1994
Crumb(Crumb Partners I/Superior Pictures; dir.
Terry Zwigoff) Acclaimed documentary about ec-
centric underground comic-book artist Robert
Crumb. Notorious for being named the year’s
best documentary by several critics groups only to
be ignored by Oscars.
Dumb and Dumber(New Line Cinema; dir. Peter
Farrelly) One of the most popular of the come-
dies by Bobby and Peter Farrelly finds two dimwits
(Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels) trying to return a
suitcase of money to a woman (Lauren Holly)
who left it as ransom for her kidnapped husband.
Forrest Gump(Paramount; dir. Robert Zemeckis)
The title character (Tom Hanks) becomes in-
volved in several historical events of the second
half of the twentieth century. Hugely popular but
vilified by some for its reactionary politics, the
film won Oscars for Best Picture, Director, Actor,
Adapted Screenplay, Editing, and Visual Effects.
See alsomain entry.
Hoop Dreams(Kartemquin Films/KCTA-TV; dir.
Steve James) This documentary about inner-city
basketball players in Chicago was nominated for
an Oscar for Best Editing, but the failure of it and
Crumbto be nominated for Best Documentary led
to changes in the way documentaries are evalu-
ated by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and
Sciences.
Interview with the Vampire(Warner Bros.; dir. Neil
Jordan) Story of two vampires (Tom Cruise and
Brad Pitt) from eighteenth century New Orleans
to the San Francisco of the 1990’s. Anne Rice
notoriously opposed the casting of Cruise in this
adaptation of her best seller but recanted after
seeing his performance.
The Lion King(Buena Vista; dir. Roger Allers and
Rob Minkoff)This journey of a lion cub (voices
of Jonathan Taylor Thomas and Matthew Brod-
erick) to adulthood has been one of Disney’s
most popular animated films. With excellent
vocal performances by Jeremy Irons and James
Earl Jones. Won Oscars for Hans Zimmer’s score
and the song “Can You Feel the Love Tonight”
by Elton John and Tim Rice. Source of the long-
running Broadway musical.
Pulp Fiction(Miramax; dir. Quentin Tarantino)
Tarantino solidified his reputation with his highly
original tribute to crime films and fiction. Inter-
twining three stories, it won a Best Original Screen-
play Oscar for Tarantino and Roger Avery. Easily
the decade’s most influential film.See alsomain
entry.
Quiz Show(Buena Vista; dir. Robert Redford) True
story of how college professor Charles Van Doren
(Ralph Fiennes) came to cheat on a popular televi-
sion program. Examines how the medium began
transforming American society during the 1950’s.
The Shawshank Redemption(Columbia; dir. Frank
Darabont) Stephen King’s story of how a banker
(Tim Robbins), wrongly convicted of murder,
deals with prison life was a modest hit but has be-
come one of the most popular films of all time.
With the aid of another convict (Morgan Free-
man), the banker works to improve prison condi-
tions.
Speed(Twentieth Century-Fox; dir. Jan de Bont) An
extortionist (Dennis Hopper) rigs a Los Angeles
bus to explode if its speed drops below fifty miles
per hour. With Keanu Reeves as a bomb specialist
and Sandra Bullock, who became a star as a result,
as the driver. Won the Oscar for Best Sound.1995
Apollo 13(Universal; dir. Ron Howard) Astronauts
(Tom Hanks, Kevin Bacon, and Bill Paxton)
heading to the moon face a life-or-death crisis
when their oxygen and power supplies are threat-
ened. Won Oscars for Best Editing and Sound.
The Bridges of Madison County(Warner Bros.; dir.
Clint Eastwood) A photographer (Eastwood) has
an affair with an Iowa housewife (Meryl Streep).
Eastwood won acclaim for transforming Robert
James Waller’s sappy best seller into a respectable
drama.
Clueless(Paramount; dir. Amy Heckerling) Jane
Austen’sEmma(1816) updated to a Beverly Hills
high school. One of the decade’s most popular
teen comedies.
Get Shorty(MGM/United Artists; dir. Barry Son-
nenfeld) A Miami loan collector (John Travolta)
goes to Los Angeles to collect from a producer
(Gene Hackman) of low-budget films and begins
trying to develop a screenplay based on his expe-
riences. With Rene Russo as a failed actress and
Danny DeVito as an egotistical star.
Heat(Warner Bros.; dir. Michael Mann) Los An-
geles cop Vincent Hanna (Al Pacino) tries to trap
Neil McCauley (Robert De Niro), a thief who
plans elaborate heists. While critics at the time962 Entertainment: Major Films of the 1990’s The Nineties in America