Top Gun is a quintessential Reagan-era by-product, a pure fantasy highlighted by typical concentration on materialism and superficiality. From the synthesized score by Harold Faltermeyer to the synth-rock tunes of Berlin and Kenny Loggins,...
by Vincent Leo · Published November 19, 1998 · Last modified February 18, 2019
This is Spinal Tap is a documentary — er, a rockumentary — er, a mockumentary — well… It’s a parody of a documentary based on a fictitious British heavy metal band called Spinal Tap. Rob...
1980s / Adventure / Comedy / Fantasy / Science Fiction
by Vincent Leo · Published October 30, 1998 · Last modified February 4, 2019
A young boy (Warnock) jumps into a time hole with six dwarves who have stolen the Supreme Being’s (Richardson, Rollerball) map for time travel locations. They then proceed to go from age to age, including meeting...
by Vincent Leo · Published August 23, 1998 · Last modified February 3, 2019
The marriage of John Woo (The Killer, Face/Off) and Chow Yun-Fat (Dream Lovers, City on Fire) in cinema is magic to behold, and although Chow has a smaller role than some of his later collaborations with...
1980s / Action / Comedy / Fantasy
by Vincent Leo · Published July 25, 1998 · Last modified January 29, 2019
A Royal Guard from the Ming Dynasty is out to stop a rapist-murderer, and during their epic battle they end up frozen under the snow. Three centuries later they are thawed in modern-day Hong...
Fast Times at Ridgemont High was a noteworthy and very popular film among teenagers at the time of its release. Although it’s a bit dated, it’s one of those movies that shouldn’t be overlooked...
1980s / Comedy / Drama / Romance
by Vincent Leo · Published March 28, 1998 · Last modified January 14, 2019
An obsessive news producer (Hunter, Raising Arizona) begins to fall for the handsome but shallow TV anchorman (Hurt, Body Heat) who promotes the type of “news as entertainment” qualities she has been working against her whole career. While...
The plot: Heart surgeon Richard Walker and his loving wife Sondra travel to Paris where he is scheduled to speak at a medical convention. In their hotel room, they discover that his wife picked...
The story: A writer (Dreyfuss, Jaws) reminisces about his journey with three of his friends to find the missing body of a dead boy when they were twelve. Stand by Me is a simple story (based on...
All About Ah-Long is worth a look not only by fans of Chow Yun-Fat but also for those interested in the early works of Johnny To, one of the better directors working in Hong Kong...
Reviews from film writer Vince Leo, covering all eras and genres of films from classics to the latest releases.
Film reviews from Vince Leo, from classics to new releases, since 1996.
