WILLIAM DEAR Bil’s rating (out of 5): BBB.5. USA, 1987. Amblin Entertainment, Universal Pictures. Screenplay by William Dear, Bill Martin, Ezra D. Rappaport. Cinematography by Allen Daviau. Produced by William Dear, Richard Vane. Music by Bruce Broughton. Production Design by Jim Bissell. Costume Design by Peter V. Saldutti, Marla Denise Schlom. Film Editing by Donn Cambern. Academy Awards 1987. A vacation in Mt. Rainier national…
Category: 1987
A Nightmare On Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987)
CHUCK RUSSELL Bil’s rating (out of 5): BBB.5. USA, 1987. New Line Cinema, Heron Communications, Smart Egg Pictures. Story by Wes Craven, Bruce Wagner, Screenplay by Wes Craven, Bruce Wagner, Frank Darabont, Chuck Russell, based on characters created by Wes Craven. Cinematography by Roy H. Wagner. Produced by Robert Shaye. Music by Angelo Badalamenti. Production Design by C.J. Strawn, Mick Strawn. Costume Design by…
Lionheart (1987)
FRANKLIN J. SCHAFFNER Bil’s rating (out of 5): BB.5. Hungary/USA, 1987. Hungaro, Mafilm, TaliaFilm II Productions. Story by Menno Meyjes, Screenplay by Menno Meyjes, Richard Outten. Cinematography by Alec Mills. Produced by Stanley O’Toole, Talia Shire. Music by Jerry Goldsmith. Production Design by Gil Parrondo. Costume Design by Nanà Cecchi. Film Editing by David Bretherton, Richard Haines. One of the least well known of the many medievalish-themed films…
Nightmaster
BB (out of 5) Silly action film that will have some appeal for young people, though it’s too violent for the very young. A group of high school students in a grimy future attend classes by day and participate in simulated war games at night, running around an abandoned factory in black costumes and shooting each…
Cry Freedom
BBB (out of 5) Newspaper editor Donald Woods (Kevin Kline) considers himself a liberal with a fair and unbiased opinion about racial inequality in his native South Africa, viewing a freedom fighter like Steve Biko (Denzel Washington) as a reckless activist for an otherwise worthy cause. An article about Biko in Woods’ newspaper is seen as incendiary…
House of Games
BBBB (out of 5) Lindsay Crouse is excellent as a psychiatrist who has hit the limelight with the publication of a best-selling book. High on her superior power, she blurs the professional line when a patient of hers tells her that he is on the hook with a bunch of gamblers and is in danger of…
Where Is The Friend’s Home? (Khane-ye Doust Kodjast?) (1987)
ABBAS KIAROSTAMI Bil’s rating (out of 5): BBB.5. Iran, 1987. Kanun parvaresh fekri. Screenplay by Abbas Kiarostami. Cinematography by Farhad Saba. Produced by Ali Reza Zarrin. Music by Amine Allah Hessine. Film Editing by Abbas Kiarostami. After a little boy is chastised in the local village school for doing his homework on scrap paper instead of in his assigned notebook, his classmate Ahmed accidentally…
Pelle The Conqueror (Pelle Erobreren)
BBBB (out of 5) Max von Sydow and son Pelle Hvenegaard (who, in a twist of fate that I’m sure was irresistible to the marketing department, was actually named after the book this epic drama is based on), show up on Danish shores after having left hardship behind in Tomelilla, Sweden. The only work that the poor…
Hamlet Goes Business
BBB (out of 5) Aki Kaurismaki applies his humorously brittle style to Shakespeare in this adaptation of the well-known Danish play, in this case taking place in a family of corporate tycoons. After Hamlet’s father dies under mysterious circumstances, his uncle Klaus marries his mother Gertrud and takes over their shipping business, leaving Hamlet to…
Hollywood Shuffle
BB (out of 5) Robert Townsend does a fantastic job of taking Hollywood to task for its narrow portrayals of African Americans in the movies throughout the decades; it’s a shame that the quality of his movie isn’t up to par with the message, but that doesn’t mean you’ll regret watching it. He’s thoroughly likable…
La Bamba
BBB.5 (out of 5) Touching, energetic film biography of pop singer Richie Vallens, who was among the first Latino sensations to hit the airwaves in the sixties. Born to a poor family in California, Vallens (Lou Diamond Phillips) overcame his humble origins and kept singing his music until it made him famous. Sadly, his life…
Baby Boom
BBB (out of 5) Diane Keaton is a riot in this charming comedy about a businesswoman who suddenly finds herself in the position of motherhood. After a distant relative dies, a child services employee shows up during a busy work day with infant in tow and tells Keaton that, as she is the child’s only family,…
