I don't know what it is, but if you were around during the ‘90s, then Robert De Niro and Al Pacino were ostensibly linked. Perhaps it was the fact that they both starred in one of Francis Ford Coppola's best films, The Godfather Part II back in the ‘70s.

Or maybe it was that they both starred in numerous gangster films, with Pacino famously connected to one of the coolest ones, Scarface, and De Niro, of course, starring in multiple Scorsese gangster flicks, like Casino and Goodfellas. But, whatever the reason, when you think of De Niro, you likely also think of Pacino, and vice versa (again, that’s if you were around during the ‘90s).

Speaking of the '90s, both actors had a really interesting decade. But, whose was better? Well, you're about to find out.

Robert De Niro Made Far More Films In The '90s Than Pacino

Do you know how many movies Robert De Niro made in the ‘90s? Twenty-five. Yes, you heard that right. Of those films, I’d say the REALLY big ones were Goodfellas, Backdraft, Cape Fear, Casino, Heat, The Fan, and Analyze This. Of the medium-sized (and probably more importantly, respected) movies, I’d say Awakenings, This Boy’s Life, A Bronx Tale, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Wag the Dog, Sleepers, Jackie Brown, and Ronin.

That is a LOT of movies, and noteworthy ones at that. All counting, I’d say De Niro was in 15 meaty roles, with many of them still being talked about today (Most notably in Goodfellas, which is definitely one of the best movies of the 1990s). However, I did say he was in 25 films, and many of them you might not have heard of before. Here are just a few of them: Stanley & Iris, Mistress, Night and the City, Mad Dog and Glory, Cop Land, and Flawless, just to name a few.

Now, I’m not saying that these other movies aren’t good (I especially love Cop Land), but sometimes an actor can be in too many films, and you start to wonder how big of a role they actually played in all of them.

For example, yes, he is in Goodfellas, but is he the first person you think of, or is it Joe Pesci and Ray Liotta? Yes, De Niro’s in one of my favorite Tarantino movies, Jackie Brown, but is he the lead, or supporting cast? These are all important questions to ask when considering who had the better decade!

That Said, Pacino Might Have Had More To Do In This Same Time Period

Okay, so let’s look at Pacino’s ‘90s now, shall we? When it comes to films, he was in 14. That said, I’d say that they were probably meatier roles than De Niro’s for the most part. For example, of the big movies, Pacino starred in The Godfather Part III, Scent of a Woman, Carlito’s Way, Heat, Donnie Brasco, The Devil’s Advocate, The Insider, and Any Given Sunday. For smaller roles, he was in Dick Tracy, Glengarry Glen Ross, and City Hall.

However, it doesn’t stop with film, because unlike De Niro, Pacino also did some theater in the ‘90s, such as Chinese Coffee, Salome, and the Eugene O’Neill play, Hughie, which he also directed. Not only that, but he also did documentaries (De Niro did one in the ‘90s, that being narration for Lenny Bruce: Swear to Tell the Truth) such as Madonna: Truth or Dare, and Looking for Richard (which Pacino also wrote and directed).

I think this is important, because it shows that Pacino branched out more than De Niro in the ‘90s, as the latter stayed mostly in front of a camera. That said, was The Godfather Part III anywhere near as impactful as Goodfellas, or even Casino (which I still don't think gets enough credit)? Of course not. But, Pacino carried that film. Inversely, Pesci did a lot of the legwork in those aforementioned De Niro movies.

Which is a salient point. Because besides Cape Fear and Ronin, I feel like De Niro was more of a supporting actor in the ‘90s. A damn strong one, sure, but more supporting than leading. Not so with Pacino. He led in most appearances.

De Niro Made His Directorial Debut In The '90s

Here's a big one. De Niro beat Pacino to the director's seat by a few years, as A Bronx Tale, which was De Niro's directorial debut, came out in 1993, whereas Pacino's directorial debut (if we’re talking featuring length films and not documentaries) was 2000’s Chinese Coffee, which was based off of a two character, one-act play that he starred in back in 1992.

However, Chinese Coffee is rather small in scope, which I assume is similar to the play (I’ve never seen it). A Bronx Tale, on the other hand, is very ambitious in scope, and it feels like the work of somebody who has been in the director’s seat for years.

Also based on a play (this one a one-man show written and performed by Chazz Palminteri, who plays mob boss, Sonny, in the movie), A Bronx Tale is about a teenager named Calogero (Lillo Brancato Jr.) who becomes enamored with a life of crime, but also wants to do better because of his hard-working father, played by De Niro himself. There’s also racial tensions between Black people and Italians in the story, and it’s a pretty potent film.

And, the story broadened years later when it was turned into a Broadway musical. Now, the musical is based more on the original play, but De Niro co-directed the Broadway show in the 2010s, and it’s almost like it’s the story that keeps on giving for him, so there’s that as well. That said…

Pacino Won Best Actor In The '90s

Not too long ago, I wrote about how I thought Scorsese's best decade was the ‘80s, and I'd say the same for De Niro. That was the decade when he won his Best Actor Academy Award for Raging Bull, and also the decade he starred in one of my favorite Scorsese movies, The King of Comedy.

It's also the decade where he was in three of my favorite De Niro movies, those being Brazil, Once Upon a Time in America, and The Mission. All of this is to say that I think De Niro had a stronger ‘80s than ‘90s, even though he did substantially fewer films.

So, he didn't win any Best Actor Awards in the ‘90s. But, do you know who did? Al Pacino for 1992's Scent of a Woman, which is about a blind, retired Lt. Col. who bonds with a preparatory school student (Chris O'Donnell) over the holidays.

I'm going to be honest with you. I don't even like Scent of a Woman. When Elaine from Seinfeld makes fun of it (“Hoo-ah”), you know you've lost. That said, Pacino DID win Best Actor for his performance, which is a crowning achievement for any actor. So…

I Guess It All Comes Down To Heat

You knew it would come down to this, right? Pacino and De Niro have appeared in four films together (The Godfather Part II, Heat, Righteous Kill, and The Irishman), but 1995's Heat is arguably the most memorable, and mostly because Pacino and De Niro are in direct opposition with one another.

De Niro plays a master criminal, while Pacino plays a police detective, and the question is, who's cooler in the movie?

Well, as great as Pacino's character is, I have to give it to De Niro as Neil McCauley. It's probably his coolest character of all time, and for that reason, I'm giving the ‘90s to him.

What do you think? Would you give it to Pacino? I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Gambling scenes in movies are a great way to add some tension to a movie. Movies about gamblers are almost all about tension! Some of the movies on this list are great gambling movies, others are movies with one great gambling scene. Either way, if you need your fix to see some bets get laid on the table, this is the list for you.

The Sting

One of the best gambling movies ever is, without question, the 1973 caper film, The Sting. Obviously, the whole plot involves betting and gambling, or, at least, cheating to win big. There are a bunch of great scenes that would fit on this list, but for my money, the card game on the train in which Robert Shaw's character is out-cheated by Paul Newman's character is the best. It's such a fun scene.

21

The MIT Blackjack Team became the stuff of legends when it operated for decades starting in the 1980s, for the amount of money it took off casinos. 21, starring Jim Sturgess, Kate Bosworth, and Kevin Spacey, was inspired by the team and told a fictionalized version of the team's story. The movie keeps the pace high while still managing to explain the rather mundane realities of blackjack card counting,

Ocean's Eleven

There may be no better movie about Las Vegas than Ocean's Eleven. The 2001 remake starring an incredible ensemble cast led by Brad Pitt and George Clooney is based on an early movie of the same starring The Rat Pack. Both are a ton of fun, but for my money, the remake is a far superior movie.

Casino

It's right there in the name! Of course, Martin Scorsese's Casino is going to be on this list. It's not like most gambling movies in that it's told from the perspective of the casino, rather than the gamblers in the casino, but there are some great gambling scenes, like the one with the two cheaters who are caught and roughed up in the backroom, like it supposedly was back in the day in Las Vegas.

Rounders

Rounders has been hailed as the best poker movie of all time by a number of critics and pro poker players. Though the final showdown between Matt Damon's character and John Malkovich's gets a little silly, there is the obvious "tell" that Malkovich has, and let's be honest, it's a pretty bad accent from Malkovich as well. Still, the movie is harrowing and intense, like a great gambling movie should be.

Hard Eight

Paul Thomas Anderson's debut film, Hard Eight, definitely lets audiences in on the darker side of gambling and addiction. If I'm honest, it's not my favorite Anderson movie, but it's a remarkable debut and holds up really well, decades after it was released in 1998.

The Gambler (1974)

Not to be confused with the series of made-for-TV movies based on a song by Kenny Rogers, 1974's The Gambler stars James Caan as a college professor who is locked in a serious gambling addiction. It's a gritty movie that doesn't have many light moments as Caan's character gets deeper and deeper into debt, riding the huge highs and harrowing lows of sports betting.

Casino Royale

So, there are any number of James Bond movies that I could have put on this list. Almost all of them have gambling scenes. We're even first introduced to the 007 character in the first movie, Dr. No, as he sits down at a baccarat table. And even though Casino Royale's poker scene is kind of ridiculous in how unrealistic the high-stakes poker game is, this one still felt like the one to include to represent all the Bond films.

Uncut Gems

If you ever need to be reminded just how addicting and harrowing sports betting can be, watch Uncut Gems again. In what I would consider Adam Sandler's best role by far, the comedian plays a straight role with incredible pathos as we watch him fall apart under the weight of addiction and debt. It's a masterpiece.

The Hangover

Any movie that includes a trip to Las Vegas is probably going to include a great gambling scene or two, and in The Hangover, that scene is when Zach Galifianakis hits the blackjack table to count cards and make a ton of money. It's one of the most memorable scenes in a movie all about the things the main characters forgot.

The Hustler

There haven't been a lot of movies about pool hustling made, and that might be because the granddaddy of them all, The Hustler, starring Paul Newman and Jackie Gleason, is so darn good. It has all the elements of a great gambling movie, like a young hotshot who gets in way too deep and has to find his way out of growing debt, and to do that must take on the best player in the world. It's a classic for a reason.

The Flamingo Kid

The Flamingo Kid is an underrated and oft-forgotten rom-com from the 1980s. The movie stars Matt Dillon as a kid who gets a gig working at an upscale beach club and is soon playing gin rummy for a penny a point with some of the members. Though the gambling stakes aren't exactly through the roof in this one, it still leads to some intense and fun moments.

Goodfellas

To be fair, the poker scenes in Goodfellas are less about the card games themselves and more about Joe Pesci's character's violent tendencies. If you've forgotten, remember that the first game results in Spider (Michael Imperioli) getting maimed in the leg, and the second ends in his death. Talk about high stakes!

Rain Man

Long before card counting entered mainstream consciousness, Rain Man has one of the most memorable scenes of all time when Tom Cruise's character teaches his autistic brother, played by Dustin Hoffman in an Oscar-winning turn, how to count cards at the blackjack table. Though it's obviously not a movie about gambling, there is no way I could leave it off this list.

Honeymoon In Vegas

Though not everyone will agree, I will always go to bat for Honeymoon In Vegas, being one of Nicolas Cage's best movies. Not only does Cage kill it as a hapless amateur gambler that James Caan takes advantage of, but the whole thing is just hilarious. The poker scene even includes a great cameo by former UNLV basketball coaching legend Jerry Tarkanian. It doesn't get more "Vegas" than that.

Molly's Game

Molly's Game is based on the true story of Molly Bloom, played by Jessica Chastain. Bloom ran a legendary underground poker game in LA for years before she was taken down by the FBI. The movie features one of the best poker scenes in film history. Though it wasn't as big a hit as it should have been, it's well worth seeking out if you've never seen it.

Cool Hand Luke

Sure, Cool Hand Luke is really a prison movie rather than a gambling movie, but there was no way I could leave it off this list for the legendary egg-eating bet in the film. And it's not just the egg scene that earns it a spot on this list, the title of the movie comes from a line Paul Newman delivers after winning a hand of poker: "Yeah, well... sometimes nothin' can be a real cool hand."

Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery

Austin Powers (Mike Myers) is a man who likes to live dangerously, like staying on 5 in a game of blackjack. The James Bond spoof, Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery, had to include a ridiculous gambling scene, and it pulls it off perfectly with the most ridiculous hand of blackjack ever.

Vegas Vacation

Vegas Vacation is the weakest entry in the Vacation franchise, in my opinion, but I have to admit I think the subplot of Clark (Chevy Chase) going deeper and deeper into gambling addiction does make me laugh a lot. His back and forth with a card dealer played by Wallace Shawn results in some of the funniest moments in this disappointing movie.

The Parent Trap

Even classic kids movies like 1998's The Parent Trap starring Lindsey Lohan can have fun gambling scenes. Here, in a game of 5-card draw poker, Lohan's characters play each other as enemies, but it's this game that eventually leads to their friendship and all the hijinks that follow. The poker scene also has a fun needle drop with George Thorogood's "Bad To Bone" accompanying the game.

The Color Of Money

Director Martin Scorsese's The Color of Money is what we would call today a "legacyquel." It's almost-but-not-quote a sequel to The Hustler as Paul Newman returns as "Fast" Eddie Felson to teach the next generation (Tom Cruise's character) how to be a great pool gambler, two and a half decades after the first movie. Let's just say it takes a while for the lessons to sink in.

John Wick: Chapter 4

In John Wick: Chapter 4, we find our anti-hero John Wick (Keanu Reeves) playing poker for his life against a villain who has more tricks up his sleeve than a magician in Vegas. Of course, the game, one hand of 5-card draw, ends with Reeves holding the so-called "dead man's hand (a pair of aces and a pair of eights), but that doesn't matter as Wick shows how deadly a playing card can be.

Tombstone

Not only is Tombstone the most quotable Western ever (and one of the best Westerns overall), it also has some fantastic gambling scenes. Cards, specifically poker and faro, are what the old west preferred, and we get both in Tombstone. Plus all that great banter.

The Ballad Of Buster Scruggs

The famous "dead man's hand," so named because it was supposedly the hand Wild Bill Hickok was holding when he was shot dead in Deadwood, plays a big role in one scene in The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, which you can watch with a Netflix subscription. The titular Buster (Tim Blake Nelson) sits down at a poker game mid-hand, and while the game doesn't get very far, any movie with a famous poker hand in it should be included here.

Easy Money

One of the more ridiculous horse racing scenes in 1980s cinema comes in the Rodney Dangerfield classic Easy Money. This isn't Dangerfield's best movie, but for a guy famous for one-liners like Dangerfield, there are plenty here as he plays a degerate in almost every way, including as a gambler.

Eight Men Out

Eight Men Out's gambling scenes are a little different than most of the movies on this list. There are no casinos or underground card games, just shady characters concocting a scheme to rig the 1919 World Series by paying off players of the Chicago White Sox. Of course, it's based on a true story, one of the most famous stories of gambling in American history, so it has to be included in this list.

The Cooler

A "cooler" in gambling terms is a gambler who is so unlucky that he is considered poison to be in any game by other hardcore gamblers. William H. Macy plays this role in The Cooler, where he is such bad luck that he is employed by a casino to step into games where players are winning a lot. Things start to reverse themselves when Macy's character meets a woman and starts falling in love. Can a cooler whose luck seems to have turned around make it in life? You'll have to watch to see how it turns out!

Maverick

While Maverick is a silly movie with a great cast, the poker scenes are actually pretty realistic. The movie, which was a decent hit when it came out in 1994 based on the strength of its charming cast, led by Mel Gibson, Jodie Foster, and James Garner reprising his role as Bret Maverick, Sr, from a TV show he starred in in the 1960s, is a pretty underrated gambling movie.

Lucky You

2007's Lucky You was Hollywood's attempt to cash in on the poker craze that swept the nation in the '00s. Based on its dismal box office returns, it failed to capture the attention of the public like the world it was trying to portray. It's not a terrible movie if you like poker, but it is a little dull, especially compared to many of the other movies on this list.

A Bronx Tale

While A Bronx Tale, directed by Robert De Niro, wasn't a huge hit when it came out, it has a fantastic legacy in the years since. The movie, starring Chazz Palminteri, has a great scene of a basement craps game where Palminteri's character teaches his protege how to play dice.

The Cincinnati Kid

Steve McQueen's The Cincinnati Kid is a classic gambling movie about a poker player in the 1930s. It's one of the earliest movies to show poker in a more or less modern take, and it remains as fun today as it was seven decades ago.

Two For The Money

I'll fully admit that Matthew McConaughey's Two For The Money is not exactly my favorite movie on this list; however, it does do a great job of showing the highs and lows of sports gambling, which in my mind is the most nefarious of all betting.

The movies have always had a way of making the life of an outlaw look fun. The secret is as easy as defying tradition by making the “bad guy” the protagonist of the story, or even taking innocents out of the equation completely. These classic films will force you to reconsider your moral standards.

The Godfather (1972)

In addition to being one of the best films about the "family business," Francis Ford Coppola's Best Picture Oscar-winning adaptation of Mario Puzo's The Godfather is a genuine family story all the way to its core, albeit a violent one. It follows Michael Corleone (Al Pacino), who is motivated by the attempted murder of his mob boss father, Don Vito (Marlon Brando), to take matters into his own hands, leading him down a path to become one of the most feared leaders in the world of organized crime.

Psycho (1960)

The true antagonist of Alfred Hitchcock's seminal horror movie classic, Psycho, is unquestionably Anthony Perkins' Norman Bates. However, what leads Marion Crane (Janet Leigh) to make a fateful stop at the Bates Motel is her decision to go on the run with stolen money.

The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999)

The title character of The Talented Mr. Ripley, Anthony Minghella's acclaimed adaptation of Patricia Highsmith's 1955 novel, is a conniving con artist. However, much like most of the people Matt Damon's Tom Ripley encounters, it is hard not to fall for his charms.

Pulp Fiction (1994)

There really are not any "good guys" in Pulp Fiction, or in most of Quentin Tarantino's movies, for that matter. However, there are certainly some characters in the dazzling crime thriller that audiences have more affection for than others, especially Vincent Vega (John Travolta) and Jules Winnfield (Samuel L. Jackson), who have to be the two most down-to-earth mob hitmen in pop culture history.

Batman Begins (2005)

I have never admired a character in my life more than DC Comics' Dark Knight, but even I will be the first to call out Bruce Wayne for who he really is: a vigilante, which makes his crusade for justice in Gotham illegal. One of the few live-action Batman movies to address this moral gray area is Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins, in which James Gordon (Gary Oldman) is the only cop willing to support the Caped Crusader (played by Christian Bale), but even he has his doubts.

Goodfellas (1990)

The flashbacks to Henry Hill's youth at the beginning of Martin Scorsese's Goodfellas establish a life in the mafia as a childhood aspiration for him. Thus, you almost cannot help but feel proud of Ray Liotta's character as he rises up in the ranks of the criminal underworld and disappointed when the law knocks him down a peg.

Dog Day Afternoon (1975)

Director Sidney Lumet's Dog Day Afternoon is a crime thriller based on an incredible true story starring Al Pacino as an amateur crook whose simple bank robbery plans evolve into a challenging hostage situation. Just like John Wojtowicz, the real person who inspired the film's main character, Sonny Wortzik, his only reason for committing the crime is to afford his lover's transgender operation, which I can empathize with.

Catch Me If You Can (2002)

Steven Spielberg's acclaimed 2000s-era movie, Catch Me If You Can, is based on the alleged true story of Frank Abagnale Jr., who passed himself off as an expert in multiple fields while living off fraudulent checks while he was barely beyond his teenage years. The casting of Leonardo DiCaprio as the clever crook immediately earns our sympathies, putting Tom Hanks in the rare position of playing the default antagonist as Carl Hanratty, an FBI agent trailing Frank.

Heat (1995)

Michael Mann's powerful thriller, Heat, is defined by its moral ambiguity, portraying the story of a group of professional bank robbers tailed by the LAPD from both sides of the law. By the end, it is hard not to feel bad for expert thief Neil McCauley (Robert De Niro) when he is finally cornered by Lieutenant Vincent Hanna (Al Pacino).

Ocean's Eleven (2001)

George Clooney's recently released convict Daniel Ocean rounds up a gang of 10 other professionals to rob three Las Vegas casinos at once in director Steven Soderbergh's remake of Ocean's Eleven. The acclaimed heist flick makes it easy for the audience to side with these thieves, not just by making them all funny and likable, but also by making their target, Terry Benedict (Andy Garcia), quite despicable.

Inception (2010)

Amid its ingenious concept (taking place in a world where dreams can be experienced on demand with revolutionary technology) and breathtaking visuals, it is often easy to forget that Christopher Nolan's Inception is, essentially, a heist movie. Dom Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his crew specialize in stealing valuable information from unsuspecting targets directly from their minds (or planting an idea in their heads) by kidnapping them and infiltrating their subconscious, which is a terrifying thought.

Escape From New York (1981)

When we first meet war veteran Snake Plissken (Kurt Russell) in John Carpenter's Escape from New York, he has already been sentenced to the penal colony that used to be Manhattan for robbing the Bank of the Federal Reserve. This convinces the United States Police Force that he is the perfect choice to infiltrate the urban dystopian nightmare to rescue the president (played by Donald Pleasence) in exchange for his freedom.

Nightcrawler (2014)

I once saw an interview with Jake Gyllenhaal and Nightcrawler's writer and director, Dan Gilroy, in which they describe the film as "a success story." While Gyllenhaal's aspiring independent news videographer, Louis Bloom, is not afraid to put his ethics on the back burner and flat out break the law to get the juiciest and bloodiest scoops possible, I cannot help but agree.

John Wick (2014)

The world seems to love professional assassins (fictional ones, at least), and few are more lovable than Keanu Reeves' title "hero" from the revenge movie favorite, John Wick, and its sequels. Of course, who wouldn't empathize with a recently widowed man whose new dog was murdered in cold blood by a crew of young punks who also stole his car?

Guardians Of The Galaxy (2014)

One of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's most unexpected hits is the story of a group of unlikely heroes who come to be known as the Guardians of the Galaxy. James Gunn's hilarious, heartfelt, and action-packed breath of fresh air stars Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldaña, Dave Bautista, Vin Diesel, and Bradley Cooper as a group of cosmic outlaws who flee prison together and manage to redeem themselves by risking their lives to take down an oppressive tyrant (played by Lee Pace).

The Wolf Of Wall Street (2013)

Based on the memoir by Jordan Belfort, director Martin Scorsese's The Wolf of Wall Street should be seen as nothing more than a cautionary tale. However, Leonardo DiCaprio's charming, Oscar-nominated performance as the stockbroker-turned-motivational speaker almost makes you want to see him succeed despite his despicable habits and corrupt aspirations.

Kill Bill (2003-2004)

In Quentin Tarantino's two-part action saga, Kill Bill, Uma Thurman's The Bride wanted to put her reputation as the deadliest woman in the world behind her when she got pregnant and decided to settle down. Unfortunately, her former employer, Bill (David Carradine), and colleagues from the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad put her in a coma and, seemingly, murdered her unborn daughter, which makes her "roaring rampage of revenge" feel justified.

Looper (2012)

Rian Johnson's inventive, sci-fi twist on the film noir movie genre, Looper, takes place in the future, but still mere decades before time travel has been invented. Joseph Gordon-Levitt stars as Joe, who is hired to kill and dispose of people sent back to his time by the mob, but his career trajectory changes when his latest target turns out to be his older self (played by Bruce Willis).

Joker (2019)

It might be a bit of a stretch to call Todd Phillips' Joker a film that coerces you into rooting for its unlawful protagonist, because I have absolutely no sympathy for any of the terrifying acts that Arthur Fleck commits. Then again, with much credit to Joaquin Phoenix's devastating, Oscar-winning performance, it is hard not to feel bad for the man, given his harsh life circumstances and struggles with mental health, even if he is destined to cause Gotham City a lot of pain someday.

Don't Breathe (2016)

At the start of Fede Alvarez's intense thriller Don't Breathe, you are not sure who to root for, as our protagonists (played by Jane Levy, Dylan Minette, and Daniel Zovatto) are seen breaking into the home of a non-seeing war veteran (played by Stephen Lang), intending to steal from him. However, it becomes easy to fear for these thieves when the owner of the house begins to violently retaliate and more terrifying secrets about him come to light.

Road To Perdition (2002)

Director Sam Mendes' adaptation of the acclaimed graphic novel, Road to Perdition, stars Tom Hanks as a mob enforcer who must protect his young son (played by Tyler Hoechlin) after he witnesses a murder in 1930s Illinois.

Ant-Man (2015)

Instead of the original Ant-Man, Dr. Hank Pym (Michael Douglas), the Marvel Cinematic Universe made formerly incarcerated felon Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) the star of its adaptation of the Marvel comic. After his criminal record costs him his Baskin-Robbins job, he is drawn back into crime and steals what turns out to be a special shrink suit, which is how he gets roped into the most important burglary of his life by Dr. Pym.

Sin City (2005)

I like to think of Det. John Hartigan (Bruce Willis) is the main hero of Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller's Sin City, but Mickey Rourke nearly steals the show in a segment called "The Hard Goodbye." The story follows Marv, an ex-convict who returns to his violent ways to duke out some vigilante justice and avenge the murder of a woman who suddenly died after spending a night with him.

Dead Presidents (1995)

Dead Presidents is a must-watch '90s movie centered on a Black character, namely Larenz Tate as Anthony Curtis, who is a Vietnam vet forced to turn to crime to support his family.

Public Enemies (2010)

Casting Johnny Depp, who was one of the most bankable and beloved movie stars in Hollywood in the late 2000s, as John Dillinger in Michael Mann's Public Enemies was a stroke of genius to get the audience immediately on the side of the notorious bank robber.

Hard Candy (2005)

In Hard Candy, Elliot Page plays a teenager named Hayley who is seemingly lured into a trap by a child predator named Jeff (Patrick Wilson). However, we, and Jeff, come to discover that he is really Hayley's prey when he is subjected to the teenager's torturous acts.

Dom Hemingway (2013)

Jude Law stars in writer and director Richard Shepard's Dom Hemingway in the title role of a former safecracker who is released from a years-long prison sentence and returns to London looking to collect what he believes he is owed.

Cruella (2021)

Who knew that Disney could make audiences empathize with an attempted puppy murderer? Indeed, they achieve this with Cruella by casting Academy Award winner Emma Stone in the title role, who is portrayed as a tragic figure forced to become a pickpocket as a child after her mother's sudden murder.

Take The Money And Run (1969)

Co-writer and director Woody Allen stars in the mockumentary Take the Money and Run as Virgil Starkwell, who is so inept, yet so affable, that you cannot help but hope to see him make a killing as a bank robber.

Trap (2024)

Josh Hartnett leads M. Night Shyamalan's Trap as Cooper, a father who takes his teenage daughter to a concert, which he discovers is being used as an elaborate plan to catch a notorious serial killer. This turns out to be a great concern for Cooper because this criminal, known as "The Butcher," is none other than him.

Burglar (1987)

Whoopi Goldberg stars in Burglar as Bernice, a non-violent thief who wrongfully becomes the prime suspect in a murder investigation when her latest target, the ex-husband of a dentist who just wants her jewelry back, suddenly turns up dead.

Now You See Me (2013)

The main characters of Now You See Me (played by Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Isla Fisher, and Dave Franco) are a team of magicians who use their skills in illusion to pull off heists and pass off their loot to people in need, like Robin Hood with a few extra tricks up their sleeves.

No one really scrolls the channels looking for something to watch anymore, there are too many great streaming services and other ways to call up your entertainment on demand. Back in the late 20th Century, however, that was the only option, and so, as you flipped endlessly from channel to channel, you could only hope to come across a classic "remote dropper." One of those movies, like The Big Lebowski or The Hunt For Red October, that never gets old is a remote dropper, and those are what this list is all about. The moment you hit on a movie you love, and drop the remote for the next couple of hours.

Die Hard

Die Hard may ultimate Christmas movie to some, but it is always a must-watch, no matter what season it is. There are so many amazing moments in the movie, no matter where it is in the plot, you just have to stop and watch until the end when Al becomes the hero he deserves to be.

GoodFellas

Martin Scorsese's classic Goodfellas is one of those movies where the great performances and amazing dialogue just get better with time. It's a movie that has aged incredibly well, and really, do we need to explain why so many people call this the perfect gangster movie?

Friday

Speaking from experience, I can tell you, if you went to college in the '90s, Friday was part of a regular rotation of movies that were watched over and over and over again. It really introduced Chris Tucker to the world, and it's filled with so many quotable lines from Tucker and the others that my friends and I could basically recite the entire movie. There's a good reason that it is so meme'd today.

Ocean's Eleven

The incredible cast, headlined by George Clooney and Brad Pitt, is so utterly charming in Ocean's Eleven that it's impossible to pass up when it's on. Every viewing will give you a new favorite moment or favorite line. The pace of the movie is perfect as you speed along to the fantastic conclusion. It's a classic heist movie, among the best the genre has ever produced.

Anchorman

Talk about a movie with an endless amount of quotable lines. There aren't many movies out there that have as many as Anchorman. It's ridiculous and hilarious. The comedy is Will Ferrell at his zenith, in my opinion. He's always funny, but Ron Burgundy is his funniest character ever. Including Buddy the Elf.

The Godfather And The Godfather Part II

There is a reason The Godfather and its first sequel are so often ranked as among the finest films ever made. The dense, complex movies are still incredibly watchable. That is a hard combo to pull of, but that's what makes the Francis Ford Coppola's movies so freaking great. They have everything anyone could ever want in a movie. Watching them back to back is a perfect way to spend a rainy day.

Fast Times At Ridgemont High

With an incredible cast of future stars, Fast Times at Ridgemont High will never not be a classic. Some of the jokes have aged poorly, to be sure, but for anyone who grew up with the movie on cable all the time, it will always be a favorite.

Dredd

If you haven't watched Dredd in a while, you should. The Alex Garland-penned superhero based on the classic comic series is an amazing improvement over the first attempt to adapt Judge Dredd by Sly Stallone in the '90s. Whenever I want to watch a movie and can't decide what to watch, there is a good chance I'll fall back on this, since it never gets boring or old.

Malcolm X

I'm a sucker for a great historical biopic and Spike Lee's Malcolm X is truly one of the best. It's also my favorite performance by Denzel Washington, and that is really saying something. Based on Alex Haley's The Autobiography Of Malcolm X, Lee adaptation is fantastic from start to finish.

Raiders Of The Lost Ark

I mean, come on, how could Raiders not be on this list? The Steven Spielberg classic is one of the most fun movies ever made. It's quippy and exciting, and it's exactly the kind of movie that everyone loves to watch. And we all know it so well, you can still get distracted by your phone and not worry about missing any important plot points that you don't already know by heart.

Network

It's almost scary just how relevant a movie like Network, which was released in 1976, is today. Ned Beatty's speech about corporations running the country is so prescient it's crazy. The rest of the movie is just as good.

The Hunt For Red October

This, to me, is the ultimate remote-dropper. It's the movie that inspired this list. It's such a well-made movie, from start to finish, that it just never, ever gets old. The Hunt For Red October is a near-perfect movie in my opinion, and it's easily one of the best movies of the 1990s. Sure, Sean Connery's lack of an accent is a little weird, but he's so great otherwise, it's easy to overlook. Alec Baldwin was born to play Jack Ryan, and I wish we'd gotten more movies with him in the role.

The Big Lebowski

There are many people who, when asked what their favorite movie of all time is, will answer with The Big Lebowski. It's the ultimate shaggy dog story with a cool macguffin (The Dude's rug), and some of the best dialogue ever put on film, courtesy of the Coen Brothers. All the Dude wanted was his rug back, and instead, we got one of the best movies ever.

The Dark Knight

Whenever a director as talented as Christopher Nolan takes on a superhero movie, sign me up. Ultimately, though, it's not Nolan's awesome direction that brings me back again and again; it's Heath Ledger's legendary performance as The Joker in The Dark Knight. It has redefined how the classic character has been portrayed ever since.

The Princess Bride

From the time you're a kid, well into adulthood, The Princess Bride is part of your life. It changes with perspective as you age, but it's always fantastic. The story is so timeless, and the performances are so good, it just never gets old. It would be inconceivable to me to keep scrolling when I see it on TV.

Dazed And Confused

Alright, alright, alright. You knew this one had to be here. The ultimate coming-of-age high school party movie that somehow avoids so many of the tropes of the genre that other movies like it fall into. It helps to have actors like Matthew McCoughnehey, Ben Affleck, Parker Posey, Cole Hauser, and so many more to anchor the movie.

Sicario

I was entranced the first time I saw Sicario. The gripping movie is intense, but incredibly watchable. The performances from Emily Blunt and Josh Brolin are great, but it's Benicio Del Toro who really steals the show as a man on a psychotic mission to avenge his family.

Casablanca

Casablanca is quite possibly the most quoted movie of all time. The first time you see it, it almost feels like a parody of classic cinema because so many iconic lines originated here. Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman are incredible, and the movie has it all, from daring escapes to classic romance to even some wonderful humor. Yeah, it's a misquote, but I'll always "Play it again, Sam."

Apocalypse Now

The opening scene of Apocalypse Now, with the trees exploding and The Doors playing over the sound of a helicopter is one of the most engaging opening scenes in any movie, ever. The movie never lets up from there (unless you're watching the "Redux" version, which I don't recommend). Screenwriter John Milius manages to cram a war movie with so many classic quotes, it's a movie you can recite over and over when you watch.

New Jack City

If we're honest, New Jack City is a bit dated these days, but in its time, it was one of the most rewatchable movies of the era. The Crack Epidemic was very real, and no movie showed it quite like this Wesley Snipes-led classic. Plus, Chris Rock, who was just 19 years old at the time, puts in one of his best acting performances of all time.

Tombstone

Could Tombstone be the most quotable movie ever? It is certainly one of the best Westerns ever. That's before we even get into all the amazing facial hair in the movie. The whole cast is amazing, especially Val Kilmer as Doc Holiday, and that will always make the movie rewatchable.

Once Upon A Time In Hollywood

This one is personal. I love some Quentin Tarantino movies, and I honestly hate other ones. I suppose that's the mark of a great artist. His vision isn't always going to line up with everyone else's idea of greatness. Once Upon A Time In Hollywood is a truly great one, though. There are so many fun moments, great lines, and superb performances that it's easy to watch again and again.

Friends With Benefits

Rom Coms are always great movies to have on in the background as you do your daily chores, and my favorite for that is Friends with Benefits. Mila Kunis and Justin Timberlake have great chemistry, and, honestly, Woody Harrelson's performance is my favorite part of the movie. He's just hilarious.

Iron Man

In a way, Iron Man is on this list to represent the entire MCU. It set such a fantastic example for next three dozen movies that it's hard to imagine any other movie launching the most successful franchise of all time. And it's maybe the most rewatchable of all them.

Beverly Hills Cop

In the 1980s, there was no one funnier than Eddie Murphy, and the peak of that came in Beverly Hills Cop. It's the perfect movie for Murphy's irreverent, foul-mouthed humor, and every single joke in the movie lands perfectly. It also has a great plot that allows for more than just Murphy delivering those jokes.

The Game

Director David Fincher has a slew of movies that could be on this list, like Seven and Fight Club, and even The Social Network, but for me, the one I love the most is The Game. It's a movie I knew nothing about when I first saw it and it blew my mind. I've revisited it many, many times over the years since.

Jurassic Park

The summer of 1993 will forever be known as the summer of Jurassic Park. The movie dominated the box office all summer, and it launched a franchise that is still going more than 30 years later. The most amazing part is how well the visual effects still hold up, and that is why it is on this list. It will be watched until the end of time.

Mean Girls

Talk about quotable movies! Mean Girls is full of classics. Its also one of the most enduring comedies of its era and has even inspired a musical and movie adaptation of that musical.

The Silence of the Lambs

The Silence of the Lambs is the last movie to win each of the "Big Five" Oscars. It won Best Picture, Best Director for Jonathan Demme, Best Adapted Screenplay for Ted Tally, Best Actor for Anthony Hopkins, and Best Actress for Jodi Foster. That pretty much tells you everything you need to know.

True Romance

Tony Scott has a bunch of movies that could fit on this list. Top Gun, Days Of Thunder, Crimson Tide...it's a long list. For me, however, True Romance is his best. The Tarantino-penned classic also features one of the greatest scenes in movie history between Christopher Walken and Dennis Hopper that ends with Hopper's character's death.

American Fiction

The Oscar-winning American Fiction is the newest movie on this list, but it became an instant classic for me. Issa Rae's character never fails to crack me up in her first scene, and Sterling K. Brown delivering the line "I've taken a lover" is my favorite quote in a movie this decade.

Boogie Nights

Paul Thomas Anderson hit the big time with Boogie Nights, and there are a lot of reasons it's on this list. The music is amazing, and every scene is like a self-contained mini-film. No matter where you start, you are sucked right in. The end gets a little dark, sure, but it's still Anderson's most rewatchable film.

Everybody loves Goodfellas, right? In fact, when we ranked Martin Scorsese's best movies, we put it at number one. I mean, how could we not? It's almost universally accepted as Scorsese’s best film. Either that, or Raging Bull, or Taxi Driver. Honestly, it’s a three-way tie amongst those aforementioned movies.

And, I love Goodfellas! It’s a great movie. However…what if I were to tell you that I prefer Casino? Crazy, right? Sure. And if you think I have bad taste in movies, you wouldn’t be the first.

That said, Casino is not a bad movie at all! In fact, most would agree that it’s really good. It’s just not as good as Goodfellas. I have five reasons why I prefer it to one of Scorsese’s most popular films. Here’s why.

It's Rare That We Actually Get To See A Robert De Niro Character Sweat

Based on the nonfiction book, Casino: Love and Honor in Las Vegas, Casino follows Robert De Niro as gambling expert Sam “Ace” Rothstein, a character loosely based on the real-life gangster Frank Rosenthal. He’s hired by the Chicago mob to oversee their casinos and make more money for them.

To protect their interests, the mob sends Sam’s longtime friend, Nicky (Played by Joe Pesci), to “protect” him. Sam is great at his job. In fact, one of my favorite moments in the movie is the gruesome “cheater’s justice” scene with the hammer.

However, Nicky’s a wildcard, and Sam doesn’t quite know how to handle him, especially when it turns out that Nicky is having an affair with his wife (Which I’ll get into later). Now, what I love about all of this is that De Niro is really playing against type. As a Jewish-American gambling handicapper in the film, he’s a bit of an outsider from the primarily Italian Mafia.

He’s tough, as he has to be for his job, but he’s also not Mafia tough. In fact, a lot of times, we get to see De Niro’s character sweat. It’s a big reason why I think this is one of Robert De Niro’s best movies, since I love seeing this actor, who is normally seen as unflappable, actually afraid for his life.

It’s a rarity we don’t get often, and I love seeing it in Casino. A terrifying Robert De Niro? I’ve seen that plenty of times. Just rewatch Cape Fear or most of the movies that he’s been in. But a scared Robert De Niro? Now that’s something we don’t get to see every day.

I Also Prefer Joe Pesci's Performance In Casino Over Goodfellas

One might argue that Joe Pesci is playing the exact same role in Casino that he played in Goodfellas (but lesser), and yeah, I can see that argument. In both performances, Pesci's character is in the Mafia, and in both movies, his character is reckless.

However, what makes me prefer Pesci's character as Nicky in Casino is his relationship to the protagonist, as Nicky and Sam have a history together.

One might say that they're friends, as they are in Goodfellas, but they are also at odds with one another when it comes to business, unlike Goodfellas. In both films, Pesci's character is a liability, but in Casino, that creates most of the tension.

This makes all the difference. And, I especially like how Pesci is at odds with De Niro, and in fact, has a sort of power over him for most of the film, which is different from Goodfellas. In that way, I consider this to be the superior Pesci performance, and that means a lot since he's one of the best parts of Goodfellas.

Sharon Stone's Performance Is So Potent In This film, And We Don't Have Something Like It In Goodfellas

Okay, now I know what you're going to say. What about The Sopranos’ star, Lorraine Bracco? She was excellent in Goodfellas as Henry's scorned wife. And, you know what? You're right! She is excellent in the movie (who can forget Henry waking up with a gun in his face?).

