Entertainment Industry Nostalgia: February 1995

The Anomalous Host Films, Games, Opinion, Video Games, , , , , , , ,

Iron Butterfly bassist Philip Taylor Kramer disappears from Highway 101, USA as he tried to get back home from the Los Angeles International Airport; he tried calling his family and 911 for help, but received none; his remains are found in 1999. Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee marries Baywatch actress Pamela Anderson on a beach in Cancún, Mexico. Archaeologist Kent R. Weeks crawls inside KV5, the tomb of the sons of Ramases II, to discover the largest tomb ever found in the Valley of the Kings. Federal judge allows lawsuit claiming US tobacco makers knew nicotine was addictive & manipulated its levels to keep customers hooked. Algiers police kill at least 99 prison rioters. Steve Fossett completes 1st air balloon over Pacific Ocean (9600 km). Singer Frank Sinatra performs for final time (February 25) before a live audience of 1200 select guests at the Palm Desert Marriott Ballroom, in Palm Desert, California, on the closing night of his charity golf tournament.

Music

Other mentions:

  • Siouxsie and the Banshees: The Rapture
  • Slowdive: Pygmalion
  • PJ Harvey: To Bring You My Love
  • Wax: 13 Unlucky Numbers
  • Mike Watt: Ball-Hog or Tugboat?
  • Jewel: Pieces of You
  • Energy Orchard: Pain Killer

Good Riddance: For God and Country (7)

About time I found a punk rock album that’s enjoyable.

Shania Twain: The Woman in Me (7)

Normally not my kind of music, but I’ve definitely heard my share of Whose Bed Have Your Boots Been Under back in the day.

Blink-182: Cheshire Cat (17)

The debut of this famous punk-rock band.

Tricky: Maxinquaye (20)

Traci Lords: 1000 Fires (28)

I’m not gonna lie, the only reason this is getting a highlight is because the track Control was used in that Mortal Kombat movie, which I haven’t gotten to yet.

Band of Susans: Here Comes Success (28)

Quicksand: Manic Compression (24)

These guys kick ass. Particularly partial to Blister. Album of the month.

Movies

Other mentions:

  • Boys on the Side. It’s not as bad as I thought it would be. It may be more well-made than it deserves to be, but it’s still liberal feminist bullshit, surprisingly more liberal than feminist (compared to Thelma & Louis).
  • The Quick and the Dead. Overrated, even in its current status. Sure Sam Raimi is directing and injecting his usual fun energy into it, but the tropes and cliches and woman power ruin it for me.
  • Mr. Payback: An Interactive Movie. An interactive movie in theaters where the audience presses buttons to cause 1 of 3 things to happen. Now I know this movie bombed and is considered, uh, not good, but I really wish more films with this sort of gimmick existed back in the day. Hell, I wish I knew about this back in the day, ’cause I would’ve gone to the theater constantly to get in on it. Seems like streaming services like Netflix or Amazon Prime should be taking advantage of this concept. But they don’t, at least not in ways that I would consider not insulting our intelligence (you could get away with that in the 90s because you could use the radical attitude that dominated that decade as an excuse, but not anymore).
  • The Walking Dead. No, this has nothing to do with that zombie comic or AMC series. It doesn’t have zombies in it. It’s about black troops in the Vietnam War. And it sucks. Though it may be worth watching if you want to laugh at the dialogue and ridiculous character interactions.

In the Mouth of Madness (3)

Arguably the best Lovecraftian film out there. Not an adaptation of any of Lovecraft’s works per-se, but clearly a love-letter to his stuff. I say this is John Carpenter’s last good film. Film of the month.

The Secret of Roan Inish (3)

Interesting family film. Refreshing to have one where there aren’t any characters with malicious intentions. Doesn’t follow the normal flow/arc of your typical Hollywood flick, and that’s not a bad thing. Takes a little while to get into, but your patience does get rewarded.

Billy Madison (10)

Ah jeez. This is the type of stupid Sandler character I’m not a big fan of (not even back in the day), but people for some reason love this shit about as much as they do The Waterboy and Little Nicky. But anyway, this is another favorite among Sandler fans.

Shallow Grave (10)

“You’re a doctor! You kill people everyday!”

