Black Rain (1989), 52 Pick-Up (1986), Mystic Pizza (1988)

I remember seeing this with my dad, although I can't quite remember if it was in the theater (possible) or on video. This movie by Ridley Scott, in which an American cop (Michael Douglas)  and his partner (Andy Garcia) travel to Japan to investigate organized crime, oozes with atmosphere. Thanks to director Scott, it looks and sounds fantastic, and although it's quite long (2 hours), the pace never seems to drag. 


Michael Douglas is in full "asshole sack of shit" mode here, aka Typical 80s New Yorker. He plays a detective who has Gordon Gekko DNA: he's a walking insult, mouthy, stupid, and perpetually frustrated, not above taking a little money under the table, and scornful of The System. Andy Garcia is good as his excitable, boyish, more polite, less rash/brash, comparatively more honest partner. 

Ebert called this "a designer movie, all look and no heart," and I suppose that's true. But what a look! Interesting, either way.

Based on the 70s crime novel by Elmore Leonard, this movie is pretty good, although it feels a little dated in 1986. The movie stars Roy Scheider (of Jaws fame, among many other great roles), Ann-Margaret, John Glover, Kelly Preston (the same year she made SpaceCamp), and Vanity (!) in peak form. The story is about a man who is blackmailed - his wife is politically prominent, and he has a mistress - and he doesn't take well to the blackmail. In fact, he turns the tables and plants seeds of paranoia among the blackmailers, who self-destruct. 

There is also a party sequence that features (according to IMDB) all the major porn stars of the mid-80s, which is interesting trivia. 

Interesting movie, though. There is a nice synth soundtrack throughout that creates a certain synth-noir vibe that I really liked. The blackmailers are suitably odious and deserve their deaths (the main villain especially!). Scheider is a convincing tough guy who refuses to be blackmailed. His wife reacts with appropriate outrage... everything feels as it should feel. Yet there is just something here that doesn't fit, somehow. The movie is a little too detached, maybe. A little too ... clinical? It's worth catching if you find it late at night, but I wouldn't seek this one out. 

Very early Julia Roberts vehicle - and she already has it - along with costars Lili Taylor and Annabeth Gish. Also, Vincent D'Onofrio and Adam Storke too. The chronicle of the three girls (two sisters and their friend) and their experiences in the small Portuguese-populated fishing town of Mystic, it's a nice slice-of-life picture. In contrast to Black Rain and 52 Pick-Up, this movie is all heart, with a small-town charm of its own. Nice characters, low-level conflicts, and sweet resolution. Worth your time.