1980’s

[7] Director Kathryn Bigelow (Strange Days, The Hurt Locker) serves up a stylish, brooding vampire tale set in the southwest. I dig Bigelow’s tone, atmosphere, and terrific casting. Bigelow tapped into the Aliens ensemble to cast Bill Paxton, Lance Henriksen, and Jenette Goldstein as a family of nomadic vamps. Paxton and Henriksen bring much-needed energy to the somber storytelling in a pair of fearless, over …

[7] The sequel is more of the same, but that’s not always a bad thing. There’s enough talent in front of and behind the cameras in the Lethal Weapon movies to warrant at least one or two entertaining sequels. The plot is a bit less compelling, and the love story with Patsy Kensit is haphazardly tacked on, but there’s plenty of action and fun banter …

[8] Mel Gibson and Danny Glover star in this definitive ‘buddy cop’ movie directed by Richard Donner (Superman, The Omen). What sets this apart from its imitators are the well-rounded characters created by screenwriter Shane Black, and the engaging chemistry between Gibson and Glover. Lethal Weapon is a highly polished action flick. In addition to Donner’s slick staging, the film also sports terrific night-time cinematography …

[6] Part two in the Amityville franchise is actually a prequel exploring the grisly deaths of the previous family who lived in the cursed home. The first half of the movie builds to a pretty shocking climax, where the oldest son (Jack Magner) shoots his parents and three siblings to death. The second half is an attempt to immitate The Exorcist, with the family priest …

[8] This is more of a remake than a sequel, but most fans agree that it tops the original. Director Sam Raimi continues his imaginitive use of camera angles and movement, sound effects, and low-budget visual effects, but the winning ingredient is returning star Bruce Campbell. It’s in this film that the character of Ash begins to take on the status of horror movie legend. …

[8] An orphaned teen (Jimmy McNichol) becomes fearful of his aunt (Susan Tyrrell) after she kills a man in their home. But that just scrapes the surface of Butcher, Baker, Nightmare Maker. Add in that the aunt has incestuous desire for the boy and plans to keep him with her forever — full athletic college scholarship be damned. She even starts poisoning him. Also add in that …

[6] An enterprising college business student (John Dye) needs money for tuition fast, so he creates the campus’ first all-male sports calendar, highlighting his high-diving roommate (Steven Lyon). The calendar is a success, but a shady investor and a fashion magazine editor threaten to rock the boat for both students, which in turn puts a strain on their bromance. Campus Man is a cheese-ball of a movie …

[6] A young woman is sent to a reform school with an abusive warden and downwright evil supervisor. She tries her best to stay out of the way of her fellow inmates, including a muscle-bound hard-ass named Charlie (Wendy O. Williams). But eventually, things become too much to bear and the young woman becomes a whistle-blower for the school’s harsh living conditions. Reform School Girls …

[5] Two frat guys take a nerdy kid to Palm Springs for spring vacation after the kid’s dad offers them his condo for the stay. And if they can get the kid laid, the dad will also install a hot tub and jacuzzi at the frat house. You now know everything you need to know about Fraternity Vacation, really. The two frat guys engage in a ‘who …

[7] Once they’re displaced from their dorm by the college’s alpha-male fraternity, a bunch of science geeks take it upon themselves to create a new fraternity and challenge the college’s preferential treatment of jocks. Revenge of the Nerds contains its fair share of puerile humor, sight gags, and obligatory boob shots, but these ploys aren’t what make the movie work. There’s just enough sincerity to …

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