Category Archives: Films Released in 1987
THE LOST BOYS
THE LOST BOYS-United States-1987
Corey Feldman (l) and Jamison Newlander as Edgar and Alan Frog
Jami Gertz as Star
Corey Haim as Sam
Edward Hermann as Max
Barnard Hughes as Grandpa
Jason Patric as Michael
Kiefer Sutherland as David
Dianne Wiest as Lucy
Directed by Joel Schumacher
Screenplay by Janice Fischer, James Jeremias and Jeffrey Boam
Story by Janice Fischer and James Jeremias
This is only the third time that I’ve watched The Lost Boys. The first time was when it was released to video. The second time maybe a month after that. Honestly, I really wasn’t that impressed with the film. Sure, it was a re-telling of the Peter Pan story, only this time with vampires. So what? The acting in the film is lackluster, the pacing of the film leaves a lot to be desired and the whole thing is completely monotonous. The film did nothing to further the careers of its younger stars. What ever happened to Jason Patric? Has he really done anything of any significance since then? Then of course there are the Corey’s, Feldman and Haim. The two of them had quite a career going for them in the ’80′s. Then came the ’90′s and finally the new millennium and reality TV. What happened then? Corey Haim died and Corey Feldman continues to make direct to video Lost Boys movies. That’s not exactly a stellar career. What about director Joel Schumacher? Isn’t he the guy that decided to add nipples to the Bat suit; thereby nearly ruining not only the Batman mythos, but the comic book movie altogether? The only young star to come out of the Lost Boys with any degree of success is, in my opinion, Kiefer Sutherland. Even so, it was not cinematic success; it was with TV and 24.
I know that there are those of you out there who are going to take me to the woodshed on this one. I can’t help it. It’s been over 20 years since I last saw the film and after seeing it my feelings have not changed. The film is a lackluster attempt to meld two legends, Peter Pan and vampires, and bring them into a modern day setting. It’s not just the boys that are lost; it’s the whole damn movie.
TRIVIA
The original screenplay written by Janice Fischer and James Jeremias was originally about a bunch of “Goonie-type 5th-6th grade kid vampires”, with the Frog Brothers being “chubby 8 year old cub scouts”, and Star being a boy instead of a love interest. Joel Schumacher hated that idea and told the producers he would only sign on if he could change them to teenagers, as he thought it would be much sexier and more interesting.
Kiefer Sutherland was only meant to wear the black gloves he wears as David when riding the motorbike. However, while messing around on the bike behind-the-scenes, he fell off, breaking his arm so he had to wear the gloves through the whole movie to cover his cast.
In the opening sequence there is a random crowd shot that includes an older man in the distance with thick glasses wearing a Gothic looking hooded black robe. While his appearance is in line with the “spooky” factor of the film, he is in fact a semi-nomadic Christian.
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THE MONSTER SQUAD
THE MONSTER SQUAD-United States-1987
Count Dracula
The Frankenstein Monster
The Wolfman
The Mummy
The Creature From The Black Lagoon
Directed by Fred Dekker
Written by Shane Black and Fred Dekker
When I was growing up I loved monsters. I loved them so much that I had anything about them that I could get my hands on. Posters, magazines, Aurora monster model kits; you name it and I had it. Every Saturday afternoon I would be in front of the TV for Shock Theatre to watch the classic films like Dracula, Frankenstein, The Creature from the Black Lagoon and The Wolfman. But even though I loved these creatures of the night I was no dummy. I knew that they could get me so I played it smart. Every night I would check under the bed to make sure there was no werewolf under there. Then the closet; I would open it up and make sure that the Frankenstein monster wasn’t lurking behind my clothes that were neatly hung up. That inhuman creature created from the bodies of the dead wasn’t going to get me, no way, no how.
But then something happened that made me stop loving the monsters. It was called growing up and you know what? It sucked big time. I stopped believing in the monsters and started believing in more logical things like girls and school and hanging out with my friends. I still watched the horror movies and read the scary books and magazines but the magic was just not there anymore. There were no monsters under the bed or in the closet. It was all make believe and special effects.
After watching The Monster Squad I get the strangest feeling that writer Shane Black and writer-director Fred Dekker felt the same way that I did at one time or another. They stopped believing and they knew that was wrong. The Monster Squad is their way of telling us that it’s perfectly okay to believe in Dracula or The Wolfman or the Frankenstein monster. Their film is a simple, cheesy reminder that even though we may be adults that it’s cool to act like a kid sometimes. The Monster Squad is one of those films that help me to understand the reason why I write these reviews and why I run this blog in my little corner of the world.
