Netflix Shines Light On 1994 As Great Year For Film; What Got Left On Cutting Room Floor
'Dumb and Dumber', 'River Wild' and 'Leon- The Professional' New Line/Universal/Everett Collection
Who says 1994 was a classic year for cinema? Netflix begins today to make that argument, curating a release of 17 films that turned 30 this year. The streamer has its list below. I have mine, and with the exception of the seminal Farrelly Brothers-directed Dumb & Dumber with Jim Carrey & Jeff Daniels, and Luc Besson’s Leon: The Professional, the film that stars Jean Reno and a sinister Gary Oldman, and introduced the world to the outsized talent Natalie Portman, and maybe Ron Howard’s The Paper, there’s a lot missing. How about Forrest Gump, The Shawshank Redemption, Pulp Fiction, The Lion King, Priscilla Queen of the Desert, Clear and Present Danger, Sicario, Four Weddings and a Funeral, Interview With The Vampire, Speed, Ed Wood, and the other two films in a starmaking year for Jim Carrey, Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, and The Mask. Speed, Once Were Warriors, and Ang Lee’s breakout Eat Drink Man Woman? Netflix is right though; 1994 was a great one for movies, and 2024 won’t see near as many good films.
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Staying on the “4s”, 1994 pales in comparison to the seminal year of 1974, which saw the release of such films as: Coppola’s doubleheader of The Godfather Part II and The Conversation, Chinatown, Mel Books’ Blazing Saddles & Young Frankenstein, Tobe Hooper’s classic The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, the 007 pic The Man With The Golden Gun, The Longest Yard – the one with Burt Reynolds – The Taking of Pelham 123, Scorsese’s Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, Thunderbolt And Lightfoot, Lenny, Spielberg’s The Sugarland Express, the disaster triple bill of Airport 1975, The Towering Inferno & Earthquake, and the Blaxploitation classic Foxy Brown with Pam Grier? Now, that was a year that Hollywood will be hard pressed to duplicate,.
Here are Netflix’s 1994 choices:
BLANKMAN
A mechanically gifted but socially inept nerd makes bulletproof skivvies that enable him to take his rightful place in the pantheon of crime fighters.
DIRECTOR: Mike Binder. CAST: Damon Wayans, David Alan Grier, Jason Alexander, Jon Polito, Robin Givens
INITIAL RELEASE DATE: August 19, 1994, Sony
CLERKS
Sharp-witted, potty-mouthed, bored out of their minds. Retail clerks Dante and Randal (Brian O’Halloran and Jeff Anderson) are just trying to make it through a day in their lives.
DIRECTOR: Kevin Smith. CAST: Brian O’Halloran, Jason Mewes, Jeff Anderson, Kevin Smith, Lisa Spoonauer, Marilyn Ghigliotti, Scott Mosier, Scott Schiaffo
INITIAL RELEASE DATE: October 19, 1994, Paramount
DUMB & DUMBER
A lovesick fool and his rambunctious best friend get caught up in a criminal scheme after they attempt to return a briefcase to its rightful owner.
DIRECTOR: Peter Farrelly. CAST: Jeff Daniels, Jim Carrey, Lauren Holly
INITIAL RELEASE DATE: December 16, 1994, New Line
FRESH
A 12-year-old boy living in a dangerous neighborhood hatches a plan to outsmart a group of criminals to protect himself and his sister.
DIRECTOR: Boaz Yakin. CAST: Giancarlo Esposito, N’Bushe Wright, Sean Nelson, Samuel L. Jackson
INITIAL RELEASE DATE: August 24, 1994, Paramount
THE HUDSUCKER PROXY
Simple mail clerk Norville Barnes falls into good — or bad? — luck when he becomes the CEO of a successful business.
DIRECTOR: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen. CAST: Jennifer Jason Leigh, Paul Newman, Tim Robbins
INITIAL RELEASE DATE: March 11, 1994, Warner Bros.
JUNIOR
After a male fertility doctor loses a research grant, his colleague convinces him to test their wonder drug by implanting himself with an embryo.
