A movie can't be considered great(or even really good) if it doesn't contain some standout moments. I'm talking about the scenes that make you realize you're witnessing something special. The stuff that makes you abruptly stop your channel-surfing and even shell out for the DVD. I did 'The 80 Best Scenes of the '80s' last year, but something struck me when I compiled the '90s edition. This was a HELLUVA decade for movies. Maybe the best ever. Don't believe me? Well, scroll down and enjoy my comprehensive list of the 90 best scenes of the '90s.
90. Heather's apology- "The Blair Witch Project"(1999)
This 'found footage' chiller filled a lot of theater seats in the summer of '99.
89. The price is wrong- "Happy Gilmore"(1996)
I should have known that Adam Sandler wasn't going anywhere after his scrap with 73 year old "Price is Right" host Bob Barker.
88. A, B, C- "Glengarry Glenn Ross"(1992)
Alec Baldwin's blisteringly quotable cameo is the undisputed highlight of this real estate comedy.
87. Subway shootout- "Carlito's Way"(1993)
Doomed drug lord Carlito Brigante came awfully close to a happy ending in Brian DePalma's unofficial sequel to "Scarface".
86. Aliens blow up White House- "Independence Day"(1996)
A Super Bowl commercial gave rabid audiences this tantalizing first glimpse at the mega-hit that would make excessive hype and CGI the new norm.
85. Hair gel- "There's Something About Mary"(1998)
Cameron Diaz has the filthy minds of the Farrelly bros to thank for her lengthy stay on the A-list.
84. Rose pedal dream- "American Beauty"(1999)
Mena Suvari looked like she was headed for big things after starring in Kevin Spacey's daydreams in Sam Mendes' Best Picture-winning black comedy.
83. Snow scene- "Edward Scissorhands"(1990)
Winona Ryder may have been the first but she certainly wasn't the last girl to fall under the kooky spell of Johnny Depp in his inaugural outing with oddball extraordinaire Tim Burton.
This heartbreaking number illustrates the finite lifespan of our favorite toys in Pixar's arguably superior sequel.
81. Truman escapes- "The Truman Show"(1998)
Jim Carrey takes off his comedic shackles in Peter Weir's prophetic television satire.
80. Dirk goes to work- "Boogie Nights"(1997)
Julianne Moore is very comfortable with sex scenes. Mark Wahlberg doesn't know how to tell his kids about Paul Thomas Anderson.
79. Wood chipper- "Fargo"(1996)
Frances McDormand's pregnant police chief witnesses Steve Buscemi's shocking demise in the Coen brothers' snow-covered kidnapping tale.
78. Andrew Beckett's sorrow- "Philadelphia"(1993)
This anguished look of total hopelessness to Bruce Springsteen's Oscar-winning title track announced to the world loud and clear that Tom Hanks was a dramatic actor now.
77. Jewelry box clap- "Pretty Woman"(1990)
This onset prank by director Gary Marshall stayed in the movie, and became a seminal moment for '90s queen Julia Roberts.
Tom Cruise still had plenty to smile about in the '90s as he capped off a succession of signature hits with this turn as a flamboyant sex guru.
75. No crying in baseball- "A League of their Own"(1992)
The Tom Hanks era unofficially began with this unforgettable mantra.
74. Tango- "Scent of a Woman"(1992)
Pacino didn't lose a step in the '90s as he danced all the way to that elusive Best Actor Oscar.
73. "This is your ransom..."Ransom"(1996)
I miss the days when Mel Gibson only threatened people onscreen.
72. "Inch by inch..."- "Any Given Sunday"(1999)
Al was still a force to be reckoned with when he delivered a speech that should echo throughout every demoralized locker room.
71. Choose life- "Trainspotting"(1996)
Director Danny Boyle throws us right into the squalid lives of Ewan MacGregor and his pathetic pals in this frenzied opening.
