining." While I find the film riveting and genius, it earned a Razzie nomination for worse Director and was therefore disqualified.
A notable exclusion, you may notice, is Stanley Kubrick's "The Shining." While I find the film riveting and genius, it earned a Razzie nomination for worse Director and was therefore disqualified.
TITLE BELT: Martin Scorsese (2)
1981
"Raiders of the Lost Ark" Steven Spielberg
"Thief" Michael Mann
"Escape to New York" John Carpenter
"Das Boot" Wolfgang Petersen
Good group of flicks here.
Petersen's Sub-movie was one of the originals of the genre (a favorite genre of mine) and received rave reviews to the tune of 98% fresh. It also earned Petersen 2 Oscar nominations and a BAFTA nom.
Michael Mann's debut received a nomination at Cannes and is 96% fresh.
Carpenter gave us the first installment of the Snake Plissken sagas, which received a Saturn nomination and is 86% fresh.
None of these films made very much money.
Spielberg teamed up with Lucas (doing the writing) and created Indiana Jones. Star Wars put Harrison Ford on the map, Raiders made him an unparalleled superstar. Spielberg received an Oscar nom, a Globe nom, and won a Saturn while the film made $248 million. Also registering at 95% fresh, Raiders was a phenomenon and only the beginning for Spielberg.
TITLE BELT: Steven Spielberg (3)
1982
"Gandhi" Richard Attenborough
"Diner" Barry Levinson
"Blade Runner" Ridley Scott
"The King of Comedy" Martin Scorsese
"E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial" Steven Spielberg
Levinson had some writing credits, even earning an Oscar nom for the '79 screenplay "...and justice for all." but finally made his directing debut with "Diner" which is 92% fresh and earned an Oscar nomination as well.
Scorsese teamed up with De Niro again but also cast Jerry Lewis in the offbeat, dark film which can only be genre-fied as "Scorsesean." Nobody saw it ($3 million to date) but it's 91% fresh and got him BAFTA and Cannes nominations.
Sir Ridley hit on his 3rd feature in a row with "Blade Runner" which capitalized on Harrison Ford's soaring stardom. The Sci-fi cult-hit is 90% fresh and received a Saturn nomination.
Sweeping the awards was esteemed-actor-turned-director Richard Attenborough's biopic of Mahatma Gandhi starring Ben Kingsley. It won 2 Oscars for Attenborough, 1 Globe, 2 BAFTAs, and he was awarded a lifetime-achievement BAFTA at the same time. It's currently 85% fresh and topped out at a fairly average $53 million.
Above them all stands a little alien. E.T. is one of the few movies to achieve all 3 of the advanced versions of the criteria. It made a staggering $435 million (translates to $1.25 billion, 4th all-time), it's 98% fresh (you just don't see anything higher than 98%), and Spielberg was nominated for 2 Oscars, 1 Globe, 2 BAFTAs, and a Saturn.
TITLE BELT: Steven Spielberg (4)
1983
no hits
The big movies of the year were "Return of the Jedi" which was a one-hit wonder for Richard Marquand. "Never Say Never Again" which saw Empire director Irvin Kershner try his hand at Bond rather unsuccessfully. And "Scarface", which was De Palma's best chance at the Belt but it was nominated for a Razzie and missed the cut elsewhere as well.
So, Spielberg gets to hold on.
TITLE BELT: Steven Spielberg (5)
1984
"Spinal Tap" Rob Reiner
"Splash" Ron Howard
"The Terminator" James Cameron
"Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" Steven Spielberg
When I considered Rob Reiner for Belt contention I never would have guessed this film would make the cut. The zany mockumentary starring Christopher Guest is a well-deserved 95% fresh.
Ron Howard (after starring in the earlier hit American Graffiti) had made his directorial debut in '77 with the panned "Grand Theft Auto" and then had much more success in '82 with "Night Shift" but not quite enough to make the cut at 90% fresh. Finally, with "Splash" he received a Saturn nomination and was again accepted critically at 92% fresh.
"The Terminator" was James Cameron's second film, his first "Piranha II: The Spawning" surprisingly failing miserably (6% rotten). For Terminator, Cameron was nominated for two Saturns winning one and it currently sits as the only feature film considered for the Belt at 100% certified fresh.
Spielberg somehow managed to churn out another blockbuster, his third in four years, with the Indiana Jones sequel. Not as beloved as the first, it still is 85% fresh, received a Saturn nomination, and made $197 million.
A strong case can be made for Spielberg, his film made more money, and he's the current belt holder three years running. However, Terminator spawned a multi-billion dollar franchise and is the 100% freshest.
TITLE BELT: James Cameron
1985
"After Hours" Martin Scorsese
"The Color Purple" Steven Spielberg
"Back to the Future" Robert Zemeckis
Notable one-hit wonder Ivan Reitman's "Ghostbusters"
Scorsese, always making a splash at Cannes, gets two nominations with one win with the bizarre comedy of errors. 88% fresh.
Spielberg turns his sights onto an Alice Walker novel about racial tension and identity. The film is nominated for a staggering 11 Oscars, one of which is for his directing. He also received a Globe nomination and the film is 85% fresh.
