The Shawkshank Redemption might be the best film that never won Best Picture, or very nearly that. But nothing was going to beat Forrest Gump that year, not even Pulp Fiction. 1994 seems to be a memorable year for many film fans because of those two movies specifically. Both are continually celebrated the way the older generations celebrate Citizen Kane and Vertigo. Shawshank is somehow the most poetic thing when it concludes, proving that the way a movie ends is the most important thing about it.
The other film that was, I thought, significant was Robert Redford’s Quiz Show. Somehow, John Turturro was not nominated for Supporting Actor. Quiz Show is a good example of the Oscars not really embracing films that depict Hollywood, or in this case, television, in an unflattering light. They much prefer when they’re freeing hostages from Iran.
If you have any questions, please leave them in the comments section. Oscar Podcast will be uploaded some time Monday night.
IN It’s year my favourite film was Quiz Show, but retrospectively I have grown to adore Pulp Fiction which would be my choice now.
Just want to say that I agree with the Academy’s choice of Martin Landau over Samuel L. Jackson. Landau was brilliant and I hope you guys agree.
The 1994 podcast seems to be a repeat of 1993 episode.
Am sure a billion people have already mentioned it!
I still need to absorb what it is that has so enraptured “Shawshank” supporters. I’ve seen it three times now, and it still leaves me empty. A towering entry, for sure, it feels hollowed-out and then stuffed with disingenuous speechifying and haunted (often haunting) gestures. Rather than feeling moved, I came away feeling manipulated.
What I took issue with was the protagonist Andy Dufresne angling for a new trial, making reasonable overtures with the prison warden, and clandestinely digging his escape route. Were he to have won favor and gotten out of jail — he was vociferously lobbying for reconsideration, suggesting he is a man of character and nobility, and ultimately trustworthy — his hidden tunnel would have been discovered upon his ostensible escape and he would have been surely thrown back into jail. Prison breaks are illegal.
So much about this movie frustrates me, but I still find myself taken in by its pull when I watch it. It loses me in its wake, which using Sasha’s totally astute point that “the way a movie ends is the most important thing about it,” makes viewing “Shawshank” such a disappointing experience for me. As a story, though, it is ripe and resonant, and its performances are aging fairly well, especially given director Frank Darabont’s penchant for investing period-details in more than just his art direction and music choices. He excelled at evoking the language, patois and rhythms of speech required of the Rita Hayworth era spanning several decades. Writer-directors often fall into stereotype or tin-eared imitation; some miss the beats altogether which makes for a jarring neither-here-nor-there (or then) experience. Witness the traps that Darabont himself fell into with “The Majestic” as a comparison.
Thought provoking post, and everyone’s comments are really, really engaging. I love this community of cinephiles. Rock on, all.
Christopher, if you want to feel really empty or manipulated, try watching “Forrest Gump” three times. Ha!
I liked your comment re Shawshank’s “performances are aging fairly well”. I agree. So many films, even “period” films, don’t age well. It’s funny how that happens, when you rewatch a film years later and things pop up with the actors’ performances that almost seem cliche (that upon first viewing were not apparent).
@Keifer, I couldn’t agree more. I’ve actually attempted to jettison “Forrest Gump” from my memories of moviegoing. If I am discovered unconscious with a sledgehammer in my hand, it will be because I have been unable to purge its nearly three-hour world tour of pious platitudes and store-bought wisdoms from my mind. It also demonstrates damagingly calibrated female characters.
Ah yes. The George Bush Sr. years, where stupidity and manipulation were embraced as being okay.
“Life is a Box of Chocolates”
I wanted to shout at the screen “GO FUCK YOURSELF. LIFE IS A NEVERENDING SERIES OF WAR-MONGERING IDIOTS!”
Oh boy. I had forgot about “Little Women” and “The Madness of King George”. Two wonderful films that I’ve watched repeated times since. I always thought Susan Sarandon, who was wonderful in a supporting role in LW, should have received consideration that year.
1994 was a really good year for lead actress performances. The standout performance of the year for me was Linda Fiorentino playing the baddest bitch of them all in The Last Seduction. I remember the controversy surrounding the fact that her film aired on cable before it hit theaters, thus making Linda ineligible for an Oscar nomination.
Other standouts were:
Jennifer Jason Leigh (the winner of the NSFC award for best actress) in Mrs Parker and the Vicious Circle.
Sigourney Weaver in Death and the Maiden.
Winona Ryder in Little Women.
Irene Jacob in Three Colors: Red.
