Friday 29 August 2014

What I've Been Reading Recently

Ever since I can remember I have been a total bookworm. I was probably the only kid who got her pocket money on a Friday and raced up to W H Smith to get the latest Sweet Valley/Babysitter's Club book or whatever else took my fancy that week. Book tokens were the best thing I could receive on Christmas or Birthday's and in fairness that hasn't changed too much as the years have passed (although sadly I don't get pocket money anymore).

The first six months or so of the year I had a bit of a book drought and read little to nothing and spent my commute playing Candy Crush, which thankfully I have now gotten out of my system and since coming back from holiday in May I have been knocking it out the park book wise and this is what I've been reading,



I am a big fan of autobiographies, I read more than a few in any given year and mostly stick to those of people who are in the entertainment industry (although I own and will one day tackle Bill Clinton and Nelson Mandela's). As it happens two of the books I read over the last couple of months were for comedians, Lee Mack and John Bishop. Both are comedians who fell into comedy rather than perused it from a young age, Bishop especially as he didn't really start on the circuit properly until he was 40.

Bishop's book is very open, very honest (painfully at times) and really lets you see the measure of the man, while Mack's is dry humored and very honest about the craziness of comedy and TV and how hard it can be to crack both while staying true to yourself. Both are definitely worth a look.

The first book I actually read when I came back from my travels (and which I bought while browsing Barnes & Noble in Baltimore) was the latest from Kevin Smith. I am a huge fan of Smith's work to begin with and have enjoyed his previous books and this is no exception. He recalls funny stories, talks about how he managed to get from film student to successful indie director to showdowns with Bruce Willis and much more. He can be a little crude, but hey, what can you expect from the man who created Jay and Silent Bob?



I had heard rumblings for awhile about The Fault in Our Stars and wanted to read it before the movie adaption came out, needless to say I adored it, it was one the best books I had read in a long time and was really glad I got to the last seven chapters while I was at home so the travelling public did not have to witness the crying mess I was to become (this sadly did not happen when I read Never Let Me Go - I can only apologies to all those travelling on the DLR to Island Garden in August 2010). After such a positive experience with the book I went out and procured the rest of Green's work and I have to say of the two other's I've read so far I've been disappointed. Looking for Alaska and An Abundance of Katherines both lacked truly likable characters and without those I really wasn't invested in what was going to happen to them, thus making the plot a little pointless. I hope my next foray into his work will yield grater results.



For something a bit lighter in between I have read both books currently in the Geek Girl series. They took me each two days to read, are funny, sweet and instantly forgettable once you have completed them. The Geek moniker is very 'in' right now and I'm not sure I would really call the lead character as such, but for sheer silly enjoyment you can't go very wrong with these books.

 Two very different relationships are looked at in the next two books I read. Eleanor & Park looks at first love and all that comes along with it. Set in the 80's it isn't your usual run of the mill romance, with both characters getting well rounded back stories and situations to deal with that are never normally covered in this type of book. Rainbow Rowell has now shot up my list of authors and I can't wait to read the rest of her work.

Paper Aeroplanes again looks at first love, but that of the love of finding that first friend who really understands you. Renee and Flo are fantastic characters, both suffering from loss and not really fitting, who find each other and themselves in the process of their final year at secondary school. For a first time novelist, Dawn O'Porter did exceptionally well and I have the sequel, Goose in my pile of to-read's.

Two of my favourite funny ladies next. I had read Bossypants in 2013, but figured it needed a re-read in 2014 as it was just that damn good. Tina Fey is one of the most creative, funny and inspirational ladies in the entertainment industry and her book just backs up why she is as successful as she is, dry, self-deprecating and very, very funny, Fey tells it how it is and in a very memorable chapter answers back to some to some not so nice internet commentators.

Then there is Sarah Silverman, a lady who tells it exactly like it is and isn't afraid of what you will think of her. Her book is brutally honest and funny. In it she speaks of her crippling depression as a teen, her chronic bed wetting and how she went from a one season series writer on SNL to the star of her very own, off the wall, comedy show.  

