[4] Peter Hyams (Capricorn One, The Relic) tackles Arthur C. Clarke’s sequel novel. It is, of course, a fool’s errand to follow so closely in the footsteps of Stanley Kubrick and his revolutionary and revered 2001: A Space Odyssey, but for whatever reason, that errand was run. And for a while, 2010‘s not so bad. 2001 leaves a lot of mystery in its wake, so …
[6] John Stockwell (Christine) stars as a teenage motor head who steals a bizarre piece of alien technology from a local junk yard to try and pass off as his high school science project. Trouble is, the device keeps depleting its surrounding of any electrical charge. And the more energy it consumes, the more it begins tampering with the space-time continuum. Before long, Stockwell and …
[5] Sidney Lumet (Network, Dog Day Afternoon) directs the true story of a New York cop seeking redemption for some corrupt deeds. The undercover cop, played by Treat Williams, reluctantly becomes an informant for a special investigatory committee, only to have the committee strong-arm him into ratting out his friends and fellow cops. Williams is all right in the role, but I feel that perhaps …
[6] Prince and his Revolution members all play roles in this rock opera that’s equal parts cheese and cool. If you love Prince’s music (that is, if you have a pulse), that’ll be enough for you to enjoy the movie. It’s basically a concert movie where half the songs are performed and half serve as score behind the loose narrative. The script works best when …
[8] The film adaptation of Robert Harling’s play is unabashedly melodramatic, nostalgic, and sentimental. Some of those qualities usually annoy the hell out of me, but the ensemble of great actresses and the slew of memorable one-liners make Steel Magnolias hard to resist. I care less about the dramatic Sally Field/Julia Roberts center story (mother, daughter, wedding, pregnancy, illness, blah) and more about the group …
[8] After tackling fantasy in The Neverending Story, director Wolfgang Petersen turned to science-fiction in this intimate tale of opposing fighter pilots who crash-land on a dangerous planet together. Dennis Quaid plays the human, and Louis Gossett Jr plays the alien, unrecognizable under Chris Walas’ incredible prosthetic makeup. The screenplay wisely spends the first two-thirds of the movie building a bond between the characters, taking …
[7] Eric Stoltz, Mary Stuart Masterson, and Lea Thompson star in this Howard Deutch-directed film from writer/producer/’80’s teen titan’ John Hughes. Stoltz is a high schooler pining for a popular girl (Thompson), all while his tom-girl best friend pines for him (Masterson). Masterson has the juiciest part here, too afraid to tell her buddy that she loves him. You gotta give Thompson credit for riding …
[7] It’s rare, but here we have a remake that is better than the original. Kevin Dillon stars as a high school boy trying to warn his community that a blobular alien is devouring everyone in its sight. There are a few corny moments I could have done without (the motorcycle jump, for one), but Chuck Russell’s (Nightmare on Elm Street 3: The Dream Warriros) …
[6] In order to make The Dark Crystal, Jim Henson and company first had to make the financiers a sequel to their successful Muppet Movie. And so The Great Muppet Caper was born. It’s not as epic or inspirational as the first film, and the songs are nowhere near as magical either, but the sequel isn’t too shabby in its own right. Kermit, Fozzy, and …
[7] This is the kind of ’80s cheese that works for me. Virginia Madsen plays a girl trapped in Catholic school. Craig Sheffer plays a convict in a correctional camp pretty close to Madsen’s school. The two meet in the woods one day, instantly fall for one another, but can’t get any mackin’ time for all the nuns and nasty wardens. So they plot a …
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