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Top 10 early 90’s Movies
The early 90’s were the time when neon was good and boy bands dominated the charts. Eco warriors fought back against the yuppie greed of the 1980’s with a lot of tie die, reversible jumpers and the obligatory pair of Dr Martin boots. Luckily amongst all the tree hugging and bad music some brilliant films were being made, a slightly dark list since the best ones were the drama based films. However, there are a couple of great comedies that just say childhood and the holidays to us, ‘you guys give up yet? Or are you hungry for more?’
10 Reservoir Dogs 1992
Tarrantino’s debut film centres around a jewellery store robbery that goes horribly wrong and leaves the gang in turmoil trying to figure out what happened. They start fighting amongst themselves convinced that one of them is a cop and that the job was a set up, as with all of Tarrantino’s films it is typically violent and the sequence of the story jumps backwards and forwards. Each member of the group is given an alias of a colour which is discussed over breakfast, the only time in the film when they are all together. Tarrantino with the help of the song Little Green Bag creates one of the most iconic scenes in cinematic history, who would have thought that walking could look so cool? Not for the faint hearted but an excellent watch, every time we hear Stuck in the Middle with You we just start thinking ears.
9 Silence Of The Lambs 1991
One of the greatest thrillers of all time, Clarice Starling is called away from the training academy to take on the case of the disappearance of several women in West Virginia area. The FBI believe that the only way to understand the killer nicknamed Buffalo Bill is to enlist the help of the notorious top psychiatric profiler Dr Lecter. The one hitch being that Dr Lecter is in a high security psychiatric prison himself, Clarice and Hannibal embark on a cat and mouse chase of information and a distinctly disturbing underlying sexual tension. Her quest for information leads her right into Bill’s house and some scary scenes involving night vision goggles and a blacked out house. Oh yeah and Dr Lecter is also a cannibal who likes eating people with Chianti and fava beans fffff.
8 Pulp Fiction 1994
The second of Tarrantino’s films on the list brought him to the attention of mainstream cinema goers and re-launched John Travolta’s career. The story is based around a series of interconnecting stories that all stem from Marsellus Wallace the local mobster and drug baron. The 3 main storylines involve Vince Vega and Mia Wallace, the gold watch that belongs to Butch and Vince and his partner Jules played by the eternally cool Samuel L Jackson. Vince and Jules spend their time carrying out assassinations for Marsellus and discussing many of life’s big questions such as would you eat a charming pig? Of course as with all his films Tarrantino stars, he plays the slightly creepy Jimmy in fact he is always the slightly creepy someone! The scenes jump between past and present and gradually each story unfolds with Tarrantino’s trademark mix of humour and violence. An interesting and diverse soundtrack make this film the ultimate cult hit and Mia’s dance moves were recreated in clubs across the country, now who fancies a Royale with cheese?
7 Home Alone 1990
When Kevin McCallister finds himself left behind after the confusion of getting the family ready for a Christmas vacation to Paris he takes full advantage of having the house to himself. That is until he realises that there are a couple of burglars trying to break into what they think is his parent’s empty house. Kevin decides to fight back and he turns the house into one giant booby trap. All the while his frantic mother is trying to travel back to the family home in Chicago. All ends happily ever after when it turns out the mad neighbour is in fact a nice guy and the family all arrive back in time for Christmas, say it together now ahhhh.
6 Schindler's List 1993
Schindler’s list set the precedence of the modern portrayal of the horror of the Holocaust, it deals with the true story of Oskar Schindler who employed over a 1000 Jewish workers in his factories and his realisation that he could in fact save their lives alongside his business. The concentration camp commander Amon Goth, was a Nazi who had no conscience in his action and was later executed for war crimes still showing no remorse. Ralph Finnes who played him in the film was said to have portrayed him so accurately that a surviving victim shook with uncontrollable fear when she met him in his costume. The entire film is in black and white except for a young girl who wears a red coat, it becomes the symbol of lost hope and a turning point for Schindler.
5 Se7en 1995
In one of the most gruesome horror films created, the psychopathic serial killer John Doe is working his way through the 7 deadly sins murder by murder. Each victim’s death represents a sin, from an overfed man for gluttony to a mutilated model for pride. As each new murder is unveiled it is as horrific as the last, the police brought in to investigate are detectives Mills, Brad Pitt, and Somerset, Morgan Freeman, who find themselves caught up in the web of murders. This culminates in a gruesome scene involving Mills’ wife Tracy, Gwyneth Paltrow’s character. Doe wants them to understand that society is inherently evil and no one is exempt, the graphic depictions and the dark rainy setting of this film make it uncomfortable but compelling viewing, definitely not one to watch in the house by yourself!
4 Edward Scissorhands 1990
Tim Burton appears again in our lists but this time he is taking on suburbia with his natural gothic flare and intricate characters. Edward is the man made son of a scientist/ professor who dies before he manages to finish him leaving him with scissors for hands and living in fear in the mansion that they used to live in. He is discovered by Avon lady, Peg, who brings him down from the mansion to live with her in the suburban town with her family. He goes through distinct periods of outsider, novelty item and then social pariah exiled back to the mansion. It seems that Burton thinks that the suburbanites cannot look past the façade into the person and that the curtain twitchers rule with an iron fist. The best scene in the film demonstrates why you should never mix water beds and scissors, overall classic Burton philosophical and slightly dark.
3 Groundhog Day 1993
Groundhog day stars Bill Murray as a weatherman who finds himself stuck in a time loop of repeating the 2nd of February over and over again. In typical film fashion he initially abuses the repetition by doing as he pleases safe in the knowledge that he will never have to suffer the consequences. Soon he despairs of his situation and decides to kill himself to break the cycle, this doesn’t work and he finally confides in his friend Rita who suggests that maybe he should use the time to become a better person. Of course this is the right course and the cycle gets broken and they get together and live happily ever after! The film unwittingly influenced the English language where the term groundhog day is used to mean a bad repetition, like every year when they promise a BBQ summer!
2 Shawshank Redemption 1994
Prison movies and escaping go together like crisps and beer, so what makes this one so special? Well first of all the protagonist is the least likely criminal let alone escapee. What makes Andy stand out is his intelligence and humility, he is not the typical inmate with repressed rage, he has something more real and displays a patience that borders on saintly. Morgan Freeman as ever plays the cool character who like a chameleon adapts to any given situation that his life throws at him. The stand out scene in the film has to be when Andy locks himself in the office and plays opera to his fellow inmates a typically passive but powerful move.
1 Goodfellas 1990
In case you hadn’t realised here at Balcony Shirts we love a bit of mob action and lets face it no one does it better than the mafia, there is something about the old school you mess with me you mess with the family that makes them so irresistible. So onto Goodfellas; they live in New York, check, they are an old school Italian American family, check and they are mixed up in the world of money laundering and lots of pointless violence double check. Sounds like any other gangster film, but what makes this one different from the others?
We think Ray Liotta’s character, Henry, who does not come from the mob family in question but elects to work for them believing it to be a glamorous and exciting life. Henry is an attractive young man but there is an evil twinkle in his eye, making him the ultimate playboy ganster.
He becomes an active associate of the Luccione family after he refuses to rat on his associates earlier in the film, thinking that he has loyalty and courage they adopt him into the family. Ultimately though he squeals on them after being arrested when his ill advised drug dealing goes wrong, so are they just good fellas after all?