Top Ten of 1995: World Premieres
U.S. Releases (Updated) // Original List (Jan 98) // My 1995 Oscar Ballot (Updated)
| 1. | Safe Dir. Todd Haynes. With Julianne Moore, Xander Berkeley, Peter Friedman A+ |
| 2. | The Bridges of Madison County Dir. Clint Eastwood. With Meryl Streep, Clint Eastwood A |
| 3. | Dead Man Walking Dir. Clint Eastwood. With Susan Sarandon, Sean Penn A |
| 4. | Toy Story Dir. John Lasseter. Animated. Voices of Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Wallace Shawn A |
| 5. | Nixon Dir. Oliver Stone. With Anthony Hopkins, Joan Allen, James Woods, J.T. Walsh A– |
| 6. | Georgia Dir. Ulu Grosbard. With Jennifer Jason Leigh, Mare Winningham, Max Perlich A– |
| 7. | Strange Days Dir. Kathryn Bigelow. With Ralph Fiennes, Angela Bassett, Juliette Lewis A– |
| 8. | Babe Dir. Chris Noonan. With James Cromwell, the voice of Christine Cavanaugh A– |
| 9. | Before Sunrise Dir. Richard Linklater. With Ethan Hawke, Julie Delpy, Karl Bruckschwaiger A– |
| 10. | Home for the Holidays Dir. Jodie Foster. With Holly Hunter, Robert Downey Jr. A– |
Runners-Up (alpha): 12 Monkeys, Cremaster 4, Leaving Las Vegas, Persuasion,
Welcome to the Dollhouse
Exemplary Television Miniseries: Pride and Prejudice
Reviews from 1995: World Premieres
★ = Full-Length Review / © = Capsule-Length Review / ★ = Blog Review (New Window)
★ The Addiction Dir. Abel Ferrera. With Lili Taylor, Christopher Walken, Annabella Sciorra B
★ Antonia's Line Dir. Marleen Gorris. With Willeke Van Ammelrooy, Els Dottermans F
★ Babe Dir. Chris Noonan. With James Cromwell, voice of Christine Cavanaugh A–
★ Braveheart Dir. Mel Gibson. With Mel Gibson, Patrick McGoohan, Sophie Marceau C–
★ Home for the Holidays Dir. Jodie Foster. With Holly Hunter, Robert Downey Jr. B+
★ Nixon Dir. Oliver Stone. With Anthony Hopkins, Joan Allen, James Woods, J.T. Walsh A–
★ Nixon Dir. Oliver Stone. With Anthony Hopkins, Joan Allen, James Woods, J.T. Walsh A–
More Grades from 1995
Unreviewed titles I have seen recently enough to grade
Casino Dir. Martin Scorsese. With Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, Sharon Stone C+
Cremaster 4 Dir. Matthew Barney. With Matthew Barney, Sharon Marvel, Colette Guimond B+
Dolores Claiborne Dir. Taylor Hackford. With Kathy Bates, Jennifer Jason Leigh C+
The Flower of My Secret Dir. Pedro Almodóvar. With Marisa Paredes, Juan Echanove B
Frisk Dir. Todd Verow. With Michael Gunther, Raoul O'Connor, Craig Chester D
Mighty Aphrodite Dir. Woody Allen. With Woody Allen, Mira Sorvino C+
Leaving Las Vegas Dir. Mike Figgis. With Nicolas Cage, Elisabeth Shue, Julian Sands B+
The Quick and the Dead Dir. Sam Raimi. With Sharon Stone, Russell Crowe C
Se7en Dir. David Fincher. With Morgan Freeman, Brad Pitt, Gwyneth Paltrow B+
Showgirls Dir. Paul Verhoeven. With Elizabeth Berkley, Gina Gershon, Kyle MacLachlan D
Tank Girl Dir. Rachel Talalay. With Lori Petty, Naomi Watts, Malcolm McDowell D+
