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The 20 Best Movies in the First 20 Years of IMDb

by mhaze-2 • Created 14 years ago • Modified 14 years ago
Off the top of my head...
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  • 20 titles
  • Julianne Moore and Jeff Bridges in The Big Lebowski (1998)

    1. The Big Lebowski

    19981h 57mR71Metascore
    8.1 (890K)
    Jeff "The Dude" Lebowski, mistaken for a millionaire of the same name, seeks restitution for his ruined rug and enlists his bowling buddies to help get it.
    DirectorsJoel CoenEthan CoenStarsJeff BridgesJohn GoodmanJulianne Moore
    Achievers don't need to explain. Calmer than you are.
  • Clint Eastwood, Morgan Freeman, Gene Hackman, and Richard Harris in Unforgiven (1992)

    2. Unforgiven

    19922h 10mR85Metascore
    8.2 (454K)
    Retired Old West gunslinger Will Munny reluctantly takes on one last job to avenge an injustice with the help of his old partner and a newer outlaw known simply as The Schofield Kid.
    DirectorClint EastwoodStarsClint EastwoodGene HackmanMorgan Freeman
    The last Western. Period.
  • Liv Tyler, Sean Astin, Sean Bean, Elijah Wood, Cate Blanchett, Viggo Mortensen, Ian McKellen, Orlando Bloom, Billy Boyd, Dominic Monaghan, and John Rhys-Davies in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)

    3. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

    20012h 58mPG-1392Metascore
    8.9 (2.1M)
    A meek Hobbit from the Shire and eight companions set out on a journey to destroy the powerful One Ring and save Middle-earth from the Dark Lord Sauron.
    DirectorPeter JacksonStarsElijah WoodIan McKellenOrlando Bloom
    I'm listing Fellowship, but it's hard not to consider the whole trilogy a single work.
  • Robert De Niro, Val Kilmer, Al Pacino, Ted Levine, Wes Studi, Jerry Trimble, and Mykelti Williamson in Heat (1995)

    4. Heat

    19952h 50mR76Metascore
    8.3 (757K)
    A group of high-end professional thieves start to feel the heat from the LAPD when they unknowingly leave a verbal clue at their latest heist.
    DirectorMichael MannStarsAl PacinoRobert De NiroVal Kilmer
    Best bank robbery scene ever.
  • Uma Thurman in Pulp Fiction (1994)

    5. Pulp Fiction

    19942h 34mR95Metascore
    8.9 (2.3M)
    The lives of two mob hitmen, a boxer, a gangster and his wife, and a pair of diner bandits intertwine in four tales of violence and redemption.
    DirectorQuentin TarantinoStarsJohn TravoltaUma ThurmanSamuel L. Jackson
    I went to this with my dad. He was by far the oldest guy in the theater and he loved it.
  • Christian Bale in The Dark Knight (2008)

    6. The Dark Knight

    20082h 32mPG-1384Metascore
    9.0 (3M)
    When a menace known as the Joker wreaks havoc and chaos on the people of Gotham, Batman, James Gordon and Harvey Dent must work together to put an end to the madness.
    DirectorChristopher NolanStarsChristian BaleHeath LedgerAaron Eckhart
    Ledger's super creepy Joker made this one.
  • Kim Basinger, Russell Crowe, Kevin Spacey, Danny DeVito, and Guy Pearce in L.A. Confidential (1997)

    7. L.A. Confidential

    19972h 18mR91Metascore
    8.2 (641K)
    As corruption grows in 1950s Los Angeles, three policemen - one strait-laced, one brutal, and one sleazy - investigate a series of murders with their own brand of justice.
    DirectorCurtis HansonStarsKevin SpaceyRussell CroweGuy Pearce
    So many great performances here, and it was less confusing than Chinatown.
  • Sacha Baron Cohen in Borat (2006)

    8. Borat

    20061h 24mR89Metascore
    7.4 (460K)
    Kazakh TV talking head Borat is dispatched to the United States to report on the greatest country in the world.
    DirectorLarry CharlesStarsSacha Baron CohenKen DavitianLuenell
    Shock and laughter made it hard to breathe at my first movie out with Col!
  • Children of Men (2006)

    9. Children of Men

    20061h 49mR84Metascore
    7.9 (547K)
    In 2027, in a chaotic world in which women have somehow become infertile, a former activist agrees to help transport a miraculously pregnant woman to a sanctuary at sea.
    DirectorAlfonso CuarónStarsJulianne MooreClive OwenChiwetel Ejiofor
    My favorite of the recent batch of post-apalyptic/dystopian future flicks.
  • District 9 (2009)

    10. District 9

    20091h 52mR81Metascore
    7.9 (735K)
    In a future Earth in which aliens are isolated in a remote ghetto, a government agent finds himself banished there.
    DirectorNeill BlomkampStarsSharlto CopleyDavid JamesJason Cope
    Alien insect people as refugees and urban slumdwellers? Brilliant!
  • Franka Potente in Run Lola Run (1998)

