fantasy – Around the World in 80s Movies Podcast

Supergirl (1984) | Jeannot Szwarc

August 3, 2018April 18, 2019 qwipster Comment is Closed

Just as Kal-El was sent by his parents to Earth from a dying planet in order to save him, so too did Alexander and Ilya Salkind try to save their dying franchise by trying to spin it off with a new character with Kara, Superman’s cousin, better known as Supergirl! Things didn’t quite go according […]

Masters of the Universe (1987) | Gary Goddard

May 18, 2018April 17, 2019 qwipster Comment is Closed

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The Cannon Group took a bath with the failure of MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE in 1987, a film that had gone over budget and well beyond schedule. The film starts off in the mythical land of Eternia, where the ruthless villain Skeletor (Frank Langella) has managed, with the help of a powerful musical cosmic key, to […]

Excalibur (1981) | John Boorman

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

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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 […]

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 […]

The Secret of NIMH (1982) | Don Bluth

December 30, 2017April 16, 2019 qwipster Comment is Closed

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Don Bluth’s first big screen effort under his own name after splitting from Disney, along with several other Disney animators and artists, in order to try to return to the kind of groundbreaking style and commitments to storytelling that their former company had been skimping out on during the 1960s and 1970s. THE SECRET OF […]

Labyrinth (1986) | Jim Henson

November 5, 2017April 16, 2019 qwipster Comment is Closed

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Jennifer Connelly is cast in one of her first starring roles as Sarah, a teenage girl who has grown tired of her stepmother and father leaving her home alone to babysit her infant brother, Toby. In a bout of exasperation, she wishes him away, and inadvertently summons the vain and moody Goblin King of myth, […]

Ladyhawke (1985) | Richard Donner

October 30, 2017April 16, 2019 qwipster Comment is Closed

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Set in France during the Middle Ages, Philippe ‘The Mouse’ Gaston, a convicted pickpocket escapes from a castle dungeon only to get involved in a bitter feud between the powerful, scheming Bishop of Aquila and two lovers, a former captain of the guard named Etienne of Navarre and a lady named Isabeau d’Anjou, who were […]

Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi | Richard Marquand

October 8, 2017April 16, 2019 qwipster Comment is Closed

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This final entry sees the Empire creating a new Death Star, a feat with such magnitude, even the Emperor himself has come to oversee the progress. Meanwhile, a rescue attempt is underway to try to spring Han Solo from his icy trap in Jabba the Hut’s lair. Luke has grown in his Jedi training, but […]

Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back | Irvin Kershner

October 1, 2017April 16, 2019 qwipster Comment is Closed

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The Empire Strikes Back continues the Star Wars saga in exciting fashion, with the Empire now having driven the Rebels from their secret base to another on an ice planet called Hoth. The Empire eventually locates this new base, forcing an evacuation, whereupon a more experienced Luke is told by the “spirit” (aka Force Ghost) […]

Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (1977) | George Lucas

September 25, 2017April 16, 2019 qwipster Comment is Closed

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The inaugural review of the 1980’s film retrospective, looking at George Lucas’ monumental blockbuster. Yes, it’s from 1977, but it’s mandatory to cover in order to comment on the later films. The plot: A couple of robots shuttle to a desert planet after their rebel spaceship is taken over by an Imperial star cruiser, capturing […]