#1 DUNE part 2:

#2 Shogun (FX series)
Based on the 1975 novel by James Clavell, previously adapted into a 1980 miniseries. the ensemble cast includes Hiroyuki Sanada, Cosmo Jarvis, Anna Sawai, Tadanobu Asano, Takehiro Hira, Tommy Bastow, and Fumi Nikaido. Featuring a mostly Japanese cast with majority of the dialogue in the Japanese language, Shogun is different. When I say “different”, I mean Different. The writing on this series was out-of-this-world. The production, the cinematography – oh my.

#3 X-MEN 97’
The return of the X family! I was already withdrawn from any hope or confidence in Disney. The aches and pains of super-hero fatigue was set into the muscles like knots and Charlie horses. Marvel or the MCU had abused my fandom with endless insults to character I’d grown up reading from the Mandarin, to Black Panther even the Midnight Sons before you even saw the Midnight Sons. It was all just an endless reel after reel of jokes, flashing lights and 2-dimensional storylines. However, my depression was thrashed against a cliff when X-MEN 97 premiered. It was everything I didn’t know I needed and improved upon. The Summers Family fractured and reunited, Magneto proved right by the season finale, Storm cementing her position as an Omega level goddess and humanity always destined to betray themselves and be prey to their own prejudices. 10 out of 10.

#4 Longlegs
The highest grossing independent film of 2024, directed by Osgood Perkins and starring Maika Monroe, Nicolas Cage, Blair Underwood, Alicia Witt. A police procedural horror film set during the nineteen-nineties that follows an FBI investigation into a serial killer that is behind a series of murders involving fathers that murder their entire family before themselves. Osgood’s last feature film Blackcoats Daughter already established him as a new voice in the horror genre with moody tones, color pallets and storytelling. Recommended for fans of X-Files, Kolchak, Millennium and Angel Heart.

#5 MAXXXINE
The heavily anticipated direct sequel to X and Pearl came like a peeper in an x-rated booth. This final entry in the trilogy is full-blown 80s degeneracy: pastels, dayglow, hairspray, porn, vhs, sex cults and cocaine. I have one disagreement with anyone that has reviewed or critiqued this film – this is not just a slasher film, this is Giallo. Giallo (Italian: [ˈdʒallo]; pl.: gialli; from giallo, lit. ’yellow’) is a genre of murder mystery fiction that often contains slasher, thriller, psychological horror, psychological thriller, sexploitation, and, less frequently, supernatural horror elements. Mia Goth is front and center once-again delivering a knockout performance.

#6 Late Night with the Devil
The new Halloween cult classic. If I had seen this film on youtube, I would have sworn that this was a lost episode of Tales from the Darkside. It’s always good to see David Dastmalchian (Suicide Squad, Dark Knight, Animals) in a leading role. He is a very talented actor and always brings a worth-watching performance to his characters. The film is as analog and minimum as you can get up until the film act, prior to that this is a great paced chamber play about the foils of success and the price of one’s soul. Watch it.

#7 Terminator Zero
Let me tell you. Let me tell you. This is the only anime on my list and I loved it. Let us be real and honest, Terminator movies haven’t been good since T2. All of them suck. The Sara Connor chronicles and Dark Fate gets a light pass but, it’s been a dead franchise for decades. That is until now. Terminator Zero has a fresh setting, new characters, new possibilities, and a more philosophical examination of Judgement Day. I loved it. Loved it. If they do make a new season I’ll be there (for better or worse) but, if this is a one and done – I am okay with that. Animation services were provided by Production I.G under the direction of Masashi Kudō. The eight-episode series premiered on August 29, 2024.

#8 Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice
Finally a movie that respects Michael Keaton enough to revisit one of his more iconic roles unlike the recent Flash movie that wasted the return of 89’ Batman to a throwaway character.  Beetlejuice 2x is a fun sequel to a beloved Halloween film from our childhoods. Winona Ryder and Catherine O’Hara anchor this Psycho-comedic romp with refreshing performances by Jenny Ortega and Justin Theroux. A definite rental.

#9 Alien Romulus
Claustrophobic, sci-fi horror is back. A good mixture of practical effects, digital effects, mood, setting and performances certifies this as worthy Alien film. Romulus isn’t a perfect movie or a great movie. It is simply a good entry in the franchise that tries to bridge the mythos of the Alien and Prometheus timelines together once and for all. Biggest criticism might be the final boss but, most definitely the shoehorning of Ian Holms android model from the original alien film. Overall a 7 out of 10. Biggest question yet to be answered – Where the hell is David?

#10 Love Lies Bleeding
A tumultuous, lurid, gritty, unwashed yet absurdly abstract crime film and queer romance. This is the eighties that people don’t talk about. The rural out of town trailer park eighties, when the furniture had plastic on the cushions with cigarette burns to match the stench in the air and stains on the wall in the family room. Pickup truck heaven and lunch always came fresh from a can of frank n beans. Kristin Stewart stars in this glittery backdoor love story as a young adult dealing with a dysfunctional and criminal family and working at the local gym, mopping floors, cleaning toilets and hustling juice to her clientele. Her options seem dire until she meets Jackie (Katy O’Brian) a transient body builder with her own past and demons. Both fall in love and try to break out of the cycle of violence that plagues them both. Also starring Ed Harris, Dave Franco and Jenna Malone.

This will be a list of both television/streaming series and full length films that premiered in the year 2023.

1. PLUTO : A Netflix original mini-series based on the acclaimed manga by Naoki Urasawa. Pluto is a retelling of a story arc from the pages of Astroboy by Ozama Tezuka. A riveting story that should be talked about a lot more. Don’t expect the Saturday Morning cartoon formula. This is a masterpiece with brilliant and poignant references to our current geopolitical climate, debates on A.I., Civil Rights, life & death, PTSD and the costs of war on the spirit. Anime of the year.
   
2. Dungeons & Dragons (Honour Among Thieves) : A quick and straight to the point adventure starring Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez, Hugh Grant, Sofia Lillis and Rege-Jean Page as your typical D&D table-top party archetypes. Not too dark and not too comedic with wonderful landscapes and action set-pieces. Worth the viewing.
   
3. Super Mario Bros the Movie: What a wonderful and beautiful film. The textures and amazing animation painted with the most beautiful colors I’ve seen since Children of the Sea. The story is what you’d expect and that’s fine. The voice actors did their thing here and performed nicely according to the script. A must watch on psychedelic stimulants.
   
4. Barbie: I heard it was good. I interviewed over a dozen people about it with 19 out of 20 giving positive responses. It has to be good to earn $1.4 billion dollars. Good job. Keeps that momentum going.
   
5. Town Called Malice (series): Created by Nick Love (Football Factory, The Business, The Firm) for Sky Max. The series premiered on 16 March 2023, with the full set of episodes being made available on Now. Jason Flemygn and Martha Plimpton star with an ensemble cast as a family living the life in the 1980s on the coast of Spain only to be entangled with the criminal underworld of their new home. Stylized Neon Crime.
   
