The main reason I love sharing these videos, apart from their historical significance, is to hopefully encourage a UA-cam audience to seek out great films they may not have heard of and possibly share Gene and Roger's infectious passion. Films and film criticism are two sides of the same coin, and these guys have enhanced my appreciation of movies (as well as my love for talking about them) immensely.
I saw both Ed Wood and Pulp Fiction in the theatre in NYC, in 1994. For anyone too young to remember, Pulp Fiction was an EVENT. I don’t know how else to describe it, but the atmosphere was electric in that theatre.
One crazy part about that movie is that every single character is interesting. The contestants, the producers, the FBI detective, the families of the contestants, it's crazy! Amazing performances all around.
That year's Oscar was Forrest Gump vs Pulp Fiction, Shawshank Redemption became a hit on video- then straight to the top of the imdb user rankings, and Four Weddings and a Funeral got a remade TV show on streaming. But yeah, Quiz Show, even with the relevant issues, has gotten lost.
1994 is one of the greatest years in film history, and a magical era where something that was at least good, if not great, came out seemingly every week. I also really miss watching Siskel and Ebert on Sunday evenings. Their sign-off was the unofficial end of my weekend.
This show used to be on Saturday afternoons I remember....and then sometimes I'd catch it on late at night. Always enjoyed it. Sad that both Siskel and Ebert have passed. Siskel died far to young. And to watch Ebert lose his voice and then suffer his illness over the last few years of his life was terrible...both RIP.
@elmo007millie Yeah...in Pittsburgh it was Saturday afternoons but then I remember catching it on late night at times too. Seems like it moved around a lot through the years on when it was broadcast.
@arthurschaper2433 I sort of remember that too...Sunday aftrrnoons....it was always on on the weekend though, it switched around a lot though when it was broadcast here in Pittsburgh.
amazing. These videos take you back in time and remember how people felt AT THAT TIME. Now people in July 2021 people revere Shawshank, Pulp Fiction, and Forrest Gump, but back then, they were just considered good films relative to their era(not all-time great)
Ed Wood is a superb film from beginning to end, I loved it when I first saw it in Gainesville in 1994 (while visiting my brother for the Gators' homecoming football weekend, which they won 42-18 over LSU) and I love it today. I'm so glad that it's historical verdict has been hugely positive, even though it was not a success at the box office.
Ed Wood was such a fun film! Depp was superb. The supporting cast including, Martin Landau, Sarah Jessica Parker and a wild turn by Bill Murray was simply awesome. 👍
These are the only two people on Earth 🌎 history that i ever cared about opinions on movies. Not friends or family, any other critics, Rotten Tomatoes nothing. Only these two. Obviously i don't agree with everything but that is besides the point. They love movies and are so intelligent about talking about them, we are extremely lucky a few people on UA-cam still show alot of their content. Thank you to all of you.
I turned 13 in 1992. All through the 90’s I rented movies and went the movies every week. I remember during that time S@E came on Sundays at 11:30 after the news . I used to set my vcr in case I fell asleep . I was a big fan of S@E. I wanted to be a film critic back then 😎. I still loves movies and collect them .
If you haven’t seen Fresh, it is absolutely amazing. Giancarlo Esposito and Samuel L. Jackson are excellent in their roles, along with everyone in the cast. A real treat.
People know and like him now for other stuff, but Giancarlo Esposito should have gotten a Best Supporting Oscar nomination 30 years ago for playing Esteban in "Fresh". Convincingly menacing and yet highly charismatic and even likeable at the same time.
Ebert gets most of the love but let's hear it for Siskel who put two true masterpieces on his list that Roger left off: Shawshank Redemption and Red Rock West
Thanks so much for posting these classic shows! I never missed an episode back in the day, recording many of them on my old VCR. I saw Siskel and his wife at an event in Chicago months before his death and wish I could have told him how much he and Roger influenced my love for film.
11:17-I understand completely. I am a Book Reviewer because I love books so much and want to explore them and share them with others. No matter whether I end up liking or not liking the finished project, just being there seeing the title page and feeling that zest coming from the author and how they created this universe is enough to get me excited. Just the process of going through the pages, learning who the characters are, what are the struggles, where are they going, and how it all adds together and putting my thoughts about this journey on my blog are the things that I love most about being a Reviewer and this creative wonderful literary world that I chose to explore.
I was surprised to see Natural Born Killers and The Last Seduction on Ebert's list. Two great, but underappreciated films that could only have been made in the 90s.
1993-96 was such an awesome time for movies, with many films that were beloved by both audiences and critics- something that doesn't happen often now! Re Hoop Dreams, I remember there was a whole controversy over it not getting an Oscar nomination for best documentary and it turned out there was corruption within that group of voters, which helped lead to reforms later. One of the nominees that year (and the eventual winner) was the former head of the documentary nominating committee (she had stood down so she could be eligible for her film to be nominated). Also there was a preference in the group for shorter films, and Hoop Dreams had been too long for them. The irony of Hoop Dreams getting its one nomination for best editing was noted at the time, lol.
Loved the fact that they have Natural Born Killers on their list. I remember the first time coming out of that movie being super charged with adrenaline. It was nuts
Gene at 9:40 has an insightful remark about funerals. I recently attended my Uncles’ Catholic funeral service and I said the same thing to my wife afterwards. They spoke about my uncle for maybe 10 minutes then praised god for the next hour.
I just rewatched Hoop Dreams after last seeing it in the theatres in 94. Takes an amazing movie to beat pulp fiction, but that’s an amazing movie. PS Pulp Fiction is my favorite movie.
I was about to say the same thing. Funny. We loved Christian Bale back then, too! We loved Empire of the Sun and I'm still a big Newsies fan. My dad enjoyed Swing Kids; not sure when that came out.
