1990s CLASSICS : UNDER THE RADAR
by glowinthedarkscars | created - 12 Sep 2014 | updated - 5 months ago | PublicExcellent films that I enjoyed which didn't make it on the Classics 200 List (Nothing is rated lower than a 6) (*excludes non-english language and Christmas movies)
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1. Dark City (1998)
R | 100 min | Fantasy, Mystery, Sci-Fi
A man struggles with memories of his past, which include a wife he cannot remember and a nightmarish world no one else ever seems to wake up from.
Director: Alex Proyas | Stars: Rufus Sewell, Kiefer Sutherland, Jennifer Connelly, William Hurt
Votes: 212,210 | Gross: $14.38M
2. Braindead (1992)
R | 104 min | Comedy, Fantasy, Horror
A young man's mother is bitten by a Sumatran rat-monkey. She gets sick and dies, at which time she comes back to life, killing and eating dogs, nurses, friends, and neighbors.
Director: Peter Jackson | Stars: Timothy Balme, Diana Peñalver, Elizabeth Moody, Ian Watkin
Votes: 103,256 | Gross: $0.24M
3. The Man Who Knew Too Little (1997)
PG | 94 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
Wallace Ritchie is mistaken for a spy and must stop a plot to assassinate international leaders at a banquet.
Director: Jon Amiel | Stars: Bill Murray, Joanne Whalley, Peter Gallagher, Richard Wilson
Votes: 34,375 | Gross: $13.80M
4. Cry-Baby (1990)
PG-13 | 85 min | Comedy, Musical
In 1950s Baltimore, a bad boy with a heart of gold wins the love of a good girl, whose boyfriend sets out for revenge.
Director: John Waters | Stars: Johnny Depp, Ricki Lake, Amy Locane, Susan Tyrrell
Votes: 64,794 | Gross: $8.27M
5. Happiness (1998)
NC-17 | 134 min | Comedy, Drama
The lives of several individuals intertwine as they go about their lives in their own unique ways, engaging in acts which society as a whole might find disturbing in a desperate search for human connection.
Director: Todd Solondz | Stars: Jane Adams, Jon Lovitz, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Dylan Baker
Votes: 74,401 | Gross: $2.81M
6. The City of Lost Children (1995)
R | 112 min | Adventure, Drama, Fantasy
A scientist in a surrealist society kidnaps children to steal their dreams, hoping that they slow his aging process.
Directors: Marc Caro, Jean-Pierre Jeunet | Stars: Ron Perlman, Daniel Emilfork, Judith Vittet, Dominique Pinon
Votes: 71,645 | Gross: $1.51M
7. Buffalo '66 (1998)
R | 110 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
After being released from prison, Billy is set to visit his parents with his wife, whom he does not actually have. This provokes Billy to act out, as he kidnaps a girl and forces her to act as his wife for the visit.
Director: Vincent Gallo | Stars: Vincent Gallo, Christina Ricci, Ben Gazzara, Mickey Rourke
Votes: 60,217 | Gross: $2.38M
8. The Indian Runner (1991)
R | 127 min | Drama
A Vietnam vet comes home to his small town and finds himself in conflict with rules that his brother has vowed to uphold.
Director: Sean Penn | Stars: David Morse, Viggo Mortensen, Valeria Golino, Patricia Arquette
Votes: 9,799 | Gross: $0.19M
9. Kicking and Screaming (1995)
R | 96 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A bunch of guys hang around their college for months after graduation, continuing a life much like the one before graduation.
Director: Noah Baumbach | Stars: Josh Hamilton, Eric Stoltz, Samuel Gould, Catherine Kellner
Votes: 15,156 | Gross: $0.70M
10. Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky (1991)
R | 91 min | Action, Comedy, Crime
Riki-Oh, a young man who has superhuman strength, is incarcerated in a private prison, where inmates are treated like slaves. He is forced to use his unstoppable form of martial arts to destroy the corrupt officials and their lackeys.
