The Untouchables (1987)

Chicago in the 1930s was a good time to be a milliner, but, as agent Eliot Ness discovered, a bad time to be an honest cop on a crusade to take down organised crime. Luckily for Ness he had Sean Connery to mentor him in the ways of usefulness like some kind of ‘Irish-American’ beat cop sensei.
I’m puzzled as to why Untouchables ends up on a lot of Best Gangster Movie lists. It has some amazing set pieces, particularly the Eisenstein reference at the train station, but the casting is questionable, the performances lack spark, the story is weak, and even Morricone dropped the ball.
De Niro as Al Capone is an exception; his character is badly written but at least he gives the gangster nuances through subtle gestures.
The problem is perhaps due to De Palma wanting a commercial hit so that he could gain freedom to pursue more personal projects. An understandable goal, but the result is wishy-washy, with not enough identity of its own.

3 baby steps out of 5

Starman (1984)

Jeff Bridges leaves his alien planet (and presumably his record player) behind in order to answer a decades-old invitation to come to Earth. Whilst there, he acts as a mirror to our baser instincts. Along the way he learns practicalities and in return helps a widowed woman experience what it is to feel alive again, all to the sounds of a pleasing electronic score by Jack Nitzsche.
It's a sweet film that becomes more endearing after repeated viewings because there's a genuine sincerity to many of the players and the decisions they make (and Karen Allen has a voice that I could fall in love with).
I also like that I can squeeze it into my Dir. Carpenter theory (something inside trying to get out, etc), albeit in a less straightforward fashion.

3 magic fingers of 5

Trick or Treat (1986)

A snapshot of a 1980's troubled teen high school heavy metal fan, all lovingly wrapped up in a 1980’s cheesy horror.
I have to admit, re-watching ToT rubbed my nostalgia parts until they got happy. If you have fond memories of Mötley Crüe, Twisted Sister, W.A.S.P and the girl that you waved awkwardly to in the corridor then you'll maybe experience similar feelings. It’s really good for the first half, but like many horror genre films from that era it gets a little silly near the end. If you can enjoy (or tolerate) the music then seek it out. I need this on blu.

3½ backmaskings out of 5