The 2nd episode of Femme Fatales, titled Bad Medicine, moved out of the prison and into a hospital. The resident hottie this week was Violet Macready (Christine Donlon), a timid nurse who was sleeping with the hospital’s lead surgeon. The show opened with some ‘anniversary sex’ as Violet and her man do some role-playing. For those who complained the first episode took too long to get to the goods, they wasted no time this week. Gratuitous sex seems as though it will be a major staple throughout the life of the show.
There is a new restaurant in South Park, and the owner of the ‘City Wok’ isn’t happy about it. Right next door has opened ‘City Sushi’, meaning he isn’t the only Asian game left in town anymore. He learns this when Butter’s stops in the ‘City Wok’ to deliver coupons for the competition. This leads to 2 things:
1. A race war has begun between Chinese and Japanese Restaurant Owners.
“Why don’t you speak A-English?”
2. Butter’s has been diagnosed with Multiple Personality Disorder because he uses his imagination.
Well that show is out now, and it’s about to join the ranks of those we review weekly. The show is a collection of noir-style stories about dangerous women and the web of lies they weave. Each episode one of these stories, standing apart from the others. Anyhow, the first episode is entitled Behind Locked Doors…
This is to be the first of a whole new series here at Grizzly Bomb. For each feature we will examine an individual genre and the quality of its films produced within a specific decade. These lists will be compiled from a point system determined by votes from each member of the staff. It’s very scientific, we used Excel.
For this first topic I asked all 11 members of my staff to give me a list of their Top 10 Action Movies of the 1990s. These movies were to be ranked from 1-10, and the results surprised me a little. But before we get there, there was some discussion over what qualifies as an ‘Action Movie’. For the purpose of this exercise, we looked at movies that are unmistakably Action, and ignored some of those that are more broadly categorized. The 3 movies that best fit this example were Braveheart, Saving Private Ryan, and Leon/ The Professional. While all 3 of these movies have action in them, it just seemed like they were too good to be crammed in as genre flicks, as they run a lot deeper than movies like, Tango and Cash or Bad Boys II, which are simply focused on blowing shit up. We were looking more for the ‘Blowing Shit Up’ stuff.
90’s action was about more than just explosions though, it also really expanded on the Sci-Fi aspects as well. As technology advanced and they found themselves able to do things previously not possible, you really saw the whole genre shift on a closer parallel with the Sci-Fi genre than ever prior. As the decade went on, and Stallone and Schwarzenegger got older, Hollywood also started to move away from the muscle-bound action stars of the 1980’s and more towards special effects driven stories.
Anyhow, as for the results: From the 12 people asked to make a Top Ten list, it resulted in 56 different movies being named. I’ve tallied up the points, and I now give you the Top 25 of them…
Babies make the best sidekicks.
25. Universal Soldier (1992)
24. Hard Target (1993)
23. Last Man Standing (1996) 22. Hard Boiled (1992)
21. Desperado (1995)
20. GoldenEye (1995)
19. Point Break (1991)
18. Mission Impossible (1996)
17. Total Recall (1990)
16. Demolition Man (1993)
15. Boondock Saints (1999)
14. Under Siege (1992)
13. Con Air (1997)
12. The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996)
11. Independence Day (1996)
10. Blade
In 1998 most people had never heard of the Marvel Comics ‘Vampire Hunter’ Blade. That all changed though when New Line Cinemas cast Wesley Snipes and gave him a sword. Granted, a lot of people still didn’t realize they were watching a ‘Comic Book’ movie, but they loved it. The success of the film also did something else, it proved that you could still make comic movies even in the aftermath of Batman & Robin.
This movie told the story of a half-man/half-vampire with all the powers of the vampires, but very few of their weaknesses. He hunts down the undead to avenge his slain family. Stephen Dorff hands in maybe the strongest performance of his career as Frost; the new head of the vampire community.
Aside from a very capable cast (which included Terrier‘s Donal Louge) Blade had all the elements that made 90’s action great. It was fast paced, filled with gun-play, and featured new technology paired with old-school tactics. The movie revitalized Snipes career for a few more years and spawned 2 sequels and a TV show.
US Release: August 21, 1998
Director: Stephen Norrington Notable Cast: Wesley Snipes, Kris Kristofferson, Stephen Dorff, Donal Logue, Udo Kier, and Traci Lords. Oscar Wins/Nominations: 0/0 US/Total Box Office: $70,087,718/$131,183,530 Best Quote: “Some motherf–kers are always trying to ice-skate uphill.” Trivia: Jet Li was offered the part of Frost, but opted to do Lethal Weapon 4 instead.
