I was born in 1989, so the 90’s were my childhood. Since I was young, I missed out on arguably the best decade in movie making. As I grew older, I looked back on the decade that birthed some of the greatest cult classics, indie films, actors, directors, etc. We saw the emergence of Tom Hanks, one of the greatest actors who ever lived. We saw the maturation of Steven Spielberg films, taking on more daring projects. The 90’s also birthed the emergence of Quentin Tarantino, which led many other filmmakers to try and copy his unique way of story-telling. Cult classics were a huge emergence in this decade, shooting out movie after movie that were not appreciated during this time.

I strayed away from comedies and animation. You had the start of Pixar (Toy Story) and the emergence of Kevin Smith (Clerks), which could have easily made the list. But I like separating comedies and animation because I feel they should be in their own separate categories. If an animated film ever won Best Picture in the Oscars, it’d be pure outrage (in my opinion). That’s why they get their own separate category in Best Animated Feature.

In making this list, I thought about the movies that I felt were the most influential in my OWN life. These aren’t necessarily what I think are the BEST that were made in this decade, but more so the most important and my preferable favorites in this decade. So please keep that in mind while reading this post.

These are the honorable mentions that didn’t quite make my Top 20.

Independence Day (1996)- Roland Emmerich

Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1991)- James Cameron

Malcolm X (1992)- Spike Lee

L.A. Confidential (1997)- Curtis Hanson

Casino (1995)- Martin Scorsese

Fargo (1996)- Joel Coen

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20. Braveheart (1995)- Mel Gibson

“Every man dies. Not every man really lives.”

Mel Gibson was my favorite actor growing up. The Lethal Weapon series, Maverick, Ransom, The Patriot and We Were Soldiers will always be on my list of classic movies. But Braveheart topped them all. Mel Gibson directed this as well as starred, and won the Oscar for Best Picture and Best Director. Gibson plays William Wallace, a scot who leads his men against the ruthless English leader Edward the Longshanks, who is looking to take the crown for himself. The gorgeous scenery of Scotland illustrates beautifully behind the dark, gruesome battles between the Scots and England. Sprinkle in some tremendous acting by Gibson, you have a classic for the ages.

19. American Beauty (1999)- Sam Mendes

“I feel like I’ve been in a coma for the past twenty years. And I’m just now waking up.”

Lester Burnham is one of the most relatable and interesting characters in the 90’s. He is the father and husband who has the perfect family, living in the perfect neighborhood and seems to have the perfect life. But deep down, Lester is dealing with demons of depression, going through a mid-life crisis. He begins to act out, doing everything he wants to do, affecting is workhorse wife and rebelling daughter. Kevin Spacey gives a performance of a lifetime, illustrating to all of us how a man who’s trapped in the suburbia lifestyle, begins to reach out and break out of the everyday, boring suburban life. With Sam Mendes’ direction, lined up with a cryptic, yet affective score, this movie was one of the most favorable movies of this decade.

18. Con Air (1997)- Simon West

“Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. I have the only gun on board. Welcome to Con Air.”

Nothing like a good action movie. In 1997, Con Air was one of the better ones in this decade. Nicholas Cage played Cameron Poe, a decorated Marine who came back to see his wife. At a bar, three drunken thugs made inappropriate passes at his wife, and he unknowingly killed one of them using his war tactics. He was sent to 7 years in prison. After his sentence, he was on his way back home with some of the most dangerous criminals. He was on the plane when the criminals took over the plane, planning to move out the country with it. Cameron must try and stop this from happening, while trying to play along as an alleged “criminal”. This movie is filled with clique action film one liners and over-the-top action sequences, but hey, who doesn’t love that. This movie stood out to me as one of my favorite movies of the 90’s.

17. Jerry Maguire (1996)- Cameron Crowe

“Show me the money!”

Jerry Maguire is one of those feel good stories, that makes us question our life and make us want to strive for more. Tom Cruise plays Jerry Maguire, a popular sports agent who has it all. He has the top clients, a beautiful fiancee, and so much money he doesn’t know what to do with it. One night though, he decides to want more in his life and questions who he is as a person. He writes a mission statement for the agency, and begins to feel like he has control of his life, shining a nicer light on his morals. However, he realizes no one agrees with his sentiment, and he loses everything. The only thing he has is one client who is unknown in the world, and one woman who has an interest in him. Throughout the movie he tries to figure out the right way to do things, at the same time trying to make a name for himself again. With great jokes, deep feelings and extraordinary acting, Jerry Maguire comes and touches your heart, demonstrating that life can be so much more than what you have.