@@StreetHierarchy Most of America did not know who Christian Bale was until _Batman Begins_ (2005). At 13, he had starred in Steven Spielberg's _Empire of the Sun_ (1987), but that film was a disappointment and did nothing for his career. A few years later, they tried to make him happen again with leads in Disney's _Newsies_ (1992), and _Swing Kids_ (1993), but both movies flopped badly at the box-office. Thus, throughout the '90s and early 2000s, he did mainly indies -- or had supporting roles in bigger films -- but he was never quite a star. _The Dark Knight_ trilogy (2005, 2008, 2012) is what made him a household name, and _The Fighter_ (2010) earned him his first Oscar nomination and win.
I think it receives an undue amount of attention because 3 of the most *popular* films of all time were released. But if you weigh everything that came out from January to December, it was at best an average year in my opinion and a major letdown after the abundance of riches released in 1993. The turds of 1994 were hot and heavy.
@@langdonalger9219 HEAT, Se7en, Casino, The Usual Suspects, Apollo 13, Die Hard with a Vengeance, Crimson Tide, 12 Monkeys, Braveheart, Toy Story, Tommy Boy.. to name a few.
"It doesn't matter what somebody's famous for, just that they're famous." That statement by Roger Ebert is even truer today than it was back in 1994 now in the age of the internet and social media with influencers running rampant.
I know a lot of it. I think in that scene Travolta was discussing the differences of Europe vs USA. 'What do they call a whopper'? 'I dunno. I didn't go to Burger King'. 😂
You could do a second Top 10 list of just the movies these two legendary reviewers collectively left off: 1) Speed; 2) The Lion King; 3) True Lies; 4) The Paper; 5) Dumb and Dumber; 6) The Madness of King George; 7) ; 8) Clerks; 9) Clear and Present Danger; and 10) Four Weddings and a Funeral.
The last time I physically went to a theatre to watch a movie was in 2011. This vignette from the past reminds me why, as modern cinema is dead. Instead of anticipating new releases, I chose to review all the films from the past that I hadn’t seen, looking for gold. There’s far better films to watch made in the past than anything released in the last twenty years.
this is so dense...you just dont know where to look. Im from Poland, so maybe here its normal for theaters to show amazing indie films. but "There’s far better films to watch made in the past than anything released in the last twenty years." is an idiotic statement.
Seriously, 2007 is an all time film year. The past 20 years have seen some of the best movies from PTA, Fincher, Tarantino, Scorcese, The Cohens, Nolan, Vileneuve, Cuaron, Gerwig, Joon-Ho and those are just some of the very well known names. This year has been a bit down, but last year was a real high. I mean, Tar came out a couple years ago...That film is incredible, Cate Blanchet is incredible....And this is all coming from someone who isn't really into the whole Marvel/DC thing. Which, had been dominating the theatrical experience for the last decade, there are plenty of great films coming out all the time. Modern cinema is far from dead
These two guys had the best jobs in the world. Imagine getting paid to watch movies, and then getting paid to sit and talk about them with a friend of yours. And you become a celebrity in your own right because people actually care what you think, and your opinion is so influential that advertisers quote it on the posters and TV spots for their movies. How do you get a better career than that? It would be like living inside the most fantastic dream you ever dreamed.
Although I've heard Mark Kermode say (and probably other critics too) that critics don't get paid to watch good films, they get paid to sit through all the bad ones.
There's a reason why you commented that under a "Best of" video rather than a "Worst of" episode. There are a ton of movies out there that people wish to unsee.
@@jp3813 That's true. What was it Richard Roeper said? "The best thing about being a movie critic is that you get to see every movie ever made. The worst thing is that you _have_ to see every movie ever made."
They were superb film critics. They were so intelligent and passionate and charismatic that they got a nationally syndicated TV show. To be able to do the job they do so well, you have to be supremely talented. There wasn't anything like them before and there hasn't been since.
1994 was just an incredible year in film. Here are some films not mentioned in their lists: The Lion King, True Lies, The Crow, The Professional. Even Natural Born Killers. Liked it or hated it, you had an opinion.
i had never even heard of Shawshank Redemption and one night when it was new on cable i was flicking through channels looking for something to watch, something i had not already seen. and i came to whatever channel it was and it had the playing next message up and i clicked to red the description and i was like "Ugh a prison movie. no thanks" and i kept looking through the channels, i just could not find anything and finally reluctantly i was like "ok guess i will watch the damn prison movie" i then sat there and was absolutely absorbed into this film and its world. 30ish years ago i would have told you than Shawshank was my favorite film of this bunch, but over the decades Forrest Gump has really earned a special place for me. i find myself rewatching it often, you have to forget about all those unnecessary gimmick scenes where they place him into historical footage those are the weak points of the film. i dont think Forrest Gump is about Forrest, it is about the damaged people in his life that come and go, when they are really down and need someone they always return to their loyal stable friend and over time his positive presence helps them get their own lives together and find happiness. the arc of Dan always fills me with hope. there are several other really popular films on the list but i personally never liked any of them that much. i think Hoop Dreams was these two guys favorite film EVER, for years ad years they never stopped mentioning it. i never could sit through it, of course i grew up poor as hell and poverty didnt interest me the same way it did them. i also was the tallest kid in school my whole life and was endlessly harassed to play basketball which i had less than zero interest in. so maybe i just have a chip on my shoulder about basketball.
My list for the Best films of 1994: 1. Pulp Fiction 2. To Live 3. Ed Wood 4. Forrest Gump 5. The Adventures of Priscilla 6. True Lies 7. Speed 8. Legends of the Fall 9. Quiz Show 10. Leon: The Professional
Gene viewed "The Flintstones" as being more significant than "Forrest Gump" in 1994, a statement he owed solely to the marketing impetus of the former (which had a domestic gross of over $100 million and a successful McDonald's promotion but otherwise was a film Gene and Roger didn't care for at all). Runners-up on Gene's list were "Speed", "Red", "Legends of the Fall", "What Happened Was . . . ", "The Blue Kite" and "Ladybird, Ladybird". (SOURCE: Chicago Tribune, December 25, 1994)
Ed Wood's my #1 for this year, although it has some strong competition; 1994 is often called one of the best-ever years for movies (and it is), but 1992 & 1993 deserve comparison with it and are often overlooked.
