BCB's Top Films of the '90s poll - the whole Top 50

[Ghost of Harry Smith]

Great posts about these films guys, I find it hard to disagree with any points that have been raised. Sure 12 Monkeys and Fight Club have their flaws (particularly the latter) but I find myself going back to them every couple of years, as if I'm replaying an album that my younger self once loved. So in that respect they're not too dissimilar to, say, Nevermind or Badmotorfinger... they wear their influences a little obviously and are perhaps a tad overrated, but both have loads of brash charisma, energy and personality.

Terminator 2 is another one I chose with my '90s self in mind, rather then the older fella walking around the planet today. It was just so much fun to see this at a multiplex when it first came out. Now I think of it, I don't think I've ever seen it since those first viewings (i saw it at the movies twice) so I have no idea how it holds up today. It's big and dumb but hopefully still lots of fun.

[beenieman]

31=



Ed Wood (1994)
Directed by Tim Burton
Voters: Blue Meanie, Pig Bodine, Googa Mooga, Cage Free Brown

A high placing means perhaps I should give it a go. The concept of the movie does not appeal to me though and Burton, for me, has way more misses than hits.

30



Army of Darkness (1992)
Directed by Sam Raimi
Voters: Fandedango, Cage Free Brown, Pig Bodine, Kath

It is the best of the 3 but I’d be interested to know how old the 4 who voted for this were when they first saw it. If I’d seen it when younger I might rate it higher. I’d never even think of it for my top 50.

29



Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1991)
Directed by James Cameron
Voters: Goatboy, Ghost of Harry Smith, Kath, Googa Mooga

A good inclusion. I had thought of including it in my list but it just missed the cut

28



12 Monkeys (1995)
Directed by Terry Gilliam
Voters: Algroth, Ghost of Harry Smith, Snarfyguy, WG Kaspar

Seen it. I thought it was a decent movie but I’m surprised others rate it so high. Fair enough though.

27



Fight Club (19)
Directed by David Fincher
Voters: Beenieman, Fandedango, Ghost of Harry Smith, WG Kaspar

One of my picks. Despite the “surprise ending” it is a movie you can keep going back to.

[Snarfyguy]

GoHS, let me just compliment you on the fine selection of movie posters you're putting up. I haven't seen most of them before and they're very nice.

By the way, Army of Darkness didn't impress me as much as Evil Dead II did, and while I understand the second installement is disqualified from this discussion as it's not a 90s film, I wonder how fans feel about the two relative to each other.

I don't think I've seen either since they came out. Maybe I Should at least rent Army of Darkness again. I don't remember it too well.

[beenieman]

GoHS, let me just compliment you on the fine selection of movie posters you're putting up. I haven't seen most of them before and they're very nice.

By the way, Army of Darkness didn't impress me as much as Evil Dead II did, and while I understand the second installement is disqualified from this discussion as it's not a 90s film, I wonder how fans feel about the two relative to each other.

I don't think I've seen either since they came out. Maybe I Should at least rent Army of Darkness again. I don't remember it too well.

The posters are incredible. If I had a mansion I'd buy a number of them for my 90's movies room.

[Ghost of Harry Smith]

GoHS, let me just compliment you on the fine selection of movie posters you're putting up. I haven't seen most of them before and they're very nice.

By the way, Army of Darkness didn't impress me as much as Evil Dead II did, and while I understand the second installement is disqualified from this discussion as it's not a 90s film, I wonder how fans feel about the two relative to each other.

I don't think I've seen either since they came out. Maybe I Should at least rent Army of Darkness again. I don't remember it too well.

The posters are incredible. If I had a mansion I'd buy a number of them for my 90's movies room.

Thanks guys, I'm just following Algroth's lead on the poster front though I agree it's nice to see a bunch of less familiar designs all grouped together like this. What's interesting is when you start poking around on the web, you find a lot of examples of unused film posters, or ones from different territories, or specially-made ones for repertory screenings, or just ones that designers do for their own interest that haven't been officially released. Fascinating stuff.

Next batch is live now, five more films takes us to #22.

[algroth]

Yay, another one in!

