My top Ten 90's movies Top 7) Jurassic Park (1993) My Take

Jurassic Park (1993)

Jurassic Park is one of those films which everyone has heard, watched & enjoyed with whole families. This movie was release during my master’s studies & I watched it twice during first few weeks of the movie release. One of the Spielberg greatest achievements in his carrier. With its breath taking blend of CGI, outstanding animation, viewers are completely blown across the planet. Since this movie watched by many, I will write very little abut the movie. Brief plot is, billionaire John Hammond, has dream to own the most spectacular theme park on the planet. Jurassic Park, a park filled with living, breathing dinosaurs. To convince this park is safe; he invites few scientists to the remote island. However a security breach, few T-Rexes missing etc. leads uncalled events. Perfect cast, amazing locations & perfect CGI& effective script mesmerize the viewer. The scene of the T-Rex attacking the car is one of the most spectacular scenes in movie & hunts for a while & I remember that scene whenever I remember this movie.

My top Ten 90's movies Top 8) Se7en (1995) My Take

Se7en (1995)

This great thriller is about a serial killer (Kevin Spacey) and his seven victims who represent the Seven deadly sins. Two detectives (Morgan Freeman & Brad Pitt) have been assigned to investigate this case. Rarely will you see near perfect film. Seven comes under that category. The camera angles are cool, the chase scenes are suspenseful, and the investigation is clever. But what really makes this one of my favorite films, is of course, the ending. Without a doubt one of the most unexpected, uncompromising, and mind-blowing & shocking endings ever. I can't remember a film that ends on a more downbeat note. First time I liked Brad Pitt’s action.

My top Ten 90's movies Top 9) Titanic(1997) My take

Titanic(1997)

There are few movies which lives & beats the hype & high expectations. Titanic is one of them. Incidentally Titanic is my first movie in US on screen. I watched couple of James Cameron movies before this one & I have very high expectation on this movie. It was all time big budget film at that time & hype & publicity reached new scale with this movie. This is one of the most watched movies on this planet so I will not write more about this movie. A near perfect background for dramatic tragic lovestory. With Superb costumes, cast, near perfect screenplay & very rich production values, Titanic is one of the most impressive films of all time.

The sinking itself is one of the great set pieces in all of cinema. We know the outcome of the event before we even walk into the film, but Cameron manages to craft a scene this is tense, horrific, and suspensful. He flawlessly manages the huge set he has built, the thousands of extras, and his digital integration is seamless. Also another great plus point is its great & massive success of its music. First time I saw lot of people crying in the theater. Definitely a great first movie experience in US. I watched one more time after first viewing.

My top Ten 90's movies Top 10) FARGO (1996) My take

FARGO (1996)

Before writing about this movie, a note about this films locations. FARGO tale takes place in North Dakota & Minnesota in a winter time. This is story about a troubled car salesman’s hire two ex-cons to kidnap his wife for a ransom(which will be paid by the rich & bullying wifes father) Again rules are very clear i.e. no rough stuff & everything must go smooth & share the ransom. However bizarre and uncalled sequence of events leads unthinkable number of murders. From the beginning to the end, you will find very interesting & engaging characters and you will see how a simple crime completely out of control in a brutal way. Actor France as pregnant deputy sheriff is one of the most engaging character ever created by Coen brothers. Against icy background & brilliant visuals, you will see master full work of Coen brothers. The screenplay is perfect, the acting is perfect, and the pacing is perfect. It is haunting and powerful at times little funny and touching movie.

My top Ten 90's movies continued American Beauty (1999) My take

Unexpectedly pulled in to some customer crisis at work so did not get much time to watch new movies or update the blog. Yes. My life will like this for three or four weeks in a year. No strange, event I don’t open my e-mails & any other websites. I am hoping that I will finish my current top10 list and all time top 10 French movies in the next few weeks. Again it is hope.

Now coming to the list one more movie in to honorable movie list.

American Beauty (1999)

Movie start with back-ground narration by actor Kevin spacey “this is my neighborhood, this is my street and this is my life” as camera movies over the street before landing in to his house. American beauty as is dark comedy abuts what life is really like for those people supposed living in American dream. (It is not about lack things but about the unhappy, unfulfilled and dissatisfied people. In one word disconnected people.) In particular, I like the way Kevin Spicy character, a man’s mid life crisis, engages you whole movie. Absolutely a classic movie a debut director.

