Top Ten of 1994: World Premieres
Top Ten by U.S. Release Date (Updated) // My 1994 Oscar Ballot (Updated)
| 1. | Vanya on 42nd Street Dir. Louis Malle. With Wallace Shawn, Julianne Moore A |
| 2. | Heavenly Creatures Dir. Peter Jackson. With Melanie Lynskey, Kate Winslet A |
| 3. | Chungking Express Dir. Wong Kar-wai. With Takeshi Kaneshiro, Brigitte Lin A– |
| 4. | Hoop Dreams Dir. Steve James. Documentary about high-school basketball players A– |
| 5. | Through the Olive Trees Dir. Abbas Kiarostami. With Hossein Rezai, Zarifeh Shiva A– |
| 6. | Pulp Fiction Dir. Quentin Tarantino. With John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson A– |
| 7. | Natural Born Killers Dir. Oliver Stone. With Woody Harrelson, Juliette Lewis A– |
| 8. | Ed Wood Dir. Tim Burton. With Johnny Depp, Martin Landau, Sarah Jessica Parker A– |
| 9. | Speed Dir. Jan de Bont. With Keanu Reeves, Dennis Hopper, Sandra Bullock A– |
| 10. | Three Colors: White Dir. Krzysztof Kieślowski. With Zbigniew Zamachowski, Julie Delpy A– |
Runners-Up (alpha): Before the Rain, The Last Seduction, Nobody's Fool, What Happened Was...
Reviews from 1994
★ = Full-Length Review / © = Capsule-Length Review / ★ = Blog Review (New Window)
★ Blue Sky Dir. Tony Richardson. With Tommy Lee Jones, Jessica Lange, Powers Boothe B–
© Bullets over Broadway Dir. Woody Allen. With John Cusack, Chazz Palminteri B+
© Clerks Dir. Kevin Smith. With Brian O'Halloran, Jeff Anderson, Marilyn Ghigliotti C
★ Eat Drink Man Woman Dir. Ang Lee. With Sihung Lung, Chien-lien Wu B
★ Fresh Dir. Boaz Yakin. With Sean Nelson, Giancarlo Esposito, Samuel L. Jackson C
★ Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle Dir. Alan Rudolph. With Jennifer Jason Leigh B
★ The River Wild Dir. Curtis Hanson. With Meryl Streep, Kevin Bacon, David Strathairn C+
© Vanya on 42nd Street Dir. Louis Malle. With Wallace Shawn, Julianne Moore A
More Grades from 1994
Unreviewed titles I have seen recently enough to grade
Before the Rain Dir. Milcho Manchevski. With Rade Serbedzija, Grégoire Colin B+
The Client Dir. Joel Schumacher. With Brad Renfro, Susan Sarandon, Tommy Lee Jones C–
Cremaster 4 Dir. Matthew Barney. With Matthew Barney, Sharon Marvel, Colette Guimond B+
Even Cowgirls Get the Blues Dir. Gus Van Sant. With Uma Thurman, Lorraine Bracco D–
Forrest Gump Dir. Robert Zemeckis. With Tom Hanks, Robin Wright, Gary Sinise C–
Go Fish Dir. Rose Troche. With Guinevere Turner, V.S. Brodie, T. Wendy McMillan B+
Little Women Dir. Gillian Armstrong. With Winona Ryder, Susan Sarandon, Claire Danes B+
Love Affair Dir. Glenn Gordon Caron. With Warren Beatty, Annette Bening, Katharine Hepburn D+
Nell Dir. Michael Apted. With Jodie Foster, Liam Neeson, Natasha Richardson C–
Nobody's Fool Dir. Robert Benton. With Paul Newman, Melanie Griffith, Dylan Walsh A–
Threesome Dir. Andrew Fleming. With Josh Charles, Lara Flynn Boyle, Stephen Baldwin B–
Tom & Viv Dir. Brian Gilbert. With Willem Dafoe, Miranda Richardson, Rosemary Harris D+
Also from 1994
The memories are fading, but they're somewhere in my brain
Fetching
Death and the Maiden Dir. Roman Polanski. With Sigourney Weaver, Ben Kingsley
Heart of Darkness Dir. Nicolas Roeg. TV Movie. With Tim Roth, John Malkovich
The Last Seduction Dir. John Dahl. With Linda Fiorentino, Peter Berg, Bill Pullman
Queen Margot Dir. Patrice Chéreau. With Isabelle Adjani, Vincent Pérez, Daniel Auteuil
Reality Bites Dir. Ben Stiller. With Winona Ryder, Ethan Hawke, Ben Stiller
