Review: "HALLOWEEN III: Season of the Witch" is More Strange Than Good

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 155 (of 2003) by Leroy Douresseaux

Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982)

Running time:  98 minutes (1 hour, 38 minutes)

MPAA – R

DIRECTOR:  Tommy Lee Wallace

WRITER:  Tommy Lee Wallace

PRODUCERS:  John Carpenter and Debra Hill

CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Dean Cundey (D.o.P.)

EDITOR:  Millie Moore

COMPOSERS:  John Carpenter and Alan Howarth

HORROR/SCI-FI/FANTASY

Starring:  Tom Atkins, Stacy Nelkin, Dan O’Herlihy, Michael Currie, Ralph Strait, Jadeen Barbor, and Brad Schacter

Halloween III: Season of the Witch is a 1982 American horror and science fiction-fantasy film from director Tommy Lee Wallace.  It is the third installment in the Halloween film series and the only one not to feature the franchise's star antagonist, Michael Myers.  British science fiction author, Nigel Kneale, and series co-creator, John Carpenter, joined director Tommy Lee Wallace in contributing to the writing of this film.  Season of the Witch focuses on a doctor who uncovers a plot use children and a particular brand of Halloween masks to resurrect an ancient ritual.

When her father is murdered in his hospital bed, Ellie Grimbridge (Stacy Nelkin) begins to suspect the involvement of a powerful novelty company with whom her father, Harry (Al Berry), had a relationship.  She convinces an over-stressed physician Dr. Daniel “Dan” Challis (Tom Atkins) to accompany her to the headquarters of the company, Silver Shamrock, where they meet the company’s creepy owner Conal Cochran (Dan O’Herlihy).

Silver Shamrock’s big sales push occurs at Halloween, and everywhere the two go, they encounter omnipresent television ads for the company’s three Halloween masks.  As Halloween gets closer, the world around Dan and Ellie becomes more perilous and stranger, and they delve deeper into Silver Shamrock’s evil plans for the holiday.

After wrapping up the story he began in the 1978 film, Halloween, in the sequel, Halloween II (1981), John Carpenter had different plans.  He intended Halloween III: Season of the Witch to be the first in an annual series of Halloween movies that each told a different Halloween related story.  Each film would, of course, have the “Halloween” brand name, but this film failed at the box office and killed that plan.  Directed by Tommy Lee Wallace, the film editor of the original Halloween and for Carpenter's 1980 film, The Fog, Season of the Witch is average horror film with the potential to be something really great.  It is gross-filled genre fare having equal doses of horror, mystery, and science fiction.

It is difficult to point out concretely just where it all went wrong.  The mystery element is great, while the science fiction element is far fetched and more fantasy than science.  The sci-fi/fantasy element fails because of a lack of proper execution and because the magical elements are flat and unconvincing.  The horrific aspects are strong, and the dénouement is bracing and unsettling.  Somewhere along the line, however, it all falls apart, and the movie can leave the viewer as unsatisfied as it will leave him curious about what happens in the story after the movie fades to black.

Still, I’d watch it again.  There’s something in it, warts and all, that intrigues me, and I wish the filmmakers had taken the time to get whatever it is right.

4 of 10

C

★★ out of 4 stars

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Review: "FRIDAY THE 13TH Part III" Has Flat Plot, But Lively Characters

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 30 of 2022 (No. 1842) by Leroy Douresseaux

Friday the 13th Part III (1982)
Running time:  95 minutes (1 hour, 35 minutes)
MPAA – R
DIRECTOR:  Steve Miner
WRITERS:  Martin Kitrosser and Carol Watson (based on characters created by Victor Miller and Ron Kurz)
PRODUCER: Frank Mancuso, Jr.
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Gerald Feil (D.o.P.)
EDITOR:  George Hively
COMPOSER:  Harry Manfredini

HORROR

Starring:  Dana Kimmell, Tracie Savage, Richard Brooker, Gloria Charles, Rachel Howard, David Katims, Paul Kratka, Cheri Maugans, Steve Susskind, Kevin O'Brien, Catherine Parks, Jeffrey Rogers, Nick Savage, and Larry Zerner

Friday the 13th Part III is a 1982 slasher horror film directed by Steve Miner.  It is a direct sequel to the 1981 film, Friday the 13th Part 2, and is the third movie in the Friday the 13th movie franchise.  This film also marked the first time Jason Voorhees put on a hockey mask, which became both the character and the franchise's trademark.

Friday the 13th Part III is set immediately after the events of Part 2.  A young woman, Chris Higgins (Dana Kimmell), and her friends travel to Higgins Haven, her old family home on Crystal Lake, to spend the weekend.  The group includes pregnant Debbie (Tracie Savage); her boyfriend, Andy (Jeffrey Rogers), Shelly (Larry Zerner), a young man who is an incessant prankster; Vera (Catherine Parks), who is supposed to be Shelly's blind date; and finally, stoner couple, Chuck (David Katims) and Chili (Rachel Howard).  Rick (Paul Kratka), Chris' boyfriend, is waiting for them at Higgins Haven.  The group has also attracted the attention of a trio of reprobate punk bikers:  Ali (Nick Savage), Fox (Gloria Charles), and Loco (Kevin O'Brien).

Meanwhile, Jason Voorhees (Richard Brooker) was left injured after his recent murder spree at a nearby counselor training camp.  He has arrived at Higgins Haven, after killing local store owner, Harold (Steve Susskind), and his wife, Edna (Cheri Maugans).  And he is ready to begin a new killing spree.

Between 1981 and 1983, some segments of the American film industry embraced 3D films again.  One of the resulting films was Friday the 13th Part III, which was originally released to theaters as a 3D film ("Friday the 13th Part 3: 3D") almost forty years ago (August 1982).  I doubt anyone younger than 50-years-old ever saw it as a 3D film inside a movie theater.  I didn't, so there is no point in me trying to talk about that aspect of the film.  I can't remember when I first saw Part III, but I think I was well into middle age by the time I did.

Contemporary reviews of Friday the 13th Part III were savage, and in a way, those critics were right.  Part III isn't imaginative in terms of plot.  The film exists to make money because movie audiences enjoyed seeing 20-somethings get killed in the two earlier installments, especially seeing Jason kill in Part 2.  So Part III was inevitable, although at the time, it was apparently meant to be the series finale.

