Starring: Ray Liotta, Robert DeNiro, Joe Pesci, Lorraine Bracco, Paul Sorvino
Directed by: Martin Scorsese
IMDB Rating: 8.8
Rotten Tomatoes: 97%
If "The Godfather" is considered the best movie about the Mafia, "Goodfellas" has to be a close second. Based on the true story of Henry Hill, it's the tale of a mobster who gets so weighed down with what he's trying to accomplish that his only escape is to turn rat and spend the rest of his life in Witness Protection. This is a fast paced, blink and you'll miss something type of film that keeps the viewer totally involved from the very first scene. All the players are great, especially Ray Liotta, who, at the time, wasn't a big name. But his intense eyes and his total commitment to the role was a revelation! As good as he, and everybody is, the camera is the real star of this film. Scorsese has the camera constantly moving, hardly a static shot in the whole movie, giving the impression of a whirlwind life. The music, lots of Rolling Stones and Eric Clapton, meshes perfectly with the scenes. The movie is incredibly violent but never gratuitously, these were brutal people. Easily one of Scorsese's best and one I go back to again and again!
- The real Henry Hill has said that Joe Pesci's portrayal of Tommy was 90% accurate. One inaccuracy was that the real Tommy was a huge, strapping man.
- Most of the dinner scene with Tommy's mother, played by Catherine Scorsese, was improvised.
Starring: Jodie Foster, Anthony Hopkins, Scott Glenn
Directed by: Jonathan Demme
IMDB Rating: 8.7
Rotten Tomatoes: 94%
Take a young FBI recruit with a jilted past. Have her need the help of a brilliant psychiatrist turned serial killer. Have them both go after a terrible kidnapper. Stir and come out with one of the best movies of the decade. This movie, the first time I saw it, had me completely rapt, totally involved in everything that was being said and shown. Jonathan Demme, who was known more for his comedies and music videos, got the absolute best out of his cast. Jodie Foster proved to the world that she wasn't just some kid actress that got a choice role in "The Accused" a couple years prior. She conveyed every emotion as the unsure of herself rookie agent. And what else needs to said about Anthony Hopkins portrayal of Hannibal Lecter? Another one of those perfect roles that has been played by others, but not with nearly the same intensity and horror that Hopkins brought to the role. Just the right amount of scary with little touches of tongue in cheek wit.
- When Hannibal Lecter was being transferred, the plan was to have him in a yellow or orange jumpsuit. It was Anthony Hopkins suggestion to Jonathan Demme to have Lecter in a white jumpsuit to seem more clinical and unsettling.
- Buffalo Bill is said to be the combination of three real serial killers; Ed Gein, Ted Bundy and Gary Heidnick.
Starring: Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, Steve Buscemi, Chris Penn, Lawrence Tierney
Directed by: Quentin Tarantino
IMDB Rating: 8.4
Rotten Tomatoes: 92%
Quentin Tarantino became the newest "boy wonder" director after the release of "Reservoir Dogs", and deservedly so. I became an instant fan of his Scorsese-like camera work, believable dialogue and brutal make-no-excuses violence. He was a video store geek, kinda like me, that had seen thousands of movies, most of which influenced him in one way or another. Yes, many of his ideas are "stolen" from other lesser films, but he puts those ideas together so well that the viewer doesn't care at all. Aside from his brilliant screenplay and direction, this movie has some outstanding performances, especially from Tim Roth and Michael Madsen. The soundtrack is put together with so much care, I went out and bought the CD right away! There will be other Tarantino films on my list, but this has to be one of the greatest debuts in the history of cinema.
- Tarantino's producing partner, Lawrence Bender, gave a copy of the script to his acting teacher who was friends with Harvey Keitel. Keitel read the script and asked to be involved. His name helped raise the budget from $30,000 to $1.5 million.
- In the opening scene, Joe demands to know who didn't tip. It's Mr. Orange that gives up Mr. Pink, a little foreshadowing on who the "rat" is.
