The Best Movie of the 90s

Wow, Solojones, sounds like quite a night, you saw Fight Club and Memento in one sitting, for the first time? You are a very, very, lucky girl to have experienced that. Sorry, I just think that's a great pairing. It seems that you're a fan of "fractured" storytelling.

So was your love of Se7en influential in your descision to whatch Fight Club?

~PAd

 

Just curious, what names from the 90's have been mentioned most?

 

Ah, so now we seem to be just listing favorites of all time. I won't impose that list on you. I've been working on it for a while now and it's quite massive.

Moving on:

There are no great films from the 90s that begin with the letter 'K' according to the American Film Institute.

Nominated films beginning with 'L':

Leaving Las Vegas--never seen it.

The Lion King--I tend to think this one is a tad overrated. I like it a lot, but it occasionally loses focus. It's the villian who is really interesting and, be honest, I could care less about Simba and Nala's budding romance. It's the supporting characters who steal the show for me, most especially Scar.

LA Story--never seen it.

Liar, Liar--one of Carrey's true masterpieces. I didn't really like Carrey prior to watching this film. Comic genius and easily one of the funniest films of the nineties.

Living in Oblivion--never seen it.

LA Confidential--quoting from earlier in the thread: what can be said except that this film is genius? Again, a spectacular ensemble cast unites. Crowe, Pearce, Spacey, Straithairn and Cromwell are the standouts, but the others are good too. Again, as with Chinatown, noir gets a shot in the arm at just the right time. The genre must never die! Like Shawshank, this one got royally cheated at the Oscars. And who can forget Lana Turner?

The Last of the Mohicians--Love it! Brilliant acting, a killer score, great cinematography, beautiful battle scenes and that whole "I will find you" speech make this a classic. Beautiful film.

The Last Seduction--never seen it.

Legends of the Fall--never seen it.

Longtime Companion--never seen it.

Comments?

EDIT: I don't believe I've ever heard of a couple of those.

Tracking them down.

The Last Seduction--Linda Fiorintino steals a fortune from her husband, Bill Pullman, and hides in a small town. Peter Berg soon falls under her spell, but when her past threatens to catch up, she devises a clever scheme . . .

Longtime Companion--one of the first films to put a human face on the AIDS crisis, this film follows a tight knit group of friends in New York City as the disease begins to ravage their lives.

 

What about Kingpin, King of the Hill, Kolya, Kids, Kalifornia, Kansas City, Kundun, Kissed? These are all great films...

Leaving Las Vegas-- A touching, if slightly over melodramatic, story of alcohol addiction and love, this film had brilliant performances and gorgeous cinematography and deserves all the accolades it was given.

The Lion King-- Overly simplistic story, unlikeable and inconsequential characters and one of the worst soundtracks to date to boot. Even the gorgous animations of the African serengetti cannot make up for the lacklustre final product.

LA Story-- I see it as a great companion piece to Steve Martin's performance in Parenthood and this is a funny and touching film all on its own terms the former fact notwithstanding.

Liar, Liar-- If I keep making this face, will it get stuck that way?
Absolutely not! In fact, there are people who make a nice living doing that.

That particular bit on itself is worth the price of admission. I also enjoy the outtakes at the end: "A Goose!"

Living in Oblivion-- I like Buscemi's performance and enjoy the way they take the piss out of the onslaught of bad, independent films of the early nineties through the dream sequence sub-plot. Nonetheless, this is a pdestrian vehicle.

LA Confidential-- This is a slap in the face to all those people who support anything neo-noir and hail each new addition as a masterpiece. This is what a modern film noir should be like: great characters, subtle performances, imaginative and respectful period design, austere direction: all combined to help an overwhelmingly complex yet satisfying plot.

The Last of the Mohicians-- Rubbish.

The Last Seduction-- Rubbish.

Legends of the Fall-- Rubbish X Rubbish

Longtime Companion-- This is like a biography of AIDS so far: very powerful and very distubing.

 

Ah, so now we seem to be just listing favorites of all time.

Sorry, I think I'm largely to blame for taking this thread of topic but there aren't any other threads to vent such a much needed discussion.