Four fantastic inclusions and one which is also quite alright (Run Lola Run). Like Twelve Monkeys I was hoping to see Mononoke higher, as both are widely acclaimed and high-profile, especially among the films of this decade. Anyways, it's good that they made it.

[beenieman]

My moment of BCB synchronicity may have passed as Write Profile steps forward

[Ghost of Harry Smith]

Another five winners for your perusal, I'm very fond of every film in this batch and voted for Unforgiven and Shorts Cuts, so very pleased to see them in the Top 20.

No joy for Beenie amongst this five, while The Write Profile continues his synchronous run!

[beenieman]

No joy for Beenie amongst this five, while The Write Profile continues his synchronous run!

A few more than almost made my list though

[algroth]

I like all five new inclusions. Short Cuts is among Altman's best. Reservoir Dogs, Se7en and Being John Malkovich were all very fresh and inventive at the time, I remember hearing some lengthy conversations among my parents and uncles about Se7en, it really seemed to shake things up. It's a shame that Jonze pretty much dropped off the world (mind, I have not seen Where the Wild Things Are) and Tarantino would eventually run his shtick into the ground. Fincher at this point remains for me as the only one of the three who has actually seen progress since those days.

[Ghost of Harry Smith]

I watched a doco about 12 Monkeys last night, called The Hamster Effect...it's a feature length documentary, a very interesting insight into Gilliam's work methods. I learned a few new things from it.

Gilliam had never seen La Jetee before making 12 Monkeys, and he refused to watch it till his film was finished. He was just a director for hire, it wasn't a personal project of his (this surprised me, given its visual signature and themes seem quintessentially Gilliam). Brad Pitt checked himself into a mental institution as his character before starting filming. Gilliam's favourite shot in the entire movie is the monkey with a camera strapped to his head being lowered into the well, which you can only see on a television news clip in the background for a few secs. The majority of the sets were real disused buildings in Baltimore and Philadelphia. The little kid who plays the young James Cole (Willis's character) was a last minute stand-in, when the boy who was Gilliam's first pick was unable to actually act (Gilliam had chosen him for his eyes). All the Hitchcock references happened organically as the film was being made, they weren't planned.

[The Write Profile]

I like all five new inclusions. Short Cuts is among Altman's best. Reservoir Dogs, Se7en and Being John Malkovich were all very fresh and inventive at the time, I remember hearing some lengthy conversations among my parents and uncles about Se7en, it really seemed to shake things up. It's a shame that Jonze pretty much dropped off the world (mind, I have not seen Where the Wild Things Are) and Tarantino would eventually run his shtick into the ground. Fincher at this point remains for me as the only one of the three who has actually seen progress since those days.

Well to be fair to Robert Altman, his last film, A Prairie Home Companion, was funny and moving, and he can't help it that he's dead! But on a more serious note, I agree with you. Seven was a fairly remarkable exercise in mood and sound design, even if its overall view of humanity is frankly nihilistic-ironically, Fincher's original ending had Freeman's character killing John Doe, so in a sense the studio actually opted for a bleaker conclusion!

In saying that, it's forceful and controlled in a way that Fight Club isn't, and Kevin Spacey, in both this and the Usual Suspects, proves he's at its most magnetic if he's playing an unreliable psycho. I suppose it's something to do with his sneering superciliousness- something that LA Confidential, Glengarry Glen Ross and to a lesser degree American Beauty also picked up on. Indeed, there's a strong case for him being the most commanding presence in the late half of 90s cinema, along with Ed Norton. Both actors equally lost their way- although I understand both have been more interested in theater of late.

David Fincher's an interesting filmmaker. I'm still torn as to whether his work actually adds up to much- Zodiac was particularly hollow- but he's got a style and approach you can spot a mile off, and it's clear that he's able to put it to varied used. Trent Reznor seems to be his sparring partner, too, his scores control the mood of his pictures.