Robert Zemeckis had enjoyed middling success with his first three features but the time-bending sci-fi starring Christopher Lloyd and Michael J Fox was a major hit. At 96% fresh, the first of the trilogy made $211 million and earned Zemeckis five major award nominations.
Another tough call. Zemeckis' film was a blockbuster and launched a trilogy but Spielberg's was adored by the Academy and demonstrated Spielberg's ability to not only do "fun" but also important work.
TITLE BELT: Steven Spielberg (6)
1986
"Stand By Me" Rob Reiner
"Aliens" James Cameron
Reiner's Stephen King adaptation met good reviews, is 91% fresh, and got a Globe nomination.
Cameron hit critical gold again. The sequel to Sir Ridley Scott's "Alien" is one of the rare occasions the second may out-do the first. Witty, gritty, and oh so cool; Sigourney Weaver reprises her role flawlessly. Two Saturn wins and a nearly perfect 99% fresh rating make this a slam dunk year.
Notable exclusion, Tony Scott's "Top Gun" which simply isn't respected by the critics at 54% fresh and completely ignored by the awards.
TITLE BELT: James Cameron (2)
1987
"Cry Freedom" Richard Attenborough
"Full Metal Jacket" Stanley Kubrick
"The Princess Bride" Rob Reiner
"Good Morning, Vietnam" Barry Levinson
A young Denzel and a peak Kevin Kline star in Attenborough's racially tense South African drama. At 82% fresh and with a Globe and two BAFTA nominations it comfortably achieves hit status.
After a seven-year hiatus, Stanley Kubrick came back with a bang. The sardonic and biting Vietnam War film earned him an Oscar nomination and sits at 93% fresh.
Superstar comedian Robin William starred in Barry Levinson's take on the War, a shade different than Kubrick's. 90% fresh, Good Morning also made $124 million.
One of the greatest comedies ever conceived, with a peak Carey Elwes, impassioned performances by Mandy Patinkin and Robin Wright, the unforgettable 6-fingered Christopher Guest, and the performance of Andre the Giant's life sits at 97% fresh. Unfortunately, comedies are spurned by award academies and "The Princess Bride" only made $31 million.
This is a tough call, "Princess Bride" is obviously close to my heart but only barely making hit status puts it out of reach of the Belt. "Cry Freedom" received the most award recognition but made hardly any money and is the least critically appreciated.
It comes down to two different takes on Vietnam. Kubrick's loud, angry, protest of the concept of American soldiering or Levinson's attempt to fight despair with a laugh. "Good Morning, Vietnam" is the better movie but it's hard to argue with Kubrick being the better director.
TITLE BELT: Stanley Kubrick (3)
1988
"They Live" John Carpenter
"Rain Man" Barry Levinson
"Who Framed Roger Rabbit?" Robert Zemeckis
"Beetlejuice" Tim Burton
"The Last Temptation of Christ" Martin Scorsese
Carpenter, under the pseudonym Frank Armitage, adapted a Ray Nelson short-story about an Alien takeover in his second career hit. A Saturn nomination and 85% fresh signify Carpenter's first hit among three straight years featuring Saturn nominated Sci-Fi films. The best of which is likely '86's "Big Trouble in Little China" even though it missed hit status by two percentage points.
After nearly getting the Belt with Vietnam, Levinson comes back with his most successful and iconic film. "Rain Man" won 4 Oscars including best director for Levinson, best picture, and best actor for star Dustin Hoffman. Levinson also received a Globe nomination for the 89% fresh film which earned a strong $173 million.
Few films have altered the landscape of Hollywood so distinctly as Robert Zemeckis' second hit. Roger Rabbit blended animation and live action in a manner not seen before. While 97% fresh, the single Saturn award and $156 million in receipts undersell the impact of the mystery-comedy mix.
For Martin Scorsese, faith, a devout Catholic faith, in particular, has always been extremely important to his life and work. In '88 he earned an Oscar nom for the 80% fresh telling of the life of Christ, focusing particularly on the temptations in the story.
After debuting with the 87% fresh Pee-Wee Herman comedy in '85, few would like have predicted the career waiting for Tim Burton. Teaming up with Michael Keaton, Burton scored his first hit with the spooky comedy Beetlejuice. Laying the groundwork for his signature dark and bizarre style, B-Juice earned Burton his first Saturn nomination and is 84% fresh.
The battle here comes down, as in previous years, to impact versus immediate success. It also is a convergence of careers going in opposite directions. Levinson will appear two more times in our list while Zemeckis will score hits all the way into the 2000s. Subjectively, and when considering the data, "Rain Man" is the better movie. However, there haven't been many films which challenged the status quo of Hollywood more than Roger Rabbit.
TITLE BELT: Robert Zemeckis
1989
"Lethal Weapon 2" Richard Donner
"When Harry Met Sally" Rob Reiner
"The Abyss" James Cameron
"Batman" Tim Burton
"Parenthood" Ron Howard
"Sex, Lies and a Videotape" Steven Soderbergh
"Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" Steven Spielberg
After the success of the Mel Gibson/Danny Glover buddy cop thriller in '87, audiences came out in force to support its sequel earning Donner his second hit. With $147 million at the gate and 83% fresh it won't quite get him the Belt.
