Beetlejuice! Beetlejuice! Beetlejuice! (1988)

This movie has it all: comedy, drama, action and sci-fi, all mixed into one! This combination makes it a classic Tim Burton film! Beetlejuice will forever be a part of movie history because it contains all that makes a movie entertaining!

And what a Cast! The A-list celebrities include: Alec Baldwin (Adam Maitland), Geena Davis (Barabara Maitland), Michael Keaton (Beetlejuice), Winona Ryder (Lydia Deetes), Catherine O’Hara (Delia Deetes), Jeffrey Jones (Charles Deetes).

Adam and Barbara Maitland are a young happily married couple living in what seems to be their dream home. On weekends, Adam has a hobby constructing a replica of their town out of small model homes in the attic while Barbara decorates their real home. One day the Maitland’s go out for a drive which results in a tragic car accident that kills them both. However, being dead was not what they thought it would be.

They end up trapped in their house as ghosts while another family moves into their dream home. They are forced to live with this new family consisting of a husband (Charles), a wife (Delia) and an adolescent daughter (Lydia). They are left with only three main guides to offer them advice as to what to do in their situation. One guide is a book called, The Handbook for the Recently Deceased which apparently reads like stereo instructions and is of no help. Another source is the Maitland’s case manager who is accessed by drawing a door on the wall and knocking three times! The final guide that presents itself (or should I say himself) is a bio-exorcist named Beetlejuice.

While living with the Deetes’, Barbara and Adam befriend Lydia. Lydia describes herself as being, “strange and unusual.” This is how, she claims, that she and no one else can see the Maitland’s. She states, “The living ignores the strange and unusual. I myself am strange and unusual.”

The Maitland’s, out of desperation to rid themselves of Delia and Charles, go against their case worker’s advice and enlist Beetlejuice’s help to get them out of the house. Beetlejuice pulls out every stop with the intent of either hurting or killing the family. He does this through a multiplicity of bizarre ways. All of them show the film’s creative side including makeup, costuming and special effects.

In the end, all works out. Strangely enough, it took Beetlejuice’s rampage of almost killing Delia and Charles, almost TRULY killing the Maitland’s and of trying to make Lydia his bride in order for the two families to unite as one.

This family really seemed to be packed with an underlying theme of dealing with life’s harsh transitions. It deals with: death, being married, coming of age and moving. While it does deal with these issues, it deals with them in a highly comical way that seems to momentarily take away the fear that is usually associated with them.

Terms of Endearment (1983)

Truly an A-star cast: Shirley Maclaine (Aurora Greenway), Debra Winger (Emma Greenway Horton), Jack Nicholson (Garrett Breedlove), Danny Devito (Vernon Dahlart), Jeff Daniels (Flap Horton) and John Lithgow (Sam Burns).

This film touches me every time I watch it. It makes me laugh and it makes me cry. The movie definitely achieves the reaction that it wants to create in an audience (at least in me). This can be seen through the tagline that reads: Come to Laugh, Come to Cry, Come to Care, Come to Terms. I definitely did all of the above!

Aurora Greenway is a pushy and controlling widow who is left to raise her little girl, Emma. She is the epitome of a codependent interfering mother! Emma is a free spirit who has learned how to handle her mother’s overbearing nature.

Emma marries and moves away from home with a man called Flap, who her mother does not approve of. Aurora thinks that he is a loser and always will be a loser. She thinks that Emma deserves better than that however, I don’t think she would have approved of anyone being good enough for her Emma.

The movie involved a multitude of supportive and failing relationships. Aurora has quite a few men following her around. However, her interest lay with her next door neighbor-an astronaut called Garrett. He wasn’t scared of her controlling ways and wouldn’t take any crap from her. While this pissed Aurora off to no end, it also made her fall in love with him.

Emma’s marriage to Flap resulted in her having three children, two boys and a little girl. The marriage lasted for a little while (the honeymoon period). However, Aurora was proved to be right in that Flap was a failure as a husband. He constantly came home late or not at all from what is presumed to evidence of an affair-which is later proved to be the case. Emma also meets and has an affair with another man, Sam Burns. He’s a shy, married banker who seemed to worship the ground that Emma walked on.