Part III does have one thing going for it.  Most of the characters are interesting.  No two characters are alike, even when they look alike.  In fact, whenever I watch this movie, I find myself sometimes confused by Chris, Debbie, and Vera – especially Chris and Debbie who look, at least, like fraternal twins.  The characters are unique and even quirky, but the narrative really and obviously does not dwell on personality, not when there is killing to be depicted.  Besides, maybe there is no point to really getting to know characters that are going to be dead soon, although Jason does not start killing Chris' friends until after the fifty-minute mark of the film.

Because I like these characters:  Chris and her friends, especially her hunky boyfriend, Rick, I like Friday the 13th Part III … a lot.  I watch it anytime it is shown on some cable network, so I probably see it at least two or three times a year.  Still, I have to admit that there is a dry formality to the killings, and the filmmakers act as if they are making nothing more than the cinematic equivalent of one more fast food toad burger.  And that's a shame, because, in some areas, Friday the 13th Part III had the potential to be better – much better.  My grade and ratings for this film reflect my good feelings towards this classic 1980s slasher film.

5 of 10
B-
★★½ out of 4 stars

Wednesday, May 11, 2022


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Review: "MAKING LOVE" Can Still Knock Boots

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 11 of 2022 (No. 1823) by Leroy Douresseaux

Making Love (1982)
Running time:  113 minutes (1 hour, 53 minutes)
MPAA – R
DIRECTOR:  Arthur Hiller
WRITERS:  Barry Sandler; from a story by A. Scott Berg
PRODUCERS:  Alan J. Adler and Daniel Melnick
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  David M. Walsh
EDITOR:  William Reynolds
COMPOSER: Leonard Rosenman

LGBTQ/DRAMA/ROMANCE

Starring:  Michael Ontkean, Kate Jackson, Harry Hamlin, Wendy Hiller, and Gary Swanson

Making Love is a 1982 romantic drama and LGBTQ film from director Arthur Hiller.  Making Love focuses on a successful Los Angeles couple making big plans for their future when the husband finds himself unable to keep repressing his attraction for other men.

Making Love is set in the early 1980s and introduces three 30-something characters.  The first is Dr. Zack Elliot (Michael Ontkean), a successful, Los Angeles-based oncologist.  He is married to Claire Elliot (Kate Jackson), an equally successful television network executive.  Claire and Zack have been married for eight years and are generally happy.  They are talking about having a baby, so they buy a bigger house.

Unknown to Claire, however, Zack has been struggling with feelings of attraction for other men.  He begins loosening these long-repressed feelings by cruising places where gay men congregate to pick up other men for sex.  Enter the film's third main character, Bart McGuire (Harry Hamlin), a successful novelist and gay man.  Bart goes in for a medical check-up, and Zack is temporarily seeing the patients of Bart's regular doctor.

Bart frequents gay bars and clubs and has multiple sexual partners, preferring one night stands to committed relationships.  Zack and Bart are mutually attracted to each other, but there are complications.  As gay men, each wants something different in intimate relationships.  Meanwhile, Claire is having professional struggles, and she starts to suspect that Zack is cheating on her.  However, she would never suspect that he is cheating on her with another man.

This is the fortieth anniversary of the theatrical release of the landmark gay film drama, Making Love, specifically February 12, 1982.  While Making Love was not the first gay-themed film released by a major Hollywood studio, it was the first mainstream Hollywood film drama to address particular subjects related to homosexuality, such as the effect of a spouse coming out while being in a heterosexual marriage and also the toll of being closeted on a gay man.

Making Love is not a great film; at best, it is average or maybe a little above average.  Apparently, it has been accused of dodging its core subject, which is that of a gay man not only coming out while being married to a woman, but also engaging in an affair with another man.  Making Love does not actually duck or dodge any sensitive homosexual issues.

The problem is that the film addresses too many issues.  Zack Elliot is having a midlife crisis.  Repressed, Zack is horny and cruises for gay sex, but usually backs out before the sex can begin.  Claire is having a career crisis.  She wants her television executive bosses to utilize the talents for which she was hired, but they ignore her thoughtful programming pitches.  She wants to take a year off so that she can have a baby.  Her desire to have a better relationship with her estranged father also crops up.  Bart treats each man that he wants to screw like he is the perfect guy for him.  Yet as soon as the sex is over, Bart hops out of bed and heads home.  He is always on the prowl, but seems to yearn for a little more.

This are enough subplots and melodramatic twists for a television series, but it is a bit much for a film.  What also hampers the film is that with so much to talk about, a lot of the dialogue is stiff and sounds contrived when the actors speak it.  The performances are well meaning, but the screenplay for Making Love does address what is at the heart of this film.

Making Love may be a gay drama, but the way I see it, the story is really about the dysfunction in Zack and Claire's relationship and in Zack and Bart's relationship.  Making Love is really not about “making love,” but about people being honest about what they want from a partner and what they really want for themselves.  Making Love only deals with that in a shallow way, but I do give the film, the filmmakers, and the cast the credit for making this kind of film.  Making Love depicts homosexuality and being a man who wants to have sex with lots of other men seem like perfectly normal aspects of modern American life.

6 of 10
B

Friday, March 4, 2022


NOTES:
1983 Golden Globes, USA:  1 nomination: Best Original Song - Motion Picture (Burt Bacharach-music, Bruce Roberts-music/lyrics, and Carole Bayer Sager-lyrics for the song, “Making Love”)


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Review: "Porky's" is Still a Raunchy Classic (Remembering Bob Clark)

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 16 (of 2014) by Leroy Douresseaux

Porky’s (1982)
Running time:  94 minutes (1 hour, 34 minutes)
MPAA – R
WRITER/DIRECTOR:  Bob Clark
PRODUCERS:  Don Carmody and Bob Clark
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Reginald H. Morris (D.o.P.)
EDITOR:  Stan Cole
COMPOSER:  Paul Zaza and Carl Zittrer

COMEDY

Starring:  Dan Monahan, Mark Herrier, Wyatt Knight, Roger Wilson, Cyril O’Reilly, Tony Ganios, Kaki Hunter, Kim Cattrall, Nancy Parsons, Scott Colomby, Boyd Gaines, Doug McGrath, Art Hindle, Wayne Maunder, Chuck Mitchell, and Alex Karras

The subject of this movie review is Porky’s, a 1982 Canadian-American sex comedy from writer-director Bob Clark.  The film is set in 1954 and focuses on a group of high school boys who try to help a buddy lose his virginity and end up seeking revenge on the sleazy owner of a honky tonk and his redneck sheriff brother.

