Hill Street Blues (1981) – The Second Oldest Profession, and Fruits of the Poisonous Tree

Steven Bochco, Anthony Yerkovich and Robert Crais pen The Second Oldest Profession from a story by Bochco, Yerkovice and Michael Kozoll. It first debuted on 19 November, 1981. Bates (Betty Thomas) has a tough time when during a sweep of hookers, she allows a young woman to shoot up before being taken in, causing her…

Hill Street Blues (1981) – Jungle Madness, and Hearts and Minds

The two-hour finale to Hill Street Blues inaugural season first aired on 26 May, 1981. It was written by series creators Steven Bochco, Michael Kozell and story editor Anthony Yerkovich. There’s a lot going on, Washington (Taurean Blacque) and LaRue (Kiel Martin) are running up leads and suspects in the shooting by a racist officer,…

The Color Purple (1985) – Steven Spielberg

Was Steven Spielberg the right person to shoot the film adaptation of Alice Walker’s powerful novel? He was an interesting choice for the project, and it definitely wasn’t the dramatic material that he was associated with in the 80s, having delivered a number of blockbusters at that point. And while there were a number of…

The Dead Don’t Die (2019) – Jim Jarmusch

Jim Jarmusch writes and directs this zombie film that is more in line with the Romero created monster than the running creatures that have been made so popular of late. In fact, the entire film plays out at an enjoyably relaxing pace, letting the story brew, the characters breathe, and the oddities, eccentricities, and the…

Silverado (1985) – Lawrence Kasdan

Occasionally a film comes along and revitalises the genre. Eastwood would return to the western trough countless times before he revitalised it with his own take on it, Unforgiven, but in the mid-80s, that shake-up was left to Lawrence Kasdan and his brother Mark. Lawrence had his fingers in Raiders of the Lost Ark, and…

Lethal Weapon 4 (1998) – Richard Donner

The gang is back together one last time for a less than stellar send off, but still a mostly satisfying conclusion to the Lethal Weapon series. With age creeping up on both Riggs (Mel Gibson) and Murtaugh (Danny Glover) they are thrown into a case that is going to push them to their limits. The…

Maverick (1994) – Richard Donner

Apparently, I’m still watching more Richard Donner movies, and this one I haven’t seen in years! Based on the television show from the 60s, Maverick comes to the big screen with Mel Gibson in the titular role, while the series original star, James Garner, co-stars as Marshall Zane Cooper. Jodie Foster rounds out the above…

Lethal Weapon 3 (1992) – Richard Donner

Roger Murtaugh’s (Danny Glover) retirement is only ten days away, so you can be assured that he and Riggs (Mel Gibson) are going to find their way into trouble in the third entry in the Lethal Weapon franchise. Reuniting director Richard Donner with all the familiar faces that have populated the universe returning, as well…

Lethal Weapon 2 (1989) – Richard Donner

1989. I graduated high school and was living on my own for the first time, and my movie collecting addiction was swinging into full gear and this film, along with Last Crusade and Batman were some of my purchases that year, making me choose for the first time between proper meals or cinematic confection. It…