Year by year: 1993

by cafg-0 | created - 19 Jan 2013 | updated - 11 months ago | Public

My 50 favorite films of 1993

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1. Schindler's List (1993)

R | 195 min | Biography, Drama, History

95 Metascore

In German-occupied Poland during World War II, industrialist Oskar Schindler gradually becomes concerned for his Jewish workforce after witnessing their persecution by the Nazis.

Director: Steven Spielberg | Stars: Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes, Ben Kingsley, Caroline Goodall

Votes: 1,450,073 | Gross: $96.90M

2. Short Cuts (1993)

R | 188 min | Comedy, Drama

81 Metascore

The day-to-day lives of several suburban Los Angeles residents.

Director: Robert Altman | Stars: Andie MacDowell, Julianne Moore, Tim Robbins, Bruce Davison

Votes: 47,375 | Gross: $6.11M

3. Three Colors: Blue (1993)

R | 94 min | Drama, Music, Mystery

87 Metascore

A woman struggles to find a way to live her life after the death of her husband and child.

Director: Krzysztof Kieslowski | Stars: Juliette Binoche, Zbigniew Zamachowski, Julie Delpy, Benoît Régent

Votes: 110,463 | Gross: $1.32M

4. The Piano (1993)

R | 121 min | Drama, Music, Romance

89 Metascore

In the mid-19th century a mute woman is sent to New Zealand along with her young daughter and prized piano for an arranged marriage to a farmer, but is soon lusted after by a farm worker.

Director: Jane Campion | Stars: Holly Hunter, Harvey Keitel, Sam Neill, Anna Paquin

Votes: 95,126 | Gross: $40.16M

5. The Remains of the Day (1993)

PG | 134 min | Drama, Romance

86 Metascore

A butler who sacrificed body and soul to service in the years leading up to World War II realizes too late how misguided his loyalty was to his lordly employer.

Director: James Ivory | Stars: Anthony Hopkins, Emma Thompson, John Haycraft, Christopher Reeve

Votes: 84,402 | Gross: $22.95M

6. The Age of Innocence (1993)

PG | 139 min | Drama, Romance

90 Metascore

A tale of nineteenth-century New York high society in which a young lawyer falls in love with a woman separated from her husband, while he is engaged to the woman's cousin.

Director: Martin Scorsese | Stars: Daniel Day-Lewis, Michelle Pfeiffer, Winona Ryder, Linda Faye Farkas

Votes: 67,753 | Gross: $32.20M

7. Farewell My Concubine (1993)

R | 171 min | Drama, Music, Romance

84 Metascore

Two boys meet at an opera training school in Peking in 1924. Their resulting friendship will span nearly 70 years and endure some of the most troublesome times in China's history.

Director: Kaige Chen | Stars: Leslie Cheung, Fengyi Zhang, Gong Li, You Ge

Votes: 33,117 | Gross: $5.22M

8. Faraway, So Close! (1993)

PG-13 | 140 min | Drama, Fantasy, Romance

61 Metascore

A group of angels in the German capital look longingly upon the life of humans.

Director: Wim Wenders | Stars: Otto Sander, Bruno Ganz, Peter Falk, Horst Buchholz

Votes: 9,105 | Gross: $0.81M

9. Orlando (1992)

PG-13 | 94 min | Biography, Drama, Fantasy

75 Metascore

After Queen Elizabeth I commands him not to grow old, a young nobleman struggles with love and his place in the world.

Director: Sally Potter | Stars: Tilda Swinton, Billy Zane, Quentin Crisp, Jimmy Somerville

Votes: 18,713 | Gross: $5.29M

10. The Beginning and the End (1993)

188 min | Drama

The film tells the story of the Boteros, a middle-class Mexican family struggling against poverty after their father's death. Ignacia (Egurrola) is the Boteros mother, a desperate woman who... See full summary »

Director: Arturo Ripstein | Stars: Ernesto Laguardia, Julieta Egurrola, Blanca Guerra, Verónica Merchant

Votes: 460

11. In the Name of the Father (1993)

R | 133 min | Biography, Crime, Drama

84 Metascore

An Irish man's coerced confession to an I.R.A. bombing he did not commit results in the imprisonment of his father as well. Meanwhile, a British lawyer fights to clear their names and free them.