Porky’s spawned a franchise, including two direct sequels.  The film won the Golden Reel Award at the 1983 Genie Awards and also received a “Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role” nomination for actor, Doug McGrath.  Porky’s was a surprise box office success and for decades was the highest-grossing Canadian film of all time.  It apparently still is, when adjusting for inflation.

Porky’s is set in Angel Beach, a small town in South Florida.  There, we find six teens that are desperate for sexual satisfaction.  These young, red-bloodied, American males, who play basketball for Angel Beach High School, have raging hormones and are horny for just about any female willing to do “it” with them.

The most desperate is Edward “Pee Wee” Morris (Dan Monahan), a short guy (in more ways than one), who wants desperately for a girl to relieve him of the burden of his virginity.  Pee Wee and friends hope to find sexual relief at a notorious honky-tonk joint in the next county, Porky’s.  However, the club’s owner, Porky (Chuck Mitchell) himself, rips them off and throws them out – even going so far as to seriously injury one of the teens who later seeks to get back at Porky.

So Pee Wee, Billy (Mark Herrier), Tommy (Wyatt Knight), and the rest of the gang plot an incredible revenge against Porky and his brother, the redneck Sheriff Wallace (Alex Karras).  Meanwhile, the boys’ adventures and activities earn them the unwanted attention of the foul-tempered girls’ gym teacher, Beulah Balbricker (Nancy Parsons).  Also, new junior basketball coach, Roy Brackett (Boyd Gaines), seduces sexy fellow gym instructor, Honeywell (Kim Cattrall), and makes a shocking discovery about how she acts during the heat of passion.

The late filmmaker Bob Clark is probably best known for his holiday movie classic, A Christmas Story (1983).  His infamous teen comedy, Porky’s, is also fondly remembered and apparently has influenced other filmmakers who have made teen films.

With Porky's, Clark, who died with his son in a 2007 car accident, took an unabashed and fanciful look at raucous high school adolescence in the 1950s.  However, the story has a timeless quality because of the truth at the heart of its idiocy:  sex weighs heavily on the minds of both high school boys and girls.  Porky’s can be pretty frank about that reality, but that is what makes this film both unique and unforgettable and difficult to duplicate – as its less successful sequels can attest.

Porky’s is silly, even a bit misogynistic, but I first saw it as a teenager and loved it.  Other than being a teenaged male, I had nothing in common with the characters, but I loved the film.  It is funny just to watch these high school kids’ antics – both guys and girls.

7 of 10
B+

Friday, April 04, 2014


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Review: "The Wrath of Kahn" is Still Great Star Trek

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 34 (of 2013) by Leroy Douresseaux


Star Trek II: The Wrath of Kahn (1982)
Running time: 113 minutes (1 hour, 53 minutes)
MPAA – PG
DIRECTOR: Nicholas Meyer
WRITERS: Jack B. Sowards; from a story by Harve Bennett and Jack B. Sowards (based upon the TV series “Star Trek” created by Gene Roddenberry)
PRODUCER: Robert Sallin
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Gayne Rescher
EDITOR: William P. Dornisch
COMPOSER: James Horner

SCI-FI/ACTION/ADVENTURE

Starring: William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley, James Doohan, Walter Koenig, Nichelle Nichols, George Takei, Ricardo Montalban, Bibi Besch, Merritt Butrick, Paul Winfield, Kirstie Alley, and Ike Eisenmann with Judson Earney Scott

The subject of this movie review is Star Trek II: The Wrath of Kahn, a 1982 science fiction movie. It is the second movie in the Star Trek film franchise, which is based on “Star Trek,” a science fiction television series originally broadcast on NBC from September 1966 to June 1969. The Wrath of Kahn finds the crew of the Enterprise fighting an old and practically forgotten nemesis and trying to stop him from using a life-generating device as the ultimate weapon.

In fact, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Kahn’s plot is based on an episode of the TV series entitled, “Space Seed,” which was originally broadcast in February 1967, the show’s first season. Writers Samuel A. Peeples and Roman Sanchez apparently contributed to film’s story, while The Wrath of Kahn’s director, Nicholas Meyer, wrote the final script for the film, but did not receive a screen credit.

As The Wrath of Kahn opens, the USS Enterprise is commanded by Captain Spock (Leonard Nimoy) and has a mostly novice crew. Captain Kirk is now Admiral James T. Kirk (William Shatner), and now, he mostly oversees training of Starfleet personnel and inspection of starships. The Enterprise is about to embark on a three-week training voyage with Spock in command and Kirk along for observation.

Meanwhile, former Enterprise crewman, Pavel Chekov (Walter Koenig), is on the USS Reliant with Captain Clark Terrell (Paul Winfield). The two men accidentally discover that the genetically-engineered tyrant, Khan Noonien Singh (Ricardo Montalban), who once tried to seize control of the Enterprise, is still alive and has an old score to settle with Admiral Kirk. Khan learns of the “Genesis Drive,” created by Dr. Carol Marcus (Bibi Besch) and her son, David (Merritt Butrick). This device can create life on barren worlds, but it can also destroy a planet. Now, Khan wants it, but can Kirk, Spock, and the rest of the Enterprise regulars stop him?

Following the first Star Trek film, Star Trek: The Motion Picture, which was considered a disappointment to some, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Kahn became the first great Star Trek film. I can’t remember whom, but a writer I like once described the original Star Trek series as basically a blending of World War II submarine movies and the television series, “Wagon Train.” The original Star Trek was escapist entertainment with a swashbuckling adventure aspect, but it was often socially relevant, as it alluded to, in one form or another, what was occurring in the 1960s.

The Wrath of Kahn was a bit of all of that, but on a grander scale. Director Nicholas Meyer took advantage of the medium of cinema and made the drama more melodramatic, the conflicts edgier, the villains more menacing, and the specter of death more tangible than it had been on the small screen. Even the score by James Horner evokes a sense of adventure that the earlier Star Trek film did not have. Watching this movie, I almost felt as if I were a seafaring adventurer, ready for swashbuckling fun across the expanse of outer space.

