Working Girl (1988)
It’s the little touches that makes an ordinary story better, and Working Girl‘s director Mike Nichols provides plenty of them. Subtle character touches, a few asides, and several moments of realistic drama goes a long...
Category: 1980s
City on Fire (1987)
There is no denying that City on Fire was an influence on Quentin Tarantino, a notorious aficionado of Hong Kong flicks, and his first film, Reservoir Dogs. In fact the last 20 minutes of this film can...
The ‘burbs (1989)
For all of Joe Dante’s talent, I think he needs to get someone else to direct the final half hour of his films. Like Gremlins, Innerspace and Small Soldiers, Dante delivers expertly in the set-up for The ‘burbs, only...
Say Anything (1988)
Prior to Say Anything, Cameron Crowe’s directorial debut, he had written two notable teen comedies in the early Eighties, Fast Times at Ridgemont High and The Wild Life Although they aren’t necessarily prime examples of his talent, they...
The Cannonball Run (1981)
The race from Darien, Connecticut, to Redondo Beach, California, is called the Cannonball Baker Sea-to-Shining Sea Memorial Trophy Dash, named after daredevil driver Erwin “Cannonball” Baker in the early 20th century. This outlaw race stretched nearly 2,900 miles across the country. The record run was 32 hours and 51 minutes, averaging an insane 87 miles an hour. It started in 1971, when Brock Yates and Formula One star Dan Gurney won the very first one. In all, only five of these races were ever run. Across those years, drivers racked up more than a hundred speeding tickets, but remarkably, there were no accidents involving innocent bystanders. The entries were as wild as the concept: in 1971, the Polish Racing Drivers of America showed up with a van carrying 300 gallons of fuel so they could drive nonstop—though one mistake could have turned them into a rolling fireball. You...
The NeverEnding Story (1984)
I would suppose it doesn’t always bode well for a film when the author of the book (Michael Ende) upon which it is based wants his name removed from the opening credits. The Neverending Story is...
Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989)
It’s a bit infuriating when schmaltzy cornball crap like Dead Poets Society gets a Best Picture nomination from the Academy and great movies like Glory and this gem from Woody Allen get left off the list. This one...
Scarface (1983)
Brian De Palma’s updating of Scarface is one of those films that runs the gamut from “all-time favorite” to “worst film I’ve ever seen” among critics and non-critics alike. Some love the ultra-violent nature while others...
Young Guns (1988)
Those who think Young Guns one of the best Westerns ever made must either not have seen many or have incredibly short term memories. I would not even claim that Young Guns is a good film at all,...
Highlander (1986)
Of all the films I’ve ever seen, Highlander might rank as my favorite guilty pleasure. Granted, it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense, contains some cheesy acting, bad lighting, hit-and-miss directing, and an awful screenplay,...