Shadow and Flame with Magik

One of my favorite podcasts, What Are You Watching?, with hosts Alex and Nick, are going to review 1995 in Films.  Which looking at the list :

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1995_in_film

and knowing them as I do now, I feel like certain films are going to be overlooked.  I also was looking over the list and envisioning writing about it as so many great movies came out in 1995!  Plus, I’m due for a proper blog entry.  So click the link above, and follow along, if you will!

Should be fun to look back at these movies from a fresh perspective, but also remembering what it was like to watch these 27 years ago!  I was 13, so movies meant so much more back then. 

January

Murder in the First, Christian Slater, Kevin Bacon, Gary Oldman.  Slater’s other interview movie, this time interviewing Kevin Bacon’s prisoner, I remember watching this and being blown away by Bacon’s range.  I should rewatch this as I don’t recall The Mace, Lee Ermey, and Stephen Tobolowsky being in this, or Kyra Sedgwick. 

S.F.W., I recall Kevin Smith talking about this movie, how it was the other convenience store movie, this one featuring Joey Lauren Adams, and apparently Tobey Maguire.  I should make a point of watching this, and in a twist, it is actually streaming, unlike so many movies I want to watch.  So if you have Amazon Prime, you can watch it too.

Before Sunrise, WAYW is a huge fan of this film series with Richard Linklater, Ethan Hawke, and Julie Delpy.  I’ve never seen this trilogy, I’ve heard great things, and I love how every nine years, they make another one.  Alex pointed out in one of their latest episodes how we’re currently in a nineth year, so if we are getting one, it should be soon.  Apparently the third one came out and they filmed it secretly, so they could do that again.  Before Sunrise isn’t streaming anywhere that I’m subscribed too. 

Highlander The Final Dimension, the third Highlander movie.  I don’t quite remember this one, the Highlander movies, until the fourth one, sort of follow the previous film, but also contradicts it, it is a very complicated continuity, for something that shouldn’t be that complicated of a plot about the last immortal standing, regains their mortality.  Simply, don’t tell the last story, don’t ever give that hard of a number of, there’s only six left, so watch out.  I like the first movie, but once Duncan MacLeod’s show and line of movies came along, I was all for it.  It was such a great opportunity for the franchise to have a new direction, and they didn’t waste the opportunity.

Gargoyles The Movie : The Heroes Awaken.  Remember Gargoyles, everybody?  Such a great series, and I should see if I can get Walker D to start it with me, as I remember it being very good, but not finishing it as animation was bonkers in the 90s, with no real direction on when new episodes were coming out, if they were coming out, and so many reruns.  The “movie” is just the first five episodes reedited to make a fun movie, just like how She-Ra did it with her series, but I want to say she did it the reverse, where it was a movie, and then they broke it out to the first five episodes.  So not just like She-Ra, I suppose.

February

It is also fun seeing how Hollywood works, who was hot that year and just kept making movies.  Which means they were hot the previous year and then their slew of movies come out in the next calendar year.

Boys on the Side, one of my favorite Drew Barrymore movies.  I’m a huge fan of Terry Moore’s Strangers in Paradise comic book series, and he must have done an interview where he talked about a SiP movie would have the same feel as Boys on the Side.  Some laughs, some action, a lot of heart.  Maybe it was someone on the SiP message board, now that I’m typing this.  I’m getting a memory of a thread wherein people are discussing what a SiP movie would be about.  Who knows, but I watched this movie and really was blown away by everything that happens in it.  I should rewatch it as I don’t recall Matthew McConaughey being in it.  I remember Whoopi Goldberg and Drew Barrymore, of course, and them having a third friend, but seeing how that third friend is Mary-Louise Parker, who I loved from the West Wing and followed her to Weeds, she doesn’t look like the MLP I feel hard for from the movie poster, but she was younger then.  I’m going to put a complete list on the bottom of this post so I can refer to it later of which movies I want to revisit and where they are streaming.  It is streaming on Hulu, and seeing the screencap, that is clearly MLP and she looks as great as she always does.  Its just not a flattering poster, which is unfortunate.

Billy Madsen, a legendary Adam Sandler movie, where he has to go through school again, all the way from Kindergarten to, I’m not sure he gets to high school before the plot runs its course.  Mortal Kombat’s Bridgette Wilson (she’ll always be Sonya Blade to me), is the romantic interest in the film.  Bradley Whitford, way before West Wing, is a perfect foil in it.  Norm Macdonald and Steve Buscemi are in it, such a comedy classic. 

