Random 90s Movie Review #15: Wayne's World

Some movies based on SNL characters don't always stand the test of time (see: It's Pat, Coneheads, etc.) But Wayne's World still holds up for me. I looove buddy films, probably because the dialogue can just be so perfect sometimes. So my favorite part of this movie would be the quotability. All of these words/phrases have found their way into my permanent vocabulary:

Schwing!

Live in the now!!

Are you mental?

Psycho hosebeast

Shyeah right

It's sucking my will to live!

Why you should watch this movie: Are you mental?

Why you shouldn't watch this movie: All I have to say about that is.. asphinctersayswhat

I Heart the Nineties rating: Two snaps up.. excellent!

Random 90s Movie Review #14: Reality Bites

Watching Clerks for last week's post was pretty awesome, and this one just keeps the momentum going. Reality Bites is seriously the bomb. Or, The Bomb. It's everything I love about Gen Xers in an hour and 38 minutes:

1. So, so many pop culture references from the 70s and 80s. They were a generation that really wanted to remember their formative years as they entered adulthood.
2. A band called Hey That's My Bike, fronted by scuzzy hottie Ethan Hawke.
3. Lisa Loeb's "Stay" on the soundtrack, along with other songs I approve of.
4. Cameos by David Spade and Andy Dick.

I watched some commentary on the 10th anniversary dvd where they described the movie as The Big Chill in the 90s for 20-somethings. That sums up the general plot pretty well. Besides that retrospective, the dvd also has deleted scenes which are decent.

Why you should watch this movie: If you haven't seen it yet, what is your glitch? (side note: if I ever come across Ethan Hawke or Ben Stiller, you better believe that's what I'd ask them)

Why you shouldn't watch this movie: Really there's no reason not to, unless you're just a straight up hater. And in that case, what's your glitch?

I Heart the Nineties Rating: Two snaps waaay up

Random 90s Movie Review #13: Clerks

July's movie theme: teen/young adult hits of the 90s. This is my bread and butter right here, so why not start it off right with one of my all time favorites:

"I'm not even supposed to be here today!" - Pretty much the official quote of Clerks. 

Watching this movie is like a way to center myself again, get back to the core of Jille.. Whenever I'm feeling lost and as if I've strayed too far off the path of my true self, I can always turn to Dante and Randal to bring it all back. I might be a little too young to truly fall under the Generation X label, but that was the group of people I looked up to and one day hoped to be. Now here I am, 30 years old and still watching their movies. Still wanting to tell people, "No time for love, Dr. Jones."

But I digress. The one-sentence synopsis of Clerks: Even though he's not supposed to be here today, Dante's working at the Quick Stop and many captivating events occur. (I know what you're thinking, I should totally write synopses for a living!)

I made my movie-watching experience extra special by eating 90s snacks:

Yes, Snackwell's still exist. Let me tell you this, though: they may be fat free, but sugar is the #1 ingredient and they certainly taste that way. And Bagel Bites.. what can I say. I hadn't eaten these in many years so I don't know if the taste truly improved as the box claims. Still lovin' the Snapple though.

Why you should watch this movie: It rules.

Why you shouldn't watch this movie: If you're an old stick in the mud that's easily offended, you probably don't want to watch this. Or Clerks 2, for that matter.

I Heart the Nineties rating: Two snaps waaaay up

Random 90s Movie Review #12: How Stella Got Her Groove Back

Wrapping up June's chick flick movies with this:

How Stella Got Her Groove Back (1998)

A few months ago I read this book along with with Waiting to Exhale and Getting to Happy. Naturally, I spent the entire two hours of this movie comparing it to the book and wondering, "Why?? Why did they do that?" During the times when I was able to put those thoughts aside and just enjoy the movie for what it is, I found it to be decent enough. Although watching it today is kinda sad, when you think about how this was based on real events in Terry McMillan's life that didn't turn out so great (you know, like marrying a younger man you met in Jamaica that later came out of the closet and caused you to go through a terrible divorce..). But if you want to spend a nostalgic evening with your gal pals eating cheesecake and watching movies, I'd say put this on the list.

Why you should watch this movie: You like Taye Diggs shower scenes

Why you shouldn't watch this movie: You're devoted to the book and can't handle a different adaption of the story

I Heart the Nineties rating: One snap up

Random 90s Movie Review #11: While You Were Sleeping

Chick Flick Month trudges on with our third review:

While You Were Sleeping, from 1995. And boy, I tell you it sure is 90s. Think of any romantic comedy from the early 90s and this one will definitely share some characteristics with it. First, it's set in a big city. There's a big emphasis on family. The coma guy is well into adulthood, yet has a sister still living at home (for some reason it was always important to have that younger sibling). And naturally, there are many misunderstandings that could have easily been cleared up within a matter of seconds. Throw in a botched wedding at a hospital, and you've got yourself a hit!

Why you should watch this movie: I found it to be pretty watchable. It's got just the right amount of sappiness without going overboard. Casting was good; the grandma was the mom from Mary Poppins! Peter Gallagher is also a hunk, but maybe that's just my opinion.