The film's producers aimed for Best Picture instead and failed. Their fault. It would have easily won for Best Documentary, but the acclaim it received from critics, especially Siskel & Ebert, made them too proud to submit in the "lesser" category.
@@waynej2608Those were all tremendous decades for movies, but the 50s also get some love from me. Those were the years that Billy Wilder, my favorite director, released Sunset Boulevard, Ace in the Hole, and Stalag 17.
My top 10 from 1994: 1. Pulp Fiction 2. The Shawshank Redemption 3. Hoop Dreams 4. Clerks 5. Ed Wood 6. Forrest Gump 7. Red Rock West 8. Quiz Show 9. The Madness of King George 10. Speed
My best of 1994 list 10. Clerks (Kevin Smith) 9. To Live (Zhang Yimou) 8. Forrest Gump (Robert Zemeckis) 7. The Last Seduction (John Dahl) 6. The Lion King (Roger Allers, Rob Minkoff) 5. Quiz Show (Robert Redford) 4. Ed Wood (Tim Burton) 3. The Shawshank Redemption (Frank Darabont) 2. Pulp Fiction (Quentin Tarantino) 1. Hoop Dreams (Steve James) Runners-up 15. Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle (Alan Rudolph) 14. Little Women (Gillian Armstrong) 13. Bullets Over Broadway (Woody Allen) 12. In the Land of the Deaf (Nicolas Philibert) 11. Speed (Jan de Bont) Clearly I’m aligning more with Siskel’s list but I’m glad Ebert included The Last Seduction. The Linda Florentino character Bridget is an absolute original. It’s mordantly hilarious how devious and intelligent she is. She should have gotten that Oscar nomination that year.
Clerks is utterly mediocre. just like its writer/director. C'mon man, Pulp Fiction, Shawshank, Forrest, Hoop Dreams, the Kieslowski movies, are all much better than that slacker fodder.
1. Pulp Fiction 2. Speed 3. Red 4. The Shawshank Redemption 5.Ed Wood 6. Clerks 7. True Lies 8. Wes Craven's New Nightmare 9. Quiz Show 10. The Lion King I really need to watch Hoop Dreams
Ten best films of 1994 1. Pulp Fiction 2. Trois colours: rouge, Krzysztof Kieślowski 3. Du li shi dai (A Confucian Confusion), Edward Yang 4. To Live, Yimou Zhang 5. Ashes of Time, Wong Kar-wai 6. Before The Rain, Milcho Manchevski 7. Quiz Show 8. Exotica, Atom Egoyan 9. Through the Olive Trees, Abbas Kiarostami 10. Hoop Dreams, Steve James
You are someone with great taste in films. The amazing thing is that Yimou Zhang and Wong Kar- Wai have made even greater films . I actually would be tempted to rate Before the Rain above them. About the only one on your list that I would not consider for my Top 10 of 1994 is Exotica which is kind of sad because I am not only Canadian but met Atom several times and admire every single actor in it . I do understand why it received so much praise but for some reason it just would not make my Top 10 . But I do think The Sweet Hereafter is a masterpiece in any year and also really liked Ararat .
Actually, it is! The Three Colors trilogy was collectively #5 on his final Best of the Decade list. He also included the trilogy on *this* list, not just Red.
@@flaccidusminimus2170 you're right, I should have checked it before writing this comment, but it was still behind Pulp Fiction on that list. He did the same thing with Raging Bull, it was his #1 movie of the decade, but it wasn't actually his #1 movie of the year it came out.
@AndyBluebear-fi9om As Ebert says at the top, they run down the full slates at the end. The show is for discussing selected titles, they only had 22 minutes plus ads.
i thought gump was very uneven. they could have left out the part where he was running around the country. the scenes with lt. dan were the best parts of the movie.
Loved Quiz Show and Pulp Fiction but corruption behind the scenes of 1950s TV game show/quiz show was probably just a bit too non-commercial for most viewers.
1. Hoop Dreams 2. Three Colors: Blue, White, Red 3. Pulp Fiction 4. Forrest Gump 5. The Shawshank Redemption 6. The Lion King 7. Leon the Professional 8. It Could Happen to You 9. The Nightmare Before Christmas 10. Interview With a Vampire
Interview with a Vampire, Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt, Christian Slater and Antonio Bandares all thrown together before the idea of The Expendables came about. It was a well made movie. Thank you for mentioning it.
My list: 1. Ashes of Time (Wong Kar Wai) 2. Natural Born Killers 3. Picture of Light (Peter Mettler) 4. Clean, Shaven (Lodge Kerrigan) 5. Mod Fuck Explosion (Jon Moritsugu) 6 Prêt-a-Porter/Ready to Wear (Robert Altman) 7. Little Buddha (Bernardo Bertolucci) 8. Mrs. Parker & The Vicious Circle (Alan Rudolph) 9. The Hudsucker Proxy (Joel Coen) 10. Ed Wood Honorable Mentions: Black Ice (Stan Brakhage), Chungking Express (Wong Kar Wai), Crooklyn (Spike Lee), Dumb & Dumber (Farrelly brothers), Death Wish 5 (Alan A. Goldstein), The Glass Shield (Charles Burnett), Hong Kong 97 (Albert Pyun), I Can't Sleep (Claire Denis) Imperfect Journey (Haile Gerima), The Moon (Takashi Itô), New Nightmare (Wes Craven), No Escape (Martin Campbell), Scanner Cop (Pierre David), Serial Mom (John Waters), The Shadow (Russell Mulcahy), Through the Olive Trees (Abbas Kiarostami), Timecop (Peter Hyams), To Live (Zhang Yimou), Vanya on 42nd Street
NBK is so awful Tarantino had his name removed they had to comprise w a story by credit It’s a cluster of a movie does not deserve to be on any best of list
I can see that you have good taste and know films so therefore I will not condescend to point out Chungking Express was from 1984 because it is likely on your list because of its later release via Tarintino ( and yet look how i managed to still try to make myself seem clever .. even though I am pretty sure you already knew that LOL) . So many great films that year and I do remember ( with chills) watching Clean Shaven . Back then after having been in Laws of Gravity , Clean Shaven and Pulp Fiction , i thought Peter Greene was going to a "star". I thought of him as the American version of Tim Roth or Ray Winstone. The reason that your numbers 6-9 would not be considered by me is partly because I prefered films like To Live, Blue Kite, Through The Olive Trees but because Altman, Rudolph, Joel Coen and BB all made other films that were so much better than those ( in my subjective view) so despite their being good I came away disappointed.
