50. THE CRUCIBLE
Forty-three years after its Broadway debut, Arthur Miller’s acclaimed play finally received the screen adaption it deserved in 1996. Scripted by Miller himself, and starring a pair of stars (Daniel Day-Lewis and Winona Ryder) from Martin Scorsese’s wonderful The Age of Innocence, THE CRUCIBLE should have been an award darling and one of the biggest blockbusters of the year. Instead, it was the year’s biggest flop, earning around $7 million. Apparently, in the 17th century, if you said someone was a witch, people would believe you, but in the 20th century, if you say a movie is a must-see, people assume you’re lying. Their loss – THE CRUCIBLE remains an essential story that is told with as much justice on the screen as it is in the theater.
49. LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL
Some critics and audience members panned LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL for mixing humor with the holocaust, but those viewers missed the point. It’s true that LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL spares its viewers from the horrors that were so painfully depicted in Schindler’s List, but in my opinion, that’s okay. No film will ever match the superiority of Schindler’s List, so I appreciate filmmakers who take a different approach to the holocaust, which is exactly what Roberto Benigni did. His story is more about the love that a father has for child – a love that goes to dangerous lengths to protect his child from the cruelties and realities of war. True – it’s no Schindler’s List, but most movies are no LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL, either.
48. THE LION KING
Walt Disney, a studio that made classic films like Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Bambi and Pinocchio in its early days, has never had a hotter winning streak than it was in the early nineties. It released The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin. And now THE LION KING. THE LION KING might actually be the most ambitious of all these modern Disney masterpieces, as they brought in a slew of A-list stars to do voiceovers and even Elton John to record many of the film’s epic numbers. It was all money well spent, as THE LION KING went on to make over $760 million at the box office, making it the top-grossing film of the year, and deservingly so. THE LION KING boasts some of the best animation and soundtracks of any Disney film, and with the studio’s enormous resumé, that’s really saying something special.
47. BRAVEHEART
Along with Apollo 13, Mel Gibson’s epic BRAVEHEART made 1995 a fantastic year at the movie for history buffs – even if its running time is a bit long, an Aussie plays the lead role of a Scottish leader and its historical accuracies are questionable at best. BRAVEHEART is a film that takes the strengths from films like Dances With Wolves and The Last of the Mohicans, and injects a full dose of adrenaline to it.
46. THE STRAIGHT STORY
In the most unlikely of pairings, director David Lynch – the mastermind behind dark, twisted stories like Eraserhead, The Elephant Man and Blue Velvet – teams up with 79-year-old Richard Farnsworth to tell the G-rated story of an Iowa man who travels to 240 miles to see his estranged brother. When he gets there, he may not have anything particular to say, but the film has already said plenty during his journey. THE STRAIGHT STORY is one of the best depictions of the wisdom and patience that one gains through age, along with the unbreakable bond of siblings.
45. DANCES WITH WOLVES
Long past are the days when westerns filled the screens at theaters around the nation. In a way, the genre is like the frontier than Lieutenant Dunbar (Kevin Costner) requests to see, “before it’s gone.” And DANCES WITH WOLVES reminds us exactly how beautiful the frontier, and the western genre both are. Apart from being one of the most beautifully shot film of the early nineties, DANCES WITH WOLVES is also an important film that quietly reflects on racism and the preservation of land. And although it may be too late to save the frontier, DANCES WITH WOLVES may have saved the westerns’ genre from extinction.
44. ELECTION
Perhaps no movie in history has captured the dirty tricks and backstabbing of our American political elections quite as well as Alexander Payne’s very funny story of an overly ambitious high school girl – Tracy Flick – who has her dreams set on becoming the class president. Her biggest obstacle isn’t her running mate –a popular but dimwitted jock – but rather one of her high school teachers who hates Tracy with a passion. Tracy may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but it’s impossible not to enjoy Payne’s smart comedy that is so much more than the teenage comedy it appears to be. ELECTION remains one of the best satires of the nineties.