70. Phil's suicides- "Groundhog Day"(1993)
There aren't many big studio comedies that would allow it's main character to kill himself. A dozen times.
69. Karl and Frank- "Sling Blade"(1996)
An unusual but touching friendship comes to life between a Southern simpleton and a distressed local boy in Billy Bob Thornton's bleak breakthrough.
68. Red wire or blue?- "Lethal Weapon 3"(1992)
This explosive opener sums up the whole relationship of the greatest buddy cop duo of all time.
67. Wire scene- "Mission Impossible"(1996)
Tom Cruise drops in, box office numbers go up.
66. Lulu and Bobby Peru- "Wild at Heart"(1990)
A grotesque Willem Dafoe leaves a lasting impression on Laura Dern in another lurid exercise from David Lynch.
65. Ballroom dance- "Beauty and the Beast"(1991)
This enchanting number reaffirmed the Mouse House as an animated powerhouse.
64. Stampede/Mufasa's death- "The Lion King"(1994)
Move over, Bambi's mom. Simba's fallen father is this generation's cartoon tragedy.
63. Frank takes the bullet- "In the Line of Fire"(1993)
Clint Eastwood's aging Secret Service agent thwarts John Malkovich's plans in Wolfgang Peterson's highly suspenseful thriller.
62. Genie's entrance- "Aladdin"(1992)
Robin Williams' manic vocals are the reason that A-list stars have been enlisted for EVERY animated movie since.
61. "Show Me the Money!"- "Jerry Maguire"(1996)
Cuba Gooding Jr. provided one of modern filmdom's many unavoidable catchphrases, during these energetic contract negotiations.
60. "You Complete Me/You Had Me At Hello"- "Jerry Maguire"(1996)
We might as well get this immortal exchange out of the way, too.
59. Park bench bonding session- "Good Will Hunting"(1997)
Robin Williams(in rare award-worthy form) finally gets through to Matt Damon's temperamental math genius.
58. Hotel bar hookup- "Out of Sight"(1998)
George Clooney's seduction of J'Lo marked his true arrival as a Movie Star.
57. Keyzer Soze- "The Usual Suspects"(1995)
Kevin Spacey's gimpy walk turns into a confident strut as his enigmatic mastermind puts Brian Singer on the map.
56. Bullet train- "Mission Impossible"(1996)
This bravura climax left the public with little doubt that Cruise had an action franchise on his hands.
55. Foot chase- "Point Break"(1991)
Future Oscar-winning director Kathryn Bigelow showed some undeniable skill in her wildly entertaining debut flick.
54. Plane finale- "Die Hard 2: Die Harder"(1990)
John McClane torches a plane filled with escaping terrorists and lets out the best 'Yippee-ki-ay' of the entire series.
53. "Put your fuckin' mouth to the curb"- "American History X"(1998)
There was no shortage of brutality in the '90s, but Edward Norton's intense neo-Nazi skinhead may take the cake.
52. The Rules- "Fight Club"(1999)
I could have put just about any scene involving Brad Pitt's impossibly cool soap-making psycho anarchist on here, and there would have been no objections.
51. Face lick- "Batman Returns"(1992)
Ditto with Michelle Pfeiffer's take on the most dangerous woman in Gotham.
50. Riggs and Murtaugh vs. Wah Sing Ku- "Lethal Weapon 4"(1998)
The best fight in all four movies? Richard Donner made a U.S. film star out of martial arts wizard Jet Li.
49. Pod race- "Star Wars: Episode I- The Phantom Menace"(1999)
Nobody can say that George Lucas' much-maligned return to the SW universe didn't have it's moments.
48. Train crash- "The Fugitive"(1993)
As soon as Harrison Ford's wrongly convicted doctor was off and running, we knew that the biggest movie star of the '80s was still a reliable source of excitement.