The Wrath of Kahn deals with the themes of growing old, death, and resurrection. However, I think the overarching theme of this film is renewal, especially following the first film. For the characters, there is a renewal of purpose, status, friendships, etc. Khan represents the renewal of old conflicts (which carries over into the third film). The younger crew of the Enterprise hints at a renewal of the mission. To me, this Star Trek is less about winding down and ending and more about restarting.

The performances are good, and thanks to the screenplay, William Shatner has some weighty material to use and delivers what is probably his best performance in a Star Trek film. Ricardo Montalban is fantastic – plain and simple. In Khan, Montalban delivers just the kind of grand, vengeful, madman The Wrath of Kahn has to have. He is Oscar-worth and is the main reason Star Trek II: The Wrath of Kahn is so distinctive among Star Trek films.

8 of 10
A

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Review: "The Dark Crystal" Retains its Beautiful Magic (Remembering Jim Henson)

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 119 (of 2005) by Leroy Douresseaux

The Dark Crystal (1982)
Running time: 84 minutes (1 hour, 24 minutes)
MPAA – PG
DIRECTORS: Jim Henson and Frank Oz
WRITERS: David Odell, from a story by Jim Henson
PRODUCERS: Gary Kurtz and Jim Henson
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Oswald Morris, B.S.C.
EDITOR: Ralph Kemplen
COMPOSER: Trevor Jones
BAFTA Awards nominee

FANTASY/ADVENTURE/FAMILY/ACTION

Starring: Jim Henson, Kathryn Mullen, and Frank Oz

The subject of this movie review is The Dark Crystal, a 1982 American and British fantasy film directed by Jim Henson and Frank Oz. It remains one of the most unique and imaginative fantasy films ever made.

Although “The Muppet Show” may be the thing for which Jim Henson is best known, many movie fans, especially fans of fantasy movies, fondly remember Henson’s ambitious film, The Dark Crystal. Costing roughly $20 million to produce and in production for nearly five years, The Dark Crystal was a live-action fantasy film that featured some of Henson’s most imaginative creatures ever, many of which were the concept designs of Brian Froud, who would collaborate with Henson on his next fantasy epic, the mid-80’s flick, Labyrinth.

The story revolved around The Dark Crystal, a source for Balance and Truth in the Universe. One thousand years before this film begins it was shattered, dividing the world of the film into two factions: the wicked, avian-like, Skeksis, and the peaceful Mystics. Now, the convergence of the world’s three suns again approaches, and the Crystal must be healed by then or the Skeksis will rule for eternity. Enter Jen (Jim Henson), a Gelfling (like an elf), who believes that he is the last of his race. A Mystic took Jen into his home when Jen was an infant; on his deathbed, the Mystic tells Jen that he must find the shard that broke off the Crystal, and he later learns that he must restore that piece and make the Crystal whole. Another Gelfling, Kira (Kathryn Mullen), joins Jen on his quest, and together they brave the unknown dangers that await them on their quest to restore the Crystal and end the reign of evil on their world.

The Dark Crystal is arguably Jim Henson’s finest achievement as a maker of fantasy film. The plot is simple and the script barely builds on the protagonist/obstacle dynamic, but the filmmakers probably considered that to be the least important thing. They intended us to be wowed by the puppets. That is important – the incredible puppets, costumes, creature effects, and other special effects. Human don’t make an appearance in this film other than being under puppets or costumes because the emphasis is on the puppets. And what an achievement in puppetry The Dark Crystal is.

Watching it, I couldn’t help but marvel that these puppets made such engaging characters and that the operators did such a great job making the puppets seem like real beings. Jen and Kira are characters that we can’t take our eyes off of as they scramble to save their world; you could totally buy into them the way you would flesh and blood actors. They give better performances than many real actors. Over two decades later, The Dark Crystal retains its marvelous charm, and its production is still a wonder of filmmaking.

8 of 10
A

NOTES:
1984 BAFTA Awards: “Best Special Visual Effects” (Roy Field, Brian Smithies, and Ian Wingrove)

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Review: Entire Cast Powers "The Return of Martin Guerre" (Happy B'day, Gerard Depardieu)

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 43 (of 2004) by Leroy Douresseaux

Le Retour de Martin Guerre (1982)
The Return of Martin Guerre (1983) – U.S. title
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: France; Language: French
Running time: 122 minutes (2 hours, 2 minutes)
PRODUCER/DIRECTOR: Daniel Vigne
WRITERS: Jean-Claude Carrière, Natalie Zemon Davis, and Daniel Vigne (from the novel The Wife of Martin Guerre by Janet Lewis)
CINEMATOGRAPHER: André Neau
EDITOR: Denise de Casabianca
COMPOSER: Michel Portal
Academy Award nominee

DRAMA/MYSTERY/HISTORICAL

Starring: Gérard Depardieu, Bernard-Pierre Donnadieu, Nathalie Baye, Roger Planchon, Maurice Jacquemont, Isabelle Sadoyan, Rose Thiéry, Maurice Barrier, Stéphane Peau, Sylvie Méda, and Tchéky Karyo

The subject of this movie review is Le Retour de Martin Guerre, a 1982 French film directed by Daniel Vigne and starring Gérard Depardieu. The film was released as The Return of Martin Guerre in the United States in 1983.

Gérard Depardieu plays a man who returns home to his village after being absent for nine years. He claims to be Martin Guerre, who left as a selfish boy (Stéphane Peau) and has returned older and also more caring towards his wife, Bertrande de Rols (Nathalie Baye), whom he abandoned nearly a decade before. The villagers, especially Martin’s relatives, have their doubts as to whether this man who claims to be Martin Guerre is really who he says he is. But when Martin stakes a claim on his rightful inheritance and property, his Uncle Pierre Guerre (Maurice Barrier) makes an attempt on Martin’s life and files a formal complaint with authorities. What follows is an intense trial that must reveal all the truths.

Le Retour de Martin Guerre or The Return of Martin Guerre may not be remembered as the best of French cinema, but Daniel Vigne’s (a French television series director whose credits also include the TV series, “Highlander”) film captures its medieval French setting with stunning results. The rural atmosphere of the 16th Century village is palatable even as digital images. The costumes and sets are so convincing that they’re on the same level as the art direction and costumes in big, expensive Hollywood productions.