Why you shouldn't watch this movie: There are a few cringe-worthy moments where you'll want to scream, "Just tell them the truth already!"

I Heart the Nineties Rating: One snap up

Random 90s Movie Review #10: The Pallbearer

Chick flick month continues with..

..1996's The Pallbearer, starring our main man David Schwimmer. I had never seen this one before, and was very much convinced that it was a comedy. Like, a laugh out loud kind of comedy. I was also assuming the worst, because it has a lot of bad reviews floating around on the net. Neither of those turned out to be particularly true, though. While there are certainly smile-inducing parts (David Schwimmer/Tom is requested to bring wine to a wedding shower.. he brings wine in a box with a bow on top), it's more serious and reminded me of something more along the lines of Reality Bites. It's about 20-somethings dealing with life. And Michael Rapaport's there!

Why you should watch this movie: You need to find an appropriate way to end the fling you started with your deceased classmate's mother (hint: don't do it by mailing back her charm bracelet with a bad poem).

Why you shouldn't watch this movie: If sitcom-esque misunderstandings snowballing out of control make you want to hide under a blanket, steer clear of this one.

I Heart the Nineties rating: One snap up

Random 90s Movie Review #9: I Love You, I Love You Not

June's movie reviews will have a theme: chick flicks. With that being said, this is going to be a tough month for me to get through. If you feel the same, my apologies, but we can suffer through it for the sake of remembering the 90s!

So to kick things off, our first review of the month is I Love You, I Love You Not from 1996.

Its tagline is "An Unforgettable Journey of Discovery", but the odds are not in its favor that I'll remember even watching this one a year from now. The only reason I had it queued up to watch was because it stars Claire Danes, Jude Law and James Van Der Beek.

Basically what happens is that Claire Danes plays Daisy, a current-day prep school student, as well as Daisy's grandmother in flashback scenes of Nazi Germany. Daisy is Jewish, which causes her to be victimized by pranks at school; she's also super into reading, wants to live with her grandmother and falls in love with Jude Law's character, who turns out to be a huge jerk and dumps her out of peer pressure.

The film was based on a play and it ended up still being staged like one, with awkward dialogue and scenes that just don't work. If you want to watch better movies about this subject/time period, try The Book Thief.

Why you should watch this movie: Just for the last two or three minutes before the credits start. Seriously the worst movie ending I've ever seen!

Why you shouldn't watch this movie: You'd rather not experience the uncomfortableness of watching Claire Danes make out with a mirror.

I Heart the Nineties rating: Zero snaps.. this should have been way better than it was. Maybe the play was good?

Random 90s Movie Review #8: Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Before the show, Buffy was a movie. An extremely 90s movie. Released in 1992 and set in California, it's a primer in valley girl speak. You'll hear such gems as:

*What's the sitch?

*What's your damage?

*Excuse much, rude or anything?

and my favorite:

*Get out of my facial!

Luke Perry delivers a pretty ineffectual performance, complete with terrible hair and a soul patch. Donald Sutherland does not compare to Anthony Stewart Head. Paul Reubens is a major creeper. But I enjoyed Kristy Swanson as the slayer. It's a decently fun movie overall, with a good soundtrack, too.

Why you should watch this movie: "Does the word 'duh' mean anything to you?"

Why you shouldn't watch this movie: You're Joss Whedon and still can't get over what they did to your story.

I Heart the Nineties Rating: One snap up

Random 90s Movie Review #7: Double Feature

Today's review features two 70s throwback movies:

The Brady Bunch Movie (1995)

and

A Very Brady Sequel (1996)

Oh, how I love these movies. A lot of it has to do with how often I watched reruns of the show when I was growing up. And the other part is that despite cheesiness to the extreme, these are decent movies that accomplished what they set out for. Certainly they weren't expecting to win any Oscars, but rather pay homage to a popular sitcom and answer the question, "What would the Bradys do in the 90s?"

Basically what they do is a lot of stuff like this:

There are tons of references to scenes from the original show, plus lots of cameos (RuPaul as the school guidance counselor is pretty stellar.. in both movies, too) and naturally lots of sound advice from Mike Brady. By poking fun at their food, clothes, and songs about clowns never laughing before, these movies were relevant enough and relatable to teens & pre-teens at the time. Although these were targeted at a mainstream audience in the mid 90s, so there are some awkward gay jokes that don't quite sit right today. Different times, my friends.

Anyways, for those of you who have seen the sequel, answer me this: Is Roy really supposed to be a hunk? He looks like nothing special to me. Or maybe he's just blown away by the handsomeness of Gary Cole as Mike....

Why you should watch these movies: If you want to relive the 90s reliving the 70s, these are for you!

Why you shouldn't watch these movies: If you're some sort of yuppie or hipster... go watch The Brady Bunch in the White House instead

I Heart the Nineties rating: Two snaps up

Random 90s Movie Review #6: Empire Records

Could there be a more perfect 90s movie than Empire Records? I mean just look at that photo.. it says it all. 1995 to the max.

