This is the third part of my five-part series celebrating my life in film. In this article ill be talking about the films from 1994-2003. In this decade there are more arthouse films and also more masterpieces of film from legends in the business. There are also some breakout films from newer directors at the time that will become household names in the years to come.

1994-Pulp Fiction

98.9/10 IMDb 92% Rotten Tomatoes

Vincent Vega (John Travolta) and Jules Winnfield (Samuel L. Jackson) are hitmen with a penchant for philosophical discussions. In this ultra-hip, multi-strand crime movie, their storyline is interwoven with those of their boss, gangster Marsellus Wallace (Ving Rhames) ; his actress wife, Mia (Uma Thurman) ; struggling boxer Butch Coolidge (Bruce Willis) ; master fixer Winston Wolfe (Harvey Keitel) and a nervous pair of armed robbers, “Pumpkin” (Tim Roth) and “Honey Bunny” (Amanda Plummer).

Pulp Fiction is a rare film that does something new with storytelling and narrative filmmaking. It tells the story all mixed up and makes the audience watching find out what happens by paying attention to what they are watching. It’s a writer’s film and what Quentin Tarantino has become known for. The cast — including John Travolta, Uma Thurman, Bruce Willis, Ving Rhames, Tim Roth, and especially Samuel L. Jackson — are all terrific. The quotes from these actors have become known to all film fans. The dance sequence at Jack Rabbit Slims is a very famous scene to this very day. And this film rejuvenated Travolta’s career. This movie is like none before it and not many after it. It’s a film you just can’t help but love when you see it and you find something new in it every time you watch it. At least I do when I watch it again. I’ll never think of a Big Mac in the same way ever again.

Release date: October 14, 1994 (USA)

Director: Quentin Tarantino

The Shawshank Redemption

9.3/10 IMDB 91% Rotten Tomatoes 4.5/Letterboxd

Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins) is sentenced to two consecutive life terms in prison for the murders of his wife and her lover and is sentenced to a tough prison. However, only Andy knows he didn’t commit the crimes. While there, he forms a friendship with Red (Morgan Freeman), experiences brutality of prison life, adapts, helps the warden, etc., all in 19 years.

The Shawshank Redemption is based on a novella by Steven King, but it’s more than just that. It’s a story of friendship and comradery. It’s a game of three card monte while also being a tour de force of performances by its cast all the way around. Morgan Freeman and Tim Robbins give amazing performances. It’s not like any prison break film I’ve ever seen before. In 1994, it was one of the best films of that year, but has endured as one of the best films in the last thirty years. It’s the kind of story where you would like to have a friendship like this one. It’s an indelible story that will forever live on in the annals of film history forever. Film historians and philosophers will study this movie till the end of time because of how it endured for so long and never gets old. It’s on the level of some of the greatest films ever. It’s that good. I haven’t met someone who doesn’t like it.

Release date: September 22, 1994 (Beverly Hills)

Director: Frank Darabont

Adapted from: Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption

Story by: Stephen King

1995-Heat

8.3/10 IMDB 88% Rotten Tomatoes 4.2/5 Letterboxd

Master criminal Neil McCauley (Robert De Niro) is trying to control the rogue actions of one of his men, while also planning one last big heist before retiring. Meanwhile, Lieutenant Hanna (Al Pacino) attempts to track down McCauley as he deals with the chaos in his own life, including the infidelity of his wife (Diane Venora) and the mental health of his stepdaughter (Natalie Portman). McCauley and Hanna discover a mutual respect, even as they try to thwart each other’s plans.

Heat is a masterpiece of filmmaking by Michael Mann starring two of my favorite actors in a cat and mouse game of cops and robbers. A group of criminals try to plan one last heist while also living their own lives. Of course, things don’t go as planned and the cops, mainly one dogged detective played by Al Pacino, will stop at nothing to kill or capture this band of miscreants led by Robert De Niro. All the subplots add to the interleague of the characters and their backstories. Mann creates an intense thrill ride from beginning to end. You as the viewer can’t take your eyes off of the screen even though this film is nearly four hours long. It goes by so fast that you don’t even realize how long it is. The characters are so captivating and the story is so enthralling you can stop watching it. Rarely will anybody be able to make a film like this ever again. The supporting cast is also very good, including Val Kilmer, Tom Sizemore, and Dani Tejo. This film has it all.