Unzipped Dir. Douglas Keeve. Documentary about designer Isaac Mizrahi B
While You Were Sleeping Dir. Jon Turtletaub. With Sandra Bullock, Bill Pullman B–
Also from 1995
The memories are fading, but they're somewhere in my brain
Fetching
12 Monkeys Dir. Terry Gilliam. With Bruce Willis, Brad Pitt, Madeleine Stowe
Angels & Insects Dir. Philip Haas. With Mark Rylance, Kristin Scott Thomas
Apollo 13 Dir. Ron Howard. With Tom Hanks, Kevin Bacon, Bill Paxton, Ed Harris
Carrington Dir. Christopher Hampton. With Emma Thompson, Jonathan Pryce
A Close Shave Dir. Nick Park. Animated. Voices of Peter Sallis, Anne Reid
La Haine Dir. Mathieu Kassovitz. With Vincent Cassel, Saïd Taghmaoui, Hubert Koundé
Persuasion Dir. Roger Michell. With Amanda Root, Ciarán Hinds, Sophie Thompson
Pride and Prejudice Dir. Simon Langton. TV Miniseries. With Jennifer Ehle, Colin Firth
Rob Roy Dir. Michael Caton-Jones. With Liam Neeson, Jessica Lange, Tim Roth, Eric Stoltz
Sense and Sensibility Dir. Ang Lee. With Emma Thompson, Kate Winslet, Alan Rickman
Welcome to the Dollhouse Dir. Todd Solondz. With Heather Matarazzo
Fair
The American President Dir. Rob Reiner. With Michael Douglas, Annette Bening
Butterfly Kiss Dir. Michael Winterbottom. With Amanda Plummer, Saskia Reeves
The Celluloid Closet Dirs. Rob Epstein & Jeffrey Friedman. Documentary
Circle of Friends Dir. Pat O'Connor. With Minnie Driver, Chris O'Donnell, Saffron Burrows
Clueless Dir. Amy Heckerling. With Alicia Silverstone, Paul Rudd, Stacey Dash
Cold Comfort Farm Dir. John Schlesinger. With Kate Beckinsale, Eileen Atkins
Copycat Dir. Jon Amiel. With Sigourney Weaver, Holly Hunter, Dermot Mulroney
Dadetown Dir. Russ Hexter. With Bill Garrison, Edith Meeks, David Phelps
Get Shorty Dir. Barry Sonnenfeld. With John Travolta, Gene Hackman, René Russo
Heat Dir. Michael Mann. With Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Val Kilmer, Diane Venora
Institute Benjaminta Dirs. The Brothers Quay. With Mark Rylance, Alice Krige
Kiss of Death Dir. Barbet Schroeder. With David Caruso, Nicolas Cage, Samuel L. Jackson
Losing Isaiah Dir. Stephen Gyllenhaal. With Jessica Lange, Halle Berry, David Strathairn
Mr. Holland's Opus Dir. Stephen Herek. With Richard Dreyfuss, Glenne Headly, Jay Thomas
Party Girl Dir. Daisy von Scherler Mayer. With Parker Posey, Omar Townsend, Guillermo Díaz
Richard III Dir. Richard Loncraine. With Ian McKellen, Annette Bening, Jim Broadbent
Serving in Silence: The Margarethe Cammermeyer Story TV Movie. Dir. Jeff Bleckner
Species Dir. Roger Donaldson. With Natasha Henstridge, Ben Kingsley, Michael Madsen
A Streetcar Named Desire TV Movie. Dir. Glenn Jordan. With Jessica Lange, Alec Baldwin
To Die For Dir. Gus Van Sant. With Nicole Kidman, Joaquin Phoenix, Alison Folland
Waiting to Exhale Dir. Forest Whitaker. With Angela Bassett, Whitney Houston
Feh
Billy Madison Dir. Tamra Davis. With Adam Sandler, Bridgette Wilson, Darren McGavin
