When Silver Bullet came out in 1985, it arrived near the end of a brief but pointed wave of werewolf films. What’s striking is how each one used the same myth to explore different topics. The Howling looked at the tension between instinct and control – how civilised people convince themselves they’re not beasts. American … Read more
Mac and Me, Paul Rudd’s favourite movie, was released on home video today in 1989, after an August 12, 1988 theatrical release – and helped bring about the jaded and cynical individual I am today. Funded in part with corporate sponsorships by McDonald’s and Coke, Mac and Me is a glorious exercise in cramming thinly … Read more
InnerSpace blew up on Home Video today in 1988, after a wilted July 1st, 1987 theatrical release. “Steven Spielberg Presents” really used to mean something. In the early ’80s, it leapt off posters like a promise – Gremlins, Goonies, Back to the Future, that moonlit Amblin logo glowing like a seal of quality. These films … Read more
That is one beautifully staged kids’ room – A 1980 Empire Strikes Back Burger King glass, classic Chee-Tos bag, a Battle Armor He-Man, Battle Cat, Regular He-Man, The Horde harassing Captain America on a toy Jeep, a red Ferrari 308, a Masters of the Universe mini-comic (Spikor Strikes), random Comic books (Including Tomb Of Dracula … Read more
The Abyss arrived on Home Video this week in 1990, after an August 9, 1989, theatrical release. There was something in the water in 1989. The Abyss wasn’t the first underwater alien flick to hit theatres, but it was probably the one that got the others greenlit. You can feel it when you watch them … Read more
Blue Velvet arrived on Home Video this week in 1987, after a September 19, 1986 theatrical release. The first time I watched Blue Velvet, I thought I understood it. I was young. I thought it was about corruption under the surface. Dark things in nice places. Suburbia hiding its sins behind white fences. It felt … Read more
The Player finally arrived on Home Video today in 1993, after an April 1992 theatrical release. By the early 90’s, the slow rise of indie cinema and the DIY credibility of young film makers like Tarantino, Linklater, the Coens made it seem like anyone could fulfil their cinematic vision while keeping a safe distance from … Read more
Dead Poets Society arrived on Home Video today in 1990, after a June 2, 1989 theatrical release. Yeah, yeah – standing on desks, carpe diem, quoting Whitman in a cave, O Captain, my Captain, all that. But for me, Dead Poets Society was always about the importance of strong role models. The hope – maybe … Read more
Wes Craven’s New Nightmare awoke on Home Video today back in 1995, after an October 14, 1994 theatrical release. With the 90’s came a new wave of movies that deftly deconstructed its own genre tropes. From Gremlins 2 and Sleepless in Seattle to Last Action Hero and Galaxy Quest – it was cool to indulge … Read more
Slam Dance landed on home video back in march of 1988, after an October 2, 1987 theatrical release. I use to live for these shelf warmers. Erstwhile Amadeus Tom Hulce plays an artist dragged into a noir-tinged spiral of murder, paranoia, and 80s hedonism malaise. Hulce always had this soft, twitchy intensity that can make … Read more