Release date: December 15, 1995 (USA)

Director: Michael Mann

Screenplay: Michael Mann

Cinematography: Dante Spinotti

Se7en

8.3/10 IMDB 82% Rotten Tomatoes 4.3/5 Letterboxd

When retiring police Detective William Somerset (Morgan Freeman) tackles a final case with the aid of newly transferred David Mills (Brad Pitt), they discover a number of elaborate and grizzly murders. They soon realize they are dealing with a serial killer (Kevin Spacey) who is targeting people he thinks represent one of the seven deadly sins. Somerset also befriends Mills’ wife, Tracy (Gwyneth Paltrow), who is pregnant and afraid to raise her child in the crime-riddled city.

Se7en is one of the most amazing films I have ever seen. It depicts a story in which a killer is killing his victims using the seven deadly sins: Pride, Greed, Sloth, Wrath, Gluttony, Envy, and Lust. The two main detectives, one about to retire, played by Morgan Freeman, and the other a rookie played by Brad Pitt.David Fincher creates an atmosphere of dread from the very beginning of the film. By the way, it’s filmed with a dark and grainy look that makes it stand out amongst similar films of this genre. The villain is menacing and dreadful all at the same time. There are genuinely scary and grotesque scenes. They make you as a viewer want to turn away. This is one of the best films of this nature ever put on the big screen. The noir feel of it is incredible. Pitt and Freeman, along with Gwyneth Paltrow, give phenomenal performances. It’s the best film from this acclaimed director David Fincher. I enjoy it more and more every time I see it.

Release date: September 22, 1995 (USA)

Director: David Fincher

Cinematography: Darius Khondji

1996- Fargo

8.1/10 IMDB 94% Rotten Tomatoes

Fargo” is a reality-based crime drama set in Minnesota in 1987. Jerry Lundegaard (William H. Macy) is a car salesman in Minneapolis who has gotten himself into debt and is so desperate for money that he hires two thugs (Steve Buscemi), (Peter Stormare) to kidnap his own wife. Jerry will collect the ransom from her wealthy father (Harve Presnell), paying the thugs a small portion and keeping the rest to satisfy his debts. The scheme collapses when the thugs shoot a state trooper.

When I first saw Fargo, I didn’t know what to expect. I wasn’t much of a fan of dark comedies but that changed after this hilarious film. Frances McDormand as this small-town pregnant country bumpkin sheriff was so funny. Her accent was incredible and she killed this role. William H. Macy was also incredible as a salesman and hustler. Nothing could go right for him, no matter how hard he tried. Everybody always talks about the wood chipper scene and that was equally hilarious. The cinematography was excellent as well. The cold wintery weather and white snow jumped off of the screen. This area of North Dakota and Minnesota was like a character all its own. The Coen Brothers just know how to do small-town quirky oddballs better than most. Add in the crime event, and you have an instant classic which will never be forgotten by me or film lovers.

Release date: March 8, 1996 (USA)

Director: Ethan Coen

Screenplay: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen

Cinematography: Roger Deakins

1997- Good Will Hunting

8.3/10 IMDB 97% Rotten Tomatoes

Will Hunting (Matt Damon) has a genius-level IQ but chooses to work as a janitor at MIT. When he solves a difficult graduate-level math problem, his talents are discovered by Professor Gerald Lambeau (Stellan Skarsgard), who decides to help the misguided youth reach his potential. When Will is arrested for attacking a police officer, Professor Lambeau makes a deal to get leniency for him if he will get treatment from therapist Sean Maguire (Robin Williams).

