Steve Railsback, Peter O’Toole and Barbara Hershey headline the genre-defying film, The Stuntman, that sees a fugitive finding a place to hide… on a film set. Railsback is Cameron who is on the run from the police, seen in a wonderfully extended opening sequence that lays out a whole bunch of narrative threads before tying…
Tag: 1980
The Octagon (1980) – Eric Karson
Welcome to the 80s, the age of the ninja as Chuck Norris guides us through a haphazard adventure that sees him entering The Octagon! Scott James (Norris) is a world-class martial artist who is accompanied by an echoey voiceover almost everywhere he goes. He and his frenemy, A.J. (Art Hindle!) live a high roller life…
Raise the Titanic (1980) – Jerry Jameson
I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed 1980’s Raise the Titanic, but that doesn’t mean it’s great. While it differs from the Clive Cussler novel on which it was based (the author hated the adaptation) and failed to launch hero Dirk Pitt (played by a bearded Richard Jordan) into a franchise I found…
Inferno (1980) – Dario Argento
It’s been a while since I watched Argento’s Suspiria, though I remember enjoying it, so when I learned he did two more films set in the same world I knew I had to seek them out. The first follow-up film is 1980’s Inferno. Rose (Irene Miracle) is living in New York (with Italian locations serving…
Brubaker (1980) – Stuart Rosenberg
Robert Redford has always been a favourite of mine. He’s imminently watchable and very likeable on camera, and Brubaker was a film that was always on my radar but one I had never gotten around to. Based on and inspired by true events, Redford plays Henry Brubaker, a reformist prison warden who has been hired…
The Ninth Configuration (1980) – William Peter Blatty
William Peter Blatty the author of The Exorcist, wrote and directed this spiritual sequel, now defined as part of the faith trilogy formed by The Exorcist, The Ninth Configuration, and The Exorcist III. It’s a fascinating film, in parts funny, in parts heartbreaking, and in parts horrifying. In a remote part of the Pacific Northwest…
Galactica 1980 (1980) – Space Croppers, and The Return of Starbuck
The penultimate episode of the short-lived series, Galactica 1980, is Space Croppers, and it is the last time we see Troy (Kent McCord), Dillon (Barry Van Dyke) and Jamie (Robyn Douglass) in the series. Written by Robert McCullough, this episode debuted on 27 March, 1980, and once again lets the series lean into a little…
Galactica 1980 (1980) – The Night the Cylons Landed Part I, and Part II
Troy (Kent McCord) and Dillon (Barry Van Dyke) pawn off the spacekids on Jamie (Robyn Douglass) when a new cylon fighter gets drawn into Earth orbit and is going to come down near New York, just in time for Halloween. The Night the Cylons Landed was a two-parter. The first episode aired on 13 April,…
Galactica 1980 (1980) – The Super Scouts: Part II, and Spaceball
As the children fall ill, Troy (Kent McCord) and Dillon (Barry Van Dyke) develop a risky plan to save them, and show the chemical company responsible for the pollution, represented by Stockton (Mike Kellin) the folly of his ways. The Super Scouts: Part II aired on 23 March, 1980 and was written by series creator…
Galactica 1980 (1980) – Galactica Discovers Earth: Part 3, and The Super Scouts
Troy (Kent McCord) and Dillon (Barry Van Dyke) are able to foil Xavier’s (Richard Lynch) to help the Nazi and their V2 rocket with some help from Jamie (Robyn Douglass) and Major Stockwell (Christopher Stone) in the third part of the series opener, Galactica Discovers Earth. Written by series creator Glen A. Larson this episode…
The Mind Reels 