Pope John Paul II‘s encyclical on Centesimus annus. A riot breaks out in the Mt. Pleasant section of Washington, D.C. after Salvadoran man is shot by police. Michael Landon appears on The Tonight Show to talk about his cancer. Oakland A’s Jose Canseco is seen leaving Madonna’s apt. Yankee Stadium fans sing “Like a Virgin” to Jose Canseco. A new cancer drug is announced which can only be found in bark of a rare tree in the Pacific Northwest. Apple releases Macintosh System 7.0. Robert M Gates becomes head of CIA. World’s Largest Burrito created at 1,126 lbs. Winnie Mandela sentenced to 6 years for complicity in kidnapping & beating of four youths, one of whom died, She is freed pending appeal. Defense releases docs claiming Noriega is “CIA’s man in Panama”. Queen Elizabeth II becomes 1st British monarch to address US congress. Chicago Bull Michael Jordan, named NBA’s MVP. US Supreme Court bars subsidized clinics from discussing abortion. Israel evacuates 14,000 Ethiopian Jews. Ethiopian rebels seize Addis Ababa. Supreme Court rules prosecutors can be sued for legal advice they give police & can be held accountable. Financial News Network ceases broadcasting after being bought out by CNBC.
Music
Honorable mentions: Morbid Angel: Blessed are the Sick. Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark: Sugar Tax. Phranc: Positively Phranc. Alan Jackson: Don’t Rock the Jukebox. Milltown Brothers: Slinky. Jodeci: Forever My Lady. Dismember: Like an Ever Flowing Stream. Jawbox: Grippe. Seal: Seal. Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark: Sugar Tax.
Interesting month for music. That’s all.
Dread Zeppelin: 5,000,000 (7)
First album of doing reggae knock-offs was successful enough for them to do this one. I dig, though their rendition of Stairway to Heaven isn’t in the same league as the original Led Zeppelin version.
Huey Lewis and the News: Hard at Play (7)
EMF: Schubert Dip (7)
Everyone should’ve heard the hit “Unbelievable” at some point.
Helloween: Pink Bubbles Go Ape (11)
I like it.
Elvis Costello: Mighty Like a Rose (14)
Ice T: O.G. Original Gangster (14)
Primus: Sailing the Seas of Cheese (14)
Paula Abdul: Spellbound (14)
Tuff: What Goes Around Comes Around (14)
Finally! Something more my style of music (though I do enjoy Helloween)! Was starting to think this month would be absent of that. They didn’t become a big hit, mainly because glam metal wasn’t something to debut with in 1991 when grunge was starting to catch on. And a youtuber actually has something to say about that:
A hair metal band debuting with an album in 1991, stood absolutely no chance for commercial success. Our globalist elitist owned media led by MTV had already began the hype job that was grunge which was nothing but a punk response to the guitar rock of the previous 25 years. MTV and our music media puked praises upon grunge which was inherently lousy due to severely toned down guitars. Lousy to everyone but people buying hype and punks. Why was that done? To fatally end rock so racially diversified contemporary music could be ushered in at the top of the charts through whatever means necessary. Newly racially diversified all across the entertainment spectrum of music, movies & television. However racial diversity is not the globalist’s actual goal. Their goal is societal disruption to the point of anarchy leading to martial law. Martial law facilitating an overthrown of this government by the globalist elite. Wonder why all our entertainment sucks these days to the point of switching the radio and TV permanently off? It is suppose to very much displease you. Just a cog in their wheel which covers everything from music to weather & wild immigration. A US military presence cf just a little serious business would end immigration by next week. Look to HAARP concerning our wild weather.
— WarHog38
Well whatever the reason (though I’m sure people like Razorfist would agree with most of the above sentiments), it’s clear they never got the exposure and appreciation they deserved. That said, for a counterargument to grunge ruining hard rock and metal, see here.
