The 100 Greatest movies of the 1990s # 19. American History X (41 Viewers)

[KarmaPolice]

because my memory and recent reading about is basically sex with a 16 year old woke Lester up out of sleepy stifled suburban life

Maybe I am not remembering correctly, but I thought he did not have sex with her - he chickened out when he saw how young she was when he saw her naked.

Despite all her previous and heavily overt flirting, doesn't she say it would be her first time just as they're about to? I remember that putting the kabosh on things... But I could definitely be wrong. Haven't seen it since the theater.

This is correct. She presents herself to everyone as being sexually active already.

 

[massraider]

GTFO with this. Obviously you didn't read the discussion

Read more than any sane person should

 

[Andy Dufresne]

because my memory and recent reading about is basically sex with a 16 year old woke Lester up out of sleepy stifled suburban life

Maybe I am not remembering correctly, but I thought he did not have sex with her - he chickened out when he saw how young she was when he saw her naked.

I meant the idea or fantasy of but yeah as pointed out he doesn’t because when he’s about to he finds out she was lying about being experienced and is actually a virgin. This makes him think of her as a child again and of his own family who I guess at the end he realizes he loves even though we haven’t seen him do much of anything loving or kind to them (does he do a single kind thing for his wife or daughter all movie, can’t recall). I remember he sort of thinks fondly of his family as he’s dying but literally right before that he go into a huge relationship nuking fight with his kid over the fact he wants to sleep with and runaway with her best friend. Again I am doing this off of vapors of the movie but I think that’s most right.

He's not portrayed as a hero at this stage of his life. He knows it, his family knows it, and we the audience know it.

But I've line of dialogue clues us in to the fact it wasn't always like this.

"She wasn't always like this. She used to be happy. We used to be happy."

In the end, he remembers how to be happy and what happiness is.

 

[KarmaPolice]

GTFO with this. Obviously you didn't read the discussion

Read more than any sane person should

Lol. Maybe you should have read more or closer then.

 

[Ilov80s]

It’s certainly an odd dilemma for a movie. We want Lester to break free but his idea of doing so is sleeping with his daughters underage friend so we don’t want that. The final epiphany rings kind of false to me especially after the damage he’s done. Tough movie to figure out but I’ll tell you what, I hadn’t thought about it much in years and I now I’m going to be digging into it.

Can’t say the same for Bobby Fischer.

 

[Dan Lambskin]

I love a 90's movie that should be on this but probably won't be so I'll go ahead and spotlight. Bad Lieutenant. He does some deplorable stuff. That doesn't mean I condone the character's actions because I like the movie.

Haven't seen that one in a long time. Powerhouse performance by Harvey Keitel. Don't remember much though other than him crying in agony in church.

Great movie. Absolutely worth revisiting.

Don’t think I’ve seen this I just know the clip of him shooting his radio when the Mets lose or whoever it was he bet on

 

[Ilov80s]

I love a 90's movie that should be on this but probably won't be so I'll go ahead and spotlight. Bad Lieutenant. He does some deplorable stuff. That doesn't mean I condone the character's actions because I like the movie.

Haven't seen that one in a long time. Powerhouse performance by Harvey Keitel. Don't remember much though other than him crying in agony in church.

Great movie. Absolutely worth revisiting.

Don’t think I’ve seen this I just know the clip of him shooting his radio when the Mets lose or whoever it was he bet on

It’s kind of like if Sandler in Uncut Gems was a cop thus having a lot of power to abuse.

 

[zamboni]

I love a 90's movie that should be on this but probably won't be so I'll go ahead and spotlight. Bad Lieutenant. He does some deplorable stuff. That doesn't mean I condone the character's actions because I like the movie.

Haven't seen that one in a long time. Powerhouse performance by Harvey Keitel. Don't remember much though other than him crying in agony in church.

Great movie. Absolutely worth revisiting.

Don’t think I’ve seen this I just know the clip of him shooting his radio when the Mets lose or whoever it was he bet on

They call that "Tuesday" in my area.

 

[General Malaise]

Oh, there's some pretty memorable scenes in Bad Lieutenant.