I also liked the performance of Jessica Lange in Blue Sky. It’s a good example of a strong female lead role.
Little Women is my choice for Best Picture of 1994. I also liked The Madness of King George (great performance by Nigel Hawthorne), Quiz Show, Pulp Fiction, and The Shawshank Redemption.
I think 1994 in retrospect wasn’t bad, but it was quite a comedown after 1993 (which, along with 1999, was my favorite decade of the 90’s). Intellectually, I know this was a coincidence, but after the fall and winter of 1993, where it seemed the studios were making ambitious films, 1994 was the year where a number of films went after the lowest common denominator. Let’s not forget 1994 was the year of THE FLINTSTONES, John Hughes at his worst (BABY’S DAY OUT), Steven Seagal at his most insufferable (ON DEADLY GROUND), a so-called romantic comedy/thriller that wasn’t romantic, funny or thrilling (I LOVE TROUBLE), a wretched movie version of a very funny novel (THE ROAD TO WELLVILLE), and let’s not forget the god-awfulness that was EXIT TO EDEN (I do not include movies like the first ACE VENTURA or NATURAL BORN KILLERS because even though I hated them, they certainly weren’t run-of-the-mill).
As for FORREST GUMP, I don’t think it quite deserves the “conservative” tag (except for the fact Jenny dies of AIDS; that was ridiculous), and I don’t hate it, but I’m not a big fan either. Part of the problem is I do think the sentiment is poured on too thick. But the other problem is this; while the novel it’s based on makes Forrest someone who accidentally steps into historical events, the movie does both that and have Forrest influence events (the call at the Watergate), and that feels wrong. Oh, and Bubba was more than a one-note character in the novel (I will say Lieutenant Dan was better handled in the movie than in the novel).
My favorites of 1994:
(1) PULP FICTION
(2) QUIZ SHOW
(3) HOOP DREAMS (the fact this wasn’t even *nominated* for Best Documentary is the outrage of the year)
(4) THREE COLORS: RED
(5) THE BOYS OF ST. VINCENT (yes, it was a Canadian TV-miniseries, but it was released theatrically in the U.S.)
(6) THE LAST SEDUCTION
(7) NOBODY’S FOOL
(8) BURNT BY THE SUN
(9) SIRENS
(10) ED WOOD
Honorable mention: BULLETS OVER BROADWAY, COBB, FOUR WEDDINGS AND A FUNERAL, INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE, LEON, OLEANNA, RED ROCK WEST, SPEED, VANYA ON 42ND STREET
pretty damn good year, i’ve got to say – at least just based on those magnificent top 5 films.
1994:
(1) Pulp Fiction
(2) Quiz Show
(3) The Shawshank Redemption
(4) Ed Wood
(5) Forrest Gump
(6) Heavenly Creatures
(7) The Last Seduction
(8) Red
(9) Dumb & Dumber
(10) Speed
Others; bullets over broadway, shallow grave, the lion king, leon, hoop dreams, once we were warriors, clerks, it could happen to you
I also wish Jennifer Tilly would have won the Best Supporting Actress that year for “Bullets Over Broadway”, rather than Dianne Wiest, who kind of “phoned in” her over-the-top grande dame.
Tilly is so funny and so in character in this movie. Sadly, comedy seldom gets recognized in the acting categories. It’s hard even to get a nomination for a comedy! When you rewatch “Bullets Over Broadway”, pay attention to Tilly, who really delivers. “Charmed. Charmed. Charmed-Charmed. Really charmed. . . . . Heh, let’s get us some hooch in here, will ya?” And the look on John Cusack’s face is just priceless.
BOB deserved Best Supporting Actress. It really should have gone to Tilly that year. It might have given her a decent shot at a career in movies . . . rather than that horrid “Chucky” series she was delegated to after the nomination.
Along with the unheralded John Turturro in “Quiz Show”, two other performances that year which got passed over for nominations were John Cusack, who was wonderful as the writer in “Bullets Over Broadway”, Tim Robbins, who is equally as good as Morgan Freeman in “Shawshank Redemption” and Ralph Fiennes, who made you care about his seduced nature in “Quiz Show”. I think all three actors should have received Best Actor nominations in 1994. I would have rounded out the list with Johnny Depp from “Ed Wood” and (my winner) Morgan Freeman from “The Shawshank Redemption”.
1994. A great year for movies. A great year for actors.
I remember reading about The Last Seduction not being eligible for Oscars that year. what was that about and did that movie had any chance of being nominated for something?
