THE BEST AND WORST OF 1991

In 1991, THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS became only the third movie in history to sweep the top five Oscars (Best Picture, Actor, Actress, Director, and Screenplay). It was also my favorite film of 1991. Jonathan Demme's adaptation of Thomas Harris' novel managed to be a creepy horror film, a twisted love story, and of all things, a feminist film without getting preachy.

Here's the rest of my top ten for the year:

(2) DEAD AGAIN: Kenneth Branagh's stylish thriller is a rare case where Hitchcock comparison's seem apt; even using such hackneyed devices as amnesia and reincarnation didn't stop his film from keeping us in suspense all the way through.

(3) THE COMMITMENTS: Alan Parker's film about a bunch of Dublin musicians who decide to form a band playing 60's soul was the most joyous movie of the year, and lead singer Andrew Strong truly has a voice from God.

(4) CITY OF HOPE: John Sayles continues to make movies about real people in real communities, but this film about a New Jersey town in turmoil also brought an epic sweep and a sense of tragedy, making it one of his finest.

(5) BEAUTY AND THE BEAST: Whether or not you think animated films deserved to be nominated for Best Picture, there's no doubt this effort from Disney deserved just to be called a well-crafted film, period. This wasn't just a technical triumph (this was the first Disney film to use computers to help animate), but a storytelling triumph as well.

(6) CAPE FEAR: Martin Scorsese caught a lot of flak for remaking this 1962 thriller, but what people ignored is the way he turned it into a potent morality play, while keeping the thrills. Yes, it's Marty mainstream, but that shouldn't stop people from appreciating it.

(7) L.A. STORY: Steve Martin's barbed love letter to his hometown contains an equal share of both parts. It laughs at the many idiocies that can be found in the City of Angels, but there's also genuine love for it, and that's what sustains this appealing comic fantasy.

(8) LA BELLE NOISEUSE: I'll be the first to admit Jacques Rivette's four-hour drama about a painter and his subject may not be the easiest thing in the world to watch. But if you stick with it, you'll get a compelling battle of wills and an interesting meditation on art and its power to move you.

(9) JFK: Even if you don't believe a word of Oliver Stone's theory of what really happened on November 22, 1963, that shouldn't deter your enjoyment of this often thrilling and thought-provoking movie. And above all, you should celebrate that there are people asking questions about that fateful day.

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