10. BULLETS OVER BROADWAY

In the recent years, Woody Allen’s best films have studied deuterating relationships from a more serious angle, from Husbands and Wives to Crimes and Misdemeanors.  And although I can appreciate those films, I am certainly glad to see Woody Allen return to what he does best: making the audience laugh at light-hearted humor.

Bullets Over Broadway is certainly Allen’s most creative film since Hannah and Her Sisters, as he tells the story of a playwright named David Shayne (Cusack) who struggles to direct his debut play.  With the help of a gangster (Palminteri) with an enormous gift for writing, Shayne is able to turn his play into a masterpiece.  And in doing so, Allen creates another one of his own.

9. ED WOOD

Ironically, one of the best films of the year is about the worst film director of all time, Edward Davis Wood, Jr.  Johnny Depp stars as the notoriously bad filmmaker and knocks it out of the park with his performance.  He captures the passion and clueless charm of Wood, but is still somehow overshadowed by an even better performance by Martin Landau.  Landau plays Bela Lugosi, the washed-up star of Dracula who agrees to star in Wood’s films to finance his morphine addiction.

Filmed in beautiful black and white, Ed Wood boasts the beauty that we’ve come to expect from Tim Burton films.  But the thing that sets Ed Wood apart from Burton’s previous films is how wonderful the story is.  Ed Wood is a funny and loving celebration of one man’s love for the movies, and certainly the best thing ever released with Ed Wood’s name on it.

8. QUIZ SHOW

America loves winners.  And the producers of the hit 1950’s quiz show Twenty-One knew they could make a lot of money if they had a contestant people would root for, so they provided the answers to contestants that they wanted to win.   Robert Redford’s entertaining new film Quiz Show is a retelling of the Twenty-One scandals.  Oddly, however, the film was a blockbuster flop, which is unfortunately since Quiz Show is exactly the kind of winner that America would have loved.

7. THE LION KING

Walt Disney, a studio that made classic films like Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Bambi and Pinocchio in its early days, has never had a hotter winning streak than it is right now.  In the past five years, it has released The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin.  And now The Lion King.

The Lion King might actually be the most ambitious of all these modern Disney masterpieces, as they brought in a slew of A-list stars to do voiceovers and even Elton John to record many of the film’s epic numbers.  It was all money well spent, as The Lion King went on to make over $760 million at the box office, making it the top-grossing film of the year, and deservingly so.  The Lion King boasts some of the best animation and soundtracks of any Disney film, and with the studio’s enormous resumé, that’s really saying something special.

6. RED

Although I found it easy to appreciate Blue and White, the first two films in Krzysztof Kieslowski’s Three Colors trilogy, it’s the third and final chapter that completely won me over.  Red, filmed with gorgeous cinematography, tells a thought-provoking story of a young woman who catches a neighbor eavesdropping on his neighbors’ telephone calls.  Red not only is the masterpiece of the Three Colors trilogy, but it actually makes the other two films even better, too.  And that’s something that The Godfather Part III can’t boast.

5. SPEED

Not in a million years did I think my top ten list would include a popcorn movie about a bus that will explode if it slows below 50 mph, but Speed is the most entertaining thriller I’ve seen in many years.  Keanu Reeves plays a brave LAPD police officer and Sandra Bullock is perfect as the passenger called to take the wheel.  Speed may lack in storytelling, but it abundantly makes up for it by providing heart-pounding thrills for nearly two hours straight.  The bus never slows down, but neither does your heart rate.

4. HOOP DREAMS

Sometimes the truth hurts more than fiction, which is exactly the case with Hoop Dreams, the heartbreaking documentary that chronicles two boys from Chicago who dream of being the next Isiah Thomas.  Hoop Dreams isn’t just about basketball, it’s a story about class, race, family and how the public system prevents poor urban areas from achieving the American dream.  It’s one of the great documentaries of all time and easily one of the best films of the year.

3. THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION

Released on the exact same day as Hoop Dreams and Pulp Fiction, Frank Darabont’s The Shawshank Redemption is part of a trio that may make October 14, 1994 the greatest day for movie releases in the history of cinema.  At first glance The Shawshank Redemption, which is based on a Stephen King novella, appears to be a story about overturning authority, but at its base it’s really a story about living life to the fullest, regardless of the circumstances, and about the lifelong friendships that you form along the way.  The Shawshank Redemption may be a bit long with too many endings, but that’s easy to forgive since you never want it to end anyways.

2. PULP FICTION

In nearly any other year, Quentin Tarantino’s stylish, high-energy follow up to Reservoir Dogs would top the list, with its brilliant dialogue, all-star cast, and fresh structure.  And to call it the second-best film of the year, doesn’t really do it justice, since it – along with Schindler’s List, Forrest Gump and Goodfellas – stand head and shoulders above all other films from the 90s as we hit the decade’s halfway point.

1. FORREST GUMP

History has never been told in a more entertaining way than through the eyes of Forrest Gump, the fictional slow-witted title character behind Robert Zemeckis’s new masterpiece.  Forrest, played to perfection by Tom Hanks, has a long list of accomplishments that include being an All-American college football star, a Medal of Honor winner, a renowned ping pong diplomat and a successful shrimping boat captain.  And if the Oscars get it right this year, Forrest Gump will also be able to add one more accomplishment to his resume: Best Picture winner.

Forrest Gump is as sweet as a box of chocolates, and funnier than any other film from 1994.  At one point, Forrest’s mom tells him “Don’t let anybody tell you they’re better than you.”  And in 1994, nothing was.