Jaws 2 (1978)
[8] For a studio-enforced, obligatory sequel to a damn-near perfect film, you could do a lot worse than Jaws 2. (Try Jaws 3 or Jaws 4!) The first half of the movie embroils us in the affairs of the Brody…
Force 10 from Navarone (1978)
[5] Robert Shaw and Edward Fox reprise the roles originated by Gregory Peck and David Niven in The Guns of Navarone for this matinee adventure sequel. Shaw and Fox are led by Harrison Ford as a U.S. Colonel and joined…
Heaven Can Wait (1978)
[5] A light, fluffy, inconsequential comedy about a man who dies and is given the opportunity to return to life in another man's body. The movie works best during it's 'fish out of water' scenes, where Warren Beatty interacts with…
Superman: The Movie (1978)
[9]
This was the first blockbuster superhero movie (for better and for worse) and I doubt there will ever be a better film adaptation for the Man of Steel. Under Richard Donner’s (The Omen, Lethal Weapon) direction and good taste, Superman is a winning blend of action, drama, charm, and yes, camp. The first forty minutes are emotionally powerful, more than any other comic book adaptation I’ve ever seen. I get choked up every time I watch this movie, whether it’s seeing Marlon Brando (as Jor-El) say goodbye to his son before sending him away from their doomed home world, watching the Kent family deal with the death of Jonathan Kent, or the gorgeous wheat field scene where Clark tells Ma Kent it’s time for him to go.
Midnight Express (1978)
[8] Brad Davis (Querelle, Chariots of Fire) stars in this true story about an American named Billy Hayes who was sent to a dehumanizing Turkish prison for trying to smuggle hash over the border. Originally sentenced to four years, Hayes…