1990s Challenge - Official; October 2020

[sol]

.
1990s Challenge





Pictured: 'Scream 2' and 'At Play in the Fields of the Lord'
Goal
Watch as many movies from the 1990s (according to IMDb) as you can from October 1, 2020 to October 31, 2020.

Rules
- Each feature film (over 40 minutes) counts as one entry.
- 60 minutes of short films counts as one entry.
- 120 minutes of television episodes counts as one entry
- Miniseries: 40min+ eps = 1pt; other eps must add up to 60min
- Rewatches are allowed and are good for the soul.
- Please include year of release when listing your viewings.

Fair play (adapted from albajos)
- Remember this is a community event, so participating is not only about listing titles. If you post early, this gives the other participants suggestions for their own viewings and it brings the community closer together.
- If you're in the top 5 please post at least once every three days.
- I will not allow anyone to enter the top 5 during the final three days with their first post.

I reserve the right to exclude participants who intentionally number their viewings incorrectly. If you play the game, you're expected to play properly.

DEADLINE
Final results will be posted between 2:30pm and 3:00pm GMT on November 2 - at which point it will have been November everywhere in the world for more than a whole day. While you are welcome to post updates beyond this point, any such updates will not be included in the final results. Your choice whether you miss the deadline or not; besides, if it's November on your side of the world, shouldn't you be starting on one of next month's challenges?

Stuck for ideas of what to watch? Look no further:

Official List
- IMDb 1990s Top 50

Non-Official Lists
- OFCS Top 100 Overlooked Films of the 1990s
- iCM's Favourite Films of the 1990s
- BFI's 90 Great Films of the 1990s
- Kino's 100 Best Films of 1990s
- Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Movies of the Nineties

This Challenge has been held once before in an Official capacity:

2012 Challenge - hosted by Nopros and won by Nopros with 64 points

A similar (1990s+21C) challenge has been held once before:

2018 Challenge - hosted by 72aicm and won by albajos with 160 points

There will be an AWARDS CEREMONY at the end of the Challenge. See this example if you're unsure what I am talking about.

This thread will be updated at least once every 48 hours (more often if I am around and feel like it). Please list new films seen in a new post.

Bonus Challenge #1: Watch some long films during this challenge. There are some great movies out there that are 135 mins or longer* and which hardly get watched in these Challenges because it is difficult to rack up points by watching them. This is an opt-in challenge. I don't have the spare time to look up the runtimes for the hundreds of movies that will be posted on this thread, so if you want to play, you'll need to state the runtime next your viewing.

Bonus Challenge #2: Watch At Play in the Fields of the Lord by Hector Babenco, one of these great films with a dauntingly long runtime.

Participants

Rank	Participant	Count	At Play?	135-179	180-224	225-269	270min+
1	jeroeno	225	-	3	-	-	-
2	blueboybob	118	-	-	-	-	-
3	Traveller	113	-	6	-	-	-
4	jdidaco	60	-	-	-	-	-
5	sol	50	-	-	-	-	-
6	maxwelldeux	37	-	2	-	1	-
7	Kublai Khan	30		2	1	-	-
8	flavo5000	28	-	-	-	-	-
9	hurluberlu	23	-	3	-	1	-
10	OldAle1	18	-	-	-	-	-
11	burneyfan	17	-	-	1	-	-
12	Lonewolf2003	16	-	-	-	-	-
13	Onderhond	14	-	-	-	-	-
14	AB537	13	-	2	1	1	-
15	Melvelet	12	-	1	1	1	-
16	frbrown	9	-	-	-	-	-
17	blocho	7		-	1	-	-
18	cinephage	6	-	-	-	-	-
18	Lilarcor	6	-	2	-	-	-
18	RogerTheMovieManiac88	6	-	-	-	-	-
18	sebby	6	-	-	-	-	-
22	allisoncm	5	-	-	-	-	-
22	AssOnFire	5	-	-	-	-	-
22	explorer95	5	-	-	-	-	-
22	zzzorf	5	-	-	-	-	-
26	weirdboy	4	-	-	-	-	-
27	vortexsurfer	3	-	-	-	-	-
28	Cinepolis	2	-	-	-	-	-
28	ororama	2	-	-	-	-	-
30	connordenney	1	-	-	-	-	-

[blocho]

Bonus Challenge #2: Watch At Play in the Fields of the Lord by Hector Babenco, one of these great films with a dauntingly long runtime.