Director: Ngai Choi Lam | Stars: Siu-Wong Fan, Mei Sheng Fan, Ka-Kui Ho, Yukari Ôshima
Votes: 15,009
11. Office Killer (1997)
R | 82 min | Comedy, Crime, Horror
A mousy office worker accidentally kills one of her coworkers, then proceeds to bump off a few others.
Director: Cindy Sherman | Stars: Florina Rodov, Jason Brill, Eddie Malavarca, Carol Kane
Votes: 2,391 | Gross: $0.04M
12. Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead (1990)
PG | 117 min | Comedy, Drama
Two minor characters from the play 'Hamlet' stumble around unaware of their scripted lives and unable to deviate from them.
Director: Tom Stoppard | Stars: Gary Oldman, Tim Roth, Richard Dreyfuss, Livio Badurina
Votes: 23,843 | Gross: $0.74M
13. Bad Boy Bubby (1993)
Not Rated | 114 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
Bubby has spent thirty years trapped in the same small room, tricked by his mother. One day, he manages to escape and, deranged and naive in equal measures, his adventure into a modern and nihilistic life begins.
Director: Rolf de Heer | Stars: Nicholas Hope, Claire Benito, Ralph Cotterill, Syd Brisbane
Votes: 15,015
14. Darkman (1990)
R | 96 min | Action, Sci-Fi, Thriller
A brilliant scientist left for dead returns to exact revenge on the people who burned him alive.
Director: Sam Raimi | Stars: Liam Neeson, Frances McDormand, Colin Friels, Larry Drake
Votes: 69,812 | Gross: $33.88M
15. Swingers (1996)
R | 96 min | Comedy, Drama
A wannabe actor has a hard time moving on from a break-up, but he is lucky to have supportive friends.
Director: Doug Liman | Stars: Vince Vaughn, Heather Graham, Jon Favreau, Ron Livingston
Votes: 88,108 | Gross: $4.51M
16. Fun (1994)
Unrated | 105 min | Crime, Drama
Hillary and Bonnie meet one morning by the side of the road. They become fast friends, share their secrets, and on a rising wave of frenzy later that afternoon, murder an old woman. They did it, they say later, for fun.
Director: Rafal Zielinski | Stars: Renée Humphrey, Alicia Witt, William R. Moses, Leslie Hope
Votes: 1,327
17. Detroit Rock City (1999)
R | 95 min | Adventure, Comedy, Music
In 1978, four rebellious teenagers try to scam their way into a KISS concert.
Director: Adam Rifkin | Stars: Edward Furlong, Giuseppe Andrews, James DeBello, Sam Huntington
Votes: 41,333 | Gross: $4.22M
18. Swimming with Sharks (1994)
R | 93 min | Comedy, Crime
A young, naive Hollywood studio assistant finally turns the tables on his incredibly abusive producer boss.
Director: George Huang | Stars: Kevin Spacey, Frank Whaley, Michelle Forbes, Benicio Del Toro
Votes: 25,013 | Gross: $0.38M
19. Lawn Dogs (1997)
R | 101 min | Drama
When Devon, a 10-year-old girl, forges a friendship with Trent, a 21-year-old outsider who mows the neighborhood lawns, things suddenly get very complicated and private.
Director: John Duigan | Stars: Sam Rockwell, Kathleen Quinlan, Mischa Barton, Christopher McDonald
Votes: 8,563 | Gross: $0.11M
20. Rubin and Ed (1991)
PG-13 | 82 min | Comedy, Drama
An unsuccessful, nervous businessman gradually comes to befriend an eccentric, asocial nerd on a trip to Utah to bury a deceased cat.
Director: Trent Harris | Stars: Crispin Glover, Howard Hesseman, Karen Black, Michael Greene
Votes: 2,003
21. The Corndog Man (1999)
Not Rated | 83 min | Drama
A foul-mouthed and bigoted boat salesman in rural South Carolina is targeted for ruthless and never-ending telephone terrorism by a mysterious man claiming to be his son...
Director: Andrew Shea | Stars: Noble Willingham, Jim Holmes, David Steen, Andy Daltroff
Votes: 775
22. Shrunken Heads (1994)
R | 86 min | Comedy, Horror, Thriller
When three N.Y. kids are murdered, the local Hatiian voodoo priest re-animates their shrunken heads to exact revenge. Complications arise between one of the heads and his former girlfriend.
