Best Films of the 1990s

Best Movies of the 90s
I have decided to undertake compiling a list of the best movies of the 1990s. Here's what I think...

THE TOP THIRTY:

30. Waking Ned Devine: This small movie about a dead guy who wins the lottery is the type of movie that needs to be made more often. While there may not be a lot of plot points and themes, it is an enjoyable film about friendship and the Irish people.

29. Contact: This Jodie Foster movie about mortality and the afterlife is intriguing how relevant it is today. The movie is based on a Carl Sagan novel of the same name that explores the fine line between science and religion. A fascinating film.

28. A League of Their Own: No crying in baseball. This line is reason enough to put this movie in here. While unfortunately relegated to the "chick flick" genre, this superb movie about the women's baseball league has star turns by Geena Davis, Rosie O'Donnell, Madonna, and, of course, Tom Hanks.

27. A River Runs Through It: This simple morality tale set beautifully in the American Northwest is a great movie to watch when you're in a frantic mood. The acting turns by Brad Pitt and Craig Sheffer are solid, but it is the story told by the scenery that draws the viewer into the film.

26. Clueless: Alicia Silverstone makes this hilarious movie about a valley girl's realization that she is in love with her ex step-brother. Loosely based on the Jane Austen book "Emma", this movie made "as if" a household term.

25. Toy Story: This movie makes the list because of its groundbreaking nature. It was the first computer animated full-length feature. The story and characters don't hurt either, as Woody and Buzz Lightyear race to save themselves and their friends from the threat of new toys and the sadistic neighbor Sid.

24. American History X: Edward Norton's best role comes in this haunting story of a reformed skinhead who attempts to save his brother from repeating his mistakes. The brutal violence still makes me shudder (especially the curbing scene, which I still have not completely seen), but it is the story itself that the viewer comes away with. This story of reform with repercussions is one of those movies in which the theater empties silently.

23. As Good As It Gets: Any movie that stars Jack Nicholson has to be good. Couple that with Helen Hunt, Greg Kinnear and Cuba Gooding Jr., and you have this funny and entertaining dramedy about a waitress, the obsessive-compulsive she waits on, and his gay neighbor. James L. Brooks always writes very good movies, and this is no exception. Both Hunt and Nicholson deserved the Oscars they won for this film.

22. Dances With Wolves: Similar to "A River Runs Through It", this movie's story is elevated by its beautiful scenery. Kevin Costner was in his prime helming this 1990 epic. The story of an American military officer and his experiences with Native Americans is both heart-warming and timeless.

21. The Truman Show: Jim Carey's first dramatic turn is his best to-date in this story of a man whose entire life is broadcast on television. It was creepy how timely this movie was for its time (around the same time reality TV became en vogue). Ed Harris and Laura Linney also give good performances as the "God-like" figure who runs the show and Truman's devoted, yet "on-the-take" wife, respectively. An intriguing story.

20. Boyz in the Hood: John Singleton's gripping story of Los Angeles' black community in the early 90s is one of the best directed movies of the decade. Along with the story and a solid turn by young lead Cuba Gooding Jr., this movie exposed many to a life they only heard about on TV. While later films have not done this genre justice, Singleton's masterpiece remains relevant today.

19. Tommy Boy: There's not much to say. This first paring of what could have been a long-lasting team of Chris Farlley and David Spade is a gut-busting movie. The scene when they belt out "Superstar" by The Carpenters makes me laugh hysterically every time.

18. Seven: Second only to a later selection on this list, this terrifically terrifying movie about the serial killer performing the seven deadly sins has an ending that made everyone who saw is shudder in terror. Kevin Spacey gives a great, albeit short performance as the serial killer (he was robbed of an Oscar nomination). Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman also give good performances in this great film.

17. Fight Club: In one of the most original stories of the decade, this movie, like the one above, also has a great twist in the end. Brad Pitt gives, in my opinion, his best performance to date as the crazy Tyler Durden. Ed Norton is equally solid as the bewildered main character. This movie was robbed of an Adapted Screenplay nod at the Oscars.

16. Philadelphia: While this movie is obviously made by the stellar performance by Oscar-winner Tom Hanks as the AIDS-struck Andrew Beckett, Denzel Washington also gives a great, though understated performance as the lawyer who represents him in his lawsuit against his former employer. Also important as the first movie dealing with AIDS and homosexuality, director Jonathan Demme does a great job at telling this story.

15. Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls: While sequels do not usually live up to their predecessors, this one meets and surpasses it. Jim Carey gives the best performance of his career as the obnoxious pet detective hired by a rich Englishman to locate a missing white bat. The comedy that ensues is classic. "In the Jungle" will never sound the same to me again.