My top Ten 90's movies continued Eat Drink Man Woman (1994) My take

Another movie in to honorable list. (may be next week i will start with real Top 10 movies)

Eat Drink Man Woman 1994

After sweet success with The Wedding Banquet, director Ang Lee came with nice drama. It is story of an old chef who lives with his three teenage daughters, three different personalities, where slowly all of them want to have their own life instead living with the old man. Movie begins with scenes set up a magnificent feast that Chu is preparing for the usual Sunday dinner he has with his three daughters. (They call it Sunday torture.) Food is the metaphor. He has been widowed early and now his daughters are fully grown. The elder has discovered Christianity and hasn't put much effort in trying to find a husband. She always think about his father. The middle daughter is a business executive in airlines whose real passion is in cooking, which she has to do outside her house. And the youngest is an employee of the local fast food restaurant. When they sit, they barely eat, preferring to throw jabs at each other over the meal. One of the daughters say"Our family communicates with food" but which isn't too far from the truth. Basically they use it to pass a surprise to others. Father doesn't know much more than cooking, which he a master of, the Sunday meal is his way of saying "I love you", which his daughters aren't really understanding. Rest of the movie revolves around as fathers health is starting to slip, who will stay with to take care of him? The screenplay is smart and insightful. Perfect balance between emotion & humor. The cinematography is simply great.

My top Ten 90's movies continued The Usual Suspects (1995) My take

Another movie in to honorable list.

The Usual Suspects (1995)

For me it is tie between Mann’s Heat & Usual Suspects. I am going with Usual Suspects.
Director Bryan singer’s smart script about identification of a criminal arc friend, Who is Keizer Soze? Film opens with shocking carnage scene in which a mystery man executes a man & story goes to back the serious of flashbacks leading the crime & its interrogation. In the flashback, we will see group of crooks assembled for one final task in their life. Objective of opening scene is to create central stage of the story and it was remembered and retold & recollected & imagined by the federal prosecutor, who has his own theories about the crime. Yes. Kurosawa did it 50 years back with Rashomon. ( i.e. a crime can be told in many ways. It is up to the listener to listen & filter & suspect everything & apply logic to get the truth.) With its complex & convoluted plot & great direction & almost brilliant male cast make audience to watch this movie.

My top Ten 90's movies continued The Ring (1998) My take

Another movie in to honorable list.

The Ring (1998):
There is cursed videotape being circulated. Anyone watches, they will die with in seven days. This is simple & yet effective premise for a ghost story. When a reporter investigates teen’s death involving her niece, she finds out the video tape & she watches the same tape including her son. They have seven day to decode the video tape's curse. During her investigation story goes back to decade old tragedy involving trouble psychic girl’s death. Rest of the story reporter & her son were survived the curse or not. Unlike other cheep shock based horror movies, director , Hideo Nakata, relied on right mood &atmosphere & background score for all the tension. This movie was not only great success in Japan, buts remakes were huge success in Hollywood & Korea. Not only box-office success across the globe, this movie was very much instrumental in reviving the horror genre during the late 90’s.

My top Ten 90's movies continued Run Lora Run(1998) My take

One more to honorable list.

Run Lora Run(1998)

Brief plot is Lora receives a phone call from her boyfriend Manni. He explains that he is supposed to deliver cash to gangster, but he lost the bag with money in the subway.
He has only 20 minutes to recover the money before the gangsters attacks him. His plan is to rob a bank or store etc. Lora has her own plans. Her 20 minutes of time to save his boyfriend, was told in there different times with different outcomes. After reading the plot you may feel, there was already another movie with the same concept. (Yes, it is Akira Kurosawa Rashômon) Though idea, looks inspired, young Lora funky style & her energetic performance, MTV style editing, Slick and perfect direction engages the audience.

My top Ten 90's movies continued. My small review of Dead Man(1995) My Take

One more movie in to honorable list.

Dead Man(1995)

Dead man is another good movie from true independent director Jim Jarmusch. Brief plot is about a timid, highly civilized clerk William Black (Johnny depp) is heading to the west to take up a carrier in the Wild West. After endless long journey, when he finally reaches, he discovers that his job was filled already. Feeling rejected, he ends up with a prostitute for the night. But he was interrupted in the mid-night by prostitute finance & he kills her & wounds William. During the struggle, William kills the finance who is happens to be the town head’s son. Knowing the sons death, head hires bunch of wild guys to finish the William. After the shootout, without treating his injuries, runs away from the scene in to the wild west where he meets with an Indian named Nobody & continues his journey until his ending. It is another low cost black & white movie shot in mid 90’s on purpose. You will amazing black & white cinematography and simple and yet effective background guitar score by Neil young and Jarmush’s style of story telling stick’s its own lasting impression in the audience mind. Story was little convoluted & bit lengthily but a true classic and utterly poetic in nature. There are few movies which I like more after repeated viewing. This is one of them for me.

My top Ten 90's movies continued My small review of Clerks: (1994) My take

One more movie in to honorable list.