Director: Richard Elfman | Stars: Julius Harris, Meg Foster, Aeryk Egan, Rebecca Herbst
Votes: 1,593
23. SubUrbia (1996)
R | 121 min | Comedy, Drama
A group of suburban teenagers try to support each other through the difficult task of becoming adults.
Director: Richard Linklater | Stars: Giovanni Ribisi, Steve Zahn, Jayce Bartok, Amie Carey
Votes: 10,655 | Gross: $0.73M
24. The Limey (1999)
R | 89 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
An extremely volatile and dangerous Englishman goes to Los Angeles to find the man he considers responsible for his daughter's death.
Director: Steven Soderbergh | Stars: Terence Stamp, Peter Fonda, Lesley Ann Warren, Luis Guzmán
Votes: 34,813 | Gross: $3.19M
25. The Big Kahuna (1999)
R | 90 min | Drama, Comedy
Two veteran salesmen dissect a sales pitch to a particular client, through their young protégé.
Director: John Swanbeck | Stars: Kevin Spacey, Danny DeVito, Peter Facinelli, Paul Dawson
Votes: 15,034 | Gross: $3.15M
26. After Dark, My Sweet (1990)
R | 114 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
After he escapes from a mental hospital, a former boxer works for a widow. When she asks him to get involved in a kidnapping, he has second thoughts.
Director: James Foley | Stars: Jason Patric, Rachel Ward, Bruce Dern, Rocky Giordani
Votes: 4,186 | Gross: $2.68M
27. Buffalo '66 (1998)
R | 110 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
After being released from prison, Billy is set to visit his parents with his wife, whom he does not actually have. This provokes Billy to act out, as he kidnaps a girl and forces her to act as his wife for the visit.
Director: Vincent Gallo | Stars: Vincent Gallo, Christina Ricci, Ben Gazzara, Mickey Rourke
Votes: 60,217 | Gross: $2.38M
28. Praise (1998)
98 min | Drama
An unfocused twentysomething (Peter Fenton) moves in with a former co-worker (Sacha Holder), who is suffering from low self-esteem because of her weight, looks, and a case of eczema. Their ... See full summary »
Director: John Curran | Stars: Peter Fenton, Sacha Horler, Marta Dusseldorp, Ray Bull
Votes: 647 | Gross: $0.03M
29. Flirting (1991)
R | 99 min | Drama, Romance
Two freethinking teenagers - a boy and a girl - confront with authoritarian teachers in their boarding schools. The other students treat this differently.
Director: John Duigan | Stars: Noah Taylor, Thandiwe Newton, Nicole Kidman, Bartholomew Rose
Votes: 6,407 | Gross: $2.42M
30. Freak Talks About Sex (1999)
R | 90 min | Comedy
Two friends spend their days smoking pot and talking about sex.
Director: Paul Todisco | Stars: Steve Zahn, Josh Hamilton, David Kinney, Wayne Federman
Votes: 690
31. Kicking and Screaming (1995)
R | 96 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A bunch of guys hang around their college for months after graduation, continuing a life much like the one before graduation.
Director: Noah Baumbach | Stars: Josh Hamilton, Eric Stoltz, Samuel Gould, Catherine Kellner
Votes: 15,156 | Gross: $0.70M
32. The House of Yes (1997)
R | 85 min | Comedy, Drama
A mentally unbalanced young woman - who is convinced she is Jackie Kennedy - flies into a murderous rage when her brother returns home to reveal he is engaged.
Director: Mark Waters | Stars: Parker Posey, Josh Hamilton, Tori Spelling, Freddie Prinze Jr.
Votes: 8,828 | Gross: $0.62M
33. Dark City (1998)
R | 100 min | Fantasy, Mystery, Sci-Fi
A man struggles with memories of his past, which include a wife he cannot remember and a nightmarish world no one else ever seems to wake up from.
