Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Romeo + Juliet

Don't forget to entire the Children of the 90s Ultimate Nostalgia-Fest 2010 Giveaway! It's open until Wednesday, February 17. Click here to see rules and enter for your chance to win some fun Goosebumps, BSC, Magic Eye, Lisa Frank, Pete and Pete, and more!



There's no better way to tick off the purists than to come up with some newfangled punk rock version of their treasured masterpiece and market it to teenagers. Really, nothing will get these staunch traditionalists fuming like the infusion of popular youth culture into their beloved classics. It seems their assessment of art as timeless isn't always compatible with timeliness. Sure, they might think it nice to renew an entire generation's appreciation for classical drama, but I doubt they were on board with the assertive trendiness of it all.

If you're going to fiddle with the original, chances are your resultant work will be pretty divisive. Some people are just more open to change than others. In the case of 90s adolescents, though, I the probability was far greater that they were more open to the notion of Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes. Throw in a couple of attractive young stars and teenagers are willing to overlook the fact that it's the same book they've been struggling with in their 9th grade English class. Pump up the rock music loud enough and we can just about tune out the iambic pentameter altogether.


The whole thing plays out sort of like a fast-paced music video, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. It might sound like Shakespeare lite, but director Baz Luhrman sticks pretty firmly to the original verse. If he'd reworked the script into slangy teenspeak-addled fluff, the effect wouldn't be quite so jarring. Instead, Luhrman simply plucks the Shakespearean characters from their Verona setting and conveniently deposits them in the surreal modern Miami-area Verona Beach. We've got guns, we've got fast cars, and we've got more "thees" and "thous" than we know what to do with. Luhrman throws the 16th and 20th centuries in a blender and gave us a delicious (and to be honest, occasionally fruity) mixture of new and old.

Like I said, it wasn't for everybody. It may not have been your particular vial of poison. Whatever your personal taste, you have to admit that it quickly morphed into a cultural phenomenon. It's hard to think of a Shakespearean tragedy as emblematic of young people in the 90s, but Luhrman's iconic updated adaptation seemed to pull it off. It was almost aggressively hip with its attractive young stars, loud music, and a drag queen Mercutio. In short, it struck a chord with young people because we had a lot in common with the film: it was the same thing people have enjoyed for generations, but it still managed to piss off adults. It was the story of our lives. You know, minus the whole star cross'd lovers bit.



Watch that trailer and tell me you don't find it just a tiny bit cool. Even critics have got to grudgingly concede that Luhrman managed to put a uniquely trendy spin on the original. It takes some pretty flowy creative juices to cast the Capulets and Montagues into gangs feuding over corporate industry turf. They may not be able to dance like their West Side Story counterparts, but they make up for it with a wealth of dramatic violence. With their sword-brand guns, of course.

The movie opens with a newscaster reporting on the star-crossed lovers, quickly segueing into a quick-paced montage of our main characters. We meet the Montagues and Capulets, but they're not quite the families we remmber from English class:


Romeo + Juliet Opening
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Things slow down a bit when our heroes get their requisite cinematic meet-cute at a masquerade party. They spot each other across an aquarium, and plunge immediately into headstrong, family-defying love. Claire Danes looks ethereal and beautiful, and Leo looks every bit as handsome as in any of his many 90s Bop! magazine appearances. It's all very romantic and subdued, especially when compared to the rest of the film's breakneck sense of urgency.



To anyone who's read or even heard of the play, what's in store for our doomed lovers doesn't come as much of a surprise. Juliet is betrothed to Paris, who doesn't seem like such a punishment when you consider he's played by Paul Rudd. Actually the casting choices in general always sort of amused me. I like Brian Dennehy as Romeo's father, but it always sort of odd to think that Romeo and Tommy Boy have the same dad. But alas, I digress. Juliet and Father Laurence hatch what they think to be a foolproof plan, but Romeo misunderstands and presumes Juliet dead. In this version, she actually wakes up and sees him after he took the poison. It's all very serious and somber until Claire Danes breaks into the fakest crying I have ever heard in my life. I love the movie and I'm a fan of Claire Danes, but that just can't go without mention. It's criminally bad.




