90s Movie

Jumanji (1995)

The Great Movie Re-Watch

Jumanji (1995)

Director:

Joe Johnston

Writers:

Jonathan Hensleigh

Greg Taylor

Jim Strain

Starring:

Robin Williams

Bonnie Hunt

Kirsten Dunst

Bradley Pierce

David Alan Grier

Blurb:

When two kids find and play a magical board game, they release a man trapped in it for decades – and a host of dangers that can only be stopped by finishing the game.

Thoughts:

A lot of people remember where they were when they found out that Robin Williams died. I don’t. However, I feel a deep sense of sadness when I see him in a movie. He was such an incredible man. Even with that sadness, he can still make me laugh.

Having read the Jumanji book the writers of this movie took a lot of creative liberties and it worked out wonderfully. I love the concept of getting stuck playing a scary game. Something that the newer version doesn’t have is the effect that these things have on the real world. Seeing how others who had no idea what was going on reacted was great, but even better was seeing how the world was changed by the disappearance of Alan. I loved that and wish there was more of that in the remakes.

Jumanji is another movie that I watched a fair amount when I was growing up. I still can’t watch when the spiders are on the screen, but it’s still one of my favorites.

Alan is such a whiny ass that getting sucked into the game was probably good for him. As much as that sucked for him.

The special effects still look good and I think that’s because so much of it wasn’t CGI. I wish there was less CGI in films nowadays. I’m getting old lol

Pulp Fiction(1994)

The Great Movie Re-Watch

Pulp Fiction(1994)

Director:

Quentin Tarantino

Writers:

Quinten Tarantino

Starring:]

John Travolta

Samuel L. Jackson

Uma Thurman

Bruce Willis

Ving Rhames

Tim Roth

Amanda Plummer

Blurb:

The lives of two mob hitmen, a boxer, a gangster and his wife, and a pair of diner bandits intertwine in four tales of violence and redemption.

Thoughts:

I have to be in a certain mood to watch a Quinten Tarantino movie and that mood rarely strikes. He loves to see people say the words he’s written and they’re often too much for me. I like a lot of them, but again, I have to be in the right mood. I wasn’t in the mood for Pulp Fiction. I kept putting off watching this and it was only my husband wanting to watch it that got me to sit down. It’s a fine movie, but definitely not one of my favorites.

Vince is a dick and I’m glad he gets what’s coming to him. Jules’s storyline is the one I like the most. Mia and Vince’s whole story is downright boring until the end. I just don’t like Butch’s story, but I couldn’t tell you why.

I think what bothers me the most is there really isn’t a single likable person in the movie and I need that to enjoy a film. I am definitely not a film snob lol. I can appreciate that it’s a well-told story and Tarantino has a clearly identifiable way of directing. This movie was just not for me and that’s okay.

Timecop (1994)

The Great Movie Re-Watch

Timecop (1994)

Director:

Peter Hyams

Writers:

Mark Verheiden

Starring:

Jean-Claude Vann Damme

Mia Sara

Ron Silver

Bruce McGill

Gloria Reuben

Blurb:

Max Walker, an officer for a security agency that regulates time travel, must fend for his life against a shady politician who’s intent on changing the past to control the future.

Thoughts:

Timecop is an amazing title and one I use whenever I’m making books in The Sims. It’s one I’d love to use to write my own pulp fiction novels. Alas, time is not on my side with that (my hobbies totally have nothing to do with that lol). This movie gives you everything you would expect from that title starring Jean-Claude Van Damme. The plot makes no sense and is filled with so many holes it barely stands up. There are massive explosions. An ass shot, that I sadly missed, however, I did not miss the boobs. There was also, of course, a splits shot. What more could you ask for?

All that aside, this is not one of my favorites. It never lives up to the image in my head that the title creates. It’s such a cool concept, but it comes off as a by-the-numbers story. It’s directed fine, but it suffers because of the story. Yes, yes, I know it’s an action movie, the story shouldn’t matter. In this case, though, I can’t move past it.

Timecop came in a Bluray case paired with Bloodsport so I won’t be getting rid of it, but it’s definitely not one I plan on re-watching. At least not anytime soon.

Speed(1994)

Great Movie Re-Watch

Speed(1994)

Director:

Jan De Bont

Writer:

Graham Yost

Starring:

Keanu Reeves

Dennis Hopper

Sandra Bullock

Jeff Daniels

Blurb:

A young police officer must prevent a bomb exploding aboard a city bus by keeping its speed above 50 mph.

Thoughts:

Speed is an obvious movie that I would own. I honestly remember where I was the first time I watched it. I was thirteen or fourteen and I watched a TV recording of it on my grandmother’s little 19 inch TV/VCR. The rest of the summer I went around telling people they were crazy, freakin crazy. It wasn’t until I was an adult that I found out that is not exactly what was said there.

At the time I loved the movie because Keanu Reeves was freaking hot. Now I love it because he’s freaking hot and it’s a legitimately good action movie. It’s the first 90s action movie I’ve watched, that I own, that has that 90s action movie feel. If that makes sense.

You’ve got the explosions and the need to not slow down. You’ve got a pretty boy that isn’t too muscular. You’ve got an attractive and capable woman, who does become a damsel in distress at some point. You’ve also got an unsaturated/filtered look at LA. Putting on my old lady hat for a second, but movies nowadays are all about that blue/brown/green filter and I’m over it.

Speed has a psych-out ending, where it comes to what you’d think is the logical conclusion, but nope there’s even more. You get automobiles and trains, maybe we’ll get an airplane in the sequel (you do not, it’s not worth owning, but I still occasionally watch it).

In conclusion, Speed is a great 90s action movie.

Groundhog Day (1993)

The Great Movie Re-Watch

Groundhog Day (1993)

Director:

Harold Ramis

Writers:

Danny Rubin

Harold Ramis

Starring:

Bill Murray

Andie MacDowell

Chris Elliot

Stephen Tobolowsky

Blurb:

A weatherman finds himself inexplicably living the same day over and over again.

Thoughts:

I didn’t realize until my recent re-watch that I have this entire movie memorized. It would be one of the easier movies to memorize since so much is repeated, but I hadn’t known I could do it before.

Groundhog Day is a fun movie and I can easily see myself doing just about everything he did, although, having this happen while single and with kids is clearly the way to do it. I don’t even want to think about what this could be like with kids.

The humor in the movie is dark, understandably so, and Bill Murray’s sarcastic humor adds to it. I could do without the “romance” in the plot. Rita is boring on so many levels and him trying to be a better person to deserve her rubs me the wrong way. I like to think that she’s the catalyst that gets him on the path but that he ultimately does it for himself and not her.

This is a film I can come back to over and over and I enjoy it each time I do. Groundhog Day is definitely a classic and most years I’m not content to watch it just once. Obviously, not getting rid of this one, and highly recommend it.