Top Films of the Decade - The 1990s - Voting Thread

[LMP]

Awesome, God Part III. I'll make the changes to your list and add your '60s stuff to the mix.

Beauty and the Beast is an excellent Disney film. My favorite Disney flicks all come out in the '90s:

The Lion King (Hamlet with a happy ending)
Beauty
Aladdin (Jafar is a total pimp at the end of this movie)
and Toy Story

 

[lazarus]

Spirited Away/Bambi?

Miyazaki > Disney

Other animated films better than anything to come out of Disney/Pixar:

Princess Mononoke
Grave of the Fireflies
My Neighbor Totoro
Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind

Other non-CGI animated Disney films better than Beauty and the Beast:

Pinocchio
Sleeping Beauty
Snow White and the Seven Dwarves

 

[lazarus]

For God Part III:

1. Spirited Away (Miyazaki, 2001)
2. Gangs of New York (Scorsese, 2002)
3. Cold Mountain (Minghella, 2003)
4. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (Lee, 2000)
5. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (Gondry, 2004)
6. The Man Who Wasn't There (Coen Bros., 2001)
7. 2046 (Wong, 2004)
8. The New World (Malick, 2005)
9. Solaris (Soderbergh, 2002)
10. Royal Tenenbaums (Anderson, 2001)
11. The Princess & the Warrior (Tykwer, 2000)
12. The Aviator (Scorsese, 2004)
13. Lost in Translation (Coppola, 2003)
14. Millenium Actress (Kon, 2001)
15. Traffic (Soderbergh, 2000)


Now I'm thinking I could have done without Lost in Translation. I haven't seen it in years, and I'm wondering if it will still resonate, whereas I know 14 & 15 still do. I guess stick Bad Education in there somewhere and drop LIT.

 

[monkeyskin]

Thank goodness we've got a couple of weeks for this list because it's hurting my brain trying to whittle the decade down to a mere 15. Finding it surprisingly hard to think of many worthy foreign films too.

There's some good lists in this thread so far though, probably plenty of films that'll feature in mine.

Laz, I gave LIT two chances (once in the cinema and then a couple of years later on TV) and I just didn't see what all the fuss was about. I find it hard to fault and equally hard to praise. Broken Flowers on the other hand, there's a film that stayed with me for a long time afterwards. Both films have great endings.

 

[God Part III]

For God Part III:

1. Spirited Away (Miyazaki, 2001)
2. Gangs of New York (Scorsese, 2002)
3. Cold Mountain (Minghella, 2003)
4. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (Lee, 2000)
5. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (Gondry, 2004)
6. The Man Who Wasn't There (Coen Bros., 2001)
7. 2046 (Wong, 2004)
8. The New World (Malick, 2005)
9. Solaris (Soderbergh, 2002)
10. Royal Tenenbaums (Anderson, 2001)
11. The Princess & the Warrior (Tykwer, 2000)
12. The Aviator (Scorsese, 2004)
13. Lost in Translation (Coppola, 2003)
14. Millenium Actress (Kon, 2001)
15. Traffic (Soderbergh, 2000)


Now I'm thinking I could have done without Lost in Translation. I haven't seen it in years, and I'm wondering if it will still resonate, whereas I know 14 & 15 still do. I guess stick Bad Education in there somewhere and drop LIT.

Oh yes. I like everything except for #15, (it's good, just not THAT good) haven't seen #3, #14, #9, and #11. I love that you included Scorsese's late work. I applaud your list. I urge you to check out Kim Ki-Duk.

Lost In Translation is a great film, but it doesn't stand up as well anylonger. I don't see Howl's Moving Castle in your list... hmm... although not at the levels Spirited Away, I still found it amazing.

 

[God Part III]

Thank goodness we've got a couple of weeks for this list because it's hurting my brain trying to whittle the decade down to a mere 15. Finding it surprisingly hard to think of many worthy foreign films too.

There's some good lists in this thread so far though, probably plenty of films that'll feature in mine.

Laz, I gave LIT two chances (once in the cinema and then a couple of years later on TV) and I just didn't see what all the fuss was about. I find it hard to fault and equally hard to praise. Broken Flowers on the other hand, there's a film that stayed with me for a long time afterwards. Both films have great endings.

I fell in love it, but I was only 14 and still not very experienced when it came to cinema.
I visited Japan because of Lost In Translation. And a U2 concert which was eventually cancelled, but that's another story.

 

[monkeyskin]

I'd love to visit Japan someday.