The main reason I love sharing these videos, apart from their historical significance, is to hopefully encourage a UA-cam audience to seek out great films they may not have heard of and possibly share Gene and Roger's infectious passion. Films and film criticism are two sides of the same coin, and these guys have enhanced my appreciation of movies (as well as my love for talking about them) immensely.
As a gen-Z denizen, thanks !
They were the best weren’t they?
I watched them every weekend throughout the 80s and 90s
The very good old days.
Thanks a lot, Flaccidus! All the best!
These guys will never be replaced, just like Alex Trebeck will never be really replaced.
And all three died from cancer.
or Bob Barker
I still miss Alex Trebek
And now RIP Bob Barker
Nobody has personality anymore.
I saw both Ed Wood and Pulp Fiction in the theatre in NYC, in 1994. For anyone too young to remember, Pulp Fiction was an EVENT. I don’t know how else to describe it, but the atmosphere was electric in that theatre.
The shot scene to Mia Wallaces chest. Wow what an experience in that theater in that scene. Unble
I gotta be honest, I’m not a big fan of Pulp Fiction. It’s far from terrible but I just never enjoyed it nearly as much as most. I prefer Jackie Brown
I was 14 at the time and snuck into the theater to see Pulp Fiction. One of the greatest movie-going experiences of my youth.
Quiz Show was a GREAT movie! Think I’ll watch it tonight.
@@brianmeen2158pulp fiction is a fascinating film. Not many peoples favorite but noone can deny the impact it had
Quiz Show is a superb film, sadly it seems to never get mentioned anywhere these days. Truly a fascinating story with a sharp script
One crazy part about that movie is that every single character is interesting. The contestants, the producers, the FBI detective, the families of the contestants, it's crazy! Amazing performances all around.
That year's Oscar was Forrest Gump vs Pulp Fiction, Shawshank Redemption became a hit on video- then straight to the top of the imdb user rankings, and Four Weddings and a Funeral got a remade TV show on streaming. But yeah, Quiz Show, even with the relevant issues, has gotten lost.
A very underrated film for sure.
One of my favorite scenes is the lunch scene at the Athenaeum. The conversation between the elder Van Doren and Goodwin is as good as it gets.
@@Harkness78 Martin Scorsese (in one of his few acting roles) is great in this as the show's sponsor.
1994 is one of the greatest years in film history, and a magical era where something that was at least good, if not great, came out seemingly every week. I also really miss watching Siskel and Ebert on Sunday evenings. Their sign-off was the unofficial end of my weekend.
Something that is "at least good" comes out every week, no matter which year you're in, if you look hard enough!
@@flaccidusminimus2170 I’m not as confident anymore. Cinema isn’t what it once was.
Amen
1994 is the greatest year in film
The greatest years of film history were 1930-2008. Thanks obama
This show used to be on Saturday afternoons I remember....and then sometimes I'd catch it on late at night. Always enjoyed it. Sad that both Siskel and Ebert have passed. Siskel died far to young. And to watch Ebert lose his voice and then suffer his illness over the last few years of his life was terrible...both RIP.
I remember when they were on Sunday afternoons.
And both from cancer
In Chicago they used to be on Saturdays at 10:30pm.
@elmo007millie Yeah...in Pittsburgh it was Saturday
afternoons but then I remember catching it on late night at times too. Seems like it moved around a lot through the years on when it was broadcast.
@arthurschaper2433 I sort of remember that too...Sunday aftrrnoons....it was always on on the weekend though, it switched around a lot though when it was broadcast here in Pittsburgh.
I love all these S&E clips. Really takes me back. These guys were stars in their own right for what they did for the film industry and the fans.
I love how Hoop Dreams topped both of Siskel and Ebert's lists.
I thought that seemed strange...until I saw it. And now it's my #1 of 1994 as well
@@ianrobinson4200 Same here. I likely wouldn't of discovered that gem had it not been for S&E! Same goes for the "Three Colors: Red"
They both are Chicago guys and it’s a Chicago documentary. Hoop Dreams is a captivating film with possibly a bit of home court advantage with S&E.
I agree, but it got snubbed at the awards.
Absolutely 100% correct even though I love Shawshank and Pulp Fiction. Hoop Dreams is a diamond among diamonds. What a year in film.
amazing. These videos take you back in time and remember how people felt AT THAT TIME. Now people in July 2021 people revere Shawshank, Pulp Fiction, and Forrest Gump, but back then, they were just considered good films relative to their era(not all-time great)
It’s the same in almost all walks of life. Everything was better back then.
I think “Woke-ness” has got a lot of people shitting on Forrest Gump these days. Even though Hanks didn’t go full retard.
You’re right except for Pulp Fiction. I remember it clearly, and that movie was an instant fundamental part of film history.
Ed Wood is a superb film from beginning to end, I loved it when I first saw it in Gainesville in 1994 (while visiting my brother for the Gators' homecoming football weekend, which they won 42-18 over LSU) and I love it today. I'm so glad that it's historical verdict has been hugely positive, even though it was not a success at the box office.
It's Burtons best and I don't think it's even close.
Great movie. That and Big Fish are Burton’s best.
I thought it was a hoot.
It's made it back on video, many times over I am sure.
Ed Wood was such a fun film! Depp was superb. The supporting cast including, Martin Landau, Sarah Jessica Parker and a wild turn by Bill Murray was simply awesome. 👍
These are the only two people on Earth 🌎 history that i ever cared about opinions on movies. Not friends or family, any other critics, Rotten Tomatoes nothing.
Only these two.
Obviously i don't agree with everything but that is besides the point. They love movies and are so intelligent about talking about them, we are extremely lucky a few people on UA-cam still show alot of their content.
Thank you to all of you.
