Welcome back to my Best Picture series, in which I set out to watch every one of the 92 films that have won the Academy Awards’ top prize! Eventually this series will take me waaay back to the 1920’s, but there’s a lot of cinema to get through between here and there! Today I turns the clocks back and examine the decade that closed the 20th Century, giving my thoughts on each of the films therein!
1920’s-30’s | 1940’s | 1950’s | 1960’s |
1970’s | 1980’s | 1990’s | 2000’s | 2010’s
1990: Dances With Wolves (A-)
Despite being longer and less action-packed than Braveheart, I was far more engaged with this one. It’s a story with an actual narrative arc and dynamic characters who undergo change and learn from one another. The interactions between Dunbar and the Sioux people tickled me just the right way – endearing and heartfelt moments of levity amidst a cruel frontier. The film highlights the white man’s subjugation of the native people and tells a compelling story of a man who finds life among the oppressed and their (soon to be extinct) way of life. The production values are also insane for such a small budget, and Costner helms the film perfectly. I would have rated this even higher if the ending hadn’t let me down; the final act gets overly-sentimental and obvious when the nuance that made the first half so strong would have sufficed. Still, I enjoyed this way more than I thought I would and didn’t take issue with the length, which I normally do for epic stories of this nature.
1991: The Silence of the Lambs (A+)
Simply one of the best films ever made. An effective horror, mystery, crime procedural, thriller, and character drama all rolled up into one. Fantastic character designs, immaculate framing, excellent pacing and structure, and a dizzying plot that entertains at every step without losing itself. Every scene between Foster and Hopkins is electric, as even the tiniest of interactions and moments between them feel monumental. It’s rare for the quiet moments of a thriller like this to be just as spellbinding as the flashier action moments are. Many films would kill to have just one jaw-dropping moment to draw its audience in; this film has at least four or five that had me riveted. I am in awe at the exquisite filmmaking on display here.
1992: Unforgiven (B+)
My familiarity with Clint Eastwood’s early filmography is spotty at best; I’ve seen close to none of his famous Spaghetti Westerns and might have missed some key nuances to this film as a result. That being said, even I could recognize the clever subversions of the genre at play here, with a self-awareness I didn’t think Clint had in him. Long gone are the days of the infallible hero cowboy, the tone-deaf racial undertones, the mistreatment of women without repercussions. This manages to cast a critical eye on all the negative aspects of Western tropes while still delivering the genre goods with solid entertainment. While the dialogue is on-the-nose at times and some of the quieter character moments get over-sentimental, I was intrigued by the plot and themes being explored.
1993: Schindler’s List (A+)
Like 12 Years a Slave, this is a comprehensive and heartbreaking look back at one of humanity’s darkest hours. It documents the atrocities of the Holocaust in excruciating detail yet finds its emotional heart in its protagonist, a beacon of hope in otherwise hopeless times. Beautifully shot and unsparing in emotion, despite its long runtime I found myself riveted every scene thanks to the impeccable direction from Spielberg (his best work ever). It’s impossible to watch this and not feel a deep sorrow for the fallen and respect for those who risked their lives to save others. Not an easy watch, but a rewarding one for those willing to reflect on the uncomfortable truths of our past.
1994: Forrest Gump (A+)
It’s difficult to articulate quite why this movie is so special to me, but it feels like a fairy tale…it’s magical to watch Forrest float from place to place and find himself smack-dab in the middle of history. I don’t buy that this is a film promoting conservative values; such interpretations miss the ironic lens that this film views our history through and take everything at face value. I mean, how can you watch the scene where Forrest is commended by a military general for doing exactly as he’s told and not realize it’s making fun of our nation’s conformist attitude? I believe the film is a reflection on fate and how we deal with the circumstances we find ourselves in, self-inflicted or otherwise – but the beauty is that there is no right answer and the movie is open to interpretation, such that anyone can watch it and come away with an entirely different meaning. Tom Hanks is better than he’s ever been in the lead role, not just for his accent but his physical performance and impressive emotional range. I’ll close by quoting Ray Romano in The Big Sick: “This is why I never wanna go online…you go online, they hated Forrest Gump. Frickin’ best movie ever.”