But with regards to your 60s list, why the lack of love for Truffaut? The 400 Blows is a brilliant film and could well be viewed as a double bill with Kes. And I've got to say I preferred For A Few Dollars More to TGTBATU, but all that I've seen from your list is top notch

 

[Irvine511]

Spirited Away/Bambi?

i'd say better than Bambi, and i tried watching Spirited Away but fell asleep (i had engaged in, erm, "party favors" in order to enhance the experience, but it backfired).

i'm sure there's a world of anime that i'm ignorning, but so be it.

 

[God Part III]

I'd love to visit Japan someday.

But with regards to your 60s list, why the lack of love for Truffaut? The 400 Blows is a brilliant film and could well be viewed as a double bill with Kes. And I've got to say I preferred For A Few Dollars More to TGTBATU, but all that I've seen from your list is top notch

It's a magical country, and it can be done for a lot less money than one would've thought. Check it out one day.

As for Truffaut - I never really got it. No two Godard films are alike: He's always trying to reinvent cinema, where's Truffaut is more concerned towards the story. Which he does well, it's just nowhere near as interesting.
I still have to watch some stuff though, such as Jules et Jim.

Never watched Kes I'm afraid, I like Ken Loach, so I'll guess I'll check if out.

i'd say better than Bambi, and i tried watching Spirited Away but fell asleep (i had engaged in, erm, "party favors" in order to enhance the experience, but it backfired).

i'm sure there's a world of anime that i'm ignorning, but so be it.

I know nearly nothing of anime, but I am deeply in love with Miyazaki.

But Beauty and the Beast is pretty good, I'll admit.

 

[lazarus]

It's going to be a while before we get around to the 1960's lists, but all I have to say for now, God Part III, is:

Orson Welles. The Trial.

 

[God Part III]

Hahaha

Having read the novel and loved it, it's been one of those films I've always wanted to see, but it was never really a priority.

Next to Fitzcarraldo, I shall make sure it will be amongst the next 5 films I watch.

And then, to you, lazarus, three words, if you haven't already:

Le Mépris. Now.

 

[lazarus]

The great thing about Welles as an adaptor is that he has no reservations about messing with the work he's filming whether it's Shakespeare or Kafka. The Trial has a lot changed, omitted, chapters switched around, etc. But many feel it is among his best, if not his very best.

It's so far ahead of its time it's hard to put into words. But it makes David Lynch look like Ron Howard.

Also, glad you gave a double shout-out to Leone, one of the masters.

 

[God Part III]

But of course, especially because they're so different. Leone forever.

Going to bed now, it's 1am here.

I anticipate your 60's list.
Tomorrow I may post my Top 25 of all time.
-
I haven't made movie lists in aaaages.
-


Totally off-topic, but monkeyskin, I noticed your avatar, and I take it that monkeyskin is a Nintendo fan? Are you as hyped for Mario Galaxy as I am?


---

FINALLY, he makes David Lynch look like Ron Howard?
That's like saying that Radiohead makes U2 look like Backstreet Boys.
Undoubtedly he's incredibly, but Ron Howard? Did you have to go that far?

 

[hardyharhar]

Eyes Wide Shut - Easily the worst Kubrick film ever. IMO. I don't recall posting anything about it being "Kubrick's last film" or "Tom & Nicole together with Kubrick". For me, this film was pointless, boring, bad acting, annoying music. I've seen it at least a couple dozen times and it gets worse each time. Best cinematography? Have you seen Barry Lyndon, Strangelove, 2001, Paths of Glory, The Shining, Clockwork Orange. All innovative for their times & which get better each time you see them. Whereas EWS is a film he was forced to alter for an R rating. A film that probably wasn't even the final cut he wanted, considering he was dead 4 months before the film was released. Tom is jealous, maybe some meaningless sex will help, Nicole fantasized about another guy but didn't act on it (no one said monogamy is easy), rich old men wearing masks like kinky sex with young hookers also wearing masks, sleazy not so rich old men might pimp their daughters, whatever. You can read into it anything you want. It's still a big stinker, IMO. Like Lost in Translation, two films that are going to stand the test of time like sand castles. And if I'm supposed to go watch this 5 more times, I sure hope the two of you are also. Then go check out Kubrick when he mattered.


I thought my original comment about taking one of your wish list titles and swapping it for EWS was fairly innocuous and made with a wink. I certainly didn't mean it to demean your film knowledge, though it seems to have been taken personally. I'm sorry about that, but these are just meaningless lists meant to be fun.