The Brady Bunch Movie Dir. Betty Thomas. With Gary Cole, Shelley Long, Christine Taylor
The Crossing Guard Dir. Sean Penn. With Jack Nicholson, David Morse, Anjelica Huston
Dead Man Dir. Jim Jarmusch. With Johnny Depp, Gary Farmer, Lance Henriksen
Devil in a Blue Dress Dir. Carl Franklin. With Denzel Washington, Tom Sizemore, Don Cheadle
Fallen Angels Dir. Wong Kar-wai. With Leon Lai, Michele Reis, Takeshi Kaneshiro
How to Make an American Quilt Dir. Jocelyn Moorhouse. With Winona Ryder, Ellen Burstyn
Jeffrey Dir. Christopher Ashley. With Steven Weber, Michael T. Weiss, Patrick Stewart
Just Cause Dir. Arne Glimcher. With Sean Connery, Laurence Fishburne, Blair Underwood
Mallrats Dir. Kevin Smith. With Jeremy London, Jason Lee, Shannen Doherty, Claire Forlani
Othello Dir. Oliver Parker. With Laurence Fishburne, Kenneth Branagh, Irène Jacob
Outbreak Dir. Wolfgang Petersen. With Dustin Hoffman, René Russo, Morgan Freeman
The Piano Lesson Dir. Lloyd Richards. TV Movie. With Charles S. Dutton, Alfre Woodard
Something to Talk About Dir. Lasse Hallström. With Julia Roberts, Dennis Quaid
Sweet Nothing Dir. Gary Winick. With Michael Imperioli, Mira Sorvino, Paul Calderon
To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar Dir. Beeban Kidron
The Usual Suspects Dir. Bryan Singer. With Gabriel Byrne, Chazz Palminteri, Kevin Spacey,
When Night Is Falling Dir. Patricia Rozema. With Pascale Bussières, Rachael Crawford
Flotsam
Ace Ventura: Pet Detective Dir. Steve Oedekerk. With Jim Carrey, Simon Calllow
The Basketball Diaries Dir. Scott Kalvert. With Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Wahlberg
Jumanji Dir. Joe Johnston. With Robin Williams, Bonnie Hunt, Kirsten Dunst, Bradley Pierce
Living in Oblivion Dir. Tom DiCillo. With Steve Buscemi, Catherine Keener, Dermot Mulroney
Nine Months Dir. Chris Columbus. With Hugh Grant, Julianne Moore, Tom Arnold, Joan Cusack
The Scarlet Letter Dir. Roland Joffé. With Demi Moore, Gary Oldman, Robert Duvall
Total Eclipse Dir. Agnieszka Holland. With Leonardo DiCaprio, David Thewlis
Virtuosity Dir. Brett Leonard. With Denzel Washington, Russell Crowe, Kelly Lynch
Waterworld Dir. Kevin Reynolds. With Kevin Costner, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Tina Majorino
Still to Come from 1995
Ten Most Enticing Prospects:
La Cérémonie Dir. Claude Chabrol. With Sandrine Bonnaire, Isabelle Huppert, Jacqueline Bisset
The City of Lost Children Dirs. Jean-Pierre Jeunet & Marc Caro. With Ron Perlman
A Little Princess Dir. Alfonso Cuarón. With Liesel Matthews, Eleanor Bron, Liam Cunningham
Maborosi Dir. Hirokazu Kore-eda. With Makiko Esumi, Takashi Naito, Tadanobu Asano
Nadja Dir. Michael Almereyda. With Elina Lowensöhn, Peter Fonda, Martin Donovan
The Neon Bible Dir. Terence Davies. With Jacob Tierney, Gena Rowlands, Diana Scarwid
Troublesome Creek: A Midwestern Dirs. Steven Ascher & Jeanne Jordan. Documentary
Ulysses' Gaze Dir. Theo Angelopoulos. With Harvey Keitel, Erland Josephson, Maia Morgenstern