However, I think Sharon Stone’s character in Casino as Sam's wife (and former prostitute and con artist), Ginger, is even more potent and impactful, and mostly since she's not the kind of woman who would point a gun in her husband's face and not use it. No, no. She's the kind of woman who would sleep with her husband’s childhood friend and then ask him to kill her husband.

And yet, it's hard to hate her for it. Going into the marriage, she tells Sam straight out, “You don’t even know me,” and she even tries to talk him out of the proposal, even going so far as to tell him that she’s not in love with him. But, good old Sam pushes it, and for his trouble, he gets a wife who wants him dead.

In a lot of ways, Ginger is just as involved in Sam’s downfall as Pesci’s character (If not more so), and I really like that about her performance. She’s detestable, sure, but all of the characters in Casino are detestable, so she fits right in.

So, as much as I like Lorraine Bracco’s character in Goodfellas, I always view her as more of a victim; a willing victim, sure, but a victim, nonetheless. But Ginger is no victim. If anything, she’s an agent of chaos, and I love that about her.

I Like Casino's Setting Better Than Goodfellas

I like period pieces, especially ones set in the 1960s (Which is one of the reasons why I’m so looking forward to this upcoming Fantastic Four movie), and Goodfellas spans multiple decades, from the ‘60s to the ‘80s. I also like the New York and New Jersey setting. Being from Jersey myself, it’s nice seeing some of that local flavor, as I know all about places like JFK airport, and Upstate New York.

That said, since I’m from this area, movies set in this location, even as period pieces, just don’t do it for me. Like, I don’t find anything exotic or unique about Brooklyn, New York. That’s just where I get my annual steak at Peter Luger.

However, even though I’ve been to Vegas, it’s still a unique setting for me, as I only stayed on the strip and didn’t go out into the desert, which seems terrifying. In fact, the setting itself really feels like its own character in Casino, what with the darkness of the film and all the bright lights. I really love that juxtaposition, and I think it works in making this movie feel even more interesting than Goodfellas.

AS for the setting, and the deaths that occur, Pesci's death in Casino is scarier. His characters die in both movies, but which movie has the more terrifying death scene? Pesci getting whacked in some random room with a fish on the wall, or Pesci being brought to an Illinois cornfield, and being beaten by baseball bats, and then buried alive?

You might say, well, it’s the death itself that is more impactful, but don’t disregard that cornfield. It really leaves an impression on you, as do all of the settings in Casino, which I think are superior to Goodfellas. But–and this is the point that might get me in the most trouble–I have one other reason why I prefer Casino to Goodfellas.

Honestly, As Much As I Love Goodfellas, I Think It's A Tad Bit Overrated

I know everybody’s favorite gangster movie is either The Godfather or Goodfellas, but do you want to know my favorite gangster movie? It’s Scarface.

I only bring that up because I don’t have any allegiance to Goodfellas. In other words, I don’t have any skin in the game. Yeah, I love it, but it’s not my favorite gangster movie. In fact, I actually think it’s a tad bit overrated.

I say this because I often see it on a lot of “Best movies of all time” lists (For example, IMDb users have placed it at number 17 on their list of the Top 250 movies). And, while I love Goodfellas, I wouldn’t put it in my Top 20. Hell, I wouldn't even put it in my Top 50.

So, even though I think Goodfellas is one of Scorsese’s best movies, I wouldn’t put it above films like Taxi Driver, The King of Comedy, or especially Casino. In fact, I wouldn’t even put it above Scorsese’s hidden gem, After Hours. Because while I love Goodfellas, I don’t love love it.

I do love love Casino.

What do you think? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

I stopped taking award ceremonies seriously a long time ago, to be honest, because there is ultimately no right or wrong answer in regards to the finest achievements in any subjective art form, including cinema. However, I still enjoy watching the Academy Awards, and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences does manage to surprise me with its choices from time to time, and I am certainly not the only one. See for yourself as we reminisce about the Oscar wins and losses that left movie lovers a little shocked.

Moonlight Wins Best Picture

Seeing Barry Jenkins' acclaimed A24 movie tracing a gay Black man's lifelong identity struggle, Moonlight, take home the top prize at the 2017 Oscars was surprising enough, given that La La Land was the frontrunner. However, the moment itself became infamous due to an incident in which presenters Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway were handed the wrong envelope and accidentally announced the romantic musical as the victor at first.

Citizen Kane Only Takes Home Best Original Screenplay

Citizen Kane is widely celebrated as the greatest movie of all time in retrospect, but you would not know it from its low turnout at the 1942 Academy Awards, at which it was nominated in nine categories but only earned Best Original Screenplay. Its mixed reception (and reported boos at the Oscar ceremony, according to Collider) were the result of a smear campaign ordered by William Randolph Hearst, who is said to have inspired star, director, and co-writer Orson Welles' drama about a megalomaniacal media tycoon.

Mikey Madison Wins Best Actress Over Demi Moore

After Demi Moore's tragic performance in the instant classic horror movie, The Substance earned her the Best Lead Actress award for nearly every other ceremony prior, experts were convinced the Hollywood veteran would win the category at the 2025 Academy Awards. Thus, it was shocking to see then-25-year-old up-and-comer Mikey Madison take home the gold for her performance in the title role of Anora.

Alan Arkin Wins Best Supporting Actor Over Eddie Murphy

It seemed like Eddie Murphy was a lock to be the first Saturday Night Live star to win an Oscar for his supporting role in the 2006 musical Dreamgirls. Yet, it ended up going to Alan Arkin for Little Miss Sunshine. With all due respect to the late actor's wonderful performance in the beloved dramedy, many still believe Murphy deserved the award and even blame his ill-received comedy Norbit from the same year for hurting his chances.

Shakespeare In Love Wins Best Picture Over Saving Private Ryan

Director Steven Spielberg's powerful war movie, Saving Private Ryan, was the frontrunner to win Best Picture at the 1999 Oscars. While Spielberg took home his second directorial prize, the movie lost to Shakespeare in Love. A retrospective by Den of Geek claims the romantic period drama's wins – also including Best Actress, Supporting Actress, Original Screenplay, and Score – were the result of the producers' strategic campaigning, supposedly altering the Academy's decision-making process forever.

Marisa Tomei Wins Best Supporting Actress

Marisa Tomei beat esteemed Hollywood veterans Vanessa Redgrave and Miranda Richardson in the 1993 Oscars' Best Supporting Actress category for her breakthrough role as Mona Lisa Vito in My Cousin Vinny. Her win for the otherwise hilarious and charming performance was such a surprise that many speculated presenter Jack Palance had accidentally read the wrong name, and the Academy just let her keep it.

Barbra Streisand And Katharine Hepburn Tie For Best Actress

The third time that an Oscar vote ended in a tie occurred in 1968 when both Barbra Streisand and Katharine Hepburn earned Best Actress. Streisand won for her performance in Funny Girl, and Hepburn's role in The Lion in Winter also impressed an equal number of Academy voters.

Suicide Squad Wins Best Makeup And Hairstyling

In 2017, director David Ayer's Suicide Squad took home the award for Best Makeup and Hairstyling for the way it transformed its actors into bizarre DC supervillains. Setting aside the comic book movie's largely negative reception, the film's victory over the eye-popping makeup effects in Star Trek Beyond was shocking.

Anora Wins Best Picture

The story of a young "lady of the night" and her ill-fated marriage to a rich, Russian twenty-something became the 2025 Oscars frontrunner late in the game, which made its Best Picture victory over safer bets like The Brutalist quite a surprise. Anora also made history when Sean Baker earned Oscars for directing, writing, and editing in the same night.

Anthony Hopkins Wins Best Actor Over Chadwick Boseman

There was so much confidence in the chance that Chadwick Boseman would win a posthumous Best Actor Oscar for Ma Rainey's Black Bottom that the category was saved for the end of the 2021 telecast. Instead, it went to The Father's Anthony Hopkins, who was not even present at the ceremony, which left a bit of a sour taste in viewers' mouths.

Crash Wins Best Picture Over Brokeback Mountain

The world was absolutely convinced that director Ang Lee's buzzy gay love story, Brokeback Mountain, would take home the top prize come Oscar night in 2006. Instead, the winner was writer and director Paul Haggis' examination of modern prejudice, Crash, much to the surprise and even dismay of many critics and audiences at the time and for years to come.

Marcia Gay Harden Wins Best Supporting Actress

In 2001, Marcia Gay Harden's portrayal of Lee Krasner in Pollock earned her both her first Academy Award nomination and win, but that is not what made it such a remarkable achievement. The actor had not won a single accolade for the performance before beating the likes of Kate Hudson and Frances McDormand in Almost Famous on Oscar night.

Eddie Redmayne Wins Best Actor Over Michael Keaton

Michael Keaton's performance in 2015's Best Picture Oscar winner, Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance), was poised to earn him the Best Actor award that night. Instead, the former Batman actor lost to Eddie Redmayne, whose portrayal of Stephen Hawking in The Theory of Everything is retrospectively not held in as high regard.

Rocky Wins Best Picture

Rocky, starring writer Sylvester Stallone as the titular aspiring boxer, is a great underdog story, and the same could be said about its jog to the Oscars stage in 1977. The film won three Oscars, including Best Picture over strong contenders Taxi Driver, Network, Bound for Glory, and All the President’s Men.

Bob Fosse Wins Best Director Over Francis Ford Coppola

It is rare to see a movie win the Best Picture Oscar without seeing its director also take home a statuette. However, that is what happened in 1973 when Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather won the top prize, but best director went to Bob Fosse for Cabaret.

Three 6 Mafia Win Best Original Song

When Three 6 Mafia won the 2006 Oscar for Best Original Song for Hustle & Flow's “It’s Hard Out Here for a Pimp,” it was not the first time that a hip-hop artist earned the award, as Eminem had won for "Lose Yourself" from 8 Mile only a few years earlier. Still, a rap song earning such an accolade was still considered a rarity, and adding the fact that Dolly Parton (for Transamerica's "Travelin' Through") and Kathleen "Bird" York (for "In the Deep" from Crash) were the competition, it was an unexpected victory.

Driving Miss Daisy Wins Best Picture

The competition between Driving Miss Daisy and its fellow Best Picture Oscar nominees (Born on the Fourth of July, Dead Poets Society, Field of Dreams, and My Left Foot) was not exactly fierce. What made its victory – in addition to wins for Best Actress (Jessica Tandy), Adapted Screenplay, and Makeup – a surprise was that its director, Bruce Beresford, was not even nominated.

Beatrice Straight Win Best Supporting Actress

Beatrice Straight appears in 1976's Network, in which she, as Louise, tearfully and angrily reacts to her husband, Max Schumacher (William Holden), revealing he has been having an affair. Her powerhouse performance in the five-minute sequence was enough to convince the Academy that she deserved the Best Supporting Actress Oscar.

Adrien Brody Wins Best Actor For The Pianist

Adrien Brody won his first Academy Award for leading the 2002 World War II-era biopic, The Pianist, making him the youngest person to win in the Best Actor category at 29 years old. Making matters even more surprising, he was going up against esteemed Oscar winners Jack Nicholson (About Schmidt), Michael Caine (The Quiet American), Nicolas Cage (Adaptation), and Daniel Day-Lewis (Gangs of New York), the latter of whom was the frontrunner.

Olivia Colman Wins Best Actress Over Glenn Close

In 2019, Glenn Close received her seventh Academy Award nomination for her role in The Wife, which had already earned the actor multiple accolades, convincing many that this would finally be the year she goes home with an Oscar. Instead, her losing streak would continue when the Best Actress winner turned out to be Olivia Colman for her wonderful performance in Yorgos Lanthimos' absurdist period satire, The Favourite.

Dances With Wolves Wins Best Picture Over Goodfellas

Kevin Costner made his directorial debut with the Civil War-era, Western movie classic, Dances with Wolves, which took home Best Picture. While it was an undeniably impressive achievement for the actor and filmmaker, who also starred in the drama, it was a bittersweet occasion as esteemed veteran Martin Scorsese's acclaimed crime thriller, Goodfellas, only took home a statuette that night for Joe Pesci's supporting performance.

Grace Kelly Wins Best Actress Over Judy Garland

At the 1955 Academy Awards, the frontrunner in the Best Actress category was the legendary Judy Garland for the first remake of A Star is Born. Thus, it came as quite a shock to see Grace Kelly winning the Oscar for her role in The Country Girl as the wife of an alcoholic actor desperately seeking a comeback.

Parasite Wins Best Picture

By Oscar night 2020, it was nearly impossible to tell which of the many Best Picture frontrunners, from Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon a Time in Hollywood to Sam Mendes' 1917, would prove to be the victor. Yet, nobody anticipated that Bong Joon Ho's South Korean thriller Parasite, which had also won Best International Feature that night, would take home the top prize, becoming the first foreign-language film to do so.

Art Carney Wins Best Actor Over Al Pacino

Al Pacino's two-decade losing streak would end in 1993 when he won the Best Actor Oscar for Scent of a Woman, which was also his eighth nomination. One of the most surprising instances in which he lost was in 1975, when his performance as Michael Corleone in The Godfather Part II was expected to be the winner until he was bested by Art Carney in the road trip comedy Harry and Tonto.

Green Book Wins Best Picture

While it was well-received upon release, many critics and experts feared the idea of a simple and safe drama like Green Book winning Best Picture at the 2019 Oscars against more esteemed and refreshingly ambitious films like Roma, The Favourite, and A Star is Born. Of course, that turned out to be exactly what happened.

Kevin Costner Wins Best Director Over Martin Scorsese

Not only did Kevin Costner's Dances with Wolves earn the top prize at the 1991 Oscars, but the first-time filmmaker was also awarded Best Director. Also nominated in that category that year, and for the third time, for his expertly crafted mafia drama, Goodfellas, was Martin Scorsese, who would not take home the award until 16 years later for The Departed.

Anna Paquin Wins Best Supporting Actress

The Best Supporting Actress Oscar nominees in 1994 included Rosie Perez for Fearless, Winona Ryder for The Age of Innocence, Emma Thompson for In the Name of the Father, and Holly Hunter for The Firm (the latter two of whom were nominated for two acting categories the same year). However, the winner was The Piano's Anna Paquin, who, at just 11 years old, became one of the youngest people to receive an Academy Award.

The Color Purple Wins Nothing

You can usually count on the film with the most Oscar nominations to go home with at least one statuette, but that was not quite the case in 1986. The Color Purple was tied with Out of Africa with 11 nominations, and while Sydney Pollack's romantic drama earned seven awards, including Best Picture, director Steven Spielberg's adaptation of Alice Walker's celebrated novel left completely empty-handed.

Joel Grey Wins Best Supporting Actor

Three of the Best Supporting Actor nominees at the 1973 Academy Awards were from The Godfather (namely Al Pacino, Robert Duvall, and James Caan), and none of them ended up taking home an Oscar. The winner, instead, was Joel Grey, for his performance as "Master of Ceremonies" in Cabaret.

Juliette Binoche Best Actress Over Lauren Bacall

Screen legend Lauren Bacall earned her sole Oscar nomination in 1997 for The Mirror Has Two Faces. However, the Best Actress winner that night was first-time nominee Juliette Binoche for her performance in The English Patient, which also won Best Picture.

The Greatest Show On Earth Wins Best Picture

Steven Spielberg has cited director Cecil B. DeMille's The Greatest Show on Earth as an early influence on his interest in filmmaking. However, most modern audiences and critics are baffled by the fact that this drama, taking place at the circus, was voted Best Picture at the 1953 Academy Awards.

Robert Donat Wins Best Actor

In a Best Actor Oscar category that also included Clark Gable in Gone With the Wind and Jimmy Stewart in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, the winner turned out to be Robert Donat for Goodbye, Mr. Chips, surprisingly.

There are a lot of great bartenders in film and TV history. Guys like Same Malone in Cheers and Moe in The Simpsons. The kind of guys that quick with a joke and ready to hear you lament about your job. Pouring stiff drinks and beers while their patrons celebrate and mourn, congratulate and commiserate, and everything else that happens at your local water hole. This list celebrates all those great bartenders in movies and TV shows.

Sam Malone - Cheers

Of course Sam Malone has to be on this list. The owner (at least some of the time) and operator of Cheers bar in Boston's Back Bay. Played by Ted Danson for all eleven seasons of the smash hit Cheers, Sam is always ready to poor Norm, Cliff, and the rest of the gang great drinks and cold beers.

Isaac Washington - The Love Boat

For many people, the most important person on a cruise ship is the bartender. These days modern cruise ships have dozens of bartenders, but back in the day, the Pacific Princess, better known and The Love Boat only needed one, Isaac Washington (Ted Lange). At least, Isaac we pretty much the only bartender anyone ever ordered a drink from, and he always served it with a smile.

Marion Ravenwood - Raiders Of The Lost Ark

Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen) tried to run away from her problems (and her former lover) by heading to Nepal and opening a rundown shack of a bar that at least had a warm fire and some stiff drinks to help her customers get through the long, cold nights - at least until that ex-boyfriend showed up looking for her father in Raiders Of The Lost Ark.

Lloyd - The Shining

There aren't a lot of people for Jack (Jack Nicholson) to talk to at the Overlook Hotel in The Shining. Unfortunately, Jack either invents Lloyd or supernatural forces create him, but either way, audiences quickly learn he's not the friendly bartender we've all come to expect in hotel bars. He does know how to mix up a whole bunch of martinis in a hurry though.

Guinan - Star Trek: The Next Generation

Even the crew of the USS Enterprise need a place to unwind and have a few drinks after a long day below decks. On Star Trek: The Next Generation, that means heading to the Ten-Forward lounge and sipping on the concoctions created by Guinan, played by the legendary Whoopi Goldberg.

Al Swearengen - Deadwood

Al Swearengen is the foul-mouthed, mean, criminally-minded propriator of the Gem Saloon on Deadwood. Played brilliantly by the great Ian McShane, Swearengen is so much more than a drink-slinger, as he is the most powerful person in town and the most likely to get violent, or have his crew get violent, in a town full of mayhem.

Horace - The Family Guy

For 11 seasons (and decades in show-time), Horace was the owner and bartender at The Drunken Clam, Peter and company's preferred watering hole in The Family Guy. It's hard to say how long Horace was serving up drinks, as he's there in almost every flashback to the bar going back...well... again, who knows. Sadly we lost Horace in Season 11 when he died and the guys have to go all out to save "The Clam."

Razor Charlie - From Dusk Till Dawn

Audiences don't get a ton of Razor Charlie in From Dusk Till Dawn, played by the menacing (and awesome) Danny Trejo. While he tries to run the bar with iron fist at the beginning of the movie, it comes up against a crew that he shouldn't have messed with.

Brian Flanagan - Cocktail

Brian Flanagan (Tom Cruise) is a terrible bartender at the beginning of Cocktail, one of those '80s movies that just has not stood the test of time. He soon meets Doug (Bryan Brown), a veteran bartender who literally knows every trick in the book and soon Brian and Doug are a superstar team of bottle-flipping bartenders who are much performers as they are servers. At least the movie has a great soundtrack.

Coach - Cheers

One of the bartenders we miss the most is "Coach" Ernie Pantusso. he was Sam's original partner behind the bar on Cheers, who was, let's just say, a few bottles short of a case. Sadly, when actor Nicholas Colasanto died after Season 3, Coach followed him to that great bar in the sky and we've been mourning the loss ever since.

Butchie - The Wire

If we're honest, as awesome as Butchie in The Wire is, we're not sure it's the kind of bar we'd want to hang out. Butchie, played by S. Robert Morgan, is more of a banker to the criminals of Baltimore than he is strictly a bartender and while he's always loyal, he keeps some awfully shady company.

Moe Szyslak - The Simpsons

What would Homer Simpson do with his free time if it wasn't for Moe's Tavern? That goes for Lenny, Carl, and especially Barney too. Moe is the surliest bartender on TV, but that's part of his charm. He's gruff, ugly, and quick to lose his temper, especially to those annoying kids who keep prank-calling him, but he's also always sincere and genuine.

Rick Blaine - Casablanca

While not strictly a bartender, more of an owner and keeper of secrets, Rick Blaine (Humphrey Bogart) surely knows how to mix a mean martini after all those years running Rick's in Casablanca. He's probably served drinks all over the world and for that, he deserves to be on this list.

Spider - GoodFellas

Spider in GoodFellas, bless his heart, is clearly trying his best. The hapless drink server, played by future Sopranos star Michael Imperioli, just can't keep Tommy (Joe Pesci) happy. At first, his punishment is getting shot in the foot by the psychopath, but it gets worse from there. You're not alright, Spider.

Wuher - Star Wars

Every small town in the world - nay, the universe -has a gruff, somewhat racist bartender like Wuher in the first Star Wars movie. Sure, it probably takes an iron fist to run a bar in wretched hive of scum and villainy like Mos Eisley, but he's not the friendliest bartender on this list, for sure.

Woody Boyd - Cheers

After Cheers lost Coach, it wasn't long before they hired Woody Boyd (Woody Harrelson) to replace him. Sure Woody was a lot younger than Coach, but he was just as... innocent and, well, dumb, as Coach. Luckily he was just as charming and the bar (and the show) didn't miss a beat with the new addition.

Doug Coughlin - Cocktail

Doug Coughlin (Bryan Brown) from Cocktail is easily the flashiest bartender on this list. He can flip a bottle and charm a customer like nobody's business. He's also good for business as the show he puts on draws people from all over the Tri-State area.

All Of The Bartenders In Coyote Ugly

Lil (Maria Bello) may own the bar in Coyote Ugly, but she's just one of the amazing bartenders who serves up drinks, and takes no guff, to the wild, drunken patrons every night of the week. It's impossible to have a favorite so it's only fair to include all of them on this list of great movie bartenders.

Gary - The Big Lebowski

Audiences never actually see Gary in The Big Lebowski, but that doesn't mean he doesn't deserve to be on this list. You can just tell by the way he interacts with The Dude (Jeff Bridges) and the rest of the guys at the bowling alley that he's a good guy and mixes a great White Russian.

Short Bartender - Desperado

Listed in the credits as "Short Bartender) and played by Cheech Marin, the barkeep in Desperado is clearly unimpressed by Buscemi (Steve Buscemi) from the moments he walks in the door. He even gives off as many hints as he can to warn Buscemi about acting correct in the tough saloon. That isn't enough, but you can't blame him for what happens next.

Georgie - The Sopranos

Georgie Santorelli on The Sopranos, played by Frank Santorelli, is pretty much a total idiot. While he seems to be decent at his job, serving up drinks to Tony and crew at the Bada Bing, he's pretty much a moron in every other way, but he's great comic relief on the show.

The Gang In Always Sunny In Philadelphia

This list is called "great bartenders" but let's be honest, the gang on Always Sunny In Philadelphia are all pretty terrible at everything, including bartending most of the time. There isn't much to say nice here, so let's move on.

Carl - How I Met Your Mother

Carl on How I Met Your Mother is hard to read. At times, the bartender at the show's popular pub MacLaren's, played by Joe Nieves, is sometimes the nicest guy in the room, but other times he's brutal and unforgiving. When you think about it, that's probably how all great bartenders need to be.

Mark Donnelly - Paradise

Mark Donnelly (Michael Hogan) on Paradise isn't a main character, like most of the bartenders on this list, but it doesn't take much to understand that he's an empathetic guy who not only serves a stiff drink, but he's ready and willing to let you talk about your problems. He's also pretty helpful in a pinch, as he proves when he tries to help Xavier (Sterling K. Brown) keep his children safe.

iZac - Futurama

One of the signature things about Futurama is putting a futuristic spin on cultural references and it doesn't get any better than a robot bartender with a sweet mustache name "iZac" as a callback to Isaac on The Love Boat. He's not always the most empathetic bartender, but he gets the job done.

The Octopus - Who Framed Roger Rabbit?

The only thing better than a two-armed bartender is an eight-armed one like the Octopus in Who Framed Roger Rabbit? Anyone who has ever bartended knows that there would be nothing better than having a few extra appendages when the crowd fills up and the bar gets crazy at peak hours. This guy will make any server jealous with his skills.

Jim - Three's Company

Jim the bartender at the Regal Beagle on Three's Company, played by Paul Ainsley, is the most notable of all the bartenders and servers at the legendary TV watering hole. He doesn't have much to do as a character, but serving up drinks quickly and efficiently is enough for us.

Nick Miller - New Girl

Nick Miller in New Girl, played by Jake Johnson, is one of just a few bartenders on this list who also happens to be one of the main characters on a show. Nick is perfectly suited to be a bartender too, as his quick wit and empathetic nature make him a natural.

Margo - Gone Girl

Nick Dunne (Ben Affleck) in Gone Girl is, if we're honest, a pretty terrible person. He may not be as psycho as his wife, but he's not a good guy. His sister, on the other hand, Margo (Carrie Coon) is actually a pretty good person who is loyal - maybe too loyal - to her brother and helps out however she can at his bar.

Arthur - Passengers

Arthur in the sci-fi romance Passengers is a character clearly inspired by Lloyd in The Shining, with the twist that instead of a figment of a character's imagination or worse, he's an android. He is the only person on the ship Jim (Chris Pratt) can call on to talk about his depression, but he can't keep a secret, which is something all bartenders should be able to do.

Frankie - Road House

Frankie (Jessica Williams) in Road House, the bonkers 2024 remake of the 1980s classic, really wants to save her bar in any way she can. She's a good owner, loyal to her staff, and fearless. She isn't just a bartender, of course, but she certainly knows how to pour a whiskey and open a cold beer, right?

Nick - It's A Wonderful Life

Nick the bartender in It's A Wonderful Life, played by Sheldon Leonard isn't the kind of guy who suffers fools and he's really got little time for dealing with any of his patrons' nonsense. That's exactly what some people need in a great bartender. Just keep 'em coming.

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson might make his living beating the eggnog out of other people, both in Hollywood and in WWE rings, but inside his own house, he’s not exactly The Final Boss. The megastar hit up social media this weekend and reminded everyone of that, as he dropped a post talking about the three movies he wants to watch on Christmas and the one he always winds up watching instead.

Apparently, if it were up to Johnson, he’d choose movies that are a bit more targeted toward adults. He cited Bad Santa, Goodfellas and Scarface as the three Christmas movies he’d prefer to watch, but like any good father, he caves every year and allows his kids to watch their preference instead. That’s apparently Home Alone, as he showed us in an adorable clip that includes Catherine O’Hara’s iconic “KEVINNNNNNNN” scream, as well as a first person shot of himself reacting in Christmas PJs. You can check out the post below…

First of all, you could do a lot worse than all four of these when it comes to movies to watch around Christmas. I’m not going to call out any specific movies by name, but I think we can all think of some holiday favorites people keep watching for inexplicable reasons that are actively bad. All of these are good and have at least some connection to the Christmas season.

The most tenuous of those connections is, of course, Scarface, but people forget that movie was actually a huge winner over the Christmas season when it was released all the way back in 1983. Most of the country got it on December 9th, and it did big business throughout the rest of the year. It’s also inspired a bazillion Christmas sweaters and a bazillion and one cocaine-related jokes about snow. I personally don’t make a habit of watching it over the holidays, but if that’s your thing, I respect it.

Now, Goodfellas is another matter entirely. Yes, it’s not traditionally considered a Christmas movie, but part of it takes place over Christmas and includes some great Christmas music. It also includes one of my favorite quick cut lines of dialogue of all-time. After Robert De Niro’s character hammers all his associates one by one for attracting way too much attention with their elaborate purchases following a robbery, we get a cut to of Ray Liotta, who is supposed to be the sensible one, shouting “I got the most expensive tree they had!” So, yeah, it’s a Christmas movie to me, and I’ve absolutely watched it over Christmas break before.

I definitely don’t need to argue the merits of whether Bad Santa is a Christmas movie. No one has ever said otherwise, though I’ve discovered over the years that it’s a little more divisive than I would have guessed. It has a lot of supporters who can’t get enough of Billy Bob Thornton’s raunchy mall Santa, and it has a lot of detractors that think it’s a little unevenly paced and doesn’t have much going for it beyond the novelty of a foul-mouthed Santa. Personally, I like it, but that might be because I’m a huge Gilmore Girls fan.

And then, of course, there’s Home Alone, which was the winning movie in The Rock’s household. I’ve watched it no less than twenty times in my life, and I’m down to do it again every single time someone brings it up. With all due respect to the other A-Listers who circled the part, Macaulay Culkin is just so freakin good, and it makes me happy to see parents showing it to another generation of kids and watching them fall in love with it too.

Of course, The Rock has his own Christmas movie out right now too. Red One is dominating the streaming charts and picking up a lot of fans along the way. You can stream it on Amazon Prime right now for free with a subscription.

The words “period piece” can suggest boring, dry, and slow. But the movies we’re about to discuss on this list are anything but. So the next time you hear that title thrown around in conversation, remember these films that defy this trend of boredom.

The English Patient

Despite The English Patient having a reputation for being labeled as “boring,” the Seinfeld episode couldn’t be farther from the truth. Rather, if one approaches the supposed war story as the romantic drama it truly is, then Ralph Fiennes and Juliette Binoche’s characters connecting over their own tragic pasts isn’t as time-wasting as what’s suggested by arguably one of the best Seinfeld episodes.

Master & Commander: The Far Side Of The World

If you didn’t want to sail the open seas with your friends after watching Master & Commander: The Far Side of the World, you’re not doing it right. Part bromance, part naval warfare, and all epic, Russell Crowe and Paul Bettany’s Aubrey and Maturin are a pair that have taught many fans about the values of honor, camaraderie, and scientific curiosity. That Master & Commander reboot still sounds like it should give way to a legacy-quel to this beauty.

Oppenheimer

For a three-hour long, R-rated historical drama about the creation of the atomic bomb Oppenheimer seemed to defy the odds stacked against it. A box office smash the 2024 Oscar-winning juggernaut saw Cillian Murphy’s sterling performance as the lead role anchor an all-star cast. Writer/Director Christopher Nolan’s compellingly tragic tale of creation and regret flies by, landing a solid punch of dread as it closes.

Tombstone

Westerns are a genre that seemed to fade away for a moment, which is unjust considering movies like Tombstone cashed in on the Oscar win of Clint Eastwood’s Unforgiven in prime fashion. A pulpy delight that harkens back to old school Good vs. Evil stories of this genre, Kurt Russell and Val Kilmer are standouts in a movie that’s stacked to the top with A-game talents. Try telling anyone this movie is boring after watching Doc Holiday deliver his classic line, “I’m your huckleberry.”

Lawless

Based on author Matt Bondurant’s historical novel on his family’s dealings with bootlegging, Lawless is an electric crime drama that has Shia LaBeouf, Tom Hardy, and Jason Clarke as its leads. In an ensemble that broadens out to include Jessica Chastain, Gary Oldman, and Guy Pearce, the outlaw spirit is alive and well in this energetic picture.

Hamlet (1996)

A four-hour full-text version of Hamlet would be daunting to many an actor and viewer. Writer/director Kenneth Branagh must have felt that at some point in making his version of Hamlet, which fulfills that tall order. Slightly updating the story’s time period, there are no sacrifices made in terms of the story or the majesty of William Shakespeare’s epic tragedy. It remains a staggering achievement.

Pride And Prejudice (2005)

Where does one begin when praising Joe Wright’s 2005 adaptation of Pride and Prejudice? Is it the pitch-perfect casting of Keira Knightley as Elizabeth Bennett, along with Succession cast member Matthew MacFayden as a particularly dreamy Mr. Darcy? Or is it having the late Donald Sutherland knocking it out of the park as Elizabeth’s warm and gentle father? There’s a lot to love about this movie, and it’s an undeniable fact.

Goodfellas

The time period shown in Martin Scorsese’s Goodfellas doesn’t feel like it would match the description of a “period piece,” especially in the eyes of those who lived through the eras depicted. But believe it or not, Ray Liotta’s tale of always wanting to be a gangster does qualify, which means this baby packs more violence, cursing, and quotable moments than you’d expect from such a project.

Emma (2020)

The best rom-coms know when to lean into the tropes, and when to innovate to invite a wider audience. Screenwriter Eleanor Catton and director Autumn de Wilde adeptly used that knowledge to deliver an offbeat adaptation of Jane Austen’s Emma, starring Anya Taylor-Joy as the titular heroine. Meddlesome matchmaking results in both awkward and heartbreaking moments, which all tie together in a visually colorful feast for the eyes and the heart.

The Last Duel

Director Ridley Scott loves his historical dramas, and 2021’s The Last Duel is firmly in the man’s wheelhouse. Based on the true story of a knight (Matt Damon) fighting an old friend (Adam Driver) over allegations of misconduct, Scott’s eye for violent spectacle is used in a measured capacity to punctuate the proceedings. Jodie Comer’s performance as the victim/accuser at the heart of the duel only further enhances the impressive result.

A Bronx Tale

Not all mafia dramas are created equal, as we saw with Robert De Niro’s directorial effort A Bronx Tale looks at organized crime through the viewpoint of a working-class family. A semi-autobiographical picture written by actor/co-star Chazz Palminteri, we see a young man (Francis Capra / Lillo Brancato Jr) growing to idolize the local boss (Palminteri), while his father (De Niro) tries to keep him grounded in 1960’s-1970’s era New York.

That Thing You Do!

Tom Hanks, in his writing/directing debut, gave the world not only one of the best ‘90s movies, but also a perfect pop song. That Thing You Do! is a beautiful nostalgia piece that remembers the days of Beatle-mania, and all the acts that tried to grab their one hit of wonder. Whether you prefer the theatrical or the extended cut, and there is a difference, The Wonders will always shine as brightly each time you see them do that thing that they do.

A Haunting in Venice

The adventures of Hercule Poirot (Kenneth Branagh) took an unexpected turn into the supernatural with A Haunting in Venice, and the franchise was all the better for it. Playing like a horror film that just happens to be an Agatha Christie adaptation, this star-studded threequel could be the best of the bunch.

Steve Jobs

Aaron Sorkin’s best screenplays are like good musical albums: you fall into the rhythm every time you listen. Unjustly overlooked during its 2015 release, Steve Jobs showcased three different periods of transition in the life of Apple’s firebrand innovator (Michael Fassbender). Director Danny Boyle uses film stock changes to signify the period on display, and also proceeded to give us one of Seth Rogen’s most powerful performances.

Thirteen Days

The Cuban Missile Crisis was something you had to live through to truly understand the terror. That being said, director Roger Donaldson’s Thirteen Days comes pretty close to capturing the panic felt by the Kennedy Administration as they navigate through a potential nuclear war. Bruce Greenwood’s JFK is teamed up with Robert Culp’s RFK and Kevin Costner’s Kenneth O’Donnell as the trio that anchors the picture, with a superb bench of supporting actors tying it all together into a gripping historical thriller.

The Favourite

For years “period piece” was almost shorthand for projects that looked like The Favourite does on the outside. Frilly dresses, powdered wigs, and English disputes over minorly hurt feelings are probably what most conjured to mind with Yorgos Lanthimos’ acidicly funny comedy. But instead, it was Emma Stone and Rachel Weisz engaging in a war of wills to curry the favour of Queen Anne (Olivia Colman). Don’t be fooled, this dark comedy has teeth you wouldn’t expect.

Selma

Director Ava Duvernay’s work on Selma took an often cited moment in history, the Selma to Montgomery marches for equal rights, and turned it into a fresh and haunting look at not-too-distant American history. Digging into the human side of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (David Oyelowo) and his part in this epic struggle, the Civil Rights Movement becomes personal for all who watch it depicted in this movingly cinematic story.

Gladiator

While Ridley Scott’s attitude toward historical accuracy hasn’t changed, neither has his method of taking ancient history and turning it into a more modern thrill ride. In 2000’s Gladiator, Scott introduced the world to the vengeful Maximus Decimus Meridius (Russell Crowe), a man who has as much strategic acumen as he does names. The Roman Empire certainly became an obsession for some after seeing this rousing tale of revenge and eternal glory.

The Godfather

It’s easy to look at The Godfather and merely see Francis Ford Coppola and Mario Puzo’s blockbuster epic that dramatizes the Corleone family’s power struggles. However, looking at the timeline of the entire trilogy and realizing that it spans almost the entire 20th century reframes one of the best movies of all time as one of three-period pieces viewers have not been able to refuse for over 50 years.

1917

1917 is, at its heart, a tribute to Sam Mendes’ grandfather, who served in World War I. Using technical knowhow to make the entire film look as if it’s filmed without cuts, the intensity of the story co-written between Mendes and Krysty Wilson-Cairns is heightened by the almost non-stop pacing of the story. You’ll be hooked throughout the entire picture, from opening to close, feeling as if you’d made the journey yourself.

Brooklyn

Not all period pieces are about social upheaval or warfare. Sometimes, like with director John Crowley’s Brooklyn, the focus is on the life of a young woman (Saoirse Ronan) who emigrates from Ireland to New York in 1951. At times uplifting, bittersweet, and just downright heartbreaking, the Nick Hornby-penned film from 2015 will have you preoccupied with crying and laughing that you won’t be bored at all.

Kingdom Of Heaven

Upon release, Ridley Scott’s Kingdom of Heaven was slaughtered at the box office. It wasn’t until the almost 3.5-hour extended home video cut arrived that the Orlando Bloom starring epic depicting the Third Crusade found its audience. You should probably watch that version first, and then head back to the theatrical cut, if you’re curious as to how big the differences are.

Dunkirk

Dunkirk’s historical inspiration is a moment that some creators may not find to be too cinematic. Writer/director Christopher Nolan’s clever depiction of a time-shifting narrative showcases three fronts of action in the crucial evacuation effort waged in the titular French location. Displaying the better and darker sides of wartime humanity, it makes for an effective inspiration to dig further into this chapter of World War II history.

The Patriot

Is Roland Emmerich’s The Patriot a bastion of historical accuracy? No. Does Mel Gibson’s problematic history cause people to approach this film with apprehension? Absolutely. For all you can say against this movie, there are almost as many reasons to watch this visually stunning and inspirational story of fighting for U.S. independence. Also, Jason Isaac’s villain and Heath Ledger’s scrappy portrayal of Gibson’s on-screen son kind of steal the show whenever composer John Williams isn’t.

Little Women

To take a time worn tale like Little Women and make it fresh again is something similar to magic. Greta Gerwig did just that with her 2019 adaptation of Louisa May Alcott’s timeless classic, and in doing so the Barbie director found a way to break our hearts all over again with classic literature.

Amadeus

The rivalry between Mozart (Tom Hulce) and Salieri (F. Murray Abraham) is, admittedly, goosed up in director Milos Forman’s Amadeus. That doesn’t make the movie any less worthy of an audience, as it’s a fine example of turning actual history into engaging tragedy. If you weren’t a fan of classical music walking into this one, you might just change your tune coming out.

Gosford Park

Director Robert Altman’s Gosford Park is kind of like a prototype version of Downton Abbey. Only instead of the Julian Fellowes co-written drama revolving around inheritances and marrying for love, it’s a ‘30s murder mystery that weaves a wicked tale. And yes, the late Dame Maggie Smith does get some richly acidic barbs into this picture.

Braveheart

The surprising success of Braveheart is one that still rings throughout the history of movies. Director Mel Gibson and writer Randall Wallace drew inspiration from the exploits of William Wallace (Gibson) and his fight during the First War of Scottish Independence. Romance and comedy mix in with fact and legend to deliver an idealized picture of a time we still don’t know everything about.

The Sound of Music

At its heart, The Sound of Music is a romantic drama, as nun turned-nanny Maria (Julia Andrews) slowly falls for employer Captain Von Trapp (Christopher Plummer). Plummer's hatred for the movie aside, the cinematic version of Rogers & Hammerstein’s beloved World War II set musical shows the values of resilience and family, all backed by a stellar soundtrack.

The Personal History of David Copperfield

Charles Dickens’ works have always been ripe for reinterpretation, but Armando Iannucci’s The Personal History of David Copperfield is one of the most recent examples of why they should still be retold at the movies. Assembling an all-star troupe led by Dev Patel in the lead, the script co-written with Simon Blackwell brings an irreverent lens to this literary treasure but doesn’t skimp on the heart.