The actors all give bravura performances, and even Depardieu, screen hog that he is, is unable to steal the spotlight from his supporting performers, especially Roger Planchon as the justice Jean de Caros and Maurice Barrier as Martin’s uncle. I did, however, find the script a bit soft. Much of the story is told second hand, even some parts that would work better visually, and the romantic center of this film remains unrequited and oblique. But what is on the screen is so well done, so accomplished, and is as mesmerizing as the most intense mysteries and courtroom dramas that you can’t take your eyes off the screen. I recommend this to anyone who doesn’t mind reading subtitles because it’s as good as the best big Hollywood studio dramas.

8 of 10
A

NOTES:
1984 Academy Awards: 1 nomination: “Best Costume Design” (Anne-Marie Marchand)

1985 BAFTA Awards: 1 nomination: “Best Foreign Language Film” (Daniel Vigne of France)

1983 César Awards, France: 3 wins: “Best Music-Meilleure musique” (Michel Portal), Best Original Screenplay-Meilleur scénario original et dialogues” (Jean-Claude Carrière and Daniel Vigne), and “Best Production Design-Meilleurs décors” (Alain Nègre); 1 nomination: “Most Promising Actor-Meilleur jeune espoir masculine” (Dominique Pinon)

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"E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial" Still a Wonder

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 76 (of 2012) by Leroy Douresseaux

E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
Running time: 115 minutes (1 hour, 55 minutes)
MPAA – PG
DIRECTOR: Steven Spielberg
WRITER: Melissa Mathison
PRODUCERS: Kathleen Kennedy and Steven Spielberg
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Allen Daviau (D.o.P.)
EDITOR: Carol Littleton
COMPOSER: John Williams
Academy Award winner

SCIENCE FICTION/FANTASY/DRAMA

Starring: Henry Thomas, Dee Wallace, Robert MacNaughton, Drew Barrymore, and Peter Coyote

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the first release of E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial to theatres (specifically June 11, 1982). E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial is the story of an alienated boy and the stranded alien from another world he befriends. The boy must be brave if he is to help the extraterrestrial avoid authorities until he is rescued by his kin. Directed by Steven Spielberg, this Academy Award-winning, science fiction and fantasy drama surpassed Star Wars as the highest-grossing film of all time, and it held that record for ten years until another Spielberg film, Jurassic Park, surpassed it.

E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial opens in a lush California forest where a group of diminutive aliens collect plant samples. One of them is mistakenly left behind and makes his way to a suburb near the forest. There, he takes up residence in a backyard shed, where he is found by 10-year-old Elliot (Henry Thomas). Elliot lives in a two-story home with his recently divorced mother, Mary (Dee Wallace); his older brother, 16-year-old Michael (Robert MacNaughton), and his little sister, 5-year-old Gertie (Drew Barrymore).

Elliot names his extraterrestrial foundling, “E.T.” Elliot and his siblings hide E.T. in their home, but Elliot soon discovers that in order to protect his friend, he must help him find a way home (“E.T. phone home”).

I had not watched E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial in its entirety since I first saw it 30 years ago, back in June 1982. With the release of an anniversary edition Blu-ray, I decided to watch it again, and I’m simply amazed and flabbergasted. Over the years, I always thought that if I watched E.T. again that I might still like the movie, but certainly not as much as I did the first time I saw it. And I was quite taken with it back in ’82. I was practically heartbroken when it lost the best picture Oscar to Gandhi. In fact, I even thought that I might not like E.T. if I watched it again.

As Sir Richard Attenborough, the Oscar-winning director and producer of Gandhi once said, E.T. is inventive, powerful, and wonderful. There is a sense of magic and wonder that permeates the film, infused by Steven Spielberg, who spins this story as if he were part magical storyteller and part wizard. He pulls from his bag of tricks and makes everything work by using the magic of movies.

The film’s most famous sequence is probably the one in which Elliot and E.T. fly to the forest on Elliot’s bike. One of the moments in that sequence has the bike passing in front of a full moon, which has become an iconic moment in cinematic history. Actually, the great moment of magic in E.T. for me is when E.T., Elliot, Michael and their friends are on their bikes on the run from pursuing police. When it seems as if they have reached a dead end, E.T. uses his telekinesis to lift the bikes in the air towards the forest.

When I watched the movie recently, I knew that scene was coming; yet seeing it again, I lost my breath for a moment. This is a spellbinding sequence that still blows my mind and even makes my eyes a little misty. Yep, E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial is still magical. God willing, I’ll watch it in another 30 years and see if I’m still spellbound.

9 of 10
A+

NOTES:
1983 Academy Awards: 4 wins: “Best Effects, Sound Effects Editing” (Charles L. Campbell and Ben Burtt), “Best Effects, Visual Effects” (Carlo Rambaldi, Dennis Muren, and Kenneth Smith), “Best Music, Original Score” (John Williams), and “Best Sound” (Robert Knudson, Robert Glass, Don Digirolamo, and Gene S. Cantamessa); 5 nominations: “Best Picture” (Steven Spielberg and Kathleen Kennedy), “Best Cinematography” (Allen Daviau), “Best Director” (Steven Spielberg), “Best Film Editing” (Carol Littleton), and “Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen” (Melissa Mathison)

1983 BAFTA Awards: 1 win: “Best Score” (John Williams); 11 nominations: “Best Direction” (Steven Spielberg), “Best Film” (Steven Spielberg and Kathleen Kennedy), “Best Cinematography” (Allen Daviau), “Best Film Editing” (Carol Littleton), “Best Make Up Artist” (Robert Sidell), “Best Production Design/Art Direction” (James D. Bissell), “Best Screenplay” (Melissa Mathison), “Best Sound” (Charles L. Campbell, Gene S. Cantamessa, Robert Knudson, Robert Glass, and Don Digirolamo), “Best Special Visual Effects” (Dennis Muren and Carlo Rambaldi), “Most Outstanding Newcomer to Leading Film Roles” (Drew Barrymore), and “Most Outstanding Newcomer to Leading Film Roles” (Henry Thomas)

1983 Golden Globes, USA: 2 wins: “Best Motion Picture – Drama” and “Best Original Score - Motion Picture” (John Williams); 3 nominations: “Best Director - Motion Picture” (Steven Spielberg), “Best Screenplay - Motion Picture” (Melissa Mathison) and “New Star of the Year in a Motion Picture – Male” (Henry Thomas)

Tuesday, October 02, 2012

Review: "Vincent" is Short, But Long on Delights (Happy B'day, Tim Burton)

(A screen capture from Vincent, copyright Walt Disney Productions).