6. TMNT Mutant Mayhem : The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles characters created by Peter Laird and Kevin Eastman. A reboot of the Turtles film series, it was directed by Jeff Rowe and co-directed by Kyler Spears, from a screenplay and story written by Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, and Rowe, with Dan Hernandez and Benji Samit co-writing the former and Brendan O’Brien the latter. Acid dripped animation not too different from the Spiderverse films featuring Miles Morales. The turtles battle in and under the streets of New York City against the schemes of villains like Baxter Stockman and henchmen including Bebop & Rocksteady.
   
7. Scott Pilgrim Takes OFF: A collaboration between Netflix and Japanese animators, Takes Off is a retelling of the original graphic novel as well the live-action film. The entire cast returns to lend their voices to the story. Still streaming on Netflix.
   
8. Yu Yu Hakusho : Like it or not Netflix is determined to bring a lot of your favorite Toonami series to life. The beloved Yu Yu Hakusho has been adapted in live-action. However, there is one drawback. This is a very short season with a lot of character development from the anime crammed, if not rushed, into these episodes. I am no uber-fan of live-action animes but, it’s been hit and miss with Netflix with the Death Note adaptation being its worse while the live-action One Piece had a good launch with some if not most fans. Hopefully, Netflix can continue to improve with the upcoming Avatar: the Last Airbender series soon to premiere on the streaming app.
   
9. Totally Killer : The Retro Slasher Comedy from Blumhouse came like a whisper and tickled every remember-berry I could have. First off, Kiernan Shipka is always going to give you a good performance and she doesn’t disappoint. The film will seem like just a slasher back to the future rehash but, at the halfway point it does start to pick up the pace and plays out into being a pretty entertaining film. Still streaming on Amazon Prime, worth a watch.
   
10. Jewel Thief (Documentary) : Now this is a film that I started watching out of boredom and boy is it a helluva documentary. Gerald Blanchard the infamous international jewel thief and con-artist is a tale that spans three decades and is documented in this brilliant documentary on HULU with testimonies from associates, victims and law enforcement local, federal and international. This is an absolutely recommendation for true crime fans and those looking to remember a simpler time in their yesteryears. Too good to miss.

And there it is your list of (in my opinion) the best in retro for the year 2023. Stay cool, Stay Classy, Stay Chill and remember never take your finger off that REWIND button.  

“Look forward to more reviews and Fish Scale in the 2024.”

The cult classic Toxic Avenger was first released in 1984. It’s a campy black comedy superhero film that follows the misadventures of your standard 80s nerd who falls into a vat of toxic waste. He ends up becoming the beloved Toxie – a horribly disfigured crime fighter sporting a sultry new voice, super strength, a heart of gold, and special hatred for evildoers. The original Toxic Avenger gained notoriety for its insane levels of deliciously cheesy gore – and even cheesier one-liners. It spawned The Toxic Avenger Part II, The Toxic Avenger Part III: The Last Temptation of Toxie, and Citizen Toxie: The Toxic Avenger IV. There’s even been a Toxic Avener musical, a kids TV series, and a Marvel comic run!

We reviewed the classic Toxic Avenger a few years ago, (check out this article for even more awesome Toxie history!) So, needless to say, we are totally pumped about the new release! Here’s what we know so far:

Toxic Avenger Reboot Release Date:

• Sometime in 2022
• Principal production scheduled to commence on June 21, 2021 in Bulgaria.

Toxic Avenger Reboot Cast:

• Peter Dinklage as Toxie
• Kevin Bacon as the villain
• Elijah Wood
• Julia Davis
• Jonny Coyne 
• Sarah Niles
• Jacob Tremblay
• Taylour Paige

Toxic Avenger Reboot Creators:

• Production Company: Legendary Entertainment
• Producers:  Michael Herz and Lloyd Kaufman (The original Toxic Avengers writer (Kaufman) and directors!)
• Writer & Director: Macon Blair (advised by Lloyd Kaufman)

Of course, there’s always a chance that this reboot could be totally bogus like some other 80s reboots that have happened recently…

However, the original directors on board as producers and advisors to the screenplay writing! The production company is also great, with Legendary Entertainment producing awesome flicks like Pacific Rim, The Godzilla Movies, BlacKkKlansman, Krampus, Interstellar, Inception, The Dark Knight Rises, and many more fantastic films. So, our expectations are sky-high.

We really hope they stick to practical effects for the gore, but only time will tell if the Toxic Avenger reboot is a flop or a sloppy comedy gorefest!

Watch the Full 84′ Toxic Avenger Film Here (for now!)

Doctor Sleep
Wonderful to see people making credible Stephen King adaptations, isn’t it? The Dark Tower left a bad taste in my mouth and sadness at another wasted potential of an Idris Elba performance. However, Idris is doing fine and we are getting good King films. IT volume 1 was a monster when it premiered in theaters and the follow-up, I actually liked. Mike Flanagan seems to be the one person who truly understands how to translate the stories to the big screen. He directed Gerald’s Game which was REALLY GOOD. Mike Flanagan followed that with Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House mini-series to critical acclaim. Now soon to be then 2019 also gave us DOCTOR SLEEP also directed by Flanagan. Based on the novel and sequel to King’s THE SHINING. Doctor Sleep follows Daniel Torrance, now a recovering addict living in seclusion in his mid-age before he is develops a long distance friendship with a young girl via The Shining ability they both share; a Shining that is being hunted by members of the True Knot and their deliciously evil leader. The music is subtly and the story is well contained, distinguishing itself from its predecessor with very well fleshed out characters and antagonists with defined motives and conflicts for the first two acts of the movie before delivering on fanservice with its climax. It’s a slow burning horror movie that delivers on mood and pacing. A MUST WATCH.

Alita: Battle Angel
We all thought it was impossible. There is no way in hell a live-action anime would be good. A lot of us thought and still think Cameron is washed up; that Rodriguez had become a hack. Well we were wrong and ALITA was actually a good movie. The ending to me was a lil mehh, but, it was good. The camera work and CGI was crisp and blended together well and in 3D blurred the lines between flesh and pixel. I even learned to love the anime eyes given to the main character. Good cast, although the love interest was more visual than substance. Rosa Salazar is a much better ALITA than who James Cameron originally wanted for the role (rumor is it was Jessica Alba). It was also nice to always Jennifer Connelly in any film. The last reveal at the end was funny because the entire time I was thinking “How’d they get Julian Lennon to play the main villain NOVA” to be surprised at the end like “Oh it’s him”.

Dolemite is my Name
The story of the man who would become DOLEMITE, The ass kicking, jive-talking, women loving, honky smacking man too badass for two names. My Name is Dolemite stars Eddie Murphy, Wesley Snipes, Keegan-Michael Key, Mike Epps, Craig Robinson, Tituss Burgess, T.I., Chris Rock, Luenell and more. Rudy Ray Moore was a man just getting by who had a dream to become a star. Proving that perseverance, drive and imagination can take you anywhere you want to go. Eddie Murphy is back and R rated. Wesley Snipes, my friends, is amazing in this film – Amazing. Streaming on NETFLIX.