Director: Jim Sheridan | Stars: Daniel Day-Lewis, Pete Postlethwaite, Alison Crosbie, Philip King

Votes: 187,056 | Gross: $25.01M

12. A Perfect World (1993)

PG-13 | 138 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller

71 Metascore

A kidnapped boy strikes up a friendship with his captor, an escaped convict on the run from the law, while the search for him continues.

Director: Clint Eastwood | Stars: Kevin Costner, Clint Eastwood, Laura Dern, T.J. Lowther

Votes: 86,899 | Gross: $31.16M

13. Belle Epoque (1992)

R | 109 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance

A 1931 Spanish military deserter finds himself on a lonely farm until the farmer's four daughters pay a visit and he falls for all of them.

Director: Fernando Trueba | Stars: Fernando Fernán Gómez, Jorge Sanz, Penélope Cruz, Miriam Díaz-Aroca

Votes: 11,394 | Gross: $5.97M

14. Carlito's Way (1993)

R | 144 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller

66 Metascore

A Puerto Rican former convict, just released from prison, pledges to stay away from drugs and violence despite the pressure around him and lead on to a better life outside of N.Y.C.

Director: Brian De Palma | Stars: Al Pacino, Sean Penn, Penelope Ann Miller, John Leguizamo

Votes: 232,297 | Gross: $36.95M

15. Six Degrees of Separation (1993)

R | 112 min | Comedy, Drama, Mystery

72 Metascore

An affluent New York City couple finds their lives touched, intruded upon, and compelled by a mysterious young black man who is never quite who he says he is.

Director: Fred Schepisi | Stars: Will Smith, Stockard Channing, Donald Sutherland, Ian McKellen

Votes: 22,555 | Gross: $6.41M

16. Raining Stones (1993)

Not Rated | 90 min | Comedy, Drama

This Ken Loach film tells the story of a man devoted to his family and his religion. Proud, though poor, Bob wants his little girl to have a beautiful (and costly) brand-new dress for her ... See full summary »

Director: Ken Loach | Stars: Bruce Jones, Julie Brown, Gemma Phoenix, Ricky Tomlinson

Votes: 4,916 | Gross: $0.09M

17. The Wedding Banquet (1993)

R | 106 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance

To satisfy his nagging parents, a gay landlord and a female tenant agree to a marriage of convenience, but his parents arrive to visit and things get out of hand.

Director: Ang Lee | Stars: Winston Chao, May Chin, Ah-Lei Gua, Sihung Lung

Votes: 17,131 | Gross: $6.93M

18. The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)

PG | 76 min | Animation, Family, Fantasy

82 Metascore

Jack Skellington, king of Halloween Town, discovers Christmas Town, but his attempts to bring Christmas to his home causes confusion.

Director: Henry Selick | Stars: Danny Elfman, Chris Sarandon, Catherine O'Hara, William Hickey

Votes: 375,057 | Gross: $75.08M

19. Philadelphia (1993)

PG-13 | 125 min | Drama

66 Metascore

When a man with HIV is fired by his law firm because of his condition, he hires a homophobic small time lawyer as the only willing advocate for a wrongful dismissal suit.

Director: Jonathan Demme | Stars: Tom Hanks, Denzel Washington, Roberta Maxwell, Buzz Kilman

Votes: 257,997 | Gross: $77.32M

20. Naked (1993)

Not Rated | 131 min | Comedy, Drama

85 Metascore

An unemployed Mancunian vents his rage on unsuspecting strangers as he embarks on a nocturnal London odyssey.

Director: Mike Leigh | Stars: David Thewlis, Lesley Sharp, Katrin Cartlidge, Greg Cruttwell

Votes: 43,924 | Gross: $1.77M

21. In the Line of Fire (1993)

R | 128 min | Action, Crime, Drama

74 Metascore

Secret Service agent Frank Horrigan couldn't save Kennedy, but he's determined not to let a clever assassin take out this president.

