The Wolf of Snow Hollow

The Wolf of Snow Hollow

Orion Classics etc.

October 9, 2020

Horror, Comedy

DVD
C-

The touches of humor make this more palatable than most horror movies.  Jim Cummings wrote, directed, and stars, a couple years after Thunder Road, which I also gave a C-.

Under Fire

Under Fire

Orion Pictures

October 21, 1983

War Drama

DVD
D+

Bumped up a notch for Joanna Cassidy's lowcut red dress.  Roger Spottiswoode directed, before The Best of Times and Turner & Hooch, although he did go on to A Street Cat Named Bob eventually.

The Unbearable Lightness of Being

The Unbearable Lightness of Being

The Saul Zaentz Company/ Orion

February 5, 1988

Historical Drama, Romance

DVD
D+

A bit creepy.  Director Philip Kaufman co-adapted the Milan Kundera novel, and he would go on to the creepier Twisted and Quills.

¡Three Amigos!

¡Three Amigos!

HBO Pictures/ Orion

December 12, 1986

Historical Comedy

DVD
C-

The funniest thing was the trio's 1920s garb.  John Landis directed.

The Terminator

The Terminator

Orion etc.

October 26, 1984

Sci-Fi, Action

DVD
C-

Although not my kind of movie, I can actually sort of see the appeal of it, especially the style.  And, yes, I was amused that it starts in that distant year of 2029.  James Cameron directed and co-wrote.

Ten (1979)

Ten (1979)

Orion etc.

October 5, 1979

Comedy

DVD
C-

I of course had heard of this movie since the time but never tried to watch it before.  Bumped up a notch for casting, but the main character is pretty unsympathetic, his stalking aside.  Blake Edwards wrote and directed.

The Silence of the Lambs

The Silence of the Lambs

Orion Pictures etc.

February 14, 1991

Crime Drama

DVD
D

I was surprised that, in the first quarter hour, Hannibal Lecter isn't necessarily the creepiest man onscreen.  This is based on the novel by Thomas Harris and directed by Jonathan Demme.

RoboCop (1987)

RoboCop (1987)

Orion

July 17, 1987
Sci-Fi, Action

DVD

D+

I wasn't sure how to take this, because it has satiric elements, but it's definitely not a comedy.  And it did get pretty bloody in the first quarter hour.  Still I "liked" it more than I expected.  Paul Verhoeven directed.

Platoon

Platoon

Orion

December 19, 1986

War Drama

DVD
D

Very much not my kind of movie, but I've seen more unwatchable ones.  Oliver Stone wrote and directed.

No Way Out (1987)

No Way Out (1987)

Orion

August 14, 1987

Drama?
DVD
D+

I guess this turns into a political action thriller sometime after I tuned out, but what I saw was sort of a romance between two unappealing people who hook up within minutes, in a cab.  This is based on the often adapted Kenneth Fearing novel The Big Clock, and directed by Roger Donaldson, over twenty years before The Bank Job.

Jésus de Montréal

Jésus de Montréal

Orion Classics

17 May 1989

Dramedy
DVD
C-

The best part of the first quarter hour is of course the porn-dubbing scene.  Denys Arcand wrote and directed.

Hoosiers

Hoosiers

Orion

November 10, 1986

Historical Drama, Sports Drama

DVD
D+

A 1950s high school basketball drama starring Gene Hackman?  A default D+.  David Anspaugh directed.

Gorky Park

Gorky Park

Orion

December 16, 1983

Crime Drama

DVD
F+

Gross crime, horrible acting (especially by lead Hurt), and a rotten screenplay, based on the novel by Martin Cruz Smith.  Michael Apted, who did so well with the Up documentary series, misdirected.

Dominick and Eugene

Dominick and Eugene
Orion Pictures
March 18, 1988
Drama
DVD
D+

I really don't want to watch a movie about a medical intern, his trashman twin, and their dog, no matter how good the acting is supposed to be.  Robert M. Young directed.

Desperately Seeking Susan

Desperately Seeking Susan
Orion
April 12, 1985
Comedy, Romance
DVD
B-

I of course heard about this movie at the time (how could a 17-year-old not?), but I was always somewhere in the middle on the "You either love her or you hate her" Madonna scale.  Watching it today I found it a bit slow and quiet, especially for the mid-'80s.  It's really more Arquette's movie, although it is "about Madonna."  And Metcalf is of course a scene-stealer as Arquette's sister-in-law (with proto-Jackie-Harris lines).  Oddly enough, it casts more light on the flop Who's That Girl (reviewed here https://reviewingeverymovieiown.blogspot.com/2014/12/whos-that-girl.html), with Madonna as a rule-breaker who causes others to stray.  I'm not calling this a "musical" (and it is a comedy and a romance but not a romcom) but there are a lot of hits in the background, including a well-used "Into the Groove." 

Susan Seidelman directed this four years before Cookie, which I think was trying to recapture the magic of this movie, with its mix of '80s fashion, snark, and crime.

Dances with Wolves

Dances with Wolves
Orion
November 21, 1990
Historical Drama
DVD
D

Although the first quarter hour is somewhat bloody and at times bloody boring, I did bump this up from a D- because I got a few laughs out of how stupid the Costner character is.  (I will never forget the Pauline Kael review where she said he had "feathers in his hair, feathers in his head," which my then-husband and I would sing to the tune of "The Rain, the Park, and Other Things" by the Cowsills.)

Costner also directed, and Michael Blake adapted his own novel.

Colors

Colors
Orion
April 29, 1988
Crime Drama
DVD
D+

My main interest here was the glimpses of '80s Los Angeles, although it was nice to hear the title track and get the MST3K joke a little better.  Dennis Hopper directed.

Amadeus

Amadeus
Orion
September 19, 1984
Historical Drama
DVD
C

A bitter old musician tells his life story to a sympathetic priest, but I couldn't listen to more than a quarter hour, although I sort of liked this movie as a teenager.  Not that it was bad this time, and I liked the touches of humor, but I wasn't really drawn in enough to wait around for the title character as an adult.  Milos Forman directed.