Danny Boyle’s breakout film, and also the film that began Ewan McGregor’s path to stardom (easily being the standout). It’s also a decent drama/comedy/thriller with friends inevitably turning on each other over a bag of money. Stuff like what we’ve seen with A Simple Plan (except that wouldn’t be until 1998), and The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948). But if I’m being honest, I enjoy this film more than those, even if I know it’s probably not as good on an objective level, or as well-revered. I had more fun with the ending. In any case, all 3 characters have their despicable side, which is demonstrated early on with the pranks they pull.

The Brady Bunch Movie (17)

Never been much for the Brady Bunch, but I’ll admit this film is an entertaining satire of it.

Heavyweights (17)

Now this was one of my favorite kid flicks back in the day. The film walks a fine line between “body positivity” (ie not being ashamed of being fat), and stating you shouldn’t overindulge yourself and become so unhealthy. Basically stating that there can be something unhealthy about both extremes. I’d still prefer the message that being fat isn’t a good thing, but it entertains enough and at least isn’t as devious about the theme as Shallow Hal is (which comes out in 2001). But the main highlight of this film is Ben Stiller who shines in the role of psychotic asshole, a role he hasn’t played anywhere near enough (I think it’s basically just this, Happy Gilmore, and Dodgeball where he played this type of character).

Just Cause (17)

Well color me surprised. I can’t really mention why I got a kick out of this without spoiling the last 20 minutes, so consider this your spoiler warning. It’s a reverse To Kill a Mockingbird and The Green Mile. The black guy is innocent, oh wait, no he’s not, he really is a psycho killer. They soften that blow by having Lawrence Fishburne play as the other main actor alongside Connery who is also the good guy (in spite of the former’s interrogation methods, which ended up being justified), and trying to play up this victim card on the antagonist at the last minute regarding his dick getting cut off (which retcons some stuff that happened earlier), but that’s beside the point. We get a movie starring a white guy where a black guy is the villain, which is miraculous, especially so soon after those LA riots in 1992.

The film was solid enough, but once the action kicks in during the last act, then it becomes typical Hollywood formulaic action finale stuff that will forever keep this in the B movie section.

The Hunted (24)

Now this surprised the hell out of me. It may not be a masterpiece, but I found this to be a damn solid action film, where the action is more grounded than you would expect. Samurai and ninja stuff. In a similar vane as The Challenge (1982).

Citizen X (25; HBO)

Not a half-bad HBO flick. It’s basically about how inefficient and incompetent Soviet Russia is going after a serial killer due to their Soviet policies (no official wants to admit the killings are happening because that would reflect badly on them, they don’t want to publicize the killings for the same reason, and they won’t get outside help for the same reason). In spite of the film’s intentions at the time, it’s getting eerily relevant to the bullshit system that’s in America right now.

Games

Other mentions:

  • Pinball Fantasies (SNES)
  • Metal Head (32X). Here’s a game that crosses over into so-bad-it’s-good territory. I won’t give it a major highlight, but it’s worth checking out for a laugh. And… honestly… given the selection of games on the 32X, this probably makes it one of the top 20 games on that console/adapter.
  • BC Racers (Sega CD, 3DO, PC, 32X [June]). It’s not a good game, but it is a cult classic and it can be fun.
  • Vinyl Goddess from Mars (1995; PC). Aka Jill of the Jungle 2.

This was Sega Genesis’ month. Primarily because of 2 standout releases.

Tekken (February; Arcade, PSX [November])

This franchise had a rough start. It wouldn’t get good until the next entry. But this is where it began.

Desert Demolition Starring Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote (February; Genesis)

Short, but otherwise not bad for what it is. Some Sonic inspiration for the Road Runner levels.

Phantasy Star IV: The End of the Millennium (February, Genesis)

The last, and best, in this Genesis J-RPG series. It’s not perfect, as it feels like it didn’t have enough time to include more content (mainly in regard to the bounty hunt missions), and some of the story stuff could use some more detail and explanation. But given the console and the time period, pretty good. The gameplay and graphics are easily the best in the series. As for it competing with Final Fantasy, I’d still have to say the Final Fantasy games of the time were better, but this game as at the very least on-par, and that’s saying a lot. And the combat system isn’t as dull as the usual J-RPG system of the time. It’s nice to know the Genesis system at least gave them a run for their money in the RPG department for a few releases.