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 23 (of 2006) by Leroy Douresseaux

Vincent (1982) – animated and B&W
Running time: 6 minutes
WRITER/DIRECTOR: Tim Burton
PRODUCER: Rick Heinrichs
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Victor Abdalov
ANIMATOR: Stephen Chiodo
COMPOSER: Ken Hilton

SHORT/ANIMATION/FANTASY with elements of comedy and horror

Starring: Vincent Price (narrator)

Vincent is a black and white, stop-motion animation film short from director Tim Burton and Walt Disney Productions. The short film is essentially Burton’s directorial debut – basically his first professional film. Vincent is included on both the Special Edition and Collector’s Edition DVDs of Nightmare Before Christmas.

Narrated by Vincent Price, the film tells the story of Vincent Malloy, a seven year-old boy fascinated (or obsessed) with Vincent Price. He constantly daydreams, imagining horrific events he wishes would occur in his life: having a dead wife that calls to him from her grave, boiling his aunt in wax, and turning his dog into a zombie, among other things. Soon, his imagination gets the best of him, and he looses himself in his macabre daydreams, and it annoys his Mother that he doesn’t know where reality begins and the horror ends.

Next to La Jatee, this is best short film I’ve ever seen. Both brilliant and biographic, it hints at many of the visual elements and themes that Burton would use in his most personal and signature films: Beetlejuice, Nightmare Before Christmas, and Corpse Bride, in particular. Filmed in a shadowy black and white photography, the film’s design (by Burton) is as imaginative and as vivid as most color animated films; in fact, he uses black and white as the color of the film. Price’s narration is a subtle mixture of Dr. Seuss, Edgar Allen Poe, and oral folk storytelling. Not only does Vincent Malloy resemble Tim Burton, but also the film is obviously a quasi-biography and film essay on Burton’s own passion for Vincent Price, for the macabre, and for Gothic-inspired cartoons and illustrations.

10 of 10

Monday, January 30, 2006

Review: New Talent Emerges in "The Loveless" (Happy B'day, Willem Dafoe)

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 68 (of 2007) by Leroy Douresseaux

The Loveless (1982)
Theatrical release: Jan. 1984 (USA)
Running time: 82 minutes (1 hour, 22 minutes)
MPAA – R
WRITERS/DIRECTORS: Kathryn Bigelow and Monty Montgomery
PRODUCERS: A. Kitman Ho and Grafton Nunes
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Doyle Smith
EDITOR: Nancy Kanter
COMPOSER: Robert Gordon

DRAMA

Starring: Willem Dafoe, Robert Gordon, Marin Kanter, J. Don Ferguson, Tina L’Hotsky, Lawrence Matarese, Danny Rosen, Phillip Kimbrough, Ken Call, and Elizabeth Gans

The subject of this movie review is The Loveless, a 1982 outlaw biker drama. The film is notable for being the actor Willem Dafoe’s debut as a lead and for also being the first feature film by Kathryn Bigelow (The Hurt Locker). According to the Internet Movie Database, The Loveless appeared in film festivals in 1982 and was released theatrically in the United States and Sweden in 1984.

Leather-clad biker, Vance (Willem Dafoe), leads a group of fellow leather-clad bikers who make a pit stop in a backwater Georgia town en route to a stock car race in Daytona, Florida. While waiting for one of their bikes to be repaired, the gang takes a measure of the town and finds it woefully wanting. On the other side of this equation, some of the townsfolk, from a distance, grudgingly admire the bikers’ freedom. There are also a few troublemakers, and one of them, Tarver (J. Don Ferguson), looks to bring this story to an explosive conclusion.

The Loveless was Willem Dafoe’s film debut, and it was also the first feature film directed by Kathryn Bigelow (who actually co-wrote and co-directed this with Monty Montgomery). Bigelow would go onto to direct such films as Near Dark, Point Break, and Strange Days (in addition to being married to James Cameron for two years). The Loveless is a stylish ode to the Marlon Brando film, The Wild One. It’s violent, a little randy, and its mood perfectly captures the essence of an isolated Deep South hamlet stuck in the past, suspicious of strangers and all things different. Incest, bigotry, prejudice, and murder, The Loveless delves into Southern Gothic while worshiping the post-World War II era biker in a languid, sensuous fashion.

The film’s pace and acting style recalls pre-method acting Hollywood films. The performances are very affected in that stage acting manner of movies of old Hollywood. Dafoe gives one his sexiest performances. Dangerous, young, and reeking of raw sex, he wouldn’t appear like this again until 2002’s Spider-Man. The Loveless isn’t great, but its raw, almost amateurish atmosphere and execution is mesmerizing.

5 of 10
B-

Thursday, April 26, 2007

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Review: "Creepshow" is Still Fun (Happy B'day, George Romero)

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 165 (of 2005) by Leroy Douresseaux

Creepshow (1982)
Running time: 120 minutes (2 hours)
DIRECTOR: George A. Romero
WRITER: Stephen King (also partly based upon the short stories “The Crate” and “Weeds” by Stephen King)
PRODUCER: Richard P. Rubinstein
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Michael Gornick
EDITORS: Pasquale Buba, Paul Hirsch, and Michael Spolan with George A. Romero (segment “The Tide”)

HORROR/COMEDY/SCI-FI/FANTASY

Starring: Hal Holbrook, Adrienne Barbeau, Fritz Weaver, Leslie Nielsen, Carrie Nye, E.G. Marshall, Viveca Lindfors, Ed Harris, Ted Danson, Stephen King, Warner Shook, Robert Harper, Gaylen Ross, and Tom Savini with Tom Atkins

Inspired by the legendary E.C. horror comics of the 1950’s, director George A. Romero and international best-selling horror novelist Stephen King created the horror movie anthology, Creepshow. Five tales of terror: “Father’s Day,” “The Lonesome Death of Jordy Verrill,” “Something to Tide You Over,” “The Crate,” and “They’re Creeping Up on You,” make up the film, and a framing sequence (prologue/epilogue) bridges the five tales.