Continuing an impressive run, Reiner's Billy Crystal romcom actually got an Oscar nomination (though not for directing), earned the director Globe and BAFTA noms, and is 90% certified fresh.
Cameron, three years removed from earning a Belt with "Aliens", earned a pair of Saturn nominations and won one with some original material. "The Abyss" is 89% fresh despite pulling in a merely average $54 million.
The success of "Beetlejuice" made Burton one of the most coveted directors in the business. He parlayed that demand into a franchise launching superhero blockbuster. The first film featuring the caped crusader since the '50s. "Batman" reunited Burton with Keaton and made a whopping $251 million, however it was ignored by the award committees and is currently only 72% fresh.
A new face made his hit debut in '89 with "Sex, Lies and a Videotape." Steven Soderbergh has had one of the more interesting careers over the past 20 years. His debut film, SLV, won twice at Cannes and also earned him Oscar, Globe, and BAFTA noms. Along with the other benchmarks and also 96% fresh, Soderbergh will never quite reach the heights of acclaim his debut afforded him. However, he will thankfully make more watchable movies.
Ron Howard found success again after three straight subpar offerings with the Steve Martin comedy "Parenthood." The 2-hour sitcom is 93% fresh and has made precisely $100 million.
A familiar face also returned from what will be his career high hiatus of three years without a hit (a mark he'll match 5x over his unmatched career). Spielberg's third Indiana Jones installment was more respected than Temple of Doom at 88% fresh (over #2's 85%) and actually has made the exact same $127 million at this point, a rare occurrence for 3rd installments over their corresponding sequel.
While Soderbergh's debut hit the most marks, it's a success in large part due to being the director's debut and less to anything particular awe-inspiring with the film itself. Burton's "Batman" made the most money but really isn't that great of a movie. Donner and Spielberg made sequels which owe much of their financial success to their previous installments. Despite loving Ron Howard, I can't give the belt to a Steve Martin sitcom, that just isn't right, however, Cameron's Abyss is hardly better than the other options.
So, what now? Perhaps impact will make the winner clearer. "Lethal Weapon 2" being successful emboldened the industry to churn out three more sequels, a TV show, and is part of Mel Gibson's "Hall of Fame" resume (something I hope to write more about another time). Burton's "Batman" was the first of a trilogy and prior to Nolan's esteemed take was the gold standard on the character.
Burton's slight edge isn't convincing enough. Zemeckis is the current title holder, what was he up to? "Back the Future II" the sequel to his '85 hit made a respectable $118 million but was not critically respected at only 64% fresh missing the mark. While hardly strong enough to earn the Belt on its own, none of the other options are strong enough to take it away.
After the success of the Mel Gibson/Danny Glover buddy cop thriller in '87, audiences came out in force to support its sequel earning Donner his second hit. With $147 million at the gate and 83% fresh it won't quite get him the Belt.
Continuing an impressive run, Reiner's Billy Crystal romcom actually got an Oscar nomination (though not for directing), earned the director Globe and BAFTA noms, and is 90% certified fresh.
Cameron, three years removed from earning a Belt with "Aliens", earned a pair of Saturn nominations and won one with some original material. "The Abyss" is 89% fresh despite pulling in a merely average $54 million.
The success of "Beetlejuice" made Burton one of the most coveted directors in the business. He parlayed that demand into a franchise launching superhero blockbuster. The first film featuring the caped crusader since the '50s. "Batman" reunited Burton with Keaton and made a whopping $251 million, however it was ignored by the award committees and is currently only 72% fresh.
A new face made his hit debut in '89 with "Sex, Lies and a Videotape." Steven Soderbergh has had one of the more interesting careers over the past 20 years. His debut film, SLV, won twice at Cannes and also earned him Oscar, Globe, and BAFTA noms. Along with the other benchmarks and also 96% fresh, Soderbergh will never quite reach the heights of acclaim his debut afforded him. However, he will thankfully make more watchable movies.
Ron Howard found success again after three straight subpar offerings with the Steve Martin comedy "Parenthood." The 2-hour sitcom is 93% fresh and has made precisely $100 million.
A familiar face also returned from what will be his career high hiatus of three years without a hit (a mark he'll match 5x over his unmatched career). Spielberg's third Indiana Jones installment was more respected than Temple of Doom at 88% fresh (over #2's 85%) and actually has made the exact same $127 million at this point, a rare occurrence for 3rd installments over their corresponding sequel.
While Soderbergh's debut hit the most marks, it's a success in large part due to being the director's debut and less to anything particular awe-inspiring with the film itself. Burton's "Batman" made the most money but really isn't that great of a movie. Donner and Spielberg made sequels which owe much of their financial success to their previous installments. Despite loving Ron Howard, I can't give the belt to a Steve Martin sitcom, that just isn't right, however, Cameron's Abyss is hardly better than the other options.
