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

Searching for Bobby Fischer (1993)

Max Pomeranc plays Josh Waitzkin, a boy who loves chess but not at the expense of his own decency. The film is about competition — a subject handled with insight and care — kids dealing with adult emotions and adults behaving like kids.

d: Steven Zaillian | imdb.com | Wanna play? | Josh Waitzkin

Mad Dog and Glory (1993)

Tailored with slicked-back hair, Bill Murray plays a mob boss with a wink — a satire of Robert De Niro (an everyday cop) right in front of him. Both play the straight man in this dark comedy and David Caruso is excellent as a cop before “NYPD Blue.”

d: John McNaughton | imdb.com | trailer | David Caruso

Groundhog Day (1993)

As a weather man living the same day over and over, Bill Murray deftly portrays the five stages of grief, balancing the comedy and existentialism in every scene — sometimes with a single look. It’s that look — the Murray look — that makes him so compelling.

d: Harold Ramis | imdb.com | trailer | I’m a god. | Ned Ryerson!
Critics’ Choice | Great Performances | “Comedy First”