Not sure if any of you noticed, but it’s the 20-year anniversary of one of the greatest years in the history of cinema. 1994 presented us with a plethora of wonderful films, launched the career of a comedic legend, and also delivered one of the tightest Best Picture races in the last half-century. It would alter the movie industry for a very long time as we saw moviegoers flood into the movie theaters and give 26 different movies $100 million worldwide.
This was not an easy task, but here is my personal list of what I believe were the 10 best movies released that year. It starts out easy, but definitely gets tough towards the end. Here are my choices:
#10: The Lion King
Of course we have to start out with the Disney film that represents the Disney Renaissance. Golden Globe Winner, 55 million VHS tapes sold, and hundreds of millions more in merchandise, The Lion King is hands-down one of the most successful Disney movies in the entire history of the company. That being said, its still not as good as previous efforts Aladdin and especially Beauty and the Beast. Nonetheless, it still hands fantastic music, the awesome Disney villain you love to hate, great cast of characters, and an epic presentation that had not been felt in an animated Disney movie since Sleeping Beauty.
#9: Quiz Show
Excellent acting ensemble carries this gripping drama about what lengths people will go in order to achieve their shot of fame. A spellbinding true story about a game show that may or may not have been lying to the viewers, the script pulls no punches, the editing is tight enough to cover all bases without becoming a bore, and the movie touches upon the major differences between what you see and what is actually true. Highly underrated film that could have had a better chance winning Best Picture if the competition had not been so ridiculous.
#8: Ace Ventura: Pet Detective
One of the most original cinematic characters of the 90s, Ace Ventura was a breath of fresh air and a definite departure from your average comedy. It was a unique character with a unique occupation covering a unique crime. The script was anything but predictable, but this was Jim Carrey's film from start to finish. Who else could you possibly imagine playing this role?
#7: Speed
I personally really love this movie so I am bummed its so low in any sort of list. The tension was ridiculous when it first came out as it was overwhelming odds against an everyday crimefighter as he struggles to maintain his sanity and the sanity of random individuals aboard a bus that was inches away from blowing up. Excellent concept, excellent writing, and great performances from everyone not named Keanu Reeves. If only that final act was tightened a little.............
#6: True Lies
Before James Cameron was on top of the box office world with the I-will-only-release-this-when-there-is-no-other-competition-in-theaters Titanic and Avatar, he had a fun 1994 gem involving Arnold Schwarzenegger at his comedic best, Tom Arnold at his most bearable, and a premise that mixes midlife crisis with 80s action thriller. The movie has it all: romance, action, drama, plenty of comedy, good fights, superb stuntwork, creative shootouts, and a great final sequence with a killer send-off message. You can't be disappointed in this movie, for it offers so so much.
#5: Dumb and Dumber
It is much, much, much, much harder to make an entire audience laugh consistently than make them cry consistently. It is much harder to deliver a timeless comedy than it is to deliver a timeless drama. And for that reason, Dumb and Dumber remains an underrated achievement of cinematic gold. From start to finish the jokes kept flying from all corners, and pretty much nearly all of them hit. Jim Carrey was at his comedic peak right here, and Jeff Daniels was a fantastic sidekick to all the shenanigans and craziness contained in the two hours of pure hilarity. Well-written, superbly directed, and with flawless comic timing, Dumb and Dumber is one of the 10 greatest comedies ever made.
#4: Legend of Drunken Master
This is potentially the greatest martial arts movie of all-time, one of the best action movies you'll ever see, and contains some of the most insane stunts you'll ever have the pleasure of witnessing. Jackie Chan is at his creative peak throws us on a wild and crazy marital arts ride that delivers awesome fight after awesome fight, and saves the best for last in a 15 minute finale that will stand the test of time and will eternally remain as the best fight scene of all-time. Honestly.
#3: Pulp Fiction
Tarantino already made waves with Reservoir Dogs, but this was the work that launched him into the stratosphere, and forever changed the culture and aspect of independent film. Hands-down one of the most unique films released up to that point, Pulp Fiction was out of order aesthetically and stylistically. It was cool, hip, clever, and packed so much content within the 140 minutes that it requires multiple viewings to handle it all. It paced and felt like an underground comic book.
The script of Pulp Fiction remains one of the best you'll ever read, as it has all the rock n' roll mayhem you can muster, with dozens of memorable lines said amongst the multitude of memorable characters. Throw in perfect editing, excellent acting, and wonderful direction and you have yourself a bonafide indie masterpiece.
#2: Forrest Gump
Even though the success of the movie was clearly propelled through nostalgia (which definitely helped the usually older crew of Oscar voters give it the Best Picture nod) underneath the multiple layers of 50s, 60s, and 70s moments was a spellbinding love story about a man who can hardly figure out the world chasing the one and only gal of his life. What makes this movie work is that there is beauty between the characters, the events, and the moments that shape everyone involved.
What also makes this movie work is that it quite frankly lacks a single weakness or drawback. The two hours of this classic just fly by as the direction, music, acting, soundtrack, writing, editing, and cinematography all rank as among the best you'll ever see in the movies. Everything about Forrest Gump worked from beginning to end, and if you dislike this movie by any means we can't be friends. Even if its not the best movie of 1994, it wasn't a total disaster that it won Best Picture, because it remains one of the 25 best films I've ever seen.
#1: The Shawshank Redemption
Here it is. The movie of 1994. And this is no debate. No question. No arguing, no counterpoint, nothing. Every once in a while, everything cinematically clicks. Every once in a while, all the wheels turn perfectly and you have a movie that will stand the test of time, will never age, and will forever alter your views on life and will change the way you look at movies. Shawshank Redemption is that movie. It is quite simply one of the greatest films ever made, and easily the greatest prison drama you'll ever see.
Shawshank Redemption is run purely on strong characters, and an extremely strong script that ties everyone and everything together. You always forget that the people you are rooting for, the people you are feeling sorry for are criminals that are serving time in prison for heinous acts. The movie nearly plays out like a documentary or a true story because of the realistic portrayals of the characters in Shawshank. None feel like caricatures, and the deeper the movie goes the more you become invested. Which makes it all the harder when not everyone survives.
Looking back at it now, it is blatantly obvious that Shawshank Redemption was directed by the man that jump-started Walking Dead and laid out the foundation for the groundbreaking television show. And I say this because just like in the television show, it is about the characters and then its about the conflict. It starts off with a banker serving a double life sentence for the murder of two people---but there's so much more than that. Frank Darabont directed this masterpiece beautifully, but the performances from the entire cast also deserves the utmost praise--with Tim Robbins, Morgan Freeman, and James Whitmore deserving the most acclaim.
It is a film that runs slowly, but you won't mind. It is a film that contains very minimal action, but you won't care. And when the movie picks up after the shocking twist, it goes to a new level of quality that will send shivers down your spines. Most of your greatest films of all-time reaches its quality peak at the final act, when the climax is starting to creep in. Shawshank Redemption is 10/10 for 2/3rds of the movie, but enters 11 territory when you approach the last 45 minutes.
Shawshank Redemption isn't just a film, it is an experience. And one that everyone must engage in at least once. You will come out of the other side a different person.
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