So glad Ed Wood made the list. I love that movie, I consider it to be Tim Burton's best film.
It is
Sweeney Todd is my favourite burton film
Ed Wood and Pee Wees Big Adventure. If you watch it, “ Tell ‘‘em Large Marge sent ya”.!!!!
Edward scissorhands is his best. The clearest expression of his unique sensibilities.
It's an underrated film. It's sad that it wasn't a big success.
I turned 13 in 1992. All through the 90’s I rented movies and went the movies every week. I remember during that time S@E came on Sundays at 11:30 after the news . I used to set my vcr in case I fell asleep . I was a big fan of S@E. I wanted to be a film critic back then 😎. I still loves movies and collect them .
If you haven’t seen Fresh, it is absolutely amazing. Giancarlo Esposito and Samuel L. Jackson are excellent in their roles, along with everyone in the cast. A real treat.
Can't disagree with you-- a superb film. One of the greatest performances from a child actor (Sean Nelson) that I can remember.
People know and like him now for other stuff, but Giancarlo Esposito should have gotten a Best Supporting Oscar nomination 30 years ago for playing Esteban in "Fresh". Convincingly menacing and yet highly charismatic and even likeable at the same time.
Ebert gets most of the love but let's hear it for Siskel who put two true masterpieces on his list that Roger left off: Shawshank Redemption and Red Rock West
Nice they had 2 John Dahl movies on their lists. I still think about those movies almost daily.
Thanks so much for posting these classic shows! I never missed an episode back in the day, recording many of them on my old VCR. I saw Siskel and his wife at an event in Chicago months before his death and wish I could have told him how much he and Roger influenced my love for film.
Fantastic year for cinema!
Amazing films. All of them. Especially Quiz Show and Kieslowski's trilogy.
Absolutely. The Three Colors films were just mind boggling. Magnificent films!
11:17-I understand completely. I am a Book Reviewer because I love books so much and want to explore them and share them with others. No matter whether I end up liking or not liking the finished project, just being there seeing the title page and feeling that zest coming from the author and how they created this universe is enough to get me excited.
Just the process of going through the pages, learning who the characters are, what are the struggles, where are they going, and how it all adds together and putting my thoughts about this journey on my blog are the things that I love most about being a Reviewer and this creative wonderful literary world that I chose to explore.
What a great year for films this was--a lot of excellent pictures here.
1994, one great movie after another and this was only one year in the 90s!
I was surprised to see Natural Born Killers and The Last Seduction on Ebert's list. Two great, but underappreciated films that could only have been made in the 90s.
Thank you for everything u do, I love seeing these snapshots of movie history
1993-96 was such an awesome time for movies, with many films that were beloved by both audiences and critics- something that doesn't happen often now!
Re Hoop Dreams, I remember there was a whole controversy over it not getting an Oscar nomination for best documentary and it turned out there was corruption within that group of voters, which helped lead to reforms later. One of the nominees that year (and the eventual winner) was the former head of the documentary nominating committee (she had stood down so she could be eligible for her film to be nominated). Also there was a preference in the group for shorter films, and Hoop Dreams had been too long for them. The irony of Hoop Dreams getting its one nomination for best editing was noted at the time, lol.
It was a lot like the early Seventies, a very exciting time for movie lovers.
1994 was a great year for movies. Pulp Fiction, Fresh, and Forrest Gump are 3 of my all time favorites.
Thank you.
One the the best years for movies in a long time.
Loved the fact that they have Natural Born Killers on their list. I remember the first time coming out of that movie being super charged with adrenaline. It was nuts
A snapshot in time. So cool to see and to revisit some great films that have largely been forgotten
Red Rock West is an overlooked gem
Fresh is such an underrated movie
1994 was a big year in film for me. Pulp Fiction and Clerks made a movie lover out of me.
What did you think of the crow and interview with the vampire?
Gene at 9:40 has an insightful remark about funerals. I recently attended my Uncles’ Catholic funeral service and I said the same thing to my wife afterwards. They spoke about my uncle for maybe 10 minutes then praised god for the next hour.
I just rewatched Hoop Dreams after last seeing it in the theatres in 94. Takes an amazing movie to beat pulp fiction, but that’s an amazing movie. PS Pulp Fiction is my favorite movie.
Any one of these films is leagues better than anything produced in the last 5 years. It really was a golden age.
Watch TÁR
Agree
Such a small minded comment, there were many terrific films in 2022
@@imandan1966 Name one
@@platoplombo15 Everything Everywhere all at Once and the Banshees of Inishirin. Thats 2. Open your mind ya old man
Poor Christian Bale is so relatively unknown at this point that they don't even grace him with a mention in the "Little Women" review...
And look at him now
I was about to say the same thing. Funny. We loved Christian Bale back then, too! We loved Empire of the Sun and I'm still a big Newsies fan. My dad enjoyed Swing Kids; not sure when that came out.
@@StreetHierarchy Most of America did not know who Christian Bale was until _Batman Begins_ (2005). At 13, he had starred in Steven Spielberg's _Empire of the Sun_ (1987), but that film was a disappointment and did nothing for his career.
A few years later, they tried to make him happen again with leads in Disney's _Newsies_ (1992), and _Swing Kids_ (1993), but both movies flopped badly at the box-office.
Thus, throughout the '90s and early 2000s, he did mainly indies -- or had supporting roles in bigger films -- but he was never quite a star.
_The Dark Knight_ trilogy (2005, 2008, 2012) is what made him a household name, and _The Fighter_ (2010) earned him his first Oscar nomination and win.
@@VinMar-m6w How about American Psycho?
@@dionhodge9880 Lets see Paul Allen's
there is a reasonable argument to be made that 1994 is one of the very best years for cinema ever. It is in my top 3, at any rate
I think it receives an undue amount of attention because 3 of the most *popular* films of all time were released. But if you weigh everything that came out from January to December, it was at best an average year in my opinion and a major letdown after the abundance of riches released in 1993. The turds of 1994 were hot and heavy.
