Some films define the time they were made in. A film that
defines a decade is that film that encapsulates the mentality of the era, the
music, the clothes, or just the way society was at the time. A good example of
a film that marks an era is Mike Nichol’s The Graduate (1967); that film is
pure 60’s all the way, from the soundtrack by Simon and Garfunkel to the red
1967 Alfa Romeo that Dustin Hoffman drives throughout the movie . So,
considering its 90’s month here on The Film Connoisseur, I decided to do a list
of films that best captures what the 90’s were all about. I tried putting films
on here that were about that grungy, angry, angst ridden youth. That angry
mentality towards the proverbial system, and films that featured lots of alternative
music! That’s one thing I loved the most about the 90’s, they were so very Rock
and Roll, I mean, it was a lifestyle! Hell, the band CAKE even did a song describing
it called “Rock and Roll Lifestyle”. Most films that capture an era have a
strong soundtrack that’s representative of the time, so I took that in
consideration as well. So, without further ado, I leave you guys with my Quintessential
Films of the 90’s list, hope you like it. And if you enjoy this article, don’t
forget to come back for Part II, which should be up at some point during the
next couple of days, there are more Quintessentially 90’s movies where these
came from.
Title: CONEHEADS (1993)
Comments: Coneheads is such a fun movie for me because not
only is it a comedy, it’s a science fiction comedy, and a damn good one at
that. On this film we meet Beldar and Prymatt two cone headed aliens who have
crash landed on earth. Their original plan was to conquer earth, but their ship
malfunctioned and the invasion was cancelled, so they were abandoned here on
earth. Now they must learn to live amongst the “blunt skulls” until the time to
overtake earth returns. In the mean time, Beldar gets a job as a taxi driver
while Prymatt becomes a mother and a house wife. Little by little they begin to
grow roots here on earth, but what happens when Connie their daughter becomes
friends with the humans and doesn’t want her parents to conquer earth? Beldar
and Prymatt must decide between obeying the ‘Remulak’ authorities or pleasing their
daughter! This movie has many great things going for it, first, it was directed
by Steve Barron, a director whose done a couple of films I like, for example he
directed Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990) and Merlin (1998), a television
mini-series that rocked the house, highly recommend checking it out. Also Coneheads
is an interesting film because it unites Saturday Night Live cast members from
the 70’s and 90’s which makes for an
explosion of comedic talent. So you’ll get Dan Aykroyd, who by the way is
positively hilarious as Beldar but you’ll also get Phil Hartman, Adam Sandler,
David Spade and Chris Farley, like I said, a comedic explosion! There’s tons of
cameos on this one, keep your eyes peeled! Most fun of all are all the visual
gags, you haven’t lived until you seen a Conehead eating a foot long from
Subway! Also, the way that the Coneheads talk will have you cracking up.
Rockin’ 90’s Soundtrack Includes: Red Hot Chili Peppers, R.E.M., Barenaked Ladies, Slash
Quote: “It’s as if you have grabbed me by the base of my
snarglies!”
Title: WAYNES WORLD (1992) AND WAYNES WORLD 2 (1993)
Comments: This is like the apex of 90’s movies. If I had to
choose a movie out of all of the ones on this list, these two would be the best
quintessentially 90’s movies. I mean, they really do capture everything from
the era, the clothes, that grungy love for all things rock and roll, that
awesome soundtrack! Back then it was all about having long hair, wearing a
t-shirt with the logo of your favorite band on it and wearing torn jeans. The
90’s were very, very rock and roll and this film captures what it means to live
the proverbial rock and roll lifestyle, going to concerts, listening to cd’s on
your car, having a favorite rock and roll dj, rocking out to a tune with your
best buds and wanting that expensive guitar! Aside from being oh so very 90’s,
the films have these two very endearing characters in the form of Wayne and
Garth. They aren’t exactly losers (they have their own cable television show
after all) but they haven’t quite “made it”. They want to really make it, big
time. But are they willing to sell out in order to do it? Wayne’s World was one
of the most popular SNL sketches from the 90’s and the best thing about both of
these movies is how they fleshed out and brought these characters to life,
unlike other unsuccessful SNL film adaptations which never could achieve this.
