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https://www.ign.com/articles/2019/09/25/the-25-best-90s-movies

Best movies of the 90's. Now I'm not saying I agree with the whole list. I'd probably replace a good half of their picks, in fact (Braveheart, Boogie Nights, The Crow, and Unforgiven deserve to be on there, for starters). But just look at how many great, original movies with wide appeal are on that list. There's only one sequel (though it's indeed a classic) and zero superhero flicks. The 90's was just a fantastic decade for film (and music, too).

Compare that to today's cinematic landscape. Pretty much every big-budget film with wide appeal fits neatly into at least one of these categories:

1. Superhero movie based on a comic book
2. Sequel/reboot of an existing franchise
3. Animated film
4. Live action remake of an animated film

Anything left is generally just Oscar-baitey, SJW pablum that will only be seen by film critics.

Where has the originality and creativity gone?

A few headscratchers on there.    I don't know anyone that likes Blair Witch Project, for instance.  And there are a few others I personally dislike or think are overrated, and of course, Pulp Fiction should be no. 1, period, dot.

Your point is valid, but when has Hollywood ever been truly creative?  I guess the stagnation is more pronounced now, but go back to the 40s and 50s and every other movie was a Western.  When Star Wars came out in 1977, everyone thought Hollywood was dying, etc.  I guess it does go in cycles.  Maybe the next Star Wars is around the corner, who knows.

I think the Super Hero genre has about run it's course. I was a huge Marvel fan when I was a kid, well into my adult years, and even I am tiring of it, and i get the same comment all the time from younger guys at work.  I have a feeling it's going to turn into a meme for bad film-making before much longer.  Having said that, I'll probably keep going to most of them.   :laugh:

I didn't really care for Blair Witch, either. But I can at least appreciate how it revolutionized the horror genre with the "found footage" concept. For instance, without Blair Witch, there would be no Paranormal Activity, which is a genuinely terrifying and great film. I could say the same thing for Jurassic Park, which I'm also not a fan of (absolutely hated it, in fact). I would probably agree that Pulp Fiction is #1. But depending on my mood, I could also go with Shawshank or Saving Private Ryan.

Yeah, I don't hate Jurrassic Park, but do think it was vastly overrated.  It was good to okay, not one of the best of all time IMO.  But I do get why others like it.  A lot of guys 8-10 years younger than me grew up loving dinosaurs, so that makes sense.

BTW, in going through that list, I count 10 movies out of the 25 that have been sequelized/rebooted (or in Fargo's case, inspired a TV series of the same name). And most of the ones that haven't are either historical epics or are "untouchable" (if I live long enough to see a Pulp Fiction reboot I'm gonna raise hell).

Only 8-10 years younger? You sure?  :toothless:

yep!  I was in my 20s when Jurrassic Park came out.  Dinos got really popular with kids in the 80s.  They were a thing when I was a kid in the 70s, but nothing like the 80s fad.

Need to go find good books and make movies out of them. They exist.

Creativity and new material is not the problem. The money providers will not finance any project they fear will lose money. The remakes have been blockbusters so that is what you get for their money. That or they only finance losers because they want the tax write-off.

A big problem is that blockbuster movies aren't being marketed towards Western audiences anymore. The big studios (and let's face it- there's really only one big studio left) will make movies that the Chinese want to see. Or more accurately, what the Chinese are allowed to see. So a movie about American heroism in WW2 is going to be problematic. And obviously, a heartwarming story about a wrongfully-convicted prisoner escaping after 20 years and turning the tables on his captors is going to be very problematic. :rolleyes:

(Yes, I saw South Park last night)