@@flaccidusminimus2170 that’s the real question, isn’t it: would you rather have a plate full of silver, or few good chunks of gold? (No wrong answer)
1995 is actually a much better year for movies, people always mention 94 and then only talk about Shawshank, Pulp Fiction, and Gump.
@@UxCANxDOxIT I didn’t find 1995 to be that special. There weren’t a lot of great movies released that year. Which ones stand out most to you?
@@langdonalger9219 HEAT, Se7en, Casino, The Usual Suspects, Apollo 13, Die Hard with a Vengeance, Crimson Tide, 12 Monkeys, Braveheart, Toy Story, Tommy Boy.. to name a few.
1994 was a great year for film. My favourite film is The Shawshank Redemption and a very close second is Hoop Dreams.
1994 might be the greatest year in movies There certainly was a huge dropoff by the end of the 90's. 72-95 I say are the greatest movie years ever.
The last great decade for film.
My Best and Favorite Flim of the year
1.Mircale on 34th Street
2. Forrest Gump
3. The Lion King
4. Pulp Fiction
"It doesn't matter what somebody's famous for, just that they're famous." That statement by Roger Ebert is even truer today than it was back in 1994 now in the age of the internet and social media with influencers running rampant.
'94 was straight fire
He apparently had to mute the dialog on Pulp Fiction, but a good deal of us could repeat it all from memory anyway.
I know a lot of it. I think in that scene Travolta was discussing the differences of Europe vs USA.
'What do they call a whopper'?
'I dunno. I didn't go to Burger King'.
😂
The balcony has not been the same. RIP
You could do a second Top 10 list of just the movies these two legendary reviewers collectively left off: 1) Speed; 2) The Lion King; 3) True Lies; 4) The Paper; 5) Dumb and Dumber; 6) The Madness of King George; 7) ; 8) Clerks; 9) Clear and Present Danger; and 10) Four Weddings and a Funeral.
A great year for film.
The last time I physically went to a theatre to watch a movie was in 2011. This vignette from the past reminds me why, as modern cinema is dead. Instead of anticipating new releases, I chose to review all the films from the past that I hadn’t seen, looking for gold. There’s far better films to watch made in the past than anything released in the last twenty years.
this is so dense...you just dont know where to look. Im from Poland, so maybe here its normal for theaters to show amazing indie films. but "There’s far better films to watch made in the past than anything released in the last twenty years." is an idiotic statement.
Seriously, 2007 is an all time film year. The past 20 years have seen some of the best movies from PTA, Fincher, Tarantino, Scorcese, The Cohens, Nolan, Vileneuve, Cuaron, Gerwig, Joon-Ho and those are just some of the very well known names. This year has been a bit down, but last year was a real high. I mean, Tar came out a couple years ago...That film is incredible, Cate Blanchet is incredible....And this is all coming from someone who isn't really into the whole Marvel/DC thing. Which, had been dominating the theatrical experience for the last decade, there are plenty of great films coming out all the time. Modern cinema is far from dead
You haven't been to a theater in a decade, and complain there are no good movies?
These two guys had the best jobs in the world. Imagine getting paid to watch movies, and then getting paid to sit and talk about them with a friend of yours. And you become a celebrity in your own right because people actually care what you think, and your opinion is so influential that advertisers quote it on the posters and TV spots for their movies. How do you get a better career than that? It would be like living inside the most fantastic dream you ever dreamed.
Although I've heard Mark Kermode say (and probably other critics too) that critics don't get paid to watch good films, they get paid to sit through all the bad ones.
There's a reason why you commented that under a "Best of" video rather than a "Worst of" episode. There are a ton of movies out there that people wish to unsee.
@@jp3813 That's true. What was it Richard Roeper said? "The best thing about being a movie critic is that you get to see every movie ever made. The worst thing is that you _have_ to see every movie ever made."
They were superb film critics. They were so intelligent and passionate and charismatic that they got a nationally syndicated TV show. To be able to do the job they do so well, you have to be supremely talented. There wasn't anything like them before and there hasn't been since.
1994 was just an incredible year in film. Here are some films not mentioned in their lists: The Lion King, True Lies, The Crow, The Professional. Even Natural Born Killers. Liked it or hated it, you had an opinion.
Natural Born Killers was on Roger's list, one of the first movies discussed in this episode!
@@flaccidusminimus2170 Whoops overlooked it. I remember his positive review of the film.
i had never even heard of Shawshank Redemption and one night when it was new on cable i was flicking through channels looking for something to watch, something i had not already seen. and i came to whatever channel it was and it had the playing next message up and i clicked to red the description and i was like "Ugh a prison movie. no thanks" and i kept looking through the channels, i just could not find anything and finally reluctantly i was like "ok guess i will watch the damn prison movie" i then sat there and was absolutely absorbed into this film and its world.
30ish years ago i would have told you than Shawshank was my favorite film of this bunch, but over the decades Forrest Gump has really earned a special place for me. i find myself rewatching it often, you have to forget about all those unnecessary gimmick scenes where they place him into historical footage those are the weak points of the film. i dont think Forrest Gump is about Forrest, it is about the damaged people in his life that come and go, when they are really down and need someone they always return to their loyal stable friend and over time his positive presence helps them get their own lives together and find happiness. the arc of Dan always fills me with hope.
there are several other really popular films on the list but i personally never liked any of them that much. i think Hoop Dreams was these two guys favorite film EVER, for years ad years they never stopped mentioning it. i never could sit through it, of course i grew up poor as hell and poverty didnt interest me the same way it did them. i also was the tallest kid in school my whole life and was endlessly harassed to play basketball which i had less than zero interest in. so maybe i just have a chip on my shoulder about basketball.
I liked Forrest Gump and pulp fiction. I'm born in 92 so i wasn't there to see most of these films but i will look some up.
Ed Wood is very entertaining and very strange. I have it on Blu-Ray. Little Women is a really good film,, and I liked Hoop Dreams too.
@@timothygrant7266 All of them of good film.
I really miss these guys. Back before everybody and their grandma became a movie critic.
Hoop Dreams was spectacular
Quiz Show great movie!