I think it would be interesting if you guys would start a little game in your podcast like – replace the nominee?
e.g. Johnny Depp – Ed Wood instead of Paul Newman
Jennifer Jason Leigh – Mrs. Parker… instead of Winona Ryder
I wouldn’t change best picture nominees, though I do wish that Ed Wood was there. I liked it more than any of the nominees.
The Last Seduction first aired on cable. It was later released in theaters, and that made it ineligible for Oscar nominations./
I like 1994 although the lead actress category is probably the weakest in oscar history and even though Lange was fine of the ones nominated Foster should have won. Hanks and Wiest were worthy winners but when you consider Jackson beside Landau it is no competition. One of the most underapperciated performances of the year I believe was Robin Wright (Penn at the time) who steals Forrest Gump with her more nuanced work and breaks my heart everytime especially in her final scene.
Pulp Fiction was robbed of many wins and is still my favourite work by Tarantino who I hate as a person I still can respect his work.
I’ve seen Forrest Gump 5 times (not by my own choice) and everytime the uniqueness dies a bit.
The Lion King is another standout from that year especially the death of Mufasa being such a sad moment and the songs of the film are good for Elton John’s work but no where near the best of disney.
Four Weddings and a Funeral was a strange best picture nominee that is an example of a good rom com and having Kristen Scott Thomas is an advantage in my opnion.
Bullets Over Broadway is one of my favourite Woody Allen films for how much of an in joke it is for all us broadway fans. The whole process of building the play was great and when you have great supporting female characters such as Tilly and especially Wiest it is another example of a risk of Allen’s that pays off.
Shawshank is a great film and a fan favourite and Freeman really should have won over Hanks who already won for his best, but Freeman never stood a chance in the racist academy and up aganist america’s favourite Hanks who really started his campaign when he won his first oscar because everyone fell in love with him.
While I hated the lead actress category I must say the supporting women of the year were so strong that many of them were practically leads and the five nominated all deserved to be there and with snubs like Field and Wright it shows how strong of a year it was were supporting women who stole their films from the weaker written male characters.
I love all three films. I don’t want this podcast to become a Forrest Gump bash-fest. Gump is a great film.
Forrest Gump is one of my all time favorite movies. It features one of the Great performances with capital “G” by Tom Hanks who thoroughly deserved his Oscar.
The thing about the critics of Gump is that they look at what’s on the surface of the film. But Gump is unlike any other movie ever made or will ever be made. The screenplay and the director infused that film with little hints and clues as to what we should be looking for. Way too much attention is paid by the critics and public at large to the the Historical pop culture references and moments featured when that is not the heart of the movie. The heart of the movie is the dichotomy that is established between Forrest’s life and Forrest’s relationship with Jenny. But because the “Life” storyline is such an amazing ride, we lose sense of what the movie as a whole is trying to do.
First and foremost, it’s a comedy with some dramatic elements. Comedy is at the core of Gump’s greatness as a piece of cinema. It’s asking us NOT to take its story too literally and seriously. It’s not trying to make political statements, to tell us about those times in any 100% truthful manner (including the Civil Rights and Women’s liberation movement). Gump’s self-consciously repeating shots such as that of two people standing by the lake at the Gump house, and other almost-”cartoonish” elements are a proof of that. It’s about this one character and the complex question of fate vs free will. In the storyline of Forrest’s life, he’s a passive player, makes no objective action and is just taken along for the ride like the feather in the wind. The Jenny storyline is the complete opposite. These two people are bound together and they will inevitably always meet. It’s a representation of two ways of seeing the world: you make your own destiny vs you have no control over your life.
I don’t want to make this post overlong, but suffice it to say that Jenny and Lt. Dan and Forrest’s mother and Bubba are all vital to the story this film is trying to tell and play very specific parts in the big machine that is Eric Roth’s screenplay precisely BECAUSE of their archetypal nature. Just like The Tree of Life’s parents are archetypes of the loving mother and the strict father, both films reach much greater depths (although Gump attempts to reach them within a mainstream context) because they want to go beyond the surface. It’s not that Jenny is a hippy drug addict in the 60s and the safe place for her to go is Forrest’s conservative house. It’s that Jenny is someone being swept along in the great journey of life (just like Forrest and the feather) but at the same time some unknown “force” is pushing them together.
