Splash remains a magical, enjoyable and funny experience, though some of it hasn’t aged as well as it could have. What it does have is able direction by Ron Howard, wonderful comedic turns by Tom Hanks, John Candy and Eugene Levy, and a beguiling role for Daryl Hannah. It’s a fun little love story that…
Tag: 1984
The Hunt for Red October (1984) – Tom Clancy
I haven’t read this book since the mid-80s when my schoolmate and friend, Michael Hay suggested I might like it. I dug into it, and for awhile there, birthdays or Christmases would bring me the latest Tom Clancy hardcover. I’ve been itching to kind of go back and see I still enjoy the stories, and…
TIFF 25: Orwell – 2+2=5 dir. Raoul Peck
Damian Lewis narrates text by George Orwell, as director Raoul Peck profoundly demonstrates that we as a society, and a planet, are living smack dab in the middle of Orwell’s 1984. Intercutting with the various adaptations of 1984 and Animal Farm, Peck includes documentary and news footage charting the new rise of fascism, authoritarianism, and…
Ninja III: The Domination (1984) – Sam Firstenberg
It took me forever to finally see this one. I remember seeing the videocassette back when I was a teen, but I hadn’t seen the other two (I didn’t know they had no connections to each other at the time), and never really got around to them until recently. And it’s easy to see why…
Top Secret! (1984) – Jerry Zucker, David Zucker, and Jim Abrahams
It’s been a couple of decades since I last watched Top Secret! I remember from my time working in a video store that it was a perennial favourite of my friend Ted. And with the passing of Val Kilmer, I felt it was definitely time to take it in again. And wow, did I laugh….
Beat Street (1984) – Stan Lathan
I remember seeing the poster and soundtrack for Beat Street everywhere in the mid-80s, and I remember some of the songs popping up in my life. I didn’t recall much of the film itself, just the breakdancing and I figured maybe I should revisit it. It’s definitely worth the watch. There’s a grittiness to the…
Starman (1984) – 4K Review
Starman is on 4K and part of Sony Pictures’ release of Columbia Classics 4K Ultra HD Collection, Volume 4. I love John Carpenter movies. He’s one of my favourite directors because he’s happy to take on all genres and give his imaginative take on each of his films. Starman may have been the first Carpenter…
Columbia Classics 4K Collection, Vol. 4
Sony, through their Columbia Pictures label, delivers a perfectly timed 4K collection for the romantic and the film lover. Collecting six films spanning sixty-two years, this lovingly curated ensemble is sure to delight countless viewers whether they are being introduced to classic films, or revisiting them for the umpteenth time. I’m going to take my…
Footloose (1984) – 4k
There is no way this film is forty years old. I remember very well the summer of ’84, and the first time that I saw Footloose. I was completely swept up in the music, I just recently discovered pop music, having grown up in a predominantly country household, and the rhythms and beats really spoke…
Family Ties (1984) – Don’t Kiss Me, I’m Only the Messenger, Help Wanted, and Karen II, Alex 0
While Elyse (Meredith Baxter) goes to an architects’ convention, Skippy (Marc Price) falls for Mallory’s (Justine Bateman) friend Jane (Michelle Meyrink) in Don’t Kiss Me, I’m Only the Messenger. Written by Ruth Bennett, this episode first aired on 29 November, 1984. And while Mallory deals with the sudden realization that Skippy isn’t interested in her…
The Mind Reels 