Tuesday Top Ten: Movies from the 1990s

Ahh, the '90s -- where the biggest thing we had to worry about was whether our president got a BJ. Good times. Having gone from 12 to 22 during the '90s, it was obviously a pretty important decade for me, as I transformed from a cocksure pre-teen into a carefree college senior.

Being in junior high and high school for the first six years of the decade and then sitting on a couch a getting drunk for the last four years meant that I watched a ton of movies during the '90s. Some of my favorite movies came out in the '90s, and here are what I consider my top ten (plus a few). As you can see, I lean towards the comedy.

Honorable mention (in alphabetical order): American Beauty (1999), Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997), Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999), Billy Madison (1995), Casino (1995), Chasing Amy (1997), Clerks. (1994), Dogma (1999), Fight Club (1999), Goodfellas (1990), Happy Gilmore (1996), Heat (1995), Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998), Pulp Fiction (1994), Scream (1996), The Silence of the Lambs (1991)

10 (tie). Tommy Boy (1995)
HBO has recently been running Tommy Boy, and I forgot how great of a movie it is. There are so many lines from Tommy Boy that have become part of the common lexicon.

10 (tie). Rushmore (1999)
Wes Anderson's first mainstream success was just brilliant. Bill Murray and Jason Schwartzman both killed in this movie. It's so quirky and dry that a lot of people don't like it or don't get its humor. I call those people "idiots."

10 (tie). Boyz n the Hood (1991)
When this movie came out, no one had really made a movie about life in South Central LA before, and this was a masterpiece that countered gangsta rap's romanticized view of thug life. Cuba Gooding, Jr. made his big screen debut, as did Ice Cube. If you tell me you didn't shed a tear when Ricky gets shot – or when his mom soon after reads that he got a high enough SAT score to qualify for an athletic scholarship to USC – then you are a damn liar. Actually, I didn't shed a tear, but that's because I am incapable of outwardly exhibiting emotion.

10 (tie). Tombstone (1993)
This movie is simply awesome. Val Kilmer's portrayal of Doc Holliday is probably the best work of his career (aside from maybe Real Genius). This is another one that has so many great lines. I don't know how many times I've referred to a woman as a "dusky-hued lady Satan."

9. Swingers (1996)
Jessie should hate this movie because it introduced me to scotch. I like scotch.

8. Office Space (1999)
If you've ever worked in an office, this movie is hilarious. Actually, even if you've never worked in an office, this movie is hilarious.

7. Beautiful Girls (1996)
This is a fantastic and underrated movie. I don't know why it's not more well-known. It does have a great ensemble cast, featuring Timothy Hutton, Michael Rappaport, Matt Dillon, Lauren Holly, Mira Sorvino, Rosie O'Donnell, Martha Plimpton, and, of course, a young Natalie Portman.

6. Dumb & Dumber (1994)
I saw this a couple weeks ago for the first time in years, and I was reminded why I laughed so hard I cried when I saw this in the theater.

5. Waiting for Guffman (1997)
Spinal Tap aside, this was the first of the Christopher Guest "mockumentary" films, about a play celebrating Blaine, Missouri's sesquicentennial put on by the townspeople and written and directed by a man named Corky St. Clair who collects My Dinner With Andre action figures. It's hilarious, and it's definitely one of those movies that gets funnier the more you watch it because there are so many little one-liners.

4. Braveheart (1995)
For most of the late '90s, my inner monologue was in a Scottish accent because of this movie. I still hate the English.

3. Mallrats (1995)
This is my favorite Kevin Smith movie. It's sophomoric and crude, while at the same time very witty. Jason Lee is so damn funny in this movie.

2. Dazed and Confused (1993)
Since the first time I saw this (when I was 16) it has been one of my favorite movies, and I don't foresee that ever changing. Jessie should also hate this movie because it made me want to get drunk.

1. The Big Lebowski (1998)
This might be one of the greatest movies of all-time. The story is great. The characters are phenomenal. The dialogue is second to none. Hell, it now has its own traveling fest. Mark it zero. Next frame.