How 90’s is it? – This whole movie was like a really cool commercial for sunglasses, but with more blood. Very 90’s. I award a copy of Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 1 on VHS.
9. Bad Boys
Before he smashed robots into one and other for a living, Michael Bay actually made some really good action flicks. The first of which helped launch Will Smith from Rapper/TV Star into a bonafide movie Superstar. Now one of the highest paid actors in Hollywood, Smith owes many of his career opportunities to Bad Boys. This is also arguably the only movie Martin Lawrence has ever been in where I didn’t hate him.
It’s the story of a couple of Miami Detectives who drive around in a $100,000 car and shoot everything that moves. A huge catch of heroin from a bust of their’s is stolen out of the police evidence locker and they must get it back. My old man used to complain about how often my little sister and I watched this movie because of the abundance of F-Bombs. Apparently those are only ok in mobster movies. He is Italian. Anyhow, this movie is the first time I can really remember such stylized camera work from an American Director. It was like watching a John Woo movie, but with less doves. This is a style that Bay is now known for and probably has trademarked, but when I was 12, it was totally fresh. The sequel that came out in 2003 however, not so much…
How 90’s is it? – From the music to the Micheal Jordan references, this movie was super hip in 1995. I give it a Dodge Viper, a #23 jersey, and a ‘Fresh Prince Greatest Hits’ cassette.
8. Speed
Speed came out in 1994, and probably remained the most spoofed and quoted movie around until Austin Powers showed up in 1997. This movie was a phenomenon, and I think people often forget just how big it was. You can look at what Bad Boys did for Will Smith, and argue that Speed did even more for Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock. Keanu transformed himself here from half of ‘Bill and Ted’ into an actual movie star, building on what he started in Point Break. And Sandra Bullock, well she went on to become “America’s Sweetheart” dethroning Julia Roberts, and eventually winning an Oscar. Dennis Hopper also greatly benefited from the movie’s success, keeping him relevant until his death last year.
This was one of those movies where even if you didn’t see it, you know what it was. “Yeah, that’s the one with the bomb on the bus right?” The sequel however had less of an impact, but that’ll happen when you replace the star of the movie. Without Keanu Speed 2 was doomed from the start. It’s not surprising they tried after the success of the first one though. And it’s even less surprising that this movie made the list.
US Release: June 10, 1994 Director: Jan de Bont Notable Cast: Keanu Reeves, Dennis Hopper, Sandra Bullock, Jeff Daniels, Joe Morton, Alan Ruck, Patrick Fischler, and Beth Grant. Oscar Wins/Nominations 2/3 (Won – Sound/Sound Effects Editing) US/Total Box Office: $121,248,145/$350,448,145 Best Quote: “Pop quiz, hotshot. There’s a bomb on a bus. Once the bus goes 50 miles an hour, the bomb is armed. If it drops below 50, it blows up. What do you do? What do you do?” Triva: Quentin Tarantino were offered the chance to direct, but turned it down. Tarantino later named the film as one of his 20 favorite films since 1992.
How 90’s is it? – It’s Seattle-90’s. Everyone in this movie has a flannel shirt, so I give Speed the entire Nirvana discology, and a Starbucks gift card.
7. Die Hard 2: Die Harder
This is the inclusion that will likely surprise the most people. Not that it’s on the list, but that it’s in the Top 10 ahead of movies like Con Air, Face-Off, and Under Siege. I know it surprised me, but I have to honest. I love this movie. And as I was preparing this article, and watching the trailers again for each movie, this is the one that I felt most pumped to watch. After all, what’s the big knock against this movie? It’s too much like it’s predecessor? Well what’s wrong with that? The first Die Hard film is the greatest Action movie of all time.
Anyhow, this time around, and the Christmas following his LA adventure, John McClane is at Dulles Airport in D.C. waiting for his wife’s plane to land, and wouldn’t you know it? Terrorists take over the Airport. Forced to deal with things on his own because Dennis Franz won’t help him, McClane proves once again, it doesn’t pay to always be in the wrong place at the wrong time. This movie gave us what is easily the best ‘ Yippie-kai-yay‘ delivery of the franchise.
How 90’s is it? – This one is ‘New 90’s’ as John had to “get with the 90’s” and learn how to use a fax machine. I award this movie one Zack Morris cell phone.
6. The Last Boy Scout
Joe Hallenbeck is basically a washed out John McClane, working as a detective and disgraced after his exit from the secret service. He’s a drunk and a smartass, and extremely entertaining to watch.
Jimmy Dix is basically a washed out Michael Vick, dating as a stripper that looks like Halle Berry and disgraced after his exit from Pro Football. He’s a drug addict and a pain in Joe’s ass.