Rex Manning Day was last week, so it seemed pertinent to review this particular movie. I give it an A+ in the following areas:

• Music. The soundtrack is totally on point, as well as every single song played throughout the film. It goes way beyond that sweet Gin Blossoms song.
• Wardrobe. Totally nailed it. I still want Corey's cropped sweater, plaid mini and boots.
• Dialogue. "What's with today, today?"

My one and only complaint is that sometimes the characters break the fourth wall. Just not a huge fan of that. I would also say "not enough scenes with Berko" is another complaint, but he remains best as more of an enigma. At least there's plenty of Lucas, my fave.

Why you should watch this movie: It rules

Why you shouldn't watch this movie: Might cause intense feelings of nostalgia

I Heart the Nineties Rating: Two snaps way up

Random 90s Movie Review #5: Austin Powers

Throw me a frickin bone here.. Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery is most definitely a classic. It was released in 1997 and barely caught the tail end of the 60s mod revival that happened in the mid 90s, but regardless it was awesome of its own accord. Yeah, baby!! So quotable; so good.

Why you should watch this movie: The scene where Dr Evil and his son Scott attend a therapy session is a must see ("Sometimes he would accuse chestnuts of being lazy.."). Plus, you might watch this and remember how you kinda had a thing for Seth Green back then. Anyone??

Why you shouldn't watch this movie: Perhaps you don't like toilet humor or Burt Bacharach.

I Heart the Nineties rating: Two snaps up!

I will also leave you with this. It's an official music video made to promote the movie. I remember seeing it on MTV or VH1 just once and it got stuck in my head for a very long time that spring.

Random 90s Movie Review #3

Review #3 is for The Addams Family, from 1991.

23 years later (yikes!), and this movie is surprisingly not bad. 

*Casting was well done. Gomez and Morticia are total hotties; I'd say this is my favorite character for Anjelica Huston, and Raul Julia was a badass in the Street Fighter movie. Too bad that one was awful. Christina Ricci nails her role as Wednesday, and can you ever go wrong with Christopher Lloyd?

*Awesome raps provided by MC Hammer (who was just going by "Hammer" at this point).

*Plot revolves around a money scheme, much like other old tv shows turned into movies in the 90s (The Flintstones, The Beverly Hillbillies, etc.; any others you can think of?)

Why you should watch this movie: To see for yourself that Hammer's raps do indeed make sense when paired with the Addams Family.

Why you shouldn't watch this movie: You are an easily offended person and don't want to witness Wednesday asking a Girl Scout if her cookies are "made of real Girl Scouts" (this is actually my favorite scene).

My rating: One snap up. Still holds up well, at least for when you want to watch something silly.

Random 90s Movie Review #2

Our review today is for a delightful made-for-tv film from 1996 titled Wish Upon a Star. It features Katherine Heigl and Danielle Harris (the girl who goes mute in one of the Halloween movies), as well as a soundtrack almost entirely performed by one band: Moonpools and Caterpillars.

For a made-for-tv movie, it's actually pretty decent. I'm not saying the story was enrapturing and I'll be quoting it the rest of my life, but it certainly wasn't terrible. The basic plot is that the girls are sisters and each wishes upon the same falling star that they could be the other sister. The next morning they wake up in horror to realize it actually happened. We've all seen tons of movies with the body switching plot, so I'll leave it to you to imagine what sort of stuff happens. Hint: They learn important lessons.

Since it is from 1996, there is frosted purple lipstick, a Jeep, and this outfit:

I kinda want that skirt...

Why you should watch this movie: It might inspire you to wear white knee-high socks again, ala Cher Horowitz.

Why you shouldn't watch this movie: It might remind you how annoying it is when characters switch bodies.

My rating: One snap up. I enjoyed the wardrobe choices and music from a 90s band I had never heard of before.

Random 90s Movie Review #1

This is a new part of the blog wherein I watch random, generally unpopular films of the 90s. Our premier choice: Dutch, starring Al Bundy and a young Ethan Embry (Mark from Empire Records!).

When I first turned this on, I exclaimed to my husband, "It's a John Hughes movie!!" to which he replied "Yeah, from the 90s..." and my expectations dropped a little. Remember Baby's Day Out? I'm trying not to. Essentially the story is that Al Bundy has to pick up his girlfriend's son (Ethan) in Georgia and drive back to Chicago. Hilarity should ensue. I powered through several occasions of wanting desperately to turn it off, and was rewarded with essentially nothing. At least both actors are known for better things, and no one seems to know this movie existed.

Why you should watch this movie: Maybe you've always wanted to see Ed O'Neill bending over with a rip in his pants.

Why you shouldn't watch this movie: It's supposed to be Thanksgiving, yet the movie was released in July. That should be enough of a warning of how bad it is.

My rating: Hated it! I would recommend instead my other movie choice of the weekend: MST3K's Warrior of the Lost World. Sure, it's still a bad movie, but you get some funny commentary to make it more bearable. "Feel the malaise, suckas!!"