Cop Land (1997)

Sylvester Stallone gained weight to play the oafish sheriff of a New York suburb, but the details are in his hang-dog face and weary eyes. The film evolves into a Western morality tale, brilliantly supported by Harvey Keitel, Ray Liotta and Robert De Niro.

d: James Mangold | imdb.com | trailer | “Charlie Rose”

Get Shorty (1995)

Director Barry Sonnenfeld’s smart, hip adaptation of Elmore Leonard’s novel zooms along, lampooning the movie business with periodic punches to the face. John Travolta is the ultra-cool Chili Palmer, a Miami mobster who wants to be a Hollywood producer.

d: Barry Sonnenfeld | imdb.com | trailer | I’m Ray Barboni.

Kicking and Screaming (1995)

The year after college is the hardest for four friends who end up hanging out around school and talking about nothing. Chris Eigeman, Parker Posey and Eric Stoltz (as the career student) steal a wonderfully funny movie about not growing up.

d: Noah Baumbach | imdb.com | trailer | Life after college

Crumb (1995)

Underground comic artist Robert Crumb offers unfettered access and self-examination in a documentary about his life and work. Funny and fascinating, the movie covers Crumb’s more controversial comics and how they were informed by his dysfunctional family.

d: Terry Zwigoff | imdb.com | trailer | I enjoy drawing.

Nobody’s Fool (1994)

Paul Newman makes it look easy. He plays a man who drinks too much, works too little and avoids responsibility, and he does it with such nuance that any nuance is unnoticeable. Jessica Tandy, Bruce Willis and Melanie Griffith offer fine supporting turns.

d: Robert Benton | imdb.com | trailer | the whole movie

Ed Wood (1994)

Director Tim Burton presents a love letter to Ed Wood — derided as the worst filmmaker of all time — Bela Lugosi and 1950s exploitation movies. Depp captures Wood’s sunny optimism, and Martin Landau portrays drug-addicted Lugosi and his waning career.

d: Tim Burton | imdb.com | trailer | Sidekick? | Johnny Depp