Al's Top Rated Films: 1994

Incredible crime drama from Frank Darabont and Stephen King, and also my favorite film of all time. The story is set in 1947 Portland, and follows a successful banker named Andy Dufresne who is wrongly accused of murdering his wife and her lover that she was secretively having an affair with. Andy is sentenced to life imprisonment in the infamous Shawshank State Penitentiary. The prison is led by the ruthless and corrupt Warden Samuel Norton and his merciless guards. Andy tries to make the best of prison life by making friends with a longtime convict named Ellis "Red" Redding and a surrounding group of friends, while attempting to steer clear of a cold-blooded group of gang rapists known as "The Sisters". Andy eventually becomes nearly indispensable when he is chosen to be the Warden Norton's personal accountant, where rampant money laundering is taking place. After careful planning and years of preparation, Andy decides it's finally time to make his daring escape. It makes perfect sense why it's the highest rated movie on IMDb. It's brilliantly written, directed, casted, and acted throughout. It's also very disturbing, heartwarming, and extremely entertaining. How it didn't win one of the 7 Oscars it was nominated for is absolutely insane to me. It's a perfect film. Tim Robbins (Andy) and Morgan Freeman (Red) both deliver their all-time best lead performances. Bob Gunton also had a fantastic starring role. Clancy Brown, William Sadler, Gil Bellows, Mark Rolston, James Whitmore, Brian Libby, David Proval, Larry Brandenburg, Neil Giuntoli, Joseph Ragno, Jude Ciccolella, Jeffrey DeMunn, Frank Medrano, Bill Bolender, and many others had excellent supporting roles.

Phenomenal crime drama from Quentin Tarantino that presents four correlating stories that lead to a variety of extreme outcomes. The film kicks off following two friends and audacious hitmen. Jules is a god-fearing man while Vincent is more relaxed, but also battles with a heroin problem. They work for a big crime boss named Marsellus Wallace and have been tasked to steal a briefcase with mysterious contents from other criminals, and miraculously make it out alive after a sea of bullets pass them by. Marsellus then asks Vincent to take his care-free wife Mia out for a good time while he's away, which results in a near-death experience. The story also follows a boxer named Butch Coolidge who's being paid by Marsellus to take a dive, but greed and deception comes into play and puts his life at risk. It also follows a happily married couple who plans to rob a diner. It all leads a to two deadly and thrilling confrontations that tie all the storylines together beautifully. Superb writing, dialogue, cinematography, and uniquely shot with a ridiculous amount of twists and turns. It's arguably the greatest crime drama ever made. John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, and Bruce Willis all arguably deliver the best lead performances of their careers. Ving Rhames, Uma Thurman, and Harvey Keitel also delivered outstanding starring roles. Tim Roth, Amanda Plummer, Rosanna Arquette, Eric Stoltz, Maria de Medeiros, Quentin Tarantino, Duane Whitaker, Peter Greene, Phil LaMarr, Frank Whaley, Bronagh Gallagher, Angela Jones, Steve Buscemi, Christopher Walken, Julia Sweeney, and others also had excellent supporting roles.

Extraordinary drama/adventure from Robert Zemeckis set in 1956 Greenbow, Alabama, and follows a simple-minded young boy named Forrest Gump who's regularly tormented and dismissed for having and IQ of 75 and awkward leg braces to correct his curved spine. He has a single mother and is told his father is "on vacation", and has one very special friend that inspires him through his entire life, named Jenny. In 1966, he joins the U.S. Army and fights in the horrific Vietnam War. After being shot, he makes his way to becoming a ping-pong superstar and is discharged in 1974. He meets Jenny in different points throughout time as she struggles with drugs and rebellion. Forrest continues to make incredible historical feats until the time he's recounting his story to a woman waiting for a bus in 1981. This is Robert Zemeckis' Oscar-winning quintessential masterpiece and one of my all-time favorite films. It's a fantastic journey through a pivotal period of history and time that looks at everything from pop culture, war, and social struggle. All the historical tie-ins and alteration of history was beautifully done. It also has one of the best classic rock soundtracks of all time. The cast is absolutely incredible. Tom Hanks' Oscar-winning lead performance was arguably the best of his career. Robin Wright, Gary Sinise, and Sally Field also had excellent starring roles. Mykelti Williamson, Michael Conner, Hanna Hall, Sam Anderson, Michael Conner Humphreys, Haley Joel Osment, Afemo Omilami, Steven Griffith, Richard D'Alessandro, Geoffrey Blake, and many others had excellent supporting roles.