Mercury Rev Yerself Is Steam (14)
Electronic: Electronic (27)
The Smashing Pumpkins: Gish (28)
Debut album from this famous band. And they are groovy. And they were also one of those ushering in the grunge era.
NWA: Niggaz4Life (28)
The 2nd and final album from the (in)famous controversial rap group.
Films
Honorable mentions: What About Bob?; it may be a somewhat more well-known comedy because of Richard Dreyfuss and Bill Murray playing off each other, but I didn’t care for it. F/X 2; inferior sequel, though it does have a couple fun moments. Wild Hearts Can’t Be Broken; a based on a true story flick about a girl horse diver which is ruined by typical Disney cliches, and not telling the story in a manner that’s all that interesting.
Now this is what I call a solid movie month.
One Good Cop (3)
Guess films like these aren’t ever going to be made again, considering how much BLM, which somehow has a major political and cultural and corporate influence, hates cops and demands they don’t get any positive representation anymore. That aside, this film’s not bad. Keaton still trying out serious roles after his venture as Batman in 1989.
A Rage in Harlem (3)
On the other end of the spectrum is this film, where black thugs get a police body count. BLM would approve. Kinda nice to be even-handed with this sort of thing back then, even amidst the Rodney King beating. Anyway, this is a rather fun film. Especially with that dog moment. Contender for film of the month, but not quite.
Cry in the Wild: The Taking of Peggy Ann (6; TV movie)
For a made for TV film, this is pretty damn good. For a made for TV film in the 90s, it’s incredible, considering standards are usually low for that sort of thing. Based on a true story, and from what I understand it stays relatively close to the facts. About a girl who gets kidnapped by a man in the woods, and the effort to track them down by local law enforcement, the FBI, and local volunteers. The speech at the end gives this film that extra ounce of depth that tends to be missing from stuff like this. To my surprise, this almost made film of the month for me.
Robin Hood (13; made for TV?)
This is not to be confused with the Kevin Costner flick which would come out later this year. In fact, it shouldn’t be, because I consider this to be not only superior to that film in nearly every way (save for budget in some cases, but the lower budget didn’t really hurt this film), but one of the best renditions of the popular story.
Stone Cold (17)
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Now this is a fun fucking film. The most masculine testosterone fueled shit since Commando. A combination of 90s (and leftover 80s) ridiculous cheese, excess, and entertainment. Which makes it one of the best cult classic biker flicks ever made. And the finale is absolutely bonkers. And yes, this is the film of the month, in my opinion. And it’s about a cop, undercover.
Backdraft (24)
This is considered a classic, and an all-time great film. Personally, I find it overrated. The fire effects and stunts are great, sure. But I couldn’t stand Adam Baldwin. Plus it just comes off as a B movie at best. I never got all that invested in it. I think it’s primarily popular because it’s a firefighter flick that really made you feel the flames and dangers with their work.
Hudson Hawk (24)
This film is kinda reviled by critics and some filmgoers. Personally, I find this film fun as hell.
Only the Lonely (24)
John Candy doing a more dramatic than comedic role, demonstrating his range. Solid enough rom-com drama. And guess what? He’s a cop in this. Oh joy.
Thelma & Louise (24)
Made a review of this film, though I’ve gotten more critical of it over the years. Considering how things are nowadays, I sympathize more with those who bashed it for its feminist agenda. Regardless, it’s still a solid film that’s better than most (if not all) feminist films of today.
Drop Dead Fred (24)
I shouldn’t like this film as much as I do. And yet, there is an element of demented genius to this thing.
Madonna: Truth or Dare (24)
Well, I guess a documentary was going to be added sooner or later. Have to admit, to my amazement, I actually got into this thing, even if Madonna is putting forth the sort of character representation she wants viewers to see for this thing.
Soapdish (31)
Not bad.