In “Father’s Day,” a family patriarch comes back from the grave (literally) on the seventh anniversary of his murder, by his daughter, Bedelia’s (Viveca Lindfors) hand, and he’s looking for his birthday cake. In “The Lonesome Death of Jordy Verrill, Jordy Verrill (Stephen King), a country bumpkin cursed by bad luck, finds a recently fallen meteor, and it affects shocking change upon Jordy’s body. In “Something to Tide You Over,” Richard Vickers (Leslie Nielsen) takes a gruesome revenge upon his wife Becky (Gaylen Ross) and her lover, Harry Wentworth (Ted Danson), but revenge is a two-way street and comes back from a watery grave for Richard.

In “The Crate,” Professor Henry Northrup (Hal Holbrook) takes advantage of a murderous ape-like beast found in a 150-year old crate to deal with his bestial nag of a wife, Wilma “Billie” Northrup (Adrienne Barbeau). In the closing tale, “They’re Creeping Up on You,” a wicked, wealthy man, Upson Pratt (E.G. Marshall) with a fear of germs and bugs gets his comeuppance when he goes against thousands of cockroaches.

Creepshow is delightful horror fun – a combination of thrills, chills, and cheese. Two of the tales, “Something to Tide You Over” and “The Crate” are excellent revenge tales, but all of the shorts capture the spirit of the old E.C. comics with their shock and surprise endings. Director George A. Romero (Dawn of the Dead) and screenwriter Stephen King knew exactly what they were going for and how to get it. Makeup effects artist Tom Savini ably creates the gruesome denizens that make this film sparkle, and the production elements are the finishing touch in capturing the right look and mood.

6 of 10
B

Monday, October 31, 2005

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Review: John Carpenter's "The Thing" Still a Great Thing

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 35 (of 2005) by Leroy Douresseaux

John Carpenter’s The Thing (1982)
Running time: 109 minutes (1 hour, 49 minutes)
MPAA – R
DIRECTOR: John Carpenter
WRITER: Bill Lancaster (based upon the story “Who Goes There” by John W. Campbell, Jr. writing as Don A. Stuart)
PRODUCER: David Foster and Lawrence Turman
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Dean Cundey
EDITOR: Todd Ramsay

SCI-FI/HORROR/THRILLER/MYSTERY

Starring: Kurt Russell, A. Wilford Brimley, T.K. Carter, David Clennon, Keith David, Richard A. Dysart, Charles Hallahan, Peter Maloney, Richard Masur, Donald Moffat, Joel Polis, and Thomas G. Waites

Considered a remake of Howard Hawk’s Cold War-era classic, The Thing from Another World, John Carpenter’s The Thing is actually an adaptation of a one of the early classic science fiction short stories by acclaimed science fiction editor and writer, John W. Campbell, Jr., (also the basis of Hawk’s film). Carpenter does pay homage to the Hawk’s film in a few scenes.

The film takes place in 1982 at an American research camp in Antarctica. After a violent encounter with two Norwegians from a nearby base camp, the Americans, led by MacReady (Kurt Russell), learn that the Norwegians had discovered an alien space craft buried in the Antarctic ice and an alien passenger lying frozen near the craft. When the Norwegians thawed the creature, they discovered that the thing was still alive. The creature can absorb and take on the identities of living creatures. Now, the creature is loose in the American base, and MacReady leads the human survivors in discovering who among them is still human and who is not. They must also destroy “the thing” before it reaches the mainland and the rest of humanity.

The Thing is a study in paranoia, and director John Carpenter helmed one of the truly great sci-fi horror films by getting the most of his collaborators, such as Rob Bottin, a then 22-year old special effects man, who created special makeup effects that are considered a benchmark in film history. Ennio Morricone’s score is an understated masterpiece that quietly increases in intensity as the film progresses and raises the tense mood tenfold.

Carpenter, of course, didn’t rely solely on Bottin’s incredible effects work. He used his talented cast of character actors to create three-dimensional players who make this horrible but exceedingly fantastic situation seem possible. Kurt Russell once again proved why he is a leading man with charisma and machismo in the mode of classic Hollywood leading men like John Wayne and Kirk Douglas. And no matter how many times I see this film, The Thing always proves itself to be great.

9 of 10
A+

Review: First "Conan the Barbarian" is Still a Beast of a Movie

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 137 (of 2006) by Leroy Douresseaux

Conan the Barbarian (1982)

Running time: 131 minutes (2 hours, 11 minutes)

MPAA – R

DIRECTOR: John Milius

WRITERS: Oliver Stone and John Milius; from a story by Edward Summer (based upon the stories by Robert E. Howard)
PRODUCERS: Buzz Feitshans and Raffaella de Laurentiis
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Duke Callaghan
EDITOR: C. Timothy O’Meara
Golden Globe Award winner

FANTASY/ACTION/ADVENTURE

Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, James Earl Jones, Sandahl Bergman, Ben Davidson, Cassandra Gaviola, Gerry Lopez, Mako, Valérie Quennessen, William Smith, and Max Von Sydow

Young Conan (Jorge Sanz) saw his father (William Smith) murdered by a band of marauders who attacked their village. Conan’s mother (Nadiuska) took on the marauder’s warlord, Thulsa Doom (James Earl Jones), in a sword duel before Doom beheaded her. Doom’s soldiers subsequently sold Young Conan into slavery. The intense labor he endures as a slave (pushing a giant grinding wheel) transforms the adult Conan (Arnold Schwarzenegger) into a sinewy, muscular giant. Before long, opportunistic men further transform him into a skilled gladiator, who can outfight any man and probably kill at will.

Conan however becomes a thief. His companions are two mercenaries – the comely warrior woman, Valeria (Sandahl Bergman, who won a Golden Globe in 1983 for “Most Promising Newcomer of the Year in a Motion Picture – Female, an award the Globes stopped giving over two decades ago), and the sword fighter, Subotai (Gerry Lopez). The trio is captured by a grieving monarch, King Osric (Max Von Sydow), whose daughter joined a powerful snake-worshipping cult. His offer of riches to rescue her puts Conan on the path to avenging the murder of his Cimmerian tribesman and family. Osric’s daughter, The Princess (Valérie Quennessen), plans to marry the leader of this cult, which rules the land far and wide, his name – Thulsa Doom, the villain who murdered Conan’s mother. Revenge won’t come easy, Doom wields powerful magic, and his army is many and strong.

