Boris Yeltsin announced that Russia would stop targeting US cities with nuclear missiles, yet despite this happy news, the States remained in a state, what with the LA cops responsible for beating African American motorist Rodney King half to death being acquitted of their crimes, leading to riots that claimed 53 lives and caused $1 billion worth of damage. On the more embarrassing side of the news, President Bush blew chunks, on camera, at a state dinner in Japan, all over their Prime Minister. Not wanting to be outdone, Vice President Dan Quayle incorrectly corrected an elementary school kid at a spelling bee, when said child spelled the word potato, and Quayle insisted it should have an ‘e’ at the end. The year was 1992.The 350th anniversary of Montreal, 1992 also saw the signing of the Maastricht Treaty, founding the European Union, and after singing a little ditty protesting child abuse by the Catholic Church, Sinéad O’Connor ripped up a pic of the pope on Saturday Night Live, causing some controversy. Sadly, 1992 was also the year we said goodbye to sci-fi author Isaac Asimov and cheeky tv comic Benny Hill. It was the year that saw the birth of Miley Cyrus. Yet it was an uncommonly awesome year for movies.
Unforgiven went on to win four well-deserved Oscars, among them Best Picture and Director for Clint and Best Supporting Actor for Gene Hackman in an unforgettably villainous role.
Tim Robbins played a stressed-out studio executive in The Player, an ambitious ensemble comedy drama from Robert Altman, loaded with industry in-jokes and packed to the gills with blink-and-you’d-miss-them star cameos.
From Peter Jackson came the best zombie comedy of all time, at least until Zombieland came along, namely Braindead. Finally, another comedy, this time of the caper variety, from Field of Dreams writer/director Phil Alden Robinson: Sneakers, a breezy tale of secrets, lies, betrayal and breaking into stuff with a perfect ensemble cast led by Robert Redford but dominated by David Strathiirn as a blind hacker. "Anybody want to black out New England?"
