Only 57 Movies Are Considered "Historically And Culturally Significant" From The Past 32 Years, And I'm Curious Which Ones You've Actually Seen

BuzzFeed
·4 min read

Every year, the Library of Congress inducts 25 movies into the National Film Registry that it considers to be "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."

Heath Ledger as the Joker in The Dark Knight holding up a Joker card and smiling
Courtesy Everett Collection

This year, the LOC picked 25 new movies to join the list, including three made since 1990.

Robert Downey Jr as Iron Man

The three post-1990 additions are House Party (1990), Iron Man (2008), and Pariah (2011).

Paramount / © Paramount / Courtesy Everett Collection

That means there are now (only) 57 movies made since 1990 that the LOC has deemed worthy of making the list.

Close-up of JLo as Selena Quintanilla

Selena was added last year.

Warner Bros. / © Warner Bros. / Courtesy Everett Collection

So let's take a look at these 57 movies because I think you'll be surprised by some of them...

Note: I didn't include any short films.

1.To Sleep With Anger (1990)

The cast of To Sleep With Anger, including Danny Glover and Sheryl Lee Ralph
Samuel Goldwyn Films / © Samuel Goldwyn Films / Courtesy Everett Collection

2.Paris Is Burning (1990)

Two drag queens featured in the movie
Michael Comte/ Off White Productions / Courtesy Everett Collection

3.Dances With Wolves (1990)

Kevin Costner on horseback
Orion Pictures / Courtesy Everett Collection

4.Goodfellas (1990)

Cast of the movie, including Paul Sorvino and Robert De Niro
Warner Bros. / © Warner Bros. / Courtesy Everett Collection

5.House Party (1990)

Scantily clad women dancing around a man smoking a pipe
New Line Cinema / Courtesy Everett Collection

6.Sink or Swim (1990)

Schoolchildren in a yard
Outcast Films

7.Thelma & Louise (1991)

MGM / Courtesy Everett Collection
MGM / Courtesy Everett Collection

8.Beauty and the Beast (1991)

The animated Beauty and the Beast
Walt Disney Pictures / Courtesy Everett Collection

9.Boyz N the Hood (1991)

Ice Cube sitting in a car
Columbia Pictures / © Columbia Pictures / Courtesy Everett Collection

10.Daughters of the Dust (1991)

Trula Hoosier sitting and surrounded by other women
Courtesy Everett Collection / Everett Collection / Everett Collection

11.The Silence of the Lambs (1991)

Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal Lecter in a cage
Orion Pictures Corp. / © Orion Pictures Corp. / Courtesy Everett Collection

12.Slacker (1991)

Three young people standing together
Orion Pictures Corp. / © Orion Pictures Corp. / Courtesy Everett Collection

13.El Mariachi (1992)

A mariachi musician walking along a highway with a tortoise in front of them
Columbia Pictures / © Columbia Pictures / Courtesy Everett Collection

14.A League of Their Own (1992)

Women baseball players celebrating on the field, with Madonna and Rosie O'Donnell hugging
Columbia Pictures / © Columbia Pictures / Courtesy Everett Collection

15.Malcolm X (1992)

Denzel Washington as Malcolm X
Warner Bros. / Courtesy Everett Collection

16.Unforgiven (1992)

Morgan Freeman and Clint Eastwood wearing wide-brimmed hats
Warner Bros. / Courtesy Everett Collection

17.The Joy Luck Club (1993)

Four women, including Ming-Na Wen and Rosalind Chao, smiling and standing together
Buena Vista Pictures / © Buena Vista Pictures / Courtesy Everett Collection

18.Jurassic Park (1993)

Laura Dern holding headphones and looking at Bob Peck, who's holding a large weapon
Universal / Courtesy Everett Collection

19.Groundhog Day (1993)

Bill Murray in a car with a groundhog
Columbia Pictures / Courtesy Everett Collection

20.Schindler’s List (1993)

Liam Neeson as Oskar Schindler in a room with a woman
Universal / © Universal / Courtesy Everett Collection

21.Clerks (1994)

Brian O'Halloran leans on a store counter
Miramax / Courtesy Everett Collection

22.The Lion King (1994)

Animated lion cub smiles
Walt Disney Picture / Courtesy Everett Collection

23.Forrest Gump (1994)

Tom Hanks with a box of chocolates
Paramount / © Paramount / Courtesy Everett Collection

24.Hoop Dreams (1994)

A young man leaning against a gate and holding a basketball
Fine Line Features / © Fine Line Features / Courtesy Everett Collection

25.Pulp Fiction (1994)