I’m sorry for the double post but I just wanted to conclude:
Gump provides us with an unbelievably fun ride, great entertainment that is very moving at times but never overdoing it (except for maybe the scene where the leg braces come off, which is one of two moments where the film does overdo it). You will notice that in Gump’s final speech at Jenny’s grave he takes out a letter from his son to his mother, but he does not read it. What could have been a overboard sentimental moment simply becomes a poignant one as Forrest lays the letter down among the flowers.
And it also happens to feature the best acting moment of Tom Hanks’ career, when Forrest finds out he’s got a son: “Is he smart?”
How could I forget The Lion King:
The animation
The music!
The epic sweep
The classic story
The beautiful setting
The emotions
Jeremy Irons
The overall movie magic
Right up there with Beauty and the Beast a few years earlier as a strong BP candidate (didnt happen, but).
The Lion king was robbed a Best pic nod, hope you got time to mention that! (Four weddings, seriously??)
One more thing: 2010 was a kick ass year too:
Black Swan
The Social Network
Inception
Shutter Island (I can’t be the only one pissed that DiCaprio didn’t get a nomination for either of these performances. Shutter Island, like The Age of Innocence, is turning out to be one of Scorsese’s underrated films)
The Kids Are All Right
The Fighter
The King’s Speech
I Am Love (grossly underrated)
Blue Valentine
Winter’s Bone
Can’t wait for the conversation on this year and these films to begin.
Agreed, a good year. Here’s one reader’s preview of that conversation. I’m just inserting something I posted in the previous podcast thread, but as a bonus, I’ve indicated the Academy Awards that films should have won.
Best of 2010
1. THE SOCIAL NETWORK (Picture, Director, Adapted Screenplay)
2. I AM LOVE (Actress, Foreign Language Film, Costume Design)
3. TRON: LEGACY (Original Score, Visual Effects, Sound Editing)
4. NEVER LET ME GO (Supporting Actor, Production Design)
5. I SAW THE DEVIL (Actor, Cinematography, Editing, Sound Mixing)
6. ANIMAL KINGDOM (Original Screenplay, Supporting Actress)
7. THE ILLUSIONIST (Animated Feature)
8. BLACK SWAN (Makeup)
9. SCOTT PILGRIM VS THE WORLD
10. THE GHOST WRITER
11. TRUE GRIT
12. BLUE VALENTINE
13. HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON
14. TRIGUN: BADLANDS RUMBLE
15. ELITE SQUAD: THE ENEMY WITHIN
16. THE FIGHTER
17. TOY STORY 3
18. THE AMERICAN
19. INCEPTION
20. ANOTHER YEAR
21. SHUTTER ISLAND
22. KICK-ASS
23. POETRY
24. THE KING’S SPEECH
25. MACGRUBER
26. LET ME IN
27. HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS PART I
28. TINY FURNITURE
29. BURIED
30. THE TOWN
31. TANGLED
32. THE TOWN
33. MACHETE
34. PREDATORS
35. I LOVE YOU PHILLIP MORRIS
36. LEGEND OF THE GUARDIANS: THE OWLS OF GA’HOOLE
37. THE DEBT
38. FOUR LIONS
Most Overrated: CARLOS + DESPICABLE ME
Most Underrated: SPLICE
Worst Film of the Year: FILM SOCIALISME + ALICE IN WONDERLAND
Guilty Pleasure: TWELVE
Couldn’t Care Less:EXIT THROUGH THE GIFTSHOP
1994, like 1939 and 1967, was a landmark year in American cinema, and I’m glad critics and historians are finally beginning to recognize it. The fierce battle between Forrest Gump (old Hollywood) and Pulp Fiction (young Hollywood) was only eclipsed by the blood bath between Brokeback Mountain and Crash.
I was 20 in 1994, just beginning to immerse myself in cinema. I watched Pulp Fiction four times at the theatre and enjoyed it each time. Every time I saw it the theatre was packed to capacity; watching the film was a communal experience, something I haven’t experienced at the movies since. Everyone was engaged, everyone reacted to the same scenes. We were all in it together.
Whenever cineastes, critics and bloggers speak of 1994 they always mention the same three films: Forrest Gump, Pulp Fiction and The Shawshank Redemption. But there were a slew of worthy films released that year:
Bullets Over Broadway
Red
Natural Born Killers
Nobody’s Fool
Tom & Viv
The Madness of King George
Interview with the Vampire
Speed
Legends of the Fall
The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert
Four Weddings and a Funeral
The Last Seduction (even though it’s technically a TV movie it’s still worth mentioning)
2013 is shaping up to be a monumental year as well. Already we had The Butler, Blue Jasmine, Gravity, Mother of George, Fruitvale Station and Prisoners. But I think this year will be remembered most for the outstanding offerings in black cinema, films that have already made it to theatres and those to come. Can’t wait.
