AV Club: The 50 Best Films of the 90s

My list would unrepentingly include Dumb & Dumber and Friday.

 

'Pulp Fiction' or Malkovich' shoud be No. 1 over 'Goodfellas'.
In fact, I don't know if I can choose between 'Pulp Fiction' and Malkovich.' They are both such great, great movies.
Neither 'Eyes Wide Shut' nor 'Out of Sight' belong on the list. 'Eyes Wide Shut' is just a terrible movie.

'Dazed and Confused' = too high
"Chungking Express' = too high
'Unforgiven' = too high

'Glenngarry Glen Ross' = too low
'Thin Red Line' = way to low, should be top 5

'T2' doesn't belong on this list.
'Starship Trooper' certainly doesn't belong on this list.
I liked 'Election,' but I'm not sure it's one of the 50 best of that decade.

I know I am part of a very small minority, but I have no use for 'Toy Story.'

Glad to see 'Private Ryan' rightfully left off the list.

 

'Remains of the Day' is a great call. that should definitely be on there.
What a great movie.
I'm putting that in my Netflix queue for a rewatch.
Good call.

 

I have long held the theory that the only thing that sucks about American Beauty is that Kevin Spacey doesn't fuck Mena Suvari.

Otherwise, it's brilliant.

Buck, did you really love Thin Red Line? I remember hating it the only time I saw it, but it was a long time ago.

 

Thank you for letting me know in the first post that they left off Shawshank. Now I won't have to click the links and read through the lists.

 

I didn't see American Pie on there. That has to be on there. It'd be like leaving Fast Times off an '80s list.

 

The only movie in the top 10 that I've seen is Toy Story 2.

 

I was with you, for the most part, until these two.
If nothing else, T2 deserves a place as one of the best action movies of the 90s and the standard it set for special effects for the next 20 years. Damn near every CGI effect in today's films -- which is an overwhelming majority of ALL special effects -- can probably trace their lineage to T2. You don't necessarily have to like the movie to recognize its place in cinematic history. On any "best of" list, there ought to be a few spots reserved for movies like that.
If anything, T2 is way too low. Putting it below Blair Witch is a traveshamockery.

And "rightfully" leave off Private Ryan? What do you have against that movie? It did for war movies what Unforgiven did for westerns, and Unforgiven was in their top 10.

 

I did. I was in a pretty small minority back in 1998, especially since 'Private Ryan' came out that same year, and I know a lot of people who still don't like the movie.
But I think 'Thin Red Line' really tried to capture the absurdity and chaos of battle. Malick does it in a way that is visceral and compelling without any forced nobility or heroism coming from an outside, writerly or directorial source.
It's chaotic. Some live and many die. Some act nobly, some act cowardly and some just endure.
In the end, there's no sense of mission or accomplishment or greater good. You're just left with the sick feeling that these people are going to pick up, head to the next island and do it all over again.
It's a great movie.

 

Very well. I will give it another shot.

 

'T2' was an entertaining movie. I don't dislike it. The effects were cool, and the movie was fun.
I just don't think it was one of the 50 best of that decade.
Similar opinion with 'Private Ryan.' It was a good but not great movie. I added 'rightfully' because it is often heralded as a great movie, and I don't think it cuts it by that measure, so I was particularly impressed that AV CLub left it off.

 

Fair enough. Everybody gets an opinion, and it sounds like you lean more toward 'Thin Red Line,' which seems to be a cousin (thematically speaking) of 'Private Ryan.'
I think, however, you might be the first person I've ever heard speak of 'Saving Private Ryan' as anything less than an outstanding movie. To not even put it in the top 50 is puzzling.