Best movies of the 1990’s

Although the title suggests otherwise, these are probably not the “best” movies of the 1990’s. They are merely my favorites. Some of them won and were nominated for Oscars and should create minimal controversy with its inclusion on the list, while a few may raise some eyebrows. With this group of films, I am not saying that they were all the best directed, acted, and produced, but they are the ones that I enjoyed viewing the most. That being said, if there is a movie on this list that you have not yet seen, you should definitely see it ASAP! Included on this list are three animated movies, one semi-animated one (you’ll see), three films which had sequels, one horror movie, one Adam Sandler flick,  five that contained “best movie lines” from one of my older posts in them, and many more fascinating characteristics. 

10. The Lion King (1994)

This was the very first movie that I ever saw in a movie theater. This Walt Disney picture had character voices by a star-studded cast. Matthew Broderick, James Earl Jones, Jonathan Taylor Thomas, Nathan Lane, Rowan Atkinson, and Whoopi Goldberg all voiced different characters in the movie. There were so many memorable scenes, and the soundtrack was amongst the best I had ever heard. There was a sequel and prequel that were released some years later. I didn’t bother seeing either. The Lion King alone stands as a more valuable and tremendous film than the two other versions combined. Finally, this movie had one of the best opening scenes to a movie ever!

9. Forrest Gump (1994)

This may be Tom Hanks’ best movie. Him being one of the best actor’s (in my opinion), that is saying a lot. The plot seems very simple. A man sitting on a bus stop bench, telling strangers his life story. However, it is so much more complex than that. This film provided so many touching moments, while also having a lot of very funny moments. During his life, Forrest met Elvis Presley and three U.S. presidents, among others.

8. There’s Something About Mary (1998)

Hey for those of you who didn’t go to your high school prom and feel bad, at least this didn’t happen to you. Anyways, Ben Stiller is at his funniest in the movie, and isn’t Mary basically the absolute dream girl for any guy? This is one of the funniest movies of all time, so if you are down in the dumps, this movie will cure all of that. P.S. Brett Favre makes a brief, unexpected cameo in the movie.

7. Aladdin (1992)

This was one of the more controversial Disney films. I try to ignore the potential racism and negative stereotypes in the movie and focus on the good. This was a very funny movie and also had some very nice moments. So many great character too. Aladdin, Jasmine, Jafar, the Sultan, Iago, Abu, and of course, Genie.

6. Home Alone/Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1990/1992)

Home Alone was an amazing movie. Home Alone 2 was pretty much just as good. Home Alone 3 was OK. I didn’t even bother seeing Home Alone 4. Along with “It’s a Wonderful Life”, Home Alone and Home Alone 2 are two movies which my family and I try to watch every single Christmas or Christmas Eve.

5. Big Daddy (1999)

Many people don’t even consider this Adam Sandler’s best movie. I do. The balance of sheer hilariousness, great music, and touching moments (courtroom scene gets me every time) makes this one of my favorite movies of the 90’s. “Big Daddy” is Adam Sandler in his prime.

4. Space Jam (1996)

What other movie can you watch with Michael Jordan, Bugs Bunny, Bill Murray, Daffy Duck, Newman from Seinfeld, and Lola Bunny in it? None, that’s the answer. Not to mention former NBA stars Larry Bird, Patrick Ewing, Charles Barkley etc. This is a very unique movie, and I think the idea was creative but also risky. There could have been a chance that the combination of NBA players and Looney Tune characters in one movie would be a disaster. It was not.

3. Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery/Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1997/1999)

I’ll admit it, I dressed up as Austin Powers one year for Halloween. It was probably my best costume ever. The only reason the third Austin Powers movie (Goldmember) isn’t included is because it was from the early 2000’s. I can honestly say that all three movies though, were equally phenomenal. Some of my favorite parts from the first movie were: the bathroom stall scene, the blackjack scene, the Austin seductive dance scene, the satellite/wordplay scene, and of course, the shadows scene. In the second one, I loved the addition of mini-me. My favorite parts from that film include another wordplay scene, and another shadow one.

2. The Silence of the Lambs (1991)

The only horror movie to make the list, and there is no better one to represent the genre. The statistics speak for themselves: grossed over $272 million, won the top five Academy Awards (Best Picture, Best Actress, Best Actor, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay), and it may be the best horror/thriller of all-time. I saw some of the sequels and prequels, and they were surprisingly good, but “The Silence of the Lambs” is what started it all.

and now… my version of the oscar goes to…

1. Toy Story/Toy Story 2 (1995/1999)

This is one of the very, very rare trilogies where you can say each movie was even better than the previous one. On a scale of one to 10, Toy Story was a 10, Toy Story 2 was an 11, and Toy Story 3 was a 12. That’s how amazing they were. The day I found out that Toy Story 2 was coming soon to theaters was the best day of my life. The day I found out that Toy Story 3 was coming soon to theaters was the new happiest day of my life. Obviously, I am kidding that they were the happiest days of my life, but if you have not seen all three of these movies, please please do so. You will not be disappointed. It would be hard to believe that an animated movie about toys could bring about so many emotions, but in each of the three films, at least one tear dropped from my face.