Top Film for Each Year of My Life – 1996

Trainspotting

“People think it's all about misery and desperation and death and all that shit which is not to be ignored, but what they forget is the pleasure of it. Otherwise we wouldn't do it. After all, we're not fucking stupid. At least, we're not that fucking stupid.”

“Take the best orgasm you've ever had... multiply it by a thousand, and you're still nowhere near it.”
Trainspotting began my love of Danny Boyle. He is easily one of the most interesting directors working today; bound by no genre. I could have plastered this space with quotes from the film. The narration alone is top-notch and features the iconic and poster-ized “Choose Life” monologue. I was so enthused about Trainspotting that I made my parents watch it. I don’t recall feeling awkward about it then, though I get a bit uncomfortable thinking about it now.

The film comes screaming out of the gates. The combination of Iggy Pop and the mad dash down the street is positively enthralling. If there is one thing Boyle knows how to do, it’s film a foot race. I didn’t think Slumdog Millionaire was all the great, but damn the opening running through the slums is fantastic. Boyle cut his teeth on the fantastic Shallow Grave, but Trainspotting really feels confident in its style. There are certain films that feel like the director is just being flashy, but it all fits immaculately with the content.
Boyle does little to glamorize the drug use (contrary to what the second quote above indicates). There are three images that will stick with me forever related to the downward spiral the characters are involved with. The first is when Spud shits the bed, mostly because I thought it was blood the first time I saw the film. The second is when Renton dives into the most disgusting toilet ever shown in a movie. And all I’m going to say for the third is… dead baby (and everything involved with it). I guess all that really needs to be said is that Trainspotting is filled with indelible images and dialogue.

But that’s not all I’m going to say. Ewan McGregor is impossibly good in this. I don’t know why American productions make him use a fake American accent. Ninety percent of the time he is completely wooden and uncharismatic. He’s a terrific and funny actor. Why remove those facets from his performance? The rest of the cast around him is perfect as well, with Kelly McDonald landing a role in No Country for Old Men, recently.
And it needs to be said. Danny Boyle may be the best a using music in his films. The soundtracks are never clichéd but always interesting. He digs deep for all of his films to find the perfect song for the perfect moment. I fully believe that this film is responsible for “Lust for Life” becoming so popular in other movies/shows and commercials.

Now, 1996 was another good year for movies, though most of the films get little to no respect. The Oscar nominees were all pretty dull. The genre output (Mars Attacks!, The Frighteners, Scream, Cemetery Man) and indies (Trees Lounge, Bottle Rocket, Fargo) helped to push this year over the top. And I need to note that I erroneously place Dead Man in 1995 (since remedied) and it belongs here. A magnificent film that still won’t knock Trainspotting down, yet, but we’ll see what a bit of marinating does. Until then Trainspotting reigns supreme.