The Movie Journal

  Paris, Texas (1984) I truly did not know what to expect with Paris, Texas . It looked like to be some European director’s take on the American western. I am glad I gave Wim Wenders’s film a chance because it is a deeply profound, moving picture about one man’s existence set in a grim, bleak world of loneliness. Anyone who has felt these urges of loneliness can relate to our main character, played superbly by the great American character actor Harry Dean Stanton. Wenders is known for his character studies by delivering thoughtful if flawed characters that embark on some sort of road trip throughout America. This movie felt more at home when compared to the experimental films from the 60’s and 70’s with similar themes. Set in the world where big blockbusters were given prominence, this is fresh breath of air that stays with you for a long, long time. Wenders combined his West German New Age sensibilities with screenwriter Sam Shepard’s (yes, also the actor) raw, bleak take on Ameri...

The Cotton Club (1984) 1984’s The Cotton Club marks Francis Ford Coppola’s return to the world of mobsters…and to mixed results. If you are familiar with the director’s filmography, you will know he is the creative mind behind The Godfather films. I thought being back in his wheelhouse, he would create another masterpiece. While not a completely bad film, the highly energized film is rather bland, and the strong cast is not able to live up to its complete potential. It is an interesting movie to dissect and the making of the movie itself is somewhat interesting. Robert Evans, the famed producer behind Chinatown , had his eyes on to direct the film. He backed out and suggested Coppola to direct this movie. In purely financial terms, this was a mistake for the studio as the budget ballooned under his supervision. Mario Puzo, who had written The Godfather and its sequel, actually had a script that was already completed. Coppola hired William Kennedy at the last minute to m...

A Passage to India (1984) A Passage to India is a deep, mesmerizing film and also, an important film. The film, based off one of the twentieth century’s greatest literary works, is a story about prejudice and racism between the English and Indian people during the British Raj. This beautiful film is also David Lean’s last film. Lean made sure to go out with a bang, as he still had one more epic in him. The canvas that he painted is colorful, realistic, and complicated. The story has many moving parts within its politics, and it has the chance to frustrate viewers with how open-ended Lean left his film. Then again, the novel was even more open-ended. The beauty of the arts! The film took an incredibly long time to be adapted from the source material. The author, E.M Forster (also known for writing Howard’s End ), was afraid his book would be adapted the wrong way. Many filmmakers approached him for the rights, but he denied them all. He did not think it was possible to b...

Starman (1984) John Carpenter’s Starman is a science-fiction delight and a very nice surprise. There are several reasons why the film is unique. It is a sci-fi film (my favorite genre) but Carpenter took a complete U-turn to eventually turn the film into a simple, but pleasing romance story with a sprinkle of road-trip genre mixed in. The film is often compared to Steven Spielberg’s E.T: The Extra-Terrestrial and sometimes in an unfair way. Yes, the two films contain similar storylines, but this particular film is geared toward adults. Perhaps that is the reason why romance is a major player? I was taken aback when I saw John Carpenter directed the movie. I knew him as the horror maestro behind hits such as Halloween and The Fog . Carpenter wanted to prove himself as a director who can tackle any genre with success. If Starman is any indication, Carpenter does have the chops to take on a character-driven film. The film was originally going to be directed by Tony Scott....

Beverly Hills Cop (1984) Just like 48 Hrs and Lethal Weapon to name a few, Beverly Hills Cop is one of those movies that revolutionized the buddy cop genre in the 1980’s. Even to this day, this film remains incredibly popular thanks to Eddie Murphy’s fast-paced, magnificent performance. Also, what stands out here is the soundtrack. Hate talk 80’s music all you want, but there is no beating this soundtrack. In addition to the famous “Axel F’ theme song, there are songs from Patti LaBelle and the Pointer Sisters that you couldn’t imagine anywhere else. Watching Murphy drive down Beverly Hills while LaBelle is rocking out “Stir It Up” allows you to embrace the film. The megastar producing duo of Jerry Bruckheimer/Don Simpson came up with the film’s idea in the late 1970’s, but Paramount decided not to move forward with the film until the early 80’s. It is hard to believe after watching the film, but the original screenplay was a more serious drama that had Sylvester Stallo...