Spanking the Monkey Dir. David O. Russell. With Jeremy Davies, Alberta Watson
What Happened Was... Dir. Tom Noonan. With Karen Sillas, Tom Noonan
Wolf Dir. Mike Nichols. With Jack Nicholson, Michelle Pfeiffer, James Spader
Fair
Burnt by the Sun Dir. Nikhita Mikhalkov. With Nikita Mikhalkov, Oleg Menchikov
The Crow Dir. Alex Proyas. With Brandon Lee, Michael Wincott, Ernie Hudson
Four Weddings and a Funeral Dir. Mike Newell. With Hugh Grant, Andie MacDowell
I Like It Like That Dir. Darnell Martin. With Lauren Vélez, Jon Seda, Desiree Casado
Interview with the Vampire Dir. Neil Jordan. With Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise, Kirsten Dunst
Mary Shelley's Frankenstein Dir. Kenneth Branagh. With Kenneth Branagh, Robert De Niro
The New Age Dir. Michael Tolkin. With Peter Weller, Judy Davis, Paula Marshall
Quiz Show Dir. Robert Redford. With Ralph Fiennes, John Turturro, Rob Morrow
Romeo Is Bleeding Dir. Peter Medak. With Gary Oldman, Lena Olin, Juliette Lewis
Serial Mom Dir. John Waters. With Kathleen Turner, Sam Waterston, Ricki Lake
The Shawshank Redemption Dir. Frank Darabont. With Tim Robbins, Morgan Freeman
Three Colors: Red Dir. Krzysztof Kieślowski. With Irène Jacob, Jean-Louis Trintignant
Trevor Dir. Peggy Rajski. With Brett Barsky, Jonah Rooney, Judy Kain
True Lies Dir. James Cameron. With Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jamie Lee Curtis
Feh
The Cowboy Way Dir. Gregg Champion. With Woody Harrelson, Kiefer Sutherland
Dream Lover Dir. Nicholas Kazan. With James Spader, M?dchen Amick, Bess Armstrong
The Hudsucker Proxy Dir. Joel Coen. With Tim Robbins, Paul Newman
Immortal Beloved Dir. Bernard Rose. With Gary Oldman, Jeroen Krabbé, Johanna Ter Steege
The Lion King Dirs. Rob Minkoff & Roger Allers. Animated. Voice of Matthew Broderick
The Madness of King George Dir. Nicholas Hytner. With Nigel Hawthorne, Helen Mirren
Naked in New York Dir. Daniel Algrant. With Eric Stoltz, Mary-Louise Parker, Ralph Macchio
Speechless Dir. Ron Underwood. With Geena Davis, Michael Keaton, Christopher Reeve
The Sum of Us Dirs. Kevin Dowling & Geoff Burton. With Jack Thompson, Russell Crowe
Flotsam
The Chase Dir. Adam Rifkin. With Charlie Sheen, Kristy Swanson, Henry Rollins Jr.
China Moon Dir. John Bailey. With Ed Harris, Madeleine Stowe, Benicio Del Toro
The Mask Dir. Charles Russell. With Jim Carrey, Cameron Diaz, Peter Greene
The Natural History of Parking Lots Dir. Everett Lewis. With Charlie Bean, b.Wyatt
Scorned Dir. Andrew Stevens. With Shannon Tweed, Andrew Stevens
Still to Come from 1994
Ten Most Enticing Prospects:
A Confucian Confusion Dir. Edward Yang. With Chen Shiang-chyi, Chen Yiwen, Danny Deng
Crooklyn Dir. Spike Lee. With Zelda Harris, Alfre Woodard, Delroy Lindo
Crumb Dir. Terry Zwigoff. Documentary about the underground comic-strip artist
Ladybird, Ladybird Dir. Ken Loach. With Crissy Rock, Vladimir Vega, Sandie Lavelle
The Ref Dir. Ted Demme. With Denis Leary, Judy Davis, Kevin Spacey, Glynis Johns
Sátántangó Dir. Béla Tarr. With Mihály Vig, Lászlo feLugossy, Putyi Horváth
The Silences of the Palace Dir. Moufida Tlatli. With Amel Hedhili, Najia Ouerghi
Strawberry & Chocolate Dirs. Tomás Gutiérrez Alea & Juan Carlos Tabío
To Live Dir. Zhang Yimou. With Ge You, Gong Li, Niu Ben, Fei Deng, Guo Tao, Jiang Wu
Vive l'amour Dir. Tsai Ming-liang. With Chen Chao-jung, Lee Kang-sheng, Yang Kuei-mei
Further Research:
BackBeat Dir. Iain Softley. With Ian Hart, Stephen Dorff, Sheryl Lee, Gary Bakewell