My list for the Best films of 1994:
1. Pulp Fiction
2. To Live
3. Ed Wood
4. Forrest Gump
5. The Adventures of Priscilla
6. True Lies
7. Speed
8. Legends of the Fall
9. Quiz Show
10. Leon: The Professional
Great taste my friend! Leon the professional is an amazing film. Can't believe pulp fiction didn't win film of the year.
Can't believe the jewel Ed Wood is not on the list of Roger Ebert...
Watch the best of 1997 too. Man, I didn’t realize what we had! I miss the movies. And I’m a Marvel fan. I just want more of other things too!
Too bad Siskel wasn't around to see The Green Mile. Directed by the same man who did The Shawshank Redemption.
Both of them movies suck thumbs down way down 👎
@@michaelorick2065 LOL, go watch the MCU.
Miss these guys
What a year.
Gene viewed "The Flintstones" as being more significant than "Forrest Gump" in 1994, a statement he owed solely to the marketing impetus of the former (which had a domestic gross of over $100 million and a successful McDonald's promotion but otherwise was a film Gene and Roger didn't care for at all). Runners-up on Gene's list were "Speed", "Red", "Legends of the Fall", "What Happened Was . . . ", "The Blue Kite" and "Ladybird, Ladybird". (SOURCE: Chicago Tribune, December 25, 1994)
This was the best year for films
My goodness 1994 was a fantastic year for movies, I was born this year. Maybe theres a correlation haha
I feel bad I've never heard of Hoop Dreams, I gotta watch that!
Did you end up seeing it?
Ed Wood's my #1 for this year, although it has some strong competition; 1994 is often called one of the best-ever years for movies (and it is), but 1992 & 1993 deserve comparison with it and are often overlooked.
I agree, 1994 was one of the best years for movies, at least 5-6 films this year could be top of the list in any other year too.
It was so stupid that the academy didn’t even put hoop dreams in the best documentary category.
The film's producers aimed for Best Picture instead and failed. Their fault. It would have easily won for Best Documentary, but the acclaim it received from critics, especially Siskel & Ebert, made them too proud to submit in the "lesser" category.
I'm was baffled by "Hoop Dreams" back then ...and just as baffled today. P.S. I'm surprised that "Speed" did not make any of their top ten's.
Speed is one of the best action films ever made. I don't care if it's "just" Die Hard on a bus. It works! My god, does it work!
Are you baffled why it didn’t get recognition by the Oscars? It’s one of the greatest sports documentaries of all time.
Pulp fiction is my favorite film of all time
Best film that didn’t make either list, Speed.
4 good ones in my opinion:
The Hudsucker Proxy
Bullets Over Broadway
Nobody's Fool
Don Juan DeMarco
I've disagreed with them sometimes but I'm really surprised they liked Natural Born Killers a lot.
Is it just me or I’m I wrong thinking Hollywood has really lost so very much since the 1990s ?
The days of major studio executives caring about the quality or longevity of their products are pretty well past.
The 70’s was golden era for Hollywood films
@@consman22It's always been the '40s, '70s and '90s for me.
@@waynej2608Those were all tremendous decades for movies, but the 50s also get some love from me. Those were the years that Billy Wilder, my favorite director, released Sunset Boulevard, Ace in the Hole, and Stalag 17.
the 90s was the last great decade for Hollywood movies.
If Rotten Tomatoes existed back in 1994, most of these movies would have nearly identical audience and critics scores.
You only have to look at what Quiz Show was up against in the Oscars that year.
I recently watched their Howard the Duck review, they really changed their mind about Tim Robbins
"The madness of King George" should have been in either's top 10.
Its so funny to see how the legacy of the movies grow with time
My top 10 from 1994:
1. Pulp Fiction
2. The Shawshank Redemption
3. Hoop Dreams
4. Clerks
5. Ed Wood
6. Forrest Gump
7. Red Rock West
8. Quiz Show
9. The Madness of King George
10. Speed
Speed is just great, and I really enjoyed Dianne Wiest:s performance in Bullets.
@@timothygrant7266 I bet Clerks was in the top 20 for at least one of them. A great movie.
@@keithclifton392 probably not Ebert. He liked it (3 stars), but there were more films that he rated higher.
Hoop Dreams is overrated.
My best of 1994 list
10. Clerks (Kevin Smith)
9. To Live (Zhang Yimou)
8. Forrest Gump (Robert Zemeckis)
7. The Last Seduction (John Dahl)
6. The Lion King (Roger Allers, Rob Minkoff)
5. Quiz Show (Robert Redford)
4. Ed Wood (Tim Burton)
3. The Shawshank Redemption (Frank Darabont)
2. Pulp Fiction (Quentin Tarantino)
1. Hoop Dreams (Steve James)
Runners-up
15. Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle (Alan Rudolph)
14. Little Women (Gillian Armstrong)
13. Bullets Over Broadway (Woody Allen)
12. In the Land of the Deaf (Nicolas Philibert)
11. Speed (Jan de Bont)
Clearly I’m aligning more with Siskel’s list but I’m glad Ebert included The Last Seduction. The Linda Florentino character Bridget is an absolute original. It’s mordantly hilarious how devious and intelligent she is. She should have gotten that Oscar nomination that year.
Clerks is utterly mediocre. just like its writer/director. C'mon man, Pulp Fiction, Shawshank, Forrest, Hoop Dreams, the Kieslowski movies, are all much better than that slacker fodder.
Florentino definitely got screwed! She should've not only been nominated, but won!
1. Pulp Fiction
2. Speed
3. Red
4. The Shawshank Redemption
5.Ed Wood
6. Clerks
7. True Lies
8. Wes Craven's New Nightmare
9. Quiz Show
10. The Lion King
I really need to watch Hoop Dreams
It's by far the best out of those and those are some awesome movies
Ten best films of 1994
1. Pulp Fiction
2. Trois colours: rouge, Krzysztof Kieślowski
3. Du li shi dai (A Confucian Confusion), Edward Yang
4. To Live, Yimou Zhang
5. Ashes of Time, Wong Kar-wai
6. Before The Rain, Milcho Manchevski
7. Quiz Show
8. Exotica, Atom Egoyan
9. Through the Olive Trees, Abbas Kiarostami
10. Hoop Dreams, Steve James
I agree with you with Exotica. That was a great film.