American Psycho

If you don’t feel like American Psycho is a period piece, you probably have to go return some video tapes. Skewering the yuppie excess of 1980’s New York, Patrick Bateman (Christian Bale) guides us through a satirical slasher that’s mainly based in murders and executions…or is it mergers and acquisitions?

Downton Abbey: A New Era

Downton Abbey has to be the premier example of a period piece defying conventions and attracting an audience so wide its films are successes. 2022’s sequel A New Era shines in particular, as it introduces the class drama of Julian Fellowes’ hit series to the madcap world of early film production. Just be ready to shed massive amounts of tears during the final moments of the picture.

True crime has been all the rage in Hollywood for a lot longer than it seems. In fact, telling stories about real-life criminals goes back to the very beginnings of film. Over the years some of our favorite movies, from The Untouchables to Goodfellas and more have told the (somewhat) true events of some very famous criminals' lives. Here is our list of some of our favorite movies about real-life mobsters and bad guys.

Al Capone - The Untouchables

Robert De Niro famously gained a bunch of weight to play legendary Chicago mob boss Al Capone in The Untouchables. Though the story is really about Eliot Ness (Kevin Costner) and the crew that took down Capone in the 1930s, De Niro stole the show with his amazing performance and he was rewarded with an Oscar for it. There's a reason it's considered one of the best gangster movies of all time.

Jimmy Conway - Goodfellas

There is no doubt that Goodfellas had to feature prominently on this list. Almost every character in the movie is based on a real mobster and, of course, the great Robert De Niro puts in another all-time great performance in this one as Jimmy Conway, who was based on the real-life gangster Jimmy "The Gent" Burke.

Jimmy Hoffa - The Irishman

Al Pacino sure knows how to play a mobster. Of course, at the top of any list is the fictional Michael Corleone in the Godfather movies, but he also has played some famous real-life criminals, like notorious union boss Jimmy Hoffa in The Irishman. Though his performance is, predictably, a little over the top, it's still the best in the movie.

Frank Lucas - American Gangster

Gangster Frank Lucas was a kingpin in New York City in the 1970s who revolutionized the drug trade in the U.S., specifically in Harlem. He spent years in prison for his crimes, but he's gone down as a legendary criminal since. In American Gangster he's played brilliantly by the great Denzel Washington as one of the best gangsters in film history.

Frank Costello - The Departed

It's easy to make fun of Jack Nicholson's sketchy Boston accent in The Departed, but what he nails in the role is the intensity of Whitey Bulger, who his character, Frank Costello, is loosely based on. While the movie isn't a true story, per se, many of the characters were based on real-life cops and robbers, including Costello. Like Bulger Costello is terrifying.

Lefty Ruggiero - Donnie Brasco

Lefty Ruggiero has gone down as one of the most notorious gangsters for what he did wrong - namely bringing the undercover police officer Joseph D. Pistone, better known as Donnie Brasco, into the Bonanno crime family. In the movie Donnie Brasco, Al Pacino plays the luckless Ruggiero wonderfully as a mobster who tries his best, but never really has things go his way.

Bugsy Siegel - Bugsy

Gangster Ben "Bugsy" Seigel left his mark on the world by basically inventing modern Las Vegas in the 1940s when he built the first hotel on what would become the famous Las Vegas strip. The movie Bugsy tells the story of Siegel and that hotel, The Flamingo with the great Warren Beatty in the title role.

John Dillinger - Public Enemies

During The Great Depression, the public was fascinated by criminals, gangsters, and mobsters. John Dillinger was at the top of the list of bank robbers that people just loved to follow the exploits of. Public Enemies covers quite of few of the famous criminals in Dillingers various gangs, and Dillinger himself is played wonderfully by Johnny Depp.

Ace Rothstein - Casino

Martin Scorsese's Casino is all based on real-life gangsters who moved out to Las Vegas to oversee the mob's investments in the city at the height of their influence in the 1970s. Sam "Ace" Rothstein, played by Robert De Niro, is based on Frank "Ace" Rosenthal, who was a legendary bookmaker and casino exec for the East Coast families.

Whitey Bulger - Black Mass

Whitey Bulger is one of the most infamous mob bosses in American history. Bulger ran the Winter Hill Gang in Boston for years before disappearing for decades after it got out that he was an FBI informant. Johnny Depp, who plays Bulger in Black Mass disappears into the role, playing it with the same smoldering intensity that the real-life Bulger was famous for.

Baby Face Nelson - O Brother Where Are Thou?

George "Baby Face" Nelson was a Depression-era gangster who gained popularity in the public eye for his brazen crimes and psychotic behavior. A heavily fictionalized version of Nelson features prominently in a couple of scenes in the Coen Brothers' classic O Brother Where Art Thou? played by Michael Badalucco.

Henry Hill - Goodfellas

This list absolutely has to include Henry Hill, played by Ray Liotta, in Goodfellas. Not only is the Scorsese classic among the best mob movies ever made (with an amazing soundtrack), but Hill made himself into a celebrity as a result of the movie and his many appearances on The Howard Stern Show before his death in 2012.

Lucky Luciano - Mobsters

1991's Mobsters was a star-studded movie with a big budget that flopped pretty hard. It also failed to inspire critics. It did, however, have some pretty memorable portrayals of famous gangsters from the early days of organized crime in America. One of the most important figures in that history, Charles "Lucky" Luciano, is played by Christian Slater in the movie, and if we're honest, he's pretty good, despite the movie's failings.

Anthony Spilotro - Casino

Anthony Spilotro, who was the basis for the character Nicky Santoro played by Joe Pesci in Casino was pretty much exactly like Pesci played in the movie, according to most accounts. That's amazing to think about as the character seems so over the top it's hard to believe.

Tony Montana - Scarface

We just had to include Tony Montana in Scarface on this list, but calling the character based on a real-life gangster is a little tricky. Montana, played by Al Pacino, is a Cuban refugee in the movie, whereas the character was very loosely based on the real Scarface, Al Capone. It's not exactly the most direct analog, but it does follow the gangster in his rise to the top of the drug trade in Miami, much like Capone and booze in Chicago. So... sort of?

Frank Sheeran - The Irishman

Frank Sheeran is one of the most infamous mob hitmen of all time. He is also the titular Irishman in Netflix's The Irishman. He worked for Jimmy Hoffa, and, at least according to the movie, assassinated the union leader at the behest of mobster Russell Bufalino.

Nicky Barnes - American Gangster

American Gangster was mostly about the rise and fall of Frank Lucas in Harlem in the 1970s, but his biggest rival at the time, Nicky Barnes, played by Cuba Gooding, Jr., also features prominently in the film. As portrayed in the movie, Barnes ran "The Council" and worked alongside the Italian mob families at the time.

Sonny Black - Donnie Brasco

Michael Madsen plays the character Sonny Black in Donnie Brasco who was based on the real-life mobster Dominick "Sonny Black" Napolitano. Napolitano was the leader of the crew, which included Lefty Ruggiero (Al Pacino in the movie). In real life, as in the movie, Napolitano trusted Brasco and ultimately was assassinated for that trust in 1981 when it was revealed that Brasco was really undercover agent Joe Pistone.

Frank Nitti - The Untouchables

To be clear, very little about the fictional Frank Nitti in The Untouchables is anything like the real-life Nitti. But, Frank Nitti was an infamous enforcer for Al Capone in the 1920s and '30s. In the movie, he has one of the most haunting mob deaths of all time, though it's completely fictional, as the real Nitti wasn't thrown off a building by Eliot Ness, but died many years later from a self-inflicted gunshot.

Mickey Cohen - Gangster Squad

One of the most important figures in the establishment of a mob influence on the West Coast and in LA and Las Vegas particularly was Mickey Cohen. Not only was he really the first "boss" in LA, but he also worked with Bugsy Siegel in the establishment of Las Vegas as a mob-run town in the early days. In Gangster Squad, a movie about the LAPD's case against Cohen, he is played wonderfully by Sean Penn.

Thomas DeSimone - Goodfellas

Tommy Devite, played by Joe Pesci in Goodfellas is one of the most unhinged mobsters ever portrayed on film. The character is based on the real-life Thomas DeSimone, who is part of the crew that Henry Hill is associated with. Some of the things that are likely true in the movie are his brutal murder of "Billy Batts" Bentvena, and his death at what he thought was going to be the ceremony to induct him as a "made man" as portrayed in the movie.

John Patrick Looney - Road To Perdition

Road to Perdition is a great example of a movie based on a graphic novel that isn't about a superhero, and it's loosely based on the life of Irish mobster John Patrick Looney. John Rooney, played by Paul Newman, was one of the most influential gangsters in northern Illinois in the early 20th Century.

Jimmy Hoffa - Hoffa

Decades before Al Pacino played the infamous union boss Jimmy Hoffa in The Irishman, another all-time great, Jack Nicholson, played him in Hoffa. The biographical film about Hoffa was a box office bomb when it was released in 1992 co-stars (and was directed by) Danny DeVito, and while Nicholson's performance wasn't loved by all the critics, he was earned a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor.

Pretty Boy Floyd - Public Enemies

Director Michael Mann's 2009 hit Public Enemies has a whole bunch of characters based on real people on both sides of the law. One of those notorious bad guys was Pretty Boy Floyd who wasn't part of the gang led by John Dillinger but was tracked by the same G-man, Melvin Purvis (Christian Bale in the movie). Pretty Boy Floyd was played, appropriately, by Channing Tatum.

John Gotti - Gotti

One of the most ridiculed gangster movies of all time has to be Gotti. It's hard to recommend it as something to be watched and enjoyed, we couldn't leave it - or the performance by John Travolta as the infamous mob leader John Gotti - off this list. It's all just so... silly.

Russell Bufalino - The Irishman

Russell Bufalino, played by Joe Pesci in The Irishman, was the boss of his own family in Northeastern Pennsylvania. He was closely associated with the Five Families in New York City, and his cousin, William Bufalino, was Jimmy Hoffa's lawyer.

John Dillinger - Dillinger

One thing you really have to love about Tom Hardy is that he's pretty fearless in the roles he takes on and never plays it safe. In Capone, the English actor takes on the role of legendary Chicago mobster Al Capone. It's all about the end of Capone's life, after he'd been in jail for years and had lost his spot at the top of the Chicago outfit. It's a weird movie, to be sure, but Hardy is great.

Paul Vario - Goodfellas

Paul Sorvino plays the character Paul Cicero, based on Paul Vario in Goodfellas. That's a lot of Pauls! First name aside, Paul Vario was the caporegime in the Lucchese crime family who was put in jail in part on the testimony of Henry Hill (played by Ray Liotta in the movie). Sorvino was one of the most memorable parts in a very memorable movie as the quiet, but powerful, boss of the crew Hill was a part of.

Kevin Weeks - Black Mass

Jesse Plemons' portrayal of Kevin Weeks, an associate and enforcer with the Winter Hill Gang in Black Mass is one of the best performances in a movie filled with great performances. Alongside Whitey Bulger, Weeks was a brutal henchman who eventually turned against the mob and became a snitch, snitching on his boss, which is pretty ironic.

Baby Face Nelson - Public Enemies

Unlike the version of Baby Face Nelson in O Brother Where Art Thou?, the version played by Stephen Graham in Public Enemies is much closer to the real gangster. He's psycho, but he's pleasant. It's the perfect role of Graham and the performance is a real highlight of the film.

Al Capone - Capone

You really have to appreciate Tom Hardy's choice of roles. He rarely takes the easy ones. Instead he challenges himself, like playing the aging Al Capone in Capone. The film is all about the end of Capone's life, after he's served his prison time and lost his spot at the top of the Chicago outfit. It's a powerful man in completely decline mentally and physically. It's really a fantastic performance in an uneven movie.

Billy Batts - Goodfellas

William "Billy Batts" Bentvena, played by the great Frank Vincent (who is a master at playing mobsters) in Goodfellas is really only in one scene in the whole movie, but it's become such an iconic moment, when Nicky (Joe Pesci) stabs him to death with pen, that we had to include the real-life gangster on this list.

The 1990s were a great decade for music and that is reflected in this list of some of the best music moments from films of the era. Not all the music is "'90s music" but all of the moments are unforgettable. Here is our list of some of those amazing moments from some of the best movies of the decade.

"Flower Duet" - True Romance

Composer Léo Delibes' "Flower Duet" sets the backdrop for the amazing, and intense, scene between Christopher Walken and Dennis Hopper in Tony Scott's True Romance. Not only is it a fantastic use of music in film, it's one of the best scenes of any movie from the '90s. Maybe one of the best of all time.

"O-o-h Child" - Boyz 'N The Hood

The melancholy music and lyrics of "O-o-h Child" by the Five Stairsteps set the perfect tone for the scene in Boyz In The Hood where we see a young Dough Boy getting arrested for the first time as Tre and his father Furious look on after a nice afternoon fishing. The scene says so much about how each kid would grow up stuck in an unsustainable system.

"Layla" - GoodFellas

Martin Scorcese has always been great with his use of music in movies. Goodfellas is filled with classic songs and the most dramatic of all of them has to be the coda of the Derek and the Dominos' song "Layla." The piano, along with Eric Clapton and Duane Allman's soaring, dueling guitar solo, sets the perfect tone as bodies from the crew turn up everywhere as Jimmy (Robert DeNiro) cleans up the heist.

"Bittersweet Symphony" - Cruel Intentions

One of the best songs of the '90s, and indeed of all time, is "Bittersweet Symphony" by the Verve. The use of it at the end of Cruel Intentions as Kathryn (Sarah Michelle Gellar) gets busted and embarrassed in front of the whole school is, in one word, epic.

"Sweet Emotion" - Dazed And Confused

The opening moments of Dazed and Confused, accompanied by Aerosmith's "Sweet Emotion" make it immediately clear just how cool the movie is going to be. When the beat kicks in and we see Pickford (Shawn Andrews) and Michelle (Milla Jovovich) cruising the parking lot in his car, it draws the audience in immediately.

"Son Of Preacher Man" - Pulp Fiction

There are a lot of songs you can choose from in Quentin Tarantino's masterpiece Pulp Fiction. The dancing scene with Chuck Berry certainly stands out, but we just have to go with "Son of a Preacher Man" by Dusty Springfield when Vincent (John Travolta) first arrives to pick up Mia (Uma Thurman). If nothing else, it's really cool, and the scene is now a legendary meme.

"Supermodel" - Clueless

"Cher's main thrill in life is a makeover," is one of the defining lines of Clueless, and the montage that follows accompanied by "Supermodel" by Jill Sobule, is one of the most iconic scenes from one of the most iconic movies of the '90s.

"Jungle Fever" - Jungle Fever

You can't have a list like this and not include the music from Spike Lee's Jungle Fever. The songs, all written and performed by the great Stevie Wonder, fit the movie perfectly. It would be a very different movie without them and while it's hard to pick just one, we went with the title track to the movie, played over the opening credits, to represent them all.

"Still" - Office Space

Sure, the most famous song featured in Office Space is "Feels Good To Be A Gangsta" but it's another song by The Geto Boys, "Still," that gets the nod here. There isn't a harder song director Mike Judge could have gone with to play along with the most famous scene in the movie when the office crew finally put their misery to an end and killed the janky printer.

"Hotel California" - The Big Lebowski

The Big Lebowski has some amazing quotes and is filled with unforgettable moments and lines. None more so than the moment cast member John Turturro's character, Jesus, is introduced while The Gypsy Kings' version of The Eagles' "Hotel California" plays.

"My Heart Will Go On" - Titanic

While Celine Dion's song "My Heart Will Go On" is not part of one particular scene in Titanic, the theme, written by James Horner (in the composer's most famous work), is played so much that it's as much a part of everyone's fond memories of the movie as the wonderful sets and incredible special effects arfe.

"Unchained Melody" - Ghost

"Unchained Melody" by The Righteous Brothers may have been a quarter of a century old when it was used in Ghost but there are generations of movie fans that only associate with that famous scene of Demi Moore and Patrick Swayze throwing some pottery together.

“Bohemian Rhapsody” - Wayne’s World

It's incredible to think that Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" was almost cut from Wayne's World. Not only did end up being the most iconic scene in the movie, it introduced a whole new audience to Queen's music. The movie world would be very different with it.

"Bring The Pain" - The Great White Hype

1996's The Great White Hype is one of the great underrated movies of the decade. Not only does it have a stacked cast with Damon Wayons, Jeff Goldblum, Samuel L. Jackson, Peter Berg, Jamie Foxx, and others, but it also has one amazing moment when Wayons' character, heavyweight champion James "The Grim Reaper" Roper enters the ring with Method Man rapping "Bring The Pain."

"Goodbye Horses" - Silence Of The Lambs

There are very few songs in the history of film that can creep you out quite like "Goodbye Horses" by Q Lazzarus. The song, used in one of the most traumatic scenes in Silence Of The Lambs will immediately put you back in that moment whenever and wherever you hear it.

"Lust For Life" - Trainspotting

Director Danny Boyle is a master of using music in his movies and the best example of this is probably Trainspotting. From the opening moments of the movie with "Lust For Life" by Iggy Pop playing to the end of the movie with the epic "Born Slippy" by Underworld, the music is just amazing.

"The Stroke" - Billy Madison

Billy Madison launched Adam Sandler's movie career. The Sand Man plays a idiot 20-something who is forced to redo all 12 grades to earn his father's company. As a guy who clearly grew up in the 1980s, turning up to his first day of "high school" in a Trans Am while "The Stroke" by Billy Squire plays is, well, radical and perfect.

“I Will Always Love You” - The Bodyguard

We simply couldn't have put together this list without including one of the most popular songs of all time. Whitney Houston's version of the Dolly Parton-penned "I Will Always Love You" was a cultural atom bomb in the '90s. The song was everywhere and while the movie, which also stars Houston has mostly been forgotten, the song and the soundtrack live on forever.

"Everybody Knows" - Pump Up The Volume

Pump Up The Volume is an excellent example of a great movie from the 1990s that no one talks about anymore. The Christian Slater-led movie about a disaffected high school kid who broadcasts his own pirate radio station did, at the time, do as much to define Gen X culture as any movie from the era. The fact that it predates Grunge makes it all the more defining. All of the music is great, but his theme song, "Everybody Knows" by Leonard Cohen is just so... cool.

"My Sharona" - Reality Bites

No movie oozes "Gen X" quite like Reality Bites. Not only does it star actors like Ethan Hawke, Winona Ryder, Janeane Garofalo, and Steve Zahn, but the soundtrack is very '90s. With one exception - "My Sharona" by The Knack. The '80s song fits perfectly though, as the stars all take a moment to turn it up and dance in a convenience store.

“Sister Christian” - Boogie Nights

The scene with "Sister Christian" in Boogie Nights is INTENSE. It's a scene that is, honestly, hard to watch because it makes your skin crawl. That's also what makes the scene, and the movie, such a masterpiece.

"99 Luftballoons" - Grosse Pointe Blank

Grosse Pointe Blank has a truly great soundtrack made up of some of the coolest songs of the 1980s. This is unsurprising given the cast and crew of the movie, including star John Cusack. One of the more ridiculous scenes in this underrated dark romantic comedy is Cusack's character getting help from Jeremy Piven's character to haul a dead body out of a high school reunion with Nena's "99 Luftballoons" playing in the background.

"Stuck In The Middle With You" - Reservoir Dogs

Quentin Tarantino burst onto the scene with his first movie Reservoir Dogs and he immediately set the kind of tone he would carry into most of his movies with the ultra-violent scene of Mr. Blonde (Michael Madson) cutting the ear off a cop. The fact that the sweet love song "Stuck In The Middle With You" by Stealers Wheel plays over it makes it all the more jarring.

"Only You" - Can't Hardly Wait

Can't Hardly Wait is a very '90s with a very '80s aesthetic in a lot of ways, especially the music. The movie's title comes from an '80s song of the same name by The Replacements and the last song of the movie, "Only You" by Yazoo is an '80s New Wave classic. It all fits perfectly though.

"Something I Can Never Have" - Natural Born Killers

Nine Inch Nails have the well-earned reputation of being one of the darkest bands of the 1990s and so when their song "Something I Can Never Have" was included in one of the darkest movies of the decade, it was a marriage made in Heaven, or Hell, depending on how you look at it.

"Mary Jane" - Friday

We all know what Friday is about. The Ice Cube/Chris Tucker comedy classic is one of the funniest movies of the '90s and while "Mary Jane" by Rick James dates back to the '70s, there isn't a more perfect song for the movie.

"Fortunate Son" - Forrest Gump

It's become a comedic trope that Credence Clearwater Revival's "Fortunate Son" is in every Vietnam War movie, but the facts actually show it's not used all that much. One movie it is used perfectly in is Forrest Gump, as the first song we hear when Forrest (Tom Hanks) gets to Vietnam.

"I Got You Babe" - Groundhog Day

There is no more perfect song than "I Got You Babe" to be played over and over and over and over as it is in Groundhog's Day. It does an amazing job just sucking the audience into Bill Murray's character's frustration again and again...and again.

“That Thing You Do” - That Thing You Do!

That Thing You Do! is a really fun movie about a fictional band, so it just had to be included here. None of the songs are all that great, except the star of the show, the song with the same name as the movie, written by the late Adam Schlesinger. It's just so darn catchy!

"State of Love and Trust and Breathe" - Singles

In 1992 the music scene was completely overrun with Grunge. Nirvana, Soundgarden, and Alice In Chains, were just a few of the Seattle bands dominating the charts. Another one of those Seattle bands was, of course, Pearl Jam. Not only did Eddie Veddar and company write and perform the best song on the soundtrack, "State of Love and Trust" but Veddar even showed up in the movie.

"Secret Garden" - Jerry Maguire

Bruce Springsteen had some great contributions to '90s movies, like the theme to Philadelphia, called ""Streets of Philadelphia" for which he won an Oscar, and "Dead Man Walkin'" from Dead Man Walking. We went with another Springsteen choice, "Secret Garden" which is played over the scene in Jerry Maguire when Renee Zelleweger's character is forced to break up with Jerry (Tom Cruise).

"Love Stinks" - The Wedding Singer

Some could argue that The Wedding Singer was the last great movie from Adam Sandler's early career. It's a funny movie, with an even funnier premise and that premise, of Sandler as a washed up singer playing weddings is highlighted perfectly when a depressed singer chooses to sing "Love Stinks" by the J. Geils Band at a wedding. A very Sandler choice.

Prison is a scary place. Even in the movies, it's the kind of place that is impossible to romanticize, and Hollywood can do that with a lot of other terrible places. Prisons are also a place where storytellers can find interesting characters and angles to bring humanity to life. There is nothing good in prison, but there is that, there is humanity. Still, as the movies on this list will prove, you never want to end up there. 

The Green Mile

If there is an even worse place to be than regular prison, it's death row. It's even worse if you were to find yourself on death row in Louisiana in the 1930s. That's where our story takes place in The Green Mile and while Tom Hanks' character is somewhat kind, the rest of the guards are a nightmare and the experience looks miserable. Death might be a relief.

The Last Castle

Military prison is no joke, especially when the warden is one like the one James Gandolfini plays in The Last Castle. The movie plays out like a lot of prison movies, in the vein of Cool Hand Luke. One prisoner, unhappy with the unfair treatment of the warden and the guards takes them all on in a battle of wills.

Escape From Alcatraz

Escape From Alcatraz is an all-time classic and a fun adventure movie. It's not fun to see what life was really like on "The Rock." Watching this movie it's easy to understand why people were desperate to escape the "escape-proof" prison.

Cool Hand Luke

A failure to communicate is not why Luke (Paul Newman) was the way he was in Cool Hand Luke. A mere existence on a chain gang in a prison work camp seems like it would be just the worst thing to ever go through. At least you get all the eggs you can eat though.

The Longest Yard

On its surface, The Longest Yard makes light of life in prison. They get to play football and make jokes all day. Dig a little deeper and think a little more and you realize that the only relief from the stress and the boredom of prison is the take desperate measures on the football field. No thanks.

Dead Man Walking

Dead Man Walking, starring Sean Penn as a condemned man on death row is a really hard movie to watch. There is nothing scarier than being in a situation where you know you're going to die and little can be done to save yourself. Instead, you can only hope to take solace in your death by meeting with a spiritual advisor and hope the afterlife is better than where you are.

The Great Escape

Okay, okay, this really is a fun adventure movie, for the most part. Still, there are some dark moments in The Great Escape like Archie Ives (Angus Lennie) cracking and in a move of desperation trying to scale the fence only to be cut down by the guards. As fun, as this movie is, it's still prison.

In The Name Of The Father

The only thing worse than getting locked up for committing a crime is getting locked up as an innocent man. In the classic In The Name Of The Father, that's exactly what happens to a man and his father, played by Daniel Day-Lewis and Pete Postlethwaite, respectively. They spend years in prison fighting for their freedom, which eventually comes, but too late for the father. 

The Bridge On The River Kwai

World War II prison camps in the Pacific Theater were no joke. In one of the best movies of all-time, The Bridge On The River Kwai, the brutality of life in the camp is on display for the full run-time of the movie. It's impossible to understand how those soldiers kept their dignity like they did. 

The Shawshank Redeption

In one of, if not the best movie of the '90s, two men face life sentences in a brutal prison in Maine in The Shawshank Redemption. The fact that Andy (Tim Robbins) is an innocent man wrongly sent to jail makes it even more brutal. Still, this is the kind of movie where humanity shines through, it's just not how anyone would every choose to experience it. 

Bronson

Bronson is a wild movie, about a wild guy dubbed "Great Britain's most dangerous prisoner." Tom Hardy plays the titular character, who is based on a real criminal, and one look at how he acts with those around him and you'll know you never want to deal with anyone like him. The best way to avoid that is to stay out of jail! 

Brokedown Palace

Smuggling illicit items into a foreign country is about the worst idea, ever. Starring Claire Danes as Alice Marano and Kate Beckinsale as Darlene Davis, Brokedown Palace tells the story of two young women who make one major mistake and pay the price in the worst way in a brutal women's prison in Thailand.

Escape From New York

Not every prison has walls guards, or even cells. Some, it turns out are just the burnt-out remains of one of the great cities of the world, New York City. In Escape from New York, Snake (Kurt Russell) must navigate an apocalyptic landscape in a chaotic, free-for-all prison on what was once the island of Manhattan. No thanks.

Midnight Express

"Have you ever been in a Turkish prison" is the question Captain Over asks a kid in the spoof movie Airplane! Lost on a modern audience is that the joke is in reference to a movie from 1978 called Midnight Express. It was a phenomenon at the time and really set the bar for just how scary and awful prison can be, 

25th Hour

Even though 25th Hour doesn't actually take place in a prison, it's almost worse. Edward Norton plays a convicted man headed to prison, navigating how to prepare. Sometimes the anticipation can be the worst part and there is no better example than this fantastic movie directed by Spike Lee. 

Con Air

Once again, we're talking about a movie that while it's a ton of fun on the surface, it doesn't take much to look under the hood and see how terrifying the people in prison are. Just two of the passengers on Con Air, Cyrus the Virus (John Malkovich) and Garland Green (Steve Buscemi) are enough to convince anyone that prison is a bad place to be. 

No Escape

Set in the year 2022, the 1994 movie No Escape is completely over-the-top. Similar to Escape from New York, it's about a penal colony on a island, but this time it's no city, just jungle. And there is no escape, if you believe the title. It seems like about the worst place to do time. 

The Hurricane

Yet another tragic tale of an innocent man rotting away in prison for decades trying to get someone, anyone, in the justice system to believe him. Ruben Carter was railroaded into a murder conviction in the 1970s and spent years trying to get out. Hurricane tells his story brilliantly, and the good news is that eventually he did get out and declared innocent. 

The Dark Knight Rises

There is an old saying about throwing the worst criminals down the deepest, darkest hole in the earth. In The Dark Knight Rises that's exactly where some of the worst of the worst end up, including both Bane and Batman at different times. Only a few have ever escaped, like Talia al Ghul (Joey King) and Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale)

12 Monkeys

Sometimes it's hard to tell the difference between prison and a mental facility. Especially in a dystopian future like the one in 12 Monkeys. In fact, the movie makes the latter look way worse than a simple prison. Either way, you hope to not end up in either one. 

Sleepers

Sadistic guards in movies have long been one of the reasons it's clear you don't end up in jail, even - or maybe especially - as a juvenile. Kevin Bacon's character in Sleepers is so evil, so sadistic, that even when the worst happens to him later, you can't help but cheer. And say a little prayer that you never had to go through what the kids in that movie went through. 

Deadpool 2

Even in a fun superhero movie like Deadpool 2, you don't want to end up in prison like Wade (Ryan Reynolds) does. Not only do they block his power and allow the cancer to return, he can't be protected from Cable (Josh Brolin)

The Power of One

One of Morgan Freeman's most underrated movies has to be The Power of One. Ultimately it's an inspiring story, but it's not without the cautionary tale of avoiding prison, something his character sadly cannot do in apartheid South Africa. 

American History X

If there is one thing to learn about avoiding prison in American History X, it's that you never want to end up like Edward Norton's character. Ever. He is the personification of evil and prison only makes him better at being evil. Not only do want to avoid people like him, you would never want to be in a position to have to be more like him. 

Goodfellas

This one is a little tricky. For one, prison for wise guys doesn't look that bad in Goodfellas. There is steak, lobster, and thinly sliced garlic. On the other hand, life in the witness relocation program, eating egg noodles with ketchup, sounds like a miserable existence, so its best to just avoid the whole situation and stay on the straight and narrow. 

Papillion (2017)

2017's Papillon is a remake of a movie from 1973 starring Steve McQueen about a condemned man sent to the notorious Devil's Island prison from France. Both movies are great, so it's hard to pick one over the other. Both will scare the pants off you and ensure you'll do anything to avoid something like that. 

Stir Crazy

Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor can make anything fun and that includes prison. So while Stir Crazy is of the few movies on this list that audiences laugh through, it still doesn't sell anyone on the idea that prison is the place to be. Quite the opposite, in fact. 

The Stanford Prison Experiment

The Stanford Prison Experiment isn't the best movie on the list, nor is it about an actual prison, but anyone who knows anything about the real experience this film is fictionalizing knows just how awful things got. The experiment was to show what happens when regular people are put under the stress of being prisoners and guards in a prison-like situation. The results may make you lose all faith in humanity. 

Starred Up

Violence is everywhere in prison and Starred Up makes sure that audiences feel all of it viscerally. It's not an easy movie to watch, and it makes you wonder how anyone could survive inside with the level of violence possible. It's an underrated movie, but not one you aspire to be like. 

Jailhouse Rock

One of the many low-budget, quick productions that starred Elvis early in his career was the prison movie Jailhouse Rock. While it doesn't seem like the worst prison on earth and there is singing and dancing, it's still a prison. Maybe the real prison would be having to watch this movie over and over in lockdown 23 hours a day. 

Alien 3

Even in the future, prison looks miserable. Maybe even more miserable when you are stuck on a prison planet with nothing but violent criminals and forced to shave your head to avoid lice. And then an alien gets involved. Nope! No, thank you! 

Law Abiding Citizen

Everyone want to root for the antihero and in Law Abiding Citizen, Gerard Butler's character is one that is easy to root for. The time he spends in jail, however, is not something anyone could root for. Just like all the movies on this list. It all just sounds awful. 

They say that truth is stranger than fiction, and these crime dramas certainly prove that. Yes, some of the biggest, most acclaimed titles in the genre are actually fictionalized dramatizations of real-life crimes, from horrifyingly true serial killer sprees to shocking cases of financial fraud to deep dives into organized crime. Just as harrowing as the best true crime documentaries, these stories combine legality, morality and humanity, making for a truly chilling watch. Here is our list of 32 great films that are actually inspired by true events. 

The Irishman

The ninth collaboration between actor Robert De Niro and director Martin Scorsese, this critically acclaimed 2019 gangster epic chronicled the life of Frank Sheeran (De Niro), a truck driver turned alleged mafia hitman who became involved with the Bufalino crime family in the 1950s and later the powerful Teamster Jimmy Hoffa (Al Pacino). The Oscar-nominated drama — which also starred Joe Pesci, Ray Romano, Bobby Cannavale, and Harvey Keitel — is based on the 2004 nonfiction book I Heard You Paint Houses by Charles Brandt. 

Spotlight

One of the greatest journalism movies of all time, this 2015 American drama follows The Boston Globe's "Spotlight" team, a real-life group of investigative journalists (played by Michael Keaton, Mark Ruffalo, Rachel McAdams, and Brian d'Arcy James) who uncovered the massive scandal of child assault within the local Catholic Archdiocese. Though some creative liberties were taken in telling the story (ex: some events were depicted happening before they actually did in real life), the 2016 Best Picture winner was based on news articles published by the IRL Spotlight team.

Casino

Set in the 1970s and early '80s when Las Vegas was run by the mob, this Scorsese classic was adapted from Nicholas Pileggi nonfiction book Casino: Love and Honor in Las Vegas. Like the book, the film follows Sam "Ace" Rothstein (Robert De Niro), a low-level mobster tasked by his bosses to oversee operations at the Tangiers Casino. His job is made harder by the company he keeps, including mafia enforcer Nicky Santora (Joe Pesci) and con artist showgirl Ginger McKenna (Sharon Stone). 

Zodiac

Not only is Zodiac one of the best movies of the 2000s, but it's arguably one of the best cinematic thrillers of all time. And to make things even more scary, the 2007 David Fincher film is based on a true story. Yes, the Zodiac Killer was a real-life serial murderer who terrorized the Bay Area during the late 1960s and early 1970s, and the case continues to be one of the country's most infamous unsolved crimes. Jake Gyllenhaal, Mark Ruffalo and Robert Downey Jr. star in the tense mystery.

JFK

This 1991 political epic directed by Oliver Stone examines the investigation into the assassination of John F. Kennedy by New Orleans district attorney Jim Garrison (played by Kevin Costner). While the president's murder was a very real and very tragic moment in American history, the film controversially delves into conspiracies surrounding JFK's death, including that Lee Harvey Oswald was a scapegoat and the shooting was part of a coup d'état to get Lyndon B. Johnson into office.

Monster

Charlize Theron won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her transformative portrayal of Aileen Wuornos, a longtime Daytona Beach call girl who became a serial killer and murdered seven of her male clients between 1989 and 1990. The directorial debut of Patty Jenkins, the 2003 biographical drama accurately portrayed Wournos's troubled childhood and her later crimes but fictionalized certain elements of Aileen's life, including her relationship with lover Selby Wall (played by Christina Ricci).

Dog Day Afternoon

“Nobody would ever do what I did,” declared John Wojtowicz in the documentary The Dog. “That’s why they made a movie about it.” The movie he's talking about is, of course, the 1975 Sidney Lumet classic Dog Day Afternoon, which stars Al Pacino as Sonny Wortzik — a man based on Wojtowicz himself — a first-time crook who leads a robbery at a Brooklyn bank, only for it to turn into a hostage situation. 

The Big Short

This white-collar crime drama from Adam McKay takes viewers straight inside the corruption and greed of the 2008 U.S. financial crisis. Based on Michael Lewis's book of the same name, the film is built around an ensemble of characters — Wall Street guru Michael Burry (Christian Bale), hedge-fund specialist Mark Baum (Steve Carell), banker Jared Vennett (Ryan Gosling) — who saw the collapse of the housing market coming before anyone else did and decided to take cruel advantage of it.

Goodfellas

One of the most iconic movie characters of the '90s, Henry Hill (played by a perfect Ray Liotta) was enamored with mob life ever since he was an Italian-American kid in Brooklyn. We doubt, though, that he expected his life of crime to go quite the way it did, with addictions, prison sentences, and informing against those closest to him (Robert De Niro's Jimmy Conway, Paul Sorvino's Paul Cicero). Even more surprising, the riches-to-rags story is true: Hill was a real mobster and Goodfellas was adapted from the nonfiction book Wiseguy by crime reporter Nicholas Pileggi. 

Memories of Murder

An absolutely stunning mystery from director Bong Joon-ho, the 2003 neo-noir Memories of Murder is centered on a series of murders and rapes plaguing a village in rural South Korea in the 1980s, with a veteran local detective (Song Kang-ho) and a younger detective (Kim Sang-Kyung) working together to crack the case. The story was loosely based on the real-life Hwaseong serial murders, South Korea's first confirmed serial murders, which have remained unsolved for nearly forty years. 

Can You Ever Forgive Me?

In this 2018 biopic on author-turned-forger Lee Israel — featuring a spectacular lead performance from Melissa McCarthy, who took over the role after Julianne Moore was fired — director Marielle Heller delves into the real-life desperation of Israel after she loses her job and is unable to get any writing published. Though she first takes to selling memorabilia and books in order to make ends meet, the scribe realizes that forging celebrity letters (Fanny Brice, Noël Coward, Dorothy Parker) is not only a lucrative business but also a viable artistic outlet for her own creativity. 

Bonnie And Clyde

Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow were American bandits and serial killers whose crime spree during the Great Depression escalated from robbing lowly stores, gas stations and even rural funeral homes to major banks. In this 1967 classic by Arthur Penn, Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty portray the title characters, whose misdeeds get even more violent and messy — especially with fellow gang members like Clyde's older brother Buck (Gene Hackman) and his wife Blanche (Estelle Parsons) — as time goes on. 

The Wolf Of Wall Street

The accuracy of Martin Scorsese's 2003 crime comedy has come into question in the decade since the film came out — it's based on the memoir of former stockbroker and financial criminal Jordan Belfort (portrayed by Leonardo DiCaprio), who weaves a tale of debauchery and fraud at a Wall Street brokerage firm in 1990s New York City. Though Belfort himself took issue with the movie's oversimplification of his own money crimes, he acknowledged that Scorsese and Co. accurately captured the "overall feeling" of those years. 

Judas And The Black Messiah

With this powerful 2021 crime drama, director Shaka King and screenwriters Keith and Kenny Lucas wanted to change how the Black Panther Party is perceived. After Bill O'Neal (LaKeith Stanfield) is offered a plea deal by the FBI, he infiltrates the Illinois chapter of the organization to gather intelligence on Chairman Fred Hampton (an Oscar-winning turn by Daniel Kaluuya). "It was quite essential to make sure that we presented the Panthers in a more realistic way and not the character that they’ve become, you know, the militant Black guys in black berets carrying guns," Keith Lucas told CinemaBlend. 

Summer Of Sam

Director Spike Lee is famous for accurately capturing moments of New York City culture and history, and he definitely does that with this 1999 crime thriller, which is focused on the 1977 serial murders by David Berkowitz, a.k.a. the Son of Sam, and how the horrific crimes affected a group of fictional residents in an Italian-American neighborhood in the Bronx. The cast includes John Leguizamo, Adrien Brody, Mira Sorvino, Jennifer Esposito and Michael Badalucco, playing Berkowitz himself. 

She Said

A very recent piece of American crime history, this thorough and riveting #MeToo drama trails The New York Times journalists Megan Twohey and Jodi Kantor (portrayed by Carey Mulligan and Zoe Kazan, respectively) as they work to expose the sexual abuse allegations against powerful Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein. Adding a devastating extra layer of realism, the film also features some of Weinstein's real-life victims, including actress Ashley Judd, who appears as herself.

In Cold Blood

Truman Capote’s formative nonfiction novel In Cold Blood — which details the 1959 murders of four members of the Clutter family in Holcomb, Kansas — has been adapted multiple times for screens big and small. However, the first was this 1967 film directed by Richard Brooks, which stars Robert Blake and Scott Wilson as the infamous criminals. The "quasidocumentary" vibes were boosted by the fact that Brooks filmed where the crimes occurred, including the real Clutter home.  

Catch Me If You Can

A story like Frank Abagnale Jr.'s is so wild, it can only be true: in this 2002 Steven Spielberg-directed jaunt based on Abagnale Jr.'s semi-autobiographical book of the same name, Leonardo DiCaprio — giving one of his best performances — plays the crafty teenager who performed several million dollars worth of cons, impersonating a Pan Am pilot, a Georgia doctor and a Louisiana parish prosecutor along the way. Joining DiCaprio in the Catch Me If You Can cast is Tom Hanks as Carl Hanratty, the FBI agent tailing Frank Jr., and Christopher Walken as Frank Abagnale Sr.

