Category: 1980s
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The Killer (1989)
I remember first watching The Killer (1989) thanks to SBS Cult Movie night as well as renting a VHS version with a terrible English dub. Reviving the Dragon Dynasty DVD I owned of this Hong Kong action classic directed and written by John Woo, it was a pleasure to revisit. When I was younger, much… Read.
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China Girl (1987)
I knew going in that this was director Abel Ferrara’s version of Romeo and Juliet. But China Girl (1987) feels more like an updated West Side Story. There’s a MTV energy in this night-time, neon-lit, wet-sidewalked vision of New York with young gangs clattering down darkened alleyways, climbing up chain-linked fences. At one point, a… Read.
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Harlequin (1980)
I remember either my parents or a member of the family had the video of Harlequin (1980), and it always fascinated me, that painted harlequin face on the cover. Shot in Western Australia but the film’s producers keep it vague for the international markets: all the cops and security guards talk with American accents. The… Read.
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Eureka (1983)
I remember stumbling across Nicolas Roeg’s film Eureka (1983) one late night on television and being blown away by the listed cast and the amazing first act documenting a prospector Jack McCann (Gene Hackman) searching for gold in the snowy mountains. I think I had to go to bed and missed out on the rest… Read.
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Blood Simple (1984)
I’m such a fan of the Coen Brothers that Blood Simple (1984) is low on my list of favourites since it is their first (directed by Joel Coen, produced by Ethan Coen, written and basically made together). From the show-off camera moves and bold imagery to the way in which action over dialogue is emphasised… Read.