Much like the TV series that is based upon it, the Sookie Stackhouse Mysteries (or True Blood series) have come to an end and I finally got around to reading the last book. In fairness I have no idea why the internet went into such a meltdown over it - all the clues were laid out in the previous book as to how it all might end and I certainly didn't feel cheated or upset with how the characters finally ended up. In many ways I'm glad the series came to an end as it did feel like everything that needed to be said or could have happened did about three books ago, but I will miss the craziness of Bon Temps every now and again.

Another quick read the book before you watch the movie, Divergent is very much akin to The Hunger Games  with a dystopian future, strong female lead and evil government to overthrow. I very quickly finished the first book in the series and started straight away on the second with the third in my to-read pile. Although not as fully rounded a character as Katniss, Tris is really interesting in so much as you actually don't know if she really wants to survive though it all. I'm really looking forward to seeing how it ends and if the movies can live up to the books.



My favourite book recently though has been Maya Van Wagenen's Popular. Over the period of a school year Maya decided to follow popularity tips from Betty Cornell's Glamour Guide for Teen's which was first published in the 1950's. She then documented in her diary how well these tips went which eventually ended up as this book. I really connected with Van Wagenen while reading this book, her writing just took me back to being a teenager again and how difficult and sometimes miserable it could be and again my emotions got the better of me as I was in tears by the end of it because she just reminded me so much of myself at that age.

The book is amazing, you will cringe, laugh and hope with Maya as she sticks not only to the rules of the guide but to herself, which even if doesn't make her a truly 'popular' person make her a spectacularly awesome one and I know which I would always rather be.

Wednesday 27 August 2014

Guide to 90's Television

So this is it, I've made it through to the end of my look back at 90's culture, I've looked the the films and the music that made the decade now I'm turning my attention to the television shows that did the same.

The 80's and 90's signaled a boom in both Sky and cable services in the UK and now we had more choice than ever when it came to sitting down in front of TV, but what was actually worth watching? Well there was,

Comedy



The 90's were the decade that gave us two juggernaut comedies that laid the foundations for all comedy shows in the future; massive ratings winners - check, massive pay days for their stars - check, phrases that will forever enter the cultural lexicon - check, of course I'm talking about Friends and Seinfeld. Two shows about a group of friends that couldn't be more different from each other if they tried, yet both were so hugely popular you couldn't move without bumping into a fan, a piece of merchandise or a puffy shirt. They were also both really fantastic, funny, well written and well acted shows and both ended while they were still wildly popular (something some other shows could take heed from). Today you can find both shows constantly being re-run, keeping old fans happy and finding a whole new generation to appeal to.

It wasn't just our friends that were keeping us laughing though, family life also raised a chuckle or two with one lady in particular owning the airwaves. Roseanne began in the 1980's but the show' popularity peaked in the 90's, making a household name and superstar of its namesake. It also broke down the barriers of class and sexuality, representing the working class families of America as well as being one of the first prime time shows to screen a same sex kiss and have a character who was out and proud, a feat only topped a few years later by Ellen Degeneres when she came out not only as her autobiographical character on the show but in real life.

By the late 90's a new breed of comedy was beginning to emerge. HBO had laid successful ground in being the independent voice in a sea of network television in the US market, but it was the launch of Sex and the City, a comedy/drama that was aimed squarely at a female audience that really got people talking. Funny and racey the show raised questions about relationships, love and sex that any other network would have run a mile from. 

Best Comedy Shows of the 90's
Friends
Seinfeld
Sex and the City
Absolutely Fabulous 
Mad About You
Will & Grace
Ellen
3rd Rock from the Sun
Step by Step
Frasier
Caroline in the City

Teen Comedy 

While the 90's will be remembered from the main network comedies, teen comedy was doing a roaring trade in the background. The granddaddy of them all was Saved by the Bell, the format of which was copied over and over again by NBC with varying success - California Dreams = good, Hang Time/USA High = not so much. 

We were also introduced to The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air a little known rapper called Will Smith who would soon become one of the biggest stars in the world. Rumor has it he only signed on as he had a big tax bill to pay, possibly the only time the US Tax Dept. has ever given anything useful back to the public. Then much like his big brother before him, Ben Savage grew up in front of our eyes in Boy Meets World, which was and still is one of my all time favourite shows. It was doofy, funny but heartfelt and somewhat honest in its portrayal of growing up and the fact that many years later it has spawned a successful spin off show, Girl Meets World, proves that it must have got something right in the first place. 