Underground Dir. Emir Kusturica. With Miki Manojlovic, Lazar Ristovski, Mirjana Jokovic
The White Balloon Dir. Jafar Panahi. With Aida Mohammadkhani, Mohsen Kalifi, Anna Borkowska
Further Research:
Assassins Dir. Richard Donner. With Sylvester Stallone, Antonio Banderas, Julianne Moore
An Awfully Big Adventure Dir. Mike Newell. With Georgina Cates, Hugh Grant, Alan Rickman
Batman Forever Dir. Joel Schumacher. With Val Kilmer, Jim Carrey, Tommy Lee Jones
Beyond Rangoon Dir. John Boorman. With Patricia Arquette, Frances McDormand, U Aung Ko
Beyond the Clouds Dirs. Michelangelo Antonioni & Wim Wenders. With John Malkovich
Boys on the Side Dir. Herbert Ross. With Whoopi Goldberg, Mary-Louise Parker, Drew Barrymore
The Brothers McMullen Dir. Edward Burns. With Edward Burns, Mike McGlone, Jack Mulcahy
Clockers Dir. Spike Lee. With Harvey Keitel, John Turturro, Delroy Lindo, Mekhi Phifer
Cold Fever Dir. Fridrik Thor Fridriksson. With Masatoshi Nagase, Lili Taylor, Fisher Stevens
Crimson Tide Dir. Tony Scott. With Denzel Washington, Gene Hackman, Matt Craven
Cyclo Dir. Tran Anh Hung. With Le Van Loc, Tony Leung Chiu Wai, Tran Nu Yên-Khê
Dangerous Minds Dir. John N. Smith. With Michelle Pfeiffer, Courtney B. Vance, George Dzundza
Dead Presidents Dir. Allen & Albert Hughes. With Larenz Tate, Keith David, Chris Tucker
Don't Forget You're Going to Die Dir. Xavier Beauvois. With Xavier Beauvois, Chiara Mastroianni
The Doom Generation Dir. Gregg Araki. With James Duval, Rose McGowan, Johnathon Schaech
Flirt Dir. Hal Hartley. With Martin Donovan, Parker Posey, Michael Imperioli, Bill Sage
Four Rooms Dirs. Allison Anders, Alexandre Rockwell, Robert Rodriguez, Quentin Tarantino
French Kiss Dir. Lawrence Kasdan. With Meg Ryan, Kevin Kline, Timothy Hutton, Jean Reno
French Twist [Gazon maudit] Dir. Josiane Balasko. With Victoria Abril, Josiane Balasko
Funny Bones Dir. Peter Chelsom. With Oliver Platt, Jerry Lewis, Lee Evans, Leslie Caron
Ghost in the Shell Dir. Mamoru Oshii. Animated. Voices of Atsuko Tanaka, Akio Ôtsuka
The Glass Shield Dir. Charles Burnett. With Michael Boatman, Lori Petty, Richard Anderson
Go Now Dir. Michael Winterbottom. With Robert Carlyle, Juliet Aubrey, James Nesbitt
Good Men, Good Women Dir. Hou Hsiao-hsien. With Annie Shizuka Inoh, Giong Lim, Jack Kao
The Grass Harp Dir. Charles Matthau. With Piper Laurie, Walter Matthau, Sissy Spacek
Guantanamera Dirs. Tomás Gutiérrez Alea & Juan Carlos Tabío. With Carlos Cruz, Mirta Ibarra
Heavy Dir. James Mangold. With Pruitt Taylor Vince, Liv Tyler, Shelley Winters, Deborah Harry
Higher Learning Dir. John Singleton. With Omar Epps, Laurence Fishburne, Kristy Swanson
Jade Dir. William Friedkin. With David Caruso, Linda Fiorentino, Chazz Palminteri
Jefferson in Paris Dir. James Ivory. With Nick Nolte, Thandie Newton, Gwyneth Paltrow
Kicking and Screaming Dir. Noah Baumbach. With Josh Hamilton, Samuel Gould, Catherine Kellner
