Jordan Ruimy sent a Wayback Machine capture of several best of the ’90s lists from top-tier critics. This inspired me to come up with my own ’90s rundown, but I really can’t confine an entire decade (especially the ’90s) to ten films. Well, I can and did, but I feel better about listing my top 40. Which were selected not just on the basis of alleged greatness and sublime craft and whatnot, but because they’re closest to my heart.

1. Fargo (d: Coen brothers)
2. GoodFellas (d: Martin Scorsese)
3. Pulp Fiction (d: Quentin Tarantino)
4. Unforgiven (d: Clint Eastwood)
5. L.A. Confidential (d: Curtis Hanson)
6. Schindler’s List (d: Steven Spielberg)
7. The Silence Of The Lambs (d: Jonathan Demme)
8. Groundhog Day (d: Harold Ramis)
9. Heat (d: Michael Mann)
10. Saving Private Ryan (d: Steven Spielberg)

11. The Insider (d: Michael Mann)
12. Go (d: Doug Liman)
13. Flirting With Disaster (d: David O. Russell)
14. Rushmore (d: Wes Anderson)
15. Fight Club (d: David Fincher)
16. The Player (d: Robert Altman)
17. Reservoir Dogs (d: Quentin Tarantino)
18. JFK (d: Oliver Stone)
19. Mad Dog & Glory (d: John McNaughton)
20. The Usual Suspects (d: Bryan Singer)

21. Barton Fink (d: Coen brothers)
22. Quiz Show (d: Robert Redford)
23. Miami Blues (d: George Armitage)
24. There’s Something About Mary (d: Farrelly brothers)
25. Bad Lieutenant (d: Abel Ferrara)
26. Leaving Las Vegas (d: Mike Figgis)
27. Malcolm X (d: Spike Lee)
28. Se7en (d: David Fincher)
29. The Rapture (d: Michael Tolkin)
30. The last hour (and especially the last ten minutes) of Titanic

31. Howards End (d: James Ivory)
32. American Beauty (d: Sam Mendes)
33. The Sweet Hereafter (d: Atom Egoyan)
34. The Big Lebowski (d: Coen brothers)
35. Boogie Nights (d: Paul Thomas Anderson)
36. Breaking The Waves (d: Lars von Trier)
37. Being John Malkovich (d: Spike Jonze)
38. Scent of a Woman (d: Martin Brest)
39. Lost Highway (d: David Lynch)
40. My Own Private Idaho (d: Gus Van Sant)