If you think this poster looks amazing, just wait until you see the movie. Patrick Swayze in a post-apocalyptic wasteland, fighting sand people, marauders, and other bad guys with only his shiny sword.

Steel Dawn would make a great double-feature with Solarbabies. Actually, that’s probably unfair because Steel Dawn is a pretty okay movie, Solarbabies isn’t. But they both kind of a similar feel to them, that late 1980’s cash-in on Mad Max feel.

The cinematography is surprisingly great here, like the DP wasn’t aware he was shooting a B-movie and went all out. The acting isn’t bad as well, Swayze coming out looking the best and really selling the kind of ridiculous premise. There are some cool sword fight scenes and lot’s of interesting ideas that have probably been done better by countless other apocalyptic films but still, it’s really not bad. If you want to see a low budget version of Mad Max’s world (with the cars showdowns replaced by sword fights), this is it.

The follow up to the classic black & white Night of the Living Dead, Dawn of the Dead ratchets up nearly every aspect of the first film, more gore, more zombies, more guns, more everything. What makes this film a classic though isn’t so much the “more” as much as the smart subtext that plays throughout, making thought-provoking comments about consumerism in America as the action goes along.

I still think Night of the Living Dead is a better film overall but Dawn is great too. It would probably be better with about 30 minutes trimmed from its running time. Instead of going for terror like Night, Dawn does a lot more tongue-in-cheek humor that mostly works. There’s a wackiness to the whole thing that makes the ultra-violence almost comedic at times.

This is a worthy follow-up to the original film and though I actually think Snyder’s remake in 2004 is even better (need to watch that again) than this original version of Dawn, I still love this 1978 version as well. If you’re a fan of zombies, this one is well worth seeing. You’ll notice a lot of the classic tropes being pioneered here.

This is the one that started it all. The entire Zombie craze that is such a part of mainstream popular culture today all started with this little independent film in 1968. There’s a reason it’s held up as a classic… it’s still really good. In fact, I might say it’s still the best of the entire series of Zombie films.

This film also has the distinction of being the first film ever with an African American as the lead. Duane Jones is so amazing in this, holds the camera, owns every scene, and plays completely against the stereotype of black men of the era. From reading his biography, it’s a shame that racism held him back from becoming one of the best actors of the 1970’s. He’s good enough that he could have been.

Although the budget for this film was super low for the time, they did so much for it. It rarely feels cheap and the story, make-up, creature effects, and drama keep things moving quite well. This is also the rare horror film that has an ending that will just astound you at how perfect it is. Highly recommended.

Fire and Ice is a total and complete departure from any other animated film you would see playing in theaters around 1983. I’m not sure if it is possible to be more different than the standard Disney animated film of the time. There’s graphic violence, beyond-scantily-clad male and females, mature themes including a witch that appears to be a Lesbian and a subplot involving a magical prince who is sexually repressed, among many other things.

So although not recommended for anyone under 10 years old, this is still a pretty cool and absolutely unique fantasy adventure story. It’s a Ralph Bakshi film so if you’ve seen Wizards or the original animated Hobbit / Lord of the Rings, that should give you an idea what you’re getting into. The animation is like nothing you’ve ever seen before though. Guided by the great Frank Frazetta, it has all of his “barbarian elements” at play here. Supposedly, the entire thing was filmed with live action actors first, then the animators came in and drew over every scene to animate it. That’s what gives the film this other-worldly quality and the movements of the humans are so much more realistic than what we are used to seeing from animation of this time.

Fun side note, watch the backgrounds in many scenes. They were actually painted by a then very young, Thomas Kinkade (yep, the highly commercialized Painter of Light). If you like fantasy and enjoy animation, this is one to check out.

This is one of those VHS cases I always saw in the Sci-Fi section at the local video store, always meant to rent it, but never got around to it. Despite some mixed reviews on IMDB, I actually thought this was pretty cool. It’s a lot smarter than some reviewers may have realized.

The plot involves an alien race who is marooned on Earth and is integrated into the every day society of 1992. James Caan is the protagonist (neat to see him in a Sci-Fi flick) and on the surface, it seems like a buddy cop movie but all the while, it’s examining issues of race, immigration, and discrimination. I particularly liked seeing Terrance Stamp (the original General Zod) as the bad guy.

The pacing is a little off in places but the chemistry of the leads and a solid finale make it definitely worth a watch.

I wonder why this film doesn’t get talked about much these days. It’s stellar. One of the best movies of the 1990’s. I haven’t watched it in at least 15+ years and it still holds up amazingly well. It’s got a classic feel to it.

Daniel Lewis is brilliant as always. The “I will find you” scene still works, the costumes, sound effects, and acting from all involved are fabulous. The iconic score ebbs and flows in perfect harmony with the ultra-widescreen visuals.

This film was shot before Mann discovered digital photography and the scope and grain of the film gives it a warm, dream-like quality. It’s nice to be reminded why Michael Mann is one of my favorite directors and The Last of the Mohicans is a great example of his talent.

What a little B-movie gem from the mid-80’s. This was a blast. I had no idea it even existed until recently and super glad I finally got to see it. The plot revolves involves cops who travel through time to try and catch a bad guy, zombies, a sunken Los Angeles due to a giant earth quake, and a Santa’s helper girl who helps our hero defeat the bad guys. If this sounds amazing then… you’re exactly right.

The script is surprisingly clever, the dialogue punchy and quotable, the low budget used as an asset, and actors who know just how to play it tongue in cheek. The music is particularly impressive in this. Love all the deep synth tones and some catchy melodies. This is like a sped-up version of something John Carpenter would have done from the era. Great stuff.

I love submarine movies so I was anxiously awaiting the chance to see this. Luckily, it did not disappoint. Jude Law stars in this twist on the submarine genre where a group of British and Russian misfits make a precarious pact to work together to find a lost Nazi treasure of gold. As you might expect, along the way, nearly everything that can go wrong does.

The film looks great, there’s lots of awesome suspense and tense scenes, and the thrills keep coming at a good pace. Jude Law is great in this as is the supporting cast. I especially loved how the script played with themes of greed and class in addition to the thrills of the submarine adventure. Loved it.

Horrible. How could anyone have taken this seriously in 1980? It’s billed as a “true” expose on UFO’s and the government cover-up and it’s absolutely ridiculous. I had heard this film mentioned many times but it is very hard to find and only just recently was able to see it. I’m not sure why some enjoyed it because it’s really mostly a joke. I later found out MST3K did a takedown of this film in their first season and it all makes sense now.

The production values are atrocious. I thought for sure this was a made-for-TV movie but I checked and it actually played in theaters. It looks more like a weekly episode of Dallas from that era. Cheap camera angles, over-acting, poorly staged action, cardboard sets, no sense of scope.

Darren McGavin (A Christmas Story) plays the lead here but all I kept thinking was “fra-gee-lay” the whole time. He’s not terrible but just so typecast that it doesn’t work. And James Hampton (the dad in the original Teen Wolf with MJF) plays an awe shucks astronaut. It’s not bad enough to be fun and not good enough to be engaging. Skip it.