This is declared as the International Year of Tolerance. Newt Gingrich (R) becomes speaker of the US House of Representatives. Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder hosts “Self-Pollution Radio”, a four-and-a-half hour radio broadcast with live performances by Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Mudhoney, and others; any station with a satellite receiver could pick up and carry the program. Perry Farrell is arrested for cocaine possession, being under the influence and possession of a syringe at a Los Angeles hotel. All My Children celebrates its 25th anniversary and broadcasts a prime-time special on ABC. The WB, a joint venture between Warner Bros. Television and Tribune Broadcasting in conjunction with original network CEO Jamie Kellner, launches. The United Paramount Network (UPN) launches. Live broadcasts of the O. J. Simpson trial begin; as a result, many network soap operas are partially pre-empted, more or less, for nine months. Chemical fire in an apartment complex in Manila, Philippines, leads to the discovery of plans for Project Bojinka, a mass-terrorist attack. Limited run of Patrick Stewart’s one-man show “A Christmas Carol”, based on Charles Dickens’ novel, closes at Richard Rodgers Theater, NYC, after 18 performances. Mexico pledges profits from state-owned Pemex’s $7-billion-per-year oil revenues in an effort to secure US congressional approval of loan guarantees; President Clinton approves a $20-billion U.S. aid package for Mexico. George W. Bush sworn in as Governor of Texas. 1994-95 NHL Season begin after a lengthy strike.
Music
Other mentions:
- Sentenced: Amok
- Zumpano: Look What the Rookie Did. Reminiscent of The Turtles, kind of.
- Blonde Redhead: Blonde Redhead
- Swans: The Great Annihilator
- Laughing Hyenas: Hard Times
- Prick: Prick
- Leftfield: Leftism
Fu Manchu: Daredevil (1?)
Extreme: Waiting for the Punchline (19)
Thunder: Behind Closed Doors (23)
Van Halen: Balance (24)
Local H: Ham Fisted (24)
Porcupine Tree: The Sky Moves Sideways (30)
This is something. Album of the month.
Simple Minds: Good News from the Next World (30)
Man… they put so much into that tracks She’s a River. Lively album.
Movies
Other mentions:
- Higher Learning. First of all, this bites off more than it can chew. The way it addresses college rape situations is fucking stupid and shallow. Second, despite some stuff to the contrary, this is yet another black apologetics films. Third, it has the typical kike stuff in it showing that they’re all about love and peace and harmony so that the neo nazis are made to look even worse. It’s just so tiresome. The only thing I’ll give this film credit for is showing various aspects that can drive a white kid into becoming a violent radical.
- Far From Home: The Adventures of Yellow Dog. Too tedious.
- Houseguest. He’s a fucking asshole, and he’s annoying. I don’t care what kind of redemption arc he goes through.
- Safe Passage. Not a fan of these types of “dysfunctional family” movies. Prefer them going more all-out on the comedy routine rather than a stronger focus on the drama. Because 99% of the time when going for the latter, it’s so melodramatic it makes me sick. This isn’t that bad, but it doesn’t do anything I enjoy.
- Ladybird, Ladybird. She’s a bitch who made me root for social services, which is not a position I enjoy being in.
- Highlander: The Final Dimension. Hot take, I think Highlander 2 is a better film than this. Don’t get me wrong, Highlander 2 a disgrace to the franchise in terms of what it did to the lore… and the plot overall. But at least the 2nd film is ironically enjoyable with how batshit it gets with plot developments and powers and hammy acting. This 3rd film though, it’s just dull. Too much of a retread of the 1st film, and everything this does the 1st film did exponentially better (even the main villain is too much like the villain in the first film, but worse). The action scenes suck, which is something even the 2nd film managed to do better. And McCloud has an adopted Middle-Eastern son for some stupid reason. The only thing this film has over the prior two is a hot sex scene during the last 3rd.
- Miami Rhapsody. Nope.
