Original Family Feud host Richard Dawson returns to the series after nine years, replacing his successor, Ray Combs; the show also expands from half-hour to full-hour episodes. The Marvel Action Hour, featuring animated adaptations of Iron Man and the Fantastic Four, debuts in syndication. Actor Jackson Pinckney awarded $487,000 for being partially blinded by Jean-Claude Van Damme during filming of “Cyborg.” Last US, British & French troops leave West Berlin. Frank Eugene Corder crashes a Cessna plane into the south lawn of the White House, killing himself. National League for Democracy is formed by Aung San Suu Kyi and various others to help fight against dictatorship in Myanmar. Switzerland bans racist propaganda. Grammy Award-winning vocal group the Pointer Sisters receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Music
Other mentions:
- Shed Seven: Change Giver. This is good stuff, at times. So why not highlight it? Because it was a UK release that had no official US release as far as I can tell.
- Widespread Panic: Ain’t Life Grand
- Bad Religion: Stranger Than Fiction
- The Samples: Autopilot
- Guttermouth: Friendly People
- They Might Be Giants: John Henry
- Kylie Minogue: Kylie Minogue
- Grant Lee Buffalo: Mighty Joe Moon
- Liz Phair: Whip-Smart
- Love and Rockets: Hot Trip to Heaven
- Brandy: Brandy. Mainly because of the style of music she made popular; new-generation R&B.
- Ween: Chocolate and Cheese. I Can’t Put My Finger On It is a fun track, but not enough to elevate the entire album for me. I’m impressed though, that Ween went in this direction of more diverse music styles and attempted to take things more seriously.
- K’s Choice: The Great Subconscious Club
- Deus: Worst Case Scenario
Tiamat: Wildhoney (?)
Eric Clapton: From the Cradle (12)
Normally I tend to stay away from cover albums. But Blues Before Sunrise kicks ass. Perfect song to wake you up in the morning.
Blues Traveler: four (13)
That brief harmonica intro in Run Around.
The Notorious B.I.G.: Ready to Die (13)
*sigh* Just because it’s his debut.
Cop Shoot Cop: Release (13)
Their fourth and final album, which is unfortunate because I like this band.
Pop Will Eat Itself: Dos Dedos Mis Amigos (19)
Hmmm. Wondering if their intentional meaning with the track Ich Bin Ein Auslander is what I’m getting from it. In any case, this is some solid stuff. Album of the month.
Jamie Walters: Jamie Walters (20)
Neutral Ground won me over.
Corrosion of Conformity: Deliverance (27)
Rock on. Next runner up for album of the month.
The Muppets: Kermit Unpigged (27)
I mean, I just had to highlight this.
R.E.M.: Monster (27)
Just for Circus Envy.
Dave Matthews Band: Under the Table and Dreaming (27)
Debut.
Lake of Tears: Greater Art (30)
The only way I can enjoy death metal is if the beats are good. Well, they are in this album.
Testament: Low (30)
Movies
Other mentions:
- A Good Man in Africa. I felt nothing.
- Trial By Jury. This was almost good. It has some moments, but the last act was the typical ridiculous bullshit you would expect Hollywood to pull on a film like this.
- Princess Caraboo.
- The Burning Season (HBO). A bit too heavy on the anti-gun message.
- Sleep with Me.
A Simple Twist of Fate (2)
I always thought Steve Martin had it in him to do a dramatic role. That being said, he wasn’t quite as solid as I would’ve liked. Regardless, it’s refreshing to see him doing something other than comedy, as I’m not one of those people who finds him funny most of the time. Anyway, this movie isn’t half bad, with a nice “twist” to it.
Rapa-Nui (9)
The script, at least as far as dialogue is concerned, is bland and dull. But it makes up for it with some great scenery. As for the historical aspects of it all, I can take it or leave it with this movie (ie I don’t really care).
What Happened Was (9)
Normally this isn’t my kind of thing, these kinds of awkward character study dramas that take place in one location (glorified stage play). But it is very rare for a film to have two people that feel so real, with dialogue that seems so natural (as in, this is how real people actually talk, not really movie-fied). This is not your regular film, and it works. How awkward the dialogue exchanges are starting out. The attempts at these lonely people trying to connect and have a serious relationship.
And say what you will about stage play movies, at least they have honest-to-God scene interaction, long takes, and camerawork that knows when to keep its distance.
Quiz Show (14)
Solid drama with tense moments about how a televised quiz show is rigged, and how those involved are connected at certain high levels involving judges and whatnot.
Blue Sky (16)
Don’t let initial impressions fool you, this film actually isn’t all that bad. Ends up being female empowering without being all that condescending.
Timecop (16)
A classic, well-regarded, JCVD flick that I find to be mediocre. Am I missing something here?
