mark wahlberg

Below is part one of my greatest 90s movies list…in no particular order…

The Shawshank Redemption (1994)

The Shawshank Redemption (1994)

It resides at the top of IMDbs ‘Top 250 List’, yet this film didn’t have an easy path to get there. Despite critical acclaim, it flopped at the box office, yet due to DVD rentals, word of mouth spread after its initial theatrical release and it is now considered to be one of the greatest films of all time. The Shawshank Redemption is a powerful tale about Andy Dufresne, who is given a double-life sentence for the two people that he was wrongly accused of murdering. There he meets Red, a lifelong friend – and as the journey of Shawshank unfolds, we learn that “hope will set you free”.

Pulp Fiction (1994)

Pulp Fiction (1994)

Not putting this gem of a movie on this list would be a crime. Quentin Tarantino’s puzzlebox of a movie is at once mind-blowing, confusing and funny. It tells various stories about crime and redemption which all interlock together so well that it doesn’t even matter if you don’t what the hell’s going on.

Trainspotting (1996)

Trainspotting (1996)

Trainspotting is the movie that showed the world that Britain doesn’t just make camp costume dramas; for the content and style of this film shocked the Daily Mail, disturbed audiences, and made them chuckle along the way. Renton is a heroine-addict who decides that he wants to drop his habit, yet his journey isn’t easy, especially when his friends tempt him to come back to his former drug-habit, randomly assault strangers, and accidental murder a baby along the way…what can I say? It’s…darkly funny…

Before Sunrise (1995)

Before Sunrise (1995)

Some say that Kevin Smith’s Clerks is the indie movie of the 90s. I disagree, this one’s better in my opinion. In both films nothing happens, but that’s oddly part of their charm. Two strangers meet on a train and they decide to spend 24 hours together, whilst we follow their conversation along the way. Never boring, constantly intriguing, and very very moving.

Boogie Nights (1997)

Rollerskate sex in Boogie Nights

Everyone has a talent or an asset, right? Well, Eddie Adams (aka Dirk Diggler) has a 13 inch schlong. Such an asset becomes very useful to him when having sex with a girl whilst she’s still wearing rollerskates…not only that, it’s also quite useful when you’re a porn star. Boogie Nights tells the story of the rise and fall and rise (?) 0f Dirk Diggler. like to think of it as Pulp Fiction but with more sex, but then again that’s a crude comparison as the film inhabits a strikingly original world of its own. It pays homage to the lurid world of pornography whilst at the same time condemning it. Funny, dramatic, powerful, disturbing, Boogie Nights is a movie that (ahem) aims to please…

A movie poster should make a bold statement about what the movie’s about, but to go further: should instantly grab you. Here I have included posters that are either: weird, beautiful, eye-catching, ‘in-yer-face’, iconic, or just sell the movie for what it is.

In no particular order…

1) Attack of the 50ft Woman (1958)

Attack if the 50ft Woman

50s B-Movies are often very interesting to look at, they often sell the pitch of their movies with something very eye-catching. This one particularly stands out to me.

2) 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

It’s damned beautiful to look at, and it’s completely different and original compared to most movie posters. Plus, the tag-line some up the movie perfectly: “the ultimate trip”.

3) The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)

Grabs you like a leather glove or a serial killer who’s about to chop off your leg and eat you…in other words: it’s damned iconic and you can’t ignore it.

4) The Godfather (1972)

The Godfather (1972)

The epitomy of the ‘iconic movie poster’. You may not have seen the 1970 classic, but you’ve definitely seen the poster. (I hope).

5) Brokeback Mountain (2005)

Essentially a parody of the poster for The Titanic, therefore meaning that the poster itself gives off the message that it doesn’t and shouldn’t matter if you’re different.

Oh, and for just if you don’t know (God knows how not), Titanic‘s being re-released in 3D…yay for James Cameron.

6) The Human Centipede (2009)

The Human Centipede (2009)

The movie may be vomit-inducingly disgusting, but you can’t deny how errr…’eye-catching’ the poster is.

7) The Silence of the Lambs (1991)

The Silence of the Lambs

As chillingly creepy as the film itself: the lack of humanity in the face, the red eyes, and (if you look closely) the skull on the moth’s face.

Simple + subtle = effective + iconic

8) Straw Dogs (1971)

Straw Dogs (1971)

The broken glasses almost mirrors the disturbingly brutal nature of the film. So much so, that does this poster transcend itself and become not just a poster, but a work of art?

9) Star Wars (1977)

Star Wars (1977)

Is it the most beautiful movie poster ever made?…

10) King Kong (1933)

King Kong (1933)

Utterly iconic. It captures a moment from the movie in a striking detail.

11) Metropolis (1927)

Metropolis (1927)

Is it the most visually impressive poster ever? Does it count as a work of art rather than advertisement? Either way, it’s damned expensive. An original was sold for $690’000…rumour has it, that the buyer was Leonardo DiCaprio…

12) Blame (2011)

Blame (2011)

If anything…it’s eye-catching.

13) A Good Old Fashioned Orgy (2011)

A Good Old Fashioned Orgy (2011)

Instantly sells the raunchy concept of the movie with some casual light-hearted tongue-in-cheek humour. Plus, the tag-lines brilliant: “A comedy about old friends in new positions.”

14) The Dark Knight (2008)

The Dark Knight (2008)

I don’t think I need to explain why this is a good movie poster.

15) Dr Strangelove: or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)

Dr Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)

A personal favourite poster (and movie)…captures the tone of the piece entirely, it’s about war (planes flying overhead), and it’s an acidically mocking satire (the cartoonish feel of the piece). Brilliant movie. Brilliant poster.

16) Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Arc (1981)

Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Arc (1981)

We don’t even need to look at the title, and we already know that it’s Indiana Jones! The posters iconic, as is the font for the words “Indiana Jones”.

17) Pulp Fiction (1994)