Director: Wolfgang Petersen | Stars: Clint Eastwood, John Malkovich, Rene Russo, Dylan McDermott

Votes: 113,658 | Gross: $102.31M

22. The Joy Luck Club (1993)

R | 139 min | Drama

84 Metascore

The life histories of four East Asian women and their daughters reflect and guide each other.

Director: Wayne Wang | Stars: Tamlyn Tomita, Rosalind Chao, Kieu Chinh, Tsai Chin

Votes: 18,231 | Gross: $32.86M

23. The Scent of Green Papaya (1993)

Not Rated | 104 min | Drama, Music, Romance

81 Metascore

A Vietnamese servant girl, Mui, observes lives within two different Saigon families: the first, a woman textile seller with three boys and a frequently absent husband; the second, a handsome young pianist with his fiancée.

Director: Anh Hung Tran | Stars: Nu Yên-Khê Tran, Man San Lu, Thi Loc Truong, Anh Hoa Nguyen

Votes: 9,980 | Gross: $1.91M

24. The Baby of Mâcon (1993)

Not Rated | 122 min | Drama, History

Plagued with infertility, the inhabitants of Mâcon are naturally involved in the spectacle that is a masque about the miracle child born to a virgin mother.

Director: Peter Greenaway | Stars: Julia Ormond, Ralph Fiennes, Philip Stone, Jonathan Lacey

Votes: 4,991

25. What's Eating Gilbert Grape (1993)

PG-13 | 118 min | Drama

73 Metascore

A young man in a small Midwestern town struggles to care for his mentally-disabled younger brother and morbidly obese mother while attempting to pursue his own happiness.

Director: Lasse Hallström | Stars: Johnny Depp, Leonardo DiCaprio, Juliette Lewis, Mary Steenburgen

Votes: 253,993 | Gross: $9.17M

26. Shadowlands (1993)

PG | 131 min | Biography, Drama, Romance

C.S. Lewis, a world-renowned Christian theologian, writer and professor, leads a passionless life until he meets spirited poet Joy Gresham from the U.S.

Director: Richard Attenborough | Stars: Anthony Hopkins, Debra Winger, Julian Fellowes, Roddy Maude-Roxby

Votes: 20,441 | Gross: $25.84M

27. La estrategia del caracol (1993)

116 min | Comedy, Drama

A group of tenants living in an old house are confronted with having to move out due to a renovation project the city has undertaken, but decide to unite and come up with a strategy.

Director: Sergio Cabrera | Stars: Fausto Cabrera, Frank Ramírez, Delfina Guido, Vicky Hernández

Votes: 2,812

28. Groundhog Day (1993)

PG | 101 min | Comedy, Drama, Fantasy

72 Metascore

A narcissistic, self-centered weatherman finds himself in a time loop on Groundhog Day.

Director: Harold Ramis | Stars: Bill Murray, Andie MacDowell, Chris Elliott, Stephen Tobolowsky

Votes: 684,865 | Gross: $70.91M

29. M. Butterfly (1993)

R | 101 min | Drama, Romance

43 Metascore

In 1960s China, French diplomat Rene Gallimard falls in love with an opera singer, Song Liling - but Song is not at all who Gallimard thinks.

Director: David Cronenberg | Stars: Jeremy Irons, John Lone, Barbara Sukowa, Ian Richardson

Votes: 10,950 | Gross: $1.50M

30. Jurassic Park (1993)

PG-13 | 127 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi

68 Metascore

A pragmatic paleontologist touring an almost complete theme park on an island in Central America is tasked with protecting a couple of kids after a power failure causes the park's cloned dinosaurs to run loose.

Director: Steven Spielberg | Stars: Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, Richard Attenborough

Votes: 1,066,671 | Gross: $402.45M

31. Falling Down (1993)

R | 113 min | Action, Crime, Drama

56 Metascore

An ordinary man frustrated with the various flaws he sees in society begins to psychotically and violently lash out against them.

