Harrison Ford – Han Solo (Star Wars, Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi)
Honorable Mention – Indiana Jones (Raiders of the Lost Ark, Temple Of Doom, Last Crusade, Kingdom of the Crystal Skull)
This was quite possibly the most difficult on my list.  In my mind Ford has played two of the most recognizable characters in movie history.  Solo is the baddest smuggler in the galaxy and Dr. Jones is quite simply the coolest archeologist in history (no pun intended).  This would have been an even more difficult decision if Crystal Skull had never come out but with that stinker factoring into the equation I had to go with Solo.

Chevy Chase – Clark W. Grizwold (Vacation, European Vacation, Christmas Vacation, Vegas Vacation)
Honorable Mention – Irwin “Fletch” Fletcher (Fletch)
This was another difficult choice.  Fletch is one of my all time favorite movies but when it comes to a pure character study Clark is tough to top.  The physical comedy is there and you simply can’t go wrong with the tirades that “Sparky” has in every film.

Bill Murray – John Winger (Stripes)
Honorable Mention – Carl Spackler (Caddyshack)
I imagine I’ll get some flack for this one as Carl “It’s in the hole!” Spackler is close to icon status with my generation.  That said, when I think Bill Murray I think Stripes first.  The “Big Toe Hulka” speech that he gives along with the ending where he’s got the troops all in line puts John Winger at the top of my Murray list.

Mark Hamill – Luke Skywalker (Star Wars, Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi)
Honorable Mention – The Joker (Batman Animated)
I almost didn’t put this one on the list cause it’s just too damn easy.  But after reflection I figured THIS is what the list is all about… a role that truly does define one’s career.  Mark Hamill IS Luke Skywalker and Luke Skywalker IS Mark Hamill.  No matter how many comic books and novels I read I’m always picturing Hamill.  He’s gone on to do some great voice work but when it comes to the silver screen its Jedi all the way.

Sean Connery – James Bond (Dr. No, From Russia With Love, Goldfinger, Thunderball, You Only Live Twice, Diamonds Are Forever, Never Say Never Again)
Honorable Mention – John Patrick Mason (The Rock)
The character of James Bond is currently working on his 6th incarnation… but none of the subsequent versions have lived up to the original.  Connery was the first and in my mind will always remain the quintessential Bond.  No actor since has gotten both the suave and action sides of this timeless character.  Shaken, not stirred please.

Marlon Brando – Don Vito Corleone (The Godfather)
Honorable Mention – Jor-El (Superman)
Often imitated, never duplicated.  Brando’s Godfather has become synonymous with mob movies.  Tony Soprano came close but when it comes to running the family Vito still stands at the top of the hill.  Not only did Brando create an icon, but that film still holds up incredibly well today.  If you haven’t seen it, you owe it to yourself.

Susan Sarandon – Annie Savoy (Bull Durham)
Honorable Mention – Sister Helen Prejean (Dead Man Walking)
These days Sarandon is better known for being Mrs Tim Robbins and for her political views.  To me she’ll always be Annie Savoy.  If you’re a baseball fan of any kind then this movie has been on your radar for years.  The dialog in this flick is awesome and the interplay between Sarandon and Kevin Costner is amazing.  This was a pretty easy pick for me in terms of “definitive roles”.

Heath Ledger – The Joker (The Dark Knight)
Honorable Mention – Gabriel Martin (The Patriot)
This one is recent but just too damn easy.  Ledger’s last performance before his untimely death won him an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor – and he SO deserved it.  Prior to this Jack Nicholson held the title for “best Joker performance” and Heath ripped it out of his hands in convincing fashion.  Ledger’s death is sad on so many levels – one of them being that he’ll never have an opportunity to reprise this amazing roll.

Tom Hanks – Forrest Gump (Forrest Gump)
Honorable Mention – Josh Baskin (Big)
Tom Hanks has become one of the most well known actors of our generation.  He’s won multiple Oscars, has directed and produced.  He’s currently the #1 box office star in the world in terms of total gross (over 3.5 BILLION).  All of that said, by far my favorite roll of his is the slow southerner that just loves to run.  The film won 6 Oscars including Hanks’ Best Actor.

Sigorney Weaver – Ellen Ripley (Alien, Aliens, Alien 3, Alien: Resurrection)
Honorable Mention – Dana Barrett (Ghostbusters)
The first Alien film is one of my all time favorites… and the second is above that.  Weaver gives a performance that is matched only by the title character.  Ripley is one of the most recognizable roles out there (male or female).  In fact, AFI named her one of the top 10 greatest heroes in American cinematic history.  That’s good enough for me!

