MovieChat Forums > General Discussion > How would you describe 90s movies?

How would you describe 90s movies?

posted 5 years ago by actionkamen (23176)
31 replies | jump to latest

I'd watch a movie from any time period, but I grew up with 80s, 90s and early 00s movies. And I think there are certain feelings about 90s movies that were unique to them. But it's hard to pin point at what exactly the differences were.

They are simpler, because it was a simpler time. But the 90s were also the dawn of CGI and various new exciting filming techniques.

So how would you describe 90s movies? What makes them different or what were typical of 90s movies?

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[–] Bloodworth79 (5737) 5 years ago

Just lots and lots of fun and imagination.
Nothing like today.

My favorite is national lampoons senior trip..

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[–] Kowalski (79077) 5 years ago

WOW...I LIKE THAT FLICK...DONT HEAR IT MENTIONED MUCH...THE DAWN OF RENNER.

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[–] Bloodworth79 (5737) 5 years ago

Think the best line is, I want to be with a jap, a real jap from China.

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[–] TalkinPikchorBox (2250) 5 years ago

90s flicks were the best! Showgirls was probably the worst movie made in the 90s but it was still fun to jerk off to.

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[–] Kowalski (79077) 5 years ago

LMAO

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[–] CoreyHaimFan (1031) 5 years ago

I was 12 when that came out but even I knew just how nutty is was to hear that Jesse Spano from Saved By the Bell was getting totally naked in the movie. Also remember being in a theater hallway and walking by the Showgirls room and seeing an usher sitting by the entrance to prevent anyone from sneaking in.

They never did that for R rated movies.

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[–] TalkinPikchorBox (2250) 5 years ago

That’s the only reason I watched it...to see Jessie Spano get her freak on. Totally killed her career though.

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[–] CoreyHaimFan (1031) 5 years ago

Yes it did and roo bad for her. She's not the greatest actress of all time but she seems really sweet and the type that deserves a good career. But at least she still gets work. She just wanted to break out of her good girl persona.

Also, have any of them had great careers since SBTB? I know Lopez and Gossellar have done ok, but Tiffany Theissan hasn't exactly been an A lister since the show either....

And since I'd say both Berkley and Theissan have had similar careers since the show, i would have loved to see Theissan in Showgirls over Berkley. Jesse Spano was pretty but Kelly Kapowski was the girl wet dreams are made of.

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[–] ColumboKate (5787) 5 years ago

They were well written. Some great thrillers in the 90s that we will likely never see again. Not in mainstream cinemas at least.

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[–] TandyMan (11349) 5 years ago

Didn't take themselves too seriously, bright saturated colors. Just a lot more fun in general.

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[–] actionkamen (23176) 5 years ago

Yeah. I think The Matrix was the most pivotal movie in the 90s. Released in 1999 it marks the end of cheerful, bright saturated color, not taking themselves seriously fun era into more serious, deep, dark and brooding tone of the 2000s.

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[–] moviechatterer (16326) 5 years ago

"cheerful, bright saturated color"

The Matrix? I remember it being dark , overcast weather , a green tint to everthing possiblt , also night a lot of the time .
saturated maybe , but with darkness

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[–] actionkamen (23176) 5 years ago

Reading comprehension fail.

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[–] moviechatterer (16326) 5 years ago

Thats unpossible!

have re read now and got your gist :)

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[–] TandyMan (11349) 5 years ago

Matrix was definitely the pivot. Everybody wanted to be the Matrix after that. I think most of what killed the bright and colorful movement was the advent of HD tvs. It was television that started getting gritty and dark before the movies did. I don't know much about the digital tech, but i'm guessing the traditional filmmaking style of the day just looked like ass with the new emerging technologies.

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[–] actionkamen (23176) 5 years ago

It's just very convinient that The Matrix was released in 1999 so it stood out as the harbinger of 00s movies. If it was 1995 it wouldn't define the decade so well.

Yeah, I wonder about digital transitions in movies (and television) too. Early digital camcorders had very low sensitivity in low light situation so maybe to make clear indoor or night scenes they would need to crank up the lighting more which made everything look like a sitcom. So perhaps, they just like ok, let's make them dark.

I remember watching one of the fully touted all digital movie, Public Enemies (2009, surprisingly since it felt like early 00s but turns out it was not) and it looked terrible. Sets looked fake. Actors looked like they wore make ups (which of course they always do, but usually we don't see.) Basically everything looked cheap and unpolished, rooms looked like in-store IKEA showrooms, you know... where they make pretend bedrooms or offices. Looks like we've come a long way since then.

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[–] Kowalski (79077) 5 years ago

THE WONDERFUL 80S STYLE COLLIDED WITH THE BIG BOLD EFFECTS AND IN YOUR FACE AESTHETIC OF THE FUTURE...I MEAN...BATTLEFIELD EARTH...CON-AIR...THE RIDICULOUS COMEDIES....THE 90S WERE LIMITED EDITION DAY GLO COOL.

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[–] actionkamen (23176) 5 years ago

I thought neon aesthetic was 80s.

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[–] Kowalski (79077) 5 years ago

AFTER CONSIDERATION I HAVE ALTERED.

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[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

It's kind of hard to describe them. You sort of end up categorising them as what they are not.

So any CGI (besides epics like Jurassic Park) generally look really bad.
Music scores were still composed and not atmospheric music. Sometimes it stands out as being a little much by todays standards.

Computers beeped way too much in movies and tv shows (they still beep but they've turned it down a little.)

Fashion was very 'low key' in the 90s, except for when they show office workers or executives who are REALLY OVER DRESSED by todays standards.

It's a confusing time :)

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[–] actionkamen (23176) 5 years ago

The CGI in Terminator 2 was (and still is) AMAZING. And it was 1991!

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[–] Stratego (31075) 5 years ago

Fun and smart.

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[–] samoanjoes (58580) 5 years ago

Awesome. Back when movies were filmed with actual film and special effects were more practical and only used CGI when it was needed. The last truly great decade for movies.

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[–] actionkamen (23176) 5 years ago

I think 2000 to 2009 movies were still predominantly filmed on film. I'm actually surprised that one of the first touted full digital movie, Public Enemies was released in 2009. I thought it would be earlier because it felt like it was an eternity ago.

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