This has become something of a love-it or hate-it kind of movie. When it came out, I loved it without question. It was edgy and cool and the cameras moved all over the place really really fast, so I was pretty sure it spoke to me on a personal level. To view it more objectively now in the more boring and analytical adult sense, I see where people find fault. I'd say if you're a naturally critical person or a purist, there's not a lot of wiggle room for liking this one. Conversely, if you're the type who is more willing to get caught up in the moment, it's far likelier you're a fan.

Romeo + Juliet performed well in theaters despite the mixed reviews. Some critics praised the film's originality and talented young stars. Others were not quite so won over by the film. Roger Ebert went so far as to remark, "The desperation with which it tries to 'update' the play and make it 'relevant' is greatly depressing." If anything, this might have just make us love the movie with greater ferocity. After all, isn't that the definitive sign of youth culture? If adults hate something, teenagers have an automatic responsibility to love it. If Romeo and Juliet could act against their parents' disapproval, the least we could do was pay homage by liking Luhrman's version.

Monday, February 8, 2010

Memorable 90s Game Commercials: Jingles That Will Occupy Valuable Brainspace for Eternity

Don't forget to entire the Children of the 90s Ultimate Nostalgia-Fest 2010 Giveaway! It's open until Wednesday, February 17. Click here to see rules and enter for your chance to win some fun Goosebumps, BSC, Magic Eye, Lisa Frank, Pete and Pete, and more!




A catchy advertising jingle can be a blessing and a curse. On one hand, it's a surefire way to ensure that your product is a memorable one. If you've got consumers humming your commercial tune as they pass your item in the store, you know you've effectively set up camp somewhere deep within their hippocampus. Their limbic systems are undoubtedly clogged with your over-exaggerated guitar riffs and exclamation point-punctuated lyrics. On the inverse, your key demographic will probably grow to find your TV spot so irritating that they've developed fantasies of setting your company's ad recording studio ablaze in a fury of arsonist proportions. To sum all that up, you've got a good chance of coming up with something viewers will remember, but a far slimmer chance to coming up with something they'll like.

Sometimes when I'm trying to balance my checkbook or divide 1399034 by 3324235 in my head, I shake my fist heavenward, cursing the ad exec who jammed up my valuable brain real estate with his hook-laden commercial jingles. I'm convinced that if I'd never seen that Crossfire commercial, I'd be able to fill up an abandoned lecture hall chalkboard Good Will Hunting style, no problem. You see, the problem isn't in my own finite mental capacity. It's in the commercial jingle squatters who've built up makeshift shantytowns all over my brain's memory centers. We all could have been great thinkers of our generation had we never heard a Hungry Hungry Hippos conga.

While there are multiple offenders in the case of our brains v. trivial television knowledge, the Most Wanted would probably be children's commercials. In this case, TV spots for children's games. Take a quick stroll with me down memory lane and see if you can't recall these catchy jingles. You might no longer be able to memorize the national foods of northern European countries, but dammit you can break into jingle with minimal provocation. That may just have to be the best we can hope for at this advanced stage of memory blockage.


Twister: The Hot Spot!



I know I say this a lot, but this commercial is just so 90s. The extreme music, the quick shot-switching camera tricks, that corny wavy crayoned-on graphic; all signs point to 90s. It's like we couldn't come up with a special effect or camera trick without having to immediately incorporate it into every film-related endeavor. The lyrics are pretty convincing, though: "There's excitement goin' round/there's a party goin' down/Twister! The hot spot!" Get it? A party going down? Oh, 90s jingle composers. Is there no end to your double meaning witticisms?



Perfection: Pop! Goes Perfection


Just watching this commercial is enough to get my heart pumping fast. It takes me right back to the frantic assembly of the board before it scared the bejeezus out of me with it's unprovoked popping. Luckily, I never came down with that condition the guy in the commercial has. I've yet to see any geometric pieces expand and retract from within my splayed chest cavity. When we get to that point, I think I'll have more to worry about than trying to deprogram that jingle from my brain.