Before the age of computer generated effects, filmmakers of fantasy films relied on in-camera effects, hand drawn animation, makeup effects wizards, and mechanical puppets and creature effects to transport viewers to worlds that looked like ours, but were filled with warriors, kings, princess, monsters, and powerful wizards. There were no computer-generated combatants to fill imaginary epic battlefields (as in The Lord of the Rings). Stuntmen and fight coordinators who specialized in martial arts and hand-to-hand combat, animal wranglers to handle horses, prop masters and weapons makers, etc. had to use their wits and skills to create believable battle scenes. Often, the actors and actresses had to get down and dirty and perform their own stunts – do their own fighting.

To direct this kind of film, a producer would have to find a director who is a man’s man, one who made movies for guys – guys who love movies (as the TNT slogan goes). Filmmaker John Milius has spent his career writing or directing (and sometimes both) tough guy adventure epics. His resume includes script writing for Apocalypse Now and Clear and Present Danger. He also wrote and directed the semi-cult classic, Red Dawn.

Milius took on the ultimate action hero actor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, early in the actor’s movie career in the film, Conan the Barbarian. The two work magic. Schwarzenegger isn’t a great actor in the classic tradition of playing a diverse body of characters and burying oneself in those roles. He is, however, a movie star – an actor who really looks like nothing else but an actor when the camera starts filming. Arnold as Conan has more than a ring of truth to it because Arnold has The Presence.

Milius puts it all together. Conan the Barbarian is a fine epic flick filled with burning villages, screaming peasants, murderous marauders, and devious women wielding sex and offering their supremely well-built bodies to men all-too-ready to get laid at the drop of a loin cloth or at the peek of boob flesh. Milius (who co-wrote the script with Academy Award winning director Oliver Stone of Platoon and JFK) gives up little fights, man on man tussles, and superbly staged battles of testosterone-fueled men stabbing, slicing, cutting, and gutting one another; of horses racing, falling, and dying on top of their riders; and of death on the battlefield.

In addition to Schwarzenegger, the rest of the cast also performs well. James Earl Jones is madness personified as the murderous, egomaniacal, and insane Thulsa Doom. Sandahl Bergman as Valeria and Gerry Lopez as Subotai hit the right notes as Conan’s thieves-in-arms. Milius’ crew of technicians, craftsman, and stuntmen also give him a superior effort. Basil Poledouris’ score is picture perfect; very few movies about men with swords fighting each other ever had music so good. Milius takes the Poledouris’ music and mixes it with the rest of his ingredients to create a truly entertaining guy’s fantasy flick. Conan the Barbarian isn’t perfect, but as a sword and sorcery epic, it’s perfect enough.

7 of 10
A-

Wednesday, June 28, 2006

NOTES:
1983 Golden Globes: 1 win: “New Star of the Year in a Motion Picture – Female” (Sandahl Bergman)

1983 Razzie Awards: 1 nomination: “Worst Actor” (Arnold Schwarzenegger)

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Review: Original "TRON" Still Impresses

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 48 (of 2011) by Leroy Douresseaux

Tron (1982)
Running time: 96 minutes (1 hour, 36 minutes)
MPAA – PG
DIRECTOR: Steven Lisberger
WRITERS: Steven Lisberger; from a story by Steven Lisberger and Bonnie MacBird
PRODUCER: Donald Kushner
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Bruce Logan
EDITOR: Jeff Gourson
COMPOSER: Wendy Carlos
Academy Award nominee

SCI-FI/FANTASY/ACTION

Starring: Jeff Bridges, Bruce Boxleitner, David Warner, Cindy Morgan, Barnard Hughes, Dan Shor, and Peter Jurasik

First released in 1982, Tron is a science fiction film from Walt Disney Pictures. Written and director by Steven Lisberger and produced by Donald Kushner, it is considered a landmark and a milestone (especially in the computer animation industry). Tron was one of the first films from a major studio to make extensive use of computer graphics and was also one of the first to make extensive use of computer animation.

The film focuses on Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges), a gifted young software engineer who used to work for the software company, ENCOM. Flynn has been attempting to hack into ENCOM’s mainframe to get evidence that a senior executive, Ed Dillinger (David Warner), stole Flynn’s code for several now-popular arcade games before firing him. Flynn is blocked by the Master Control Program (MCP), an artificial intelligence that controls the mainframe and also steals other programs.

Flynn’s former coworkers, ENCOM employees, Alan Bradley (Bruce Boxleitner) and Lora Baines (Cindy Morgan), tell Flynn that Dillinger has tightened security clearances. Bradley, however, has created a security program called, “Tron,” which would monitor communications between the Master Control Program and the outside world. Bradley and Baines help Flynn get inside the ENCOM’s building so that Flynn can help the Tron program. During Flynn’s hack, MCP uses a nearby laser to digitize Flynn and transport him into the mainframe.

Inside the mainframe is a Digital World where Programs appear in the likenesses of their creators (called “Users”). The programs also fight each other in gladiatorial events, including Light Cycle races. Flynn joins the Program named Tron (Bruce Boxleitner) in a race to stop the MCP. But to beat the MCP, Flynn will have to race across a digital landscape that is like nothing he has ever seen or experienced.

Considering that computers and animation played the largest part in bringing it to life, Tron is surprisingly engaging, even warm. The story is slight, but the humanity of the characters shines through the technological light show. Especially in the Digital World, the plight of the characters often comes through, allowing the viewers to get, at the very least, a small look at their personalities and quirks. Tron is not all razzle-dazzle, nor is it ultimately empty like so many of the special effects and computer-created extravaganzas that have come since Tron first appeared in theatres.

Tron may have been considered ahead of its time, but looking back on it now, this movie still amazes. The film still looks as if it could not have been created back in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Tron still looks like nothing before or after it. Director Steve Lisberger, producer Donald Kushner, and their collaborators made something special – something new that captured audiences’ attentions and even captured the imaginations of some of them. And 30 years on, Tron is still fun.

8 of 10
A

NOTES:
1983 Academy Awards: 2 nominations: “Best Costume Design” (Eloise Jensson and Rosanna Norton) and “Best Sound” (Michael Minkler, Bob Minkler, Lee Minkler, and James LaRue)

1983 BAFTA Awards: 1 nomination: “Best Special Visual Effects” (Richard Taylor and Harrison Ellenshaw)

Tuesday, June 07, 2011

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