I'd love to see it. Now perhaps someone could point me in a direction where I might find it ...

[Traveller]

I'm in. Thanks for hosting, sol.

[sol]

Bonus Challenge #2: Watch At Play in the Fields of the Lord by Hector Babenco, one of these great films with a dauntingly long runtime.

I'd love to see it. Now perhaps someone could point me in a direction where I might find it ...

I would LOVE to lend you my VHS copy... but in the meantime check your private messages.

[burneyfan]

I'll post whatever '90s films I happen to watch here this month (and I've already seen At Play in the Fields of the Lord, which was pretty good!).

[sol]

I'll post whatever '90s films I happen to watch here this month (and I've already seen At Play in the Fields of the Lord, which was pretty good!).

Oh, that's awesome to hear. I was running through my 500<400 ballot looking at which underseen titles I could promote and that one automatically leapt up at me.

[flavo5000]

Expect some '90s horror from me in here.

[jeroeno]

I'm all-in for this one. I LOOOOOVE 90's cinema

[sol]

It starts! First in. And I resisted starting with a horror film.

1. The Living End (1992)



"An irresponsible film by Gregg Araki", this indie drama revolves around two young gay men who go on a rampage with a devil-may-care attitude after both testing HIV positive. The film has been compared to Bonnie and Clyde, but this is much more meandering and directionless - just like the characters feel. Are their lives really over because they are HIV positive and should they just try to live for life's simple pleasures? Great final shot too.

[maxwelldeux]

I'll start with a horror film...

1. Ernest Scared Stupid (1991)

I liked it more than I should have... more comments in Horror.

[sol]

Nineties

1. The Living End (1992)

2. Los Enchiladas (1999)



This is a highly episodic affair and the film feels more a series of skits flung together than a cohesive narrative, but several of the skits work well. Particularly amusing is a subplot in which the head chef is lured away by a beatnik poet who specialises in penning alluring menu descriptions. This is hit-and-miss stuff though and there are almost many misses as hits with some way too spicy food and a lettuce obsession not coming across as funny.

[sol]

Nineties

1. The Living End (1992)
2. Los Enchiladas (1999)

3. Three Seasons (1999)



The lives of the protagonists here rarely intersect and the whole thing feels a little jarring as it jumps between storylines. The most compelling tale has as a former American soldier returned to Vietnam to try to find the daughter he fathered over two decades earlier. It is also relatively interesting to watch a child street vendor wander the streets, occasionally stopping to watch television (see above) but the other characters are a lot less engaging.

[Traveller]

01.a Shulie (1997)(37min)
01.b Je vous salue, Sarajevo (1993)(2min)
01.c El héroe (1994)(5min)
01.d More (1998)(6min)
01.e When It Rains (1995)(13min)

02.a Samsara: Death and Rebirth in Cambodia (1990)(29min)
02.b Sworn to the Drum: A Tribute to Francisco Aguabella (1995)(35min)

03.a Yum, Yum, Yum! A Taste of Cajun and Creole Cooking (1990)(31min)
03.b Human Remains (1998)(30min)

04. Vostochnaya elegiya (1996) - 7/10

Of these, Human Remains was fascinating and El héroe, Samsara: Death and Rebirth in Cambodia as well as Vostochnaya elegiya were well worth their time. More had an amazing soundtrack; the rest ranked between okay to meh.

[sol]

Nineties

1. The Living End (1992)
2. Los Enchiladas (1999)
3. Three Seasons (1999)

4. Scream (1996) REVISION



My favourite American horror movie. The way movie culture intrudes upon the obsessed teens' fate here is so well handled, from reciting the rules of surviving a horror movie (only to promptly ignore them) to Sid's "not in my movie" line when she assumes control of the horror film she finds herself trapped in. Knowing Ghostface's identity also makes the movie a richer experience each time since there are many subtle clues. Very funny stuff too.

...

I'll update the leaderboard once we get a few more participants.

[hurluberlu]

1. Like Water for Chocolate / Como agua para chocolate (Alfonso Arau, 1992) 5+

[AssonFire]

Count me in.

[AB537]

1. Welcome to Sarajevo (Michael Winterbottom, 1997) 7/10

[sol]

Nineties

1. The Living End (1992)
2. Los Enchiladas (1999)
3. Three Seasons (1999)
4. Scream (1996) REVISION

5. Scream 2 (1997) REVISION



This hits all the right notes like its predecessor with its witty dialogue, movie referencing and awesome characterisations. The film also delightfully follows Randy's rules for sequels (except that "sequels suck"), while the film-within-a-film element provides an amazing meta-quality; the cinema death opening is breathtaking with all the mad movie fans oblivious to real violence going on. Liev Schreiber's final line is such a great way to end the film.