 

[KarmaPolice]

Oh, there's some pretty memorable scenes in Bad Lieutenant.

Never seen that one either.

 

[Dr. Octopus]

I love a 90's movie that should be on this but probably won't be so I'll go ahead and spotlight. Bad Lieutenant. He does some deplorable stuff. That doesn't mean I condone the character's actions because I like the movie.

Haven't seen that one in a long time. Powerhouse performance by Harvey Keitel. Don't remember much though other than him crying in agony in church.

Great movie. Absolutely worth revisiting.

Don’t think I’ve seen this I just know the clip of him shooting his radio when the Mets lose or whoever it was he bet on

He was betting on the Mets/Dodgers series.

Actually he wasn't betting, he was taking bets from others to submit to a bookie but kept the money hoping their bets would lose.

 

[Dr. Octopus]

Oh, there's some pretty memorable scenes in Bad Lieutenant.

Lets not get started with this one.

 

[Todem]

Also American Beauty is definitely not romantic, so that is another mark against it for me.

"F@ck me, your majesty!" isn't romantic?

Whose the king!!!!

And I enjoyed To Die For far more than American Beauty.

Far more.

 

[timschochet]

21. A Few Good Men (1992)

Directed by: Rob Reiner

Starring: Tom Cruise, Demi Moore, Jack Nicholson, Kevin Bacon

Synopsis: Two Marines stationed in Guantanamo are court martialed for murder.

Son, we live in a world that has walls, and those walls have to be guarded by men with guns. - Jack Nicholson as Colonel Nathan Jessup, USMC

Aaron Sorkin’s play gets the Hollywood treatment, and Jack Nicholson gets his “Captain Queeg” moment. (Actually Humphrey Bogart’s Queeg and Nicholson’s Jessup are two very different characters, but the point is that both are military officers put on the stand in the climatic moments of the two greatest court-martial trials in cinematic history.)
Great acting and a well told, dramatic story. Kiefer Sutherland is terrific as well in a relatively early role for him.

 

[General Malaise]

Banger

 

[zamboni]

21. A Few Good Men (1992)

Kiefer Sutherland is terrific as well in a relatively early role for him.

Agree Kiefer was good in this, but this was his 20th movie role.

 

[FarFromHome]

21. A Few Good Men (1992)

Directed by: Rob Reiner

Starring: Tom Cruise, Demi Moore, Jack Nicholson, Kevin Bacon

Synopsis: Two Marines stationed in Guantanamo are court martialed for murder.

Son, we live in a world that has walls, and those walls have to be guarded by men with guns. - Jack Nicholson as Colonel Nathan Jessup, USMC

Aaron Sorkin’s play gets the Hollywood treatment, and Jack Nicholson gets his “Captain Queeg” moment. (Actually Humphrey Bogart’s Queeg and Nicholson’s Jessup are two very different characters, but the point is that both are military officers put on the stand in the climatic moments of the two greatest court-martial trials in cinematic history.)
Great acting and a well told, dramatic story. Kiefer Sutherland is terrific as well in a relatively early role for him.

I love quoting movies. I'm good at it. Ask my wife. A Few Good Men might be my most quotable movie. Absolute great movie. The cast is spectacular. Where's the mess hall?

 

[General Malaise]

21. A Few Good Men (1992)

Kiefer Sutherland is terrific as well in a relatively early role for him.

Agree Kiefer was good in this, but this was his 20th movie role.

This is like my grandmother counting down the best rock guitar players of all time.

 

[timschochet]

21. A Few Good Men (1992)

Kiefer Sutherland is terrific as well in a relatively early role for him.

Agree Kiefer was good in this, but this was his 20th movie role.

I don’t count those.

Lol

 

[dgreen]

21. A Few Good Men (1992)

Kiefer Sutherland is terrific as well in a relatively early role for him.

Agree Kiefer was good in this, but this was his 20th movie role.

I don’t count those.

Lol

I strenuously object.

 

[Uruk-Hai]

21. A Few Good Men (1992)

Directed by: Rob Reiner

Starring: Tom Cruise, Demi Moore, Jack Nicholson, Kevin Bacon

Synopsis: Two Marines stationed in Guantanamo are court martialed for murder.

