The Movie Journal

The Outsiders (1983) Francis Ford Coppola is the visionary director who brought The Godfather films and Apocalypse Now to the big screen and he really made a name for himself directing these classics. After watching these films, I was very interested in what Coppola directed next. That film happened to be 1983’s The Outsiders . After watching this film, I thought it was…. merely fine. It was an interesting enough movie, but Coppola’s direction is actually one of the film’s biggest culprits. He really brought style to the movie in terms of lighting and the overall look, but he could have paid more attention to his characters. These characters were paper-thin and some of the dialogue was a bit sketchy. It was interesting to see what Coppola could do by tackling the theme of teen angst. I just wish he brought more life to the story. Coppola and screenwriter adapted this story from S.E Hinton’s famous novel-one that was written when the author was sixteen years old. Ponyboy ...

3rd Rock from the Sun: Season 1, Episode 8 "Body & Soul & Dick" February 27, 1996 How does Dick encounter death for the first time? In this episode, “Body & Soul & Dick,” we shall see! Dr. Leonard Hanlin (played by John Mahoney) is a disliked snobby professor. As his own party, he has a heart attack and dies. Dick was an honest man with him and in his will, he requests Dick to deliver a eulogy at his funeral. Coming up with nice words for the man may not be the easiest thing to do. Meanwhile, Tommy does have a hard time staying loyal to August-as cheerleaders arouse his interest. Compared to the last few episodes, this is a better and funnier episode. John Mahoney delivers the goods as the detested professor in his brief appearance. Watching Dick try to write a eulogy is some good comedy work. John Lithgow continues to amaze me as Dick. When the eulogy is spoken, that is what we need-a good ol’ belly laugh. Also, the Big Giant Head is finally spo...

3rd Rock from the Sun: Season 1, Episode 7 "Lonely Dick" February 20, 1996 Ah, the sad sensation of loneliness-something that Dick has to reckon with in this episode, “Lonely Dick.” Mary Albright goes on vacation, but she does not leave any contact information with Dick-only with Nina. Dick misses Mary very much and begins to feel lonely without her. Still, he will find other ways to act up. Meanwhile, Sally enters the world of cosmetics. Tommy has a new girlfriend in his life, August (played by Shay Astar). I thought this was a very fun episode. Phil Hartman made a guest appearance and is really good! It is unfortunate that this is one of his last appearances ever since he was murdered shortly after this episode was released. August is one weird girl, but weirdness is something that flows with this family. Also, Sally begging for free samples is really worth watching. Quote of the Episode: Phillip: Your 'friend' is pretty demanding. Harry...

3rd Rock from the Sun: Season 1, Episode 6 "Green-Eyed Dick" February 13, 1996 How does Dick experience jealously for the first time? In this sixth episode, “Green-Eyed Dick,” you’ll find out! On his way to his office, Dick sees two people hugging each other. Fascinated with that sensation, he asks Mary to hug her-but she refuses. Seconds later, her friend, Jeff (played by the wonderful Ed Begley, Jr) walks in and starts hugging her. Ta da, Dick feels jealous! He later recruits Sally to help him understand what jealously is. Meanwhile, Harry finds a stray dog and wants to keep it as a pet. This episode, while amusing, is a bit weaker when compared to the prior episodes. There is still plenty of humor that we come to expect from this show, and it was interesting for Dick to try and understand the feeling of jealousy. Ed Begley Jr does make a wonderful guest appearance. Quote of the Episode: Dr. Dick Solomon: This isn't a thimble. It's Turkish ...

3rd Rock from the Sun: Season 1, Episode 5 "Dick, Smoker" February 06, 1996 In this fifth episode, “Dick, Smoker,” Dick sees one of the students smoking. He takes that as a sign that smoking is cool. He decides to take on that nasty habit much to the dismay of his colleagues. Meanwhile, Sally is getting fed up with Dick’s bossy habits. Her anger also comes from a very sore tooth. She and Dick take a trip to the dentist where Dick finds out the hard way that he is not allowed to smoke in the office. As he goes outside, he becomes lost and locks himself inside the stairwell. With Dick lost, Sally is the new head of the family. This was a funny episode. Of course, the theme of smoking is bad is prevalent, but that allows Dick to become insane. Once he locks himself in the stairwell, that is when the episode is at its best. Watching him talk to himself using famed poet Edgar Allan Poe was a highlight. Keep an eye out for Jane Lynch who appears as a guest star. Also ...

Bad Boys (1983) 1983’s Bad Boys is one of the grittiest, most brutal prison films ever made. It’s not the best prison/reform school film-that honor goes to The Shawshank Redemption . However, this is a powerful must-see film that features exemplary acting from all the young leads. The imagery shown is some incredibly brutal at times-even by today’s standards. As director Rick Rosenthal points out, he wanted to add realism to his story. Without any film depicting this violence, then there is no point trying to be realistic. The film came to fruition a few years prior when producer Richard Solo mentioned to writer Richard Di Lello that he wanted a “James Cagney version of a reform school film.” Di Lello wrote the script within ten days. What is truly remarkable is how the script came across as realistic with no research. Di Lello decided to do some research after he wrote the script and to his surprise, the events that he racked from his brain turned out to be as realistic a...

