Rolling Stone: 100 Greatest Movies of the Nineties

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Dexter
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Rolling Stone: 100 Greatest Movies of the Nineties

Post by Dexter »

Three months and several days after this forum revealed our choices for the best 90's films, Rolling Stone offered their inferior (at least, for me) list.

The 100 Greatest Movies of the Nineties
http://www.rollingstone.com/movies/list ... 0s-w486390
By Daniel Kreps, Scott Tobias, Alex Suskind, Joshua Rothkopf, Noel Murray, Stephen Garrett, Jenna Scherer, Phoebe Reilly, Tim Grierson, Eric Hynes, Bilge Ebiri, David Fear, Jason Newman, Kory Grow, Sean T. Collins, Dan Epstein, Rob Sheffield, Kristen Yoonsoo Kim, Gina McIntyre, Brian Tallerico, Abbey Bender, Judy Berman , Steven Boone, Vikram Murthi

Ah, the 1990s – the decade that brought you indie-cinema breakouts and bullet-time blockbusters, fight clubs and foul-mouthed clerks, charismatic cannibal serial killers and "Choose Life!" sloganeering, Rushmore Academy overachievers and Royales with Cheese. Looking back on the movies that made the Nineties such a surprisingly fertile period for filmmakers and film lovers, you can see how so much of the foundation for the past few decades was laid so early on, from the rise of documentaries as a mainstream phenomena to the meta touches that would turn so many mix-and-match movies into wax museums with pulses. Sundance was to independent auteurs as Seattle was to grunge rockers. We would hang with slackers and Scottish junkies, smooth-talking criminals and abiding dudes. We would get cyberpunk as fuck. We would know kung fu – whoa!
So we've assembled a crack team of film fanatics, culture vultures, pop-culture pundits and various critics to weigh in on the 100 greatest movies of the Nineties. From Oscar-winners to obscure-but-wonderful gems, nonfiction social-issue sagas to a seven-hour Hungarian masterpiece, Titanic to Tarantino, these are the films we still argue over, quote endlessly and return to again and again. Crank up your dial-up connection, crack open a Zima and let the arguments begin.