The Quick and the Dead, Sam Raimi’s western starring Sharon Stone, Gene Hackman, Russell Crowe, and Leonardo DiCaprio.  I recall watching this on a cable channel, and it not grabbing me.  Probably the commercial breaks made it easy to jump out and onto something else.  It is streaming on Netflix.  Keith David, Lance Henriksen, Tobin Bell, Gary Sinise, and Bruce Campbell are in this?!  Well, of course, Bruce Campbell is in this, I need to give this a proper go. 

The Brady Bunch Movie, I’m pretty sure I only saw this once it came to TV, and I only saw it because Davy Jones of the Monkees was a guest star in it.  Oh, and 90s Spider-Man voice actor, Christopher Daniel Barnes is Greg Brady in this.  Did you know CDB is also Prince Eric in the Little Mermaid?  Once you hear you, you won’t be able to not hear it again.  Gary Cole and Shelley Long as the parents, and I was curious who was Marcia Brady and it was Christine Taylor, who you probably know as Ben Stiller’s wife, who is in a slew of his movies.  Were Micky and Peter in this, they must be at the big dance at the end of the movie, I don’t recall them, Davy gets a few scenes, if I remember correctly.  I also don’t remember Michael McKean, Jean Smart, or James Avery being in this, but it’s a pretty busy movie.  Lots going on.  I was never really into the Brady Bunch, only seeing a handful of episodes and seeing retrospectives about it. 

March

Outbreak, what a movie!  Starring the monkey from Friends, as that’s all I knew at the time.  My wife and I just rewatched this sometime last year, and it really holds up.  Such an all star cast too!  Dustin Hoffman, Rene Russo, Morgan Freeman, Cuba Gooding Jr., Patrick Dempsey, Donald Sutherland, Kevin Spacey, JT Walsh in a typical JT Walsh role, but really nailing it!  They really don’t make all start movies like this anymore.  Probably too much money and probably not getting that much back for it. 

Bye Bye Love, now here’s a movie I saw more than I probably should have.  Great story for the 90s about having kids and being divorce, but I don’t think that part really landed on me.  Paul Reiser, Matthew Modine, Randy Quaid, are the dads, just trying their best.  It is streaming on Starz, but we don’t have that, but I recall loving the movie.  One of those movies, where the kids became big name actors like Mae Whitman and Eliza Dushku.  Empire Records’ Johnny Whitworth is one of the kids, and Jack Black is in this and he must have been one too.  Rob Reiner is also great in this, and I’m a huge Reiner fan.  Might have to track this to see if it ever streams elsewhere.  Strangely, VUDU doesn’t have it.  If it was cheap enough, I would throw four dollars at it.

Major Payne starring Damon Wayans, I almost saw at school, and then again on Comedy Central.  I’m not sure I’m ready for it.  I want to say the tape didn’t work at school, and I may have missed the first couple segments of it on TV.

Tall Tell, I recall my father buying the VHS and growing up, we tried to do family movie nights.  This was the first movie that I tried to skip, as it didn’t look that good.  Maybe it was just the day, but I must have watched it, with my arms crossed, daring the movie to try to entertain me.  It is the story of what if Paul Bunyan, John Henry, and Pecos Bill all lived in the same setting.  I’m still not that familiar with Pecos Bill.  I’m a huge fan of the Paul Henry story, man vs. machine, ever since I saw the documentary, The Terminator, as a young lad, its definitely been one of my huge concerns that one day, machine is going to win, and win big.  Patrick Swayze is Pecos Bill, Oliver Platt is Paul Bunyan, and Roger Aaron Brown is John Henry.  It is on Disney Plus, so I should see if I can get the family together to watch it.  Walker D is notorious for shooting down all movie ideas, so I’m probably setting myself up for some disappointment. 

Tank Girl, based on the very British comic book, I recall starting and just not connecting with it. 

Tommy Boy, a Chris Farley and David Spade classic!  Brian Dennehy, Bo Derek, and Rob Lowe also co-star.  I don’t recall Dan Aykroyd in it, but I mostly remember Farley and Spade and how funny it is.

April

I’ve never seen Bad Boys, and have no real interest in it.  I’m run cold on Martin Lawrence.

I’ve seen moments of While You Were Sleeping, and I also have seen scenes of Sleepless in Seattle, neither film was in my wheelhouse in 1995.  Sleepless came out in 1993, when I was even more inclined to not watch it.

I’ve also not seen any of the Friday movies. 

I’ve never seen any Children of the Damned movies.

