Mona Lisa (1986)

Bob Hoskins searching for a mystery woman through peep shows and seedy clubs to the sounds of Genesis’ ‘In Too Deep’ is such an iconic 1980s neo-noir moment. Mona Lisa (1986) is directed by Neil Jordan and earned accolades and awards for Hoskins’ performance as George, a small time crook released from prison after a […]

Wheels On Meals (1984)

I knew SBS Cult Movies screened Wheels On Meals (1984) occasionally on a Saturday night, much as they would any Jackie Chan Hong Kong martial arts flick from the 1980s, and all I recalled was that Jackie rode around on rollerblades. Turns out that was a false memory implant and that it’s a skateboard you […]

Full Moon In Paris (1984)

I’ve only seen one Eric Rohmer short film, have been sitting on a boxset of the Moral Tales unwatched for a long time, while both Mubi and Stan have been adding the French auteur’s back catalogue to their streaming libraries. Aside from knowing that Noah Baumbach named his child after him and that Gene Hackman’s […]

Action USA (1989)

Discovered, restored and released by Alamo Drafthouse, Action USA is a late 1980s low budget stunt fest that screened as part of this year’s Monster Fest. While not matching the giddy heights of a previous Drafthouse hidden VHS gem like Miami Connection, this is still a fun ride. Right from the opening scene of a […]

Johnny Handsome (1989)

I’m a fan of Walter Hill and was in the mood for one of his neo-noir action thrillers. I once had an ex-rental VHS copy of Johnny Handsome (1989) that was my first viewing long ago and my memory was that it was a three star movie – good but maybe not essential. I found […]