This will probably be the most serious movie I’ve ever viewed and reviewed for your nostalgic pleasure.

Fort Apache the Bronx is a 1981 American crime drama film directed by Daniel Petrie. The film is about a hard-drinking, lonely veteran cop, Murphy (Paul Newman), and his young partner Corelli (Ken Wahl), who work in a crime-ridden precinct in The Bronx. Although Murphy’s life takes a good turn when he falls in love with Isabella (Rachel Ticotin), a young nurse, the arrival of a new, law-and-order-minded police captain commanding the precinct, Connoly (Ed Asner) threatens to tip the neighborhood’s delicate balance into anarchy. Danny Aiello, Kathleen Beller, and Pam Grier play supporting roles. It was written by Heywood Gould and produced by Martin Richards and Thomas Fiorello, with David Susskind as executive producer.
It was filmed on locations in the Bronx.
– Wikipedia

The nineteen-seventies and eighties were turbulent times for the people of New York City. Before the Covid problem and the restrictions on society that came with it, before the towers fell and the Patriot Act open the doors and windows into our private lives, New York City was a bankrupt, filthy, impoverished and crime infested city with bombed out buildings, lack of order and neighborhoods controlled by local gangs of children from the neighborhoods. And among one of the worst areas in the city outside of Brooklyn was the South Bronx.

Fort Apache the Bronx is a very straight forward gritty 70’s style film about being a police officer in those times. Our protagonists and antagonists are all fleshed out and given motivations and flaws with some very witty and poignant dialogue. No one is truly pure in this film, it is very pessimistic and bleak but, with pockets of joy and sadness, regret and grief in the marrow of the stories and perspectives within.

Paul Newman gives an amazing performance that carries the emotional weight of the piece.

All shot on location in the BX and features legendary Puerto Rican writer, poet and actor Miguel Pinero in a minor but scene stealing role.

I loved this movie. It’s another slice of life from a time I lost a long time ago. It’s my memory lane and my nostalgic fix.
Stay safe, stay distant but don’t forget to be human beings and keep your finger on that REWIND BUTTON.

Fort Apache the Bronx
https://youtu.be/VGDh69tzD1M

When director Steven Spielberg came together with conceptual story writers George Lucas and Philip Kaufman and screenwriter Lawrence Kasdan, what initially started out as a tribute to Republic Pictures serials became much more. With an estimated budget of $20,000,000, the film has since grossed $350,000,000+ theatrically, not including rentals and home purchase. As the number one film of 1981, Raiders set the new standard for family-friendly adventure tales. What is the premise? It’s 1936, and the Nazis are searching for the famed Ark of the Covenant of the Bible. The United States government authorizes skeptical Indiana Jones to find the Ark before they do. It’s simple, but the adventure story, having elements of action, comedy, romance, and horror, still enthralls nearly four decades later.

Who is Indiana Jones? He is our charming protagonist portrayed by Harrison Ford. However, he is neither a John Wayne-like white hat-type, nor is he Clint Eastwood-like anti-hero. He’s intelligent, but finds himself in situations where sometimes it takes a combination of ability and chance to triumph. He has no qualms of “fighting dirty” when he is being pressed. He’s a bit of a scoundrel in his dealings with females. He has a determination to reach his goals, but his attitude along the journey is typified, as he says to his friend Sallah (John Rhys-Davies), “I’m making it up as I go along.”

Ford is not known as one of the top actors, in the sense of possessing great range of character portrayal. However, one should take note of his facial expressions and body language when he displays triumph after retrieving relics, shows fear in the presence of snakes, and oozes contempt for his rival Belloq (Paul Freeman). In contrast with other action stars, Ford portrays the character with a sense of vulnerability. After the truck chase scene, he reveals his physical pain and general weariness to his love interest, Marion (Karen Allen). He becomes more identifiable to the every-man in the audience.

This brings us to the other characters of the film. What can be said of Marion Ravenwood that hasn’t been said many times before by other viewers?  She’s tough, spunky, stubborn, but full of charm. All of these qualities are depicted in her introductory scene in Nepal. The audience gets an inkling of her past frayed relationship with Indy. Still, despite her conflicted feelings toward Indy, the audience knows that the two are meant for each other. The peril of the adventure will reignite the flames of romance.

The viewer also gets to glimpse further at Indy’s personal life with his interactions with his friends Marcus Brody (Denholm Elliott) and Sallah. The film’s antagonists round out the cast. There’s Toht (Ronald Lacey), the mysterious and brutal Gestapo agent, Col. Dietrich (Wolf Kahler), the leader of the excavation, and Belloq, the French rival archaeologist, who has his own agenda for finding the Ark.

