The 100 Greatest movies of the 1990s #81. Mulan (13 Viewers)

[timschochet]

Starts tomorrow. This was by far the toughest list I’ve worked on. So many classics. (And so many overrated films, and underrated ones.)

European films and documentaries are included so long as they were released in the USA.

100. Total Recall
99. Madonna: Truth Or Dare
98. Any Given Sunday
97. The Doors
96. The Waterboy
95. Army of Darkness
94. Les Miserables
93. Guilty By Suspicion
92. The Commitments
91. Misery
90. The Sandlot
89. Austin Powers
88. Defending Your Life
87. Reversal of Fortune
86. Man On The Moon
85. Leon: The Professional
84. Babe
83. The Last of the Mohicans
82. Primal Fear
81. Mulan

 

[BLOCKED_PUNT]

I object to Alice being #1

 

[El Floppo]

Der kehn bee unly won highlander 2.

 

[UncleZen]

Clerks is ranked way too low!

 

[BlackCrowes]

Well, I guess you can’t rank St Elmo’s Fire over Ghostbusters again

 

[FarFromHome]

Oh sh!t!!!!!

 

[Eephus]

Hope there are more Ernest movies than in your 80s countdown

 

[Jayrod]

I'm sure I will be appalled and disgusted and wonder how we are even the same species, much less gender and nationality.

 

[BrutalPenguin]

Ghost Dad ftw!

 

[John Maddens Lunchbox]

Shiite, i havent even corrected your 80s one yet.

 

[KarmaPolice]

I wish I would have thought of doing something like this.

 

[northern exposure]

Shiite, i havent even corrected your 80s one yet.

Clay Davis alias?

 

[Manster]

Looking forward to seeing if Sgt. Kabukiman NYPD makes the top 50

 

[Dan Lambskin]

 

[El Floppo]

At least 10 woody Allen movies.

 

[zamboni]

At least 10 woody Allen movies.

Could have an all-Woody countdown with Allen and Harrelson alone

 

[timschochet]

100. Total Recall (1990)

Directed by: Paul Verhoeven

Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Rachel
Ticotin, Sharon Stone

Synopsis: In the future a construction worker discovers he has been given a fictional history of his time on the Mars colony.

Sharon Stone as Lori: Doug honey, you wouldn’t hurt me, would you sweetheart? Sweetheart, be reasonable, after all, we’re married!

(Lori goes for her gun. Quaid shoots her in the head.)

Arnold Schwarzenegger as Quaid: Comsider that a divorce!

On the one hand this is the standard Arnold movie of the time period: lots of action and killing interspersed with Arnold’s one-liners delivered in his unique deadpan fashion. On the other hand this is an excellent science fiction film, chock full of interesting ideas about memory, space colonization and Mars, based on a short story by Philip K. ****. The two mesh together to make an entertaining film. I haven’t seen this since the year it came out, but many parts of it have stuck with me, particularly what happens to people exposed to Mars’ atmosphere without protection- also the ambiguous ending. Also Sharon Stone who was just starting to make a name for herself here. I can’t really remember too much about the lead female (Ticotin), but Stone sticks out in a very short but highly memorable role.

 

[Dan Lambskin]

How do you not mention this chick with 3 boobs?

Also there’s a good Rick and Morty spoof of this

 

[Andy Dufresne]

I'm sorry but Total Recall is awful. I can't even muster more to say than just that.

I always liked Rachel Ticotin though.

 

[BlackCrowes]

get your ### to Mars....
get your ### to Mars....
get your ### to Mars....
get your ### to Mars....

 

[FarFromHome]

Interesting. I always felt like this was an 80s movie.

 

[El Floppo]

I'm sorry but Total Recall is awful. I can't even muster more to say than just that.

I always liked Rachel Ticotin though.

Wrong.

This is a fun romp, more interesting than the fun romp it turned into.

 

[Alex P Keaton]

Interesting. I always felt like this was an 80s movie.

It feels like an 80s movie for sure

 

[Andy Dufresne]

I'm sorry but Total Recall is awful. I can't even muster more to say than just that.

I always liked Rachel Ticotin though.

Wrong.

This is a fun romp, more interesting than the fun romp it turned into.

I feel this way about it.

 

[Dr. Octopus]

Interesting. I always felt like this was an 80s movie.

It feels like an 80s movie for sure

Well it’s 1990 so it basically is.

 

[Pip's Invitation]

Interesting. I always felt like this was an 80s movie.

It feels like an 80s movie for sure

Well it’s 1990 so it basically is.

Yep, it was written and probably shot in the '80s. The aesthetic of everything doesn't just suddenly change when the calendar flips from December xxx9 to January xxx0.

 

[urbanhack]

How do you guys have the time to constantly do these things????

 

[B Maverick]

Interesting. I always felt like this was an 80s movie.

It feels like an 80s movie for sure

Well it’s 1990 so it basically is.

Yep, it was written and probably shot in the '80s. The aesthetic of everything doesn't just suddenly change when the calendar flips from December xxx9 to January xxx0.

