In Defense of Street Fighter: The Movie

This week I was able to borrow a copy of Street Fighter: The Movie from a friend at work. It had been decades since I had seen this movie and I remember liking it. Again that was in 1994 and I was all of 13 years old, so my perspective may be skewed. Recently I watched the Mortal Kombat movie on Netflix and was pretty underwhelmed at that flick. I also remember seeing that movie in the theaters and liking it. This gave me little hope that I would enjoy a rewatch of the Van Damme action packed classic.

But guess what? I actually did enjoy rediscovering this much maligned video game adaptation. It's actually a pretty decent action flick, if you know what you're getting into. Yes it is cheesy, yes the acting is iffy, but here are a few reasons why I had fun watching Street Fighter: The Movie!

1. The action sequences were surprisingly well done!

With a movie based on a fighting game you would expect it to be full of great action sequences...and it is! The fights between Vega/Sagat & Ken/Ryu and the final fight between Guile & Bison are just a few of the cool sequences in this flick. In addition to a  huge smattering of fighting the movie balanced some comedy in there to make it a fun journey through Shadaloo in the name of freedom!

2. Raul Julia is fantastic as a villain

The dialogue Julia spits out is absolutely insane and the facial expressions he exudes could only have been done by him. Some of the casting in this flick are suspect, but the crew really nailed it when they hired Raul for his last performance before he passed. The above clip where Chun Li pours her heart out over her deceased father is played off wickedly by Julia as he responds with the best FREAKIN BRILLIANT line in the entire film. "For you, the day Bison graced your village was the most important day of your life. But for me, it was Tuesday."

3. The Characters were made to look like their counterparts

Most people gripe that the characters in movies based on beloved franchises never really look like the source material (ex. Masters of the Universe). But the people who worked on Street Fighter: The Movie did their due diligence and had each character look as close to the game version as possible without being too over the top. The one exception would be Dhalsim, he looks nothing like he did in the game, but in the movie makers defense it would be pretty hard to pull off the look of a skinny, bald yogi who shoots fire from his face back in '94! Also, I give them credit for trying to make Blanka look imposing, but he comes off looking like a demented Battle Trolls doll!

4. It gave us this absurdly awesome music video!

The soundtrack to Street Fighter: The Movie by Priority Records had some big names on it including Ice Cube, NAS, LL Cool J and The Pharcyde. None of their songs got music videos, but this tight collaboration between MC Hammer & Dion Sanders did and it is magnificent! The video for "Straight To My Feet" features cameos by many of the actors in the film, most notable are the scenes where Jean-Claude Van Damme himself dances alongside Hammer! Great stuff in here! The album sold over 500,000 units and topped out at #135 on the Billboard 200 list.

5. It left me wanting more!

After the destruction of Bison's headquarters the good guys celebrate...maybe a little too soon! In a post credits scene I just found out about, the hand of Bison pushes through the rubble and rises triumphantly to set his computer back to "World Domination" mode! What had me excited was the blue glow coming from Bison. This reminded me of his special moves in the game where his fists would glow before landing in an unsuspecting opponents face. Could he have been doused by some of the chemicals and gained super-natural powers? Director Steven deSouza said he left out these elements in the first movie, but was open to exploring them in the sequel. Maybe if the movie had made more money ($33,423,521 domestic total), we would have had a super powered sequel? I guess, sadly, we will never know! All we can do is play out these "What If?" scenarios in the Street Fighter: The Movie video game by Capcom.

Comic Book Pick: 8/29/18

This week the comic book I am most excited to read is...

CATWOMAN, TWEETY & SYLVESTER SPECIAL #1

In his relentless pursuit of Tweety, Sylvester suddenly finds himself with a new, human ally-Catwoman. Tweety then realizes that he's going to need some help too, and recruits a super-hero of his own. It isn't long before the scale of the conflict begins to get out of control and suddenly theres's a full scale war between cats and birds that threatens to take over all of Gotham.

