Saturday, February 21, 2009

It's time for some early 90's flicks!

After watching "The Lost Boys" with a minimal but upspirited group..."Death by stereo"...it's time to move on to the 1990s. I picked some of my personal favorites...and my brother would approve too. We both watched all of these movies numerous times with all different types of emotion. We laughed, we cried, we smiled, and we yelled...well, not really, but they are great movies. Here we go...

Pump Up the Volume (1990) R
When a book on Lenny Bruce falls into the right young, disaffected, youthful hands, the FCC has its work cut out for it. Christian Slater plays a quiet high school student whose alter ego "Hard Harry" cries injustice and spins punk and rap records from his basement at night for a growing fan base who finds his radio frequency. When the ultra-conservative school administration starts swinging, Hard Harry's fans rally, and Slater gets the girl.

Army of Darkness (1993) R
One of the most memorable early works from director Sam Raimi (Spider-Man), Army of Darkness is the third in a trilogy of hilarious sci-fi sword-and-sorcery epics. Bound in human flesh and inked in blood, the ancient Necronomicon, or "Book of the Dead," transports department store clerk Ash (Bruce Campbell) and his 1973 Oldsmobile into England's Dark Ages. There, he faces legions of undead beasts in a battle for his life.

The Crow (1994) R
Young rock guitarist Eric Draven (Brandon Lee) and his fiancée are brutally killed by a ruthless gang of criminals. Exactly one year after his death, Eric returns -- watched over by a hypnotic crow -- to seek revenge. The Crow features Lee's last performance before his untimely death.

Shallow Grave (1994) R
Ewan McGregor stars in this grimly comic tale of three roommates who find their enigmatic new flatmate dead in his room with a stash of drugs and a suitcase full of cash. What will they do with all that money -- and the corpse? Things get even more twisted as drug dealers and the cops start snooping around. Directed by Danny Boyle, this pitch-perfect dark comedy also stars Christopher Eccleston, Kerry Fox and Ken Stott.

Sunday, February 8, 2009

Late '80's movie - vote fast - time's wasting away

Our early 1980's movie was Raging Bull. The members got a kick out of it. I enjoyed the firey argument about physical abuse between a man and a woman. Thanks for the memories on that! Sorry you couldn't make it Sam. Here's the next four victims...I guess the theme is action...that's what the 1980's were all about anyway.

Aliens (1986) R
Sigourney Weaver returns as Lt. Ripley in this action-packed sequel to Alien. The only survivor from the first film, Ripley finds her horrific account of the alien and her crew's fate is met with skepticism -- until the mysterious disappearance of colonists on LV-426 prompts a team of high-tech Marines to investigate. Also features a commentary by cast and crew members and both the theatrical and special edition versions of the film.

Raising Arizona (1987) PG-13
Edwina "Ed" McDonnough (Holly Hunter) is an ex-cop; her husband, H.I.(Nicolas Cage), is an ex-con. Blissfully content as newlyweds, the pair is devastated when they learn they can't have children. Not to worry: They reckon they'll just "borrow" one of furniture magnate Nathan Arizona's (Trey Wilson) new quintuplets. Featuring oodles of idiosyncratic humor, this kidnapping farce from Joel and Ethan Coen is a deft nod to classic screwball comedy.

The Lost Boys (1987) R
Shortly after moving to a California coastal town, Mike (Jason Patric) gets mixed up with a rough biker crowd. There have been some strange deaths and rumors of vampires in the town, and Mike's younger brother Sam (Corey Haim) fears his sibling might be in more trouble than anyone realizes. In an effort to save Mike, Sam teams up with two vampire-hunter friends and tries to rid the town of evil in this 1987 thriller.

Die Hard (1988) R
Smart-mouthed New York City cop John McClane (a perfectly cast Bruce Willis) comes to Los Angeles in an attempt to reconcile with his wife. When terrorists seize her office building, McClane escapes -- shirtless and shoeless -- and desperately tries to stop them. Director John McTiernan moves the film (and his camera) at lightning pace; action movies don't get any better.