My wife is a huge fan of the original two Escape to Witch Mountain movies, and she didn’t even know there was a remake in 1995.  We didn’t care for the Rock remake in 2009.

Ooof, I didn’t see any of these April 1995 films

May

I recall starting French Kiss starring Meg Ryan and Kevin Kline, and not connecting to it. 

I must have seen a Freaky Friday movie, I was more incline to watch the male versions of this concept of switching bodies between an adult and a child/teenager.

Die Hard with a Vengeance, here we go.  My wife and I treated ourselves to the Die Hard digital collection and finally watched all five of them.  Die Hard Three is probably my second favorite one, but it is definitely the one I’ve seen the most.  This is my Die Hard.  It has all of the charm of the first one, but on a large scale.  Bruce Willis, of course, joined by Samuel L. Jackson, as they struggle against Jeremy Irons.  Such a great film! 

Braveheart, I’ve seen Mel Gibson’s opus.  I didn’t connect to it then, and then it became a parody of itself in the media as shows had fun with the face paint and all of the yelling.  So that’s Braveheart in my head.  I recall it felt like a chore to watch and then it won the Oscars, and then it became one of those “Oscar movies,” that I know it deserves some respect, but I’m never going to watch it again, most likely.

Casper, starring Christina Ricci and Bill Pullman.  With a very fun guest appearance by Dan Aykroyd.  I really enjoyed this then, and the Wiki page implies there is a slew of guest stars, but I don’t recall Clint Eastwood, Rodney Dangerfield, or Mel Gibson being in this.  I do remember watching this in eight grade social studies, that was a fun class. 

Mad Love, starring Drew Barrymore and Chris O’Donnell.  Matthew Lillard and Liv Schreiber are also in it, but I don’t recall them, but I also wasn’t invested in the film.  Too chaotic, maybe?   I didn’t connect to it.

June

The Bridges of Madison County.  I was obsessed, OBSESSED!!!, with the American Film Institute’s (AFI) Lists of Greatest Movies and all of their spin off lists.  Once I started working at NAU-Yuma, and started making actual money, I had this amazing Excel sheet, tracking all of the movies, with which movies appeared on multiple lists, and if Best Buy or Hastings had the movie for cheap, I would treat myself to the movie.  So I bought Bridges of Madison County, and watched it.  It was okay.  I run cold on Meryl Streep, barely seeing a handful of her movies.  I get it, she’s in a lot of Oscar movies, but besides this one and Doubt, I don’t think I’ve seen that many of her films.  Looking at her Wiki page, as I was curious to see which ones I’ve actually seen.  The Devil Wears Prada in 2006, I didn’t connect to it.  I want to watch Lions for Lambs, but only because Andrew Garfield talked about how it was his first real movie role.  Oh yeah, Mama Mia!  I loved that movie, I still haven’t seen the second one.  Fantastic Mr. Fox, if that counts.  The Giver, such a great book, deserved a better movie.  I do like how at one point, she realized she needed to start being in more popular films or rom coms.  Probably a nice break for her.  In the Woods, I didn’t care for, but I also had higher expectations going into it.  Anna Kendrick’s lesser musical performances.  The Last Five Years was so much better.  Was she in Mary Poppins Returns?  Oh yeah, she’s in Ryan Murphy’s The Prom, that movie would have been better without the celebrity angle.  So yeah, those are my experiences with Meryl Streep.  I should watch Kramer vs. Kramer and Sophie’s Choice, but also, I’m not going to any time soon.

Congo, I recall enjoying, but not any real specifics in it.  That’s the gorilla sign language movie, right?  It is streaming on Starz.  Great cast, Laura Linney, Dylan Walsh, Ernie Hudson, Tim Curry, Joey Pants (Pantoliano), and Bruce Campbell. 

Batman Forever.  June 16, 1995.  Here we go.  By 1995, we had moved from Yuma Proving Ground (YPG) to Yuma proper.  I still recall sitting in our backyard, and my father asking me if I wanted to watch Batman Forever or the Power Rangers movie.  In my 13 year old head, this was such a silly question, as of course, we’ll watch both movies.  They are the only two films I even want to watch, and I’m pretty sure this is the first movie I saw in the theater that year, as none of the above even register as a theater movie to me.  (Spoilers, I guess that Power Rangers also came out this year).  Anyway, I was asked which one of the two I wanted to see, and I had to say Batman Forever, as of the two, I was (and still am) a huge Batman fan, but I secretly hoped we would watch Power Rangers, as there was a lot of hype for that first movie.  I love Batman Forever, and it is even better now as we have so many live action Batman films, so its nice that in the catalogue, there’s some lighter films in there. 