Son, we live in a world that has walls, and those walls have to be guarded by men with guns. - Jack Nicholson as Colonel Nathan Jessup, USMC

Aaron Sorkin’s play gets the Hollywood treatment, and Jack Nicholson gets his “Captain Queeg” moment. (Actually Humphrey Bogart’s Queeg and Nicholson’s Jessup are two very different characters, but the point is that both are military officers put on the stand in the climatic moments of the two greatest court-martial trials in cinematic history.)
Great acting and a well told, dramatic story. Kiefer Sutherland is terrific as well in a relatively early role for him.

Highly entertaining. Great cast. And Reiner was on a roll as a director.

The plot itself is a house of cards, though. Put Dawson on the stand and the trial is over (one way or another) in five minutes. Yet they put Downey up there instead?

Cruise was in Prime-Cruise mode and Nicholson was doing Nicholson things. Sutherland, Bacon, Walsh, Pollack, Bodison (did he ever do anything else?) were all fantastic. Noah Wylie's character may have been the most likeable in the entire movie. Moore's character feels a little adrift to me and it doesn't help that Joanne is condescended to by every single person she runs across.

Anyway, this is one of those films like Tombstone that I'll click on often.

 

[urbanhack]

You're a lousy ****ing softball player, Jack!

 

[urbanhack]

This broke the doors wide open for the six degrees of Kevin Bacon game.

 

[zamboni]

21. A Few Good Men (1992)

Directed by: Rob Reiner

Starring: Tom Cruise, Demi Moore, Jack Nicholson, Kevin Bacon

Synopsis: Two Marines stationed in Guantanamo are court martialed for murder.

Son, we live in a world that has walls, and those walls have to be guarded by men with guns. - Jack Nicholson as Colonel Nathan Jessup, USMC

Aaron Sorkin’s play gets the Hollywood treatment, and Jack Nicholson gets his “Captain Queeg” moment. (Actually Humphrey Bogart’s Queeg and Nicholson’s Jessup are two very different characters, but the point is that both are military officers put on the stand in the climatic moments of the two greatest court-martial trials in cinematic history.)
Great acting and a well told, dramatic story. Kiefer Sutherland is terrific as well in a relatively early role for him.

Highly entertaining. Great cast. And Reiner was on a roll as a director.

Meathead was putting down way too many rolls back then.

 

[KarmaPolice]

This broke the doors wide open for the six degrees of Kevin Bacon game.

This and JFK are for that game.

 

[zamboni]

This broke the doors wide open for the six degrees of Kevin Bacon game.

Sleepers too (at the expense of foreshadowing a subsequent pick).

 

[Andy Dufresne]

Oh, hah, I'm sorry, I keep forgetting. You were sick the day they taught law at law school!!

 

[B Maverick]

Some of these movies are so ingrained into the social conscience that you can quote from or know what exactly happened in the movie without ever actually seeing said movie.

 

[KarmaPolice]

This broke the doors wide open for the six degrees of Kevin Bacon game.

Sleepers too (at the expense of foreshadowing a subsequent pick).

Ooh. Another good one.

 

[B Maverick]

This broke the doors wide open for the six degrees of Kevin Bacon game.

Sleepers too (at the expense of foreshadowing a subsequent pick).

Ooh. Another good one.

and by "good" you mean "highly disturbing".




and good.

 

[KarmaPolice]

This broke the doors wide open for the six degrees of Kevin Bacon game.

Sleepers too (at the expense of foreshadowing a subsequent pick).

Ooh. Another good one.

and by "good" you mean "highly disturbing".




and good.

I was talking about it's use for 6 degrees of Kevin Bacon, but yes - disturbing. He plays another uber creep in a movie I saw after that - The Woodsman.

 

[KarmaPolice]

21. A Few Good Men (1992)

Directed by: Rob Reiner

Starring: Tom Cruise, Demi Moore, Jack Nicholson, Kevin Bacon

Synopsis: Two Marines stationed in Guantanamo are court martialed for murder.

