The Defining 1990s Movie

Piobaire · Jun 27, 2011

The lower the production values, the better!

My two selections would be Singles.

Yours?

Manton · Jun 27, 2011

Pulp Fiction. The influence it had over movies in the US and UK was vast and lasted for at least a decade and a half.

munchausen · Jun 27, 2011

Singles was trying way too hard to be the definitive 90s movie, which goes against everything definitely 90s. Same goes for Reality Bites.

The definitive 90s movie is Pulp Fiction.

gladhands · Jun 27, 2011

Originally Posted by Manton

Pulp Fiction. The influence it had over movies in the US and UK was vast and lasted for at least a decade and a half.

Aer we looking for films that define 90s cinema or films that define the decade itself?

For the decade itself, I submit: "Go".

Johdus Fanfoozal · Jun 27, 2011

Do The Right Thing was released in '89, but it was prophetic in terms of American racial disasters of the early 90s, ie Rodney King riots, OJ verdict, etc.

Boyz N The Hood first spotlighted the burgeoning Southern Cali gang culture essentially taking NWA's songs and making a movie out of it.

Manton · Jun 27, 2011

Originally Posted by gladhands

Aer we looking for films that define 90s cinema or films that define the decade itself?

I dunno, Piob's thread.

What I will say is that for me the '90s was a halcyon time when everything seemed small and we had no problems yet cinema was dominated by insanity. It's like we needed to escape from our boring normalcy. So everyone on screen was doing drugs, and not just drugs, but herion, they were all gangsters and thieves and Appreciation stars and hit men, violence happened at the drop of a hat, and weird disconnected events all somehow came together.

Two Days in the Valley, Trainspotting, Killing Zoe, Shortcuts, Boggie Nights, Usual Suspects, The Professional, Heat, The Grifters, the Last Seduction, it was the decade of the dirtbag movie, but made funny and unrealistic so that the suburbanite fat happy audience didn't get too depressed.

Thomas · Jun 27, 2011

Originally Posted by Manton

Pulp Fiction. The influence it had over movies in the US and UK was vast and lasted for at least a decade and a half.
Hard to argue with this one. Man, my old colleagues and I saw this a lot (especially while traveling) and often found ourselves quoting from it at work. I do have to give honorable mention to Reservoir Dogs, for the reasons Manton mentioned earlier. Also, Reservoir Dogs was one of the first times I really noticed dialog, particularly the contrast between the quick rhythms and the empty spaces.

Piobaire · Jun 27, 2011

Originally Posted by munchausen

Singles was trying way too hard to be the definitive 90s movie, which goes against everything definitely 90s. Same goes for Reality Bites.

The definitive 90s movie is Pulp Fiction.

I meant Reality Bites.

Originally Posted by Manton

I dunno, Piob's thread.

What I will say is that for me the '90s was a halcyon time when everything seemed small and we had no problems yet cinema was dominated by insanity. It's like we needed to escape from our boring normalcy. So everyone on screen was doing drugs, and not just drugs, but herion, they were all gangsters and thieves and Appreciation stars and hit men, violence happened at the drop of a hat, and weird disconnected events all somehow came together.

Two Days in the Valley, Trainspotting, Killing Zoe, Shortcuts, Boggie Nights, Usual Suspects, The Professional, Heat, The Grifters, the Last Seduction, it was the decade of the dirtbag movie, but made funny and unrealistic so that the suburbanite fat happy audience didn't get too depressed.

This is why I say Reality Bites was defining. An entire movie about people that really had very small problems making a big, big deal out of them. 90s defined.

That said, I don't disagree with your hypothesis either.

Johdus Fanfoozal · Jun 27, 2011

If we're talking about movies that defined and influenced cinema, then yes Pulp Fiction and/or Reservoir Dogs has to be at the top of the list.

But if we're talking about "the defining 1990s movie" as in a movie that captured something essential about the decade, then I think others do better.

Three Kings (1999) managed to answer "why do they hate us" better than most movies of the 90s, showing failed American foreign policy, faux-superiority, excess and xenophobia which inevitably lead to the events of the next decade.

But that's my third movie already so I'll stop.

CHECKstar · Jun 27, 2011

Point Break.

/end thread

grundletaint · Jun 27, 2011

downwithianbrown · Jun 27, 2011

when I think of 90's, I think of Kevin Smith movies, and trainspotting.

marg · Jun 27, 2011

Independence Day. America wins against the universe. The end.

Piobaire · Jun 27, 2011

Originally Posted by gladhands

Aer we looking for films that define 90s cinema or films that define the decade itself?

For the decade itself, I submit: "Go".

Great choice. A very quirky movie.

LawrenceMD · Jun 27, 2011

Eyes Wide Shut (defining "WTF?" on a grand scale which everyone still watched/enjoyed/hated/deified because of kubrick - just like a radiohead album)

Heat (defining 90's Action Movie)

Bottle Rocket (defining 90's independent movie that actually produced stars from the director to the actors also still was quirky in a good way but not precious)

Silence of the Lambs (mind ****/mainstream torture Appreciation (before it was mainstream) cloaked in a great script and acting/began the psychopath "anti-hero" is the whole plot (as long as he's fascinating) that still fools us till this day (think sopranos/madmen/dexter/breaking bad).

The Defining 1990s Movie

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