Click here for my Epinions essay on the Best films of the 1990s, and here for my Epinions essay on the Worst films of the 1990s
Top 10 Best & Worst list of the 1990’s
First off, this really can’t be the actual top 10. There are too many movies included on other people’s lists that I never saw. And, I’m not too sure about some of my choices. Who knows? Maybe some of the films I saw and liked this year are going to stand the test of time, and seem greater than the movies I loved 8-9 years ago.
For the worst films, I’d like to say that since I tend not too see too many truly horrible films, I’m not covering the very worst of the worst. Unlike a paid film critic, I’m not entitled to see everything that comes out. So I was able to miss such probable garbage as "Jack", "North", "Spice World", most of the Pauly Shore films, and I only saw one of the Chris Tucker vehicles. Somehow, I did manage to see all the Jean Claude Van Damme films, however.
Best Films of Decade (That I Saw)
1) Goodfellas
I’m not sure, but it’s quite possible that Martin Scorsese holds the title for greatest film of the 70’s (Taxi Driver), the 80’s (Raging Bull), and now the 90’s with "Goodfellas". It came out early in the decade, but still nothing surpassed its greatness for the next 10 years. This is a true masterpiece.
What a story to tell. It could have been just a memoir of one man in the mob, or a documentary type of film, but instead it succeeded at being both, making each aspect stronger. This film is an excellent example of how to make a great movie out of a good book. The book reads a little more like a documentary and an autobiography, but the film does so much more. We get a true character driven story, and only then does the film succeed at giving us the history lesson.
This film is amazingly entertaining for what could be such a dry subject matter. The movie constantly teases us by making us laugh at horrible times. And by having our laughter turn to fear, and then back to laughter. As only a great director can do, we feel what the characters feel. When Henry Hill feels exhilaration at his lifestyle, so do we. When he feels trapped, so do we. I still remember his wife realizing that he goes out and steals for a living, but then tells herself that at least he isn’t just sitting around the house doing nothing. She almost convinces us.
The film is unbelievably well constructed. Scorsese does many camera tricks to aid in the narration. His consistent camera movements are so subtle that if you aren’t looking for them, you won’t see them, but yet, they add to every scene. Every now and then he freezes the frame so we can hear narration over what is going on. This is just the right thing to do, when he does it. And the ending of the film, where a character practically walks off the screen to tell us what happens next, is pure genius. And then the next cut is of Joe Peschi firing his gun into the camera. I still cannot tell you what the point of that was, but god, did it work!
2) Schindler’s List
It always bothers me when I hear people discussing this film as being great based upon the fact that "it tells an important story that must be told". This is a disservice to the film, which can be proven by imagining just how impotent earlier holocaust films have been at truly making us feel what it must have been like to be a jew in Nazi controlled Europe. The film is first a masterpiece of cinematography, editing, and of course direction. Then, and only then, is it a masterpiece of emotional control. The film milks some scenes for every tear it can muster, and other scenes of violence are shown so straightforward that we are shocked more than fancy direction would have been able to do. And the ending, which is possibly one of the most incredible endings ever put on film, truly breaks down the third wall, almost converting the film into a documentary, and truly brought forth tears that it rightfully deserved!
Spielberg is the master of melodrama, but here he actually felt restrained to me. I think he realized that some of the pure images were so powerful that they did not need his skillful direction to add to it, since they could only distance us from its stark reality.
The film took many chances by being shot in black and white, by what seemed then to be a long running time of 3 hours, and by being about such a serious subject matter. This was all the more unusual by a man known most of all for making entertainment films for the whole family. I knew he had this in him since his box office failure "Empire of the Sun" six years earlier, but most critics felt he couldn’t be gritty enough. The fact that this film came out the same year he also directed the (then) most successful film of all time, "Jurassic Park" is astounding. That film was pure entertainment that earned its money by making all people want to see it again and again. "Schindler’s List" is quite the opposite, where it drains you so emotionally, you almost can’t watch it through the first time.
3) LA Confidential
It seems a little too recent to give this film such high praise, but looking at my list, I cannot seem to place it any lower. This movie started out reminding me of "Mullholland Falls" and by the end had reminded me of "Chinatown". This is no small compliment! The movie isn't perfect, but it only started to fail me in its very final scene (the standard happy Hollywood ending). Its flaws are minor, and certainly overshadowed by its greatness at almost every level. For the most part, everything worked! Special mentions to all the actors and the script need to be made. There are about a half dozen major parts, and about a dozen minor ones, all of whom are developed with depth, even if we only see them in a few scenes. The script is very well written, intelligent, clever, and complicated (without being too confusing). The dialogue is top notch, and the characters reflect the script's depth.