16. The Silence Of The Lambs (1991)- Jonathan Demme

“A census taker once tried to test me. I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice chianti.”

Arguably one of the greatest horror films of all-time, with arguably one of the greatest villains of all-time, The Silence Of The Lambs makes the list at #16. It took home 5 Oscars, including Best Actor (Anthony Hopkins), Best Actress (Jodie Foster), Best Director (Jonathan Demme), and Best Picture in the 1991 Academy Awards. Different from most horror films, Hannibal Lector was not the main villain in this film and Anthony Hopkins only had a few scenes. But he stole the show. Jodie Foster plays Clarice Starling, an FBI agent trying to find a missing girl taken by a psychotic serial killer, played by Stuart Rudin (who was severely under-rated in this film). Clarice interviews Hannibal in order to get a better understanding of the mind of a serial killer. The eery feeling that Jonathan Demme casts is extraordinary, leaving audiences blown away. It was an instant classic and one of my favorites of all-time.

15. Apollo 13 (1995)- Ron Howard

“Houston, we have a problem.”

One of the most important stories in our history, Ron Howard brought the story of the Apollo 13 astronauts who were on a damaged ship in Apollo 13. Tom Hanks play Jim Lovell, pilot of Apollo 13, making a routine trip to the moon. When they ship off, something explodes on the ship (equipment malfunction), releasing the oxygen from their ship. The movie is based on the true story of the three astronauts trying to get back home. It is the ultimate survival story, filled with heart-dropping emotion and thrills. Hanks was surrounded by a star-studded cast, including Kevin Bacon, Bill Paxton, Ed Harris and Gary Sinise. This movie was one of my all-time favorites, and really opened my eyes to the real story of Apollo 13.

14. Reservoir Dogs (1992)- Quentin Tarantino

“The choice between doing ten years and taking out some stupid motherfucker, ain’t no choice at all. But I ain’t no madman.“

This movie kick-started the career of directing genius Quentin Tarantino, who made his breakthrough in the 90’s. In Reservoir Dogs, you have six criminals who are strangers to each other assembled by their boss to do a routine jewelry heist. Something goes horribly wrong, and the cops are on the scene rather too quickly. When the five criminals meet at their rendezvous point, losing one at the scene, they begin to suspect that one of them is an informant for the police. People didn’t appreciate this film at first, but after Tarantino released his second movie Pulp Fiction, which was a huge success, Tarantino fans came back to this movie and made it an instant cult classic. He used a retrospect as his story-telling device, something that was rarely scene in cinema. Reservoir Dogs was an important film in the 1990’s.

13. Goodfellas (1990)- Martin Scorsese

“As far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be a gangster.”

The lowly, blue-collar side of New York’s Italian mafia is explored in this crime biopic of wiseguy Henry Hill. As he makes his way from strapping young petty criminal, to big-time thief, to middle-aged cocaine addict and dealer, the film explores in detail the rules and traditions of organized crime. Watching the rise and fall of Hill and his two counterparts, the slick jack-of-all-trades criminal Jimmy Conway and the brutish, intimidating Tommy DeVito, this true story realistically explores the core, blue-collar part of the mob. Martin Scorsese has been in the business forever, creating classic after classic. This movie was his most pronounced in the 90’s, which is one of the more quotable movies of our lifetime. With Robert DeNiro, Joe Pesci, and Ray Liotta, this movie was one of the best in the 90’s by far.

12. The Boondocks Saints (1999)- Troy Duffy

“Never shall innocent blood be shed, yet the blood of the wicked shall flow like a river. The Three shall spread their blackened wings and be the vengeful striking hammer of God.”

Another one of the 90’s cult classics, The Boondocks Saints is now one of the more popular movies of the decade. Sean Patrick Flanery and Norman Reedus play Irish brothers who accidentally killed some mafia thugs. They turned themselves in and came out heroes. They saw it as a calling from God, and they begin taking out criminals one by one. The detective on the case, played brilliantly by Willem Dafoe, tries to find these guys. But as he gets closer in catching them, he starts to believe that maybe what they’re doing isn’t so bad after all. The Boondocks Saints is a fun-filled ride, with deep biblical beliefs and hilarious jokes. But above all else, it is one of the greatest movies of the 90’s.

