This is the best picture of the decade. It's what I see in books about the Holocaust: Nazi brutality in black and white. Schindler's List is the stark truth of what happened in German-occupied Europe from 1933 to 1945. There are many powerful scenes that are beyond belief. Steven Spielberg should be praised for the singular cinematic achievement.

Benefitting from Frank Darabont's well-written screenplay and powerful direction, Tim Robbins' and Morgan Freeman's performances help lift the film off the ground and let it fly like the human spirit. If anything, it's the Red's voice-over narration that makes The Shawshank Redemption so good. Roger Deakins' cinematography gives the film a special feel as it enters the classic territory.

What I love is the simplicity that's left open for translation. Easily the best part is how Dunbar is immersed into the Sioux culture. Near the end, his fellow soldiers show up. Dunbar takes place among them, but he looks out of place. Hence, it's the key moment of Dances With Wolves which is about human acceptance without bias. Not to be missed is the lush cinematography, and the buffalo hunt scene is terrific. Graham Greene and Rodney A. Grant turn in powerful performances.

Full of action and war, The Last of the Mohicans is a unique masterpiece with a love story to boot. Although it's the best Daniel Day-Lewis movie, the best Michael Mann movie, the best American Indian movie, and the best Colonial movie, nothing is more impressive than Wes Studi's performance as Magua. It's so good that he was sadly robbed of an Oscar. Of course, the title says it all.

A surprise Oscar winner for Best Picture of 1995, Braveheart is the last great epic war motion picture. Characters, big, small, clean, dirty, and nameless, all play a large role in scene after scene with so many of them memorable. Passion is easily felt throughout the wonderful storytelling with a strong script and some of the most brutal medieval battle scenes ever filmed.

JFK is an incredible masterpiece, representing Oliver Stone's best. Outstanding are the acting, storytelling, and, most of all, editing. The best moment is when Jim Garrison, after learning the real plot from Donald Sutherland's character, summed up the startling discovery by saying, "The size of this is...beyond me."

It can't be any more dramatic than the scene when Tre yelled out to Ricky after the sight of the red Hyundai Excel. Simply put, Boyz n the Hood is the game changer of the genre and sets the standard that all black films are forever burdened to match. Of the ensemble cast, Ice Cube is unbeatable as Doughboy.

Sensually unusual, mysterious, and romantic, Como agua para chocolate, which is better known as Like Water for Chocolate, has one of the best cinematography ever. It's a magical film. What a brilliant direction by Alfonso Arau. Lumi Cavazos is perfect.

Without doubt, Goodfellas is the hardest-hitting Mafia picture made. There's nothing like it. The first two minutes, complemented by Saul Bass' titles, is what sets the tone for the rest of the film. In order to get Goodfellas made, Martin Scorsese called Nicholas Pileggi, the author of Wiseguy, to say, "I've been waiting for this book my entire life," which was met with "I've been waiting for this phone call my entire life."

Rob Roy is one of the best swashbuckling films made. The writing, the acting, and the stabs at primitiveness are uniformly excellent. Then, there's the larger-than-life Rob Roy against the backdrop of the Scottish Highlands. The sword battle at the end is perfectly choreographed and is thus the best ever. Tim Roth is unbelievable, garnering an Oscar nomination.