The Dream of the Nineties is alive in our home. What I really mean to say is that Emily and I have been on a run of watching movies from the 1990s and it has become this enjoyable ritual where one of us has the job of selecting that night’s feature and then we both sit down for an evening watch providing our own commentary. I like the variety of what we’ve chosen to this point, there’s blockbuster, comedy, thriller, courtroom drama, with a healthy dose of overacting in between. A few of the films that we have watched thus far include A League of Their Own, The Shawshank Redemption, The Rainmaker, Primal Fear, The Firm, and Road House (before you yell at the screen and tell me that this was released in 1989, I know that fact already but I first watched it in the 90s and it reflects that aspect of my adolescence… so back off!). Alas, here are a few takeaways from this era experiment:
My wife and I were both children of the 90s, so there’s obviously a nostalgia bit that makes these viewings intrinsically interesting, but it’s also been fun to learn details about each other’s childhood as we visit (and revisit) these films.
I sincerely appreciate that so many of these movies range in the one and a half hour to two-hour time frames. So many movies these days are bloated, with B and C plots that tend to go nowhere or ultimately feel irrelevant to the premise. Plus, who has time to watch a three hour movie?! The movies of this era feel relatively tight and concise by comparison.
With the arrival of streaming, I realize that many of the stories that we enjoy from this time period would exist as a limited series now (or not at all). If it’s not Marvel, Star Wars, or some other kind of IP, it’s most likely not going to be made into a movie for theatrical release today (unless you’re an established filmmaker). I miss the days when many independently funded and/or smaller-scale films were able to exist on their own instead of being spun out into larger series. While several have benefited from this type of expansion, there are also many examples of shows that I wished were movies instead (we can and should have both).
There’s a bit of cheesiness to these movies that I sort of miss. Richard Gere is not a great actor but he kind of worked for that time period and even Tom Cruise flourished running around and being way too earnest in his earlier roles (which now gets channeled into wild, complex stunts for his Mission Impossible franchise). There’s a levity and light-heartedness that seems to be absent from many contemporary thriller/sci-fi/action movies. All that said, paralleling these entries were incredible and original stories such as Boogie Nights and Pulp Fiction. It was nice to have both options to watch back in the day and I cherish those times. We didn’t know how good we had it! Do I sound old yet?
Speaking of cheese, Road House is a blessed mess! If you ever wonder how prevalent cocaine use was during this time in America, you will be given a quick education by watching this movie. However, one of the greatest lines of dialogue ever written for the screen was delivered by Swayze when he said, “You’re too stupid to have a good time!”
Lastly, whatever your era of choice (and whatever mode of entertainment you choose), this is an experiment that I’d encourage others to partake in (maybe you want to listen to music from the 80s or read books from 00’s authors with someone else, both great options). It doesn’t have to be with a significant other, but grab a friend or two and share in consuming some piece of nostalgia together. Celebrate some eras from your own lives (Taylor can’t have all the fun on her own) and I guarantee you’ll learn a lot about yourself and the others in the process.
What I’m Watching
Righteous Gemstones (Season 3)
Overall I have enjoyed The Righteous Gemstones and as someone who grew up within evangelical Christianity, there are elements that hit hilariously close to home and are ripe for satirization. My largest complaint, and especially for this season, is that there is not enough of Walton Goggins’ Uncle Baby Billy! His character is what works the most for me this season (which has been a bit of a letdown) and he’s criminally underused. With four more episodes of this season to go, I’m hoping for a little bit of resurrection.
What I’m Hearing
Americans Think the Economy is Terrible. The Data Tell Another Story (Plain English Podcast by Derek Thompson)
I enjoyed this conversation about the American economy, which is not a sentence I thought I’d ever write. However, I found this episode to be insightful, nuanced, and dare I say it… balanced. The thesis: the economy isn’t terrible and the economy isn’t wonderful either, it’s best to say instead that it is weird.
What I’m Reading
Of Boys and Men by Richard V. Reeves
I’ve grown fascinated and frustrated by the dialogue around modern concepts of masculinity. I’m way too early in this book to describe how Reeves’ articulates a vision for it going forward, but I do think he’s done a solid job of describing how both the right- and left-leaning perspectives have been largely unhelpful. Once I delve deeper into the text, I’ll offer a summary of the book here with personal reflections included.
The Modern Farmhouse is Today’s McMansion. And It’s Here to Stay by Ronda Kaysen (New York Times)
Preferences vary on home architecture, of course, but this is a great read on the popularity of the farmhouse aesthetic. Here’s a quote from the piece:
“Thomas Mellins, an architectural historian and a curator of the “House & Home” exhibition at National Building Museum, finds it fitting that Americans, who gravitate to styles that reflect larger cultural trends, chose this moment to land on a look that makes you think of “Little House on the Prairie,” but only if the Ingalls family lived in the suburbs and worked in finance.”
What I’m Eating/Drinking
Air Fryer Chicken Wings
After years of experimentation, I think I have cracked the air fryer chicken wing recipe! Here are the steps, as follows:
Let the wings sit in a cold bath of salt water (at least an hour), then pat them dry to then marinate in a mixture of olive oil, salt/pepper/garlic seasoning, and baking powder (to ensure crispiness) for however long you wish (I did 30 minutes).
Spray the air fryer with oil and do a first run at 360 degrees for 15ish minutes, pull them back out and flip them to finish off at 400 for 10ish minutes.
Lastly, toss them in a sauce or two (my choices this week were Head Country mild bbq and Frank’s Red Hot buffalo). Try it out if you wish and let me know how it goes!