43. THE SIXTH SENSE
In the summer of 1999, no film was more popular that THE SIXTH SENSE, M. Night Shyamalan’s thriller that tells the story of a young boy named Cole who sees ghosts and the psychiatrist who tries to help him to make up for his past failures. Haley Joel Osment is a breakthrough as Cole, and Bruce Willis has never been better, either. But the real star is Shyamalan, who made THE SIXTH SENSE mysterious, eerie and absolutely heart pounding, even way before the big twist-ending.
42. A FEW GOOD MEN
When it comes to pure entertainment, few films soar higher than Rob Reiner’s courtroom drama, A FEW GOOD MEN. Tom Cruise gives the finest performance of his career as a young lawyer determined to prosecute a U.S. Marine Corporal who ordered a Code Red, resulting in the murder of a young marine. However, Jack Nicholson completely steals the spotlight with his performance as the quick angered Corporal. He’d be a shoe-in for the Oscar, if it weren’t for the fact that we’ve come to expect this type of performance from him.
41. SAFE
Even though Carol White’s illness is a completely different monster, it’s arguable that no film has ever studied the AIDS pandemic as well as Todd Haynes’ heartbreaking drama. Julianne Moore plays Carol perfectly, as a wealthy housewife who begins to suffer from a rare and apparently untreatable environmental illness. Even more so than 1993’s Philadelphia, SAFE captures the despair and heartbreak of an uncontrollable illness, and the frustration and desperation that builds when proper care isn’t provided. And apart from all that, SAFE is an absolutely beautifully-shot film, too.
40. THE BIG LEBOWSKI
How do you follow up a film that is destine to be an all-time classic like Fargo? Well, if you’re the Coen brothers, you follow it up by making a film that is a blast to watch – which is exactly what THE BIG LEBOWSKI is. Filled with quotable one-liners and starting a group of people who seem like they’d be fun to hang out with, THE BIG LEBOWSKI tells the story of a lazy hipster (Jeff Bridges) who gets mixed up with a mobster because of his birth name. What starts out as a misunderstanding soon turns into a complete mess when he enrolls his bowling buddies for help. Don’t think THE BIG LEBOWSKI deserves a spot in the top fifty? Well, to quote the Dude, “that’s just like, your opinion, man.”
39. IN THE COMPANY OF MEN
Those who thought that Fargo was too dark might want to steer clear of Neil LaBute’s so dark it can only be categorized as a black comedy, IN THE COMPANY OF MEN. However, those who can handle the film’s dark narcissism are in for a real treat. IN THE COMPANY OF MEN tells the story of two arrogant businessmen who selfishly agree to win the heart of a deaf girl only so they can break it, but instead find themselves falling in love with her. Despite its darkness, LaBute has somehow made a film that actually boasts the message that the real handicap is not seeing people for what they actually are.
38. HOOP DREAMS
Sometimes the truth hurts more than fiction, which is exactly the case with HOOP DREAMS, the heartbreaking documentary that chronicles two boys from Chicago who dream of being the next Isiah Thomas. HOOP DREAMS isn’t just about basketball, it’s a story about class, race, family and how the public system prevents poor urban areas from achieving the American dream. It’s one of the great documentaries of all time and undoubtedly the best one released in the nineties.
37. FLIRTING WITH DISASTER
As good as Secrets & Lies was, it wasn’t even the best movie of 1996 about an adopted child in search of their biological parents. That honor belongs to FLIRTING WITH DISASTER, David O. Russell’s hilarious film that mixes the humor of a Farelly brothers film with the brilliant unfolding structure of a Coen brothers masterwork. Ben Stiller stars as a neurotic New Yorker who refuses to name his recently born child until he meets his biological parents. So, along with his wife and newborn, he sets out on an adventure that gets funnier and more ingenious with every twist.
36. SPEED
Not in a million years did I think my top ten list would include a popcorn movie about a bus that will explode if it slows below 50 mph, but SPEED is one of the most entertaining thrillers of the decade. Keanu Reeves plays a brave LAPD police officer and Sandra Bullock is perfect as the passenger called to take the wheel. SPEED may lack in storytelling, but it abundantly makes up for it by providing heart-pounding thrills for nearly two hours straight.