The final year of the decade also gave us one of the finest shows to grace our screens, Freaks and Geeks, which not only was a launching pad for stars such as Seth Rogen, James Franco and Jason Segel but was also a truly funny and honest look at being the outsider in High School. While in it's lead, Lindsey Weir, the voice of a million teenage girls was finally represented. 

Best Teen Comedy Shows of the 90's
Boy Meets World
Saved By The Bell
Freaks and Geeks
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
Sabrina The Teenage Witch
Home Improvement
California Dreams
Blossom
Sister, Sister
Dinosaurs 

Supernatural/Sci-Fi Drama & Comedy

If there was anything to be thankful to the decade for, it was the introduction of Supernatural/Sci-Fi Drama to the small screen. There had always been the likes of Star Trek to entertain the masses, and the popularity of Star Trek: The Next Generation was probably a great help in getting some of these shows developed and produced. From Sam Beckett leaping through time in Quantum Leap to the Crypt Keeper telling scary stories or the guys over at Mystery Science Theater 3000 making fun of it all, there was plenty for every one to enjoy.

Twin Peaks took a look at the darker side of it all. Starting off as a murder mystery, we were all soon to discover that the small Washington town was home to more than just a run of the mill murder. As cult TV shows go you will probably not find any better than this peak into the mind of David Lynch. 

The biggest supernatural show of the decade had to be however The X-Files. Following agents Mulder and Scully as they made their way through weird and wonderful cases, the believer and the skeptic had one of the greatest will they/won't they relationships on television. 

Then there was Buffy the Vampire Slayer, a hugely successful show that was a spin-off of a not so successful movie. Vampires, high school drama, monsters, witches, kick-ass ladies, it had it all and then some, a huge hit for the fledgling WB network, it would lay the ground work for future supernatural TV series well into the new millennium. 

Best Supernatural/Sci-Fi Drama & Comedy Shows of the 90's
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
The X-Files
Twin Peaks
Picket Fences
The Outer Limits
Eerie Indiana
Highlander
The New Adventures of Superman
Quantum Leap
Tales from the Crypt
Mystery Science Theater 3000
Rosewell

Teen Drama

This past week I have written quite a bit about Teen Drama for Den of Geek and you can find that right here, - http://www.denofgeek.com/tv/my-so-called-life/31837/how-my-so-called-life-changed-teen-drama

The 90's was when Teen Drama was really created as a genre, starting with the glitzy Beverly Hills 90210 and moving into the more realistic with the superb My So-Called Life. By the Mid-90's it had taken off so much that The WB was created just to cater for the growing market with its flagship show, Dawson's Creek becoming the poster child for the genre.

Best Teen Drama Shows of the 90's
Beverly Hills 90210
Dawson's Creek
My So-Called Life
Party of Five
Doogie Howser M.D.




Nickelodeon 

If there was one television network that had its glory days in the 90's it was sure to have been Nickelodeon. Not only did cater for kids with shows that spoke their language and didn't condescend, it also made really great programmes that appealed to the wider audience to boot.

They made off the wall comedy shows, scary shows, kid friendly but slightly subversive animation and made the act of sliming major Hollywood stars the norm. Their output was proof that kid's can be some of the most savvy consumers out there, each show had strong, relatable characters, strong story lines which were well written and well acted. They didn't skimp on their budgets and left a legacy of work that most working in the industry now would be enviable of. I think it is sad that kids TV today doesn't take half as many risks as it did back in the 90's, but thankfully due to the majority of shows getting DVD release, we can at least look back to the glory days with fondness.

Best Nickelodeon Shows of the 90's 
Are You Afraid of the Dark?
The Adventures of Pete & Pete
Clarissa Explain's It All
The Secret World of Alex Mack
Kenan & Kel
Rocko's Modern Life
Rugrats
Doug
The Ren & Stimpy Show

Best of the Rest

The 90's was also the decade that gave us the beginning of the 'harder' cop dramas like Homicide: Life on the Street, the heart in your mouth medical drama's like ER, cruder, boundary pushing animation like South Park and the advent of what was to become the reality TV revolution. As we moved into the new decade a show would start that would mark the resurgence of the well written, well acted drama and who would have thought it would have started with a mob boss with physiological issues. 