Watchmen on HBO
Now let me be objective. At first there was some pushback from viewers over where the series would go. But, by the final episode of the first season it seems everyone is “All in” over HBO’s WATCHMEN series. Series creator and showrunner Damon Lindelof (The Leftovers) and starring the extremely talented Regina King and co-starring Jeremy Irons, Louis Gossett, Jr. Tim Blake Nelson, Jean Smart and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II. wITH music by NIN. The series took the motifs and layered storytelling of the graphic novel and attempted to tell its own story following up the events of the Alien Squid Attack.
Some reviewers are online calling this the best series of the past few years which I disagree. I mean, MR. ROBOT is killing everything right now in its final season. Watchmen is great. It’s deep. It’ plays with actual history to develop a rich world in an alternate timeline from our own in a very very well executed way. It’s a good show. Let’s see where they take it with season 2, if there is a second season.

The Mandalorian on Disney +
The Star Wars series that’s saving the franchise. Most people don’t like Last Skywalker and some people liked it meanwhile others think it’s the end of the world. But, everyone loves the Mandalorian and Cub… I mean Lonewolf and yoda…. I mean The Mandalorian. What else can I say? It’s Star Wars. It’s full of fan service and the story does seem like a breath of fresh air in a stagnant universe.

On Becoming God in Central Florida
The oddball of the list. On Becoming God in Central Florida is a weird series to pin down. It’s almost like watching a bizarre blend of Roseanne, Northern Exposure, Raising Arizona and the film SHE-DEVIL. Kirsten Dunst hasn’t been this entertaining since 1999’s Drop Dead Gorgeous. Beth Ditto does a very convincing job as the Florida housewife to a man who is trying to become a self-made man. The series set during the 1980s is stacked with classic hits and b-sides on the soundtrack. The fashion is tragic but it is Florida and it was the 80’s.

The resurgence of Classic Jim Henson properties
Jim Henson is classic and always will be. The previous year gave us some great material to chew with a comic book series adapted from the scraped screenplay for a sequel to The Dark Crystal (1982) by Boom Studios titled The Power of the Dark Crystal. There was also that lovely Labyrinth comic book published by Achaia Entertainment. But in 2019 The Jim Henson Company and Netflix joined forces to premiere The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance on August 30, 2019 to critical and audience acclaim. With an all-star cast of too many people to name; including Taron Egerton (Kingsmen), Anya Taylor-Joy (Split), Nathalie Emmanuel (Game of Thrones), Jason Isaacs (Harry Potter), Simon Pegg (Spaced), Mark Hamill (Star Wars), Lena Headey (300) AND more and more and more. Depicting the battle between the Gelflings and the Skeksis on the planet Thra and using state of the art techniques in puppetry and special f/x this was a wet dream for anyone who remembers watching the original film as a child.

Doom Patrol
Doom Patrol was the X-MEN before the X-men. A group of individuals afflicted with extraordinary abilities and handicaps coming together and saving the world, if not themselves. The classic comic book superteam created by Arnold Drake and Bob Haney with Bruno Premiani in 1963 stepped into the live action medium in 2019 on DC Universe. Starring Brendan Fraser, Matt Bomer, Timothy Dalton, Joivan Wade and others. Mixing a healthy dose of humor and plot made this series a binge worthy series to sit my ass down and take in (pause). Brandan Frasier absolutely stands out with his performance as Robotman.

Stranger Things season 3
After a lukewarm reception to Season 2’s drawn out drama with perhaps two many episodes that needed to be shot. Including a throwaway episode that was more X-Men:Runaways than anything that was necessary for that season. Stranger Things came back with a shorter third season with a much more condensed and thought out season that reminded us why we fell in love with these young characters in the first place. Adding more lore and world building into the, retro, suburban lovecraftian story of a group of young teens growing up with the ever-looming threat of apocalypse just around the corner from the UPSIDE DOWN. Characters are better developed and the soundtrack was chosen wisely. Memorable moment: The Neverending Story.

Notable Mention: GODZILLA: KING OF THE MONSTERS
Definitely better than the first GODZILLA movie from Legendary films. However, for those that have seen the movie know that at times KING OF THE MONSTERS gets in its own way too much. There was less Human importance in this film but, still I felt that there could‘ve been just a little bit more Monster carnage and a little less of the shaky camera, night time, quick cut-aways that happen way to often. I mean come on, you wait the whole film for the big showdown at the end and just as they are about to get to the monster mash, they filmmakers decided to park the ass end of a big fat fuck military plane right in the middle of the screen. It was the only complaint I had with the film but enough keep the movie from my top ten.

Scientists claim that we’re currently doing a reasonable job at a mass extinction but not nearly as good as the huge rock that struck Mexico around 65 million years ago. Regardless of what the top five extinctions tell us, the planet is fine, always has been, probably always will be. It appears to have a fairly nonchalant response when it comes to mass extinction. Before you start frantically commenting on why a mass extinction is bad, if they had never taken place, today we would not have sharks and cars, two of my favourite things.

Corvette Mako Shark

That being said, we have to enjoy our short but sweet time here and so far we’ve been pretty busy. Thankfully for me, fellow curious human beings make movies about sharks and cars. Obviously I’m not here to talk about sharks but I was thinking about my favourite retro motors in movies.

Without doubt in my mind Anton Furst’s Batmobile is one of the coolest retro on screen motors of all time. His design work on the bleak metropolis of Gotham was second to none and to have produced a very striking and timeless Batmobile was no mean feat. With inspirations from war machines, aircraft and art deco styling, the final result was the perfect driving machine for a super goth. Batman was charismatic and cool back then, the car was purely an extension of that. With a turbine driving the midnight black machine, it looked every bit intimidating as it did sexy, with its winged rear end and the aircraft like cockpit in the centre.

Twin browning machine guns mounted at the front, armour plating and a grappling hook, need I say more?

The Bat Bastard

In George Millers depiction of the future in Mad Max, a massive percentage of everything has died (Probably including sharks) with the exception of humans and cars. Not just any cars though, modified beasts with armour, guns, spikes and flamethrowers. Whilst there is something refreshing about a world without the Nissan leaf, tax returns, governments and police. The world in which Max lives is rather bleak and unforgiving. What better way to see the day through than mowing down members of a tyrannical biker gang with an armoured, nitro fuelled V8, a Ford Falcon to be exact.

The interceptor was the product of Barry, the seemingly mentally challenged mechanic in Mad Max. Despite his impairment he was quite handy with a spanner and put together what is arguably the meanest looking vehicle for a protagonist. “She’s the last V8, she sucks Nitro!”.

I could go on and mention all the most obvious super star cars, The Back to the Future DeLorean, Ecto 1 or the five hundred bond cars but as a car guy, I think we should all take a moment to remember those unsung heroes of the big screen. Those cars that got people from A-B or a car you saw only for a few seconds before it was blown up by an overzealous director. Knowing what kind of money these relics go for now, I watch some scenes through my fingers.

Take the Ford LTD for example. A large lumbering “yank tank” from as far back as the 60’s, which, in all of it’s variations, ran until the end of the 80s. If you’ve seen any films within this era, you’ve seen many of these land boats smashing into other cars, people, chasing criminals dressed as a smokey or simply driving entire families around in it’s vast expanse of an interior.

