Joe Dante gives us a spin on Fantastic Voyage, with an underlying theme of believing in yourself with Innerspace, a sci-fi action comedy starring Martin Short, Dennis Quaid, and Meg Ryan. Featuring a score by Jerry Goldsmith, this film, when I first saw it, and now, remains a fun and entertaining film with its Academy…
Tag: 1987
Communion (1987) – Whitley Strieber
Whitley Stieber experienced something. In fact, according to his writing, he’s been experiencing something all of his life. It’s influenced him, his writing, and the events and those around him. Strieber, like countless others, believes he was abducted. He doesn’t use the word aliens, he uses the word visitors. Because he doesn’t claim to know…
Full Metal Jacket (1987) – Stanley Kubrick
Stanley Kubrick’s look at the Vietnam War isn’t only a commentary on the war itself, but the dissolution of the self, and the soul of humanity to be replaced by an animal nature that restrains us a species and diminishes who we are. From the introduction to the Marine Corps on Parris Island, South Carolina,…
Spaceballs (1987) – Mel Brooks
Mel Brooks is hit and miss with me, I love Young Frankenstein and Blazing Saddles, but Spaceballs, no matter how quotable it is, and how much it delightfully skewers the Star Wars universe (with George Lucas’ blessing, and some special effects by ILM) has never done it for me. There are moments I like, but…
Over the Top (1987) – Menahem Golan
Sylvester Stallone stars in this corny, overly sentimental flick that is totally 80s. I know this because it features a song on the soundtrack by Kenny Loggins, and all the best movies of the 80s did. This time around Sly is a truck driver, Lincoln Hawk who is planning in entering the world arm wrestling…
No Deals, Mr. Bond (1987) – John Gardner
James Bond is back in this week’s book shelf, as I continue my adventures with 007, and John Gardner’s sixth novel chronicling the missions of the British secret agent. This time, Bond’s adventure takes him from England into Ireland and then to the Far East with a tension-filled ending set in China. M assigns 007…
Beverly Hills Cop II (1987) Tony Scott
Eddie Murphy returned to the character of Axel Foley in 1987’s follow-up to his box office smash Beverly Hills Cop. This time around Tony Scott settled into the director’s chair to guide Foley on his next adventure, and while the film was fun, and recognisably Foley, it now had Scott’s signature visual style of saturated…
Star Trek: The Kelvin Timeline (2009 – 2016)
Space… There was a lot of it between the end of Star Trek: Enterprise in 2005 and the next Human Adventure. For the first time since 1987, there were no Star Trek series or films in production. It was strange for a number of fans, though a large percentage of them realised that it was…
Mort (1987) – Terry Pratchett
This week, I dug into another Discworld novel for the Book Shelf. And I’ve said it before, but I’m glad I waited until now to read them, I wouldn’t have appreciated them, and their wonderful humour when they were originally released. And now, I also don’t have to wait a year or two for the…
