This list is more fluid for me, as my tastes and interests changed all the time. I will create several buckets:
Drama
1) Tombstone
2) Shawshank Redemption
3) The Usual Suspects
4) Donnie Brasco
5) The Hunt for Red October
6) Reservoir Dogs
7) Goodfellas
8) Gettysburg
9) Suicide Kings (Dennis Leary and the Toaster is one of the all time great monologues)
10) Boogie Nights
HM Glengarry Glen Ross, Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Saving Private Ryan
Comedy
1) Dirty Work
2) Mallrats
3) Dogma
4) PCU
5) Maverick
6) Major Payne
7) Office Space
8) Wayne's World
9) Robin Hood Men in Tights
10) Clerks
HM Lebowski, Half Baked, Meet Wally Sparks,
Sports
1) The Program
2) Tin Cup
3) The Sandlot
4) Kingpin
5) Major League II
6) Mr. Baseball
7) White Men Can't Jump
8) Happy Gilmore
9) The Waterboy
10) Varsity Blues
HM Major League Back to the Minors, Little Giants, Mystery Alaska, Ladybugs
Action
1) True Lies
2) Golden Eye
3) Terminator 2
4) Die Hard 2
5) The Professional
6) Point Break
7) The Matrix
8) Wild Wild West
9) US Marshals
Romantic Movies/Rom Coms
1) Swingers
2) Ten Things I Hate About You
3) Notting Hill
4) Something About Mary
5) Can't Hardly Wait
6) George of the Jungle
7) The Mask
Comments
This is pretty good coming from French. But how do you put Die Hard 2 over Die Hard with A Vengeance?
Watched Point Break on tv 3 nights ago. Still good. But you left out Speed.
Saving Private Ryan, The Fifth Element, Braveheart, Groundhog Day, The Truman Show, Leon: The Professional, Fight Club, Seven, The Green Mile, Romeo and Juliet
Yeah, Braveheart and Last of the Mohicans missing from drama and/or action are huge omissions IMO.
I WILL FIND YOU
YOU STAY ALIVE. NO MATTER WHAT OCCURS!
Last of the Mohicans is excellent but ends with a bit of a fart. Next tier.
Braveheart was ok, but not close to a top ten for me.
Yet you found room (on any list) for Wild Wild West.
Puzzling.
That is a tough one for me. Hard to put on a best of list, but yet I have watched it many times. It was just weird enough to entertain.
I think it just played on TV a ton. Up there with the fugitive and us Marshall's to be broadcast nearly every weekend
I'm guessing that's one of those movies that doesn't get better with more viewings.
You know what's a better watch that's on all the time? Goodfellas or Casino.
Completely different category. I had a hard time even coming up with a list of action movies because that isn't my favorite genre. Last of the Mohicians was a drama. That list was extensive.
Wild Wild West also has Kevin Kline and Selma Hayek, two favorites.
Some other nominees for action:
Ronin
Total Recall
Face/Off
Heat
More Action:
Terminator 2
Con Air
Bad Boys
The Mummy
Fifth Element
Jurassic Park
The Lost World
The Matrix
Speed
Goldeneye
The Rock
Under Siege
Hard to Kill
Under Siege 2
Marked for Death
On Deadly Ground
Out for Justice
Hard Boiled
SuperCop (the entire Police Story series is great)
The 90's (and 80's) are fantastic for the action genre.
Hot Take- Jurassic Park (outside of Jeff Goldblum) was garbage. I loved dinosaurs as a kid. Jurassic Park ruined it for me.
Better take -- Jurassic Park wasn't as good as it could have been because Spielberg and Crichton tamed it for broader appeal (PG-13) and to better set up sequels. Read the book. A redone movie that's true to the novel with today's technology and an R rating shot like a horror movie would absolutely rake in the money
Compared to the novels, both Jurassic Park and The Lost World movies didn't hold a candle. But they were still great.
Compared to the book, I must agree.
+1 for Ronin, great flick
So, like others have said, Braveheart is tops for me. LOTM is also top 10.
Very disappointed that Gummo didn't make the cut.
100% agree on The Fifth Element.
And, given today's issues, Groundhog Day needs to be highlighted.
Also adding the following which I dont think were posted anywhere else so far:
-Fight Club
-Silence of the Lambs
-12 Monkeys
-Event Horizon
Fight Club should absolutely be on the list somewhere.