[jeroeno]

DAY 1 : 1990

Oh yeah it started. I want to do this challenge in chronological order with a nice mix of rewatches, 90's action/horror shlock and some arthouse watchlisted stuff.

Rewatches





Quick Change and Class of 1999 both favorites of my childhood and both hold up. Geena Davis was so hot back then

90's schlock





Michael Dudikoff AND David Bradley! in American Ninja 4: The Annihilation, the insane horror Demon Wind and the terrible sci-fi The Dark Side of the Moon

Watchlisted Arthouse



Black and white Swedish movies from the 90's rule Skyddsängeln as do Locarno winners from the Soviet Union Sluchaynyy Vals
and films about oil shenanigans from Iran Ansuyeh Atash . To end day 1 Harun Farocki shows us what it's like to live in the Bundesrepublik Deutschland (or does he?) in Leben - BRD (1990)

For people who just want to see the numbers:
01. Quick Change (1990)
02. Class of 1999 (1990)
03. American Ninja 4: The Annihilation (1990)
04. The Dark Side of the Moon (1990)
05. Demon Wind (1990)
06. Skyddsängeln (1990)
07. Sluchaynyy Vals (1990)
08. Ansuyeh Atash (1990)
09. Leben - BRD (1990)

[Lonewolf2003]

1. Frankenhooker (1990, Frank Henenlotter): 5.8 - The moment Frankenhooker herself goes loose is fun, but it takes too long to get to that. I loved the dumb faces Patty Mullen pulls. All other acting was painfully bad.

[Lonewolf2003]

DAY 1 : 1990




Michael Dudikoff AND David Bradley! in American Ninja 4: The Annihilation, the insane horror Demon Wind and the terrible sci-fi The Dark Side of the Moon

01. Quick Change (1990)
02. Class of 1999 (1990)
03. American Ninja 4: The Annihilation (1990)
04. The Dark Side of the Moon (1990)
05. Demon Wind (1990)
06. Skyddsängeln (1990)
07. Sluchaynyy Vals (1990)
08. Ansuyeh Atash (1990)
09. Leben - BRD (1990)

American Ninja is nostalghia for me. I have this laying here,

hope to get to it in the 80s challenge (or maybe in the Action or Martial Arts challenge next year, if they make it).

[sol]

Just a general FYI:

I prefer large images to be hidden under spoiler tags (makes the thread easier to navigate through, especially if I don't want to miscount).

Great to see the enthusiasm though. Let's see if Trav beats jero with his next update before I re-update the leaderboard...

[Traveller]

Great to see the enthusiasm though. Let's see if Trav beats jero with his next update before I re-update the leaderboard...

I don't think I can match jeroeno's enthusiasm and pace.

05. Lord of the Flies (1991) - 5/10
06. Lumumba: Death of a Prophet (1990) - 6/10
07. La flaca Alejandra (1994) - 6/10

[sol]

Nineties

1. The Living End (1992)
2. Los Enchiladas (1999)
3. Three Seasons (1999)
4. Scream (1996) REVISION
5. Scream 2 (1997) REVISION

6. Child's Play 2 (1990)



I found this incredibly silly at first between the ridiculous revival effects and Chucky being reduced to a wisecracking serial killer a la Freddy Krueger. As the film wears on though, his killing methods and weapons become more and more imaginative, and then the film is topped off by an insane climax inside a toy factory full of dangerous brightly coloured machines! Still, it is hard to beat the mysteriousness of the original's is-he-or-isn't-he first half.

[maxwelldeux]

03. American Ninja 4: The Annihilation (1990)

I meant to ask... was it good? I've only seen the first one (relatively recently, though), so I'm curious about how well the rest of the series fares...

[jeroeno]

03. American Ninja 4: The Annihilation (1990)

I meant to ask... was it good? I've only seen the first one (relatively recently, though), so I'm curious about how well the rest of the series fares...

I enjoyed it for what it is. It's a direct to video fourth installment of a series of films in which Dudikoff tries to look like a ninja. Dudikoff isn't even in the first half of the movie. David Bradley does have some cool moves. It's 90's cheese. If you enjoy that sort of thing this is an absolute must see.

