1994. This is a life changing year. Many great movies came out this year, two of which would change my life forever.
10. The Shadow
This movie gets crapped on a lot, but damnit I liked it. Of course I was just a kid. And when you're a kid there isn't much you won't like. I was a rare kid though and before this movie was even heard of I had actually become a fan of the radio show. After we would close my parents video store for the night we would drive home listening to the AM radio station that actually played The Shadow. Then the movie came out and it was one of those movies that I forced myself to like, and I still do damnit.
The music in the movie was pretty damn awesome, and the opening scene ruled. Comment and complete this phrase to show how awesome you are......THE SUN, IS SHINING....
9. Blank Check
Disney was makin some pretty great movies in the early 90s. And this was one of them. Harmless don't read too much into it type of fun. Every kid loved this movie because we lived through this kid, and all remember how weird and gross it was when Tone Loc puked in the car.
8. The Lion King
People here in Arizona and in other parts of the country know of Harkins Cine-Capri. And I'm not talking about what you see today, I'm talking about back in the day. The REAL Cine-Capri. Those hometown Arizona people know exactly what I'm talking about. I saw this movie at the original real deal Cine-Capri. After staying home sick from school my uncle took me to see this movie. And for being just a cartoon, it was a legit good movie, and still is to this day. The sequels that followed were pretty meh but if you get a chance, check out Lion King 1 and a half. It's pretty good itself.
7. Maverick
Mel Gibson. I've said it before in many blogs. I am a huge Mel Gibson fan. And I love love love Lethal Weapon, all 4 of them. I like Maverick itself as a movie but this movie has the best cameo in any movie ever. Especially if you're a Lethal Weapon fan. Watch it below, and listen to the music.
6. Forrest Gump
Normal lists put this as the best movie of the year. And it is an amazing movie. Even as a kid I understood that this movie was great. And is still great. If you ever read the book, you get a very different Gump though. The book is a pretty huge step away from what the movie actually is. And there was even a sequel to the first book written called Gump & Co which is just as weird. Check out the books sometime, trust me its crazy. This movie also has one of the best soundtracks ever.
5. Speed
Sweet laserdisc action. I would watch this movie every day. And as an adult we made up the Speed Drinking Game. Here are the rules.... 1. Take a shot every time they show the speedometer. 2. Drink every time Alan Ruck has a line. 3. Drink every time they say bomb. 4. When the baby stroller gets hit by the bus, start drinking and do not stop drinking until the stroller hits the ground. Same rule for when the bus jumps the gap. 5. Take a shot for ever pop quiz.
4. True Lies
I remember my mom asking a couple people at her video store if they thought this movie was ok for me to see. I looked into their eyes, they looked at me, and saw the plead in them for them to say it was ok, nothing too bad in it. And of course there wasn't too much that was bad in it. Typical action violence and language, but damn this movie blew me away. Still love this movie.
3. The Crow
I think I watched this movie twice a day for about a week after I saw it. One of the best comic book movies ever made. A shame the sequels that followed were all a pile of crap but the TV show was actually pretty decent. Another great movie with a great soundtrack.
2. Clerks
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1. Pulp Fiction
After seeing Evil Dead and just numerous movies, my love for movies was through the roof. It wasn't until the day that a box arrived at my parents video store, full of screeners, that my love would go even higher. Clerks and Pulp Fiction were in this box. I had no problem watching Clerks since my Mom had never heard of it, after spending so much time with my parents in the video store, even as a kid I could identify with Randall. It was unlike any other movie I had seen. No big scenes, just a couple of friends hanging out in a mini mart, and it was funny. The thing with movies like Clerks that I saw as a kid is it allowed me to later go back and rewatch to finally get all the other jokes that I didn't fully understand as a kid.
And then came Pulp Fiction. My parents had sat down to watch this one night, I begged to watch it with them and they agreed as long as I promised to never say anything that they said in the movie. I sat there and watched, wide eyed, and not understanding barely anything going on. I wasn't used to this madness. The story jumping around. Someone I saw die earlier in the movie now back and alive later on in the movie. It took me about 5 times watching and a serious discussion with a fellow movie nerd at school before I understood and got this movie. Pulp Fiction isn't just my favorite movie of 1994. But it is my favorite movie period. Of all time. Out of all the movies there is, Pulp Fiction is my absolute favorite.
So what did I mean by life changing? Well Clerks and Pulp Fiction are the two movies I saw that made me go from being just a fan who watched them, to wanting to be a fan that made them. I began making movies with my action figures in the yard, to weird movies with my friends, and so on.
So there you have it, a huge 1994. See you next week for 1995!
