Ladyhawke

Ladyhawke (1985)
Director: Richard Donner
Cast: Matthew Broderick, Rutger Hauer, Michelle Pfeiffer, Leo McKern
Memorable Line: "Are you flesh, or are you spirit?"

Ladyhawke is a strange movie. It seems as if the writer, Edward Khmara, couldn't make up his mind what the movie was to be -- an adventure, a tongue-in-cheek swashbuckler, a romance?

The movie starts as we see Phillipe Gaston -- aka "The Mouse" (Broderick) -- making a near impossible escape from a dungeon prison and making his way to the country side. For some reason, a Bishop decides he must send his crack guards to hunt a petty thief and the track down Phillipe but just as they are about to capture him a mystery-man named Navarre (Hauer) and his hawk intercedes and decides to take on a team of these well trained guards to rescue "the Mouse." Navarre and "the Mouse" make an unique pair. Navarre is a real man of mystery with an unnatural bond with his hawk. Also, it seems as if at night, Navarre disappears and Phillipe finds himself with a new lady companion who goes by the name of Isabeau (Pfieffer). To add the intrigue, this new pairing is followed by a dark wolf. Where has Navarre gone and who is this woman? Why is their fate intertwined? That is the mystery of Ladyhawke.

Broderick is more than the comic relief, he is our eyes an eyes into the pair - Navarre and Isabeau. Broderick seems a bit awkward in his role at times. Hauer does have a commanding and intense presence as Navarre. Pfeiffer is lovely as the mystery lady, but not entirely convincing.

Tone is the biggest problem with Ladyhawke. It just can figure out what it is. There are some intense moments and nice, but lazily directed action sequences. There a some good comic gags too, but the film seems to meander towards an implausible conclusion. I think Donner would have been better to picked a tone and committed to it and Ladyhawke would have been a more well realized movie.

The Evil Dead

The Evil Dead (1981)
Director: Sam Raimi
Cast: Bruce Campbell, Ellen Sandweiss, Richard DaManincor, Theresa Tilly
Memorable Line: "We can't bury Shelly - S-She's a friend of ours."

To think that the director who brought you the Spider-man franchise got it his start with The Evil Dead. And it's not a bad beginning, but people watching The Evil Dead could never tell that the director of that film would ever go on to direct the amazingly good and lucrative Spider-man franchise.

Five college friends take a vacation to a secluded cabin in the deep woods and come face-to-face with a demon. That pretty much sums up the plot in a sentence, but there is more to The Evil Dead than that. They five discover a demonic book -- the Book of the Dead -- along with a professor's audio tapes detailing his unsettling experience with the book. Of course, the young people in the movie don't just decide to leave once the first few signs of evil appear, but like any Scooby-Do group of intrepid adventurers, they decide to dig deeper -- much to their disappointment and ultimate demise.

The Evil Dead was made on a shoestring budget and that's if you went out and borrowed the shoestring. The lack of a budget shows as times, but that's not to say that isn't any good because there are many inventive and chilling moments in the movie. For what they lack in money, the make up for it with energy and pace. There's a great deal of manic energy in The Evil Dead and it's the energy that propels the movie along.

Bruce Campbell headlines the no-name cast as Ash and this is the part that launched his career. The rest of the cast delivers some fairly uneven performances. But that isn't why most people come to see low budget horror movies is it? It's for the blood and gore and The Evil Dead has plenty of that.

Director Raimi is quite inventive with the camera angles and movement. At times, you'll not only get a little queasy from the graphic content, but a little motion sick from the camera movement. Raimi keeps the movie going by hook or by crook and the whole production seems to totter at times towards the brink of disaster. Still, The Evil Dead deservedly spawned 2 sequels and made a whole pile of money in video rentals and, if you're a horror fan, will provide you with a night of unforgettable entertainment.

Beverly Hills Cop

Beverly Hills Cop (1986)
Director: Martin Brest
Cast: Eddie Murphy, Judge Reinhold, John Ashton, Ronny Cox, Bronson Pinchot
Memorable Line(s): "This is the cleanest and nicest police car I've ever been in my life. This thing is nicer than my apartment."

In Beverly Hills Cop Eddie Murphy puts all his talent and charisma to work to make a by-the-numbers plot better, but just a little better.

Axel Foley (Murphy), a street-wise, inner city cop from Detroit, insinuates himself into Beverly Hills to solve the murder of one of his best friends. His street methods clash drastically with the staid native Beverly Hills cops and they try to send him packing, but he is able to teach them a few things about how to solve crime and wins them over. Axel ends up buddying up with two Beverly Hills detectives (Reinhold and Ashton) and they start down a trial to solve Axel's friend's murder.

It's been done before, but Murphy's charisma, at least at this point in his career, was able to make the film work and made it a big summer hit. There's not a lot new here. Murphy plays up his "blackness" amidst the sea of white folks, he show his street toughness with the criminals and makes buddy-buddy with his new friends teaching what street policing is all about.

Still, this was at the height of Murphy's super-stardom and it works for the most part. The direction is just above pedestrian and the actors all acquit themselves in likable roles. The movie did spawn a neat little musical hit called "Axel F" which played on the air waves about 6 months too long.

There are worst ways to spend a couple hours than watching Beverly Hills Cop, but you could find a better way to spend your time. Like picking a better movie.

War of the Roses

War of the Roses (1989)
Director: Danny Devito
Cast: Michael Douglas, Kathleen Turner, Danny Devito, Sean Astin, Dan Castellanetta
Memorable Line(s): "How do you hold onto someone who won't stay? And how do you get rid of someone who won't go?"

