Want to feel old? Tomorrow marks the 25th anniversary of The Lion King’s theatrical premiere. In the years since, the Disney classic has been followed by two straight-to-video sequels, a multiple award-winning stage musical, and soon, a remake featuring ultra-realistic CGI animals (don’t call it live-action!). But at the time, The Lion King was just one among an extraordinarily strong slate of feature-film releases. Want to program your very own 1994-inspired film festival? Start with these. (Note: the only reason this list doesn’t also include Four Weddings and a Funeral is that I just mentioned it on Monday.)
Clerks
(free to stream for Hulu subscribers)
In director Kevin Smith’s first feature film, disgruntled convenience store clerk Dante (Brian O’Halloran) gets called in to work on his day off, and whines through it with his friend Randal (Jeff Anderson), who works in the video store next door. During his shift, Dante contemplates what ethical responsibility contractors had in working on the Death Star; whether he should be more appreciative of his girlfriend, Veronica (Marilyn Ghigliotti), or pursue his ex Caitlin (Lisa Spoonauer) despite her engagement to another guy; and why customers obsessively check eggs and milk.
Dumb and Dumber
(free to stream for Netflix subscribers)
Before he was winning Oscars for his work on Green Book, Peter Farrelly made his directing debut with Dumb and Dumber, on a script he cowrote, with his brother, Bobby. Limousine driver Lloyd Christmas (Jim Carrey) discovers that his fare, Mary Swanson (Lauren Holly), has left her briefcase in his car. Not knowing she did so purposely, since it contains the ransom for her kidnapped husband, Lloyd and his best friend, Harry Dunne (Jeff Daniels), road-trip from Providence to Aspen to return it, getting in many idiotic scrapes on the way.
Ed Wood
(available to stream for rent or purchase on iTunes)
Tim Burton directed this black-and-white biopic. Edward Scissorhands star Johnny Depp reteamed with Burton to play the titular Wood: war veteran; transvestite; and legendarily bad director of enduring cult films. The supporting cast includes Bill Murray, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Patricia Arquette; the late Martin Landau won a best-supporting-actor Oscar for playing Wood’s star, Bela Lugosi.
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