35. LEAVING LAS VEGAS
Just how good is LEAVING LAS VEGAS? Well, it’s so good that it even manages to make Nicolas Cage look like a good actor. Or perhaps it’s just the first time he was given a role that matches his eccentric behavior. He plays a recently fired Hollywood screenwriter who ventures out to Las Vegas with plans of drinking himself to death. While there, he meets a prostitute with a heart of gold, played wonderfully by Elisabeth Shue and he begins to find a reason to live. It may sound like a melodramatic downer – and it is – but LEAVING LAS VEGAS is done so well, and with so much honesty that it is impossible not to get entangled in the unique love story. It’s a film that captures the evils of alcoholism and understands that the fight can’t always be won.
34. DEAD MAN WALKING
There’s no doubt that DEAD MAN WALKING – Tim Robbin’s wonderful directorial debut – is one of the most compassionate films of the nineties. Sister Helen – played wonderfully by Susan Sarandon – begins to visit a prisoner who has been sentenced to death row. Although he’s arrogant, racist, sexist and completely unlikable, he claims he’s innocent, and Sister Helen’s compassionate heart refuses to let herself abandon him, even if she has doubts. What follows is a thought-provoking drama that somehow questions our views on the death penalty without being judgmental or overdramatic.
33. THREE COLORS: RED
Although I found it easy to appreciate Blue and White, the first two films in Krzysztof Kieslowski’s Three Colors trilogy, it’s the third and final chapter that completely won me over. THREE COLORS: RED, filmed with gorgeous cinematography, tells a thought-provoking story of a young woman who catches a neighbor eavesdropping on his neighbors’ telephone calls. THREE COLORS: RED not only is the masterpiece of the Three Colors trilogy, but it actually makes the other two films even better, too.
32. THE ENGLISH PATIENT
Perhaps Elaine Benes was right when she claimed that THE ENGLISH PATIENT was too long, but she’s certainly wrong when she states that it’s boring. THE ENGLISH PATIENT, in a strange way, creates a slow burn much like Michael Mann’s Heat. However, the comparisons stop there. Perhaps a closer companion film would be David Lean’s 1962 masterpiece, Lawrence of Arabia. Both are long, British films set to a breathtaking desert backdrop, and now both are Best Picture winners. As a rule of thumb, whenever a film warrants comparisons to a film of Lawrence of Arabia’s caliber, it’s worthy of every award it receives. Sorry Elaine – maybe you just need to see it a third time.
31. THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION
Released on the exact same day as Hoop Dreams and Pulp Fiction, Frank Darabont’s THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION is part of a trio that may make October 14, 1994 the greatest day for movie releases in the history of cinema. At first glance THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION, which is based on a Stephen King novella, appears to be a story about overturning authority, but at its base it’s really a story about living life to the fullest, regardless of the circumstances, and about the lifelong friendships that you form along the way. THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION may be a bit long with too many endings, but that’s easy to forgive since you really don’t want it to end anyways.
30. SHORT CUTS
When it comes to intertwining stories, nobody does it better than Robert Altman – the masterful director who brought us M*A*S*H, McCabe & Mrs. Miller and Nashville in the‘70s, and revived his career last year with The Player. With SHORT CUTS, he cuts between 22 Los Angeles residents whose lives are connected, giving us somewhere around four stories for the price of one.
29. AMERICAN BEAUTY
Its humor may be easier to appreciate than to enjoy, but there’s no denying the creativity and daringness of Sam Mendes’ brilliant debut feature, AMERICAN BEAUTY. It’s a film that’s so good that many believed it would become only the fourth film ever to sweep all the major Oscar categories. It came up short when Annette Bening lost the lead actress category to Hilary Swank, which is ironic since Bening gives the best performance in the entire film. Then again irony is exactly what made AMERICAN BEAUTY one of the very best films of 1999 in the first place.
28. SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE
SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE gives me hope for the future of the romantic comedies – a genre that has become far too uncreative and predictable in recent years. Fortunately, SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE is one of the most creative, romantic and funny stories of the late nineties, as it tells the story of the woman who (fictionally) inspired him to write Romeo & Juliet. Gwyneth Paltrow plays the inspiration with such charm and sweetness that I can’t think of a performance from the past year that has so deservingly made a star out of a lead role.
27. BREAKING THE WAVES
Lars von Trier’s Grand Prix-winning film may be the most ambitious study of God and religion ever filmed. Emily Watson gives one of the greatest debut performances of all time as Bess, a sweet and devout believer who is convinced that her husband’s paralyzing work injury was a direct result of her prayer requests. When she’s asked to compromise her values to keep her husband alive, her actions begin to oppose the rules of her church. It’s an emotional journey that states that God’s understanding and compassion for His people far exceeds our grasp. BREAKING THE WAVES is not an easy watch, but it’s a film that leaves its viewers more paralyzed than the characters it portrays.
26. SE7EN
David Fincher’s thrilling story of two detectives (Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman) determined to track down a serial killer who turns the seven deadly sins into a game is the best thriller since The Silence of the Lambs. Fincher’s fresh style and energy along with some brilliant cinematography makes SE7EN one of the most refreshing and perfectly constructed motion pictures in recent memory. And that’s certainly no sin.
25. JFK
Moviegoers certainly have the right to deny Oliver Stone’s theories regarding the John F. Kennedy assassination, but there is absolutely no denying that he has made one of the most thrilling and entertaining pictures of the year. With its visually-stunning cinematography and sharp editing, JFK moves at a lightening pace that is never dull or slow, despite being over three hours long. And there was no actor with a hotter hit streak in the late eighties and early nineties than Kevin Costner. Even with a resumé that includes Dances With Wolves, Field of Dreams and Bull Durham, JFK might be his best film.
24. MAGNOLIA
After mastering the 70’s porn industry with Boogie Nights, 29-year-old director Paul Thomas Anderson moved on to a much more ambitious project about love, sorrow, forgiveness and frogs. And, for the most part, he completely masters it. Of course, he gets plenty of help from Tom Cruise, Julianne Moore, Phillip Seymour Hoffman and a slew of frogs – all of who gives Oscar-worthy performances. Anderson may not be doing anything that Robert Altman mastered with films like Short Cuts, but somehow Anderson may be doing them even better. Requiring audiences to watch a three-hour film is not an easy task, but MAGNOLIA makes it all time well spent.
23. THE PIANO
In what has to be considered one of the greatest performances of the decade, Holly Hunter plays a mute Scotswoman who is sold into marriage to a New Zealand man. She arrives with only two things she cares about: her young daughter and her piano, which she considers the closest thing to having a voice of her own. Unfortunately, her new husband doesn’t share her appreciation for the piano and sells it to a neighbor, who allows her to play it in exchange for sexual favors. Although it takes place many years ago, THE PIANO studies abuse of power, which is still very much relevant today. And the fact that it’s told by the premier female film director working today makes it even more powerful. THE PIANO is one of the most beautiful films of the early nineties, and also one that is unforgettably haunting.
22. THE SWEET HEREAFTER
Atom Egoyan’s delicate THE SWEET HEREAFTER is no ordinary film. The film tells the story of a lawyer (Ian Holm) who travels to a small town to defend the families who lost loved ones when a bus crashes through thin ice. It’s obviously not the feel-good movie of the decade, but it is a film that studies tragedy, pain, anger and greed with a delicacy and understanding that is rarely seen in the art of movies. It’s a film that realizes that tragedies happen and sometimes no one is to blame.