This movie took on Sports Gambling and struggling TV rating for Pro Football. Not very realistic there, but hey, it’s a fun watch. This movie is as close as you can get to an “80’s Action Movie” released outside the 80’s. Shane Black’s screenplay is so full of buddy cop moments and one-liners it’s impossible not to like this if you grew up on movies like Lethal Weapon (also written by Shane Black) and The Running Man. It probably would have led to sequels if not for an under performing Box Office total, opening against Hook during the Holiday season and being deemed ‘too violent’ for Christmas.
US Release: December 13, 1991 Director: Tony Scott Notable Cast: Bruce Willis, Damon Wayans, Chelsea Field, Noble Willingham, Taylor Negron, Danielle Harris, Halle Berry, Bruce McGill, Kim Coates, Billy Blanks, Eddie Griffin, Morris Chestnut, Michael Papajohn, and Rick Ducommun. Oscar Wins/Nominations: 0/0 US/Total Box Office: $59,509,925/ NA Best Quote: “This is the ’90s. You can’t just walk up and slap a guy, you have to say something cool first.” Trivia: The conversation between Joe and Jimmy about the $650 pants was taken from a deleted scene in Lethal Weapon. Murtaugh’s daughter is wearing an expensive dress for a New Year’s Eve party, and he asks “It doesn’t have a little TV in it?” She says no, and Murtaugh mutters “I am very old.” Lethal Weapon is also he movie that Darian is watching on TV.
How 90’s is it? – It’s not. It’s just SUPER late 80’s. So for that it gets a ‘Member’s Only’ jacket and a Prince LP.
5. Die Hard: With a Vengeance
Widely recognized as the better of the 2 Die Hard movies released in the 1990’s, it’s also the first one not to feature Al, Holly, and Richard Thornburg. It also is the first one not to take place at Christmas. This, the 3rd of the series focuses more on John himself, as opposed to the first 2 movies which simply had him thrown into bad situations.
Hans Gruber’s brother Simon (Irons) is holding the city of New York in a grip of terror and he wants to play a game with John. From stolen gold to exploding Subway trains this movie never really slows down. The franchise welcomes back John McTiernan, director of the original movie to breath some new life into McClane, but this time giving him a sidekick. And quite the sidekick Sam Jackson makes, constantly at odds with McClane and everyone else. The pair race around the city playing Simon’s games, all the while Simon is filling dump truck after dump truck with gold bars.
This is a movie that to this day, if I catch it on TV I have to watch it, and it was this, combine with Pulp Fiction, that made Sam Jackson a household name.
US Release: May 19, 1995 Director: John McTiernan Notable Cast: Bruce Willis, Samuel L. Jackson, Jeremy Irons, Aldis Hodge, Dick Cheney, and Anthony Peck. Oscar Wins/Nominations: 0/0 US/Total Box Office: $100,012,499/$366,101,666 Best Quote: “Yippie-kai-yay motherf–ker.” Triva: The line spoken by McClane “Smoking cigarettes and watching Captain Kangaroo” is taken from a song called “Flowers on the Wall” by The Statler Brothers, which appears in the Gold Watch section Pulp Fiction (1994), also featuring Bruce Willis and Samuel L. Jackson.
How 90’s is it? – Kinda 90’s. This movie, unlike a lot of the other ones on this list isn’t unique in style to the decade and could really fit in any time period, so for that it gets an Aerosmith T-Shirt, a Coke, and a smile.
4. The Rock
This is the movie that made Nic Cage, at least for a while, an action star, leading him to later do some movies as Con Air, Face/Off, and Gone in Sixty Seconds. And it reminded people the reason that Sean Connery was one of the world’s first real action stars – He’s a badass.
This was also Michael Bay’s follow-up to Bad Boys, which tricked us into thinking he’d never do a bad movie. Bay’s stylistic camera shots that averaged less than 3 seconds each, and the fast paced flow of plot helped to define the decade’s ‘Action Identity’, and no movie exemplifies that more than The Rock.
How 90’s is it? – Maximum 90’s. This movie is so 90’s in fact that it’s gonna get a OJ Trial Transcript and signed Tanya Harding Ice Skate.
