INTRODUCTION: TERROR ON THE OPEN ROAD Few thrillers tap into primal fear as effectively as The Hitcher (1986). Directed by Robert Harmon and starring C. Thomas Howell and Rutger Hauer, the film is a bleak, brilliant slice of roadside horror that starts at 60 mph and never lets up. Lean, mean, and terrifying, The Hitcher … Read More “The Hitcher (1986) — A Relentless, Nightmarish Road Trip Through American Fear” »
INTRODUCTION: A MEDIEVAL MUD BATH OF MISERY Flesh+Blood (1985), directed by Paul Verhoeven, is a grimy, cynical, blood-soaked epic set in the early 1500s. On paper, it sounds thrilling: a medieval tale of betrayal, lust, plague, and revenge, brought to life by the Dutch provocateur behind RoboCop and Total Recall. Unfortunately, what could have been … Read More “Flesh+Blood (1985) — A Brutal Misfire Drenched in Grit and Gimmick” »
INTRODUCTION: WHERE’S THE DRIVE? Grandview, U.S.A. (1984) is a strange, sputtering little film that wants to be many things at once—a coming-of-age drama, a quirky small-town romance, and an underdog story set against the backdrop of demolition derby culture. But despite an impressive cast, including Jamie Lee Curtis, C. Thomas Howell, and Patrick Swayze, the … Read More “Grandview, U.S.A. (1984) — A Quaint, Clunky Misfire With a Wasted Cast” »
INTRODUCTION: ONE JOKE, MANY LAUGHS Rodney Dangerfield’s comedic persona was always rooted in the underdog—the guy who gets no respect, the schlub with a belly full of pastrami and a head full of complaints. In Easy Money (1983), Dangerfield takes that persona and builds a whole movie around it, delivering a raucous, occasionally clumsy, but … Read More “Easy Money (1983) — Rodney Dangerfield Earns Laughs the Hard Way” »
INTRODUCTION: VIOLENCE, VOYEURISM, AND VENGEANCE Released in 1981 during the golden age of slasher cinema, Eyes of a Stranger doesn’t carry the household-name recognition of a Friday the 13th or Halloween, but it deserves more credit than it gets. Directed by Ken Wiederhorn and written by Ron Kurz (who also penned Friday the 13th Part … Read More “Eyes of a Stranger (1981) — A Gritty, Underrated Gem of Early ’80s Horror” »
INTRODUCTION: COMEDY IN KHAKI Few comedies have captured the irreverent, anti-authoritarian spirit of the early 1980s as perfectly as Ivan Reitman’s Stripes (1981). A quintessential slacker joins the Army. That’s the pitch. But thanks to an electric Bill Murray, a crackling script by Harold Ramis and Daniel Goldberg, and the comic sensibilities of a director … Read More “Stripes (1981) — Bill Murray’s March to Comedic Glory” »
INTRODUCTION: A COMEDY TRAPPED IN UNIFORM Private Benjamin (1980) is a film built on a one-joke premise: what happens when a spoiled, pampered woman suddenly finds herself in the military? Unfortunately, once the film plays that card—early and often—it never figures out what to do with the rest of the deck. Starring Goldie Hawn in … Read More “Private Benjamin (1980) — A Premise With Promise, Derailed By Its Own Gimmick” »
INTRODUCTION: A DIFFERENT KIND OF SPORTS MOVIE There are films that focus on the glory of sport, and then there are films like Breaking Away (1979), which use sport as a lens to explore something much more human: class struggle, identity, and the painfully funny, often beautiful journey of figuring out who you are. Directed … Read More “Breaking Away (1979) — Pedaling Through Class, Identity, and Coming of Age” »
INTRODUCTION: LOUD, PROUD, AND UNFOCUSED The late 1970s gave birth to some of the most memorable cult films ever made. Some of them were genre-defining classics (The Warriors, Alien), while others achieved midnight movie status through sheer audacity or accident. Then there’s Rock ‘n’ Roll High School (1979), a film so loud, chaotic, and juvenile … Read More “Rock ‘n’ Roll High School (1979) — A Sonic Mess with a Soles Highlight” »
INTRODUCTION: A ROAD TRIP TO NOWHERE There’s a peculiar breed of film from the late 1970s that tries to blend introspection with structureless storytelling—a sort of pseudo-European moodiness filtered through American self-help culture. Old Boyfriends (1979) is one of them. Directed by Joan Tewkesbury (best known as a screenwriter for Robert Altman’s Nashville) and starring … Read More “Old Boyfriends (1979) – A Meandering Therapy Session in Search of a Plot” »