Tender Mercies (1983) I remember watching Tender Mercies for the first time. I sat in stunned silence after viewing this quiet drama. I really did not expect much, and I’ll be honest when I thought the plotline did not stand out to me. Considering the lead actor Robert Duvall and the fact the film was nominated for five Academy Awards, I decided to check out the movie. It is a small, contemplative film. Nothing stands out in an immediate way; no crazy dialogue, no action scenes, an intentionally slow pace. However, the power of this story enveloped me long after I finished this movie. It is a story about redemption, about love, and about trying to find positivity in a life where perhaps one does not have much of it. This story was written by playwright Horton Foote. If that name sounds familiar to you, he was the guy who brought How to Kill A Mockingbird to the silver screen in 1962. For a period of time, he lost interest in Hollywood because he felt their system lacked ...

3rd Rock from the Sun: Season 1, Episode 4 "Dick Is from Mars, Sally Is from Venus" January 30, 1996 In this fourth episode, “Dick Is from Mars, Sally Is from Venus,” Tommy is sent to high school because Dick wants his family to act more like a typical family. Sally has the chance to go on his first date and is encouraged to go by Dick because none of the family has encountered sex yet. Sally goes on her date and has a great time. She tells Dick her date will give her a call. Of course, with Tommy not truly understanding how schools work, has a very tough attitude-and Dick is forced to talk to his teacher about his attitude. This is another funny, and intelligent episode. With high school added to the picture, more hilarious situations can ensue. I really liked how Mary and Dick set up Sally on a date just so she can experience a casual encounter. Oh, and we get to see aliens cry for the first time! That was quite an amusing scene! Also, Sally’s reactions post-dat...

3rd Rock from the Sun: Season 1, Episode 3 "Dick's First Birthday" January 23, 1996 In this episode, “Dick’s First Birthday,” Dick realizes that humans have birthdays thanks to Nina asking Dick for an office birthday list. He instructs his family that they need to find birthdays. The younger ones enjoy having a birthday, but Dick is a middle-aged man as he finds out-and he is not exactly jumping around with joy. His age is against him when he falls for Laurie (played by guest star Lauren Graham), so he decides to make some changes to his physical appearance. This is another funny episode, and quite relevant too. I think it uses the theme of aging very well-and John Lithgow did very well with this material. One of my favorite moments is when both he and Mary connect with each other with they both exclaim they are 42 years old. Good stuff! As a guest cameo, Lauren Graham-a Gilmore Girl favorite, is really good! Quote of the Episode: Dr. Mary Albright:...

3rd Rock from the Sun: Season 1, Episode 2 "Post-Nasal Dick" January 16, 1996 “Post-Nasal Dick” is the second episode of 3 rd Rock from the Sun. Tommy is able to have his first kiss with his lab partner, but unfortunately picked up an illness. This illness spreads to the entire family where they feel the sensation of being sick for the first time. Dick wants to go to a wedding with Mary, but he has to feign normalcy to not show that he is sick. Sally discovers what being a mother is like. Harry dreams about Martha Stewart (in a wonderful cameo). This is solid episode that builds up what we saw in the premiere. I really love how this family caught a common cold and thought they were dying. I guess, through their eyes, coughing and sneezing are such damaging human functions. Quote of the episode: Dick Solomon: “It was the best of times. It was the worst of times- reading “A Tale of Two Cities.” “I’m not reading 387 pages if he can’t make up his mind i...

3rd Rock from the Sun: Season 1, Episode 1 "Brains and Eggs" January 09, 1996 NBC’s 3 rd Rock from the Sun , which initially appeared as a mid-season replacement, ended up being one of the most popular sitcoms of the late 1990’s. This era was overfilled with favored sitcoms such as Friends and Seinfeld, so it must have been a genuine surprise to the studio that this particular show was incredibly successful. The premise is not even exactly the most original idea. Aliens inhabiting human bodies as they learn about human behavior has been tried and done before a countless number of times. What made this show stand out? Well, the writing is very sharp and incredibly witty. The writers were able to take a human’s ordinary day and turn them into something extraordinary in the eyes of these aliens. Plus, the cast is very darn good. The leading quartet of John Lithgow, Kristen Johnson, French Stewart, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt all bring their charisma to this alien family, a...

Table for Five (1983) I can guarantee that ninety percent of my readers here have not seen this tear-jerking melodrama 1983’s Table for Five , yet alone heard of it. Hopefully after reading my kind words, you will be somewhat intrigued by this movie. When doing my research for the film, I was shocked to see how vastly underrated the movie is. There are only a few reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, hardly any information on Wikipedia or Google-hardly anything out there in this vast Internet landscape. Then, why on earth is this movie so good? Sure, maybe some folks will say the movie is just a predictable Lifetime TV movie, but honestly it is much more than that. There are some elements that makes this film seem destined for the television at times, but to me it is much more than that. I consider the movie to be an honest, emotional portrayal about fatherhood and family. Directed by Robert Lieberman, this film is about a man named J.P Tannen (Jon Voight) who fails at being fathe...

The King of Comedy (1983) Martin Scorsese’s 1983 feature, The King of Comedy is an underrated film that speaks volumes about celebrity culture-and not much in a kind way. This dark comedy features the legendary director at his best and at his darkest. Coming off the success of 1980’s Raging Bull , people were excited for the next collaboration between Scorsese and Robert De Niro. The people who initially saw the movie was let down. People misunderstood this movie big time. With the word “comedy” featured in the title, they expected full blown-out laughs. Oh no! That is not what Scorsese was aiming for. The man instead created a movie that blasts celebrity culture and the idea of people becoming famous just for the sake of being famous. While at times funny, the movie is also cynical, dark, and sometimes a bit open-ended. How this movie came to be is quite fascinating. Paul D. Zimmermann wrote the script in the mid-70’s and it fell in the hands of De Niro. The actor showe...