[blueboybob]

1. Mee Pok Man (1995)

[hurluberlu]

2. The Virgin Suicides (Sofia Coppola, 1999) [Rewatch] 8- (=)

The G90D old days

1. Like Water for Chocolate / Como agua para chocolate (Alfonso Arau, 1992) 5+

[Onderhond]

01. 1.0* - The English Patient by Anthony Minghella (1996)

Pure and unfiltered Oscar bait. If you ever had to teach a class about Hollywood schmaltz, The English Patient would no doubt be a perfect subject. It's sentimental to the bone, it feels manipulative and dishonest and it drags in the hope that a longer runtime means a bigger impact. The plot revolves around a soldier who crashes his plane and ends up in a hospital, unable to remember his identity. The nurse that takes care of him is interested in his case and slowly the patient starts to piece together the history that landed him in the hospital. It's a familiar setup and one that could offer the necessary intrigue, but director Minghella fails to deliver. It's hard to pick the film's worst characteristic, but it's either the score or the performances. The music is hellish and utter kitsch, performances are wooden and clumsy. The cinematography isn't much to look at either and the romance is a dud. All of that makes that the sluggish pacing is the final nail in the coffin.

[blocho]

01. 1.0* - The English Patient by Anthony Minghella (1996)

Pure and unfiltered Oscar bait. If you ever had to teach a class about Hollywood schmaltz, The English Patient would no doubt be a perfect subject. It's sentimental to the bone, it feels manipulative and dishonest and it drags in the hope that a longer runtime means a bigger impact. The plot revolves around a soldier who crashes his plane and ends up in a hospital, unable to remember his identity. The nurse that takes care of him is interested in his case and slowly the patient starts to piece together the history that landed him in the hospital. It's a familiar setup and one that could offer the necessary intrigue, but director Minghella fails to deliver. It's hard to pick the film's worst characteristic, but it's either the score or the performances. The music is hellish and utter kitsch, performances are wooden and clumsy. The cinematography isn't much to look at either and the romance is a dud. All of that makes that the sluggish pacing is the final nail in the coffin.

I myself enjoyed The English Patient, but I certainly sympathize with those who don't.

[blueboybob]

2. Bulan Tertusuk Ilalang (1995)

[Kublai Khan]

1. It (Tommy Lee Wallace-1990) (192 min)

I loved this when I was younger and was real creeped out by it, but it doesn't really hold up that great except for Tim Curry's performance. Probably didn't help that the cast just constantly reminds me of iconic 80s/90s TV shows.

[sol]

Nineties

1. The Living End (1992)
2. Los Enchiladas (1999)
3. Three Seasons (1999)
4. Scream (1996) REVISION
5. Scream 2 (1997) REVISION
6. Child's Play 2 (1990)

7. Child's Play 3 (1991)



While the older Andy and military school setting render this different to the first two films, the formula really begins to tire here - and why is Chucky convinced that time has not already elapsed for him to jump bodies given that this is set nearly a decade later? If one does not over-think it though, this is reasonably entertaining. As per Part 2, the final fifteen minutes - which go from war games gone awry to night carnival madness - are really solid.

[Kublai Khan]

VH1 I Love The 90s

1. It (Tommy Lee Wallace-1990) (192 min)

2. Instrument (Jem Cohen-1999)

A documentary on the band Fugazi. They show a variety of concert footage interspersed with footage of old interviews, candid conversations, random fuck-a-bouts, fans, and road imagery. It manages to take a pretty good snapshot of a subculture in a specific timeframe.

[jeroeno]

DAY 2 : 1990



Rewatches



Predator 2 got a lot of shit when it came out but after AVP, AVP2, Predators and Shane Black's The Predator you just have to admire how good this sequel actually is.



Tremors is probably my favorite movie from 1990. The characters are so much fun and the threat feels real. I recently watched the 6th movie and some of the second attempt on a tv show based on this but nothing comes close to this classic.

90's schlock


Soultaker has a 2.4 average on IMDb and that may be too high for this piece of cinematic filth (I still loved watching it though). The Rift has R. Lee Ermey as a military person in charge which is an instant watch for me. Finally Ski Patrol gives us some skiing shenanigans

Watchlisted Arthouse
Después de la tormenta won the Cóndor de Plata award but was a little meh. Both Le petit criminel and La désenchantée where chosen by Cahiers du Cinéma in their yearly Top 10 and were both quite good. Finally Innisfree has Jose Luis Guerín looking for places where John Ford's classic The Quiet Man was shot, I can't say I cared too much about it.