Tremendous crime drama/thriller from Luc Besson set in the Little Italy neighborhood of New York City, and follows a troubled and streetwise 12-year old girl named Mathilda who's entire dysfunctional family was brutally killed by a vicious drug kingpin and corrupt DEA agent named Norman Stansfield. She seeks refuge in the neighboring apartment of an extremely disciplined and introverted professional assassin (or a "cleaner" as he calls himself) named Léon. Mathilda literally has no family or friends that can take her in, and begs Léon to train her to become a professional killer. Léon reluctantly agrees and provides the discipline and structure she always needed in her life, while she also slowly falls in love with him. Trouble comes into play when Mathilda thinks she has all the skills to avenge her 4-year-old brother (the only family member that was killed that she actually cared for) and murder Stansfield all by herself. Things don't go as planned and turn deadly. Fantastic story with a unique and powerful set of actors to drive the story. This is the first lead performance I've seen from Jean Reno, and he had the perfect eccentric personality for Léon's character. This is Natalie Portman's debut starring role, and she delivered a superbly complex and emotion-filled performance as Mathilda. Gary Oldman is great as usual, but he delivers one of his all-time best performances a Stansfield. He was the perfect villain. Danny Aiello, Peter Appel, Willi One Blood, Michael Badalucco, Frank Senger, and many others had great supporting roles.

Exceptional action-packed crime drama/thriller from Oliver Stone that follows a troubled young woman named Mallory who battles with her sexually abusive father and neglectful mother. One day during a bout of household chaos, the meat man arrives, and it's Mickey Knox. Mickey and Mallory instantly fall in love, and after a confrontation with her father, they kill him, her mother, and spare her younger brother before burning the house to the ground. That incident sets off a chain reaction as their dark pasts turn them into maniacal serial killers. They travel across New Mexico and Arizona committing brutal murders and romanticizing every killing as token of their love for each other. The heat gets turned up on them when the media gets involved and glorifies their horrific murders, which only fuels them to become legends in the killing game. Fantastic story all around. While this film didn't hold true to Quentin Tarantino's original script (a point he's been very vocal about), I happen to really enjoy the re-writes and direction Oliver Stone took this film in. The tripped-out cinematography, production design, eerie soundtrack, and editing make this film more spectacular. Woody Harrelson & Juliette Lewis are in top form and deliver a couple of their all-time best lead performances. They had great chemistry together. Tom Sizemore, Robert Downey Jr., and Tommy Lee Jones also had excellent starring roles. Rodney Dangerfield, Edie McClurg, Everett Quinton, Pruitt Taylor Vince, O-Lan Jones, Sean Stone, Glen Chin, and others also had great supporting roles.

Hysterical comedy from the Farrelly Brothers that follows a couple of morons and best friends named Lloyd Christmas and Harry Dunne who share a run-down apartment in Providence, Rhode Island. Due to their ridiculously dimwitted personalities, neither of them are able to hold down a job of any kind. However, Lloyd ends up with a briefcase during his last day as a limo driver, which belonged to a woman named Mary that he drove to the airport (and also fell in love with his the process). The briefcase is full of money that Mary intentionally left there for a couple of thugs to pickup that were responsible for kidnapping her husband. The briefcase is locked, so Lloyd and Harry don't know what's in it. Soon after, those same thugs track Lloyd and Harry down to get the briefcase back. They sneak out of the apartment thinking they're bill collectors, and later decide to make the 2,000+ mile drive to Aspen, Colorado, to deliver the mysterious briefcase back to Mary. They hope for a reward and a fresh start in life, while Lloyd harbors the fantasy of marrying Mary. Peter Farrelly and Bobby Farrelly have made some of my all-time favorite comedies, and this is an all-out classic in my book. The cast was perfect and all the jokes land. Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels deliver a couple of their best and funniest lead performances to date. They had perfect chemistry together. The soundtrack was also excellent, like all Farrelly films. Lauren Holly also had a great starring role. Mike Starr, Cam Neely, Karen Duffy, Charles Rocket, Harland Williams, Teri Garr, Lin Shaye, and several others also had great supporting roles.

