GC's Top 25 Movies from the Last 25 Years
I have forced myself to pick only one film per director, and my highly subjective list skews more towards personal favorites (and a couple of not-too-guilty pleasures) rather than the 'best' or 'most representative' film from each filmmaker. Still, boiling down 25 years of movie history to only 25 titles was not easy, and I probably omitted as many great and noteworthy films as I included.
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25 titles
- DirectorMartin ScorseseStarsRobert De NiroRay LiottaJoe PesciThe story of Henry Hill and his life in the mafia, covering his relationship with his wife Karen and his mob partners Jimmy Conway and Tommy DeVito.The Godfather is the pinnacle of 70s cinema, and Goodfellas is its spiritual heir for the 90s and beyond. A timeless classic that still dazzles and leaves you breathless by the end. No other film has capture the essence of what it means to be a gangster as well as this one.
- DirectorQuentin TarantinoStarsJohn TravoltaUma ThurmanSamuel L. JacksonThe lives of two mob hitmen, a boxer, a gangster and his wife, and a pair of diner bandits intertwine in four tales of violence and redemption.
- DirectorJoel CoenEthan CoenStarsGabriel ByrneAlbert FinneyJohn TurturroTom Reagan, an advisor to a Prohibition-era crime boss, tries to keep the peace between warring mobs but gets caught in divided loyalties.I could have picked Fargo or Barton Fink or No Country for Old Men just as easily, but Miller's Crossing gets the honor here because of the amazing dialogue and the Oscar-worthy performance by Jon Polito.
- DirectorDavid FincherStarsBrad PittEdward NortonMeat LoafAn insomniac office worker and a devil-may-care soap maker form an underground fight club that evolves into much more.Another immensely influential film (both in terms of content and visual stile) and the rare film which achieves the feat of improving greatly upon its literary source.
- DirectorBarbet SchroederStarsJeremy IronsGlenn CloseRon SilverWealthy Sunny von Bülow lies brain-dead, husband Claus guilty of attempted murder; but he says he's innocent and hires Alan Dershowitz for his appeal.This works as a courtroom drama, as a mystery/whodunnit, as a social commentary on the lifestyle of the very wealthy and strange, and as an amazing character study of three fascinating individuals (Claus and Sunny Von Bulow, and Alan Dershowitz). Jeremy Irons' droll performance at times veers dangerously close straying into caricature territory, but you can't take your eyes off him, and seeing him verbally spar with the late Ron Silver is one of the highlights of the film. Also, this wins extra points by being one of the few films where having voice-over narration (by a comatose character, no less!) actually adds to the experience.
- DirectorDavid O. RussellStarsGeorge ClooneyMark WahlbergIce CubeIn the aftermath of the Persian Gulf War, four soldiers set out to steal gold that was stolen from Kuwait, but they discover people who desperately need their help.
- DirectorJonathan DemmeStarsJodie FosterAnthony HopkinsScott GlennA young F.B.I. cadet must receive the help of an incarcerated and manipulative cannibal killer to help catch another serial killer, a madman who skins his victims.
- DirectorPaul SchraderStarsWillem DafoeSusan SarandonDana DelanyA drug dealer reconsiders his profession when his boss plans to go straight and an old flame reappears.Paul Schrader is the master of character studies about broken, flawed men.
- DirectorClint EastwoodStarsClint EastwoodGene HackmanMorgan FreemanRetired Old West gunslinger William Munny reluctantly takes on one last job, with the help of his old partner Ned Logan and a young man, The "Schofield Kid."
- DirectorDavid CronenbergStarsViggo MortensenMaria BelloEd HarrisA mild-mannered man becomes a local hero through an act of violence, which sets off repercussions that will shake his family to its very core.
- DirectorMike FiggisStarsNicolas CageElisabeth ShueJulian SandsBen Sanderson, a Hollywood screenwriter who lost everything because of his alcoholism, arrives in Las Vegas to drink himself to death. There, he meets and forms an uneasy friendship and non-interference pact with prostitute Sera.
- DirectorPaul Thomas AndersonStarsPhilip Baker HallJohn C. ReillyGwyneth PaltrowProfessional gambler Sydney teaches John the tricks of the trade. John does well until he falls for cocktail waitress Clementine.I love all of P.T. Anderson's films to varying degrees, but I picked this one because of its smaller scale and more intimate focus, and because it's a bit rough around the edges compared to the more sprawling Boogie Nights or Magnolia. It also features what I consider to be the best performance of Gwyneth Paltrow's career.