The Killing Fields (1984) Wow, what a punch to the gut! If you are about to watch The Killing Fields for the first time, be prepared to feel the same way. It is an emotional tale that describes the horror of the Khmer Rouge reign. It is a thought-provoking tale based from the memoirs of a New York Times correspondent. The performances from the cast are excellent, especially from Haing S. Ngor, a doctor who never acted before. This is Roland Joffe’s first film as director and he really understood the material. It is not only a movie that describes the horror of war, but it is a tale of friendship, loyalty, and love. David Puttnam, who produced this feature, actually said Joffe was the only man who understood what the film truly meant. Indeed he did, because this film is an emotional gut punch! As a history major, this time period is actually one I was not all too familiar with. I knew the Cambodian Civil War was in part due to the Khmer Rouge taking over the country. Thi...

The Terminator (1984) The Terminator is, without a doubt, one of the most iconic science-fiction movies of all-time. It may not be my favorite (it’s still high up on my list), but there is no denying the influence the film had for filmmakers and moviegoers alike. The studio, Orion, originally saw this film as a flop, but it was moderately successful on a limited budget. It spawned a sequel that brought the property to a mass audience, which it turn created more sequels of varying degrees of success. Even in today’s world, this is a beloved film that has a wide audience. The film brought forth the Hollywood careers of many people. The top of the list is director James Cameron. It took people time to see he was the real deal. With the tight budget given to him, Cameron was able to make most of what he had. His movie, which he also wrote, has some very dark themes. What will the world look like with the rapid acceleration of technology and what would happen if there was...

Amadeus (1984) Amadeus , without a doubt, is my favorite film from 1984. Looking in from the outside, the movie looks to be a dark, disturbing tale about the feud between legendary composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Antonio Salieri. In reality, while the film has some extremely dark moments, it is also light-hearted and quite funny. The casting is perfect. Tom Hulce as Mozart is one of the best casting of all-time, and it comes out of nowhere! The costumes are fantastic. Should I even mention the music? This film made me appreciate the fact that Mozart is one of the greatest minds in human history. In 1975, a movie was released called One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest . That movie was one of my favorite films that year and also won Best Picture at the Oscars, just like this movie. Both films were directed by Milos Forman. Forman directed the heck out of the movie. Each scene was expertly staged and meaningful. Considering the world was entering the MTV stage, Forman too...

A Soldier's Story (1984) A Soldier’s Story is one of 1984’s most undervalued films. It was nominated for three Academy Awards including Best Picture, but people really do not talk about it. I’d say it is more of a docudrama about racism in the military. Not so much about black versus white as black versus black. It’s a topic that is rarely talked about…anywhere. Many studios were hesitant about the script, which was written by Charles Fuller based on his own play. Columbia bravely allowed the film to be made and it was actually a small moneymaker for the studio. It is a movie that explores the racism between races, and it does a solid job at doing so. The film has some small issues, but this is an incredibly watchable film that provokes some heavy emotion. The film is directed by Norman Jewison, which does not come as a surprise to me. In 1967, the director made one of the best films depicting racism in the South, In the Heat of the Night . That film packed a heavie...

Red Dawn (1984) Red Dawn …is a provocative and interesting movie. On one hand, the actual movie is entertaining, features solid acting from the young cast, and has one of the best introductions to a movie. On the other hand, the political philosophy is quite alarming and nationalistic. When the film was released in 1984, there was an outcry. The film seemed to be an antiwar film with a more conservative feeling, and people felt outraged. That said, I rather thought the film was a decent-enough action film that had some good moments but was rather predictable and overly violent. It is definitely better than the 2012 remake. The script was written by Kevin Reynolds who also wanted to direct the film, but MGM passed on Reynolds due to his inexperience. Instead, they hired John Milius despite most of the studio not agreeing with this choice. Milius was known to love war and the stories it tends to blossom. The studio feared that the choice of Milius directing a film “about ...

Gremlins (1984) 1984’s Gremlins is one messed up movie…and I am all down for it. The movie came out at a time where it was acceptable to blend the genres of horror and comedy. In fact, it came out the same weekend as the very popular Ghostbusters . Which did the same exact thing, but perhaps a little less scary than Gremlins . The film itself infuses a nice mixture of comedy and horror and it really is a fun movie. There are several grotesque moments, but this film is my childhood and it might be the one film to show your child when introducing the genre of horror. Can you believe that Joe Dante’s film is rated PG? Creatures being blown up in a microwave, these gremlins looking like the monster from Alien , a really sad story about why Kate, one of the characters despises Christmas, and so forth. Along with Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom , this movie inspired the PG-13 rating which we would see in a few months. There have been stories where parents walked out of t...

