Here's Part 2 Of My Classic Flick Rear-commendations To Stream
I got a request from a reader/listener to blog about some classic ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s streaming flicks that he and his peers might’ve missed. So I gladly obliged him. I didn’t put these in any order at all and they range from Best Pictures to cult horror flicks.
If you missed Part 1 of my Classic Rear-commendations, here it is. These are all streaming on Prime and some are also on Hulu and/or Netflix.
AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON. Holy shit, do I love this movie. Perhaps the best comedy/horror film ever, this John Landis flick tells the story of two Americans (David Naughton and Griffin Dunne) doing the European backpacking thing when they are attacked on the Moors in Northern England after ignoring warnings from shady locals. One is killed and the survivor becomes the United Kingdom’s latest lycanthrope; the former becomes a hilarious, increasingly decaying ghost who visits the latter to tell him to kill himself before he kills others. The real star of the show is Rick Baker’s then-state of the art special effects. The first time seeing Naughton transform into a werewolf was one of the most stunning scenes in horror history. And though modern audiences may roll their eyes at the SFX, I’d much prefer practical special effects than CGI (now that you can make everything on a computer, nothing impresses anymore). Keep an eye out for the Frank Oz cameo. If you consider yourself a horror fan, this is mandatory viewing.
F/X. Speaking of, if you’re a fan of old-school special effects (or F/X), this underrated gem from 1986 about a special effects expert (Bryan Brown) getting into bed with the government is must-see. There’s a lot of cool shit in this flick, even if it’s a bit aged. But even if you’re not into that shit, F/X is a fun thriller that keeps you watching and guessing until the end. The always-reliable Brian Dennehy plays a NYC cop who knows something is amiss and eventually pairs up with Brown’s expert. If you’re looking for a flick you never heard of and know nothing about, throw on F/X and have a good time.
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FATAL ATTRACTION. The ’80s cheating blockbuster that made men keep their dicks in their pants (haha JK) and launched stalker memes that remain part of the lexicon still holds up as a fantastic thriller that keeps you on the edge of your seat until the final scene. Michael Douglas, playing perhaps the epitome of his ’80s sleazeball archetype, has a fling with Glenn Close (in a nominated performance that is arguably her career best) and figures it’s just wham-bam-thank-you-ma’am. But Close’s Alex is not going to be ignored, Dan. Instead, she proceeds to stalk not only Dan but his poor wife (Anne Archer) and daughter (Ellen Latzen aka Ruby Sue from “Christmas Vacation”) and just continually ups the crazy. Watch this and you’ll at least think twice about stepping out.
THELMA AND LOUISE. Ridley Scott’s fantastic 1991 film is about a pair of pals who go out to unwind one night but soon find themselves in a nightmare scenario in which a fateful decision puts them on the run from Johnny Law for most of the flick. It’s a rollicking, scenic, alternately funny and serious road movie that snagged 6 noms and won for Best Original Screenplay. In addition to being a fun buddy flick, Scott also directed an “I am woman, hear me roar” feature which both slyly and bluntly points out the various and unique bullshit that ladies have to contend with in this world and its points are as relevant today as they were in ’91. It never beats you over the head with its messaging but THELMA AND LOUISE does take you away with career-best performances from Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon (both nominated), a sharp script, and gorgeous cinematography (the American Southwest might be the best-looking thing on film outside of Margot Robbie). If you love a chase movie, you can’t do much better than this.
POLTERGEIST. Back in the Slasher Era when Jason and Freddy and Michael and countless knock-offs were causing teens to shit their cinematic knickers, Tobe Hooper’s 1982 entry into the horror genre came along to give us the creepiest boogieman ever: our home. POLTERGEIST is about a typical suburban family whose house becomes inhabited with a most unfriendly ghost that kidnaps the youngest child and hides her away on some supernatural plane. I still remember seeing this at the old Assembly Square movie theater in Slummervile the summer I was 10 because it scared the ever-living shit out of me. A possessed house was the ultimate nightmare—if you couldn’t go home and be safe there, then you couldn’t go anywhere. And this house had various ways to creep you the fuck out: possessed clowns, evils trees, a closet with an apparent hallway to hell, food that turned into maggots. And it was still hilariously rated PG. Has some good scares and chuckles. (I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention Steven Spielberg here. Credited as a writer, Spielberg is also said to have had substantial involvement in the direction of the film as well. It caused enough of a hullabaloo that Spielberg had an open letter printed in The Hollywood Reporter when the movie came out.)
