JEFF OF THE CINEFILES & UNFINISHED BUSINESS: HALL OF FAME - FILE #0069 - D.A.R.Y.L. (1985)

 

Directed By: Simon Wincer  Written By: David Ambrose, Allan Scott & Jeffrey Ellis  Cinematography: Frank Watts 

Cast: Barret Oliver, Mary Beth Hurt, Michael McKean, Danny Corkill, Amy Linker, Kathryn Walker, Colleen Camp, Josef Sommer, Ron Frazier, Steve Ryan, Hardy Rawls 

A young boy is found wandering without any memory of who he is. A family takes him in and begin to look for clues to help him find his way home. In the meantime, they notice that the boy seems to have certain special abilities, not usually found in kids his age, or even fully-grown adults.

AVENGING ANGEL (1985)

 

Directed By: Robert Vincent O’Neil Written By: Robert Vincent O’Neil & Joseph M. Cala Cinematography: Peter Lyons Collister  Editor: John R. Bowey

Cast: Betsy Russell, Rory Calhoun, Susan Tyrell, Ossie Davis, Robert F. Lyons, Steven M. Porter, Paul Lambert, Barry Pearl, Frank Doubleday

Molly, the former prostitute, has managed to leave her street life with help from Lt. Andrews. She studies law and leads a normal life. When Andrews is killed by a brutal gang, she returns to the streets as Angel to find his killers.

WEIRD SCIENCE (1985)

 

Written & Directed by: John Hughes  Cinematography: Matthew F. leonetti Editor: Chris Lebenzon, Scott Wallace & Mark Warner 

Cast: Anthony Michael Hall, Ilan Mitchell-Smith, Kelly Lebrock, Bill Paxton, Robert Downey Jr. Robert Rusler, Suzanne Snyder, Judie Aronson, Vernon wells, Michael Berryman, Britt Leach, Wallace Langham

Two high school nerds use a computer program to literally create the perfect woman, but she turns their lives upside down.

SMOOTH TALK (1985)

 

Directed by: Joyce Chopra  Written By: Tom Cole Based on the short story “Where are you going, Where have you been” By: Joyce Carol Oates  Cinematography: James Glennon  Editor: Patrick Dodd 

Cast: Laura Dern, Treat Williams, Mary Kay Place, Levon Helm, Elizabeth Berridge, Margaret Welsh, William Ragsdale 

A free-spirited 15-year-old girl flirts with a dangerous stranger in the Northern California suburbs and must prepare herself for the frightening and traumatic consequences.

STICK (1985)

Directed By: Burt Reynolds 
Written By: Elmore Leonard & Joseph C. Stinson 
Based on the novel By: Elmore Leonard 
Cinematography By: Nick McLean 
Editor: William Gordean 


Cast: Burt Reynolds, Candice Bergen, George Segal, Dar Robinson, Jose Perez, Alex Rocco, Richard Lawson, Tricia Leigh Fisher 


Ernest 'Stick' Stickley returns from prison, and very soon he gets involved with his old friend in a drug-running deal that goes sour. Hired by a rich investor, he tries to walk the line, but trouble follows him throughout as he tries to collect a debt and make up for lost time with his daughter. Stick also finds a new flame with a financial wiz and gets set to enjoy a new life, but Chucky and Nestor, the two hoods who owe him the debt, have other plans for Stick.

GIRLS JUST WANT TO HAVE FUN (1985)

Directed By: Alan Metter 
Written By: Amy Spies 
Cinematography By: Thomas E. Ackerman 
Editor: Donald Rawlins & Lorenzo DeStefano 


Cast: Sarah Jessica Parker, Helen Hunt, Shannen Doherty, Jonathan Silverman, Ed Lauter, Biff Yaeger, Ian Giatti, Holly Gagnier 


Janey is new in town, and soon meets Lynne, who shares her passion for dancing in general, and "Dance TV" in particular. When a competition is announced to find a new Dance TV regular couple, Janey and Lynne are determined to audition. The only problem is that Janey's father doesn't approve of that kind of thing.