Blue Chips Dir. William Friedkin. With Nick Nolte, Mary McDonnell, J.T. Walsh
The Browning Version Dir. Mike Figgis. With Albert Finney, Greta Scacchi, Matthew Modine
Cobb Dir. Ron Shelton. With Tommy Lee Jones, Robert Wuhl, Lolita Davidovich
Le Colonel Chabert Dir. Yves Angelo. With Gérard Depardieu, Fanny Ardant
Color of Night Dir. Richard Rush. With Bruce Willis, Jane March, Rubén Blades
Corrina, Corrina Dir. Jessie Nelson. With Whoopi Goldberg, Tina Majorino, Ray Liotta
Defending Our Lives Dirs. Margaret Lazarus & Renner Wunderlich. Documentary
Disclosure Dir. Barry Levinson. With Michael Douglas, Demi Moore, Donald Sutherland
Dumb & Dumber Dirs. Peter & Bobby Farrelly. With Jim Carrey, Jeff Daniels, Lauren Holly
L'Enfer Dir. Claude Chabrol. With Emmanuelle Béart, François Cluzet, Nathalie Cardone
Golden Gate Dir. John Madden. With Matt Dillon, Joan Chen, Tzi Ma, Bruno Kirby
A Great Day in Harlem Dir. Jean Bach. Documentary about convocation of jazz artists
I'll Do Anything Dir. James L. Brooks. With Nick Nolte, Whittni Wright, Albert Brooks
Imaginary Crimes Dir. Anthony Drazan. With Harvey Keitel, Fairuza Balk, Kelly Lynch
Intersection Dir. Mark Rydell. With Richard Gere, Sharon Stone, Lolita Davidovich
I.Q. Dir. Fred Schepisi. With Meg Ryan, Tim Robbins, Walter Matthau, Stephen Fry
Jason's Lyric Dir. Doug McHenry. With Allen Payne, Jada Pinkett, Bokeem Woodbine
Junior Dir. Ivan Reitman. With Arnold Schwarzenegger, Danny DeVito, Emma Thompson
Killing Zoe Dir. Roger Avary. With Eric Stoltz, Julie Delpy, Jean-Hugues Anglade
Legends of the Fall Dir. Edward Zwick. With Brad Pitt, Julia Ormond, Anthony Hopkins
Love Affair Dir. Glenn Gordon Caron. With Warren Beatty, Annette Bening, Katharine Hepburn
A Low Down Dirty Shame Dir. Keenan Ivory Wayans. With Keenan Ivory Wayans
A Man of No Importance Dir. Suri Krishnamma. With Albert Finney, Brenda Fricker
Maverick Dir. Richard Donner. With Mel Gibson, Jodie Foster, James Garner, Graham Greene
Oleanna Dir. David Mamet. With William H. Macy, Debra Eisenstadt
Only You Dir. Norman Jewison. With Marisa Tomei, Robert Downey Jr., Bonnie Hunt
Picture Bride Dir. Kayo Hatta. With Youki Kudoh, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, Tamlyn Tomita
Prêt-à-Porter Dir. Robert Altman. With Sophia Loren, Marcello Mastroianni
The Professional Dir. Luc Besson. With Jean Reno, Gary Oldman, Natalie Portman
A Pure Formality Dir. Giuseppe Tornatore. With Gérard Depardieu, Roman Polanski
The Road to Wellville Dir. Alan Parker. With Anthony Hopkins, Matthew Broderick
Silent Tongue Dir. Sam Shepard. With Richard Harris, River Phoenix, Dermot Mulroney
Sirens Dir. John Duigan. With Hugh Grant, Sam Neill, Tara FitzGerald, Elle MacPherson
The Specialist Dir. Luis Llosa. With Sylvester Stallone, Sharon Stone, James Woods
Teté and the Moon Dir. Bigas Luna. With Biel Durán, Mathilda May, Javier Bardem
Theremin: An Electronic Odyssey Dir. Steven M. Martin. Documentary
An Unforgettable Summer Dir. Lucian Pintilie. With Kristin Scott Thomas, Claudiu Bleont
The War Dir. Jon Avnet. With Elijah Wood, Kevin Costner, Mare Winningham
Wes Craven's New Nightmare Dir. Wes Craven. With Heather Langenkamp, Robert Englund
When a Man Loves a Woman Dir. Luis Mandoki. With Andy Garcia, Meg Ryan
Widows' Peak Dir. John Irvin. With Mia Farrow, Natasha Richardson, Joan Plowright
Wyatt Earp Dir. Lawrence Kasdan. With Kevin Costner, Dennis Quaid, Gene Hackman
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