Films of the 1990s #2 Trivia Quiz

Answer: A Few Good Men

Our first foray into the decade that brought you Crystal Pepsi is "A Few Good Men" in which Tom Cruise plays a Navy lawyer who would really prefer to avoid doing any actual lawyering, but is nonetheless roped into defending two Marines accused of murder under unusual circumstances. Demi Moore shows up to remind him that competence is, in fact, an option. Meanwhile, Jack Nicholson delivers one of cinema's great "I'm not yelling, YOU'RE yelling" performances as a colonel who may or may not be familiar with the concept of accountability.

The film was directed by Rob Reiner and written by Aaron Sorkin and is basically scene after scene of people talking... if we concede that much of the talking is actually yelling about honor. It was a big hit, earned several Oscar nominations, and remains the go-to reference any time someone wants to dramatically declare that another person cannot, in fact, handle the truth.

Answer: Office Space

"Office Space" (1999) is a workplace comedy in which writer and director Mike Judge delightfully roasts the soul-evaporating culture of cubicle life. The plot follows Peter Gibbons, a programmer whose job at Initech is so numbing that he requires psychotherapy just to tolerate it. As it plays out, this works a little too well and leads to a complete "I don't care anymore" attitude, which might just be the healthiest thing that's ever happened to him.

The film bombed in theaters but became a cult classic on home video, especially among IT workers, like my wife and I, who recognized every fluorescent-lit indignity shown on the screen. It also gifted the world two enduring contributions: the red Swingline stapler and the most beautifully cathartic printer smashing scene ever filmed. "PC LOAD LETTER"?!

Answer: Braveheart

"Braveheart" is a sort-of historical epic in which Mel Gibson plays William Wallace, a Scottish rebel who decides he's had quite enough of all this oppressive English nonsense and proceeds to express this through the traditional Scottish way of subtly settling disputes with many sharp pointing things. The film loosely follows Wallace rallying the Scots toward independence, "loosely" in the sense that historians around the world still wake up in cold sweats cursing the day the film was ever made.

However, the gorgeous landscapes, rousing speeches, great story, and the James Horner score do a lot of heavy lifting. Directed by Mel Gibson himself, it won the Oscar for Best Picture and ensured that at least one of your friends will eventually shout "FREEDOM!" at an inappropriate volume at a time of questionable appropriateness, and that friend is me.

Answer: Ghost

Ghost is a supernatural romance where Patrick Swayze plays a banker who is murdered and then immediately discovers that being dead is somehow even more stressful than his day job was. As a ghost, he tries to protect his girlfriend (Demi Moore) from those responsible, but since he can't touch anything, he recruits the help of Whoopi Goldberg's Oda Mae Brown, a psychic who was very much not expecting to meet an actual ghost.

It was directed by Jerry Zucker and went on to become the highest grossing movie of 1990, winning Whoopi an Oscar, and permanently changing how pottery wheels are perceived in popular culture.

Answer: Groundhog Day

"Groundhog Day" is a fantasy romantic comedy where Bill Murray plays a thoroughly unlikeable weatherman, or a weatherman that would be thoroughly unlikeable if he weren't played by Bill Murray. While covering the annual Punxsutawney festivities, he finds himself stuck reliving February 2 over and over again, a cosmic prank of sorts that forces him to confront the radical notion that maybe, just maybe, he could try being a decent human being... or at least learn to play jazz piano.

Directed by Harold Ramis, the film became a major hit, earned over $105 million, and has since achieved the status of Eternal Classic. We love it for its combination of comedy and existential dread, which is a good description of the human condition if groundhogs only played a bigger role in the human condition.

Answer: Pulp Fiction

"Pulp Fiction" is Quentin Tarantino's legendary cult favorite in which hitmen, boxers, gangsters, and small-time robbers all wander in and out of each other's very bad decisions. The monologues are oddly specific, so much so that you'll feel like a voyeur listening to two people who think they're alone as they discuss women's feet. John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson spend much of the film debating philosophy and shooting people, Uma Thurman turns a simple night out into a heart-stabbing adventure, and Bruce Willis proves that running from mob bosses is a great way to get your cardio in.

The movie won the Palme d'Or, revived Travolta's career, and became a cultural phenomenon. Crime never looked quite this stylishly chaotic before.

Answer: Sleepless in Seattle

"Sleepless in Seattle" is a charming reminder that talk radio once had the power of TikTok, with fewer dance challenges and insufferable personalities. Well, fewer dance challenges, anyway. Directed by Nora Ephron, the film follows the life of Sam, a widower whose young son calls a radio show to find him a new lady friend, and Annie, a journalist who hears the broadcast and becomes intrigued enough to consider crossing the country for a man she's never met.

It's enough to make you forgive all your best friend's worst romantic decisions.

Answer: The Matrix

The sci fi classic "The Matrix", if nothing else managed to convince an entire generation that wearing sunglasses indoors was not only acceptable but profoundly necessary. It follows Neo, a hacker who discovers that reality is essentially a giant screensaver controlled by machines, and he might be "The One" destined to reboot the whole system. That's of course assuming he can stop asking so many questions and start doing those cool slow motion kicks we all came to see.

It was directed by the Wachowskis and blends cyberpunk, existentialism, and enough leather to clothe the attendees of a mid-sized biker convention.

Answer: The Fifth Element

"The Fifth Element" is a gloriously bonkers sci fi adventure in which director Luc Besson asks the timeless question, "What if the future were... well, really, really orange?" The story follows one Korben Dallas, a grouchy ex soldier turned taxi driver who accidentally picks up Leeloo, a mysterious, superpowered being who may just be the universe's last hope. You know, because cosmic salvation often hinges on one guy's bad day and a handful of magic rocks.

The movie is a neon (and very orange) fever dream of flying cars, operatic aliens, and Chris Tucker proving that subtlety is not necessary for a good story.

Answer: The Lion King

If there's one thing "The Lion King" taught millions of children in 1994 it's that absolute monarchy is actually kind of cool if enough funny animals sing about it. The story follows Simba, a young lion who'd really prefer to nap his way through life but instead gets nudged toward destiny, responsibility, and a life-altering crisis.

After some unfortunate family drama (handled with the subtlety of a Shakespearean tragedy), he flees, grows up with two freeloaders who live by a very relaxed food safety protocols, and eventually has to decide whether he's ready to reclaim the throne. I don't do spoilers, but it's a Disney film. What do you think?