47. Nicky and his brother- "Casino"(1995)
Even Scorsese admitted to having a hard time watching the brutal comeuppance dished out with aluminum baseball bats to hot-headed gangster Nicky Santoro(Joe Pesci) and his brother in a desolate cornfield.
46. The bridge is out- "True Lies"(1994)
Spectacular set-pieces like this is just what James Cameron does.
45. "You're not gonna die"- "Cliffhanger"(1993)
The pulse-pounding opening of Stallone's best '90s offering had me on the edge of my seat.
44. "Houston, we have a problem..."Apollo 13"(1995)
Same goes for the remainder of Ron Howard's fact-based space drama.
43. "I'm flying"- "Titanic"(1997)
Leonardo DiCaprio sailed into the heart of Kate Winslet and every other chick in America in the highest grossing movie of all time.
42. Bus jump- "Speed"(1994)
Realistic? No. Exhilarating? Hell, yes!
41. "I'm funny how?"- "Goodfellas"(1990)
Joe Pesci's psychopathic foot soldier Tommy DeVito is funny and frightening in equal measures.
40. Drexl's crib- "True Romance"(1993)
Yes, Gary Oldman, we ARE too scared to be eating.
39. Copacabana tracking shot- "Goodfellas"(1990)
This legendary bit is just another one of the many virtues in Marty's mob masterpiece.
38. Max Cady meets Danielle Bowden- "Cape Fear"(1991)
Robert De Niro's tattooed and terrifying rapist/ex-con gets uncomfortably close to a naïve 17 year old Juliette Lewis.
37. Street Race- "Toy Story"(1995)
Most action movie climaxes have got nothing on Woody and Buzz racing toward that moving truck.
36. Qui Gonn and Obi Wan vs. Darth Maul- "Star Wars: Episode I- The Phantom Menace"(1999)
Even the most ardent prequel-bashers have to give it up for this climactic three-way duel.
35. Train pushes the Delorean- "Back to the Future Part III"(1990)
This rip-roaring sequence rivals the original's clock tower finale and nicely caps the beloved series.
34. Bring out the gimp- "Pulp Fiction"(1994)
If I have to tell you what happens here, you're reading the wrong blog.
33. Taking the hill- "The Thin Red Line"(1998)
The OTHER great WWII movie from 1998 boasted some terrific sequences and this was definitely one of them.
32. Run, Forrest- "Forrest Gump"(1994)
The most uplifting and oft quoted moment of Robert Zemeckis' crowd-pleasing pop culture phenomenon.
31. "I see dead people"- "The Sixth Sense"(1999)
Speaking of oft quoted moments, Haley Joel Osment's chilling delivery unquestionably entered the zeitgeist in M Night Shyamalan's career-making mega-hit.
30. Pottery scene- "Ghost"(1990)
You couldn't get away from Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore's memorably improbable lovemaking session to the Righteous Brothers' "Unchained Melody" in the summer of 1990 if you tried.
29. Clarice finds Buffalo Bill- "The Silence of the Lambs"(1991)
Jodie Foster's heroic FBI trainee bravely enters the grisly lair of that transient freak Jamie Gumb.
28. Diner scene- "Heat"(1995)
The twin titans of late 20th Century acting grab a cup of coffee.
27. Patricia Arquette vs. James Gandolfini- "True Romance"(1993)
Tony Scott makes Alabama Worley fight for her life in the craziest hotel room fight to the death you'll ever see.
26. "You're his Daddy, Forrest."- "Forrest Gump"(1994)
If you don't get a little choked up when Forrest finds out he has a son, you're made of stone.
25. William Wallace's execution- "Braveheart"(1995)
Nobody does slow, agonizing death like Mad Mel.
24. "Little Green Bag"- "Reservoir Dogs"(1992)
Tarantino's charismatic, black-suited crooks take a slow-motion stroll in one of the coolest moments in all of cinema.
23. Jack Rabbit Slim's- "Pulp Fiction"(1994)
Honestly, just about every scene in Tarantino's magnum opus could've made this list, but I wanted to be fair to other '90s movies.