Also, on the honorable mention list:
Cable Guy
I nominate:
Magnolia
Eyes Wide Shut
Heat
She's All That
Rushmore
Se7en
True Romance
Before Sunrise
L.A. Confidential
Cruel Intentions
To the best 90's movie list. I will die on a hill for any of these.
The bank shoot out in Heat is one of the best ever. Also, Se7en and True Romance are both fantastic movies and are those movies that you have to tune in when they are on.
You're willing to die on a hill for She's All That?
RIP
There's a lot of great stuff going on there. Give it a rewatch.
Also, a little fun fact, M Night Shyamalan ghost wrote it. That isn't my defense of why it's actually great, but isn't that bizarre?
Hmm, give a movie with Freddie Prinze Jr. a rewatch to see if it should be on a list of best movies of the 90s?
I've seen it...a few times. I'm fairly certain it hasn't spontaneously gotten better.
It is quite obviously the toughest on my original list to defend. I just think there's more going on there than just the usual 90's tropes.
I mean, I thought Rachel Leigh Cook was pretty. But, Not Another Teen Movie was far more entertaining spoofing it than the actual movie. NATM would be on my 2000s list.
Twister
Jurassic park
Home alone 1 and 2
American Pie (2 may have been 00s)
Aladdin. Lion King. Space Jam. Bad boys. Toy story.
So many great mustaches
Yep
Speaking of great 'staches, the 2010s has an epic one.
Also,
The Charge of the 20th Maine ordered by one of the best ever mustaches in film.
Stephen Lang as General Picket- tremendous. Tom Berenger as Longstreet- tremendous. Sam Elliott as John Buford carries the early part of the movie. Kevin Conway as Jeff Daniels more experienced wise influence was amazing. And Morgan Sheppard's monologue on Ewell not taking Cemetery Hill the first day was Oscar-worthy.
As much as I think he's a good actor, Martin Sheen was a terrible Lee.
Duvall in Gods and Generals was a much better Lee, and Lang was once again brilliant as Jackson.
Eh, he wasn't the most memorable. I didn't like anything about Gods and Generals including Duvall except for Stephen Lang.
And that VT's own Bud Robertson was involved as the historian for the movie.
Love his books. The cinematography just wasn't the same as Gettysburg. The subject matter was just too big to capture the scope.
Lincoln was amazing, even though the book that it was based on wasn't particularly great from an academic perspective. That was by far my favorite Daniel Day Lewis performance, with Bill the Butcher being second.
Best Movies tying in with politics:
1) Dave
2) The Distinguished Gentlemen
3) My Fellow Americans
And I need to add Grumpy Old Men to the comedies list.
Dave was a fun watch. Saw it for the first time last year.
Dave is awesome.
No love for Wag the Dog? I think that had to be my favorite of this sub-genre.
How can we have made it this far without Pulp Fiction!? It's my favorite Tarantino film and the soundtrack is superb!
Also: thank you French for Mallrats, such a hilarious movie!! 😂😂
A great question. I have no idea how I left off Pulp on my additions list outside of the speed with which I came up with the list.
Hot take alert:
RESERVOIR DOGS is a much better movie than Pulp Fiction. Soundtrack too.
This is scorching hot... Pulp isn't my favorite Tarantino, but a lot of people think it's his best. Reservoir Dogs is great, but it's definitely a director's debut kind of movie (lots of moments of the director's brilliance, but also full of the kinks and little mistakes that get ironed out in their later films with more experience).
No comment on your soundtrack take. Music taste is one of the most variable artistic preferences, and I find it rarely worth debate.
Since when did Tarantino iron out any kinks. His movies are a hot mess, which is what makes them somewhat refreshing.
Hectic does not equal that his movies are not carefully crafted and curated. Theres great skill in getting quality out of the chaotic energy that makes an appearance in all his films in varying amounts. It's the same reason DO Russels best movies and Uncut gems are great as well. They know how to make chaos work without sacrificing any quality.
Edit: the Safdie's also do this in Good time
Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction are BOTH excellent movies.
Samuel Jackson and John Travolta were great. Samuel Jackson was masterful: "You do remember your business partner, don't you?" "Can I have a bite of that tasty burger?"
I agree.
Just like leaving off UHF from my 80s list, I have made a terrible omission.
HEAVYWEIGHTS
The lesson here is, don't let anyone else sign your checks
Surf Ninjas and Tank Girl were the best syndicated Saturday afternoon flicks to watch as a kid in the early 2000s, cause we were the only house on the street without cable.