Do I wish Jim Carrey was less Carrey as the Riddler?  Sure, do I wish that final outfit of his on the island, wasn’t so much, whatever it is?  Sure.  Is Val Kilmer a great Batman and an even better Bruce Wayne, heck yes!  We finally got a live action Robin again, in Chris O’Donnell, who is great in the role.  Tommy Lee Jones as Two-Face, yes please!  Drew Barrymore and Debi Mazar as Two-Face’s lady friends.  Nicole Kidman, who has never been hotter than she was in this movie.  People will tell you other films, but this is prime Kidman for me.  Never been better.  Well, until I saw Paddington, and I was like, where has this Kidman been this whole time?  I like her in Moulin Rouge, but in terms of pure attraction, this is it for me.  I’m not sure why I’m trying to win this argument.  This is also my first Kidman exposure, so that probably plays a factor into all of this. 

Pocahontas, we must have seen this in theaters, but I’ve definitely seen this.  I do like learning how Christian Bale was the voice of Tom in it, a slight consolation prize for being in Disney’s Newsies, is how I’m sure he viewed it.  He had a Disney contract, and made the most of it.  A pretty fun movie.  I still get the words, Savages Savages, stuck in my head to this day. 

I’ve yet to see any Leprechaun movies, even the one with Jennifer Aniston.

Apollo 13.  We probably didn’t watch this in the theater, but I must have saw it on HBO or one of the other movie channels, as I saw this movie a bunch.  I love me some Kevin Bacon and Gary Sinise is in this, who I also love.  Ron Howard directing, of course starring Tom Hanks and a slew of actors.  An all star studded cast!  Bill Paxton, Ed Harris, Mumford’s Loren Dean (not sure why he doesn’t get more roles), Clint Howard of course, and Roger Corman is in this.  Wiki says Bryce Dallas Howard is in this, she must be one of the daugthers?  Such a great movie, it really captured my attention and imagination, and it is a long movie, but I would watch it now.  Its on Peacock but behind a paywall that we refuse to pay for, we have too many subscriptions, but apparently, not enough.  One day I’ll watch the rest of the Saved by the Bell reboot. 

Judge Dredd, starring Sylvester Stallone, I recall really enjoying.  It wasn’t until years later, when I learned that Dredd never takes off his helmet, and looking at, Stallone is constantly taking his helmet.  Which always bugs me in these superhero movies when the hero has to go maskless for so much of it, just because the studio paid millions of dollars for that face, they’re going to get their money’s worth.  Probably why Marvel Studios has so many of their heroes not even wear masks, as why bother working in damaging the suit, just to get to the part where they take off the mask.  I don’t recall much of this film and seeing the cast list doesn’t trick any real memories. I recall Rob Schneider trying too hard in this.  I don’t recall Diane Lane or James Earl Jones being in this.  I haven’t seen the newer Dredd film, but I heard good things.

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers : The Movie.  We did end up seeing this in the theater.  I recall thinking it was essential viewing, as how else will the show explain the change of powers and Zords?  They are going to have to put words on the screen, “hey kids, hope you watch the movie, as here we go!”  They didn’t have to do that as the show made up its own origins, making the movie’s continuity extremely questionable.  Not sure why they went with that direction as it just means the movie itself was a 15 million dollar commercial for the show, which I reckon it was going to be that, but it made 66.4 million back, so that’s why we got at least a second movie out of it.  Movie takes place between seasons two and three of the series. 

Besides putting Amy Jo Johnson more into the hearts of young boys everywhere, the movie’s real legacy was Trouble by Shampoo.  It doesn’t even take much to put this song in my head, just the word, Trouble, would do it, and also, Uh Oh, is all it takes, then I’ll be there singing the first two lines of the chorus.  There was a Behind the Scenes special on Fox and they kept hyping the music video for the official song from the movie and I was blown away with how catchy the song is.  Is it super cheesy and embarrassing to enjoy, a guilty pleasure, if you would?  Yes, but does it bring a smile to my face when it plays on my iPhone when I’m shuffling songs?  Heck yeah! 

But that confusion and disappointment when that third season started, and I was like, why are they telling a different story?  That is pretty real.  Great cliffhanger from season two to three, that was a long wait and it was in prime time, so that made it feel special too. 

