The Movie Journal

Dressed to Kill (1980) What do you get when you combine Alfred Hitchcock and a thriller suspense story from the 1980’s? Well, you would get 1980’s thriller Dressed to Kill. From the beginning, you can tell that director Brian De Palma was trying to emulate Alfred Hitchcock’s films of old. Many young filmmakers at the time tried to make films with a Hitchcock influence, but many of them failed. However, Dressed to Kill mostly succeeded in creating a “Hitchcock” film. According to famed critic Roger Ebert, “He (De Palma) places his emphasis on the same things that obsessed Hitchcock: precise camera movements, meticulously selected visual movements, characters seen as types rather than personalities, and violence as a sudden interruption of the most mundane situations.” While the movie may not be peak Hitchcock, we get have an entertaining thriller that is violent, engaging, and surprisingly effective.   My first thought of the movie was that it is a strangely erotic movie. In

Brubaker (1980) Brubaker is one of those underseen hidden gems I had no idea existed until I began researching little-known movies that might peak my interest. I adore prison dramas no matter how ordinary or clichéd they may be. This movie is abundant of prison movie clichés, but it is the political nature of the story that fascinated me, as well as the strong cast. Let’s get the bitter stuff out of the way first. What do I mean by a clichéd story? It is all about the characters and who they represent. We got the idealistic reformer, the tough-as-nails colored guard, the rotten person on the prison board, and the psycho prisoner. These type of characters pop up in nearly all prison movies, but at least we have a very talented cast playing these roles with near perfection.   Before I can delve in with what fascinated me the most, we need to discuss the plot. There is a new prison warden at Wakefield Prison. Henry Brubaker (Robert Redford) decides to begin his new position

The Fog (1980) When done right, horror movies can work very well. But more times than not, they tend to suck which is why I am not a fan of the genre as a whole. With John Carpenter’s The Fog , we are presented with an interesting dilemma. It’s not a particularly great movie, but there is something about the movie I couldn’t resist. The movie does earn points because of its stylish nature. As the title appropriately suggests, this film is about a killer fog more or less and the production team does a wonderful job in showcasing just how creepy and scary that fog was. Every time I see the green fog travelling through the town of Antonio Bay, California, goosebumps legit appeared all over my body. The movie is also well-directed. John Carpenter is often called horror’s maestro, and you can see some examples of that here. He actually wants to create a story that doesn’t totally rely upon gore or jump scares and he somewhat succeed. The movie also has a very strong beginning. John Ho

Coal Miner's Daughter (1980) Let me say it right here. Coal Miner’s Daughter is one of the best films of 1980. Period. I was literally taken by surprise by how much I enjoyed this movie especially from the kind of story it is. It’s a simple rags-to-rich story that does not stray far away from the formula, and yet I was moved by the characterization portrayed by director Michael Apted, screenwriter Thomas Rickman, and the two leads in Sissy Spacek and Tommy Lee Jones. Every character here is humanized  and they have flaws just as much as they have virtues. Sure the story follows formula (the simple early life, rise to stardom, the downfall, and of course the big comeback), but I was firmly glued onto the characters because of how they were. That is what made this movie excel. I wouldn’t expect a movie about a country music star Loretta Lynn would move me as much as it did. But there you go, life is made of surprises. When Loretta Webb (Sissy Spacek) was thirteen years old

Mad Max (1980) Mad Max is a film that spawned a new genre of post-apocalyptic sci-fi movies and the career of Mel Gibson. This movie also gave birth to three sequels and a variety of spinoffs. Its been years since I first learned of this franchise, but it took me awhile to actually get around into seeing these movies. I have now seen this movie twice. The first time, I did not really like the film. While still an imperfect film, I appreciated the film much more. The story isn’t spectacular-it’s a just a road trip action/thriller with Mel Gibson killing all the bad guys who get in his way, but the characters are what make this movie work. So Mel Gibson plays a man named Max, a cop in the wastelands of post-apocalyptic Australia. To say Max is a savage cop to those who undermine him is like saying I only merely like watching movies. This man is ruthless when it comes to his career, but what makes Max a bigger character is the other side of himself. He is a happy family man wit

 In 1977, a cultural revolution began with the little-known science-fiction film called Star Wars created by visionary director George Lucas. It ended up being the highest-grossing film of all-time and it still ranks very high in the midst of today’s blockbusters. It was a very enjoyable movie and it created memorable characters that will live on for eternity. So of course we would get a sequel. In fact, Lucas created a whole world around his baby -an ambition that was not normal in 1980. With the sequel- The Empire Strikes Back , Lucas handed the directorial duties to his former college film professor Irvin Kershner because of his duties with his rising visual effects company Industrial Light and Magic, but of course he was very involved with this film. But enough of the background, let’s talk about this film. This sequel is much darker in tone, more mysterious, and quite frankly the best film in the franchise. Our favorite characters like Luke and Leia Skywalker and Han Solo ar

The Shining (1980) Today, I will review the 1980 genre classic, The Shining. Directed by masterful director Stanley Kubrick, this film went down as one of the greatest modern day horror masterpieces. Although Stephen King will “kindly” disagree. The movie is borderline sadistic in how it psychologically messes with the audience. The amount of twists and turns add up to one hell of a psychological thriller that made a mess out of my brain. The film maintains an eerie atmosphere throughout the film and it never settles until days after the end credits rolled. Jack Nicholson delivers another career-defining performance as Jack Torrance. The actor’s charisma and scary demeanor matches the tone of the movie perfectly. However, Shelley Duvall quite literally took me out of the movie at times with her blubbering performance. I will explain the basic premise of the movie the best I can. There are so many different parts to the story, so many different interpretations and themes to m