There are other aspects that truly elevate this film from just a fun romp to classic status. John Williams’s score, like his Star Wars music, not only fits the film, but lives outside the screen. Of course, nearly everyone is familiar with the rousing “Raiders March.” If you can’t crack a grin while that plays, you might want to check your vital signs. However, I encourage one to pay similar attention when the “Ark Theme” plays. It gives off a tone of wonder, spiritual awe, and ancient eeriness that lingers. Further, one should pay attention to the wind sounds that accompany the theme; it’s as if God has made his presence known. Touching in another way is “Marion’s Theme.” This brief piece brings to mind the melancholy-tinged romance between Indy and Marion.

In recent viewings, I have paid more attention to the cinematography, especially use of lighting and shadows. When Indy first appears on the screen, the audience doesn’t see his face.  He is as a walking shadow until he triumphantly steps into the light after countering one of his treacherous guides. It’s interesting that later in the film Belloq refers to Indy as a reflection of him. One should note that Belloq is nearly always dressed in lighter hues, while Indy is usually dressed in darker shades. When Indy meets Marion, you first glimpse his shadow on the wall before his body is visible. Even a bit later during the bar fight, the viewer sees some of the only in shadow. In contrast, consider the brilliance of light that floods the area when Indy discovers the Ark’s location in the map room.

I can still recall playtime from my childhood where I would swing from my treehouse to my playset mimicking the action of Indiana Jones.  For most of my life, Raiders has been a part of it.  To me, it’s a perfect film. That doesn’t mean there aren’t any goofs. However, it’s a movie that intelligently entertains young and older alike.  It’s a phenomenon that’s hard to duplicate. Yes, there are blockbusters coming out every month, it seems like.  However, most won’t become part of the public consciousness.  If you know a person who hasn’t seen Raiders, introduce them to this classic.  If you’ve seen it, watch it again.  You won’t tire of it.  As Indy says to Marion, “Trust me.”

I don’t even need to say it, but I will… Halloween is on the horizon. Creepy is the current flavor. You can even sort of smell the spooky in the air. Or is that hot wiring and burning plastic? It’s a magical time of year, and not just for adults who like to get drunk in costumes; this is a perfect time to explore the most precarious and mercurial of video gaming’s genres… horror.

There’s a spotty but colorful history inside the history… a scattering of games many of us have never seen or may only have read snippets about on some niche site. Games that never went past domestic in their home country, or were considered too strong in tone for Westerners (that’s a good one…). In any case, I’ve collected a small selection of horror games that may be new to some, but definitely play an often-overlooked role in the history of the hobby.

In ’81, a Taito contract worker named Akira Takiguchi wrote a program for the PET 2001 called Nostromo. As you may guess by the title, the game was strongly inspired by 1979’s Alien. The player must attempt to escape from a spacecraft that has been invaded by an alien monster… that’s completely undetectable unless it is directly in front of you. You must somehow avoid this alien even seeing you, AND rely on limited resources. In fact, in certain scenarios, you won’t have what you need to escape, and have no choice but to simply wait to be eaten. The program was ported to the PC-6001, and in fact the only image related to the game that I could find is that version’s box art. Sadly, I also could not find anything close to an English translation or a modern port.

This is it. This is the box art. Not even too creepy, until you think about it. Think about it materializing in front of you just as you’re reaching an airlock door, and think about what kind of horrible fucking mouthparts it must be hiding beneath those Arthur C Clarke fiber optic dreads.

Another endeavoring horror game that never made it west was Shiryou Sensen: War of the Dead. Produced by Fun Factory in 1987, this game combines horror, RPG, and side-scrolling action elements. Shiryou Sensen features random encounters not unlike how Final Fantasy or Dragon Quest functions; these battles, however, are waged from a side-scrolling perspective similar to that of Zelda II. The management of limited resources (namely ammo) makes the game all the more tense as you attempt to rescue survivors in a town infested by demonic monsters. Released for the MSX, NEC PC-8801, and PC Engine, Shiryou Sensen became part of a successful trilogy – but never left Japan.

Much to my amusement, I also discovered that the 1981 film Evil Dead got the old pixel treatment for the Commodore 64 and the ZX Spectrum in ’85. The overall effect can best be described as “laughable,” and it seems that both contemporary and modern critics elsewhere agree with me. It astounds me that there was any demand for this game four years after the film’s release… but hey, there really is no accounting for taste. One quick browse through prime time TV proves that.