Nostradamus (16)
It’s ok.
My Summer Story, aka It Runs in the Family (23)
A sequel to A Christmas Story, that forgets about the existence of Ollie Hopnoodle’s Haven of Bliss (though maybe that’s because that film technically takes place after this one). Anyway, this movie… is just ok. It should’ve been better than it turned out to be, but it still has some decent moments here and there, especially the “top” battle. Charles Grodin is miscast, but he does make an honest effort in this role.
The Shawshank Redemption (23)
Film of the month, easily. One of the definitive 90s classics. That famous prison film with Morgan Freeman narrating (is this the first time he’s done that?).
Terminal Velocity (23)
Guilty pleasure action movie.
Death of a Cheerleader (26; NBC)
Starts out like a typical Lifetime film, but it gets better if you stick with it. Based on a true story, about a high school girl who kills another high schooler. Themes of how living up to expectations set by the school and community can break teens down. But, honestly, I think the killer was a psycho who would eventually snap under pressure. None of the other kids up to that point did that. Some say this film sympathizes too much with the victimizer, and goes too far negatively depicting the victim cheerleader (the one thing everyone can agree on is that the film got their hair color wrong). I agree with the former, though I think it’s less about sympathy and more about misrepresenting her real-life counterpart (a narcissist psycho). The latter, not so much. The cheerleader seems like a real enough character; she is a bitch, but there’s some humanity indicated there too, with her desire to spend more time with her family (mother/father), but they don’t ever really make time for her other than just telling her to stick to being the top girl of the school (indicating that peer pressure can also turn you into a snob). All in all, in spite of some shortcomings, this film is good.
Jason’s Lyric (28)
It’s ok.
Ed Wood (30)
Another Tim Burton classic. It plays loose with history, but this is another situation where I don’t really care. It’s fun, and as much a homage at it is a satire.
The River Wild (30)
This has some nice fun whitewater rafting sequences. But that’s really the only thing this film has going for it as far as I’m concerned. Some praise Bacon and Streep’s performances, but I found the plot predictable and dull, everything so by-the-numbers. This had the potential to be better, but it wasn’t reached. Not to mention this huge gaping plot point where they were saying they had to go through “the gauntlet” because there was no other way on foot, yet the husband somehow manages to outpace the raft on foot, and meet them at the end of the gauntlet, which made the whole fucking thing pointless, which makes Streep’s character a fucking idiot.
But anyway, this has enough of a cult status to it that I feel obligated to mention it. Stay for the whitewater sequences, sleep through everything else.
The Scout (30)
I found this to be underrated. I was expecting a dull comedy, but I got something that’s more of a semi-tense drama. Brendan Frasier finally got a role that plays to his strengths, where he’s a goofball with mental issues that make him a potential powder keg ready to explode. This is much more of a character drama than it is a baseball film. The main protagonist is unlikable, but that’s deliberate, and he does have a moment of redemption at the end. Terrible end-credit music though. In the end, it’s a decent B movie, so long as you’re not expecting much in the way of baseball.
Second Best (30)
Decent drama. Solid first act, but the rest of it got a tad bit tedious for me. And what do you know? William Hurt actually puts on a good performance that’s different from his usual shtick.
Games
Other mentions:
- Iron Helix (Sega-CD, PC [1993]). Interesting survival horror in a similar vein as Alien: Isolation. PC version is the best way to play, if at all.
- Pac-Man 2: The New Adventures (SNES, Genesis). I played this as a kid, I remember how it was. It’s one of those semi point-n-click games that gets a bit tedious and dull. Has potential, but they should’ve gone with an original character, considering how far removed this is from a pac-man game.
- Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (SNES)
- Vortex (September; SNES)
SNK releases the Neo Geo CD home console.
Hold on to your horses, because you’re in for a ride this month.
Fatal Fury 2 (9; Neo Geo CD, Neo Geo [1993], Sega Genesis [1994], SNES [1994])
Street Fighter’s competition continued to grow.
Dynamite Headdy (September; Genesis)
Fun run-and-gun platformer that feels like Ristar meets Gunstar Heroes.
Marko’s Magic Football (September; Genesis)
NHL 95 (September; Genesis)
They said NHL ’94 was the best. But ’95 is the better game. Uhhh…
Tiny Toon Adventures: ACME All-Stars (September; Genesis)
Only worth playing with a friend (ie 2 player or nothing).
Battletech: A Game of Armored Combat, aka MechWarrior 3050 (September; Genesis, SNES [October 1995])
Good stuff.
Maximum Carnage (16; Genesis, SNES)
One of my favorite beat-em-ups of the era. Brutally hard, but fun. The common enemies are a bit monotonous, but the unique bosses make up for it.