Clerks: (1994)
It is another new director (Kevin Smiths) debut movie. It is story about a day’s life about two connivance store clerks (Dante) & his friend Randal (a video store next to the connivance store.) You will see two close friends with totally different personalities. (Dante a responsible, trying to solve his & his girl friends relationship problems while Randal behaves irresponsible way & insulting the customers & spending the day watching movies & with little or no respect to what is doing,) You will see sequence of bizarre uncalled incidents right from the store opening to the closing of the store. In particular the montage in which they both tell their most irritating customers brings real laughs & it was pure brilliance. Elegant script and smart dialogs completely engages for whole 100 minutes. One of the original comedies of its kind. A small budget & black & white movie in mid 90s’

My top Ten 90's movies continued Malcolm X (1992)

Malcolm X (1992)

This movie was based on book “The Autobiography of Malcolm X”
(One of the top ten most important nonfiction books of the 20th century.) & tells the story of Malcolm X. Spike Lee direction was very crisp & Denzil performance was terrific as Malcolm X with his dialogs.

My top Ten 90's movies continued

Note: there are not real top 10's. Just I love them.

Real top 10 list will come soon. I will prefix & my rank to real list.

My top Ten 90's movies continued

Note: there are not real top 10's. Just I love them.
Real top 10 list will come soon. I will prefix & my rank to real list.

My top Ten 90's movies continued Lion King: (1994) My take

Lion King: (1994)

This is Disney next installment after Beauty and the Beast and it was far superior in terms of animation & music & became another instant classic. In one sentence plot is a lion cub circle of life in a forest. Not only small children, animation & superb music appeals to adults too. I simply enjoy the movie & I always listen to original songs.

My top Ten 90's movies continued Philadelphia(1993) No take

Philadelphia(1993)

May be this is my first & last Hollywood movie on AIDS disease. Brief plot is a lawyer was fired from his firm after his discovery of his Aids on his competence reasons. Rest of the story about his law suit etc. An heartfelt drama & Tom Hanks & Denzel Washington performance mesmerizes everyone.

My top Ten 90's movies continued. My small review of RESERVOIR DOGS(1994) My take

RESERVOIR DOGS(1994)

It is QT is debut movie & brief plot tells the story of the bloody aftermath of a diamond heist gone totally wrong. In flashback, story was told in shuffled cards with different time slots, we will see bunch of criminals were brought by leader & trained & none of the criminals knows each other & all are identified with colors. (No one knows the real names etc.) You will see only before planning & after math of heist & you will not see any Diamond heist. Dripping with quotable dialogs & superb performance from all the male cast rocks the movie. QT choice of words builds meaningful characters no matter whatever they talks. If I have to rank the best scenes in 90’s movies, the coffee shop scene, in which all the cast assembles at the coffee shop before heist, discusses everything like Madonna’s as Virgin to pinks refusal to tipping the waitress, ranks the top 10. Superb debut and the best individual talent come out of 90’s movies.

My top Ten 90's movies continued

Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)

Two robots (good & evil) from future come to present day on a mission. There is nothing much to write about story except it is a battle between good & evil & one have to watch it on big screen. Fast paced action episodes, slick direction and is spectacular treat for audience. It is Arnolds carrier best movie & James Cameron’s biggest hit until Titanic.

My top Ten 90's movies

I am working on compiling my top 10 movies for 90’s & all time top 10 French movies.
I started watching movie from late 90’s onwards, but managed watching most of the movies (all kind of award winning + independent movies).
Again I look for strong and smart screenplay & engaging conversations with realism.
Before jumping to top 10 lists, few honorable movies.

Pretty women (90)

A simple romantic comedy with modern twist. Breaf plot was a business man(Lewis) on a mission to LA lost his way to his hotel end up at Hollywood blvd & hires a sensitive hooker vivien to drive back to his hotel. A simple drive to hotel continues with a one hour & whole night & a weeks for her company & in return she gets flat $. No surprise Vivien fells in love with the Lewis. Movie end with their union with completely changed personalities. Leaving whether this is possible in this world etc kind of thinking, movie got very smart script with brilliant dialogs & very good constumes. Movie gave a whole new carrier to Julie & Gere.

Last weekend movies

The Silence of the Lambs- 9.5/10
Masterpiece of filmmaking from the 90's. Creepy, Chilling and effective.
First Thriller with so much horror movie to won many Oscars.

I used to think what happened to Jodie after 1976's Taxi driver
She did very good job in this movie. Perfection from Anthony Hopkins.

Blood Work – 7.5/10

Except predictable ending, movie completely engages you for 75% of the time.

Watch without any expectation & you will enjoy a good thriller.