So, what now? Perhaps impact will make the winner clearer. "Lethal Weapon 2" being successful emboldened the industry to churn out three more sequels, a TV show, and is part of Mel Gibson's "Hall of Fame" resume (something I hope to write more about another time). Burton's "Batman" was the first of a trilogy and prior to Nolan's esteemed take was the gold standard on the character.
Burton's slight edge isn't convincing enough. Zemeckis is the current title holder, what was he up to? "Back the Future II" the sequel to his '85 hit made a respectable $118 million but was not critically respected at only 64% fresh missing the mark. While hardly strong enough to earn the Belt on its own, none of the other options are strong enough to take it away.
TITLE BELT: Robert Zemeckis (2)
The '80s
Belts:
Spielberg (4)
Spielberg (4)
Zemeckis (2)
Cameron (2)
Hits:
Spielberg (5)
Scorsese (4)
Reiner (4)
$$$:
Spielberg ($1.27b)
Levinson ($404)
Zemeckis ($374)
With more than triple the financial success than 2nd place and tops at every conceivable category, the director of the '80s is unquestionably
Steven Spielberg
Levinson's career is still going strong today, but he has yet to score another hit beyond his biopic of the father of Las Vegas, Bugsy Siegel. The film won a pair of Oscars, earned Levinson personally two nominations and a Globe nom, and is 85% fresh.
Callie Khouri's Oscar-winning script helped Sir Ridley's "girl's night out" thriller to 84% fresh. Scott himself earned an Oscar nom and a pair of BAFTA noms as well.
Seven years after his inaugural hit, Cameron made the sequel. Like the first, he grabbed a pair of Saturn noms with one victory and was embraced by the critics at 93% fresh. Unlike the first, people came out in droves and T2 made $206 million.
Sci-fi may not be everyone's cup of tea, but the wide-ranging success and cultural impact of T2 are undeniable.
TITLE BELT: James Cameron (3)
Between Tom, Jack, and the classic "You can't handle the truth!" outburst, it's hard to avoid Reiner's military court hit. It earned Reiner an Oscar and Globe nom, is 82% fresh, and made $141 million.
Mann resurfaced, six years since his last movie and eleven since his last hit, with the Daniel-Day Lewis-starring James Fennimore Cooper adaptation. The fantastic movie, if you haven't seen it, is certified fresh at 95%.
Another sequel made hit status when the Burton-Keaton combo worked again. A Saturn nom and 83% fresh reveal the $163 million in receipts aren't purely resting on the popularity of the first film.
In non-hit news, Quentin Tarantino made his 90% certified fresh debut with "Reservoir Dogs" but nobody saw it. John Hughes and Chris Columbus teamed up again for "Home Alone II" although it's 30% rotten and deservedly so. M Night Shyamalan also debuted with a whimper, with the limitedly released "Praying with Anger."
The '92 Belt is another tough one. Mann's epic is, I think, the best film of the three, but both Burton and Reiner deserve their claim. "Batman Returns" is a successful film by my benchmarks, but it is a confused, mess of a movie, so Burton is out. Although my heart is with Reiner, who had a great run of seven hits in ten years (with one more coming), some of the scenes in Mohicans are simply among the best work you'll see.
TITLE BELT: Michael Mann
While Burton and Cameron made successful films, the real contest is between Tom Hanks and Samuel L Jackson, between "Life is Like a Box of Chocolates" and "Say 'what' again, I dare you!", between Robin Wright and Uma Thurman. Zemeckis' film is timeless because it is familiar, it shows us things we know and taps into our nostalgia. Any other year, it would carry Z to the Belt. However, Tarantino is a genre unto himself and "Pulp Fiction" is the introduction and the apex of that genre.
TITLE BELT: Quentin Tarantino
"Sense and Sensibility" Ang Lee
"Se7en" David Fincher
"The Usual Suspects" Bryan Singer
Close but no cigar for Tony Scott's "Crimson Tide" a one-hit wonder.
New blood abounds as the decade hits its mid-point. Three directors made their debuts and yet another made his second appearance on the hit list. While the changing of the guard was at hand, Rob Reiner represented the end of the late '80s-early '90s directors with his last hit. Reiner's political rom-com is 91% fresh and earned him a Globe nomination.
Ang Lee had debuted in Spielberg's '93 but made his English-film debut directing Emma Thompson's Jane Austen adaptation. 98% fresh, it earned Lee a Globe nom and two BAFTA noms one of which he won.
Bryan Singer and writer Christopher McQuarrie teamed up for a thriller which is 89% fresh and earned BAFTA and Saturn noms. Interestingly, Singer was also given the President's Saturn, usually a sort of lifetime achievement.
Johnston's Robin Williams' comedy about the living board game earned Johnston a Saturn nomination and made $100 million. At 53% fresh, however, it won't make much noise in the Belt race. A brief look at Johnston's career will leave you wondering how he convinces people to continue financing his films.