Starring: Tim Robbins, Greta Scacchi, Fred Ward, Peter Gallagher, Whoopi Goldberg, Cynthia Stevenson, Brion James.
Directed by: Robert Altman
IMDB Rating: 7.6
Rotten Tomatoes: 98%
I do believe this was the first Robert Altman movie I watched, and loved it so much that I went and watched "MASH" and "Nashville" soon after. Although I liked those other films very much, "The Player" has remained my favourite of his. From the opening shot, an eight minute tracking shot that plays upon other great tracking shots in film history, I was sold. What follows is a great mystery tale of a screen writer that threatens to kill Tim Robbins, a high ranking Hollywood producer. Robbins is great, portraying his character with sure cockiness when needed and incredible vulnerability when called for. What really caught my attention while watching this movie for the first time was the audio, the way Altman overlaps dialogue but still makes the viewer focus on what he needs you to focus on. He mastered this technique in his earlier movies, but I think it works so much better in "The Player" than in his other movies. Oh, and then you have cameos from just about every actor in Hollywood at the time, which makes the viewing of this film that much more fun!
- All the celebrity cameos were not scripted but added in by Altman during filming. None of the actors making the cameos had written lines.
- If all the actors making cameos were to get their standard rates at the time of filming, it would have cost the producers over $100-million in salaries alone.
Starring: Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, Richard Attenborough, Samuel L. Jackson
Directed by: Steven Spielberg
IMDB Rating: 8.0
Rotten Tomatoes: 93%
I was 21 when this movie was released. I had to see it opening day in the theatre because of all the hype surrounding it (most expensive movie ever made, dinosaurs that looked real and so on). I sat through all the preamble, how they were able to make dinosaurs, blah, blah, blah. Then, in the quiet of the theatre, on screen we heard a low rumble. We saw the water in the cup tremble. The piercing scream of a T-Rex. I couldn't believe, at that moment, how scared, exhilarated, breathless I was. The rest of the film was a pure thrill ride and I was incredibly disappointed when it ended! For all it's faults (story gaps, poor dialogue) "Jurassic Park" was/is the reason we go to the movies. Steven Spielberg created a world for his viewers that, at the time, nobody thought possible. It made us believe dinosaurs could roam our Earth again...how ludicrous! I can honestly say I had never been so excited about a movie after watching "Jurassic Park" which is why it is on my list.
- Joseph Mazzello, who plays Tim in the movie, auditioned for the role of Jack Banning in "Hook". Steven Spielberg felt he was too young at the time for "Hook", but promised him to get him into a film in the near future. Spielberg kept his promise and cast him in one of the biggest films of all time!
- Universal Studios paid Michael Crichton $2-million for the film rights to his book, before it was even published. Pre-production of a movie started in 1989 based on Crichton's manuscript. The book was published in 1990.
Starring: Jason London, Joey Lauren Adams, Rory Cochrane, Adam Goldberg, Milla Jovovich, Matthew McConaughey, Ben Affleck, Parker Posey
Directed by: Richard Linklater
IMDB Rating: 7.6
Rotten Tomatoes: 94%
I have often mentioned my love for the 1970's. This movie was made for me! It portrayed being a teenager of that era exactly how I thought it would actually be. Having fun with your buddies, falling in love, hearing some of the best music ever recorded for the first time. Richard Linklater was able to find kids who had never acted before to play some of the roles, and it shows. They had not been bogged down with bad acting habits, making them seem so much more realistic. Some critics found that distracting...I found it endearing. I was pulling for these kids. Their awkwardness beamed off the screen making me empathize with each and every one of them. There is a story that runs throughout, but it's really of no importance. The beauty of this film is in the simple interactions of it's players, stoned or sober, pretty or not, cool or geek. This was what it was like growing up in that era, I'm sure of it. And if it wasn't, I don't care!
- Approximately one-sixth of the entire budget of the film went to acquiring the rights to the songs used in the film.
