Top 101 Movies of the 90s. We are done. If I knock out Amadeus/Brazil/Ran, We get to have an 80s countdown!! (1 Viewer)

[dkp993]

I'm getting the feeling I'm going to strongly disagree with where Seven ends up ranked. 

#7 maybe?

 

[Andy Dufresne]

Seems to me that Hunt For Red October should be higher. But I haven't watched it for a long time and don't really have an unction to so... 

 

[Ilov80s]

Seems to me that Hunt For Red October should be higher. But I haven't watched it for a long time and don't really have an unction to so... 

That’s on me. Admittedly, I haven’t seen it since the 90s but at the time I didn’t love it. Submarine movies were never my thing. I could feel different now but obviously impossible to have rewatched everything. 

 

[Dan Lambskin]

92:  THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT

I am a lover of the genre, but in general the 90s horror movies suuuuucccckkked.    Tons of crappy slasher sequels and straight to video dreck.  I know this is polarizing movie, but the atmosphere in the theater for this one was one of the best movie going experiences I've had.   I saw it opening weekend, so there was still the WTF factor as people believed the marketing.    

This movie sucks

 

[That one guy]

Excited for my future gripes as to Swingers being one of the most underrated comedies of all time

95:  SWINGERS  [HBO MAX]

Still a fun romp, and nothing else it deserves to be on the countdown solely for the NHLPA '93 scene.   The one-liners and charm of the movie more than coverup for the weak spots - mostly mopey Favreau and his answering machine.  

Somebody is not money and I hope they know it!

 

[Dr. Octopus]

Last two for the night.  I will let everybody catch up, and now I am starting to obsess about watching Point Break

90/91:

THE FISHER KING  [HBO MAX]

THE FUGITIVE

Fisher King was one that took a slight hit in the rankings with a rewatch, but still loved it enough to make the list.   Love the direction from Gilliam and it's always a joy watching Robin Williams on screen.  

Fisher King is my second favorite movie.

 

[That one guy]

92:  THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT

I am a lover of the genre, but in general the 90s horror movies suuuuucccckkked.    Tons of crappy slasher sequels and straight to video dreck.  I know this is polarizing movie, but the atmosphere in the theater for this one was one of the best movie going experiences I've had.   I saw it opening weekend, so there was still the WTF factor as people believed the marketing.    

Agree, polarizing movie, but isn’t this the true mainstream kickoff to the found-footage style storyline?

I'm more than comfortable admitting that I love this movie mostly for personal nostalgic reasons:  opening night I went with my older brother to a rather late viewing, 11pm or so.  The very next morning he and I set out for Ocala National Forest for a couple days of hiking.  Movie setting juxtaposed with upcoming personal setting, the film just worked and has stayed in my memory ever since

Another movie associated with big bro movie nights that I hope gets love, Pecker

 

[KarmaPolice]

Seems to me that Hunt For Red October should be higher. But I haven't watched it for a long time and don't really have an unction to so... 

Maybe.   You have to consider the source though.  I don't gravitate to action movies, so there weren't going to be a ton on my list to begin with.     On top of that, when I was watching, there are a ton of good action movies from this era, but mostly they just all fell together in a big group, and there were only a handful that I felt really stood out and separated themselves.  I had about 15 others written down that I really liked, but were in the next wave of movies 101-175, along with a lot of comedies that also ran together for me.  

 

[KarmaPolice]

Agree, polarizing movie, but isn’t this the true mainstream kickoff to the found-footage style storyline?

I'm more than comfortable admitting that I love this movie mostly for personal nostalgic reasons:  opening night I went with my older brother to a rather late viewing, 11pm or so.  The very next morning he and I set out for Ocala National Forest for a couple days of hiking.  Movie setting juxtaposed with upcoming personal setting, the film just worked and has stayed in my memory ever since

Another movie associated with big bro movie nights that I hope gets love, Pecker

I'm guessing yes.  There were found footage movies before that, but Blair Witch came at that perfect time of horror being stale in the 90s + the onset of online activity growing and that made the marketing campaign that much more effective (I remember there being a website for it at least).   

When done right, found footage is one of my favorite subgenres of horror, and I feel that Blair Witch did it well.   

