The 90's in Review: The Top Films

It's an incredibly difficult task but almost everybody does it when the numbers of the year roll from 9 to 0. I'll be debated by the ten people that actually read this site but that's one thing I love about movies: everybody has such a different opinion of them. I haven't seen everything I've wanted to, but this list will be an ongoing process. 

1. Schindler's List - Steven Spielberg
This is without a doubt the greatest accomplishment in film I have ever laid witness to. After viewing it the first time, I felt ashamed to be a human being. That's the extents to which you feel pain for the victims of the holocaust and hatred for the Nazis. The atrocities you see in its many horrific scenes are unpleasantly burned into my memory. The scene in which the women are forced to strip nude and enter the shower is easily one of the most powerful of the decade. They feel the certainty of death, but the scene ends with a daring optimism. The ending is truly magnificent, and Liam Neeson's break down is the most emotional scene I've ever seen. This is regarded as the film in which promise turns into downright genius for Spielberg. The film followed in the wake of the technical masterpiece Jurassic Park, but even the enormous box-office of the dinosaurs couldn't diminish the importance of Schindler's List. As close to flawless as you can hope to come close to, it's awe-inspiring storytelling in the highest sense of the term. They don't get better than this one.

2. Saving Private Ryan - Steven Spielberg
The most horrific recreation of war ever put to celluloid, so realistic in fact that special military counseling centers had to be set up to help aging soldiers fight agonizing flashbacks. It's arguably the best war footage ever, focusing on the catastrophe that bullets flying through the air can be rather than the heroism of the generals. It's the grunts that are the story, not the political leaders. It's a film that transports to you to the blood-red battlefield. It's a technical masterpiece, possibly the best sound ever put into a film. The bullets whiz by your heads and the explosions shake your seats in the theater. It creates a riveting, earth-shattering experience. Unforgettable moments are abound, including an unforgettable fall into cowardice. The first twenty-five minutes, featuring the best camera work I have ever seen, will be remembered as one of the greatest scenes ever.

3. The Shawshank Redemption - Frank Darabont
A drama of faith in humanity leading to triumph over evil in a deadly place. It's not an original motif for a film, yet it's rarely been so captivating. Relatively simple storyline, featuring one of the most pleasing finales I've ever seen. One could dismiss it as being sentimental garbage. That'd be a mistake, as the emotions are incredibly mixed. A favorite movie of every person I know, it's a film that is popular for all the right reasons: plot, script, direction, and character development. It's strong in all areas, and given the fact that it's Darabont's feature length debut, we can rest assured knowing that we'll get many more brilliant films from him. It's a comforting thought, knowing that Darabont, displaying such incredible instincts here, will only get better with age and wisdom.

4. L.A. Confidential - Curtis Hanson
A monumental achievement in writing, this film has the most speaking parts of any movie in history. Even with this little-known fact, the script is surprisingly tight. No scene is wasted, and the characters are tenacious in their personalities. The acting is flawless, giving us perhaps the best ensemble piece of the decade. Spacey, Crowe, Basinger, DeVito, Guy Pierce, and James Cromwell form the heart of the story. Is definitely a film noir for the ages, and is not a film to take lightly. Prepare to comprehend the complex, delicate plot. Critics loved the film, and audiences, after viewing it more than once so they can understand it all, loved it equally, making it a film where critics and audiences agree that it's one of the 90's best. It's also probably the best adapted screenplay of the decade.

5. The Silence of the Lambs - Jonathan Demme
Savagely brilliant, tightly directed storyline. Not a scene is wasted through the course of the film, the dialogue and situations further adding to the paranoia. It creates much heralded characters that will long be remembered as some of the best ever conceived. Clarice Starling is brilliantly portrayed by Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkin's Dr. Hannibal "The Cannibal" Lecter is a wonderful display of depth of character. I feel that Hopkins gives the best performance of the decade here. It's a film that won everything at the Oscars, and deservedly so. It's always a pleasant surprise when the Academy actually chooses films that deserve to win. Silence stands as a masterpiece but will soon be classified as one of the best ever. A subtly horrific, mind-bending film.

6. Eyes Wide Shut - Stanley Kubrick
Ethereal and dreamlike, directed with the hands of a God. It has come out only recently and the backlash is still eminent. It's not Kubrick's best, but it's hard to pass some of the films in his truly incredible repertoire. People expected the coming of Christ and all they got was a beautiful, haunting film. Controversy clouded the release of Kubrick's final film. It almost got stapled with an NC-17 rating for the sex during the famous orgy scene, a scene that endured digital alterations to "fix." Who knows for sure if Kubrick would have allowed this if he had still been alive to protest. Eyes is an examination of relationships; a film that is one of the most spell-binding, hypnotic dreams in film history.

7. Titanic - James Cameron
Easily the shortest three hour movie I've ever seen, and easily the film I get criticized the most for liking so much. It's a wonder to me why every conversation about this film becomes a battle. People must despise it for being so damn good. Cameron's costly epic more than lived up to the hype, delivering everything anybody could ask for. It features some glorious romance, amazing cinematography, and the best use of amazing special effects I have ever seen. As for the studios, it's the most well spent 200 million in their history. Titanic is the film that deserves to be the highest grosser of all time.

8. Braveheart - Mel Gibson
A quintessential epic that features all the right amounts of the necessary elements: a little romance, betrayals, serene vistas, savage battles, historical accuracy, and a complete and utter revolutionary in the lead. Battles are fought how they should be fought: tooth and claw rather than the punching of a button. It's a completely engrossing picture, never fearful of spending time to develop the characters. Adding to the amazing aura of this film is that it's (mostly) a true story. In each battle the rebels survived seemingly insurmountable odds, leading to triumph because of sheer will power. It's also an unforgettable testament to martyrdom.

9. Pulp Fiction - Quentin Tarantino
The most memorable dialogue in the nineties. That alone makes the movie significant, but combined with pure adrenalinized direction it turns out to be one of the biggest roller coasters I've ever seen. The situations are completely outrageous, and never proceeds to go over-the-top. It plays with time as few pictures ever have and creates a circular storyline. It's a film that requires repeat viewing for many reasons: to memorize the fantastic dialogue and to understand the details in the in-your-face script. This is film mostly responsible for bringing independent films into the mainstream.

10. Forrest Gump - Robert Zemeckis
The script is the origin of many catchphrases of popular American culture but it's the pure innocence of Forrest that made audiences laugh and cry. It's a turning point in Zemeckis' career, making him one of our most reliable filmmakers. Gump is seamlessly integrated into pivotal moments of our country's history, giving humorous looks on controversial events. This probably caused adults to flock to the theaters in droves, making it one of the top grossing pictures in history. When a fictitious tale is told so flawlessly it's hard to stop yourself from taking a trip to the theater.

Honorable Mention (in no particular order):
Shakespeare in Love - John Madden
Goodfellas - Martin Scorsese
Contact - Robert Zemeckis
-- (to be updated at any time)

Written on 2/26/00