Dungeon Master II: The Legend of Skullkeep (September; Sega-CD, PC [1995])
The first game is worth checking out.
Soulstar (September; Sega-CD)
A Sega CD exclusive that is awesome. The potential this system had when it didn’t go for the FMV stuff.
Blackthorne (September; SNES, PC [December], Seg 32X [1995])
Sega 32X is the best version of this game.
Illusion of Gaia (September; SNES)
SNES classic.
Kid Klown in Crazy Chase (September; SNES)
Super Bomberman 2 (September; SNES)
Plays up to 4 players.
WildSnake (September; SNES, Game Boy)
Interesting take on the Tetris formula.
World Heroes 2 (September; SNES)
Better on Neo Geo, but the U.S. didn’t get that version, so the SNES version will have to do. Solid enough port of a solid fighting game.
Super Punch-Out!! (14; SNES)
Fun series.
Aces of the Deep (September; PC)
First ever submarine simulator.
Master of Magic (September; PC)
Fierce competition between this and one other game, but I’ll give this game of the month. One of the all-time greats in the 4X genre, standing alongside Civilization II and Master of Orion.
System Shock (22; PC)
The other competitor for game of the month. A classic FPS shooter that took the genre a step further than Doom.
Shows
Other mentions:
- VR Troopers (Syndication). Obvious Power Rangers knockoff, with an even more ridiculous plot.
- Beethoven (CBS). Forgot that they made an animated series based off the movie.
- Daddy’s Girls (CBS)
- The 5 Mrs. Buchanans (CBS)
The amount of classic/iconic shows that came out this month, makes this borderline “legendary” status for a month in the 1990s.
Due South (September; CBS)
Good, though it couldn’t maintain the quality.
New York Undercover (8; Fox)
Good for the first 3 seasons.
Bump in the Night (10; ABC)
Cult classic kids show. Stop motion lovers welcome.
ReBoot (10; ABC -> Cartoon Network)
A show way ahead of its time. First fully CG animated series that was all about computers and the Internet, in its own way. Underappreciated at the time, but has a strong cult following today. But this show really fucking struggled to keep going due to behind the scenes issues.
The Magic School Bus (10; PBS)
Iconic children’s show. Every 90s kid knew about this one. Watched it often at school (on days when the science teacher wanted a break).
The Tick (10; Fox Kids)
I love how this show became inadvertently ahead of its time due to how popular Marvel and DC films have gotten since the late 2000s. Great satire of the superhero genre.
Party of Five (12; Fox)
Yeah, this was a bit of a hit back in the day. But it would be eclipsed by something else that came out this month.
The Newz (12; Syndication)
Killed by the OJ Simpson trial.
All-American Girl (14; ABC)
Not my thing.
The Baby Huey Show (17; Syndication)
Huh, another show done Ren & Stimpy style.
Chicago Hope (18; CBS)
Well… this was going to be outshined by another medical series this month.
Baseball (18; PBS)
Another Ken Burns documentary miniseries. A little too much favoritism showed towards Boston and New York, plus the omission of the 1980 Philly and Astros playoff series, and too much obsession with Jackie Robinson at the expense of other baseball greats of the time (Burns letting his liberal colors show off too much, which is something that only got worse with his documentaries as time went on). There is favoritism and omissions that will irritate hardcore baseball lovers who know of things pre-1990s. But that aside, good stuff.
ER (19; NBC)
One of those shows I always heard about, but never watched. I knew of it’s popularity, but the genre didn’t interest me. Seemed like a hospital equivalent to CSI and Law & Order, shows that I find bland and repetitive. But anyway, I hear this was good until around season 8, then it all started to go downhill. In any case, Chicago Hope plays second fiddle to this. And, well, it’s more accurate to how hospitals and operations work compared to most other medical dramas.
Me and the Boys (20; ABC)
Steve Harvey comedy sitcom.
Touched by an Angel (21; CBS)
It’s sappy as hell, but I was partly raised on this show, so it has sentimental value. Plus, it was a bit of a cult hit, if not more. Piety was a bit more prevalent during that decade, which was a pro and a con (I lean towards the former). Not to the extent that it was the decade before that, and before that…
Friends (22; NBC)
Fuck. As much as I want to give show of the month to one of the animated series that came out this month, I can’t in good conscience understate this one. The biggest series since Seinfeld, an iconic sitcom that defined the 90s. Not a personal favorite for me, but it was a cultural phenomenon.
Edit (1-3-2024): Added Testament: Low to Music.
Edit (2-18-2024): Added Tiamat: Wildhoney to Music.
Edit (3-12-2024): Added Battletech to Games.
Edit (3-23-2024): Added Nostradamus to Movies.
The Anomalous Host 