AV Club's top 50 movies of the 90s

[frunk]

AV Club is listing the 50 top movies of the 90s, and they've already done Part 1 and Part 2. With only the top 10 to go there's a few notable trends so far.

Tarantino hasn't shown up at all yet. He could end up with three of the top ten (Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, Jackie Brown), which sounds excessive. Particularly since the Coen Bros. are presumably not cracking the top ten. Only Hudsucker Proxy hasn't made the list, and even though I like the movie I wouldn't seriously consider it for a list like this. I'm assuming at least one movie will be animated, since they haven't put any in yet. I'm hoping for Princess Mononoke, but I wouldn't be surprised by either of the Toy Stories or Iron Giant.

Going off my personal list of the favorites from the 90s, here's the top 20 they haven't mentioned yet:

12 Monkeys
Being John Malkovich
Dark City
Fifth Element
From Dusk till Dawn
Goodfellas
Gross Point Blank
Iron Giant
Office Space
Out of Sight
Pi
Princess Mononoke
Pulp Fiction
Reservoir Dogs
Rounders
Run Lola Run
Shawshank Redemption
South Park
Toy Story 2
Usual Suspects

I don't think Usual Suspects is making it as it's frequently unfavorably compared to LA Confidential and that already made the list. Dark City, Fifth Element and From Dusk till Dawn almost certainly not. I think Goodfellas, Shawshank and at least one of Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs are locks. I'm also expecting some number of Silence of the Lambs, American History X, American Beauty and Life is Beautiful to show up. I really hope Forrest Gump doesn't make it.

Any other strong contenders I've missed? I know I'm light on foreign films, so there has to be some spots there.

[Ideologue]

No Truman Show, no Gattaca, no Three Kings, no relevance.  I doubt they'd be in the top ten (they'd be in my top ten, but whatever), but leaving them out of the top fifty is like a giant fuck you to Peter Weir, Andrew Niccol, and David O. Russell.

I am pleased that Blair Witch Project is on there somewhere.  For its impact, it deserves a spot somewhere in a top 50 (maybe higher than it is here).  It's a pretty decent movie, which helps, but it's also a cinematic pioneer, for better or worse--worse if giant projections of shaking and swirling camerawork makes you lose most of the feeling in your face.

[frunk]

No Truman Show, no Gattaca, no Three Kings, no relevance.  I doubt they'd be in the top ten (they'd be in my top ten, but whatever), but leaving them out of the top fifty is like a giant fuck you to Peter Weir, Andrew Niccol, and David O. Russell.

I am pleased that Blair Witch Project is on there somewhere.  For its impact, it deserves a spot somewhere in a top 50 (maybe higher than it is here).  It's a pretty decent movie, which helps, but it's also a cinematic pioneer, for better or worse--worse if giant projections of shaking and swirling camerawork makes you lose most of the feeling in your face.

I could see all three in the top 50, and I'd certainly consider Gattaca and Three Kings for my top 50.  Blair Witch, bleh.  I think it had more of an impact on TV than on movies, what with the number of single camera, faux documentary and reality shows that showed up shortly after it.  The shaky camera work style makes for a lousy and vomit inducing movie.

I think what the list shows more than anything is how solid the 90s was for movies.

[Neil]

Really?  It seems to me that the Blair Witch pretty much set the blueprint for a lot of the modern horror films.  You don't see too many 80s-style films anymore, although the Saw-style murder porn genre has branched away.

[Barrister]

AV Club is listing the 50 top movies of the 90s, and they've already done Part 1 and Part 2. With only the top 10 to go there's a few notable trends so far.

Tarantino hasn't shown up at all yet. He could end up with three of the top ten (Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, Jackie Brown), which sounds excessive. Particularly since the Coen Bros. are presumably not cracking the top ten. Only Hudsucker Proxy hasn't made the list, and even though I like the movie I wouldn't seriously consider it for a list like this. I'm assuming at least one movie will be animated, since they haven't put any in yet. I'm hoping for Princess Mononoke, but I wouldn't be surprised by either of the Toy Stories or Iron Giant.

Going off my personal list of the favorites from the 90s, here's the top 20 they haven't mentioned yet:

12 Monkeys
Being John Malkovich
Dark City
Fifth Element
From Dusk till Dawn
Goodfellas
Gross Point Blank
Iron Giant
Office Space
Out of Sight
Pi
Princess Mononoke
Pulp Fiction
Reservoir Dogs
Rounders
Run Lola Run
Shawshank Redemption
South Park
Toy Story 2
Usual Suspects

I don't think Usual Suspects is making it as it's frequently unfavorably compared to LA Confidential and that already made the list. Dark City, Fifth Element and From Dusk till Dawn almost certainly not. I think Goodfellas, Shawshank and at least one of Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs are locks. I'm also expecting some number of Silence of the Lambs, American History X, American Beauty and Life is Beautiful to show up. I really hope Forrest Gump doesn't make it.