Once Upon a Time in America (1984) In my humble opinion, Sergio Leone’s Once Upon a Time in America might be one of the greatest gangster films ever made, if not the best one. People unfairly compare this movie to The Godfather, but each film is a masterpiece in its own different way. People even say this movie is one of the best films of all time. I would give credibility to those people because I wholeheartedly agree. This film, Leone’s director cut at least, is in my top 100 list. One of the many reasons why this film is amazing is because is a deep, thematic film. Leone created a film about the American Dream. How it will lure you in with its promises and then betray you just as quickly. Sounds familiar, right? The film is also about friendship, loyalty, greed, love, and violence. The situation surrounding the film’s release is a sad story. The film is incredibly long at 3 hours and 49 minutes, but Leone made sure each minute mattered in telling his story. It does r...

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984) It has been known that Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom is my least favorite film from the original trilogy…and only by a very slim margin. Ultimately, the film is a technical triumph, a rousing adventure, and an excellent sequel to 1981’s Raiders of the Lost Ark . Indiana Jones is at his best when he is fighting Nazis, but I think he does quite well fending off an evil Indian cult. Yes, the sequel (actually, it’s a prequel) is plenty darker than the first film, but it all makes for a very interesting watch. When the film received its initial treatment, director Steven Spielberg and producer George Lucas were going through turbulent times in their lives mainly through divorces. Those dark moments represent the darker tone of the story. The duo originally wanted Lawrence Kasdan, who wrote Raiders , to return but he felt the story was too dark and unpleasant for his taste. They hired Gloria Katz and Willard Huyck to write th...

The Natural (1984) The Natural is my favorite baseball movie beating the likes of Field of Dreams or Bull Durham , and I love those movies as well. Could it be the iconic Randy Newman theme that brings me shivers every time I hear it at a baseball stadium? Could it be the stacked cast that includes Robert Redford and Glenn Close? Could it be the impressive direction from Barry Levinson? Or how about baseball being played with a religious overtone? Whatever is the real reason, its safe to say that I adore this movie with all of my heart. I’ve seen it a good number of times and it never grows old. Ever since hearing the theme played at an independent baseball stadium, my dad showed this movie to me and I’m glad he did. The film is based off a fictional story from Bernard Malamud. Barry Levinson, who smoothly directed the film, always claimed that the movie was not a direct adaptation of the novel. Many naysayers of the film criticized the film for not being faithful to th...

Sixteen Candles (1984) Director John Hughes just might be the unsung hero of 80's cinema. He gave us many teen films that have a unique style. His films are hilarious, fresh, and often relatable. Teen comedies generally loathe their characters, but Hughes treat his characters with respect and compassion. After all, they are only merely human. Aren't we all? Hughes had many teen comedy hits this decade and one of them is 1984's Sixteen Candles. Hughes truly understand the dynamics of high-school life. Sex is on everyone's mind, but they are so inexperienced, and it becomes a big deal. There were cliques in every high school as the whole geek vs. hot girl plot confirms. While this movie has some focus there, it elevates that cliché. There is this one scene where these two characters are in the front seat of an automobile. After Molly Ringwald's character tells the geek to get lost, they both realize that they feel the same; insecure, lost, and afraid. These chara...

The Bounty (1984) We all know the story of the H.M.S Bounty, the British ship that was mutinied by the ship’s second-in-command. There have been five film adaptations based on this story: an Australian silent film from 1916, another Australian film from 1933 starring Errol Flynn, the more famous 1935’s Mutiny on the Bounty starring Charles Laughton, and the 1962 remake with Marlon Brando. The latter two films were based on a series of books from Charles Nordhoff and James Norman Hall. Our latest film based off the event is 1984’s The Bounty which features Anthony Hopkins and Mel Gibson. This one also happens to be my favorite. It’s a slower-paced film, but the performances are rich. This is also a more historically accurate film when compared to the others. This particular film is based off the 1972 book from Richard Hough. Hough’s book is meticulously researched and is a deep character study on Captain William Bligh and his second-in-command, Fletcher Christian. Acclaime...

Moscow on the Hudson (1984) I have some interesting thoughts about Paul Mazursky’s 1984 film, Moscow on the Hudson . It is a character study that is way ahead of its time. It’s a patriotic film but with a liberal mind, and you did not see many of those kind of films in the 1970’s or 1980’s. Mazursky filled his film with characters that have different ethnic and cultural backgrounds. That makes sense considering New York City is the country’s melting pot. The city where all cultures can be themselves. This is a sweet, fish-out-of-the-water film that ultimately loses steam as we approach the finish line. I can forgive that because the majority of the film is strong and entertaining. A lot of effort was put into making the film realistic as possible. I definitely appreciate all the realism Mazursky and star Robin Williams brought to the film. The director’s grandfather actually emigrated from Ukraine 80 years prior so there was some family history involved. He also spent a...