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.