Tag: 1980s

‘Poltergeist II: The Other Side’ (1986): Other side of what? Where’s the fright? Where are the scares?

So apparently there’s this sci-fi Smurf cartoon sequel out there right now in theaters that’s cleaning up at the b.o., but I swear I don’t know anyone who’s seen it. Why would they? Of course there’s no accounting for taste (for instance: Dwayne Johnson), but sequels are a favorite topic of discussion for fans (particularly… Read More ‘Poltergeist II: The Other Side’ (1986): Other side of what? Where’s the fright? Where are the scares?

Movies & Drinks1 Comment

‘New York Ninja’ (2021): Resurrecting 1984 with love

What if you could travel back in time—say, 1984—to the height of the B-action/adventure ninja craze, and re-live just one moment of your misspent youth—a youth spent wandering the aisles of local mom-and-pop video stores (Hometown Video vs. All That Video for my childhood town of 3,000) and depriving yourself of sleep to catch that… Read More ‘New York Ninja’ (2021): Resurrecting 1984 with love

Movies & Drinks1 Comment

‘Top Gun’ (1986): A lesson in mid ’80s Hollywood moviemaking

Hey: there are red flags in even the best relationships. I should have understood that right away when I started dating my wife all those years ago. Now, I let it slide when she said The French Connection and Bullitt were “boring.” And I said, “Fine, whatever,” when she wouldn’t let me hang up my Shaft’s Big… Read More ‘Top Gun’ (1986): A lesson in mid ’80s Hollywood moviemaking

Movies & DrinksLeave a comment

‘Hundra’ (1983): A welcome addition to the sword-and-sorcery genre

A rare office visit from my editor (you can jimmy those rehab locks with a gum wrapper) resulted in a request to look at Hundra, the 1983 Italian-American-Spanish fantasy swashbuckler from director Matt Cimber. Apparently, a new Blu-ray transfer is coming from Dark Force Entertainment, and if I know my editor, he’s probably into them… Read More ‘Hundra’ (1983): A welcome addition to the sword-and-sorcery genre

Movies & Drinks2 Comments