1995: Braveheart (D+)
This film has come under fire recently for its historical inaccuracies, and while I don’t usually care much about that, I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to take away from this. If I can’t learn anything concrete about the history of the people or the time period at large, what’s the point? Other than some generic themes of revenge and fighting back against oppression and tyranny, I didn’t really find anything to latch onto emotionally. I was also not a fan of the visual direction and editing style, which felt ham-fisted and overly-sentimental. The production values were strong I guess; the epic fight scenes were nice to look at, but they felt empty thanks to the lifeless storytelling on display. Is it blasphemous to say I enjoyed The King more than this?
1996: The English Patient (C)
This is a nice-enough epic romance with strong cinematography and acting, but the slow pacing and frequent time jumps took me out of it a bit. I can see how this would work in a novel, where spending long stretches of time in one period then switching to another is no big deal, but for a film it was a bit of a slog. Still, they did some clever things with the nonlinear storytelling and the story was intriguing enough to keep me going. The makeup work hasn’t aged that well and the relatively-low budget shows at times, but what they managed to do with the technology of the time is fairly impressive. If the narrative had been spun a bit tighter I might have liked this a lot more.
1997: Titanic (C)
I’ll tread carefully because I know this movie is beloved, but it hasn’t aged super well for me. The dialogue is horrendous and the visual direction is extremely messy, making the entire first half a chore to get through. James Cameron is great with large-scale events (the practical effects do look great), but his handling of smaller human moments is incredibly dull. Luckily, the chemistry between Leo and Kate is infectious and bails Cameron out, proving the importance of strong actors in the lead role. And things do pick up in the last hour, with some fantastic disaster set pieces and that emotionally-resonant water ending. Cameron is in the same camp as George Lucas for me: a master world-builder and set piece designer who can’t write dialogue for shit.
1998: Shakespeare in Love (C-)
Yeah yeah, it beat Saving Private Ryan and represents everything we all hate about Harvey Weinstein, but should that prevent it from being a good movie in its own right? Of course not…but this still isn’t anything to write home about. I appreciated the clever ways that the characters’ stories are tied into that of the Romeo and Juliet plot, and you can’t say the story isn’t a good bit of fun. But it keeps everything surface-level and obvious, such that if you’re familiar with the play you can basically predict all that happens. There are some awkward moments of contrived slapstick and overwrought drama that felt like cheap attempts to heighten or lighten the mood. I also had no idea Ben Affleck was in this film, which drew a genuine guffaw out of me when he showed up. Still, it’s well-acted and inoffensively-directed, so I don’t have many complaints. It’s just incredibly forgettable.
1999: American Beauty (A+)
Apparently cinephiles have turned on this movie in recent years, perhaps because Sam Mendes’ latest film threatened to unseat Parasite at the most recent Oscars. This was my third time watching the film all the way through, and I still think it’s fantastic! This is the movie I point to whenever people erroneously claim that 9/11 shook America out of its consumerist mindset; this film (along with Fight Club) encapsulates the suburban unrest that was already beginning to fester. It’s a remarkably complex and ambiguous movie for such a simple premise and plot, able to switch between satire and serious drama with ease. Every character feels well-rounded with ample room to get to know each of them; Lester Burnham is still one of my all-time favorite characters, and watching him completely flip the bird to his old life is always a total joy. The acting is also fantastic; it is unfortunate that it’s Kevin Spacey in the lead role, but he was still strong in his role along with Annette Bening (who was robbed of the Oscar). I refuse to succumb to the recent sentiment regarding this film’s quality, because I absolutely love it.
1990’s Rankings:
-
The Silence of the Lambs
-
American Beauty
-
Forrest Gump
-
Schindler’s List
-
Dances With Wolves
-
Unforgiven
-
The English Patient
-
Titanic
-
Shakespeare in Love
-
Braveheart
AVERAGE RATING: B+
Conclusion
The 90’s were an excellent decade for quality cinema, with multiple Best Picture winners that rank among my all-time favorites! However, I am still excited to move on because from I haven’t seen many films beyond this point, so every film experience will be a fresh one for me. Will I discover any new favorites along the way? Join me and find out!
In the meantime, head over to the home page for more film musings, reviews, and analysis. You can also follow me on Letterboxd for up-to-date thoughts on each film I watch! My reviews of The Invisible Man and Emma. will be up shortly. Hope to see you again soon!
-Austin Daniel
All image rights belong to the films’ respective distributors.
Scriptophile 