Seeing it a second time, I was very impressed by the fact that for the majority of the movie we only know exactly what the characters know. We suspect what they suspect and make the same wrong assumptions they do. This is no small feat in Hollywood these days where the characters always seem so stupid, since we know so much that they don't. At three or four moments in the film we discover something important just as the characters do, and it really adds to our involvement.
And this is the first movie that I've seen in years that has an intelligent reason for a shootout at the end. Most summer films casually contain tacked on car chases and/or shootouts. Here it is the logical conclusion, although the movie doesn't just end there. The aftermath is handled just perfectly by the lead character, and the powers that be. With all the praise the film received, I still cannot get over how poorly this film did at the box office. Even after all the Oscar nominations! I can’t imagine anyone who wouldn’t be entertained by this film.
4) Fargo
This is everything an entertaining movie should be. Well made, funny, clever, and exciting. It had great acting, editing, directing, writing, you name it! The movie went all over the board, and no scene was predictable, yet it all fit together. Considering the odd dialogue, it was amazing that all of it sounded right. Even the most minor line of dialogue is quotable This film took so many chances, and took so many tangents that I can’t believe how well it all worked. This film reeks of originality, and it’s no surprise that no one has been able to imitate it in the several years since it’s release.
This dialogue is alive, and is as strong a presence as any character on the screen. There is one incredible scene, filmed all in one take, where a man describes some shady characters that the police may be interested in. It is a credit to the screenwriters that they could foresee how wonderful the language could be on paper, since if I repeated it, one could never appreciate it the same way as hearing it. Not all the dialogue was funny, however. There is one scene with the father saying, "Jean & Scott won’t ever need to worry", and we feel the hurt down to our core.
One thing that I couldn't stop noticing while watching was the cinematography. When the camera is still, it is magnificent. Every shot appears to be as labored upon as "Citizen Kane" (which was the film that the Coen's first movie "Blood Simple" was compared to the most). There are a number of shots where you just stare focused on the screen looking all around the edges. So many shots contained so much snow that the film borders on being a black and white film. When the camera moved, it too is fantastic. The scene of the killing of the cop & witnesses is a masterpiece. The way the camera switches between what each individual character is seeing works at an astonishing level.
A lot seems to happen in-between shots as well. The film is very terse in this case. The film doesn’t need to show a lot, we just know what has happened.
5) Natural Born Killers
I think time will give this film the respect that it deserves. It is easy to see why it turned off so many viewers. Excessive violence, not just in what it shows, but in just the subject matter itself. Basically the film makes stars of two serial killers, although as most people seem to miss the point, that is what the film is really about. About how the media, in its attempt to sell the news, makes heroes out of these horrible villains.
This film can be called a bizarre masterpiece. It is an amazingly constructed film. It is possibly the most well edited film ever. It combines 4 or 5 different stocks of films, including animation, and mixes in surreal backgrounds and sounds, and eventually doesn’t even seem to draw attention to itself.
Its message is an important one, but unfortunately the film almost helps to glorify the subject matter, proving it’s own point. But the film is so well made, that it can stand purely as a masterpiece of editing and direction.
6) JFK
Oliver Stone’s earlier masterpiece comes right behind his "Natural Born Killers" on my list. It is hard to decide which is the better film, or if they should tie, but I think the brilliant construction really helps "NBK", whereas it hurts a little of "JFK". "JFK" is where we first saw some of the fantastic editing and construction of "NBK", but since this film is trying to be a possible documentary, some of the meaning is hurt by it. For example, we begin to associate the black and white 16mm look with actual footage, versus the film’s color stock for the made up story. However, when we see Stone’s possible versions of the story in the same stock, it almost feels like it’s cheating, convincing us of Stone’s theories. We needed more detachment here, in my opinion.
Still, the film is not just brilliantly constructed. It tells an important story, and one that is critical of the most dangerous people to be critical of. He basically accuses the government, the military, the mob, and to a lesser extent, the media of all playing ball together to assassinate JFK. This is gutsy filmmaking, and if you don’t think so, just imagine how much more dry this could have come off if it were being made as a made for TV movie, or as a segment on Dateline.
7) Pulp Fiction
Considered to be the most influential film of the last decade, it unfortunately has influenced a lot of crap! This movie shines even brighter when compared to all the dreck that has tried to capture what made it special, but keeps missing the point. With the exception of "2 Days in the Valley" & "Go", I cannot think of any of the 2 dozen films ‘inspired’ by this film that were even remotely good films. It wasn’t the originality of this film that made it special, but quite simply the dialogue. These characters aren’t real people, but they feel real enough that they just might exist. These are bad people, who do bad things, yet we like them. These aren’t necessary anti-heroes (created with "Bonnie & Clyde") because they are in it for themselves, but instead just likeable thugs.