Director: Alex Proyas | Stars: Rufus Sewell, Kiefer Sutherland, Jennifer Connelly, William Hurt
Votes: 212,210 | Gross: $14.38M
34. Leolo (1992)
Not Rated | 107 min | Comedy, Drama, Fantasy
The story of a young Canadian boy who tries to escape mentally from his disturbed family thanks to his fantasy and imagination.
Director: Jean-Claude Lauzon | Stars: Maxime Collin, Ginette Reno, Gilbert Sicotte, Julien Guiomar
Votes: 7,334 | Gross: $0.61M
35. Crumb (1994)
R | 119 min | Documentary, Biography, Comedy
An intimate portrait of controversial cartoonist Robert Crumb and his traumatized family.
Director: Terry Zwigoff | Stars: Robert Crumb, Aline Kominsky-Crumb, Charles Crumb, Maxon Crumb
Votes: 21,588 | Gross: $3.17M
36. Waco: The Rules of Engagement (1997)
Not Rated | 165 min | Documentary, History
A reassessment of the tragedy at Waco that left 76 members of the Branch Davidian religious sect dead.
Director: William Gazecki | Stars: Dan Gifford, Jim Cavanaugh, Dick DeGuerin, Clive Doyle
Votes: 3,731
37. Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky (1991)
R | 91 min | Action, Comedy, Crime
Riki-Oh, a young man who has superhuman strength, is incarcerated in a private prison, where inmates are treated like slaves. He is forced to use his unstoppable form of martial arts to destroy the corrupt officials and their lackeys.
Director: Ngai Choi Lam | Stars: Siu-Wong Fan, Mei Sheng Fan, Ka-Kui Ho, Yukari Ôshima
Votes: 15,009
38. True Lies (1994)
R | 141 min | Action, Comedy, Thriller
A fearless, globe-trotting, terrorist-battling secret agent has his life turned upside down when he discovers his wife might be having an affair with a used-car salesman while terrorists smuggle nuclear war heads into the United States.
Director: James Cameron | Stars: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jamie Lee Curtis, Tom Arnold, Bill Paxton
Votes: 280,798 | Gross: $146.28M
39. Shakes the Clown (1991)
R | 87 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
Shakes is good at his job as party clown - when he's sober and shows up. Five druggy clowns frame him for the murder of his boss.
Director: Bobcat Goldthwait | Stars: Bobcat Goldthwait, Julie Brown, Bruce Baum, Steve Bean
Votes: 5,647 | Gross: $0.12M
40. Flirting with Disaster (1996)
R | 92 min | Comedy
A young man, his wife, and his incompetent case worker travel across country to find his birth parents.
Director: David O. Russell | Stars: Ben Stiller, Patricia Arquette, Téa Leoni, Mary Tyler Moore
Votes: 19,986 | Gross: $14.89M
41. Winter Sleepers (1997)
122 min | Drama, Romance, Thriller
Setin a small mountain town, a man, looking for revenge because of his daughter's accidental killing, mistakenly tracks out a young couple, troubling with their ordinary life problems.
Director: Tom Tykwer | Stars: Ulrich Matthes, Marie-Lou Sellem, Floriane Daniel, Heino Ferch
Votes: 4,645 | Gross: $0.32M
42. Dances with Wolves (1990)
PG-13 | 181 min | Adventure, Drama, Western
Lieutenant John Dunbar, assigned to a remote western Civil War outpost, finds himself engaging with a neighbouring Sioux settlement, causing him to question his own purpose.
Director: Kevin Costner | Stars: Kevin Costner, Mary McDonnell, Graham Greene, Rodney A. Grant
Votes: 290,475 | Gross: $184.21M
43. Tombstone (1993)
R | 130 min | Biography, Drama, History
A successful lawman's plans to retire anonymously in Tombstone, Arizona are disrupted by the kind of outlaws he was famous for eliminating.
Directors: George P. Cosmatos, Kevin Jarre | Stars: Kurt Russell, Val Kilmer, Sam Elliott, Bill Paxton
Votes: 166,169 | Gross: $56.51M
44. The Quick and the Dead (1995)
R | 108 min | Action, Drama, Romance
A female gunfighter returns to a frontier town where a dueling tournament is being held, which she enters in an effort to avenge her father's death.