Son, we live in a world that has walls, and those walls have to be guarded by men with guns. - Jack Nicholson as Colonel Nathan Jessup, USMC

Aaron Sorkin’s play gets the Hollywood treatment, and Jack Nicholson gets his “Captain Queeg” moment. (Actually Humphrey Bogart’s Queeg and Nicholson’s Jessup are two very different characters, but the point is that both are military officers put on the stand in the climatic moments of the two greatest court-martial trials in cinematic history.)
Great acting and a well told, dramatic story. Kiefer Sutherland is terrific as well in a relatively early role for him.

:MenOnFilm:

Two snaps up!

 

[Alex P Keaton]

Definitely not a rabbit hole I want to dive into further but the point remains, movies continue to be made that have inappropriate relationships as a part of the movie's story. Licorice Pizza is just the most recent example of a film where an adult pursues a teen. How graphic that gets depicted in the film isn't the sticking point - it's that American Beauty is polarizing while the others I mention escape the same scrutiny. Why? Think that's a fair question.

I guess I kind of forgot about the flashing and I think they do kiss at the end although how much time has passed and how old he is by then is vague. It’s certainly an inappropriate relationship. As for the scrutiny part, Licorice Pizza didn’t escape it. If you look at audience reviews, especially from younger viewers, it took a ton of crap. The discourse on Twitter when it came out was very much centered on how creepy that age difference was. The thing that saved it from an even larger national conversation is probably that not many people actually saw it. It also probably helped it was a period piece from a time when that relationship wouldn’t have been viewed the same way.

And I still stand by movies/tv/books have a magic power in that’s it all how something is presented. Breaking Bad is shot from Walter’s perspective so we root for him even though he’s a horrible person. It could she’s easily been shot from the law’s POV and we would be wanting to see Walter killed all series or shot from the Mexican gangs POV and White is like the devil we want to see get taken down. One movie 50 people get shot and we don’t even think about it, another movie is every death takes an emotional toll. It’s all a bit of a trick of story telling. But my issues with American Beauty aren’t with what happens in the story so much as how it felt to me at the time like he was painted as a hero for middle aged white men to emulate. Not just the daughter’s best friend thing but his entire story arc. But I say that with reservation because I was like 18-20 when it came out and probably haven’t seen it since.

That all said I still had American Beauty in my top 100 when I did this ranking with KP a couple years ago

The bolded is a very good point I didn't think of last night. More of a period piece, people didn't see it, it didn't win the Academy Award, etc.

I was laughing a bit last night. Our power went out last night so I didn't get to Dunkirk, so instead I was listening to a movie podcast I recently stumbled on. The movie of the day was Big, and they were having fun going off a bit on a middle age woman banging a 12 year old.

Yeah I mentioned it recently in the movie thread I think but when is I started teaching 18 years ago, the old timers would tell me stories from the 70s where young teachers would openly date students. It wasn’t considered wrong if a 25 year old teacher and a HS senior were openly dating, wearing their varsity jacket, driving to school together. It is incomprehensible to me but I guess that was life in the 70s. They also talked about the principal who chain smoked in his office with the door closed and all the staff (and some of the kids) knew if you needed a little pick you up, the shop teacher had a full bar in his desk.

One of my high school teachers married the sister of my classmate/close friend. They started dating officially when she graduated from high school. She was 18, he was 33-ish. It was creepy then and still is to me.

 

[Ilov80s]

Definitely not a rabbit hole I want to dive into further but the point remains, movies continue to be made that have inappropriate relationships as a part of the movie's story. Licorice Pizza is just the most recent example of a film where an adult pursues a teen. How graphic that gets depicted in the film isn't the sticking point - it's that American Beauty is polarizing while the others I mention escape the same scrutiny. Why? Think that's a fair question.

I guess I kind of forgot about the flashing and I think they do kiss at the end although how much time has passed and how old he is by then is vague. It’s certainly an inappropriate relationship. As for the scrutiny part, Licorice Pizza didn’t escape it. If you look at audience reviews, especially from younger viewers, it took a ton of crap. The discourse on Twitter when it came out was very much centered on how creepy that age difference was. The thing that saved it from an even larger national conversation is probably that not many people actually saw it. It also probably helped it was a period piece from a time when that relationship wouldn’t have been viewed the same way.