14. The Crying Game: Talk about a twist ending. While you could kinda tell that Jaye Davidson's character was a little masculine, I bet not many thought the movie would end that way. A great movie about Irish politics (from the best Irish filmmaker today, Jim Sheridan) and relationships in general. The story and acting are all around fantastic.

13. There's Something About Mary: This is one of those movies where you remember where you were when you first saw it. I was at a friend's house and we waited until his parents went to bed and watched it (it was rated 'R' and I was only 12 or so when it came out). Although I did not understand some of the jokes, subsequent viewings have proven why the Farelly Brothers are comic geniuses. I always remember to zip up carefully now.

12. The Sixth Sense: A common theme among the movies I like are suspenseful movies with twist ending. The film had the ultimate twist ending of the 90s. With solid performances by all, especially Haley Joel Osment as the young, frightened boy who "sees dead people", this movie will never grow old.

11. Braveheart: Mel Gibson has never been better than he was in this epic, gory masterpiece about Scotsman William Wallace. The battle scenes are spectacles in themselves, giving the movie the majority of its power. However, the story plays well, too, to make a complete film that entrances the audience.

10. Babe: I do not think family entertainment gets much better than this classic movie about a farmer and his sheep-herding pig. This touching and well-made movie is a family classic.

9. Beauty and the Beast: The best Disney film of the 90s and one of the best ever made (it is the only animated movie to ever garner an Oscar nomination for Best Picture), the classic movie has everything, great songs, a great script (especially for an animated kids movie), and cinematography that rivals any live-action movie I have seen.

8. Goodfellas: Martin Scorsese at his best (although "The Departed is a close second). This is the classic gangster movie from a classic gangster director. Besides the direction, the script is both hardcore and has elements of dark comedy. Then there is the acting. Lorraine Bracco (pre-Sopranos), Robert DeNiro, and Ray Liotta all give great performances, but it is Joe Pesci that steals the show (and won the Oscar). His Tommy DeVito has little-man's syndrome on crack. Classic flick.

7. Fargo: The characters and the writing make this the best dramedy I have ever seen. Lead by Frances McDormand in the best role of her career, and maybe the best female performance of the decade, this film is both witty and wry. I also give it props for being short and to the point (its only a little over and hour-and-a-half long). The Coen Brothers have never been better.

6. Forrest Gump: The mid nineties were very good to Tom Hanks, and vice versa. With back-to-back Oscar winning roles, Hanks is amazing as a simple Southern man who observes history as he lives his life. The music and the score alone are reason enough to see this. Director Robert Zemeckis does a great job. Sally Field and Gary Sinise and Robin Wright-Penn give great supporting performances.

5. The Birdcage: The best comedy of the decade, Robin Williams and Nathan Lane are absolutely hilarious in this great movie about a gay couple in Miami preparing to meet their son's fiancee's conservative parents. Mike Nichols, as always, does a great job directing, but this movie belongs to Williams and Lane. Best Line: "Oh, I pierced the toast!"

4. American Beauty: While now some may consider distopian suburbia overdone, in 1999, director Sam Mendes pieced together this fantastic, multiple Oscar-winning portrait of a family falling apart. While different than "Ordinary People" in that it commented on suburbia, this movie has it all, directing, a great score, a great script by Alan Ball (Six Feet Under) and timeless performances . Annette Bening and Oscar winner Kevin Spacey shine as a dysfunctional couple who still love each other, in a way. Equally good, but overlooked is Chris Cooper, as the hard military man with a secret. Great movie.

3. Schindler's List: Numbers two and three couple together to be almost interchangeable, but I had to put one in front of the other, so here it is. There is not a lot to say about Steven Speilberg's masterpiece about the Holocaust. The immense emotion I feel everytime I watch it (especially the scene with the girl in the red coat, even if it is a cheap emotional ploy), is one of the most haunting images in film. Amazing.

2. Silence of the Lambs: The acting and the screenplay make this classic horror/suspense movie tick. Winner of five Oscars in 1991, this movie is in my top five of all time. Anthony Hopkins is amazingly horrific as Hannibal the Cannibal. The audience simultaneously feels sorry for him and hates him. Jodi Foster gives an Oscar-winning performance as Clarice Starling, the FBI trainee sent to talk to Lecter. I could go on with the quotes and the sounds from the movie, but I don't need to since everyone knows them. It doesn't get much better than this...

1. The Shawshank Redemption: except for this. In my opinion the best movie ever made, this movie based on a Stephen King story and directed by Frank Darabont was criminally overlooked in 1994 as overly emotional and mediocre. While now somewhat of a cult classic, this movie is phenomenal. I find it hard to put into words why I love it as much as I do. Maybe it is the the story of a man wrongly-accused who finally escapes. Maybe its because it has Morgan Freeman, who I love. There are many other reasons, but this is just the greatest film of all time.