For people who just want to see the numbers:
10. Predator 2 (1990)
11. Tremors (1990)
12. Soultaker (1990)
13. The Rift (1990)
14. Ski Patrol (1990)
15. Después de la tormenta (1990)
16. Le petit criminel (1990)
17. La désenchantée (1990)
18. Innisfree (1990)

[sol]

Nineties

1. The Living End (1992)
2. Los Enchiladas (1999)
3. Three Seasons (1999)
4. Scream (1996) REVISION
5. Scream 2 (1997) REVISION
6. Child's Play 2 (1990)
7. Child's Play 3 (1991)

8. Bride of Chucky (1998)



Finally this entry fully realises the black comedy potential of the killer doll idea with several darkly comic moments. The film still has quite a few grisly and graphic deaths, but focus is wisely on the banter between Brad Dourif and Jennifer Tilly, cast as an ex-girlfriend who resurrects Chucky before being turned into a doll herself. With so much comedy in the mix, this is not a particularly scary film, but I enjoyed this a lot more than the first three films.

[hurluberlu]

3. Hamlet (Kenneth Branagh, 1996) [242min] 8

The G90D old days

1. Like Water for Chocolate / Como agua para chocolate (Alfonso Arau, 1992) 5+
2. The Virgin Suicides (Sofia Coppola, 1999) [Rewatch] 8- (=)

[Lilarcor]

1. Neon Genesis Evangelion (Hideaki Anno, 1995) [Episodes 4-9, 23 x 6 = 138 mins]



My first mecha anime (and anime television series) and I am starting to get into it, 9 episodes in. I've gotten curious about Neon Genesis Evangelion as a phenomenon for a while, especially regarding the ending(s). I don't know how the show ends and don't want to know before I get there, but I do know it was a controversy back in the 90s. Great show, I don't love it yet, not sure if I could because of the horny teenager angle which wasn't meant for a 33 year old man, but I get the feeling the show will eventually mature together with our main protagonist, it is a rather frank coming-of-age story after all. It is refreshing however that the girls and women have a lot of agency, they are the braver, more intelligent and decisive characters in the show. While cosplay is a source of humour, cosplay is also meant quite seriously in episode 9: this boy has to understand the other sex better in order to do his part to save humanity, and so cosplay is understood as a logic action to improve the "sync". That's pretty cool, I think. The whole idea of these massive machines being operated by both boys and girls is of course in itself unusually liberating.

Beyond gender stuff I also note that the show has a very interesting structure and overall is quite original in my book. As this Mubi notebook notes, the show often zigs when you think it will zag. It keeps me as a watcher not used to much anime on their toes. It doesn't mean that the show operates without any sense of order though, as it has a "battle-of-the-every-other-episode" structure, which of course means that the show is constrained by the framework of television, but that doesn't bother me too much. The opening theme and montage is really fantastic and gets me in the right mood, though the lyrics are perhaps awkwardly translated into English in the subtitles? Anyway, I hope to have time to get through this season of television this month, it is quite entertaining.

[sol]

Nineties

1. The Living End (1992)
2. Los Enchiladas (1999)
3. Three Seasons (1999)
4. Scream (1996) REVISION
5. Scream 2 (1997) REVISION
6. Child's Play 2 (1990)
7. Child's Play 3 (1991)
8. Bride of Chucky (1998)

9. The Resurrected (1991)



This begins on an intriguing note but takes far too long to deliver the horror goods. It is not until the protagonist and two companions explore some catacombs in the final half-hour that the project really comes alive with much mysteriousness and good creature practical effects. The vast majority of the movie is rather dedicated to dialogue exchanges and exposition, none of which is never all that alluring. A shame. I usually love Dan O'Bannon films.

[sol]

Nineties

1. The Living End (1992)
2. Los Enchiladas (1999)
3. Three Seasons (1999)
4. Scream (1996) REVISION
5. Scream 2 (1997) REVISION
6. Child's Play 2 (1990)
7. Child's Play 3 (1991)
8. Bride of Chucky (1998)
9. The Resurrected (1991)

10. The Refrigerator (1991)



Often described as a movie about a fridge that eats people, we actually rarely see this - and in fact the fridge evil activities take up less than a quarter of the total screen time. The rest of the film focuses on the couple with the husband becoming power-hungry and over-confident as the result of his fridge-induced dreams (oh yes). There is, however, at least an awesome couple of minutes towards the end where several appliances go berserk.