Lost Girls

Amy Ryan leads this heartbreaking 2020 Netflix drama as Mari Gilbert, a desperate mother who, in searching for her missing daughter Shannan (Sarah Wisser), launches an investigation that leads police to the unsolved murders of young sex workers on the South Shore barrier islands of Long Island, spanning from the early '90s to the 2010s. The case of the Gilgo Beach serial killer made headlines in 2023 when a suspect was charged with the murders of six of the women. 

Till

After the brutal, racially charged murder of her 14-year-old son Emmett Till in August 1955, Mamie Till-Bradley dedicated her life to the relentless pursuit of justice for her son's death, famously insisting on an open casket funeral for her son to reveal what had been done to him. This 2022 biographical drama is a worthy memorial to the young man, with Danielle Deadwyler starring as Till's mother, who became an icon of the American Civil Rights Movement for her work in education and racial justice. 

Hustlers

In a role that many believed would nab Jennifer Lopez an Oscar nomination, the triple threat portrayed veteran stripper Ramona Vega in the Lorene Scafaria-directed dramedy Hustlers. Vega leads a group of New York City pole dancers who begin to steal money by drugging stock traders and CEOs who visit their club, and then run up their credit cards. Though the heist is inspired by true events, there were big differences between the movie and the real story, so much so that Samantha Barbash — the danger who inspired Lopez's character — sued producers for $40 million. (That defamation suit was dismissed.) 

The Trial Of The Chicago 7

A courtroom masterpiece from Aaron Sorkin, this 2020 legal drama is based on the infamous 1969 trial of a group of anti–Vietnam War protesters — played by an A+ ensemble cast that includes Sacha Baron Cohen, Eddie Redmayne, Jeremy Strong, and John Carroll Lynch — who were charged by the federal government with conspiracy and more, arising from the countercultural protests in Chicago at the 1968 Democratic National Convention. 

Richard Jewell

Just one of many Clint Eastwood movies based on a true story, this 2019 bio-drama depicts the 1996 Olympic Park bombing in Atlanta, Georgia, and its aftermath, told from the perspective of the security guard, Richard Jewell (played by Paul Hauser), who first discovered the explosive device. Though initially hailed a hero for alerting authorities and saving the lives of countless spectators, Jewell was later wrongly suspected by the FBI of having planted the device himself, an investigation that was even bigger than the movie showed.  

House Of Gucci

Based on Sara Gay Forden's 2001 book The House of Gucci: A Sensational Story of Murder, Madness, Glamour, and Greed, this 2021 Ridley Scott flick certainly offers all of that, with Lady Gaga scoring a Golden Globe nomination for her portrayal of Patrizia Reggiani, the Italian socialite who was convicted in a highly publicized trial of hiring a hitman to kill her ex-husband, Maurizio Gucci. And, yes, we're talking about that Gucci, which means that the onscreen fashions are as unforgettable as the story itself.

Psycho

Yes, the Hitchcock horror classic — which gave cinema the most iconic shower scene of all time —is actually inspired by a true story. Adapted from Robert Bloch's 1959 novel of the same name, the story of shy motel caretaker Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins) and his domineering mother was loosely based on the case of convicted Wisconsin murderer and grave robber Ed Gein who, like Bates, was a solitary murderer living in rural isolation, was raised by an overbearing mother, and dressed in women's clothes to impersonate their deceased parent. 

Natural Born Killers

This romantic crime film — directed by Oliver Stone, with a story by Quentin Tarantino and a cast led by Juliette Lewis and Woody Harrelson in one of his best roles — sparked a bit of irony when it was released in 1994. Natural Born Killers was loosely based on the true crimes of Caril Ann Fugate and Charles Starkweather, a young Nebraska couple who went on a killing spree throughout the Midwest in 1958. 

Heavenly Creatures

Starring Melanie Lynskey and Kate Winslet in, astonishingly, their feature film debuts, this critically acclaimed 1994 drama from Peter Jackson is based on the notorious Parker–Hulme murder case. It tells the true story of Pauline Rieper (Lynskey) and Juliet Hulme (Winslet), two outcast girls growing up in 1950s New Zealand, whose intense relationship culminates in the premeditated killing of Parker's mother. 

Foxcatcher

Steve Carell chillingly transformed himself to play John du Pont, the multi-millionaire heir turned murderer at the center of Bennett Miller’s Foxcatcher. A wrestling enthusiast, Du Pont recruits two Olympic gold medalists Mark Schultz (Channing Tatum) and his older brother David (Mark Ruffalo) to coach wrestlers to the top of those podiums. One of those brothers would end up the victim of Du Pont's gun, making John to this day the only member of the Forbes 400 richest Americans to be convicted of murder.

BlacKkKlansman

Loosely based on the 2014 memoir Black Klansman by Ron Stallworth, the '70s-set Spike Lee drama follows the first Black detective in the Colorado Springs Police Department as he sets out to infiltrate and expose the local Ku Klux Klan chapter. With John David Washington as Stallworth (the actor even got to meet the real man during filming), the cast also includes Topher Grace as KKK grand wizard David Duke, Corey Hawkins as civil rights leader Kwame Ture and Adam Driver as Stallworth's fictional partner, Detective Flip Zimmerman.

Molly's Game

Molly Bloom's 2014 memoir — in which she recounts the true story of how she went from being a U.S. competitive skier to running an illegal, underground poker empire for Hollywood celebrities, business tycoons, and even the Russian mob — was adapted by Aaron Sorkin for his directorial debut, with Jessica Chastain portraying Bloom. Though Sorkin was reportedly reticent to call the film a "poker movie," the drama does up the realism by featuring many scenes of actual gambling from the film's extras, who were all professional poker players.

Party Monster

Set in the Club Kids party scene of the late 1980s and early 1990s in New York City, Party Monster tells the shocking story of Michael Alig (played by Macaulay Culkin), the infamous party promoter who was convicted of felony manslaughter after killing his fellow clubgoer Andre "Angel" Melendez in a confrontation over a drug debt. The film is based on Disco Bloodbath, the memoir of Alig's former friend James St. James, portrayed in the film by Seth Green. 

Serpico

Garnering Al Pacino's first Best Actor Oscar nomination, Serpico sees the iconic actor as the titular character, Frank Serpico, an idealistic New York City detective who struggles with the corruption found within the New York City Police Department. As in real life, Serpico's work as a whistleblower against the police force led to a governmental investigation by the Knapp Commission and later earned the officer the NYPD Medal of Honor. 

Throughout the 1990s, audiences were introduced to countless iconic movie characters that made us laugh, cry, and feel every emotion on the spectrum. Lovable good guys, mean bad guys, and characters that live somewhere in the middle helped make some of the best ‘90s movies turn into pop culture phenomena. 

Though there are close to 25 years of separation between us and the end of the final decade of the 20th century, big-screen figures like Forrest Gump, Cher Horowitz, and Jules Winnfield are still very much a part of our culture. That said, we’ve put together a hefty list of iconic ‘90s movie characters and why we still talk about them today. 

Jules Winnfield & Vincent Vega (Pulp Fiction)

From the first time we met Jules Winnfield (Samuel L. Jackson) and Vincent Vega (John Travolta) in the early goings of Pulp Fiction, the dynamic duo has been one of the most iconic and quotable in cinematic history. Their banter (Royale with Cheese), legendary lines (Bad Motherfucker), and chemistry have kept them relevant 30 years on.

Forrest Gump (Forrest Gump)

When discussing Tom Hanks’ best performances, it doesn’t take long before his portrayal of Forrest Gump enters the conversation. This beloved character, who was somehow at the center of every major event from the 1960s to the 1980s in Forrest Gump, remains a symbol of hope and a source of whimsical expressions decades later.

Ace Ventura (Ace Ventura: Pet Detective)

Jim Carrey went from an on-the-rise comedian to the biggest thing in show business in 1994, thanks in part to his starring role in Ace Ventura: Pet Detective. The over-the-top, zany, and aggravating Ventura inspired an entire generation to drive with their heads out the window and make their butts talk.

Kevin McCallister (Home Alone)

In 1990, Macaulay Culkin became the biggest child star on the planet thanks to his portrayal of Kevin McCallister in Home Alone. The performance, which is still as great as ever 30-plus years later, completely changed the way kid protagonists are portrayed and launched an entire industry of imitators, so much so we’ll never forget this iconic character.

Vivian Ward (Pretty Woman)

The ‘90s gave us some of the best romantic comedies ever, and that includes Pretty Woman. While Richard Gere is great in the 1990 movie, it’s Julia Roberts’ Vivian Ward who steals the show. All the years later, Vivian remains a powerful, independent, and beloved character that reshaped the mold of the rom-com heroine.

Neo (The Matrix)

The Wachowskis changed the sci-fi and action genres with their incredibly popular and inventive The Matrix back in 1999, and the same can be said about the film’s hero: Neo. One of Keanu Reeves’ best characters, Neo was and remains a revelation decades later.

The Dude (The Big Lebowski)

Jeff Bridges has a long list of great characters, but he will forever be associated with The Dude from The Big Lebowski. At this point, it’s hard to talk about one without bringing up the other, which says something about the performance.

Happy Gilmore (Happy Gilmore)

Adam Sandler had great characters on Saturday Night Live, and his performance in Billy Madison should be applauded, but come on, his most iconic role is Happy Gilmore. The titular hockey player-turned-golfer in this 1996 comedy made golf cool before Tiger Woods, so no wonder a Happy Gilmore sequel is in the works.

Edward (Edward Scissorhands)

There is something innocent and pure about Johnny Depp’s performance in Edward Scissorhands that has resonated with audiences over the past few decades, which is why the character always comes up with discussing the actor’s collaborations with Tim Burton. Equally odd and heartfelt, the portrayal is the stuff of wonder.

Bernadine & Savannah & Gloria & Robin (Waiting To Exhale)

On top of having a fantastic soundtrack and one of the best stories about friendship captured on film, Waiting to Exhale also introduced us to four of the best characters of the ‘90s. Bernadine Harris (Angela Bassett), Savannah Jackson (Whitney Houston), Gloria Matthews (Loretta Devine), and Robin Stokes (Lela Rochon) taught us about life and the meaning of friendship; lessons we still hold dear years later.

Hannibal Lecter (The Silence Of The Lambs)

A character that still sends shivers down our spines, Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins) in The Silence of the Lambs redefined what it meant to be a movie villain. The psychology, the physicality (or lack thereof), and the menacing expressions were something to behold.

Andy Dufresne & Red Redding (The Shawshank Redemption)

Arguably one of the most iconic movies of the ‘90s, The Shawshank Redemption gave us a touching and endearing friendship shared by Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins) and Red Redding (Morgan Freeman). Even if the movie wasn’t played on TV in perpetuity decades after its release, we’d still be championing these two beloved characters.

Henry Hill (Goodfellas)

Love him or hate him, Henry Hill from Goodfellas is a criminal and character that’ll never be forgotten by pop culture. One of Ray Liotta’s best performances, the late actor’s turn as criminal-turned-witness is mesmerizing, to say the very least.

Cher Horowitz (Clueless)

Few characters captured the attitude, style, and sensibilities of a ‘90s teenager better than Alicia Silverstone’s Cher Horowitz in Clueless. And like, so many people still say “Ugh, as if,” a line taken from a movie released nearly 30 years ago.

Thelma & Louise (Thelma & Louise)

Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon gave the performances of a lifetime with their portrayal of the titular characters in Ridley Scott’s Thelma & Louise, portrayals that still come up time and time again decades later. These two characters were a breath of fresh air and helped kickstart the modern heroine back in 1991.

Will Hunting (Good Will Hunting) 

Matt Damon became an overnight sensation with his portrayal of Will Hunting in Good Will Hunting, a movie he co-wrote with co-star and best friend Ben Affleck. The math prodigy from South Boston was a revelation at the time of the film’s release and showed the dynamic range of the young actor.

Mrs. Doubtfire (Mrs. Doubtfire)

The late, great Robin Williams thrived in the ‘90s, and during that stretch, he gave us some of his best characters. One of those is Daniel Hillard, a.k.a., Mrs. Doubtfire, from the 1993 comedy classic. Not only is the performance tremendous, but those of us who grew up with Mrs. Doubtfire still quote the movie like every single day.

Lloyd & Harry (Dumb And Dumber)

Lloyd Christmas (Jim Carrey) and Harry Dunne (Jeff Daniels) are two of the dumbest yet beloved characters to grace the silver screen in the ‘90s. Dumb and Dumber, one of the funniest movies of the decade, is still finding an audience 30 years later, and that’s all thanks to this unforgettable duo.

Tracy Flick (Election)

If you were to make a list of the best Reese Witherspoon movies and NOT include Election, then you’d probably get voted out of office. Her portrayal of high school busy-body Tracy Flick is outstanding and ICONIC, even if she’s a character we’d so much want to see lose.

Austin Powers (Austin Powers: International Man Of Mystery)

Austin Powers is up there with Wayne Campbell when it comes to iconic Mike Myers characters, and one of the most memorable figures from ‘90s cinema. Starting with Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery, the English spy parody took over pop culture more than a quarter-century ago and never let go.

Tyler Durden (Fight Club)

The number one rule of Fight Club is to not talk about Fight Club, but there was no way we could make a list of iconic ‘90s movie characters and not include Brad Pitt’s Tyler Durden. The definition of cool (or at least what Edward Norton’s character thought was cool in the final years of the 20th century), Tyler became an instant icon and he never went away.

Jay & Silent Bob (Clerks/Mallrats/Dogma)

Jay (Jason Mewes) and Silent Bob (Kevin Smith) weren’t really the main focus of the various Kevin Smith movies released throughout the ‘90s, but they still became two of the most iconic characters of the decade. The goofiness, their unique personalities, and the way they could always save the day made them just so dang cool.

Agents J & K (Men In Black)

There were a lot of great duos in ‘90s cinema, including Agents J (Will Smith) and K (Tommy Lee Jones) in Men in Black. These two were polar opposites, which made the pairing so much fun and unique, even for the buddy action genre. Years later, these two are so much fun to watch.

Sydney Prescott (Scream)

Wes Craven’s 1996 horror classic, Scream, was like a breath of fresh air, and a lot of that is because of Sydney Prescott (Neve Campbell) and how she rewrote what it meant to be a scream queen. Modern horror movies have both to thank for this.

The Genie (Aladdin)

Robin Williams’ Genie from Aladdin could very well be the best side character from Disney’s Renaissance from the later part of the 20th century. The lovable and powerful character had it all: jokes, songs, infinite power, etc., and made a mark on audiences.

Craig & Smokey (Friday)

Though Ice Cube had been in movies by the time he starred in Friday, his portrayal of Craig took things to the next level. And we can’t forget about Chris Tucker’s Smokey, an endless source of comedic relief. These two down-on-their-luck friends are still a good hang years later.

Cameron Poe (Con Air)

What’s not to love about Cameron Poe (Nicolas Cage) in Con Air? The hair, the accent, the “Put the bunny in the box” line, and the bravery all make this a character that is not only incredibly badass, but also iconic as hell.

Jack & Rose (Titanic)

Jack Dawson (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Rose DeWitt Bukater (Kate Winslet) from James Cameron’s box office sensation, Titanic, are not just the most tragic couple of ‘90s movies, they’re also the most iconic. For years, these two ill-fated lovers have captured the hearts of billions around the world, and they’re not letting go.

Sarah Connor (Terminator 2: Judgment Day)

Though Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton) technically first appeared in The Terminator, which came out in 1984, she’s just too much of a badass in Terminator 2: Judgment Day to leave off this list. No longer the young and naive waitress from James Cameron’s first movie, Sarah is a one-woman army and a trailblazer for other strong female characters that followed.

Eric Draven (The Crow)

Eric Draven, the anti-hero protagonist played by the late Brandon Lee in The Crow, has become one of the most unforgettable ‘90s movie characters over the years. It may have something to do with the tragic on-set accident that killed Lee, but it is also because the character is just so charismatic. 

Jack Skellington (The Nightmare Before Christmas)

Sure, there are other great animated characters from the ‘90s, but Jack Skellington from The Nightmare Before Christmas is on a whole other level. Even if you discount all the merch that has flooded stores like Hot Topic over the past 30 years, the Pumpkin King of Halloween Town is an iconic creation that’s never really left the conversation.

Truman Burbank (The Truman Show)

Jim Carrey proved in The Truman Show that he was more than capable of handling more dramatic (or at least less over-the-top) roles with his portrayal of Truman Burbank. This earnest performance is to thank for Carrey’s later more dramatic performances in movies like Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.

There are so many more iconic ‘90s movie characters we could have included, but we had to stop somewhere.  

There are a ton of movies from the '90s that we love that weren't blockbusters upon their release. These are movies that we think defined the decade, and did define it. That's not to say they didn't make money, most of the movies on this list were at least profitable, but they didn't didn't make nearly as much as you would think. 

The Shawshank Redemption (1994)

On any list like this, the classic example is always The Shawshank Redemption. It's a movie that CinemaBlend has called the best movie of the 1990s. Yet, when it was first released, it didn't actually do very well. During its initial run in the fall of 1994, it barely squeaked into the top 10 and failed to even make back its budget. It wasn't until the following year, when it became a regular on cable television that it found an audience and became the beloved classic it is today.

Dazed And Confused (1993)

Richard Linklater's Dazed and Confused is one of the most quotable movies of all time, but it wasn't a big money maker at first. Imagine a movie today with a cast that includes Matthew McConaughey, Ben Affleck, Cole Hauser, Parker Posey, Renee Zellweger, and more not being a massive hit. Of course, most of them were unknown at the time and, according to Box Office Mojo, the movie only made about $8 million on a $7 million budget in theaters. 

The Player (1992)

The Player, by legendary director Robert Altman, was praised by critics and nominated for a slew of awards, but it didn't find an audience initially. Though the film was profitable, it didn't make nearly the money one would expect from a film that has literally dozens of big stars making cameos in it. 

The Usual Suspects (1995)

Eventually, The Usual Suspects became a favorite of many people, but that wasn't the case when it was first released. According to the website The Numbers, the film only made about $23 million domestically at the box office. That really isn't very much for a movie, especially one of its caliber. 

Election (1999)

Reese Witherspoon's character Tracy Flick in Election has become an icon and it basically helped launch the actor into superstardom. It did not, however, crush it at the box office, bringing in just $14 million worldwide. 

The Big Lebowski (1998)

The Coen Brothers followed up their Academy Award-winning Fargo with The Big Lebowski and despite the amazing cast and the stellar writing, the movie just didn't click with audiences at first. Of course, it's gone on to have a life of its own and has played a major role in pop culture since, but at the time, it was almost regarded as a bomb. 

Office Space (1999)

There may be no bigger cult classic on this list than Mike Judge's 1999 comedy classic Office Space. It's constantly quoted by anyone who has ever worked in an office and continues to be discovered by new generations. It's got a wonderful cast, and the writing is downright amazing. It took DVD and cable to make it so loved though. At the box office, it was basically a bomb, bringing in just $12 million on a $10 million budget. 

The Iron Giant (1999)

There has been a lot of discussion about why The Iron Giant did so poorly at the box office when it was first released, but it pretty much bombed completely. In the years since it's become a favorite of an entire generation who grew up watching it at home. 

Reality Bites (1994)

In 1994, Gen X was still defining itself and it was movies like Reality Bites starring Winona Ryder that helped it do so. What is astounding is that it's not nearly the hit that most Gen Xers would expect, making just $20 million upon its release. Its cultural impact definitely outweighs its financial success, which probably sits just fine with many in the generation. 

Goodfellas (1990)

Goodfellas starring Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, and Ray Liotta, and directed by Martin Scorsese, is considered by many to be one of the best movies of all time. While it was successful at the box, it didn't even crack the top 1,000 in all-time box office. Kindergarten Cop made twice as much as Goodfellas in 1990. You'd be better off robbing an airport. 

Heat (1995)

According to The Numbers, Heat made about $67 million, which is nothing to sneeze at. That is until you compare it to some of the other movies from that same year and realize it made less money than Waterworld, which is considered one of the biggest bombs of all time, and Casper, along with 23 other movies in 1995.

How Stella Got Her Groove Back (1998)

How Stella Got Her Groove Back has become a cultural touchstone from the 1990s and while it did decent at the box, it was far from a runaway hit like it might have expected it to be. It made Taye Diggs a star and Angela Bassett a superstar, but it wasn't even one of the 50 most popular movies of the year. 

Boogie Nights (1997)

1997 was a banner year for movies, with classics like Titanic, Men in Black, and Good Will Hunting all getting released. Then, way down the list of the top box office performers, is Boogie Nights at #75. It only managed to bring in $26 million on release. A lot can be chalked up to the racy subject matter, sure, but it's still one of the best movies of the decade. 

Fight Club (1999)

1999's Fight Club is still revered today, decades later, but at the time, you could say the response by filmgoers was lukewarm at best. It only ended up making about $37 million domestically, but it would earn much more in the next few years on DVD and cable TV. 

Singles (1992)

Singles is one of the movies on this list that defines a generation, for better or worse. It portrays Generation X as a slacker generation that isn't interested in anything. It turns out, Gen X was interested in this movie either, as it earned just $18 million, ranking 67th for 1992.

Can't Hardly Wait (1998)

Jennifer Love Hewitt was on the verge of superstardom when Can't Hardly Wait was released. It would eventually become an oft-quoted, huge cult favorite, but in its theater run, it performed very mediocrely. It took in $23 million and finished behind less-beloved movies like Bulworth and Practical Magic in 1998.

Back to the Future Part III (1990)

Okay, this one needs a little explanation as to how it ended up on this list, because it was certainly a hit, and it made a lot of money. It's here because, though it's often ranked above Back to the Future Part II in the Back to the Future trilogy, Back to the Future Part III made the least amount of money of all three, which you wouldn't have expected. 

Malcolm X (1992)

Spike Lee's epic Malcolm X was controversial when it was released in 1992, due to the controversial nature of Malcolm X, played by Denzel Washington in the movie, himself. It's a movie that is good enough to make the top ten in any given year, yet it finished #32 at the year-end box office.

The Doors (1991)

For the kids that were the children of Baby Boomers, '60s music was a big deal. When The Doors came out in 1992, high school kids all over obsessed over it. But that wasn't until it was released on VHS. In its theatrical run, it barely managed to make back its initial budget. 

Tombstone (1993)

1993 Tombstone is one of the greatest westerns of all time, but it didn't start out as a fan favorite. While it did make a decent chunk of change, it finished behind forgettable movies in the year-end box office numbers like Dave, Rising Sun, and Indecent Proposal.

Misery (1990)

1990's Misery starring James Caan and Kathy Bates is arguably the best Stephen King adaption on the silver screen, and while it was definitely a hit, you'd expect a movie of its caliber to be one of the biggest hits of the year, but it was beat by movies like Kindergarten Cop, Bird On A Wire (one of the worst #1 movies ever), and 3 Men and a Little Lady.

True Romance (1993)

Director Tony Scott's True Romance has an amazing cast and an amazing script by Quentin Tarantino. Ingredients like that usually turn into a hit. Instead, it only made about $12 million and barely snuck into the top 100 movies of 1993. 

Pump Up the Volume (1990)

Christian Slater's character Hard Harry inspired a generation of Gen Xers to be dark and mysterious, and while Pump Up The Volume became one of the most beloved cult hits of the decade, it took a while to get there. It only made $11 million in theaters. 

Strange Days (1995)

Director Kathryn Bigelow's Strange Days is a love-it-or-hate-it-type of movie. Despite being a huge box office flop, making less than a third of its budget back. It's since become a very popular cult flick with a huge fanbase that is always willing to defend it. 

Tremors (1990)

Normally you'd expect a movie that launches a franchise to be an off-the-chart blockbuster. Tremors did the former but was far from the latter. Star Kevin Bacon revealed in 2019 that the movie made less than a fifth of what it was expected to make. Still, there have now been six more movies and a TV show in the franchise and the original is still one of Bacon's best movies. 

Ed Wood (1994)

1994's Ed Wood is one of Tim Burton's least-talked-about movies, and that's likely because it did so poorly at the box office, making just $5 million when it was released. It's one of Burton's and star Johnny Depp's worst performing movies, despite being pretty good. 

BASEketball (1998)

BASEketball was the first movie starring the guys from South Park, Matt Stone and Trey Parker. The problem is that they didn't write it. Despite some funny moments, their star power wasn't enough to make money and the movie bombed, making just $7 million. 

Darkman (1990)

There is no question that Darkman has been a cult classic. but when it first came out it was, at best, a moderate success, making about $32 million domestically. In the years since it has become an impressive franchise with multiple movies, comic books, and video games. 

Hackers (1995)

1995 Hackers, starring Jonny Lee Miller and Angelina Jolie is like the little movie that keeps on going. It's not well regarded by critics, and it was a definite bomb, but it continues to be talked about and drawing fans in. Maybe it's the nature of the subject and talking about it on the internet, but it's the movie that just won't die. 

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998)

Hunter S. Thompson's legendary novel Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas was always described as a book that no one could do justice to on the silver screen. That's just the kind of challenge that Terry Gilliam loves and so when he made it a movie in 1998 with Johnny Depp taking on the role of Thompson, no one was surprised. The movie is a brilliant representation of the trippy book, and despite only making about $13 million worldwide, it's still talked about and loved today. 

Friday (1995)

If you were a certain kind of college kid in the '90s, it's safe to say you watched Friday dozens of times on VHS. But that was VHS. The odds are that you didn't actually see it in theaters, because the Ice Cube/Chris Tucker classic only made about $23 million, placing it outside of the top 50 in 1995. 

Being John Malkovich (1999)

79 movies made more money than Being John Malkovich in 1999. Including movies like Baby Geniuses, Mystery Men, Superstar, The 13th Warrior, and The Martian. Are those movies all better than Being John Malkovich? Of course not. 

No one can resist a good “rags to riches” story, in which a struggling protagonist manages to achieve the fortune they have always dreamed of. However, we happen to find “riches to rags” stories — in which a wealthy protagonist loses everything but, in most cases, gains something more valuable — even more interesting and, in many cases, much funnier. See for yourself by taking a look at some of our favorite examples from the big and small screen.

Schitt's Creek (2015-2020)

The beloved, hilarious, Emmy-winning Canadian import Schitt’s Creek starred real-life father and son duo Eugene and Dan Levy (who also created), along with Catherine O'Hara and Annie Murphy, as a wealthy family who lose everything… well, almost everything. Their one remaining asset is the titular small town, which was purchased for David Rose (Dan Levy) as a joke, and becomes their new home.

It's A Wonderful Life (1946)

One of the most iconic and inspirational holiday movie classics is Frank Capra's It's a Wonderful Life, starring James Stewart as a businessman who grows desperate when he loses an important sum of cash. However, after his guardian angel shows him a world in which he was never born on one fateful Christmas Eve, he realizes there are things in life worth much more than money.

Trading Places (1983)

John Landis' hilarious classic counts as both a riches-to-rags story from the perspective of Dan Aykroyd's Louis Winthorpe and a rags-to-riches story when following Eddie Murphy's Billy Ray Valentine. By the end, however, Trading Places ultimately becomes a riches-to-rags story when the duo team up against the billionaire brothers who treated them like guinea pigs: Randolph (Ralph Bellamy) and Mortimer Duke (Don Ameche).

Overboard (1987)

In Overboard, real-life couple Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell star as a spoiled, rotten socialite and the blue-collar handyman she cheats out of payment, respectfully. When he discovers she has fallen off her yacht and lost her memory, he convinces her she is his wife and shows her a taste of the blue-collar lifestyle.

A Little Princess (1995)

Alfonso Cuarón's sophomore directorial effort, A Little Princess, stars former child star Liesel Matthews as Sara Crewe, the daughter of a wealthy, widowed British Army officer who goes off to fight in World War I. Sara is then sent to a boarding school when, after her father is presumed dead, the cruel headmistress forces her to become a servant.

The Jerk (1979)

One of the best Steve Martin movies, The Jerk, starts off as a rags-to-riches story as the helplessly naive Navin Johnson achieves great success by inventing a device that prevents eyeglasses from slipping. Unfortunately, a flaw in the design forces him to pay millions of dollars in damages, leading him to a life on the streets.

A Civil Action (1998)

Based on a true story, A Civil Action stars John Travolta as a successful attorney seeking to bring a leather manufacturing company allegedly responsible for water contamination and, subsequently, poisoning several children to justice. The otherwise bold and honorable act ends up driving his law firm and himself into bankruptcy.

Goodfellas (1990)

One of Martin Scorsese's best movies, Goodfellas, is one of the most realistic depictions of the mafia lifestyle ever put on film. It is based on Nicholas Pileggi's non-fiction book, Wiseguy, which chronicles the rise and fall of mobster Henry Hill, as played by Ray Liotta in the film that also stars Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci in an Academy Award-winning performance.

Blue Jasmine (2013)

From writer and director Woody Allen, Blue Jasmine stars Cate Blanchett in an Academy Award-winning performance as a well-off Manhattan socialite who falls on hard times. As a result, she suffers a nervous breakdown and travels to San Francisco to move in with her sister, Ginger (Sally Hawkins).

Cyrano (2021)

Joe Wright's adaptation of Edmond Rostand's 1897 play, Cyrano de Bergerac, stars Peter Dinklage as a man who is reluctantly convinced to help another man named Chris (Kelvin Harrison Jr.) woo the woman whom he secretly loves, Roxanne (Haley Bennett). It is not until he is stricken with poverty and about to succumb to his battle wounds that he finally musters the courage to reveal his true feelings to her.

The Treasure Of The Sierra Madre (1948)

One of the best Western movies of all time, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre is one of the most classic examples of characters coming across an unimaginable fortune, only to run into circumstances that cost them everything. The film stars Humphrey Bogart and Tim Holt as two desperate Americans who enlist the help of an old prospector (Walter Huston) to help them mine for gold in 1920s Mexico.

Arrested Development (2003-2019)

Jason Bateman leads the Arrested Development cast as a widowed father struggling to keep his grossly dysfunctional family together when his father's arrest causes them to lose it all. Despite universal acclaim when it first aired, the sitcom — also starring the likes of Portia de Rossi, Tony Hale, Will Arnott, and plenty more icons — was canceled by Fox after three seasons before Netflix revived it for two more about a decade later.

The Money Pit (1986)

From producer Steven Spielberg, The Money Pit stars Tom Hanks as a successful lawyer and Shelley Long as his musician girlfriend who think they have found their dream home. Unfortunately, it turns out to be a real fixer-upper that leads them directly to financial (and possibly romantic) ruin.

Quicksilver (1986)

Kevin Bacon stars in Quicksilver as a hotshot stock exchange share trader who ends up costing his company and himself all their savings. This leads him to start a new and, actually, more liberating career as a bike messenger and lead a new life that involves a romance with a young woman (Jami Gertz) whom he saves from a street gang.

Sullivan's Travels (1941)

Writer and director Preston Sturges' Sullivan's Travels stars Joel McCrea as a Hollywood filmmaker known best for comedies who longs to make a more dramatic and realistic social commentary. In order to gain the perspective he needs, he lives as a homeless person, during which he strikes up a relationship with an impoverished woman (Veronica Lake) who dreams of becoming an actress.

Mood Indigo (2013)

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind director Michel Gondry's surreal adaptation of Boris Vian's 1947 novel, L'écume des jours, is a fun and quirky romance... until it is not. Mood Indigo — as it is called in the States — takes a devastating turn when Chloé (Audrey Tatou) comes down with a strange illness and her wealthy inventor husband, Colin (Romain Duris), uses every last penny he has in search of a cure.

Maid to Order (1987)

Director Amy Holden Jones' Maid to Order is sort of like a modern-day retelling of Cinderella, but in reverse. It stars Ally Sheedy as a wealthy, out-of-control young woman who wakes up in a world in which she was never born, courtesy of her fairy godmother (Beverly D'Angelo), and must learn how to make a living on her own by becoming a maid.

Downhill (1927)

One of the earliest Alfred Hitchcock movies is the silent-era drama Downhill, in which a college rugby player (Ivor Novello) takes the rap for a false accusation against his friend (Robin Irvine) so he can avoid expulsion. That only leads to a series of circumstances that get increasingly worse for him, including having his inheritance exhausted by his two-timing wife. 

Dumb Money (2023)

Craig Gillespie directs a star-studded cast, including Paul Dano, Seth Rogen, and Pete Davidson, in what some might interpret as a modern Robin Hood tale. Dumb Money is inspired by the true story of people who literally gave Wall Street a run for its money after betting big at the stock market on video game retailer, Game Stop.

2 Broke Girls (2011-2017)

The title of CBS's 2 Broke Girls — a funny TV show about blue-collar characters — refers to diner servers and roommates Max (Kat Dennings) and Caroline (Beth Behrs). While Max has been broke for her entire life, it only recently happened to Caroline after her wealthy father (Steven Weber) was jailed for participating in a Ponzi scheme.

Triangle Of Sadness (2022)

Three Academy Award nominations — including Best Picture — went to writer and director Ruben Östlund's biting satire about the rich, Triangle of Sadness. It follows a group of conceited wealthy people, including a young couple of fashion models played by Harris Dickinson and the late Charlbi Dean, who end up struggling to survive when their luxury yacht (captained by Woody Harrelson) crashes on a deserted island.

Empire Of The Sun (1987)

J.G. Ballard's autobiographical novel, Empire of the Sun, was adapted into one of director Steven Spielberg’s best movies from the 1980s. A young Christian Bale leads the film as a privileged British boy forced to fend for himself after becoming separated from his parents in the midst of Japan's invasion of Shanghai during World War II.

Fun With Dick And Jane (1977)

Not to be confused with a famous educational children’s book, Fun with Dick and Jane stars George Segal and Jane Fonda as a married couple forced to turn to a life of crime to make ends meet after they suddenly find themselves unemployed and in heaps of debt. The comedy classic was later remade for more modern audiences with Jim Carrey and Téa Leoni assuming the title roles in 2005.

The House Bunny (2008)

In The House Bunny, Anna Faris plays a model named Shelley who wakes up the day after her 27th birthday to a note informing her that she is being kicked out of the famous Mansion. This leads her to become a house mother to a misfit college sorority, whom she teaches how to be confident and successful in the dating game.

The Railway Children (1970)

Jenny Agutter leads this British family film based on the novel by E. Nesbit. Set in 1904, The Railway Children chronicles the struggles of a family whose financially comfortable existence is upended when their bureaucrat father disappears.

Life Stinks (1991)

One of the more forgotten Mel Brooks movies, Life Stinks, is a rare example of a riches-to-rags story in which the protagonist voluntarily participates in the impoverished lifestyle. The legendary comedian, who also co-writes and directs the film, plays a successful businessman who makes a bet with a longtime competitor that he can survive life on the streets, only to discover he may be in over his head.

Arthur 2: On The Rocks (1988)

The classic 1981 comedy, Arthur, stars Dudley Moore as a British man-child who must choose between marrying a woman he does not love and keeping his enormous fortune or being with the woman he loves (Liza Minelli) and losing it all. In the sequel, Arthur 2: On the Rocks, he actually does end up losing it all, due to a vengeful scheme, which forces him to sober up and finally get a job.

Uptown Girls (2003)

The late Brittany Murphy stars in Uptown Girls as an irresponsible woman who loses her inheritance. Forced to find a job for the first time, she becomes a nanny to a precocious 8-year-old, played by a young Dakota Fanning.

Good Advice (2001)

In Good Advice, Charlie Sheen plays an arrogant stockbroker who makes a huge mistake that costs him his job and his equally conceited girlfriend (Denise Richards). In a plot to get back on track, he secretly takes over his ex's advice column, which helps him gain a deeper perspective on life that he had been missing.

Princess Protection Program (2009)

In the Disney Channel Original Movie, Princess Protection Program, Demi Lovato plays a young royal whose land is invaded by a neighboring country, forcing her to go into hiding. She is sent to live with a special agent (Tom Verica) and his teenage daughter (Selena Gomez) who introduce her to the simpler life.

Broke (2020)

This short-lived sitcom says it all in the title. Broke stars Jaime Camil as a man cut off by his rich daddy, forcing him to move in with the estranged sister (Pauly Perrette) of his wife.

Rocky V (1990)

While considered by many to be a sequel that never should have happened, Rocky V is noteworthy for how it changes the career trajectory of Sylvester Stallone's iconic title character. An injury forces Rocky Balboa to retire from boxing and, soon after,  he loses his fortune on the stock market, leading him to become a trainer for Tommy Gunn (Tommy Morrison).

Seeing people fall on hard times can be devastating, but the topic can also serve as the basis for some inspiring and even funny stories. 

Before the best movies from the 2000s were allowed to run, the cinematic classics from the 1990s had to walk. (Well, except for Forrest Gump.) The 20th century closed out with a decade of cinematic spectacles as Hollywood embraced bigger budgets, the early days of CGI, and a new breed of superstars like Brad Pitt, Reese Witherspoon and Keanu Reeves.

From great ‘90s sci-fi movies like Jurassic Park to beloved ‘90s family films like Toy Story to chilling thrillers and hilarious comedies, just about any genre fan can feel represented by the era's best. Can the same be said for music, TV and literature? (I'll be too busy watching Speed again to research that.) So grab your long-dead Tamagotchis and scented markers and join us in celebrating the best of the best that the ‘90s had to offer.

• This list was compiled by the bulk of CinemaBlend's editors and writers, who gave 0-5 scores to an overall list of around 300 movies, with all of the final scores averaged out to determine the final ranking of 100.

How We Put This List Together

• Around 300 entries from a vast variety of 1990s films , which fit the bill of being culturally relevant and critically respected, were gathered using a combination of staff recommendations, movie guides and further research. The entries were tracked in a spreadsheet, where the majority of our staff then went through a multi-level voting process, with scores assigned based on personal opinions. A base number of viewers was also required for entries to make the cut, and lowest scores were then eliminated, in the style of scoring figure skating. The movies were then ordered from 1-100 based on the final average scores, with a variety of staff members writing the movie-celebrating entries. 

100. The Fifth Element (1997)

Luc Besson's The Fifth Element is a seriously wild movie. The sci-fi adventure has become a bona fide genre classic. Even though parts of the film were frustrating to make, those efforts clearly paid off, leaving us with one of the most fun space rides to date with an A-level cast including Milla Jovovich, Bruce Willis, Gary Oldman, and Chris Tucker in arguably his spaciest performance. Anyone who may have forgotten how fun and bonkers it is should grab a multi-pass and return immediately. 

99. Dumb and Dumber (1994)

Jim Carrey may have enjoyed the most successful year for any comedian in 1994, and Dumb and Dumber is a major part of that unprecedented run. After the wildly successful Ace Ventura: Pet Detective and The Mask, the Saturday Night Live reject gave an iconic performance as Lloyd Christmas in the Farrelly Brothers’ breakout comedy alongside Jeff Daniels’ Harry Dunne. Everything about the movie simply works in spite of itself. The chemistry between its stars, the balance of over-the-top humor and more subtle jokes, and the most annoying sound in the world work together to create an unparalleled and game-changing experience. 

98. The Blair Witch Project (1999)

The Blair Witch Project may not have been the first to bring a cinéma vérité approach to the horror genre, but through extremely savvy marketing and lore-building, the no-budget flick became one of the most profitable films of all time, spawning a franchise of film sequels, comics, a video game, and beyond. And all without an actual “witch” to tease in the trailers. One of the ‘90s most polarizing efforts, BWP’s “something from nothing” approach makes it as influential as anything else from the decade.

97. Mulan (1998)

What can be said about Mulan that has yet to be talked about? Released at the tail end of the famed Disney Renaissance through the ‘90s, Mulan was the animated film that defined a generation of young women, inspiring many to always fight for their honor and never back down, even when everyone in the world says otherwise. The music is excellent as the voice-acting takes you to another world, and the animation easily pulls viewers in, but it’s the themes that stay with audiences forever.