"Stay on target... stay on TARGET..."

And who can forget Lana Turner?

Huh? The old 40's and 50's actress? She was in L.A. Confidential? But quite a looker, that one!

Regarding LOTM, great film, does anyone know if that was Michael Mann's first? If so, it was a wonderful debut to a terrific career.

~PAd

 

Yes, I'll agree there were certainly films from the nineties that begin with 'K' that deserve some recognition.

I was referring to the scene where Pearce mistakes the real Lana Turner for a prostitute cut to look like Turner. One of the few really funny moments in that film.

 

Resevoir Dogs- Loved the movie but it's really pissing me off that they decided to release FOUR different versions of it.

?? Really, what are the versions?


If you really watch the movies, you will realize that the script writing by Bob and Bob is outstanding. All the ironic humor, and the way the entire thing ties together...

I enjoyed all three on some level, but really, much of 2 and 3 was just rehashes of 1. I have trouble calling that "brilliant."


Godfather III -- The Vatican plot is not only confusing but is also underwhelming as a story.

I concur. Had that been clearer, and had they not just dropped the character of Higgins into oblivon, I really think it would have been as good as II. It had a lot of potential, and there are many things I enjoy about it, but in the end, it comes in last place.

The Adventures of Robin Hood -- the 1937 version?
Captain Blood -- never seen it.
Charge of the Light Brigade - haven't seen this one either.
Seven Saumrai(although Hidden Fortress is slightly better, this is ahead of it because of its epic-ness) - I see we almost agree on this one.
ANH - Rock and Roll!!
ESB - (See comment on ANH)
Clash of the Titans - I like this film, but greatest film of all time? No.
Ben Hur - One of this best epics ever. A powerful, extremely well produced film.
Poltergeist - Good, but not great, IMO.
Godfather 1&2 - Yep, truly great films.
The Goonies(ahh, gotta love 80's charm) - Well, the eighties charm is about all this movie had going for it.

Aliens: Probably the most intense action movie of all-time.. Great cast, great direction..

Absolutely

On Her Majesty's Secret Service: A Bond movie HAS to make this list.."Goldfinger" is generally regarded as "The" Bond flick, but i think that this one is the best...

Now we're talking. Actually, I do like Goldfinger more, but On Her Majesty's Secret Service is an easy second, and simply the most underrated Bond film ever. It does have the best script of any of the Bonds, and the actor, though an unknown, did a wonderful job.


So wait... did we agree that 2000 counts as the 90's?

No, but that would be as on-topic as anything else in this thread so I don't think it matters

 

I'm a tad bored. Moving on:

Nominated films, beginning with 'M':

Men in Black--surprisingly funny. Smith and Jones are actually quite good together and the villian steals the show. Extremely funny.

Metropolitan--never seen it.

My Best Friend's Wedding--never seen it.

My Cousin Vinny--a very nice send up of the courtroom genre. Pesci is quite funny. Tomei is hilarious, and Fred Gwynne is stupendous. Love the public defender! And who can forget Pesci stepping out on the porch and blazing away with an automatic pistol?

El Mariachi--never seen it.

Misery--never seen it.

Mission: Impossible--I actually quite like this film. Those who say they can't understand it just weren't paying attention. A nice mystery with a stunner of a climax.

Missippi Masala--never seen it.

Comments?

 

I agree with your comments regarding My Cousin Vinny. I always enjoy seeing this film. "What is a yout?"

Misery - Very well done suspense movie. Pretty true to the book as well, as far as I can recall. If your only expericence with King-to-film adaptations are The Langoliers, I urge you to give this one a try. Heh heh.

Men in Black. I thought it made for a great popcorn movie. Humorous and well-paced.

Mission Impossible. I saw this once, and for a stand-alone film I thought it was pretty good. However, although I never saw the original TV series, I happen to know that there was supposed to be a team, and Phelps was a good guy. This Cruise film ruined the 'team', leaving ol' Tom alone as the only guy to root for. I probably shouldn't, as it is likely not his fault, but I am miffed at Cruise for this movie taking such a bad turn against the original idea: Phelps is supposed to be a good guy. Curse him!

