Best movies of the 90's

Thinking of the 90's conjures images of flannel shirts, facial hair, jeans with shotgun blasts in them, and Doc Martin boots. I think of weird "alternative" rock (Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Primus, etc.), and movies like Dazed and Confused, Clueless, and Scream that were defining the times for teenagers. The 90's were an oddly peaceful decade in many ways. We had a short war in the Persian Gulf under President Bush senior, and that was followed by years of relative financial prosperity. We experienced the dot com boom that brought a new flood of wealth, culture, and technology to us. This same advancing computer technology was beginning to change the way movies were made, too. Cutting edge "CGI" (computer generated images, as I always understood it to mean) were hitting the big screen. It's hard to imagine that Hollywood used models on strings, and stop-motion animation before the CGI came along.

Two movies that changed the world in terms of CGI were Terminator 2, and Jurassic Park. When Terminator 2 was released in 1991, it made the news because of the gigantic and almost unthinkable budget: a whopping $90 million. (Most big-budget movies of the early 90's were costing about $30 million). Part of that money was dumped into the newly developing computer effects. Audiences were wow-ed by the astounding "realism" of the liquid metal man, running down the street, transforming into silvery metal. It was cool.
Jurassic Park (1993) was the first movie to give us several CGI characters (dinosaurs), and even showed us a couple of close-ups of a totally digital T-Rex. New ground was being broken.
By 1999, George Lucas delivered Star Wars: Episode 1: The Phantom Menace. The legendary director said that Jurassic Park was his main inspiration to use so many digital effects in Star Wars. According to Wikipedia, there are almost 2,000 shots that contain CGI visuals in Episode 1. That's an astounding feat for a 90's movie!

I have compiled my list of absolute favorite movies from this decade. Some of them are still among my favorites, and it's hard to believe that time has gone so quickly. But, we are twelve years away from 1999 now, and we can look back on that decade with nostalgia. Here goes:

20. Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994)
Jim Carrey's comedic genius changed my life drastically, starting with Ace. I know every scene in this movie, and I love it all. ALLLLLLL-RIGHTEY THEN! It's amazing.

19. Clueless (1995)
I absolutely love this movie. Alicia Silverstone plays Cher Horowitz, a rich, popular, spoiled high schooler in posh Beverly Hills. In a world that was pre-Paris Hilton, Cher was a somewhat ditsy, fun-loving, and innocent kid who was struggling with boys, friends, and sorting out her life. Brittany Murphy plays Tai, a girl who is new to Beverly Hills. It's a great movie full of warm humor, 90's culture, and funny charm.

18. Groundhog Day (1993)
I have seen this movie multiple times, and it just gets better with every viewing. Bill Murray is a jerky weatherman named Phil Collins. He has to go to a small town to do a story on a Groundhog Day festival. Things get weird, though, and he starts living the same day over and over. It's a great comedy, mixed with romance and fantasy. It is often overlooked, but in my opinion it is underrated. It's fantastically written. The actors seem to embrace the weirdness of the story, and they all really make it work. I love this movie.

17. The Lion King (1994)
Disney experienced a renaissance in the 90's. They produced back-to-back movie classics with Aladdin, The Lion King, and The Little Mermaid. Then, in the mid 90's, the advent of Pixar introduced a continued renaissance for Disney as they entered the digital age. Few movies, however, made such a mark as The Lion King. It is inspiring, full of grand themes and sweeping landscapes, and wonderful music. It embodies everything that was great about this era of Disney. And, it's kid-friendly. Adults can appreciate it, too, although it is a children's masterpiece.

16. Dumb and Dumber (1994)
Jim Carrey was undoubtedly one of the biggest 90's successes. D and D came out near the peak of his popularity, and uplifted legions of loving fans. Quotable and rich with laughs, Dumb and Dumber is a Jim Carrey comedy classic.

15. Star Wars: Episode 1: The Phantom Menace (1999)
George Lucas delivered to the world an epic, ambitious, and controversial new Star Wars movie to the world in '99. I don't know about you, but the months leading up to the May release were saturated with a media and advertising onslaught. My friends and I were super excited about this bigger-than-life release. It was much more than a mere "movie release." The date of the release of this movie was like a national holiday. It was an event. Love it or hate it, The Phantom Menace marked a new sea change in pop culture, and introduced a new decade of special effects movies. For these reasons, it still holds a warm place in my heart.

14. Terminator 2 (1991)
Director James Cameron took a great story that was the first Terminator movie, and expounded upon it by expanding the story into an epic classic. Schwarzenegger reprises his role as a "terminator" droid, and some new villains are introduced. It's a gripping and wonderful sci-fi flick that gets all the elements right.

13. Waiting For Guffman (1997)
Christopher Guest directed this side-splitting, genius comedy about a rag-tag group of Thespian wannabes who put on a theater production in their small town of Blaine, Missouri. Christopher Guest steals the show as Corky, the resident Theater director who lived in New York, working on theater for a few years. He is revered as the ultimate theater / production / acting expert in the small town of Blaine, and everyone puts him on a pedestal. The cast is brilliant because this movie is probably 90% improv. For the sake of brevity, I will not list the whole cast. But, every character is memorable. This is, by far, the funniest movie of the 90's.

12. Braveheart (1995)
Back when people still respected Mel Gibson, he directed and starred in this incredibly good action / drama / thriller movie. Mel plays William Wallace, a rogue Scotsman who fights for freedom against an opressive government. It is inspirational, involving, and well-paced. It is loosely based on a real person, but who cares about that? It's still a good story.