David Fincher made his debut on the third installment of the Alien franchise in '92. So if your keeping score at home, Ridley Scott, James Cameron, and David Fincher directed the first three movies. Quite the run. However, it was his second feature, the murder mystery "Se7en" which scored Fincher a hit. A Saturn nom, $100 million, and 81% fresh don't do the film justice. Chilling and dark, Fincher flexed the psych-thriller muscles he'd come to be known for.
The last hit on the list is Ron Howard's third. At 95% fresh, Howard's retelling of the near-disaster in space is possibly his best movie. It also made $174 million and earned him a Globe nomination.
Several good films and some strong direction in the list, but the '95 Belt comes down to Howard and Fincher. I've already said much about "Se7en", so a few words about Apollo. Ed Harris and Tom Hanks deliver excellent performances which the film centers itself around. While the events are immense in and of themselves, it's the people which Howard focuses on. I always finish a viewing of Apollo in awe of how heroic those men were.
Howard's only hit of the '90s is as close a second place finish of any in the whole process. Fincher, however, made himself a must-see director.
TITLE BELT: David Fincher
An auto-bid for the Coen Brothers betrays how fantastic a film "Fargo" is. 93% fresh, the film also earned three directing Oscars noms (one win), a Globe nom, and three BAFTA noms.
In other news, "Independence Day" was Roland Emmerich's one-hit wonder, Soderbergh and Burton had less than stellar outputs, Wes Anderson made a quiet debut, Michael Bay made $134 million with "The Rock", Carpenter got a lifetime Saturn and gave us Snake Plissken round 2, Levinson adapted a controversial bio, and De Palma launched what I completely unbiasedly believe to be the greatest film franchise of all-time with "Mission: Impossible."
None of those made the cut.
TITLE BELT: Coen Brothers
Spielberg made two movies in '97. I'll never understand how that's possible, but his other film "Amistad" earned a Globe nom, but is only 77% fresh with only $44 million in receipts. His hit garnered a Saturn nom and made a beastly $229 million, but is barely fresh at 54%. (My line is 50%).
Paul Thomas Anderson had debuted the year before to some critical acclaim ("Hard Eight" 83% fresh), but it was "Boogie Nights" which was his first of several hits. 93% fresh, PTA earned an Oscar and a BAFTA nomination.
For the second film in a row, del Toro is able to hit with his "Carpenter-ean" monster film. A Saturn nomination and 91% fresh make him 2 for 2.
Zemeckis hits again for the fourth time with a sci-fi yarn of his own, "Contact" made $101 million and earned a Saturn nomination but had its issues, as 63% fresh will show. Zemeckis was also given the President's Saturn award in '97.
$659 million. Adjusted for inflation, Cameron's epic love story aboard the doomed cargo ship has made an astounding $1.196 billion, good enough for 5th all-time. But it didn't only clean up at the box office, as Cameron won three Oscars, won one of two Globe nominations, and received three BAFTA nominations for the film. 89% fresh and truly iconic, few films have had the impact of "Titanic."
PTA's first hit didn't make any money. Spielberg and Zemeckis were hardly at their best which just makes it easier to give the Belt to the much deserving Cameron.
TITLE BELT: James Cameron (4)
It doesn't seem fair for Spielberg to get an auto-bid but let's be honest, nothing was going to beat SPR.
Among those that would have lost, had they been hits were Emmerich's "Godzilla", Tony Scott's "Enemy of the State", Michael Bay's "Armageddon", and the Coen Brothers' "The Big Lebowski."
TITLE BELT: Steven Spielberg (8)
one-hit wonder "The Sixth Sense" as well, for a personal favorite M Night Shyamalan.
Michael Mann brings some thrills from the nightly news in his adaptation of Investigative Journalist Marie Brenner's story about a whistleblower and Big Tobacco. He earned three Oscar nominations, a pair of Globe nominations, and the film is 96% fresh.
Burton and Depp collaborated for the third time, and once again scored a hit. The Washington Irving adaptation earned Burton a Saturn nomination and made $101 million.
While "Boogie Nights" was hardly a conventional film, PTA really scrambles his audiences in the converging storyline family drama "Magnolia." 83% fresh, he also received an Oscar nom for the work.
Brad Bird began his career as an animator for TV shows such as "The Simpsons" and "King of the Hill." Then later he joined Pixar and has been one of the most powerful creative forces in the industry. In between those two lives, he won a BAFTA for Iron Giant. 96% fresh, the film itself is good but not great, however, it was its success which launched his immensely impactful career.
Iron Giant isn't quite good enough for me to give Bird the Belt, so Michael Mann and his signature thriller takes it home.
TITLE BELT: Michael Mann (2)
1993 alone would nearly be enough to carry Spielberg to consecutive decade Belts. Possibly the greatest historical film (Schindler), possibly the greatest war movie (Private Ryan), unquestionably the greatest dinosaur movie (Jurassic), another $200 million from the dino sequel and by the way had two other films in the decade which made money and earned awards just didn't quite make my benchmarks. And so with consecutive decade Belts
Steven Spielberg
Wow, that's a lot of words. Congratulations for making it this far! Next time I'll take it the rest of the way to now.
