Lifetime Movies: 1994

1994 belonged to Pulp Fiction. It may not be a better film then Shawshank Redemption, but it's a better watch. Pulp was a running hit this year, driving through the pop culture landscape...Shawshank fizzled and then found its way and earned respect on video rentals...which is how I watched it...I think the name alone and "men in prison" hurt it...but I am glad they never changed it. Pulp Fiction was a time-changing, fashion-twisting, phrase-making Juggernaut...and we in the film fan community are still feeling the effects....how many knock-offs were made after this..about a thousand...maybe more. It's my best film of 1994. Whoever thought I would put soooo much time into thinking about the following:

1. What book was Vincent Vega reading on the toilet when he got shot?
2. Did the devil take Marcellus Wallace's Soul through the back of the head?..is that why he has a band aid there?
3. What's really in the case?...the soul of Wallace stupid
4. Will there ever be a "Vega Brothers Film"?
5. What if Stallone really took the "Butch" role?
6. Those Banana Slug T-Shirts are awesome
7. So Quentin Tarantino's character married a black girl?
8. Wow Vincent Vega is Alive at the end?...oh no he just moves time around

Other flicks:

Clerks: One of the best documentaries is the Clerks 10 year DVD "The Snowball Effect"...very entertaining...I have been off the K. Smith bandwagon for awhile...I think he lost his way trying to be something he is not after Jersey Girl...thought he got it back with Clerks 2 which was awesome...I guess we shall see...but he has the first Star Wars geek references in film history I think...and does it better then All.

Natural Born Killers: I saw Oliver Stone give a talk at my College once...he was a jerk...but I love this film...the director's longer cut is great...and the script of course is by Tarantino...again I wish he would write more...this film was stalled because Stone wanted images of the OJ case in the film...his was the first to make that stuff to film...The movie is brilliant and still relevant in our pop culture reality TV bull shit lives. And I just find Juliette Lewis so hot.

Shawshank Redemption: Best film commentator in the world is Frank Darabont. IMDB lists this film as #2/#1 depending on traffic I guess...It's great...I actually like Tim in this...the prison mood and joy of the film is great...not much else...I gotta eat breakfast

Lifetime Movies: 1994

Winner: Pulp Fiction

It's hard to realize how much Tarantino changed the film landscape with a decade and a half of hack copycat movies blocking the rearview. But there really wasn't anything that looked like this at the time and definitely nothing that felt like it. Yes, he again gathered up all his favorite cinematic themes and images, all his fanboy crushes, but, also again, he repackaged them in a fresh and undeniably cool way. And, yes, that is basically what I said about Reservoir Dogs. That's a helluva one-two punch out of the gate. Actually, these may be the best first two films of any director ever.

The other remarkable thing about Pulp is that every time you watch it, it becomes a different movie. It's about two hitmen collecting a mysterious suitcase. It's about a hold-up in a diner. It's about a boxer on the run from a mob boss. A dance contest. An overdose. A motherf''n gimp.

Films of Note: (I'll leave The Shawshank Redemption and Natural Born Killers for the V-Man.)

Cabin Boy: If I had one DVD wish it would be to have the complete series of Chris Elliott’s “Get a Life.” That’s not asking for much, is it? Apparently, “legalities” have kept me from being happy. And not in the usual restraining order way. Anyway, GaL, which lasted 2 seasons (!) on Fox despite execs thinking it was “too disturbing and that Elliott's character was too insane,” is one of my yardsticks for judging people. Sure, some people use religion or politics. I use Chris Elliott. It is a show Vin and I bonded over in high school and the rest, as you can behold, is Internet history. My point here is that Cabin Boy has never gotten the love it deserves and Chris Elliott should be bigger than Jim Carrey. I hate Jim Carrey.

Clerks: The movie everyone holds up when they say, “I could make a movie.” Kevin Smith filmed guys hanging out and talking about nothing. What an idea! Hey, no one else did it. Unfortunately, he really wants to drive that point home and has continued to make the same movie with bigger budgets. Usually, they’re enjoyable, though I think we all expected his legacy to be a bit more than that.

The Crow: A personal choice as I have a lot of memories associated with this film. I even have a molto cool Italian movie poster (“Il Corvo”) from my short lived hobby of collecting Italian movie posters. And I stand by my opinion that as good as Keanu Reeves was in The Matrix, Lee would have been amazing as Neo.

PCU: Animal House for the 90s…was actually a pretty dead-on (and funny) look at college at the time. At least my college at that time. And, it featured one of my favorite actresses of the time, Megan Ward, or as I liked to call her, My Backup Bridgit Fonda (she hated when I did that).

Loser: Reality Bites (no link)

One of the first movies I hated just for the fact of its existence. And Ethan Hawke. But more for it trying to speak for my generation in the most condescending, face-punchable way possible. Everything this was trying to say, Clerks said better, more authentically, and for less money than it cost to keep Hawke’s sleaze fresh between scenes.