Richard Matheson concludes his adaptation of Ray Bradbury’s The Martian Chronicles with the final episode, The Martians. It brought the miniseris to a close on 29 January, 1980. The Earth is dead. But Wilder (Rock Hudson) returns to see if there are any survivors. Despite the charred appearance of the Earth in space, it seems…
Tag: 1980
The Martian Chronicles (1980) – The Settlers
Richard Matheson scripted the entire miniseries adaptation of Ray Bradbury’s The Martian Chronicles, and the second part of the series aired on 28 January, 1980. The series aired on three consecutive nights. This episode, as hinted by the title follows the Earth settlers on Mars, and their encounters there with the remnants of the Martian…
The Martian Chronicles (1980) – The Expeditions
As mentioned in my book review, I was introduced to the miniseries before the book, thanks to my parents going to the video store (before they let me choose my own titles, which didn’t take long) and asking the clerk for space stuff. Having read the book now, I was curious if the miniseries would…
The Stuntman (1980) – Richard Rush
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…
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…
The Mind Reels 