For the fans of the synthwave community I guess the go to movie is The Terminator. Kyle Reece came from a future war and needed some muscle. What better vehicle to steal than a sixteen foot long, two and a half ton V8 sedan. With a 0-60mph that could be measured on a sundial, 12 mpg and all the handling of an abused shopping cart, I guess the only bonus was that it was incredibly comfortable. The sheer size and weight was probably Kyle’s saving grace, because if Sarah Conner was born in Europe, Kyle would have stolen a Fiat and subsequently the Austrian death machine would have picked it up and thrown them in the sea.

In a sort of car “cos-play” the Ford LTD has been most memorable in retro movies as the Crown Victoria, in fleet use they were used for primarily police or taxi markets. Again you may remember it as the cop car used to getaway from the T1000 in Terminator 2, similar cruisers in Universal Soldier or from the hundreds of scenes of taxi rides in your favourite movies. The LTD is truly an on screen icon, from action films to crime thrillers, the LTD was stuntman, sidekick, for good guys and bad guys.

Throughout the 70s and 80’s car wrecking was a big draw for Hollywood. Ron Howards Grand Theft Auto (now overshadowed by the multi million dollar gaming franchise) was a wrecking-fest. Dozens of cars, now considered cherished automotive icons, were rolled, crushed and launched into untimely deaths.

If you want to see some of the best chases and stunts, check out Junk Man. Henry Blight Halicki, nickname, Junkman. A stuntman, director and a bit of a lunatic. Using his own vast collection of vehicles, he wrote and starred in Gone in 60 seconds, Junkman and also made a sequel to Gone in 60 seconds, aptly named Gone in 60 seconds 2.

Grab a copy and some popcorn and enjoy some automotive carnage!

Much like poor ol’ Roy Batty, we don’t always get what we want in life. Then again he did live in a world of deep poetic melancholy, sex androids and flying cars. There’s no pleasing everyone.
Christmas shouldn’t be a time of mass consumption but we all should have a wish list for one thing or another though. Having wishes means perhaps you’ll strive to do whatever it is to get there, whether it manifests in reality is another thing but it’s good to have vision.

My wish list has always been cars I guess, as materialistic as it may sound, anyone who has read previous articles knows that this is far from the truth. Driving is an art, car design is art, they bring people together and shared experiences are the best. They become iconic, in the design world and in our everyday worlds, they keep us moving forward.

Cars that appeared on bedroom wall posters, with beautiful women draped over the bodywork for good measure. Cars that evoked vision, adventure and wonderment. They were showcased in quick and clever advertisements that compared them to fighter jet innovation, rousing emotion and almost life changing experiences. Today car commercials are about as exciting as watching someone write a book. Now it’s often some closed road driving sequence with the added excitement of rain to some breathy cover song by a busker.

So without further ado, here is my wish list

1968 Ford Mustang Fastback “Bullitt”

One Saturday afternoon in the late 80s my dad sat me down and produced a VHS tape with the name “Bullitt” written crudely on a TDK white label. He gave me a brief rundown of the plot but the main reason for this little showing was THE car chase. Lieutenant Frank Bullitt is assigned to protect a VIP with a small team. In short, it’s no cakewalk and during the operation Frank is targeted by a couple of hitmen driving a Dodge Charger R/T. The hunted becomes the hunter when Frank turns the chase and manages to ram the men off the road, they then plough into a petrol station and explode, burning to death.

It wasn’t the last shot of the chase that stuck with me, where the passengers hair has nearly all but gone and the sound like bacon sizzling from the cockpit. It was the brutal, snarling sound of the V8 through the streets of San Fran, Steve McQueen’s slick double clutch technique and his effortlessly cool behind the wheel. Because I never shut up about it for the next twelve months, because my dad and I bonded over it, to this day I believe it’d be the first on my list if I won a lottery.

De Tomaso Pantera

I’ve said it before and I’ll said it again, if you don’t walk away from your car and look back at it, you’re driving the wrong car. The De Tomaso Pantera would have me walk away, come back, make sure it’s locked, walk away again, look back, take an easel out and start painting. The Ford V8 in this thing, makes for a jaw dropping start up. I’ve never had the pleasure of driving a Pantera but it is said to be a raw, highly strung machine that doesn’t care much for city driving but would rather be hammering along a highway. Where as the Americans used a big V8 as a tool to get an oversized car moving, the Italians utilized the lump to create a gorgeous display of engineering in the rear of the car. The interior for me is just right too, gated gears, a leather and chrome theme throughout with only a stylish colour palette option. Google it I think you’d agree.

Porsche 911 (930)

I’m ashamed to admit I was young enough to have watched Condorman back in the 80s and enjoyed it. The film didn’t do well at the box office for reasons I haven’t got time for but my lasting memory of this film was the bad guys fleet of murdered out 911’s. Watching these old films now is sometimes hard to watch, cars which now are considered sought after were often beaten like a bad step child. In Condorman, several 911’s were burnt and subsequently thrown off a cliff face.

If like me you browse IMCDb for instances where a car pops up in a film, you would know that Porsche have had a generous mention throughout hollywood and regular TV shows and documentaries. I love the profile of the 930 and the whale tail for me is the icing on the cake. In my dream garage I’d probably use this as a daily, testament to the build quality a large percentage of these classic Porsche’ are still on the road today.

In all honesty I could probably list ten of my dream cars but just these three would have me grinning for a few years. Like and share Retro Motors, comment and tell me what your dream garage would be!

Bertone, like Giugiaro has styled for many manufacturers. Abarth, Alfa Romeo, Aston Martin, Citroën, Ferrari, FIAT, Iso, Lancia, Lamborghini, Mercedes Benz, Opel and Volvo, among others. The family business survived two world wars and carried on with the familiar style, right up until Nuccio Bertone passed in 1997. It was Marcello Gandini, working for Gruppo Bertone, who created the Stratos and presented the radical design to mortals in the 70’s, who could only try and keep up. Powered by the Ferrari Dino 2.4 L V6 engine that was also fitted to the rallying versions, but in a lower state of tune, it resulted in a power output of 190 hp, giving the road car a 0–100 kmh time of 6.8 seconds, and a top speed of 232 kmh (144 mph). The car was sold as the Lancia Stratos HF Stradale.



The Stratos HF was a rally weapon that dominated in its class in the 70’s. It’s worth mentioning now that Gandini also designed the Lamborghini Miura, Countach and Diablo. Three of my favourite vehicles of all time. Check him out on Wikipedia and you’ll probably pick out a few you love to.
The Zero was far too wild for production but it was used in Michael Jacksons Moonwalker and in later life, as a fascinating museum piece.



The Peugeot Oxia

My dad had a late 80’s Peugeot van and although the basic lump in it could probably run on French wine forever, it sounded like a WW2 tank.  
This Oxia was a bit of a golden carrot for car nuts the world over, coaxing them over to Peugeot expecting big things but aesthetics wise, the rest of Peugeot range in the 80s was far from spectacular.