3. True Lies
Schwarzenegger’s last truly great movie, and no surpirse he was paired with Terminator scribe and director James Cameron. This movie examines some of the everyday life stuff that a Schwarzenegger character would have to deal with. The most memorable scene however, isn’t one centered around Arnold, but around Jamie Lee Curtis…
Bill Paxton and Tom Arnold added quite a bit more humor than was in Schwarzenegger and Cameron’s previous collaborations. True Lies marks the end of an era, which at the time we did not know, but this would be last truly great movie to star the Governator (at least to date). This is for Arnold almost what Unforgiven is for Clint Eastwood. A movie where he plays a character that is very similar, but in a different light. Unforgiven is Clint once he is old and broke down, while True Lies is a comedic look at the behind the scenes of his life. The movie was obviously a huge hit and almost spawned a 2002 sequel, but tensions after 9/11 caused them to delay, and as of 2011 they have not moved forward.
US Release: July 15, 1994 Director: James Cameron Notable Cast: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jamie Lee Curtis, Tom Arnold, Bill Paxton, Tia Carrere, Eliza Dushku, and Charlton Heston. Oscar Wins/Nominations: 0/1 (Nom. – Best Visual Effects) US/Total Box Office: $146,282,411/$378,882,411 Best Quote: “Same thing happened to me with wife number two, ‘member? I have no idea nothing’s going on, right? I come home one day and the house is empty, and I mean completely empty. She even took the ice cube trays out of the freezer. What kind of a sick bitch takes the ICE CUBE trays out of the FREEZER?” Triva: Spencer Trilby (Heston) is based on Nick Fury, the Marvel character. Like Fury, he has an eye-patch, same mannerisms, and heads a peacekeeping organization.
How 90’s is it? – It has Tom Arnold in it. Is that answer enough? No? Ok, well if came from a time where you could still have Middle Eastern terrorists in movies instead of them just being used as Red Herrings. For that I award a retroactive failing grade from the “PC Police” for being too awesome.
2. The Matrix
When I saw the trailer for this movie I thought: “Gonna be all special effects, no story”. Boy was I wrong. The fact of the matter is The Matrix had some of the best action sequences I’ve ever seen, and the advancements in special effects changed the way movies were made. The story was very similar to that of the Terminator Franchise. Futuristic war against the machines, one man destined to save humanity and all that jazz. So it’s not that the concept was as new as people thought at the time, rather it was presented in a new way that dropped jaws. Nothing like this had ever been seen visually and that is what made people go back to see it for a 2 or 3rd time.
Kenau hadn’t really taken advantage of the success of Speed, and the weakening grip that Stallone and Schwarzenegger had on the Action genre. It looked as though he could be the next big thing, replacing aging stars like Van Damme, Segal, and even Bruce Willis. But it was 5 years until The Matrix came out and he really hit one out of the park.
This movie did something else too. It launched the career of Hugo Weaving, who played Agent Smith. If you don’t recognize the name, you might recognize his resume: The Matrix trilogy, The Lord of the Rings trilogy, V for Vendetta, The Wolfman, and the voice of ‘Megatron’ in the Transformers movies. He will also be playing ‘The Red Skull’ in the upcoming Captain America: The First Avenger.
The movie itself simply changed the whole industry, and remains (despite a slew of terrible sequels) extremely popular still today, more than a decade after it’s release.
US Release: March 31, 1999 Directors: Andy Wachowski & Lana Wachowski Notable Cast: Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Hugo Weaving, Joe Pantoliano, and Gloria Foster. Oscar Wins/Nominations: 4/4 (Won – Editing, Sound Editing, Visual Effects, Sound) US/Total Box Office: $171,479,930/$463,517,383 Best Quote: “I’d like to share a revelation that I’ve had during my time here. It came to me when I tried to classify your species and I realized that you’re not actually mammals. Every mammal on this planet instinctively develops a natural equilibrium with the surrounding environment but you humans do not. You move to an area and you multiply and multiply until every natural resource is consumed and the only way you can survive is to spread to another area. There is another organism on this planet that follows the same pattern. Do you know what it is? A virus. Human beings are a disease, a cancer of this planet. You’re a plague and we are the cure.” Triva: This cast almost looked very different – Jean Reno turned down the role of Agent Smith for Godzilla instead. Ewan McGregor turned down the part of Neo for Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace. And Sean Connery was originally offered the role of Morpheus, but turned it down saying he couldn’t understand the script.
How 90’s is it? – Cutting Edge 90’s! This movie gets a ‘White Zombie’ CD and a new trench coat.
1. Terminator 2: Judgment Day
Without a doubt, the 90’s movie I’ve seen the most times (edging out The Sandlot and Mallrats) is Terminator 2. It was no surprise to me that this turned out #1 as it was at the top of almost everyone’s list.