There is nobody that knows me that doesn’t know where I’m from, Boston, Massachusetts. That being said Matt Damon and Ben Affleck are two of my favorites because of where they come from. When I saw Good Will Hunting all I could think about is that it reminded me of myself. Not the intelligence part but the part about being a custodian, being poor, and relying on others for help. I felt this story was about me when I was at that age in my life. The friendship part reminded me of a long-time friend who moved on from the high school antics we used to get up to together. He went to college and had a good life while I struggled to go from job to job and had a hard time making ends meet all the time. The Damon character was me for the movie and my friend for the second half until I became the Affleck character in the second half of the film. The Robin Williams character was like so many men in my life when I was that age as well. Someone I needed to talk to me because of my anxiety and depression. I reverted to the bottle to solve my problems but it only made them worse. I always had older men whether they be coaches or bosses in my life to get advice from. This is what that character was like for me. He was like a father figure. That’s why Good Will Hunting Means much to me. Rest in peace, Robin Williams. Those Oscars were well deserved for everybody who won them for that film.

Release date: December 5, 1997 (USA)

Director: Gus Van Sant

Screenplay: Matt Damon, Ben Affleck

1998- Saving Private Ryan

8.6/10 IMDB 94% Rotten Tomatoes

Captain John Miller (Tom Hanks) takes his men behind enemy lines to find Private James Ryan, whose three brothers have been killed in combat. Surrounded by the brutal realties of war, while searching for Ryan, each man embarks upon a personal journey and discovers their own strength to triumph over an uncertain future with honor, decency and courage.

Saving Private Ryan had one of the most incredible first fifteen or twenty minutes of any film I’ve ever seen. That blitzkrieg scene where the Allied troops were storming the beaches of Normandy were just amazing. The blood and guts were flying everywhere. Steven Spielberg wanted people to realize how violent and gruesome these aspects of WWII were. The production design for these scenes and the rest of the film, for that matter, were some of the best I had ever seen up until this point in film history. The story — on the other hand — was based on a real event where all these brothers were killed on a Naval ship and that’s when the U.S. Military changed this rule. Only one son could go into war at a time so all the kids don’t die all at once. The cast in Saving Private Ryan was superb as well. There were so many good character actors that had small roles, but Tom Hanks once again showed why he is such a great actor and America’s dad. He proved the idiom true. This is one of the best war films I’ve ever seen and it was truly robbed of the Best Picture Oscar.

Release date: July 24, 1998 (USA)

Director: Steven Spielberg

1999- Magnolia

8/10 IMDB 93% Rotten Tomatoes

father, a young wife, a male caretaker, a famous lost son, a police officer in love, a boy genius, an ex-boy genius, a game show host and an estranged daughter will each become part of a dazzling multiplicity of plots, but one story.

Truth be told, I haven’t been the biggest Paul Thomas Anderson fan over the years. One of his films that I absolutely love is Magnolia. The intertwining storylines were done to perfection. A few of the actors in the film that I loved were Phillip Seymour Hoffman, John C. Reilly, Julianne Moore, Phillip Baker Hall, and especially Tom Cruise as Frank T.J. Mackey. He gave one of the best performances of his long career. He showed he had real acting talent. He put himself out there for people to see in a way he had never done before. All the characters were fascinating, though. This film gave life to normal people and showed what people were like. The ending is to be excused though. That was like a fantasy ending — not real at all. I loved seeing a movie that dealt with human beings in a professional and real way. This is one of the best character studies I’ve ever seen. PTA knows how to put life into his characters.

Release date: December 8, 1999 (USA)

Director: Paul Thomas Anderson

Screenplay: Paul Thomas Anderson

The Sixth Sense

8.2/10 IMDB 86% Rotten Tomatoes 64% Metacritic

Young Cole Sear (Haley Joel Osment) is haunted by a dark secret: he is visited by ghosts. Cole is frightened by visitations from those with unresolved problems who appear from the shadows. He is too afraid to tell anyone about his anguish, except child psychologist Dr. Malcolm Crowe (Bruce Willis). As Dr. Crowe tries to uncover the truth about Cole’s supernatural abilities, the consequences for client and therapist are a jolt that awakens them both to something unexplainable.