Of course, a large part of success behind these films can be attributed to the
genius of Dana Carvey and Mike Myers. You gotta admit when Mike Myers is on all
cylinders, he really hits it out of the ballpark, as he did with both of these
films. Both films are filled with cameos galore! Aerosmith! Alice Cooper! Even
Christopher Walken is in one of these!
Rockin’ 90’s Soundtrack Includes: Ugly Kid Joe, Soundgarden,
Red Hot Chili Peppers, Temple of the Dog, 4 None Blondes, Aerosmith, Dinosaur
Jr.
Quote: “I say hurl. If you blow chunks and she comes back,
she’s yours. But if you spew and she bolts, it was never meant to be.”
Title: PUMP UP THE VOLUME (1990)
Comments: As a result of inheriting the world they live
in, the youth of the 90’s were angry and depressed and it’s an attitude that
reflected itself in the music and films of that decade, for example, in Pump Up
the Volume we meet ‘Hard Harry’ (Christian Slater) a hard hitting, no filters
type of dj who runs an underground radio station where he tells things like
they are! On Hard Harry’s show there’s no holding back, no censors, no lies, he
is the angry voice of an angry generation. But nobody in school knows who he
is! Where does he run the show from? Where is he located? Who knows, but some people
would like to shut him up because he is criticizing everything and everyone! My
favorite part of the film is when teenagers call in with their problems, and
Harry’s trying to analyze them. What I love about this aspect of the film is
the sincerity in the voice of these teens, the realism of the situations they
complain about. Teenagers are often times completely ignored, so it’s cool to see
a film where they are given a voice. This movie says teenagers have a lot to
say, and they should be heard! Pump Up the Volume is a film where youth tells
the old what is wrong with the world! What I enjoyed about this movie the most
was Slater’s performance, the character of Hard Harry. He’s what you wish the
media was really like. Hard Harry is truthful, honest and not interested in misdirecting
the attention of the public, but actually giving importance and time to things
that matter. In many ways he is the polar opposite of what we get in the media
today, which is a bunch of bull. And this is yet another film of the 90’s with
a rocking soundtrack that captures the times it was made in.
Rockin’ 90’s Sountrack Includes: Sonic Youth, The Pixies,
Beasty Boys, Ice-T, Soundgarden, Concrete Blonde, Bad Brains
Quote: “Feeling screwed up at a screwed time in a screwed up
place does not necessarily make you screwed up”
Title: ENCINO MAN (1992)
Comments: In Encino Man, Sean Astin plays a high school
senior whose all anxious about pulling of a graduation party that everyone will remember,
but mostly, he wants to pull off this party to impress the girl of his dreams.
He’s plan is to have a pool in his backyard by the time graduation comes, so he
can have a kickin’ pool party. So he starts digging. He’s so desperate he does
it himself! One day, while digging in the mud, he uncovers a frozen caveman!
Upon thawing him he realizes he has made an incredibly important discovery, but
doesn’t want to tell anyone about it, so he keeps the caveman to himself. He
and Stoney (his best friend played by Pauly Shore) decide to call him ‘Link’.
They dress him up in 90’s fashion (which means all grungy) and they teach him
90’s lingo like calling girls “babes” and breasts “gozongas” and so forth. By
the way, speaking about this films 90’s lingo, Pauly Shore practically created a
language for his character, it’s quite entertaining. Encino Man was Pauly
Shore’s short lived film career starting to take off, after this one he had a
string of films each one made less money then the last. Well, at least he had
his 15 minutes of fame. Ultimately, Encino Man’s a fish out of water story,
they try and show the caveman how the modern world works, which includes taking
him to a amusement parks, playing video games and hanging out at the mall. In
many ways, the film has that same mentality seen in films like Bill and Ted’s
Excellent Adventure (1989) or television shows like Beavis and Butthead. You
know, youngsters who grow up hanging out at the 7-eleven all day on a diet of ho-ho’s
and slurpees. So if you’re interested in reliving that MTV 90’s generation
thing (in my opinion when MTV was worth a damn and was at its peak) this films
a good place to start.
Rocking 90’s Soundtrack Includes: Def Leppard, Right Said
Fred, Crystal Waters, The Smithereens
Quote: “If you’re edged because I’m weazing on your
grindage, just chill!”
