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Excalibur (1981) | John Boorman

May 13, 2018April 17, 2019 qwipster Comment is Closed

John Boorman’s polarizing but highly ambitious take on Arthurian legend is a visually and aurally striking look into the myth, the fantasy, and the haunting imagery that the medieval Thomas Malory tale has evoked over the last several centuries. A then-nobody, but now all-star cast that includes Helen Mirren, Liam Neeson, and Patrick Stewart appears […]

The Black Cauldron (1981) | Richard Rich & Ted Berman

May 5, 2018April 18, 2019 qwipster Comment is Closed

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1985’s THE BLACK CAULDRON represents Disney at its nadir as an animation studio, resulting in a box office failure and years of obscurity. It’s first PG-rated animated feature struggled to find an audience clamoring for its dark and violent tones. However, it has garnered a significant cult following over the years, with its tales of […]

Dragonslayer (1981) | Matthew Robbins

April 27, 2018April 17, 2019 qwipster Comment is Closed

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Disney collaborated with Paramount Pictures to make a fairly adventure for audiences that were a bit older in DRAGONSLAYER, a rousing but somewhat brutally dark tale of a sorcerer’s apprentice who must undertake the treacherous journey of slaying a dragon that regularly consumes the women of a nearby village as a peace offering. Adventure and […]

Clash of the Titans (1981) | Desmond Davis

April 20, 2018April 17, 2019 qwipster Comment is Closed

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Ray Harryhausen’s final film marked the popular early 1980s adventure based on ancient Greek myths, CLASH OF THE TITANS. Harry Hamlin stars as Perseus, the illegitimate mortal son of Zeus who ends up falling for the beautiful princess Andromeda, having to overcome puzzles and a variety of vicious beasts in order to gain her hand […]

The Little Mermaid (1989) | Ron Clements & John Musker

April 14, 2018April 17, 2019 qwipster Comment is Closed

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The Disney Renaissance kicked off with this smash hit animated feature that brought the studio back in a major way, THE LITTLE MERMAID! Featuring great vocal talent, quality animation, and a killer score and soundtrack, it delighted a generation, and will delight many more, with its story of Ariel, a teenage mermaid who dreams of […]

Splash (1984) | Ron Howard

April 6, 2018April 17, 2019 qwipster Comment is Closed

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Ron Howard directs this delightful romantic comedy that would score one of the biggest hits of 1984, SPLASH. Tom Hanks, Darryl Hannah and John Candy would all propel to a more secure stardom after their roles in this screwball but tender love story between a man who has trouble finding the right woman until a […]

Mannequin (1987) | Michael Gottlieb

March 30, 2018April 17, 2019 qwipster Comment is Closed

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Andrew McCarthy and Kim Cattrall star in this smash hit bubblegum romance about a struggling artist who falls in love with a mannequin possessed by a lovelorn ancient Egyptian spirit who turns his life around. James Spader, Estell Getty, and Meshach Taylor have supporting roles in this quintessential 80s fantasy-romance. Does it hold up?

Xanadu (1980) | Robert Greenwald

March 24, 2018April 17, 2019 qwipster Comment is Closed

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The much-maligned 1980 musical gets re-evaluated in this podcast review. Olivia Newton-John plays a muse who is sent to earth to inspire a struggling artist (Michael Beck) fulfill his dream of starting a roller-disco club with a retired construction magnate (Gene Kelly). Newton-John and pop group ELO deliver a powerhouse soundtrack in this visually impressive […]

Legend (1985) | Ridley Scott

March 17, 2018April 17, 2019 qwipster Comment is Closed

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Following up two sci-fi masterpieces in ALIEN and BLADE RUNNER, Ridley Scott turned his gaze toward the realm of fantasy with LEGEND, starring Tom Cruise and Mia Sara. Critics greeted the film with a shrug upon its initial release, but it has gained a cult following over the years, and the Director’s Cut release has […]

The Last Unicorn (1982) | Jules Bass & Arthur Rankin Jr.

March 10, 2018April 17, 2019 qwipster Comment is Closed

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Rankin and Bass, the team that brought us Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer as well as the ThunderCats, brought this charming animated feature featuring Japanese animation from the team who would go on to form Studio Ghibli, and voiced by stars like Mia Farrow, Jeff Bridges, Alan Arkin, and Christopher Lee. Peter S. Beagle adapts his […]

The Dark Crystal (1982) | Jim Henson & Frank Oz

March 4, 2018April 17, 2019 qwipster Comment is Closed

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Jim Henson conceived of this elaborate realm of fantasy in which two competing races vie for the destiny of a faraway planet, as the evil Skeksis try to thwart the Gelflings of prophecy from uniting the planet yet again and bringing equilibrium to life there for those enslaved. This imaginative film had been a disappointment […]

Back to the Future Part III (1990) | Robert Zemeckis

February 23, 2018April 17, 2019 qwipster Comment is Closed

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The third and final entry in the BACK TO THE FUTURE Trilogy sees Marty and Doc in the Old West of Hill Valley in 1885, where Marty must save Doc from getting gunned down by an ancestor of Biff Tannen. It’s a softer, and more romantic effort, as Doc finds love with the charming schoolteacher, […]

Back to the Future Part II (1989) | Robert Zemeckis

February 15, 2018April 17, 2019 qwipster Comment is Closed

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Marty and Doc must head 30 years into the future to save Marty’s kids from calamity,l but end up making a mess of the past when Biff Tannen takes over the DeLorean. Will they save themselves, and their pasts, as well as their futures? This ingenious sequel takes the premise of the original film for […]

Back to the Future (1985) | Robert Zemeckis

February 8, 2018April 17, 2019 qwipster Comment is Closed

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Robert Zemeckis, Bob Gale and Steven Spielberg present the original 1985 class, BACK TO THE FUTURE! Michael J. Fox plays 17-year-old Marty McFly, a spirited teenager who doesn’t seem to quite fit in with his current family, so much so that he spends a great deal of his time helping out an eccentric local scientist, […]

My Science Project (1985) | Jonathan R. Betuel

February 1, 2018April 16, 2019 qwipster Comment is Closed

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John Stockwell, Fisher Stevens and Dennis Hopper appear in this low-budget sci-fi/comedy from 1985, MY SCIENCE PROJECT, where teens find an alien contraption of seemingly unlimited power that opens a portal from which people and things from Earth’s past and future pour into their high school. Now the teens need to pull the plug on […]