Tales from the Crypt: Demon Knight (13)
People seem to like this film more than the one that came after it. I have the opposite opinion, but this is still a fun time and a cult classic.
Murder in the First (20)
Not as good as it thinks it is. No mention of the later escape from Alcatraz. Some of the court room moments are a bit cringe. But it’s an otherwise decent movie.
S.F.W. (20)
Man oh man. The biting satire against media and fame drenched in 90s grunge attitude. How meaningless life seems when all the attention is aimed at you. Ahead of its time, and beating The Truman Show and Edtv to the punch (though those films go all the way with the reality tv celebrity concept, this film dances around it a bit). But this is its own beast.
Before Sunrise (27)
First part of a classic trilogy (though it stands on its own). It’s a bit on the pretentious side, but it still works given that these are necessarily to be considered perfect characters. And… eh… fine… film of the month.
Games
Other mentions:
- SeaQuest DSV (January; SNES, Genesis). Not that bad, but not great enough either.
- Carrier Aces (January; SNES)
- Full Throttle: All-American Racing (January; SNES). Nintendo’s answer to Road Rash.
- Star Trek: Starfleet Academy – Starship Bridge Simulator (January 31; SNES, Sega 32X). Let’s just wait for the PC remake a couple years later.
- Flying Nightmares (January; 3DO, Mac [1994]). Combat flight simulator.
- The Adventures of Hyperman (1995; PC)
Virtua Fighter 2 (January; Arcade, Saturn [November])
X-Men: Children of the Atom (5; Arcade)
A big step towards the creation of Marvel vs Capcom.
Obscure release, overly ambitious, half-finished, but very good.
True Lies (January?; Genesis, SNES [February])
Tecmo Super Bowl II: Special Edition (January; SNES, Genesis)
A.S.P. Air Strike Patrol, aka Desert Fighter (January; SNES)
Some say this is the game that Desert/Jungle/Urban Strike should’ve been.
ClayFighter 2: Judgment Clay (January; SNES)
Like the first game, but a tad bit more polished. Not something that will be considered greatest fighting game of all time, or even in the top 20, but enjoyable enough for the visuals… just like the first game.
The Ignition Factor (January; SNES)
Strategic firefighter game.
Jurassic Park 2: The Chaos Continues (January; SNES)
This game gets a lot of hate, but I think it’s great.
Mega Man X2 (6; SNES)
A franchise that can do no wrong. Game of the month, with Virtua Fighter 2 being a very close 2nd.
Fahrenheit (1995; Sega CD, 32X)
Obligatory decent FMV game, just to go along with that other firefighter game this month.
After Burner Complete (January?; 32X)
Best console version of the arcade game up to this point. At the very least, an improvement over the Genesis port. That being said, the Arcade version will always be the definitive way to play this because of how the pod moves you around.
Return Fire (11; 3DO, PSX [March 1996])
Hey, a good 3DO game. In fact, it ranks among the best games ever put out on that console. Made for player vs player, but you can do player vs computer.
Teen Agent (1995; PC)
Burn: Cycle (1995; PC, Phillips CDi [1994])
Phillips CDi version is allegedly the best way to play.
Highway Hunter, aka Highway Fighter (1995?; PC)
Precursor to Tyrian.
Exile I: Escape from the Pit (January; PC)
Simon the Sorcerer II: The Lion, the Wizard, and the Wardrobe (2; PC)
The Settlers, aka Serf City: Life is Feudal (31; PC)
Start of this village-management franchise.
Shows
Cartoon Network would get some very interesting anime premieres this month, setting up for things to come. Airing their first anime show, followed by a trio of anime films, including Robot Carnival, Vampire Hunter D, and Twilight of the Cockroaches.
I also wish the CW (which replaced the WB network in 2006) would bring the frog back.
Other mentions:
- The Shnookums & Meat Funny Cartoon Show
- Muscle
- Fudge
- Get Smart. Sequel to the original 1960s show (and not as good).