Game of the month.

The Punisher (February; Genesis, Arcade [April 1993])

The arcade version is better. Fun beat-em-up.

Ristar (16; Genesis)

It may not seem like it just from looking at the box cover, but this is one of the best 2D 16-bit platformers ever made. The other standout Genesis title this month.

Looney Tunes B-Ball (February; SNES)

I wouldn’t have expected a Looney Tunes basketball sports game to be good, but color me surprised, it actually is. Basically an NBA Jam clone, but it works for this. And… I guess you could say this foreshadowed Space Jam.

Rise of the Phoenix (February; SNES)

Another one of those KOEI strategy games (ported from the PC). You’re either into it or you’re not.

Top Gear 3000 (February; SNES)

They decided they had enough with the realistic racing bullshit of the previous 2 Top Gear titles, and decided to let loose and make it futuristic racing. And the changes/alterations made to the gameplay are good.

Addams Family Values (14; SNES, Genesis)

Another game that I wouldn’t expect to be good… but is. Better than all the other prior Addams Family games.

Brandish (28; SNES)

That camera rotation… There are better versions of this game out there (such as the PSP remake)

Kirby’s Dream Course (28; SNES)

A fucking Kirby golf game that’s good enough to be worth a highlight. I think I’m starting to lose my mind. That said, this isn’t your normal golf game.

Eternal Champions: Challenge from the Dark Side (5; Sega CD)

Better than the first game on the Genesis.

Popful Mail (23; Sega CD)

Cult classic on the Sega CD.

T-MEK (1995; 32X, Arcade [July, 1994])

Phoenix 3 (1995; 3DO)

X-COM: Terror from the Deep (28; PC)

Well, the PC wasn’t going to let the Genesis hog the spotlight without a fight. This is a solid, albeit inferior (in my opinion) sequel to the legendary X-COM game. Inferior because they make the levels bigger and more complex, and they were already big enough in the prior game. And I’m just personally not a fan of the underwater setting. Regardless, it’s still a solid entry in the franchise (and possibly the last good one before the reboot).

Slipstream 5000 (1995; PC)

Wrath of Earth (1995; PC)

Touche: The Adventures of the Fifth Musketeer (1995; PC)

Shows

Other mentions:

  • A Woman of Independent Means (NBC). Boring Sally Fields miniseries about a woman who is independent because of the wealth she inherits and raises a family on her own through some hardships and struggles. So if that sounds like your cup of tea, and are willing to sit around for 6 hours to watch it, go ahead.

What a Cartoon! (20; Cartoon Network)

What a Cartoon! (also known as World Premiere Toons) launches on TBS, TNT and Cartoon Network simultaneously as part of the Space Ghost Coast to Coast special “1st Annual World Premiere Toon-In;” the first short, “The Powerpuff Girls in Meat Fuzzy Lumpkins”, was shown at the end of the special; the series will prove to launch the careers of many prominent animators such as Butch Hartman, Craig McCracken, Genndy Tartakovsky, and Seth MacFarlane. Each episode composed of three 7-minute animated shorts that were independently made with little to no executive intervention. During the original run of the shorts, the series was retitled to The What a Cartoon! Show and later to The Cartoon Cartoon Show until the final shorts aired on August 23, 2002.

I recall catching some of this back in the day. This is where shows like Courage the Cowardly Dog got its start, in addition to The Powerpuff Girls, Dexter’s Laboratory, Johnny Bravo, and Cow and Chicken. This is one of the most significant things in the history of 1990s-2000s animation to exist (at least if you were a Cartoon Network watcher during that time period, which you should’ve been). It’s not only the show of the month, it had no competition this month, because nothing else would have the balls to premiere when this did.

It is criminal that the entire collection isn’t on DVD. Unfortunate that this is a trend for a lot of 90s animated shows, even for quality ones like this.

If only we could once again live in an era where the executives would just stand way the fuck back and let independent animators have some semblance of a budget and do their own thing for less than 10 minutes.

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