Superman II Is Old-Fashioned Fun In The Best Way Possible

Christopher Reeve's Superman will never fail to instill some warm and fuzzy feelings in my heart. However, I would say the most inspiring moment of Superman II does not come from Reeve's Superman. Instead, it comes from a bunch of civilians reacting to the apparent demise of Superman at the hands of General Zod (Terence Stamp). Watching an otherworldly figure defeat somebody as powerful as Superman hasn't instilled fear in their hearts. Instead, these mortal humans are now rallying together to take on Zod and his two goons. "C'mon! I know judo!" announces one Metropolis resident as everyone prepares to confront Zod.

Kurt Russell Solidifies His Action Movie Bona Fidas with Escape from New York

You gotta love it when movie poster taglines so succinctly sum up the premise of the film they're advertising. "Breaking out is impossible. Breaking in is insane." Yes, that'll do nicely for accurately summing up the stakes of John Carpenter's Escape from New York. This feature takes place in the then-far off time of 1997. All of America's most dangerous criminals have been contained in one expansive prison: New York City. Yes, the Big Apple is now rotten to the core as it's been converted into a place for criminals. You know who just landed in NYC? The President of the United States (Donald Pleasence). Air Force One crashed into New York and now the President has been taken hostage by somebody in NYC.

Body Heat Knows Classic Film Noirs Well But It Also Knows How To Subvert Their Norms

Though the classic film noirs of the 1940s were known for their grim nature, the Hayes Code that ruled American cinema with an iron fist prevented the genre from embracing its darkest tendencies in several departments. For one thing, nudity was out of the question as was language harsher than the occasional "damn!" But the time 1981 rolled around, the Hayes Code had been abolished for sixteen years and features nudity and strong language were now commonplace in then-modern-day R-rated fare. Lawrence Kasdan's Body Heat, released in that exact year, decided to take a classic film noir set-up and wrap it up in a screenplay that fully embraced all the raunchy elements Hayes Code era noirs could never even dream of touching.

The Great Muppet Caper Is One Of The Wittiest Muppet Movies Which Is Really Saying Something

Despite being a major Muppet fan (one could even say I appreciate the Muppets on a much deeper level than you...), I'd somehow never seen the second ever feature-length Muppet movie, The Great Muppet Caper, until this very week. Please don't ask me, a guy who practically wore out his VHS tape of Muppets From Space and loved watching episodes of the first season of The Muppet Show while he was growing up, has somehow gone this long in his life without seeing this 1981 comedy, but that's finally been rectified and I'm pleased to say that the wait was most certainly worth it. The Great Muppet Caper is handily one of The Muppets strongest cinematic outings and a tremendous showcase for the kind of humor only these characters could do.

Blow Out Review (Classic Write-Up)

Sound is a key component for any non-silent movie. The tiniest creak of a door opening or a car starting up can add multitudes of personality to the world of any given individual motion picture. Of course, the best sound work can be best summed up by an old axiom (which I’m paraphrasing) referring to the equally important world of visual effects; your work is truly successful when nobody even notices it. In other words, the phrase refers to how the best visual effects seamlessly incorporate themselves into the story and don’t call attention to their own virtues. The same can be said for exceptional sound work, which can be easy for even a cinema devotee like myself to take for granted.

The Evil Dead Review (Classic Write-Up)

All then-newbie director Sam Raimi wanted to do was make a horror movie. Teaming up with long-time friend Bruce Campbell, who would play the lead character in this prospective feature, Raimi dived into making this project, armed with a minuscule budget (which primarily came from donations from numerous individuals and family members Raimi and Campbell were familiar with) and a script chock full of grisly violence. The result? Well, judging by the immense influence The Evil Dead has had on cinematic horrors in the 30+ years since its initial release, I'd say they might have done something right in their endeavor.