This is probably Arnold at his absolute best, and I doubt we’ll ever see him do anything this good again. This movie, brought in over $500 million at the Box Office and shattered records all over the place. It held the record for opening weekend Box Office of an R rated movie for 12 years, and still holds the record for the biggest Box Office increase for a sequel over the original with over a 400% jump.
The movie’s effects, groundbreaking in 1991, still hold up now, 20 years after it’s release. Before the massively over-rated Titantic and Avatar movies, James Cameron made sweet shit like this. And as far as I’m concerned, there is no argument to be made against this being atop the list. It is simply, as perfect a 90’s action movie as you can ask for.
US Release: July 3, 1991 Director: James Cameron Notable Cast: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Edward Furlong, Robert Patrick, Earl Boen, Joe Morton, Jenette Goldstein, Xander Berkeley, Nikki Cox, Danny Cooksey, and S. Epatha Merkerson. (Michael Biehn also appears in the Director’s Cut…) Oscar Wins/Nominations: 4/6 (Won – Sound Editing, Visual Effects, Makeup, Sound) US/Total Box Office: $204,843,345/$519,843,345 Best Quote: “I need your clothes, boots and your motorcycle.” Triva: The Minigun used in the Cyberdyne scene was so heavy that Arnold Schwarzenegger was in fact the only person on stage that could carry the gun.
How 90’s is it? – It was Trend-setting 90’s! This movie popularized many 90’s trademarks and for that it’s gets an autographed photo of George Thorogood, season 3 of The Simpsons, and an unopened copy of Windows ’95.
After last week the overwhelming assumption thus far is that Belko is the killer. In AMC’s latest poll, Belko was voted most likely with 39%, and Aunt Terry 2nd place with only 10%. Personally I don’t think Terry would’ve murdered her niece in such a brutal manner, but I guess people just don’t trust her. Maybe it’s because she’s still best known for playing a crack whore on The Shield…
At the end of last week’s episode we learned a little too late that Bennett Amhed was not to blame for the murder of Rosie Larsen. Stan and Belko had already grabbed him, and as the credits roll we see them beat Amhed savagely. And more than that, as Stan is kicking the suspect killer of his child, we see Belko punching a rock and looking quite guilty. Something isn’t right there. Not to say he’s the killer, just that something there is not right.
As this week’s episode we open on Bennett’s beaten body. Lying in the mud as Mitch tries desperately to reach her husband. The husband whom she blamed for not ‘handling’ the suspected killer sooner. Lucky for the Amhed family the teacher survived the attack, but Mitch must now live with knowing she sicked her husband on the wrong man. And upon learning he attacked what appears to be the wrong man, Stan does the right thing and turns himself into the authorities.
Our detectives however, now need a new suspect. Linden arrives at the residence of Darren Richmond and informs him that Amhed is not only innocent, but in critical condition at the hospital after the beating he received from Stan. This seems to be the perfect opportunity for Richmond to jump back into the race. The man who all along stood by Amhed and was crucified for it, can now use his integrity to re-establish his stand. And that’s just what he does. Using the media outside the hospital he launches an all out attack on not only the Mayor, but the cowardly City Council that helped to shut down his basketball center.
As Stan’s preliminary hearing for his crimes begins, Linden meets with a cabbie that picked up Rosie that night. Picked her up and took her home. The video from the cab shows Rosie getting out in front of the house, and someone inside. We see a light turn off in the house, a house that is supposed to be empty. Holder is convinced that the light was turned off by Belko.
‘Empire Records’ fans will recognize Belko as the young shoplifter Warren. (Picture from Lilotchka)
Upon a visit to Belko’s house they find several pictures of the Larsen family pinned to the ceiling above his bed. With some further questioning Holder’s suspicion is confirmed, Belko was there the night of the murder. Though, despite this, and as I’ve thought all along, Belko doesn’t appear to be our killer. He is too scared of not being ‘part of the family’ to piss off Stan. He did however overhear a phone call she made, and he heard something that rang through to our Detectives – Adela. The same name from the note they found earlier.
Sarah returns home to find her fiancée Rick waiting at the door. Things there do not go well. The following morning she goes for a run and stumbles upon what could be a huge break in the case. A ship. A ship named Adela. In fact, a ship named Adela that passes the Wapi Eagle Casino. A Casino bearing the same logo as the key-chain in evidence.
So Linden has a new lead, Stan is in jail, and Mitch is searching the books for their missing life savings, a cold realization just heaped upon her already troubled life. Bennett remains in the Hospital and Richmond it would appear, at least for a moment, had met Rosie.
I have a feeling that the 40% of the vote Belko has now, is gonna drop. Myself, I don’t have a clue who the killer is at this point. Who do you think it is?
Grizzly Bomb 