Best of the Rest 90's Shows
The Soprano's
ER
Once and Again
Due South
Early Edition
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
LA Law
Homicide: Life on the Street
Life Goes On
Beavis and Butthead
South Park
Futurama
Daria


Tuesday 26 August 2014

Guide to 90's Music

There was something almost golden about the music scene in the 90's - Grunge ruled the waves during the first part of the decade and as we marched into the new millennium the charts were as diverse as they ever were with pop, rock, rap and R'n'B all being happily represented.

The M in MTV actually stood for music rather than morons and the Brit Awards were something to look forward to watching on a wet Wednesday school night. Woolworth's was the place to be on a Monday afternoon, after all the week's singles came out, you never missed an episode of Top of the Pop's and Sunday afternoon's were taken up with listening to the top 40 countdown on Capital FM.

So what made the 90's music scene so great? Well there was;

Grunge

"He's the one who likes all the pretty song, and he likes to sing along" - In Bloom - Nirvana
Shiver's down the spine, excitement of what is to come, an ear worm that will stay with you for the rest of your life? Those are all the feelings I associate with the opening riff of Smell's Like Teen Spirit, which is in my opinion one of the all time greatest songs ever written. The video was bleak, a more realistic portrait of the American High School experience, the song was explosive and the lead singer was mesmerizing. In the early 90's Nirvana were the poster children for the Grunge movement and along with Pearl Jam and Soundgarden, spearheaded the movement into the mainstream music scene. Suddenly it was cool to wear flannel shirts, for boys to grow their hair long and for everybody to want to start a garage band. The complete antithesis of the 80's big haired rock, Grunge was dirtier, a more truthful version of the reality of teens and twenty-somethings in the new era. 

Some of the Best 90's Grunge Bands

Rock

"Tonight I'm tangled in my blanket of clouds, dreaming aloud" - Walking After You - Foo Fighters
 It was actually pretty bloody fantastic to be a rock fan in the 90's. One one side of the spectrum you had the soft, radio friendly tones of Bryan Adams and Bon Jovi, then the slightly edgier Red Hot Chili Peppers and Smashing Pumpkin's taking over MTV and the harder edged Marilyn Manson who tore up the rule book when it came to pretty much everything. But it was the emergence of one band which sticks with me personally and that is the creation of the Foo Fighters. After Kurt Cobain's death, nobody expected Dave Grohl to a. set up on his own b. be as successful as the band was c. be one of the last standing bastions of true rock in the following decades. I love Nirvana for really opening my eyes to a new style of music but I will forever adore the Foo Fighters for just being the greatest band that ever existed (well in my opinion anyways) and for given me albums and albums worth of amazing songs and putting on film some of the funniest music videos to hit the airwaves. It was also a great time to be a woman rock singer, Alanis Morissette really hit it out of the park with Jagged Little Pill and Dolores O'Riordan and Shirley Manson held their own with the boys as lead singers in two of the best bands of the decade.

Some of the Best 90's Rock Bands/Singers
Foo Fighters - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TNwkN9vrUYY
Red Hot Chili Peppers - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lwlogyj7nFE
Bon Jovi - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9BMwcO6_hyA
Smashing Pumpkins - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4aeETEoNfOg
Radiohead - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5CVsCnxyXg
Alanis Morissette - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jne9t8sHpUc
Aerosmith - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NMNgbISmF4I
The Cranberries - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Ejga4kJUts
Lenny Kravitz - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5PZQMwL7iE
Garbage - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=esEdC0c3YI4
Marilyn Manson - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ypkv0HeUvTc
Bryan Adams - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGoWtY_h4xo
Sugar Ray - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQSCKWfJlXs

Pop Punk

"Do you have the time, to listen to me whine?" - Basket Case - Green Day
An off-shot of both grunge and punk came the sub-genre of pop punk. More radio friendly and less anti-establishment than its forefathers, pop punk bands sang songs that could stick in your head for weeks or go deep enough to break your heart. Blink-182 became the face of the moment with their memorable videos and wacky antics, while Green Day became the heart, with songs such as Time of Your Life becoming the anthem of the late 90's teen. There was also Gwen Stefani holding her own with the guys as lead singer and all around kick ass lady of No Doubt, just a girl? Hardly.