Fantastic revenge crime drama/thriller from Alex Proyas set on "Devil's Night" (the night before Halloween) in a depressingly crime-ridden area of Detroit. A gang of evil men—Tin Tin, Funboy, T-Bird, and Skank—enter the home of a peaceful rock guitarist named Eric Draven and his girlfriend, Shelly Webster. Eric is stabbed, shot, and thrown out of his loft window where he meets his death. Shelly is raped and beaten, and eventually dies at the hospital. One year later, a mysterious crow lands on Eric's gravestone, and he is resurrected and brought back to life. His soul was unable to rest after losing Shelly and everything he lived for, and he's now determined to get his exact revenge against any and all the men who had anything to do with he and Shelly's brutal murders. Brandon Lee delivered a fantastic lead performance, and it's a tragic loss that he was killed due to a firearm malfunction when filming. He certainly had something special. Ernie Hudson, Rochelle Davis, Michael Wincott, Bai Ling, Sofia Shinas, Anna Thomson, David Patrick Kelly, Angel David, Laurence Mason, Michael Massee, Tony Todd, and plenty others had great supporting roles.

Hilarious action-packed comedy western from Richard Donner loosely based on the 1950s TV series, and follows a charming and quick-witted gambler named Maverick who's traveling across country to enter a winner-take-all poker tournament with a grand prize of $500,000. However, he's short $3,000 of the $25,000 tournament entry fee, and must gamble and make money on his journey. Along the way he meets a seductive thief and poker player named Annabelle Bransford and a strait-laced lawman named Marshal Zane Cooper. However, he also runs into many near-death experiences at the hands of enemies he's made, which is trouble that follows him all the way to the final tournament. Mel Gibson delivers my personal favorite lead performance of his career as Maverick. He was superb front beginning to finish. Jodie Foster also arguably delivers one of her best starring roles, right along with James Garner (Maverick from the original 1950s TV show). Graham Greene, Alfred Molina, James Coburn, Max Perlich, Geoffrey Lewis, Paul L. Smith, and many others also had great supporting roles.

Excellent comedy drama from Kevin Smith that follows a troubled young man named Dante Hicks who works at the New Jersey based Quick Stop convenience store. He gets called into work on his day off, which kicks off a series of unfortunate incidents for Dante as the day progresses. His best friend and co-worker Randal Graves, who also runs the RST Video store next store, comes in late as usual, and has a care-free and recklessly comedic attitude. He drastically disrespects everyone he comes across as he and Dante rattle on about Star Wars and engage in other seemingly meaningless debates. That comedy soon turns to dark comedy, and later drama when Dante and Randall enter into boiling arguments over Dante's life and the pain and lack of ambition he constantly pines over. This is just about my favorite Kevin Smith film (tied with Chasing Amy). The super low-budget black-and-white security camera feel works great throughout. As with any Kevin Smith film, the writing and dialogue is what really makes this film special. Brian O'Halloran (Dante) and Jeff Anderson (Randal) have become my favorite characters in Kevin Smith's filmography, and they both deliver fantastic lead performances. Jason Mewes, Kevin Smith, Marilyn Ghigliotti, Lisa Spoonauer, Scott Schiaffo, and many others had very nice supporting roles.