Title: AIR HEADS (1994)
Comments: So is it just me, or was the 90’s generation a
very musical one, a very rock and roll generation? Right now almost no one
dresses up like a rocker trying to live that quintessential “rock and roll
lifestyle”, but back in the 90’s? Rock and Roll was a way of life! You dressed
like Rock and Roll, you had that Rock and Roll attitude! Nowadays kids have so
many musical options with their I-pods that they don’t really adhere so much to
one type of music. Not so in the 90’s! On Airheads we meet Chazz (Brendan
Fraser) a dude who is dying to make it as a rock and roll legend! He wants’ to
give his demo to some big time producers to see if they’ll bite. Unfortunately,
he keeps getting rejected, so what’s Chazz and the rest of his band to do in
order to garner some attention? Well hijack a radio station and force them to
play their demo on the air of course! This is easier said than done; especially
when the media gets a whiff of what’s going down, suddenly Chazz and the rest
of his band become a media sensation! One of the best things this one has going
for it is the amazing comedic cast, the best comedy films are those in which
everybody involved is a good comedian, or at the very least understands comedy.
Here we get the likes of Steve Buscemi, Brendan Fraser, Chris Farley, Adam
Sandler, Michael McKean, Judd Nelson, Ernie Hudson, Michael Richards, David
Arquette, Harold Ramis and Joe Mantegna to liven things up; I just love it when
all these funny people come together in one film, the results are often times
hilarious. So anyhow, this one has that ‘underdog wins’ type of scenario going
for it. It all ends up on a big stage, with fireworks and amplifiers blasting
away. You gotta respect this motley crew of musicians for risking it all in
order to make it!
Rockin’ 90’s Soundtrack Includes: 4 Non Blondes, House of Pain, White Zombie,
Anthrax, Candlebox, The Replacements, Primal Scream, Aerosmith, Primus
Quote: “Do you know what it’s like to be on the bill and to
play for 15 minutes and the only people there to see you are their bands and
their friends? Don’t talk to me about Rock and Roll! I’m out there on the clubs
and on the streets and I’m living it!”
Title: EMPIRE RECORDS (1995)
Comments: Funny how two of the most 90’s films on this list
where directed by the same guy! Director Allan Moyle directed both Pump Up the
Volume and Empire Records. Empire Records works kind of like a John Hughes
movie, but for the 90’s. John Hughes movies were always populated by a group of
teens, each having to deal with their own dilemma, their own drama, I’m talking
about films like Sixteen Candles and The Breakfast Club, the latter is the one
that Empire Records resembles the most. True, the characters in Empire Records
are not on detention like the kids from The Breakfast Club, but they do have to
show up for work at a record store called Empire Records. And it kind of feels
as if they were in detention because they can’t go anywhere, they gotta sell
some records! This movie feels even more dated now that records stores are all
but gone, I feel sad just typing that. Bummer. Thank you internet! So yeah,
this movie takes place almost entirely inside of a Record Store, it reminds me
of High Fidelity (2000) in that sense, a film that’s centered around a record
store and the lives of its employees. On Empire Records, one employee has
attempted and is contemplating committing suicide, one feels the pressures of
having parents who want her to be successful, another is a thief paying for his
crimes (which include stealing Whitney Houston
albums!) another lives his life terribly aloof, another wants to be an
artist and so on. By the end of the movie, they all join forces and prove that
together they can achieve anything, even the impossible. Damn the man! Save the
Empire!
Rockin’ 90’s Soundtrack Includes: The Cranberries, The Gin
Blossoms, Cracker, Billy Idol, Dishwalla, Better Than Ezra, Toad the Wet
Sprocket, Throwing Muses, GWAR, Sponge, The The, Suicidal Tendencies amongst
others.
Quote: “Let me explain it to you, Mitchell’s the man, I’m the
idiot, you’re the screw up and we’re all losers, welcome to music town.”