22. "What's Your Favorite Scary Movie?"- "Scream"(1996)
Drew Barrymore helped Wes Craven usher in a new age of self-referential horror in his franchise-starting sleeper hit.
21. Bullet time- "The Matrix"(1999)
Keanu Reeves bends over backwards and a pre-millennial sci-fi cult is born.
20. Interrogation scene- "Basic Instinct"(1992)
Sharon Stone mesmerizes Michael Douglas and a roomful of cops and (briefly) becomes the hottest actress on the planet.
19. "Let's keep going"- "Thelma & Louise"(1991)
Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis ride till they die.
18. "Stuck in the Middle with You"- "Reservoir Dogs"(1992)
Michael Madsen dances badly with a switchblade to a forgotten '70s pop tune and kick-starts the indie film movement.
17. Lecter's escape- "The Silence of the Lambs"(1991)
Anthony Hopkins cements Hannibal as cinema's preeminent villain with a daring escape after massacring two security guards.
16. Billy Batts- "Goodfellas"(1990)
This made member of the Gambino crew had a very bad night at the hands AND feet of Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci.
15. Magic bullet- "JFK"(1991)
Kevin Costner's exhausting and controversial breakdown of that fateful day in Dallas may be Oliver Stone's finest hour.
14. "You can't handle the truth!"- "A Few Good Men"(1992)
Speaking of courtroom climaxes, just try changing the channel while Tom Cruise and Jack Nicholson are engaged in this shouting match for the ages.
13. Sledgehammer scene- "Misery"(1990)
The sight of Kathy Bates holding that sledgehammer over a helpless, bedridden James Caan stays with terrified viewers long after the credits roll.
12. Robbery/Shootout- "Heat"(1995)
The greatest bank robbery scene of all time is directly followed by some serious gun-blazing.
11. Truck chase/T-1000 walks out of fire- "Terminator 2: Judgment Day"(1991)
An insanely awesome chase through the L.A. canals is directly followed by the birth of CGI.
10. "I'm gonna kill you, Little Bill...- "Unforgiven"(1992)
Clint Eastwood's introspective gunslinger William Munny suddenly remembers who he was.
9. Andy's escape- "The Shawshank Redemption"(1994)
I don't know if it's the greatest movie ever made as IMDB voters persistently claim, but this rousing finish easily makes it one of the most cherished works of the '90s.
8. Krakow ghetto liquidation- "Schindler's List"(1993)
Blockbuster king Steven Spielberg switches gears and vividly recreates one of the darkest chapters in human history. Oscars are a foregone conclusion.
7. "What's in the box?!"- "Seven"(1995)
Poor Gwyneth's head, and good luck trying to get these last 10 minutes of David Fincher's classic out of yours.
6. Ezekeil 25:17- "Pulp Fiction"(1994)
A star-making moment if there ever was one, and the main reason Sam Jackson has appeared in 1,842 movies since.
5. T-Rex attack- "Jurassic Park"(1993)
The visceral thrill of the T-Rex attacking that jeep in the rain is the reason we go to the movies.
4. Sinking ship- "Titanic"(1997)
James Cameron's boat movie is epic filmmaking of the highest order, hard-hearted haters be damned.
3. The Battle of Stirling- "Braveheart"(1995)
Mel Gibson's stunning achievement on both sides of the camera made historical epics all the rage and helped set the stage for our next entry.
2. D-Day- "Saving Private Ryan"(1998)
The horror and chaos of war has never been captured more unnervingly, than in this heavily-praised 24 minutes of Steven Spielberg's searing tribute to real-life heroism.
1. Dennis Hopper vs. Christopher Walken- "True Romance"(1993)
This unbearably tense, eleven-minute acting master-class captures two cult heroes in peak form, while serving as the ultimate example of '90s boy wonder Quentin Tarantino's celebrated screenwriting.