The Sixth Sense was one of the best filmgoing experiences of my lifetime. I went to this movie not knowing what I was getting into, and when I walked out with a crowd full of people, I was in shock and awe. I had never seen a film with a twist quite like this before in my life in any movie. Haley Joel Osment was brilliant and completely robbed of an Academy Award. I always said I would have loved to see a tie where he and Michael Clarke Duncan had both won Academy Awards for Best Supporting Actor that year. M. Night Shyamalan was a new voice in the filmmaking scene and this was quite a coming-out party. The scares were real and the suspense was full. This is one of the scariest films I’ve seen in years. Still to this very day. Bruce Willis was also good in this role and this decade for that matter. And so was Toni Collette. This is another masterpiece I will stand by for the rest of my lifetime.

Release date: August 6, 1999 (USA)

Director: M. Night Shyamalan

Cinematography: Tak Fujimoto

2000- Gladiator

8.7/10 IMDB 87% Rotten Tomstoes 67% Metacritic

Set in Roman times, the story of a once-powerful general forced to become a common gladiator. The emperor’s son is enraged when he is passed over as heir in favour of his father’s favourite general. He kills his father and arranges the murder of the general’s family, and the general is sold into slavery to be trained as a gladiator – but his subsequent popularity in the arena threatens the throne.

As a kid, I was a fan of many different genres of film. One of those genres was sword and sandals pictures. Ben Hur, Spartacus, and Julius Caesar were among my favorites. And Clash of the Titans was right up my alley growing up. So when Gladiator was coming out, I was highly skeptical. I wanted it to be great. And great it was. Arguably, it is the best sword and sandal film ever put to the silver screen. Russell Crowe was on a roll at this point in his career and he was overdue for an Oscar at this point. This Shakespearean tale was just what the doctor ordered for him and longtime filmmaker Ridley Scott. He mixed in new groundbreaking visual effects with amazing sets, costumes, hairstyling, and makeup. This tale was one of the best I have ever seen in a film. I was completely on board with Crowe’s character, Maximus. That being said, one of the best villains I’ve ever seen on screen was that of Commodus played by Joaquin Phoenix. He personified the word villain for me. He should have won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor that year. Once again, this was an absolute masterpiece in filmmaking in my mind. I truly love this film. I see new things in it every time I watch it. That’s how good it is.

Release date: May 5, 2000 (USA)

Director: Ridley Scott

2001- In the Bedroom

7.4/10 IMDB 94% Rotten Tomatoes 4/5 Vudu

Summertime on the coast of Maine, “In the Bedroom” centers on the inner dynamics of a family in transition. Matt Fowler (Tom Wilkinson) is a doctor practicing in his native Maine and is married to New York born Ruth Fowler (Sissy Spacek), a music teacher. He is involved in a love affair with a local single mother (Marisa Tomei). As the beauty of Maine’s brief and fleeting summer comes to an end, these characters find themselves in the midst of unimaginable tragedy.

In the Bedroom was particularly a favorite of mine this year because of how it dealt with domestic storylines. Tom Wilkinson, Sissy Spacek, and Marissa Tomei were particularly great in the film. The location of Maine reminded me of my childhood when my parents loaded up the car and took day trips throughout New England, once in a while in Maine. This area stood out to me growing up. It had beautiful lighthouses, beaches, and Ocean scenery. I had rarely seen characters written this way before in my lifetime. These people seemed authentic to me at the time. Todd Field was another filmmaker and writer that had come on the scene in Hollywood. He made a film I could get behind. This film was real and raw in a way I had not seen very often.

