I’m not crying, it's just dust from a Nazi tank going over a cliff....
It's such a great scene. The emotional crescendo to Indy and Henry's complicated dynamic wrapped up in drama and comedy, delivered by two masters of the craft.
A true 90s teen movie time capsule this one. Bridging the gap between the John Hughes films of the 1980s and the soon-to-be 2000s teen-movie boom. With a huge ensemble of "up and comers" and "soon to be's", a quintessentially 90s soundtrack and a raft of scenes oft-parodied since this one presses heavy on the nostalgia buttons.
Still close friends, over four decades later...
Phoebe and Jennifer, photographed by Douglas Kirkland in LA in August 82 for the film's press-kit ahead of the premiere later that month.
As much as I love the original movie, Tony Scott was just fire and II was SO much fun...
After Michelle Pfeiffer and Kim Basinger turned down the role, and Sharon Stone didn't make it past the audition, Rebecca beat out 400 actresses to secure only her second movie credit. Props to the casting director....
Often cited as one of, if not THE, greatest Batman movie, animated or otherwise it was originally planned as a direct-to-video release between the first and second seasons of the animated series. Only a late decision to show the film theatrically saw it debut on the big screen on Christmas Day 1993.
Taking non-linear narrative influence from Citizen Kane, continuing the art deco aesthetic of the series and sporting a standout score from Shirley Walker the film is a visual and aural feast that fuses origin story and tragic/doomed romance within a neo-noir mystery.
Its reputation is solid, but in the pantheon of Caped Crusader movies, where does it rank?
Some great comedic performances through the 80s. One of the unsung stars of the Police Academy films and even though they declined in quality as they went along his performances remained consistently high.
On this day in 1943 the Memphis Belle and her crew flew their 25th and final mission over occupied Europe and won the right to return home to the States. This film is a fictionalized version of that mission and her crew, however the underlaying story is real and worthy of celebration, some 83 years later.
Cast as Morgana Le Fay by Director John Boorman alongside Nicol Williamson as Merlin in 1980's Excalibur due to their mutual loathing of each other. Boorman thought this would shine through on screen and provide the tension needed for the relationship between their respective characters.
Spoiler: They eventually reconciled and became close friends.
Two that stick out in my mind are THE ALLNIGHTER (1987) and GROSS ANATOMY (1989), both of which I discovered in the late hours of the night/early hours of the morning some time in the early to mid-nineties.
For me the most memorable is Judgment Night (1993). I didn't catch it on release and randomly discovered it late one night while hopping around the channels trying to find something to watch. Since then I've had it on VHS, DVD and Blu-ray. Great movie.
Sherilyn's first leading role, which turned out to be a problematic one. Directed by Zalman King the movie was less the love story that Fenn anticipated and more the likes of King's later movies; Wild Orchid and The Red Shoe Diaries. Fortunately Sherilyn got her confidence back after working with Roy London, and auditioned for and won the role of Audrey Horne in David Lynch's Twin Peaks.
Released on this day in 1992 at the Cannes film festival the film was mauled by critics and fans alike and bombed at the box office. Today however it's generally considered a misunderstood masterpiece that represents some of Lynch's best work. It's part of the Criterion Collection and the BFI named it as one of the best films of the 1990s.
Is this an example of how wrong critics can get it? Or is the modern re-appraisal overlooking any flaws that the critics (and fans) of the day saw? Where does the film sit in the pantheon of Lynch's works?
Something fun to start the weekend, what's your go to 80s movie to kick things off?
The list isn't exhaustive so if your pick isn't there shout it out in the comments.
Joker life advice 101.... lol
Who didn't want to be this guy, driving these wheels back in the 80s?
Following on from her performances in 1984's The Initiation and 1985's The Sure Thing, Daphne starred next to Virginia Madsen and Cynthia Gibb in Jerry Kramer's Modern Girls. Producers wanted the three female leads to have different hair colours; Madsen was the blonde, Gibb was the redhead and Daphne was cast as the brunette.
Has there ever been a finer deadpan-comedic actor?
It's always seemed to be a quite divisive film. It was a massive box office hit in '87, but critics absolutely hated it at the time. It has peak 80s vibes: an incredible synth-pop soundtrack, great montages, good comedic performances (from Spader, GW Bailey and Meshach Taylor), and a sweet pairing in McCarthy and Cattrall. BUT, the plot is somewhat absurd, even for a screwball comedy.
Does it hold up as a genuinely good, fun romantic comedy, or is it a bad movie that people only love because of pure 80s nostalgia? Where do YOU stand on its legacy today? Great? Awful? Or indifferent?