After Hours (1985)

Martin Scorsese's pitch-black comedy is the perfect example of a cult movie that keeps getting better and better the more times you see it. I've watched this probably a half dozen times throughout various points in my life and yet so much of it remains embedded in my subconscious. It perfectly manages to encapsulate that feeling of 'after hours,' when things don't quite seem real and yet possibilities remain endless. It takes place over one night, in what feels like either a fever dream or a nightmarish hellscape, depending on your lucidity. It's best to take this journey alone, without any prep beforehand.

Watch it after midnight while severely sleep deprived for best results.

5 uncanny sculptures out of 5

Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F (2024)

40 years after sweeping the world by storm, and 30 years after his last outing, Axel Foley returns to Beverly Hills, and a lot has changed in the world while much stays the same. This one tries to capture the spirit of the earlier movies, but aside from a few winks and nods, doesn't accomplish anything the first two did better. They thought they could replicate the magic by using the exact same songs, but all it does is remind you of better days gone by. In terms of fun, this feels the least rewatchable to me, and I'm not sure how much of that has to do with Netflix's desaturated color grading, which makes everything look a lot more drab and murky compared to the other films in the series.

John Ashton returns for the last time, as this turned out to be his final role.

2½ stake-outs of 5

Beverly Hills Cop III (1994)

What happens when you transpose a popular '80s franchise to the '90s? You get a downgrade in quality, that's what. This one is the rotten stepsister of the series, although it actually holds up much better on reconsideration. Murphy and Reinhold return, but Ashton drops out and is replaced by a new character played by Héctor Elizondo. The bulk of this installment takes place at a theme park, which tells you everything you need to know, but there are still enough cheesy lines and memeable moments to warrant a rewatch in the future. 

2½ Wonder World songs on repeat out of 5

Beverly Hills Cop (1984)

Alex Foley is a fast-talking undercover detective who makes his way from the hard streets of Detroit to the glam life of Los Angeles in the first of this buddy cop action comedy franchise that defined the '80s and launched SNL veteran Eddie Murphy into superstardom (after previously making a splash in 48 Hrs).

What's great is how director Marty Brest balances the grittiness of the drama with the silliness of the humor, which was never quite replicated to the same effect throughout the series. The back-and-forth antagonism between Murphy and the two by-the-book detectives Taggart and Rosewood (John Ashton and Judge Reinhold) is irresistibly charming. It's an '80s staple that still holds up, even though the surrounding cultural landscape has changed significantly.

The soundtrack is a big part of the reason why this remains such a classic, from Harold Faltermeyer's catchy synth theme to some great '80s pop hits.

4 bananas in the tailpipe out of 5