100. 'Romeo + Juliet' (1996)
99. 'Clerks' (1994)
98. 'Buffalo '66' (1998)
97. 'The Ice Storm' (1997)
96. 'The Virgin Suicides' (1999)
95. 'Orlando' (1992)
94. 'Singles' (1992)
93. 'Billy Madison' (1995)
92. 'The Usual Suspects' (1995)
91. 'Lone Star' (1996)
90. 'Dumb and Dumber' (1994)
89. 'The Long Day Closes' (1992)
88. 'Casino' (1995)
87. 'Velvet Goldmine' (1998)
86. 'A Brighter Summer Day' (1991)
85. 'Titanic' (1997)
84. 'Swingers' (1996)
83. 'Last Night' (1998)
82. 'Raise the Red Lantern' (1991)
81. 'Election' (1999)
80. 'Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas' (1998)
79. 'Bad Lieutenant' (1992)
78. 'The Shawshank Redemption' (1994)
77. 'Terminator 2: Judgment Day' (1991)
76. 'The Age of Innocence' (1993)
75. 'There's Something About Mary' (1998)
74. 'The City of Lost Children' (1995)
73. 'Schindler's List' (1993)
72. 'Before Sunrise' (1995)
71. 'Edward Scissorhands' (1990)
70. 'When We Were Kings' (1996)
69. 'La Belle Noiseuse' (1991)
68. 'Friday' (1995)
67. 'Life Is Sweet' (1990)
66. 'Madonna: Truth or Dare' (1991)
65. 'Satantango' (1994)
64. 'Wayne's World' (1992)
63. 'Jackie Brown' (1997)
62. 'Audition' (1999)
61. 'Clueless' (1995)
60. 'Natural Born Killers' (1994)
59. 'Being John Malkovich' (1999)
58. 'Scream' (1996)
57. 'Dazed and Confused' (1993)
56. 'Seven' (1995)
55. 'Babe: Pig in the City' (1998)
54. 'Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills' (1996)
53. 'Wild at Heart' (1990)
52. 'Metropolitan' (1990)
51. 'South Park: Bigger, Longer, Uncut' (1999)
50. 'L.A. Confidential' (1997)
49. 'Heavenly Creatures' (1994)
48. 'Poison' (1991)
47. 'To Sleep With Anger' (1990)
46. 'JFK' (1991)
45. 'Breaking the Waves' (1996)
44. 'The Double Life of Veronique' (1991)
43. 'Starship Troopers' (1997)
42. 'The Lion KIng' (1994)
41. 'Naked' (1993)
40. 'Unforgiven' (1992)
39. 'Crash' (1996)
38. 'Fireworks (Hana-Bi)' (1997)
37. 'All About My Mother' (1999)
36. 'The Blair Witch Project' (1999)
35. 'The Player' (1992)
34. 'Crumb' (1994)
33. 'Trainspotting' (1996)
32. 'The Sweet Hereafter' (1997)
31. 'The Big Lebowski' (1998)
30. 'My Own Private Idaho' (1991)
29. 'Princess Mononoke' (1997)
28. 'Heat' (1995)
27. 'Three Colors: Blue' (1993)
26. 'Magnolia' (1999)
25. 'Out of Sight' (1998)
24. 'Rushmore' (1998)
23. 'Eyes Wide Shut' (1999)
22. 'Kids' (1995)
21. 'Barton Fink' (1991)
20. 'Dead Man' (1995)
19. 'Fight Club' (1999)
18. 'Paris Is Burning' (1990)
17. 'Toy Story' (1995)
16. 'Reservoir Dogs' (1992)
15. 'The Matrix' (1999)
14. 'Boogie Nights' (1997)
13. 'Fargo' (1996)
12. 'Beau Travail' (1999)
11. 'Groundhog Day' (1993)
10. 'The Piano' (1993)
9. 'Chungking Express' (1994)
8. 'Malcolm X' (1992)
7. 'Slacker' (1991)
6. 'Close-Up' (1990)
5. 'Pulp Fiction' (1994)
4. 'The Silence of the Lambs' (1991)
3. 'Safe' (1995)
2. 'Hoop Dreams' (1994)
1. 'Goodfellas' (1990)
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whuntva
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Re: Rolling Stone: 100 Greatest Movies of the Nineties

Post by whuntva »

Didn't think Rolling Stone of all places would acknowledge foreign films, given their Anglo-American bias in terms of music. And the ones chosen were all very strong.

Surprised but not exactly disappointed at the lack of American Beauty, Saving Private Ryan, Sixth Sense, or the original Babe (but the sequel oddly enough is included).

However some surprises were there. Matrix at #15? Really? Although seeing foreign films and even animation, in a critical circle very much biased against both, was refreshing. Better than I expected from a Rolling Stone List.
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Re: Rolling Stone: 100 Greatest Movies of the Nineties

Post by jamieW »

whuntva wrote:Didn't think Rolling Stone of all places would acknowledge foreign films, given their Anglo-American bias in terms of music. And the ones chosen were all very strong.

Surprised but not exactly disappointed at the lack of American Beauty, Saving Private Ryan, Sixth Sense, or the original Babe (but the sequel oddly enough is included).

However some surprises were there. Matrix at #15? Really? Although seeing foreign films and even animation, in a critical circle very much biased against both, was refreshing. Better than I expected from a Rolling Stone List.
I agree - surprisingly solid list from RS (which I wasn't expecting). A lot of personal favorites in there...
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Re: Rolling Stone: 100 Greatest Movies of the Nineties

Post by babydoll »

whuntva wrote:Surprised but not exactly disappointed at the lack of American Beauty, Saving Private Ryan, Sixth Sense, or the original Babe (but the sequel oddly enough is included).
I think the Babe sequel is actually having a resurgence. It's one of the cult classics where people say it was horrible on its release but now it's a unsung masterpiece, you know? I've never seen the sequel, but people have been saying that Babe: Pig in the City was actually a good movie for a while now.
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Re: Rolling Stone: 100 Greatest Movies of the Nineties

Post by Nick »

Shocked that Forrest Gump is absent. It's critically acclaimed, but not too arthouse or highbrow, it was massively successful commercially, and the soundtrack is loaded with classic rock. It seems tailor made for Rolling Stone's critics.
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