Dead Calm (1989)

Dead Calm (1989)

[8] Aussie director Phillip Noyce (Patriot Games, Clear and Present Danger) spins a Hitchcockian yarn based on a novel by Charles Williams. Dead Calm is a solid thriller that takes place almost entirely on the open waters of the Pacific.…
The French Lieutenant’s Woman (1981)

The French Lieutenant’s Woman (1981)

[4] Meryl Streep and Jeremy Irons star in dual roles, as Victorian lovers and the actors portraying them in a film production. The parallel storylines are a tedious gimmick. We're told half way through the movie that in one story,…
Gorp (1980)

Gorp (1980)

[4] A bunch of teenaged waiters at a Jewish kids' summer camp embark in sexcapades and other whacky shenanigans in this Animal House wannabe. Aside from a charismatic turn from young Dennis Quaid, it turns out to be just another summer…
Back to the Future: Part II (1989)

Back to the Future: Part II (1989)

[6] As the sequel to an almost perfect film, Back to the Future: Part II naturally comes up short. While it lacks the heart and coherence of the first film, it's wild with ideas and invention, both on screen and…
Footloose (1984)

Footloose (1984)

[8] At first sight, you might mistake Footloose for just another teen rebellion movie, but Herbert Ross' (Steel Magnolias) sensitive direction and committed performances from John Lithgow and Dianne Wiest help the film transcend its genre. The story about a town…
Christmas Evil (1980)

Christmas Evil (1980)

[5] As a boy, Harry saw Mommy screwing Santa Claus, which really messed with his brain. As an adult, Harry is obsessed with Christmas. He works at a toy factory, keeps disturbingly close tabs on all the neighborhood children, and…
A Christmas Story (1983)

A Christmas Story (1983)

[8] A boy growing up in 1940's middle-America tries to convince his parents to get him a Red Ryder B.B. gun for Christmas. It's hard to judge a movie that has become a holiday tradition. Growing up, I don't think…
Thrashin’ (1986)

Thrashin’ (1986)

[2] Thrashin' is the quintessential bad '80s movie. There's an anemic plot involving two warring skateboarding gangs and a boy who falls in love with the sister of a rival gang member. It's a goofy Romeo and Juliet on tiny…
The Black Cauldron (1985)

The Black Cauldron (1985)

[5] There was definitely potential. A dark Disney movie based on Lloyd Alexander's Chronicles of Prydain, about a farm boy's brave attempt to stop a demonic king from conquering the land with his army of skeletal warriors? Sign me up!…
The Gate (1987)

The Gate (1987)

[6] Two boys accidentally uncover a portal to hell and then have to fend off the demons that emerge from it. Probably for budgetary reasons, The Gate takes place almost entirely in one house, but the menace really needed to…