THE TERMINATOR. If there’s a sci-fi Mt. Rushmore, then the T-800’s red-eyed face is on it. This is the movie that made James Cameron a household name, an action flick featuring an indestructible cyborg (Arnold Schwarzenegger) sent from the future to kill Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton) before she gives birth to the hero of the future. Though Arnold was already known before this from his campy Conan flicks, this is the movie that made him a star and gave him what are now iconic lines. There are some pants-shittingly awesome scenes while the T-800 is tracking Connor and a soldier sent from the future to save her (Michael Biehn). T2 might be the better movie but what Cameron pulled off on a $6.4M budget, limited star power, and so-so marketing put him on a career track that would re-write Hollywood history. The studio actually wanted O.J. Simpson for the lead but Cameron didn’t think that he’d be believable as a killer.
CHILD’S PLAY. Back in the ’80s, dolls like Cabbage Patch Kids and My Buddy were all the rage for girls and boys. CHILD’S PLAY asked the question “what if your kid’s doll was possessed by a serial killer and actually kills people?” and the answer was a riotous, sometimes silly, scarier-than-you-think, B-movie horror flick. A widow buys a hot Good Guy named Chucky off a shady dude for her son Andy’s birthday. Unbeknownst to her, Chucky is essentially an avatar for psychopath Charles Lee Ray (the inimitable Brad Dourif) and before long, Chucky turns Andy into an unwitting co-conspirator and patsy for his crime spree before it all comes to a head. You’ll laugh at some of the scenes and also laugh at yourself for actually having the shit scared out of you by a two-foot doll. In a time when horror was in a creative rut, Chucky came along and goosed the industry.
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THE CUTTING EDGE. A bitchy figure skater and horny former hockey player (redundant, I know) become an Olympic pairs team that is either gonna fight each other or fuck each other. This 1992 romantic comedy did so-so box office and got OK reviews but has enjoyed a cult status over the last quarter century thanks to home video and cable replays. Works equally well as a Sunday hangover movie or a Netflix/Prime and chill flick. Watch that toe pick.
RAIN MAN. The best picture of 1988, Barry Levinson’s excellent road movie is about an arrogant asshole Charlie Babbitt (Tom Cruise) who finds out he has an older, autistic brother Raymond (Dustin Hoffman) after their father dies and leaves Charlie a car and roses but no money. Irate at being left out on some cash, Charlie ‘kidnaps’ Raymond in an attempt to get what he feels is his and takes him to LA (where Charlie has business to tend to). But because Raymond is only willing to fly Qantas Airlines due to its exemplary safety record, the brothers instead have to drive from Cincy to Cali. Over the course of the trip, they have a varying degree of adventures (including one of the all time Vegas scenes) as Charlie slowly learns how to have an emotional relationship that can’t necessarily be reciprocated. Winner of four Oscars (Director, Picture, Original Screenplay, and Hoffman for Actor) and nominated for four others, RAIN MAN might be the best work Hoffman has ever done and Cruise is fantastic as well despite no nom.
NETWORK. A brilliant satire that ended up becoming the gospel truth, Sidney Lumet’s 1976 classic is about a TV network that sells its soul for ratings gold and it was probably the most prescient movie from the 1970’s. Paddy Chayefsky’s incredible screenplay saw the way things were heading and rightly skewered TV’s corporate overlords more concerned with the bottom line than an informed citizenry. Watching it today, it just feels like a movie about a TV station because NETWORK became a self-fulfilled prophecy. Winner of four Oscars and nominated for six more, NETWORK skewers an easy-to-skewer industry with the sharpest of points.