- The Parent ‘Hood. The Cosby Show is better.
- Pointman
- Fudge. Based on that book Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing, which I actually got to read back in elementary school. Revisiting this now… I really wanted Fudge put through the meat grinder. He’s fucking annoying, and his parents are fucking assholes for not punishing him for acting like a brat. That also goes for the kid’s book, though at least that one had the decency to punish Fudge at least a couple times.
Live From the House of Blues (January; TBS)
1 hour program that went for 26 episodes where live music was played and a rotation of celebrities would host.
Taxicab Confessions (1; HBO)
Quite frankly, I’m amazed that this not only exists, but went for as long as it did. This is an actual reality show right here. Just hidden cameras in a taxi cab, where we hear the conversation between the cab driver and his random passenger(s). Just wish reality shows nowadays were this raw and real and unscripted compared to the garbage we actually get. On the other hand, producers tend to want a warped version of reality displayed.
G-Force: Guardians of Space (2; Cartoon Network)
Behold, the first anime to ever air on Cartoon Network, before Toonami became a thing and popularized anime among American teens (at least those who didn’t get those straight to VHS anime shows which tended to be of a more adult-oriented nature). Technically this originally aired in 1986 on the WTBS Superstation, but this is a bit historical, so I’m making an exception. Anyway, this is to Science Ninja Team Gatchaman what Power Rangers is to Super Sentai, except this is the 2nd adaptation of Gatchaman (Battle of the Planets was the first). And both this show, Gatchaman, and BotP, have not aged well. Emphasis on “historical” for my reason for listing this.
Cybill (2; CBS)
It’s a decent comedy sitcom, popular at the time because of the titular actress.
The Late Night Show (9; CBS)
Late night television talk show. Started with Tom Snyder before getting different hosts.
Unhappily Ever After (11; WB)
It’s similar to Married with Children, except it has Mr. Floppy.
The Wayans Bros. (11; WB)
The iconic comedic duo in their famous show. This was THE show that really launched the WB network.
Modern Marvels (15; The History Channel)
Technically this show started on the A&E channel in December 1993 under the name Time Machine. But I’m highlighting it here anyway. The History Channel’s longest running series that is still going to this day.
Hercules: The Legendary Journeys (13; Syndication)
Back in the day, this show was the shit. Me and my entire family were eager to sit down when this came on and watch it. Nowadays… man this show has aged poorly. But it can be a fun watch for those who want to see a 90s time capsule regarding a hit fantasy show from that decade. This is the role that defined Kevin Sorbo’s career. In spite of everything, I’m giving this show of the month. But it had some tough competition between The Wayans Bros. and Star Trek: Voyager. Anyway, this had 4 made-for-TV films that preceded it in 1994.
Vanishing Son (16; Syndication)
Series sequel to some made for TV movies from 1994. Wasn’t given a fair chance to succeed. Chinese martial arts stuff.
The Puzzle Place (16; PBS)
Completely missed this one as a kid. Supposedly one of the most popular shows since Sesame Street, but didn’t last as long.
Star Trek: Voyager (16; UPN)
The weaker of the newer Star Trek series, from The Next Generation, to Deep Space 9, to this. But it has its fans. But on the other hand, some of the episodes are among the best ever done in Star Trek, which might offset some of the worst. Really should’ve been a serialization instead of episodic.
Extreme (29; ABC)
Ok, this lasted only half a season (in that only about half of the episodes ever filmed got air time). But… I mean… this is some real 90s stuff. The only way it could be more 90s is if they removed the ‘E’ and capitalized the ‘x.’ It has a nice concept, taking Baywatch and putting it on the ski slopes. Probably didn’t work because less people were dressed in bathing suits.
The Marshall (31; ABC)
Deserved better… from the network executives.
Edit (5-27-2025): Added Extreme: Waiting for the Punchline to Music.
The Anomalous Host 