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My Favorites From the 1990'sAug 05 '01 (Updated Aug 07 '01) Write an essay on this topic.The Bottom Line The 1990's was one of the deeper decades, but was less impressive at the top. Some popular favorites miss the cut due to decreased worth after the initial viewing. Here is my top ten, followed by four honorable mentions. 10. The Last Time I Committed Suicide (1997)- Thomas Jane, Keanu Reeves, Tom Bower, Adrien Brody, Joe Doe, Claire Forlani, Gretchen Mol. Set in 1940's Denver, this film is based on a letter that Neal Cassady wrote to Jack Kerouac. This is a movie that tells an interesting story and does not try to do too much. 9. Misery (1990)- James Caan, Kathy Bates, Frances Sternhagen, Richard Farnsworth, Lauren Bacall. Based on the Stephen King novel, this tops Dances With Wolves for my favorite film from 1990. Novelist Paul Sheldon is injured in a car crash and is cared for by Annie Wilkes, a former nurse, in her Maine cabin. Rob Reiner directed. Bates won a Best Actress Oscar for her portrayal of Wilkes. 8. The Trial (1993)- Kyle MacLachlan, Anthony Hopkins, Jason Robards, Jean Stapleton, Polly Walker, Alfred Molina. Based on the Franz Kafka novel, this film traces the quest of Josef K. to clear himself of unknown charges. Filmed in Prague, this is a must-see for any cynic. 7. Cape Fear (1991)- Robert De Niro, Nick Nolte, Jessica Lange, Juliette Lewis, Joe Don Baker, Robert Mitchum. Director Martin Scorsese up-dated the 1962 original with a decidedly modern feel. Max Cady has been released from prison, and is now spending his time getting even with Sam Bowden, his crooked defense lawyer. De Niro (Cady) and Lewis (Bowden's daughter) are both excellent. 6. As Good As It Gets (1997)- Helen Hunt, Jack Nicholson, Greg Kinnear, Cuba Gooding Jr., Skeet Ulrich. I have not compiled an official list of the top twenty of the 1990's, but it would certainly include six from 1997. This is the best of the half dozen. The film centers around gay artist Simon, obsessive-compulsive writer Melvin, and single mom / waitress Carol. Nicholson won a Best Actor Oscar for his portrayal of Melvin. Hunt won the Best Actress Oscar for her performance as Carol. 5. The Silence of the Lambs (1991)- Jodie Foster, Anthony Hopkins, Scott Glenn, Anthony Heald, Brooke Smith. Serial killer Buffalo Bill is on a rampage. F.B.I. veteran Jack Crawford enlists trainee Clarice Starling to seek help from noted psychiatrist Hannibal Lector, who is also an incarcerated murderer. The film won Oscars for Best Picture, Screenplay, Director Jonathan Demme, Actor Hopkins (Lector), and Actress Foster (Starling). 4. Casino (1995)- Robert De Niro, Sharon Stone, Joe Pesci, James Woods, Don Rickles, Alan King. Martin Scorsese directed this tale of the Mafia's involvement in a Las Vegas casino. De Niro plays Ace Rothstein, who parlays his handicapping skills into a job as director of the casino. Nicky Santoro (Pesci) is in charge of the muscle crew. Stone portrays Ginger McKenna, Rothstein's hooker wife. De Niro, Stone, and Woods (as Ginger's former pimp) deliver more-than-solid performances. 3. Leaving Las Vegas (1995)- Elisabeth Shue, Nicholas Cage, Julian Sands, Richard Lewis, Valeria Golino, Graham Beckel. Washed-up Ben arrives in Vegas planning on drinking himself to death. He meets Sera, a prostitute, and she keeps him company during his final days. Cage won the Best Actor Oscar for his portrayal of Ben, and Shue is a heart-breaker. 2. Pulp Fiction (1994)- John Travolta, Uma Thurman, Bruce Willis, Samuel Jackson, Ving Rhames, Eric Stoltz, Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, Christopher Walken. This Quentin Tarantino film combines several different genres while relating three basic tales. The all-star cast and the movie's originality make it a modern classic. It won the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay. 1. In the Name of the Father (1993)- Daniel Day-Lewis, Pete Postlethwaite, Emma Thompson, John Lynch, Corin Redgrave. Gerry Conlon (Day-Lewis) is among those wrongly convicted of a 1974 Guildford pub bombing. His father, Giuseppe, is also imprisoned as an accomplice, and dies there. This factual account of the British government's abuse of innocent people was screwed out of the Best Picture Oscar by the more politically correct Schindler's List. Honorable Mentions Forrest Gump (1994)- Tom Hanks, Robin Wright, Gary Sinise, Sally Field, Mikelti Williamson, Michael Humphreys. Hanks stars as the stupid Forrest, whose amazing life includes meetings with Presidents Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, and Nixon, as well as college football stardom, medal-winning service in the Vietnam War, and discovering the break-in at the Watergate building. The soundtrack is loaded with hits, while Wright is fabulous as Jenny. The film won six Oscars, including Best Picture, Actor Hanks, and Director Robert Zemeckis. The Fugitive (1993)- Harrison Ford, Tommy Lee Jones, Sela Ward, Joe Pantoliano, Jeroen Krabbe, Andreas Katsulas. Ford stars as Dr. Richard Kimble in this film based on the 1960's T.V. series. He is convicted of murdering his wife, but escapes en route to prison, and searches for the real killer while being pursued by Federal Marshalls. Jones won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his performance as Marshall Sam Gerard. The Game (1997)- Michael Douglas, Sean Penn, Deborah Kara Unger, James Rebhorn, Peter Donat, Carroll Baker. Nicholas Van Orton (Douglas) is a wealthy San Franciscan who receives a gift of a free game from Consumer Recreation Services. The twists and turns are wicked. Penn clicks as Nicholas's brother and the giver of the gift. Quite frankly, an under-rated film. Scream (1996)- Neve Campbell, Courtney Cox, David Arquette, Rose McGowan, Skeet Ulrich, Henry Winkler, Drew Barrymore. A Wes Craven horror flick, this film saved what, for me, was a dead genre. Campbell plays Sydney Prescott, a high school student whose mother was murdered. It seems there is once again a killer loose in her town, and nobody is safe or above suspicion. Cox does well in her role as T.V. reporter Gail Weathers.  |
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