- DirectorAndrew DavisStarsHarrison FordTommy Lee JonesSela WardDr. Richard Kimble, unjustly accused of murdering his wife, must find the real killer while being the target of a nationwide manhunt led by a seasoned U.S. Marshal.This is just pure entertainment and remains one of the best film adaptations of a TV show ever made. It's the film equivalent of a gourmet hamburger at an upscale restaurant: you know exactly what your going to get, but the ingredients and the preparation are top notch and you'll leave table satisfied, if not exactly surprised by the execution.
- DirectorTrey ParkerStarsTrey ParkerMatt StoneMary Kay BergmanWhen Stan Marsh and his friends go see an R-rated movie, they start cursing and their parents think that Canada is to blame.The best musical of the last 40 years.
- DirectorAlfonso CuarónStarsJulianne MooreClive OwenChiwetel EjioforIn 2027, in a chaotic world in which women have somehow become infertile, a former activist agrees to help transport a miraculously pregnant woman to a sanctuary at sea.Yes, you can make intelligent, dystopian, exciting sci-fi movies that don't involve starships, light-sabers or alien creatures.
The collapse of society depicted in Children of Men is more realistic and terrifying than a hundred Mad Max-style post-apocalyptic wastelands. Again, a career-high for many of the cast members, starting with Clive Owen (never better and more vulnerable than in this film) - DirectorGaspar NoéStarsMonica BellucciVincent CasselAlbert DupontelEvents over the course of one traumatic night in Paris unfold in reverse-chronological order as the beautiful Alex is brutally raped and beaten by a stranger in an underpass tunnel.To say that this film is hard to watch is an understatement. It's the cinematic equivalent of a horrifying highway accident where you find yourself glancing at the carnage, and immediately regret doing so. And yet, thanks to the reverse-chronology narrative, it's all made bearable by the seemingly uplifting and idyllic last scenes. A provocative film where the uncompromising/unglamourized/non-titillating sex and violence serve a real purpose.
- DirectorStanley KubrickStarsTom CruiseNicole KidmanTodd FieldA Manhattan doctor embarks on a bizarre, night-long odyssey after his wife's admission of unfulfilled longing.
- DirectorCurtis HansonStarsKevin SpaceyRussell CroweGuy PearceAs corruption grows in 1950s Los Angeles, three policemen - one strait-laced, one brutal, and one sleazy - investigate a series of murders with their own brand of justice.
- DirectorChristopher NolanStarsGuy PearceCarrie-Anne MossJoe PantolianoA man with short-term memory loss attempts to track down his wife's murderer.
- DirectorRichard LinklaterStarsJason LondonWiley WigginsMatthew McConaugheyThe adventures of high school and junior high students on the last day of school in May 1976.
- DirectorPaul VerhoevenStarsCasper Van DienDenise RichardsDina MeyerHumans, in a fascist militaristic future, wage war with giant alien bugs.
- DirectorBrad BirdStarsCraig T. NelsonSamuel L. JacksonHolly HunterWhile trying to lead a quiet suburban life, a family of undercover superheroes are forced into action to save the world.The best Fantastic Four movie that Marvel never made. It's hard to pick a single Pixar film for this list, but this is a personal favorite.
- DirectorTodd FieldStarsKate WinsletJennifer ConnellyPatrick WilsonThe lives of two lovelorn spouses from separate marriages, a registered sex offender, and a disgraced ex-police officer intersect as they struggle to resist their vulnerabilities and temptations in suburban Massachusetts.
- DirectorAndrew DominikStarsBrad PittRay LiottaRichard JenkinsJackie Cogan is an enforcer hired to restore order after three dumb guys rob a Mob protected card game, causing the local criminal economy to collapse.The fact that this movie tanked horribly at the boxoffice is depressing but not surprising, considering how talky, bleak and unglamorous it is. It's also a masterpiece, full of uniformly great performances.
- DirectorTaylor HackfordStarsKeanu ReevesAl PacinoCharlize TheronAn exceptionally-adept Florida lawyer is offered a job at a high-end New York City law firm with a high-end boss--the biggest opportunity of his career to date.