Scorsese (4)
Reiner (4)
$$$:
Spielberg ($1.27b)
Levinson ($404)
Zemeckis ($374)
With more than triple the financial success than 2nd place and tops at every conceivable category, the director of the '80s is unquestionably
Steven Spielberg
1990
"The Godfather Part III" Francis Ford Coppola
"Avalon" Barry Levinson
"Home Alone" Chris Columbus
"Goodfellas" Martin Scorsese
Before we look at how the films did, we can all agree Scorsese's "Goodfellas" is one of the greatest single movies ever.
So, how did Scorsese's gangster epic do? While only making $47 million, it stands at 96% fresh and earned him two Oscar noms, two Globe noms, and won 3 BAFTA awards as Scorsese's most awarded film.
Gangster films were in vogue as Francis Ford Coppola finally completed the Corleone saga. It had been 11 years since Coppola had scored a hit, going 0 for 8 through the 80s. The finale didn't do nearly as well as the other two installments but did earn the director two Oscar and two Globe nominations. Rather famously, star Al Pacino recalled later they "only did it for the money."
The success of the '80s put Levinson on the radar, and in '90 he scored another hit with an original screenplay about some Polish immigrants. He received a pair of Oscar nominations and a Globe nom and the film is 83% fresh.
Already successful as a screenwriter, Columbus had made his directing debut in the late '80s with moderate response. Most comfortable with family-friendly, comedic work, he struck financial gold with the Christmas-time foil, child-phenom Macauley Culkin. While the John Hughes' screenplay is not exactly critically adored (64% fresh) it made a massive $286 million.
"Home Alone" may have made an enormous amount of money and launched a pair of sequels but comparing Columbus' directing to Martin Scorsese's is almost laughable.
TITLE BELT: Martin Scorsese (3)
1991
"Bugsy" Barry Levinson
"Terminator 2: Judgement Day" James Cameron
"Thelma & Louse" Ridley Scott
Levinson's career is still going strong today, but he has yet to score another hit beyond his biopic of the father of Las Vegas, Bugsy Siegel. The film won a pair of Oscars, earned Levinson personally two nominations and a Globe nom, and is 85% fresh.
Callie Khouri's Oscar-winning script helped Sir Ridley's "girl's night out" thriller to 84% fresh. Scott himself earned an Oscar nom and a pair of BAFTA noms as well.
Seven years after his inaugural hit, Cameron made the sequel. Like the first, he grabbed a pair of Saturn noms with one victory and was embraced by the critics at 93% fresh. Unlike the first, people came out in droves and T2 made $206 million.
Sci-fi may not be everyone's cup of tea, but the wide-ranging success and cultural impact of T2 are undeniable.
TITLE BELT: James Cameron (3)
1992
"A Few Good Men" Rob Reiner
"The Last of the Mohicans" Michael Mann
"Batman Returns" Tim Burton
Between Tom, Jack, and the classic "You can't handle the truth!" outburst, it's hard to avoid Reiner's military court hit. It earned Reiner an Oscar and Globe nom, is 82% fresh, and made $141 million.
Mann resurfaced, six years since his last movie and eleven since his last hit, with the Daniel-Day Lewis-starring James Fennimore Cooper adaptation. The fantastic movie, if you haven't seen it, is certified fresh at 95%.
Another sequel made hit status when the Burton-Keaton combo worked again. A Saturn nom and 83% fresh reveal the $163 million in receipts aren't purely resting on the popularity of the first film.
In non-hit news, Quentin Tarantino made his 90% certified fresh debut with "Reservoir Dogs" but nobody saw it. John Hughes and Chris Columbus teamed up again for "Home Alone II" although it's 30% rotten and deservedly so. M Night Shyamalan also debuted with a whimper, with the limitedly released "Praying with Anger."
The '92 Belt is another tough one. Mann's epic is, I think, the best film of the three, but both Burton and Reiner deserve their claim. "Batman Returns" is a successful film by my benchmarks, but it is a confused, mess of a movie, so Burton is out. Although my heart is with Reiner, who had a great run of seven hits in ten years (with one more coming), some of the scenes in Mohicans are simply among the best work you'll see.
TITLE BELT: Michael Mann
1993
"Shadowlands" Richard Attenborough
"In the Line of Fire" Wolfgang Petersen
"King of the Hill" Steven Soderbergh
"Heavenly Creatures" Peter Jackson
"The Wedding Banquet" Ang Lee
"Cronos" Guillermo del Toro
"Schindler's List" Steven Spielberg
"Jurassic Park" Steven Spielberg
What a year. It also featured one-hit-wonder "Groundhog Day" by the late Harold Ramis.
So many words could be written about 1993. Peter Jackson got his first hit with a vampire flick, Attenborough adapted CS Lewis' biography, Ang Lee and del Toro made splashes with their foreign language films, and Petersen and Soderbergh each had their second hits but only for Petersen would it be his last.
But consider for a moment what Spielberg did in 1993. He managed to arguably reach the peak on both of the mountains he had professionally climbed. On the blockbuster side, his dinosaurs at 91% fresh, earned him a Saturn award, and made an astonishing $402 million. On the more impactful, important side, he won 5 awards personally (2 Oscars, 2 BAFTAs, and a Globe), and brilliantly told the story of a group of Jews who were fortunate enough to be saved from Heydrich's final solution through the efforts of a German businessman.
