Top Directors Series: Jonathan Demme's ‘90s Hits

The ‘90s was a decade filled with great movies from almost every genre. It was also a decade when directors made their mark in the industry. One of these directors is Jonathan Demme.

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In the early ‘90s, Jonathan Demme released two very different films that won Oscars in different categories. These movies were “The Silence of the Lambs” and “Philadelphia.”

“The Silence of the Lamb” was a suspense thriller of the highest order and has constantly been on top of greatest movies lists ever since its release. The film won Oscars for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, and Best Actress – one of only two movies to do so.

The film follows Jodi Foster’s Clarice Starling as she tries to uncover the identity of the serial killer, Buffalo Bill. Aiding her in her quest is the immortal Anthony Hopkins, who plays Hannibal Lecter, in one of the most memorable acting performances in film history.

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“Philadelphia” is Jonathan Demme’s second Oscar-winning movie. It is a courtroom drama that featured two of the most talented actors of this generation – Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington, both of whom gave tour-de-force performances. Both were nominated Hanks for Best Actor, and Washington for Best Supporting Actor. Hanks won, but Washington’s performance left many to praise him as one of the best Hollywood has to offer.

I’m Danny Crenshaw, and I’m a law student at the University of Washington. I love the films that came out in the ‘90s. Learn more about films by following me on Twitter.

Dudeism And The Lasting Appeal Of 'The Big Lebowski'

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One of the most-loved films to come out of the 1990s is the crime comedy “The Big Lebowski.” Directed by the Coen brothers, the film stars Jeff Bridges as Jeffrey “The Dude” Lebowski, a slacker from L.A. who gets into a wild and surreal adventure after being mistaken for a millionaire of the same name.

Interestingly, the movie did horribly at the box office, receiving mixed reviews from critics and fans who didn’t know what to make of it. Over time, people started liking it more, especially for its uniquely depicted characters and witty, no-holds-barred dialogues. In fact, it was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress in 2014.

An interesting offshoot of the cult classic film is the rise of Dudeism, described quite conveniently as either a religion, philosophy, or lifestyle inspired by “the dude.” Followers describe Dudeism as a modern form of Chinese Taoism, but many consider it a mock religion for its use of tons of comedic references from the film. There’s even a day to commemorate “The Day of the Dude,” which is the 6th of March.

Whether one takes Dudeism seriously or not, it is nonetheless a powerful manifestation of how a popular movie can change a culture or lead to the forming of a quasi-culture. It speaks volumes of the enduring appeal of “The Big Lebowski.”

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Those who laugh at the idea might want to remember that other Hollywood sagas like “Star Wars” or “Star Trek” have their own legions of devout fans who live fun and charmed lives based on over-the-top characters.

Hi there, Danny Crenshaw here, a 25-year-old student at University of Washington School of Law. I am a huge fan of movies from the ‘90s. For more reviews of classic flicks from the decade, visit this blog.

Pulp Fiction: Revisiting the Tarantino masterpiece

The second Quentin Tarantino film to emerge from the ‘90s, “Pulp Fiction” was a catalyst, changing the way directors and producers approached filmmaking, as well as transforming the way pop culture seeped into the medium. 

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The movie continued where its earlier-released brother, “Reservoir Dogs,” left off, bringing in a superb and eclectic cast that included Bruce Willis, Samuel Jackson, Uma Thurman, Harvey Keitel, and John Travolta (whose career the movie resurrected with a literal bang). 

But it’s not so much the powerhouse cast that made the film a cult classic as the style; Tarantino redefined independent filmmaking of the time, playing around with kilometric, quirky dialogues and how time can be manipulated in a film. The scenes were always on the brink of violence but strangely muted by the over-the-top conversations that moved from blue-jeans to expletive-ridden. The movie made the audience jump in their seats and laugh nervously at the same time. 

The film brought a new sense of cartoon-like appeal to characterization. Actors looked both cool (again) and animated even in their most outrageous moments, as surf music screamed deliriously in the background. “Pulp Fiction” even relived how soundbites are used as lead-ins to soundtrack songs, a phenomenon that would be exploited by other films for the rest of the decade. 

And have we mentioned that it resurrected John Travolta’s career? Nothing was more satisfying than seeing him so-trivially ridicule people who use mayonnaise for fries. 

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My name’s Danny Crenshaw, and I’m currently pursuing a law degree at the University of Washington School of Law. When not in school, I work part-time as a barista in a coffee shop in Seattle and watch iconic films from the ‘90s. For more film-related updates, follow me on Facebook.