Don't Wake Daddy: Dooooon't Waaaake Daddy!



Now here's a great game: try to sneak into the kitchen to steal food without tipping off the man of the house. No wonder our nation has such a high obesity rate when our board games are like how-to manuals on sneaking chips and cookies. The jingle gives us a stage-whispered "Is he gonna wake up?" on repeat, but it seems sort of like an empty threat. Daddy still never gets out of bed or takes off his floppy nightcap. He never chases me 'round the board for my cookies. The game is inherently flawed.



Mr Bucket: The Balls Pop Out of my Mouth


This commercial took a lot of mocking for obvious reasons. I mean, really. They couldn't think of any alternate phrase for their namesake bucket to sing than "I'm Mr Bucket! The balls pop out of my mouth!" They're not even trying.



Hungry Hungry Hippos: We're Hungry, Hungry Hippos!


Speaking of games that may have played a part in our nation's eating patterns. The entire point of the game is to gobble up criminal quantities of grub. It's not exactly a health-conscious message, but then again maybe marbles are a nutritionally sound food. And anyway, who doesn't like a good conga? We're hungry, hungry hippos! We're hungry, hungry hippos! It's pretty contagious.



Lite Brite: Turn on the Magic of Shining Light



Okay, you got me. This isn't technically a game, per se, but the song has been stuck in my head since circa 1994 and I just couldn't bear the burden alone anymore. Thanks for saddling your share.



Connect Four: Go For It!



After seeing this commercial, I couldn't wait to hang out with my expressive, wisecracking Connect Four checkers. Imagine my shock to find mine were defective. They never said a thing.



Crossfire: You'll Get Caught Up in the (Crossfire!)


I've got to hand it to these ad people. They really manage to make a moderately fun board game look a fast-paced superhero action adventure. I always thought the song went, "Crossfire, you'll get caught up in the," as if they were filing it in the library's card catalog. "Let's see, let's see...It's by last name first, so that would be 'Crossfire comma you'll get caught up in the."



Kerplunk: (Insert Badass Rap Here)


If there's a more quintessentially 90s commercial out there, let me know, because I'm pretty sure this is it. These kids are having almost too much fun. You've got to question if Kerplunk really has the power to make that little girl throw her head back and cackle in pure ecstasy. Maybe she just really likes the rap. I know it does it for me. "Start with the sticks! Like so! Makin' a pit! Where the marbles go!"



Guess Who: Can You Guess Who?


Thank goodness for that disclaimer at the end: "Game cards do not actually talk." Could you imagine what a letdown we'd have gotten if we'd just believed our game cards would spontaneously spring to life upon initiating game play? The notion is almost too exciting to bear. Fortunately, our dream-crushing friends over at Milton Bradley have made sure to quash any sense of childlike whimsy and imagination.



Mousetrap: The Fun is Catching!


The fun is catching. Hmm. I mean, I get it, yes, very clever, but it sounds like we all need to wear swine-flu facemasks to engage in a simple round of mouse-trapping. I did always like those scheming cartoon mice at the beginning of the ad. They seem so determined to chart their route, I almost felt a little guilty thwarting their well-laid plans.


It's a testament to these ad campaigns that we can still hum along to their corny jingles fifteen-odd years down the road. I suppose there are worse things to have squatter's rights on your mindspace. You might not be able to solve a quadratic equation without a bit of scrap paper, but at least you'll have some good internal theme music going while you try to work it out.

Friday, February 5, 2010

Children of the 90s Nostalgia-Fest 2010 Giveaway!


So, I have a confession to make. Since we've all been being honest and doing lots of sharing here at Children of the 90s this week, I guess I'll just lay it out straight for you. I had every intention of putting up a full post for today, but you ever-patient readers are going to have to wait till Monday. I just can't contain my excitement over the criminally nostalgic stash of 90sness I've assembled for my 500 follower celebratory giveaway. I've put in what can only be described as an insane amount of effort into amassing some 90s goodies, and this level of personal time investment can't be reduced to just a link at the bottom of a post. I can only hope you all like the 90s gift basket I've assembled half as much as I do. If you don't, I'm a bit worried I might end up keeping it myself.