Director: Joel Schumacher | Stars: Michael Douglas, Robert Duvall, Barbara Hershey, Rachel Ticotin

Votes: 206,594 | Gross: $40.90M

32. My Favorite Season (1993)

Not Rated | 127 min | Drama, Romance

Old woman Berthe leaves her house to live in her daugter Emilie's one. Emilie and her brother Antoine have fallen out three years ago and have not seen each other since, but Emilie invites ... See full summary »

Director: André Téchiné | Stars: Catherine Deneuve, Daniel Auteuil, Marthe Villalonga, Jean-Pierre Bouvier

Votes: 2,231 | Gross: $0.76M

33. Bad Boy Bubby (1993)

Not Rated | 114 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama

Bubby has spent thirty years trapped in the same small room, tricked by his mother. One day, he manages to escape and, deranged and naive in equal measures, his adventure into a modern and nihilistic life begins.

Director: Rolf de Heer | Stars: Nicholas Hope, Claire Benito, Ralph Cotterill, Syd Brisbane

Votes: 15,018

34. Madadayo (1993)

134 min | Drama

79 Metascore

Following World War II, a retired professor approaching his autumn years finds his quality of life drastically reduced in war-torn Tokyo. Denying despair, he pursues writing and celebrates his birthday with his adoring students.

Directors: Akira Kurosawa, Ishirô Honda | Stars: Tatsuo Matsumura, Hisashi Igawa, George Tokoro, Masayuki Yui

Votes: 6,152 | Gross: $0.05M

35. Germinal (1993)

R | 160 min | Drama, Romance

In mid-nineteenth-century northern France, a coal mining town's workers are exploited by the mine's owner. One day, they decide to go on strike, and the authorities repress them.

Director: Claude Berri | Stars: Renaud, Gérard Depardieu, Miou-Miou, Jean Carmet

Votes: 5,744 | Gross: $0.38M

36. The Secret Garden (1993)

G | 101 min | Drama, Family, Fantasy

74 Metascore

A young, recently-orphaned girl is sent to England after living in India all of her life. Once there, she begins to explore her new, seemingly-isolated surroundings, and its secrets.

Director: Agnieszka Holland | Stars: Kate Maberly, Maggie Smith, Heydon Prowse, Andrew Knott

Votes: 44,462 | Gross: $31.18M

37. Much Ado About Nothing (1993)

PG-13 | 111 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance

80 Metascore

Young lovers, and soon to wed, Hero and Claudio conspire to get verbal sparring partners and confirmed singles, Benedick and Beatrice, to wed as well.

Director: Kenneth Branagh | Stars: Kenneth Branagh, Emma Thompson, Keanu Reeves, Kate Beckinsale

Votes: 51,973 | Gross: $22.55M

38. Menace II Society (1993)

R | 97 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller

76 Metascore

A young street hustler attempts to escape the rigors and temptations of the ghetto in a quest for a better life.

Directors: Albert Hughes, Allen Hughes | Stars: Tyrin Turner, Larenz Tate, June Kyoto Lu, Toshi Toda

Votes: 64,439 | Gross: $27.90M

39. Wild Tango (1993)

R | 124 min | Biography, Drama, Music

A biopic based on the life of one of the pioneer argentine rock stars 'Tanguito'. The movie tells the story of his rise and fall from grace, encompassed in violent times of a military regime.

Director: Marcelo Piñeyro | Stars: Fernán Mirás, Cecilia Dopazo, Imanol Arias, Antonio Birabent

Votes: 1,756

40. Heaven & Earth (1993)

R | 140 min | Action, Biography, Drama

During the Vietnam War, a Vietnamese woman struggles hustling on the streets, where she comes face to face with those involved in the conflict around her.