A sparse year indeed, but the standout is the best and most influential film of the decade.
Best of 1994
1. PULP FICTION
2. THREE COLORS: WHITE, RED
3. VANYA ON 42ND STREET
4. CHUNGKING EXPRESS
5. LEON: THE PROFESSIONAL
6. ED WOOD
7. NATURAL BORN KILLERS
8. SHALLOW GRAVE
9. WILD REEDS
10. BEFORE THE RAIN
11. EXOTICA
12. REALITY BITES
13. SPEED
14. THE NEW AGE
15. CLEAN, SHAVEN (omg sooo cute <3<3<3)
16. COLD WATER (the only Assayas film I have ever liked)
17. THE CROW
18. QUEEN MARGOT
19. SPANKING THE MONKEY
20. HEAVENLY CREATURES
21. QUIZ SHOW
22. BLUE SKY
23. STREET FIGHTER II: THE ANIMATED MOVIE
24. THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION
25. BULLETS OVER BROADWAY
26. THE LION KING
27. STARGATE
Hall of Shame: SANTANGO + BARCELONA + THE MADNESS OF KING GEORGE
Haven’t Seen: THROUGH THE OLIVE TREES, TO LIVE, THE ADVENTURES OF PRISCILLA
The Ecumenical Prize goes to Spike Jonze for directing THIS
To Live is very good, it’s a grand epic from Zhang Yimou with Gong Li in it, and you can’t go wrong with that combination.
Priscilla is good fun, but what sets it apart are its great costumes (I think by Lizzie Gardner who happened to wear the best dress to the Oscars up until the infamous Swan Dress)
http://0.tqn.com/d/fashion/1/0/K/i/2/amexdress.jpg
I have too many blind spots for Asian cinema in general, but from this year it’s the worst –I’ve only seen one or two. And I’ve been meaning to check out PRISCILLA, I believe it’s still on Netflix, the trailer looks promising, and I’m a big fan of Terrence Stamp’s (TEOREMA, SUPERMAN II: THE RICHARD DONNER CUT).
I had seen Before the Rain before Pulp Fiction so when the whole twisty narrative thing in PF happened I was less impressed than the average filmgoer. Sure PF was way more complex, but the elegant simplicity of Before the Rain had such a major impact because of that. It was unexpected and ultimately very exciting when that “device” was used.
If you haven’t seen Before the Rain, I suspect you should.
Yes I have, and I loved it. It’s on my top 10. But as most everyone my age, I saw PULP FICTION first and much later on discovered RAIN, but now that you’ve told me about your viewing order, it does strike me as something to consider, especially if you saw PF shortly after you first saw RAIN. I should also offer that Tarantino’s “innovative” structure is only one of many elements cherished by the film’s hordes of proponents. For instance, another one would be the way in which, for the first time, Tarantino elevated many visual styles/techniques/devices into the mainstream that were previously considered ghetto.
“The Shawkshank Redemption might be the best film that never won Best Picture, or very nearly that.”
??????????????????
Loved Forrest Gump. A classic in my mind.
Ditto Shawshank. Wouldve been fine with either or winning.
Lovvve 4 Weddings and a Funeral.
Liked Quiz Show an awful lot.
Ed Wood, good.
Pulp Fiction disturbs me too much to consider it Best Picture.
Not worthy of Best Picture talks, but really enjoy:
Legend of the Fall.
Interview with a Vampire. Those tech categories!
Also a year where Ed Wood came out. Probably Burton’s best film. Funny, weird, and inspirational and yet it’s about a terrible filmmaker. Burton had a sharp script to work with though. Yea there were better films that year than Forrest Gump, but oh well. Ah Pulp Fiction. Still get goosebumps from that closing monologue.
1994 is one of my fave years for film, and almost every film I love from that year has been largely ignored by, well, everyone.
Were I to rank my top ten Once Were Warriors, Heavenly Creatures, Clerks, Before the Rain, Exotica, Queen Margot, Priest, Oleanna, Shallow Grave would all follow (in no special order) what I think is the unquestioned masterpiece from that year, Vanya on 42nd Street.
But Priest, Heavenly Creatures and Once Were Warriors are all good enough to be my number 1 in most years.
I like those movies very much (except for “Clerks,” and I haven’t seen “Oleanna”).
