Deathstalker II: Duel of the Titans (1987)

This volume dials up the smarminess of the hero, while cutting down on some of the more unsavory elements of the first part. Penthouse Pet Monique Gabrielle (in a dual role) is really what makes this film for me; her cute, ditzy princess is endearing in her innocence (and amateur acting). It's very cheesy and corny and self-aware, but it doesn't take itself seriously and it's a lot of fun. (Once again, what you see on the poster is not what you're going to get.)

3½ rounds of wrestling out of 5

Note: The director's cut (78m) is actually 10 minutes shorter than the theatrical version. Although it cuts out a lot of redundancy and clips pulled from the first film, I still think the original edit is a slightly more well-rounded experience.

Airplane II: The Sequel (1982)

Two things strike me about this movie. How much better it holds up than my memory of it, and also how much worse it is compared to the original.

ZAZ exhausted every single airline-related joke the first time around, so they elected not to return for this studio-mandated sequel (as they were busy developing Police Squad! with Leslie Nielsen). Plot-wise, it's exactly the same, except now the plane is a space shuttle and all the passengers are heading to the moon for some reason. Yeah, it's completely stupid. The '80s were wild.

The result is uneven to be sure, but are enough gags crammed in that even when they don't land, it remains partially successful. It just goes to show, not anyone can make these movies funny. It's a case of flying too close to the sun.

2 drinking problems out of 5

Bachelor Party (1984)

Some raunchy '80s comedies don't age as well as others, and such is the case for the lowbrow Bachelor Party, which mistakes a series of shallow jokes for any semblance of plot. It's mostly regarded for being one of Tom Hanks's earliest leading roles (before making a splash in Splash), back when he was still known as the manic character actor on Bosom Buddies. The premise is simple: a wiseacre is getting married and his pals decide to go all out on the festivities, while all the poor sucker has to do is refrain from infidelity. It's a tired and predictable morality tale, and the results are about as expected.

1 footlong out of 5