Everyone knows the classic movies from the early 1990s. Jurassic Park, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, The Silence of the Lambs. Everyone knows the classics. But what about lesser-known great movies from the early 90s?
These are the films that made a splash upon release and resonated with audiences, but for whatever reason, have fallen off in recent memory.
Fear not, though, because we haven’t forgotten about them. Here are ten early 90s classics that may not be widely known.
State of Grace
There’s one major thing going against State of Grace: it was released within a week of Goodfellas, which has gone on to become an iconic crime movie.
That doesn’t mean State of Grace is a weak movie. Far from it, in fact. It’s just not as good as Goodfellas, though, to be fair, what is?
Brain Donors
Rather than take a neat premise and run wild with it, Brain Donors instead aims to evoke feelings from classic Marx Brothers films.
Inspired by A Night at the Opera and A Day at the Races, John Turturro carries the film with a strong comedic performance that has only become more appreciated over time.
Hard Target
It wouldn’t be the early 90s without Jean-Claude Van Damme.
Following his success in the 1980s, he continued a strong run of action thrillers (Sudden Death), as well as some notable box office bombs (Street Fighter). Along the way, there were some forgotten classics that came along, such as Hard Target. Despite mixed reviews on release, it’s undoubtedly one of the best Van Damme movies and deserves more recognition.
Follow us on MSN for more of the content you love.
Miller’s Crossing
After the success of Raising Arizona, the Coen brothers followed it up with Miller’s Crossing, a neo-noir classic that is criminally underrated in their filmography.
The “Pine Barrens” episode of The Sopranos even pays homage to the film. It makes sense given the film’s plot, which centers on rival mobsters.
In the Line of Fire
Between the direction of Wolfgang Petersen and the charisma of its leads (Clint Eastwood, John Malkovich), In the Line of Fire is a genuine classic.
Of course, that shouldn’t come as a surprise. Eastwood and Malkovich were at the top of their games in the early 90s. Throwing them into a political thriller alongside Rene Russo is a match made in heaven.
Joe Versus the Volcano
I know, I know; the idea of Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan together in a romantic comedy isn’t exactly a novel concept.
Yet while something like Sleepless in Seattle or even You Got Mail gets all the buzz, don’t overlook Joe Versus the Volcano. It’s unique, quirky, and charming. It also came out first and did an excellent job showcasing the chemistry between Hanks and Ryan.
Empire Records
While unheralded upon release, Empire Records has become a cult classic, with fans celebrating Rex Manning Day every April 8th.
Like any good coming-of-age movie, Empire Records has an excellent soundtrack, helping it become a timeless classic that is slowly but surely finding an audience.
Sneakers
Boasting an all-star cast (Robert Redford, Dan Aykroyd, Ben Kingsley, Mary McDonnell, River Phoenix, Sidney Poitier), Sneakers is a highly entertaining comedy caper.
Unlike most lesser-known 90s classics, Sneakers was both well-received by critics and performed well at the box office. Yet for some reason, it’s not really brought up by people when it comes to the best or most popular movies of the decade.
In the Name of the Father
While Daniel Day-Lewis did take home the Oscar for Best Actor, he was one of seven nominations for In the Name of the Father at the 66th Academy Awards.
To be fair, it was a stacked year, with the film having to face off against Schindler’s List and Philadelphia, among others. Plus, this was the same year Jurassic Park and The Fugitive were released, too. Simply put, 1993 was a stacked year for movies, and In the Name of the Father hasn’t been able to keep up with everything else.
Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead
It’s every kid’s dream come true: your babysitter drops dead, and you’re able to enjoy time away from your parents without any supervision.
Okay, so, yeah, we never truly wished that our babysitter would drop dead, but that’s what happens in the 1991 comedy starring Christina Applegate.
It may not have resonated with critics, but there’s plenty of comedies from the same time that also didn’t resonate with critics. They did, however, resonate with audiences, as is the case here.
Follow us on MSN for more of the content you love.
Read More:
