Top Ten Movies from the 90’s

Weren’t the 90’s the best? Let’s be honest, they were way better then the 80’s. I might be a bit biased since I don’t really remember the 80’s. Anyways, I was thinking of the greatest movies from my teen years and decided to put together a list. Add your thoughts, or corrections, at the bottom of this post in the comments section. Here’s to the 90’s, thank you for helping us forget the 80’s and prepare us for Y2K. The list as follows reads like this:

10. Apollo 13 - When you write a top ten list, it seems that number’s 1 and 10 are the most difficult. I had a bunch of movies I could have put here, but settled with Apollo 13. I love a true story (even if it’s only loosely based on a true story) and the drama with this was great. Great cast as well, Tom Hanks crushed in the 90’s.

9. Jurassic Park - Every time this movie comes on I still love watching it. A really creative movie with tons of action and was totally ahead of its time. I still feel bad for Newman getting eaten by that Raptor, but really, he had it coming for trying to steal the Dinosaur DNA.

8. Forrest Gump - Man what is it about this movie that is so appealing? I guess its part of my American fabric that loves to see the underdog do well. Even though this movie is like a million hours long, I still love watching it. One of the great lines of this movie is when Forrest says “I might not be a smart man, but I know what love is”.

7. The Sixth Sense - Talk about a movie that was ahead of its time. The Sixth Sense was great for many reasons, but the twist at the end is what marks this movie as a truly unique and creative movie. Even though M. Night Shyamalan has his haters out there, I love his movies, and here’s where they started.

6. The Usual Suspects - I love twist endings and The Usual Suspects brings it with this one. How great is it when it’s revealed that Kevin Spacey is Keyser Soze? I mean, not only was it a great twist, but they did such a good job with telling it. And do you remember all the stories they told about Keyser Soze in the movie? Well, I heard that it wasn’t until after the movie was done that the writers (or maybe it was the directors) found out that they disagreed on if Keyser Soze’s history was true or not. Interesting.

5. The Matrix - I know a lot of people disliked numbers 2 and 3, but I enjoyed the entire series. However, the original Matrix is easily the best of the 3, and I doubt many people would argue that. Action movies where forever changed by this movie. With a super creative plot and incredible graphics/fight scenes, this movie was cutting edge. I love the last half hour of this movie, when Neo realizes he’s the “chosen one”, and then proceeds to crush Mr. Anderson, incredible.

4. Fight Club - I know that many people will find a lot of the things in this movie offensive, but if you can get past that and see the message, it can really open your eyes. I remember going through a phase in my teen years where I watched this movie nearly every day. The message of your identity not being in your possessions and your job really impacted me. “You are not the contents of your wallet”.

3. Braveheart - How great is it when a movie combines a love story with hardcore action/fighting. It instantly becomes the best date movie, both guys and girls win. OK, maybe this one is a little bloodier then most prefer, but the story is amazing. I would be a liar if I said I don’t tear up each time they kill William Wallace as he watches his wife walking towards him… (Excuse me, I will be back in a minute, I got something in my eye).

2. Saving Private Ryan - Remember what I said about the most difficult part of a top ten list is numbers 1 and 10? Yeah, no exception for the top of this list, because both these next two movies are absolutely incredible and could be exchanged. Honestly, I don’t know what to say about this movie, it has action, but also transitions well into deeper and more profound themes. One of my favorite parts of this movie is when all the soldiers are kinda losing it and Captain Miller (Tom Hanks) breaks them up by telling them his life story, I can’t place my finger on it, but that part sticks with me the most.

1. Shawshank Redemption - I absolutely love this movie and have probably watched it no less than 10 times, which is saying something since it’s like 3 hours long (ok, maybe it’s 2 and a half). It’s timeless, I could literally watch it most nights that I want to sit down and watch a movie. I love the deeper topics of this movie of; redemption, hope, friendship, and becoming institutionalized (which I think can be applied to life outside of jail as well). This is an all around great movie. Love it.

Honorable Mentions: Pulp Fiction, Dumb and Dumber, Fargo, Silence of the Lambs, Reservoir Dogs, Terminator 2, Good Will Hunting, The Fugitive, American History X, 12 Monkeys.

Even looking over this list I wonder if I got it right. With tons of really good movies, I’m glad that my teen years belong to the 90’s. If I were to re-do this list I would maybe exchange “The Fugitive” for Apollo 13. What are your thoughts on the 90’s movie scene?

Enjoy this day,
Matt

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