Decades of Cinema - 10 Best of the 1990's

My previous "Decades" lists are here: 1920's, 1930's, 1940's, 1950's, 1960's, 1970's, and 1980's. Here are my ten favorite films from the 1990's.

10. The Matrix

Forget about the shitty sequels for a second and just remember how damn cool The Matrix was when it was released in 1999. I had never seen anything like it, a noir science fiction experience that, at the time, pushed the boundaries of cinema in ways I could have never imagined. 16 years later and it has aged quite well, perhaps because it was ahead of its time.

9. The Shawshank Redemption

I know there are plenty of people who frown when a person mentions their love for The Shawshank Redemption. I am one of the lovers, not the frowners. The whole film is still such a warm blanket for me, but those last 30 or so minutes? My goodness, just thinking about the conclusion of this film makes me joyful and tingly. 

8. Good Will Hunting

Superbly written and performed, Good Will Hunting is the type of film that I can watch over and over and over and never grow tired of it. Add in the recent passing of the great Robin Williams and watching what is arguably his finest performance as an actor makes the entire experience even richer. 

7. Fight Club

Where as I made sure to mention that The Matrix has not aged poorly, Fight Club actually tastes like a fine wine. This shit is more delicious with each passing year. One of quite a few masterful efforts from director David Fincher, a cinematic mind fuck that has, in my opinion, one of the most brilliant and strangely beautiful final scenes in recent memory.

6. Goodfellas

A cinema lovin' buddy of mine correctly pointed out that I left Raging Bull off of my list of the best from the 1980's. This wasn't an accident, I think it is an outstanding film but it simply didn't make the cut, but the absence of Scorsese was not going to happen again. I can't even begin to imagine a best of the 90's list without Goodfellas.

5. The Big Lebowski

I am often times guilty of not taking comedy films seriously enough. I love them but for whatever reason I have trouble ranking even the best of the genre up near the best of other, more dramatic work. This does not apply to The Big Lebowski though, which is not only my favorite comedy of all time but one of my 25 favorite films, period. The 1990's were such a strong part of my film lovin' life that the top 8 of this list all rank in my top 50 overall.

4. Eyes Wide Shut

The final achievement from the genius Stanley Kubrick and this is a film worthy of the words misunderstood masterpiece. Advertised as a sexy thriller with the "it" couple at the time of Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman starring, in reality this is a brilliantly creepy, hypnotic advertisement for monogamy. Deemed a "lesser" Kubrick upon its release, Eyes Wide Shut is anything but.

3. Se7en

Was I too young to see Se7en the first time I did? Absolutely. Do I regret this for even a second now? No. Not at all. When I was 12 years old, I had seen very few examples of "great" cinema and Se7en was eye opening for me, and not just because of the shocking content. The craft is out of this world, featuring an aesthetic that is somehow simultaneously crisp and yet gloomy and dour. This and, ironically, the next film on this list are the two movies that taught me how evil the world could be at an age when I couldn't really comprehend such a thing.

2. The Silence of the Lambs

I can't even begin to try to figure out how many times I have watched The Silence of the Lambs. I recall watching it numerous times and loving it and yet never knowing until years later that it had been so successful at the Oscars. It's easy to understand why, since if you offered me 100 dollars to name a flaw of the film I would come up empty and stay broke. The performances are incredible, including the iconic evil turn from Anthony Hopkins as the infamous Hannibal Lecter. The storytelling maintains a perfect, intense flow throughout and Buffalo Bill gave me nightmares when I was young. I welcomed the lack of sleep.

1. Pulp Fiction

Quentin Tarantino is an incredible screenwriter, and I honestly believe Pulp Fiction is the greatest screenplay ever written. A perfect cast utilizing perfect words with perfect execution leads to an end result like this, the best film from the 1990's. "Zed's dead, baby. Zed's dead."

Next list I will move into the current century with my ten favorite films released between 2000-2009. The image over is from one of the movies that will make the cut. 

100 Favorite Films - #50 - #41

A continuation of my list counting down my 100 favorite films of all time.


50. The Double Life of Veronique (1991)

Earlier I listed The Decalogue as a favorite film, but it is not my favorite work by director Krzysztof Kieslowski as he also is responsible for the completely beautiful movie The Double Life of Veronique. The flow of this film was like listening to perfectly written poetry be recited, where you aren't even sure why but you fall in love with the words and want to hear them all over again. The plot revolves around two women who are seemingly exactly the same, including their appearance. They cross paths only once and very briefly, yet they experience some sort of connection that cannot fully be understood.



