Of course, three-hour epics are great. Who doesn’t love Lord of the Rings marathon? But sometimes you want a quick, fresh story that you can watch in less than two hours. You’re busy, we get it. Luckily, over the years there have been plenty of classics that barely lasted more than 90 minutes. They range from comedy and children’s films to war films, political satire and crime drama.
It’s impressive how much these films pack into 100 minutes. Some of them are like 12 angry men as well as paths of glory, have the grandeur of epics, without any filler. They prove that a lean runtime is no barrier to a great story.
Reservoir Dogs (1992) - IMDb: 8.3/10
“Will you bark all day, little dog, or will you bite?” Mad Dogs filled with so many iconic scenes it’s easy to forget what it is Quentin Tarantinothe shortest film, only 99 minutes. Tarantino hit the ground running with his feature-length debut, creating a stylish, powerful heist thriller that remains the high point of the crime genre 30 years later.
The opening scene is like an overture to Tarantino’s entire filmography, setting up some of his stylistic calling cards: hilarious dialogue, pop culture references, and eccentric crime characters. But what about the title? “It meant nothing,” Tarantino writes in his new book. movie spec. “It just sounded good.”
Toy Story (1995) - IMDb: 8.3/10
“To infinity and beyond!” Few animated films have more heart than this starring Disney-Pixar gem. Tom Hanks as well as Tim Allen. toy story became an instant sensation, raising over $360 million and creating a mega franchise that would continue for years to come.
toy story also marked a milestone as the first fully computer-generated animated film. In fact, the idea of a toy-themed movie came about as a direct result of the limited technology of the time. “We couldn’t do people very well, so we kept them in the background, you only see legs and arms and stuff like that,” the director said. John Lasseter said. “But we could do plastic well, so making a movie where the main characters were made of plastic was perfect.”
Up (2009) - IMDb: 8.3/10
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This touching story tells of the widower Carl Frederiksen.Ed Asner) when he takes a helium balloon trip to South America to keep a promise he made to his late wife Ellie. Eight-year-old “explorer” Russell (Jordan Nagai) accidentally comes across for a walk. Along the way, they meet many curious characters, including a talking dog named Doug (Bob Petersen) and a rare bird named Kevin.
“As we developed the whole story, it in many ways became an attempt to preserve the past,” the director said. Pete Docter said. “This guy, the whole world has changed, everything around him is different now. The only thing he has is a sense of connection with his wife - this is his house. So he can’t just leave it behind. with him.” Up made history as the first computer-animated film to be nominated for Best Picture.
Paths of Glory (1957) - IMDb: 8.4/10
Kirk Douglas stars in this World War I film as Colonel Dax, a lawyer turned soldier with an impossible task. He and his men have to go overboard and capture the enemy position, but it’s a near-suicidal mission. It’s a simple film, powerful and dark, held together by a stellar performance, especially by Douglas.
“I am interested in the brutal and cruel nature of man, because this is his real picture,” said the director. Stanley Kubrick said about the film. “And any attempt to create social institutions on a false view of human nature is probably doomed to failure.”
‘Doctor. Strangelove, or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964) - IMDb: 8.4/10
“Gentlemen, you can’t fight here. This is the War Room!” Dr. Strangelove another miniature masterpiece from Kubrick. Here he exercises his visionary view of the Cold War and nuclear tensions. The result is an incendiary satire featuring one of Peter Sellersfunniest performances.
It was a bold move, made just a year after the Cuban Missile Crisis. It’s impressive how many iconic gags this film contains. One of the highlights is when the German scientist Strangelove accidentally says to the president, “Ja, Mein Führer!” This remains perpetually relevant, given the continued existence of nuclear bombs and imbecile leaders.
WALL-E (2008) - IMDb: 8.4/10
WALL-E unusual for a children’s film in that it is set in a dystopian future: humans have left Earth to live in spaceships, while robots like WALL-E spend their days compacting debris on an empty planet. Despite this gloomy environment, WALL-E actually one of Pixar’s most touching films.
The relationship between WALL-E and EVA can’t help but be touched. They may not use any words, but they express a lot through tone and, of course, WALL-E’s huge binocular eyes. Andrew Stanton said. “Everything I wanted to do was based on a love story. […] [WALL-E is] this artificial object, but it has more will to live than the rest of the universe.”
City Lights (1931) - IMDb: 8.5/10
The popularity of silent films was already declining when Charlie Chaplin came out city lightsbut that didn’t stop it from becoming a hit. The film tells the story of Tramp’s relationship with a blind woman (Virginia Cherrill) and his friendship with an eccentric millionaire (Harry Myers).
The film shows everything he did so well: stunts, slapstick comedy and, of course, the real soul behind all the jokes. Almost a century has passed since city lights was released, but the film is still charming. As Chaplin understood, the lack of dialogue gives it a certain timelessness and universal appeal.
“Modern Times” (1936) - IMDb: 8.5/10
Another Chaplin classic modern time sees Little Tramp struggling to adjust to life in today’s industrialized world. As usual, the film is a comedy, but it also deals with the harsh working conditions in the aftermath of the Great Depression. It was Chaplin’s first film after a five-year hiatus, as he was frustrated with the advent of “talkies”.
The film was Chaplin’s farewell to the silent film era and the Tramp, one of the world’s most iconic characters. “[Modern Times] is a brutal indictment of the industrial age he opposed, and yet it made him a star,” says the director and film historian. Peter Bogdanovich. “There’s a scene where he sings a song […]and this is the first time Chaplin speaks, and this is gibberish, which was his commentary on talking pictures.”
The Lion King (1994) - IMDb: 8.5/10
The 2019 remake was visually striking, but nothing beats the original animation. The Lion King - cat version Hamlet which remains unsurpassed in terms of evocative animation. The cast is amazing, including some of the biggest stars of the day: Matthew Broderick, Jeremy Irons, James Earl Jones, Rowan Atkinson. Not to mention the soundtrack Elton John as well as Tim Rice instantly became a cult.
“We wanted to make a picture about animals based on a more natural setting, a story about the challenge of taking on the responsibilities of adulthood,” co-director. Roger Allers said. “We infused it with more spiritual elements that are the hallmark of the film.”
12 Angry Men (1957) - IMDb: 9.0/10
This director’s classic Sidney Lumet focuses on jurors in a murder trial. The accused is a teenager (John Savoca) accused of killing his father. A non-unanimous verdict will result in a mistrial; but if all twelve jurors agree, the boy will receive a mandatory death sentence. Much of the drama revolves around jury deliberations. Each of them has their own history and worldview, and they struggle to come to a consensus.
Some people have interpreted 12 angry men as a response to the McCarthy witch hunt that took place in the US in the 1950s. However, director William Friedkin says the script is forever, so he remade it in 1997. He wanted to update it with a new generation of actors “because [the film] tells us a lot about ourselves and also about the American justice system.”
Source: Collider