FINAL THOUGHTS

Just a couple of things that I realized/noticed while I was coming up with this list.  Half of the characters listed here were only in one movie.  I suppose those characters could be listed as even MORE iconic as they only had one portrayal to “make it stick”.  There are two movies (or franchises) that appear twice on the list: The Star Wars Saga and Ghostbusters.  This is most certainly due to my movie background bias.  I also find it interesting that the character of The Joker appears twice on this list as well (though to be fair Hamill’s version is only my alternate).  Just goes to show you what an iconic figure that guy is!  As I said at the beginning… let the debates begin!

1990 – Dances With Wolves

I have to say that this was a pretty damn good movie.  This is Kevin Costner at his best.  The story is incredible and the scenery is even better.  Other than the fact that it’s over 3 hours long (and because of that a bit slow) I don’t have much bad to say about it.  That said, there are a couple of flicks in 1990 that are in fact “better than the best”.

Better Than The “Best” In 1990:

• Goodfellas – With the exception of the Godfather movies, this is THE mafia movie.  Absolutely shocking that it didn’t win the Oscar.
• The Hunt For Red October – based on a Tom Clancy novel this Russian submarine spy thriller is top notch.

Honorable Mentions From 1990:

• The Exorcist III – I absolutely LOVED this flick.  It’s a little bit horror and a little bit occult.  After the disaster that was Exorcist II this was sorely needed.  It ties back into the original perfectly.

1991 – The Silence Of The Lambs

I have absolutely no beef at all with this winning best picture.  Not only did it win for Best Picture, but Anthony Hopkins won Best Actor for his portrayal of Hannibal Lecter, Jodie Foster won Best Actress for playing agent Clarice Starling, Jonathan Demme won for Best Director and Ted Tally won for Best Writing.  With that kind of hardware it’s difficult to say that any other film was even worthy to be judged in 1991.

Honorable Mentions From 1991:

• Terminator 2: Judgment Day – really put Arnold back on the map when it comes to action movies.  The original was good… this was better.

1992 – Unforgiven

This was an incredible movie plain and simple.  It was 3 other Oscars including Best Director (Clint Eastwood), Best Supporting Actor (Gene Hackman) and Best Film Editing (Joel Cox).  Even if you don’t like westerns you NEED to see this film.  Eastwood is at his best in years and Hackman plays a near perfect villain.

Honorable Mentions From 1992:

• A Few Good Men – I’m big into lyrics when it comes to music and I’m big into speeches when it comes to movies.  Jack Nicholson’s “You can’t handle the truth” speech is incredible – and the story isn’t half bad either.
• Scent Of A Woman – See above and insert Al Pachino’s “Out of order, I’ll show you out of order”
• Reservoir Dogs – the film that put Quentin Tarantino on the map: enough said.
• Basic Instinct – if the only thing you know about this is that Sharon Stone shows her beaver then you’re selling this movie WAY short.  This is an incredible thriller with some of the best dialogue and suspense in years.  A must see.

1993 – Schindler’s List

Schindler’s List was a great movie no doubt about it.  I don’t know that I’ve ever seen a movie that shows the brutality of The Holocaust quite so well.  I can understand why it won the Oscar this year but for my money there was some better movies out there.  For me I just hate coming out of the movies feeling so down (IE,  2004′s Passion Of The Christ).

Better Than “The Best” In 1993:

• In The Line Of Fire – Clint Eastwood, John Malkovich & Rene Russo star in a film about an assassination attempt on the President.

Honorable Mentions From 1993:

• Jurassic Park – if nothing else you need to see this to experience Speilburg’s version of dinosaurs.  WOW.
• Rudy – THE feel good story of all time.
• Tombstone – if you’re looking for a good western with good action, great dialogue and a good story, this is the flick for you.

1994 – Forrest Gump

Another very good movie that would probably win the “Chewie Oscar” in most years.  This decade-spanning story does some incredible things with old news footage splicing Tom Hanks into historic events.  That said, there are a couple of movies that were a step above.

Better Than “The Best” In 1994:

• Pulp Fiction – WOW.  The movie that brought John Travolta & Bruce Willis back into the public eye.  It was nominated for all the major Oscars and should have won more than it did.
• The Shawshank Redemption – based on a short story by Stephen King the tagline for this movie says it all – “Fear can hold you prisoner.  Hope can set you free.“

Honorable Mentions From 1994:

• The Crow – based on a comic book by the same name, this tale of revenge was Brandon Lee’s final performance when he was killed on the set.  It spawned several sequels but none come close to the original.
• The Professional – also known as Léon this movie stars Jean Reno as a professional killer and Gary Oldman as a psychotic police New York cop.  It also features the film debut of Natalie Portman.
• Clerks – the film that started it all for filmmaker Kevin Smith.  A day in the life of two convenience store clerks has never been so entertaining.