The Pit and the Pendulum (May 31, limited [also had a festival release last April])
First impression, this film is masochistic just for the sake of it. While that opinion hasn’t changed, against the odds, I found myself enjoying this film. Of course it’s about the Inquisition and the tortures they committed, that they are about to commit on an unfortunate couple of bakers. But there’s some other things going on beyond the torture, stripping of female clothing, and Catholic bashing. That the Pope was bringing about change to do away with torture, much to the dismay of the Inquisition. That even God was going to smite these people a bit (there’s a decent moment of that when they’re proceeding to burn this “witch” who just swallowed several handfuls of gunpowder). Plus the finale with the pendulum was fun (having considerably more flair than the 1960s Hammer film with Vincent Price). And for a Full Moon production, this isn’t too bad. Considered the lesser of the trio of Stuart Gordon films alongside Re-Animator and From Beyond; it’s certainly not as violent or budgeted (or as good) as those films, but it’s does still manage to be satisfying in its own way… if you’re up for it.
Homicide (?)
A film that exceeded my expectations. And guess what? It’s another cop film. Must be cop month. Review here.
Impromptu (?)
Personally not my kind of movie, but I can appreciate it for what it is. The film is fine, others will enjoy it, it’s just personally not my cup of tea.
Games
Honorable mentions: The Rocketeer (May; NES). Times of Lore (May 1991; NES). Warrior of Rome (May 1; Sega Genesis). Timequest (1991; PC).
Starflight (May 15, 1991; Sega Genesis)
Port of a 1986 PC game. This is one of the most ambitious games of the year. So much detail to the universe within the game, such sandbox freedom, a graphical improvement on the original. One of the best hidden gems on the Genesis. I’d call it most ambitious game of the year, except it was originally released in 1986, but even so, even on re-release on a different gaming platform, this is still a game that was way ahead of its time, and a contender for game of the year; game of the month at the very least. No Man’s Sky can suck it! Also can be considered inspiration for Star Control 2 (which wouldn’t come out for another year), and Mass Effect. The only other ambitious sci-fi exploring the star game that competed with something like this back then was Frontier: Elite II, and that wouldn’t come out for another 2 years.
Bonanza Bros. (May 16; Sega Genesis)
A classic. Best with two.
Crack Down (May 11; Sega Genesis)
Another game that’s great with (and meant for) 2 players.
PGA Tour Gold (April-May; Sega Genesis)
The game that started off this franchise. That’s all.
Martian Memorandum (1991; PC)
Before Tex Murphy did the Killing Moon. Sequel to his first adventure, Mean Streets.
Conquests of the Longbow: The Legend of Robin Hood (1991; PC)
Could’ve been game of the month, if not for Starflight. An adventure game classic (in the “click there and you walk there or interact with that” sense).
Battle Isle (1991; PC, Amiga)
Turn-based strategy classic mainly known for being a stepping stone (or setting the standard) for greater things to come.
Elite Plus (1991; PC)
The superior version of Elite (1984, holy God I can’t believe it’s that old), which I believe is the first definitive space sim game by which all others are compared to (it’s the one that set the bar). Very good classic. Unsure of what month it got released, but this seems like as good a month as any, given this is when Starflight on the Genesis got released.
Shows
Dallas ended May 3, and originally began airing in 1973.
Nothing much to see here for television.
Snoopy’s Reunion (1; CBS)
A one episode special that takes tremendous liberties with the history of the Peanuts. But one can’t stay mad at this thing for that.
Nickelodeon Launch Box (9; Nickelodeon)
Educational NASA stuff. Only ran for 9 episodes.
Sisters (11; NBC)
Soap opera drama-comedy.
Blood Ties (27; Fox)
Made for TV movie
Edit (9-20-2020): Added Nickelodeon Launch Box to Shows.
Edit (11-23-2020): Added Starflight to Games.
Edit (10-10-2021): Added The Pit and the Pendulum to Movies.
Edit (5-15-2022): Added Elite Plus to Games.
The Anomalous Host 