90's Bad Fashion, Great Films

The 90’s saw the introduction of films containing further nudity and sexual references as well as the appeal towards those who like the CGI component to films and those who are into what happens after death. There were many directors who took the road to establishing a high basis for the performance of CGI animation within the industry. This new adventure allowed for films to become 3D and add different dimensions to characters and plots instead of the forwarded and conventional stories.

Included in this era are the films that emanated sexuality such as the 1990 release of Pretty Woman, telling the story of an overworked upper class man and a less than impressive prostitute who becomes the object of affection through providing a few nights of company. Following in 1992 was the controversial release of Basic Instinct which exerts sexuality non-stop, with Sharon Stone providing scenes that are x rated and very risky for the time of publication. These two films broke barriers in the case of ratings applied to films and the content shocked patrons through the overt presentation of strong, beautiful women who are absorbed in themselves more so then the powerful men that reign in these films.

These two films are great starters to an era were many breakthroughs were made including the blockbuster directed by Steven Spielberg, Jurassic Park released in 1993 was the first to bring the element of pre-historic extinct creatures to life. The plot which surrounds two palaeontologists being brought in to oversee a project which has successfully created dinosaurs from a mosquito which was preserved. These dinosaurs live in enclosures but soon become too much and begin a hostile takeover by tormenting the team and the park for which is their home. Before this film learning about dinosaurs was limited to museums and books and the history channel but the movie brought to life what had not been done up to the point, introducing children to a virtual world off the names of dinosaurs if their carnivores or herbivores and the distinct nature of survival amongst their own species. It was to say the least a huge success and one that is remembered.

The 90’s were amazing in film production, directing and acting and was the era that provided a film that won all 5 major areas at the academy awards, Silence of the lambs which to this day is freakishly scary gave audiences a thrill in 1991. The film follows the story of Hannibal Lector played by Anthony Hopkins and his need and established fetish for cannibalism and on his trail is Jodi Foster who puts him behind bars but has no idea to the extent and depth that his madness goes. Great films succeed through how convincing they are and Hopkins adopted the persona and traits of the characters to add the believability to this onscreen maniac and scared many of the audience who have seen the entire film or even just snippets. Another masterpiece created at the end of the 90’s was The Matrix which has a difficult plot, great dialogue and the freeze frame moves you can see. The Matrix released in 1999 identified a world were nothing is as it seems and you can delve into reality or live in a futile fake world. Neo who the film follows chooses to go down the rabbit hole and have the real world unveiled to him. As the film continues their are moves were their fighting skills are shown and frozen to a point where you see them just in mid air, this seen has been used in films and a continuing theme through the Matrix trilogy.

These films mentioned above include special effects which no doubt adds to the consumer aspect of the film industry but in the 90’s there were some teen dramas that did choose to forfeit special effects. One of my fave teen films was the 1995 release of clueless, which exposes a culture within a Beverly Hills’ high school and those fortunate enough to have a motorized wardrobe. As Cher goes through the year she faces challenges such as getting her license, heartbreak, a makeover that turns ugly and finding two lonely teaches love. A perfect Friday night chick flick that never gets old. Joining my faves is the 1994 pee wee football movie, Little Giants which establishes that girls can do anything guys do and do it better. As a the small town of Urbania prepare for the battle of the O’Shea brothers who decide that theirs only room for one team those that can play and those that can’t. Becky the daughter of Danny and the niece of Kevin decides she has something to prove when her uncle does not let her onto the Cowboy’s side. A story that can hit home for many pre-teen and teen girls about self-belief.

90’s films although lacking the special effect elements of some of the contemporary films blurred lines and created controversies. Their elaborate storylines and emphasis on girl domination were inspiring. The fashion not so great but what era is? it provided a great paradigm to those film made decades before but still held onto strong female characters.