Superb action-packed comedy thriller from James Cameron that follows a man named Harry Tasker who leads a double life. To his wife Helen and rebellious daughter Dana, he is a boring computer salesman that frequently has to travel for business. He and Helen have been married a long time and the magic is seemingly gone. On the flip side, he's also a badass secret agent for a top-secret U.S. counterterrorism agency. He and his partner Gib work closely together to take down terrorists across the world. Harry soon becomes suspicious that Helen is cheating on him with a sleazy car salesman who's posing as a government agent, and uses his influence to track her. However, the heat really gets turned up when his wife is kidnapped by a group of terrorists looking to detonate an atomic bomb over Florida, and Harry is forced to come clean about his lies and save his family (and the world). This is hand-down one of my favorite action thrillers of all time. The story is fantastic, the action is outstanding, all the jokes land, and the casting and acting is top notch. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jamie Lee Curtis both arguably deliver their all-time greatest lead performances. The same could be said for Tom Arnold's excellent starring role. Art Malik, Eliza Dushku, Bill Paxton, Tia Carrere, Grant Heslov, Armen Ksajikian, Mike Akrawi, Charles Cragin, and others had great supporting roles.

Fantastic animated adventure from Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff set in the Pride Lands of Africa, which is led by King Mufasa. Mufasa is wise, and fills his son Simba with knowledge and the promise that one day he will be a great king when he is gone. However, both of their future plans are seriously altered when Mufasa's evil younger brother, Scar, is determined to steal the throne away from Mufasa and control the land and all the animals living in it. Scar ends up spitefully recruiting a group of crazed hyenas and a massive heard of wildebeest, and sets up a deadly trap for Mufasa and Simba. Mufasa is killed, and Scar convinces Simba he is to blame for his father's death and persuades him to run away from the pride and never come back. Simba finds peace, happiness and friends in his new life, but his childhood friend Nala finally tracks him down after years have passed, and convinces him he needs to come home and end Scar's oppressive reign. This is definitely my favorite Disney animated film. Beautifully written, voiced, animated, and perfectly casted. Matthew Broderick and Jeremy Irons both deliver fantastic lead performances. James Earl Jones, Moira Kelly, Nathan Lane, and Ernie Sabella also have great starring roles. Jonathan Taylor Thomas, Niketa Calame-Harris, Rowan Atkinson, Jim Cummings, Whoopi Goldberg, Robert Guillaume, Cheech Marin, Madge Sinclair, and others also had excellent supporting roles.

Hysterical comedy from Tom Shadyac that follows an unusual and extremely eccentric detective who specializes in finding a rescuing lost pets. Business is slow and he's regularly badgered by his landlord to pay his rent while his apartment is filled with animals of all kinds. He's in for the case of his life when the Miami Dolphins NFL mascot "Snowflake" has been stolen in order to plague the players with superstition, which would ensure they lose the Super Bowl. He's continually mocked and dismissed by Lieutenant Lois Einhorn and the rest of the Miami Police Department, but when he finds a stone that belongs to a 1984 Super Bowl ring at the scene of the crime, he gets closer to cracking the case. I'm somewhat surprised to see the critics hated this film so much when it has a solid story, fantastic comedy, and one of Jim Carey's absolute best lead performances. Courteney Cox and Sean Young also had great starring roles. Tone Loc, Dan Marino, Troy Evans, Noble Willingham, Udo Kier, David Margulies, John Capodice, Bill Zuckert, Alice Drummond, and others also had great supporting roles.

Excellent action-packed thriller from Jan de Bont that follows a young and dedicated Los Angeles police department S.W.A.T. officer named Jack Traven after he and his partner saved a building of people from a bomb placed by a maniacal killer named Howard Payne. A few days after that, Payne has it out for Jack, and his new plan forces him into a dire situation after he plants a bomb on a city bus that will explode if it slows down below 50mph. Payne calls Jack to specifically tell him the bus number, and maintains plenty of rules as he plays a game of cat and mouse with Jack. A passenger named Annie turns out to be the perfect driver to assist Jack, as the face a whirlwind of terror in order to survive. Excellent story all around with great dialogue and perfect casting. Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock both delivered a couple of their best lead performances and have great chemistry together. Dennis Hopper all delivers one of his best starring roles and plays a great villain. Jeff Daniels, Joe Morton, Alan Ruck, Hawthorne James, Richard Lineback, Carlos Carrasco, and many others had very nice supporting roles.