July

Species, I was definitely too young to fully appreciate it.  I remember, like most people, being blown away by how attractive Natasha Henstridge is in it, and the scares were scary, but being lost by the plot. 

The Indian in the Cupboard, I must have saw, but we watched it a few years back and it felt like the first time.  A concept that would have really overrun my imagination if I had committed to it more.  Such a great story idea. 

Under Siege 2 : Dark Territory, I must have seen this, or at least, the set pieces.  Steven Seagal on a train, doing Steven Seagal action stuff.  I don’t think I took to either Under Siege movie.  Now, Executive Decision, I liked that one. 

Clueless, the movie that gave us Paul Rudd!  Also set up Alicia Silverstone for many years!  Such a great movie!  Donald Faison and Breckin Meyer too.  Dan Hedaya and Brittany Murphy.  Is Wallace Shawn in this, he must be one of the teachers.  It is streaming on HBO Max.  Be fun to revisit it. 

Free Willy 2 : The Adventure Home, I remember it not being as good as the first one, but how could it be?  They made several Free Willy movies, four total and a TV series I didn’t know about.  Jason James Richter is in all three, then the tv series is actually an animated series, ran for two seasons, and then there was a roboot in 2010, with Bindi Irwin, in her film debut, and Beau Bridges.  My favorite Bridges brother. 

Kids.  Ooof, this movie!  I’ve seen it once, that scene with Chloe Sevigny, that’s as many times as you should watch this movie.  Rosario Dawson is in this too, but I only remember Sevigny in it.  Googling “Kids Movie Streaming” is not the way to get an answer. 

The Net, starring Sandra Bullock.  I was thinking about this movie the other week, with how dated I’m sure it must be, and how the dangers of the film, we just take for granted now. 

Operation Dumbo Drop was advertised on the back of many of my comic books for a while, but I never saw it, or heard much about it. 

Waterworld, I’ve seen once, and I didn’t connect to it at all. 

August

I may have saw Babe in school, but I remember much of it.

Something to Talk About, I haven’t seen it fully, my wife is a huge fan of this Julia Roberts and Dennis Quaid rom com.  It was on TV a couple times and we watched it from whatever that scene was to the end, so I’ve seen the last half of it a couple times. 

Virtuosity, Denzel Washington v Russell Crowe, one of them is a robot, or something?  I’m remembering the final action sequence pretty clearly, so I wonder if I saw the last 30 minutes before watching whatever movie came on afterward. 

Dangerous Minds, starring the amazing Michelle Pfeiffer.  I do love me a high school teacher trying to change the school movie.  Well, until Hilary Swank’s 2007 Freedom Writers, sort of killed all of my enthusiasm for the genre.  When we’re watching one of these movies and we’re following the teacher and her one class, are we supposed to be under the impression that the teacher is applying the same thought and energy to the rest of the classes that they teach?  Or is this a special class and the rest, the teacher is simply going through the motions with?  Especially these high school movies, where we know they are teaching at least four other classes.  Anyway, that’s a thought and question I didn’t have until Freedom Writers, and now it makes me apply that question to every movie in the genre. 

Dangerous Minds has that great Dylan vs. Dylan discussion of Bob Dylan or Dylan Thomas, who I’m still not that familiar with Thomas’ work outside of what is referenced in the film.

Mortal Kombat, no wonder I associate Bridgette Wilson so much, it came out in the same year as Billy Madsen.  What a one two punch for Wilson!  Not a bad movie, the first one and the remake are pretty good.  Christopher Lambert also had a good year, as Rayden. 

Desperado, directed and written by Robert Rodriguez.  Starring Antonio Banderas and Salma Hayek.  I remember the set pieces and being blown away by Salma Hayek.  Clearly I was 13 and going through some things.  I don’t remember Steve Buscemi being in this, or Quentin Tarantino.  Cheech Marin and Danny Trejo, I can place in it. 

Dr. Jekyll and Ms. Hyde, I recall watching on TV, Tim Daly turns into Sean Yong.  That’s pretty much all I remember, and how hard women really do have it.  Harvey Fierstein and Jeremy Piven are also in this, apparently. 

Lord of Illusions, Clive Baker wrote and directed it.  Scott Bakula is in it, it was advertised on the back cover of most of my comics for what felt like forever, but I never saw it.  It might be streaming on Tubi, but Google has misled me before with Tubi. 

September

To Wong Fo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar, I have always been a fan of the title of this movie, but never had an opportunity to watch t.  It isn’t streaming anywhere, which seems odd in today’s culture.  Wesley Snipes, Patrick Swayze, and Johnny Leggs (John Leguizamo), as drag queens on a road trip?  How is this not on at least two streaming services?!  Apparently Stockard Channing is in this too!  RuPaul and Robin Williams?! 