Release date: January 11, 2002 (USA)

Director: Todd Field

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

8.8/10 IMDB 91% Rotten Tomatoes 92% Metacritic

The future of civilization rests in the fate of the One Ring, which has been lost for centuries. Powerful forces are unrelenting in their search for it. But fate has placed it in the hands of a young Hobbit named Frodo Baggins (Elijah Wood), who inherits the Ring and steps into legend. A daunting task lies ahead for Frodo when he becomes the Ringbearer – to destroy the One Ring in the fires of Mount Doom where it was forged.

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring was a highly anticipated film by many. The idea of turning these epic novels into films was a huge undertaking. Nobody could have imagined how much these films ended up meaning to so many. That being said, they actually lived up to the expectations people put on them. The cast, particularly in the first film, was exceptional. Elijah Wood, Viggo Mortensen, Orlando Bloom, John Rhys Davies, and especially Sir Ian McKellen were all standouts to me. McKellen deserved an Oscar for his performance as Gandalf the Grey. Besides the cast, though, the crafts departments were all on another level. The costumes, makeup, and hairstyling were great but the cinematography was on an entirely new level. Filmed on location in New Zealand, this film went all over the country and it is breathtaking to behold. Peter Jackson put all the pieces together and of the trilogy, this is my favorite film. It shows a comradery that the other films didn’t have. I loved the road trip aspect of this movie, before all the crazy battles and visual effects that became normal of the second and third films in the trilogy. Everything came together to make an epic fantasy film.

Release date: December 19, 2001 (USA)

Director: Peter Jackson

Cinematography: Andrew Lesnie

2002- City of God

8.1/10 IMDB 91% Rotten Tomatoes 4.4/5 Vudu

City of God is a 2002 Brazilian epic crime film co-directed by Fernando Meirelles and Kátia Lund, released in Brazil in 2002 and worldwide in 2003. Bráulio Mantovani adapted the story from the 1997 novel of the same name written by Paulo Lins, but the plot is loosely based on real events. 

 don’t have a lot of foreign language films among my favorites but one of them is City of God. I came to this movie late, but once I finally saw it, I was completely flooded. The whole world of where this story takes place in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil was completely new to me. This story was like a microcosm of what this place was like. The whole world that it took place in was very fascinating. These kids who were fighting for their own piece of the pie in this city were like a bunch of stray cats looking for their next meal. The juxtaposition of the beauty of the cinematography was quite breathtaking. This movie showed a side of civilization that isn’t seen by many and it shed a light on a world that is pretty ugly even though the physical place is beautiful. You think you have it tough until you see a film like this that makes you think twice about how hard your life truly is. This is a piece of filmmaking I’ll never forget.

Release date: January 17, 2003 (USA)

Directors: Fernando Meirelles, Kátia Lund

Languages: Portuguese, English

Cinematography: César Charlone

2003- Kill Bill Vol 1

8.2/10 IMDB 85% Rotten Tomatoes

former assassin, known simply as The Bride (Uma Thurman), wakes from a coma four years after her jealous ex-lover Bill (David Carradine) attempts to murder her on her wedding day. Fueled by an insatiable desire for revenge, she vows to get even with every person who contributed to the loss of her unborn child, her entire wedding party, and four years of her life. After devising a hit list, The Bride sets off on her quest, enduring unspeakable injury and unscrupulous enemies.

Kill Bill Vol. 1 is an exercise in independence. A film that shows women in a light they always were meant to be in: strong. Quentin Tarentino put Uma Thurman through the wringer making this film but what came of it was a great tribute to martial arts films of the past. The action sequences were amazing, especially those involving Vivica A. Fox’s character and Lucy Liu’s character. The blood and guts were strewn everywhere they could be during these scenes. Thurman gives the performance of her career as the Bride — a character that will forever live in filmmaking lore. The music was first rate and the production design was beautiful. I loved the color palette used in the movie. There were a few humorous moments thrown in for good measure. Volume two was very good, but it wouldn’t be as good without volume one. This is why Tarantino is such a prolific filmmaker. He makes movies about showing his love for films and genres of the past. This is one of the best of his filmography.

Release date: October 10, 2003 (USA)

Director: Quentin Tarantino