21. PLEASANTVILLE
Gary Ross’s sneaky new film, PLEASANTVILLE, is a brilliant look at racism and progression disguised as just another light-weight high school comedy. That’s part of its brilliance. Tobey Maguire and Reese Witherspoon play siblings who get trapped inside the black and white world of a 1960’s sitcom, where they inherit the roles of William H. Macy and Joan Allen’s perfect children. But not for long, as their, for lack of better word, true colors come out. PLEASANTVILLE, although well received, may be the most overlooked film of the year. The city of Pleasantville may go from being perfect to anything but that, but in doing so Ross’s film becomes perfect itself.
20. UNFORGIVEN
Dances With Wolves may have kickstarted the western two years earlier, but Clint Eastwood’s smart and often funny western, UNFORGIVEN, raises the bar back to where it was during the golden days of the genre. Eastwood plays a notorious outlaw who gave up his sharp-shooting hand to raise his children after his wife passes away. However, when a young cowboy with more ambition that skill recruits him to do one final job, it’s an offer he can’t refuse. UNFORGIVEN marks a new high for Eastwood, both as a director and an actor, and much of the thanks deserves to be given to David Webb Peoples’ fine screenplay, which injects brains into the western genre. For the first time perhaps ever, the role of an outlaw is displayed as a physically draining way of life, and one that leaves bandits with lifelong guilt.
19. GROUNDHOG DAY
GROUNDHOG DAY was released in the same year as two of the bleakest films of the decade – Schindler’s List and The Piano – and worked as medicine by providing some serious laughs. Directed by Harold Ramis, whose writing credits include Animal House, Caddyshack and Ghostbusters, GROUNDHOG DAY tells the story of a miserable weather man (Bill Murray, who is perfectly cast) who is stuck repeating his least favorite day of the year. As expected, his rut does eventually come to an end, but while you’re watching it, you certainly will not beg the film to come to an end.
18. BOOGIE NIGHTS
A notable adult film director, an aging porn actress, a screenwriter with an unfaithful wife, a competitive costar and a popular young actor who has been “blessed with one special thing,” as he so elegantly puts it. Few movies have even one notable character, but Paul Thomas Anderson’s funny porn industry opus has more than enough to go around. BOOGIE NIGHTS feels like a mix of the best Robert Altman films mixed with the coolness of Dazed and Confused.
17. THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS
In what has to be considered one of the greatest dual performances of all time, Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkins team up to play an FBI trainee and a cannibalistic serial killer, who may be able to provide valuable insight in the search of a serial killer named Buffalo Bill. Foster is brilliant as the brave agent who refuses to give up, but it’s Hopkins who turns Hannibal Lecter into one of the most memorable characters in the history of cinema. THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS, more than any other film this decade, boasts two of the best performances seen on screen.
16. L.A. CONFIDENTIAL
Critics – including myself – like to compare films to one another. But when critics continuously compare a film to Chinatown, arguably one of the greatest movies of all time, you know the film is really special. Which is exactly the case with Curtis Hanson’s brilliant adaptation of L.A. CONFIDENTIAL. The film revolves around three cops: one shady (Kevin Spacey), one straight-laced (Guy Pearce) and one quick-tempered (Russell Crowe) as they battle for acclaim and respect in a tilted system. Unlike the police force that it depicts, the film itself is quite close to perfect, from the twisting screenplay to the brilliant acting to the noteworthy art direction and cinematography.
15. THE PLAYER
There are those who believe there are too many movies about the movies, but I don’t think anyone has complaints about Robert Altman’s brilliantly clever THE PLAYER. Many critics praised THE PLAYER as Robert Altman’s best work in over a decade, but I’m willing to go even one step further and call it one of the two best films of his career, alongside Nashville, and one of the most original stories to come out of Hollywood – the very source it parodies – in the entire decade.
14. DAZED AND CONFUSED
Not since American Graffiti have we been treated to a film that captures a prior generation of teenagers with such a perfect balance of heart and humor than Richard Linklater’s hugely entertaining masterpiece, DAZED AND CONFUSED. The film takes us back to the final day of school in 1976, where upperclassmen throw year-end bashes and soon-to-be freshman suffer through initiation rituals. Despite being disguised and advertised as a teen comedy, DAZED AND CONFUSED is one of the smartest films of decade, as well as one of the most entertaining. Oh, and the soundtrack is pretty great, too.