1995 – Braveheart

This is one of my top 5 movies of all time.  This movie written by Randall Wallace and directed by Mel Gibson tells the story of 13th century Scotsman William Wallace.   Wallace leads an uprising against Edward the Longshanks who’s trying to take over Scotland for himself.  The scenery is beautiful, the story is incredible, the acting is suburb and the action is second to none.  If you haven’t yet you owe it to yourself to see this film.

Honorable Mentions From 1995:

• Casino – it’s a mob movie, it’s a Vegas movie.  It stars Robert De Niro, Sharon Stone, Joe Pesci & James Woods.  It’s awesome… go see it.
• Se7en – one of the most brutal and intense thrillers you’ll ever see.  You won’t want to watch it again but you’ll be glad you saw it.
• The Usual Suspects – Who is Keyser Soze?  Watch this and find out.  “The greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn’t exist.“

1996 – The English Patient

Quite simply not my cup of tea.  I watched about half of it before I gave up on it.  It won all kinds of Oscars and other awards so it MUST be good (yeah right) but like I said, just not for me.

Better Than “The Best” In 1996:

• Scream – an absolutely brilliant concept by director Wes Craven.  Definitely in the horror genre but it provides a brand new way of looking at it.  A very “smart” movie to be sure with a great story, superb acting and enough kills and gore to keep a true horror fan happy.

Honorable Mentions From 1996:

• Jerry Maguire – a fun love story with a sports backdrop.  Cuba Gooding Jr. is awesome, Renee Zelweger is great and Tom Cruise is actually watchable.
• The Rock – an outstanding action movie where an aging Sean Connery is at his best.  Nicolas Cage in one of his better roles and Ed Harris as a very convincing U.S. General who’s gone over the edge.  A Michael Bay flick through and through.

1997 – Titanic

First off… Before I went into the theater I knew how this one was going to end   All jokes aside this was THE teenie-bopper movie of the 90′s.  The fact that it grossed over a BILLION dollars proves that.  If Leonardo DiCaprio wasn’t in this film then we wouldn’t have had 12 and 13 year old girls seeing it over and over again.  If you like sappy, predictable love stories then this one is for you.

Better Than “The Best” In 1997:

• L.A. Confidential – absolutely incredible mystery/thriller with a great story and tons of action.  An outstanding cast including Kevin Spacey, Russell Crowe, Guy Pearce, James Cromwell, Kim Basinger (Oscar for Best Supporting Actress) & Danny DeVito.
• Boogie Nights – a retrospective look at the 70′s porn industry starring Mark Wahlberg, Julianne Moore & Burt Reynolds.  Even without the porn backdrop this is GREAT movie.  Paul Thomas Anderson tells a multi-year story in very convincing manner.

Honorable Mentions From 1997:

• Good Will Hunting – the movie that really put Ben Affleck and Matt Damon on the map.

1998 – Shakespeare In Love

This picture won SEVEN Oscars in 1998 including Best Picture, Best Actress (Gwyneth Paltrow) and Best Supporting Actress (Judy Dench).  Storyline wise it was pretty good.  A little slow at times and if it weren’t for the magnificent Saving Private Ryan I’d have no problem with this Oscar nod.

Better Than “The Best” In 1998:

• Saving Private Ryan – quite simply the most accurate & brutal portrayal of World War II that has ever been put to film.  An incredible cast led by Tom Hanks put forth a movie that should be required viewing for every American.

Honorable Mentions From 1998:

• The Truman Show – a movie with an incredible concept that was really before it’s time… the ultimate in reality TV.  Starring Jim Carrey as Truman and Ed Harris in one of my favorite of his performances.
• Rounders – the Matt Damon movie that is responsible for the poker boom.

1999 – American Beauty

Another Oscar nod that I’ve got no problem with.  Kevin Spacey, Annette Benning and the incredible Mena Suvari (yummy!) round out a cast that is perfectly cast.  A special nod to Wes Bentley for his portrayal of Ricky Fitts.  At once a down to earth and creepy character that you won’t soon forget.

Honorable Mentions From 1999:

• The Sixth Sense – the movie that put director M. Night Shyamalan on the map.  The twist in this one shaped movie storytelling for years to come.
• Fight Club – Edward Norton & Brad Pitt take an introspective look at life.
• The Blair Witch Project – An indy smash that was filmed as a documentary.  Incredibly visionary.
• The Matrix – special effects that we’re still seeing today started with this movie.  A story that will really make you think about your “reality” and some of the best action sequences ever put on film.
• Star Wars Episode I – The Phantom Menace – honorable mention only for the hype that it produced.  The first Star Wars movie in decades gave fans more of the legendary saga.

FINAL THOUGHTS: All in all, there were 10 Best Pictures in the 90′s.  I agreed with 4 out of 10 for a “got it right” 40% for the Academy.  Not too bad.