Underrated and adventurous crime thriller from Curtis Hanson that follows a Boston married couple who takes their son Roarke to Salmon River in Idaho to embark on a whitewater rafting trip for his birthday. Parts of the journey are dangerous, but his mother Gail was previously an expert guide on the river. Meanwhile, his father Tom is an architect, and there is marital tension between he and Gail from the start of the trip. Along the way they are met by two men named Wade and Terry who make friends with Roarke and Gail. It turns out they are armed killers, and they hold the family hostage and force them to guide them down the river to escape from authorities. However, they want Gail to take them down the most dangerous and treacherous stretch of the river, known as the Gauntlet. It will test all their will power and strength to come out of the situation alive. Meryl Streep plays the strong female role and mother to perfection, and delivered one of her all-time best lead performances It's a personal favorite of mine. David Strathairn also delivered one of his very best starring roles, as did Joseph Mazzello. Kevin Bacon played the perfect villain, and John C. Reilly played his sidekick perfect.

Hilariously underrated music inspired crime comedy from Michael Lehmann set in Los Angeles during the peak of the grunge/alternative rock movement. The story follows a band known as "The Lone Rangers" led by guitarist and lead vocalist Chazz, and backed by bassist Rex and drummer Pip. They are starved to get their music on the radio and score a record deal, so they decide to break into the most popular rock station in town in hopes of getting their demo played live on the air. When their initial plans go awry, they hold everyone hostage as many things comically go wrong with their demands and attempts to get their music to the people. This film is perfect for 90s alternative rock/grunge fans and still holds up today. The story is solid, the comedy and dialogue is excellent, and the casting is perfect. Brendan Fraser, Steve Buscemi, and Adam Sandler all deliver fantastic lead performances. Joe Mantegna and Michael McKean also deliver great starring roles. Michael Richards, Judd Nelson, Chris Farley, Ernie Hudson, Amy Locane, Nina Siemaszko, Marshall Bell, Reg E. Cathey, David Arquette, Michelle Hurst, Harold Ramis, and many others have great supporting roles.

Powerful comedy drama from Spike Lee set in the summer of 1973 Brooklyn, New York; and follows the 9-year-old daughter Troy of the middle-class Carmichael family. Her mother Carolyn is a hard-working school teacher who runs a strict no-nonsense household and is continually upset with the father of the family, Woody, who is an out-of-work jazz musician who has no income flowing in. Troy continually battles and learns lessons from her 4 disorderly brothers. When Carolyn gets very sick and is diagnosed with cancer, it adds overwhelming stress and responsibility on Troy and her father to keep the family together and move forward with their lives as a family. Zelda Harris, Alfre Woodard, and Delroy Lindo all delivered excellent and powerful lead performances. Carlton Williams, Sharif Rashed, Tse-Mach Washington, Christopher Knowings, José Zúñiga, Isaiah Washington, Frances Foster, Norman Matlock, Spike Lee, Patriece Nelson, Vondie Curtis-Hall, Peewee Love, RuPaul, and many others had great supporting roles.

Excellent comedy drama from Robert Benton that follows a 60-year-old headstrong man named Donald "Sully" Sullivan who's nearing retirement, and finds him in a transitional period between his job, his boss's beautiful wife that he has a thing for, and his pending home life and family changes. But he's mostly struggling with getting older and regretting how he has chosen to live his life up until now, and he decides it's never too late to make a change. Great story all around with excellent dialogue from a great cast. Paul New delivered an excellent Oscar-nominated lead performance filled with emotion and complexity. Jessica Tandy, Bruce Willis, Melanie Griffith, Dylan Walsh, Pruitt Taylor Vince, Gene Saks, Josef Sommer, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Philip Bosco, Alexander Goodwin, Jay Patterson, Margo Martindale, and others also had great supporting roles.