The Oxia would probably see off a number of super cars in the same class today. The styling reminds me of a less brutal looking Saleen S7, or an even more elegant Isdera Commendatore. The exterior was made of carbon fibre, Kevlar, and epoxy-resin composite bonded to aluminium honeycomb and sheet panels, giving the car a lightweight and superb handling. Pushing along the mere 3000lbs is a mid-mounted biturbo 2.8-liter V6 engine with 670 hp and 535 lb-ft , six-speed manual gearbox, AWD, four-wheel steering.
The two-seater cabin was able to provide a continuous airflow even when the car’s engine was not running thanks to the energy stored in the 18 solar cells installed at the base of the windshield. Electrically-adjustable seats and a CD player were also interesting to find on a car from that era, as were the spectacular butterfly doors.

The dash reminds me of the perfectly laid out cockpit of the Nissan Fairlady. The digital green readouts compliment the 80’s grey primary colours and the simplistic, yet flowing lines are quite timeless. I personally think this is perhaps Peugeots best design. I wish we had seen more of them or have it battle it out with another supercar from the same era.

Dome Zero

Dome is worth a mention. (株式会社童夢 Kabushiki Kaisha Dōmu), literally “child’s dream”, is a Japanese-based racing car constructor, involved mainly in open wheel and sports car racing. Back in 1975 Minoru Hayashi started the Dome project and by 1978 The Dome Zero prototype was unveiled the public. The intention was to run a car at Le Man and also produce a small run of sports cars. The Dome Zero, much like the Stratos Zero, was designed with every intention of chopping pedestrians in half. The fascination with wedge shaped cars began well before the 80’s and continued into the 90’s. Space aged lines, full wrap around windscreen, pop up lights and loads of air intakes. It was by no means powerful with its 2.8L L28 SOHC straight-six engine from Nissan producing 143 hp, but it only had to propel a 920 kg (2,028 lb) chassis. With this engine, the Dome Zero offered a power-to-weight ratio that closely matched Porsches of the day.

Although the car inspired many and created a buzz internationally when it was shown, the Dome project was canned after a failed attempt at Le Mans. Dome created the Zero RL which was still pretty crazy looking but failed to finish at Le Mans in ’79 and a last place in 1980.

The inspirational design lived on through the first generation Transformer character Hot Rod and appeared in video games, including Gran Turismo. Since that time though Dome still continues today, competing in various aspects of motorsport. Check out some of their history here on their website.
http://dome-museum.com/category_car.html

Dodge M4S

I couldn’t really write an article about retro concept cars without mentioning the Dodge M4S, more famously known as the car from the movie The Wraith.
Dodge originally built the car as a technology showcase. The Americans are famously known for ignoring certain developing technologies and continuing to use massive engines outputting shameful figures. Although in the case of the M4S, the engine was actually only four cylinders but with an added boost of a twin turbo induction.
The mid-engine car had a tested and confirmed top speed of 194.8 miles per hour (313.5 kmh) and could go from 0 to 60 miles per hour (97 kmh) in 4.1 seconds, with more than 440 horsepower.



The Wraith is a movie you’re going to have to go and watch, if you haven’t already. The M4S in all black is driven by a dead racer, who was killed in shady circumstances and then seeks revenge on the road.
If you’re a car fan the movie is full of interesting and rare machines but undoubtedly the M4S prototype is the rarest. 

The Dodge looked as though it was built for another time but that’s what concepts are for. Designers are here to push the boundaries and stretch out of conformity. Without them, some movies would not have been as iconic, or so memorable. Conceptual artists are still able to let their imaginations run wild and I hope that there is still some room for some road movies. Today we see concepts with more computers and technology than we could ever have imagined, intelligent cars that could propel us even faster. Lets hope that all of the control isn’t all taken away one day. Something about taming materials, constructing something powerful and then taming that, is something that feels right. If only for the Wraith soundtrack alone, grab some popcorn and turn it up!

Now this list took some time to put together, simply becauseof a lot of throwback movies and series, or sequels, this year sucked; … asmuch as a thirst mosquito in a blood bank. It was a difficult process of elimination that was plagued with second thoughts and second looks but, I think I’ve rounded out a decent list of worth contenders.

10.) Temple [A Cyberpunk Thriller]

Temple is directed by Nguyen-Anh Nguyen, the talent director of The Akira Project. Set in the near future, a disease is causing organ rejection in humans. One man must fight to secure cybernetic enhancements to save the life of another. The fights are literal –he has to steal the body parts from others. TEMPLE is the directors first long form project, based on everything he loves; dystopian sci-fi, cyborgs and martial arts with a touch of manga thrown in for good measure. Nguyen is using interest and hype surrounding this short to produce a feature length version of Temple. Definitely worth your time if you’re a fan of Cyberpunk, Blade Runner, StrangeDays, Deus Ex and other I.P.’s.

ADVERT

  9.)   Shin Godzilla –

(also known as Godzilla Resurgence) is a 2016 Japanese science fiction kaiju film featuring Godzilla, produced and distributed by Toho. It is the 31st film in the Godzilla franchise, the 29th Godzilla film produced by Toho, and Toho’s third reboot of the franchise. The film is co-directed by Hideaki Anno (Neon Genesis Evangelion) and Shinji Higuchi (Gamera), with a screenplayby Anno and visual effects by Higuchi. As expected the film was released in Japan to critical acclaim however, fell below the radar here in the west to mixed reviews by mouth breathing Americans who expected something like those superhero and braindead action films being churned out by Hollywood. Summery – Godzilla is the product of nuclear waste in the ocean. 2.) Godzilla absorbs all organic matter i.e. Godzilla he/she can devour human beings. 3.) Pretty fire shooting out its mouth. A near perfect reimagining of the legendary Kaiju.

8.)   Fuller House –

Fuller House is an American family sitcom and sequel to the 1987–95 television series Full House, airing as a Netflix original series. The series centers on D.J. Tanner-Fuller, a veterinarian and widowed mother of three sons, whose sister and best friend—the mother to a teenage daughter—provide support in her sons’ up bringings by moving in with her. Fuller House has received generally unfavorable reviews from television critics. Most of the original series ensemble cast has reprised their roles on Fuller House, either as regular cast members or in guest appearances, with the exception of Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, who alternated in the role of Michelle Tanner on Full House. On December 24, 2016, the series was renewed for a third season that will be released in 2017.

 7.)   Sing Street –

Sing Street is a 2016 musical comedy-drama film written, co-produced and directed by John Carney. Starring Lucy Boynton, Maria Doyle Kennedy, Jack Reynor, Kelly Thornton and FerdiaWalsh-Peelo, the story revolves around a boy starting a band to impress a girl In south inner-city Dublin in 1985. The film also features music of the period from The Cure, A-ha, Duran Duran, The Clash, Hall & Oates, Spandau Ballet,and The Jam. Much of the original music by the band “Sing Street” was composed by 80s veteran composer Gary Clark, with Carney, Ken and Carl Papenfus of the band Relish, Graham Henderson and Zamo Riffman also receiving writing credits.

