1990-1991 Movie Year in Review - The Junior High Years
One problem with doing calendar year summaries is that it doesn't match up very well with school years, but for me I was in sixth grade at the start of 1990 and in eighth grade at the end of 1991. So what if my school didn't consider sixth grade part of junior high?
Anyway, it says something that in two years I saw as many movies as I did in four years of high school. I mean, what it might mean is that my memory isn't good, but more likely it says that in four years of high school when every Friday night is either playing football, playing in the pep band for boy's basketball, or doing some other activity, maybe I didn't have that many nights free for movies compared to junior high.
1990 - 4 films
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
DuckTales the Movie: Treasure of the Lost Lamp
The Rescuers Down Under
Home Alone - South Forks, 12/25?
1991 - 7 films
King Ralph
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze - Empire
Problem Child 2
101 Dalmatians
Necessary Roughness
The Addams Family
Beauty and the Beast
The only movie on this list that I'm even a bit uncertain about is 101 Dalmatians, which had a revival in 1991, but I know I saw it, I can't imagine we rented it, and as you can tell from this list, we certainly made it to most of the other Disney animation films, so I'm listing it.
This era also has the first movies I remember seeing with friends instead of with family. I mean, my parents may have taken us, but only because we asked, not because they wanted to see. I saw both Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle movies, King Ralph and Problem Child 2 with my friend Chad T. I'm pretty sure my parents took us to the first TMNT, but the other three we might have been dropped off for. I'm also 100% certain Chad wanted to see Problem Child 2 and talked me into it, because even at that age I hated that kind of humor. In retrospect, they were aiming at the Home Alone crowd with that one. It is probably (justly) the least remembered film on this list. That or the DuckTales movie, which was basically a feature length episode of the TV show, or perhaps an extension of the NES game.
Of all the films on this list, The Addams Family was probably the most unexpected delight. Sure, Beauty & the Beast was a great animated film, but as a TV retread nobody would have been surprised if the Addams Family was phoned in at every level. Instead, it assembled a truly stellar cast for one of the more fun movies of my childhood.
EDIT 1/25/23 - Added Necessary Roughness, which I saw with my junior high football team after the season ended.
Anyway, it says something that in two years I saw as many movies as I did in four years of high school. I mean, what it might mean is that my memory isn't good, but more likely it says that in four years of high school when every Friday night is either playing football, playing in the pep band for boy's basketball, or doing some other activity, maybe I didn't have that many nights free for movies compared to junior high.
1990 - 4 films
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
DuckTales the Movie: Treasure of the Lost Lamp
The Rescuers Down Under
Home Alone - South Forks, 12/25?
1991 - 7 films
King Ralph
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze - Empire
Problem Child 2
101 Dalmatians
Necessary Roughness
The Addams Family
Beauty and the Beast
The only movie on this list that I'm even a bit uncertain about is 101 Dalmatians, which had a revival in 1991, but I know I saw it, I can't imagine we rented it, and as you can tell from this list, we certainly made it to most of the other Disney animation films, so I'm listing it.
This era also has the first movies I remember seeing with friends instead of with family. I mean, my parents may have taken us, but only because we asked, not because they wanted to see. I saw both Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle movies, King Ralph and Problem Child 2 with my friend Chad T. I'm pretty sure my parents took us to the first TMNT, but the other three we might have been dropped off for. I'm also 100% certain Chad wanted to see Problem Child 2 and talked me into it, because even at that age I hated that kind of humor. In retrospect, they were aiming at the Home Alone crowd with that one. It is probably (justly) the least remembered film on this list. That or the DuckTales movie, which was basically a feature length episode of the TV show, or perhaps an extension of the NES game.
Of all the films on this list, The Addams Family was probably the most unexpected delight. Sure, Beauty & the Beast was a great animated film, but as a TV retread nobody would have been surprised if the Addams Family was phoned in at every level. Instead, it assembled a truly stellar cast for one of the more fun movies of my childhood.
EDIT 1/25/23 - Added Necessary Roughness, which I saw with my junior high football team after the season ended.