- A stand-in was used for the pitching scenes as Wiley Wiggins, playing Mitch, had never throw a baseball before.
Starring: Liam Neeson, Ben Kingsley, Ralph Fiennes, Embeth Davidtz
Directed by: Steven Spielberg
IMDB Rating: 8.9
Rotten Tomatoes: 97%
Steven Spielberg made some of the most thrilling movies of our time with "Jaws", "Raiders" and "Jurassic Park". He grew up when he made "Schindler's List". He filmed it in gorgeous, but brutally real, black and white (remember that one red coat on the little girl??). He held back nothing when it came to the atrocities of the WWII death camps, leaving nothing to the imagination to give the viewer a very uneasy feeling. Even if you don't agree with the reasons for Schindler's actions (saving his workers so he wouldn't go bankrupt?) you have to commend the man for the lives, real lives, that he was able to save. Liam Neeson was perfect, as was Ben Kingsley and Ralph Fiennes, but the real star of the show were the images that stay with you long after watching the movie...that's the mark of a great director. Nothing was gratuitous, it all needed to be shown, and Spielberg was the man to do it. This is by no means an easy film to watch, but it's one everybody should see at least once in their life.
- Spielberg had the rights to the story for ten years before filming it. He offered the project to Martin Scorsese (who turned it down, saying a Jewish director would do it more justice), Roman Polanski (a Holocaust survivor who felt it hit too close to home) and Billy Wilder (who convinced Spielberg to direct it himself).
- Harrison Ford was offered the lead role, turning it down because he felt the audience would be too distracted from the importance of the story.
Starring: Daniel Day Lewis, Emma Thompson, Pete Postlethwaite
Directed by: Jim Sheridan
IMDB Rating: 8.1
Rotten Tomatoes: 95%
Here's another "real-life" drama that pulls at the heart strings, but not in a manipulative way. A man, Gerry Conlon, is arrested by the British police after an IRA bombing in a pub. Although he had nothing to do with it, the police badger him so much and for so long that he admits to the crime. Implicated along with him are his four friends and his own father. We watch as they all try to adapt to prison life. Father and son create a bond that was missing for most of their lives together. When the father, played brilliantly by Postlethwaite, dies in prison, the son does everything he can to clear his name. Emma Thompson steps in as the lawyer who will accept nothing but justice for the family done wrong for 15 years. A remarkable story that plays out so well on film. The last scenes in the courtroom are some of the best I've ever seen, with every emotion being emitted out of Daniel Day Lewis' eyes. Watch the movie, then go to YouTube and search for the real Gerry Conlon. Fascinating stuff!
- Gabriel Byrne, who was executive producer on the film, was set to play the role of Gerry Conlon. He let Daniel Day Lewis do it instead.
- In real life, father and son did not share a jail cell.
Starring: John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Bruce Willis, Uma Thurman, Tim Roth, Ving Rhames, Eric Stoltz, Christopher Walken, Harvey Keitel
Directed by: Quentin Tarantino
IMDB Rating: 9.0
Rotten Tomatoes: 94%
After making such an auspicious debut with "Reservoir Dogs", Quentin Tarantino makes, what some would consider, one of the most influential films ever! It's hard to describe "Pulp Fiction" simply because it follows the structure of a pulp novel so well; time-twisting, violent, laced with profanity, incredibly funny and a complete joy to behold. Tarantino gets some of the best performances out of people that were previously viewed as washed up, including John Travolta and Bruce Willis. I've always felt the beauty of a Tarantino film is how he makes these extraordinary characters seems so ordinary, only they're placed in outrageous situations. It's almost how Hitchcock was able to constantly make us believe a regular guy could be witness to a terrible situation over and over again. The believability in the dialogue and direction makes the viewer not care. That's the suspension of disbelief you always hear about. It's ridiculous, but it's so much fun and magnetic that the viewer doesn't care! Tarantino quickly became a master of this, and even though I can't stand to watch him in an interview, you just can't deny the man's brilliance in filmmaking. Love, love, LOVE!!! Oh, and the best Christopher Walken cameo EVER!