(W) Gail Simone, Shea Fontana (A) Inaki Miranda, Walter Carzon (CA) Emanuela Lupacchino

SRP: $4.99

Synopsis provided by PreviewsWorld.com

Throwback Jam of the Week: 8/27/18

It's that time of the week again here at 20 Years Before 2000...It's time for the THROWBACK JAM OF THE WEEK! These are the jams currently on my trusty Creative ZEN MP3 player and they encompass everything from Motown R&B classics to hip-hop and rap from the 90s! I would like to share them with you in the hopes that they can get you on your feet and bring back some sweet nostalgic memories! So throw on your Starter Cap, cut your hair in the fresh Caesar style and slip on your British Knights as we take you back! Without further ado, here is the 20 Years Before 2000 THROWBACK JAM OF THE WEEK...

Artist: Public Enemy

Song: Fight The Power

Album: Fear of a Black Planet (Released 1989)

Peak Billboard Hot 100 Position: N/A

Bonus Fun Fact: This song was originally featured on the "Do The Right Thing" soundtrack. It features a saxophone instrumental played by Branford Marsalis in addition to samples from 20 songs including "Funky Drummer" by James Brown, "Planet Rock" by Afrika Bambaataa and "Give It To Me Baby" by Rick James!

The History of My Virtual Boy: Part 2

So last week I talked a little about the history of the Virtual Boy and then left you hanging. Yes I did find a metric ton of Virtual Boys at Wal-Mart in the summer of '96 in Tennessee, but the amazing thing was that they were on clearance for around $25 each! Yes, I grabbed one and I still have it today!

I really had no interest in buying this Nintendo product, but for that price, brand new, I couldn't pass it up. The system was indeed portable as advertised and ran off 6 AA batteries. I did use it as a tabletop game sometimes, but when I got lazy I became an expert at laying on the couch and balancing the Virtual Boy on my face and chest. I'm sure that I'm not the only person who did that? I had heard that the red and black tones of the game along with the 3-D graphics caused people to have headaches, I personally never had that problem, but I can definitely see how players could have this problem. Fresh out of the box the Virtual Boy came with my favorite game for the Virtual Boy...

Mario Tennis! I was really surprised with how fun this game was. It's a casual game that can be played in a few minutes, the graphics were simple but nice and the control was solid. Speaking of control...

The controller was similar to an original NES controller. I can't quite remember why they had two D-pads, but I remember not using the right one at all. The layout was pretty easy to memorize if you were a previous Nintendo player, which is a good thing since you really couldn't look down while your face was stuck in the visor. My only small issue with the controller is that it is where the 6 AA batteries are stored to power on the system. This creates a bit of weight in the controller and makes it a little uncomfortable to hold for longer periods of time.

This is a backside view of the Virtual Boy. Not much to see here, just a cool design and sleek looking system.

Since I did enjoy Mario Tennis, I searched out and bought a few more games for the system including Mario Clash, Wario Land, Teleroboxer and a Japanese Baseball game. Unfortunately by the time I got into the Virtual Boy there were little to no games for sale at our usual game stops including Babbage's and Electronics Boutique. There were only 22 games released for the system and I just may try to grab them all some day. Until that day comes I have the memories of one of Nintendo's biggest failures sitting on a shelf in my basement and I'm glad I own it. Thank you Mr. Gunpei Yokoi for creating this 32-bit, three dimensional footnote in gaming history!

Do you have any memories of the Virtual Boy? Let us know about it in the comments section below!

Comic Book Pick: 8/22/18

This week the comic book I am most excited to read is...

PUNISHER #1

YOU CAN TAKE THE PUNISHER OUT OF THE WAR MACHINE...

Punisher no longer has the War Machine armor, but he retained his newly acquired taste for big game, and he's hungry for more. However, the paths to such perilous pursuits are fraught with dangers bigger than any Frank has faced before, and this lone wolf could use otherworldly help on his way up to the world stage. MATTHEW ROSENBERG continues pushing the boundaries of the Punisher, and now joined by acclaimed artist RICCARDO BURCHIELLI (DMZ, Northlanders), this is the book Punisher fans will be talking about for years to come!