Director: Oliver Stone | Stars: Hiep Thi Le, Tommy Lee Jones, Haing S. Ngor, Bussaro Sanruck

Votes: 15,116 | Gross: $5.86M

41. The Cement Garden (1993)

Not Rated | 101 min | Drama

Four children live with their terminally ill mother. After she dies, they try to hold things together. In their isolated house, they begin to deteriorate mentally, whilst they hide their mom's decomposing corpse in a makeshift concrete sarcophagus.

Director: Andrew Birkin | Stars: Charlotte Gainsbourg, Andrew Robertson, Alice Coulthard, Ned Birkin

Votes: 5,328 | Gross: $0.32M

42. Geronimo: An American Legend (1993)

PG-13 | 115 min | Drama, History, Western

58 Metascore

The story of the Apache chief and his armed resistance to the U.S. Government's subjugation of his people.

Director: Walter Hill | Stars: Jason Patric, Gene Hackman, Robert Duvall, Wes Studi

Votes: 13,478 | Gross: $18.64M

43. Golden Balls (1993)

95 min | Comedy, Drama

A construction worker uses his charm and bravado in an attempt to attain enough finances to build his dream project.

Director: Bigas Luna | Stars: Javier Bardem, Maria de Medeiros, Maribel Verdú, Elisa Tovati

Votes: 3,883

44. Dave (1993)

PG-13 | 110 min | Comedy, Romance

76 Metascore

An uncanny Presidential lookalike named Dave is recruited by the Secret Service to become a momentary stand-in for the President of the United States.

Director: Ivan Reitman | Stars: Kevin Kline, Sigourney Weaver, Frank Langella, Kevin Dunn

Votes: 56,832 | Gross: $63.27M

45. Sleepless in Seattle (1993)

PG | 105 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance

72 Metascore

A recently widowed man's son calls a radio talk-show in an attempt to find his father a partner.

Director: Nora Ephron | Stars: Tom Hanks, Meg Ryan, Ross Malinger, Rita Wilson

Votes: 190,789 | Gross: $126.53M

46. The Tree, the Mayor and the Mediatheque (1993)

Not Rated | 105 min | Comedy, Drama

The socialist mayor of Saint-Juire has set his heart on building a cultural and sports complex in the village meadow. He's a well liked by the local people and has managed to raise the loans needed for the complex thanks to his contacts.

Director: Éric Rohmer | Stars: Pascal Greggory, Arielle Dombasle, Fabrice Luchini, Clémentine Amouroux

Votes: 1,726

47. Red Rock West (1993)

R | 98 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller

79 Metascore

Upon arriving to a small town, a drifter is mistaken for a hitman, but when the real hitman arrives, complications ensue.

Director: John Dahl | Stars: Nicolas Cage, Dennis Hopper, Lara Flynn Boyle, Craig Reay

Votes: 25,179 | Gross: $2.50M

48. What's Love Got to Do with It (1993)

R | 118 min | Biography, Drama, Music

76 Metascore

The story of singer Tina Turner's rise to stardom and how she gained the courage to break free from her abusive husband, Ike Turner.

Director: Brian Gibson | Stars: Angela Bassett, Laurence Fishburne, RaéVen Kelly, Virginia Capers

Votes: 24,574 | Gross: $39.10M

49. Screen Two (1985–1998)
Episode: The Snapper (1993)

R | 91 min | Drama

83 Metascore

20 year old Irish girl Sharon Curly lives at home with her large family. But notoriety in her neighbourhood suddenly arrives when, after a night out on the town, she becomes pregnant and refuses to divulge the identity of the baby's father.

Director: Stephen Frears | Stars: Colm Meaney, Tina Kellegher, Ruth McCabe, Eanna MacLiam

Votes: 6,126 | Gross: $3.32M

50. True Romance (1993)

R | 119 min | Crime, Drama, Romance

59 Metascore

In Detroit, a pop-culture nerd steals cocaine from his new wife's pimp and tries to sell it in Hollywood, prompting the mobsters who own the drugs to pursue the couple.

Director: Tony Scott | Stars: Christian Slater, Patricia Arquette, Dennis Hopper, Val Kilmer

Votes: 242,415 | Gross: $12.28M



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