THRASHIN' (1986)

 

Directed By: David Winters
Written By: Paul Brown & Alan Sacks
Cinematography: Chuck Colwell
Editor: Lorenzo DeStefano & Nicholas Smith Production Desinger: Catherine Hardwicke

Cast: Josh Brolin, Robert Rusler, Pamela Gidley, Josh Richman, Sherilyn Fenn, Chuck McCann, David Wagner, Tony Hawk, Tony Alva, Brooke McCarter Jr, Brett Marx, Mark Munski

Two skateboarding gangs battle each other for supremacy, and a member of one gang falls in love with the sister of his rival.

SWEET LIBERTY (1986)

 

Written & Directed By: Alan Alda Cinematography: Frank Tidy Editor: Michael Economou

Cast: Alan Alda, Michael Caine, Michelle Pfeiffer, Bob Hoskins, Saul Rubinek, Lise Hilboldt, Lillian Gish, Lois Chiles, John C. McGinley, Lynne Thigpen 

Michael has written a scholarly book on the revolutionary war. He has sold the movie rights. The arrival of the film crew seriously disrupts him as actors want to change their characters, directors want to re-stage battles, and he becomes very infatuated with Faith, who will play the female lead in the movie. At the same time, he is fighting with his crazy mother who thinks the Devil lives in her kitchen, and his girlfriend who is talking about commitment.

THE LADIES CLUB (1986)

Directed By: A.K. Allen 
Written By: Fran Lewis Ebeling & Paul Mason
Based on the novel “THE SISTERHOOD” By: Casey Bishop & Betty Black  Cinematography: Adam Greenberg  Editor: Marion Segal & Randall Torno

Cast: Karen Austin, Diana Scarwid, Christine Belford, Bruce Davison, Beverly Todd, Marilyn Kagan, Arliss Howard, James LeGros, Carol Baxter, Paul Terafotes 

A raped policewoman forms a vigilante group of various rape victims. They abduct and castrate men whom have committed repeated violations of women, and got away with it through legal technicalities.

This rape-revenge vigilante tale is a little different In the way that the revenge seems to never be to kill the men who rape repeatedly. Like Batman, that question only seems to come late but they punish the men by castrating them.

The film for the tawdry subject matter. Plays more like a television movie on the subject as there is barely any bad language and at times the scenes while well-meaning in their direction and emotions come off more melodramatic and unintentionally humorous. 

Especially the scene when a character you get sister is sexually assaulted (luckily never shown) but the aftermath and how it is shown just seems like Something out of a public device announcement you would show to school children about the dangers of going off with a stranger. 

When it begins the film seems like it will be typical and even the perpetrators seem more of a stock room of suspects punks who are looking to rob a house. Discover she is a cop and then decide to rape her and they get off on court easily by acting and dressing like choir boys.

We meet various female characters throughout some of whom stay with their spouses who claim to not even believe them When they said they were raped (what). 

Though most of the males come off bad or unsympathetic by the end. Even Brice Davison playing a fellow cop who is interested in Karen comes off as a weakling and ineffective even as he tries to romance her and be there for her 

Arliss Howard shows up playing a co star’s husband who when he finds out what she is dining and breaking the rules by telling him. As she only tells him because he suspects she was having an affair. He comes across more aggressive and abusive to be believably supportive later on.

While we meet plenty of these women in the group. We only get to know three In particular and by the end the one who didn’t sure become the strongest advocate for what they are doing and the one who was gung- ho at first. Now has reservations.

The third act while obviously done for dramatic purposes seems silly and only there for the ending to finally put a fine point on all of this.

So while the film offers a different take on the vigilante tale. Including where it seems the original Perpetrators that start off the lead and who is the very reason they seek revenge never really come back. 

So the film is something to entertain but very hard to take seriously watching it through the prism of modern times.

Grade: C

WILDCATS (1986)

Directed By: Michael Ritchie 
Written By: Ezra Sacks 
Cinematography: Donald E. Thorin 
Editor: Richard A. Harris 


Cast: Goldie Hawn, James Keach, Bruce McGill, Tab Thacker, Nipsey Russell, Wesley Snipes, Woody Harrelson, Mykelti Williamson, Swoosie Kurtz, Robyn Lively, Jan Hooks, Nick Corri, M. Emmet Walsh, Ellia English, Gloria Stuart, L.L. Cool J 


Molly is a high school track coach who knows just as much about football as anyone else on the planet. When the football coach's position becomes vacant, she applies for the job, despite expecting sniggers from fellow staff members and her former husband.

TRICK OR TREAT (1986)

Directed By: Charles Martin Smith 
Written By: Joel Soisson, Rhet Topham & Michael S. Murphey 
Story By: Rhet Topham 
Cinematography: Robert Elswit 
Editor: Jane Schwartz Jaffe 

Cast: Marc Price, Tony Fields, Lisa Orgolini, Elaine Joyce, Glen Morgan, Doug Savant, Gene Simmons, Ozzy Osbourne, Charles Martin Smith, Alice Nunn 

A bullied teenage boy is devastated after the death of his heavy metal idol, Sammi Curr. But as Hallowe'en night approaches, he discovers that he may be the only one who can stop Sammi from making a Satanic comeback from beyond the grave.

