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bluez24
Reviews
MacGyver: The Invisible Killer (1989)
basic premise is from the movie "Shoot to Kill" (1988)
I remember watching this episode and realizing quickly into it that the premise was clearly inspired by a movie that had been released the year before. The movie was "Shoot to Kill" and was about an FBI agent tracking a hiking, camping group (being led by a guide) that contained a recently escaped criminal. The viewer did not know who the criminal was until later in the movie. Part of what made the movie interesting was trying to figure out who the criminal might be.
This episode of MacGyver was similar. You do not know who the criminal is and you find out towards the end. But as soon as the first 5 minutes went by, I knew it was going to be drawing some plot points from the movie.
Friday the 13th Part III (1982)
one of the best -- Jason reaches MATURITY and is MENACING
I am a big fan of the Friday the 13th movies. Maybe in part it is nostalgia for the 1980s. You have to admire that they created the "Jason" character and made some pretty good movies with good suspenseful atmosphere. This one is one of the best of the series.
I think the first four are overall the best. The later movies were just too unrealistic (although they did have some interesting scenes). I say that because in the later movies Jason is too "invincible" (being brought back to life by lightning in Part 6, e.g.) and they have scenes where Jason walks through woods and yet catches people running. Just too unrealistic. I know it is known that the actor who played Jason in the later movies, Kane Hodder, didn't think Jason should "run" since it was beneath the character or something. However, the first four movies are better (ignoring the fact it was Jason's mom in the first one killing people) because Jason is more realistic. It's scarier when Jason is tough and is not easily hurt or killed, but at the same time does not act "superhuman." He is scary due to his determination. That is why I think Jason in parts 2, 3 and 4 are the best overall. It just got too over the top in later movies.
POSSIBLE spoilers below: This third installment is great, certainly among the best of the series, maybe the best (probably a close tie with part 4, it's hard to say part 3 or 4 are not the best two overall in the series). We have a great heroine, played by Dana Kimmell, Jason first gets his hockey mask, we have unique killings. Richard Brooker does an excellent job playing Jason, the subtle body language he uses to make Jason menacing. Jason is deliberate in this, very focused on his mission of killing people. Plus, compared to part 2, you see a lot more of Jason now. Many of the part 2 scenes were filmed too much in the dark, you don't see much of Jason. Here you have more shots of Jason openly tossing over hay bales in the barn, for example, looking for the main female (Chris), where you get to see more of him from interesting camera angles, his body language, his determination. The sack Jason wore in part 2 was OK, but Jason just looks scarier, more menacing here. Maybe it was due to the hockey mask in this movie, and to Brooker playing Jason well.
The final chase sequence is, as others have noted, action packed and suspenseful. The first killing where Jason is actually wearing the hockey mask is memorable, he is deliberate and patient with his weapon of choice (speargun). This is the movie where Jason really develops his own style, and becomes iconic almost in the horror genre.
Death Wish II (1982)
Very good entry in the "Death Wish" series with plenty of shooting..
This movie, along with Death Wish III (1985), are my two favorites in the series. The first is decent but this one and the third are a little over the top (in a good way). They are meant to be entertaining. This movie has a good "gang" of criminals, which Paul Kersey hunts down. People who say that the movie was bad because it didn't offer any obvious explanation for why they invaded Bronson's house, or that it makes criminals look irrational, are wrong. If you were the victim of a crime, do you really care why the criminal is doing it ? Besides, it's just a movie. It may be unrealistic in that Kersey finds the criminals he's after fairly easily, but again, it's just a movie meant to ENTERTAIN. It's not a dissertation.
Possible spoilers...
This movie has a great shootout in the park between Bronson and the gang, followed thereafter by a fight between Bronson and the final gang member still alive. Plus the score by Jimmy Page, as others have noted, adds to the atmosphere.
Stakeout (1987)
underrated 1980s comedy / action movie
I think this is one of the under-appreciated movies from the 1980s. It blends realistic action and comedy well, without taking itself too seriously. I agree with reviewers that Dreyfuss in this movie proves he was very good at comedy movies if they were written well, like this was. And Aidan Quinn is very good also (in fact, from "Desperately Seeking Susan" in 1985, to "Stakeout," to 1994's "Legends of the Fall" he has consistently given reliably good performances). For a late 1980s movie, it has aged fairly well. It's almost hard to believe that this movie came out only two years after Estevez was in "The Breakfast Club." I wish there were more movies like this that blended action and comedy as well as "Stakeout" did.