    11. Run Lola Run

    19981h 20mR79Metascore
    7.6 (213K)
    After a botched money delivery, Lola has 20 minutes to come up with 100,000 Deutschmarks.
    DirectorTom TykwerStarsFranka PotenteMoritz BleibtreuHerbert Knaup
    I was really taken by the different-endings experiment. Still trying to get my wife to dye her hair red.
  • Fargo (1996)

    12. Fargo

    19961h 38mR88Metascore
    8.1 (756K)
    Minnesota car salesman Jerry Lundegaard's inept crime falls apart due to his and his henchmen's bungling and the persistent police work of the quite pregnant Marge Gunderson.
    DirectorsJoel CoenEthan CoenStarsWilliam H. MacyFrances McDormandSteve Buscemi
    Yeah, people really do talk like that.
  • Katherine Heigl and Seth Rogen in Knocked Up (2007)

    13. Knocked Up

    20072h 9mR85Metascore
    6.9 (392K)
    For fun-loving party animal Ben Stone, the last thing he ever expected was for his one-night stand to show up on his doorstep eight weeks later to tell him she's pregnant with his child.
    DirectorJudd ApatowStarsSeth RogenKatherine HeiglPaul Rudd
    Apatow makes the most crass, sweetest comedies. This is my favorite.
  • Edward Norton in American History X (1998)

    14. American History X

    19981h 59mR62Metascore
    8.5 (1.2M)
    Living a life marked by violence, neo-Nazi Derek finally goes to prison after killing two black youths. Upon his release, Derek vows to change; he hopes to prevent his brother, Danny, who idolizes Derek, from following in his footsteps.
    DirectorTony KayeStarsEdward NortonEdward FurlongBeverly D'Angelo
    This is the movie that made me a fan of Ed Norton.
  • Robert De Niro, Ray Liotta, and Joe Pesci in Goodfellas (1990)

    15. Goodfellas

    19902h 25mR92Metascore
    8.7 (1.3M)
    The story of Henry Hill and his life in the mafia, covering his relationship with his wife Karen and his mob partners Jimmy Conway and Tommy DeVito.
    DirectorMartin ScorseseStarsRobert De NiroRay LiottaJoe Pesci
    I really liked Dances With Wolves, but come on.
  • Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Tom Hardy, Elliot Page, Ken Watanabe, and Dileep Rao in Inception (2010)

    16. Inception

    20102h 28mPG-1374Metascore
    8.8 (2.7M)
    A thief who steals corporate secrets through the use of dream-sharing technology is given the inverse task of planting an idea into the mind of a C.E.O., but his tragic past may doom the project and his team to disaster.
    DirectorChristopher NolanStarsLeonardo DiCaprioJoseph Gordon-LevittElliot Page
    Coolest action movie with trippy dream aspects since The Matrix.
  • Brad Pitt and Edward Norton in Fight Club (1999)

    17. Fight Club

    19992h 19mR67Metascore
    8.8 (2.5M)
    An insomniac office worker and a devil-may-care soap maker form an underground fight club that evolves into much more.
    DirectorDavid FincherStarsBrad PittEdward NortonMeat Loaf
    I'm not supposed to talk about this.
  • Bill Murray, Danny Glover, Gene Hackman, Gwyneth Paltrow, Anjelica Huston, Ben Stiller, Luke Wilson, Owen Wilson, Jonah Meyerson, and Grant Rosenmeyer in The Royal Tenenbaums (2001)

    18. The Royal Tenenbaums

    20011h 50mR76Metascore
    7.6 (323K)
    The eccentric members of a dysfunctional family reluctantly gather under the same roof for various reasons.
    DirectorWes AndersonStarsGene HackmanGwyneth PaltrowAnjelica Huston
    I don't know. It's just awesome.
  • Haley Joel Osment in The Sixth Sense (1999)

    19. The Sixth Sense

    19991h 47mPG-1364Metascore
    8.2 (1.1M)
    After being shot by a resentful former patient whom he failed to help, a Philadelphia child psychologist seeks redemption by treating a young boy with a disturbing secret.
    DirectorM. Night ShyamalanStarsBruce WillisHaley Joel OsmentToni Collette
    I didn't see it coming. He totally got me.
  • Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Joe Pantoliano, and Carrie-Anne Moss in The Matrix (1999)

    20. The Matrix

    19992h 16mR73Metascore
    8.7 (2.2M)
    When a beautiful stranger leads computer hacker Neo to a forbidding underworld, he discovers the shocking truth--the life he knows is the elaborate deception of an evil cyber-intelligence.
    DirectorsLana WachowskiLilly WachowskiStarsKeanu ReevesLaurence FishburneCarrie-Anne Moss
    Stop after this one.

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