Truman, I remember being super excited to watch this on HBO.  Gary Sinise as one of my favorite presidents, yes please.  I want to say the movie was pretty good, broad strokes but it was a movie and not a miniseries.  Based off, of course, David McCullough’s biography.  From humble beginnings to President of the United States.  What a story!

I must have seen Angelina Jolie’s Hackers, or I may be getting it confused with 1992’s Sneakers.  Looking at Sneakers’ Wiki, one looks like a comedy and the other is a very dated moody film about hackers.  I probably seen it the one time and it didn’t leave much of an impression.  Jonny Lee Miller, Lorraine Bracco, and Matthew Lillard are in it?  It might be free on YouTube. 

It is free on YouTube!

Bryan Singer’s The Usual Suspects.  Definitely did not see this in theaters, but definitely worn out a DVD of this movie, such a legendary film!  Worthy of multiple rewatches.  Amazing cast too!  Stephen Baldwin, Gabriel Byrne, Benicio del Toro, Chazz Laminteri, Kevin Pollack, Pete Postlethwaite, Kevin Spacy, and Dan Hedaya.  Is Giancarlo Esposito and Clark Gregg in it?  Oh, Esposito is one of the detectives.  Gregg is one of the doctors. 

Empire Records, another one I definitely did not see in theaters, but once made available to me, I watched so many times!  Wait, so Bye Bye Love and Empire Records came out in the same year, so he must be one of the teenaged characters.  Heck, they could all be teenagers, but fresh face, so they look younger in my mind’s eye.  Empire Records, such a classic film and one of my favorites!  Dman the man, save the Empire!  Which is opened until midnight.  Midnight!  So many quotable lines!  This past Rex Manning Day, April 8, I treated myself to the soundtrack and whenever a song I don’t recognize comes on, its almost always from Empire Records. 

Seven, I’m starting to see why WAYW is covering 1995, so many legendary films!  David Fincher directed, starring Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman, and Kevin Spacey having quite the year!  Gwyneth Paltrow, R. Lee Ermey, Richard Roundtree, a young Richard Schiff, and John C. McGinley are all in it.  Another movie that gets better with multiple viewings.  What’s in the box?!  WHAT’S IN THE BOX?!  So great.

Showgirls, starring Elizabeth Berkely, not as bad as people want you to believe it is.  Plus, Elizabeth Berkely.  Kyle MacLachlan (Hello, Captain!), Gina Gershon, and Robert Davi are in it too.  This was definitely something I watched on HBO. 

Just in time to kick off October, Halloween : The Curse of Michael Myers, the sixth movie in the franchise.  I’m on record 5 and 6 are my favorite of the Halloween sequels, we really get into the character of Myers with these.  Donald Pleasence is the detective, and Paul Rudd is in this too!  Wow, Rudd really does not age, or if he does, its for the better!

October

Assassins, starring Sylvester Stallone and Antonio Banderas, trying to kill each other.  I had no idea this was a Richard Donner movie, nor that the Wachowskis wrote it!  It is streaming on HBO Max.  I recall a scene in the shower.  Julianne Moore is in it too! 

Strange Days, definitely a movie I did not appreciate until later in life.  I watched it as Juliette Lewis is in it, but the cast is pretty amazing.  Ralph Fiennes, Angela Bassett, Tom Sizemore, Vincent D’Onofrio, William Fichtner.  A future movie (of 1999) and lots of drugs and even more plot that I could not follow for the life of me.  Kathryn Bigelow directed, with a screenplay co-written by James Cameron and Jay Cocks. 

Get Shorty, I watched once, remember it being fun, that’s about it.  Big cast too!  It was all a rage.  John Travolta, Gene Hackman, Rene Russo, Danny DeVito, Dennis Farina, Delroy Lindo, James Gandolfini, and John Gries.  A gangster movie set in Hollywood.

Mallrats, here we go!  Another film where, once it was in my hands, I absorbed it fully!  I should have been keeping track of my favorite films of 1995, as I’m sure I can easily create a Top Ten list.  You’ll find it on the bottom of this list.  Kevin Smith’s second film with such a great cast!  Jason Lee, Shannen Doherty, Jeremy London, Jason Mewes, Ben Affleck, Joey Lauren Adams, Renee Humphrey, Ethan Suplee, Michael Rooker, Walt Flanagan, Bryan Johnson, Brian O’Halloran, Stan Lee, and Scott Mosier!  A day at the mall, well spent! 

