Welcome back to the 90’s. Doesn’t seem that long ago for
those who grew up in that decade. But it was a while ago now. Yes, we’re
getting older. And even if the 80’s are the decade of nostalgia in popular
culture today, the 90’s are starting to become recognisable in their own unique
way.
In saying that, I thought it was time to finally go back to
the video archives and revisit the movies that made the 90’’s; the trend-setters,
the game changers and films that defined a generation.
First off, this series of reviews will cover the years 1990 –
1998. So why not 1999? I’ve already reviewed that landmark year in films, as it
stands alone as a year like no other in filmmaking. There were simply too many notable
movies from 1999, they would steal the thunder away from the rest of the
decade. You can check out that review “1999: The Year that Changes Movies…Forever”
here.
So, before we get to the films let’s take a look back on the
Radical 90’s.
At the turn of the decade, the aftermath of the Cold War was
still being felt, but things were looking up. The first President George Bush
was in power, and like his son would follow in dad’s footsteps, Bush Senior was
starting wars and dropping bombs. There were other conflicts happening around the
world, but the rest of the globe didn’t seem to notice too much. Not because
they didn’t care, but the kind of coverage were used to these days didn’t exist
in the early 90’s. The internet was still a few years away, and the news was
reasonably slow in its speed at capturing events and getting them onto the TV.
Similar to that, was the agonising wait we 90’s alumni had
to go through for our favourite TV show or movie to reach our shores. Literally,
most entertainment was still stored in film canisters and shipped over the ocean.
In Australia, it was common place to wait up to six months before we got to see
new episodes of The Simpsons and The X Files. And as for movies, the wait was
less, but then it could be up to 7-8 months before the video hit the shelves at
Blockbuster, and three years before it premiered on TV.
One of my fondest memories of the 90’s was the Sunday night
movie on TV. It was an event in itself, as cable was still emerging and we
couldn’t download or stream anything. The family would all gather in the living
room, cuddle up on the couch and watch the big movie premier of the week. Once the
commercials hit, you had two minutes to run to the toilet or get a snack, and
race back to the lounge so you wouldn’t miss the rest of the film. No pausing
of live TV back in the 90’s. If you were organised enough, you could record the
film off TV, and if you were really savvy, you would stop recording the
commercials, but have to have your hand on the remote to hit record at exactly
the right time to commence re-recording the films. This was a refined skill,
let me tell you.
When Australia got it’s first cable television provider in
1995 with Foxtel, the game changed. My sisters and I pleaded with our dad to
get it, and he gave in. It was a window to a whole new world. An entire station
dedicated to movies, classic TV shows from the 70’s and 80’s, and of course, Nickelodeon.
When I couldn’t afford to go to the movies, Foxtel was my life saver, and how I
got to watch so many videos as a teen.
When I was sixteen, I was able to get my own membership card
for Blockbuster Video. Renting videos was a part-time job for me, as each week I
would hit the video store, spend up to an hour browsing the aisles and get my
five weekly rentals. I was also organised when it came to New Releases; putting
my name down to be called when the latest movies hit the shelf, and rent it for
1-2 nights. I had to make sure the video was rewound before returning it,
otherwise I’d copy a whopping 50 cent fine.
Yes, the 90’s were simpler times, and because we had no
comparison this was how we watched movies. As a teen, I frequently visited the
cinema. I would see many of the films featured in this series of reviews, but
not all of them as I wasn’t old enough to get into the theatre. I would come to
discover them later.
Looking back on them again for these reviews was very
enjoyable. Many of these films are ones I, and most likely you, grew up with. You’ve
watched them numerous times, and may even remember seeing them at the movies
when you were younger.
The 90’s was a defining era in filmmaking. As technologies
advanced and new rising movie stars cemented their place, we were treated to a
wide variety of stories. There was something for everyone. Audiences of the 90’s
were film savvy, having grown up with the films of the 70’s and 80’s, the top
directors working at the time had seen a lot of movies themselves. Audiences became
more defined and in particular, youth were targeted in the 90’s as a force to
be reckoned with. Teen films were on the
rise, with slasher flicks and rom com’s which all seemed to have the same plot;
some guys make a bet to score with a girl by prom. How original! But we lapped
it up.
Many of the films and their respective stars and directors
from the 90’s are still working today, continuing to turn out one movie after
another. The 90’s was where they began and can thank their successes from that
era as the makings of their careers. And with the film industry focused on
telling gripping and entertaining stories in the 90’s more than just making
money, we were treated to some very original films. The talent behind the
scenes worked hard to give us a film we would watch and re-watch many times,
taking that movie with us into the future.
I still return to the movies of the 90’s regularly in my
downtime, as I’m sure you do. But if you don’t here is your excuse to revisit
the last decade of the 20th century.
Fire up the VCR and enjoy The Most Influential Movies of the
90’s.
We start in 1990, with Goodfellas…
Goodfellas
Home Alone
Silence of the Lambs
Unforgiven
Jurassic Park
Philadelphia
Pulp Fiction
Speed
Seven
Toy Story
The Usual Suspects
Scream
Trainspotting
Fargo
Titanic
Boogie Nights
The Big Lebowski
The Truman Show
There's Something About Mary
Saving Private Ryan
Conclusion to this series of reviews...
No comments:
Post a Comment