Some of the Best 90's Pop Punk Bands

Pop 

"I never wanna hear you say, I want it that way" - Backstreet Boys - I Want it That Way
The 90's was the last great decade of the boy band. There were plenty of them and each suited somebodies taste. You had the homegrown lads such as Take That and East 17, the Irish eyes of Boyzone and Westlife or the Yankee invaders of Backstreet Boys and N'Sync. Pretty much every girl had her favourite (mine was Backstreet Boys) and their faced adored bedroom walls up and down the country.

Madonna was still the Queen of Pop but contenders were snapping at her heels and most teenage boys could probably still recall where they were the first time they saw Britney Spears step out in that school uniform. Then there was a Spice Girls - the loud, brash, colourful group who not only released catchy tunes but made a generation of teens truly get behind the notion of girl power. Then there were the ladies of soul, Whitney and Mariah who topped the charts with their high ranging anthems of love and the first lady of country Shania Twain who wasn't very easily impressed. 

Some of the Best 90's Pop Bands/Singers

Rap

"Stop, collaborate and listen." - Ice, Ice Baby - Vanilla Ice
So the 90's did really start on a high with the whitest, white boy ever to have one of the biggest selling rap singles, but during the 90's the explosion of the genre, Rap music was to make waves across the entire industry and firmly root itself into the public mainstream where it remains stronger than ever today. The 90's was all about which coast you laid you allegiance to, East or West/Biggy or Tupac. Both unfortunately met untimely ends during this battle but their legacy lives on, although the 90's did end with another white rapper, Eminem making his mark on the scene. 

Some of the Best 90's Rappers

Best of the Rest

There was so much going on the 90's, novelty singles that were always Christmas Number One, the Britpop explosion, which side you fell on the Blur/Oasis war and what exactly was Weird Al Yankovic on? So here are some more best of the rest of in 90's music,



Monday 25 August 2014

My So-Called Life - Where Are They Now?

A lot has changed in the last twenty years, fads have come and gone, the internet has taken over the world and none of us are without our smart phones, but most importantly of all we have all changed as would have some of our favourite TV characters (you know if they were real). 

So in celebration of the twentieth birthday of My-So Called Life here is what I think the characters would be up to now. 

Angela Chase


One of the great unanswered questions of the 90’s – what did Angela do once she found out who actually wrote her the letter?  After some lengthy internal dialogue she came to the decision that as hot as Jordan Catalano was she was never going to be able to truly forgive him for sleeping with Rayanne or enlisting Brian to write a love letter on his behalf, after all he could write a perfectly good love letter to his car, so she broke up with him.  

She spent the summer getting to know Brian all over again and began to get past his social awkwardness and bullish nature to reveal a sweet, caring boy who she couldn’t help but fall in love with. They dated each other until the end of high school but went to different collages (Angela to NYU and Brian to MIT) and went their separate ways, although they remained good friends. Upon graduation Angela became a best-selling YA author, married and now raises a family in Brooklyn. 

Jordan Catalano 


After being dumped by Angela, he unsuccessfully attempts to win her back through the remainder of the school year. When he sees how close she is getting to Brian he decided to drop out of school and follow the dream of hitting the big time with Frozen Embryos. After arriving in LA with Tino and signing with a small record label, the pair tour as an opening act for bigger bands until their first record is released and becomes a favourite on college radio which then leads to a number one single. Excesses of drink, drug and groupies lead the band to split and a stint in rehab follows, where Jordan connects with Rayanne again. The two now run an animal rescue shelter together in Arizona. His favourite band is 30 Seconds to Mars. 

Ryanne Graff


After a great deal of effort, apology and remorse, Ryanne and Angela become friends again, but they were never as close as they once were and Ryanne found herself opening up to Sharon more and more with the two becoming firm friends and confidents. Upon graduation and unsure what to do with the rest of her life, she travelled around the world before finally settling in India where she lived with the Yogis, won her substance abuse battle and found the inner peace she had always been searching for. After a few years she returned to the states and settled in LA where she trained to be a drug and alcohol counsellor. She reconnected with Jordan when he came into her treatment programme and after his treatment ended they began to date. They decided to leave city life and it’s temptations behind and bought a house and some land in Arizona.