Darth Phelps

 

Men in Black-- One of the few Summer blockbuster films that could have done with being a bit longer. I like the aliens and some of the humour though I find Will Smith's schtick tired after a while.

Metropolitan-- It's a fun little movie that loves it characters, however shallow they might be. This reminds me of Clueless, more than any other film. Enjoyable.

My Best Friend's Wedding-- This is a brilliant post-modern musical, as far as I am concerned though it hides that aspect well. Roberts plays out of character and Diaz is adorable yet multi-dimensional as shown in the toilet confrontation. Why Rupert Everett was not nominated for a Supporting Actor Oscar is beyond me, as is the perfection of the diner sing-along scene.

My Cousin Vinny-- Star making turn from Marisa Tomei (who looks so old in the upcoming The Guru - which is hideous, by the way) and a truly great and funny Pesci still do not detract from a film with no discernible plot. Could have been a great film if only the script were better.

El Mariachi-- Albeit truncated with a genuine feel for authenticity, it is filled to the brim with stereotypes and is hence a flawed - and ludicrously overrated - film.

Misery-- This was a great come back vehicle for both William Goldman and James Caan, two great figures of American cinema. Both their star turns are joined by a truly frightening performance from Kathy Bates, who deserved her Oscar fully, to create a claustrophobic, scary film as a result.

Mission: Impossible-- Definetely preferred it to the second one, and enjoyed it. Haven't seen it that many times since though I still catch some glimpses of it when it's on the telly now and then.

Missippi Masala-- Although crammed with two too many storylines, this is nevertheless a good accomplishment. Not a big fan of Nair but this film is the closest I have come to liking her stuff.

 

Resovoir Dogs! Period.


I bought the Ten Year Anniversary DVD today with Mr. Blonde (Michael Madsen's charcater) on the cover.


I luv that ear scene!

 

PAD- Actually, I own Memento and I'd seen it already... but it was my first time seeing FC And I watched my copy of Donnie Darko.. so yes, brain overload

I'll get to the movies on this page in a second...

-sj loves kevin spacey

 

Leaving Las Vegas--never seen it.

The Lion King--Eh, it's ok. Shakespear story is good Other than that, it's nothing special. I do like Scar, though

LA Story--never seen it.

Liar, Liar--I love this movie. One of my fav comedies. I love Jim for movies like this I watch it quite often and never tire of it.

Living in Oblivion--never seen it.

LA Confidential--Pretty much what everyone has said here... I loved Spacey and Pearce in it, and even Crowe was good Cromwell was awesome....

The Last of the Mohicians--never seen it.

The Last Seduction--never seen it.

Legends of the Fall--never seen it.

Longtime Companion--never seen it

Men in Black--This movie is great! One of my favs. The best is Tommy making fun of himself the whole film

Metropolitan--never seen it.

My Best Friend's Wedding--Good movie... it's been a while since I've seen it, but I remember it as being a good film and funny too

My Cousin Vinny--never seen it

El Mariachi--never seen it.

Misery--never seen it.

Mission: Impossible--Much better than the sequel... this movie has plot twists that remain within the rhelm of reality (mostly ) and that makes it enjoyable and fun.

Missippi Masala--never seen it

-sj loves kevin spacey

 

CONCERNING RESERVOIR DOGS

I said: Resevoir Dogs- Loved the movie but it's really pissing me off that they decided to release FOUR different versions of it.

You Said: ?? Really, what are the versions?

Kentucky_Cowboy said: I bought the Ten Year Anniversary DVD today with Mr. Blonde (Michael Madsen's charcater) on the cover.

And now I need to make sense out of all of this. Okay, as the story goes, there are FOUR different versions of the dvd, one for Mr. Blonde, another for Mr. White, Pink etc. and I was told that each one has an exclusive comentary by their respective actors.

However, today at my video rental store, I saw a completely different version of the 10th anniversary with ALL FOUR chracters on the cover, it was like the UBER-edition or something. Now, simple common sense tells me that this is the one to buy, but I don't want to go ahead with it if I'm going to be missing certian features, so can someone please point me in the right direction?

