1. THE LIMEY

This little-seen point on the map of Steven Soderbergh's ascent into mainstream success got passed over by just about everybody, which is why I call it little-seen. Featuring a stony performance by Terence Stamp, and a stoned one by Peter Fonda, this jagged yet low-key revenge drama is beautiful and pensive, deftly played in soft and subtle notes.

2. ZERO EFFECT

Early in 1998, while half the planet was declaring "I'm the king of the world!" and the other half was calling out "Well, I got her numbah! How ya like them apples?", this snarky little detective story slipped out, unfairly unseen by many. Pairing Bill Pullman and Ben Stiller as a modern-day Holmes & Watson, this debut from writer-director Jake Kasdan has a perfectly off-kilter stylishness, and some clever, moody twists.

3. THREE KINGS

In the fall of '99, most everybody was so busy seeing American Beauty that they missed out on a bunch of really good movies. Fight Club, at least, later went on to achieve riotously huge cult status (thanks largely to a kickass DVD), but to my knowledge, no such cult has formed around David O. Russell's apology for and condemnation of U.S. policy during the Gulf War. Like so many a great movie, this one fell victim to a crap ad campaign, which, instead of focusing on the movie's poignant soul and brilliant technique, tried to sell it as a latter-day Kelley's Heroes. Shame on you, Warner Bros.

4. ROBIN & THE SEVEN HOODS

Among most Rat Pack fans, Oceans 11 is hailed as the all-time pinnacle of the gang's mutual careers. The hell with them. First of all, if they were true fans, they'd know that Frank Sinatra hated the name "Rat Pack". Second of all, Oceans 11 is boring, and nowhere near delivers on its potential (which is why I'm totally looking forward to this winter's remake). And no way does that disorganized "romp" hold half a candle to this far superior flick, which retells of the Robin Hood legend as a '30's gangster musical. With a fairly keen sense of irony for the time and the genre (witness Bing Crosby and Dean Martin urging viewers "don't mess with Mr. Booze"), this is a far more fun venture than Oceans 11. God bless their dearly departed souls. And don't mess with Mr. Booze.

5. DEMOLITION MAN

Yes, it's a Stallone movie. Fuck you. No, it's not as great as it could be. Fuck you again. Yes, Daniel Waters' witty script is often hindered by Marco Brambilla's somewhat leaden direction. Fuck you more. But if you skipped this because you thought it was a straight action movie, instead of the hysterical satire that it is, fuck you all over again. By the way, for this review, I have just been fined four credits for violation of the Verbal Morality Statute.

1. GREASE 2

Well, big frickin' surprise. I own the poster.My soundtrack is autographed by Mr. Nogerelli himself. In every script I write there is at least one reference. The music, the humor, the fact that it was on 24/7 when I was five. Some people don't like it because it doesn't have Travolta or Newton-John. Did you see "Two of a Kind?" I'll take Rydell Class of '61.

2. THE STUPIDS

John Landis is one of cinema's greatest comic directors. Tom Arnold is damn funny, far eclipsing his hack ex-wife. Add Captain Kangaroo, Christopher Lee, cameos by such directors as Howard Wise, David Cronenberg, Atom Egoyan, and Norman Jewison, and the vastly underrated Jenny McCarthy. Now get a script by a former "Simpsons" writer that far more coherent and yet more complex than any Stephen Segal flick, and you have the movie Jim and I saw four times in its two week run.

3. THE POSTMAN

It's weird. I saw "The Patriot" and didn't feel too patriotic. "Private Ryan" raised no swells of yankee pride. But when I saw "The Postman," for the first and possibly last time in the last ten years, I felt like an American. I truly felt like our country was about spirit, drive, being able to overcome any obstacle. It gave me hope again in this great nation. Then this great nation trashed it and I started looking into land in Canada.

4. LAST ACTION HERO

Arnold has tried many times to do comedy, with varying degrees of success. The problem is, people will only think it's a comedy if it has Danny Devito or children in it. Make your own short joke. Damn shame because the funniest movie he's done was this, a quasi-action parody by action guru John McTiernan. Like "Scream" a few years later, this shows that the best people to parody a genre are the one who've done it, and love it. It's over the top, ridiculous, and a great time straight through.

5. HUDSON HAWK

Another great comedy lost to an action crowd. Musical numbers, wacky villains, and an unobtainable cup of coffee. Also, David Caruso gives his best ever line readings, as a mute. This is the kind of role that got Willis noticed, as a wisecracking, down on his luck, double take action hero. Now he sulks through his movies, like he just gave up drinking, which I'd say is the problem, but honestly I doubt he has. Maybe he should go back to beer.

1. THE POSTMAN

Kevin Costner is the Roman god of Cinema. This film and story is original and well done. Yes, it's long. Yes, it's full of rah-rah patriotism, but since when is that a bad thing? Until people stop confusing cynical with cool, this movie will never get it's proper due. If you disagree, it's only because you're wrong. Screw you.

2. MYSTERY MEN

Articulate, visually stunning and a screenplay that carefully arches and crafts it's charactors. This story of Everyman super hereos is easily better then any Joel Schumacher debacle. It's dark and satirical humor was lost on the summer movie sheep, but it's gaining a very appreciative cult following.

3. GREASE 2

As we here at DangerSeekers continue to beat into your minds what a superb and enjoyable film "Grease 2" is, I will beat into your mind what a superb and enjoyable film "Grease 2" is.

4. OSCAR

What can I say about this movie that hasn't already been said? Oh, yeah, it's fricking hilarious. Maybe Stallone doesn't have the best comedy chops in the world, but he's far from the worst. The rest of game and talented cast: Don Ameche, Marisa Tomei, Chazz Palmenteri, Tim Curry, etc. are given a great screenplay to work with. Thanks to John Landis for his perfect pacing. Maybe America just isn't ready for farce.

5. COLOR OF NIGHT

To appreciate this film you really needed to see it in the theater. On video, the only thing available is the "director's cut" (really it's the producers cut) that was desinged to make things more clear for the audience. Instead it manages to give away the ending far before the theatrical release did. In fact, the crowd I saw it with sat in shocked silence when the mystery was revealed. Jane March and Bruce Willis remain two of the most underrated actors around. If you disagree, it's only because you're wrong. Screw you.