Ruffian riders immediately overrun the peaceful scenery of old west California at the story's start. Clint Eastwood drops the viewer into a conflict between gold mining interests headed by Coy LaHood (Richard Dysart), and a dwindling group of settlers trying to make their way as
With a shocking heist and car chase, the film blasts the viewer into the action. This doesn’t let up for the first ten minutes. At first, one may think that Jack Sholder's The Hidden is just another 80s action flick. But after the cool down
Though media and technology have advanced, the themes that David Cronenberg chooses to focus on in his 1983 film Videodrome have not only remained relevant, but they seem more prescient. The director eyes the relations between humanity and the video world in the sci-fi body
“Be afraid. Be very afraid.” These quoted words from The Fly resonate beyond the film. In fact, most people likely don’t even know the origin of the quotation. Still, despite the warning, director David Cronenberg invites the audience to view something beyond horror and science
Back in 1982, director Ridley Scott dropped the audience into the then-future world of 2019 Los Angeles. It’s a seedy environment of perpetual darkness, rain, and urban sprawl. In this sci-fi noir, the police bring Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford) back into work after a self-imposed
In recent years, I’ve seen a small backlash against the character Ferris Bueller. One sometimes hears the trite, overused buzzwords such as “out-of-touch,” “entitled,” and “privileged." I remonstrate against this dismissive characterization of one of the most potent symbols of youthful exuberance and freedom. Both
Howard Deutch’s return to teen drama after Pretty in Pink shows him again in top form in his sophomore effort. John Hughes also brings his top writing game, providing probably even more memorable dialogue. They were also able to bring their full creative vision of
A common misconception is that John Hughes directed the romantic comedy Pretty in Pink. The famed director did serve as scriptwriter, so his touches are sprinkled throughout this Brat Pack feature. However, director Howard Deutch handled his script well enough to land a charming debut
In the spring of 1989, a film that was supposed to make waves in the creature feature genre only made ripples. Critically lambasted, George P. Cosmatos’s Leviathan didn’t even make its budget back in theatrical revenues. It didn’t help that it was the year of
There’s no rest and relaxation for the terrorized couple featured in the tense 1989 Australian thriller Dead Calm. A time of recovery in grief becomes a fight for life when they come across a man with a dark secret. How will they survive in the middle
What more can be said about this now-much praised film than has already been said? Very few films have gone through such a drastic critical and popular reappraisal as John Carpenter’s The Thing. Mainstream and genre film critics severely criticized the film when released on
Alternate history allows a reader not only to contemplate the past. It also makes one think upon the current culture and contrast its positives and negatives. This is what Kingsley Amis’s novel The Alteration does. It, however, comments on much more: the nature of freedom,