Kuukausi: syyskuu 2019

#1152 The Squeeze (1987)

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Halfway through The Squeeze I noticed myself dozing off to ponder what grade should I give it. The movie was struggling to find its own tone of voice and although the movie looks good and features Michael Keaton it was clear this wasn’t going to be one of those definitive comedies of the 80s.

But before I finished writing the review in my head (”Easy to watch, somewhat enjoyable, but nothing much more”), the movie suddenly dropped all the excessive plot lines and really got down to business. From thereon it got better and better until the very end and I ended up really liking The Squeeze.

If only the writing had been a bit more tight during the first half of the movie, The Squeeze would’ve had a chance of not ending up in oblivion.

80s-o-meter: 89%

Total: 83%

#1152 Leonard Part 6 (1987)

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Bill Cosby who fared well as a stand-up comedian and triumphed as the all-American TV daddy pretty much brutally bombed on the silver screen during the 80s.

Leonard Part 6, the notoriously bad spy spoof movie written by Cosby himself picks the story up like the fame of the protagonist spy – now retired – had been established before, but in reality no previous Leonard movies or TV series exist. This is first of the many gags of the movie that belly flops.

Really the problem here is the inept script, along with the fact that Cosby himself is somewhat hard to stomach these days. Judging purely by the stills it actually looks like a half decent comedy, but run it from any timestamp for just one minute or more and you’ll soon understand what an unfortunate misfire the movie is.

The movie fails to provide one single laugh which really makes one thankful that the parts 1-5 don’t actually exist.

80s-o-meter: 80%

Total: 11%

#1151 Physical Evidence (1989)

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Let’s get the bad out of the way first: Physical Evidence is a weak courtroom drama that does nothing better than your average episode of Matlock.

Secondly, there is nothing here that would sticks with you and you’ve most likely forgotten all about the movie less than 15 minutes after watching the it. This is a pretty bland ordeal.

But, it does have that easy-to-watch late night cable movie quality to it and as such I never found watching the movie a chore. A slightly older Burt Reynolds of the late eighties (that I much prefer to his earlier roles) plows through his role without much enthusiasm, and what little focus that movie might’ve had earlier is completely lost during the last 15 minutes.

80s-o-meter: 90%

Total: 58%

#1150 Little Nikita (1988)

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What would you do if your parents would turn out to be something completely different than you grew up believing? And furthermore, would you betray them to save them?

The set up of Little Nikita is certainly thought provoking and it seamlessly mixes up interesting aspects of family dynamics, betrayal, cold war and coming to age while realising nothing you’ve built your life upon so far might not actually be as they seem.

I found very little that I would like to change in Little Nikita and the concept felt refreshingly different while still maintaining good dramatic sense and all the basic building blocks of a solid thriller.

80s-o-meter: 91%

Total: 88%

#1149 China Girl (1987)

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China girl is a modern Romeo and Juliet kind of take on forbidden love between two youngsters of different ethnic backgrounds.

The movie establishes its fairytale like mood well right of the bat and mixes it up with some delicious eighties aesthetics and over the top dramatics.

The pacing of the movie works well, and what starts as a harmless rush soon escalates further and further out of control, keeping the viewer on the edge of their seat until the very end that wraps up true to its classic story origins.

80s-o-meter: 93%

Total: 87%

#1148 Tenement aka Game of Survival (1985)

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Tenement is an exploitation action thriller that follows a hoodlum gang taking a hold of an old apartment block building, consequently trapping all of its habitants inside.

The violent and graphic – although with some of the pinkest blood ever seen on the silver screen – exploitation angle feels really distracting at first, but as the plot evolves further, the inhabitants withdraw to the higher levels of the apartment and finally start fighting back, the movie does get a whole lot more interesting.

While I can’t say that Tenement would have many merits, it does have some interests aspects and both stylish and hilariously goofy design choices going for it. I did not at all dig the cinematography that has has that distinctive mid 70s look & feel to it, but I loved the way the gang members were so indifferent when finding one of them brutally eliminated by the inhabitants and how proudly this flick just embraces its B-movie status and runs with it.

80s-o-meter: 68%

Total: 61%

#1147 Twister (1989)

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I’ve happened to come across various quirky movies lately that I’ve liked for their charming weirdness, but the quirkiness that Twisted has to offer is very much the wrong kind of artsy, self-serving and pretentious kind.

Twister feels like an experiment where few actors have put into a house to see if anything silly happens. Sure, they all deliver their lines with professional certainty, but everything they say or do is totally pointless and trivial. It’s also worth mentioning that the movie’s title doesn’t really have any connection with the film other than for one quick, passing scene.

There aren’t many positives to mention here. Crispin Glover performs his trademark eccentric schtick well and his wardrobe is one of the most fabulous ones seen on the silver screen.

But that’s pretty much it.

80s-o-meter: 60%

Total: 4%

#1146 The Sure Thing (1985)

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The first lead role for John Cusack and the one that made him an overnight success, The Sure Thing follows two college students on a road trip to California.

They begin the trip an unlikeable companions, hating each others guts – and you pretty know how it’s going to play from there. But as with every road trip, it’s not the destination but the journey matters, and that journey is mostly likeable, although the role of a boorish loudmouth does not seem to sit that well with Cusack.

On a whole The Sure Thing ends up a decent little comedy that manages to be more than the sum of its – at times – meager parts.

80s-o-meter: 90%

Total: 82%

#1145 No Retreat, No Surrender (1986)

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No Retreat, No Surrender takes a good portion of Karate Kid and mixes it up with Rocky – especially the fourth one – and manages to come up as a pretty fresh and entertaining competitive martial arts movie.

I always mistook the movie for Jean-Claude Van Damme’s vehicle, but instead he is seen portraying the role of a cocky baddie straight from USSR. The cold war aspect of the movie feels much, much more glued on than in Rocky IV, but in an 80s movie like this that’s just part of the fun, right?

The story itself concentrates on a young kid who practises karate and idolises Bruce Lee. After getting his ass handed to him by the bullies and running into clash with a syndicate and his father, he is visited by the spirit of Bruce Lee that teaches him the way of the Kung Fu.

The modern Bluray transfer reveals the shortcomings of the original film and the movie seems old beyond its years – not in a flattering way – so my recommendation is to hunt this one down as VHS instead.

80s-o-meter: 98%

Total: 87%