So here's my list, have at it boys:

Last of the Mohicans
Ed Wood
Rosencrantz & Guildenstern are Dead
Sense & Sensibility
Boogie Nights
Groundhog Day
Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas
Trainspotting
Shakespeare in Love
What's Eating Gilbert Grape?
Falling Down
Babe, the Gallant Pig
The Commitments
Glengarry Glen Ross
The Full Monty

And some more I liked: JFK, American Beauty, Dances with Wolves, The Fugitive, Terminator 2, There's Something About Mary, 4 Weddings & A Funeral, My Best Friends Wedding, That Thing You Do!, Branagh's Hamlet, Dick, Titanic, The Thin Red Line, Dead Man Walking, Honeymoon in Vegas

We can agree to disagree, right?

 

[LMP]

I've been meaning to see Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead, mainly for Gary Oldman and Tim Roth, but the story sounds intriguing too.

 

[hardyharhar]

LMP - It's a great alternate view of Hamlet, and Oldman & Roth are terrific together. They play off each other really well, it's hard to believe they hadn't been together before, and I found it darn funny. The scientific breakthroughs Oldman makes throughout the film, yet always ending up being blown off by Roth, are a riot. A fun film that I would recommend checking out.

 

[LMP]

It'll be on a NetFlix triple bill with Glengarry Glen Ross and The French Connection.

 

[Lancemc]

I'm going to try to make a decent list now:

1. The Insider
2. Pulp Fiction
3. The Shawshank Redemption
4. American Beauty
5. Magnolia
6. The Age Of Innocence
7. Princess Mononoke
8. Terminator 2: Judgment Day
9. Schindler's List
10. Fargo
11. Leon: The Professional
12. Boogie Nights
13. Toy Story
14. The Matrix
15. The Sixth Sense

Bleck. I'll never be satisfied.

 

[lazarus]

hardyharhar: yes, we can agree to disagree, but I think you're tremendously oversimplifying EWS, and your longer explanation doesn't help matters. Let's break down your issues with the film:

Pointless: well, that's not really for you to say, is it? The film is certainly about something, namely the problems that couples face as their relationship grows. It's based on a turn-of-the-century story by a fairly esteemed author, and while I don't think you need to read it to understand the film, it certainly backs up the notion of the film having more than sex fantasies on its mind.

Boring: of course, anyone's entitled to this opinion with any film, though if you had the patience for Barry Lyndon I'm surprised you had trouble with this one. Which makes me wonder, if it was so boring, how were you able to watch it 20+ times? Were you strapped to a chair like Alex DeLarge?

Bad Acting: Well, again, I don't think anyone believed this a tour de force for Tom Cruise, but I don't know that he killed the film. If you didn't buy Kidman's marijuana-induced confession, then I guess that's a point of dispute, because I thought that monologue, along with her retelling of the dream later in the film, is some of the best stuff she's put to film. As for the others, only Sydney Pollack has a significant role and I thought he was subtlely menacing.

Annoying music: I found the repeating piano note absolutely chilling throughout the film, especially when Cruise is followed downtown by the strange man. I can easily see how one would find it grating.

Cinematography: This to me is one of the film's greatest strength, and if you're going to criticize this it's hard to believe you're approaching the film objectively at all. Aside from Barry Lyndon, those other Kubrick films you mentioned aren't very special in that department. What Kubrick achieved here, that gauzy, dreamy atmosphere, is what drove the whole thing home for me. Ask yourself this question: can you name another film from 1999 that looked anything like that? how about from another recent year in memory? how about any film at all?

Ratings Cuts: If you want to see the "unaltered" version, all you have to do is get the Canadian DVD release, and if I'm not mistaken the cut will soon be available in the U.S. as well. Kubrick's contract with Warner Bros. specified that he deliver an R-rated film; it's a concession he made a long time ago. And while he was notorious for altering his films very close to the release date, to imply that this film is not what he wanted is pure supposition with no basis in fact. All we know is that Kubrick DID assemble this cut, and not some producer, or Tom Cruise, or the Church of Scientology. Considering this was so long in the making, and possibly his most personal film, I'm convinced that this is what he wanted people to see, black bars over t & a or no.

But let's get back to the most important thing: the thematic content. More than any other Kubrick film, this is a picture that affects each person differently based on what they bring to it from their own personal life. It causes you to look at your actions and the actions of a significant other in an entirely different light, re-examining the notions of fidelity, trust, honesty, and the open-ended question stated in the film: "Is a dream ever really just a dream?"