Excellent and unique fantasy-driven comedy drama from the Coen Brothers set in December 1958, New York City. When the owner of the highly successful Hudsucker Industries suddenly commits suicide, the ruthless head of the board of directors Sidney J. Mussburger decides to appoint an idealistic and completely unqualified mailroom clerk named Norville Barnes to run the company in an effort to make the company stock drop so he and his friends can buy up the shares at rock-bottom prices. That is until a determined Pulitzer Prize–winning reporter named Amy Archer starts to uncover the scandal. Excellent story with a quirky and fun production design and style. Tim Robbins, Paul Newman, and Jennifer Jason Leigh are three of my favorite actors, and they all deliver excellent lead performances. John Mahoney, Charles Durning, Jim True-Frost, Bill Cobbs, Bruce Campbell, Patrick Cranshaw, Robert Weil, Steve Buscemi, Anna Nicole Smith, and others had very nice supporting roles.

Underrated comedy drama from Andrew Bergman set in Queens, New York City. The film is based on a true story, and follows an honest cop and all around good human being named Charlie Lang who loves the inner city community in Queens, and is content to live the rest of his life there. However, his wife and high-school sweetheart Muriel hates Queens, and their relationship is seemingly falling apart after so many years together. One day Charlie buys a lottery ticket at Muriel's request, and subsequently offers to split the possible winnings of the ticket with a troubled waitress named Yvonne Biasi, since he doesn't have enough money to tip her. The lottery ticket ends up being a shocking $4 million jackpot winner, and honest Charlie keeps his promise and splits the money with Yvonne (much to Muriel's dismay), when he discovers she is a kind and caring person who truly deserves the cash. That sets off a media frenzy that explodes with greed, tension, life changes, and love. This film was so much better than your typical romantic comedy drama, and it made it even better that if followed a true story. What really made the film is the fantastic lead performances from Nicolas Cage and Bridget Fonda. They had superb chemistry together. Rosie Perez also had a very nice starring role. Wendell Pierce, Isaac Hayes, Stanley Tucci, Seymour Cassel, Red Buttons, Richard Jenkins, and others also had very nice supporting roles.

Excellent sequel from Peter Segal, and a fantastic way to cap off the Naked Gun trilogy (1988–1994), which stands as my favorite crime comedy trilogy ever made. This time we find Frank Drebin happily coming out of retirement and going undercover to stop a crazed terrorist named Rocco from bombing the Academy Awards ceremony. Meanwhile, various encounters with Rocco's gorgeous girlfriend Tanya gets Frank in trouble with his wife Jane. Great story and comedy all around, which lives up to the magic and laughs of the first two films. Leslie Nielsen delivers a fantastic lead performance as he usually does. Priscilla Presley (Jane), George Kennedy (Ed), and O.J. Simpson (Nordberg) all return and deliver great starring roles. Fred Ward, Anna Nicole Smith, and Kathleen also played an excellent trio of criminals. Raye Birk, Earl Boen, Lois De Banzie, 'Weird Al' Yankovic, John Capodice, and others also had very nice supporting roles.

Underrated action-packed crime adventure from Ernest R. Dickerson that follows a group of sadistic and wealthy businessmen who head out to the mountains for a hunting trip. What are they hunting? A homeless man named Jack Mason who they picked up in Seattle that's depressed and on the brink of suicide. They lie to him and tell them that they'll pay him good money to be a "hunting guide" on their trip. After they arrive at their cabin, he's greeted with the news that he'll be hunted and killed by them, and that he'll have a head start with the time it takes them to finish their breakfast. However, these businessmen may have picked too cunning of a victim to satisfy their lust for murder, as Jack is driven with a killer vengeance. Ice-T delivered one of his all-time best lead performances. Rutger Hauer, Charles S. Dutton, Gary Busey, F. Murray Abraham, John C. McGinley, and William McNamara also deliver excellent starring roles. Still an entertaining flick to this day.