Rickie Vazquez


After moving in with Mr. Katimski, who assumed full parental reasonability for him, Rickie soon became one of the star pupils at Liberty High School, excelling especially in English. After graduating within the top 2% of his class, he accepted a full scholarship to UCLA where he focused on the creative arts and eventually became a teacher, with a focus on students who come from under privileged backgrounds in Los Angeles.  A fierce equal rights campaigner he was at a forefront of campaigning against Prop 8. He met his partner at one of the rallies and the two live together with their two adopted children. Mr. Katimski gave him away at his wedding. 

He speaks with Angela at least once a day and they are Godparents to each other’s children. 

Brian Krakow


After finally getting Angela to notice him, Brian and Angela began a relationship which lasted the remainder of their High School careers. After trying and failing at a long distance relationship, Brian focused his energies into his studies and was part of the first wave of the dot com bubble with a site not dissimilar to Facebook, which he remains convinced until this day was his idea. Undeterred he worked his way through a series of tech companies until he founded his own, a service which writes love letters on behalf of teens unable to find the right words to express their feelings.

The company then moved into the greeting card industry and Brian became a multi-millionaire on the back of its success. He retired early and now spends his time on his private island with his model girlfriend.

Patty and Graham Chase


After getting backing to open his first restaurant, Graham becomes well known locally and soon has people coming far and wide to taste his simple but honest food.  Soon he opens a second restaurant then a third and with his popularity rising, Patty becomes head of his business interests and the pair become one of the hottest power couples in the restaurant industry and after becoming a familiar face on his show on The Food Network, she also becomes a well-known face on the entertainment circuit and a regular contributor to business publications. 

They are still happily married.

Sharon Cherski



On the evening of her graduation from High School, Sharon ran off to Vegas to marry her high school sweetheart. They settled back in Three Rivers and soon started a family.  Five children later, Sharon opened her own business, a small coffee shop which soon became the go-to place for the teens of the town, a title which was cemented when Jordan held an intimate concert there. She and Ryanne are still best friends and visit each other as often as they can.

Danielle Chase 


After completing her education, Danielle moved in with her big sister in New York and became a famous theatre actress. You can see her performing on Broadway most nights and is always the centre of attention wherever she goes.

Tino
Whereabouts unknown. 

You can also check out my look back at how My So-Called Life changed teen drama over at Den of Geek here, http://www.denofgeek.com/tv/my-so-called-life/31837/how-my-so-called-life-changed-teen-drama 

Friday 22 August 2014

Guide to the 90's Best Films

I've just finished watching the National Geographic series The 90's - The Last Great Decade? and it asked the question (as given away by the title) was it the last great decade? Well between the advent of gutter reality TV (Jerry Springer), the violence (Waco, the first World Trade Centre bombing, Oklahoma, the brutal murder of Matthew Shepard, Columbine) and the leader of the free world sticking it to his intern in the most inappropriate way possible, I would say maybe not - however the Internet did take off but does one great thing counteract all the others?

I was really looking forward to watching this show as I had really enjoyed their previous outing in The 80's - The Decade that Made Us, but what I felt was missing from this 90's look-back was the impact of popular culture. There was a slight mention of Nirvana, Friends and Seinfeld but not much else, which got me thinking about what was great during the 90's, so over the next few posts I'll be looking at some of the great movies, bands and television shows that came out of the 90's. The last great decade? Possibly not but did get some great things out of it, such as some of the following;

The Summer Blockbuster




The 90's did really feel like the last decade of the proper summer blockbuster. As the 00's gave us epic movies like The Lord of the Ring's, popular adaptions such as Harry Potter and the complete takeover of Marvel at the local multiplex the stand alone summer juggernauts came to a bit of a standstill, but the 90's were a glorious time to lose yourself in an action flick over the summer holiday's.

Best of the Decade: Summer Blockbusters
Jurassic Park 
Independence Day 
The Rock
Bad Boys
Con Air
Speed
Armageddon

The Game Changers



What would any good decade be without something that changes the way we look at things? The 90's could be remembered for the decade that finally gave us super realistic SFX. James Cameron lead the way with Terminator 2: Judgement Day and his impossibly impressive T-1000 and finished it with a giant iceberg in Titanic. Robert Zemeckis would digitally add Forrest Gump to any part of history he fancied and The Wachowski's made the impossible, possible in The Matrix. I would also add in Episode One but the less said about that the better.