- The contents of the briefcase has been deemed as "whatever the viewer wants it to be" by Tarantino. The most persistent theory is it's Marcellus Wallace's soul, extracted by the Devil through the back of his head, explaining the Band-Aid on the back of his neck and the briefcase's combination of 666. Tarantino has said the Band-Aid was used to cover up a scar on Ving Rhames' neck.
Starring: Tim Robbins, Morgan Freeman, Bob Gunton, Clancy Brown, James Whitmore
Directed by: Frank Darabont
IMDB Rating: 9.3
Rotten Tomatoes: 90%
"In truth it's the purest Hollywood hoakum--a sunny, heart-tugging hymn to that old chestnut, the indomitability of the human spirit." This is a quote from a critic that didn't like "The Shawshank Redemption". It's a complaint I've heard before about this movie. Funny? This quote almost succinctly describes why I love it so much. There have been a great many movies that manipulate you into thinking you're watching something wonderful. There is no manipulation here; this IS a wonderful film, from the story, to the actors involved, to the albeit corny but gloriously happy ending. There is nothing wrong with losing yourself in a story, be it a book or a film. "Shawshank" lets you get lost. It's a movie about hope, something we all can relate to in one way or another. With that, you need characters you care about (Andy and Red) and characters you hate with everything in your being (Warden Norton). For some reason there is a stigma attached with loving this movie. I don't care, and it seems a lot of other "casual" movie-goers don't care either...it's the number one rated movie on imdb.com, so there!
- Kevin Costner turned down the role of Andy Dufresne. He has said it was a decision he has regretted.
- When initially released in the theatres, the movie was considered a mild flop, only grossing $18-million. After being nominated for Academy Awards, it made another $10-million in the theatres and became one of the most successful video rentals of all time.
Starring: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Don Rickles, John Ratzenberger, Annie Potts, Jim Varney
Directed by: John Lasseter
IMDB Rating: 8.3
Rotten Tomatoes: 100%
I'm a grown-ass adult! There is no way I should like a "kids" movie this much. How is it possible? I'll tell you...this movie made me feel like I was six years-old again. It took me right back to that innocence of childhood, where everything was an adventure. If you had a box, you had a castle. If you had some sofa cushions, you had an impenetrable fort. I watched this movie with all the open-mouthed, wide-eyed wonder of a child, and it felt amazing!! Never mind that it was the first full-length feature made entirely on a computer. PIXAR became a word that would become synonymous with quality movies for both kids and adults. I laughed, I cried, I felt like anything was possible. If I was born in 1989, this would easily be my favourite movie of all-time!!
- Billy Crystal was offered to voice the role of Buzz, but declined. He deeply regretted his decision after seeing the completed film. When John Lasseter was casting for "Monsters, Inc.", he called Crystal's house. His wife answered the phone, passed it to Billy saying who it was, and Billy said "Yes" before any other word was spoken.
Starring: William H. Macy, Frances McDormand, Steve Buscemi, Peter Stormare
Directed by: Joel & Ethan Coen
IMDB Rating: 8.2
Rotten Tomatoes: 94%
I had always been a fan of the Coen brothers, from "Blood Simple" to "Raising Arizona" to "Barton Fink". I thought every one of their films were fun, exciting and inventive. They perfected their style with "Fargo". I remember going to the theatre to see this film. There were very few people in the theatre at the time, maybe ten or so. It was obvious to me that nine out of the ten people in the theatre had never seen a Coen brothers' movie before. I was the only one laughing, out loud. The way that they combine dark humour with brutal violence is something they have excelled at for years. The wonderfully twisted story of "Fargo" shows them at their very best. The performances have been reviewed as "cartoonish", but I think that can't be further from the truth. Those crazy accents are real and only add to the fun of the picture. Wonderfully dark, incredibly funny and a real beauty of a film!