 

[otb_lifer]

92:  THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT

has to be on any list such as this ... it was a late decade phenomena, one that squeezed every last inch outta it's supposed "found footage" premise ... it's an artifact of the time where society was on the cusp of relegating a storyline such as this virtually impossible to swallow, so it got in right under the closing garage door - by the skin of it's teeth, at that. 

resuscitated a stagnant genre, inasmuch that it called back to terrorizing you with implied horror, rather than hand out clickers at the door to tally the corpse count ... much like the original TCM, it chucked all of it's marbles into audiences buying the insanity of it's claustrophobic ambiance - we did see kills in TCM, though, along with the titular monster  ... but both are only implied here, and quite brilliantly, imo. 

when a flick can click on all cylinders without relying on the same ol' tired horror tropes, well, that's something pretty impressive ... a remarkable achievement, considering it's very modest bearings. 

there are plot holes i can niggle at, but why bother - i immerse myself in it's dicey plausibility and just let it do it's COTdamn thing.  this ain't rocket surgery. 

...yeah, and Heather Donahue. 

ok, she was insufferable - one of the least likeable protags horror has ever seen, and that's saying an awful lot.

but ... she was supposed to be that horrendous, imo, as it just helped ramp up the feelings of dread and helplessness: "what, we're stuck with this whiny #####?!? i'd rather die than spend five more minutes with her - hey, please come kill me! JUST SHUT THE #### UP!"

it worked tremendously on that level - having to put up with her incessant carping as she unraveled lent another layer of realism to this gig, because we all know/knew someone like that, and we all get how these numb nutz exacerbate a mole hill into Kilimanjaro. 

kudos to it's influence on the sub genre it helped create, big tip o'the cap to the whole "project"

this flick hit a direct bullseye.

 

 

[KarmaPolice]

I'm not a huge fan of putting actors through too much ####, but sometimes you have to look at the final product and wonder if it was worth it.   Sounds like Blair Witch was one of those that put the actors through some crap - giving them just bits of the script, messing with them at night, etc..    It probably did ramp up that tension and help it come across on the screen that much more.  

 

[KarmaPolice]

89:  PRINCESS MONONOKE  [HBO MAX]

If the 90s stunk for horror in general, they were great for animated movies.   We had a few prominent studios putting out some great product.   I watched a few Studio Ghibli movies and this one stood out.  I remember being blown away when I saw it back in the day - I hadn't seen anything quite like it.  

 

[Pip's Invitation]

95:  SWINGERS  [HBO MAX]

Still a fun romp, and nothing else it deserves to be on the countdown solely for the NHLPA '93 scene.   The one-liners and charm of the movie more than coverup for the weak spots - mostly mopey Favreau and his answering machine.  

I just didn’t get the appeal of this at all when I saw it. It celebrated a brand of hipsterism that I guess I just don’t care for. 

 

[KarmaPolice]

87/88:  

IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER 

SPEED  [HBO MAX]

Yes, I am the weirdo without Speed on my list.    100% one that was in the next wave of 100 movies that mentioned before.     Can't go wrong with DDL, though (I know the PTA haters disagree   ) 

 

[prosopis]

92:  THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT

I am a lover of the genre, but in general the 90s horror movies suuuuucccckkked.    Tons of crappy slasher sequels and straight to video dreck.  I know this is polarizing movie, but the atmosphere in the theater for this one was one of the best movie going experiences I've had.   I saw it opening weekend, so there was still the WTF factor as people believed the marketing.    

This movie was genius on several levels. I will have to wait for the rest of the list but I feel this should have been higher. I had a similar experience as you in the theater. 

 

[KarmaPolice]

I just didn’t get the appeal of this at all when I saw it. It celebrated a brand of hipsterism that I get I just don’t care for. 

I put Swingers in a group of movies that were rom com adjacent but seemed to be cool enough that guys didn't mind watching them.   IMO it's in a similar vein as High Fidelity that way.   Quotable, cool music, not too sappy.   There are others in the 90s that were like this, but involved sports instead of a Vegas run, but similar concept.    

 

[prosopis]

Agree, polarizing movie, but isn’t this the true mainstream kickoff to the found-footage style storyline?