There are many interpretations of this film that I've read (my favorite is that each woman in the film represents a different aspect of his wife, and how he must reconcile all those parts before he can accept her again), but the bottom line is that it certainly isn't meant to be taken literally. The idea that the sex party is unrealistic and over the top, or that the New York portrayed in the film is nothing like the real city, these things are beside the point because the exposition is in the head of the main character as much as it is in Mulholland Drive. And your reference to meaningless sex is noteworthy-Cruise's character is the only one who doesn't indulge in it. His wife's fantasy has rendered him impotent to every woman he comes across throughout the film, and his exposure/unmasking at the party is simply a broad illustration of that idea, humiliated just as he is in his wife's dream.

While the film was derided upon its release by many critics (especially Pauline Kael disciples who likely had their knives sharpened before this even came out), enough has been written about it to suggest that there is a lot to chew on here. The way you dismiss it makes you sound like a jilted, jealous lover yourself, angry that the uncompromising genius who gave you 2001 and Clockwork stooped to the level of working with Mr. & Mrs. Hollywood.

If it makes you feel any better, the film helped break up their marriage.

 

[lazarus]

Having said all that, Hardyharhar, I enjoyed your list and am glad you mentioned Branagh's Hamlet, which I totally overlooked. Inexcusable as it was FINALLY released on DVD after a nearly 10 year wait.

Need to get that ASAP.

 

[Lancemc]

Eyes Wide Shut is second in line on my netflix queue.

Too bad my school loses about a out of every 3 discs they send me.

 

[lazarus]

You haven't seen it yet?!?!

 

[No spoken words]

Has anyone put Unforgiven on their list?????

 

[Snowlock]

1. Braveheart
2. Saving Private Ryan
3. Bram Stoker's Dracula
4. Air Force One
5. Tombstone
6. Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace
7. The Rock
8. The Matrix
9. Under Seige
10. The Patriot
11. Independence Day
12. Die Hard II
13. Tommy Boy
14. Resevoir Dogs
15. The Fugitive

Still sick to this day TPM wasn't good enough to crack the top 5.

 

[Lancemc]

1. Braveheart
2. Saving Private Ryan
3. Bram Stoker's Dracula lol
4. Air Force One lol
5. Tombstone
6. Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace
7. The Rock lol
8. The Matrix
9. Under Seige LOL
10. The Patriot epic lulz
11. Independence Day roland emmerick FTWTF
12. Die Hard II wow
13. Tommy Boy
14. Resevoir Dogs
15. The Fugitive

Still sick to this day TPM wasn't good enough to crack the top 5.

Personal taste, blah blah, yeah I know. But this is a list of the greatest films of the decade. And a lot of this stuff is just too damn funny not to mention.

 

[No spoken words]

My disclaimer is that I don't know a fucking thing about film, but here is my list:

1) Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
2) Unforgiven
3) Fargo
4) The Insider
5) Fight Club
6) Boogie Nights
7) Goodfellas
8) Eyes Wide Shut
9) Magnolia
10) Silence of the Lambs
11) The Fugitive
12) LA Confidential
13) 12 Monkeys
14) Shawshank Redemption
15) Minority Repot

 

[lazarus]

Still sick to this day TPM wasn't good enough to crack the top 5.

I think Lance is gonna be sick too...

Nice to see a mention of Bram Stoker's Dracula. I think the script is a bit uneven, and the acting aside from the title character is questionable, but brilliant filmmaking and Oldman was Oscar worthy.

 

[lazarus]

Personal taste, blah blah, yeah I know. But this is a list of the greatest films of the decade. And a lot of this stuff is just too damn funny not to mention.

And you said NOTHING about Tommy Boy?!?!

Double FTWTF!

 

[hardyharhar]

Well, that's a lot of words you put in my mouth.

I watched it many times because I am a Kubrick fan, and because it was on HBO (or whichever movie channel) a lot for months, so I kept checking it out. See if I was missing something. I wasn't.

I expected to enjoy the film because there isn't any Kubrick I don't like. Working with "Mr & Mrs. Hollywood" never even entered the equation. And I didn't know it broke Tom & Nicole up, what did I say to make you think I would be glad?

The film is about problems couples face, now that's a novel idea. Very pedestrian. And that is something I can say.

 

[lazarus]

My disclaimer is that I don't know a fucking thing about film, but here is my list:

1) Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
2) Unforgiven
3) Fargo
4) The Insider
5) Fight Club
6) Boogie Nights
7) Goodfellas
8) Eyes Wide Shut
9) Magnolia
10) Silence of the Lambs
11) The Fugitive
12) LA Confidential
13) 12 Monkeys
14) Shawshank Redemption
15) Minority Repot

I like your list, NSW, but Minority Report and Crouching Tiger are both from the 00's. So you get two more picks!