So what I want everyone to do tonight is very simple. When you get ready for bed I want you to close your closet really tight and lock it from the outside. That’ll keep the monsters trapped in there until daylight. After you do that I want you to look under the bed. Monsters love it under there. If you’re too scared to look then you need to get a running start and leap into your bed as fast as you can. The monsters can’t catch you if you leap really high. If you turn out your light and you still think there may be a Mummy or maybe a Gill-man lurking around somewhere then there’s only one more thing that you can do.
Call the Monster Squad. They make house calls.
TRIVIA
Dustin Diamond had a small role as a kid who tries to sell comic books to the boys, but this was later cut.
Liam Neeson was paid for a bit part that was never shot.
The scene where Dracula lifts Phoebe up and she screams was done in one take. Duncan Regehr wouldn’t wear his red contacts or fangs around the five year old Ashley Bank because it scared her too much. For the scene, director Fred Dekker just told Ashley to scream once the platform raised her. When she asked, “When?” Dekker told her, “Oh, you’ll know,” and proceeded to shoot. The terrified scream you hear when Dracula opens his eyes is Ashley’s genuine scream of fright.
In 2006, “Wizard” magazine made a list of the 100 Greatest Villains of All Time, Dracula was ranked as #30 on the list. But, surprisingly, it was for Duncan Regehr’s performance in this film. His performance was chosen over all other versions of the character. Regehr’s Dracula is still considered to be one the absolute best interpretations of the character.
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ANGEL HEART
ANGEL HEART-United States-1987
Mickey Rourke as Harry Angel
Epiphany Proudfoot
Charlotte Rampling as Margaret Krusemark
Robert De Niro as Louis Cyphre
Directed by Alan Parker
Screenplay by Alan Parker
Based on the novel ‘Falling Angel‘ by William Hjortsberg
Since its release in 1987 I’ve probably watched Angel Heart a dozen times or more. I know what the film is about; a down on his luck detective is hired by a mysterious client to find a man who disappeared years before. I know all about the controversy surrounding the sex scene between Mickey Rourke and Lisa Bonet. I know that the film walks a thin line between horror film and detective story. The role of Harry Angel may very well be Mickey Rourke’s finest performance of his pre-The Wrestler career. Harry Angel is a twitchy, edgy untrustworthy son of a bitch and Rourke plays the role to perfection. Throw in Robert De Niro as the mysterious Louis Cyphre and you have what could easily amount to an acting powder keg. There are just two nagging problems that keep the film from achieving that explosion.
First of all the film is just too slow for its own good. I’m not saying that it should move at a breakneck speed, but it would have helped to pick up the pace just a tiny bit. The pace of the film is but a minor speed bump when compared to the second faux pas. There’s a reason why Lisa Bonet isn’t a name you hear very often anymore. Her performance in Angel Heart is as wooden as you’re likely to see. No emotion, no personality and a steamy, yet disturbing sex scene do not a commanding performance make. The pace of the film can be forgiven, Bonet’s performance cannot. The performance of Rourke and Robert De Niro help to balance things out, but let it be known that Bonet’s lackluster performance nearly steals the film for all the wrong reasons. The Cosby Show may have lost a daughter, but the world sure as hell didn’t gain an actress.
TRIVIA
Robert De Niro’s performance is an impersonation of Martin Scorsese.
Louis Cyphre is shown wearing a mood ring, colored brown, which represents “restlessness”.
In the novel the entire story was set in New York. In the movie much of the action of the film occurs in New Orleans. This change was suggested to Alan Parker by William Hjortsberg himself.
Alan Parker claims that Robert De Niro’s performance as Louis Cypher was so eerie and realistic that he generally avoided him during his scenes, letting him just direct himself.
½
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ROBOCOP
ROBOCOP-United States-1987
Peter Weller as Alex Murphy
Nancy Allen as Officer Anne Lewis
Kurtwood Smith as Clarence Boddicker
Miguel Ferrer as Bob Morton
Ronny Cox as Dick Jones
It is one hell of a dystopian society in what is now called Old Detroit. Crime is rampant, the cops are outnumbered and outgunned and there’s no end in sight. That is until OCP-Omni Consumer Products, steps in with their idea of building a cop that will be the future of law enforcement, Robocop. There’s just one little catch. They need a volunteer, and that’s where Alex Murphy, freshly transferred police officer from another precinct, comes into the picture, the poor schmuck. You see, you have to be dead to volunteer for the Robocop program. So, after our boy Alex is literally shot to pieces by bad boy Boddicker and his band of baddies he is all set to step up and be all that he can be for OCP. First order of business: track down the miserable varmints that killed him in the first place, Clarence Boddicker and his band of miscreants.
