The other day I experienced such a strong nostalgic feeling while watching Batman (1989). It brought me back to that very early period when the 90s had not fully formed or found its identity -- at least in terms of pop culture. Of course Batman is an 80s movie through and through but I associate that sunmer of '89 with the 90s more than the decade of the 80s. When you watch movies from '88 and '89 you can see how different they are compared to movies earlier in the decade. That being said I would say late 80s movies have more in common with the first 2 years of the 90s. It hit me earlier this year that 1991 is now 30s years ago. Wow. This realization took place over the summer and during that time when I first started thinking about early 90s nostalgia I started watching Terminator 2 again and the experience was bittersweet: on one hand the film is still amazing and is great for early 90s nostalgia because it shows a lot of what 1990 was like (the mall, cars, clothes etc.) On the other hand I felt sad about the fact that not only will movies like this ever be made again, it was definitely one of the last big budget movies done practically which is kind of ironic considering it set in motion the development of CGI we have today. Also, it really is so damn weird how a movie like T2 is now pretty old -- much older than it felt even a few years ago. There's something about that early 90s period that is now so appealing and fun to think about. For me, being a fan of video games I think it was an exciting time from 1989-92 or so because it was a period of transition in which mainstays of the 80s (namely NES) were still prevalent but at the same time newer machines and technology were on the was. For this reason the early 90s seemed like there was a feeling of momentum and everything was so new while in the 80s people seemed kind of over that decade even while it was still going on. I also like how the early 90s retained some of the 80s aesthetic and sensibilities while being original in its own right at the same time -- a blend of familiar and new. There were some damn good movies for kids and adults in the early 90s. In no particular order: Goodfellas, Ninja Turtles, T2, Aladdin, Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead, Gremlins 2, Dick Tracy etc. Even though a lot of the popular movies are probably not great movies in hindsight, they were fun in that they please their targeted audience. That first TMNT movie stands as such a great time capsule of 1990 and I can't help but feel it was an offshoot of Batman in the way it was done since there was no established formula for how to do comic book movies. It's done with completely practical effects and is a bit dark but has a light hearted sensibility and is almost off-beat or irreverant as Batman was. Speaking of Batman/1990, I think it's safe to say 1990 was the year of Batman on VHS. Batman on VHS was probably one of the most popular christmas presents of 89 and I know anecdotally many people saw the movie for the first time on video. That whole marketing campaign for Batman was an exciting event and it's kinda cool in retrospect even though the movie isn't amazing looking back. I just like the simplicity in the idea of there being hype for a single superhero movie as opposed to the highly manufactured slop that comes out every few months. The whole notion of being focused on a single thing is what I really miss about the old days. Today, you have a dozen distractions to sort through every minute but back then time was slow enough and things were generally cozy to where you could process things one at a time. So things like Batman were a cool novelty for their times and reminds me of a more innocent time when people would line up and down a block out of pure anticipation of what a movie would look like. Same goes for games. The SEGA, Nintendo and the big publishers put out amazing games that entire generation. It truly was a golden age for gaming without a doubt and I miss that whole marketing event for a movie in which a tie-in game was released as well as toys, merch and the soundtrack on tape and CD. And then you had to wait a long time for the video release. As for TV, shows like Dinosaurs and Fresh Prince were great. There was a sense that every age group was represented and catered to with regards to entertainment. If you were a kid there were plenty of awesome shows (and ones that were better than the 80s), if you were a teen there was something for you and ao on. One thing I feel sad about now is how there isn't really any cool wtuff for kids anymore. No toy stores, high quality shows and games, etc. Anyway, this has probably run on for too long, just wanted to share my thoughts because my nostalgia for the early 90s has been so strong lately! I don't know why because I'm not too nostalgic for specific time periods generally. I think looking back the early 90s way cooler than the rest of the 90s decade. Even by 93/94 things were very different.