Uma Thurman holding a burger
Miramax / Courtesy Everett Collection

26.The Shawshank Redemption (1994)

Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman sitting on the ground and leaning against a building
Courtesy Everett Collection

27.Toy Story (1995)

Animated astronaut and cowboy
Buena Vista Pictures / Courtesy Everett Collection

28.The Watermelon Woman (1996)

Three smiling women, including Lisa Marie Bronson
First Run Features / © First Run Features / Courtesy Everett Collection

29.Fargo (1996)

Frances McDormand in her police uniform
Gramercy Pictures / © Gramercy Pictures / Courtesy Everett Collection

30.Selena (1997)

JLo performing as Selena
Warner Bros. / © Warner Bros. / Courtesy Everett Collection

31.Eve's Bayou (1997)

Lynn Whitfield and Debbi Morgan against a grassy backdrop
Trimark Pictures / Courtesy Everett Collection

32.4 Little Girls (1997)

Spike Lee interviewing a man
Hanna-Barbera / © Hanna-Barbera / Courtesy Everett Collection

33.Titanic (1997)

Leo DiCaprio as Jack
20thcentfox / © 20thCentFox / Courtesy Everett Collection

34.L.A. Confidential (1997)

Warner Bros. / © Warner Bros. / Courtesy Everett Collection
Warner Bros. / © Warner Bros. / Courtesy Everett Collection

35.Smoke Signals (1998)

Two young men talking to each other
Miramax / © Miramax / Courtesy Everett Collection

36.Rushmore (1998)

Bill Murray and Jason Schwartzman
Walt Disney Co. / © Walt Disney Co. / Courtesy Everett Collection

37.The Big Lebowski (1998)

John Goodman and Jeff Bridges at a diner counter
Courtesy Everett Collection

38.Saving Private Ryan (1998)

Men in military uniform standing amid rubble
DreamWorks / Courtesy Everett Collection

39.Buena Vista Social Club (1999)

A jubilant man with a guitar performing
Warner Bros. / © Warner Bros. / Courtesy Everett Collection / Everett Collection

40.Boys Don't Cry (1999)

Three young people sitting at a restaurant table
20thcentfox / © 20thCentFox / Courtesy Everett Collection

41.The Matrix (1999)

Close-up of Keanu Reeves wearing sunglasses
Warner Bros. / © Warner Bros. / Courtesy Everett Collection / Everett Collection

42.Into the Arms of Strangers: Stories of the Kindertransport (2000)

A pen in a case on top of a notice in German
Warner Bros. / Courtesy Everett Collection

43.The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)

Close-up of Orlando Bloom with long hair
Warner Bros. / © Warner Bros. / Courtesy Everett Collection

44.Shrek (2001)

Shrek and Donkey
Dreamworks / © DreamWorks / Courtesy Everett Collection

45.Memento (2001)

A man pointing a gun at another man
Newmarket Releasing / © Newmarket Releasing / Courtesy Everett Collection

46.Real Women Have Curves (2001)

Lupe Ontiveros and America Ferrera sit on a bed
Newmarket Releasing / © Newmarket Releasing / Courtesy Everett Co. / Everett Collection

47.Decasia (2002)

A black-and-white image of a machine
Icarus Films

48.The Fog of War (2003)

Robert McNamara sitting and gesturing
Sony Pictures / © Sony Pictures / Courtesy Everett Collection

49.13 Lakes (2004)

A large body of water
James Benning / James Benning / Courtesy Everett Collection

50.Brokeback Mountain (2005)

Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger standing together in a doorway
Focus Films / © Focus Films / Courtesy Everett Collection

51.Mauna Kea: Temple Under Siege (2005)

Close-up of a man with a grassy hill behind him
Nā Maka o ka 'Äina

52.Iron Man (2008)

Iron Man flying above the clouds
Paramount / © Paramount / Courtesy Everett Collection

53.WALL-E (2008)

WALL-E and EVE
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures / Courtesy Everett Collection

54.The Dark Knight (2008)

Heath Ledger as the Joker holding up a Joker card
Warner Bros. / © Warner Bros. / Courtesy Everett Collection

55.The Hurt Locker (2009)

Jeremy Renner as a sergeant holding up a weapon
Summit Entertainment / Summit Entertainment / Courtesy Everett Collection

56.Freedom Riders (2010)

A film poster showing a bus and mugshots
KGB Productions / KGB Productions / Courtesy Everett Collection

57.And lastly: Pariah (2011)

Focus Features / © Focus Features / Courtesy Everett Collection
Focus Features / © Focus Features / Courtesy Everett Collection