Parental Advisory

(W) Matthew Rosenberg (A) Szymon Kudranski (CA) Greg Smallwood

SRP: $4.99

Synopsis provided by PreviewsWorld.com

Throwback Jam of the Week: 8/20/18

It's that time of the week again here at 20 Years Before 2000...It's time for the THROWBACK JAM OF THE WEEK! These are the jams currently on my trusty Creative ZEN MP3 player and they encompass everything from Motown R&B classics to hip-hop and rap from the 90s! I would like to share them with you in the hopes that they can get you on your feet and bring back some sweet nostalgic memories! So throw on your Starter Cap, cut your hair in the fresh Caesar style and slip on your British Knights as we take you back! Without further ado, here is the 20 Years Before 2000 THROWBACK JAM OF THE WEEK...

Artist: The Notorious B.I.G.

Song: One More Chance (Remix)

Album: Ready To Die (Released 1995)

Peak Billboard Hot 100 Position: 2

Bonus Fun Fact: The video for this song features cameo appearances by Heavy D, Mary J. Blige, Luther Campbell, Spike Lee, Jermaine Dupri, Queen Latifah and Aaliyah just to name a few!

The History of My Virtual Boy: Part 1

In 1995 Nintendo introduced the world to the Virtual Boy. Virtual Boy was created as the three dimensional next evolution in gaming. Nintendo allegedly dropped tens of millions of dollars into the marketing for this system.

Based on these print ads I was not convinced. They even did a promotion with Blockbuster Video to try and convince consumers of it's greatness! You could rent a Virtual Boy for $10 and try the system out for a few days and when you brought it back to the rental store they would give you a coupon for $10 off the purchase of your very own Virtual Boy.

This may have been a marketing misstep as people could rent the system and see how underwhelming it actually was especially for the initial selling point of  $179.95! I understand that Nintendo was trying something new as they usually do, to distance themselves from the competition. 

The marketing avalanche continued to spill over to the pages of Nintendo Power. I was a long time subscriber of this official Nintendo Magazine and lived by it's previews, reviews, tips, tricks and cheat codes. We were a loyal Nintendo family and always looked forward to the company's new releases and this was the way to get the inside info on these products.

I must say that the games did look impressive in the pages of the magazine. I know it's hard to try to visualize three dimensional games from a few pictures in a magazine, but the graphics looked nice and the promise of some new Mario games was a bonus. The one thing I just couldn't shake was the lack of color in the games.

Nintendo did their best to try and make the Virtual Boy seem like the next best thing. It was portable and in their words it would "Immerse players into their own private universe", but the part of this article that drew my attention was the talk of the new Ultra 64 system that Nintendo was releasing to compete with the Playstation! To me this was the bigger news and any thoughts of owning or even wanting a Virtual Boy was gone, until...

I took a trip with my Dad to Tennessee in the summer of 1996 and saw stacks of these Virtual Boy boxes at Wal-Mart! Check out Part 2 next week to see how I got my very own Virtual Boy console! Here is a commercial to tide you over until then!

Comic Book Pick: 8/15/18

This week the comic book I am most excited to read is...

EDGE OF SPIDER-GEDDON #1 (OF 4)

SPIDER-GEDDON IS COMING!
Spider-Punk is back and better than ever. After SPIDER-VERSE, Hobie Brown was a Web Warrior, but that didn't mean things back in his universe were solved. The writer of the SPIDER-PUNK story in SPIDER-VERSE is back and joined by VENOM'S Gerardo Sandoval! Spider-Punk's Earth is under attack both on the ground and from space, meaning his responsibility seems to outweigh his power. Don't miss this first shot of the SPIDER-EVENT of 2018!

(W) Jed MacKay (A/CA) Gerardo Sandoval

SRP: $3.99

Synopsis provided by PreviewsWorld.com

Throwback Jam of the Week: 8/13/18

It's that time of the week again here at 20 Years Before 2000...It's time for the THROWBACK JAM OF THE WEEK! These are the jams currently on my trusty Creative ZEN MP3 player and they encompass everything from Motown R&B classics to hip-hop and rap from the 90s! I would like to share them with you in the hopes that they can get you on your feet and bring back some sweet nostalgic memories! So throw on your Starter Cap, cut your hair in the fresh Caesar style and slip on your British Knights as we take you back! Without further ado, here is the 20 Years Before 2000 THROWBACK JAM OF THE WEEK...

