The 10 Best Films of 1994 - Romasuave's Pick a Top 10 Year W/O
Jun 11 '05
The Bottom Line I wish there would be another year as good as '94
I was sitting one day and thinking about 3 of the greatest movies I have had the privilege to watch, it turns out they were all made in 1994 so a light bulb went off in my head and after I replaced it I researched other movies that came out that year, so began my top 10 of 1994 idea and subsequently my Write Off idea. Simply list your top 10 movies from what you consider the best year for movies, it could be 2004, it could be 1934, it doesn’t matter. It helps if you think of 2 or 3 great movies that came out in one year and expand on the year, it worked for me. Now without further delay, my top 10 of 1994:
10. True Lies - James Cameron and Arnold Schwarzenegger team up again for this much anticipated spy flick where Arnold plays a spy hunting Arab terrorists while his wife (Jamie Lee Curtis) thinks he is an Insurance Salesman. The truth comes out when she is kidnapped and forced to team up with her husband to survive and save the East Coast from nuclear disaster. In hindsight the movie is a lot of fun, even though I expected more from it, it has great action stunts and edge of your seat thrills, not to mention comic relief from Arnie and Tom Arnold.
9. Dumb & Dumber - Jim Carrey had his most successful year in 1994 with hits such as this one, The Mask and Ace Ventura. I chose this one over the Mask because this movie is unique in that it is really silly, yet it grows on you the more you watch it, and Carrey is totally hilarious. In the film, Jeff Daniels and Carrey get mixed up in some criminal activity unbeknownst to them, they try and return a suitcase full of money to its owner, yet end up spending the money themselves. The sequel was so awful it made the original look more like a classic.
8. Lion King - One of Disney’s best animated features, here a young lion, Simba watches his dad, King Mufasa die and his evil uncle scar lays on the guilt trip on Simba. When Simba grown older he finds out the truth about his father’s death and gathers the strength and will to bring justice to Scar and become king himself. Wonderful animation with good character development and interaction, and as always a great soundtrack featuring the hit “Circle of Life” by Elton John.
7. Legends of the Fall - Highly underrated but a great epic film about a man (Anthony Hopkins) and his 3 sons (Brad Pitt, Aidan Quinn and Henry Thomas) who move to early 20th century Montana to escape their war past. Conflict arises when Thomas’ fiance falls for Pitt as Thomas is away in the war, and Quinn resents Pitt for stealing his brother’s wife. After years of soul searching for who they want to be, the family becomes a unit again to thwart criminals who want to hurt them. Wonderful script, good acting (primarily Hopkins), fitting score and fantastic cinematography are all blended well together to produce this highly recommended epic.
6. Swimming With Sharks - An Indy film that gained popularity with time. A very good character driven film with perhaps Kevin Spacy’s best acting role (aside from Usual Suspects). Here, Frank Whaley plays a young screenwriter who wants to get his feet wet in Hollywood, for that to happen he works from the bottom up as Spacy’s secretary (Spacy plays an arrogant Hollywood producer). Spacy humiliates him and promises good things for Whaley that never materialize, so Whaley holds him hostage trying to get ahead in the game by any mean necessary. Great acting throughout in this interesting film with a surprise twist ending.
5. Speed - This fast paced crime drama features Keanu Reeves as an L.A. cop who tries to diffuse a bomb aboard a bus. If the bus is to go below 50 mile per hour or anyone tries to get off the bomb will blow. Without the luxury of slowing down in the gruel L.A. traffic, he along with his partner (Jeff Daniels) try to hunt down the criminal mastermind and save the people aboard the bus. Very entertaining, fast moving and highly original, featuring Sandra Bullock as Reeves driver and love interest, the movie that put her on the map, and the bomber, evil, methodical Dennis Hopper
4. The Professional (Leon) - Frenchman Jean Reno plays a hitman who happens to live next to a family whose father has some shady drug dealing with the police. When the deal goes bad and he gets murdered, his 12 year old girl (Natalie Portman) seeks refuge in Reno’s apartment. She seeks revenge by asking Reno to teach her how to be a hitman herself. Reno, very focused on his previous hits and has no shred of emotion becomes attached to this girl and tries his best to help her get her revenge. Wonderful characters and strong acting, most notably Gary Oldman who plays the main corrupt police officer, Natalie Portman’s first role, a very mature and memorable, powerful and emotional, this movie grows on you as you care about the characters deeply.. Good action scenes and a great surprise ending all highlight this great film.
3. Pulp Fiction - This is actually tied with #2 as I can’t pick a favorite out of these remarkable films. Quentin Tarantino’s excellent work depicting several stories all brought into one conclusion. John Travolta and Samuel Jackson play hitmen for Ving Rhames. Rhames also promotes Boxer Bruce Willis who betrays him and runs off with his money. While Travolta and Jackson seek out Willis he runs into Rhames in an awesome cinematic sequence and come together against a bigger evil. Meanwhile, Travolta and Rhame’s wife have a frightening night on the town that almost leads to death. This movie is very involved and hard to put into words. Perfect ensemble cast and great character development. The movie draws the audience into this violent world with a philosophical attitude. The script is great, the music is fabulous and this movie is an instant classic.
2. Forrest Gump - 1994 Oscar Winner for Best Picture and Best Actor, a story of a mentally deficient man growing up and becoming a hero to all of us while he keeps his humble upbringing. Great performance from Hanks and a very interesting storyline take us from Alabama in the 60s to the entire U.S. in the 80s. There is a love story between Gump and his girl Jenny and it evolves into something very special. Sally Field delivers a great performance as his mother and the story is engrossing, vividly imaginative and highly entertaining.
1. The Shawshank Redemption - My favorite movie of all time. a heartfelt prison drama of a man wrongfully accused and sentenced to life in jail, his interactions with his prison mates and his hope for escape gives him a sense of freedom within the confines. Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman highlight the incredible performances, touching, enthralling and highly satisfying when the end comes. Superb visually and artistically. #1 of 1994.
Please Visit some of my other lists:
The Top 10 ....Best Steven Spielberg Movies Ever
The Top 10 ....Best Film Sagas of all time
Best Movies of 2003
The Top 10....Best Picture Snubs Ever
The Top 10 Oscar Winning Movies
The Top 10.....New Sequels You should avoid
The Top 10.....Most Anticipated Sequels
The Top 10.....Best Spoofs ever
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Member: Roman
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