Best Picture 1994

One of the things I wanted to briefly discuss was how some films enter the Oscar race/season so late that they never have a chance to even get voted in for Best Picture. I was reading the Inside Oscar entry for this year and it mentioned how a couple films were so late to the game that they never got serious consideration by virtue of just being late. Sometimes these films get some acting noms or a token Art Direction nod or something but this type of thing still goes on today. A Most Violent Year debuted very late in 2014 and never got it's due respect because it was the end of Oscar season so no one focused on it even though it won the National Board of Review's Best Film Award. It would have been something I'd have taken as one of my favorite films of the year and should have been up for Best Picture that year, especially since only 8 films made that list. Of course, nowadays films have a more likely chance of getting in because of the expanded nominee amount but I think it's interesting that we've been running into the same issue for decades now. It's not fair but what are you going to do?

1994 Best Picture

Forrest Gump

Not even gonna lie, I was dreading having to watch this again. Not that I hate it, just that I've seen it a few times already and didn't want to spend three hours of my day watching it again and then spend three plus hours writing the reviews for it. It's basically a whole day affair for a film I already know and only somewhat like. I definitely appreciate it as a film as it has a lot of iconic moments and is a gateway film for many people. Enough of me bitching about it, though, everyone should know what this film is about. Forrest Gump is kind of a slow guy who is a part of all the watershed moments of the mid-20th century. He's a part of everything you can think of and from what I understand part of even more in the book this is based on which seems incomprehensible to me because he does everything in the film. He's bullied but then is able to run really fast and plays football and meets President Kennedy and is in the Vietnam War and starts a chain of mediocre seafood restaurants (wait, no he started a shrimp company that became a restaurant, my bad), plays ping pong, and runs for the hell of it until he decides to stop. Oh, and doles out fortune cookie advice while sitting at a bus stop. It's a highly entertaining film that is bound to have something for everyone. An interesting leading character, for sure, but some decent supporting ones, too. It displays some really intriguing technology by inserting Tom Hanks into all these different historical moments like he was actually there. I know when I first saw this film, I wondered for days how the hell they pulled that off! It's easy to see why this was so beloved. Forrest Gump is the everyman, our collective common sense when it comes to the big moments in history. He's on the right side of them all and makes the audience question why these were big moments in the first place. Why did we have to keep sending men to die in Vietnam, why was black people going to school such a controversial thing, why wouldn't you just accept everyone for who they are instead of hating them for arbitrary reasons. That's the deeper meaning I took from the film and I think it resonates well enough as an idea. Forrest Gump is a strong film that many people can latch on to and find things they love about it. Easy to see why it was a winner even with a couple other well liked and strong films in contention. Is it an all-timer, though? I think it's remembered that way by most people but for my money Pulp Fiction is the all-timer and would have made a great winner.

Four Weddings and a Funeral

Oh, man! This film was a lot more funny than I was ever expecting it to be. I legit laughed out loud a ton and was expecting something more along the lines of the Bridget Jones's Diary or The Full Monty. You know, films that were okay and had their funny moments but made you scratch your head as to why they were loved so much. At least with Four Weddings, the pure comedy aspect of the film stands out far above any other films you could compare it to. I was ready to rip this apart and move on but I really enjoyed this film. I'm still on the fence as to whether or not it belongs in a Best Picture group, however. Yes, it's hilarious and charming and full of what makes a great British comedy but should it be in the same breath as literally every other candidate in this group? I'm leading towards a slight yes. If it was 5-10 nominees like it is today, this is an easy no brainer. In fact, this might be a good 6th or 7th but how do I like it as the 5th? I do like it as the 5th! I've finished it and it's got some heart and some really misguided love but it's a fun film. However, I can't stand Andie MacDowell as the American representation. All smiles and no substance. She's a boring American woman that's so cookie cutter, it's insulting. She's pretty but in the most generic way. She even sounds generic. I would have loved for any other American woman that had a bit of a unique quality to her because Andie doesn't cut it. Love seeing Kristin Scott Thomas again. She's so sassy in this and I didn't realize I liked her so much as an actress. I kinda wish she'd become a Game of Thrones character because I feel she could fit that style wonderfully. I was hoping Thomas and Hugh Grant would end up together because that makes for the better ending and story instead of the dumb tripe we got with a boring shitty zombie American actress. MacDowell was garbage, plain and simple. This film vaults into upper echelon status by having literally anyone else as the American and Grant possibly marry Thomas, or just do something interesting! I was super sad when the character that died, died, because he was so hilarious and I felt he was the comedic star of the show. Brought about many laughs! I'll keep this as the 5th because I do feel it carries itself as an Oscar nominee and is hilarious as shit! Just wish it didn't succumb to formulaic grossness at the end.

Pulp Fiction

When it comes to Quentin Tarantino flicks, everyone has their favorite. For me, it's almost down to whatever I saw last. I love Reservoir Dogs a lot, I love this film a lot, and I really enjoy Inglourious Basterds. Hell, The Hateful Eight might even start sneaking into my favorites of his since it's kinda grown on me in the last few months. There's no doubt that all of his films have been highly entertaining and of course Pulp Fiction is no exception. In fact, this film helped establish many of the trademarks we see in all his films now. One of which annoys me so let's talk about that first. Tarantino's films can be too long. Yeah, sometimes with all the craziness going on in his stories and with his memorable characters that can be a good thing. But sometimes he goes off the rails and diverges into something unnecessary. We all know Tarantino loves his dialogue and his scenes can go on and on with line after line. Sometimes it works pretty great such as in this film. The dialogue is all spot on and not completely meandering. But again, sometimes he loves to just write and write without realizing he needs to trim his shit down. Tarantino fans love him for it but it makes for some long films that would be perfect if he edited himself better. Plus, he adds in some scenes and characters that don't seem to add much to the film other than being cool and sexy and violent for the sake of being just those things. Was Bruce Willis' story all that necessary? Not really. You could cut that and change a couple little things and the film would be tighter and more interesting. Of course, Willis' side plot is kind of fun to tag along with and see where it goes. It offers up some memorable scenes but only adds to the film's length. It's not all that bad but it could be better. It's a minor quibble at most and that's really just my main gripe with Tarantino films in general. The dialogue and characters in this film are superb. The acting is so good from everyone and everything feels natural and the chemistry is amazing and everyone is fun to watch. It's a classic film for a reason and it would be too easy to write sentence after sentence about why it's good and why I like it. So just know it's a really great film that everyone should see at least once and know that it's a great choice by the Academy for a nomination.