6.)   The Get Down –

The Get Down is an American web musical drama television series set in the New York City section of the South Bronx in 1977. Created by Baz Luhrmann (Moulin Rouge, Romeo & Juliet) and Stephen Adly Guirgis. The show’s title refers to parts of disco and R&B records that could be repeated using multiple turntables and were enjoyed most by dancers.

5.)   Voltron: Legendary Defender –

An American animated web television series produced by DreamWorks Animation and World Events Productions and animated by Studio Mir. A lot of you went crazy and chewed your keyboards up when you learned of the Voltron reboot. Netflix this year has been very adamant about resurrecting some beloved programs from our youth. One of them being Fuller House and the other being Voltron. Its animation is a mix of anime influence for characters and background and CGI for Voltron action sequences. The first season premiered on Netflix on June 10, 2016 and consisted of 11 episodes. The lions are back. A second season will premiere on Netflix on January 20, 2017.

4.)   The Secret History of Twin Peaks –

The perfect bridge between season 2 and the highly anticipated new season of David Lynch’s cult-classic series, The Secret History of Twin Peaks arrived this year to remind us of all the stranger phenomenon and moods of the mysterious  Northwest community. A Dossier Style Novel written by series co-creator Mark Frost. Structured as a secret dossier assembled by a mysterious “archivist” and annotated by an FBI agent known only as TP, this enigmatic collection includes undiscovered Lewis and Clark diary entries, UFO sightings, and personal journals of Twin Peaks residents, some of which answer unresolved plotlines from the show’s second season. The presentation of the book is very well thought out and should be the perfect companion to your Twin Peaks book collection that should consist of The Autobiography of Agent Dale Cooper and The Secret Diary of Laura Palmer. And if that doesn’t satiate your appetite for coffee and pie, then you can watch both seasons of Twin Peaks on Showtime’s on demand menu. The Red Room waits.

3.)   The Nice Guys –

Another one of my top 5 films for the year is The Nice Guys. Although it is seta decade earlier in the 70’s, I have to admit the attention to detail and setting really needs to be acknowledged. I actually felt like I was watching a modern movie that was filmed in the 1970’s. Russel Crowe hasn’t been this good in awhile and Ryan Gosling is just as on point with his balancing act between comedy and drama. The both of them playing off each other like some kind of pulp fiction Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis. The soundtrack is Killer. The NiceGuys was directed and co-written by Shane Black who penned: Leathal Weapon(1,2),The Monster Squad, The Last Boy Scout, Last Action Hero, The Long KissGoodnight as well wrote and directed: Kiss, Kiss, Bang, Bang,  and the upcoming Predator sequel. This movie is that good – watch it.

2.)   Seoul Searching –

This teen comedy set in 1988 and directed by Benson Lee, deserves to be in my top 5. Seoul Searching is an 80’s teen comedy in the same vein as Porky’s or Fraternity Vacation but, rich with relationships and coming of age drama instead of gratuitous nudity and dick jokes. With an amazing cast of young actors and a fantastic soundtrack. This movie will make you emotional, it’ll make you laughand make you actually feel really good at the end. Starring: Justin Chon, JessikaVan, Esteban Ahn, Teo Yoo, Cha In-pyo, Rosalina Leigh and more. Enjoy it as soon as you can.

  1.)   Stranger Things –

The Netflix series that seduced the entire country with nostalgic settings, music, clichés and the timeless concept of young people going on adventures and discovering the dark secrets of the real world and the dangers of reality and beyond. A rich cast of young talent and supporting roles filled by 80’s actors such as Winona Ryder and Matthew Modine; both back on their game and rounding out this beautiful show. The music is sprinkled and haunted with influences by John Carpenter and some Tangerine Dream. Season 2 was announced during the summer and millions of people are counting the days to find out what happens next in Stranger Things.

This past week marked the anniversaries of two classic animated films. The first being the R rated cult film HEAVY METAL based on the adult graphic magazine of the same title or originally titled Metal Hurlant in France.

It was August 7, 1981 and Heavy Metal for some reason was made into an anthology animated feature film. A collaborative effect directed by Gerald Potterton and produced by Ivan Reitman and Leonard Mogel. The stories within were taken from the pages of the source material coupled with new material.

The title sequence was written by Dan O’Bannon (Aliens, Return of the Living Dead). The story “Harry Canyon” was written by Daniel Goldberg (Meatballs, Feds, Stripes) and Len Blum (Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone); with the voices of John Candy and Richard Romanus. Den was directed by Robert Balser, using rotoscoping, written by Heavy Metal writer Richard Corben with the voice talents of John Candy, Jackie Burroughs and Marin Lavut. My favorite story of the bunch is Captain Stern, directed by Paul Sebella and written by legendary comic book artist Bernie Wrightson (EC Comics, Swamp Thing). Voiced by Rodger Bumpass (SpongeBob Squarepants, Joe Flaherty (SCTV), Eugene Levy (American Pie), John Vernon (I’m Gonna Git You Sucka, Airplane 2, Josey Wales) and Music by Cheap Trick. B-17 written by Dan O’Bannon. So Beautiful So Dangerous written by Angus Mckie who wrote and illustrated the story originally for Heavy Metal magazine. The final story is “Taarna”, an original story by Daniel Goldberg and Len Blum; inspired by Moebius’ Arzach stories.

The release grossed nearly $20,000,000 in spite of critics dismissing the film (like Suicide Squad). Prior to official release on VHS and Laserdisc in 1996, the film was re-released to 54 theaters on March 8, 1996 taking in $550,000. The subsequent home video release moved over one million units. The film was released on Blue-ray Disc on February 1, 2011 as a Best Buy exclusive and it was later released everywhere on June 14.

The first sequel, titled Heavy Metal 2000, was released in 2000. A second sequel has been in various stages of development since, in other words who knows.

Second is TRANSFORMERS: the Movie. Released in North America on August 8, 1986 and in the UK on December 5, 1986. The film was co-produced and directed by Nelson Shin, who produced the originalTransformers television series, and features the voices of Eric Idle (Monty Python), Judd Nelson (Breakfast Club), Leonard Nimoy (Star Trek), Casey Kasem (Top 10 radio), Robert Stack (Airplane, Unsolved Mysteries), Lionel Stander, John Moschitta, Jr. (Micro Machines), Peter Cullen and Frank Welker. It also marked the final roles for both Orson Welles (Citizen KANE, Touch of Evil), who died the year before its release, and Scatman Crothers (Coonskin, The Shining), who died months after its release.

The story takes place in 2005, 20 years after the events of the TV series’ second season and serves to bridge into the third season. Yadda Yadda Yadda, you know who dies. The whinny one is the chosen one. Bad guy becomes even more super powered henchmen for Galactus… I mean Unicron. Autobots go here and then go there. Lazers. Lazers. Big fight. Boss Battle. Big Win. Explosions. Happy Happy. Killer Soundtrack, although not better than Heavy Metal’s. The End.

The film was released on 990 screens in the United States and grossed $1,778,559 on its opening weekend. It opened in 14th place behind “About Last Night” (great movie) which had been in theaters for six weeks at the time. The film’s final box office gross was $5,849,647 which made it the 99th highest-grossing movie of 1986.