Nearly every scene in this film is wrought with violence. Even the quietest moments in the film have a tension to them that forewarn us that something nasty is about to happen. Even the nightclub scene is filled with shaking fists and in your face camera angles. There’s enough blood in this movie to fill 10 films. I loved this film when it first came out and I have never tired of it. It is one of the best films that is the representation of a dystopian society and should easily be considered a classic of the sci-fi genre. In fact, this film is so damn good it can almost make you forgive Paul Verhoeven for Showgirls. You will note that I said ‘almost.”
TRIVIA
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EVIL DEAD II: DEAD BY DAWN
EVIL DEAD II: DEAD BY DAWN-United States-1987
Bruce Campbell as Ashely 'Ash' J. Williams
Sarah Berry (w/Bruce Campbell) as Annie Knowby
Dan Hicks as Jake
For all intents and purposes Evil Dead II is a direct remake of the original The Evil Dead. The story is the same, the setting is the same and it even features Bruce Campbell as Ash in a repeat performance. In fact, I even considered posting the same review from the first film. So what’s the big idea about this film? Why does it stand out against the original which is a great film in the first place? Well, that is what I am here to tell you.
Do you remember I said that the first Evil Dead was like a forest fire and that if you get in its way you’ll be left trampled underfoot and burned to a crisp? Well, it’s not like that at all with Evil Dead II. It’s more like there are two forest fires, one on your left and one on your right and they are coming at you with all the speed and flame that they can muster. You run straight ahead but there’s a train coming. You turn around to run the other way and BEEP! HONK! you get SPLATTERED by a semi! Yeah, that’s why Evil Dead II is even better than the first.
Oh, yeah, one more thing. It’s got Bruce Campbell in it and he’s got a chainsaw for a hand. Groovy, hail to the king, baby. Hail to the King.
TRIVIA
One of the books on the can that traps Ash’s possessed hand is Ernest Hemingway’s “A Farewell to Arms“.
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Near Dark
NEAR DARK-United States-1987
Directed by Kathryn Bigelow
Written by Kathryn Bigelow and Eric Red
Starring
Adrian Pasdar as Caleb Colton
Jenny Wright as Mae
Lance Henriksen as Jesse Hooker
Bill Paxton as Severen
Jenette Goldstein as Diamondback
Tim Thomerson as Loy Colton
Joshua Miller as Homer
Long before 30 Days of Night, long before From Dusk til Dawn there was Near Dark. This tale of a gang of nomadic and marauding vampires set the bar pretty damned high for the vampire genre in the years to come. Kathryn Bigelow has directed a white-hot knuckle gripper of a horror suspense film that runs on all cylinders like a 69 Chevy with a 396. The performances, direction and writing are absolutely top-notch. The best performances in the film come from Bill Paxton and Adrian Pasdar. Paxton portrays Severen, a vampire who has sunk so far into depravity that killing isn’t second nature to him but merely a natural instinct. Watch as he almost single-handedly lays waste to the patrons of a shit-poke bar that just happens to be on their radar and therefore in their way. His acting has just the right amount of over the top glee. Pasdar is the young farm boy who is turned by Mae, played by Jenny Wright, who still looks at the world as if it were lit by the sun even though she has left the sun behind. He is the exact opposite of Severen in that it never occurs to him that he needs to kill to survive. This is a whole new world to him and excuse him if he don’t know just what the hell is going on.
The one thing about the film that sets it apart is that it never uses the word vampire. Instead it blends the old standards (like sunlight burning the flesh of a vampire), along with dialogue that gives us hints as to just how old these murderers are (“Hey Jesse, remember that fire we started in Chicago?” or “Jesse, there’s something I been meanin’ to ask ya.” “Yeah,what might that be?” “How old are ya?” “Let’s just say I fought for the South” “The South?” “We lost.’” Brilliant.
Kathryn Bigelow won the best director Oscar in 2010 for The Hurt Locker. Before that, she honed her craft on films such as Near Dark, Point Break and Strange Days that helped her to sharpen her talents and become the first woman to ever win the Best Director Oscar. Near Dark is proof almost 20 years before that she is deserving of the honor. She has taken a genre that before that had grown stale and over-done and has given it a much-needed jump-start. If I were Robert Rodriguez or David Slade, I’d be kissing her ass and telling her thank you.
TRIVIA
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