Excellent family adventure from Charles Haid based on a true story about a courageous young man named Will Stoneman, who's father tragically dies and forces he and his mother to raise money to save their family farm. With no other options to earn the cash, Will embarks on the strenuous and grueling 522-mile-long dog-sled race from Winnipeg, Manitoba to Saint Paul, Minnesota in 1917, which can win him the grand prize of $10,000 if he wins. While most believe Will is too young to meet the challenge, a motivated news reporter named Harry Kingsley promotes his adventures and exploits. Great under-the-radar Disney gem for dog lovers. Great story and casting all around. Mackenzie Astin delivered an excellent lead performance. Kevin Spacey, David Ogden Stiers, August Schellenberg, Brian Cox, George Gerdes, John Terry, Penelope Windust, Jeffrey Alan Chandler, and others also had great supporting roles.

Excellent sports/crime drama from Jeff Pollack that follows a rising Harlem high school basketball star named Kyle-Lee Watson and is about to graduate, and is waiting to see if he's getting into Georgetown University on a scholarship. Meanwhile, he becomes torn between his loyalties to a ruthless local drug dealer named Birdie, and a former basketball star named Shep. Birdie becomes increasingly more demanding and threatening to Kyle-Lee and several others as the story moves on, which creates deadly results. Powerful and well done story all around with great drama and an excellent soundtrack. Duane Martin, Leon, and Tupac Shakur all delivered excellent lead performances. David Bailey, Tonya Pinkins, Marlon Wayans, Bernie Mac, Wood Harris, Eric Nies, and others also had very nice supporting roles.

Hilarious action-packed comedy from Chia-Liang Liu and Jackie Chan set in the early 1900s China, and follows a unique fighter named Wong Fei-hung, who practices a style of fighting called "Drunken Boxing" that's so fast and unpredictable that his enemies don't stand a chance. He ends up employing these techniques against a group of disparaging foreign thieves, which goes against his father's wishes. Great story all around, and it's one of the best and most entertaining lead performances I've seen from Jackie Chan. Lung Ti, Anita Mui, Felix Wong, Chi-Kwong Cheung, Wing-Fong Ho, Chia-Liang Liu, Ken Lo, Kar-Yung Lau, and many others had very nice supporting roles.

Hilarious crime comedy drama from Ted Demme set on Christmas Eve, and follows a cat burglar named Gus who was deserted by his partner in the middle of a jewelry heist. After he sets off the alarm and flees the area, he runs into a miserably dysfunctional married couple named Lloyd and Caroline, decides to take them hostage, and orders them to drive him to their house. From the moment they get in the car, Lloyd and Caroline start bickering and arguing to extreme lengths, which immediately starts to drive Gus crazy. The situation only becomes more maddening after they get back to the house, as Gus ends up playing counselor to settle them down before he gets caught by the police. Denis Leary delivered one of his best lead performances. Judy Davis and Kevin Spacey also had great starring roles. Christine Baranski, Robert J. Steinmiller Jr., Adam LeFevre, Glynis Johns, Phillip Nicoll, Ellie Raab, Richard Bright, Bill Raymond, J.K. Simmons, and others also had very nice supporting roles.

Very funny action-packed crime comedy from Chuck Russell that follows a simple bank clerk named Stanley Ipkiss who's having a bad day, and comes across a mysterious mask that depicts the infamous Norse mythological god Loki. When he puts on the mask, he transforms into an uncontrollable and crazed superhero with animated features, and uses his abilities to fight crime in Edge City (which closely resembles Los Angeles). Meanwhile, he falls in love with a beautiful singer named Tina Carlyle, which complicates matters. Jim Carrey delivers a wildly ambitious lead performance, and I couldn't imagine anyone better for the role. Cameron Diaz, Peter Greene, Amy Yasbeck, Peter Riegert, Ben Stein, Richard Jeni, Orestes Matacena, Reg E. Cathey, Denis Forest, Ivory Ocean, Nancy Fish, Jim Doughan, and several others have very nice supporting roles.

