Top Ten Films of 1995
Over half way through the 90’s now. It’s been an amazing decade of great art and blockbuster movies. The clear star is Keanu to me. He had an amazing first five years. I don’t know who will be the star of the late 90’s yet. I’m excited to figure it out.
The Oklahoma City bombing, the first PlayStation, O.J Simpson is found not guilty, Operation Desert Storm ends, and Patrick Mahomes was born. I’m sure there was more that happened.
This has got a real shot to be the best year of the 90’s to me. It’s the best top 10 so far.
11-25
A Goofy Movie
Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls
Bad Boys
Braveheart
Clockers
Clueless
Devil in a Blue Dress
Leaving Las Vegas
The Quick and The Dead
Pocahontas
Strange Days
The American President
The Usual Suspects
To Die For
Tommy Boy
Here’s the video of my top 10.
10. Babe (Directed by Chris Noonan) - HBO Go & Max
A movie that is better as an adult than it was as a kid for me. I love the big realist heart of this film. It is silly, strange, loving, and occasionally brutally honest. One of my favorite kids films of all time.
9. Before Sunrise (Directed by Richard Linklater) HBO Go & Max
The first of an amazing trilogy chronicling three encounters of two people over 18 years. If you haven’t seen these movies please do. Long takes that are full of talking and thinking they are figuring things out. This is the young meet cute Europe edition. One of my favorite romantic movies.
8. Twelve Monkeys (Directed by Terry Gilliam) - HBO Go & Max
Inspired by an older short art film called La Jetee, and turned into a colorful fever dream with the Brad Pitt performance that made me fall in love with his acting. Bruce Willis is at his best when not asked to do much and here he gets to shut up and be thrown from place to place. Madeleine Stowe is wonderful, and Gilliam might be at his best here.
7. Crimson Tide (Directed by Tony Scott)
I love submarine movies. They haven’t made near enough of them and this might be my favorite. Hunt of the Red October is the one most people go to but this is better for me. Denzel vs Hackman under water talking duty and honor. Gimme.
6. Safe (Directed by Todd Haynes)
I think this movie would be more intense to watch now. The suburban housewife wakes up and decides NOPE movies are made quite a bit but this one does it differently. Julianne Moore in one of the best performances in film makes this movie feel eerie. There’s something Lynchian about this while also feeling too subtle for that. I recommend this to anyone who has ever had a feeling they can’t explain.
5. Billy Madison (Directed by Tamra Davis)
Yes! A dumb Sandler comedy makes the top five because I am who I am. A decent amount of my sense of humor can be traced to this. I watched this constantly growing up and theres a great lesson in here about not just being okay with drifting through life. Also, a lot of dirty jokes.
4. Toy Story (Directed by John Lasseter)
The beginning of one of the best franchises in film history. Great voice performances, and not quite there yet animation make this just as lovable as it was when I was a kid. I think it is one of the best mid life crisis movies ever made.
3. Heat (Directed by Michael Mann) -
Top shelf Dad cinema here. De Niro and Pacino in top form and Val Kilmer looking scuzzy hot. The supporting cast is full of the best faces and you can tell the actors are putting up their A game in scenes with the two biggest stars of the time. The best bank robbing movie, and the best emotionally based bromance cat and mouse movie for dads. The line before the “we’re not so different, you and I” movie got shittier.
2. Casino (Directed by Martin Scorsese) - Hulu
Not usually put up at the top but this is my second favorite Scorsese. For about 45 minutes there is barely any real plot, it’s just a wikipedia page voiceover, with flashy Vegas and mob stuff. I love it. Sharon Stone puts together one of the most captivating and heartbreaking performances in movie history. De Niro makes it back to back here, and Joe Pesci is incredible sorta doing the Goodfellas thing again but with more control. I love these long ass Dad movies.
1. Se7en (Directed by David Fincher)
Not only my favorite here, but one of my favorites of all time. It soothes me. A strange movie to do that, but I used to fall asleep to it. Very quiet movie with rain sounds, paper being picked up and turned. Quiet conversations about graphic acts. I think Pitt and Freeman are perfect. Gwyneth Paltrow in this is her best. Her run here in the late 90’s is great. I love this movie so much. It is not just the ‘WHAT’S IN THE BOX” movie. It is timeless and has so much packed into it while also just being a serial killer investigation movie if that’s what you want. Mindhunter compressed into 2 hours with more of an edge and artful eye.