While getting a flu shot for her daughter and herself, it is discovered that Emma has cancer. It is during her battle with cancer that everyone seemed to be able to set aside their differences and come together. Emma and her Aurora stopped fighting and Aurora’s love for Emma is displayed as true motherly love. There’s a truly touching scene where Aurora is screaming at the nurses to give her daughter her pain medication. You can feel her desperation. She knows that her daughter is in pain and she can’t do anything about it. This was a lack of control that Aurora was not used to. And, Aurora’s fling, Garrett, also proved to be a stand up guy in that he came to Aurora’s side when he found out that her daughter was sick.

I would truly recommend this movie if you’re looking for a touching story about relationships, family and all the whacky quirks that come along with them.

Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990)

They're back!!

I decided to watch and rate the second Gremlins movie after having reported on the original. I have to say that my feelings are rather mixed on this one. While the movie still tries to maintain a highly comedic aspect, I think that it might have tried a little too hard. It was possibly a little too clichéd for my taste.

This movie is a follow-up to the original storyline. It begins by reintroducing us to Billy Peltzer, who was the young hero in the first movie. Billy is now living with the girl, Kate, that he had won over when he had first conquered the evil Gremlins in their town home. He now works in a large corporate building as an underappreciated struggling architect while, his girlfriend works in the same office building as a tour guide.

Little Gizmo is reintroduced into the mix by being shown to be held captive in a science lab in that same office building. The depiction of the corporate world in this movie is definitely shown to be corrupt and dog-eat-dog! This can be seen through the torturous scientist who uses animals as research subjects and through the cutthroat deceptive attitudes of the other business employees who work there (not including Billy of course)!

While in the lab, the same rules that had been broken in the first movie were yet again broken. Gizmo was exposed to water out popped a new batch of Gremlins! God old Billy had found Gizmo-or so he thought. He took home the wrong Mogwai!! However, he was eventually reunited with little Gizmo.

The Gremlins yet again began trying to take over the world, starting with the office building. However, this time they had new weapons: they had taken multiple chemical concoctions from the lab that gave them supernatural powers. For example, one Gremlin turned into a tarantula, another could fly and one had attained an enormous IQ. It was up to Billy (of course) and Kate to try and save everyone from these crazy little critters.

There were a lot of really hilarious scenes in this movie. Nothing is funnier than a bunch of Gremlins dressed up singing, “New York, New York!” The fact that the rowdy bunch was lead by a head Gremlin who had taken a chemical concoction that made him supremely intelligent and talk with a pompous accent was really funny! Also, the appearance of a female Gremlin who dressed almost like a drag queen was definitely laughable! However, it was a little creepy that she basically raped one of the human male business executives!

In terms of the movie going a little too far, I wasn’t quite sure what the point of having a wannabe news reporter who was dressed as a vampire! There were also a lot of extra scenes that tried to show the destruction that the Gremlins were creating in the building; I think that there were just too many.

My favorite scene in the whole movie had to be when little Gizmo turned Rambo. The Gremlins pushed him a little too far this time and he retaliated by “pumping up” and acquiring the much needed spunk that the little cutie had been lacking. It was nice to see that he wasn’t so helpless after all.

I would say that this movie is a pretty good recommendation if you want a mindless night. However, upon pressing play don’t expect a master piece to unfold before your eyes!

Breakfast Club

The Breakfast Club is just a classic 80s flick. It showcases the ever-talented "Brat Pack" starring Emilo Estevez as the jock Andrew Clark; Anthony Michael Hall as the nerd Brian Johnson, Judd Nelson as the juvenile delinquent named John Bender, Ally Sheedy as the crazy girl named Allison Reynolds, and Molly Ringwald as the "rich bitch" Claire Standish. These teenagers are all stuck in Saturday detention for different reasons and they all depict traditional high school stereotypes of the popular kids, the jocks, the nerds, the weirdos, etc. It is through this forced detention time together that their real personalities are revealed and the lines are blurred between social class distinctions. The nerds become friends with jocks, the freaks and the popular kids bond. They unearth hidden secrets about themselves, their family lives, the pressures their parents put on them, etc. ultimately forming friendship bonds with the other kids.