Now and Then was a movie that I wanted to watch back in the day, follow a group of girls at one point in their live, then we skip 15 years, and they’re all grown up.  Still can’t as it isn’t streaming anywhere.  Well dang.  Fun to see who was supposed to grow into who :

Gaby Hoffmann into Demi Moore (sort of maybe did?)

Christina Ricci into Rosie O’Donnell

Ashleigh Aston Moore into Rita Wilson

Thora Birch into Melanie Griffith, again, sort of did?

Two out of four, not too bad. 

Bonnie Hunt is in this?!

Doom Generation, I watched because of Rose McGowan, and this is another trippy drug induced movie with a lot of plot my younger self did not follow that closely.  Though I was probably a tad older when I watched it. 

Leaving Las Vegas, I need to watch, but it isn’t streaming anywhere.  This movie earned Nicolas Cage is Oscar.  Elisabeth Shue is in it as well, as is Steven Weber, Emily Procter, French Stewart, R. Lee Ermey, having an amazing year, and Mariska Hargitay. 

Mighty Aphrodite, which earned Mira Sorvino her Oscar, written and directed by Woody Allen.  Not streaming anywhere but I was part of the camp that thought Mira Sorvino would have made an amazing Katchoo in Terry Moore’s Strangers in Paradise movie.  Along with Jennifer Connelly as Francine.  Imagine the universe that got that movie?!  I know I do.

Powder, a young genius pale boy, with superpowers.  I saw it once and really enjoyed it back in the day.  Then in 1996, John Travolta made Phenomenon, which in my mind, was like the adult Powder.  But maybe they are nothing alike?!  Powder stars Sean Patrick Flanery, Mary Steenburgen, Lance Henriksen, Jeff Goldblum, and Ray Wise. 

November

Ace Ventura : When Nature Calls, so Jim Carrey had an incredible movie this year and a sequel to Ace Ventura.  I wonder if I saw this one in the theater?  This is the movie that made me realize that the Batcave would have to be covered in bat poop.  Poor Alfred, that must have been a terrible day when he realized he couldn’t just let the poop be. 

The American President.  We got three West Wing actors all having movies out before the show launched in 1999.  This is Martin Sheen’s film and a lot of sets for this movie were later used to make West Wing.  This movie is written by Aaron Sorkin, and directed by my boy, Rob Reiner.  Michael Douglas is the President, and he’s trying to date Annette Bening.  Sheen and Michael J. Fox are on Douglas’ staff.  This is also streaming on Starz, which is a shame as I wouldn’t mind rewatching it again.  John Mahoney, Richard Dreyfuss, Wendie Malick, and of course, Joshua Malina are in it.  Wiki states Samantha Mathis is in this, but I don’t remember her in it.  I Googled “Samantha Mathis American President,” and got no image results from the movie. 

GoldenEye, now I definitely saw this in the theater.  This was my first big screen James Bond movie, which is probably why I always consider Pierce Brosnan my James Bond.  Such a fun movie and great performance by Brosnan.  Is it my favorite Bond film of his, I believe so.  Do they get less good with each one?  Probably, I’ll have to rewatch them and see.  Amazon Prime has GoldenEye, and the rest of his are behind paywalls, so dumb.  Sean Bean is 006, which is fun to get more lore of who are these numbers.  Famke Janssen and Alan Cumming are in it, and I rewatched this right before X-Men 2 came out, just to see them in their first film but they were united.  Mutants United.  Judi Dench as M.  Is Minnie Driver in this, I don’t remember her being in it.  Oh, she’s the singer.  I have to rewatch this as the screencap is familiar but I have no memory of the context. 

It Takes Two, starring the Olsen Twins, Kirstie Alley, and Steve Guttenberg.  More like Greatenberg, am I right?  A take on the classic Parent Trap, but with a Prince and the Pauper twist to it.  You have to suspend your disbelief that two girls unrelated to each other, look exactly like each other, but that’s an Olsen twin movie for you.  When they are not playing sisters.

Casino, WAYW is going to talk about this movie a bunch, but I barely recall watching it.  I need to rewatch it, but it isn’t streaming anywhere.  Martin Scorsese opus, starring Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, Sharon Stone, James Woods, Kevin Pollock.  I mostly remember it coming in two VHS tapes and that being very intimidating. 

