A Reel 25: The Year in Film 1995

Twenty-five years ago, one of the best cinematic years of all time was upon us, and in some ways, was responsible for where we are today. It was an industry on the verge of a new world, and a year of great film. 

The year began with a bang in the early Summer Movie Season, when John McTiernan’s third film in the DIE HARD franchise, subtitled WITH A VENGEANCE, exploded into theatres. A high-energy film starring Bruce Willis, Samuel L. Jackson, and Jeremy Irons, VENGEANCE would eventually be the top domestic money maker of the year. On the opposite side of the theatre, Mel Gibson’s BRAVEHEART would open wide the same weekend. Epic in scale, BRAVEHEART would win the Academy Award for Best Picture and solidify Mel Gibson as a top-tier director. 

Less than a month later, Ron Howard would enter both the early Oscar race and the box office competition with APOLLO 13. Based on the true story of the failed Moon-landing mission, APOLLO 13 would earn nine Oscar nominations, and would dazzle audiences by filming scenes in reduced gravity aircraft. APOLLO 13 would also take advantage of early CGI techniques; a small step into the larger future ahead. Also making headlines that month was Walt Disney Pictures’ 33^rd film, POCAHONTAS; which would win two Oscars for its music and earn big at the gate. 

As the days of autumn grew darker, so did the movies. David Fincher’s psychological thriller SE7EN entered theatres in September and melted the brains of audiences with its knockout ending. Later in the fall, Nicolas Cage would surprise everyone with his work in the tortured-soul drama LEAVING LAS VEGAS; work which would eventually earn him an Oscar.  Rob Reiner would romance the hearts of the country with THE AMERICAN PRESIDENT; a film which would eventually be considered to be one of greatest love stories by the American Film Institute. James Bond would return after a six-year hiatus with Pierce Brosnan in the role in GOLDENEYE; his first of four appearances as 007…securing the future of Bond into the new millennium. 

And that new millennium would start early. In late November of 1995, Pixar Animation Studios changed the world with their first feature, TOY STORY. Directed by John Lasseter and featuring the voice talents of Tom Hanks and Tim Allen, TOY STORY was the first feature-length computer-animated film and would usher in an era of CGI…along with signaling the end of the hand-drawn animated film. TOY STORY would become a box office hit, spawn three sequels, and would be the first of many triumphs for Pixar. An animated film meant for kids but with multi-layered storytelling which spoke to adults as well, TOY STORY set the template for Pixar and for animated films. 

Other notable releases in 1995 were Sam Raimi’s THE QUICK AND THE DEAD, Wolfgang Petersen’s OUTBREAK, Tony Scott’s CRIMSON TIDE, Clint Eastwood’s THE BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY, Bryan Singer’s THE USUAL SUSPECTS, Martin Scorsese’s CASINO, Kathryn Bigelow’s STRANGE DAYS, Michael Mann’s HEAT, Terry Gilliam’s 12 MONKEYS, Kevin Smith’s MALLRATS, Robert Rodriguez’s DESPERADO, Sam Weisman’s BYE BYE LOVE, the Liam Neeson-led Scottish adventure ROB ROY, the Robin Williams-led fantasy JUMANJI…along with some notorious releases such as CUTTHROAT ISLAND, MAJOR PAYNE, TANK GIRL, TOMMY BOY, SHOWGIRLS, BAD BOYS, BATMAN FOREVER, JOHNNY MNEMONIC, CONGO, JUDGE DREDD, FIRST KNIGHT, and Kevin Costner’s WATERWORLD. Other releases included SPECIES, THE INDIAN IN THE CUPBOARD, NINE MONTHS, UNDER SIEGE 2, CLUELESS, FREE WILLY 2, THE NET, BABE, THE BASKETBALL DIARIES, MORTAL KOMBAT, DESPERADO, THE PROPHECY, CANADIAN BACON, GET SHORTY, ACE VENTURA: WHEN NATURE CALLS, WILD BILL, SABRINA, NIXON, GRUMPIER OLD MEN, 12 MONKEYS,  and MR. HOLLAND’S OPUS.

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In 1995, we were six years away from CGI-heavy fantasy epics like THE LORD OF THE RINGS and HARRY POTTER, and George Lucas had not even begun to tinker with his original three STAR WARS films as a test-run to see if a Prequel Trilogy could be done. It was a simpler time when the movie theatre was exclusive to new films, as the age of streaming was still light-years away. Change was on the way, however. Netflix would be founded as a DVD rental company by 1997, and Pixar’s success would be the dawn of the CGI era, with more studios jumping on the digital train which would lead to the death of hand-drawn animated movies. But the year that was 1995 should not be looked at with melancholy, as it was a year packed with outstanding films from nearly every genre. Its catalog of films are often quoted, parodied, and re-visited often. It was one of those years where nearly every weekend more than one hit could be found in theatres; a far cry from today where blockbusters are spread out by weeks or a month. This was a unique year that has not been repeated since.