Director: Sam Raimi | Stars: Sharon Stone, Gene Hackman, Russell Crowe, Leonardo DiCaprio
Votes: 102,789 | Gross: $18.64M
45. Noises Off... (1992)
PG-13 | 101 min | Comedy
A travelling theater group find so much action going on behind-the-scenes, they almost ruin the performances.
Director: Peter Bogdanovich | Stars: Michael Caine, Carol Burnett, Denholm Elliott, Julie Hagerty
Votes: 12,241 | Gross: $2.28M
46. City Slickers (1991)
PG-13 | 113 min | Comedy, Western
On the verge of turning 40, an unhappy Manhattan yuppie is roped into joining his two friends on a cattle drive in the southwest.
Director: Ron Underwood | Stars: Billy Crystal, Jack Palance, Daniel Stern, Bruno Kirby
Votes: 63,033 | Gross: $124.03M
47. Highway Patrolman (1991)
Not Rated | 104 min | Crime, Drama
Against his father's wishes, Pedro, a naive kid from Mexico City, joins the Federal Highway Patrol. His simple desire to do good rapidly comes into conflict with the reality of police work.
Director: Alex Cox | Stars: Roberto Sosa, Bruno Bichir, Vanessa Bauche, Zaide Silvia Gutiérrez
Votes: 940
48. Romeo Is Bleeding (1993)
R | 110 min | Crime, Drama, Romance
A womanizing, crooked cop on the payroll of the mafia is confronted with the reality of his double life after he is asked to kill a beautiful and ruthless Russian gangster.
Director: Peter Medak | Stars: Gary Oldman, Lena Olin, Wallace Wood, Juliette Lewis
Votes: 15,150 | Gross: $3.28M
49. Lone Star (1996)
R | 135 min | Drama, Mystery, Western
When the skeleton of his murdered predecessor is found, Sheriff Sam Deeds unearths many other long-buried secrets in his Texas border town.
Director: John Sayles | Stars: Chris Cooper, Elizabeth Peña, Stephen Mendillo, Stephen J. Lang
Votes: 32,313 | Gross: $13.27M
50. Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult (1994)
PG-13 | 83 min | Comedy, Crime
Frank Drebin comes out of retirement to help Police Squad infiltrate a gang of terrorists planning to detonate a bomb at the Academy Awards.
Director: Peter Segal | Stars: Leslie Nielsen, Priscilla Presley, George Kennedy, O.J. Simpson
Votes: 111,805 | Gross: $51.13M
51. Necessary Roughness (1991)
PG-13 | 108 min | Comedy, Sport
Due to NCAA sanctions, the Texas State University Fightin' Armadillos must form a football team from their actual student body, with no scholarships to help, to play their football schedule.
Director: Stan Dragoti | Stars: Scott Bakula, Hector Elizondo, Robert Loggia, Harley Jane Kozak
Votes: 13,109 | Gross: $26.26M
52. There's Something About Mary (1998)
R | 119 min | Comedy, Romance
A man gets a chance to meet up with his dream girl from high school, even though his date with her back then was a complete disaster.
Directors: Bobby Farrelly, Peter Farrelly | Stars: Cameron Diaz, Matt Dillon, Ben Stiller, Lee Evans
Votes: 328,780 | Gross: $176.48M
53. Kingpin (1996)
PG-13 | 114 min | Comedy, Sport
A star bowler whose career was prematurely "cut off" hopes to ride a new prodigy to success and riches.
Directors: Bobby Farrelly, Peter Farrelly | Stars: Woody Harrelson, Randy Quaid, Bill Murray, Vanessa Angel
Votes: 91,034 | Gross: $24.94M
54. Dolores Claiborne (1995)
R | 132 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A big city reporter travels to a small town where her mother has been arrested for the murder of an elderly woman for whom she worked as a housekeeper.
Director: Taylor Hackford | Stars: Kathy Bates, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Christopher Plummer, Judy Parfitt
Votes: 48,366 | Gross: $24.36M
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