49. Pan's Labyrinth (2006)

My Review of Pan's Labyrinth

Already listed was the Spanish film The Spirit of the Beehive, which is the inspiration behind the next film, the spectacular film Pan's Labyrinth by Guillermo del Toro. The story centers on a young girl named Ofelia and the conflict that surrounds her, a new home and an unwanted life as her pregnant mother marries a cold and ruthless Captain during the Spanish civil war. The way this film balances the unsettling reality with the realm of fantasy, with haunting imagery coming from both sides, is remarkable.



48. Goodfellas (1990)

A mob masterpiece by Martin Scorsese, what really needs to be said about Goodfellas? An amazing cast all delivery memorably great performances based on inspired material, everything that went into the production of this film is to credit for it not being considered not just one of the finest crime films ever made, but one of the finest of any genre.



47. My Neighbor Totoro (1988)

My Review of My Neighbor Totoro

The god of hand drawn animation, Hayao Miyazaki has crafted quite a lot of amazing features working out of the factory of genius, Studio Ghibli, and one of his finest is My Neighbor Totoro, a film that focuses on the wonders of the imagination in a child and the ways kids find to cope with concern and grief. Truly a gorgeous film that should be treasured by people of all ages.



46. The Matrix (1999)

A defining moment in cinema for me came in 1999 when The Matrix was released and it very nearly literally blew my teenage mind. I had never seen anything like it and it pushed the limits I had come to understand in terms of what special effects were capable of. It also pushed my love for science fiction to new heights, and it remains just as effective a work today as it did back then.



45. The Shining (1980)

Stanley Kubrick's horror masterpiece, The Shining is a film that kept me up at night as a child and it is easy to understand why. The real question is, what the hell was I doing watching this so young? The imagery, the dialogue and having to comprehend what it meant to be deranged, my mind raced and I wanted to cover my eyes...but I couldn't help looking through my fingers at the unsettling bliss on the screen.



44. The Night of the Hunter (1955)

The one and only film directed by Charles Laughton, The Night of the Hunter was inexplicably a critical and commercial failure upon its release, and watching it now it truly is impossible to understand why. Paced with eloquence, performed with tension, delivered spectacularly, this is a film that deserves the recognition it now receives. What a splendid work it is.



43. Halloween (1978)

My Review of Halloween

In the world of horror cinema, it doesn't get much better than John Carpenter's Halloween, a film that so effectively uses its setting and technical aspects like lighting and musical score, if it doesn't do anything for you I would hope you check and make sure you have a pulse. One of the most brilliant touches on this film was the decision to not shroud the entire feature in darkness, instead allowing Michael Myers to roam the streets and stalk his prey on a bright and typical suburban afternoon. The fact that this iconic movie monster can scare you at 3 P.M. makes you wonder...what is he capable of at night?



42. Oldboy (2003)

A completely unique and unsettling film, Oldboy tells the story of a man being suddenly and seemingly randomly kidnapped one night off a city street and being locked away in a single room for 15 years without any explanation why. Then, one day out of nowhere, he is released back into the world, and he must search for answers in order to obtain his vengeance. Director Chan-wook Park really delivered something special and disturbingly memorable here, with an ending that literally had me shout expletives derived from being totally caught off guard by the path it takes.



41. Good Will Hunting (1997)

A wonderful drama directed by Gus Van Sant, Good Will Hunting touches every emotion for me. I laugh, I cry, and I find the narrative to be constantly compelling. The screenplay really fleshes out these characters and allows them to become oddly familiar and authentic, allowing the famous faces to become real, believable people rather than just stars filling roles. Matt Damon and Ben Affleck won the Oscar for writing this original and outstanding feature.

40 films left to list. What will come next? Above is an image of a film that will appear on the next list of ten.

300: Rise of an Empire Review

If you went and eliminated every moment of slow motion in 300: Rise of an Empire, just kinda played the entire movie at normal speed, I'm pretty confident it would be roughly 26 minutes long.

I can't comprehend how a director thinks showing action in super slow motion is cool. I just don't get it. The only reason that technique should be used is if the thing you are showing me deserves to have that extra time devoted to it, because either an intricately designed set piece plays a role or because what happens is so mind blowing that showing it quickly doesn't do it justice. The Matrix is a perfect example of slow motion that not only works, it was flat out necessary. We needed to see Neo literally bend over backwards to avoid bullets in the slowest possible fashion to truly appreciate it.