96. The Wedding Singer (1998)

More than just a wonderful romantic comedy, The Wedding Singer is a standout title in Adam Sandler’s early career. In the 1990s, Sandler was known for his goofy characters on Saturday Night Live and in goofy movies like Billy Madison, Happy Gilmore, and Airheads, but The Wedding Singer was an opportunity for him to show he could do work with a bit more gravity. There’s an argument to be made it paved the way for him excelling in films like Punch Drunk Love and Uncut Gems. And the power of Sandler + Drew Barrymore can never be denied.

95. Death Becomes Her (1992)

There’s a scene in Death Becomes Her that pretty much sums up the Robert Zemeckis film’s greatness – as Goldie Hawn’s Helen sits and leans back, the handle of a shovel slips perfectly through the hole in her torso. Meanwhile, Meryl Streep’s Madeline gracefully takes a seat while clutching her hair atop her head, in order to keep it from flopping forward against her broken neck. It’s dark, it’s twisted, it’s hilarious, and for 1992, the special effects are impressive. Bruce Willis’ Ernest being dragged along for the ride caps off the excellent trio of characters, in this eternally underrated comedy.

94. Sleepless in Seattle (1993)

Four years after already penning one of the all-time great romantic comedies (Rob Reiner’s When Harry Met Sally), the late Nora Ephron directed a landmark rom-com of her own with Sleepless in Seattle. The second of three movies co-starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan, this genre staple features an incredible story about a woman who goes to great lengths to be with the man she loves, a man whom she’s never met and only knows from a call-in radio show. It’s charming, witty, earnest, and the best kind of enchanted realism. 

93. Jackie Brown (1997)

Quentin Tarantino’s third directorial effort, Jackie Brown kicks off with Pam Grier’s money-smuggling flight attendant trekking to work to the tune of Bobby Womack’s “Across 110th Street,” helping it stand apart from the testosterone-enhanced violence of his first two features. And while the star-studded flick does dip into the filmmaker’s favored crime genre tropes, Jackie Brown hinges more on character study than sheer plot machination, and provides career-high performances from Bridget Fonda, Robert Forster, and Grier herself. And in that way, it’s arguably the most empathy-worthy project from Tarantino’s career.

92. Happy Gilmore (1996)

Depending on who you talk to, Adam Sandler’s '90s comedies are either near the peak of the genre or near the pits of low-brow comedy. We know where Shooter McGavin's opinions would lie, but we lean toward raising our clubs and pucks to Sandler’s story about a failed hockey player taking the world of professional golf by storm, all for his grandma. I’ll always laugh at Happy Gilmore’s titular hero going toe-to-toe with the late game show host Bob Barker, and the wild story of how he got involved is as great as the on-screen fisticuffs.

91. Casino (1995)

It’s hard to pick a favorite when talking about the best mob characters that Robert De Niro has played, though I’d argue Sam "Ace" Rothstein is as good as it gets. Unlike many other gangster movies tethered to dark alleys, Casino zeroes in on the mafia’s stranglehold of the glitzy and glamorous Las Vegas in the 1970s. It’s further bolstered by excellent directing from master craftsman Martin Scorsese and a supporting cast with legends like Sharon Stone and Joe Pesci. A fantastic movie that doesn't shy away from deeply upsetting moments. 

90. Forrest Gump (1994)

Despite all the cringey and parody-fueling moments in Robert Zemeckis' Forrest Gump --- never forget the Weird Al classic "Gump" --- Tom Hanks' history-making and country-crossing simpleton remains one of the 1990s most enduring movie heroes. With a stacked cast of pros, from Sally Field to Gary Sinise, Forrest Gump's popularity was evident from both its boffo box office, its huge success at the Oscars and beyond, and just how many quotes from this movie have permanently nestled themselves into pop culture. 

89. A Few Good Men (1992)

Courtrooms are a natural fit for high drama, and A Few Good Men has some of the best courtroom scenes in cinema history. Aaron Sorkin’s first screenplay, based on his own stage play, is missing many of the elements that would later define his writing, but that’s not a bad thing here. The battle between Tom Cruise and Jack Nicholson has become iconic, but even outside of that near-perfect scene, A Few Good Men is full of incredible characters, smart dialogue, and memorable moments. It’s perhaps one of Cruise’s most criminally overlooked performances.

88. Pretty Woman (1990)

Pretty Woman is definitely one of Julia Roberts's best movies in a wildly impressive career, but it's also one of the best ‘90s rom-coms. The film's sleazy-on-paper tale, which follows a rich businessman hiring a Hollywood escort to be his date to several social events, is a charmer thanks to its stellar leads. The film vaulted Roberts into an even bigger star, while making romantics everywhere swoon at the idea of a wealthy millionaire like Richard Gere coming out of nowhere to sweep them off their feet – if only, amirite?

87. As Good As It Gets (1997)

I miss Jack Nicholson. I miss James L. Brooks. I miss emotional, character-driven comedies that excelled thanks to outstanding performances from A-list talent. Nicholson, Helen Hunt, and Greg Kinnear weave magic in this sweet story about strangers forming friendships over low-stakes but relatable dramas. Studios craving IP don’t back movies like this anymore. But when they did, and when actors could sink their teeth into the material, this one was as good as they got. 

86. The Sandlot (1993)

There are ‘90s sports movies that are kid-pleasers, and then there is The Sandlot, the 1993 coming-of-age story about a ragtag group of kids living what could be the best summer of their lives. There's so much to love about this small-stakes baseball tale, from its timelessness to its life lessons to incredible characters like Scotty Smalls, Benny Rodriguez, Ham Porter, and so many others, there’s just so much to love about this classic sports film. To quote the Great Bambino, “Heroes get remembered, but legends never die.” In this case, we're calling our shot: The Sandlot is one of those legends. 

85. Can't Hardly Wait (1998)

Can’t Hardly Wait combines an "everybody's recognizable" ensemble cast with the classic house party setting and a killer soundtrack to give us one of the most epic teen movies of all time. The plot centers around Ethan Embry’s Preston, who needs to profess his love for Amanda (Jennifer Love Hewitt) at the graduation party, now that she is finally single after being dumped by Mike (Peter Facinelli). But plots are for dorks, and the 1998 comedy epitomizes the teen angst of the late 20th century in an honest and hilarious way.

84. You've Got Mail (1998)

You’ve Got Mail arrived in 1998 when just about everybody would have recognized the title as the AOL greeting message. This was the third movie to pair Tom Hanks with Meg Ryan, with writer/director Nora Ephron bringing her magic romantic comedy touch to the story of two business rivals who unwittingly fall in love via online chat. Hanks and Ryan channel the same chemistry that was a hit years earlier with Sleepless in Seattle, and it doesn't require having lived through the AOL era to appreciate the level of classic rom-com energy that makes this a winner. 

83. Mrs. Doubtfire (1993)

In a decade filled with all-time great Robin Williams movies, there’s something particularly tender and very much unforgettable about Chris Columbus’ Ms. Doubtfire. Underpinned by the heartbreak of having less time than ever with his three kids as his divorce looms, voiceover actor Daniel Hillard hatches a plan to form a new character in an elderly housekeeper named Mrs. Doubtfire to get more time with them. Not only does his new secret identity make for some hilarious moments that very much play to Williams’ strengths as a comedy actor, Mrs. Doubtfire is also a touching film that takes a grounded approach to parent separation. 

82. Edward Scissorhands (1990)

The most Tim Burton movie ever to Tim Burton, Edward Scissorhands is, on one bladed hand, a weirdly heartwarming horror movie, but on the other bladed hand, an endlessly frightening family film. The suburban Frankenstein homage is bolstered by stellar performances from Johnny Depp, Winona Ryder and Dianne Weist, with each bringing grounded authenticity to this wildly fantastical fable. (Yes, even the pity-provoking Depp.) The cherries on top of this macabre cake are Vincent Price, in his final major film role, and Burton-familiar composer Danny Elfman. And the eye-popping hedge art and ice sculptures don’t hurt.

81. American History X (1998)

Long before debates about The Snyder Cut, star Edward Norton, director Tony Kaye, and New Line Cinema engaged in a very loud and sometimes public squabble over American History X. The final cut we got, which Kaye publicly disavowed, is a brutal, almost two-hour look at modern white supremacy that’s shot partially in black and white. It netted Norton an Oscar nomination and has individual moments as strong as anything on this list, but it also occasionally loses pace and has always left fans wanting to see Kaye’s original 95-minute cut, which remains unreleased following the film’s disastrous production

80. Aladdin (1992)

It’s easy to look at Aladdin and celebrate the work of the great Robin Williams, and justifiably so. Only animation could truly uncork the man’s absolutely manic comedy style. But focusing only on Williams overlooks the work of amazing animators who created the Genie and everything else, since it's a testament to their skill that the animation is able to keep up with Williams and the high-flying scenes. Musical sequences like “A Friend Like Me” and “A Whole New World” show another form of animated beauty and have become just as iconic on their own as the Genie himself.

79. That Thing You Do! (1996)

By the time he wrote, directed, and co-starred in 1996’s That Thing You Do, Tom Hanks was already an acting powerhouse. So it was a bit of a surprise to see the Academy Award-winning actor delivering a tale about the wild ride that so many one-hit wonders of the ‘60s endured. Initially, the story of The Wonders (Johnathon Schaech, Ethan Embry, Steve Zahn, and Tom Everett Scott) and their roller-coaster journey wasn’t a smash success, but decades later, That Thing You Do is a well-regarded mini-cult classic that can still leave audiences with songs in their hearts.

78. Trainspotting (1996)

While it wasn’t his directorial debut, Danny Boyle’s adaptation of Irvine Welsh’s Trainspotting was the flick that put the man on the map. Following the lives of a group of Scottish drug addicts and friends, a cast including Ewan McGregor, Robert Carlyle, and Kelly MacDonald landed their start as the stars of tomorrow. Through a narrative that’s both darkly comic and frightfully serious, Trainspotting ushers its heroin addicts through life's struggles in grounded and trippy ways. Establishing Boyle’s skills in telling a conventional story through unconventional means, it’s a powerful statement for its director and the message he’s trying to convey.

77. Die Hard with a Vengeance (1995)

The Die Hard formula survived the transition to the “buddy cop” genre (at least initially) with Bruce Willis’ iconic John McClane being forced to team up with a good samaritan (Samuel L. Jackson) and solve a bunch of riddles around Manhattan to prevent bombs from going off. Many consider With a Vengeance to be the best in the Die Hard series, though it’s blasphemy to put ANY of them ahead of John McTiernan’s original. Still, this one moves like a freight train, Willis and Jackson have remarkable chemistry, and Jeremy Irons is a sinister villain with a satisfying twist of a motivation to take McClane down. 

76. Titanic (1997)

Titanic was an event in itself when it arrived in theaters, with James Cameron’s film ambitiously bringing to screen the story of the ill-fated ship, depicting the journey across the Atlantic with incredible visuals that give us a sense of what it might have been like aboard the ship during that terrible night. At the center of it all is the love story of Rose (Kate Winslet) and Jack (Leonardo DiCaprio), who manage to find each other, despite their differing social classes, and never let go. Considering how many millions of dollars it earned from repeat audience viewings, its "classic" status is unsinkable.

75. Men in Black (1997)

One of the biggest sci-fi hits of the decade, Men In Black holds a special place in the hearts and minds of both space and comedy nerds. Even though it initially took some convincing to land Will Smith for the role of Agent J., Steven Spielberg (as producer) managed to re-catch lightning in a bottle with the actor coming off of Independence Day. And as unpredictable as it seemed at the time Smith and Tommy Lee Jones made for an extremely fun and combative pairing in the rest of the Men in Black film franchise.

74. The Fugitive (1993)

When it comes to movies based on old TV shows, it doesn’t get much better than The Fugitive. There’s no way around it, this 1993-defining film straight-up rocks and is still just as great more than 30 years after its release. Watching one of Harrison Ford’s most iconic characters go to great lengths to clear his name after being wrongfully convicted of murdering his wife never gets hold, and the same can be said about Tommy Lee Jones’ Academy Award-winning performance as the U.S. Marshal tasked with capturing the elusive fugitive.

73. Run Lola Run (1998)

Outside of sci-fi adventures, time loops aren’t often used as storytelling devices, and 1998’s thriller Run Lola Run absolutely proves why this is a shame. While the story isn’t explicitly a looping band of time, we do get three different versions of writer/director Tom Twyver’s story. Centered around lovers Lola (Franke Potente) and Manni (Moritz Bleibtreu), each variation has one thing in common: they have 20 minutes to score 100,000 Deutschmarks, or Manni is dead. New twists and pitfalls arrive, keeping that premise fresh each time, right up until the end. 

72. Swingers (1996)

Long before he directed major projects like Iron Man and The Mandalorian, Jon Favreau wrote and starred in the Doug Liman-directed Swingers. This comedy follows Favreau’s Mike Peters, a comedian who’s getting over a bad breakup and moves to Hollywood to find success in the midst of the ‘90s swing revival. The witty back-and-forth dialogue between Favreau and his co-stars, including Vince Vaughn and Heather Graham, and the simple, yet effective story of moving on to better horizons make Swingers one of the most underrated comedies of this decade. It's just so money, baby. 

71. Malcolm X (1992)

For his 1992 “Spike Lee Joint,” the legendary Do The Right Thing filmmaker made his dream come true to make a biopic about one American Civil Rights Movement figure, Malcolm X. It not only remains among the best works of Lee’s incredible filmography, but it’s flat-out one of the best biography movies ever made. That’s all without mentioning a particularly powerful performance by Denzel Washington, who disappears into the figure and brings great intrigue and nuisance to Malcolm X across decades of his life. Spike Lee’s biopic stands tall as an enduring portrait of an important man in a pivotal moment in U.S. history.

70. Friday (1995)

Franchise lead and rap legend Ice Cube teamed up with Chris Tucker to create one of the best "sit back and kick it" movies in movie history. Spawning a line of sequels, the O.G. Friday boasts an awesome cast that also includes the late John Witherspoon, and understandably caught on with a certain kind of stoner comedy-loving crowd, but has become an all-encompassing cult classic. Even beyond its on-screen greatness, Friday also turned "Bye, Felicia" into everyday jargon. 

69. Miller's Crossing (1990)

Joel and Ethan Coen didn’t waste time demonstrating their eclecticism in their careers, breaking out with the phenomenal neo-noir Blood Simple in 1984 ahead of a 180-degree tonal pivot with 1987's gonzo comedy Raising Arizona. Then they kicked off the 1990s with one of the great modern gangster movies in Miller's Crossing. Gabriel Byrne’s Tom Reagan leading John Turturro’s Bernie Bernbaum into the woods to be murdered is the movie’s iconic moment, but it’s the brilliant chaos that spins out from Tom’s decision at the end of the sequence that cements this tense slice of art's place on this list.

68. Rushmore (1998)

Rushmore is often referenced for a lot of things. It was the first Wes Anderson movie to find more mainstream success. The critical acclaim Bill Murray received for his performance helped push him toward the more independent, critically acclaimed movies that defined his later career. It was the debut of Jason Schwartzman. All of those are reasons to celebrate the movie, but none are reasons why it’s on this list. It’s here because it’s an endlessly watchable slice of weirdness that holds up decades later. It’s some of the best career work of everyone referenced, and in its own offbeat way, it’s downright hysterical. 

67. South Park: Bigger, Longer, And Uncut (1999)

In 1999, with South Park at the height of its cultural powers, Matt Stone and Trey Parker took one of the biggest gambles anyone could have ever imagined. Producing the R-rated, animated musical that was South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut, the pair doubled down on their uniquely dirty humor. Everything from parenting culture to Les Miserables got sent up, thanks to songs that were catchy but also not safe for work. Not every TV show survives a feature-length expansion, but South Park thrived in theaters, especially when it called the very parental uproar its release would inspire to a tee.

66. Misery (1990)

What does a creative owe to their fans? It’s a complex question that author Stephen King horrifyingly examined with his remarkable 1987 novel Misery, and three years later, director Rob Reiner adapted the work into a remarkable and unsettling film. The Oscars don’t typically support the horror genre, but Kathy Bates’ turn as Annie Wilkes was unignorable – as she remains one of the meanest villains of the ‘90s.. Though in Bates’ shadow, James Caan delivers an equally excellent turn as captive author Paul Sheldon, and the weaving of tension as he keeps his mind on options for escape is perfection.

65. Clerks (1994)

Kevin Smith famously maxed out credit cards and stretched a production budget of just $27,000 to make his first movie, 1994’s Clerks. Sure, the acting is hit or miss, and the editing isn’t perfect, but that only adds to the charm of the movie. It’s also really, really funny. It’s got some of the most quotable lines of any movie from the era, and they all shine through, despite the limitations of the budget. Clerks has become the stuff of legend in Hollywood, sparking dreams of would-be filmmakers everywhere and with good reason. 

64. Galaxy Quest (1999)

What if you found out that the fantastic adventures in your favorite sci-fi TV weren't so fake after all, such as in Galaxy Quest? Tim Allen plays a washed-up actor who, along with his former co-stars (played by Sigourney Weaver, Alan Rickman, and more), experience their cancelled, cult favorite series for real, thanks to an alien race that believes their televised adventures are "historical documents" and are desperate for their help. The concept makes for a clever, hilarious commentary on Trekkie culture, but also manages to be just as exciting as any Star Trek episode or movie spin-off could ever be.

63. Thelma and Louise (1991)

Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis have made dozens of memorable movies, but even if they had just made Ridley Scott’s Thelma & Louise, they’d have a space carved out for them in cinema history. It’s regarded as a keystone title in the history of feminism in film, and it makes you fall in love with the titular leads as they go on the run from the law. And it should go without saying that the final moments will forever be remembered as an indomitable moment of 1990s pop culture.

62. Primal Fear (1996)

Courtroom dramas were big in the ‘90s, and Primal Fear in 1996 is a prime example of why. Richard Gere plays the pompous attorney Martin Vail, who volunteers to represent a young Aaron Stampler (Edward Norton in his first screen role) after he is accused of brutally murdering a beloved archbishop. The movie takes an unexpected turn when Aaron is discovered to have a split personality named Roy, and the dark twist that comes to light after an explosive courtroom scene remains one of the wildest movie endings ever.

61. Home Alone (1990)

I'm pretty sure Home Alone has hit classic Christmas movie territory because you always know it's the holiday season when this movie is causing a clatter on your TV screen. Following a child accidentally left home alone during Christmas and who has to defend his home from burglars, Home Alone captures the happiness of the season while adding a bit of chaos – especially with all those serious injuries that probably would have killed Marv and Harry in the real world. It'd be a fun time even without Catherine O'Hara and John Candy's SCTV reunion, but is all the better for it.

60. Leon (The Professional) (1994)

Luc Besson seems to be motivated by big sci-fi ideas in films such as The Fifth Element, Lucy, and Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets. On the flip side of Besson’s coin, though, are these stripped-down crime thrillers (Nikita, The Family), and none were more effective than Leon. The film heralded the arrival of young Natalie Portman, who proved she could appear convincingly as basically anything on screen. But also, Gary Oldman walks away with the picture, playing an unhinged and drug-addicted DEA agent looking to kill Portman’s character, much to the chagrin of professional hitman Jean Reno.  

59. Office Space (1999)

There’s a scene in Office Space where all the workers are assembled for an all-hands meeting. Above the boss’ head, there’s a banner printed that says Is This Good for the COMPANY? The question is underlined and COMPANY is in weird light blue font for unclear reasons. It’s somehow both utterly ridiculous and one of the most relatable things I’ve ever seen. In a way, it’s a perfect explanation for why some people, myself included, love Office Space so much. It’s one long series of hysterical if-you-know-you-know-moments, and watching other people live through and comment on that same misery feels so cathartic. 

58. Reservoir Dogs (1992)

There are few filmmakers in cinematic history who made as an audacious splash with their first feature as Quentin Tarantino, who was immediately recognized as a tremendous upstart talent following the premiere of Reservoir Dogs at the 1992 Sundance Film Festival. With its spellbinding non-linear storytelling, sharp-as-knives dialogue, and violent shocks, it is recognized as a perfect archetype of Tarantino’s strengths as a writer/director, and it is remembered for inspiring a whole generation of filmmakers and its lasting impact on genre cinema.

57. Apollo 13 (1995)

Apollo 13 may be best remembered in pop culture for the iconic line “Houston, we have a problem," but the 1995 film accumulated nine Academy Award nominations for a reason. Boasting a stacked cast that includes Tom Hanks, Kevin Bacon, Gary Sinise, Ed Harris, and Kathleen Quinlan, the movie dramatizes the true story of the failed 1970 lunar mission, and the ending sequence is no less suspenseful nearly thirty years later than it was in the ‘90s. The effects mostly stand up to this day; but even where they don’t, the performances sell the story entirely.

56. The American President (1995) 

Before Aaron Sorkin created The West Wing, he wrote The American President, which saw one of the most respected movie presidents, Andrew Shepherd (Michael Douglas), fall for feisty environmental lobbyist Sydney Ellen Wade (Annette Bening). Could a widowed president ever court a girlfriend in an election year? Sorkin’s snappy dialogue shows why it wouldn’t be easy, as the two become tabloid fodder, and even bigger trouble awaits when their political agendas don’t align. Both lead actors give absolutely charming performances in this 1995 political rom-com directed by Rob Reiner.

55. True Romance (1993) 

The first screenplay Quentin Tarantino ever sold in Hollywood was 1993’s True Romance, and it became an offbeat cult classic when combined with Tony Scott’s slick direction. Christian Slater and Patricia Arquette are perfect as the flawed lovers and the rest of the cast, which includes Gary Oldman, Brad Pitt, Michael Rappaport, Val Kilmer, Samuel L. Jackson, Tom Sizemore, James Gandolfini, just to name a few, are all brilliant. It’s one scene, however, between Dennis Hopper and Christopher Walken, that steals the whole show and deserves its own placement in cinema history.

54. Unforgiven (1992)

This might be the quintessential Clint Eastwood Western – which says a lot when you realize that the man helped to define the genre, dating all the way back to his days on television (in Gunsmoke). With Unforgiven, an older Eastwood figured out how to comment on the evolution of the Western, and reflect on the moral quandaries several cowboys faced over the course of their lawless lives. This marked the beginning of a contemplative stage of Eastwood’s career, and redefined the boundaries of the Western for storytellers that followed. 

53. The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)

Not only is The Nightmare Before Christmas one of the best stop-motion movies of all time, but it was also a game-changer within the animation industry. The movie -- following the story of Jack Skellington turning Halloween Town into Christmas Town and trying to take over the role of Santa Claus -- has become a cultural icon. Not only is the movie celebrated during the Halloween season, but it's also become one of the best animated Christmas movies and has a wildly popular fan base – go to Disney World during Halloween and Christmas and see how popular this movie is. 

52. Natural Born Killers (1994)

Few movies in the last decade of the 20th century caused a stir quite like the big screen adventure of Mickey and Mallory Knox in Oliver Stone’s demented crime saga Natural Born Killers. Fans of the TV show Cheers got to witness a whole new side to Woody Harrelson, and he makes for one-half of an absolutely ferocious on-screen pair partnered with Juliette Lewis. Though it was only released in 1994, it is a title to point to when aiming to epitomize a certain spirit in 1990s pop culture.

51. The Rock (1994)

It is still totally bonkers to think that the mid-’90s gave us a Michael Bay action movie in which Sean Connery and Nicolas Cage got to mesh their wildly different talents. A movie that helped pencil in the blueprint for what we know as modern Bayhem, The Rock is a solid cocktail of action, comedy, and drama tied together with a surprisingly poignant message. None of that gets lost in the shuffle, either, even as the shuffle keeps viewers glued to their seats until the very last scene. You can bet this quotable, adrenaline-charged classic is still friendly with the prom queen.

50. Boyz n the Hood (1991)

Relatively few directors made great movies on their first try, and the late John Singleton did just that with 1991’s Boyz n the Hood. Set in South Central Los Angeles, the film centers on three young men, whose paths begin to diverge as they steadily approach adulthood. Singleton, who also wrote the Oscar-nominated drama, provided a nuanced look at life in a low-income neighborhood. 

In doing so, he shed light on gang violence, systemic racism, and other elements that still negatively impact many communities today. For better or worse, this well-acted and directed film is as timeless and relevant as they come.

49. The Sixth Sense (1999)

While the ending twist may have helped put the film and its director, M. Night Shyamalan, on the map near the close of the decade, The Sixth Sense is so much more than those final, incredible moments where all of the pieces fall into place (in a scene that comes after we think the story has been mostly resolved). 

What elevates The Sixth Sense to ‘90s movie greatness is the combined efforts of the stellar performances of Bruce Willis, Haley Joel Osment, Toni Collette, and Olivia Williams; of the music combined with the fantastic shots; of the use of the Philadelphia backdrop. Every scene taps into something dark, scary, heartbreaking or humorous, and the best go for a little bit of all of those things at once. 

48. Get Shorty (1995)

What is the best Elmore Leonard adaptation? There are many candidates that qualify for consideration, including Quentin Tarantino’s Jackie Brown, Steven Soderbergh’s Out Of Sight and the TV series Justified, but Barry Sonnenfeld’s Get Shorty is my uncontested contender for the title. 

It’s a dark, cynical, and hilarious take on the film industry where a shylock finds himself right at home in Los Angeles, and it brims with exceptional characters – from John Travolta’s Chili Palmer to Gene Hackman's skeezy producer Harry Zimm, to James Gandolfini's stuntman-turned-heavy Bear. The sequel that came out a decade later, 2005’s Be Cool, is dreadful, but that has thankfully not tainted its predecessor’s stellar legacy as one of the great “Hollywood on Hollywood” movies. 

47. The Rocketeer (1991) 

Believe it or not, The Rocketeer is a comic book movie. In the wake of the blockbuster success that was Batman, studios scrambled to get their own piece of that four-paneled pie; leading a pre-Marvel Disney to adapt Dave Stevens’ pulpy ‘30s throwback. Hoping this movie would be the studio’s answer to Bat-mania, director Joe Johnston’s picture suffered in the obscenely crowded summer of 1991. 

Over time, fate has been kinder to the Billy Campbell and Jennifer Connolly adventure, as it developed into a cult classic much like the original Tron. Even if audiences didn’t flock to it at first, the message was never lost, because the quality was always there. Best experienced with a heart full of nostalgia and courage, The Rocketeer's mere existence is worth celebrating. 

46. Audition (1999)

Few movies start off as unassuming as the psycho-horror Audition, whose first half sits among the legendarily prolific Takashi Miike’s most restrained directorial efforts. The story begins with Ryo Ishibashi’s widower Shigeharu Aoyama re-entering the dating world in the least natural way possible: via auditions with women who believe they’re vying for an acting role. 

Things progress in an almost mundane manner as Shigeharu becomes more attracted to the quiet and seemingly reserved Asami (Eihi Shiina), but with enough peeks into her home life to send red flags waving. What makes Audition a unique ‘90s treasure is when the wheels fall off for its dread-flooded final act, in which Asami teaches Shigeharu a torturous lesson in stringing women along. Don't try this at home.

45. Point Break (1991)

Comically manly, but in the best ways possible, Point Break is the 1990s encapsulated. Clean-cut FBI agent Johnny Utah (tremendous character name) loses himself undercover when he tries to infiltrate a gang of surfers (tremendous plot twist) who may be posing as former presidents of the United States and robbing banks. What an awesome plot. And what an awesome movie. 

Keanu Reeves and Patrick Swayze are the Yin and the Yang of Southern California cool, tapping directly into the “Brah” of it all while also delivering unforgettable action set pieces – notably, a skydiving chase without parachutes. Credit most of this to director Kathyrn Bigelow, who eventually won her Best Director Oscar for 2010’s The Hurt Locker. 

44. Clueless (1995)

We’ve seen movies put a new spin on old classics before, but rarely has the result been as entertaining as Clueless, Amy Heckerling’s take on Jane Austen’s Emma. Alicia Silverstone stars as Cher, a beautiful and rich Beverly Hills high school fashionista who decides she wants to use her popularity for the betterment of humanity. 

The 1995 coming-of-age comedy — which also stars Stacey Dash, Brittany Murphy, Paul Rudd and more — still stands up today with its iconic looks and quotable dialogue (not to mention Cher’s inspiring speech comparing refugees to guests at her father’s garden party). And has there ever been a movie takedown more savage than Tai calling Cher “a virgin who can’t drive”? As if! 

43. L.A. Confidential (1997)

Once upon a time, the noir detective story was a staple of film, but fewer and fewer examples have emerged with each decade that passes. So when a movie like Curtis Hanson's L.A. Confidential comes around, you really begin to wonder why we don’t see more of these. 

It’s an absolutely incredible film that likely would probably be better remembered if it hadn’t come out the same year as Titanic. On top of everything else, the film introduced Russell Crowe and Guy Pierce to U.S. film audiences, and for that alone, it should be recognized, but it also won Kim Basinger an Oscar for a reason.

42. The Hunt for Red October (1990)

While The Hunt for Red October was a huge success when it hit theaters in 1990, it took years for people to see it as a classic. It’s not a flawless movie. Sean Connery, as amazing as he is, plays what appears to be a Scottish Russian, not changing his accent at all. The underwater scenes of the special effects submarines, while praised at the time, have not aged well, either. Accents aside, the actors are all superb here. 

Alec Baldwin as Jack Ryan, Tim Curry, Sam Neill, Scott Glenn, James Earl Jones, Stellan Skarsgård, Fred Thompson, Courtney B. Vance, and everyone else are all amazing, and John McTiernan’s direction is snappy and perfectly paced. This is THE submarine movie. 

41. The Green Mile (1999)

Considered one of the best Stephen King adaptations of all time, The Green Mile is a fantasy drama directed by Frank Darabont, telling the story of a wrongly convicted man and his time at a prison in the 1930s and the strange supernatural events that follow his arrival. 

I feel like The Green Mile is just one movie everyone should watch at least once. It's a classic for a reason, featuring all-time career performances from Tom Hanks, Sam Rockwell, and Michael Clarke Duncan. The Green Mile will capture your heart and crush it into a million pieces by the end – and might just make one admire the horror-driven Stephen King all the more for writing such an emotional story. If you're not ugly sobbing by the end of this, you may not be watching it right. 

40. The Truman Show (1998)

Easily considered one of Jim Carrey’s best movies, The Truman Show – which is about a man who realizes his reality isn’t real – uses its star’s signature over-the-top sense of humor and physicality to make you laugh. Then his dramatic skills come to the forefront as you take this journey with Truman, and you feel all the emotions as it becomes clear that this comedy is more of a searing satire.

Overall, this film is about Truman coming to terms with the fact that the world’s been watching him live in a simulated reality, and it gives us all an example of how exploitative social media can be. That’s why The Truman Show is not only one of the best movies of the ‘90s, but it’s also one of the more relevant films when it comes to the present. 

39. Waiting for Guffman (1996)

Waiting for Guffman is mockumentary gold. Christopher Guest and his group of comedic geniuses — Catherine O'Hara, Eugene Levy, Parker Posey, etc. — bring the sleepy berg of Blane, Missouri to life, with the audience watching as a motley crew of community theater actors put on a musical about their town. 

The stakes get higher when Guest's Corky St. Clair tells everyone a Broadway production house is coming, and "we may be going to Broadway." The songs are insane, the cast is unhinged, and this movie is heaven; even more so for those who are personally familiar with the madcap process of staging plays. 

38. Dazed and Confused (1993)

It’s really hard to make a comedy that stands the test of time, yet as we get older, Dazed and Confused stays the same age, er, quality. Director Richard Linklater’s love letter to his teen years in Texas transcends generations and keeps fans coming back again and again. Sure, it’s the 1970s, but teenagers (and adults) of any generation can relate. 

Of course, it also helps that so many huge stars got their first big break in the movie, including Matthew McConaughey in his first role. Ben Affleck, Parker Posey, Cole Hauser, Anthony Rapp, Rory Cochrane, Nicky Katt, and the rest of the cast are amazing. Everyone can point to one character and say “I knew someone just like that in high school!”

37. The Matrix (1999)

It’s hard to put into words just how mindblowing The Matrix was when it first came out. Of course, the successive sequels somewhat diminished the franchise’s legacy as a whole, though make no mistake, the first movie is just as much of a thrill in the modern era as it was back in 1999. 

Keanu Reeves is the ultimate leading entity in the Wachowskis' game-changing mega-blockbuster, making every move look as cool as can be. Because of the filmmakers' work on this neo-classic (no pun), people will forever be cursed with the idea that everything we’re doing in life is a simulation, and that we’re all slowly and secretly being harvested in pods for energy by robotic overlords. Great movie, though.

36. The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992)

Two years after Jim Henson’s death, son Brian Henson directed arguably the only truly great Muppets release of the entire 1990s: The Muppet Christmas Carol. (Excluding the final two years of Muppet Babies.) Based on the Charles Dickens novel that has spawned countless numbers of adaptations, the holiday film is anchored on the human side by Michael Caine’s Ebenezer Scrooge, and on the felt-covered side by Kermit and Miss Piggy’s Bob and Emily Cratchit, with Gonzo as Dickens himself. 

Though it doesn’t offer any huge adjustments to the source material, the Muppets make everything twenty-fold more charming, and Statler and Waldorf’s ghostly jam “Marley and Marley” is among the best of any original Muppet tunes. Christmas just wouldn’t be Christmas without this movie.

35. City Slickers (1991)

There are plenty of laughs to be had in Ron Underwood’s Western comedy City Slickers, and while that’s a safe bet for any of Billy Crystal’s best movies, what sets this one apart is its enormous heart. 

Crystal’s Mitch Robbins, along with pals Phil and Ed (Daniel Stern and Bruno Kirby, respectively) are all suffering midlife crises of sorts when they embark on a cattle drive across the Southwest. It was refreshing to see the men open up to each other about their childhoods, relationships, and what matters most in life. Jack Palance gives an Oscar-winning performance as Curly, and the $124 million it earned at the domestic box office made it one of the top 5 movies of 1991.

34. The Birdcage (1996)

Robin Williams was a brilliant comedian, a supernova of personality that could command our attention with his hysterical stream-of-conscious thoughts. But Williams, to me, truly shined bright when he downplayed his natural comedic energy to either try serious drama (Good Will Hunting, Dead Poets Society), or to support an equally brilliant comedic performance – as he did with Nathan Lane in The Birdcage.

While broad and flamboyant at times, The Birdcage captures the heart of a family rallying behind their beautiful son (Dan Futterman) who is getting engaged to a Conservative girl (Calista Flockhart). Williams and Lane, as an on-screen couple, are tender, touching, funny, sweet, and perfectly paired in this special gem of a film.

33. Princess Mononoke (1997)

As someone who has watched every single Hayao Miyazaki movie, there's something about Prince Mononoke that speaks deeply to my soul. While I possibly think Spirited Away is Miyazaki's best film, and I have a love for Howl's Moving Castle, this is a movie that has changed the way I view the world. 

Princess Mononoke follows the story of a young prince who discovers that the gods of the forest are upset at the humans for consuming their precious resources. While the anime film itself has breathtaking animation and a story that pulls you in; both are equally sating while leaving a desire for more. Truthfully, this is the one movie that speaks on human consumption in simple ways that everyone should be required to watch.  

32. Groundhog Day (1993)

By all accounts, the creative process behind Groundhog Day was not easy. The film was originally conceived as a darker, more philosophical movie with independent sensibilities. That’s what Bill Murray liked. Director Harold Ramis saw it as more of a good-natured and broad comedy. So they fought about it, plaguing the shoot with delays, rewrites and enough acrimony to sever their friendship for decades. 

Amidst that disharmony, or perhaps even because of that disharmony, the two comedy masters compromised and created a perfect blend of the two: a broad and funny romantic comedy that’s weird enough and dark enough to feel totally original. 

31. Scream (1996)

With A Nightmare on Elm Street and its two best sequels already under his belt (among many other frightfests), Wes Craven made horror franchise lightning strike twice with the post-modern whodunit slasher Scream, and it kept striking across two eras of sequels. Led by one of the ‘90s greatest scream queens in Neve Campbell, the 1996 classic became such a blueprint for Hollywood horror that the inciting film doesn’t feel anywhere near as novel as it did when audiences first sat down thinking they were about to watch “a Drew Barrymore movie.” 

But that opening remains chilling AF, David Arquette’s Deputy Dewey remains a loveable dork alongside Courteney Cox’s hardcore bitch Gail Weathers, and Ghostface’s pop culture-tinged massacre has only become more relevant in an ever-connected world.

30. Cape Fear (1991)

I was way too young when I watched Cape Fear for the first time. I was experienced with plenty of slasher or jump scare style horror movies and figured I’d be fine. Wrong. Cape Fear is an entirely different type of scary than what I was used to. 

With a prime Martin Scorsese at the helm and a fantastic all-in performance from Robert De Niro, it’s a relentlessly creepy and unnerving take on slow-burn vengeance. It haunted my sleep for weeks as a kid, and during an adult rewatch decades later, its themes of religion, underage sexuality, criminal justice and moral relativism were every bit as disturbing. 

29. Being John Malkovich (1999)

Being John Malkovich may not be the very best ‘90s movie, but it may very well be the strangest that still qualifies as a great time. The premise itself — that a door exists allowing others to enter the mind of another person — is odd enough, but for the person whose brain is invaded to be celebrated actor John Malkovich? 

That brilliant choice somehow gives the otherwise impossible story a slight jolt of realism, and it all comprises a cinematic experience that should not be missed. It’s also a movie full of incredible performances, as Malkovich plays a fantastic version of himself, while John Cusack and Cameron Diaz play against type about as much as possible.

28. Dave (1993)

Probably the funniest movie that uses the presidential line of succession as a plot device, Ivan Reitman’s Dave is a hilarious, charming, and oddly sentimental exploration of politics in the early 1990s. There’s just something about Kevin Kline’s portrayal of Dave Kovic that makes this movie about a presidential impersonator becoming the Commander-in-Chief so innocent and pure, especially when compared to the political climate we live in 30-plus years later. 

Whenever I revisit Dave every couple of years, it feels like opening a time capsule to the final decade of the 20th century with its optimism and promise of a better future. 

27. A League of Their Own (1992)

A League Of Their Own is too busy with meaningful character development and telling an awesome baseball story to go for jokes all the time, but on a per-attempt basis, I would put it up against almost any comedy ever made. Director Penny Marshall has a wonderful tonal sense of when her actors should play it straight, when they should add in a little humor, and when they should drunkenly pee for thirty seconds. 

The result is one of the best sports movies of all time, one that delivers all those laughs but also plays it straight enough to give viewers fantastic and relatable plots about friendship, sisterhood, and what it means to thrive and find your own space.

26. The Iron Giant (1999)

The Iron Giant is Brad Bird's heartstrings-pulling story about a young boy who befriends a massive alien robot in 1957, and it proves that a movie bombing at the box office doesn’t mean it can’t still become a cinematic classic. Though its theatrical run didn’t even make back the initial budget, thanks to its home video rollout and stellar word-of-mouth buzz, it’s now considered one of the best animated movies of all time. Rightly so, because this is one of those movies that remains timeless no matter when it’s being viewed. 

Watching Hogarth teach the Giant about life on Earth and urge him to overcome his original purpose of being a weapon never gets old. The Iron Giant remains arguably Vin Diesel’s best movie from before the Fast & Furious franchise's launch, and co-stars like Eli Marienthal, Jennifer Aniston, Harry Connick Jr., and Christopher McDonald also shine.

25. Toy Story 2 (1999)

I remember that Toy Story 2 was the first film that made me uncontrollably sob – like fat tears rolling down my face and having a stuffy nose for hours afterward, and I'm sure I'm not alone there. A sequel to Toy Story, which took the world by anthropomorphic storm with its industry-revolutionizing animation, the follow-up adventure was released in 1999, and follows Woody after he is accidentally sold to a toy collector. There, he meets companions from a former TV show that he had no idea about – a show all about him. (And Joan Cusack's Jessie, of course.)

The Toy Story 2 voice cast is stellar, and the animation was a huge step forward in CGI films, but the heart-wrenching story of love, friendship, and so much more is what made Toy Story 2 one of the best Pixar films out there – and yes, I still cry during, "When Somebody Loved Me."