So if you ask me, just watch HEAVY METAL.

Stay cool and keep your memories alive and your fingers on that damn rewind button.

What inspired you to create a documentary about the synthwave scene?

I get this question lately a lot, I assume people find it weird to do a documentary about a niche underground movement, but it just came very naturally to me. I’ve always been interested in music, I played (very badly) guitar when I was a teenager, and I grew up with the 90s MTV, my own visual universe it’s heavily influenced by music videos narrative. My previous documentary titled “Trovadores” (“Trobadours” in english) was a portrait of the underground figure in it’s relationship with its own town. So for me, it’s kind of a natural path to follow.

But for synthwave, it just came by surprise. Three years ago, Ricardo Baeza, a street photographer friend of mine send me a track for putting in a promo I was doing for his “Urbacide” project. I click on the first link and I hear this intro from Cobra (the movie) when Cobretti enters the supermarket and say “I don’t deal with psychos, I put them away”. Then I listen to this cheesy synths and look at the title of the video: “Cobretti” – 80s Stallone. I was like WTF is that? As a 90s grunge guy I felt pure rejection towards it, but as a filmmaker the visuals kept my attention. I didn’t pay too much attention then, but I was at that time working on a screenplay for a feature film, i needed to change the focus, and music is very important for me when I’m writing, it puts you in some particular mood. So a few days later I went back to 80s stallone and related videos, and I started to build a playlist to write along. After two weeks I was sold to this music.

But as filmmaker, what I really found interesting, was the lack of documentation. Three years ago you googled “synthwave” and there was almost nothing to look for in terms of “story”, blank page. And I looked at the number of plays on youtube, bandcamp and so much comments and engagement in the community, that I thought it was more than just a deep web revival trend. And so much mystery and not knowing anything about the artists (faceless, no interviews on video, no pics, etc…) had more appealing to me. I started to look closely to it and tried to document myself. So I started to email some artists, just in case, and three years later here we are.

Who was the first synthwave artist you followed?

Dance with the Dead, MN84 and 80s Stallone.

What is your favorite synthwave album?

It’s complicated to just pick one, but it’ll probably be “Turbulence” from MN84, as it was the first synthwave album that really grab my attention as a whole. I used to listen a lot in my car and it definitely was a turning point for me in really paying attention to this music seriously. Another of my favs are “Secret diary” by College, “Near Dark” by DWTD and “Calico Noir” by OGRE.

The list of artists you are interviewing is quite expansive. I’m sure it becomes easier and easier to get interviews as the project gains steam, but was it difficult at first?

We’re very proud about our lineup. But at the beginning it was really hard to get them because of the aversion some of them have to media. They prefer to let the music talk, and I understand that’s a huge part of the scene personality, the kind of “anonymous” thing. So I had to build some trust, some confidence. I was very concerned to be considered as a newcomer that wanted to cannibalize their work. I really love this music, I just want to make the world more aware of it. But for the most part, all the artists have been very open, honest, respectful to our idea and have quickly engaged in the project. I’m very thankful for that.

Of course, after the first lineup announcement, it became much easier to involve more artists.

Is this your first time creating a documentary?

No, it’s my second feature documentary.  My previous feature documentary titled “Trovadores” (“Trobadours” in english) was a portrait of the underground figure in it’s relationship with its own town. https://youtu.be/RZH63Iv4NkE

Rise of the Synths appears to be a highly stylized experience, blending narrative and documentary. Why choose to create a documentary in this way?

I just don’t like regular on-camera interview types of documentaries. If you’re doing some kind of journalistic approach it’s fine and it’s a safe path to follow. But I don’t do that. I like to try to bring out the inner world of the artists I’m documenting. And sometimes you just need to watch and let it roll. The fiction part came also very naturally. I felt the film needed this cinematic approach and some kind of element that serve as nexus between all of the artists and their own worlds and places. We needed to find a common semantic to all of them, regardless of the language they speak. This music is inspired by late 70s and 80s pop culture, so an anti-hero was an obvious choice. A tough guy, lonely, with a mission: so we created the “Synth Rider” character, the watcher of the Master’s legacy. He’s a metaphor of the grassroot movement, created naturally over a decade through the internet.

Will any retro films be influencing the look of the Rise of the Synths? Which ones?

The list would be endless. “Thief”, “Blade Runner”, “Mad Max”, “Driver”, “Live and die in L.A.”, “The hitcher”, to name a few. But if I had to pick visually one of my main influences for this documentary, I’ll say a mix of Michael Mann and Tony Scott.

The perks on the Kickstarter are awesome! If you were a fan, and not a director, what perk would you sign up for?

“Master” is an amazing perk. If I had to go lower, “Connor” and “Cobretti” are some of my favs. But if I had to pick one, and I was just a fan, I’ll say: wait to see the artists bundles of your favorite artists in our lineup, it’s going to be a very unique thing, a rare opportunity to grab some of their stuff. one of the things I love about this documentary is that the artists are so engaged in the making, they know how hard it’s been for us to try to fund it, and they’re helping us all the way they can. And they’re offering some amazing one-time only things, that will probably will never be able to get otherwise. We have for example two artists that are going to offer their last copy of one of their albums (signed), something that they own because there’s no other physical copy in the world. We’re very lucky.

As the Graphic Novel Editor at NRW, I have to ask. What will the comic book perk entail?

We want to make a very unique thing. it’s on development, but basically it’s the Synth Rider’s story; his adventures in an epic 80s world, protecting the Master’s legacy.

We have been lucky enough to work with David Lopez (who has worked in DC and Marvel) on the draws for the Synth Rider’s poster we’re offering in the perks. We want to continue to work with him in the comic book, and he proposed a suitable narrator, but it’s too early to say more about this. But as all thing involved in this project, we want this to kick ass.

Where do you see the synthwave scene going in the future?

Hard to say, I’m just a filmmaker who fell in love with this music. So, as a filmmaker what I could say, is that a lot of this composers are talented to score feature films. I’ll love to get more scores like “Drive”, “Maniac” “Lost River” or “It follows”. But as a scene, I don’t know, it has evolved a lot since it started, you can hardly keep up with so many new music being uploaded everyday, and the quality rise is unquestionable. I’ll say that some of these bands (that put vocals in their music) could reach some mainstream attention, but I doubt it’ll become mainstream as a whole. It’s a weird music for this modern world, and that’s part of its appeal. I’ll love to hear more of this on the radio, but I don’t see it happening any time soon. But just as a note, some months ago I was shooting a video for an urban art festival, and one of the painters was listening to “Lazerhawk”, I just went to him and said: “Do you like synthwave?”, and he look at me like “wtf are you talking about?”, “it’s Lazerhawk”, I said, and he goes: “Oh, I don’t know the name, I found it in youtube. I just fucking love this shit.”. So I feel it’s reaching far away now.

What is one thing you would like our readers to know if they are on the fence about contributing to the Kickstarter campaign?  

Just look at the teaser: it’s just a 2 min. dream of a truly devoted team. And it’s just a teaser shoot on what we had at our reach, so expect something incredible if we make it happen with an adequate funding. This music is passion, there’s no middle point: you love it or you hate it. If you love it, don’t overthink: help us to make it happen, because otherwise a project like this one it’s hardly going to happen anytime soon.