I've never had to buy a film twice because of a later uber edition coming out. I've always patiently waited for such films as Pulp Fiction, Memento, Taxi Driver and so on. I pride myself in waiting for the goldmine while all the suckers rush off to get an inferior version. I don't want to break the practice now.

And while we're at it, has anyone heard about another edition of Goodfellas? I heard a convincing rumour about it back in April or so but have yet to hear anything follow up on that. What's the story (Morning Glory?)

~PAd

 

solojones, I nearly forgot in the midst of my rant, I wanted to share somthing that happened today at work. I had some girl come up to me asking for a new Kevin Spacey movie that she didn't know the title of. So I went down the line (K-Pax, The Shipping News, etc.) None of the ones I named rang a bell so we decided to look for a different kind of movie.

I asked her what type of film she was looking for and she mentioned that she'd just seen Fight Club and really enjoyed it so naturally, I recommended Memento, and she said she had seen it and liked it very much as well. I was suddenly caught in a bit of a pregnant pause and thought to myself, "is this Solojones?" So I decided to test the waters and I asked if she'd seen The Usual Suspects. She hadn't and I probably wore a curious smirk but then went on to tell her how much I thought she'd enjoy the film and eventually made the sale. I don't know, it gave me a bit of a laugh.

~PAd

 

LOL!!!!! That's sooooo funny PAD! I'm entering everyone's mind I wish it were me... that would have been cool But if it were me, I wouldn't have needed to ask you the name of the movie, now would I? Use your noggin, PAD

Seriously, that's too funny. I'm sure she'll love TUS

-sj loves kevin spacey

 

That's funny.

Nominated films, beginning with 'N':

The Nutty Professor--forgive me for hating this film. It takes the premise of Jerry Lewis' single masterpiece and dilutes it with crude humour that is more stupid than funny. No striking condemnation of the 'cool' persona, no climactic conscious decision, etc. Murphy deserves a nod for his stellar performance as Sherman and the members of his family, but his turn as Buddy Love isn't thought provoking or disturbing, it's just obnoxious and annoying.

Natural Born Killers--believe it or not, I've never actually seen the whole thing.

New Jack City--never seen it.

Never Been Kissed--I actually enjoyed this one. I found it to be at it's best when it lowered it's pretentions and gave a funny look at high school life. Ah, yes, a totally rufus movie.

Notting Hill--never seen it.

Comments?

 

I'll mention a film I'll bet hasn't been mentioned.

Love and Human Remains. Very funny, and feels very 90s.

 

The Nutty Professor-- I thought it was ok, but nothing special. I haven't seen it in a while, but I own it...

Natural Born Killers--never seen it

New Jack City--never seen it.

Never Been Kissed--I hate teen movies, but this is one I actually love. Probably because the main characters aren't really teens anyway. A funny premise that I think was played out well

Notting Hill-- I really like this movie. My favourite part is when they have the shock that tracks through the town as the seasons change (the lady who's pregant, then has the baby, etc). Well done, funny film IMHO. Yeah it's unlikely, but I think it's good.


-sj loves kevin spacey

 

Resevoir Dogs- Loved the movie but it's really pissing me off that they decided to release FOUR different versions of it.

?? Really, what are the versions?


There are actually 5 different covers, but the disc inside is exactly the same for all of them. The inserts are different, as they talk about the character on the cover a little. But be careful, they give away spoilers! Anyway, the covers are Mr. Blonde, Mr. Pink, Mr. White, Mr. Orange, and Tarantino himself, Mr. Brown. The Mr. Brown cover is supposed to be more rare than the rest, and hence could be considered a collector's edition I suppose. Again, the only difference is the DVD package, not the DVD itself.

And while we're at it, has anyone heard about another edition of Goodfellas? I heard a convincing rumour about it back in April or so but have yet to hear anything follow up on that.

The latest rumor I've heard is that it will be released sometime in 2003. When that sometime is, I couldn't tell you. But this is definitely one flick that could use a grand two disc set.

EDIT - typos

 

Thanks, stone_jedi, that clears thing up a bit.

I was under the impression that there are one or two differences on the discs themselves. Somthing like each one having a special commentary by it's respective character (Blonde, white, etc.)