War of the Roses is a dark, dark comedy. It has resonated over the years for me and still has the same disquieting effect.

Oliver (Douglas) and Barbara's (Turner) marriage goes south and while most divorces have some acrimony in them, this one is near nuclear. They begin to fight over the small things and this fight escalates until it becomes nearly lethal.

Douglas and Turner savagely eat screen real estate. The writing and direction are the real stars of the movie, though. Devito keeps the edge on every scene. You wait for it to let up and he takes you the edge of thinking that the movie will turn towards some sort normal path, but he retains his resolve and it stays in the dark till the better end.

Not for every taste, The War of the Roses is for people who want their comedy with a bite.

Silverado

Silverado (1985)
Director: Lawrence Kasden
Cast: Kevin Kline, Scott Glenn, Danny Glover, Kevin Costner, Brian Dennehy, John Cleese, Linda Hunt, Jeff Goldblum
Memorable Line: "This used to be a peaceful town."

Silverado has just about every cliche a movie western could have -- cruel cowboys, oppressed settlers, a crooked sheriff, a stampede and heroes who can shoot straight and villains who can't. One of the villains even wears an eye patch. You'd think that all these hackneyed elements would lead to a real mess, but Kasden takes the best of these makes an enjoyable romp of movie.

Silverado features a quartet of main characters. Emmett (Glenn) is a cool and collected sort of cowboy who knows how to handle a fight and to avoid one and his brother, Jake (Costner) who is hot headed and quick to start a fight. Paden (Kline) is a man with past he's trying to put behind him, but just can't. Mal (Glover) is rarity in the west, a black farmer and cowboy who has to fight against racism and the cruel men who want to oppress others. All of these men start on separate paths, but due to circumstance end up banding together to fight to survive and overcome a common enemy - a patently cruel and arrogant sheriff (Dennehy) and his ruthless gang of deputies.

Kasden brings a modern sensibility to the genre and for the most part of the movie, it works. Silverado is more of homage to the western than a real western. Costner has a wonder "coming out" roll and really seizes it with a gusto that an audience is sure to enjoy. Glenn and Glover mirror each other in their roles and acquit themselves well and Kline has a downplayed role that works for the movie. The film is full of great supporting roles with John Cleese as a pragmatic sheriff, Linda Hunt as a saloon owner and Jeff Goldblum as a slick gambler in cohoots with the sheriff.

If you're looking for a enjoyable updating of the western, the Silverado is the movie for you.

Caddyshack

Caddyshack (1980)
Director: Harold Ramis
Cast: Michael O'Keefe, Chevy Chase, Bill Murray, Ted Knight, Rodney Dangerfield
Memorable Line(s): "This crowd has gone deadly silent, a Cinderella story outta nowhere. Former greenskeeper and now about to become the masters champion."

A golf club for the upper crust. A caddy trying to decide if he wants to play the game and climb the ladder or be cool. A gopher who wants to take the course apart one burrow at a time. All these elements come together to bring us the hilarious Caddyshack.

Danny (O'Keeke) is a young caddy at an affluent golf course who must decide if really wants to suck up to the upper crust clientele just to get ahead. Judge Smails (Knight) leads Danny along, dangling the possibility of a golf course sponsored college scholarship. Ty Webb (Chase) is the slacker golf pro who tries to lure young Danny to not demean himself just for advancement. All the while this drama plays out, Carl (Murray), the crustygreenskeeper battles a gopher to protect the course.

Snappily written, Caddyshack crackles with manic energy. O'Keefe plays the straight man, but Chase, Knight, Dangerfield, and Murray bring the laughs in loads. Chase is in one of his better, less hammy roles. Ted Knight of Mary Tyler Moore fame is truly underrated and shines in the role as the pompous judge. Dangerfield plays to his strengths as Knights nemesis in the film. Murray almost steals the film as Carl thegreensekeeper. His portrayal is deliciously funny. He get some of the films funniest bits.

The script is full of quotable lines that will stick with you. Ramis knows how to move the film along and keeps the pace going to get us to the laughs. If you haven't seen Caddyshack, you're in for a real treat.

The Big Easy

The Big Easy (1987)
Director: Jim McBride
Cast: Dennis Quaid, Ellen Barkin, Ned Beatty, John Goodman
Memorable Line: "This is the Big Easy. Folks have a certain way o' doin' things down here."

Murder, intrigue and lust -- Cajun style.

I wasn't all that impressed with The Big Easy upon my initial viewing, but upon a new look, I can say that it fares well over time. There are some uneven moments, though.

The story follows the volatile uniting of a charismatic and free-wheeling cop, Remy (Quaid), and the repressed, yet attractive new district attorney, Anne (Barkin). Remy is a cop who plays it loose and easy. Anne is a by the numbers litigator. He's laid back and she's uptight. A match made in, well, in many movie scripts. In the midst of a murder case, they butt heads and he tries his best to woe her, but she initially resists. In the end, his charm his too much. Then the charm is broken when Remy is caught up in what seems to be rampant police corruption. He must face what he's become and she must find a way to reconcile her distaste of what he does and her feelings. And they both have to survive as their case blows up their faces.

There are some tonal problems in The Big Easy that noticeable. The film can't quite figure out what it is at times - thriller, sultry romance, or comedy and more than a couple times it looses its way. Still the center holds and the sparks do fly between Quaid and Barkin. The script is both witty and smart. I think the direction could have been a little more tight as some of the acting seems less than polished across all the performances.

Even with it's blemishes, The Big Easy is still a worth viewing.