Kids Dir. Larry Clark. With Leo Fitzpatrick, Chloë Sevigny, Rosario Dawson, Justin Pierce
Land and Freedom Dir. Ken Loach. With Ian Hart, Rosana Pastor, Icíar Bollaín, Tom Gilroy
Mad Love Dir. Antonia Bird. With Chris O'Donnell, Drew Barrymore, Matthew Lillard, Joan Allen
Miami Rhapsody Dir. David Frankel. With Sarah Jessica Parker, Antonio Banderas, Mia Farrow
A Midwinter's Tale Dir. Kenneth Branagh. With Michael Maloney, Richard Briers, Julia Sawalha
Les Misérables Dir. Claude Lelouch. With Jean-Paul Belmondo, Michel Boujenah, Clémentine Célarié
A Month by the Lake Dir. John Irvin. With Vanessa Redgrave, Edward Fox, Uma Thurman
Mother of the River Dir. Zeinabu Irene Davis. With Wayne Caparas, Monique Coleman
Murder in the First Dir. Marc Rocco. With Christian Slater, Kevin Bacon, Gary Oldman
Mute Witness Dir. Anthony Waller. With Marina Sudina, Fay Ripley, Evan Richards, Oleg Yankowsky
My Family [Mi Familia] Dir. Gregory Nava. With Edward James Olmos, Rafael Cortés, Jimmy Smits
My Métier Dir. Torben Skjødt Jensen. Documentary about Carl-Theodor Dreyer
Nelly and Monsieur Arnaud Dir. Claude Sautet. With Emmanuelle Béart, Michel Serrault
Nick of Time Dir. John Badham. With Johnny Depp, Charles S. Dutton, Marsha Mason, Roma Maffia
Pocahontas Dirs. Mike Gabriel & Eric Goldberg. Animated. Voices of Mel Gibson, Irene Bedard
Powder Dir. Victor Salva. With Sean Patrick Flanery, Mary Steenburgen, Lance Henriksen
Restoration Dir. Michael Hoffman. With Robert Downey Jr., Polly Walker, Sam Neill, Meg Ryan
Sabrina Dir. Sydney Pollack. With Harrison Ford, Julia Ormond, Greg Kinnear, Nancy Marchand
Shanghai Triad Dir. Zhang Yimou. With Gong Li, Li Baotian, Xiaoxiao Wang, Li Xuejian, Sun Chun
A Single Girl Dir. Benoît Jacquot. With Virginie Ledoyen, Benoît Magimel, Dominique Valadié
Small Wonders Dir. Allan Miller. Documentary about Roberta Guaspari's violin classes
Smoke Dir. Wayne Wang. With Harvey Keitel, William Hurt, Stockard Channing, Ashley Judd
Swimming with Sharks Dir. Roy Huang. With Frank Whaley, Kevin Spacey, Michelle Forbes
TenBenny Dir. Eric Bross. With Adrien Brody, Michael Gallagher, Sybil Temchen, Tony Gillan
The Underneath Dir. Steven Soderbergh. With Peter Gallagher, Alison Elliott, William Fichtner
Unstrung Heroes Dir. Diane Keaton. With Nathan Watt, John Turturro, Maury Chaykin
Village of the Damned Dir. John Carpenter. With Christopher Reeve, Kirstie Alley
Waati Dir. Souleymane Cissé. With Sidi Yaya Cissé, Mariame Amerou Mohamed Dicko
A Walk in the Clouds Dir. Alfonso Arau. With Keanu Reeves, Aitana Sánchez-Gijon
White Man's Burden Dir. Desmond Nakano. With John Travolta, Harry Belafonte, Kelly Lynch
The Wife Dir. Tom Noonan. With Wallace Shawn, Karen Young, Julie Hagerty, Tom Noonan
Wigstock: The Movie Dir. Barry Shils. Documentary about the New York City drag event
Wild Bill Dir. Walter Hill. With Jeff Bridges, Ellen Barkin, David Arquette, Diane Lane