After we put some distance between ourselves and the 1990s, the decade will emerge as one of the more fruitful and artistically interesting periods in film history. The age of the indie, it found small features making a big splash and artists with an eye for the unusual being offered the opportunity to succeed - or fail - in a big way. As part of the Reel Releases review of the greatest films of the sound era, here are 10 favorites from the 1990s:
GOODFELLAS (1990): This raw and honest appraisal of the life and times of a mob soldier is as engaging, energetic and explosive as any film from director Martin Scorsese's storied body of work. Epic in scope and scale, it manages to always keep sight of the human element.
THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS (1991): True terror for the mass market, this smart, sinister tale of a fledgling FBI agent and the cannibal who loves her not only resurrected the career of actress Jodie Foster but also gave cinema its most terrifyingly charming monster in Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins). Here is proof that a fright-night feature can be made without sacrificing cinematic quality.
UNFORGIVEN (1992): Though it remains to be seen whether this elegiac Western is Clint Eastwood's farewell to the genre, it's certainly one of his more interesting films in terms of direction and performance. A deconstruction of the accepted iconography, it artfully attempts to answer the question of what happens to bad men who aren't gunned down in the street. It's sensitive and a little sad.
SCHINDLER'S LIST (1993): The most serious of Steven Spielberg's works, this Holocaust film is as much about the highs and lows of humanity as it is a period and place in history. Although shot in black and white, Schindler's List remains the director's most naturalistic work, which adds to the impact of the film.
PULP FICTION (1994): Though not as revolutionary as it seemed 12 years ago, this violent black comedy about crime, punishment and redemption still resonates and entertains. The fact that aspiring filmmakers liberate from director Quentin Tarantino - just as he borrowed from the B-move tradition - serves as a testament to his peculiar genius.
FARGO (1996): This stark, dark comedy about a failed kidnapping plot succeeds because filmmakers Joel and Ethan Coen were able to fully commit to the tone of this unusual movie, making it as much about people and place as plot. It's worth watching for the accents alone.
L.A. CONFIDENTIAL (1997): A criminally undervalued film, director Curtis Hanson's Confidential is a big, important film cleverly disguised as hard-bitten period entertainment. Charged with excess energy, this little-seen film about police corruption, callous characters and, ultimately, justice represents the craft of moviemaking at its finest and the fickle nature of audiences at its worst.
BOOGIE NIGHTS (1997): Boogie Nights manages to be a film about the porn industry without ever being about sex. Instead, director Paul Thomas Anderson gathers rich and interesting characters together in an ad hoc family and explores the dynamics of broken people looking for somewhere they can call home.
FIGHT CLUB (1999): Often dismissed as a big-budget brawling movie, this sly film sucker-punches consumer society, making a social statement with an unexpected blend of comedy, drama and bare-fisted violence. It's a rich, layered movie that unfolds with repeated viewing.
TOY STORY (1995): Setting the impressive technology aside, Toy Story works because both concept and execution are so intelligent. The animated feature never talks down to its audience, and it represents the first in a string of clever, well-written Pixar studio movies that continues to this day. A classic.
Among the movies painfully cut from this list: Edward Scissorhands, Miller's Crossing, Beauty and the Beast, Thelma and Louise, The Commitments, Reservoir Dogs, The Player, Malcolm X, Jurassic Park, Groundhog Day, Clerks, Forrest Gump, Ed Wood, Four Weddings and a Funeral, Braveheart, Se7en, 12 Monkeys, Trainspotting, Sling Blade, Saving Private Ryan, The Thin Red Line, There's Something About Mary, The Big Lebowski, Rushmore, The Matrix, American Beauty, The Sixth Sense, Office Space and L.A. Story
Reach Steven Uhles at (706) 823-3626 or steven.uhles@augustachronicle.com.
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