Toy Story comes out, and wins the hearts of everybody who saw it!  Such an amazing film and the films get better with each one, until the fourth one.  I’m mostly kidding, but the story should have stopped at 3. 

December

Sense and Sensibility, I probably saw the one time.  Ang Lee directed it, so I probably watched it as his Hulk was coming out in 2003.  Great cast, Emma Thompson, Kate Winslet, Alan Rickman, and Hugh Grant.  A couple years ago, I gave Hugh Grant a fair shake and saw as many movies of his as I could that were streaming, and I quickly got on board the Hugh Grant train.  Grant it, pun very intended!, I was way late, but he has a great body of work.  Very enjoyable. 

Heat, the movie that kicked off this whole thing! 

Alex and Nick reviewed Heat, I bought it five dollars through VUDU, it was the Director’s Definitive edition, and I’m like an hour into it.  They end the episode stating they will review 1995 next and here we are. 

Heat is Michael Mann’s cops and robbers opus.  Starring Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Val Kilmer, Tom Sizemore, Ashley Judd, John Voight, star of Anaconda.  Hank Azaria, Dennis Haysbert, William Fichtner, a young Natalie Portman, Kevin Gage, and Danny Trejo.  Such a perfect film!

Jumanji, we just watched this a month ago, Walker was really into it, and I’ve caught him watching it a few times since then.  Robin Williams and Bonnie Hunt, most likely the first film I saw of hers and immediately fell in love.  A very young Kirsten Dunst.  David Alan Grier is also in it. 

Sabrina, oh gosh, I completely forgot about this film!  I’m not sure what made me take a chance on this movie, but once I saw it, I immediately bought the VHS, and watched it so many times.  It wasn’t until years later, I learned it was a remake of a 1954 film.  The remake is directed by Sydney Pollack, and it starts Julia Ormond, who is initially attracted to the fun brother, Greg Kinnear, and then slowly becomes fond of the older, more mature, Harrison Ford.  It is streaming on Paramount Plus and I should rewatch it, as it has been years.  Harrison Ford is so good in it! 

I’m pretty sure I saw Mel Brooks’ Dracula : Dead and Loving It, or at the very least, I started it.  I may have noped out as I wasn’t in the mood for outlandish comedy.  Leslie Nielsen as dragon, Steven Weber is in it as well. 

Grumpier Old Men, is a title I love and I wish more sequels were bold enough to add an -er to their original title for the sequel.  Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau are back at it and their grumpier than ever!  I saw this in high school and it was pretty fun.  Kevin Pollak and Daryl Hannah are also in it with Burgess Meredith. 

12 Monkeys, I started and didn’t connect with.  Too out there and I wasn’t ready for it.

I need to watch Mr. Holland’s Opus.  It doesn’t appear to be streaming anywhere. 

Well, that’s 1995 and my opinions of the majority of the films from the year! 

I have no idea how WAYW is going to cover this massive year in one movie, they are going to have to either give one sentence opinions or just narrow it down to ten films each.  I’ll do a follow up post about which movies they highlight. 

. . .

Births of 1995, all of them should be 28

Shameik Moore

Justice Smith

Dua Lipa

Katherine McNamara

Timothee Chalamet

Ross Lynch

. . .

Deaths of 1995

Donald Pleasence

Big John Studd

Burl Ives

. . .

Film Debuts, all working for 28 years

Casey Affleck

Michael Bay

Connie Britton

Hayden Christensen

Rachel Leigh Cook

Rosario Dawson

Peter Dinklage

Minnie Driver

Michael Clarke Duncan

Peter Facinelli

Will Ferrell

Natasha Henstridge

Rhys Ifans

Monica Keena

Keira Knightley

Johnny Knoxville

David Koechner

Jared Leto

James McAvoy

Debra Messing

Amanda Peet

Mekhi Phifer

Ryan Phillippe

Jeremy Renner

Paul Rudd

Peter Sarsgaard

Chloe Sevigny

Michael Sheen

Ethan Suplee

Charlize Theron

James Van Der Beek

Johnny Whitworth

. . .

Top Ten of 1995

In no real order :

1              Empire Records

2              Mallrats

3              Batman Forever

4              Apollo 13

5              Usual Suspects

6              Seven

7              Die Hard with a Vengeance

8              American President

9              Heat

10           Power Rangers

. . .

Amazon Prime

SFW

GoldenEye

Hulu

Boys on the Side

Netflix

The Quick and the Dead

Disney+

Tall Tale

HBO Max

Clueless

Assassins

YouTube

Hackers

Paramount Plus

Sabrina