April '95 Bought Us Film Greats

 

Through the history of cinema, whether it was coincidental or on purpose there are certain months and years that just blessed movie goers with sheer classics. If you are one of those people like me, who enjoy finding out scenarios like that. You appreciate all the stars aligning to provide us with a certain amount of films of certain levels of greatness, in a short timeframe. April of 1995 is one of those times that somehow has fallen under the radar. It gave us films that are still loved to this day, and are classics in various genres. From cult classics, comedy classics to straight classics.

April is traditionally a slow month for film releases, ahead of the summer season. Though the tide is turning, back in the 90's it was dumping season. April of 1995 was ahead of the curve in being a blockbuster month.  We got cult classics like New Jersey Drive. A flawed but telling movie, about a group of teens products of their environment who steal cars for the hell of it. 

Romantic comedy While You Were Sleeping, starring Sandra Bullock and Bill Pullman which is a hopeless romantics dream film. On the other end of the spectrum John Carpenter released Village Of The Damned. Which by all accounts is not a great movie, but has developed a cult following all these years later.

Drama Basketball Diaries which is still one of Leonardo Dicaprio's best films was released. He truly showed his acting range and depth in this film, which helped him gain bigger roles such as Jack in Titanic. Mark Wahlberg also is in the film in what I can recall was one of his first serious roles. I'm sure he learned alot from Dicaprio that helped him years later.

Besides those films, what that month and year bought us is three heavy hitter films that are still relevant and loved today. For families we were blessed with A Goofy Movie, featuring Disney's favorite R&B singer Powerline.

The film is so loved, a documentary was released earlier this month on Disney plus. While Disney is taking it on the road as part of a 30 year celebration. Visiting multiple cities playing the movie.

Bad Boys which debuted in theaters the same day as A Goofy Movie. The film catapulted Martin Lawrence and Will Smith into super stardom. If not for Bad Boys, Will Smith would not have been considered for Independence Day and start his July 4th reign in the late 90's.

The film sparked a franchise 30 years that is still going strong, evident by the widely praised fourth film in the series that released last summer. Besides the jokes and chemistry between the two leads, the film also had it's fair share of amazing action scenes. This particular one being a all time classic in my opinion.

Then we have Friday which is a stoner classic, a hood classic, and just a classic comedy. Ice Cube's writing debut and Chris Tucker's career launching role. Honestly who doesn't love Friday?

 

It's a very relatable comedy that hits all the right notes. Spawning two sequels and plans for a third. As well as a animated series and several copycat films. It's highly quotable and legendary and is beloved from grandma's to weedheads.

You can still watch it today and laugh like you haven't seen it. While still trying to figure out why Craig didn't have $200, if he got his check the day before? It's a all time classic film that has spanned generations.

And that my friends is April of '95, we as movie fans should be grateful to the film gods.

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The Legacy Of Boyz N The Hood

 

John Singleton's classic debut film Boyz N the Hood was released 30 years ago today. There's so much to say about why this movie is so damn good but this column may be too long. So, I'm going to keep it simple, the movie is a classic because some many of its themes and messages are still relevant today. On the surface the film may seem like a "hood" movie but once you watch it, it is commentary on the state of the world of a marginalized and still marginalized group Black people.

As a kid when I watched the movie most of the messages went over my head as they should have, with the exception of how life is in the hood. Now I didn't grow up in a "hood" environment, but I'm from Baltimore where two blocks over can be the hood from an suburban like neighborhood. As an adult the film carries deep messages on societal problems like gentrification, police brutality especially from members of your own race, which can also play into self-hate. Black Men in the military and how they are treated. Peer pressure for teenagers especially guys to have sex or lie about they're conquests at a certain age. The desire to leave one's environment or just become a product of the environment and be ok with it. 

One major theme that I think the film is really about is the importance of fathers in their sons lives and the father/son bond. Tre (Cuba Gooding Jr.) has his father Furious (Laurence Fishburne) in his life to help him avoid some of lifes pitfalls. Tre's best friends Ricky (Morris Chestnut) and Doughboy (Ice Cube) are raised by their single mother Brenda (Tyra Ferrell), she's doing the best she can as a single mother and her sons are genuinely good guys but both have fallen into some life traps they may have avoided if their fathers were around.

Besides the movie's themes Boyz N The Hood legacy runs deep. It was John Singleton film debut and at the age of 24 he earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Director and Best Original Screenplay. Making him not only the youngest nominee which he still holds, but also the first Black nominee for both categories. 