11. Jurassic Park (1993)- Steven Spielberg

“T-Rex doesn’t want to be fed. He wants to hunt. Can’t just suppress 65 million years of gut instinct.”

Jurassic Park made huge strides in the movie-making business. Steven Spielberg made one of the best adventure movies of all-time. On a remote island, a wealthy entrepreneur secretly creates a theme park featuring living dinosaurs drawn from prehistoric DNA. Before opening the attraction to the public, he invites a top paleontologist, a paleobotanist, a mathematician/theorist, and his two eager grandchildren to experience the park — and help calm anxious investors. However, their park visit is anything but tranquil as the park’s security system breaks down, the prehistoric creatures break out, and the excitement builds to surprising results. With twists, turns and plenty of laughs, Jurassic Park became a huge phenomenon and is now being re-released in 3D.

10. Forrest Gump (1994)- Robert Zemeckis

“My momma always said, ‘Life is like a box of chocolates. You’ll never know what you’re gonna get’.”

Forrest Gump is a simple man with a low I.Q. but good intentions. He is running through childhood with his best and only friend Jenny. His ‘mama’ teaches him the ways of life and leaves him to choose his destiny. Forrest joins the army for service in Vietnam, finding new friends called Dan and Bubba, he wins medals, creates a famous shrimp fishing fleet, inspires people to jog, starts a ping-pong craze, create the smiley, write bumper stickers and songs, donating to people and meeting the president several times. However, this is all irrelevant to Forrest who can only think of his childhood sweetheart Jenny Curran. Who has messed up her life. Although in the end all he wants to prove is that anyone can love anyone. One of the better stories of our generation, Forrest Gump was an important movie in the 90’s.

9. American History X (1998)- Tony Kaye

“Hate is baggage. Life’s too short to be pissed off all the time. It’s just not worth it.”

One of the more daring movies of the 90’s, Edward Norton gives the performance of a lifetime. He plays Derek Vinyard, a former neo-nazi skinhead who tries to prevent his younger brother from going down the same wrong path that he did. Shot beautifully in black and white (flashbacks) and in color, this movie provides depth and delivers a strong message. Tony Kaye didn’t hold back on the racism and prejudices that people hold, and it demonstrates how there needs to be change in this world, or else we are headed down a fatal path. This was an extraordinary film.

8. Se7en (1995)- David Fincher

“This isn’t going to have a happy ending.”

Se7en goes down as one of my favorite crime movies of all-time. It’s about two detectives, a rookie and a veteran, who hunt a serial killer who uses the seven deadly sins as his modus operandi. David Fincher, one of my favorite directors, made film so dark and grisly that it was hard to watch some of the aftermath of the killings. But that being said, this movie was also poetic in a sense. There was deeper meaning hidden behind the faces of the characters and killings that made the viewer ponder them. It was a nail-biter, and the ending was nothing short of a masterpiece. Truly recommend this movie to anyone who hasn’t seen it and it was definitely one of the best movies of the 90’s.

7. Fight Club (1999)- David Fincher

“This is your life and it’s ending one minute at a time.”

Fight Club was another one of those movies that wasn’t appreciated until a couple years after release. Chuck Palahniuk wrote the book, which was one of the biggest sellers in history. David Fincher, back on the list, made this movie perfectly, casting Edward Norton and Brad Pitt as his stars. It’s about an insomniac office worker looking for a way to change his life, when crosses paths with a devil-may-care soap maker. They form an underground fight club that evolves into something much, much more. Deep, moving, exciting and dangerous, Fight Club takes you to the edge of your seat, solidifying its place as a top movie of the 1990’s.

6. Schindler’s List (1993)- Steven Spielberg

“Whoever saves one life, saves the world entire.”

Steven Spielberg makes the list for the second time, and with this one he doesn’t disappoint. Even with such a sensitive issue like the Holocaust, he gives such a respectful and inspiring view in Schindler’s List. Liam Neeson gives the performance of his entire career in his Oscar nominated performance as Oskar Schindler. He is a vainglorious and greedy German businessman who becomes unlikely humanitarian amid the barbaric Nazi reign when he feels compelled to turn his factory into a refuge for Jews. It’s based on the true story of Oskar Schindler, who was able to save over 1100 Jews from the Germans. With Ralph Fiennes and Ben Kingsley playing the supporting roles, this picture becomes a timeless piece of art, poetically telling the true story of one man’s heroics during World War II.

