The Best films from the 1990s (all the years together!)

So, it took much longer than I thought it would, but I finally counted down the movies of the 1990s, listing the ten best movies (and sometimes more) of each year, and ranking the years in order.

I'm not sure if people realize how much work went into the project. Each "year" took some 10-12 hours to put together; the raw list of films, narrowing it down, narrowing down further, and finally writing them up. At the beginning I also had the help of Ajax and Laureate, for which I'm very grateful.

Anyway, here are the ten years, put together in one spot.


#10 1990 - Perhaps the year I'm least familiar with, but still easily the weakest. Part of me wishes I'd kept on doing quotes from the movies, but I'm only one man.

#9 1992 - A very strange year, where the Best Picture winner was overrated, and most of the films I'd reward didn't get much attention. Oh well.

#8 1991 - Looking back, the top five of 1991 are just killer. If I had to do it over again, I might rank this year higher

#7 1996 Part 2 - An astonishingly good year, especially at the top. I look at '96 and I think this year should be ranked higher too. (I might feel that way from here on in, which may explain why the years went the way they did.) I still maintain R+J should have gotten honored somehow, and you simply must see Emily Watson in BREAKING THE WAVES.

#6 1999 Part 2 - I was just about ready to say I had 1999 ranked too highly, and then I looked at the top five. Ye gods the '90s had some good films.

#5 1998 Part 2 - Just a solid solid year for movies. I'm curious if anyone out there is brave enough to watch BUTCHER BOY.

#4 1997 Part 2 - Ah, the year of the Indie films. (And I think there was one about a boat?)

#3 1994 Part 2 Part 3 - Perhaps the best 1-2 punch of the decade (perhaps).

#2 1995 Part 2 Part 3 - I had to move up to 20 for this stellar year. (It was warranted)

and the number one year for movies of the 1990s......

#1 1993 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 - I moved up to 30 for the best year of the 1990s, and boy was it a powerhouse. Someday (if I ever get masochistic), we'll rank the top ten years in movie history. 1993 would be close to number one of all time, if it isn't for sure. What a year. You could give yourself a big movie education just by watching all the films in this year alone.