I'm more than comfortable admitting that I love this movie mostly for personal nostalgic reasons:  opening night I went with my older brother to a rather late viewing, 11pm or so.  The very next morning he and I set out for Ocala National Forest for a couple days of hiking.  Movie setting juxtaposed with upcoming personal setting, the film just worked and has stayed in my memory ever since

Another movie associated with big bro movie nights that I hope gets love, Pecker

This was the first found footage film. I really think an awesome movie could be made centered around this.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xVo6Vj0_Xbo

 

[KarmaPolice]

This movie was genius on several levels. I will have to wait for the rest of the list but I feel this should have been higher. I had a similar experience as you in the theater. 

Yeah, we can discuss more as we go, but this one took a slight ding on a rewatch at home.   I think it would have been much higher if I would have just had my 90s experience with this one.   Still thought it was great, and I am really splitting hairs with this one and others that might show up later.    Also, I don't believe 80s is a horror fan, and any movie just on one of our lists gets naturally pushed down vs. the 49 titles we had the same.  

 

[KarmaPolice]

86:  AMERICAN BEAUTY

80s had this one a little higher than I did.   Yeah, it's gotten taken down a little bit because of Spacey's real life creepiness and the bag scene such an easy target to spoof.   That said, there are a ton of beats that still hit for me, and I still love the performances.  If I made this list 25 years ago, this would have probably been in the top 10.  

 

[DocHolliday]

101/102:

THE BASKETBALL DIARIES

MANHATTAN MURDER MYSTERY

The reason for the post above was because Basketball Diaries was one of the first - that was my #64.    I haven't seen it in a long time (it seems to be hard to track down, I assume it's because of the school scene.  I was just thinking about it, and I don't know if this was my first main Leo exposure, or at least the one that really made me take notice.  

Basketball Diaries seems like it should be ranked much higher.  Maybe there are 100 better movies from the 90s but that seems rather unlikely.   

 

[otb_lifer]

86:  AMERICAN BEAUTY

i've skewered this countless times up on this bored ... it's just a hot mess - and i can dig a succulent "anti-hero" study, but i shed zero tears when that ###### was plugged. 

there is another in this "Hollywood pulls the curtains on Suburbia" schtick that was infinitely better, and i hope it pops up later on. 

 

[KarmaPolice]

85:  MAN ON THE MOON

What a decade for Jim Carrey.    It's probably not a big surprise that the movies of his I gravitated to on my rewatches were a little more on the drama side.   I knew jack #### about Andy Kaufman before watching this one, but I'm sure I watched just because Jim was in it, as I really liked that late 90s run he put together.  

 

[KarmaPolice]

I didn't do it, but it would be interesting at the end counting up what actors and directors showed up the most on the countdown.   There was one director on my list that I was surprised showed up 3x.  I will talk more at the end about him because 2 of them aren't in the countdown, they were just on my list.  

 

[KarmaPolice]

i've skewered this countless times up on this bored ... it's just a hot mess - and i can dig a succulent "anti-hero" study, but i shed zero tears when that ######

was plugged. 

there is another in this "Hollywood pulls the curtains on Suburbia" schtick that was infinitely better, and i hope it pops up later on. 

 

[DocHolliday]

86:  AMERICAN BEAUTY

80s had this one a little higher than I did.   Yeah, it's gotten taken down a little bit because of Spacey's real life creepiness and the bag scene such an easy target to spoof.   That said, there are a ton of beats that still hit for me, and I still love the performances.  If I made this list 25 years ago, this would have probably been in the top 10.  

I think 80s is correct and this should be ranked higher.   Great movie. 

 

[KarmaPolice]

I think 80s is correct and this should be ranked higher.   Great movie. 

He didn't have it that much higher.  Looks like 67 for him, 87 for me.  

 

[KarmaPolice]

Basketball Diaries seems like it should be ranked much higher.  Maybe there are 100 better movies from the 90s but that seems rather unlikely.   

It's one that I suspect might have been higher with a rewatch, but like I said - it's hard to find now besides some scenes on youtube.     There are surprises all around with these types of lists, and the love for Basketball Diaries is a bit unexpected for me.  

 

[otb_lifer]

if it was omittied im'ma get all Ang-sty ...

(see whut i did thar?)

 

[rockaction]

I just didn’t get the appeal of this at all when I saw it. It celebrated a brand of hipsterism that I guess I just don’t care for. 

I don't know if it celebrated it. The fifty-cent tips let you know that whoever it was wasn't all that hip or that much of a player. The baby scene toward the end confirmed it. He's a loser. He's not cool, never was cool. You (Favreau's character) just bought into it.