Title: OFFICE SPACE (1999)
Comments: This film,
much like Fight Club also depicts the angry 90’s generation. It’s the kind of
film where the blue collar worker gets angry for what his become. The guys in
Office Space work in an office job they hate. Everyday is the same and these
guys have just about had it. They hate their boss, they hate the photocopy
machine and they hate their co-workers. There’s nothing left to do but go home,
get drunk and high. The main character’s a guy named Peter Gibbons and his
black hole of a life is sucking his will to go on. One of his co-workers
suggests visiting a mystic who can supposedly suck these negative energies out
of you. Turns out that Peter has so much pent up negative energy inside of him
that the mystic ends up dying! After that event Peter feels like a new person,
so he goes back to his job without a care, treating everyone, including his
bosses, like crap. Then he plans a scheme to steal money from the company. What
this movie does so well is capture that cubicle life style that so many people
live; the boring, numbing sameness and then just makes complete fun of it. I
mean, you’ll probably find an equivalent of all your co-workers on this movie,
especially that hateful boss who asks you to come in and work extra hours on
the weekend. Where it starts to gets funny is when the worker starts to lose
it. For example when Peter’s boss tells him that they need to have a “little
talk”, Peter tells him that he’s got no time to have “a little talk” that it
will have to be some other time. Ha! Hilarious.
Hip-Hopin' 90’s
Soundtrack Includes: Ice T, Scarface, Geto Boys
Quote: “The thing is Bob, it’s not that I’m lazy, it’s that
I don’t care.”
Title: TANK GIRL (1995)
Comments: On this one
we have Tank Girl (Lori Petty) trying to survive in a world dominated by a
ruthless dictator who wants to control all the water supply in the world. Tank
Girl forms a part of a gang of rebels that are trying to balance things out
again for the world. Oh yeah, some of the rebels are half kangaroo, half
humans! Now here’s a film that was in development hell for a long time, at one
point even Steven Spielberg and James Cameron were interested in directing!
Ultimately, it was Rachel Talalay (Freddys Dead: The Final Nightmare (1991)) who
ended up directing; in a way, it is fitting that a woman ended up directing a
film called Tank Girl. The film is extremely similar to George Orwell’s 1984
because it’s a film in which the government takes the rebel and tries to
physically and psychologically make them pay for their rebellion.
Unfortunately, Tank Girl and her sidekick Jet Girl have more than one trick up
their sleeves, namely Tank Girl has her tank and Jet Girl has her Jet! Most
amusing for me was seeing Naomi Watt’s playing Jet Girl. Watt’s has gone on to
say that she’s ashamed of this movie, but if you ask me, she shouldn’t be. The
film is a cult favorite, and it’s a well directed and produced film, it has
cool make up effects, miniature work and lot’s of old school effects. Sure the
film is not perfect (those animated scenes stink of an incomplete film) but
it’s nothing to be ashamed of in my book. Lori Petty is pitch perfect as Tank
Girl! She’s a cool character, her wardrobe is so grungy, a reflection of the
styles of 90’s. To round things off, Ice-T plays one of the kangaroos, and
Malcolm McDowell plays the dictator! This is a post-apocalyptic comedy, with a
chick with an attitude as the lead character.
Rockin’ 90’s Soundtrack Includes: Bjork, Veruca Salt, Ice-T,
Bush, Hole, Portis Head, Belly
Quote: “To the Bat-Tank!”
Title: THE CROW (1994)
Comments: Watching
The Crow in theaters back in ’94 was a special experience for me. Here was a
movie that I found perfect in every way and form, in my opinion, this film is
perfect! Leading the good qualities of this movie was a knock out performance
by Brandon Lee. One look at his performance and there’s no doubt that this
would’ve been the film to send his career through the roof, sadly, he died
while making the film. His legacy, his most memorable role, will forever be
this amazing film. The film had that dark, dreadful atmosphere to it, there’s
rarely a scene that doesn’t take place during the night. The film is shrouded
in darkness for most of its running time. There’s just something really gothic
that I love about the movie. Plus, there’s that soundtrack which by the way is
composed of music that James O’Barr, the creator of The Crow would listen to as
he was drawing the graphic novel. It’s so damn industrial, so serious, so sad,
a fitting soundtrack for such a somber film. But of course, at the root of this
revenge tale lies Eric Draven’s desire to reunite with the love of his life, so
at least all the violence is for a good cause, it’s all for love. Once again,
this is a film from the 90’s that truly exudes that Rock and Roll vibe. The
main character in the film, Eric Draven, was a member of a rock band when he
was alive, so when he returns, he dresses in black trench coats and carries his
guitar around with him, like I said, very Rock and Roll.
Rockin’ 90’s Soundtrack Includes: Nine Inch Nails, Machines
of Loving Grace, Stone Temple Pilots, The Cure, Violent Femmes, Rage Against
the Machine, The Jesus and Mary Chain, My Life with the Thrill Kill Cult,
Rollins Band, Helmet, Pantera
Quote: “I knew I knew you, I knew I knew you! But you aint
you, you can’t be you! We put you through the window! There aint no coming
back! We killed you dead, there aint no coming back!”