1986 brought us Castlevania, while Splatterhouse came along (actual controversy and all) two years later. Plenty of people were impressed by the latter’s gore and monsters… but you ain’t played shit ’til you’ve gotten your hands on an English translation of 1989’s Sweet Home for the Famicom/NES. It’s hard to accept that Capcom, who produced the cute and friendly Megaman, could have a hand in something so gruesome. In this RPG (created by future Resident Evil maestro Tokuro Fujiwara), your team must try to unravel the mystery of a cursed house through puzzles and fifty-year-old diary entries… all while battling horrible monsters and risking permanent death. Unlike so many RPGs, there are no Phoenix Downs or shrines in Sweet Home… only monsters, melting, and unremitting horror. I’ve swiped a few gifs, since mere stills do this game no honor…

And I could go on from there, but I think we’ve seen enough. These are a few of the games that wait for us, lurking in forgotten corners dark and deep. We will, I hope, fall prey to countless more.

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Sam Haine is simply a writer born on the East Coast who enjoys cooking. He is the contributor of the monthly Retro Movie Review and the recurring ‘Remember This…’

email: sa*******@**********ve.com

James Caan” Thief Movie Poster (1981)

I know it’s late. It’s late in the month; it’s late in the evening and it’s time to tune into this month’s Retro Movie, Michael Mann’s THIEF 1981. 

            Michael Mann’s directorial debut (also screenwriter, producer) about a career criminal, thief, safe cracker, set on the streets of Chicago. 

            Frank (the thief) played by James Caan, in one of his best performances, lives life one score at a time. To the everyday world he’s just a used car salesman. He is single with no real companionship other than his accomplice played by James Belushi. He takes jobs when the money looks right. He cracks safes, bi-passes security and figures out the angles of entry for the big payoff. 

           Frank is the hopeless dreamer you often find at the center of some neo-noirs. Ever since being released from prison his only goal is to never go back and by any means necessary fulfill some kind of stability. He keeps a makeshift collage of pictures in his wallet to remind himself of the things he wishes to have. Things that most of us take for granted, like a home, a family, a new beginning. 

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            James Caan has stated in some interviews that this is one of his favorite roles and the most difficult – “I like to be emotionally available but this guy is available to nothing.” James Caan’s emotional several-minute monologue with Weld in a coffee shop is often cited as the film’s high point, and Caan has long considered the scene his favorite of his career. 

            The film is also the film debut of former Chicago Police Officer and late actor Dennis Farina. Farina who later starred in 1986’s Manhunter and Mann’s short-lived TV series Crime Story, plays a henchmen to Robert Prosky’s  Leo chara

cter. Robert Prosky, who auditioned numerous times, delivers a cold-blooded portrayal of a hardened crime boss with the keys to the kingdom for a price. William Petersen makes a brief appearance as a night club bouncer. 

            Roger Ebert described Thief as “one of the most intelligent thrillers I’ve seen” and gave the film 3.5 out of 4 stars, writing that the film’s only major flaw was a failure to develop the subplot featuring Willie Nelson’s character. 

            The film is based on the 1975 novel The Home Invaders: Confessions of a Cat Burglar by “Frank Hohimer” (the pen name of real-life jewel thief John Seybold). As Hohimer, Seybold served as the technical advisor on the film’s Chicago set, with FBI warrants outstanding. 

            The films score was composed by Tangerine Dream and is the first of a long string of classic film scores from the group including Sorcerer, Risky Business, The Keep, Firestarter, Near Dark and Legend. 

            The film is a must have for any fan of the neo-noir or crime film genre. The lighting and use of shadows and music would later be signature traits of Michael Mann’s future films. This is a must watch. A must watch. 

            Normally I’d put a trigger warning or some type of disclaimer here reminding you that you are watching a great film from a time when films were great expressions of collaborative art. There will be harsh language in this film and depictions of violence because; it’s a film about criminals and what professional criminals actually do. 

            Now take off your shoes and relax your feet and recline back into your lazy-chairs with the mug of hot milk that reads “Best Mom Ever” and press play. This month’s Retro Movie is THIEF(1981) directed by Michael Mann and starring James Caan, Tuesday Weld, Willie Nelson, James Belushi and Robert Prosky. Stay sharp, looks smart, keep it cool and always keep your finger on that Rewind Button.