Catching Up Pt 7
- My Chauffeur (1986)
- Ah, I've been waiting for this one. This was made by the same team that did the incredibly bizarre Party Animal. Surprise: this one is weird too. A young woman decides to become a chauffeur, of all random things, but discovers it's an Old Boy's Club and has a hard time breaking in, THEN discovers that long lost family secrets are coming out. It's pretty crazy. Stars a great Deborah Foreman, who was in Valley Girl and several other things I've seen. This movie is highly strange, but also charming.
- Raw Deal (1986)
- A Schwartzenegger classic, and a movie I first saw (probably edited) on TV as a kid. Here he goes undercover to help catch a major figure in organized crime. The real fun begins when they discover his identity, and he gets to wreck everything on his one man warpath to the top. Lots of guns, lots of explosions, some choice one liners - typical Arnie. Good action.
- Commando (1985)
- I think this is superior to Raw Deal, although I know it's probably hotly debated in some circles. Here Arnold plays John Matrix (seriously?), an ex-commando now living in the mountains peacefully with his daughter (Alyssa Milano, filming between seasons of Who's The Boss?). But what's this?! The chief villain kidnaps his daughter and insists Matrix install him as tyrant/dictator of a central American country. Matrix has less than a day to hunt down the evildoers and get his daughter back. This movie has an enormous body count - it must be over 100 - and an equal number of one liners. His archenemy is very memorable - Freddie Mercury on steroids, indeed. Great fun, even if I hate the tacked-on female sidekick (shades of Rambo: First Blood Part Two).
- Forbidden World (1982)
- Z-grade. Interstellar problem solver arrives at science station where genetic experiment has gotten out of control. This movie is just a poor excuse to show breasts in a sci fi setting - the shower scene with the two female leads is particularly egregious. Avoid avoid avoid.
- Best of Times (1986)
- This is a real gem that I can't believe I didn't see back when it was contemporary. Kurt Russell and Robin Williams (!!) together as small town guys who are trapped by the memory of a legendary football game - a game where Russell played like a god, but Williams dropped the winning pass. Now, 13 years later, Russell is holding on to the memory of his youth while Williams will do anything, anything to rewrite history. Including replaying the game. There is a lot of great acting in this movie, and a lot of rather serious commentary on bad marriages, individuals unable to look past themselves, making hard decisions, and so on. But it's all told in a light-hearted framework. Robin Williams is fairly restrained here, but he's the heart of the film and it wouldn't work without him. His chemistry with Russell is excellent. Absolutely worth watching.
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