That Was Then...This Is Now (1985)

Well, I enjoyed this, mostly. When I sat down to watch it I had no idea it was a S.E. Hinton adaptation, but knowing that now, it make sense. It was updated to modern times, which is to say, the early 80's, which I suppose soured it in the minds of a lot of Hinton fans. I can understand that.

Some movies age well, others not so much. "That Was Then" for the most part has aged well, but there are a few scenes that are very hoaky, especially the sequence near the end where Emilio Estevez is being chased by the cops, not sure what was going on there. Really, the first 2/3rds are very solid, the last act though teeters between underwhelming and cheesy, and then in the last sequence, it completely succumbs to it's dairy-inclination.

A few tidbits: There's a really great scene involving the song "Jingle Bells." The film stars Craig Sheffer of "Nightbreed" & "Voyage of the Rock Aliens." It also has Larry B. Scott, also known as the gay guy from "Revenge of the Nerds." It's funny because there's a particularly awkward scene where Scott freestyles a rap while driving with Estevez & Sheffer (they provide the audience responses). The films representation of Hip Hop isn't much better than it's concept of Punks. Also, Morgan Freeman is totally in this movie.

It's worth a watch.

Popeye (1980)

The wondrous joy of being a fan of Robert Altman is knowing that no matter what genre the film was he's directed, he was going to leave his unique stamp on it. Look at "Popeye," a family picture, partly financed by Disney, and it's weird as hell, complete with Altman's trademark dialogue mixing and regular leading lady, Shelly Duvall (who he apparently held out for though the studio wanted Gilda Radner).

I know this film gets panned often, but consider this: Could the casting be anymore perfect? Could the universe/town be anymore perfectly realized? If made today, could Hollywood do any better??



--Popkoff

New Low (2010)

I saw this back at AFF 2010 and it was honestly one of my favorite movies of that year. Re-watching it today, I still really loved it. The main character might be channeling a slacker-version of a self-deprecating Woody Allen-type (which I don't mind), but some of the other characters are so well articulated that I spend most of the film thinking, "man, I know people like this."

Characters aside, what I really love about the movie is just how hilarious it is. It really has some amazing one-liners and bits. It's FREE on Hulu right, so give it a look, I'd love to know what you think.

"Times Square" (1980)

This is one of my all time favorite movies. Period. Robin Johnson's performance in this movie is one of the great unsung turns in any movie. The soundtrack is amazing, the use of The Ramones and Lou Reed is perfect. I LOVE THIS MOVIE!!!

Watch the whole movie below.

Slithis...Returns

The first post I ever made on this blog was about the 1978 shlock horror film "Spawn of the Slithis." I still think of this movie to this day, it is just such an absurd, weird piece of trash cinema. It's really really funny and charming in its own way. Anyway, the whole movie is on youtube so I thought it would be nice to post it here.

If you want to recreate the what it was like to see this movie at drive-in in the late 70's, check out the "SLITHIS SURVIVAL GUIDE."







--Popkoff

Nightwarning (1983) a.k.a. Butcher, Baker, Nightmare Maker

Still not available on DVD (although Code Red was rumored to be putting out years ago), this under-seen and under-appreciated Horror flick boasts one of the all time best (and creepily realistic) psychotic performances by the great Susan Tyrrell. The opening scene is a knockout, and the film is filled with fun goofiness (Bill Paxton as "the Bully"), especially from Bo Svenson's homophobic cop, but it's the constant ratcheting-up of craziness by Tyrrell that really drives the Horror home. This one is a stone cold classic.

Check out the FULL MOVIE below.