I hope you podcasters read the comments this time….ROFL. Anyway, this is a really interesting point about the public conception of what is good cinema and could prompt some conversation about 1994 and more:
On the recent list of AFI’s 100 Years…100 Movies in 2007 (12 years after the Oscars), The Shawshank Redemption was ranked 72, Forrest Gump was ranked 76, and Pulp Fiction was ranked 94.
Even the AFI List, intended to denote the greatest American films by a body of “1,500+ filmmakers and industry leaders,” has these two films over Pulp Fiction, the former being the imdb number one film and the latter being the Best Picture winner. I find the AFI List, like many published “best of” lists (don’t even get me started on AV Club’s best of the 90s, which left out Silence of the Lambs and Titanic), is fairly generic and uninspired; one that reads more for the American public than our high achievements in cinema. Other atrocities: Sophie’s Choice ranked over Goodfellas, Rocky over Network, McCabe & Mrs. Miller unlisted, as well as Hitchcock’s Rebecca, The Shining, and Stagecoach.
The 1994 Oscars is the perfect example of what’s wrong with the Academy Awards, and the popular conception of good movies. Yes, we can use many years as case studies, but Pulp Fiction was truly a landmark film and was recognized as such in 1994, even before it influenced countless projects and future filmmakers. It won the Palm, decided by Clint Eastwood no less. It’s a film that was seen as hugely new and innovative in its storytelling and screenplay, told with such passion and pizzazz. Of all Harvey Weinstein’s pushing and shoving come Oscar time, why couldn’t he have won this one Best Picture, a film he has recognized as the most significant he has backed in his career??? Again, it comes back to the public, and what is likable. But how then does the AFI rank those films over Pulp Fiction?
Oh, I have questions. What do you think is your favorite year of the 1990’s? What is the best movie of the 90’s? My favorite year might have to be 1998 (although that might be because I haven’t seen a lot from other years) and favorite movie would be L.A. Confidential. 1998 brought along Saving Private Ryan, Shakespeare in Love, The Truman Show, and Out of Sight, among others. L.A. Confidential is one of the best major studio movies ever to come out of Hollywood.
L.A. Confidential is from 1997, and it was defeated by Titanic. Also, L.A. Confidential and Three Colors: Red are my favorite movies from that decade.
Oh, great year for movies. I want to make a shout out to the amazing Three Colors: Red, which was not nominated but should have been. As for the nominees:
I don’t think Forrest Gump is a bad movie, but it’s not a great one either. It has a great premise, but it’s weighed down by excessive sentimentality and syrupy-sweetness. It shouldn’t have won Best Picture that year. That being said, Tom Hanks’ performance is one of the most deserving Best Actor wins ever, and Sally Field should have been nominated. Overall, B-minus.
Four Weddings and a Funeral seems like a trifle at first, and it is. However, Hugh Grant and Andie MacDowell give great comedic performances in a movie that’s clever and funny enough. B-plus.
The Shawshank Redemption. I wouldn’t say it’s quite as amazing as nearly everyone else on the blogosphere would claim, but it’s a moving story of friendship and has great work from Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman. As for “best movie that never won Best Picture”…I think L.A. Confidential, Citizen Kane, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, The Social Network, etc. would like a word with you. Still, A-minus.
Quiz Show might be the most forgotten of the nominees that year and it’s a shame, really. It succeeds in the way a lot of biopics do by taking its subject matter and using it to explore much deeper ideas. It’s an incredibly entertaining movie. John Turturro should have gotten the Best Supporting Actor nomination over Paul Scofield, but that’s really my only complaint about a film that’s clearly deserving of an A.
And now we have the big kahuna (pun intended). After all these years, Pulp Fiction remains the best movie I’ve seen from Tarantino. Twisty, brutal, disturbing, funny, thrilling, trashy…this movie is everything. The gimmicks and movie references not only enhance the plot, but I think the movie in many ways would be meaningless without them. John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, and Uma Thurman were on fire. A masterpiece that should have won Best Picture, though like I said, Three Colors: Red is not that far behind. An A+ for sure.
The year the bottom fell out.
In addition to Quiz Show (probably Redford’s most thoughtful directorial effort), the only survivors would be Ed Wood (Tim Burton’s last great film), Wild Reeds, Hoop Dreams (really screwed come Oscar time) and Bullets Over Broadway.
1994? Don’t speak, don’t speak
Sasha, I like your idea for a “Best Special Effects Driven Feature” category.
What would your pick be for this year of Oscar? I’d be curious to hear your pics for the years going forward, too.