Sunday, January 31, 2016

Disoveries - 2015



A different kind of Top 10.


Everyone's Top 10 of 2015 lists have come and gone and I'm still dragging behind.  Well, gonna keep on dragging.  I won't get around to seeing every 2015 release that I wanted to, but I wanted to hit few more before I dig into my list.  That being said, I thought I'd do something a little different in the meantime. I watched a grand total of 288 movies last year (not too shabby...I think), so I searched through that list and pulled out 10 movies that really stood out for me.  Some made the list because I loved the movie....some because they were bizarre enough to stand out....some because, well, both!  To narrow down my list a little I chose from pre-2000's movies and, of course, being discoveries, these were all first time viewings for me.  Fair warning, seven of these are from the same decade.....because I love the 80s!!


How to Steal a Million (1966, dir. William Wyler)
Audrey Hepburn plays the daughter of an art forger.  To save her father from being found out, she needs to steal a statue from the museum before it is tested.  To help her out she enlists the aid of Peter O'Toole, who she believes is a professional burglar.  This is a fun little comedy of errors that really shines because of the performances of the two leads.  O'Toole and Hepburn have great chemistry and are so much fun to watch.  And really, I could probably watch the gorgeous, young Audrey Hepburn in just about anything. Trailer


The Undertaker and His Pals (1966, dir. T.L.P. Swicegood)
Whether you love it or hate it, just watch this movie and you'll never forget it.  To increase business, an undertaker goes out with two shady diner owners and kills young women.  He takes half of the victim for a closed casket funeral and gives the other half to the diner owners to serve a la Sweeney Todd.  What makes this stand out (besides the obvious)?  It's labeled as a horror comedy, but the contrast is so big that you don't know what to make of it.  One of the first scenes is a woman being murdered by the trio.  It cuts back and forth between the brutal killing and a still photograph of the boyfriend.  Each cut to the photo reveals a new facial expression as if the boyfriend is reacting to the scene before him.  That pretty much sets the "tone" of this movie.  I recommend this one for the sheer oddity of it all. Trailer


More Dead Than Alive (1969, dir. Robert Sparr)
This movie is fine.  If you're a fan of old westerns you'll enjoy it.  It's about a man (Clint Walker) who was an infamous gunslinger.  He's done his time and just wants to find a job, settle down, and leave his old life behind him.  This one mostly made the list because of an appearance by Vincent Price in a departure from his usual roles in horror movies.  He plays a traveling showman who employs Walker in his gun show.  There is also a fun over-the-top performance by Paul Hampton as Walkers competition.  This is also one of two movies making the list with a bit of a WTF ending. Trailer

The Last American Virgin (1982, dir. Boaz Davidson)
This is an early 80s Cannon movie.  That should be enough to earn a spot here right?  Davidson directed this remake of his own 1978 Israeli movie, Lemon Popsicle, along with Golan and Globus who also produced both pictures.  Where the original was set in the 50s, this remake was updated to be set in contemporary times.  It starts off as a raunchy teen sex comedy.  When the shy guy of the group falls for a girl, but doesn't do anything about it, one of his other friends goes after her and the film takes a complete 180.  I won't say anything else, but this is the other WTF ending of the list.  Like The Undertaker and his Pals up above, whether you love this movie or hate it, you will never forget it.  It also scores bonus points for one of the best 80s soundtracks ever. Trailer


Cujo (1983, dir. Lewis Teague)
I've been reading Stephen King since grade school and watching scary movies since I was old enough to turn on the TV by myself.  That being said, I have no idea how I'd never seen this before.  It's not like I didn't know about it.  (Also.....still never read this book.)  There's not much to tell.  It's a pretty straightforward story.  It made this list because the last half of the movie holds up well.  When Dee Wallace and Danny Pintauro are trapped in that car it's just pure tension the whole time. Trailer


High School U.S.A. (1983, dir. Rod Amateau)
An early 80s made for TV movie starring Michael J. Fox, Nancy McKeon, Todd Bridges, Crispin Glover, Anthony Edwards, Crystal Bernard, Bob Denver, Tony Dow, etc.  Sign me up! Trailer


Streets of Fire (1984, dir. Walter Hill)
Michael Pare finds out his ex-girlfriend, who is an 80s rocker chick played by Diane Lane, has been kidnapped.  He, along with her producer/new boyfriend Rick Moranis and ex-soldier Amy Madigan go to rescue her from a 50s greaser gang led by Willem Dafoe.  There are explosions and motorcycles and a daring rescue.  Along the way the crew somehow meet a 60s doo-wop group and the movie ends on a performance of "I Can Dream About You".  I mean, come on.  This instantly became one of my favorite movie discoveries of the past 5 years.  I loved this!  Yes, I suppose that says a lot about my taste in movies, but I don't care.  Go watch this now! Trailer


Running Scared (1986, dir. Peter Hyams)
No, not the Paul Walker movie.....another little gem from the 80s.  After nearly being killed on assignment, two Chicago cops (Billy Crystal and Gregory Hines) decide they want to retire and open a bar in Key West.  They go back to tell their captain and find out the guy that almost got them killed has been released, so they go on the infamous "one last job".  Typical buddy cop fare.  What really makes buddy cop movies work though is the chemistry between the two leads, and these two guys have plenty to spare.  This action-comedy was a complete joy to watch and should go right into your rotation with the likes of 48 Hours and Lethal Weapon.  Crystal and Hines were so great together and played off each other so naturally that it kind of makes me sad that they didn't do more movies together. Trailer


The Blob (1988, dir. Chuck Russell)
This was another blind spot in my horror viewing as a youth.  I will admit that some of the effects and Kevin Dillon's mullet are a little dated now, but despite all that, I felt that this was a pretty solid remake that still holds up well enough.  There were some effects that do hold up.  The drain scene alone is worth the price of admission.  You feel the stakes in this movie and you want to see the characters survive.  As far as great 80s horror remakes go, this is no The Thing or The Fly, but it's still definitely worth a look. Trailer


Without a Clue (1988, dir. Thom Eberhardt)
I love Sherlock Holmes.  I have read the entire Holmes collection by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.  I'm usually a purist when it comes to classics that I love, but for some reason I have found a few movies about Sherlock that have a bit of a different twist that I really love.  (The most recent being 2015's Mr. Holmes. I highly recommend it.)  This one, which I had never even heard of before last year, is one of them.  In this, Watson (Ben Kingsley) creates a fictional character named Sherlock Holmes to solve crimes.  Eventually there is demand to meet this Holmes character, so Watson hires an out of work actor (Michael Caine) to go along on cases with him.  Wackiness ensues.  Like Running Scared above, this movie works well on the chemistry of the two leads.  I would say Michael Caine is in top form in this movie.  He is quite funny.  To top it off, the writing goes a long way in this one too.  The premise and the story are well crafted.  If you are like me and didn't even know this movie existed, then it is time to remedy that. Trailer

Well, I hope you have enjoyed this list.  Hopefully I've guided some of you to a new discovery, or even just prompted you to a revisit of an old favorite.  Either way, happy viewing!  Let me know in the comments below if you had any first time viewings that really stood out for you in the last year.















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