Battle Beyond the Stars (1980)

Galactic bully John Saxon arrives at planet Akir and lays down his terms. The planet's defenceless farmers are boned if they don't take action; i.e. hire mercenaries to defend them. So John-Boy Walton hops in a ship that looks like the ass-end of the Enterprise made out of slug and uterus and flies boldly into a Seven Samurai (1954) situation in space. The addition of Robert Vaughn as one of the hired-guns directly references The Magnificent Seven (1960), too.
It's a charming B-Movie that's as bizarre as it is fun. Add George Peppard with the best utility belt ever, Sybil Danning as a Valkyrie warrior, and a ship's computer that acts like a sarcastic but protective aunt and you have a film that might not qualify as 'one for the ages,' but is memorable in its own way.

3 hotblood forms out of 5

Stephen King's It (1990)

We all float down here…
Creepy clown terrorizes kids and preys on the fear of the innocent in the peaceful town of Derry, Maine. 7 childhood friends—a merry band of misfits, losers and rejects (aka, STS)—are able to fight together and contain the evil, but only for 30 years at a time. Told concurrently between two timeframes, it’s the best coming-of-age story since Stand By Me. Tim Curry is terrific as the iconic Pennywise who controls through fear in a way that evokes the sinisterism of the original A Nightmare on Elm Street. For those who claim it’s not “scary” enough, remember that it was made for TV (a new R-rated remake is also on the way). I love this movie because it reminds me of the friends I never had, never will have, and why I watch movies in the first place.

5 deadlights out of 5