Artist: A Tribe Called Quest

Song: I Left My Wallet In El Segundo

Album: People's Instinctive Travels and the paths of Rhythm (Released 1990)

Peak Billboard Hot 100 Position: N/A

Bonus Fun Fact: The man in the sombrero that the Tribe encounters on the road in this video is played expertly by Mr. Peter Dinklage!

Wax Pack Revolution #4

A recent obsession of mine has been collecting old wax packs of trading cards from the 80s & 90s. Sure, I have a ton of these non-sport cards from when I was a kid, but the artwork and design of the packaging is something I missed. When you would buy one of these packs you would tear it open and throw away the wrapper. Never giving it a second thought. Seeing these again brings back memories of feeling the slick paper in your hands, seeing the simple artwork and the smell of bubble gum. Let's dive into a few of these packs that I have on display...AGAIN!

Batman Forever (Fleer, 1995)

Ah, Batman Forever...the follow up to Tim Burton's grim & gritty Batman Returns. This movie could not have been more removed from it's previous two films. The tone was more cartoony and almost could have been seen as a reboot of the Batman television show from the 60s with Adam West! Just add one dancing Batman and that would have done it! I did see this movie in the theaters, because I was crazy for anything Batman at the time. I collected the original Topps Batman movie cards, but as the series went on my passion for collecting non-sport cards declined. These are actually pretty nice looking cards and the promise of holograms is always a plus.

Bill & Ted's Most Atypical Movie Cards (Pro Set, 1991)

I am going to be honest and say that I never knew these cards existed up until a few years ago. I know if I had seen these as a kid, I would have tried to collect the whole set. Me and my brother were big Bill & Ted fans and would have loved to have this set in our collection. Even though the design is a little lacking, I think it's pretty cool that this set collects all the shenanigans from both Bill & Ted films!

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 3 (Topps, 1992)

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 3 may be my least favorite of all the TMNT movies, but I actually dig these cards! I like the borders of the base cards, the backs are nice looking and the art cards subset is a very cool addition. I only picked up a few packs of these when I was younger, but I look to rectify that error soon. I would like to add this set to my TMNT collection.

 

Shadow Hawk (Comic Images, 1992)

ShadowHawk debuted in the Image comics series Youngblood in 1992. He definitely was a hero of his time. He was dark, brooding and brutal to those he would catch in the act of a crime. He would literally break evil doers spines and leave them for the police to pick up. Pretty nasty stuff. These Comic Images cards are just like most of there other sets. Colorful backgrounds with decent artwork on the front and colorless card backs containing a part of an overall story. The only reason I bought any of these cards though was to see if I could score one of the elusive prism cards!

Super Stars MusiCards (Pro Set, 1991)

Here is yet another set of cards Pro Set put out in 1991. This one is a little more appealing to the eye due to the bold colors and stylish borders. I always wanted these cards growing up and would see ads in the comics all the time for these, I just never found them at the stores I got my cards from. I may have to search for a box online somewhere. Maybe I can find one cheap on ebay? Now relish in the glory that is the ProSet Super Stars Musicards commercial from 1992!

Comic Book Pick: 8/8/18

This week the comic book I am most excited to read is...

FANTASTIC FOUR #1

FOUREVER Part One. BECAUSE YOU DEMANDED IT - THE WORLD'S GREATEST COMIC MAGAZINE IS BACK! Since the end of SECRET WARS, there's been a gap in the Marvel Universe. A void no other team can fill. And it's time for the world to move on. But can it? A life-changing decision by the Thing! A momentous declaration by the Human Torch! A clarion call-to-arms that summons Doctor Doom! And a signal in the sky that heralds the return of hope to the Marvel Universe! All this, and Alicia Masters adopts kittens! So cute! Plus, the Impossible Man!
AND BONUS STORIES ILLUSTRATED BY SIMONE BIANCHI AND SKOTTIE YOUNG!
IF YOU READ ONLY ONE MARVEL COMIC THIS MONTH, THIS IS THE ONE!