JEFF OF THE CINEFILES & UNFINISHED BUSINESS: HALL OF FAME: FILE #0045: COME & SEE (1985)

Directed By: Elem Klimov 
Written By: Ales Adamovich & Elem Klimov 
Story By: Ales Adamovich 
Cinematography By: Aleksei Rodionov 
Editor: Valeriya Belova 
Production Design, Art Direction and Set Decoration By: Viktor Petrov 


Cast: Aleksey Kravchenko, Olga Mironova, Liubomaris Laucevicius, Vladas Bagdonas

THE BRIDE (1985)

Directed By: Franc Roddam 
Written By: Lloyd Fonviele 
Cinematography By: Stephen H. Burum 
Editor: Michael Ellis 
Music By: Maurice Jarre 


Cast: Sting, Jennifer Beals, Clancy Brown, Anthony Higgins, David Rappaport, Geraldine Page, Quentin Crisp, Cary Elwes, Timothy Spall, Guy Rolfe

BLAST FROM THE PAST: NOSTALGIA REVIEWS: SECRET ADMIRER (1985)

Directed By: David Greenwalt Written By: David Greenwalt & Jim Kouf Cinematography By: Victor J. Kemper Editor: Dennis Virkler Cast: C. Thomas Howell, Kelly Preston, Lori Loughlin, Cliff De Young, Courtney Gains, Dee Wallace, Leigh Taylor-Young, Fred Ward, Corey Haim, Doug Savant, Casey Siemaszko

CRIMEWAVE (1985)

Directed By: Sam Raimi Written By: Sam Raimi, Joel Coen & Ethan Coen Cinematography By: Robert Primes Editor: Michael Kelly & Kathie Weaver Cast: Brion James, Paul L. Smith, Louise Lasser, Sheree J. Wilson, Edward R. Pressman, Antonio Fargas, Bruce Campbell, Ted Raimi

MY LIFE AS A DOG (Mitt lliv som hund) (1985)

Directed By: Lasse Hallstrom
Written By: Lasse Hallstrom, Reidar Jonsson, Brasse Brannstrom & Per Berglund
Based on the novel by: Reidar Jonsson
Cinematography By: Jorgen Persson
Editor: Christer Furubrand & Susanne Linmann

Cast: Anton Granzelius, Tomas Von Bromssen, Melinda Kinnaman, Leif Ericsson

MAD MAX BEYOND THUNDERDOME (1985)

Directed By: George Miller & George Ogilve
Written By: Terry Hayes & George Miller
Cinematography By: Dean Semler
Editor: Richard Francis-Bruce

CAST: Mel Gibson, Tina Turner, Bruce Spence

A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET PART 2: FREDDY'S REVENGE (1985)

Directed By: Jack Shoulder
Written By: David Chaskin; Based On Characters By: Wes Craven
Cinematography By: Jacques Haitkin & Christopher Tufty
Editor: Bob Brady & Arline Garson

Cast: Robert Englund, Robert Rusler, Kim Myers, Clu Gulager

FRIDAY THE 13th: Part 5 - A NEW BEGINNING (1985)

Cast: Shavar Ross, Miguel Nunez Jr., Anthony Barrie, Todd Bryant

Directed By: Danny Steinman
Written By: Danny Steinman & Martin Kitrosser & David Cohen
Story By: Martin Kitrosser & David Cohen
Cinematography By: Steven L. Posey
Editor: Bruce Green

They Lied. Een though the film does live up to it's title

(SPOILER ALERT)

This whole review is a spoiler

I Give this film credit as it is a ruse and kind of a cop out since there is no real Jason in the film but it is a continuation in the series as young Tommy Jarvis grows up and is put in a home for troubled teens. Corey Feldman was supposed to reprise his role but he was too busy filming “The Goonies” Wise decision or not you decide.

You know where this film is headed when the first kill is not by Jason but some random disturbed character that we think or hope we won’t be seeing again. The guy they kill is expendable because not only is he mentally challenged but fat. But the ending makes no sense since the guy who killed his son is behind bars why not kill him and get it over with instead of killing all these people who didn’t really have anything to do with it.

The film has a few good ideas of continuing the series sort of like Halloween 3 but a lot better. This film still keeps up the high body count and plenty of violence but in the end you find out that Jason is a imposter. You can tell early on look at the mask it has blue marks instead of red ones. But there are plenty of problems with the film even though it is supposed to be a typical Jason film why is it made lie a who done it the director makes it seem like certain members of the cast are killing everyone off even though we see it is Jason I can understand the characters in the film thinking this but why make the audience also think it.

Now I know the Friday the 13th films are short on logic but if this is a imposter Jason how come he has almost as much strength which borders on supernatural.

Now A the end and once you think about it you can see how the imposter came to be seeing as what happened earlier in the film how it could scar them to be driven to do this almost similar to what made Jason become the killing machine we know him as though without the strength and mongoloidism.