I probably have seen "Pulp Fiction" a hundred times...and I saw in Japan when it came out and had no idea what to expect...loved it......
You are someone with great taste in films. The amazing thing is that Yimou Zhang and Wong Kar- Wai have made even greater films . I actually would be tempted to rate Before the Rain above them. About the only one on your list that I would not consider for my Top 10 of 1994 is Exotica which is kind of sad because I am not only Canadian but met Atom several times and admire every single actor in it . I do understand why it received so much praise but for some reason it just would not make my Top 10 . But I do think The Sweet Hereafter is a masterpiece in any year and also really liked Ararat .
Those credits, though. :D
It's interesting that Three Colors: Red is even higher than Pulp Fiction on Ebert's list but it's nowhere to be seen on his best of the decade list.
Actually, it is! The Three Colors trilogy was collectively #5 on his final Best of the Decade list.
He also included the trilogy on *this* list, not just Red.
@@flaccidusminimus2170 you're right, I should have checked it before writing this comment, but it was still behind Pulp Fiction on that list.
He did the same thing with Raging Bull, it was his #1 movie of the decade, but it wasn't actually his #1 movie of the year it came out.
How come all of the lists aren't included? is that your edit or was that how they presented the show originally?
@AndyBluebear-fi9om As Ebert says at the top, they run down the full slates at the end. The show is for discussing selected titles, they only had 22 minutes plus ads.
i thought gump was very uneven. they could have left out the part where he was running around the country. the scenes with lt. dan were the best parts of the movie.
Right! That running scene was too long.
I agree, some of it was a little silly.
how are they so good at talking
Where the hell's Dumb & Dumber?
@@Dwight2744 Nowhere near any critic's top 10 list that year, get real!
did they review terminal velocity?
Two Thumbs Down. Almost every critic hated it.
Loved Quiz Show and Pulp Fiction but corruption behind the scenes of 1950s TV game show/quiz show was probably just a bit too non-commercial for most viewers.
Hoop Dreams is fine -- but I would never want to see it again.
Exactly, that's why nobody talks about it anymore, it was forgettable and shouldn't be top 10.
Really? I've seen it maybe five times in the last six years. I think it's endlessly rewatchable. It's like visiting the past and a whole other life.
Isn't that "Kevin Pollak" as the cab driver??? In "End of Days" with Arnold Schwarzenneger and many other films???
1. Hoop Dreams
2. Three Colors: Blue, White, Red
3. Pulp Fiction
4. Forrest Gump
5. The Shawshank Redemption
6. The Lion King
7. Leon the Professional
8. It Could Happen to You
9. The Nightmare Before Christmas
10. Interview With a Vampire
Nightmare looks great on Blu-Ray. Amazing and entertaining.
@@timothygrant7266 I have it on blu ray. Definitely agree!
Mandela effect - interview with THE vampire
@@Swoll826 you sound fun
Interview with a Vampire, Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt, Christian Slater and Antonio Bandares all thrown together before the idea of The Expendables came about. It was a well made movie. Thank you for mentioning it.
Hollywood used to consistently make very good movies
Hoop Dreams wasn't all that.
Best of 1994
Pulp Fiction
Natural Born Killers
Forrest Gump
Shawshank Redemption
True Lies
Speed
Léon: The Professional
Ed Wood
The Mask
Nice to see some love for The Mask.
My list:
1. Ashes of Time (Wong Kar Wai)
2. Natural Born Killers
3. Picture of Light (Peter Mettler)
4. Clean, Shaven (Lodge Kerrigan)
5. Mod Fuck Explosion (Jon Moritsugu)
6 Prêt-a-Porter/Ready to Wear (Robert Altman)
7. Little Buddha (Bernardo Bertolucci)
8. Mrs. Parker & The Vicious Circle (Alan Rudolph)
9. The Hudsucker Proxy (Joel Coen)
10. Ed Wood
Honorable Mentions:
Black Ice (Stan Brakhage), Chungking Express (Wong Kar Wai), Crooklyn (Spike Lee), Dumb & Dumber (Farrelly brothers), Death Wish 5 (Alan A. Goldstein), The Glass Shield (Charles Burnett), Hong Kong 97 (Albert Pyun), I Can't Sleep (Claire Denis) Imperfect Journey (Haile Gerima), The Moon (Takashi Itô), New Nightmare (Wes Craven), No Escape (Martin Campbell), Scanner Cop (Pierre David), Serial Mom (John Waters), The Shadow (Russell Mulcahy), Through the Olive Trees (Abbas Kiarostami), Timecop (Peter Hyams), To Live (Zhang Yimou), Vanya on 42nd Street
I didn`t like Natural Born Killers at all...and I know they did...watching annoying and unlikeable caricatures for 2 years didn`t cut it....
NBK is so awful Tarantino had his name removed they had to comprise w a story by credit
It’s a cluster of a movie does not deserve to be on any best of list
I can see that you have good taste and know films so therefore I will not condescend to point out Chungking Express was from 1984 because it is likely on your list because of its later release via Tarintino ( and yet look how i managed to still try to make myself seem clever .. even though I am pretty sure you already knew that LOL) . So many great films that year and I do remember ( with chills) watching Clean Shaven . Back then after having been in Laws of Gravity , Clean Shaven and Pulp Fiction , i thought Peter Greene was going to a "star". I thought of him as the American version of Tim Roth or Ray Winstone. The reason that your numbers 6-9 would not be considered by me is partly because I prefered films like To Live, Blue Kite, Through The Olive Trees but because Altman, Rudolph, Joel Coen and BB all made other films that were so much better than those ( in my subjective view) so despite their being good I came away disappointed.
Hoops dreams above pulp fiction is funny. I’ve never end heard of it
Every living movie fan has not heard of countless great titles. Don't conflate popularity and quality!
Ed Wood!!!!!
Believe in Angels - The Crow Rest in Peace Brandon Lee