Title: FIGHT CLUB (1999)
Comments: A fitting film to end the 90’s. David Fincher’s
Fight Club gathers all that angst, hatred, depression and dissatisfaction that
the 90’s generation was so known for and wallows in it’s in pain. Chuck
Palahniuk’s novel truly did gather all the frustrations of a generation and put
them in one place, in one story for all to analyze. Here is a story about a guy
who hates his redundant, empty life. He lives a lonely life in an apartment filled
with things. But where’s the love, where’s what’s real? Where are the things
that really make life worth living? I love how the film showcases all these
frustrations to make us, the generation it’s reflecting, face them. You don’t
want to work in a convenience store? Then go to freaking college! You wan’t to
feel alive? Then change the status quo! Do something that will make you feel
alive and breathing! In the film the main character finds passion for life by
gathering in basements to kick the living daylights out of other dudes! Jack is
so numb that it’s only through pain that he can feel truly alive! David Fincher
directed a film that defined a generation, much like Mike Nichol’s The Graduate
did back in the 60’s. Funny how both films represent youths that are dissatisfied
with society the way it is. Both films take a look on society and spit on it.
True, there’s no denying that Fight Club is one somber, psychotic affair but
there’s no denying its truthfulness.
Rockin’ 90’s Soundtrack Includes: The Pixies’ ‘Where is my
Mind?’
Quote: “I say never be complete, I say stop being perfect. I
say let’s evolve, let the chips fall where they may. ”
DON'T FORGET TO COME BACK FOR PART II OF MY ARTICLE ON
QUINTESSENTIAL 90'S FILMS! IT'S GONNA BE AWESOME!
QUINTESSENTIAL 90'S FILMS! IT'S GONNA BE AWESOME!
11 comments:
I hope you add PCU, Linklater's films Dazed and Confused/Slacker/subUrbia, Glory Daze and Clerks. Those are the only movies that really remind me of what the 90's felt like.
Yeah, Linklater's films are on Part II but not Dazed and Confused cause its about the 70's even though it was made in the 90's. A couple of kevin Smith's films are on there as well.
But let's focuse on this article, how's about the ones on this list, do they remind you of the 90's?
"Waynes World" was embarrassingly unfunny and totally unwatchable, thats why it turned out as a big surprise when "Waynes World 2" was hilarious.
Personally, I thought both of them were hilarious, they are extremely similar.
Waynes World 1&2 and The Crow are great examples of the 90's vibe to big movies. Funnily enough, I have never seen Coneheads. It's now on the list :-)
Hope you like it, it's got a plethora of SNL stars in it! The thing about Coneheads is that it's not only a good comedy, it's also a good sci-fi.
Sounds great! You have a nice selection on this list, the more obvious ones such as The Big Lebowski, Fight Club and The Matrix usually hog the limelight, along with Pulp Fiction, etc. Not that I don't love those films, but there was still plenty of great low key films to explore from the 90's.
Great list Franco. Love most of these films and have a couple of soundtracks on my shelf. Empire Records in particular is a quality album.
Never noticed how Office Space and Fight Club are built on the same foundation. Both are about bored office workers looking for release. They just go about it in completely different ways.
JP Mulvanetti:Yeah, I wanted to mention some of the more offbeat ones, the ones that have that grungy 90
s vibe going for them, or the ones that have a truly 90
s soundtrack. In the second part of this article there will be more of these, so don't forget to come back next week, it should be up probably by Friday.
Jack: Yeah, I have the empire Records soundtrack as well, it's a good one. It even includes that song they made for the movie "Sugar HIgh"
Yeah, there's another film that's similar to Fight Club as well and goes on a totally different direction: Wanted. The one with Angelina Jolie, It's also about a bored office worker who goes to extremes to change his lifestyle.
Thanks for commenting people, remember there's more where these came from next friday!
All great movies and I'm glad you listed "Coneheads." It's not perfect, but it's a good flick Fransisco.
Yeah, I wanted to list movies that have that 90's feel to them, not necesarilly the biggest money makers or anything, just movies that were very 90's. Got some more coming up soon, look for it! Thanks for reading Maurice.
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