But it wasn't all just SFX that shook up the decade, a director by the name of Wes Craven (AKA creator of your nightmares) decided to shake up the horror genre with a fresh take on the teen slasher genre and created one of the best horror movie questions ever, "What's your favourite scary movie?" Then some young directors also decided to take the old school Hollywood formula and turn it on its head. First Quentin Tarantino made a film that shot the idea of linear film making out of the window with his masterpiece Pulp Fiction, Kevin Smith proved you don't need millions of dollars to make a funny and successful movie with Clerks (and a personal favourite Chasing Amy) and M Night Shyamalan brought 'the twist' back to mainstream cinema with masterful The Sixth Sense.

Best of the Decade: Game Changers
Terminator 2: Judgement Day
Forrest Gump
Scream
Pulp Fiction
Titanic
Clerks
Saving Private Ryan
The Sixth Sense
The Matrix

Teenage Kicks



As somebody who straddled the 90's and 00's as a teenager I wasn't short of movies aimed at my demographic to watch, but more importantly the movie output for teens was becoming more interesting and diverse. Some things remained the same, gross-out comedies such as American Pie became the new Porky's and romances were a dime a dozen, however movies like The Faculty and The Craft began to move the boundaries and lead to far more interesting movies being made and becoming a success with the mainstream audience. The two greatest movies of the decade for me personally though were Clueless and 10 Things I Hate About You - both were so clever and slightly subversive, I can't help but love them until this day.


Best of the Decade: Teen Movies
10 Things I Hate About You
Clueless
Pump Up the Volume 
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
The Craft
Can't Hardly Wait
The Faculty
Cruel Intentions
Idle Hands
She's All That
American Pie
Romeo + Juliet 

Doing It For the Kids




 As I mentioned above my adolescent/teenage years were split across the 90's so I have plenty of time to enjoy the vast range of movies aimed at both demographics. It may be that now I look at these through rose tinted glasses but I really do think that movies aimed at kids (much like the television of the time) was far superior to what is shown now. You had somewhat subversively dark movies like The Addams Family and The Witches, action/adventure like Hook or Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and broad comedies with soul like Mrs. Doubtfire. However the 90's was the decade that gave us not only one of my all time favourite movies but a Christmas classic to be enjoyed through the ages, The Muppet Christmas Carol and who couldn't be thankful for that? The 90's also signalled the resurgence of The House of Mouse, with Disney releasing a slew of classic animations that are still beloved today. The late 90's also saw the coming out party of a little studio know as Pixar and with it's first feature length feature, Toy Story, took us all to infinity and beyond.

Best of the Decade: Kids Movies
Home Alone
Hocus Pocus 
Beauty and the Beast
Addams Family Values
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Aladdin
The Witches
Hook
The Mighty Ducks
The Muppet Christmas Carol
The Lion King
Mrs. Doubtfire
Toy Story

And the Rest...

I could go on for ages more about all the great films of the 90's, how Bill Murray provided a comedy masterclass in Groundhog Day, how Julia Robert's became America's sweetheart by playing a tart with a heart in Pretty Woman, how a million catchphrases were born with the release of Wayne's World, how Tom Hanks broke a millions hearts as the shy widower in Sleepless in Seattle, how Arnie showed his softer side in Kindergarten Cop or what Brad Pitt found in that box in Seven. Needless to say there is plenty of great movies to catch up with from the 90's and the best of the rest is listed below.

Best of the Rest
Batman Returns
Ghost
Pretty Woman
Sleepless in Seattle
Soapdish
Wanye's World
Total Recall
Kindergarten Cop
Schindler's List
Groundhog Day
True Romance
Demolition Man
What's Eating Gilbert Grape?
True Lies
Four Weddings and a Funeral
Interview with the Vampire
Reality Bites
The Shawshank Redemption 
The Usual Suspects
Seven
Jerry Maguire 
The First Wives Club
The Fifth Element
Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery
Good Will Hunting
Shakespeare in Love
The Wedding Singer