Adding Down Periscope to the list
I am ashamed for missing Down Periscope. Har Har Har
Was watching it, so I thought I'd add it to the thread.
Forrest Gump.
Tom Hanks is a hell of an actor.
No Forrest Gump or Tommy Boy?
The lesson here is: the '90s weren't nearly as great a decade for movies as the '80s.
Edit: I misread your comment.
Not quite the 80s but still solid
1-goodfellas
2-Jurassic park
3-independence day
4-American pie
5-scent of a woman
5b-Wayne's world 1/2
HM-the matrix, Austin powers, happy Gilmore(or any other 90s Sandler pic), mighty ducks, varsity blues, the sixth sense...
Honestly ignore my first thought there were some outstanding 90s flicks and this list was hard (that's what's she said?)
A River Runs Through It, an often forgotten little gem of a movie.
Heat
Titanic
Just thinking about the music playing at the end of Heat gives me goosebumps. What a great movie.
The Insider
Great writing, great acting.
No Unforgiven.
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My dad let me watch this when I was 6 years old and it I have probably seen it 50 times since then.
Being John Malkovich
Fargo
Beverly Hills Cop belongs in either comedy or action.
I think you're looking for the Best 80's Movies thread.
Because SURELY he wasn't referring to any BHC sequels.
Only Beverly Hills Cop 3 was released in the 90's (1994). BHC (1984) and BHC 2 (1987) are 80's movies and I think the majority of people consider the franchise to be associated with the 80's.
wow 1984 haha I wasn't even close.
The opening credits in Austin Powers are better than a few of the whole movies on this list alone.
Heather Graham is absolutely stunning in Austin Powers 2. However, the best performance in an Austin Powers movie was Michael Caine in Goldmember.
The scene with Mike and heather during the health screening behind the screen with mini me is all time great.
This scene though is legendary.
Dazed and Confused
Not only is it a great movie, but it has an epic soundtrack
All right, you primitive screw-heads, listen up! ...
Army of Darkness
Agree, and you should add Tales from the Crypt: Demon Knight while you are at it.
This is my BOOMSTICK
Hail to the king, baby
Sorry French. I can agree there are several movies that can be omitted because there are too many good movies from the 90s and it's hard to fit everything into a top-10 list....
....Wild Wild West is not one of them. Neither is George of the Jungle.
In addition to what others have said, will also add (in general - no specific category)
- Jurassic Park
- The Saint
- Space Jam
- Titanic
- Mighty Ducks (Part II for me, but whatever)
- Face / Off
- Con-Air
This thread needs more Space Jam
Only a honorable mention!?!?! I'm disappointed.
That Thing You Do!
Somehow in my infinite stupidity, I left off Airheads from my comedy list. Shame on me.
You know what they say. If it's too loud, you are too old.
"Bea Arthur. Outstanding."
Just to cover the animated side of things:
Aladdin
Toy Story 1/2
Fantasia 2000
Nightmare Before Christmas
The Iron Giant
edit:
via GIPHY
People not affected by this movie are not really human
Despite its 25% on Rotten Tomatoes, I'd add Boondock Saints to this list
A: Came out in 2001, so not qualified for this list.
B: Movie was meh overall. It had potential, but Willem Dafoe just creeped me the hell out in this movie.
I googled before posting and saw 1999. Bit more to this than I remembered, was only released limitedly in theaters because of Columbine. Widespread viewing didn't occur until DVD release in 2001.
Ahhhh....I see. I thought I remembered reading that the limited theatrical release was due to 9/11 attacks. My bad.
I came here fully prepared to rip you to shreds for even more awful takes, but your tastes in 90's movies are actually pretty decent. (No Iron Eagle bullshit). Good lists, man. A few comments.
I'm glad to see I'm not the only one who really liked Suicide Kings. If Dennis Leary AND Christopher Walken are involved, it's going to be enjoyable.
Lebowski should NOT be honorable mention.
Rom-Coms do not deserve their own category. If they were good enough, they would rate in the Comedy category.
No Braveheart in for Action or Drama? WTF, man?
I'm not sure where you'd categorize it, but Grosse Pointe Blank was easily one of the best movies of the decade no matter which genre you place it in. it works as a comedy, action, or rom-com.
Grosse Pointe Blank is a great film! Leg.
I feel like Empire Records should be on here somewhere.