Vince Vaughn was the foil the whole time. 

I agree with you, though. I hated them from the jump. 

 

[KarmaPolice]

84:  LA HAINE  [CRITERION CHANNEL]

There are several movies that I watched for the first time in the last couple months that blew me away and I felt earned a spot on the list.  It managed to tap into some sentiments and themes of the last couple years, and did the low budget/black and white filmmaking really well.    Vincent Cassel is pretty underrated, IMO.  

 

[NorvilleBarnes]

what are your opinions on the works of Adam Sandler 

Punch Drunk Love is one of my favorite (but not a 90s film).

 

[KarmaPolice]

I don't know if it celebrated it. The fifty-cent tips let you know that whoever it was wasn't all that hip or that much of a player. The baby scene toward the end confirmed it. He's a loser. He's not cool, never was cool. You (Favreau's character) just bought into it.

Vince Vaughn was the foil the whole time. 

I agree with you, though. I hated them from the jump. 

Agree 100% with you about the ending.   Favreau comes to realize what he is, and so should the audience.   I think part of the draw of the movie is that a lot of us probably had a Trent in lives.  

 

[NorvilleBarnes]

95:  SWINGERS  [HBO MAX]

Such a great example of painful comedic cringe.

 

[KarmaPolice]

I will get to a few more and then stop for a bit so I can get some crap done around the house.   Here is another that might get the grumbles from the peanut gallery...

83:  THE USUAL SUSPECTS

On both of our lists, and higher for 80s.   #56 vs. #96.    Still a great movie, but IMO there are a couple types of "twist" movies - ones where the twist aids the rewatches and makes you appreciate the set up more, and ones that once you know what's coming, it becomes more standard movie fare.   My recent revisit pushed this a more into the second category for me.    I would say that something like Memento would be the first category of movie.  

 

[Andy Dufresne]

I've never seen Swingers or Blair Witch and see no reason to.

Speed is still a fun movie. 

I wish Spacey wasn't such a creep because I really like American Beauty I think it's really quotable and I'm a fan of dark humor.

Lester Burnham: Lose it? I didn't lose it. It's not like, "Whoops! Where'd my job go?" I QUIT. Someone pass the asparagus, please.

------

Lester Burnham: You don't think it's kinda weird & fascist?

Carolyn Burnham: Possibly, but you don't want to be unemployed.

------

Carolyn Burnham: Honey, I'm so proud of you. I watched you very closely, and you didn't screw up once!

------

There are many more.

 

[Pip's Invitation]

I don't know if it celebrated it. The fifty-cent tips let you know that whoever it was wasn't all that hip or that much of a player. The baby scene toward the end confirmed it. He's a loser. He's not cool, never was cool. You (Favreau's character) just bought into it.

Vince Vaughn was the foil the whole time. 

I agree with you, though. I hated them from the jump. 

A close reading probably supports your interpretation, but I was so out on everything about this movie about 1/3 of the way through that I had no interest in giving it a close reading.

 

[KarmaPolice]

I've never seen Swingers or Blair Witch and see no reason to.

Speed is still a fun movie. 

I wish Spacey wasn't such a creep because I really like American Beauty I think it's really quotable and I'm a fan of dark humor.

Lester Burnham: Lose it? I didn't lose it. It's not like, "Whoops! Where'd my job go?" I QUIT. Someone pass the asparagus, please.

------

Lester Burnham: You don't think it's kinda weird & fascist?

Carolyn Burnham: Possibly, but you don't want to be unemployed.

------

Carolyn Burnham: Honey, I'm so proud of you. I watched you very closely, and you didn't screw up once!

------

There are many more.

There are problems with the movie now, but I think there are enough of those great lines and nuggets of feelings that tap into a lot of our experiences that it still holds up.    I also love Lester's interview for his job at the fast food joint. 

 

[KarmaPolice]

81/82:

CASINO  [PEACOCK]

APOLLO 13

I've documented my love/hate with Scorsese, and I still haven't watch Casino.    These are our #51 movies from our lists.    I will always get sucked in to Apollo 13 when it's on.   

 

[KarmaPolice]

Well, I'm sure there have been amazing technological advances in the industry, but surely you must have some sort of training program. It seems unfair to presume I won't be able to learn.