Breakfast Club is a highly entertaining film to say the least. It comments on the social hierarchies present in all high schools, even in this day, and mocks the stereotypes.

One! Singular Sensation!

When I heard that my favorite Broadway film was an 80's film, I knew that I had to watch it.A chorus line is the story of dancers at an audition. We see how important getting this part is to each and every character. Each character has a story and as the audition progresses, we learn about each one and their life story. In show business, not everyone gets the part, and so it goes in the movie. At the end, we have grown attached to each character and it's hard to see some of them get rejected. Filled with music and powerful life stories, this film does the musical justice.

I personally like watching musicals become movies, because you get to see things that shows on the stage can't show you. For example, we get close up shots of the characters faces, which allow us to get personal with the characters and see their emotions. On Broadway, we can't get close and personal with the actors.


I have seen the show many times, but while watching this film I was able to create bonds with the characters that the show never allowed me to do. It was more emotional for me to see characters get reject

The only disappointment I had was many songs from the show were missing. I understand that it is a movie and it can't be as long as a Broadway show, but I still missed some of the familiar tunes.

I was surprised to see Michael Douglas play the character of the director. He did a wonderful job, portraying a harsh and cold character who can't let his emotions interfere with his job.

I recommend this film to anyone who loves a good musical! It is fun, smart and it is a story of life.

Stand By Me

In Stand By Me, the story of four friends, Gordie (Will Wheaton), Chris (River Pheonix), Teddy (Corey Feldman) and Vern (Jerry O'Connell) is told through a series of flashbacks narrated by the adult Gordie (Richard Dreyfuss). One summer, the boys embark on an overnight adventure after overhearing Vern's older brother talking about a dead body on some far off railway tracks in the backwoods of Oregon. The film documents the ups and downs and life lessons that come to pass in this journey through the woods. We find out that all of the boys have personal issues at home- Gordie is mourning the death of his older brother who was clearly the favorite of his parents, Chris has an abusive alcoholic father and is tagged the "badboy" by everyone in the neighborhood, Teddy's father is in a mental institution, and Vern is thought of as a wimp and is made fun of for that throughout the film. The boys encounter numerous adventures: right off the bat, they find themselves sneaking through a junkyard only to be caught by the owner and his crazy dog and they have an upsetting and traumatic experience with a number of leeches. When they finally find the corpse of the missing boy, they also find themselves face to face with a group of Castle Rock hoodlums who challenge them because they want to be the ones credited for finding the body. This is the culmination of the coming of age aspect of the film as Gordie stands up for Chris and they triumph together.

Pass the Green Stuff

Mystc Pizza is a film about two sisters, Daisy and Kat, and their best friend, Jojo, who work in a pizza parlor in Mystic, CT. Daisy is played by Julia Roberts, Kat is played by Annabeth Gish, and Jojo is played by Lily Taylor. Kat is getting ready to head off to Yale, Daisy thinks that she will be working at the pizza joint her whole life, and Jojo is engaged, but leaves her husband at the altar. Daisy is known as somewhat of a whore until she meets a wealthy guy, Charlie, who is on "vacation" from school. He shows her what the good life is like until she realizes that she doesn't quite fit into his world and she teaches him that it is okay to be honest with yourself and not to lie about things, like failing out of school. Daisy's sister Kat, is a prude who babysits for an architecht for the summer to earn some money, while his wife is away. She ends up falling for him because he is intellectual like her, he went to Yale, he is good looking, and has an amazing daughter. They have an affair but when his wife comes home, Kat realizes that it was just a fling for him and she is crushed. Jojo is engaged to Bill, played by Vincent D'Onofrio, who for all of you Law and Order: Criminal Intent fans, know as Detective Goren. In the opening scene of the movie, Jojo leaves him at the altar because she is scared of commitment. Bill then proceeds to tell his friends that she is a nymphomaniac and they write it on their fishing boat for all to see. Jo says that she will never be with a man like that, but in the end she realizes that she loves him and they get married. THroughout the film, the girls rely on Leona, the owner of the pizza parlor, who has a secret recipe that she wont tell anybody. When a high profile food critic comes to the restaurant, even he cannot figure out wha is in her sauce. Leona is the glue that holds everything together in this film and is the girls mother figure, who they talk to about their problems. In the end, Kat goes to Yale, Daisy ends up with Charlie, the rich guy, and Bill and Jojo live happily ever after.