- None of the scenes in the movie, interior or exterior, were filmed in Fargo. The region was experiencing the second warmest winter in 100 years, so filming of outdoor scenes were relocated to other parts of Minnesota, North Dakota and Canada.
- The movie is in fact NOT based on a true story.
Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Julianne Moore, Burt Reynolds, John C. Reilly, William H. Macy, Heather Graham, Don Cheadle, Philip Seymour Hoffman
Directed by: Paul Thomas Anderson
IMDB Rating: 7.8
Rotten Tomatoes: 92%
I saw a movie in 1996 titled "Hard Eight". It was Paul Thomas Anderson's first feature film that not a lot of people heard of, but I loved it. I waited for his next feature and got "Boogie Nights", a look into the burgeoning porn industry of the mid 1970's. Yes, the movie is graphic at times, but the story of this one kid, played very well by Mark Wahlberg, and his rise in the industry became instantly addictive. Mixed with a fabulous 70's soundtrack, it's almost impossible not to have a good time watching the "rise" of this young stud. Of course, not everything works out great in the end, but the story arc never lets you down; nothing surprising but nothing ridiculous either. Some big name stars played their parts beautifully, especially Burt Reynolds, whose last role in "Striptease" was kind of a caricature rather than the complete character he developed for this film. The pace of the film slows down near the end, but I feel that was deliberate, to parallel the slowing down of the main character's career, and the industry itself. Wonderful camera movements aid in the pleasure of watching this film, and Paul Thomas Anderson solidified himself as one of my favourite new directors.
- Leonardo DiCaprio was offered the part of Dirk Diggler and would have done it, but he was already committed to do "Titanic". It was DiCaprio that suggested Wahlberg.
- The song "Boogie Nights" by Heatwave was not used in the movie because the group's lead singer became a born-again Christian, saying the song was about dancing, not porn.
Starring: Pam Grier, Samuel L. Jackson, Robert Forster, Robert DeNiro, Bridget Fonda, Michael Keaton
Directed by: Quentin Tarantino
IMDB Rating: 7.5
Rotten Tomatoes: 86%
Of all the Tarantino movies on these lists of mine, I'd have to say "Jackie Brown" is still my favourite. I felt that this was the movie in which Tarantino grew up a bit. Instead of relying on fast-paced action and violence, he was able to get two great actors from the 70's and re-introduce them to a whole new audience. I had seen Robert Forster in small roles before this. He was absolutely fabulous in "Jackie Brown", as was a much older, much more mature Pam Grier. Tarantino's style was still apparent, twisting a few stories into one, making the finale so much fun. But this is really all about the performances, and it proved once and for all that Tarantino is an actor's director. I know a lot of people find this to be one of his more boring films, but I thought it was paced beautifully, in relation to the aging leads we were following. Great stuff!
- The casting director for the film is named Jaki Brown.
- Based on the Elmore Leonard novel Rum Punch. In the novel, Jackie Brown (actually Jackie Burke in the book) is white. Tarantino consciously changed her name and colour of her skin in order to work with Pam Grier.
Starring: Jeff Bridges, John Goodman, Steve Buscemi, Julianne Moore, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Tara Reid
Directed by: Joel & Ethan Coen
IMDB Rating: 8.2
Rotten Tomatoes: 80%
I am going to admit something; I did not like "The Big Lebowski" the first time I saw it. I don't know if it was the mood I was in or all the hype surrounding it or what it was. I started to enjoy it more upon second viewing. Now, after seeing it about a dozen times, it is easily one of my favourite Coen brothers' film! I don't know why...I just know I love it more and more every time I see it. Jeff Bridges is a great actor, but I don't know if he ever committed to a role more than he did in this movie. He is absolutely brilliant, and brilliantly funny! The cast of weird secondary characters match him step for step, especially John Goodman and Steve Buscemi. Maybe it's a little hard to follow at times, introducing twists and new characters all the time, but it's so much fun to watch. The scene with Sam Elliott is one of the best cameos in any Coen brothers' movie. I'm laughing at some of the scenes in my head right now!