(W) Dan Slott (A) Skottie Young, Simone Bianchi, Sara Pichelli (CA) Esad Ribic

SRP: $5.99

Synopsis provided by PreviewsWorld.com

Throwback Jam of the Week: 8/6/18

It's that time of the week again here at 20 Years Before 2000...It's time for the THROWBACK JAM OF THE WEEK! These are the jams currently on my trusty Creative ZEN MP3 player and they encompass everything from Motown R&B classics to hip-hop and rap from the 90s! I would like to share them with you in the hopes that they can get you on your feet and bring back some sweet nostalgic memories! So throw on your Nike Visor, cut your hair in the fresh gumby style and slip on your KangaROOS as we take you back! Without further ado, here is the 20 Years Before 2000 THROWBACK JAM OF THE WEEK...

Artist: Vanilla Ice

Song: Ice Ice Baby

Album: To The Extreme (Released 1990)

Peak Billboard Hot 100 Position: 1

Bonus Fun Fact: Ice Ice Baby was originally released as the B-side of Vanilla's cover of Play That Funky Music. This was the first hip-hop single to reach #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart!

TMNT Alliance Video VHS

About a week or so ago, a coworker of mine was having a yard sale and said he was selling a bunch of movies for about $1 a piece. He is a big movie aficionado, so I was curious to see what flicks he was selling. I dug through his DVDs and grabbed a few. Nothing too great, but he did throw in about a dozen more of his picks for me to watch for free. On the way back to my car I noticed a box of VHS tapes stashed under a table. Something told me to take a look. I noticed the familiar box of the 1990 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie box and took it out. Something was different about this box though. It was a lot slicker and was missing the familiar FHE logo. Also, the Turtles on the front were flat, not embossed as usual! What the heck was this?

I took a closer look at the sides and noticed some more slight differences. Once again the FHE logo was replaced by an odd Alliance Releasing Home Video logo and a small Ninja Turtles cartoon head was placed under the picture of Donnie.

I took a look at the other side and noticed the same thing along with the addition of an MCA logo at the bottom of the box. I pointed these differences out to my coworker who never noticed these irregularities before. As a collector himself, I thought he was going to take the tape back, but he let me keep it. I asked if he knew where he got it from and he could not remember.

I took the VHS Turtles home and excitedly told my not so excited wife what I had found and noticed a few more things were awry on the back of the box! The first critique was not highlighted in red and the info on the bottom of the back was different too.

Finally I pulled the tape out of it's box, now this is where the differences were the most noticeable. This was a rental copy complete with green "Family" sticker and "BE KIND PLEASE REWIND" notice plastered to the tape. I love finding things like this. I wanted to see if anything was different with the actual movie recorded on this tape, so me and the kids popped it in and got ready for some radical action! The movie was exactly the same, except the commercials that ran before the movie were missing entirely!

Later that night I did what I should have done as soon as I got home and Googled "Alliance Releasing Home Video". It turns out this is the Canadian version of the TMNT Movie VHS tape! Who knows how it ended up in my buddy's yard sale, all I know is I am glad I have it! Now the question is, should I start seeking out all the other countries versions of one of my favorite movies of all-time?

Comic Book Pick: 8/1/18

This week the comic book I am most excited to read is...

INFINITY WARS #1 (OF 6)

As the Infinity Stones come to Earth, so too comes the war for control over them. But none who wield the stones know the truth about the power they contain...or what it would take to bring them to their END. The nature of the universe itself hangs in the balance as we learn the answer to the question on everyone's lips since "Infinity Wars Prime": WHO IS REQUIEM? Gerry Duggan (DEADPOOL, INFINITY COUNTDOWN) and Mike Deodato Jr. (ORIGINAL SIN, OLD MAN LOGAN) look into the Infinite and bring the truth to light!

(W) Gerry Duggan (A/CA) Mike Deodato

SRP: $5.99

Synopsis provided by PreviewsWorld.com