TERRORVISION (1986)

Written & Directed By: Ted Nicolau 
Cinematography: Romano Albani 
Editor: Thomas Meshelski 
Production Design & Art Direction By: Giovanni Natalucci 

Cast: Chad Allen, Diane Franklin, Mary Woronov, Gerrit Graham, Jon Gries, Bert Remsen, Alejandro Rey, Randi Brooks, Jennifer Richards 



Stan installs satellite TV for his family, but, soon, he picks up a signal from another planet and his television system becomes the gateway between the 2. A creature comes to his apartment and only their son Sherman sees it, but his parents don't believe the boy.

CHOPPING MALL (1986)

Directed By: Jim Wynorski 
Written By: Jim Wynorski & Steve Mitchell 
Cinematography By: Tom Richmond 
Editor: Leslie Rosenthal 

Cast: Kelli Maroney, Tony O’Dell, Russell Todd, Karrie Emerson, Barbara Crampton, Paul Bartel, Dick Miller, Gerrit Graham, Mary Wornov 


A group of teenagers that work at the mall all get together for a late night party in one of the stores. When the mall goes on lock down before they can get out, The robot security system activates after a malfunction and goes on a killing spree. One by one the three bots try to rid the mall of the "Intruders". The only weapons the kids can use are the supplies in other stores. Or...if they can make it till morning when the mall opens back up

JUMPING JACK FLASH (1986)

Directed By: Penny Marshall 
Story By: David Franzoni 
Written By: David Franzoni, Charles Shyer (as J.W. Melville), Nancy Myers (as Patricia Irving) & Curtis Thompson , Steve E. De souza (Uncredited) 
Cinematography By: Matthew F. Leonetti 
Editor: Mark Goldblatt 

Cast: Whoopi Goldberg, Jonathan Pryce, John Wood, Stephen Collins, Annie Potts, Roscoe Lee Bowne, Phil Hartman, Tracey Ullman, James Belushi, John Wood, Tony Hendra, Peter Michael Goetz, Jereon Krabbe, Miguel A. Nunez jr., Jamey Sheridan, Kellie Martin, Garry Marshall, Michael McKean

THE WRAITH (1986)

Written & Directed By: Mike Marvin 
Cinematography By: Reed Smoot 
Editor: Scott Conrad & Gary Rocklen 

Cast: Charlie Sheen, Sherilyn Fenn, Nick Cassavettes, Randy Quaid, Matthew Berry, Clint Howard, Griffin O’Neal, Steven Eckholdt, Brooke Burke

JEFF OF THE CINEFILES: HALL OF FAME: FILE #0011: BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA (1986)

Directed By: John Carpenter
Written By: Gary Goldman, David Z. Weinstein & W.D. Richtor
Cinematography By: Dean Cundey
Editor: Steve Mirkovich, Mark Weiner & Edward A. Warschilka

Cast: Kurt Russell, Kim Cattrall, James Hong, Dennis Dun, Victor Wong, Kate Burton, Donald Li

9 1/2 WEEKS (1986)

Directed By: Adrian Lyne
Written By: Zalaman King & Sarah Kernochan & Patricia Louisiana Knop
Based on the novel by: Elizabeth Mcneill
Cinematography By: Peter Bizou
Editor: Tom Rolf, Mark Winitsky, Ed Hansen, Caroline Biggerstaff

CAST: Kim Basinger, Mickey Rourke, Karen Young, Christine Baranski, David Marguiles, Margaret Whtton, Dan Lauria

PLAYING FOR KEEPS (1986)

Cast: Daniel Jordano, Matthew Penn, Leon W. Grant, Mary B. Ward, Harold Gould, Marisa Tomei, Raymond J. Barry

Directed By: Bob Weinstein & Harvey Weinstein
Written By: Harvey Weinstein & Bob Weinstein & Jeremy Leven
Cinematography By: Eric Van Haren Norman
Editor: Gary Karr & Sharyn L. Ross

This movie is one I remember watching a lot as a kid. A teen movie about a couple of kids from Brooklyn who try to open up a rock N’ Roll hotel in a small town. The type of film that was popular to be made in the 80’s usually playing on cable ikept renting this form the library.

This film is just what you would expect the small town doesn’t accept them there is a clash of cultures the evil greedy small town government that is working against them which I’m guessing is supposed to represent the man, the evil empire that the young kids are rebelling against to try and make it and still keep there integrity. Even if in the end they have to use there old Brooklyn street smarts and ingenuity to succeed. Though everything is solved in a Scooby doo type way. Also I don’t know if a hotel exclusive for teenagers would fly where would they get the money plus if under 18 wouldn’t you need parents permission I could see it more as a youth hotel. Everyone gets to live out there dream.

There is still even the popular music montage that is supposed to represent that a certain amount of time has gone by. In this world there is a multicultural mix of kids working together which means Italian, Jewish and one black guy.

The film is note worthy for two reasons it’s one of the first starring roles of Marisa tomei. Who is cute and perky here showing a fraction of the talent she would show in future roles. The second is that this film was directed by Harvey and bob Weinstein yes the same Weinstein brothers who ran both Miramax films and dimension films. And who now run the Weinstein brothers film company. Which is funny considering that now they release oscar winning films.

All in all this film isn’t horrible it’s pretty entertaining it’s not aged well but it follows sort of the same path of the show northern exposure a fish out of water scenario. Just like that show this film probably would have played better as a pilot for a tv show where you could follow there adventures running this hotel and the many different characters clashing with the townfolk or make it like fantasy island and have the characters mix with guest stars who come to stay at the hotel.

In the end it’s a cute film worth renting but only if your really into 80’s films


GRADE: C+