Every damn sequence of this film involving grotesque violence is slowed down so that we can see every drop of blood flying through the air, and trust me, there is plenty to see, and frankly it makes the entire experience boring. I have seen people getting cut with giant swords in movies before, and the visual style that made audiences flip their shit back in 2006 when the first 300 was released is no longer a reason to drop 12 dollars on a ticket at the cinema. Nothing that happened during 300: Rise of an Empire was all that interesting and it certainly is never as awesome as it thinks it is.

Action movie directors, take notice: go watch The Raid: Redemption and The Raid 2 by Gareth Evans. How do you make an epic blood bath blow your mind? By making it reach through the television and kick your own ass just by watching the movie. The pace of The Raid films is electric, so intense, so non-stop that it is exhausting to watch and I love every second of those gems. You can practically feel the punches and kicks as they land, and despite laying on a couch and eating cheetos the entire film, you can't help but feel sore in the end.

300: Rise of an Empire can splash as much blood on me as it wants, it doesn't save it from being boring and a perfect example of all style without even attempting substance. Speaking of the splashing, I lost count how many times I rolled my eyes at the fact that at least 60 percent of the movie was done specifically to sell 3D tickets. Giant weapon flies at the screen, look out! Blood spills out towards me, oh no! Arrow soars through the air right at my face, the horror!

It's lame and a bad sign for the confidence in the film if every stupid scene is crafted in a way to make people pay a couple extra dollars per ticket. I was never a huge fan of the first 300, but at least I can quote some of the famous lines of dialogue and I recall being impressed by various scenes. I will not remember a single thing from 300: Rise of an Empire going forward.

1.5/5

The Matrix Reloaded Review

Randomly one weekend I walk into a party with confidence and a bit of a swagger, but with just enough vulnerability and insecurities because I have previously never met a soul in attendance. I know I am cool and I fully believe I can impress the hell out of every single person I meet, yet I have no reason to be overconfident because nothing is yet proven. As the night goes on I can feel that everyone there admires the way I fit in so naturally and even what little flaws I have that are apparent are actually endearing rather than troubling. They are drawn to me because I flow from place to place so effortlessly and with authenticity, and as the night winds down and I announce my exit, the shift in mood is palpable, the joy and excitement that resonated in every moment is slowly drained away. Regardless, the night was a massive, life altering success, and as the others come to grips with my absence, rather than bemoan the void in the atmosphere the narrative shifts to one of anticipation of the next time they will see me. Sure, the disappointment of an amazing night ending still lingers, but it does so behind genuine smiles and the newly born memories of a special experience. "God I can't wait to see that guy again!" they say about me as they climb into their cars to head home themselves. "I could hang out with him every single night and never get tired of it!" is uttered by someone, and the thought is met with nearly universal agreement.

Over the next few years, I have spent countless nights revisiting that same group of people over and over and I remain the coolest guy in the room. I was original, I was unique, and it is a fact that no one there had ever met anyone like me before. I may not have returned to that party every night, every week or even every month for that matter, but I will always be there if I am needed. When a life becomes joyless, when an imagination needs to be sparked or simply when things feel bland and a dose of excitement is prescribed, I will walk through those doors and all will be right in the world. 

I am The Matrix.

Then one day I walk into that same party with an overwhelming amount of confidence and a ridiculous swagger, feeling no vulnerabilities or insecurities, absolutely nothing but a sublime belief that I am the only thing that matters in that room and nothing will ever be as cool as me. I have a larger than life presence that practically forces everyone in attendance to follow me with their eyes, but I feel no urge to make eye contact back. These people are beneath me and my existence is a blessing that enhances their own. As the night goes on I remain the center of attention, but something about the experience tastes sour this time around. They are drawn to me because I move from room to room with arrogance, but the effort needed to present this new persona is noticeable. As I announce my exit, minds consider what the proper emotional reaction for my departure should be. I had my moments that thrilled and reminded everyone of the old me, the one that could do no wrong, and these moments reignited a hope that I had returned to form, that a new yet equally amazing night would be in store for them. On the other hand, those dazzling moments were in fact few and far between, and the night that began with so much promise had ended lathered in disappointment, frozen behind frowns and a collection of memories that the guests may wish to forget. "Lord was that a bummer." they say about me as they climb into their cars to head home themselves. "I'm not sure I will ever want to hang out with that guy again." is uttered by someone, and the thought is met with nearly universal agreement. 

Over the next few years, I spent most nights waiting by the phone wishing they would call, wondering if perhaps I wasn't as cool as I considered myself to be. 

I am The Matrix Reloaded.

2.5/5