A View to a Kill (1985)
pretty good ending to the Moore "Bond" era
I remember when this movie came out in fall 1985, when I was 15, and it was widely known that it was to be Roger Moore's last appearance as Bond. I had been a fan of the series so I made sure to see it at the theater. I think it's a good meshing of the Bond series with an "80s" feel (microchip story, etc.). I agree that a big plus to the film is Christopher Walken as the villain. Granted, Moore does look a little old to be playing the part, but the film holds up fairly well after 20 years, and it is overall a pretty good ending to the Roger Moore era. I especially liked the scene where Zorin is talking to James Bond and he is reading about Bond on the computer, while they talk about horses (while Bond is acting as the wealthy St. John-Smyth character). I also think that in comparison to the Pierce Brosnan "Bond" movies, this one is pretty entertaining. The Brosnan ones relied too much on high budgets, gadgetry (BMW's, etc.), and pure action/explosions. Maybe it is because I grew up with Moore as Bond, but I prefer the 1970s and early 1980s 007 films best. Overall "A View to a Kill" is a good send-off of Moore as he retired from the Bond series.
Smokey and the Bandit (1977)
probably the GREATEST single car movie of all time...
I saw this movie in 1977 (when I was 7) and I thought it was the most amazing thing I'd ever seen. I agree with the reviewer that the black and gold Trans Am is a really neat looking car. There's something about the black, with the gold snowflake rims, it just looks neat. I hope to show this movie to a son someday. It is also a lot more wholesome than today's movies. It is because of movies like this that I am a volunteer police officer. Burt Reynolds is a very underrated actor. He was the only person who could play the "Bandit." Some reviewer on here said the police cars were either Pontiac Trans Ams or Plymouth Furys. About the former, they were clearly not Trans Ams. I think he meant that they were Grand Ams. It was a car Pontiac made in the 1970s for a few years before the Grand Am name was brought back in the 1980s as a front wheel drive car.
Enjoy the movie.
The Breakfast Club (1985)
this movie would have to be in any 1980s time capsule !!
This is probably one of my 10 favorite movies of all time. I agree with many of the reviewers that it really captures the 1980s feel and what it was like to be a teenager in high school then, or really at any time. If you had to pick 5 movies to represent the 1980s, this movie would have to be included. In fact, this is one of the few movies that if I'm home and I see it's on TV, I will try to stop what I'm doing and watch it, even though I've seen it probably 10 times. I was in high school from 1984 to 1988 so I remember when the movie came out although I think I first saw it when I rented it about a year later.
On a personal note, I agree this movie does a great job of showing the hardships teenagers go through, wanting to feel popular but also wanting to establish their own identity. My parents got divorced when I was in 11th grade and I can not say that high school was a good time in my life. I mean I had a small circle of friends but like most teens, they were awkward years. However, I've come to see that in many ways things were simpler then. As time goes by, I enjoy more and more keeping in touch with some of my high school friends.
If you want a movie that will make you somewhat nostalgic for high school, this movie is it.
S.W.A.T. (2003)
Probably one of the best, realistic police action movies in years
It is refreshing to see a movie where the police don't keep their guns in their pants ("Lethal Weapon" series, etc.) and don't shoot with one (or worse yet two) guns while rolling along on the ground, such as in some Jean Claude Van Damme movies. I think this movie works in large part because a former LAPD SWAT member (Randy Walker) acted as technical adviser on the film. So many of the police oriented films of the 1980s and 1990s were cheesy or just plain terrible, and tried to be comedies instead of just straight, realistic police action movies. Along with movies such as "Heat," "SWAT" offers largely realistic action. Good performances from Samuel Jackson, Colin Farrell, and others make for a very good summer action film.
Red Dawn (1984)
Beautiful scenery and a fun (albeit not realistic) movie
This is one of my favorite movies of all time. Definitely in the top 10. I know other comments on this site say that it is not realistic. And I agree that largely it is not that realistic to expect high school kids with little training to last half a year fighting the Russians and Cubans. But this is the kind of movie where you just have to take it for its value.
I first saw this movie in Michigan in 1984. I think I like the fact that the pace of the movie is good from start to finish. There is some character development (such as C. Thomas Howell's character growing more jaded as the movie progresses) and Patrick Swayze's struggling with his emotions and the leadership burden. The scenery is beautiful. It was filmed in and around Las Vegas, New Mexico (where the mountains meet the plains), although the movie is "set" in Colorado. I have visited Las Vegas several times and it is neat to see the Serf theater pictured in the movie. Many shots were filmed downtown and you can recognize many buildings when you walk around downtown. Some of the scenes with the mountains such as Hermit's Peak in the background are very breathtaking.
I also like the beginning of the movie, with the statute of Teddy Roosevelt's Rough Riders and the inscription thereon, as well as the end of the movie when Lea Thompson's character narrates a little. Overall a great movie that should be viewed more for the entertainment and action value than for its political message or military accuracy.