8) Fight Club
It feels too soon to put this film on my list, so maybe it’ll move up or down with time. Like all great films this one really leaves an impression on you. "Fight Club" is both an incredibly well made film, as well as being socially important. The film had excellent acting (Edward Norton has still not done anything less than spectacular work), and Norton deserves the credit far more than Pitt does. Norton had to carry this film on his shoulders, and amazingly people still discuss the film as if it were Pitt’s film. All the roles took bravery to agree to play, and all the actors made 3 dimensional characters out of simplistic ideas.
The direction of the film by David Fincher did an excellent job of straddling that fine line between clever camera work that calls attention to itself and helping to progress the story. A lot of the story had to be narrated directly to the audience, and Fincher kept us entertained through his direction.
The film’s critique on modern capitalism is a little lost in the way that the film goes over the top with the story, but points are made clear and concisely about men in today’s society. The themes, ideas, as well as the film cannot be ignored. These are today’s men who are being told what it means to be a man by people who aren’t. The film practically starts with men who lose their testicles being told to cry in each other’s bosoms. The lead character’s life is so boring that even the credits can only call him ‘narrator’. This character defines human life only in terms of their monetary value. All this is what he learns to break away from.
The film’s big revelation one-upped even "The Sixth Sense", and it was amazing that it seemed to get away with what was even the more difficult ‘trick’ to keep interesting on a second viewing.
This film, more than any other in years, has more to think about after the credits are over. There are so many obvious things that aren't explained to you. This movie lingered with more people than any other recent film, and I found myself discussing the film’s meaning with others months after the film had left the theaters. Some films are inappropriately called in their press releases as 'an instance cult classic'. This film can become nothing else but just that.
9) Terminator 2
The best of the best in terms of pleasurable action flicks. The first Terminator was one of the best films of the 80’s, and I didn’t think a sequel could be made. I certainly didn’t think it could be as original, clever or interesting as the first one. James Cameron is simply the finest action director/writer we have. He won't let anything hold back the vision he wants to bring to the screen. This movie was the most expensive film ever made by 50% over the cost of the runner up, his box office disappointment, "The Abyss". He basically created a new form of special effects and truly delivered.
Even without the groundbreaking special effects, the film is still has some of the most entertaining action sequences put on film. The truck chase through the sewers, the helicopter chase, the fight between the various terminators are all textbook cases of how to make an exciting action scene.
10) Braveheart
One of the few modern epic spectacles, "Braveheart" found just the right note to work at all levels. Beating "Saving Private Ryan" by a few years, "Braveheart" fought the trend from previous years to tone down the violence by really putting it in our face. This gave the movie a level of realism that it needed to feel like a true historical story. The acting by all the minor characters was exemplary, and like only good scripts can do, each scene truly added to the characters depth, instead of just having them spout empty lines.
Runner Ups:
Naked
A truly odd masterpiece. I saw this film almost by accident because of a flyer I found
from the film the week before saying that the lead actor and director won at the Canne
Film Festival. Intrigued, I saw the film and was instantly captivated by David
Thewlis’ performance. His character is one of the most interesting, mysterious and
conflicted characters I’ve ever seen. I was both repulsed by him, yet would have
loved to spend time with him to learn what makes him tick. The film led me on an extremely
interesting journey, that to see explained on paper, would at best look unfilmable. The
film doesn’t really have a plot, or really even a narrative. The ending makes you
wonder what, if anything, the film is about. Yet watching it, I was on the edge of my
seat, wondering where it would take me next, since where we just left was so interesting.
Not an easy film to watch, but an even harder one to forget.
Saving Private Ryan
Speilberg’s film is flawed in a few ways, in a few scenes, but when it
works, the film is as good as "Schindler’s List" and "Empire of the
Sun". The D-day landing scene was genius in that it felt so realistic while still
keeping that Spielberg touch of being so clever and well filmed.
He Got Game
Even when the film slows down, it is still mesmerizing in its cinematography,
editing and direction.
The Matrix
Some of the first truly groundbreaking special effects since
"Terminator 2" 8 years earlier. On top of that, it is one of the decade’s
finest edited films in the way that it moves not just between angles, but also between
speeds. The writer/director’s inspirations were comic books, and it shows in the way
they framed their shots. Also on my list of best films of 1999.
