Talk Radio (1988)

Talk Radio (1988)

[7] Oliver Stone (Platoon, JFK) directed this underseen and underappreciated stage adaptation about a shock-jock radio deejay (Eric Bogosian) who riles up listeners with his harsh personal criticisms and grim social commentary. Bogosian, who wrote and starred in the one-act play on…
Explorers (1985)

Explorers (1985)

[6] Three junior-high students interpret cryptic messages from outer space to build a ship and make first contact with extra-terrestrials in Explorers. Director Joe Dante (Gremlins, The Howling) launched the notable careers of young co-stars Ethan Hawke (Training Day) and River Phoenix…
The Right Stuff (1983)

The Right Stuff (1983)

[7] Writer/director Philip Kaufman chronicles the birth of the U.S. space program in The Right Stuff, beginning with the breaking of the sound barrier by Chuck Yeager (Sam Shepard) at Edwards Air Force Base in California. Based on Tom Wolfe's novel, the…
Big Trouble in Little China (1986)

Big Trouble in Little China (1986)

[6] Kurt Russell stars as a cocky truck driver who gets embroiled in a mystical adventure beneath San Francisco's Chinatown in this cartoonish action-comedy from director John Carpenter (Starman, The Thing). When the fiancée of a friend (Dennis Dun) is kidnapped by…
Xanadu (1980)

Xanadu (1980)

[6] Singing sensation Olivia Newton-John (Grease) headlines this surreal musical as a supernatural muse who brings a young painter (Michael Beck) and a retired musician (Gene Kelly) together so they can build an extravagant dance club called -- you guessed it --…
The Name of the Rose (1986)

The Name of the Rose (1986)

[7] Sean Connery and Christian Slater star in this 14th century murder mystery set at a remote monastery in Northern Italy. There for an upcoming conference, the two discover a young monk recently died under mysterious circumstances. Connery leads Slater, his young…
Top Secret! (1984)

Top Secret! (1984)

[9] With double-entendres out the wazoo and sight gags out the yin-yang, not to mention a shiny young Val Kilmer dancing and singing his heart out, Top Secret! wins me over. Kilmer plays an Elvis Presley-like crooner set to perform in World…
Stand and Deliver (1988)

Stand and Deliver (1988)

[7] In this film based on a true story, Edward James Olmos (Battlestar Galactica, Blade Runner) stars as Jaime Escalante, a math teacher at a Hispanic high school in L.A. As the school is in danger of losing its funding due to…
Sea of Love (1989)

Sea of Love (1989)

[7] Al Pacino stars as a New York detective working with John Goodman to solve a series of murders -- all men shot in the back of the head, face down on their beds, presumably by a woman out for revenge. When…
The Fly II (1989)

The Fly II (1989)

[8] Eric Stoltz (Mask, Some Kind of Wonderful) stars in the sequel to 1986's The Fly, playing the genetically-altered son of Seth Brundle, the scientist who accidentally turned himself into a giant fly in the first movie. Stoltz's character, Martin, shares some…