On screen Singleton also introduced the world to a lot of people who would go on to become household names and partake in alot of films the culture adores. It was the film debut of Ice Cube who is now a Hollywood mogul, same for Regina King who at the time was best known as Brenda from 227. It also was the film debut for Morris Chestnut and Cuba Gooding's first starring role. Nia Long, Angela Bassett, and Laurence Fishburne were not yet household names the movie helped accelerate them to that level.

The movie also opened doors for similar films to be released in the following years. Other beloved classics like Juice, Menace II Society, and South Central to name a few. The soundtrack is still very good. In 2002 the Library of Congress added the film to the National Film Registry for preservation because it was culturally significant which it is.

On the anniversary watch the movie again and fall in love with it again, or if for some reason you've never seen it. Get it together and check it out. 

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In Case you Didn't Know....Bad Boys is a Classic

Bad Boys starring Martin Lawrence and Will Smith and directed by Michael Bay was released April 7th, 1995 and just celebrated it's 25th anniversary. Reading behind the scenes stories of the film, it comes across as a movie that wasn't suppose to be successful. Decades later people still love the film and yes the term "classic" gets thrown around alot, but I believe the film is a classic here's why.

Bad Boys is one of those films I look back as that has stars in them before they were stars. In this case Martin and Will were stars, but they were not the mega stars they would later come to be. Will Smith was mostly known as the clean cut rapper Fresh Prince and star of the TV show Fresh Prince of Bel Air. Martin Lawrence was the star of his own self-title TV sitcom Martin and the first host of the HBO series Def Comedy Jam. He was also the hottest Black comic of the early to mid 90's. Joe Pantoliano who played Captain Howard was always that guy you saw in movies that played his role well, who years later people would come to hate as Cyper in The Matrix. Tea Leoni has had a solid career but nothing superstar worthy.

Bad Boys took the buddy-cop odd couple formula popularized in the 80's by 48 hours and Lethal Weapon, and turned things up bringing that formula to the 90's. Martin Lawrence is the high strung family man Marcus Burnett, while Will Smith is the laid back smooth ladies man Mike Lowrey. It doesn't take itself too serious and try to be something it is not. 

The funniest scenes in the movie to me, are the one's where Marcus and Mike knowing one another for years. Are able to bicker and reflect real annoyances they have with one another to distract those around them, long enough to get out of a jam. The chemistry is displayed at the very beginning of the film when they use that method to get out of an attempted carjacking. The two have viewers really believing they've known each other for years and know how to get on one anothers nerves.

The action scenes are typical Michael Bay action scenes, before he was given budgets to just create utter nonsense. My favorite action scene in the film, is the foot chase through the city of Miami which honestly is the scene that probably convinced producers that Will Smith could be a formdiable, marketable action star. 

There in lies why Bad Boys is a classic. The story is an typical cop plot, but what it done for the careers of it's major players. It helped Martin Lawrence gain more roles and more clout in Hollywood, giving him the ability write, direct, produce and star in A Thin Line Between Love and Hate a year later. It made Michael Bay the new Hollywood IT boy for large explosive films such as Armageddon, The Rock, and The Transformers movies whether you love them or hate them. It led to roles for Will Smith such as Independence Day and Men In Black, which made him a box office draw off name alone. Eventually Will and Martin joined the $20 million a film club and Bad Boys is the catalyst that sparked those opportunites. 

Bad Boys also bought the buddy cop formula back that gave films like Rush Hour and The Other Guys a chance to succeed. A second film was released in 2003, and earlier this year the third film in the series Bad Boys For Life released with a box office take of $290 million in the U.S. box office. Along with mostly positive or netural reviews from film criticss Which proved after a 17 year hiatus, Bad Boys as a franchise is still well loved and the groundwork was laid way back in 1995. That my friends makes Bad Boys a classic.

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Why We Still Love House Party 30 Years Later

“I don’t give a damn if Marvin Gaye ‘Gonna be there, you Won’t!”- Pops

That line sums up the basis of 1990’s House Party which has become a classic in the 30 years since it’s release. Released March 9th, 1990 and starring tarring rap duo Kid N’ Play, Martin Lawrence, Tisha Campbell, A.J. Johnson, and Robin Harris the movie was a film the culture didn’t know it needed until it was released. High schooler Kid gets into a scuffle with school bullies (Full Force members B-Fine, Bowlegged Lou, and Paul George) during lunch That causes Kid’s dad (Robin Harris), to ground him and keep him from the biggest party of the year thrown by his best friend  Play.