 

[Andy Dufresne]

81/82:

CASINO  [PEACOCK]

APOLLO 13

I've documented my love/hate with Scorsese, and I still haven't watch Casino.    These are our #51 movies from our lists.    I will always get sucked in to Apollo 13 when it's on.   

I too have never watched Casino.

Apollo 13 is great, as is the score.

 

[scorchy]

95:  SWINGERS  [HBO MAX]

Still a fun romp, and nothing else it deserves to be on the countdown solely for the NHLPA '93 scene.   The one-liners and charm of the movie more than coverup for the weak spots - mostly mopey Favreau and his answering machine.  

I loved Swingers so much at the time - the NHL '93 scenes may have reflected my mid-90s life more than anything ever put on film (except I always picked the Capitals and my friends tried to make Peter Bondra's head bleed instead).  Unfortunately, the answering machine piece was pretty spot on for me as well - just a cringefest.

Mrs. Scorchy and I still stop and watch it for a few minutes if it's on when we're flipping channels.  But now it's not just the answering machine scene we can't bear to watch - the Vegas stuff, the food delivery guy, Trent standing on the table at the diner, etc. are all just brutal.

 

[scorchy]

87/88:  

IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER 

One of my favorite movies back in the day.  Actually bought it on laser disc.  Probably haven't watched in 20 years - thanks for reminding me that I need to see it again.

 

[Ilov80s]

Also I want to be clear with my list, I was putting movies I personally like. Not most important or any kind of established cannon. It’s just what I think of the movie. 

 

[BeTheMatch]

I will get to a few more and then stop for a bit so I can get some crap done around the house.   Here is another that might get the grumbles from the peanut gallery...

83:  THE USUAL SUSPECTS

On both of our lists, and higher for 80s.   #56 vs. #96.    Still a great movie, but IMO there are a couple types of "twist" movies - ones where the twist aids the rewatches and makes you appreciate the set up more, and ones that once you know what's coming, it becomes more standard movie fare.   My recent revisit pushed this a more into the second category for me.    I would say that something like Memento would be the first category of movie.  

grumble

 

[Ilov80s]

Casino moved up a lot for me when I rewatched it in the last 6 months. I always liked it but labeled it as Goodfellas-lite and found Stone annoying. Now that I watch it 20 years later, it totally rocks and Stone makes the movie. 

 

[Ilov80s]

I think 80s is correct and this should be ranked higher.   Great movie. 

I haven’t rewatched this in a long time but I will say my initial impressions of watching it multiple times when it came out was of being blown away. It really seemed to hit the zeitgeist of the time. It felt so fresh and relevant. I don’t know if it would still feel that way but I can’t shake that initial impression. 

 

[Long Ball Larry]

i've skewered this countless times up on this bored ... it's just a hot mess - and i can dig a succulent "anti-hero" study, but i shed zero tears when that ###### was plugged. 

there is another in this "Hollywood pulls the curtains on Suburbia" schtick that was infinitely better, and i hope it pops up later on. 

in light of the Ang-sty comment, I totally agree and if it is not ranked high enough I will burn the building down.

 

[Pip's Invitation]

I will get to a few more and then stop for a bit so I can get some crap done around the house.   Here is another that might get the grumbles from the peanut gallery...

83:  THE USUAL SUSPECTS

On both of our lists, and higher for 80s.   #56 vs. #96.    Still a great movie, but IMO there are a couple types of "twist" movies - ones where the twist aids the rewatches and makes you appreciate the set up more, and ones that once you know what's coming, it becomes more standard movie fare.   My recent revisit pushed this a more into the second category for me.    I would say that something like Memento would be the first category of movie.  

I was blown away when I saw this. Same with Memento. It would probably be less captivating if I rewatched it, but I never have.

 

[Leroy Hoard]

Casino moved up a lot for me when I rewatched it in the last 6 months. I always liked it but labeled it as Goodfellas-lite and found Stone annoying. Now that I watch it 20 years later, it totally rocks and Stone makes the movie. 

The thing I learned is that if someone likes your pen, just say thanks.

 

[rockaction]

A close reading probably supports your interpretation, but I was so out on everything about this movie about 1/3 of the way through that I had no interest in giving it a close reading.

I feel bad now because others relate, but I never dug it, either. Guess it was a product of a time I sorta skipped, I guess. ‘93-95 would have been big punk/garage years for me. So no swinging and thinging.