DIRECTOR: Ivan Reitman. CAST:Arnold Schwarzenegger, Danny DeVito, Emma Thompson
INITIAL RELEASE DATE: November 23, 1994, Universal
THE LITTLE RASCALS
A group of pint-sized mischief-makers stir up shenanigans in their small town in this kid-friendly comedy inspired by the classic “Our Gang” series.
DIRECTOR: Penelope Spheeris. CAST: Travis Tedford, Bug Hall, Brittany Ashton Holmes, Kevin Jamal Woods, Zachary Mabry, Ross Bagley, Sam Saletta
INITIAL RELEASE DATE: August 5, 1994, Universal
LEON: THE PROFESSIONAL
When his neighbors are killed by a DEA agent, a hired assassin becomes the reluctant guardian of a young girl who begins to follow in his footsteps.
DIRECTOR: Luc Besson. CAST: Gary Oldman, Jean Reno, Natalie Portman
INITIAL RELEASE DATE: November 18, 1994, Sony
MAJOR LEAGUE II
After success spoils Cleveland’s division-winning baseball team, owner Roger Dorn signs an arrogant all-star to shake things up from behind the plate.
DIRECTOR: David S. Ward. CAST: Charlie Sheen, Corbin Bernsen, David Keith, Dennis Haysbert, Tom Berenger
INITIAL RELEASE DATE: March 30. 1994, Sony
MURIEL’S WEDDING
A misfit escapes life by listening to ABBA ditties and dreaming about marriage, but when she leaves her hometown, her fantasy starts to come to life.
DIRECTOR: P. J. Hogan. CAST :Bill Hunter, Daniel Lapaine, Rachel Griffiths, Toni Collette
INITIAL RELEASE DATE: Fall, 1994, Paramount
MY GIRL 2
Thirteen-year-old Vada makes an unforgettable trip from Pennsylvania to Los Angeles, hoping to find out more about the mother she never knew.
DIRECTOR: Howard Zieff. CAST: Anna Chlumsky, Austin O’Brien, Dan Aykroyd, Jamie Lee Curtis
INITIAL RELEASE DATE: February 11, 1994, Sony
NATURAL BORN KILLERS
Mickey and Mallory Knox embark on an interstate crime spree that triggers a violent pursuit and garners high ratings for a tabloid TV star.
DIRECTOR: Oliver Stone. CAST: Juliette Lewis, Robert Downey Jr., Tom Sizemore, Woody Harrelson
INITIAL RELEASE DATE: August 26, 1994, Warner Bros
THE PAPER
Facing financial strains and pressure from his wife, a newspaper editor must choose between a prestigious new job and a career-defining story.
DIRECTOR: Ron Howard. CAST:Glenn Close, Michael Keaton, Marisa Tomei, Randy Quaid, Robert Duvall
INITIAL RELEASE DATE: March 18, 1994, Universal
REALITY BITES
In this irreverent romantic comedy, a small circle of friends suffering from postcollegiate blues must confront the hard truths of real life.
DIRECTOR: Ben Stiller. CAST: Ben Stiller, Ethan Hawke, Janeane Garofalo, Winona Ryder
INITIAL RELEASE DATE: February 18, 1994, Universal
THE RIVER WILD
A turbulent vacation turns deadly when two fugitives kidnap a whitewater rafting guide and her family, forcing them down the dangerous river.
DIRECTOR: Curtis Hanson. CAST: David Strathairn, John C. Reilly, Joseph Mazzello, Kevin Bacon, Meryl Streep, Stephanie Sawyer
INITIAL RELEASE DATE: September 30, 1994, Universal
SERIAL MOM
A sweet mom. A loving wife. A devoted homemaker. Beverly Sutphin embodies suburban perfection except for one tiny flaw: her penchant for murder.
DIRECTOR: John Waters. CAST: Kathleen Turner, Matthew Lillard, Ricki Lake, Sam Waterston
INITIAL RELEASE DATE: April 13, 1994, Universal.
STREET FIGHTER
Intrepid Col. William Guile takes on a malevolent warlord who kidnaps a busload of Guile’s Allied Nations relief workers and holds them for ransom.
DIRECTOR: Steven E. de Souza. CAST:Damian Chapa, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Kylie Minogue, Ming-Na Wen, Raul Julia, Wes Studi
INITIAL RELEASE DATE: December 23, 2994, Universal