[Ghost of Harry Smith]

Seven more films are up, which takes us to the brink of the Top 10. Some very different films, though there's common traits too (what's with the acidic bile of Glengarry Glen Ross and Naked? that says something about the times i think)

The Schindler's List poster I've used in this batch was designed for Spielberg by Saul Bass, though he never used it and decided to go with the more familiar treatment of the two clasped-hands photo. Instead of both, I thought strongly about using the below photograph to represent the film in the results instead of a poster, but then figured that was cheating.

[Ghost of Harry Smith]

Oh and is anyone game enough to try and pick the Top 10?

[algroth]

I like all five new inclusions. Short Cuts is among Altman's best. Reservoir Dogs, Se7en and Being John Malkovich were all very fresh and inventive at the time, I remember hearing some lengthy conversations among my parents and uncles about Se7en, it really seemed to shake things up. It's a shame that Jonze pretty much dropped off the world (mind, I have not seen Where the Wild Things Are) and Tarantino would eventually run his shtick into the ground. Fincher at this point remains for me as the only one of the three who has actually seen progress since those days.

Well to be fair to Robert Altman, his last film, A Prairie Home Companion, was funny and moving, and he can't help it that he's dead!

Oh, I meant of Jonze, Tarantino and Fincher. Eastwood's latest features haven't been particularly good but he did make some robust production in the mid-to-late 00's.

But on a more serious note, I agree with you. Seven was a fairly remarkable exercise in mood and sound design, even if its overall view of humanity is frankly nihilistic-ironically, Fincher's original ending had Freeman's character killing John Doe, so in a sense the studio actually opted for a bleaker conclusion!

Yep, but the other thing that Se7en had was that it played mostly to its mood and not as strongly to the ideas conveyed within. Fight Club pretty much places all its anarchist anti-consummerism speech right at its forefront and in the end suffers because of it. I mean, in Se7en you can to some extent ignore whatever motivations are leading Spacey, in Fight Club the ideology practically makes the story (that said, I last watched Se7en back in 2005, I'm relying purely on distant memories here).

In saying that, it's forceful and controlled in a way that Fight Club isn't, and Kevin Spacey, in both this and the Usual Suspects, proves he's at its most magnetic if he's playing an unreliable psycho. I suppose it's something to do with his sneering superciliousness- something that LA Confidential, Glengarry Glen Ross and to a lesser degree American Beauty also picked up on. Indeed, there's a strong case for him being the most commanding presence in the late half of 90s cinema, along with Ed Norton. Both actors equally lost their way- although I understand both have been more interested in theater of late.

I agree, and it is a shame - that said, Norton this year has a prominent role in two pretty notable films, being Moonrise Kingdom and The Bourne Legacy. Hopefully this will see a return to the spotlight for him, as he is a really fantastic actor. I think I'm alone in this, but I actually think that in the 00's he really came to his own in terms of acting - his roles from 2002 to 2006 seemed constrained, introspective, diverse and, as a result, also unimaginably evocative and magnetic. He was, in my opinion, by far the best element of Kingdom of Heaven, a film in which his face is never once shown, while his performance in films like The Illusionist and The Painted Veil practically hold the films up on their own (on the latter I think a lot more works in its favour as well, but Norton is still one of its high aspects).

[algroth]

Oh and is anyone game enough to try and pick the Top 10?

I will try again later.

[algroth]

And two new in, yay! I'm surprised at seeing Groundhog Day missing the top 10, considering how well it did in the all-time chart. I was expecting it to be a sure-fire contender for the top spot. Again I like all the inclusions this time round, except When We Were Kings which I have not seen. I should fix that immediately!

That's one of the surprises on this batch, the other being Delicatessen. I never expected to see it this high up! Again, though, good film, and probably Jeunet's best.

[Snarfyguy]

Yes, really nice to see Delicatessen place so high. Among the others, I haven't seen Schindler's List and I've never understood the accolades for The Unforgiven. That one just seemed like an averagely decent post-Western to me.

I alwasy thought Groundhog Day was massively over-rated, too. I realize I stand alone on this.

[Cage Free Brown]

I like 'em both. I think "Unforgiven" suffers (as all CE does, imo) from his cutting corners as a producer. I really feel most CE films have minor players who aren't very good up against Old Pros. I think this cuts them off at the knees a bit. I think critics PLOTZED over it though so maybe I'm on my own here.