 

[zamboni]

Interesting. I always felt like this was an 80s movie.

It feels like an 80s movie for sure

Well it’s 1990 so it basically is.

Yep, it was written and probably shot in the '80s. The aesthetic of everything doesn't just suddenly change when the calendar flips from December xxx9 to January xxx0.

We were fortunate that was also the case exactly 10 years later before/after Y2K.

 

[El Floppo]

How do you guys have the time to constantly do these things????

Like pleasuring myself at the office?

You make time.

 

[KarmaPolice]

Interesting. I always felt like this was an 80s movie.

It feels like an 80s movie for sure

Well it’s 1990 so it basically is.

Yep. A lot of movies from the first couple years of a decade feel like the previous one. They probably written and shot in the 80s.

 

[BLOCKED_PUNT]

Like pleasuring myself at the office?

TMI.......

 

[Todem]

I love Total Recall. A fun romp.

“Hey this is a new one….Blue Skies on Mars”

From the moment they implanted that super ego trip the entire movie took place in his head laying in that chair at Recall.

 

[Dr. Octopus]

From the moment they implanted that super ego trip the entire movie took place in his head laying in that chair at Recall.

Maybe - they leave that up in the air (but I agree).

 

[Scoresman]

When this came out I was young enough to think that there was a possibility that some women could have three breasts.

 

[Todem]

From the moment they implanted that super ego trip the entire movie took place in his head laying in that chair at Recall.

Maybe - they leave that up in the air (but I agree).

For sure….but I love thinking that as it makes so much sense.

 

[Leroy Hoard]

When this came out I was young enough to think that there was a possibility that some women could have three breasts.

Al Bundy had a similar idea but changed the placement of #3.

Al:
Women should have three breasts - two in front and one in the back... for dancing.

 

[timschochet]

99. Madonna: Truth Or Dare (1991)

Directed by: Alex Keshishian

Starring: Madonna

Synopsis: follows the singer during her 1990 World tour

Why would you say something if it’s off-camera? What point is there existing? - Warren Beatty to Madonna

When this documentary was filmed Madonna was arguably as popular as Taylor Swift is now, and this film both illuminates her and keeps her a mystery, much as the film Don’t Look Back did for Bob Dylan in the 1960s. Outside of the performances (which are stunning) it’s not exactly a flattering presentation: she comes off as shallow, selfish, at times mean-spirited (and at other times generous) and most of all self-obsessed. Beatty’s quote is cutting and dead on. But whatever you think of her, this mostly black and white film (except for a few concert moments in color to great effect) is an absorbing, fascinating look at one of the greatest musical artists of all time.

 

[Corporation]

Well, if Truth or Dare is number 99, it tells me there weren't 100 good movies in the 90s

 

[El Floppo]

I love Total Recall. A fun romp.

“Hey this is a new one….Blue Skies on Mars”

From the moment they implanted that super ego trip the entire movie took place in his head laying in that chair at Recall.

took me the third viewing, very stoned, years after the 1st (in the theater) to consider/realize this. made subsequent viewings, like Fight Club (nowhere near as good, but same idea of "ohhhh!!!"), much more interesting.

that's what I was hinting at in my OP.

 

[KarmaPolice]

Sadly, that is the movie I have seen most in the theater. I hung around with a couple fellow band geeks who were obsessed with Madonna. I wouldn't be surprised if we watched that 10+ times in the theater.

 

[zamboni]

99. Madonna: Truth Or Dare (1991)

I’ll take the dare - this can’t be true.

(ETA: to be fair, I’ve never actually seen it to make an assessment)

 

[Jayrod]

Wow, already insanely wrong after revealing exactly 2 movies.

Impressive.

 

[Don Quixote]

Thought this was a Scoresman Honey Boo Boo type fake-out at first.

 

[McBokonon]

Looks like Showgirls has a chance after all.

 

[Todem]

Wow, already insanely wrong after revealing exactly 2 movies.

Impressive.

Welcome to Tim’s countdown thread. Fun for the entire family!!!

Hey at least it’s fun and we can joke around about some picks. And Tim is a good sport about it.

 

[Todem]

Looks like Showgirls has a chance after all.

Legendary…..being serious.

 

[Dan Lambskin]

Looks like Showgirls has a chance after all.

Legendary…..being serious.

I owned the Limited Edition VIP Boxset at one point. That movie is absolutely hilarious

Different Places!

Nomi having a seizure in the pool

The chimps getting lose

Whatever that weird orange body makeup was

God I gotta convince my wife to watch this now

 

[zamboni]

Looks like Showgirls has a chance after all.

I’m so excited - yet scared - for it to show up.

 

[Dr. Octopus]

99. Madonna: Truth Or Dare (1991)

I’ll take the dare - this can’t be true.

(ETA: to be fair, I’ve never actually seen it to make an assessment)

Me neither and have no interest- but the way tim does these rankings it makes sense to include it. It was a cultural phenomenon.