Great action-packed sci-fi adventure from Roland Emmerich set in 1994 Giza, Egypt, and follows and Egyptologist named Dr. Daniel Jackson who discovers that a mysterious device found in 1928 known as the "Stargate" was actually created by an advanced Egyptian civilization. When the device is activated, it opens a portal to another planet. With the Air Force now involved, Special Operations Colonel Jack O'Neil is leading the mission through the portal. There they find human slaves in a primitive culture that worships Ra, the God of the Sun. While this genre isn't my favorite, this was a very nicely done film overall, and had amazing special effects and cinematography. Kurt Russell and James Spader both deliver excellent lead performances. Jaye Davidson also had a great starring role. Viveca Lindfors, Alexis Cruz, Mili Avital, Leon Rippy, John Diehl, Carlos Lauchu, Djimon Hounsou, and many others had nice supporting roles.

Solid and entertaining sequel to the first Mighty Ducks film. The story follows Coach Gordon Bombay retiring from a successful run in minor hockey league after a knee injury, and is fortunately offered a job coaching the American team in the Junior Goodwill Games in Los Angeles. Gordon brings on most of the Ducks he previously coached, plus some new talent from other states. While they are a favorite in the tournament, they'll find the ruthless and talented team from Iceland will be their biggest challenge, along with Gordon's ego that blows up over fame. This one got a bit more kid-friendly than the first film, but it's still an entertaining family comedy and has lots of great action on the ice. Emilio Estevez delivered a great lead performance as usual. Joshua Jackson, Elden Henson, Shaun Weiss, Matt Doherty, Brandon Quintin Adams, Kathryn Erbe, Michael Tucker, Maria Ellingsen, and plenty others have great starring and supporting roles.

Solid family Christmas comedy drama from John Pasquin set on Christmas Eve in Illinois, and follows a successful 37-year-old toy company marketing director named Scott Calvin who prepares to spend the holidays with his 8-year-old son Charlie. In the middle of the night, they hear sounds on the roof. When Scott goes to investigate, he alarms Santa, who falls off the house to his death. His suit and reindeer remain, and Charlie urges Scott to take the job as the new Santa Clause. This looks to be a fan favorite Christmas film for a lot of people. It's well done and I enjoyed it, but it doesn't really rank very highly on my list of holiday favorites. Tim Allen and Eric Lloyd both had great lead performances. Judge Reinhold, Wendy Crewson, David Krumholtz, Paige Tamada, Peter Boyle, and many others had very nice supporting roles.

Solid comedy western and a decent sequel to the first City Slickers film. The story is set a year after the events of the first film, after their ruthlessly legendary trail boss Curly has passed away. Mitch ends up discovering a treasure map in Curly's old cowboy hat, which finds Mitch and his friends Phil and Glen embarking on another western adventure to locate the treasures with the help of Curly's identical twin brother, Duke. Solid story and comedy throughout, but it doesn't live up to the first film. Billy Crystal, Daniel Stern, Jack Palance, and Jon Lovitz all have nice lead performances. Patricia Wettig, Pruitt Taylor Vince, Bill McKinney, David Paymer, Josh Mostel, and others had nice supporting roles.

Solid family comedy from Brian Levant based on the classic cartoon series, The Flintstones (1960–1966). The story is set in the stone-age (approximately 10,000 B.C.) but all of Bedrock's citizens have a comically modern sensibility. When Fred does his best friend Barney a favor, Barney secretly returns the favor, which earns Fred the new associate vice president title where they work at Slate Mining Company. However, Fred is being setup to fail by the company, while he and Barney struggle with their friendship. The production and recreation of the cartoon was excellent, but the adult-oriented storyline was fairly lackluster. John Goodman and Rick Moranis delivered great lead performances. Elizabeth Perkins and Rosie O'Donnell also had very nice starring roles. Kyle MacLachlan, Halle Berry, Elizabeth Taylor, and others also had very nice supporting roles.