movies

[Tambourine Man]

The Haunting in Connecticut...probably in my top 10 worst movies of all-time. Only Ben Stiller or Will Ferrell could've made it worse.

[Freed Roger]

some guys list of best movies for the 90s. I like several of these flicks, but not all. But is it really the best of the 90s? -yikes.

07.31.2009 8:00 am
Best Movies of the 1990s
By Joe Holleman: Life Sherpa

Why now with last decade’s best films? Good question.

The answer is because my own personal philosophy about movies is that you can’t look at the ”best of ..” for a decade without seeing if a film has withstood the test of time — and for me, that is 10 years.

How many times have you watched a film, and loved it, and then were sorely disappointed when you watched it years later. (”Easy Rider” comes to my mind immediately.)

So now that it is 2009, I feel comfortable in looking back over the films of the 1990s and picking out the 10 best, along with some honorable mentions because an entire decade is hard to boil down to just 10 flicks. I’ve also included best performances, best comedies and the most overrated film — just to give us more on which to disagree:

So like Marvin Gaye once said, “Let’s Get It On.”

10. “Goodfellas” (1990): Martin Scorsese’s most accomplished and involved “mob” film, with a frightening performance from Joe Pesci, who manages to upstage both Robert De Niro and Ray Liotta in excellent turns. No one captures both the rhythm and the theology of “the street” better than Scorsese.


Fava beans, anyone?
9. “Silence of the Lambs” (1991): Maybe the most suspenseful movie since “Jaws” in 1975, and Anthony Hopkins’ Hannibal Lecter replaced Darth Vader as the reigning movie villain. The night-vision scene in Buffalo Bill’s house at the end is a classic fright.

8. “Saving Private Ryan” (1998): No one has ever questioned Steve Spielberg’s ability to create suspense and spectacle, but this World War II movie also looks deeply into the squad sent on a dangerous mission. Tom Hanks stands out, as always, and the supporting cast is not far behind.


Good night, Truman
7. “The Truman Show” (1998): The most underrated movie of the decade. Jim Carrey was snubbed big-time by Oscar — not even a nomination! And with the plague of reality TV upon us, how far ahead of its time was this film? Peter Weir direction was key, telling a complex story in tight, well-paced fashion.

6. “Unforgiven” (1992): With its foreboding mood and the unredeemed nature of the characters, this is the philosophical end of the Western genre. Great line: When Little Bill (Gene Hackman) tells Bill Munny (Clint Eastwood) he doesn’t deserve to die, Munny replies, “Deserve’s got nothin’ to do with it.”

5. “Fargo” (1996): This Coen Brothers offering is a far more complex film, and less of a pure comedy, than “The Big Lebowski” or “Raising Arizona.” This is a crime drama that utilizes the brothers’ flair for dark, absurd humor in perfect measure. Frances McDormand richly deserved the best-actress Oscar she won.

4. “Shawshank Redemption” (1994): Talk about a movie that promotes hope. A man found guilty of killing his wife and her lover survives prison and saves someone else along the way. A sad, funny and ultimately inspiring film, Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman shine. The reunion scene is a tear-jerker.


The first rule of Fight Club is …
3. “Fight Club” (1999): A powerhouse film that just now qualifies for my list. After 10 years, this Brad Pitt-Edward Norton tale of commercialization, personal alienation and social isolation is more pertinent now than when it was released. The two leads have dead-on chemistry and, surprisingly, the film is quite funny.

2. “L.A. Confidential” (1997): The best film of the year, it lost to “Titanic.” This perfectly composed film has suspense, action, romance and politics — and just keeps getting better with every viewing. The Oscar supporting actor category could have been the entire male cast: Russell Crowe, Guy Pearce, Kevin Spacey, Danny DeVito and James Cromwell.

1. “Pulp Fiction” (1994): With its edgy tone, disjointed storyline, too-hip narrative and its glorification of violence, foul language and pop culture, no other movie since “Star Wars” has had a bigger influence on both audiences and filmmakers. And it’s on my list of best movies of all time.

And here is the dance scene clip from “Pulp Fiction” (because it’s the only one I could find that didn’t have loads of profanity). After you watch it, be sure to scroll down to catch some more “Best of the 1990s” schtuff:

[cpebbles]

Seems pretty good at a glance, other than Goodfellas being way too low. I'd rank those:

1. Pulp Fiction
2. Fight Club
3. Goodfellas
4. L.A. Confidential
5. Shawshank Redemption
6. Silence of the Lambs
7. Fargo
8. Unforgiven
9. The Truman Show
10. Saving Private Ryan

Pretty big fall-off after #8. The Truman Show was good but very flawed, and I'm getting sick of the suggestion that it was incredibly prescient. Mindless reality television was already taking over television, and Truman's style of everyman voyeurism isn't really any more popular today, dressed-up game and talent shows are. I've never understood the big deal about Saving Private Ryan.

Without looking into this any further than what's on my DVD rack, I'd rank Dark City, Natural Born Killers, and South Park above at least the last two on my reordered list.

[ghostrunner]

For the 90's I'd go with (in no order)

Silence of the Lambs
Out of Sight
Glengarry Glen Ross
Big Lebowski
Seven
Fight Club
Before Sunrise
LA Confidential
Sleepy Hollow (not sure that would make many lists, but it's a personal favorite)
Payback (ditto)

Runners up: Three Kings, Unforgiven, Shawshank, Election, The Iron Giant, Office Space


Not a Pulp Fiction or Goodfellas fan.

[The Third Man]

Favorite movies I've seen from the 90s:

01. GoodFellas
02. Unforgiven
03. Pulp Fiction
04. Hoop Dreams
05. Barton Fink
06. Fargo
07. The Big Lebowski
08. Schindler's List
09. Princess Mononoke
10. Eyes Wide Shut

Seven, Terminator 2, Glengarry Glen Ross, Dazed and Confused just miss.

[cardsfansince82]

I like every movie on that guy's list. I'd replace Truman Show with Seven and possibly some others I'd have to think about.

[C. Johny]

Into the Wild is freaking awesome.

[lukethedrifter]

Into the Wild is freaking awesome.

Uh oh, is brodie back?

[C. Johny]

Into the Wild is freaking awesome.

Uh oh, is brodie back?

What?

[lukethedrifter]

Into the Wild is freaking awesome.

Uh oh, is brodie back?

What?

Sorry, just a flashback.