Barton Fink & 9 Other Movies Turning 30 In 2021

Before multiplexes were filled with superhero movies and franchises that are always part of a much bigger “cinematic universe,” studios were more adventurous with which projects to green light, and it led to a huge variety of truly quality genre movies.

With 1991 now being 30 years ago, the movies of that year generally come under two categories, as there are the ones that a completely timeless, and then there are others that are very clearly of their time. Nevertheless, whichever category the movies come under, there’s greatness to be found in both, as even the films that are very clearly from the 90s are still creative as hell.

10 The Silence Of The Lambs

Though thriller movies are negligently overlooked by the Academy, as so few of them are ever nominated for Oscars, The Silence of the Lambs is one of the few outliers, as not only was it nominated, but it won several. It is one of only three movies to have won the top five awards (Best Director, Best Picture, Best Screenplay, Best Actor, and Best Actress) and it’s one of the best thrillers of the 90s thanks to Anthony Hopkins’ portrayal of Hannibal Lecter.

9 Hook

Being one of the movies that audiences loved but critics hated, Hook is one of the very few Steven Spielberg movies that was scathed by reviewers. As Hook sees the late, great Robin Williams play an adult version of Peter Pan who travels back to Neverland to face off against the titular character, played by Dennis Hopper, it was a fun family movie with a ton of exciting moments, and it’s just as good now as it was 30 years ago.

8 Point Break

Point Break is the most 90s movie possible, as not only does it star Keanu Reeves, in which it features seven of the 113 times he has said “woah” in a movie, but it combines Kathryn Bigalowe’s incredible action scenes with extreme sports.

The movie influenced Halloween outfits, as groups of adults dress up as the ex-presidents year after year, and we even have the movie to thank for The Fast And The Furious, as the street racing movie is so similar it could almost be seen as a remake.

7 What About Bob?

Bill Murray owned the 80s and his success continued well into the 90s, but one of his very best movies doesn’t get talked about enough. What About Bob?, which turns 30 this year, should be mentioned in the same breath as Groundhog Day and Ghostbusters, as it sees Murray stalk his therapist on vacation. Bob ends up spending weeks with his family, and what makes it even better is that his therapist is played by Richard Dreyfuss, who hilariously slowly loses the will to live.

6 The Addams Family

The Addams Family might be the very best Tim Burton movie not directed by Tim Burton, as it’s full of the director’s tropes as well as being gothic as hell. Led by Angelica Huston, the movie is extremely faithful to the 1960s TV show of the same name, but it also adds some cinematic flare too. The practical effects are ingenious, and it’s true that they really don’t make ’em like this anymore.

5 Bill & Tedd’s Bogus Journey

The 1990s may have been the decade of Keanu Reeves, as Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey was the second of a one, two punch in 1991 after Point Break, and they were the first big movies of the decade that he would star in. Bogus Journey is the second of the series, following Excellent Adventure, and it’s arguably the best of the franchise. A third movie followed almost 30 years later, which is just a testament to the incredible Reeves-renaissance we are currently living through right now.

4 Barton Fink

It’s evidence of the extreme amount of creativity that the Coen brothers have that they wrote Barton Fink when they had writer’s block whilst working on Miller’s Crossing, which is one of the facts you didn’t know about the movie.

The movie is one of the most ambiguous Coen brothers movies, and people will continue to debate for the next 30 years over what the movie is actually about, which is the greatest thing about it. Barton Fink won the Palme D’Or at the Cannes film festival, proving that the brothers have more creativity when they have writer’s block than anybody else functioning at 100%.

3 Cape Fear

With movies like Raging Bull, Goodfellas, and Casino under their belts, Cape Fear is shockingly Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro’s highest-grossing movie they’ve done together, according to Box Office Mojo. Though it isn’t the most iconic movie the duo have worked on together, it’s still a great thriller movie that doesn’t get enough praise, and it’s one of the biggest transformations De Niro went through for a role since Taxi Driver.

2 Hearts Of Darkness: A Filmmaker’s Apocalypse

Being directed by Eleanor Coppola, Francis Ford Coppola’s wife, Hearts Of Darkness: A Filmmaker’s Apocalypse documents the making of the Vietnam war classic, Apocalypse Now. The movie had an extremely troubled shoot, as it lasted for two years and as they were shooting on location, it led to a lot of frustration between the crew and cast. Some of the things that happened during production are genuinely unbelievable, and the documentary is shockingly revealing.

1 Terminator 2: Judgement Day

Terminator 2: Judgement Day, the time-traveling sci-fi epic, is one of the most ambitious action movies ever made, as it develops the plot of its predecessor and is full of mind-blowing action scenes that remain mostly unrivaled, even by today’s standards.

Arriving before James Cameron fell in love with shooting movies in water, and long before he became obsessed with green screens, the practical effects of Judgement Day are completely awe-inspiring, especially the scenes in the director’s cut, in which the T-800 is seen fixing himself.