No one ever has nor ever will have a year like Spielberg's 1993.
TITLE BELT: Steven Spielberg (7)
1994
"Forrest Gump" Robert Zemeckis
"True Lies" James Cameron
"Ed Wood" Tim Burton
"Pulp Fiction" Quentin Tarantino
"Run, Forrest, Run!" Is only one of the many quotable moments from the era-spanning best picture-winning superhit. While some critics aren't as big on Gump as others (73% fresh), it did earn Zemeckis both Oscar and Globe wins, two BAFTA noms, and a Saturn nom. Where it really stands out is the massive $330 million at the gate.
Cameron churned out his fourth hit in a row with another Schwarzenegger collaboration. Combining blockbuster thrills with comedy, Lies won a Saturn and made $146 million.
Tim Burton does a biography, earning a nomination at Cannes for his take on "The Worst Director of All-Time" Ed Wood. One can't help but wonder if Burton felt like he was telling what he saw as his own story. His second collab with Johnny Depp would certainly not be his last. Certified at 92% fresh.
Rather enigmatically, Quentin Tarantino announced to the world he only planned on making ten films. His second feature is arguably his best. "Pulp Fiction" made $108, is 94% fresh, and cleaned up at the awards. QT was nominated for two Oscars, two Globes, two BAFTAs, and one a Cannes. He took home one of each.
While Burton and Cameron made successful films, the real contest is between Tom Hanks and Samuel L Jackson, between "Life is Like a Box of Chocolates" and "Say 'what' again, I dare you!", between Robin Wright and Uma Thurman. Zemeckis' film is timeless because it is familiar, it shows us things we know and taps into our nostalgia. Any other year, it would carry Z to the Belt. However, Tarantino is a genre unto himself and "Pulp Fiction" is the introduction and the apex of that genre.
TITLE BELT: Quentin Tarantino
1995
"American President" Rob Reiner
"Jumanji" Joe Johnston
"Apollo 13" Ron Howard"Sense and Sensibility" Ang Lee
"Se7en" David Fincher
"The Usual Suspects" Bryan Singer
Close but no cigar for Tony Scott's "Crimson Tide" a one-hit wonder.
New blood abounds as the decade hits its mid-point. Three directors made their debuts and yet another made his second appearance on the hit list. While the changing of the guard was at hand, Rob Reiner represented the end of the late '80s-early '90s directors with his last hit. Reiner's political rom-com is 91% fresh and earned him a Globe nomination.
Ang Lee had debuted in Spielberg's '93 but made his English-film debut directing Emma Thompson's Jane Austen adaptation. 98% fresh, it earned Lee a Globe nom and two BAFTA noms one of which he won.
Bryan Singer and writer Christopher McQuarrie teamed up for a thriller which is 89% fresh and earned BAFTA and Saturn noms. Interestingly, Singer was also given the President's Saturn, usually a sort of lifetime achievement.
Johnston's Robin Williams' comedy about the living board game earned Johnston a Saturn nomination and made $100 million. At 53% fresh, however, it won't make much noise in the Belt race. A brief look at Johnston's career will leave you wondering how he convinces people to continue financing his films.
David Fincher made his debut on the third installment of the Alien franchise in '92. So if your keeping score at home, Ridley Scott, James Cameron, and David Fincher directed the first three movies. Quite the run. However, it was his second feature, the murder mystery "Se7en" which scored Fincher a hit. A Saturn nom, $100 million, and 81% fresh don't do the film justice. Chilling and dark, Fincher flexed the psych-thriller muscles he'd come to be known for.
The last hit on the list is Ron Howard's third. At 95% fresh, Howard's retelling of the near-disaster in space is possibly his best movie. It also made $174 million and earned him a Globe nomination.
Several good films and some strong direction in the list, but the '95 Belt comes down to Howard and Fincher. I've already said much about "Se7en", so a few words about Apollo. Ed Harris and Tom Hanks deliver excellent performances which the film centers itself around. While the events are immense in and of themselves, it's the people which Howard focuses on. I always finish a viewing of Apollo in awe of how heroic those men were.
Howard's only hit of the '90s is as close a second place finish of any in the whole process. Fincher, however, made himself a must-see director.
TITLE BELT: David Fincher
1996
"Fargo" Coen Brothers
An auto-bid for the Coen Brothers betrays how fantastic a film "Fargo" is. 93% fresh, the film also earned three directing Oscars noms (one win), a Globe nom, and three BAFTA noms.
In other news, "Independence Day" was Roland Emmerich's one-hit wonder, Soderbergh and Burton had less than stellar outputs, Wes Anderson made a quiet debut, Michael Bay made $134 million with "The Rock", Carpenter got a lifetime Saturn and gave us Snake Plissken round 2, Levinson adapted a controversial bio, and De Palma launched what I completely unbiasedly believe to be the greatest film franchise of all-time with "Mission: Impossible."
None of those made the cut.