Urban Cowboy (1980) Urban Cowboy is a decent movie, no more no less. The story wasn’t exactly inspiring as I am reminded of Grease but with country music. But the plot that has been done a million times before is deemed watchable thanks to some solid acting performances particularly those of John Travolta and Debra Winger. The movie does show what it is like to live in the Texas heartland in the midst of a country music revolution. Maybe it is the clichés, but there are a lot of cowboy hats, bandanas, and line dancing involved. There are two things that stood out in the movie. The first thing is the rodeo scenes in the nightclub. That was probably the best part of the movie. Another thing I liked is the music. Maybe it is my Texas blood, but I caught myself tapping my toes to the songs. What is unique is the movie makes use of live music. Thank you, Charlie Daniels Band! They story is a simple, albeit clichéd story. James Bridges direct and wrote the film about a man named B

The Blues Brothers (1980) The Blue Brothers is one of the most odd films of the 1980’s. The film carries itself with utmost grace and it is that grace and heart that saves the movie from going too bonkers. Filled to the brim with car chases from everyone ranging from a zillion cops to a plethora of neo-Nazis plus an array of song and dance numbers, the movie lives dangerously. It threatens to go way over-the-top, but the charisma of both John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd does the movie wonders. There are a huge amount of celebrity cameos that also add to the exciting fun this movie offers. Ray Charles as a soulful music shop owner, Aretha Franklin as a manager of a restaurant, James Brown as a preacher, and a whole bunch of non-music celebrity cameos. This film was directed by John Landis, whom previously worked with John Belushi in the hilarious 1978 film, Animal House . This whole premise is based off the very popular Saturday Night Live skit that Belushi and Aykroyd created. A

Alien (1979)   “Jaws in Space.” The perfect three words to describe 1979’s unique Alien . If you look at it closely, Alien is very similar to Jaws . An abnormal giant creature is terrorizing a bunch of innocent humans, and even the introduction to each monster is eerily similar. I really dig the influences that Jaws made on Alien. I liked how they hid the alien until the end, where we finally get to see him in all his grotesque glory. The 1970’s was a hard time for sci-fi. Not many science fiction movies were made in the midst of American exploitation films, but luckily Star Wars and Close Encounters changed everything. Because of the success of those films, one of the best sci-fi/horror classics of the twentieth century was able to get produced. I am not much of a horror guy but if you are able to add a science-fiction element to the horror and actually make it good, well you can count me in. I enjoyed nearly everything about this film from start to finish. One of the film’

Apocalypse Now (1979)   “ I love the smell of napalm in the morning.” I have many ideas and thoughts about Apocalypse Now. Based off Joseph Conrad’s Hearts of Darkness, it is considered to be one of the best films of the twentieth century and one of the best Vietnam War movies ever made. I can generally agree with that assessment, but this movie is overly complicated sometimes. The movie has much to say on character and Darwinism. This movie follows Captain Benjamin Willard (Martin Sheen) as  he is tasked to travel downriver from Vietnam to Cambodia to assassinate a former American colonel, Walter Kurtz (Marlon Brando). But when Willard arrives to meet the Colonel, he realizes all is not what it really is. Kurtz has sided with the North Vietnamese for reasons of Darwinism and staying alive. He confesses how much stronger the Vietcong were than the Americans. They would go to any length to win the war and that is what gave them strength according to Kurtz. Kurtz was once one

The Great Santini (1979) Robert Duvall had himself a fantastic year of 1979. He was nominated for his supporting role in the iconic war film Apocalypse Now . He follows up that “napalm-smelling” performance with another Oscar-nominated performance in this movie The Great Santini . His character in this movie is a form of his character from Apocalypse Now. His character, Bull Meechum, is a hardened Marine who knows nothing but victory and competition. He lives his life with a code and he involves his family in his code. The main theme of the movie is family and at the heart of that theme is a father-and-son story. A very good one at that. The movie was directed and written by Lewis John Carlino, and he did a wonderful job in making the small moments matter. The story itself is a sentimental one, but it stays away from being sappy. There may be tears over the course of the film, but at least you should not end the movie feeling depressed. Lets get ourselves acquainted with the

Grease (1978) 1978’s Grease, in many eyes, is a classic film. It is adored by all ages, and it seemingly passes down from generation to generation with love. This is one of the first movies I remember that have a sense of nostalgia. This movie plays well with the baby boomers because it harkens back to the 1950’s, when love was swamped in innocence. This movie got the feel of the 1950’s correct, I have been told. The clothing, the background music, the charm, the acting, and the overall look of the movie. The actual songs are 1970’s rock’n’roll style, and they are wonderful songs. The tone of the movie is upbeat, fun, and innocent. It may be somewhat predictable, but the movie itself was made well. There are a variety of reasons why I enjoy this movie. From the interpretation of the 1950’s lifestyle to the wonderful tunes to the themes of true love-all of it elevates this movie into ‘classic’ territory. However, I am irked by a few things though. Mainly the age of the cast.

Jaws 2 (1978) Jaws. The movie that is often given the notion of starting the summer blockbuster season. It was a magnificent achievement that Steven Spielberg’s film became a critical and monetary success. It was a tense thriller that relied upon hiding the shark until the end and its three main leads in Roy Scheider, Richard Dreyfuss, and Robert Shaw. So naturally a sequel would have to be made. Understandably so, I scratch my head at the thought of a sequel. But it doesn’t matter because Jaws 2 does exist. I’ll say this. It’s the best sequel you could hope to make……but that is not saying much. The movie is sometimes enjoyable, but there are several critical mistakes in the movie. But let’s start with the positives. The shark has returned, and it came back bigger and stronger than ever. The shark even has an evil-looking scar to it. I really liked the look of the shark. The performances weren’t too bad, either. Out of the original cast, only Scheider, Lorraine Gary, and Mu