A noteworthy romantic comedy, Changes Are manages to show a plenty of heart and soul despite the utterly silly premise.
The movie was a part of the mini-cycle of the body switching comedies in late 80s along with the likes of Vice Versa and Like Father Like Son.
80s-o-meter: 88%
Total: 83%
Based on Mickey Spillane’s 1947 novel of the same name, I, The Jury suffers from its subpar production quality, but the interesting manuscript makes it an enjoyable neo-noir movie.
80s-o-meter: 72%
Total: 61%
More of a collection of random scenes than an actual movie, Better Off Dead is a very uneven experience – even a mess at times – but as such it’s also a bit like its protagonist: Clumsy, but in a cute and charming way.
80s-o-meter: 85%
Total: 68%
Don’t let those few passing moments of an adventure and the exciting encounters with the wilderness fool you, Out of Africa is a lifelessly acted, dull as a ditchwater movie that would have never worked out outside that majestic African setting.
80s-o-meter: 38%
Total: 12%
Klaus Kinski plays a peeping tom housing women and spying them from the airduct in a grotesque but anticlimatic horror movie that offers no progress from the start to the end.
While Crawlspace isn’t much of a movie, the real interesting aspect here are the events that took place during its production, with the eccentric Kinski constantly clashing with the director David Schmoeller. As a tribute to this Schmoeller later edited together a short movie about the events called Please Kill Mr. Kinski which I urge you to watch either before or after seeing this film.
80s-o-meter: 45%
Total: 28%
Instead of bringing something new and fresh to the table American Ninja 3: Blood Hunt shelves many of its formerly working aspects, and is a good reminder why B-movie sequels are sometimes such a drag to watch.
80s-o-meter: 81%
Total: 39%
American Ninja 2: The Confrontation follows the footpaths set by the first movie. this time taking an even sillier premise of an undercover mission in the Caribbean to locate some marines gone missing in action. Those familiar with Andy Sidaris’ line of movies, will probably find some similarities here in the overall farcical action tone.
The sequel has lost a ton of its budget and both the hit in the production quality and the lack of focus are obvious – luckily Steve James and the epic showdown in the end save the day.
80s-o-meter: 90%
Total: 63%
Tropical islands, baddie bosses dressed in white suits and ninjas shooting lasers.
That’s right, frickin’ lasers!
American Ninja is a hilarious and entertaining reminder why B-movies are sometimes such a riot to watch!
80s-o-meter: 90%
Total: 86%
Directed by Michael Mann and starring William Petersen, Manhunter is a grim and exceptionally stylish movie that was years ahead of its time, setting the style for many forensic murder investigation movies and series to come.
80s-o-meter: 90%
Total: 92%
The Razor’s Edge’s uninteresting period piece setting and Bill Murray’s unenthusiastic acting make The Razor’s Edge ultimately a failure – but one that does have some certain charm to it.
80s-o-meter: 13%
Total: 58%
The Mission is a powerful, both emotionally and spiritually devastating movie of the western society’s clumsy and destructive first steps in the new world.
80s-o-meter: 33%
Total: 88%
Don’t let them naysayers fool you, Rutger Hauer’s Wanted: Dead or Alive is an awesome action filled pack and a B-movie that easily outperforms most of its bigger counterparts.
80s-o-meter: 95%
Total: 92%
The cheapish ending aside, My Bodyguard is in fact a beautiful movie about reaching out for a friend – and a real triumph for the young actors Chris Makepeace, Adam Baldwin and Matthew Dillon for their respective portrayals.
80s-o-meter: 60%
Total: 87%
Apparently quite a cult movie in the stateside, Strange Brew – Based on a Canadian TV show – evolves much too little from its origins, and ends up feeling like a patchy collection of 1970’s TV sketches, shot on film.
80s-o-meter: 30%
Total: 38%
The real suspense and action kick in during only the last 20 minutes of the movie – but before that the only thing Chuck Norris’ The Octagon has to offer an endless parade of bad dialogue and disconnected events.
80s-o-meter: 65%
Total: 35%
Definitely one of Chuck Norris’ strongest vehicles, Lone Wolf McQuade is an unapologetic, rough spagetti westerny action pack that often goes over the top, but always in a very entertaining way.
80s-o-meter: 70%
Total: 84%
Real Men becomes somewhat easier to digest and a little more coherent once you realise that all the events in it are sketch-like, very far fetched from the reality and done very much with tongue-in-cheek.
80s-o-meter: 88%
Total: 72%
A film that Rob Morrow and Johnny Depp later regretted being part of, Private Resort is a light, insignificant comedy where every slap sticky event is somehow related to sex.
80s-o-meter: 85%
Total: 58%
Even though Can’t Buy Me Love often gets a bit too silly for its own good, it encapsulates the struggle of being popular in the cruel world of high school in a funny and heartbreaking way.
80s-o-meter: 90%
Total: 84%
Horror House on Highway Five is the shoddy kind of amateur movie that must’ve been really fun for the team to shoot and then watch their closest friends, but others note: your mileage will vary a lot.
80s-o-meter: 18%
Total: 4%