~PAd

 

Natural Born Killers--This seems to be one of those movies that you either love or you hate. Very few people are in the middle on it. Although something of a mixed bag, I love it and think it is at times a brilliant film. Made with a highly experimental (and sometimes too self-indulgent) approach, it can go from grotesque to howlingly funny in the blink of an eye. Woody Harrelson and Juliette Lewis turn in eerie performances as mass-murdering lovers Mickey and Mallory Knox in a film that explores the American obsession with violence and celebrity. Director Oliver Stone employs a variety of film techniques (including a short animated sequence) to show us the world through the eyes of Mickey, Mallory and a frenetic media striving to turn these monsters into pop stars. A strong supporting cast (the strongest being Robert Downey Jr.) playing a sickening array of disturbing characters rounds out the film. Hard to watch at times, and maybe it does go on a little too long, but overall an artistic success. One of my favorite Oliver Stone films.

 

The Adventures of Robin Hood -- the 1937 version?

Yes, the one with Flynn. IMO, the best Robin Hood version ever. No one else should even try.

Flynn is Sir Robin of Locksley.
Rathborne is Guy of Gisbon.

Plus the suuporting cast is great. And Olivia De Havilland is cute in the film.

The duel on the stairs at the end is the greatest duel that I have ever seen on film.

Also, Korngold's score is the best, ever.

Also the writing is incredible. It's sharp, fast and quick witted.

Ahem....thus endeth my rant..eth.

 

The Nutty Professor-- This is a truly great comedy for a number of reasons and it rightfully put Eddie Murphy's career back on a winning streak which eventually led to Bowfinger, his finest comedic performance. Rick Baker's make-up is commendable and should have won an Oscar and Eddie Murphy's versatility is tremendous. Being supported by one of the finest comedians of the late 20th Century in Larry Miller also ups the movie's humour quota. Many people saw this for its superficial fart gags and all, though that is not what the movie is about and the amount of flatulent and baseless humour is in fact kept to a minimum. The film is an analogy of Eddie Murphy's career. The Buddy Love character, with his self-obsessed, obnoxious and crude bravura reminds the audience of Murphy's former roles. He is at first charming and the audience, represented in Jada Pinkett's Carla Purty, warms to him instantly. However, the schtick wears off soon and Murphy becomes offensive and malicious rather than funny. His transformation to Sherman Klump, an old style, more innocent type of comedy, brings back the love. Murphy even went so far in the sequel to suggest that the Love persona is him too and without it he is incompetent, and even, impotent. Great film and was liked by the critics, but many an audience member does not give this film the chance and the respect it deserves. This was the third best comedy of the 90s and the second best comedy of Eddie Murphy's career.

Natural Born Killers-- A great concept, story and script turned into pseudo-sentimental, salacious and sanctimonious piece of cerebral masturbation. Oliver Stone's fetish for the need of America to create its own anti-heroes in the post-Vietnam War era rings true, yet it is executed with profound pompousness and even such great performances as Downey Jr's can't take away from this film's mediocrity.

New Jack City-- This is a compendium of other people's idea from better gangster films transferred to a black setting. Ponderous, predictable and boring.

Never Been Kissed-- Drew Barrymore's charm elevates a pedestrian teen-movie vehicle in to, if not greatness, than definitely to the milieu of good comedy.

Notting Hill-- Albeit sprinkled with some nice touches, this is nevertheless very formulaic and my history with both the film and its filmmakers bring to the fore more of such memories than the actual product on screen.

 

I just don't see the greatness in Murphy's Nutty Professor. As mentioned, the makeup was fantastic and Murphy deserves kudos for pulling off a number of roles believably, but I feel that the premise is watered down considerably. Nowhere is Murphy so blatantly abusive as Lewis' alter ego in the original. And, I'm sorry, but the morphing effects at the end seem over done and I much prefer the simple symbolism of Lewis donning his glasses, finally making the conscious decision to be honest, and allowing Stella Stevens to, at last, snap into sharp focus.

It had such potential, but as a remake it fizzled, coming nowhere near the resonance of the original.