13. BEAUTY AND THE BEAST
Disney made a triumph return two years earlier with The Little Mermaid, but they outdid themselves by making the studio’s best animated film of its 68-year history when it released BEAUTY AND THE BEAST in 1991. Filled with classic songs and some truly remarkable animation, BEAUTY AND THE BE is an enchanting film that can be enjoyed by both children and adults. This one is a real beauty.
12. THELMA & LOUISE
Buddy crime films have been common since the early days of cinema. Typically, they star two male leads, but on special occasions, we’d get some variety – typically in the form of a male lead and his pet dog. And in rare occasions, they’d have both a male and female lead, a la Bonnie and Clyde. But in 1991, Ridley Scott completely switched things up by starring not one, but two female leads in his masterful thriller, THELMA & LOUISE. But that isn’t the sole reason that THELMA & LOUISE is one of the finest films of the decade. It also deserves a spot near the top ten because it is simply that entertaining and thrilling.
11. SAVING PRIVATE RYAN
Now that Steven Spielberg has covered both the holocaust and WWII, it is my humble opinion that there never needs to be another World War II film ever made again. That’s not because the subject matter is unimportant, but rather because Spielberg’s brilliant-beyond-words WWII drama, SAVING PRIVATE RYAN, has set the bar for the genre beyond reach, much like he did five years earlier with Schindler’s List. SAVING PRIVATE RYAN is a film that not only captures the look, sound and feel of war, but also captures the fear, the heroics and the bonds of those who serve. If his past resume hadn’t already bumped Spielberg towards the top of every greatest director list, SAVING PRIVATE RYAN is a director’s achievement that certainly makes any deniers look ridiculous.
10. TITANIC
The ship sinks. That’s no surprise. What is a surprise though is just how incredibly entertaining James Cameron’s mega-blockbuster is. Even well before the ship begins to sink, Cameron latches us in with the high-quality soap opera that is between first-class passenger Rose (Kate Winslet) and Jack (Leonardo DiCaprio), who wins his ticket to ride in a poker game. And when the ship starts to sink, TITANIC transcends from a film that is simply entertaining to an instant an unforgettable classic.
9. THE TRUMAN SHOW
It seems like a crime to pick any film not named Saving Private Ryan as the best film of 1998 – but hear me out. True, Saving Private Ryan is a masterpiece that will likely go down in cinematic history and THE TRUMAN SHOW is not. But perhaps it should. It’s a film that brilliantly America’s obsession with the media and way we treat celebrities. And if that’s not reason enough to pick it as one of the ten best films of the decade, the fact that it’s one of the most entertaining films of the nineties should be.
8. GOODFELLAS
1990 was supposed to be the year that moviegoers were treated to the finest gangster film since 1974. And they were, three months earlier than they expected to be. That’s because GOODFELLAS, not The Godfather Part III, is undoubtedly the best gangster film of the decade, and a film that ranks alongside first two Godfather films as the essential mobster classics. The film tells the story of Henry Hill, an Irish New Yorker who gets involved with the mafia at a young age and moves up the rankings through time. The film’s director, Martin Scorsese, made one of the greatest films of the 80’s with Raging Bull, and with GOODFELLAS, he ranks high for the 90s, too.
7. FARGO
For years now, Joel and Ethan Coen have been making great movies. Yet, not even a resume that includes Blood Simple, Raising Arizona, Miller’s Crossing and Barton Fink could prepare us for the greatness that is FARGO. This is their masterpiece, and it boasts a screenplay that deserves to ranked alongside the all-time greats. William H. Macy costars as Jerry Lundegaard, a desperate car salesman who arranges to have his wife kidnapped in hopes of receiving a large ransom payment from his father-in-law. He hires two clueless conmen to arrange the kidnapping, and their incompetence leads to a triple homicide in a small town in rural Minnesota – which introduces us to Marge Gunderson, the brave and very pregnant police chief who makes it her top priority to solve the crime. FARGO is enormously creative, darkly funny and massively entertaining. But is it really one of the ten best films of the decade? In the words of Marge Gunderson, “Oh, you betcha, yeah.”