I love giveaways and I've thought a lot about doing one of my own, but the timing never seemed quite right. Until now, that is, when I had a day off brimming with spare time to search far and wide for the most memorable 90s items still available. It wasn't easy; most of the stuff we get all glassy-eyed about over here no longer graces the shelves at our favorite stores. The new versions of many of our favorite toys pale in comparison. And the ones that don't (I'm looking at you, awesome new Bop It) are out of my giveaway price range.

That said, I think you are going to get pretty pumped over the giveaway fruits of my 90s searching labors. I live right by one of the largest used bookstores in the country, so imagine my delight to find just how many awesome authentic items were available at my fingertips in like-new condition. Granted, it's hard to come by mint editions of these items, and I'm all about health and safety and not getting sued so I'm going to forego the discontinued foods route. Nope, what I've put together is a fun little cross section of 90s childhood, conveniently packaged and delivered to your doorstep. Assuming you win, that is.

This could be you! With better fashion color sense, though


Just to give you an idea of what I went through to bring you this superior childhood nostalgia-themed givewaway, imagine the reaction of a checkout employee when they see you bounding toward the register with the following items in tow. The Half-Price Books cashier was pretty cool, he looked to be maybe a few years older than me. He definitely gave me the single raised eyebrow (a talent I have yet to achieve) and asked, "So...are these for you?" I wish I was better at real-life self promotion, in which case I would have responded brightly, "No, they're for a super reader giveaway at my always-growing 90s themed website! Come check it out!" Instead I mumbled, "Um...no," and busied myself searching in my purse.

To the credit of my selections though, they definitely met the approval of my cashier. He waxed poetic about the virtues of Goosebumps and Choose Your Own Adventure books, calling them "kick-ass" and giving me a great in to tell him all about Children of the 90s. Luckily for all of you, I was too embarrassed from coming to the register with a heaping armload of 90s children's items, so that means a better chance of winning for all of you! I'm sure if I've been wearing one of our soon-to-exist Children of the 90s T-shirts, though, it would have made an easy and less embarrassing segue into explanation of my purchases. Keep an eye out here, because these shirts are coming. Soonish.

Here's how it works: to gain one entry into the Children of the 90s Nostalgia-Fest 2010 Giveaway, simply comment below and mention which of the items you'd be most excited about winning. Remember, they're all a package deal, but I'm curious to see how my choices go over. To gain a second entry into the giveaway, become a follower on Blogger and let me know in your comment. For a third, become a Facebook fan and drop a note in the comments. For the fourth and final available entry, let me know if you've tweeted or blogged about the giveaway. It just that easy!

One last thing: due to my meager paycheck-induced poverty, I have yet to replace my now-broken digital camera. I was able to find images of all of the items online, but none are the actual images of the items. I promise, though, they do exist, and they all look almost exactly like the photos Google images was sweet enough to round up for me. I think that's about it for the fine print. Without further ado, I present to you...(*drumroll*) the contents of the first ever Children of the 90s Nostalgia Fest giveaway! (*resounding applause*)

All this could be yours!


Disney Magic Eye

Milk Moustache Mania
A book of many of the the popular milk mustache campaign ads with background information. What's not to love?


Goosebumps: My Hairiest Adventure


Help! I'm Trapped in My Teacher's Body



BSC Super Special #11: The Baby-Sitters Remember



Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul



Magic Grow Capsules:
(Again, photo not of actual item....you get wildlife, not dinosaurs! Who doesn't love wildlife?)


Rainbow Nerds

Lisa Frank Sticker Dreams
This is a new pack, so we've got some updated designs here. They're on a roll so I can't see all of them, but I do see a painting panda bear. That one seems pretty promising. Anyway, in case there's no scale here...this pack is tiny. It includes 100 stickers, but they're all of the miniature variety.


And....la piece de resistance:
THE ADVENTURES OF PETE AND PETE SEASON 1 on DVD!!



Don't forget to read the above rules to maximize your entries :) The giveaway will close Wednesday, February 17. Good luck! Comment below to indicate your entries.

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