Best Films of the 90s - 5-1

5. Fargo - (1996)

Joel and Ethan Coen grew up in Minnesota which no doubt helped their incredible specificity with both the characterizations and locations. The attention to detail with each person creates a rich experience - every character could have their own movie. Marge Gunderson doesn't even show up until the 32 minute mark and she's the most memorable (and culturally significant) female character of the decade. The trademark Coen dialogue - witty, unusual, unpredictable - is there, but compared to their prior efforts, they really upped the ante visually. The snowy landscapes are perfectly captured by Roger Deakins and it occasionally looks like a black and white film. Carter Burwell's minor chords are sometimes out of place in the Coens' lighter comedic films but they hit the bleak mood terrifically here.

4. Pulp Fiction - (1994)
The impact isn't fully appreciated by Generation Y, but Xers had never seen anything like this in 1994. Timeline-shifting, pop-culture references, and racial egalitarianism had never hit the mainstream before. Quentin Tarantino took classic subjects like gangsters, taxi drivers, and boxers from film's early days of the 1930s and gave them a spectacular update. Elements of every decade of American film are referenced - it's amazing how innovative and original it felt (and still feels) since QT borrowed from any- and everything. The performances are sublime as the actors realistically spill out the smart, cool dialogue. My favorite section has always been the first half of "The Bonnie Situation" - the most hilarious 15 minutes of the decade.

3. Schindler's List - (1993)

Detractors call it too sentimental and too manipulative. Kubrick famously claimed it wasn't really about the Holocaust since it was about the survival of 1000 Jews rather than the murder of 6 million. But there are still several brutal scenes of horrific violence. Steven Spielberg will always want to entertain and reach a mass audience. Only he could make a 3 hour, R-rated, black and white film about the Holocaust and make a huge profit. The technical achievement is indisputable; the acting is superb from top to bottom, especially Ralph Fiennes. And the end challenges you the way few films can.

2. Goodfellas - (1990)
Complicated, long, uninterrupted shots interspersed with quick cuts and whiplash camera moves, Martin Scorsese is in complete control of the medium. It's a director's movie, but he allows the actors (especially Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci) plenty of breathing room. The songs are perfectly cut with the images (especially Donovan's "Atlantis" and the piano part of "Layla"). And just when you think he's run out of things to do, he pulls out a whole new bag of tricks with the genius May 11th, 1980 sequence which puts the viewer in the head of a cocaine user. The major difference between this and Pulp Fiction is that Tarantino's message of providence and purpose felt tacked on and Scorsese's critique of materialism and his evaluation of morality levels is present throughout his gangster epic masterpiece. They both grew up on movies, but Scorsese seems to understand real life.

1. The Thin Red Line - (1998)

A couple of films (like The Social Network or Black Swan) hit the intellectual sweet spot every year; some (like The Fighter or Toy Story 3) even manage to find my atrophied heartstrings. But this Terrence Malick masterwork is the only one ever made that hits this unknown place - call it the soul, for lack of a better word. Watching this, you truly feel as if every person, regardless of location, creed, or age, is connected. But more than that, death cannot even stop the connection. Many have felt confused about the multiple narrators, but it's really all the same story - we're all in it together and part of the same tale. Certainly, the use of Melanesian missionary hymns help set the mood. But the poetic narration is frequently profound, and so abysmally deep, that it's easy to find something new even if you've seen it over a dozen times. The jaw-dropping shots of nature help with the immersive experience and strengthen the themes of universal bonding. Relationships - friendships and marriage are only part of the point. Coexistence with the natural world and your enemies is in your own best interest. The centerpiece scene is "The Mop-Up" chapter with Hans Zimmer's "Journey to the Line" playing and it's exciting and thrilling every time. But it's the observations and insights that make this such an unusually rewarding film.


125. Exotica
124. Much Ado About Nothing
123. The Piano
122. Crying Game
121. Boyz N the Hood
120. Crumb
119. A Bug's Life
118. The Freshman
117. Shine
116. Bringing Out the Dead
115. City Slickers
114. Secrets and Lies
113. Spanish Prisoner
112. Homicide
111. The Lion King
110. Jurassic Park
109. Shadowlands
108. Tremors
107. The Double Life of Veronique
106. The Grifters
105. Lost Highway
104. Before Sunrise
103. Sling Blade
102. The Game
101. Bullets over Broadway
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
55. Apollo 13
54. Casino
53. Rushmore
52. Get Shorty
51. Barton Fink
50. Swingers
49. The Matrix
48. 12 Monkeys
47. Out of Sight
46. The Sixth Sense
45. The Limey
44. Hamlet
43. Dark City
42. Leaving Las Vegas
41. Hard Eight
40. The Fugitive
39. Three Kings
38. Waiting for Guffman
37. Beauty and the Beast
36. Hard-Boiled
35. In the Name of the Father
34. Lone Star
33. Three Colors: Blue, White, Red
32. A River Runs Through It
31. Dead Man Walking
30. The Usual Suspects
29. Dances with Wolves
28. The Player
27. Groundhog Day
26. Truman Show
25. The Sweet Hereafter
24. Last of the Mohicans
23. Heat
22. Trainspotting
21. The Big Lebowski
20. Fearless
19. The Shawshank Redemption
18. Seven
17. Being John Malkovich
16. Fight Club
15. Saving Private Ryan
14. Miller's Crossing
13. Magnolia
12. The Silence of the Lambs
11. Eyes Wide Shut
10. The Insider
9. JFK
8. Unforgiven
7. LA Confidential
6. Boogie Nights