6. TOY STORY
1995 had plenty of good films, but none were as innovative or as groundbreaking as TOY STORY. Years from now, we’ll look back at TOY STORY as the film that forever changed what animation could be, and it will rank alongside Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs as the most important films of the medium. But TOY STORY doesn’t just make it into the top ten because of its groundbreaking feats – it was also the most fun I had at the movies in 1995. It’s the rate film that shoots for infinity and beyond, and actually achieves it.
5. PULP FICTION
Arguably the most influential film of the nineties, Quentin Tarantino’s stylish, high-energy follow up to Reservoir Dogs is the type of film that instantly made its director a household name. And with its brilliant dialogue, all-star cast, and fresh structure, PULP FICTION deserves all the praise it has earned Tarantino. The film revived the career of John Travolta, who plays a hitman who is asked to take his boss’s wife, played wonderfully by Uma Thurman, out for a night of dancing. But that’s just the beginning. PULP FICTION is a truly unique experience, and a film that changed what independent filmmaking could be for generations to come.
4. GOOD WILL HUNTING
Matt Damon and Ben Affleck – the two young stars and screenwriters of GOOD WILL HUNTING made a film that many will believe is ranked too high for the decade. Yet, no film feels more personal and underrated to me than the film that instantly made the duo into two of the biggest stars in Hollywood. Damon, who started writing GOOD WILL HUNTING as a final assignment at his Harvard playwriting class, gave a wonderful performance as an unambitious but brilliant MIT janitor who spends his spare time speed-reading books, solving impossible math proofs and drinking beers with his slacker friends. GOOD WILL HUNTING is filled with a slew of touching memorable moments and one can’t help but to wonder if Damon is as close to a genius as the character he portrays. After all, as Ben Affleck’s character would put it, GOOD WILL HUNTING is wicked smart.
3. BEING JOHN MALKOVICH
Like a modern retelling of Alice in Wonderland, BEING JOHN MALKOVICH tells the story of a struggling puppeteer who discovers a secret portal in his office that leads visitors inside the mind of actor John Malkovich. And, in the true sense of American culture, he and his friends decide to use it for two purposes: money and sex. It’s not difficult for viewers to understand the joys of Malkovich’s visitors, becausethe film is so unique, clever and enjoyable, that they too feel they’ve discovered a rare experience of their own. BEING JOHN MALKOVICH is one of the most unique films of our time.
2. FORREST GUMP
History has never been told in a more entertaining way than through the eyes of Forrest Gump, the fictional slow-witted title character behind Robert Zemeckis’s masterpiece. Forrest, played to perfection by Tom Hanks, has a long list of accomplishments that include being an All-American college football star, a Medal of Honor winner, a renowned ping pong diplomat and a successful shrimping boat captain. FORREST GUMP is as sweet as a box of chocolates, and as funny as any other film from the decade. Many will argue that FORREST GUMP is too stupid to deserve a spot in the top 50, but, as Forest’s mom says “stupid is as stupid does,” whatever that means.
1. SCHINDLER’S LIST
Not in my lifetime has a movie been made that is more of a historical artistic achievement that Steven Spielberg’s masterfully profound holocaust drama, SCHINDLER’S LIST. Filmed in gorgeous black-and-white cinematography and filled with countless unforgettable scenes, Spielberg’s film is an unforgettable film deserves to be called one of the greatest films in the history of cinema. At the time of its release, SCHINDLER’S LIST instantly seemed to be crowned just that, but over time, its acclaim has faded a bit. Yet, it shouldn’t, because the film’s unforgettable power certainly hasn’t. This is the most important film of the nineties, and it’s also the crowning achievement of the decade, and in my mind, it’s really not even close.
Entertainment Yearly 