And I still stand by movies/tv/books have a magic power in that’s it all how something is presented. Breaking Bad is shot from Walter’s perspective so we root for him even though he’s a horrible person. It could she’s easily been shot from the law’s POV and we would be wanting to see Walter killed all series or shot from the Mexican gangs POV and White is like the devil we want to see get taken down. One movie 50 people get shot and we don’t even think about it, another movie is every death takes an emotional toll. It’s all a bit of a trick of story telling. But my issues with American Beauty aren’t with what happens in the story so much as how it felt to me at the time like he was painted as a hero for middle aged white men to emulate. Not just the daughter’s best friend thing but his entire story arc. But I say that with reservation because I was like 18-20 when it came out and probably haven’t seen it since.

That all said I still had American Beauty in my top 100 when I did this ranking with KP a couple years ago

The bolded is a very good point I didn't think of last night. More of a period piece, people didn't see it, it didn't win the Academy Award, etc.

I was laughing a bit last night. Our power went out last night so I didn't get to Dunkirk, so instead I was listening to a movie podcast I recently stumbled on. The movie of the day was Big, and they were having fun going off a bit on a middle age woman banging a 12 year old.

Yeah I mentioned it recently in the movie thread I think but when is I started teaching 18 years ago, the old timers would tell me stories from the 70s where young teachers would openly date students. It wasn’t considered wrong if a 25 year old teacher and a HS senior were openly dating, wearing their varsity jacket, driving to school together. It is incomprehensible to me but I guess that was life in the 70s. They also talked about the principal who chain smoked in his office with the door closed and all the staff (and some of the kids) knew if you needed a little pick you up, the shop teacher had a full bar in his desk.

One of my high school teachers married the sister of my classmate/close friend. They started dating officially when she graduated from high school. She was 18, he was 33-ish. It was creepy then and still is to me.

A teacher I had in high school married 3 different former students. Now sure they were all a few years out of HS when he started dating them from what I know but yeah that’s very very weird.

 

[B Maverick]

This broke the doors wide open for the six degrees of Kevin Bacon game.

Sleepers too (at the expense of foreshadowing a subsequent pick).

Ooh. Another good one.

and by "good" you mean "highly disturbing".




and good.

I was talking about it's use for 6 degrees of Kevin Bacon, but yes - disturbing. He plays another uber creep in a movie I saw after that - The Woodsman.

Oh right, missed that. ha.

 

[Ghost Rider]

A Few Good Men could have been number 1 and I wouldn't have scoffed at all; it would be very high on my list (not number 1, but probably top 10-15 for the 90s). Nicholson is fantastic of course, but Cruise and Moore really do the heavy lifting from start to finish. And the two Kevins (Pollack and Bacon) are terrific in their roles as well. Just a perfectly written and acted film.

 

[FarFromHome]

I would rather that you just said thank you and went on your way.

 

[General Malaise]

A Few Good Men could have been number 1 and I wouldn't have scoffed at all; it would be very high on my list (not number 1, but probably top 10-15 for the 90s). Nicholson is fantastic of course, but Cruise and Moore really do the heavy lifting from start to finish. And the two Kevins (Pollack and Bacon) are terrific in their roles as well. Just a perfectly written and acted film.

Another movie based off a play (Aaron Sorkin) - just an absolute perfect adaptation. I'll stop what I'm doing and watch this one every time I see it on TV. So good.

 

[Runkle]

Oh, hah, I'm sorry, I keep forgetting. You were sick the day they taught law at law school!!

I think better with my bat.

 

[shuke]

that falls flatter than Sharon Stone's acting.

Thought you were going to go in a different direction there for a minute.

I was. I had more restraint early in the day before the edibles kicked in.

"Earlier in the day"? Bro you posted this at 10:17 AM your time.

 

[shuke]

A teacher I had in high school married 3 different former students.

In a row?

 

[KarmaPolice]

A teacher I had in high school married 3 different former students.

In a row?

"Try not to bang any students on your way through the parking lot!"

 

[General Malaise]

that falls flatter than Sharon Stone's acting.

