Best Films of the 90s - 55-51

55. Apollo 13 - (1995)

The aborted moon landing in April 1970 is depicted with a surprising amount of tension. Director Ron Howard did an amazing job just acquiring the images on film with great use of CGI and the weightlessness. You feel as if you're on the rocket with the 3 astronauts. The acting is great throughout, but Oscar appropriately singled out Ed Harris, whose flight director confronts, questions, and inspires his crew to get the Americans home. The domestic scenes are stale compared to the flight control and flight crew scenes. Watching a bunch of super-smart nerds solving things with math and physics has never been this glamorous.

54. Casino - (1995)
Everyone wanted Goodfellas Part 2 and what they got was more violence, more language, more costumes, more celebrities, more cinematography, more songs, and less camaraderie. Everyone is at each others throats which makes it less fun. After a few viewings, the characters (especially Robert De Niro's Ace Rothstein) become more sympathetic (and more pathetic). Unexpectedly moral, the biggest sinners suffer the most. For every great scene (the mechanics of the casino), there's one that goes on too long. It's a 2 1/2 hour masterpiece trapped in a 3 hour movie.

53. Rushmore - (1998)

Wes Anderson's second and best film mostly focused on Max Fischer, an unusually creative and precocious teenager at a private school. His interactions with teens and adults alike are hilarious due to his boldness and unpredictability. He finds a mentor in Bill Murray who eventually becomes his rival. Murray reaches comic nirvana as he climbs up on a high diving board with drink and cigarette in tow. His contempt for his life and family as well as his self-loathing and self-deprecating humor make this his most interesting creation.

52. Get Shorty - (1995)
My favorite John Travolta scene ever is when he's watching Touch of Evil and talks back to the screen. At that moment, Chili Palmer is just a movie-loving kid. He then snaps back into "character" as he walks Rene Russo outside. The rest of the movie is almost as good - fast-paced, hilarious, and well-shot. Gene Hackman, Danny DeVito, James Gandolfini, Dennis Farina, and Delroy Lindo are up to the task of keeping of with Travolta.

51. Barton Fink - (1991)

This isn't exactly the Coens' most accessible film with its slow pacing and deliberately impenetrable protagonist. John Turturro's title character develops an Everest level writer's block in 1941 Hollywood. The Coens' examination of the creative process and "art" is certainly their most solipsistic work. But their crew of exciting supporting parts and their knowing, witty dialogue is stimulating and hilarious. Coen regulars John Goodman, Jon Polito, Tony Shaloub (Souse!) and Steve Buscemi (Chet!) are fantastic here. John Mahoney (as a William Faulkner stand-in) and Judy Davis (as his mistress) are smart and terrific. But it's the Oscar nominated Michael Lerner (as a Louis B. Mayer-type studio head) that steals the show.

100. Glengarry Glen Ross
99. Dead Again
98. Ed Wood
97. True Romance
96. The Commitments
95. Bound
94. Die Hard 2
93. In the Line of Fire
92. Affliction
91. Shakespeare in Love
90. In the Company of Men
89. Short Cuts
88. Copland
87. The Hudsucker Proxy
86. The Last Seduction
85. The Apostle
84. Burnt by the Sun
83. The Godfather Part III
82. Good Will Hunting
81. Speed
80. Reversal of Fortune
79. Forest Gump
78. American Beauty
77. Dazed and Confused
76. True Lies
75. Nixon
74. Malcolm X
73. Red Rock West
72. Hearts of Darkness
71. Wag the Dog
70. Thelma and Louise
69. Hoop Dreams
68. Quiz Show
67. Reservoir Dogs
66. Total Recall
65. The Hunt for Red October
64. Babe
63. Braveheart
62. Searching for Bobby Fischer
61. Bottle Rocket
60. Jerry Maguire
59. Terminator 2
58. Toy Story
57. Toy Story 2
56. Elizabeth