If I had to put something on the table: there’s some iconic names from the late 70s and the 80s that are aware of the project and are willing to be involved if the film is fully funded and goes in production. For a lot of reasons we can’t unveil the names, but you should trust us if I said: you’ll not be disappointed. If people knew, we’ll probably be 50% funded at this point.

We think this scene and this music, and it’s relationship with film (it all comes together) is something deep that deserves more attention. Artists should be labeled as artists, composers, not like a 80s parody jokes. This music from a filmmaking point of view is a blessing. The world deserves to know that, and its real history. In the late 70s some folks created the seed that decades later came to that sound.

You can check out the Kickstarter here and follow the project on Twitter here. 

Watch Teaser

Written by Sam HaiNe

email: sa*******@**********ve.com

            I was watching the first Terminator movie on cable television for the one-ba’jillionth time this morning. It never gets old; it only gets better with age. Little tiny quirks and nuances make each viewing fresh and new to me… call me nostalgic.

            But, this time I couldn’t help but, remember how cool Michael Biehn was. I mean he is still capable of delivering solid performances but, he rode a gigantic wave of great movies back in the day. I mean like massive cult classic films like Terminator, Aliens, The Abyss, Navy SEALs, The Seventh Sign and Tombstone.

               Michael Connell Biehn (born July 31, 1956), got his start in movies with a bit part in the film version of Grease in 1978. He appears in two scenes, in the more memorable of which John Travolta‘s character, Danny, hits Biehn’s uncredited character in the stomach while playing basketball. But, it wasn’t until he scored the role of Kyle Reese in the James Cameron science fiction / horror film The Terminator (1984) that got him real notice and attention. Following the success of that film, he would reunite with Cameron on Aliens (1986) and TheAbyss (1989). He would reprise his role as Kyle Reese in the 1991 film Terminator 2: Judgement Day in a cameo performance that was cut from the theatrical release but can be seen in the special edition directors cut.

In 1988, he starred in The Seventh Sign opposite the lovely Demi Moore. The Seventh Sign was about the coming of the apocalypse as prophesized in the Book of Revelations following the return of Jesus played by Jürgen Prochnow (DUNE, The Keep).  

            Navy SEALs (1990) starred Biehn with then sane Charlie Sheen as members of the real life fraternity of military operators. The movie was not a box office success, debuting at No. 4 and eventually grossing $25 million domestically, just barely above its reported budget of $21 million. The film was more successful on home video, with a VHS released on January 31st, 1991. A Blu-ray was released in 2009 in USA.

            However, one of his greatest roles was that of Johnny Ringo in the amazing Tombstone (1993), starring Kurt Russel, and Val Kilmer, Powers Booth, Dana Delany, Bill Paxton, Stephen Lang, Sam Elliot and many more names to be called out. The real Johnny Ringo—was a known associate of the loosely federated group of outlaw Cochise County Cowboys in frontier Tombstone, Cochise County, Arizona Territory. He was affiliated with Cochise County Sheriff Johnny Behan, Ike Clanton, and Frank Stilwellduring 1881–1882, and Michael Biehn played him with a psychopathic fever and intensity only equaled on screen to Val Kilmer’s deteriorated yet charmingly dangerous Doc Holiday. The film went on to earn $56,505,065 in total ticket sales in the North American market. Rotten Tomatoes reported that 73% of 44 sampled critics gave the film a positive review, with an average score of 6.2 out of 10. Following its cinematic release in 1993, Tombstone was named “One of the 5 greatest Westerns ever made” by True West Magazine. The film was also called “One of the year’s 10 best!” by KCOP-TV in Los Angeles, California.

            As the years progressed, Michael Biehn would go on to work in other films. However with the dawning of the current age, many actors were going unnoticed in the cluttered sea of information and media frenzy. The five minute attention span of the average American overlooks a lot of its stars and quickly moves to the next spoonful of fast food.

            To be honest a lot of us didn’t really notice Michael was still working until Robert Rodriquez’s half of Grindhouse (2007) as Sheriff Hague.

            The man is still out there working and we must not only remember the films he did but, take the time to follow up on what he’s doing now. There could be some contemporary gems and future cult favorites to be seen in his resume.

            Stay classy Retro Lovers and remember to keep your fingers on the REWIND BUTTON.

This Month In Retro is a monthly article where we look back on the current month as it happened during the 1980’s.  Learn, reminisce, and stay retro.

In film:

The Elephant Man premiered to tremendous success, both critically and commercially. As far as David Lynch films go, this is the least Lynchian. It’s still an excellent film that Lynch detractors even tend to like. It stars John Hurt and tells the story of Joseph Merrick (named John in the film), a freak show attraction with a deformed body. The cruelty of the average person he encounters is absolutely heartbreaking.

Fade to Black was also released in October of 1980.  This is a film that is underappreciated and overlooked. The protagonist is a disturbed young man with an obsession with cinema. He spends every spare moment at the movie theater or watching films in his bedroom. He idolizes the characters he sees and incorporates their phrases and mannerisms into his own life. This gradually pushes into some pretty transgressive territory as he drinks the blood of a dead prostitute (because Dracula) and kills a man while in a noir gangster costume (because White Heat).

It’s like Guy Debord and Jean Beaudrillard saw Scream and decided to have a baby.

In music:

October of 1980 saw the release of two really incredible (though in many ways opposite) albums, Remain in Light by Talking Heads and The River by Bruce Springsteen. The latter shows the Boss refining his craft and tackling the sort of themes found in previous albums with more maturity. The music on The River reflects a greater pop sensibility, slightly departing from the darker mood of the aptly titled Darkness on the Edge of Town. The double LP manages to consistently deliver well-written songs, with some standouts being the beautiful title track and “Hungry Heart”, a song Springsteen had originally written for the Ramones.

Remain in Light is noteworthy for the risks it took and the success with which it landed its ambition. It frequently appears on best of lists for both the 1980’s and all time.  The composition and production of the album is pretty unique, which is to be expected with the eccentric kind of genius that accompanies both David Byrne and Brian Eno. The instrumentals were based on loops and samples, which is fairly redundant at this point. A lot of genres are built on that principle, but in 1980 we didn’t have FL Studio, Reason, or i7 processors. This was groundbreaking.

Aerosmith also released a greatest hits album in 1980. Try not to think about that too much.

Billboard #1 Song of September 1980: “Another One Bites the Dust” by Queen

In comics:

Lex Luthor fell in love with a woman named Angela Blake who briefly made him turn good. Kudos to DC for including a bald-headed woman. These retrospectives are realing making me question Lex Luthor’s dedication to evildoing. They got married, but then it wound up being a plan somehow to get Superman. Pre-Crisis DC doesn’t always make sense.

Reid Fleming: World’s Toughest Milkman was self-published by David Boswell. It was later picked up by major distributors. The first volume has never gone out of print and has become a cult hit. The series is bizarre and playful, taking full advantage of comic book hysterics to tremendous effect.