11. Shawshank Redemption (1994)
What does it really mean to be free? Shawshank Redemption is a compelling and melodramatic movie about a man named Andy (Tim Robbins) who gets tossed in prison for the murder of his wife. On the "inside", he must deal with himself and his new circumstances. Morgan Freeman is incredible as Red, a convicted killer who befriends Andy.

10. Good Will Hunting (1997)
Two unknown clods named Matt Damon and Ben Affleck miraculously churned out one of the most detailed, best-written screenplays in the history of cinema in the mid 90s. If that wasn't enough, they also managed to star in their own precious gem. Good Will Hunting is a moving, and deeply emotional story of young Will Hunting, a super-genius but misguided youth. Robin Williams won an Oscar as psychologist and professor Sean Maguire. It is one of my favorite performers by any actors in any movie. It is fantastic. Director Gus Van Sant seems to have a way of elevating this movie from indie drama to classic cinema.

9. The Truman Show (1998)
Jim Carrey makes his third appearance on the top movies of the 90's in a decidedly different kind of role. The Truman Show was unlike any movie I had ever seen. It carries with it in its plot a certain chill that reminds me of a Stephen King novel: A baby is owned by a corporation, and raised in an artificial environment for the sake of creating a reality show. It is strange. However, the movie is elevated by a sense of heart, and in the kindness and innocence of Jim Carrey's character. I can watch this movie multiple times, and it still intrigues me. It has become even more relevant, too, with the explosion of reality show popularity. It's a great 90's movie.

8. Jurassic Park (1993)
I saw this multiple times on the big screen, and I loved it every time. It's suspenseful, full of energy, fueled by a wonderful cast and killer special effects, and it is cutting-edge in the area of CGI technology. Steven Speilberg proves, once again, his status as a legendary Hollywood director.

7. Edward Scissorhands (1990)
Tim Burton and Johnny Depp teamed up for the first time in this cinematic classic. A cartoonish and gothic story about a wayward freak named Edward who was created with scissor hands. He is discovered by an Avon lady salesperson, in an abandoned house, who takes Edward back to her family. It is an amazing creative achievement, with Danny Elfman adding the right type of music and Tim Burton putting his visual flare into it. Like most of the Tim Burton classics, it also has the right touch of humor, too.

6. Pulp Fiction (1994)
Director and writer Quentin Tarantino took John Travolta out of relative washed-up land and propelled him to international stardom in Pulp Fiction. Samuel L. Jackson and Bruce Willis are born to play their roles. It's brilliant. The screenplay is one of the most innovative and cutting edge to come out of Hollywood in a long, long time. PF does not follow the standard chronological order of most 3 act scripts. It bounces around, offering scenes of different chronological points in the story. The "plot" and characters slowly unwind, in a smoldering and scandalous fashion. The action is gritty, and the subject matter is heavily based on pop culture. It is a masterpiece in its own way.

5. The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
Few films are as emotionally potent as TNBC. There are very few "Halloween" classics for kids that are as magical and sincere as many Christmas classic counterparts. Tim Burton drew upon his inspiration of earlier stop-motion Christmas classics such as Rudolph and Jack Frost by utilizing the stop-motion and musical style for TNBC. However, you throw in the intense and lively Halloween obsession that seems to define Burton, and you've got one unique, incredible piece of indescribable magic. Danny Elfman also elevates this film to new heights with wonderful and creative music. I owned this soundtrack for many years, and I can quote every song, word for word. The music is reflective, soaring, kid-friendly, and filled with the wonder and excitement of Halloween. No other Halloween movie has been able to capture that magic without delving too darkly into violence or cynicism. That is why The Nightmare Before Christmas is such a memorable classic.

4. Ed Wood (1993)
This is a Tim Burton classic that has been long overlooked. It also happens to be one of my favorite movies of all time. It is based on the real life story of movie director Ed Wood, Jr. (played by Johnny Depp). Ed Wood had passion. He had zeal. He had absolutely no talent. In one disastrous attempt after another, he churned out movies that have affectionately become known as "the worst movies ever made." Ed Wood himself has also been labeled as "the worst director of all time." These are almost badges of endearment, as his movies are delightfully terrible. Ed Wood is filmed in black and white, capturing the essence of the era. It also stars Bill Murray, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Martin Landau in an Oscar winning role as classic horror actor Bela Lagousi.

3. Schindler's List (1993)
A powerful, moving, and true story of a man named Oskar Schindler in Nazi Germany. Steven Speilberg pulls no punches in this dramatic and deep story.

2. Titanic (1997)
"I'm on top of the world!" Titanic broke records, entertained, and injected excitement into the Hollywood scene. Kate Winslet and Leo DiCaprio became household names, and Celine Dion moved millions to tears with "My Heart Will Go On." I was in high school when this movie came out. James Cameron proved, once again, that he is one of the best at producing gigantic Hollywood blockbusters. Only, this one has an extra edge of character and Hollywood glamour that put it over the top.

1. Forrest Gump (1994)
Tom Hanks created a character in Forrest Gump that still makes an impression on pop culture, 17 years after it came out. It is a heartwarming story of one man's triumph over his circumstances. It is a testament to the power of unwavering persistence and optimism. But, on an even bigger scale, it is the story of America. The trials and tribulations suffered by the U.S. in the 60's and 70's shaped the future of this country, as we follow Gump on a dramatic life journey. Forrest Gump happens to be our tour guide through tumultuous times, and we love him even more for it. Memorable characters, involving story, catchphrases, and a love for life, this is my choice for the single greatest movie of the 90's.

Special mention: Toy Story, Toy Story 2, Batman Forever