I think "ground hog day" is "it's a wonderful life" for baby boomers. I guess how much you like it might depend on if you find that sort of thing treacly or not.

I have no problem with either being on a list of "best films of the 90's"
I LOVE "Delicatessen" and am surprised I didn't vote for it. it's funny how arbitrary my decision making process was but how organized I thought I was being.

[beenieman]

25=



The Player (1992)
Directed by Robert Altman

Voters: Fandedango, Googamooga, Cage Free Brown, Masked Man

Never seen. Maybe one day though I don't think I've ver really enjoyed an Altman film.

25=



Millers Crossing (1990)
Directed by Joel Coen

Voters: Martha, Owen, T. Willy Rye, The Right Profile

I definitely should see this & will do so.

22=



Mononoke-hime [Princess Mononoke] (1997)
Directed by Hayao Miyazaki

Voters: Algroth, Fandedango, Kath, Martha

this one I doubt I'll ever catch up with

22=




Magnolia (1999)
Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson

Voters: Ghost of Harry Smith, The Right Profile, Thesiger, WG Kaspar

Never seen. Maybe one day but doubtful.

22=



Lola Rennt [Run Lola Run] (1998)
Directed by Tom Tykwer

Voters: Kath, Martha, Masked Man, The Right Profile

I tried this a long time ago & gave up on it. I guess I could try again?

21



Being John Malkovich (1999)
Directed by Spike Jonze
Voters: T.Willy Rye, Masked Man, Owen, Cage Free Brown

Excellent movie & one i could easily have included in my list.

20



Short Cuts (1993)
Directed by Robert Altman

Voters: GoogaMooga, Ghost of Harry Smith, Masked Man, Whodathunkit

More Altman. I will likely never see it.

18=



Se7en (1995)
Directed by David Fincher
Voters: Blue Meanie, Masked Man, Snarfyguy, The Right Profile, Whodathunkit

I seen a few times. While a good movie Fincher's has had several better. I hope The Game will still show up but have my doubts.

18=



Reservoir Dogs (1991)
Directed by Quentin Tarantino

Voters: GoogaMooga, Goatboy, Martha, The Right Profile, WG Kaspar

See my comments on Fincher. Great movie but there's others better from Tarantino

15=



Unforgiven (1992)
Directed by Clint Eastwood

Voters: Blue Meanie, GoogaMooga, Ghost of Harry Smith, T Willy Rye, WG Kaspar

A great movie. One of Eastwood's best.

15=



Delicatessen (1990)
Directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet and Marc Caro

Voters: Snarfyguy, Whodathunkit, Pig Bodine, Kath, Googamooga

Pass

15=



Office Space (1999)
Directed by Mike Judge

Voters: Thesiger, Pig Bodine, T. Willy Rye, Cage Free Brown, Owen

Thought this was pretty ordinary when I saw it. Perhaps I should view again?

14



Schindler's List (1993)
Directed by Steven Spielberg

Voters: Blue Meanie, Whodathunkit, Algroth, Kath, Googamooga

Just seems too hard to watch. Never tried.

13=



Naked (1993)
Directed by Mike Leigh

Voters: Algroth, Martha, T.Willy Rye, Goatboy, Cage Free Brown

Another director who I've yet to enjoy.

13=



Glengarry Glen Ross (1992)
Directed by James Foley

Voters: The Write Profile, Snarfyguy, Googamooga, Martha, T. Willy Rye

Will add to list to rent/view.

11=



When We Were Kings (1996)
Directed by Leon Gast

Voters: Fandedango, Whodathunkit, Ghost of Harry Smith, Goatboy, Cage Free Brown

I know the story but never thought to check the movie. I'll give it a go.

11=



Groundhog Day (1993)
Directed by Harold Ramis

Voters: The Write Profile, Fandedango, Thesiger, Googamooga, OWen,

A fascinating inclusion. A good movie that stands up to repeated viewings.

A lot of stuff I've not seen here. Clearly I no longer grasp the BCB 90's zeitgiest.