Poison Ivy

If you were alive but below the drinking age in the 80's, this one's for you. And if you weren't, this one is still for you. Poison Ivy is the quintessential 80's TV teen movie- a ridiculous, groan-inducing yet ironically fascinating window into what Hollywood believed America represented during the Reagan years: sex, sex, money, …

Silkwood

Imagine a movie with Meryl Streep, Kurt Russell, and Cher. Imagine it being directed by award-winner Mike Nichols, and being co-written by Nora Ephron of When Harry Met Sally fame. Seems like an instant Hollywood classic, yet Silkwood, which is that film, lounges in the dusty corners of forgotten cinema. Which is a real shame, …

Creating Rem Lezar

Loving bad movies ironically is a national pastime worthy of academic study. Why do we do it? Is it the same impulse that gets us to rubberneck when driving past a horrible car accident? Are we taking delight in someone's artistic shortcomings, or are we celebrating the power of the human spirit- the fact that …

Brimstone & Treacle

It's very difficult to tell what, exactly, director Richard Loncraine was going for when he decided to make a feature film adaptation of Dennis Potter's television play, Brimstone & Treacle- it's gothic, but not quite a horror film; it can be quite silly and goofy, but it's not really a comedy; it's dramatic for sure, …

Better off Dead

Savage Steve Holland's now-classic 80's comedy is certainly not a masterpiece of cinema, nor a forgotten, obscure movie in need of revival. And yet, thanks to the magic of our convoluted copyright laws and corporate greed, it's almost impossible for you to watch this movie right now, unless you happen to own an old VHS …