Tag: 1980s
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‘City on Fire’: More Than Just a ‘Reservoir Dogs’ Reference
Ringo Lam’s fifth movie of the 1980s winds up being far more serious than its Looney Tunes-inflected first couple of acts would lead you to believe.
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‘The Stuff’’s Evocative Stupidity
The 1985 film’s persistent illogic and ever-present suggestion that it’s going to fly off the rails make it come across as an up-is-down nightmare heightening real fears.
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Disobedience
John Sayles’ groundbreaking ‘Lianna’ was a landmark — albeit a criminally underseen one — for lesbian representation in cinema.
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‘Shoot the Moon’: An Underrated Reminder of Diane Keaton’s Generational Genius
Alan Parker’s 1982 divorce drama is among the genre’s most emotionally evocative works.
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‘Heartburn’ Sticks Too Close to the Surface
Meryl Streep is lovable as Nora Ephron’s stand-in in the 1986 adaptation of the latter’s same-named novel, but you can’t help but want it to mine its divorce plot more thoroughly.
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My Favorite First-Time Watches of 2025
The best movies I saw in 2025 that weren’t released in 2025.
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Do the Right Thing
Abbas Kiarostami’s Koker trilogy-commencing ‘Where is the Friend’s House?’ empathetically sees the world through a particularly well-meaning child’s eyes.
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Odds & Ends: Halloween Edition
Notes from the last month.
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It’s a Good Thing ‘Opera’ Looks Amazing
Though a marked improvement on 1985’s ‘Phenemona,’ Dario Argento’s last movie of the ’80s is distractingly illogical.
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‘Police Story,’ a High-Water Mark for Action Filmmaking, is Spoiled By Poor Taste
When not boasting some of film history’s most athletic action set pieces, the 1985 comedy thriller often cloddishly attempts slapstick humor.
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‘Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid’ is Like Catnip for Classic Hollywood Devotees
This 1982 parody film might be a little less entertaining for non-adherents, though.
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Sleuthing is a Nightmare in ‘Angel Heart’
The creepy aesthetic of Alan Parker’s horror-inflected detective movie from 1987 is the strongest thing about it.
Peterson Reviews 