- A lot of The Dude's wardrobe in the film came from Jeff Bridges himself.
- The Dude says "man" 147 times in the movie, approximately 1.5 times a minute.
Starring: Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray, Olivia Williams, Seymour Cassel, Brian Cox
Directed by: Wes Anderson
IMDB Rating: 7.6
Rotten Tomatoes: 87%
I believe my love for this movie is two-fold. First, Jason Schwartzman's characterization of Max reminded me of myself a little, just a lot more exaggerated. I was a dreamer in school, but unlike Max I never acted on my dreams. I suppose I had a chance to live vicariously through his actions on screen, and Schwartzman played him so brilliantly. Second, "Rushmore" immediately reminded me of "The Graduate", one of my favourite movies ever. I likened him, a bit, to Dustin Hoffman's Benjamin Braddock, a kid trying to find his place in the world, eventually carving out his own niche. Beyond those two reasons, there is much to love about this film, including a subtly hilarious performance from Bill Murray. Although Wes Anderson made a feature film before this, "Bottle Rocket", he really established his technique that would make him famous and listed with some of the best new directors of the last 20 years.
- 1800 teenagers from the USA, Canada and England auditioned for the role of Max.
- When Bill Murray first read the script, he liked it so much he said he would do it for free.
Starring: Jason Flemyng, Dexter Fletcher, Nick Moran, Jason Statham, Vinnie Jones
Directed by: Guy Ritchie
IMDB Rating: 8.2
Rotten Tomatoes: 76%
Sometimes a good pace is all you need for a movie to succeed. This is an example of that. There is a lot going on in this film, and if you don't pay attention you're libel to miss something. It's action-packed, hilariously funny and a bit violent at times, everything you need for a good time at the movies. This was our introduction to Guy Ritchie's style of filmmaking, and I have to say, I became an immediate fan. He has since become a bit of a joke, with "Snatch" being the one exception, but his pacing and inventiveness in his debut is well worth watching again, and again. We were also introduced to one of the biggest action stars on the planet in Jason Statham, who seemed to become the definition of cool in a very short time. It's hard for me to pinpoint the exact reason I love this movie so much...it must be one of those movies that, as a whole, is better than the sum of it's parts. All I know is it's a great way to spend two hours!
- Lenny McLean, who plays Barry The Baptist, died of cancer a month before the movie premiered in England. As a result, the movie is dedicated to him.
- Just before filming, Vinnie Jones had been released from police custody for beating up his neighbour.
...Honourable Mention:
Baseball (1994)
Starring: Ossie Davis, John Chancellor, George Plimpton, Eli Wallach, Buck O'Neill
Directed by: Ken Burns
IMDB Rating: 8.0
Rotten Tomatoes: n/a
Being a huge fan of baseball, especially the history of the sport, there is no way I couldn't include the best documentary about baseball. Ken Burns took his time putting together over 1100 minutes of coverage about the great game. Starting with it's roots and who may or may not have invented the sport, through the "dead-ball" era of the 1920's, on to the first true hero of the game in Babe Ruth, through the breaking of the colour barrier, the stars of the 60's and 70's, free agency, the DH, and on to the money making business it is today. Fascinating stuff for even the smallest fans of the sport. Great interviews from people who played and covered the game, their love coming through with every word they say. If you're interested in the history of baseball in the least, this is a must watch. Take a weekend to learn what it's all about!
That was the 1990's, and even though I watched a lot of movies during that decade, there are still some that I need to see. Those include:
- Three Colors: Red (1994)
- Three Colors: White (1994)
- Three Colors: Blue (1993)
- Raise The Red Lantern (1991)
- All About My Mother (1999)
- The Celebration (1998)
- Safe (1995)
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