Any other strong contenders I've missed? I know I'm light on foreign films, so there has to be some spots there.

I see they mention that a single filmmaker has two movies in the top 10.  I'm guessing that Tarantino might be that filmmaker for Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs.  Toy Story, Shawshank, even Gump are probably good bets.

Just looking at a few other lists, some other possibilities would be Braveheart, Titanic, and Good Will Hunting.

[frunk]

Really?  It seems to me that the Blair Witch pretty much set the blueprint for a lot of the modern horror films.  You don't see too many 80s-style films anymore, although the Saw-style murder porn genre has branched away.

In some sense I suppose so.  You have the Paranormal Activity and Final Destination series that have enemies that can't be seen or fought, but I think that ties into influence from J-Horror more than Blair Witch.  As for as what happens to the characters (malevolent force knocks them off one by one) it's much closer to 80s horror than Blair Witch.  The shaky camera, pseudo-documentary style really isn't done anymore.

[CountDeMoney]

The shaky camera, pseudo-documentary style really isn't done anymore.

No, it's not, but Blair Witch was still the genesis of the "You Are There" genre of horror that Paranormal and its ilk have followed.  There's a direct connection.

[frunk]

After further consideration here are the ones that I think are definite:

Goodfellas
One of the Toy Stories
Pulp Fiction
Reservoir Dogs
Shawshank Redemption
Silence of the Lambs

Strong Possibilities (based primarily on my own tastes and what I know about the AV Club staff):

12 Monkeys
American Beauty
Bottle Rocket or Rushmore
Casino
Life is Beautiful
Magnolia
Out of Sight
Pi
Princess Mononoke
Rounders
Shakespeare in Love
Unforgiven

[Syt]

Pff, Cannibal Holocaust did it long before Blair Witch.

[CountDeMoney]

I see they mention that a single filmmaker has two movies in the top 10.  I'm guessing that Tarantino might be that filmmaker for Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs.

I could definitely see both of them making it, as they were tremendous examples of storyline manipulation and screenplay dialogue, cutting edge films at the time.*

I'm glad to see some personal favorites made the list:

Election (biting cynicism on so many levels)
Naked (surprised people even remember this gem)
Se7en (simply fantastic direction in maintaining a dank, oppressive atmosphere)
LA Confidential (awesome Hollywoodness of a film)
The Limey (probably Soderbergh's finest)
Boogie Nights (not just for storyline, but so many intersecting characters, all united by trying to live normally in a fucked-up industry)
Thin Red Line (we've had this discussion before  )
Carlito's Way (one of the most underrated crime dramas, a perfect Pacino, an excellent period piece of the 70s, and a great Sean Penn) 
Glengarry Glenn Ross (pure Mamet dialogue dreaminess, arguably Alec Baldwin's best work, and one of the greatest single-scene monologues ever),
The requisite Coen Brothers films
and I believe Fight Club should be in the Top Ten, if not damned near the top.  Revolutionary.

As far as ones they haven't mentioned that I could see land in the Top 10:

I can see Gattaca making it, for a variety of reasons, from design to direction, to characters to the bigger picture of societal ethics and the human spirit
same with Shawshank Redemption (pure storytelling) and GoodFellas (archetypal mob flick)
I hope Man Bites Dog makes it;  goddamned, that movie is fucking hilarious on so many fucking levels
The Crossing Guard (a superb work in the two types of pain--guilt and loss--and ultimately in forgiveness)
Bad Lieutenant (pure character study and one of the greatest leaps for an actor, ever)
Rushmore, for obvious reasons
Dances With Wolves will be in there, probably, simply because it did "sprawling" so well, as well as Unforgiven, for reinvigorating the Western


*And if it's not Tarantino--and I believe it is, since he's got to be in there somewhere--the only one I could think it could possibly be would be Michael Mann, for "The Last of The Mohicans" and "Heat".

But I think Pulp Fiction will wind up as the #1 overall film of the decade.

[Monoriu]

I am really disappointed that this isn't a list of the best porn movies.  AV = adult video.

[frunk]

I am really disappointed that this isn't a list of the best porn movies.  AV = adult video.

AV = Audio/Visual in this case.  Sorry to disappoint.

[CountDeMoney]

Strong Possibilities (based primarily on my own tastes and what I know about the AV Club staff):

American Beauty

I can see that happening.

But if we're reading the AC Club staff's minds, I could see them tossing in Rosencranz and Guildenstern Are Dead, too.  Right up their alley.

[Duque de Bragança]

Pff, Cannibal Holocaust did it long before Blair Witch.

by Ruggero Deodato no less

[frunk]

I can see that happening.

But if we're reading the AC Club staff's minds, I could see them tossing in Rosencranz and Guildenstern Are Dead, too.  Right up their alley.

Too many flaws from the perspective of it being a film.  If you are going to go Stoppard Shakespeare in Love is much more likely.