Let’s Talk Cinema: The 90s

Merry Christmas Eve, my friends! I hope you are all well and finding joy in the chaos of all your holiday happenings. For me, I am just trying to make it to next Sunday, when all the parties are done and we can go back to everyday life! As I’m writing this, I’m watching my second-to-last Christmas movie on my list—The Family Stone—and I am just not prepared for the end. Ugh, Diane Keaton, forever missed.

Before we get into our assignment for the week, I just want to say how great a gift it is to be writing for you all. Over the last few weeks, there has been a lot of craziness. I saw my name get dragged into some social media posts that weren’t kind, and it just reminded me that there is so much more to life than any of this. I absolutely LOVE writing, I LOVE cinema—and being here writing and joining the podcasts has been a highlight of my year and a gift that keeps on giving. I don’t take any of this too seriously, other than just trying to keep the peace, mostly. So when I found myself getting dragged as a “bad writer,” with my voice and family being shaded, I was sad at first—but then I laughed. This is an endlessly fun opportunity for me, and I refuse to get caught up in silly, tribal social media wars. I don’t ask to be loved or liked; I just want people to come here and have fun talking about an art form that impacts us all. My identity is not wrapped up in being an influencer, and that allows me to just have fun and be nothing short of my authentic self—love me or leave me. This gift—to write here and create a space to talk about movies—was always for you and me, and I will continue to do so. Life is too short. Let’s enjoy what we have here and just have fun.

So, in the spirit of having fun—and in keeping with the heart of why I’m here—let’s talk some ’90s cinema! Outside of the ridiculous rubbish on social media, I discovered this really cool idea that I can’t take credit for, but one I’d like to implement here and expand on. There’s an X account I love called Films to Films, and they put out fun movie content all day, every day. Recently, they posted all the Best Picture nominees of the ’90s and asked everyone to pick their top five films from the nominees.

Of course, I LOVED this exercise, so we’re going to do just that! In the coming weeks, we’ll do this for some other categories as well. But for now: of the Best Picture nominees of the ’90s, what’s your top five?!

Here is their post—and if you don’t follow them on X, you should.

Jerm’s Top 5 Best Picture Nominees of the ’90s

American Beauty
Shakespeare in Love
Fargo
Goodfellas
The Shawshank Redemption

There are so many stellar nominees that it truly was a struggle to pick just five. That’s a testament to the decade—I could easily swap out all five for a completely different list, and it would still be a banger. I can’t wait to see what you all come up with, and I expect them to be wildly different.

With that, have a wonderful Christmas, my friends. Watch some cozy movies, enjoy time with loved ones, eat all the yummy goodies, sing all the festive songs—whatever it is that makes your heart feel warm and cheerful. Thank you for letting my writing into your lives and for making this one of the best gifts I’ve received this year.

As always, be kind, be respectful, and of course… Let’s Talk Cinema!