What ensues is a night of dodging bullies and the cops, getting the girl, and having fun. In the early 90’s most Black films highlighted inner-city youth and issues, and the aggression that a lot of Black youths harbor. House Party on the other hand showcased an often under depicted demographic middle-class Black youths who just want to get laid and have fun.

House Party carries so many attributes of the culture that still resonate today. Kid N’ Play and all their friends care about how they dress and look. They just want to rap and dance and look good doing it. Throw in sneaking out while you’re grounded, worried parents who are also pissed. Dealing with overzealous cops, high school bullies that look too damn old, and playing the game to get the girl. The soundtrack is a time capsule of late 80’s hip hop and r&b, and the now legendary New Jack Swing sound. Everyone knows and loves the classic dance off in the middle of the film between Kid N’ Play and Tisha Campbell and A.J. Johnson. 

We can’t forget the quotable lines that make the movie enjoyable to watch time after time. “I smell Pussy”, “follow the drip”, “What the hell is a Public Enema?”, “I would put my shoe so far up your ass, you’ll be shitting sneaker for a month.” "I'll fight a girl", "I know you will, I seen your ass get beat by a couple." And so many other lines you can still quote today, and those in the know will instantly get it.

House Party also is one of those movies that has a lot of stars or actors with consistent work, that you did not realize. Martin Lawrence is a comedy legend who starred in the classic sitcom Martin a couple of years later, and inspired a generation of comedians. Stand up legends Robin Harris and John Witherspoon displayed why their two of the funniest comedians ever. Tisha Campbell has built a nice career displaying her comedy chops between Martin and My Wife and Kids.  A.J. Johnson has built a fitness empire for herself. Everyones favorite scumbag Clifton Powell has an appearance. Funk legend George Clinton steals his scene as a DJ at a party. Daryl Mitchell, Anthony Johnson, Kelly Jo Minter, and Joe Torry all faces you may know more than the name, all have small appearances in the film.

House Party is a movie that those under 18 who watch it enjoy it because of some of the adult content, and looking forward to being in those at times dangerous but relatively harmless situations. Adults on the other hand can watch and relate to the carefree teenage days when you just needed to get home before your parents realized you were gone.

House Party has left a legacy between two direct sequels starring Kid  N’ Play, and a sequel starring music group immature that is related to the original strictly by title. There was also a sequel released in 2013 in which Kid N' Play make a cameo appearance. There are plans to reboot the original with Lebron James producing it, which goes to show how influential the film is years later.

It has made legends out of Kid N’ Play and let several Black youths know dance moves can get you the ladies. House Party is a simple film with a  simple mission, enjoy life and have fun doing it which is why we still love it 30 years later.    

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The Classic that is My Brother and Me

Twenty-five Years ago Nickelodeon debuted My Brother and Me showcasing a middle class Black

family in Charlotte, NC and the hijinks of the two sons and daughter in the family. It's historic as it

was the first show on Nickelodeon to feature a predominately Black cast. It's definitely a product of it's

time straight 90's, from the attire to the lingo, it's funny yet looking back some aspects of it are very

very corny.

At the time of its release I simply watched the show because I enjoyed it. Looking back now I realize how important the show was to the Black community. The show is a milestone in my eyes because of course we had the Cosby's and Family Matters, but My Brother and Me was actually the first show featuring a Black family where the kids were around my age getting into shit. I could relate to some of their problems they had or even the sibling rivalry all siblings go through.

The series introduced the world to a young Amanda Seales, Kim Whitley as Ms. Pickney in one of her first roles. Vanessa Baden who is more famously known as Kyra from Kenan and Kel and Vanessa from Gullah Gullah Island made her debut on the show. Pro wrestler Kenny King made his TV debut on an episode as a cool kid from L.A.

                                              

The show was also unapologetically Black when that necessarily wasn't the norm. The dialogue,

the opening credits. The way the characters talked, little nods to Black culture on the sets

such as the Greek memorabilia in the Parker's living room. The father with the corny jokes or

long ass stories which we've all experienced and I'm worried I may grow into.

It contained so much authenticity for the culture, it's beyond a crime it didn't last longer.

Who can forget classic episodes such as Dee Dee getting bullied and the famous line "Hit Me",
basketball tryouts and the famous "Goo Punch" scene we all sung along to, wishing

we were shilling our own product Dee Dee being very impressionable in an attempt to be cool

getting a wild haircut.  Life lesson episodes such as stepping out of your

comfort zone in the Robin Hood episode.

If for some reason you have never seen it, do yourself a favor and check out the clips on YouTube or

buy the dvd of the show you'll thank yourself later,

My Brother and Me only lasted one season but has left a legacy for a lifetime.

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