Quiz Show

I've been anticipating this film for a long time. Every time I looked at this year, I saw the three big films that everyone loves and the one film that you wonder what the hell it's doing in the Best Picture group. And then there was this one. Didn't know anything about it other than it was a Robert Redford directed film and that my guy Ralph Fiennes was in this. While reading all the different blogs and lists and books I learned that a lot of people really liked this film but felt it got overshadowed by the other films on this list. So I've been anticipating a hidden gem and was super excited to finally check this one off my list. So is it a hidden gem? Yes, kinda. It's a really good film. I definitely got sucked into it and loved all the little trivia bits. I'm a huge trivia guy. I'll go play bar trivia on my own when I feel like it because it's so fun. But that's the first hour. John Turturro really owns the first half of this film. I think he was what sucked me in, honestly. He's such an interesting character and his storyline is compelling enough for me to want him back when they turn to Fiennes, who I love. From that point the film becomes a bit slow, stale even. I thought more time had passed and realized I had half the film to go. That doesn't mean I didn't like it, as I still thought the film was engaging. It just went away from the guy I thought was really interesting. It's essentially a whodunit, a mystery of will NBC get away with telling the answers to the contestants and will the Congressional guy get to the bottom of everything? I think the end is pretty great because it's still sort of indicative of today's TV landscape. Doing all kinds of things for ratings and money, morals be damned. Hard to believe this was 1994 because it's certainly still relevant to today. This film does have some great acting and I think Turturro is the stand out for me. I love that it focuses on the characters and their motivations. There's no stupid love side plot or anything, just a straightforward story about a studio who gives answers to guys who let the fame go to their heads. A hidden gem, absolutely because I want to watch this again but not the new favorite film of all time I was hoping it would be. Lofty aspirations, I know, but I hyped it up in my mind. It's still a pretty great little film that more people should see. A slow burn but worth the patience.

The Shawshank Redemption

It's hard when it comes to films like these to really figure out what to say about them. I'm not a huge Shawshank fanboy. I appreciate the film and I enjoy it for what it is but I'm not one of those people that feel it's the greatest film of all time. I have no idea why this has become so celebrated among the internet bros that they've voted it number one on IMDB's Top 250 films. It's a good film. Hell, it's a great film! But I don't even think it's the best of it's own year. That said, I really do like the Stephen King films that aren't based off his horror stuff. Films like Stand By Me and The Green Mile have a certain quality to them, like an earnestness about their subject that's admirable and appealing. Shawshank is such a guys film about personal relationships and respect and understanding that I can see why the internet bros love it so much. So it's about a guy who is wrongly sent to prison who is kind of this mysterious guy but also very endearing and likable. We see as he befriends the other inmates who are also lovable and he has these moments where he surprises us by cozying up to the guards to ultimately get what he wants. The guy eventually escapes after getting fed up with the place and it's this big fuck you to the warden and the corrupt system and a very satisfying ending to watch. I think we as the audience are supposed to see ourselves as Andy Dufresne and relate to his struggles as what we would want to do if we were in prison. Of course we would never be able to do what he pulls off but that's why it's Hollywood and that's why we allow ourselves to dream. The relationship between Robbins and Freeman is exquisite. The two have such a wonderful chemistry together that you think prison ain't so bad. The film is wonderfully shot and the pacing is right on because it's the same length as Forrest Gump yet feels half as long. It's definitely one of the best King films, possibly the best. It just happened to get nominated in a year with a ton of other films that could all make a case for being the Best Picture winner. I feel like all of them would have held up as good winners, too, including this one. It's a great film that sneaks up on you and doesn't quite seem like it has the pedigree to be an all timer. I still don't know if it is one, but I do know it's a tremendous film even with all it's best of love.


Holy shit! Talk about a tough group! This is an all time group, up there with some of the best years you can think of. You can make a legit case for any of these as being a winner. If you're going to go for one of those British comedy films including often in the 90s, this would have been the year. Four Weddings is my 5th but it's so damn hilarious that if it won, I wouldn't be all that mad. Quiz Show was a highly anticipated film for me that was really good but also just a bit of a let down because I hyped it up so much. Not fair on my end but in a weak year would be an easy winner. My middle film is Shawshank. I like it a lot but I'm not a fanboy for it. It's good but not the greatest ever. Sorry. I'm going to have Forrest Gump as my second. It's a fine winner but I just don't care all that much about it anymore. Yes, it's a good film but I dunno it's Forrest Gump. I'm almost apathetic to it even though I know it's a good choice. Pulp Fiction is my winner because it's a bonafide classic. It's a little long winded but that's Tarantino for you. It's got so many memorable and iconic moments that it's hard to not choose it. Just a fun ride to go through honestly. Not sure I'll see another super amazing group like this for awhile but I can only hope so. One of the best Best Picture years so far. Easily.

Oscar Winner: Forrest Gump
My Winner:  Pulp Fiction
Forrest Gump
The Shawshank Redemption
Quiz Show
Four Weddings and a Funeral