24. Election (1999)

How did Reese Witherspoon not win an Oscar for her performance as Type-A goodie two-shoes Tracy Flick, the textbook overachiever who bites off more than she can chew by running for student government president? It’s possible that we have come to realize that Witherspoon might just BE Tracy Flick in real life. 

But at the time, she was a tornado of talent matching Matthew Broderick beat for beat, bringing to life the sharp school-set satire in director Alexander Payne’s screenplay. Election has as much to say about the greed and immaturity powering politics many years after its release – at every level – as it did back in 1999, which is yet another reason why it remains special.

23. Magnolia (1999)

While not the highest-ranked Paul Thomas Anderson film on this list, Magnolia is a film to be marveled at for its phenomenal ambition. The Los Angeles-based epic juggles the stories of nearly a dozen protagonists who are not only dealing with a wide variety of personal conflicts and demons but are all linked to one another in the stunning cinematic tapestry. 

As the hyper-misogynist motivational speaker Frank T.J. Mackey, Tom Cruise delivers one of his most brilliant turns, and Julianne Moore’s pharmacy monologue is flooring, but the reality is that every member of the ensemble – including Philip Seymour Hoffman, William H. Macy, Philip Baker Hall, John C. Reilly, and many more – deliver some of the best work of their respective careers. Further considering the frogs and the stunning performance of Aimee Mann’s “Wise Up,” it’s indelible cinema.

22. Tombstone (1993)

I don’t think you could ask for a more star-studded cast for any genre of film, much less a Western. 1993’s Tombstone is blessed by a top-notch cast including Kurt Russell, Val Kilmer, Sam Elliott, the late Bill Paxton, Michael Biehn, Stephen Lang, the late Powers Boothe, Thomas Haden Church, Michael Rooker, Charlton Heston, and many more, making it an instant classic in the Western genre. 

The story behind how this film came to be, along with many behind-the-scenes facts, is bizarre enough, but the struggles resulted in one of the best cowboy films of all time. And one that has stood the test of time against a similar movie released around the same time, Kevin Costner's Wyatt Earp.  

21. Beauty and the Beast (1991)

Beauty and the Beast was the first animated film to be nominated for the Best Picture Oscar, and decades later, it’s still clear that was the right call. The movie is beautiful, with early computer animation enhancing some of the most visually stunning hand-drawn shots in the medium’s history. It also has one of the best soundtracks of any Disney musical, if not any musical, full stop. This is Howard Ashman’s greatest achievement as a songwriter. 

But beyond even that, the two title characters are about as three-dimensional as any animated characters ever were. It may be a tale as old as time, but Beauty and the Beast is one the audience gets wrapped up in from the first notes to the last. It’s the definition of Disney magic.

20. The Usual Suspects (1995)

No one saw the twist ending coming. Trust me. No one. It caught audiences off guard completely, exactly the way it crashed down like a ton of bricks on Chazz Palminteri's cop. He finally understood who Keyser Soze was, and we all rushed right back into theaters to watch the puzzle snap into place all over again. 

But The Usual Suspects is more than just its “dropped shoe,” miraculous as that reveal is. The cast of colorful criminals assembled by director Bryan Singer played off of each other wonderfully, with many of them defaulting to the natural leader in Gabriel Byrne, but still finding ways to steal the spotlight every now and then. (Benicio Del Toro mumbling under his breath in the jail lineup belongs in the conversation of funniest five-minute performances, ever). As twisty crime thrillers go, few are tighter and more entertaining than this.

19. Boogie Nights (1997)

Introductions can make or break anything in this world. Careers, reputations, even the flow of a movie can be bungled if you don’t know how to open. Writer/director Paul Thomas Anderson must have known that when he made Boogie Nights, because when he introduced that picture to the world, he gave himself one hell of a calling card. 

Following young Dirk Diggler (Mark Wahlberg) in his journey through the underground of porn films, we see a man still growing up in an industry that feels as young as he is. An ensemble drama boasting the likes of Don Cheadle, Julianne Moore, Heather Graham, and Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Boogie Nights is a cautionary tale with style and tension to burn. Good luck ever listening to “Sister Christian” without having flashbacks to this big, bright, shining star that still manages to break hearts and crack jokes with everyone it meets.

18. Good Will Hunting (1997)

Good Will Hunting is one of those films that changes you forever once you watch it. Starring Matt Damon and Robin Williams, the drama follows a young janitor at MIT who's discovered to be a secret math genius. The premise itself isn't as catchy as some of the other big-time blockbusters of the 1990s, without aliens, robots or crazy action fights, but Good Will Hunting is a film that leaves its message imprinted on audiences long after the credits roll. 

A story of perseverance, hope, and so much more, this movie gave movie fans one of Robin Williams's best roles and catapulted the careers of Matt Damon and Ben Affleck. (You gotta like them apples.) This kind of film teaches you that sometimes, the people you meet turn you into your best self, so we just have to be fearless enough to go out there and find them. 

17. The Silence of the Lambs (1991)

Anthony Hopkins is fantastic in The Silence Of The Lambs, and every positive thing you’ve ever heard about his performance is deserved and probably an understatement. He’s that engrossing, but with all due respect, The Silence Of The Lambs isn’t his movie. It’s Jodie Foster’s movie, hingeing on her career-best performance here as Clarice Starling, which just gets better with every rewatch. 

Foster finds the perfect balance between uncertain and determined. She lets her FBI trainee lead character feel the weight of every obstacle, whether it be sexism, personal loss or physical danger, and then she pushes forward. With relentless determination, she just keeps going and that one step at a time, careful momentum gives the film its narrative structure and allows director Ted Demme to create one of the 90s best and most memorable movies.

16. Fargo (1996)

Joel and Ethan Coen have crafted films both stoically grounded and ludicrously fantastical in their long and storied careers, with Fargo possibly the one straddling both of those lines with the greatest of ease. The faux-kidnapping-gone-wrong and the ensuing investigation are smart story beats, and were enough to win the Coens the Best Original Screenplay Oscar, if fairly rote for the genre in general. But it’s the cast, the Minnesota location, and the singular nature of being a snow-white noir that make Fargo one of the greatest films of the decade. 

The always affable William H. Macy is aces as a man being eaten alive by guilt, opposite the gosh-darn excellent police skills of Frances McDormand’s Marge Gunderson, with Steve Buscemi and Peter Stormare as the pair of amoral criminals making everyone’s lives (and deaths) worse. Fargo is a chilling masterpiece, and it’s got nothing to do with the weather. 

15. My Cousin Vinny (1992)

Even though one of my colleagues claims her testimony was incorrect in the film, I will still stand before the court and argue that Marisa Tomei, Joe Pesci, and their cast of supporting characters make My Cousin Vinny guilty as hell of being one of the best comedies of all time.

The film is widely used in an educational capacity to showcase one of the few times that a court case is mostly portrayed accurately through a film, and to be honest, the wordplay coupled with the main character/judge dynamic is something to write home about.

14. Saving Private Ryan (1998)

For years, veterans would be the first to say that cinema's depiction of combat — especially that of World War II — is a cakewalk compared to the real thing. Because few films offered a truly accurate portrayal of the hellish, soul-crushing conditions soldiers faced, at least before the release of Saving Private Ryan.

This story of a U.S. military captain (played by Tom Hanks) tasked with leading his crew on a mission to bring a family's last living son home is easily one of Steven Spielberg’s best movies (the second to earn him a Best Director Oscar) and is widely considered to have been unjustly robbed of the Best Picture honor (which went to Shakespeare in Love that year). From the landmark D-Day sequence to the heartbreaking final act and every unforgettable moment in between, it is one of the harshest films you could ever experience, but the passion and craftsmanship put into makes for a grand reward. 

13. The Big Lebowski (1998)

I’m a Lebowski, you’re a Lebowski, we’re all Lebowskis who love the Coen brothers’ The Big Lebowski, even if its massive fandom wasn’t automatic. It was only a moderate success in the spring of 1998 when it sauntered into theaters on the heels of the Coen’s winning their first writing Oscar for Fargo a year earlier. Reviews at the time were middling, as was the audience reaction. 

Then, over the next couple of years, The Big Lebowski turned into a bonafide cult craze. Pages have been written about its status as such, but too often overlooked is what makes the movie so lovable. It’s quotable, it’s silly, and the plot is the ultimate shaggy dog story with a ridiculous McGuffin — the Dude’s rug — but as it goes for the Dude’s living room, the whole movie ties together just brilliantly. It’s world-class storytelling and the performances from Jeff Bridges, John Goodman, and the rest of the cast are perfect.  

12. Schindler's List (1993)

Sometimes what makes a movie from a particular era great is how it represents its time, but some movies would be considered an important work of art in any decade. Steven Spielberg’s Schindler’s List is one of those that transcends eras. The film is great in all the traditional ways: Liam Neeson gives a career-making performance as Oskar Schindler, an Industrialist who saved the lives of hundreds of Jews during World War II. The supporting performances are equally strong. It’s beautifully filmed. 

But beyond that, Schindler’s List is an important movie, offering audiences a sobering look at the tragic events of World War II through a character based on a real-life survivor that many were not even aware of before the movie's release. Schindler’s List is one of those movies that you don’t forget after having seen it, and it may be Steven Spielberg’s greatest achievement.

11. Toy Story (1995)

More than 25 years after moviegoers were first introduced to Woody, Buzz Lightyear, Bo Peep, and the rest of Andy’s collection, it can be easy to forget just how big the impact John Lasseter’s Toy Story had when it hit theaters in 1995. It’s the film that put Pixar on the map, and while it sadly helped kickstart the downfall of hand-drawn animation in lieu of CGI, it also paved the way for three of the greatest Hollywood sequels to ever be produced. Tom Hanks’ Woody and Tim Allen’s Buzz are an all-time great animated duo, sharing hallowed space with Bugs & Daffy and Tom & Jerry, though obviously with a lot more heart than what short-form characters are allowed.

The Toy Story franchise hinges a lot on childhood memories, nostalgia, and maintaining a sense of fun in life as one gets older, and this first film delivers the most distilled take on that idea, with Andy still attached in some way to his inner child. Life, as it were, gets way more depressing for the toys as he gets older, which perhaps is why Toy Story rewatches are all the more enjoyable in comparison.

10. Philadelphia (1993)

 Philadelphia is not only a well-made movie, but is first and foremost an important movie. LQBTQ+ rights were non-existent at the time, as the movie highlights and one cannot discount the role this movie, directed by Jonathan Demme, had in awakening the general public not only to the plight gay people faced at the time but the discrimination people with HIV/AIDS faced as well when it was released in 1993. Tom Hanks’ portrayal of a gay man with AIDS who is fired from his job won the actor his first Oscar and for good reason, he’s amazing. Equally amazing is Denzel Washington, who plays Hanks’ character’s (Andrew Beckett) lawyer, Joe Miller. 

Miller, like most people in 1993 when Philadelphia was released, is scared of Beckett and AIDS, because he, like many, didn’t understand it. It’s Miller’s reaction that resonates with audiences. After watching Beckett get asked to move to a “private room” at a library, Miller realizes the discrimination is similar to that faced by African-Americans in the United States, and by the end of the film, he touches Beckett’s lesion-covered face, after learning the truth about AIDS. It’s a powerful moment that still reverberates today. 

9. Fight Club (1999)

So many “futuristic” sci-fi movies from years past have failed to successfully depict modern society and behavior, but David Fincher’s Fight Club now feels it was adapted from some of Nostradamus’ naughtier quatrains, instead of Chuck Palahniuk’s 1996 novel. Seemingly both a love letter to, and a cautionary tale about, nihilistic anti-consumerism and anarchy, Fight Club features one of cinema’s most convoluted love triangles in Edward Norton’s spine-lacking unnamed narrator, Brad Pitt’s ultra-male Tyler Durden, and Helena Bonham Carter’s impulsively erratic Marla Singer. A demented character study in part, the movie oozes testosterone both before and after the titular underground brawls come together, and maybe even oozes a bit of estrogen when Meat Loaf’s Bob is around. 

For all of the smart and discussion-worthy topics that are tackled with face-pounding glee, Fight Club is, unfortunately, the kind of movie whose natural sheen has been somewhat tarnished by a fanbase who lost the point of the satire, but still holds so many visual and verbal treasures for those outside such bubbles. Especially for any new viewers who manage to go into it without knowing what kicks off the final act. It’s hard to think of a ‘90s movie with a more story-heightening ending, and The Pixies’ “Where Is My Mind?” remains an inarguably perfect needle drop.  

8. Pulp Fiction (1994)

Pulp Fiction changed the rules of Hollywood moviemaking. That’s no exaggeration. Before Quentin Tarantino fired a shotgun blast through the screen with his nonlinear gangster picture, there was a chasm separating big-budgeted studio films and independent cinema that usually thrived on the film festival circuit before making its way to art house theaters. In the years following Pulp Fiction, studios, actors and audiences chased talent and inspiration, wherever it could be found. 

The irony of Pulp Fiction blazing so many trails is that the movie itself is a pastiche of well-worn genres that Tarantino pored over while working the counter of a video shop. He’s paying homage to countless, gratuitous stories that had come before it. Only, Pulp Fiction built on the buzz created with Reservoir Dogs to attract a constellation of stars: John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Uma Thurman, Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, Christopher Walken, Ving Rhames, and Bruce Willis. Pulp Fiction remains one of the best scripts you will ever read, crisscrossing itself at various intersections and packing repeated surprises (usually of the violent nature). But it was Tarantino’s powerful voice, and his use of soundtrack, that had clones copying his style for decades… and still, to this day.  

7. Jurassic Park (1993)

Anticipation for Jurassic Park began years before its release in the summer of 1993. Michael Crighton sold the rights to the film before he finished the book and because Steven Spielberg was the director who acquired it, the hype started early. Then, in June 1993, it finally hit theaters and was an absolute cultural sensation. Critics loved it, praising the unbelievable special effects and realism of the dinosaurs. Speilberg and the team at ILM broke so much new ground in creating the creatures that it changed how movies were made. Audiences loved it even more and showed up at theaters in hordes. Jurassic Park broke every box record there was to break. It had the biggest opening day, the biggest opening weekend, and finally, it became the highest-grossing movie of all time.

Jurassic Park also earned a slew of awards, mostly for its technical achievements, but that doesn’t mean the acting performances were bad, they were fantastic. Jeff Goldblum, Sam Neill, Laura Dern, and Sir Richard Attenborough are all perfect in their roles. Finally, there’s the score by John Williams, which remains one of the most iconic of all time. 

6. Se7en (1995)

The film that rescued David Fincher’s career from the stench of Alien 3, and proved that the versatile music director could apply his grungy, moody, techno-acid style to a feature-length nightmare. It’s easy to say now that Fincher was destined to be a contemporary, visionary genius of a filmmaker. But prior to The Social Network, Zodiac, and Fight Club, we needed to see some evidence. Consider this disturbing plunge into the moral sewers to be Exhibit A in the case for Fincher’s mastery. 

Se7en is routine in many ways. It’s set in a rainy and nondescript city, which feels like San Francisco but could be anywhere. It follows odd-couple cops (Morgan Freeman, Brad Pitt) tracking a mysterious serial killer who cunningly stays one step ahead of them. But the performances are remarkable, including Gwyneth Paltrow as Pitt’s loving and innocent newlywed, plucked and moved to the grimy city so her husband can do his job. The film’s riveting conclusion – which benefits from the icy calm delivery of Kevin Spacey as John Doe – elevated Se7en above most others in the genre. Now, when someone asks, “What’s in the box?” you don’t have to say, “Gwyneth’s head.” Just tell them the box contains an unforgettable masterpiece. 

5. Heat (1995)

Look at just about every list breaking down the best heist films ever made and the movie you’re probably going to see the most is Michael Mann’s 1995 crime epic, Heat. With some of the most iconic (and loudest) robbery and shoot-out sequences, the first on-screen pairing of Al Pacino and Robert De Niro (both were in The Godfather Part II but appeared in different timelines), and an incredible cat-and-mouse story that uses Los Angeles as a backdrop better than any other film, there’s so much to love about this legendary film.

On top of all of that, Heat has become one of the most influential films of all time in the nearly 30 years since its theatrical release. Watch movies like The Town, Widows, and even The Dark Knight, and you’ll see how Mann’s thriller was so influential. Hell, even the Grand Theft Auto franchise has taken aspects of the movie to create some of the most action-packed video game moments of all time.  

4. The Lion King (1994)

1994’s The Lion King is perhaps the most effective entry in the Disney Renaissance era when it comes to combining gorgeous animation, original songs, and a story that continues to pack a punch decades later. As the coming-of-age story for cub-turned-king Simba, the film delivers arguably the most famous Disney death with the demise of Mufasa, and Scar’s villain song is both incredibly catchy and incredibly chilling. Aladdin lyricist Tim Rice joined forces with Elton John for the songs, while Hans Zimmer composed the score, earning The Lion King an Academy Award for Best Original Score, while “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” won for Best Original Song.

The Lion King was a massive commercial hit, becoming the highest-grossing traditionally animated film and holding that record to this day. The original movie also has a legacy that has extended to two TV shows, two direct-to-video sequels, and the 2019 CGI remake that was massively successful for Disney, although divisive among fans of the original animated version. Plus, there’s a generation of adults who learned about coups and succession crises thanks to Mufasa, Scar, and Simba back in the ‘90s. What’s not to roar with love about? 

3. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)

Taking what he learned from making The Terminator and the two movies that followed (Aliens and The Abyss), James Cameron gave audiences not just a sequel in July 1991, but a game-changer of a film that completely rewrote the summer blockbuster and the action genre as we know it. While The Terminator was a small-scale sci-fi thriller about a futuristic cyborg sent back in time to kill a waitress before she could give birth to humanity’s last hope against extinction, T2 was a massive epic with numerous iconic action sequences and CGI that still holds up decades later.

The movie also gave us one of the best on-screen heroes with Arnold Schwarnegger’s T-800, a reprogrammed Terminator sent back not to kill John Connor but to protect him from the more advanced and more lethal T-1000, a character that remains an all-time villain. It is hard to imagine a timeline where Terminator 2: Judgment Day doesn’t exist, but luckily that’s a reality we don’t have to experience. 

2. Goodfellas (1990)

Of everything that Goodfellas is in part — a mobster saga, a crime drama, an ensemble biopic, etc. — it can’t properly be boxed into such a limited description, though it’s certainly safer to use fewer words when the Gambino crime family’s around, lest Joe Pesci’s Tommy DeVito lose his temper. Based on reporter (and eventual co-screenwriter) Nicholas Pileggi’s 1985 Wiseguy: Life in a Mafia Family, the film rides on the back of Ray Liotta’s Henry Hill, whose idea of the American Dream is to be living it up as a made man, but realizes over and over again how hard such a goal is to attain when everyone else around is just as hungry and ruthless. 

In many ways, it’s a perfect counterbalance to The Godfather saga, sharing similarities such as memorable food scenes and a stacked cast (with some mutual actors like Robert De Niro and Frank Sivero). But unlike Francis Ford Coppola’s masterpieces, Goodfellas was far less successful at the Oscars, with only Pesci taking home the gold, despite plenty of accolades earned elsewhere. Like much of Scorsese’s work, it’s only become more appreciated with time, and easily stands out as one of the best movies not just of the ‘90s, but of any era. 

1. The Shawshank Redemption (1994)

“Get busy living, or get busy dying” may be the better remembered quote from Frank Darabont’s The Shawshank Redemption, but it’s the line that Red (Morgan Freeman) says in the final moments of the film that sums up the heart and soul of this story. Not only is The Shawshank Redemption our #1 pick for the best ‘90s movies, but it’s also easily one of the best adaptations of a Stephen King story – in this case, the novella, Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption.

The movie follows Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins), a banker who’s wrongfully convicted of murdering his wife and her lover, and sent to prison. For a movie that doesn’t shy away from the brutality this character experiences throughout his years behind bars – both at the hands of some of his fellow inmates, and the warden and guards – The Shawshank Redemption never loses sight of that ultimate message of hope – the thing that Andy clings to every step of the way. It’s there in the friendships he makes, and in the moments of happiness Andy manages to find. And it’s there in the final words Red says in the closing narration: “I hope.” 

Mob movies bring a lot of destruction, and a lot death. Some of the most memorable death scenes stay with us long past walking out of the theater or turning off the TV. It's not always the most violent ones that spook us, though sometimes they do. Here is our haunting list of mob deaths in movies that we can't stop thinking about. (Obviously, big spoilers ahead for the movies mentioned in this list!) 

Sonny Corleone (The Godfather)

It's not like audiences are ever surprised to see Don Corleone's oldest son, Sonny, get taken out by Barzini's men by the toll booth in The Godfather. His famous "hot head" gets to him as he tries in vain to rescue his sister from her abusive husband. Still, there is something in that performance by James Caan that makes it unforgettable, he so wants to live and it takes a true barrage to take him down.  

Nicky Santoro (Casino)

Nicky Santoro (Joe Pesci) in Casino is a notorious hothead, never backing down from even the slightest insult. His unbridled recklessness eventually is his undoing when the mobsters from back east have had enough and order his hit. The brutality of the hit, done with baseball bats, will forever live in our nightmares. 

Sonny (A Bronx Tale)

Sonny's (Chazz Palminteri) death in A Bronx Tale isn't particularly violent, it's a straight up mob shooting. What makes it so freaky is how happy Sonny looks just before he gets it. He's at a party, enjoying life, when bang! he's gone. He never even sees it coming. 

Billy Batts (Goodfellas)

Actor Frank Vincent plays a great mob guy. In Goodfellas, which is one of the best movies of the '90s, he plays Billy Batts, the guy that tells Tommy (Joe Pesci) to go get his shinebox. Tommy doesn't like it very much, to say the least and later, when Billy is relaxed, he jumps him with the help of Henry (Ray Liotta) and Jimmy (Robert De Niro). It's a brutal beating, but he doesn't die right away, instead, Tommy is forced to stab him in the trunk of the car later. 

Tango (American Gangster)

Idris Elba plays a criminal well. Let's be honest, he plays everything well. One of his smaller roles in American Gangster is a dealer named Tango who's trying to take over Harlem. Frank Lucas (Denzel Washington) gets insulted by Tango and his greed, so Lucas takes him out in the middle of the street, in broad daylight. No one saw it coming, and Tango didn't get his 20% of the package. 

Fredo Corleone (The Godfather II)

There is no more haunting on-screen moment on film than Fredo Corleone's (John Cazale) final moments on a boat, reciting a Hail Mary, in the middle of Lake Tahoe just before he meets his end. He had crossed his brother and insulted him, and while Michael (Al Pacino) waits until their mother has passed to do the deed, Fredo's time comes. 

Dominic (Once Upon A Time In America)

Dominic (Noah Moazezi) is one of Noodles' (played as an adult by Robert De Niro) best friends as a kid.  In one of the most touching and sad parts of the movie, Dominic is murdered in the streets by their boss-turned-enemy Bugsy. In a fit of rage, young Noodles attacks Bugsy, stabbing him to death before assaulting a police officer and getting carted off to jail. 

Jimmy Hoffa (The Irishman)

The Irishman isn't a perfect movie, and it plays fast and loose with some of the history, but it's not like every viewer didn't wait to see how they would portray the disappearance of Jimmy Hoffa (Al Pacino). Hoffa, whose body has never been found, was shot to death in the movie by Frank Sheeran (Robert De Niro), who is the Irishman in the title of the movie. Just when you think they won't show anything, Sheehan takes him out. 

Jimmy "Jump" Colt (King Of New York)

Laurence Fishburne is one of the best actors of our time, and there is no more haunting death scene in a mob movie than his death in King Of New York. The screams of agony as he's shot and laying on the ground will stay with us forever. 

Luca Brasi (The Godfather)

"Luca Brasi sleeps with the fishes," is one of the most iconic lines ever. How he got to the fishes is terrifying. When Brasi (Lenny Montana) is strangled to death, the look on his face and the fear and intensity in his eyes is something no one could ever forget. The scene is so realistic, it's scary. 

"Hollywood" Dick Moltisanti (The Many Saints of Newark)

Patricide is always haunting, even when the father maybe deserves it. In The Many Saints Of Newark, Dickie Moltisanti (Alessandro Nivola) violently murders his father "Hollywood" Dick Moltisanti (Ray Liotta). You can understand maybe where the rage comes from, but it doesn't make it easier to watch. 

Bill The Butcher (Gangs of New York)

For most of Gangs of New York, Bill The Butcher (Daniel Day-Lewis) is the one dishing out the violence. That changes when he's confronted on the street by Amsterdam (Leonardo DiCaprio) during the Civil War draft riot. Amsterdam brutally gets his long-awaited revenge on Bill by stabbing him to death with his father's knife. 

Johnny Ola (The Godfather II)

Fredo betrayed his brother in The Godfather II, and his partner in that was Johnny Ola, played by future Sopranos cast member Dominic Chianese. It stands to reason that Michael would be looking for revenge on Ola and he gets it when Ola is strangled to death on a balcony with a clothes hanger.

Carlito (Carlito's Way)

In Carlito's Way, Al Pacino plays Carlito Brigante, a gangster trying to go straight and stay out of prison. Sadly, as is too often the case, his criminal past won't let go of him and he finds himself back where he started, as a gangster. Because he tries so hard to turn his life around, his death at the hands of Benny Blanco from The Bronx (John Leguizamo) is especially tragic. 

Frank Nitty (The Untouchables)

The notorious gangster and henchman to Al Capone Frank Nitty is one of the creepiest roles in The Untouchables. Billy Drago's performance is evil personified in the best way. Finally, that evil is too much for the straight-laced Eliott Ness (Kevin Costner) has had enough and tosses him from a roof, and the screams on his way are terrifying. 

Billy Costigan (The Departed)

Just when you think Billy (Leonardo DiCaprio) is going to make it out of his undercover assignment in The Departed alive, his life ends in a millisecond. As the doors open to the elevator that is transporting an arrested Sullivan (Matt Damon) in, Billy is immediately dropped, almost mid-sentence by Trooper Barrigan (James Badge Dale). 

Walter McGinn (Gangs Of New York)

Walter McGinn (Brendan Gleeson) is one of the most likable characters in Gangs of New York which makes the beating he takes from Bill the Butcher all that much harder to watch. Bill murders him right in the street in front of everyone, shocking the characters in the movie and the audience watching. 

Joey Zasa (The Godfather III)

All three Godfather movies leave audiences' mouths agape at some of the murders. They aren't usually gory, but they are unforgettable. Even the lamented Godfather III provides one excellent moment like this. As he walks down the street, mob boss Joey Zasa (Joe Mantegna) is gunned down by Vincent Corleone (Andy Garcia) and we'll never forget it. 

Tommy Devito (Goodfellas)

Tommy Devito in Goodfellas is a bad guy, a really bad guy. Still, when he walks into the room thinking he's about to get made, only to realize at the last moment that he's actually getting murdered, it shocks us. Jimmy's reaction on the pay phone says it all, breaking the phone in a fit of anger and frustration. For audiences, it's simply shocking. 

Bar Patron (Casino)

One of the most shocking and brutal scenes in any mob movie is when Ace (Robert De Niro) and Nicky in Casino get into an argument with a random bar patron. Ace asks the man about his pen, and the man, not knowing who was dealing with, responds with an attitude. He learns quickly he messed with the wrong guys when Nicky used the pen to stab him to death. 

Lefty Ruggiero (Donnie Brasco)

Here is an example of why you don't even need to see the death to be haunted by it. Lefty Ruggiero (Al Pacino) in Donnie Brasco knows what fate lays before him. He quietly takes off his wedding ring and other valuables, careful not to let his wife see, walks out the door and audiences hear a shot. It's hard not to feel sorry for him. 

Moe Green (The Godfather)

There is a moment in The Godfather when Michael is settling all family business. A number of associates are killed, but none of those leave an impression on the audience like Moe Greene (Alex Rocco) taking a bullet right in his eye. 

Manny Ray (Scarface)

A great trick that mob movies pull is getting audiences to feel empathy for the violent thugs portrayed in them. There are few better examples than Scarface. Tony Montana (Al Pacino) and Manny Ray (Steven Bauer) might be blood brothers, but they are terrible people. Still, you can't help but feel terrible for both of them after Tony guns Manny down after catching Manny with his sister. 

Jim Malone (The Untouchables)

Sean Connery's Jim Malone in The Untouchables is finally what won an Oscar for the Scottish actor. He's the heart and soul of the movie, and the crew of agents tracking Capone. When he's gunned down in his apartment, it's heartwrenching. 

Frankie Carbone (Goodfellas)

Audiences don't see Frankie Carbone (Frank Sivero) get whacked in Goodfellas, but we'll never forget what he looked like when the cops found him in the meat truck. "He was frozen so stiff it took them three days to thaw him out for the autopsy," according to Henry Hill in the movie. 

The Horse (The Godfather)

The most brutal and terrifying scene in The Godfather isn't the death of a human but of a horse. When Jack Woltz wakes up with his prized racehorse's head in his bed, the blood-curdling scream is pure nightmare fuel. 

John Rooney (Road To Perdition)

Like so many other mob movies, audiences develop a bond with the characters in Road to Perdition, and when Tom Hanks' character guns down his mentor, John Rooney, played by the great Paul Newman, our collective hearts sink. His last words, "I'm glad it was you," are forever haunting.

Virgil (True Romance)

The late James Gandolfini doesn't have a huge role in True Romance but his fight and eventually death at the hands of Alabama (Patricia Arquette) is absolutely brutal and totally unforgettable. Gandolfini shows that terrifying rage in his eyes he later became famous for on The Sopranos.

Don Ciccio (The Godfather II)

Revenge plays a big role in the development of young Vito Corleone in The Godfather II. He completes his revenge mission by taking out Don Ciccio, the Don in Italy who killed his family and forced him to leave for the United States. Ciccio is an old man, and defenseless, which makes the stabbing all the more brutal and unforgettable. 

Johnny Boy (Mean Streets)

Somehow Mean Streets is often overlooked in both Robert De Niro and Martin Scorsese's careers far too often. When De Niro's character Johnny Boy gets it at the end, it's at the hands of Jimmy Shorts, played by Scorsese himself. 

Bugsy Siegel (Bugsy)

Bugsy, starring Warren Beatty as Ben "Bugsy" Siegel is a pretty uneven movie, but there is no question that the scene toward the end when Bugsy meets his end is unforgettable. There is something about the way he never sees it coming that makes it so scary. 

Spider (Goodfellas)

One of Michael Imperioli's earliest roles was Spider in Goodfellas. Tommy really doesn't like Spider and audiences soon learn just how scary Tommy is when he shoots Spider in the foot for messing up his drink order. Later, it gets even worse when Spider insults Tommy and Tommy kills him. Who can forget Spider jumping on one foot? 

Mob movies have a way of imprinting themselves in our memory, and the haunting deaths are a big reason why. 

Music means a lot in Martin Scorsese's films. He uses a ton of classic songs in Goodfellas and he uses them perfectly. Sometimes the songs add to the mood, and sometimes they directly contrast what is happening on the screen, but in all ways, they help make a great film one of the best of all time. 

“Layla” - Derek & The Dominos

When most people think of “Layla” by Derek & The Dominos (Eric Clapton & co.) they think of that monster riff that opens the song. Instead of using that, Scorsese uses the epic outro of the piano and dueling guitar solo by Clapton and Duane Allman as bodies from the Lufthansa Heist start showing up all over the place from dumpsters to meat lockers. It’s the best use of music in any movie, ever, and it’s one of those movie songs that make me think about a specific scene. 

"Then He Kissed Me" - The Crystals

Scorsese makes liberal use of that classic Phil Spector “Wall of Sound” sound throughout Goodfellas. In what is, if not the most famous scene in the movie, it's right up there as Henry (Ray Liotta) and Karen (Lorraine Bracco) make their way into the Copa in that amazing Steadicam shot that uses “Then He Kissed Me” by The Crystals. A perfect song for a perfect date. 

"Chariot" - Betty Curtis

Martin Scorsese didn’t just scratch the surface of late ‘50s and early ‘60s rock n’ roll, he dug deep. “Chariot” by Italian singer Betty Curtis is a perfect example. There are more famous versions of the song, but this one fits the scene when Karen confronts Henry after he stands her up on their double date.

"Sunshine of Your Love" - Cream

The late 1960s weren’t exactly the Summer of Love for Henry and his crew, but Martin Scorsese still managed to slip in a flower-power anthem with Cream’s “Sunshine of Your Love." It comes much later in the movie’s timeline than the ‘60s, but it’s a pivotal moment in the film as Jimmy, played by Scorsese regular Robert De Niro, decides he’s going to whack Morrie (Chuck Low) and the rest of the crew he assembled for the Lufthansa Heist. 

"Atlantis" - Donovan 

There is something about Donovan that can add such a deep air of forbidding. David Fincher used Donovan to great effect in Zodiac, and in Goodfellas, it plays as Tommy (Joe Pesci) takes out a LOT of aggression on Billy Batts (Frank Vincent) while Donovan’s “Atlantis” raises the tension even more. 

"Look in My Eyes" - The Chantels

1961’s “Look in My Eyes” by The Chantels brings a laid-back and classic sound to the Air France heist, which conveys the laid-back way Henry’s first big heist was pulled off. Smooth and easy. 

"Can't We Be Sweethearts" - The Cleftones

"Can't We Be Sweethearts" by The Cleftones is a doo-wop classic that evokes the ‘50s perfectly in the early scenes of the movie. Young Henry is just figuring out his way in the underworld and his father is not pleased about it at all, taking his belt to Henry after the budding gangster misses a little too much school. 

“Gimme Shelter” - The Rolling Stones

One of the greatest songs of all time, “Gimme Shelter” by The Rolling Stones is one of a couple of Stones songs that Scorsese mixes into the Goodfellas soundtrack to great effect. It shows up as Henry is explaining his new Pittsburgh connection with help from Debi Mazar's character, Sandy, and selling something he shouldn’t be selling. Paulie (Paul Sorvino) would not be happy if he found out, which he explains to Henry as the song starts. 

“Jump Into The Fire” - Harry Nilsson

“Jump Into The Fire” by the late, great Harry Nilsson is another example of picking the exact right song for a scene in which Henry is on edge, burning the candle at both ends and hardly keeping his life or his work together. He’s strung out and paranoid as he runs all over town balancing his illegal activities, all while being convinced a helicopter is following him.

“Monkey Man” - The Rolling Stones

The paranoia continues for Henry as he, now with Karen in the car, with the helicopter following them as “Monkey Man” plays. Henry speeds off to Karen’s mother’s house to hide the guns. Karen is agitated and Henry looks so bad a doctor gives him something to calm him down. It’s the peak of Henry’s downward spiral. 

“Memo From Turner” - Mick Jagger

This underrated and somewhat obscure gem by Mick Jagger appears only for a little bit as Henry is on his way to the hospital to pick up his brother as he tears around town in his state of paranoia. The jumping back and forth between songs in this classic scene ups the frantic nature 10-fold and it works brilliantly. 

“Magic Bus” - The Who (Live At Leeds version)

This live version of “Magic Bus” by The Who is a long, drawn-out take on one of the band’s earliest hits. It also shows up in the helicopter scene, and like the other mishmash of jumpy songs, this one fits right in as Henry barely avoids an accident. 

"What Is Life" - George Harrison

The paranoia and chaos continue with the crunchy opening riff of George Harrison’s “What is Life” as Henry continues his hectic day, just before he’s eventually busted. It continues to help build the desperation Henry is feeling. 

Mannish Boy" - Muddy Waters

Henry meets up with Sandy (Debi Mazer) at her place and things seem to slow down a little bit as they prepare the package to go to Pittsburgh. Even as he fights with Sandy some, it’s the calmest part of his day, reflected by the blues legend Muddy Waters belting out his classic “Mannish Boy”–a song he also sang live in another Scorsese-helmed film, “The Last Waltz.”

“My Way” - Sid Vicious

As the credits roll at the end of the movie, Sid Vicious belts out his punk version of the Frank Sinatra classic “My Way.” It’s the perfect end of the movie, the serene ‘50s of Henry’s youth are long gone, and the ‘70s are a much more chaotic and edgier time for the gangster, ending with him ratting on all his friends, and while Henry did it “his way”, it wasn’t the way he expected when he got into the life. 

"Rags to Riches" - Tony Bennett

The opening of the movie is very different from the end in tone. Instead of the angry punk takedown of the ‘50s, audiences are treated to a classic big band number by the great Tony Bennett, “Rags To Riches”. The music serves to immediately put us in a time and place, with the same hopeful optimism that young Henry has when he discovers Paulie’s cab stand and sees Sopranos star Tony Sirico (as Tony "Stacks") getting out of a nice car. 

"Frosty the Snowman" - The Ronettes

There is a very brief moment of levity after the crew pulls off the Lufthansa Heist that is ushered in with the Phil Spector-produced Ronette's version of "Frosty The Snowman". It's short-lived though, as everyone starts showing up with expensive items they purchased with the money and Jimmy isn't happy. 

"Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" - Darlene Love

Christmas is supposed to be the best time of the year, but at the Christmas party celebrating the heist, Jimmy is not in the best mood. It doesn't help when Morrie begs for his cut, as Darlene Love croons "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" under the tense conversation. 

"Bells of St. Marys" - The Drifters

It's a good Christmas for Henry and Karen after the heist. Henry buys an impressive white tree and showers his wife and kids with gifts, all to the tune of "Bells of St. Marys" by The Drifters.

"Leader of the Pack" by-The Shangri-Las

Reality sets in for Karen when she attends a party with all the other mob wives. As they mingle and test makeup with each other, the sounds of a classic girl group, The  Shangri-Las' song "Leader of the Pack" fits the all-women scene perfectly.

"Baby I Love You" - Aretha Franklin

When Henry sets his first mistress Janice up in an apartment, they have a party to celebrate and there is no better music for a party than the indomitable Aretha Franklin singing her song "Baby I Love You." Poor Karen.  

"Beyond the Sea" - Bobby Darin

Henry's description of prison for wise guys sounds a lot like a vacation. There's lobster, and steak, and very thinly sliced garlic by Paulie. What better way to evoke feelings of time off than "Beyond the Sea" by Bobby Darin? 

"Speedoo" - The Cadillacs

One of the most pivotal moments in Henry's life comes to the tune of "Speedoo" by The Cadillacs, a fantastic early rock n' roll song. It's to the sound of this song that Henry first meets Jimmy at the underground casino run by Paulie. His life would never be the same. 

"It's Not for Me to Say" by Johnny Mathis

Even when the music isn't pivotal to the scene, Martin Scorsese still takes care to make sure it sounds good and fits the mood. Take It's Not for Me to Say" by Johnny Mathis, which plays quietly in the background of Henry's first awkward date with Karen. It features the perfect lyric, 

"Playboy" - The Marvelettes

"Playboy" by The Marvelettes is another great one you might miss if you're not paying attention, as it quietly plays in the car as Henry and Tommy sit outside Henry's restaurant which slowly is engulfed in flames as they look to collect the insurance money on the place. 

"Life Is But a Dream" - The Harptones

Another deep track Martin Scorsese pulls out in Goodfellas is "Life Is But a Dream" by The Harptones. It was never a big hit, but it's an amazing song and perfect for the wedding of Henry and Karen. The scene also has one of the great cameos of the movie with Scorsese's mother, Catherine, playing Tommy's mother and lecturing him at the wedding about settling down. 

"This World We Love In (Il Cielo In Una Stanza)" by Mina

Another one of the most classic scenes in Scorsese's Goodfellas features another deep track, "This World We Love In (Il Cielo In Una Stanza)" by Mina. It's the famous scene when Henry introduces all the gangsters at his restaurant and the music is just barely audible under the din, but once again it sets the mood perfectly. 

"Wives and Lovers" - Jack Jones

"Wives and Lovers" by Jack Jones is the song playing at another pivotal moment in Henry's life when Morrie pitches the idea of the Lufthansa Heist. During a dinner party with Morrie and his wife at the Hill's house, the song plays on the new stereo bought to celebrate Henry's coming home from prison. 