5. The Sixth Sense (1999)- M. Night Shyamalan

“I see dead people.”

M. Night Shyamalan sort of busted after Signs in my opinion, but nevertheless, gave us one of the most unforgettable movies in the last generation. The Sixth Sense was so unique and so well put together. It also gave us one of the greatest twists in cinematic history. Bruce Willis plays Malcom Crowe, who is a child psychologist who receives an award on the same night that he is visited by a very unhappy ex-patient. After this encounter, Crowe takes on the task of curing a young boy with the same ills as the ex-patient. This boy “sees dead people”. Crowe spends a lot of time with the boy (Cole) much to the dismay of his wife. Cole’s mom is at her wit’s end with what to do about her son’s increasing problems. Crowe is the boy’s only hope. It’s sprinkled with funny moments and scary moments, through a story that is much deeper and powerful than the usual horror flick.

4. The Shawshank Redemption (1994)- Frank Darabont

“Get busy livin’, or get busy dyin’.”

Frank Darabont, now turning heads with his AMC original series The Walking Dead, made one of the greatest and most talked about movies of all-time. Originally written as a short story by Stephen King, Darabont made his story even better on the big screen. Tim Robbins plays Andy Dufresne, wrongfully convicted man who is sentenced to life at the Shawshank prison. He befriends Red, played by Morgan Freeman. The two men bond over a number of years, finding solace and eventual redemption through acts of common decency. The characters are incredible and the story flows like a paintbrush on a canvas, narrated brilliantly by Morgan Freeman’s crazy awesome voice. When you speak of greatest movies of all-time, The Shawshank Redemption will be on your top 5 almost every time.

3. Good Will Hunting (1997)- Gus Van Sant

“You’re not perfect, sport, and let me save you the suspense: this girl you’ve met, she’s not perfect either.”

The start of Matt Damon and Ben Affleck’s career started with a screenplay they had written, which turned into one of the most inspirational movies of the 90’s. Damon plays Will Hunting, a genius who’s living a rough life in South Boston. While being employed at a prestigious college in Boston, he’s discovered by a Fields Medal winning professor who eventually tries to get Will to turn his life around with the help of his friend Sean Maguire, played brilliantly by Robin Williams. Will begins to realize that there’s more to himself then he thinks there is. Gus Van Sant directed this movie perfectly, showing the group dynamic of four Bostonian friends, capturing the lifestyle and mannerisms of beautiful Boston. It’s one of my favorites and when it’s on, I have to watch it.

2. Saving Private Ryan (1998)- Steven Spielberg

“Earn this.”

“Earn this.” This was the perfect quote to sum up this World War II masterpiece by Steven Spielberg, who made the list for the third time. Tom Hanks plays Captain John Miller, who sets out in the dangerous war to find Private James Ryan, played by Matt Damon, because his four brothers died in combat and for the sake of his mother, the army wanted him to be sent back home safely. The rescue mission is a dangerous one, slowly tearing down at the very core of the soldiers sent to save Private Ryan. Whose life is more valuable? Why is the army risking the lives of these men for just one man? These questions burn inside the minds of these soldiers. The war begins to peel Captain John Miller like an onion, slowly revealing the life of the mystery soldier, who just wants to earn his right back home to his wife. The ultimate, epic story, filled with all emotion, and illustrates how brutal and terrifying World War II really was.

1. Pulp Fiction (1994)- Quentin Tarantino

“Oh man. I shot Marvin in the face.”

The quote above doesn’t really exemplify the theme of the movie, but I had to put it up there because that was my favorite scene in the movie. Pulp Fiction was a ground-breaking movie in any decade, but it fits perfectly with the theme of the 90’s… indie great, and a cult classic. This is my favorite movie of ALL-TIME. Quentin Tarantino gave us so many beloved characters, quotes, and moments in this movie. The movie is simply about the lives of two mob hit men, a boxer, a gangster’s wife, and a pair of diner bandits, who intertwine in four tales of violence and redemption. But it wasn’t necessarily the story that made this picture flawless, it was how the story was told that was so unique, which became a trademark of Quentin Tarantino. He divided the movie into chapters, which were presented in a non-linear form, something that’s rarely done in cinema and gives it such a unique taste. This movie, to me, was the closest thing to perfect story-telling in the history of cinema.

So there you have it. Comment on my page and let me know what you think, and let me know if I missed anything. Thanks for reading.