The 1990s was a strange time for cinema. Gone were the meaty excesses of the 1980s (mostly), and suddenly the independent filmmaker was at the forefront. Technology has changed the medium at a breakneck pace and “jump” scares have often been replaced by the usual suspension-driven diet.
These are the 10 films that represent the majority of my favorite movies of the decade.
Number 10
L.A. secret
Year: 1997
Director: Curtis Hanson
Academy Award Nominations: 9
Academy Award Wins: 2
Why:L.A. Secret is Chinatown from the 90s. It is a brilliantly effective crime thriller set in the 1950s, which shines a light on police corruption, police inhumanity; media and Hollywood. The powerful cast (Guy Pearce, Russel Crowe, Kevin Spacey, Kim Basinger) are all spot on as the men in the Gangland power struggle. that creates a slain cop, a police framework and an intense extreme shooter that would make a classic Western rival. Ignored by the public, L.A. Confidential‘s major critical and award-winning glory of its time went to the big spears of the year Titanic, but as time goes on, it is this film that will be remembered as the best of the year.
Number 9
Toy Story 2
Year: 1999
Director: John Lasseter
Academy Award Nominations: 1
Academy Award Wins: 0
Why: As little as three months ago I had the first Pixar release, Toy Story, occupying this position, but after this year’s theatrical re-mission of both films, I find the position reversed. Toy Story 2 is possibly the best sequel ever made. While the film is technically superior at first glance, it is also emotionally superior. The film’s themes of death and abandonment and finding your place in life are so touching and heartfelt that it’s hard to move the film’s key sequences. Pixar has always had a way with characters and humor that remains almost unmatched in all of their films, and Toy Story 2 is a clear example of why.
Number 8
Fake pulp
Year: 1994
Director: Quentin Tarantino
Academy Award Nominations: 7
Academy Award Wins: 1
Why: Often imitated, but not quite duplicated, Fake Soup shines in a bottle. Quintini Tarentini’s snappy dialogue and jigsaw puzzle have created a small cult following of their own. Set in the present day (time), Pulp Fiction presents a vague sense of the 1970s.
Number 7
Leo the King
Year: 1994
Director: Roger Allers, Rob Minkoff
Academy Award Nominations: 4
Academy Award Wins: 2
Why: Disney’s latest really great 2D animated film, The Lion King i> To be the most important thing before, the time of life is ugly. An animated retelling of Hamlet, The Lion King tells the story of Simba, a lion cub who grows up in exile from his kingdom. The animation features amazing songs and gorgeous animations. The star voice performances are all there, and this is a movie that just stays with you long after it’s over.
Number 6
Fight Club
Year: 1999
Director: David Fincher
Academy Award Nominations: 1
Academy Award Wins: 0
Why: Fight Club introduced a section of middle America to a little slice of anarchy that few had seen before. Tyler Durden’s (Brad Pitt) philosophy of life has served as a role to reveal a new life to the audience. With a spectacular twist, the gritty realism of the film’s ending captures the indifference of a generation.
Number 5
The heart of the brave
Year: 1995
Director: Mel Gibson
Academy Award Nominations: 10
Academy Award Wins: 5
Why: Mel Gibson is making a bloody, sweeping motion epic film magnificently. The brutal truth, with memorable characters, coupled with a fairly accurate historical story, are incredibly engaging. Sweeping shots and beautiful mountains are also a co-star. Mel Gibson has proven that he is as capable a director as he is a star with this epic masterpiece.
Number 4
Forest Gump
Year: 1994
Director: Robert Zemeckis
Academy Award Nominations: 13
Academy Award Wins: 6
Why: Melodramatic? Certainly. Are you surprised? Yes. Tom Hanks is a phenomenon in history of a simple man living in extraordinary times. Everyone is pregnant with a vignette. The use of movie musicals is worth watching. There are so many little touches in the movie that make it amazing.
Number 3
<1> Saving Ryan’s Secret
Year: 1998
Director: Steven Spielberg
Academy Award Nominations: 11
Academy Award Wins: 5
Why: Probably the most intense war movie ever on film, Saving Private Ryan< It's as much an experience as it is a movie. The chaos in the realism of the fight sequences has been rightly praised since the release of the film, but the quiet characters are more driven aspects like the show. The movie also starts with some of the best soundtrack work ever, because when the tank is playing, it can shake your whole house.
Number 2
The Shawshank Redemption
Year: 1994
Director: Frank Darabont
Academy Award Nominations: 7
Academy Award Wins: 0
Why: A film lost in the spectacular success of many other films that year, The Shawshank Redemption is one that has proven to be an enduring classic. A story of hope in despair, this is a movie that seems to get better every time. Sitting proudly as the #1 movie on IMDb.com, Shawshank is one of the most popular movies in the world (it was the most watched movie of 1995), although box office flopped on release.
Number 1
Goodfellas
Year: 1990
Director: Martin Scorcese
Academy Award Nominations: 6
Academy Award Wins: 1
Why: This is a movie to be learned for years to come. Also Shawshank Redemption director Frank Darabont said that he studied the film’s use of narrative and time as a model to use in the film. For me, this is the definitive movie. Every performance is solid, and there is not a moment of wasted physicality, but never a moment of time, or even close, at the two and a half hour running time.