"Roses Are Red" - Bobby Vinton

During the whirlwind romance between Henry and Karen, one of the dates features a show by Bobby Vinton where he performs one of his biggest hits, "Roses Are Red." Karen can't help but be overwhelmed as Vinton sends champagne to the new couple. 

"Hearts of Stone" - Otis Williams and the Charms

Young Henry Hill learns pretty quickly just how ruthless his new mob friends can be when he lets slip that his father isn't happy about him working at the cab stand after a letter from the school reveals Henry hasn't been going. Paulie and the other guys from the cab stand take it out on the mailman and convince him not to deliver any more letter to Henry's house. "Hearts of Stone" by Otis Williams and the Charms adds some real charm to the scene. 

"Boulevard of Broken Dreams" - Tony Bennett

When Henry gets out of jail, Paulie holds a party for him. It's a celebratory affair, but underneath, of course, is the ominous dread that comes with Paulie warning Hanry not to sell drugs outside of prison. Tony Bennett sings the apropos "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" as the party goes on. 

"Sincerely" - The Moonglows

There is so much good music in Goodfellas it can be overwhelming. You really have to listen for some of the buried gems, like "Sincerely" by The Moonglows, which plays at the cookout hosted by Paulie early in the movie. It's a brilliant song. 

Martin Scorcese is, without a doubt, one of the best filmmakers of all time with a slew of legendary movies. One thing most have in common is his uncanny use of music to add to the drama, Goodfellas just happens to be among the very best. 

Every year, the Academy Awards ends with the honors of Best Picture being announced to the world. Admittedly, the Academy doesn’t always get it right. For every Lord of the Rings: Return of the King, there’s a potential Crash to take its place the next year. So let’s talk about the Best Picture losers that really should have won, and why these golden competitors deserved more. 

Belfast

Kenneth Branagh’s bittersweet story of Buddy (Jude Hill) growing up during The Troubles in Ireland was bested by CODA as the top of the 2022 Academy Awards winners lineup. It was a surprising upset that made history for streaming originals, but it also left a beautifully formed tale of childhood and struggle behind in the dust.

1917

Bong Joon-ho’s darkly comedic Parasite, was an absolutely sterling choice for Best Picture. However, looking back on 2019’s films to be honored, Sam Mendes’ 1917 was both a technical and emotional marvel. Depicting World War I through what looked like a single take, the powerful film should have emerged victorious.

A Star Is Born

On the sliding scale of egregious wins/losses at the Oscars, 2019’s Academy Award winners possess one of the most upsetting upsets in the show’s entire history. Director/star Bradley Cooper’s A Star is Born failed to secure the win over Peter Farrelly’s Green Book when it came time to award the top prize. You can still hear the screams from that night floating through the air, if you listen close enough.

Arrival

2017’s Academy class of nominees saw La La Land and Moonlight duking it out for Best Picture honors, right to the epic Oscar night mistake that saw victory proclaimed and reversed in the same moment. If only Arrival had seen its fortunes faring better as the true BP winner, perhaps this whole incident could have been avoided entirely. We’ll never truly know.

The Big Short

How strong of a year did the Oscars have in 2016? There are several movies that could have handily taken the prize, despite the fact that Spotlight’s Best Picture win is still something to celebrate. Much like that true-to-life drama, Adam McKay’s The Big Short was a movie that tackled personally identifiable issues and should have won the top prize in the process.

Whiplash

You could very easily mention Birdman’s 2015 win in a room of movie fans and draw a fair amount of sighs and cheers. At the same time, if you said something like "Whiplash was the true best picture of 2014," you just might hear a more unified response supporting that very claim. 

The Wolf of Wall Street

Oh, The Wolf of Wall Street, how you deserved so much more. Though 12 Years A Slave took the top prize, 2014’s Best Picture race did have some other competitors that felt as deserving as the winner. What’s even crazier than this film not winning is that Margot Robbie wasn’t even nominated for her star-making performance.

Gravity

Another heavy hitter that looked like it might take Best Picture in 2014 was Alfonso Cuarón’s Gravity. Though it was nominated in the same class as Wolf of Wall Street and 12 Years A Slave, Sandra Bullock’s bad day in space was an absolutely golden flick that should have triumphed.

Hugo

2012 gave the world another divisive Best Picture winner that’s still questioned to this day: The Artist. However, if Hollywood wanted to honor the art of filmmaking, with another movie made with visual gimmicks and a story full of heart and emotion, Martin Scorsese’s Hugo would have been a fantastic choice for the honors. 

The Social Network

Some upsets in the category are so large the world tends to skate over history in favor of a more fitting result. 2011’s victory for The King’s Speech is definitely present, since just as we’ll continue to call out Andrew Garfield deserving an Oscar nod, we’ll continue to highlight how The Social Network should have been the top movie of this Academy Awards scrum.

Up in the Air

The first year of the modern Academy Awards with an expanded Best Picture field, The Hurt Locker was named the top flick of its class. And yet another story about wounds that cut personally and professionally should have really been the belle of the ball. It’s ok: Jason Reitman’s Up in the Air will still reign in our hearts, even if the Academy was not so kind.

Inglourious Basterds

Some might argue that with a newly expanded nominee field came some nominations for movies that could have won the “popular film” Oscar. If anyone tells you Inglourious Basterds is one of those movies, you look them straight in the eye and ask them to repeat it. This just might be Quentin Tarantino’s masterpiece, and that's a bingo.

Frost/Nixon

History comes alive at its best in movies like Frost/Nixon. Watching the verbal sparring match between Michael Sheen and Frank Langella was one of the joys of the film. Ultimately, No Country For Old Men took the top prize at the 2009 Academy Awards, but there’s a silent majority that would make the case for this being the truly deserving title. 

Milk

At once deeply heartwarming and utterly tragic, Gus Van Zant’s Milk chronicled the life and loss of openly gay politician and activist Harvey Milk (Sean Penn). A member of the highly competitive year that saw No Country For Old Men win top honors, the picture deserves extra consideration to this day. 

Michael Clayton

Some years are just too good in the history of film, and it’s a shame there aren’t more ties for movies that equally deserve the win. No Country For Old Men saw itself at the heart of that very storm as the victor of 2008’s Oscars. That being said, good luck trying to make a case against Michael Clayton being the true victor of that year, especially with that explosive finale.

Brokeback Mountain

Mark 2006 down as yet another Oscar competition where the winner was marked as a controversial bad kid of the family. Crash would take the top prize, but you could already hear viewers openly questioning why Brokeback Mountain’s heartbreaking tale of forbidden love didn’t make the grade. 

Good Night, And Good Luck

Crash’s 2006 win saw a field of better, more competitive films losing out on the Best Picture moniker. Even with George Clooney walking away with a Best Supporting Actor win for Syriana, the loss of his directing/co-writing efforts in Good Night, and Good Luck still remains one of the most notable mistakes. At least the film made the list of CinemaBlend's 100 Best Movies of the 2000s, and rightfully so.

The Aviator

How, how, how did Million Dollar Baby beat The Aviator in 2005’s Best Picture race? Martin Scorsese’s historical drama brilliantly danced between celebrating old Hollywood opulence while also diving into the tortured psyche of Howard Hughes (Leonardo DiCaprio). Scorsese eventually scored a big win with The Departed a couple years later, but this loss still stings quite a bit.

The Green Mile

When Stephen King goes to the Oscars, his work goes in style. Just five years after Frank Darabont sent The Shawshank Redemption to its Best Picture showdown, the legendary collaborator scored another nod with The Green Mile. American Beauty won that year, a win that over time and consideration makes this King loss all the more upsetting.

Saving Private Ryan

Saving Private Ryan feels like a movie that should have, without question, won a BP trophy at the Oscars. That feeling was firmly in place right until the night the actual victor, Shakespeare in Love, took home its spoils. Go ahead and take some time to punch the floor if you have to. It’s perfectly natural.

L.A. Confidential

Titanic truly was the ship of dreams for James Cameron and most everyone involved in its production. It was a mythic victory that made history for years to come, but was it really the correct choice? When the BP race that included that film also featured L.A. Confidential within its ranks, you don’t need to be a detective to know the real answer.

Apollo 13

Here’s an interesting Academy Awards two-step: in 1995, Forrest Gump won Best Picture, but it probably shouldn’t have. Meanwhile,1996 saw Mel Gibson’s Braveheart winning those same honors; the same year that the Tom Hanks starring Apollo 13 should have brought home the gold. 

The Shawshank Redemption

Frank Darabont’s The Shawshank Redemption is a perfect movie; full stop. Darabont’s adaptation of Stephen King’s fairy tale for adults is still a well-regarded picture to this very day, standing as one of the best films of all time. And yet it couldn’t beat Forrest Gump for the big prize at the 1995 Oscars. I wish I could tell you that was the right choice.

Goodfellas

As far back as Oscar watchers can remember, the loss of Goodfellas to Dances With Wolves was one of the worst upsets to behold at the Academy Awards. Whether you’re a clown or not, that competition was not funny or amusing and may have inspired some fans to swear as much as Joe Pesci has in his entire career with Martin Scorsese.

Working Girl

1989's Oscars were all about Rain Man fever, as Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman's dramedy took home that year's top prize. Which is fine and good but, if the Academy wanted to reward that genre in a better fashion, director Mike Nichols' Working Girl was right there, waiting for the chance. At least Carly Simon's iconic "Let The River Run" won Best Original Song in that same year, so the Melanie Griffith/Harrison Ford/Sigourney Weaver love triangle didn't go home empty handed.

Broadcast News

The Last Emperor is the movie that won the 1988 Academy Award for Best Picture; at least that’s what it says in the history books. And yet, there’s quite a bit of room for doubt, when taking into account that the powerhouse dramedy Broadcast News was also up in that same race. At the same time, the movie’s loss is one that Albert Brooks’ Aaron Altman would view as just another day at the office.

Network

1977 was a red hot year in Academy history, as Rocky became the underdog to rise up and claim ultimate Oscar victory. While the flick's place in the pantheon of sports movies is without question, the presence of Sidney Lumet’s Network in that same contest makes me wonder if the right choice was made, or if anyone else is as mad as hell that this satire wasn’t chosen as the top film.

Little Women

Greta Gerwig not being nominated for directing Little Women is an Oscar travesty. But the fact that the movie failed to win Best Picture in 2020 just makes that fact even more heartbreaking. And considering how the movie's story breaks viewers' hearts with a classic and well-known piece of literature, it’s even more aggressively aggravating. 

The Post

The Shape of Water absolutely deserved Best Picture in 2017, especially when it came to striking a blow for genre films at the Oscars. Even with that in mind, Steven Spielberg’s political/journalistic epic The Post is admittedly a more traditional pick that stands as one of the best “What If” cases in Academy Awards history.

The Martian

Admittedly The Martian is a movie that, while technically being a work of science fiction, rides the lines of more traditional Oscar genres rather well. You can argue whether it’s a comedy or a drama contender, especially thanks to the Golden Globes debacle that inspired that same question. What you can’t argue is that Ridley Scott’s adaptation of Andy Weir’s novel wasn’t a prime contender for the Academy's biggest honor in 2016.

Brooklyn

Director John Crowley’s Brooklyn was a quietly effective story that recounted the immigrant experience and all of its highs and lows. But not all of the beauty in the world could push this film ahead of Spotlight in 2016’s Oscars race; and that’s something that will continue to stick out for as long as we keep these records.

The Queen

2007 saw Martin Scorsese winning pretty huge for The Departed, after losing some well-fought battles with films like Goodfellas and The Aviator. At the same time, Stephen Frears’ The Queen was sitting right there, expertly navigating the story of Princess Diana’s death and how Queen Elizabeth II (Helen Mirren) worked though the ensuing public fallout. 

Even royalty can somehow be overlooked at the awards show, proving how unpredictable this long-held tradition truly can be. The Academy Awards have always been a night of winners and losers, and all anyone can do is hope that the right balance between both sides is struck. 

But there will always be a history of people arguing over who the real winners were, as you can see with the films we’ve highlighted above. So when things don’t go the way you hoped on Oscar night, take comfort in the fact that there’s usually someone that’ll be in that same corner you’re cheering from.

Sometimes, being the lead character in a film does not pay off quite like it does to play second (or even third or fourth) fiddle, and the 1990s was an especially great time to take those sorts of roles. That being said, there are some secondary characters from this era who don't quite get the attention that they deserve today. We cover both of these facets as we look back at some of the best movies of the ‘90s and the most brilliantly conceived supporting character in each of them below.

Darryl Albrecht (The Crow)

Best known as Winston Zeddemore from the Ghostbusters movies, Ernie Hudson’s role as Sergeant Darryl Albrecht in 1994’s The Crow is one of his most overlooked. After covering the murder case of Eric Draven (the late Brandon Lee) and his wife, Shelley, the honest cop becomes an accomplice to the resurrected rock musician in his mission for revenge.

Ricky Baker (Boyz N The Hood)

One of the most important ’90s movies centered on Black characters is writer and director John Singleton’s Boyz n the Hood — one of the first films to offer an authentic inside look at the hardships of inner city life. This is most profoundly expressed in the untimely murder of promising young athlete Ricky Baker (Morris Chestnut) near the end of the powerful 1991 drama.

Oda Mae Brown (Ghost)

For the murdered Sam Wheat (Patrick Swayze), the only hope to reach out to his lover, Molly (Demi Moore), is a medium who discovers her abilities when she begins to hear him in Ghost. Whoopi Goldberg earned a well-deserved Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her scene-stealing performance as Oda Mae Brown that is not merely the comic relief of this classic 1990 romantic fantasy, but also its heart.

Bubba (Forrest Gump)

Forrest Gump fans might agree the film’s strongest relationship is not between Tom Hanks’ titular character and Jenny Curran (Robin Wright), but between him and his Army buddy, Benjamin Buford Blue, or “Bubba.” Mykelti Williamson makes a profound impression in director Robert Zemeckis’ Best Picture Oscar winner as his best-known character – whose death in Vietnam inspires Forrest to become a shrimp fisherman.

Max Cherry (Jackie Brown)

Based on Elmore Leonard’s novel, Rum Punch, Jackie Brown has one of the most colorful character ensembles in a Quentin Tarantino movie — especially with bail bondsman Max Cherry. The late Robert Forster got an Oscar nod for playing one of the few characters in a Tarantino movie who feels completely worth rooting for without sacrificing your own moral dignity.

John Coffey (The Green Mile)

John Coffey is wrongfully put on death row after he is found holding two murdered little girls (whom he later reveals he was trying to resurrect with his extraordinary healing powers). The late Michael Clarke Duncan’s Oscar-nominated, powerhouse performance in Frank Darabont’s adaptation of Stephen King’s The Green Mile is one of the most heartbreaking of the decade, especially knowing his character’s undeserved impending fate will prevent him from helping people in need.

Tommy DeVito (Goodfellas)

The central character of Goodfellas may be Henry Hill (Ray Liotta), but the most memorable performance in the classic Martin Scorsese movie is easily Joe Pesci’s Academy Award-winning turn as Tommy DeVito. The fast-talking, borderline sociopathic loose cannon — yet, still one of the 1994 biographical drama’s more likable characters — would practically redefine cinema’s perception of the mafioso.

George Downes (My Best Friend's Wedding)

In a story about a woman out to self-servingly ruin a happy couple’s impending nuptials, it certainly helps to have a moral center like Julianne’s (Julia Roberts) editor and friend, George Downes – who reluctantly helps with her scheme despite constant attempts to end it. Rupert Everett’s defining role is key the enduring charm of My Best Friend’s Wedding and why it is remembered as one of the best romantic-comedies of its time, if not ever.

Dusty (Twister)

The ‘90s are filled with memorable performances by Philip Seymour Hoffman, but one of the most scene-stealing standouts has to be Dustin “Dusty” Davis in 1996’s Twister. The fun-loving, incessantly optimistic storm-chaser is such a jovial presence in the classic disaster movie that we wish the late Academy Award winner was able to appears in the upcoming sequel, Twisters, to reprise the role.

Genie (Aladdin)

What makes Genie such a beloved and dynamic character is not just his refreshing loyalty to Scott Weinger’s eponymous character in 1992’s Aladdin – even in spite of his obligation to grant the poor, young man three wishes. Robin Williams does not just voice one character in the acclaimed Disney animated film, but several in one, and to deliriously funny effect.

Samuel Gerard (The Fugitive)

The 1993 film adaptation of the hit 1960s series The Fugitive puts the viewer in a moral crossroads, as we are inclined to root for Harrison Ford’s prison escapee Richard Kimble, searching for his wife’s true killer. However, it’s hard not to also root for the man tracking him, Deputy Marshal Samuel Gerard, played by Tommy Lee Jones in an Academy Award-winning performance so charismatic, he earned himself a spin-off with 1998’s U.S. Marshals.

Doc Holliday (Tombstone)

Tombstone is considered to be the 1990s’ better Wyatt Earp biopic, when compared to Kevin Costner’s Wyatt Earp from 1994. But what makes the 1993 dramatization of the legendary O.K. Corral standoff a modern western masterpiece is not just Kurt Russell’s lead performance, but Val Kilmer’s scintillating performance as fable gunfighter, Doc Holliday.

Jay And Silent Bob (Clerks)

There are actually many Kevin Smith movies that highlight the iconic bromance that is Jay and Silent Bob, played by Jason Mewes and Smith, respectively. But these inseparable and, in some surprising occasions, insightful stoners shine brightest as supporting characters in 1994’s Clerks in the awe-inspiring way they make an enduring impression on the story by not doing much at all.

Bill Lumbergh (Office Space)

A box office flop that went on to be a classic, writer/director Mike Judge’s Office Space offers a satirical but stunningly accurate depiction of the miserable workplace atmosphere. The monarch of mundanity in this case is Initech VP Bill Lumbergh, portrayed with incomparably slow-paced drawl and dementedly deadpan energy by the vastly underrated supporting actor Gary Cole.

Lumiere (Beauty And The Beast)

The curse affecting the Beast and his house staff in 1992’s Beauty and the Beast may have taken away Lumiere’s human form, but not his humanity, nor his infectious swagger. Voiced by the late Jerry Orbach donning a French accent, the sentient candle holder never fails to be the life — and light — of the party.

Mushu (Mulan)

The most popular of Eddie Murphy’s voice acting performances may be Donkey in the Shrek movies, but Disney fans have a special place in their hearts for Mushu. The plucky, yet boisterous, dragon — who was almost voiced by Joe Pesci — is sent to assist Mulan (Ming-Na Wen) in battle and provide sharp comic relief that was sadly missing from Mulan’s live-action remake in 2020.

Red (The Shawshank Redemption)

While primarily about Andy Dufresne’s (Tim Robbins) experience in the titular penitentiary, you could argue that Frank Darabont’s 1994 Stephen King adaptation The Shawshank Redemption is really Ellis Boyd “Red” Redding’s story. In addition to narrating, the transformation that Morgan Freeman’s smuggler undergoes during his decades locked up is brilliant.

Tatum Riley (Scream)

Most old school slasher movies consist of a final girl and a bunch of forgettable cannon fodder, but Tatum Riley defied the odds in a horror movie that changed the game in 1996. Rose McGowan’s performance as Sydney Prescott’s supportive and spunky best friend is one the original Scream cast’s best and makes her memorable death scene particularly devastating.

Sally (The Nightmare Before Christmas)

We can empathize with Jack Skellington’s (Chris Sarandon) vying for a change in scenery, but the most empathetic arc in The Nightmare Before Christmas is that of Sally (Catherine O’Hara). The kindhearted, living rag doll’s story is one of tragic neglect – not just by her captor, Dr. Finklestein, but also by Jack himself until he comes to realize they were made for each other.

Lynn Sear (The Sixth Sense)

Many of Toni Collette’s best movies just happen to be in the horror variety, including one of M. Night Shyamalan’s greatest movies: 1999’s The Sixth Sense. The Australian actor earned her sole Oscar nomination for her harrowingly grounded performance as Lynn Sear — a mother desperate to understand what troubles her child (Haley Joel Osment), unaware he is medium.

Marla Singer (Fight Club)

There have been countless discussions surrounding the complexity of Fight Club’s central “duo,” but not enough about what makes Marla Singer (Helena Bonham Carter) an equally dynamic character. By the end of David Fincher’s 1999 masterpiece, we come to understand her more empathetic qualities similar to Edward Norton’s Narrator, while she also boasts a destructive cynicism similar to Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt) – making her a perfect match for both.

Walter Sobchak (The Big Lebowski)

One of the greatest mysteries in the Coen Brothers’ 1998 cult favorite comedy is how the persistently laid back The Dude (Jeff Bridges) came to be friends with the problematically uptight Walter Sobchak (John Goodman). However, it is a pairing we are thankful for, particularly for the way the Vietnam-obsessed, avid bowler contributes to some of the funniest quotes in The Big Lebowski.

Steve Stifler (American Pie)

Seann William Scott defined an entire generation of cinematic douchebaggery by starring in 1999’s American Pie cast as Steve Stifler. Scott's commitment to making “the Stifmeister” egregiously unlikable makes the performance a wonder to behold.

Timon And Pumbaa (The Lion King)

We will wait as long as we must before you can name a more iconic Disney duo than the classic The Lion King characters Timon (Nathan Lane) and Pumbaa (Ernie Sabella). It is no wonder the hilarious meerkat and warthog — who teach Simba the ways of “Hakuna Matata” — got their own series the spin-off from the 1994 blockbuster. 

Trinity (The Matrix)

A good opening scene can really sell a good action film, which is why it is a good thing that Trinity owns the beginning of The Matrix. Keanu Reeves’ Neo may be “The One,” but Carrie Anne-Moss’ rebel shows skill and ambition in Wachowski’s 1999 sci-fi thriller that can make you believe in destiny.

Mona Lisa Vito (My Cousin Vinny)

The controversy surrounding Marisa Tomei’s Best Supporting Actress Oscar win for the hilarious courtroom drama My Cousin Vinny — as recalled by MovieWeb — has never made sense to us. The vivacious, mile-a-minute delivery of the case-winning testimony by Mona Lisa Vito — a character Tomei would love to play again — is one of the most electrifying scenes in any ‘90s comedy and clearly deserves the statuette on its own.

Mia Wallace (Pulp Fiction)

Whether or not this revolutionary 1994 crime thriller is Quentin Tarantino’s best movie might be debatable, but there is no question that stand-out supporting character is the dazzling Mia Wallace. Uma Thurman’s alluring, charmingly eccentric performance in the revolutionary crime thriller is one of the most powerful among the Pulp Fiction cast, which is really saying something.

Zed (Men In Black)

What makes Men in Black a near-perfect marriage of sci-fi and comedy is not just the equally clever use of elements from either genre, but its by-the-book cop drama structure. For instance, the late Rip Torn plays Zed no different from how an actor might play a 1970s police captain, complete with hilariously deadpan reactions to otherwise bizarre, otherworldly activity.

Miles Dyson (Terminator 2: Judgment Day)

Can you imagine discovering that you are responsible for an impending apocalypse brought on by technology like Miles Dyson (Joe Morton) does in 1991’s Terminator 2: Judgment Day? For that reason, it could safe to call the Cyberdyne engineer’s ill-fated arc one of the more tragic from the Terminator movies overall.

Norm Gunderson (Fargo)

One of the most underrated roles in the already underrated John Carroll Lynch’s career appears in one of the Coen Brothers’ best movies, Fargo. While not involved with any particularly memorable scenes from the 1996 crime thriller, Norm Gunderson’s support she shows for his police chief wife, Marge (Frances McDormand) — for whom he left the force when they became a couple — is something ever husband should aspire to.

Emily Montgomery (In & Out)

Joan Cusack earned her second Oscar nomination for playing In & Out's Emily Montgomery – who discovers her fiancée’s (Kevin Kline) revelations about his homosexuality as they are about to get married. While this classic LGBTQ+ comedy is noted as an inspiring story of self-acceptance, you cannot help but empathize with Emily’s manic reaction to the news.

Chris Shiherlis (Heat)

The most involving member of Neil McCauley’s (Robert DeNiro) heist crew is Chris Shiherlis (Val Kilmer), whose backstory as a former family man is one of the biggest surprises in Heat. However, the sharp-shooting thief is also at the center of one of the the greatest mysteries surrounding Michael Mann’s 1995 crime thriller — that being, how did he escape that climactic shootout and where did he go? 

Sometimes, it is not just the primary protagonist that keeps us wanting to revisit our favorites ‘90s movies, as these amazing supporting characters prove.

Music transforms movies. I’m not talking about the score, or songs written for movies like anything Lin-Manuel Miranda does, but the great songs that when you hear them later on the radio or on Spotify, you can’t help but immediately think of a scene from the movie they made better and more memorable. These are the 21 movie songs that I can only associate with a specific scene in a movie. 

Bittersweet Symphony - Kathryn Gets Busted In Cruel Intentions

I’ll start here because the scene is just so fantastic. The building momentum of the strings in The Verve’s “Bittersweet Symphony” fits so well with the slow reveal of Kathryn (Sarah Michelle Gellar) getting her mean girl life turned completely on its head in Cruel Intentions. Not only is her reputation completely trashed, but she’s busted with the cocaine in her crucifix. I could watch the scene over and over with that music. It's a good thing the production paid the insane amount of money they did for the song; nothing else would've worked. 

Where Is My Mind - The End Of Fight Club

A perfect example of a classic track, in this case it's The Pixies’ “Where Is My Mind” blending into a dramatic scene that elevates the moment to new heights at the end of Fight Club. As the walls literally come down around The Narrator (Edward Norton) and Marla (Helena Bonham Carter), he tells her she’s met him at a very strange time in his life, as Pixies lead singer Black Francis asks everyone “Where is my mind?” Unless you see it in China, where the movie ends very differently. 

Layla - Covering Up The Heist In GoodFellas

“Layla,” by Derek and the Dominos was almost 20 years old when GoodFellas was released in 1990, but it still ends up in what I think is actually the best use of a popular song in a movie. In case you’ve forgotten, Jimmy (Robert DeNiro) is cutting all ties between him and the others involved in the Lufthansa heist. One by one, bodies are discovered in a montage as the piano-and-guitar coda of “Layla” plays over it. It almost makes murder look cool.  

The End - The Opening Of Apocalypse Now

There may be any opening scene in any movie that sucks you in quite like the opening scene of Francis Ford Coppola's masterpiece Apocalypse Now. The wide shot of the jungle being napalmed as the haunting beginning of The Doors' classic "The End" plays over it. Just as the music gets chaotic, so does the movie with Martin Sheen busting his hand open in his hotel room. Brilliant. 

Mr. Blue Sky - Opening Scene Of Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2

There are a whole bunch of music moments from Guardians of the Galaxy I could choose from the trilogy, as songs are, of course, a key component of the storytelling. For this list, I’ve chosen “Mr. Blue Sky” by the great Electric Light Orchestra that opens Vol. 2. It sets the tone for the movie perfectly. These movies are most of all about having fun, and there’s nothing more fun than this opening scene, and when I hear the tune, I always see Groot dancing. 

Fight The Power - Sal Destroys Radio Raheem’s Radio In Do The Right Thing

The use of Public Enemy’s “Fight The Power” in Do The Right Thing is anything but fun. After a long, hot, stressful day, Buggin’ Out (Giancarlo Esposito) and Radio Raheem (Bill Nunn) confront Sal (Danny Aiello) in his pizzeria while blasting the song from the boombox. Not only do the lyrics fit the scene well, but the chaotic nature of it adds a level of desperation to the argument that eventually leads to the tragedy that follows.  

Everything In It's Right Place - The Opening To Vanilla Sky

There's a very good chance that I would not have liked Vanilla Sky if not for the epic beginning of the movie with Radiohead's Everything In It's Right Place playing over the montage of Tom Cruise's character starting his day. The song has just the right amount of excitement mixed with forboding to set the tone for the whole movie. 

Stuck in the Middle With You - Mr. Blonde Cutting A Cop's Ear Off In Reservoir Dogs

Another movie that brilliantly uses music is Reservoir Dogs, and nowhere is that more true than the happy-go-lucky tones of Steelers Wheel’s “Stuck in the Middle With You” during the most violent scene of a very violent movie, when Mr. Blonde (Michael Madsen) cuts off the ear of a cop he’d tied up and tortured. Something about the contrast between the sweet song and the ultra-violence just works. 

Goodbye Horses - Buffalo Bill Getting Dressed In Silence Of The Lambs

There is no way anyone, anywhere, hears the song “Goodbye Horses” by Q Lazzarus and thinks of anything except Buffalo Bill (Ted Levine) getting dressed and dancing in front of the mirror in The Silence of the Lambs. The scene is so iconic that I can’t help but shiver a little when I hear the song, no matter where I am. 

Time To Pretend - The Opening Of 21

The opening scene of 21, as the audience is taken on a quick tour of Boston and Cambridge by way of the Charles River is great. The music, "Time To Pretend" by MGMT fits perfectly. It's an upbeat song about having the time of your life, and it's about pretending to be someone else, just like the MIT blackjack team in the movie.

Old Time Rock And Roll - Tom Cruise Dancing In His Underwear In Risky Business

Bob Seger wrote “Old Time Rock and Roll” in 1979 and it became a moderate hit for him, but it was four years later when it was used as the music Tom Cruise dances in his underwear to in Risky Business that it became an American classic. How many times have you heard it and thought about dancing around in your underwear? I know I have, many times. 

O-o-h Child - Doughboy Gets Busted In Boyz N The Hood

“O-o-h Child” by the Five Stairsteps is a soul music standard, and when I hear it now, I immediately think about the scene in Boyz N the Hood, when Furious (Laurence Fishburne in a performance that should have gotten him an Oscar) is returning home after a nice day fishing with his son Tre. At first, the song is a nice moment for Furious, but in the context of the movie, it changes almost immediately when they drive by young Dough Boy’s house as he’s getting arrested. Things are going to get better according to the song, but they don’t, really. 

Hurricane - Wooderson Walks Into The Emporium In Dazed & Confused

I love Bob Dylan, but now whenever I hear his classic call for justice song, “Hurricane,” I can only think of how cool Wooderson (Matthew McConaughey) and Pink (Jason London) look as they stroll into the Emporium and meet up with the other characters just as the legendary night is getting underway. 

In Your Eyes - Outside The Window In Say Anything

An old crush once asked me if I’d ever stood outside a girl’s window and played a song on a jukebox like Lloyd (John Cusack) does in Say Anything. I told her no, but she would’ve been the first to know if I had. You simply cannot hear Peter Gabriel’s “In Your Eyes” without immediately picturing Lloyd with the radio above his head in front of his Chevy Malibu. 

The Times They Are A-Changin - Opening Credits Of Watchmen

I’m not going to debate whether Zach Snyder’s adaption of the graphic novel Watchmen is well done or not (it is). What I will debate is how great the opening scene is accompanied by Dylan’s “The Times They Are a-Changin.” 20 years ago it was unthinkable to me that I would think of anything but the 1960s when I heard that song, now all I see is the bloody Smiley Face button. 

Flower Duet - Clifford’s Death In True Romance

The most powerful use of music on this list comes from one of the best scenes in movie history. It’s when the “Flower Duet,” from the Léo Delibes opera Lakmé, is played over the True Romance scene between Dennis Hopper and Christopher Walken. The music swells as Hopper realizes that no matter what, this confrontation is going to lead to his death. It is an immensely commanding moment and while the music may be over 100 years old, it will, at least for me, be forever connected to this one amazing moment. 

Hip To Be Square - Paul Allen’s Murder In American Psycho

Do you like Huey Lewis and the News? If you do, and you’ve never seen American Psycho then you might think twice, because after you do, you will only associate their 1986 hit, “Hip To Square,” with one thing: the murder of Paul Allen (Jared Leto) by Patrick Bateman (Christian Bale). Try getting a reservation at Dorsia now! 

Sister Christian - Drug Deal In Boogie Nights

Maybe the most tense I’ve ever felt from a film scene is in Boogie Nights when Dirk (Mark Wahlberg) and the others attempt to con Rahad (Alfred Molina). The stress of the scene, with the fireworks going off and the incredible performance by Molina is enhanced by Night Ranger’s “Sister Christian.” I still get the jitters when I hear the song. 

Hurdy Gurdy Man - The First Murder Scene In Zodiac

Speaking of getting the willies, Donavan’s “Hurdy Gurdy Man” will never be the same for me after seeing it used in Zodiac. The way the volume rises on the song as the killer’s car approaches the soon-to-be-murdered couple, then fades as it pulls away, to the relief of the couple, only to rise again as he returns. Yikes! Brilliant!

Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In) - Dream Sequence In The Big Lebowski

The Coen brothers are masters of using music to set the tone of their movies. In The Big Lebowski they up the ante by adding two musical vignettes, almost like music videos as dream sequences. The second, with the song “Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)” has become so classic that when I saw Kenny Rogers in concert (who sings the song with his old band The Third Edition) he even acknowledged it’s what’s made the song so timeless. 

Tiny Dancer - The Bus Ride In Almost Famous

“Tiny Dancer” by Elton John is a great song to sing along to. When I’m hitting those high notes all by myself in the car, I feel just like the band Sweetwater in Almost Famous as they travel down the highway on tour in their big bus. It’s just a fun scene after a tense moment, which is perfect for that song. 

Pocket Full Of Sunshine - The Opening Scene Of Easy A

In Easy A Olive Penderghast (Emma Stone) declares “Pocket Full of Sunshine” by Natasha Bedingfield to be the “worst song ever” before she hears the earworm of a tune so many times that it becomes her favorite song. That’s kind of exactly how I feel about it, and now when I hear it, the guilty pleasure I enjoy is justified because Olive said it was okay to love it. 

Bohemian Rapsody - The Car Ride In Wayne’s World

You knew I couldn’t end this list without including “Bohemian Rhapsody” from Wayne’s World. I’ll fully admit Queen is not my favorite band, and this is not one of my favorite songs, but the scene is so classic that you can’t help but immediately be transported back to seeing it for the first time. Look, see? I’ll bet you’re banging your head right now.

You Should Be Dancing - The Famous Dance Scene In Saturday Night Fever

You can't have this list without including one of the best music movies of all time, and there is no way to here "You Should Be Dancing" by The Bee Gees without thinking of the icon scene of John Travolta taking over the nightclub. 

Shipping Off To Boston - Billy Goes Undercover In The Departed

There is no more iconic song about Boston than the Dropkick Murphys' "Shipping Off To Boston" so Martin Scorsese's decision to not only use it in The Departed but where uses it, as Billy (Leonardo DiCaprio) goes into jail to start his undercover work, is perfect. 

Tequila - The Bar Scene In Pee-Wee's Big Adventure

There are rumors that a time existed when the song "Tequila" by The Champs was known for some other than Pee-Wee Herman's famous dance in Pee-Wee's Big Adventure, but that's hard to believe. The scene is so iconic now, that it's all anyone thinks of, and it's sure to get people dancing like Pee-Wee. 

Day-O (The Banana Boat Song) - Dinner Scene In Beetlejuice

Harry Belafonte had a huge hit with "Day-O (The Banana Boat Song)" back in the day, but it was Beetlejuice that opened it up to a whole new generation. That generation always associates with the amazing scene when the ghosts try to scare the new homeowners off. 

Also Sprach Zarathustra - The Opening Of 2001: A Space Odyssey

Composer Richard Strauss could never have predicted what would become of his music work, "Also Sprach Zarathustra" as conceived by the brilliant mind of director Stanley Kubrick. In 2001: A Space Odyssey, it probably becomes very different than what Strauss had in mind. It's so iconic today, that people usually refer to the music as "2001."

You Can't Always Get What You Want - The Funeral In The Big Chill

One of the things that makes the use of The Rolling Stones' "You Can't Always Get What You Want" so cool in The Big Chill is that instead of the choir that opens the original version before fading into the song, the movie does it on organ. It's perfect and now the only way I ever want to hear it. 

I Got You Babe - The Alarm Clock In Groundhog Day

If there are two things I hate in this world, it's alarm clocks and the Sonny & Cher song "I Got You Babe." It's likely because I connect the two so closely in my mind because of Groundhog Day.

Lust For Life - Opening Scene Of Trainspotting

Director Danny Boyle using "Lust For Life" by Iggy Pop at the beginning of Trainspotting makes it one of the most bombastic openings ever and the chaotic music is perfect for the chaotic nature of the movie. 

These Days - Margot Gets Off The Bus In The Royal Tenenbaums

Wes Anderson has a deft touch when it comes music in his movies, and I love a lot of the songs he choses, but for my money, using Nico's "These Days" is probably the best. I love the song, and now I always picture Gwyneth Paltrow in her fur coat. 

Great film scores transform movies, but nothing transcends like a well-placed classic pop song like the ones on this list. There are so many more songs I could’ve chosen that I could have 100 more entries. Adding the right song at the right time is the easiest way to make me nostalgic for a time and place, and that includes on film and on television, as well. 

Updated with video.

Martin Scorsese has made some of the most critically acclaimed movies of all time. From Taxi Driver to The Irishman, we’re used to seeing the director films getting Oscar nominations, Scorsese’s talents are clear, but apparently, sometimes the thing that Martin Scorsese is best at is recognizing when his actors have great ideas. Apparently, the most iconic scene in Goodfellas was initially the creation of Joe Pesci.

I don’t even have to tell you what scene I’m talking about. Even if you’ve never seen Goodfellas, you know the scene I’m talking about. It’s Joe Pesci’s big scene where he asks “How am I funny?” It’s the scene that is so well known that it’s been parodied countless times. Scorsese recently told Deadline that the scene wasn’t in the script for Goodfellas. It came from an idea Pesci had that the director then refined on set into the scene we know today.  The director said…

When he heard the WB execs laughing Scorsese probably knew he was on to something. The director actually says that he knew during production that Goodfellas was something special. It would go on to receive six Oscar nominations. While it would only win one on Oscar night, that one belonged to Joe Pesci for Best Supporting Actor. It’s difficult to imagine that this one scene went a long way toward earning the award.

It sounds like Martin Scorsese’s upcoming movie, Killers of the Flower Moon, has a lot in common with this Goodfellas scene. The director says they “discovered it as we went along,” indicating that even more of the movie was perhaps found on set rather than on the page. Whether that will be quite as successful this time around is certainly a question.

Everything we know about Killers of the Flower Moon indicates a complex, if not troubled, production. The movie has made headlines for its significant runtime, a budget that made Netflix flinch, and the fact that Leonardo DiCaprio ended up switching roles in the film, a certainly unusual thing to see. But Scorsese movies are almost always worth experiencing if only to see what ends up on the screen.

Goodfellas wasn’t the late Ray Liotta’s first role, but it will be his most memorable for many. It’s hard to imagine anyone else stepping into Henry Hill’s olive-brown alligator loafers other than the Something Wild actor. The film’s director, Martin Scorsese, put a lot of thought into who he wanted to play Hill, and he recently revealed the very moment he knew Liotta was perfect for the gangster part. Also, oddly enough, security guards were involved. 

According to the filmmaker, Hill was a character that needed to be confident and charming but also had to have an edge of world-weary innocence. Though martin Scorsese knew Ray Liotta could pull off some aspects of the role thanks to his previous work, he had some reservations about casting the performer. The Taxi Driver director told Variety that his worries were put to ease not during casting or even on set but when the two crossed paths ahead of the beginning of production. The movie maker says it was how Ray handled a situation involving security guards that made everything “click.” Scorsese told the outlet:

Martin Scorsese had been visiting Venice for The Last Temptation of Christ when the pair had their unexpected meet-up. The filmmaker’s adaptation of Nikos Kazantzakis’ portrait of Jesus created a tidal wave of controversy that required him to enlist additional protection due to death threats. However, according to Scorsese the Field of Dreams alum handled the situation like a pure gentleman. As the esteemed Oscar winner further recalled:

It was on May 26, 2022 that Ray Liotta died in his sleep at the age of 67. Celebrities like Seth Rogen and Jamie Lee Curtis paid tribute to the brilliant performer. Days after his passing, Liotta’s fiancée, Jacy Nittolo, took to social media to honor the man she intended to marry, calling him the “most beautiful person inside and out” that she’d ever known. And of course, Martin Scorsese penned a heartfelt tribute to the actor, praising him for being “fearless” on the set of the now-iconic mob movie. 