Mystic Pizza was Matt Damon's first movie ever. He plays Charlie's younger brother and his one line in the film is "Pass the green stuff."


All in all this is a great film, despite being a "chick-flick" and it was one of Julia Roberts very first. I would reccomend it to anyone who is in the mood for a good laugh.

Days of Thunder: Jets vs Race Cars

After presenting on Top Gun, I had to watch this film. The movie has the same producers (Simpson/Bruckheimer) and the same director (Tony Scott) as Top Gun. Unfortunately, the movie also has the exact same plot. In the movie Cole Trickle (Cruise) must learn to control the reckless way he drives in order to win races and survive the deathly track of racing. A terrible injury in a crash with a rival driver brings the young racer to a road block and then at the end of the film he is able to come back from incredible odds and win the championship race at the Daytona 500. This movie had so many similarities to Top Gun it was nearly impossible to get over. Even in a scene near the beginning of the movie Cruise arrives at the race track on a motorcycle with a Top Gun guitar rift in the background. For a second I thought maybe they had just edited in his image from Top Gun, but the guys behind this movie actually said, “Hey this guy can only ride in on a motorcycle.” This movie was very cheesy but is worth seeing just to compare the similarities of it to its predecessor Top Gun. Another reason why you should see it is that it is the only thing more ridiculous then Tom’s recent behavior in the media. I recommend this movie because it is the best professional race car movie made in the last twenty years. In other words it’s better then Sly Stallone’s Driven.

48 Hours: Nolte Before the Mug Shot

I watched a clip of this movie in our buddy cop drama course and decided it looked worth watching. The movie depicts everything that an 80’s action movie would have. The cliché cop relationship: The gruff no-nonsense cop and the funny wise cracking guy. Also the non-stop action(including terrible shooting accuracy from the bad guys) and other loose ends of the movie. One thing that shocked me about this movie was the terrible ethic slurs used by Nolte’s character. He crosses the line drawn today, but obviously in the 80’s he could get away with such racist remarks. Another issue of the movie is Nolte’s typical bad cop way of getting things done. If a cop were to do some of the things he does then they would be thrown in jail. Nolte even allows Murphy to impersonate a police officer with a gun waving in the air. At the end of the film it is Eddie Murphy’s comedic talents that save this movie from crashing. Also the pair of Nolte and Murphy does not truly mess together I do recommend it for it's few funny jokes and hit soundtrack (The Boys are Back in Town), but it doesn't measure up to the other biracial cop buddy films of the 1980's, like Lethal Weapon.

Major League: Berringer Near his Best

Tom Beringer (AKA Mr. Quakerstate) is another star of the 80’s gone bad. This movie is about when he was on top of Hollywood (or at least the closest he got) and centers around Cleveland Indian baseball. I usually like sports movies even though then ending of most of them are extremely predictable so that was a big factor to getting me to watch this one. This movie does have so very comedic parts to it and overall I recommend it on a night when your watching t.v. with your buddies. The movie also has some star power to it: Berringer, Charlie Sheen, Wesley Snipes, and Rene Russo.
But why do sports movies have the most general characters? Snipes’ character Willy Mays Hayes “can run like Mays, and hit like Hayes.” But the truth is as his blue-collar manager puts it, “You run like Mays, but you hit like s***.” Also there is a guy who can not hit a curveball, a pitcher who can’t throw a strike, and a catcher who was washed up in the Mexican leagues. Some how this wacky group of characters is able to go on to the playoffs in glorified over-the-top sports cliché fashion. This movie is no Natural, but it does have some good laughs in it.