Thought you were going to go in a different direction there for a minute.

I was. I had more restraint early in the day before the edibles kicked in.

"Earlier in the day"? Bro you posted this at 10:17 AM your time.

It's been a year, Shuke. Don't judge.

 

[Hastur]

21. A Few Good Men (1992)

Directed by: Rob Reiner

Starring: Tom Cruise, Demi Moore, Jack Nicholson, Kevin Bacon

Synopsis: Two Marines stationed in Guantanamo are court martialed for murder.

Son, we live in a world that has walls, and those walls have to be guarded by men with guns. - Jack Nicholson as Colonel Nathan Jessup, USMC

Aaron Sorkin’s play gets the Hollywood treatment, and Jack Nicholson gets his “Captain Queeg” moment. (Actually Humphrey Bogart’s Queeg and Nicholson’s Jessup are two very different characters, but the point is that both are military officers put on the stand in the climatic moments of the two greatest court-martial trials in cinematic history.)
Great acting and a well told, dramatic story. Kiefer Sutherland is terrific as well in a relatively early role for him.

Highly entertaining. Great cast. And Reiner was on a roll as a director.

The plot itself is a house of cards, though. Put Dawson on the stand and the trial is over (one way or another) in five minutes. Yet they put Downey up there instead?

Cruise was in Prime-Cruise mode and Nicholson was doing Nicholson things. Sutherland, Bacon, Walsh, Pollack, Bodison (did he ever do anything else?) were all fantastic. Noah Wylie's character may have been the most likeable in the entire movie. Moore's character feels a little adrift to me and it doesn't help that Joanne is condescended to by every single person she runs across.

Anyway, this is one of those films like Tombstone that I'll click on often.

You ain't kiddin'!

In an 8 year run, he directed:
This is Spinal Tap
The Sure Thing
Stand by Me
The Princess Bride
When Harry Met Sally
Misery
A Few Good Men

That's a pretty epic run.

 

[northern exposure]

22. Searching For Bobby Fischer (1993)

Directed by: Steven Zaillian

Starring: Max Pomeranc, Joe Mantegna, Ben Kingsley, Lawrence Fishburne, Joan Allen

Synopsis: A seven year old boy becomes a chess prodigy

He’s better at this than anything I’ve ever been in my life. - Joe Mantegna as Fred Waitzken

If one considers chess a “sport” (different argument and I’m good either way) then this is one of the great sports dramas IMO. That’s because it’s really about the question of how parents (and society) should handle things when your kid is really really great as something. How far do you take competition? Actually there is a bit of hypocrisy here: the whole film we are told that what’s most important is that Josh stay a decent kid and have fun and not become only about winning, and surely these are the right answers. And at the same time we really want and need him to destroy his opponent in the climax, which he does. (He also engages in smack talk.) And yeah I know he offers a draw, but both he and we knew the other kid would never accept it.

Anyhow, excellent, satisfying drama with great acting and characters.

Little Man Tate with Jodi Foster from 1991 had similar subject matter, but Searching....was the better film.

 

[Mr. Mojo]

The irony for me is that Jack won multiple Oscars for playing the same basic part in several films.
But in AFGM, he was completely different and flat out brilliant, yet he didn't win.

 

[KarmaPolice]

The irony for me is that Jack won multiple Oscars for playing the same basic part in several films.
But in AFGM, he was completely different and flat out brilliant, yet he didn't win.

Its almost as though the Academy Awards are inconsistent and not a great judge of quality. (Don't tell GM)

I forget - who won that year instead?

 

[northern exposure]

The irony for me is that Jack won multiple Oscars for playing the same basic part in several films.
But in AFGM, he was completely different and flat out brilliant, yet he didn't win.

Its almost as though the Academy Awards are inconsistent and not a great judge of quality. (Don't tell GM)

I forget - who won that year instead?

Hackman for Unforgiven.

 

[BlackCrowes]

Commander I’d like you to leave the room so we can talk about you behind your back

Great movie

 

[BLOCKED_PUNT]

Its almost as though the Academy Awards are inconsistent and not a great judge of quality. (Don't tell GM)

Sounds like he

can't handle the truth