Regrettably, Ray Liotta and Martin Scorsese never collaborated again but, fortunately for cinema buffs, we'll always have Goodfellas and Liotta’s beautifully layered performance as Henry Hill. Fans of the late actor might be interested in our list of Liotta's best work and how to watch it. You can also catch the actor’s final performances in Elizabeth Banks’ “insane” Cocaine Bear and an untitled Charlie Day movie. Meanwhile, Scorsese’s next film, Killers of the Flower Moon, is set to be released in May. 

It’s been over 30 years since Martin Scorsese’s 1990 mob film, Goodfellas (which featured a sweet cameo from mother Scorsese), hit theaters and became a massive hit. Now, one of the stars of the celebrated flick, Robert De Niro, has a new gangster filmed lined up. And if that weren't exciting enough, the production has a key tie to Scorsese's movie.

Nicholas Pileggi penned the book Wise Guys, which was the novel Goodfellas was adapted from and, now he's written the screenplay for a new mafia flick titled Wise Guys. Robert De Niro is to star, and Barry Levinson has been tapped to direct the project. Levinson is the director behind such movies as Wag the Dog, and Best Picture winner Rain Man. Rocky producer Irwin Winkler is also behind the project.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Wise Guys will tell the story of Vito Genovese and Frank Costello, two Italian crime bosses who competed with each other in the 1940s and 1950s. The film is being distributed by Warner Bros., the same studio behind Martin Scorsese's '90s classic (another tie in), and the studio has churned a number of other mob-centric movies (and TV shows like The Sopranos).

While the upcoming film may not be new territory for the studio, this announcement is somewhat surprising. The recent merger with Discovery has led to the cancelation and postponement of many projects at WB. This includes HBO Max's recently scrapped Batgirl film. But then again, Robert De Niro is still a major name, and the studio may be aiming to bank on him as a draw. The company may also feel confident knowing that Nicholas Pileggi is behind the script.

I cannot wait for Wise Guys, as Nicholas Pileggi clearly has a knack for writing extraordinarily compelling stories. Plus, it'll be great to watch the Taxi Driver star return to his old stomping grounds within the genre that helped solidify him as a massive star. The Godfather Part II alum was famously snubbed by the Oscars for his work in Goodfellas, but maybe this will be his chance to win that third gold statue. Interestingly, Robert De Niro will be playing the role of both protagonists in the project, meaning he'll really have the chance to show off his acting chops here.

While it may be a while before we get to see Wise Guys on the big screen, fans like myself will have plenty of opportunities to see the leading man in several upcoming projects. Robert De Niro will star alongside Leonardo DiCaprio in Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon which streams exclusively for Apple TV+ subscribers later this year. He is also set to star in a TV miniseries titled Nada, which is currently scheduled to air sometime in 2023. The legendary actor also has several other projects in different phases of the production process, so keep an eye out on CinemaBlend’s upcoming movie schedule.

As you await the veteran's latest gangster pic, you can revisit Goodfellas before it leaves Netflix at the end of the month. Though HBO subscribers can also stream it, along with many other classic gangster films. 

It’s impressive enough when an actor leaves a memorable mark on movies and TV shows, but to do so in both is a tremendous accomplishment. Paul Sorvino is one of those actors, having both starred in major movies like Goodfellas and appeared in popular TV shows like Law & Order. Sadly, it’s been revealed that Sorvino has died at the age of 83.

The unfortunate news was shared by Paul Sorvino’s wife, Dee Dee Sorvino, on her Instagram page. The actor is also survived by his three children: Mira, Michael and Amanda, all of whom came from his first marriage with Lorraine Davis, and the former two joining their father in the acting game. Dee Dee Sorvino didn’t share any specific details about his death, but you can read what she had to say about her late husband in the caption below:

Born on April 13, 1939, Paul Sorvino prepared for a life of professionally acting by attending the The American Musical and Dramatic Academy. By 1964, Sorvino made his Broadway debut in the musical Bajour and starred in numerous plays, both on and off Broadway, in the decades to follow. As far as his film and TV work goes, Sorvino made his big screen debut in 1970’s Where’s Poppa? (which was directed by Carl Reiner), and his early TV appearances included The Streets of San Francisco, We’ll Get By and Bert D'Angelo/Superstar, the latter two being short-lived shows that he led.

Jumping ahead past projects like Reds, The Stuff and The Oldest Rookie, the early 1990s were a particularly big period for Paul Sorvino. In 1990 alone, he starred as Paulie Cicero in Goodfellas (which Netflix subscribers can watch now) and “Lips” Manlis in Dick Tracy, and in the immediate years after, he starred in The Rocketeer (which can be viewed with a Disney+ subscription), The Firm, Nixon and Romeo + Juliet, among other movies. Going back to TV, Sorvino also starred as Sergeant Phil Cerreta in Law & Order Seasons 2 and 3, though he never returned to the recently-revived NBC series after that stint. Regardless, it was pretty clear at this point that Sorvino excelled at playing gangsters and cops.

Looking to Paul Sorvino’s later years, some of this notable film appearances include Once Upon a Time in Queens, Careful What You Wish For, Rules Don’t Apply, Undercover Grandpa and 2021’s The Birthday Cake, the latter of which was his final movie. TV-wise, Sorvino made guest appearances in shows like Elementary and The Goldbergs, and he also recurred as Frank Costello in the first two seasons of the Epix series Godfather of Harlem. Sorvino’s death follows two months after his Goodfellas co-star Ray Liotta died at 67, and the news comes several hours after it was revealed that Titanic and Tron actor David Warner died at the age of 80.

We here at CinemaBlend express our condolences to Paul Sorvino’s family and friends during this difficult time. He will be missed.

Tragic news occurred when beloved actor Ray Liotta, the star of 1990's Goodfellas, died in his sleep. He won the hearts of audiences when he played Henry Hill, an innocent youngster who becomes fascinated by the Mafia life existing in his Brooklyn neighborhood, and Goodfellas now stands as one of Liotta's best movies. Losing someone has a tendency of making you think of all of the things you wish you told that person or wish you got to have more time with. After learning about the tragic death of Ray Liotta, Academy Award-winning director Martin Scorsese expressed his regret about not working with him again after Goodfellas. 

With the amazing work Ray Liotta delivered for Goodfellas, it is a shock to know that was the only collaboration between him and Martin Scorsese. The director spoke to The Guardian about his regret in not doing another project with Ray Liotta again after Goodfellas and what his reasoning for that was.

After being in Field of Dreams and Goodfellas, these two films were enough to change Rya Liotta's newbie status and join the ranks of many accomplished actors. Liotta worked with very successful actors like Whoopi Goldberg in Corrina and Denzel Washington in John Q. He would eventually land the role of Tommy Vercetti in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, as well as two movies with The Muppets. Liotta also continued to pave his way in the crime genre with HBO Max crime thrillers No Sudden Move and the Sopranos prequel The Many Saints of Newark. We will still be able to see this cherished actor in his final roles like director Elizabeth Banks’ “insane” Cocaine Bear movie in February 2023 and the AppleTV+ miniseries Black Bird which will debut this July.

To say Martin Scorsese had a successful filmmaking career after Goodfellas would be an understatement. Some of Scorsese's best movies include crime thrillers like The Departed, Casino, and The Wolf of Wall Street. He has also made critically acclaimed historical dramas like Gangs of New York and Hugo. Scorsese's latest film will be the Western crime drama Killers of the Flower Moon which is to be released on Apple TV+ this November. It’s a shame Martin Scorsese wasn't able to find a place for Ray Liotta in his star-studded crime drama The Irishman, which had a reunion of well-known crime genre actors like Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, and Al Pacino. 

The Raging Bull director continued to say in his heartfelt tribute about what a “fearless” actor Ray Liotta was, and how despite being new on-set, “he never missed a beat.” It’s a beautiful thing for the working chemistry of an actor to be so strong that it feels like you have been working with each other for years. A number of other actors who have worked with Ray Liotta shared wonderful tributes after hearing of his death like Kevin Costner, who worked with him in Field of Dreams; Jennifer Lopez who co-starred with him in Shades of Blue; and Jacy Nittolo, his fiancée who expressed in her tribute how much Liotta meant to her.

Martin Scorsese concluded his tribute by hoping Ray Liotta knew how much their work together meant to him. He will be missed by his fans and anyone who has had the privilege to know him. You can watch Ray Liotta’s stellar performance in Goodfellas with your HBO Max subscription.

On May 26, Ray Liotta passed away at the age of 67, and celebrities like Seth Rogen and Jamie Lee Curtis paid tribute to him soon afterwards. Days after his passing, Liotta’s fiancée, Jacy Nittolo, went on social media to honor the man she intended to marry, calling him “most beautiful person inside and out” she’d ever known. Now Martin Scorsese, who directed Liotta in 1990’s Goodfellas, has penned his own heartfelt tribute to the actor.

While Ray Liotta put together an impressive body of movie and TV work over his 40+ years of acting, ranging from his time on Field of Dreams with Kevin Costner to starring alongside Jennifer Lopez in the NBC series Shades of Blue, he was arguably best known for playing Henry Hill in Goodfellas, which co-starred Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci. In an op-ed he wrote for The Guardian, Martin Scorsese recounted the story behind how Liotta was selected to star in Goodfellas, noting how the part required someone who could be “disarming,” “dangerous” and “vulnerable.” Looking back, Scorsese realized he wanted Liotta to play Henry after meeting him at The Last Temptation of Christ’s world premiere in Venice, and then the filmmaker showered the following praise onto the late actor:

Based on the non-fiction book Wiseguy by Nicholas Pileggi, Goodfellas (which Pileggi co-wrote with Martin Scorsese) chronicled Henry Hill’s rise and fall through organized crime, albeit with some creative embellishments that come with Hollywood adaptations. In addition to the kind words above, Scorsese also shared an anecdote that exemplified Liotta’s work ethic. On the day he, Pesci, Robert De Niro and Paul Sorvino shot the scene where Henry, Jimmy and Tommy give Paulie the tribute money from the Air France heist, Liotta learned his mother was dying of cancer. Scorsese urged the actor to go be with his mother, but Liotta was adamant he perform this specific scene first, and given the euphoria the actors needed to express, when all was said and done, there were “laughter and tears, tears and laughter.” 

Ray Liotta reportedly passed away in his sleep while he was in the Dominican Republic shooting Dangerous Waters; the cause of death hasn’t been revealed yet. Now that Liotta’s gone, Martin Scorsese expressed regret that he never got to work with him again after Goodfellas, although it wasn’t for a lack of trying. Still, the two men went on to add even more impressive credits to their resume, and some of Liotta's most notable post-Goodfellas films include Cop Land, Hannibal, Identity, Smokin' Aces and Marriage Story. The Many Saints of Newark, the Sopranos prequel movie, was Liotta's last film appearance before he died.

It is indeed a shame Ray Liotta and Martin Scorsese never collaborated again, but fortunately, their one project together is still considered a cinematic triumph over 30 years later, with Goodfellas’ many accolades including winning one Academy Award (Joe Pesci for Best Supporting Actor) and being nominated in five other categories. While Liotta is no longer with us, along with the aforementioned Dangerous Waters, his upcoming posthumous releases include Elizabeth Banks’ “insane” Cocaine Bear and the untitled Charlie Day movie. Scorsese’s next movie, Killers of the Flower Moon, will come out sometime this November.

We here at CinemaBlend continue to pass along our condolences to Ray Liotta’s family and friends during this difficult time.

The world lost one of its brightest and fiercest stars in May 2022 with the death of Ray Liotta, who passed away suddenly. The legendary actor who made us laugh, cry, and feel just about every other emotion with his remarkable performances in the likes of Goodfellas and Field of Dreams leaves behind a remarkable legacy dating back several decades, and one that we won’t forget for some time.

In honor of his life and career, we have put together a list of Ray Liotta’s best movies and all the different ways you can watch them. In our hour of collective grief, the best way we can remember Liotta is to revisit a few of his most iconic performances. 

Goodfellas (1990)

Martin Scorsese’s landmark gangster film, Goodfellas, follows the rise and fall of mobster Henry Hill (Ray Liotta) as he goes from a young kid enamored by the Mafia in Brooklyn to one of the most prominent figures in the crime world, and finally to someone who will do anything to keep himself out of trouble and alive, even it means turning on his friends and family.

It is hard not to get hooked by the smooth narration from Liotta’s character throughout what is undeniably one of the best '90s movies, especially his now iconic “As far back as I can remember…” line that opens the film’s sprawling narrative. Although Hill is far from being a likable guy, his character, personality, and coolness make him one you can’t help watch over and over again.

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Field of Dreams (1989)

Phil Alden Robinson's 1989 baseball movie, Field of Dreams, centers on Iowa farmer Ray Kinsella (Kevin Costner) as he is contacted by a mysterious voice that compels him to build a baseball field in the middle of his cornfield, saying “If you build it, he will come.” Initially thinking the “he” is “Shoeless” Joe Jackson (Ray Liotta), the baseball legend banned from the sport nearly a century earlier, Ray soon learns that something much larger than that is happening.

The amount of pain and weight carried on Ray Liotta’s Joe Jackson’s shoulders, on his face, and in his eyes in Field of Dreams is a masterclass in acting. Liotta, who was still an up-and-coming actor at the time, absolutely shines in this role and makes an already emotional movie all the more poignant, especially when he first arrives in Iowa.

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Narc (2002)

Released in 2002, Joe Carnahan’s neo-noir crime thriller, Narc, follows narcotics detective Nick Tellis (Jason Patric) as he investigates the murder of a cop alongside the fallen officer’s morally ambiguous partner, Henry Oak (Ray Liotta). As he continues his investigation into the strange circumstances surrounding the death, Tellis learns more and more about his new partner, not knowing if he can fully trust him.

One of the things that made Ray Liotta such a great actor was the nuance and uncertainty he brought to a lot of his roles. This is especially true throughout Narc, where you don’t really know if he is just a good cop with unsavory tactics or a vicious killer who’ll do anything to protect himself above all else. 

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The 2001 biographical crime drama, Blow, tells the story of American drug kingpin George Jung (Johnny Depp), who helped usher in a new era of drug trafficking in the 1970s with his massive cocaine empire. But, as is the case with essentially every other story that starts with “young man makes a killing moving drugs,” this sad tale of a fall from grace is full of heartbreak, betrayal, and suffering.

Upon seeing Ray Liotta’s name on the cast list for this crime movie directed by Ted Demme, you would think he would be playing some kind of criminal, but that’s far from the case in Blow. In his portrayal of George’s father, Fred Jung, Liotta plays a loving father who is the voice of reason in his son’s ear, especially when it comes to understanding that “money isn’t real,” both as a child and an adult.

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Cop Land (1997)

James Mangold’s 1997 crime drama, Cop Land, centers on a group of corrupt NYPD cops who take advantage of a loophole to live outside the department’s jurisdiction, meaning they can’t be touched by Internal Affairs for any of their misdeeds. But, when one of the officers accidentally kills two young men, the whole gig could potentially go up in flames, especially with Sheriff Freddy Heflin (Sylvester Stallone) on the case.

This movie had a who’s who of great actors like Harvey Keitel, Robert De Niro, and Edie Falco, but one of the standouts was Ray Liotta, who portrayed Gary “Figgsy” Figgis, one of the one-time crooked cops who falls out of favor with his old buds. His slow descent into madness is always one aspect of Cop Land I love watching the most, and it’s hard to think of anyone who could have pulled it off so well.

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Marriage Story (2019)

Noah Baumbach’s Academy Award-winning Netflix movie, Marriage Story, follows Charlie (Adam Driver) and Nicole Barber (Scarlett Johansson), who decide to file for divorce after growing apart over the years. Although it seems like a good idea at the time, the decision pushes the once close couple to a place they never thought they’d be.

The two leads are phenomenal throughout the highly emotional movie, but it’s their lawyers — Nora Fanshaw (Laura Dern) and Jay Marotta (Ray Liotta) — who provide some of the movie’s most intense and memorable moments. Liotta didn’t take home an Oscar like Dern, but his performance is right up there in terms of intensity and emotion. He very much felt like a real person and not a character on the screen.

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The Place Beyond The Pines (2012)

Derek Cianfrance’s incredibly moving crime epic, The Place Beyond the Pines, centers on two men, played by Ryan Gosling and Bradley Cooper, on opposite sides of an incident that forever changes their own lives but also those of their two sons years later.

One of the most unforgettable and menacing characters in The Place Beyond the Pines is Detective Peter Deluca, a role that Cianfrance told GQ was specifically written for Ray Liotta years before he even offered the actor a spot in the movie. Whenever Deluca is on screen is a moment worth remembering for the brilliance of the actor and the intimidating nature of the character.

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Identity (2003)

Another James Mangold movie to feature Ray Liotta in a prominent role, the 2003 whodunit Identity follows a group of people trapped in an isolated Nevada hotel during a storm. To make matters worse, an unknown killer begins picking off the strangers one by one in this white-knuckle thriller loosely based on Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None.

There are plenty of reasons to celebrate Identity, including its twists and turns, handling of the psychological thriller genre, and the absurdly amazing cast, which includes John Cusack, Alfred Molina, and Ray Liotta, to name a few. Without giving much away, Liotta’s character, Samuel Rhodes, is responsible for some of the film’s most shocking and gratifying moments that make the movie more than worth a watch.

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Something Wild (1986)

Jonathan Demme’s 1986 dark comedy, Something Wild, follows uptight banker Charles Driggs (Jeff Daniels) as he gets caught up in the hectic life of Audrey “Lulu” Hankel (Melanie Griffith), a free-spirited woman who has him go with her as a guest to her high school reunion. While there, Lulu’s husband, Ray Sinclair (Ray Liotta) arrives on the scene and takes an already complicated matter to the next level.

One of craziest, and honestly most impressive things about Ray Liotta’s electric performance is the fact that it was only his second film role (he had a few TV credits at this point in his career). If you didn’t know any better you would think this unhinged man on screen had been acting professionally for years, which is a testament to his incredible talent.

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Corrina, Corrina (1994)

Jessie Nelson’s 1994 comedy-drama, Corrina, Corrina, tells the story of Manny Singer (Ray Liotta), a widower businessman looking for a babysitter to take care of his young daughter, Molly (Tina Majorino). Just when it looks like no one is fit for the job, in walks Corrina Washington (Whoopi Goldberg), who changes both of their lives for the better.

I distinctly remember watching Corrina, Corrina multiple times throughout my childhood as the movie was a permanent fixture on TNT back in ‘90s, and the film was actually my first time recalling Ray Liotta. He doesn’t cuss as much, he’s not as chaotic as usual, but his performance works great when put alongside Whoopi Goldberg, resulting in an impressive dynamic. 

Rent/Buy Corrina, Corrina on Amazon.

The Many Saints Of Newark (2021)

Alan Taylor’s 2021 Sopranos prequel, The Many Saints of Newark, takes it back to the beginning for young Tony Soprano (Michael Gandolfini) as he finds himself wrapped up in one of the most trying times of not only his life, but in the history of his crime-ridden hometown, experiencing things that will turn him from a child into the crime boss we all know and love (or love to hate).

Just like the original HBO drama series, The Many Saints of Newark has a large ensemble cast that includes Jon Bernthal, Leslie Odom Jr., Corey Stoll, and Ray Liotta playing not one, but two characters. No surprise, but Liotta’s range throughout the crime drama was masterful to say the least, and it serves as a nice reminder how great he was in gangster movies.

Stream The Many Saints of Newark on HBO Max.

But, this is just a small portion of the great performances Ray Liotta gave us over the years, and his presence will be sorely missed in the weeks, months, and years to come. Oh, and I couldn’t end this story any other way than by including this hilarious clip from Wild Hogs. 

In a legendary career of humor, heavies, and heartwarming projects, actor Ray Liotta could play to every corner of humanity. The star of movies like Goodfellas and Field of Dreams, his resume ran the table, leaving behind memorable performances that defined his legacy. Today, we look back at those roles, as Liotta has suddenly passed away at the age of 67; just as he was working on an upcoming movie. 

Deadline broke the news, which also noted that Liotta was in the middle of shooting his latest project, Dangerous Waters. At this time, no cause of death has been pronounced, just that Ray Liotta had passed in his sleep. He is survived by daughter Karsen, and his fiancee Jacy Nittolo. 

Getting his start in the world of television, Ray Liotta’s acting career started in 1978, with the role of Joey Perrini on the hit NBC soap opera Another World. It wasn’t until 1983 that Liotta would break into the world of movies, thanks to a role in the adaptation of author Harold Robbins’ novel The Lonely Lady. 

Ray Liotta would eventually land the one, two punch of starring as Shoeless Joe Jackson in the soon-to-be-remade baseball drama Field of Dreams, as well as mobster Henry Hill in Martin Scorsese’s saga Goodfellas. Within the span of a little over a year, he showed the world a tender portrait of a disgraced sportsman, as well as a wild journey through the world of organized crime. Both would remain as perfect landmarks on a resume that would add even more to its impressive canon. 

In the decades that would follow, Ray Liotta pretty much did it all. The Newark, New Jersey born talent would even land roles in video games like Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, as well as not one, but two movies Liotta would share with The Muppets. This was on top of playing despicable villains, like Paul Krendler in Ridley Scott’s Hannibal, as well as voicing animated roles like Moe’s dad on The Simpsons, and projects like Bee Movie and Spongebob Squarepants. 

Most recently, Liotta was seen as ramping up to a career renaissance, through roles in the HBO Max crime thrillers No Sudden Move and The Sopranos prequel The Many Saints of Newark. Among Ray Liotta's final roles are director Elizabeth Banks’ “insane” Cocaine Bear movie, as well as the streaming series Black Bird, which will debut for Apple TV+ subscribers later this year. 

Playing silly and sinister to a tee, Ray Liotta leaves a litany of performances that show just how wide his range was. Able to goof around as easily as he could take the fight to an enemy, his presence throughout all media will be missed. In the aftermath of his untimely passing, we here at CinemaBlend extend our deepest condolences to Liotta’s family and friends in this time of grieving. 

Robert De Niro has been in some spectacular movies, and Martin Scorsese has directed some phenomenal films. But for my money, the best flicks are the Martin Scorsese movies that feature Robert De Niro. The two have been good friends for decades, and Scorsese has directed De Niro in a total of nine films. Dating all the way back to 1973’s Mean Streets, the two have worked together in the ‘80s and ‘90s (Goodfellas came out in 1990), took a break for most of the 2000’s, and then worked together again with 2019’s The Irishman.

The thing is, out of those 9 films, I would say that at least 8 of them are masterpieces. And if I was going to judge the films alone, I’d probably put Goodfellas at number 1. But I don’t want to do that list. Instead, I’d rather focus on De Niro’s performances in those 9 films. In some of these movies, De Niro is the protagonist, and in others, he’s more of a side character. But in all of them, De Niro acted his heart out, making every last one of them memorable. Are you talking to me?

Oh, and minor spoilers up ahead.

9. New York, New York (1977)

Starring Liza Minnelli as a pop singer, and Robert De Niro as a saxophonist back in the 1940s, De Niro plays one of his typically charming, albeit, volatile characters, but this time in a love story with Minnelli’s character. De Niro actually learned to play the sax for this role, but he still had to be overdubbed since it looked the part, but apparently didn’t sound the part. Overall, it’s an okay performance.

I suppose my biggest complaint is that the movie isn’t doing anybody any favors. De Niro can be scary at times when he’s raging at Minnelli’s character, and he can be fun-loving when he’s up on the stage. But I feel like he’s done the same performance in other movies, but better. An overall forgettable movie, and a mostly forgettable performance, unfortunately.

8. Mean Streets (1973)

There is a great album by The Minutemen titled, What Makes a Man Start Fires?, which reminds me of De Niro’s performance in the movie, Mean Streets, as what kind of man blows up a mailbox? Robert De Niro plays a hood up to no good. Meanwhile, his friend played by Harvey Keitel, feels conflicted since he wants to look out for De Niro’s character, but also wants to move on, too, and get away from the mob.

I love De Niro’s performance in this, but it may be a bit too over the top since it kind of overshadows the rest of the cast. That’s not to say that it’s bad, as it’s not. It’s brilliant! But it reminds me of Natalie Portman’s Oscar-winning performance in Darren Aronofsky’s Black Swan, in that it’s so great that it kind of lessens the rest of the already excellent movie, if that makes any sense. Harvey Keitel’s performance just kind of gets lost beside De Niro’s is what I’m saying.

7. The Irishman (2019)

Scorsese’s and De Niro’s most recent collaboration, The Irishman, features De Niro as supposed hitman, Frank Sheeran. The film also stars Al Pacino and Joe Pesci, amongst many others. De Niro is mostly the protagonist of the story as he befriends Pacino’s Jimmy Hoffa character, while also watching him in case he gets out of line in his duties. What follows is a story that goes back and forth in Sheeran’s life, where he reminisces on his past while living in a hospital.

I like De Niro’s performance in The Irishman, but it’s actually the inverse of Mean Streets in that his performance gets overshadowed by Pacino’s Hoffa portrayal. Let’s just say this. If this was De Niro’s last performance with Scorsese (It thankfully won’t be since he’ll be in Killers of the Flower Moon), it would likely be considered more of a footnote in an otherwise fantastic career than anything else.

6. Goodfellas (1990)

You ever watch The Animaniacs? There was this great skit called The Goodfeathers, where it parodied The Godfather and Goodfellas using pigeons. Well, of the three pigeons, which were supposed to represent Ray Liotta’s, Joe Pesci’s, and Robert De Niro’s characters in Goodfellas, De Niro’s pigeon, Bobby, was the least interesting. He was kind of like the mediator between Liotta’s (Squit) and Pesci’s (Pesto)’s pigeons.

And that’s kind of how I see De Niro’s performance in Goodfellas. Sure, De Niro’s performance as the Irish-American, Jimmy Conway, is both inviting to Liotta’s character and intimidating. But the film, which is about a young man who rises up the ranks in the mafia, is kind of great outside of De Niro’s performance. When I think of Goodfellas, De Niro’s character is always the third character I think of. Not bad, but definitely not his best, either.

5. Casino (1995)

There’s an argument to be made about whether Casino is better than Goodfellas, and it all goes to Robert De Niro’s performance in this mid-‘90s gangster film. De Niro plays a Jewish-American sports handicapper who’s tasked by the Chicago mafia to oversee a Casino in Vegas. Things go well at first, but the film also chronicles how things go south over the course of time.

I prefer De Niro’s performance in Casino to Goodfella’s because he’s the star this time, and I love to see him sweat. He’s not the confident killer he is in many other films, but rather, somebody who’s really struggling. You don’t see that often with De Niro, but when you do, it’s appreciated.

4. Cape Fear (1991)

De Niro plays intimidating characters well, but in Cape Fear, he got creepy. Playing a rapist who studies the law and goes after the public defender who put him away, De Niro got super shredded for this role. But the best part is just how gross he is as Max Cady, especially when he’s kicking it with the prosecutor’s teenage daughter, played by Julliette Lewis.

This is a really dark performance, and it’s uncomfortable to watch. You get totally absorbed with De Niro’s performance and it gets to the point that you legitimately hate him. It’s a visceral role and one of his best with Scorsese.

3. The King of Comedy (1982)

The King of Comedy is sometimes called a satirical black comedy drama film, but I don’t see anything funny about it. De Niro plays a man who’s obsessed with fame and is seeking out any means to break in as possible. It feels like he thinks that comedy just seems like the best route for him. But De Niro’s performance in this makes me even more uncomfortable than Cape Fear did, which is insane.

It’s all because Max Cady in Cape Fear feels like a character, while Rupert Pupkin, who even kidnaps a celebrity to get what he wants, feels very real. He sinks into his own head and has delusions of grandeur, and it’s an extremely dark and nuanced performance that gives me the creeps.

2. Taxi Driver (1976)

Possibly Scorsese’s darkest film, De Niro plays a taxi driver who is becoming more and more disenchanted with the world. It gets to the point that he believes he’s going to clean up the streets himself, just like some public service vigilante.

Travis Bickle was an incel before the term even existed. In my mind, this is De Niro’s most nuanced performance as he plays the kind of man that you can both sympathize with, but also not want to step foot near. His deteriorating mind is gradual at first, but then sharp. It’s my favorite De Niro/Scorsese performance, but I know everybody’s else favorite…

1. Raging Bull (1980)

The film that won Robert de Niro his Best Actor trophy, Raging Bull is about the kind of man who would openly tell somebody to punch him in the face. Playing real life boxer, Jake LaMotta, De Niro is both in tremendous shape, and also in not so tremendous shape, as the film chronicles his boxing career as well as what happened afterward.

Though I find Travis Bickle’s story much more compelling, one can’t help but love all the facets and nuances of De Niro’s performance in Raging Bull. He’s likable at times, but also so terrifying to everybody around him that it’s sometimes hard to even stomach. Raging Bull is not only De Niro’s best performance with Scorsese. It’s probably his greatest performance of all time.

And that’s the list. But which of these is your favorite De Niro performance in a Scorsese film? Sound off in the poll below. And if you want to know things like what we think are the best Martin Scorsese movies, then make sure to stop by often.

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Before Joe and Anthony Russo made filmmaking a family affair, it was Oscar-winning director Martin Scorsese's territory. Practically every film Scorsese has done involved his family in some way. One of his greatest collaborators was his late mother Catherine Scorsese, who appeared in multiple films made by her son. But her most well-known role was that of Tommy’s mother in the 1990 film Goodfellas. Recently, the director revealed a sweet fact about her cameo.

For many Martin Scorsese fans, Goodfellas is considered one of the best gangster/mafia films. Viewers still quote entire scenes from the Scorsese classic, but a loyal fan will know of his mother’s cameo in the film. Decades after the Oscar-nominated film was released, Scorsese said the following about his late mother’s small, but memorable appearance:

Martin Scorsese’s gangster films are known for their violence, but oftentimes, it’s hidden sweet moments in his films that steal the show. The interaction between Scorsese’s mother, Joe Pesci, Robert De Niro and Ray Liotta served as a sweet mother-son moment amidst the chaos. The fact she improvised most of the scene made it even better. Sometimes, even a tough guy needs his mother, as evident by that scene.

During his Entertainment Weekly interview, Martin Scorsese delved more into his mother’s improvisation in the memorable scene. All the actors followed Mrs. Scorsese’s lead, according to the Oscar winner. The director said this about the feeling and timing of the beloved Goodfellas scene:

Being on-screen with Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci and Ray Liotta in a Martin Scorsese film would intimidate most novices but not Mrs. Scorsese. She held her own in the scene while dictating the direction and flow. Knowing the entire scene was improvised made it even more memorable. While she’s no longer with us, it’s nice to know her cameo will last forever on film thanks to her prolific son. To watch this memorable moment, you can stream Goodfellas on HBO Max (which you can sign up for with this link) and Prime Video.

Samuel L. Jackson is one of the most bankable and recognizable actors working today. From his part as Nick Fury in the Marvel Universe to cult classics like Pulp Fiction, Jackson has built a long, varied list of roles, characters, and films. It’s hard to even imagine a time where Samuel L. Jackson was an unknown actor.

However, every actor has a beginning, and Samuel L. Jackson’s early roles are just as interesting as his career profile as a whole. He appeared in some films and TV shows that have stood the test of time or have been very influential in film history. Additionally, Samuel L. Jackson has such a large filmography that it’s easy to forget some of his past roles. Let’s look at some of Samuel L. Jackson’s early acting roles in popular TV shows and movies.

Mister Senor Love Daddy - Do The Right Thing

Samuel L. Jackson had already been acting on the stage, and in films and television, when he landed the role of Senor Love Daddy in Do the Right Thing. However, most of his roles had been minor ones. Do the Right Thing was his second collaboration with Spike Lee. The two men worked together a year prior on School Daze.

They would later also work together on Jungle Fever and Mo ’Better Blues. Senor Love Daddy is a minor character in Do the Right Thing, but he often acts as a narrator, adds commentary, and offers the final lines of the film. He sees everything and understands the neighborhood better than most. Do the Right Thing is such a complex film that, unless you’ve seen it recently, you might forget all the future stars who have minor roles in it, including Jackson, Rosie Perez, and Martin Lawrence

Hold-Up Man - Coming To America

Samuel L. Jackson had only appeared in a few movies before his Coming to America role. It’s a blink and you could miss it moment because Jackson only appears in one scene. He’s a man that comes to rob McDowell’s, the burger joint where Prince Akeem (Eddie Murphy), Semmi (Arsenio Hall), and Maurice (Louie Anderson) work.

Samuel L. Jackson’s robber doesn’t get too far, as Akeem and Semmi foil his plan. It’s really funny to see Jackson in a role like this, and then compare it to how far he’s come as an actor. It’s also one of those moments that if you haven’t seen the movie in a while, or never seen it, you’ll go “oh wow that’s Samuel L. Jackson!” when you get to the scene.

Leeds/Local Yokel - School Daze

School Daze is Spike Lee’s second full-length feature film and his first project involving Samuel L. Jackson. This was only Jackson’s fifth film, and he appeared in School Daze the same year that he appeared in Coming to America. Jackson’s appearance in School Daze is very brief. He plays a local man who confronts some of the Mission College students about how they take over his town and think they’re better because they have a college education.

It’s an interesting scene that also showcases Jackson’s acting future. He gives off a no-nonsense attitude that he’ll become famous for in future roles.

Stacks Edwards - Goodfellas

By the time Samuel L. Jackson appeared in Goodfellas, he had appeared in a series of films and started to build momentum in his acting career. Most of his projects had been in Spike Lee movies and a few blockbuster successes like Coming to America and The Exorcist III. Jackson is barely in Goodfellas, so it’s easy to forget his role.

He plays a real-life figure, Stacks Edwards. Stacks was a musician and criminal who became associated with Jimmy Burke (Robert De Niro) and Paul Vario/Cicero (Paul Sorvino)’s crews. His character is murdered after he shows incompetency by leaving a getaway truck unattended and the cops find it. His fingerprints are all over it, so it makes him a liability, and someone whom the mafia needs to kill.

Dream Blind Man - The Exorcist III

Samuel L. Jackson was still in the early stages of his career when he appeared in The Exorcist III. He had been acting for several years at this time and appeared in over 10 movies, but he hadn’t become the superstar we associate him with now. Therefore, he was still getting roles that were brief, and The Exorcist III was no exception.

He had a very small appearance in a dream sequence. He’s one of the people quickly shown, and plays a blind man who yells out. His scene only lasts a few minutes, so most people wouldn’t remember him being in this movie.

Defense Attorney Louis Tagger - Law & Order

Samuel L. Jackson had appeared in a few other TV shows and some TV movies before appearing in Law & Order. Many fans may have forgotten that Jackson appeared in an episode, because, again, it was a small part. He played DA Tagger in Law & Order Season 1, Episode 14, “Violence of Summer.”

His character entered the show in the final fifteen minutes of the episode and only had a few scenes. He was a DA trying to have a case dismissed on a man accused of rape. This episode also features another future star, the late Philip Seymour Hoffman. Hoffman played one of the teen boys accused of raping a reporter.

Gator Purify - Jungle Fever

Jungle Fever was Samuel L. Jackson’s fourth project with Spike Lee. He played a drug-addicted character named Gator. Interestingly, he also appeared in this film opposite another future star, Halle Berry. His role in Jungle Fever also came at a very critical time in Jackson’s life, as he was battling his own drug addiction.

He was only a week out of rehab and still detoxing when he got the role in Jungle Fever. His part in this film was much bigger than some of the previous ones mentioned on this list, and it's a very memorable performance, but unless you’ve watched the film often or watched it very recently, it’s easy to forget that Jackson had a critical role in Jungle Fever.

Mr. Jenkins - Ghostwriter

Samuel L. Jackson appeared in the children’s series Ghostwriter when his career was still on an upward swing. He was mainly appearing in movies at this time, but had recently done the episode of Law & Order previously mentioned. He appeared in three episodes of the first season of Ghostwriter.

He had a brief role as the father of one of the main characters in the series, Jamal Jenkins (Sheldon Turnipseed). In his three episodes, he only had a few scenes, including the very first one of the show. The focus of Ghostwriter was on the children, so none of the parents, except grandma Cece Jenkins (Marcella Lowery) really got much of a chance to shine.

According to IMDB, Samuel L. Jackson has appeared in over 190 films and TV shows, and his resume continues to grow. He’s an actor with talent, longevity, and a dedicated work ethic. It’s amazing to see him go from a robber in Coming in America to so many iconic characters like Nick Fury, Mace Windu, Shaft, Mr. Glass, and Jules Winnfield. You can next catch Samuel L. Jackson in Spiral, which is currently expected to be released on May 21, 2021.

Netflix giveth and Netflix taketh away. At least, that's how it seems at the end of every month when the streaming giant gets rid of slew of titles just days before it refills its library with dozens of other new films and longtime favorites. This month is no different as Netflix will be getting rid of movies like Goodfellas, The Shawshank Redemption, and dozens others before the calendar flips once again.

With so much leaving at the end of each month it can sometimes be difficult or next to impossible to see what movies added to your queue months ago will soon disappear in the blink of an eye. Fear not, as I have put together a list of great movies that will soon cease to exist, at least in the labyrinthine user interface of Netflix. All of these titles, with the exception of National Treasure, will be leaving Netflix as of April 30. National Treasure's expiration date on Netflix is April 29.

Goodfellas (1990)

Martin Scorsese's 1990 organized crime masterpiece Goodfellas still stands up, 30 years after it was first released. This crime epic follows mobster Henry Hill (Ray Liotta) as he goes from made man to federal witness after turning against his former partners in crime. Hurry up before you have to settle for the "edited for television" version, and nobody wants that.

Watch it on Netflix while you still can here.

The Shawshank Redemption (1994)

Probably one of the best Stephen King adaptations, The Shawshank Redemption is just as beloved now as it was when it was first released more than 25 years ago. From the casting of Tim Robbins as Andy Dufresne to the narration by Morgan Freeman's character Red Redding to the direction of Frank Darabont, there are plenty of reasons to dive back into Shawshank State Penitentiary.

Watch it on Netflix while you still can here.

National Treasure (2004)

National Treasure is one of those movies with a plot that sounds like it could either be an Indiana Jones movie or a made up movie on an episode of The Simpsons. Add Nicolas Cage halfway between being sane and Vampire's Kiss, and this movie about a historian attempting to steal the Declaration of Independence gets even better. If you want to find out how this one ends, make sure to be quick as time is running out.

Watch it on Netflix while you still can here.

A Cinderella Story (2004)

Who knows when we'll finally get to see the continuation of Lizzie McGuire on Disney+, but for everyone who wants to see star Hilary Duff in peak form, check out the 2004 modern day fairy tale A Cinderella Story on Netflix before the clock strikes midnight. Just make sure you have your flip phone handy to properly get in the mood for this absurdly fun reimagining.

Watch it on Netflix while you still can here.

A Nightmare On Elm Street (2010)

Although it doesn't live up to the original A Nightmare On Elm Street, the 2010 remake packs quite a punch thanks to Jackie Earle Haley's new take on the classic dream killer Freddy Krueger. Also, if you want to watch a movie with Rooney Mara where she doesn't spend 10 minutes eating a pie on the kitchen floor, this remake will hold you over.

Watch it on Netflix while you still can here.

Blade Runner: The Final Cut (1982)

It's easy to lose count of all the different versions of Ridley Scott's 1982 techno-noir thriller Blade Runner, but The Final Cut is about as close to the director's vision as it gets thanks to the removal of Harrison Ford's tired and uninterested narration and other elements that hold the original back. But just like tears in rain, this sci-fi classic will soon be gone.

Watch it on Netflix while you still can here.

The Craft (1996)

The coven of witches in The Craft might be teenagers, but they're anything but the friendly witches that became popular in the mid-90s. When Sarah Bailey (Robin Tunney) starts at a new Catholic school, she forms a bond with a group witches who are beyond sinister. This ultra-90s thriller is everything you would want and more from a horror movie of the era.

Watch it on Netflix while you still can here.