1994: Pulp Fiction vs. Shawshank Redemption vs Forrest Gump

[Flying Spaghetti Monster]

Which of three is the best and has aged the best?

Definitely one of the tightest Best Picture contenders.

I like them all, and definitely think Shawshank is one helluva film, and most people seem to think it is the best, particularly in the fact that it has aged well.

For me, Gump takes it by a hair. I love when a film can hit such a variety of emotions... it can be funny, dramatic, powerful, whimsical, realistic, and yet fantastical. But the one moment that gets me is so small that no one ever mentions it: it's the look on Lt. Dan's (Gary Sinise's) face, that small smile he gives, after coming to see Forrest for his wedding with his own fiance. After they re-acquaint themselves with each other (magic legs) and introduce their partners) the shot lingers for just a moment, and Lt. Dan just kind of smiles. To me, it says everything. He had thought about ending it all earlier in the film, and here he is with a fiance and a whole new start of life that he never would have had had it not been for Forrest. And that smile speaks to how grateful he is.

 

[BillJ]

Shawshank.

It isn’t even close for me.

 

[Tosk]

Best is Shawshank. Easiest rewatch is Gump (though I've watched Shawshank many times, Gump still beats it out). Pulp is fine too.

 

[Relayer1]

Shawshank.

It isn’t even close for me.

This.

Gump is enjoyable fluff. Great movie though.

Pulp Fiction is great but...

 

[Spot's Meow]

Forrest Gump wins for me, although it's nearly tied with Shawshank Redemption. Both amazing films. Shawshank tells a specific story that I can really appreciate. Forrest Gump casts a bit of a wider net, touching on a variety of topics and emotions over the course of the film. For that reason it wins. It just says so much, about so many things. Every time I watch I take away a new life lesson.

 

[tomalak301]

I think Pulp Fiction is a little overrated. The opening scene was great but then the movie is kind of all over the place. I do like Forrest Gump, but it's not really as great as it was originally. Shawshank though is a very good movie, and I wish that had won the award.

 

[Push The Button]

Shawshank by a mile.

 

[JesterFace]

When talking about movies of 1994, where's Ace Ventura - Pet Detective.

 

[Jayson1]

Pulp Fiction all the way though of course those other movies are great as well. It should be pointed out though Clerks came out in 1994 as well and I would put that number 2.

Jason

 

[JirinPanthosa]

To me Pulp Fiction easily takes this.

Shawshank Redemption is of course a great movie, but for me it's never risen to "Best ever" level. I feel like it dances around some more insightful commentary on the prison system than it makes. It established a lot of the cliches about prison that determined people's attitude toward prisoners for decades.

Whereas Forrest Gump is a few memorable moments, emotional manipulation and a message that people who don't buck the social order do great and people who do die from AIDS.

If we're talking about 1994 movies though, Chungking Express and Leon the Professional need mention.

Also Satantango, if you're a hardcore cinephile.

 

[cardinal biggles]

What, no love for Star Trek Generations?

Oh, 1994... I'll be honest, I didn't see all of these films back when they came out. Forrest Gump I definitely saw, and at the time I was impressed with the VFX that allowed Hanks to interact with JFK, LBJ, and Nixon. Looking back, I see how emotionally manipulative it is, but I'd still take the movie over the book anyday. Talk about dogshit...

Pulp Fiction I saw when I was in college, for a film class. Being a newly minted student of the cinema, I oohed and aahed over how edgy it was, and how daring Tarantino was to tell a whole story out of order. Having been somewhat sheltered in my upbringing, I also thought it was kind of liberating to see these guys on the screen dropping f-bombs like it was a verbal London Blitz. Now, I'm just so tired of Tarantino... the ridiculous, often sadistic violence, the profanity just for profanity's sake (I'm fairly sure he wrote that scene where Jules and Vincent bring the car to his house just so he could say "dead n****r storage" fifty times)... if he'd told that story in order, nobody would have given a shit.

So that brings us to Shawshank... not perfect, but it has a timeless quality, solid performances by Robbins, Freeman, James Whitmore, and Clancy Brown. So of the three, I've got to go with Shawshank if nothing else than by process of elimination — it's aged the best and it doesn't annoy the shit out of me.

 

[Flying Spaghetti Monster]

What, no love for Star Trek Generations?

I dig Generations. Quite a lot. It's the first sci fi film I'd ever seen that actually tries to demonstrate that which is "bittersweet".. that we age, and can never really go back again. This is a challenging theme. And the music when Kirk is riding that horse captures that theme perfectly

Plus the writers' commentary track is hilarious and well worth checking out

 

[Tosk]

a message that people who don't buck the social order do great

Which character are you talking about? It can't be Forrest, who bucks social trends throughout his entire on-screen life.

He associates with anyone he wants to, regardless of social pressure. He graduates college despite having an IQ below the minimum required to even attend regular school. He completely ignores racial and economic boundaries. He disrespects multiple Presidents of the United States, telling one during an official function that he has to urinate, shows his ass to another, and openly mocks the idea of meeting a third. He shuns the lifestyle of a multi-millionaire, preferring to mow other people's lawn. He ignores the direct orders of a superior officer during wartime. He speaks at a huge anti-war rally while in his uniform. ...and he jizzes on the clothes of a complete stranger.

 

[JirinPanthosa]

He does what he’s told. The fact that he lives unconventionally is besides the point.

@cardinal biggles

I didn’t see Pulp Fiction until I was an adult and swears were no longer surprising to me. I think you’re missing the point though. It’s a genre deconstruction film, commenting on the whole gangster movie genre. First, the mafia has both black gangsters and Italian gangsters and nobody questions it (Just like in Kill Bill the movie calls attention to Bea openly carrying a sword on a plane in 2003 and how somehow in a movie it doesn’t matter).

Then the movie systematically analyzes the moral system of gangster movies. Jules journey to realize the severity of his actions, Vincent feeling out the limits of what he can do with the boss’s wife under the constant reminder of the threat hanging over him. Then the whole incident with Bruce Willis how he still feels morally obligated to rescue the man just trying to murder him.

And the way the violence almost seems like a background element is both a lot of fun and a comment on the audience.

 

[Tosk]

I'd argue that living your own life regardless of what other people are doing, and not giving consideration to what they think of you is bucking the social order.

But I grant you, he is indeed an agreeable fellow. One who is more likely than not to do what he is told or asked to do. (Apart from the incident in Vietnam where he very specifically ignores what he's told to do.)