The pleasures of this film though are Shavar Ross who will be familiar to fans of television as Dudley of different strokes as one of the first African Americans in the series and as a about face the first to actually survive. In going with all these breakthroughs he also has the realest reactions of a character in a horror film when he sees the killer monster he screams like a girl and hightails it out of there leaving his friend to fend for herself she is a afterthought. It also features Miguel Nunez in full bad 80’s rock gear complete with a jheri curl as one of the first African American characters killed by Jason and in the toilet none the less. Pure magic and hilarious

Later I found out there was a heavily edited Scene where Jason kills the punk rock girl originally he was supposed to stab her right in her privates and we watch her bled out that way instead of the usual slash in the intestines. Now most of these films it ends up as violent as they are the MPAA has declared war on these films citing it for being sexist and excessive I’m sure they are and certain age groups shouldn’t be allowed to watch these films but that is the responsibility of the parents these films are made for pure entertainment not social statements they don’t preach a certain rhetoric and just like I am reviewing them, you take what you believe from them attacking them doesn’t stop them as you can see they still come out in fact you stump the audience and creators by not showing the story to the best of there abilities I know how ridiculous this all is for a movie that is sub-par but it needs to be said.

The ending is just bizarre as the ghost of Jason sets up Tommy in the hospital to become the new Jason. Which doesn’t exactly happen but we don’t find that out until the next film. For now this is truly the only Jason movie that really has no Jason in it. Kind of a rip off but a interesting experiment for the series.

GRADE: C

JUST ONE OF THE GUYS (1985)

Directed By: Lisa Gottlieb
Written By: Dennis Feldman & Jeff Franklin
Story By: Dennis Feldman
Cinematography By: John McPherson
Editor: Tony Lombardo

Cast: Joyce Heyser, Sherilyn Fenn, Ayre Gross, William Zabka

I remember this movie fondly as a child. I discovered this movie just like everyone else who watched cable in the 80’s I was on a search for boobs. Let me explain I was going through puberty and had no hope of seeing any porn. There wasn’t this whole internet thing around at the time where you can see anything and everything. So as a loyal subscriber to TV-Guide, i would read the movie guide to see which films had nudity, brief nudity or adult situations which has now been changed to sexual situations in the guide. Though back then adult situations didn’t necessarily mean sex but had that slim chance that it could. I would always read the synopsis of these films to see if I could stand sitting through them until I could get to the nudity next I would look at the schedule to see when I could catch it. Sometimes this backfired as I couldn’t watch it because an adult was in the room. Sometimes I was lucky my dad would rent the movie for me thinking it was a innocent teen comedy that he wouldn’t want to watch. Then I was in boob heaven. That is why probably still a lot of these movies are horrible but I have a soft nostalgic part spot for them.

This one isn’t that bad it’s funny in parts while showcasing a lot of 80’s fashion and thinking. It is in some way is a tale of showing that women deserve equal treatment in high school while showing 80’s clichés. Then it casts one of the preeminent 80’s actor/bullies in teen movies William Zabka Johnny from Karate kid Greg Tolland from back to school Oscar Nominee (For best film short subject)

The plot is far fetched but giddily entertaining .

One of those old gender benders where a girl works for the school paper. When Her story is cut from the school paper. but she it is so good that the only reason it was not published is because she’s a girl. Terry (Perfect any sexual name) comes up with the plan to enroll as a guy then see if it is the same results plus she can get a story out of it by impersonating a man and seeing what it is like to live in a man’s world when you are really a woman. The fact that not only does no one recognizes her while enrolling at the same school. Not only that but how does she explain her absence from school for weeks and plan to graduate. All she really does is cut her hair dress differently and speak an octave lower. The only person she lets in on all of this is her brother who is obsessed with naked women that he has postered his room with playboy and penthouse playmate centerfolds. She doesn’t even tell her college aged boyfriend who actually looks more like he’s 30. Why to make more comedic scenes when he comes by to take her out een though she is supposedly only 17. Of course through the movie she meets a guy who she slowly falls for he’s a bit of a nerd obsessed with James brown who she slowly makes over and he has a crush on the bullies girlfriend and goes about trying to seduce her away while terry get’s jealous not feeling she is good enough for him while she is ducking a freshman girl who is obsessed with her.

Joyce heyser who starred in this should have gone onto bigger and better. After seeing this I had a little crush on her and always hoped she would make a comeback which she did kind of in a small role in the movie greedy with Michael j. fox. By the end of this movie I got the goods so I was also happy because of that I got what I was seeking and was entertained while doing it. Especially as a 11 year old. The funny thing is that for all the sexual energy and vibes in this movie there is only one scene of nudity towards the end. Maybe it’s influenced by the fact that this film is directed by a female. That maybe the reason this is more of a clean comedy. If I recall it was one of my favorite movies. It helped through my oncoming years of frustration through the years of teenage sexuality. This is one you should definitely check out if you are into 80’s comedies it should be up there like other teen classics of the 80’s such as the John Hughes films.

GRADE: C+