TITLE BELT: Coen Brothers
1997
"The Lost World: Jurassic Park" Steven Spielberg
"Boogie Nights" Paul Thomas Anderson
"Mimic" Guillermo del Toro
"Titanic" James Cameron
"Contact" Robert Zemeckis
Shout out to one-hit wonder "Men in Black" by Barry Sonnenfeld.
Spielberg made two movies in '97. I'll never understand how that's possible, but his other film "Amistad" earned a Globe nom, but is only 77% fresh with only $44 million in receipts. His hit garnered a Saturn nom and made a beastly $229 million, but is barely fresh at 54%. (My line is 50%).
Paul Thomas Anderson had debuted the year before to some critical acclaim ("Hard Eight" 83% fresh), but it was "Boogie Nights" which was his first of several hits. 93% fresh, PTA earned an Oscar and a BAFTA nomination.
For the second film in a row, del Toro is able to hit with his "Carpenter-ean" monster film. A Saturn nomination and 91% fresh make him 2 for 2.
Zemeckis hits again for the fourth time with a sci-fi yarn of his own, "Contact" made $101 million and earned a Saturn nomination but had its issues, as 63% fresh will show. Zemeckis was also given the President's Saturn award in '97.
$659 million. Adjusted for inflation, Cameron's epic love story aboard the doomed cargo ship has made an astounding $1.196 billion, good enough for 5th all-time. But it didn't only clean up at the box office, as Cameron won three Oscars, won one of two Globe nominations, and received three BAFTA nominations for the film. 89% fresh and truly iconic, few films have had the impact of "Titanic."
PTA's first hit didn't make any money. Spielberg and Zemeckis were hardly at their best which just makes it easier to give the Belt to the much deserving Cameron.
TITLE BELT: James Cameron (4)
1998
"Saving Private Ryan" Steven Spielberg
It doesn't seem fair for Spielberg to get an auto-bid but let's be honest, nothing was going to beat SPR.
Among those that would have lost, had they been hits were Emmerich's "Godzilla", Tony Scott's "Enemy of the State", Michael Bay's "Armageddon", and the Coen Brothers' "The Big Lebowski."
TITLE BELT: Steven Spielberg (8)
1999
"The Insider" Michael Mann
"Sleepy Hollow" Tim Burton
"Magnolia" Paul Thomas Anderson
"The Iron Giant" Brad Birdone-hit wonder "The Sixth Sense" as well, for a personal favorite M Night Shyamalan.
Michael Mann brings some thrills from the nightly news in his adaptation of Investigative Journalist Marie Brenner's story about a whistleblower and Big Tobacco. He earned three Oscar nominations, a pair of Globe nominations, and the film is 96% fresh.
Burton and Depp collaborated for the third time, and once again scored a hit. The Washington Irving adaptation earned Burton a Saturn nomination and made $101 million.
While "Boogie Nights" was hardly a conventional film, PTA really scrambles his audiences in the converging storyline family drama "Magnolia." 83% fresh, he also received an Oscar nom for the work.
Brad Bird began his career as an animator for TV shows such as "The Simpsons" and "King of the Hill." Then later he joined Pixar and has been one of the most powerful creative forces in the industry. In between those two lives, he won a BAFTA for Iron Giant. 96% fresh, the film itself is good but not great, however, it was its success which launched his immensely impactful career.
Iron Giant isn't quite good enough for me to give Bird the Belt, so Michael Mann and his signature thriller takes it home.
TITLE BELT: Michael Mann (2)
The '90s
Belts:
Spielberg (2)
Cameron (2)
Mann (2)
Spielberg (2)
Cameron (2)
Mann (2)
Hits:
Spielberg (4)
Burton (3)
Cameron (3)
$$$:
Spielberg ($1.109b)
Cameron ($1.011b)
Columbus ($890)
The '90s were a good decade for filmmaking and James Cameron was no small part in that success. A perfect 3 for 3 on hits, each of Cameron's movies was and is appreciated by audiences and critics alike. His triple Oscar victory in '97 with "Titanic" is one of the most dominating performances at the esteemed award ceremony in history. All of that is good for a really solid second place.
Burton (3)
Cameron (3)
$$$:
Spielberg ($1.109b)
Cameron ($1.011b)
Columbus ($890)
The '90s were a good decade for filmmaking and James Cameron was no small part in that success. A perfect 3 for 3 on hits, each of Cameron's movies was and is appreciated by audiences and critics alike. His triple Oscar victory in '97 with "Titanic" is one of the most dominating performances at the esteemed award ceremony in history. All of that is good for a really solid second place.
1993 alone would nearly be enough to carry Spielberg to consecutive decade Belts. Possibly the greatest historical film (Schindler), possibly the greatest war movie (Private Ryan), unquestionably the greatest dinosaur movie (Jurassic), another $200 million from the dino sequel and by the way had two other films in the decade which made money and earned awards just didn't quite make my benchmarks. And so with consecutive decade Belts
Steven Spielberg
Wow, that's a lot of words. Congratulations for making it this far! Next time I'll take it the rest of the way to now.
