VFW (2019)

It stands for Veterans of Foreign Wars, and it wears its influences large and proud on its sleeve, the most prominent being early John Carpenter films. In short, it's like a cross between Assault on Precinct 13 (1976) and Escape from New York (1981), with some of Capcom's Dead Rising video game thrown in.
The basic plot has the residents of a veterans bar under siege from an army of angry druggies. For a while it's bloody great. I wanted to like it all, but the exaggerated colours of 80s nostalgia made me long for it to be over (or for the sun to come up). The music, however, I loved wholesale; it's as Carpenter-esque as the scenario and camerawork and remains captivating throughout.

2½ waltzes out of 5

Demolition Man (1993)

Because responses to movies are ofttimes influenced by the viewer's state of mnd at the time, I'll occasionally give a second chance to one that I disliked and/or turned off partway through on my first viewing. In DM's case there was about twenty-four years between my first and second attempt. I've changed a lot in those years, but I don't feel that DM has got any better with age.
Stallone stars as a hard-as-nails LAPD sergeant who's cryogenically frozen for thirty-six years, thawed out to track down a "maniac" criminal from his own era, namely Wesley Snipes with a mad shtick that makes Nic Cage look good.
At times it's similar to the woeful version of Judge Dredd (1995) that Sly was also in, but, remarkably, is even more excruciating to watch. Interestingly, to me, anyhow, the computer voice, heard but not seen, is Adrienne Barbeau.

1 presidential joke out of 5

Chi-Raq (2015)

An uneven blend of serious drama, comedy and musical set pieces from director Spike Lee that's based on the ancient Greek Lysistrata, in which the women of warring men withheld sex in the hope of achieving peace. In Spike's hands it's the gang violence of 'Chi-raq' (a portmanteau of Chicago and Iraq), utilising both the language and music of the era and culture.
The chastity-belted ladies (led by Teyonah Parris) carry the narrative forward, while Sam Jackson pops up occasionally to speak directly to the viewer. John Cusak gives support as a white preacher in one of the film's best scenes. But it's Angela Bassett that kept me watching; when the stylised nonsense threatened to sink the whole affair, she was on hand to save it from itself.

2½ locked gates out of 5

Crooklyn (1994)

An emotionally powerful and very funny drama about a family of seven (mom, dad, five kids) living in Brooklyn during the 1970s. The primary perspective is that of nine-year-old Troy (Zelda Harris). Like most siblings, she fights with her brothers and tries to understand the concerns of her parents. Her presence in scenes that would be commonplace in many street dramas adds weight and an unspoken commentary to the already layered and textured narrative.
Spike’s trademark camera-glides on the street are present and as fantastic as always. The acting, timing, editing and music are all superb, except for one lengthy section that takes place outside of Brooklyn. It’s like it is for a reason, but it weakens the film when in theory it should strengthen it.
It’s a collection of little moments that together make a whole, in the same way that many little choices add up to life-changing events.

4 home lights out of 5

48 Hrs. (1982)

It’s a 'buddy cop' movie with one San Francisco cop and one smart-talking convict who's given a 48 hour get out of jail pass card. The usual precinct clichés are in abundance, shouty Chief, hookers getting booked at desks and officers shuffling around in the background, but elsewhere it’s less formulaic.
I don’t like Murphy’s attention-grabbing screen persona very much, but I’m a fan of director Walter Hill’s ability to put us into the dramatic heart of a scene without overplaying it or making it seem false, so even though I was kept at a distance by the former I was pulled back into the story by the latter.
In short, it’s an entertaining 80s cop drama in an overcrowded genre arena.

3½ crummy days out of 5

The Crow (1994)

A gothic fantasy that endures not because of Brandon Lee's death, like some claim, but because of Brandon Lee's performance and director Alex Proyas' vision. Parts of it haven't aged well, but other parts have proved themselves to be almost timeless. The contrast between the emotional tearing of the primary hero/anti-hero with the unimaginative villains means it pendulums back and forth between serious drama and clichéd comic violence, but somehow Proyas keeps it on track. It has some weighty nostalgia for me because I loved it back in the day. I still can't tolerate Bai Ling, though.

3½ comedy/tragedy masks out of 5

NOTE. The Crow (2024) version is reviewed HERE.

WILD AT HEART [1990]

Director David Lynch makes his own twisted Wizard Of Oz vision in an adaptation of the first of Barry Gifford's Sailor & Lula pulp novel series, Wild At Heart.

A modern romance struggling to survive in a violent world, this road trip film introduces us to large number of bizarre, seedy characters I'd rather not know.  Nicolas Cage & Laura Dern are great in their roles but their white trash, one-track minds make it difficult to like them.  At times the trademark Lynch weirdness seems overly forced but occasionally works in his favor, making for a number of scenes doused in hilarious surrealism.  

3 snakeskin jackets that represents a symbol of individuality and beliefs in personal freedom out of 5

The Warriors (1979)

When you’re far from home and the shit gets real it’s best to have friends you can trust, but there’s always one guy that has to ruin things for everyone else and more often than not someone else has to pay the price.
It's a B-Movie that resembles a John Carpenter film at times, but if you can laugh at its many flaws it has a great deal of fun waiting to be discovered.
The Director’s Cut adds some unnecessary cartoon styled intertitles and an intro that was supposed to have Orson Welles but sadly doesn't.
See it before the inevitable soulless remake comes along.

4 rumbles on the way back to Coney out of 5