Usual Suspects (full review)
Most great movies have a great story, or a clever ending, but seldom both.
This film could easily have been a 2 hour setup for a trick ending, but without the ending
this film could still be one of the decades best. The movie continually led me into new
areas with more and more interesting characters. Like Pulp Fiction, even the temporary and
outrageous ones seemed real. From almost first time director & writer, this film is
top notch in almost every way. I can’t express my disappointment that neither has
followed up this film with anything noteworthy.
The Shawshank Redemption
Not a revolutionary film or anything, but it is exceptionally great
entertainment.
City of Angels
Probably the only film I really loved this decade that could be called
‘sappy’. This film had no less than a dozen wonderful scenes and ideas in it.
The film worked so well for me, that I almost feel like I got tricked into liking the sort
of film that I normally squirm at having to even watch. There were so many intelligent
plays on what it would be like to be an angel, to meet an angel, and to be an angel who
becomes mortal, that I’m surprised that the movie never made a fatal misstep into
being unbelievable.
Grand Canyon
A truly wonderful film! It has so many good discussions about various
topics, but I especially liked all the discussions about what it means to help someone.
Steve Martin had what is probably his bravest role, and most of the ensemble cast were
nothing short of excellent. The rare film that could be discussed in philosophy and ethics
classes.
Devil’s Advocate
Without Al Pacino this film would be good, but not on this list. But Al
Pacino chews up the scenery in the film like no other recent performance. It almost feels
as over the top as a Jim Carrey performance, but works perfectly here.
Lonestar
A film so talky that it reads like a book, but not one line of dialogue
isn’t important. The film appears to be about a murder mystery, but is far more
interesting as a sociological discovery of what it means to be an American.
Babe
Probably the best ‘family entertainment’ of the decade. It is far
more interesting for the kids and the parents than any of the traditional Disney cartoons
of the last decade.
Movies that are fascinating in their construction (IE, they shouldn’t work, but they do):
Important Films that Don’t Quite Make my List:
Other Close Calls:
Best Escapist Entertainment:
Movies on Many Other Critics Top 10 Lists
That I’m Surprised To See There:
(some because I didn’t like them, and others because I’m just surprised)
Unforgiven – I can’t believe how many lists this film is on. I just don’t get it. There have been better westerns, and much better films in the last decade. Is it just because it was Clint’s swansong from westerns?
Hoop Dreams – It was wonderful as a documentary, but for all it’s excellent moments, there were twice as many moments that I just didn’t find interesting.
Forrest Gump – Actually, an excellent movie, but just not worthy of being on a top 10 list to me. This was escapist entertainment at it’s best, but too silly to be a true journey through American history or anything.
The Player – A great movie about Hollywood, but just not a great movie.
Kundun – A very good film from one of the greatest of all directors, but certainly not his best work, even of the decade. I put Goodfellas on the top, but I would have to say that "Bringing Out the Dead", "Cape Fear", "Casino" and even "The Age of Innocence" were superior films.
Dead Man – Far too boring of a film to make up for its nice touches.
Seven – Not a bad film, but it isn’t as well made as Fincher’s "Fight Club", nor as interesting. I’m also confused why this appeared on so many lists, since the year it was released, this didn’t make anyone’s top 10 of the year list, and it was hated by many critics.
Reservoir Dogs – I certainly like this film, but I don’t understand why it appears on so many lists that Pulp Fiction doesn’t, since it isn’t that well directed, and isn’t as well written as Pulp Fiction.
Breaking the Waves – I’ve only just recently seen this film, and feel maybe I should give it another viewing from all the lists it appears on. It is impressive, but I don’t rate it high enough to put it into the top 10 of the decade.
Naked – It’s almost on my list, but I’m surprised to see so many others consider it as well since I didn’t think that many people saw it, critics or not. And the consistent misogynistic behavior of the males tends to turn off many viewers. I guess David Thewlis’ performance was that good for many others besides me.
Sweet Hereafter – I loved this movie and had it as my #2 for 1998, but am surprised to see so many other critics hold it in the same light. It is certainly depressing, and long at times, but I’m glad to see it well received. I’ll probably have to watch it again, since I have a hard time putting it on my decade top 10 list.
Heavenly Creatures – I loved this film a lot! It was easily one of the weirdest films I saw this decade, and one of the most unwatchable for the various things it showed. It’s up there for me, but not on my top 10.
Out of Sight – I’m surprised by this one for some of the same reasons as Forrest Gump. It is extremely well made, but still only escapist entertainment at the best.
Thelma & Louise – I’m not too surprised to see this one on so many lists since it ranks high on the importance scale, and is pretty well made. Still, it is so old, and just doesn’t seem to have the power that it did when it came out.
Malcom X – I liked some of Spike Lee’s other films this decade a little better, and I just didn’t think this film was as ‘important’ as Spike would have us believe. I admit though, that I’m probably missing a lot of the meanings here.
Usual Suspects – This film sure wasn’t this well liked when it came out. I loved it, and put it tied for #1 the year it came out, and I thought I stood alone with that level of high praise. I’m glad time has raised its respectability.
Moves on Several Other Critics Top 10 Lists That I Haven’t Seen:
Worst Films of Decade (That I Saw)
9) Fled
It’s the sort of bad movie that is so boring watching it, but gives tons of entertainment laughing about it scene after scene later. Unbelievable action scenes where we sit with our jaws open wondering how could all these people locate the ‘next’ secret location. There are characters who change motivation at the whim of the script. My favorite scene would be the one where the two stars who have given a man a heart attack, and to save him put him in a pickup truck, and push him through two lanes of cross-traffic towards an Emergency Room entrance. Unbelievable even more so when you realize that one of these two heroes is really a cop. Actually, it wasn’t that surprising since I believe the ads told us this. Another scene with Selma Hayek driving these two guys who apparently kidnapped her within 30 yards of several police cars is so improbable that I cannot even begin to get into it. I was somewhat ‘entertained’ but for all the wrong reasons. In retrospect I was actually pretty bored during the film!
8) Knock-off
Certainly one of the inappropriately funniest bad films on my list. I laughed more at this film than I did at most comedies. Featuring some of the most annoying fancy camera tricks, one of the worst computer animations I’ve ever seen, and some of the most uninteresting martial arts fights, this movie surely ranks as Jean Claude’s worst. No wait, there was "Universal Soldier 2", and "The Quest" which do come close… but I think I’ll stick with this one.
7) Mercury Rising
I really hated this movie! It just lied there for 2 hours, offering no scenes of interest. The film was just so boring, so implausible, so slow, so misguided, and I would have to say it failed at everything it attempted. The movie tried to rip-off many better movies, and all it reminded me of was those much better films. I also hate movies that get computer technology and terminology so embarrassingly wrong. It wasn't even bad enough to make fun of afterwards.
This film did have some good points, with some of the actors and the look of the film, but this film is basically a manipulative retelling of "The Mystery of the Mary Celeste". The film tried to gross us out in too many scenes. And, I felt cheated by this film in the way that it kept having things jump at us from off screen trying to get us to jump.
5) Showgirls
Let's get this straight up front. This film was bad, really really bad. But you won’t be bored watching it. I promise you! It does contain a horribly exploitive storyline, horrendous acting, and one ridiculous scene after another. But since it seems to put all this out on the table in front of you, you feel okay laughing along with it.
4) Hudson Hawk
Right off the incredible film "Heathers", the director failed miserably with this total mess. The humor was so unbearably unfunny that I was cringing for the actors in many scenes (dolphin noises, Sandra Bernhard). The film was implausible, and reveled in that, but it only made us not care for any of the heroes when they were supposed to be in danger. This film has an unusually interesting cast, some potential in the script, but it manages to blow it with every chance.
3) Scarlet Letter
The reviews of this film made it sound like such unbelievable trash that I just assumed the critics had it out for Demi Moore. Nope. It really was unbelievable trash. This film took a classic story with lots of potential, put in many great actors, gave them bad dialogue, sexed it up needlessly, and made such unusual changes to the story that the writers should have sanity tests given to them. The start of the novel doesn’t take place in the film until the 2 hour mark. I’m not making this up! All the film had to do was follow the book somewhat, and it could have been an enjoyable film. And if you are bothered by great stories that have a happy ending tacked on, you won’t be able to stomach this film’s finale.
One of the few films I was unable to watch through. It was on cable during one free-cable weekend. I tried watching it, but I couldn’t. It was so bad that I had to turn it off. Yet, there was nothing else on TV so I tried watching it some more. Shortly, I ended up reading a magazine instead.
1) Highlander 2
This film answered the disturbing question that I never wanted to know. Is it possible for a sequel to be so bad, that it actually hurts the original film? Apparently so. Not only is this film a painfully bad film, it changes some of the facts that made the original "Highlander" one of my favorites! This film has bad acting, unbelievably poor editing, incontinuity errors, bad special effects, and contradictory scenes. And, it manages to turn the original fantasy element into some sort of alien race sci-fi film that makes so little sense, I can’t imagine how the script ever got approved.