Heroes Shed No Tears - 1986 - Hong Kong

Heroes Shed No Tears - 1986 - 5/10
AKA - Ying Huhng Mouh Leuih // 英雄無淚

 
The Thai government hires military mercenaries for a dangerous operation.
Kidnap a drug lord, hiding in Vietnam near Laos.
This is during the Vietnam War, mind you.
The mercenaries soon face opposition (and bullets) from all sides.
Early John Woo film suffers from studio meddling and an incoherent script.
Meaningless action aside, oh, what could have been.

Troll - 1986 - USA

 Troll - 1986 - 5/10

 
The Harry Potter family (no, not that one) move into a San Francisco apartment.
One gathers rents were more reasonable in ‘86.
Young Wendy is soon possessed by a troll, who sets about converting building and denizens into magic land.
I was sorta OK with that, except there comes a “friendly witch”, potty mouthed June Lockhart.
Not to be confused with the second film, which is atrocious, this is decent family fare save for June Lockhart.
The sound mix was one of the first that jumped out at me in the era of HiFi VHS.
Quite funny, actually, if one is not predisposed to hate it.

Defence Of The Realm - 1986 - UK

Defence Of The Realm - 1986 - 7/10

 
British reporters get wind of a scandal involving a member of Parliament.
Is the MP having an affair?  Is he a KGB operative?
Not that it matters, it’s too good a story and run it.
Only later, do they realize the man may have been framed – and they were manipulated.
Clandestine agencies, stonewalling, and mounting threats to cease investigating.
Tight thriller encompasses all, along with a message that is still relevant.

Hannah And Her Sisters - 1986 - USA

Hannah And Her Sisters - 1986 - 7/10

 
Hannah is the family anchor, with one straying sister, the other struggling.
Sister Lee begins an affair with Hannah’s husband, while Holly slides from one attempt to another.
Three, four stories intertwine over roughly two years.
Part drama, more comedy, much of the comedy is emotionally dark.
Allen’s character, Mickey, searching for “meaning” in Life bounces from fad to fad.
Still, one of the Woody’s best films, winner of deserved acclaim.
Large cast of major names, excellent cinematography.

The Seventh Curse - 1986 - Hong Kong

The Seventh Curse - 1986 - 6/10
AKA - Yuen Chun Hap yu Wai See Lee // 原振侠与卫斯理

 
The maiden is about to be sacrificed.
In steps the hero, Yuan, who rescues her, and is cursed for meddling.
Blood curse, seven stages, and with the seventh he will die.
What to do?  Consult good friend Wisely (Chow Yun Fat) who recommends returning to Thailand.
Over-the-top, bonkers adventure flick that merely flirts with coherence.
Action, sex, blood vessels bursting during sex, shootouts, monsters, skeletons, rocket launcher, fighting monks.
Great Hong Kong adventure.  Not Top 50, but a lot of fun.

The Decline Of The American Empire - 1986 - Canada

The Decline Of The American Empire - 1986 - 6/10

 
“The concept of personal happiness permeates the literature of a nation or civilization as its influence wanes.
"Personal happiness means the expectation of receiving instant gratification in daily life.”
Thus begins a witty, philosophical opening act.
Followed by a quartet of women at the exercise arena, while at home menfolk prepare dinner.
The ladies gossip, confess affairs, analyze male insecurities, while the males boast of prowess.
This whole section is terribly funny, yet once the dinner party commences, the easy cheer evaporates.
As in life situations, innuendo and snarky competitiveness burdens the table.
A Canadian film, this should appeal to fans of dialogue driven French fare.

Brighton Beach Memoirs - 1986 - USA

Brighton Beach Memoirs - 1986 - 6/10

 
First installment of Neil Simon’s coming-of-age autobiography is possibly the best.
Pre-WWII, 15 year old Eugene lives with his large and extended family.
There are financial struggles, odd reports coming from Europe, and dreams seem like a distant horizon.
Enjoyment of this hinges on how comfortable one is with the boisterous family.
Eugene acts as our observer, although the family enters soap opera too often.
Unfortunately, I had seen the play, which had an electricity this lacks.
For a large family, likewise in New York of this era, watch Radio Days.

Call Me Tonight - 1986 - Japan

Call Me Tonight - 1986 - 5/10
AKA - Kōru Mī Tunaito //トゥナイト

 
Ryo has a bit of a problem.
Anytime he gets “aroused” he turns into a destructive monster.
Teeth, claws, bloodlust.
So, does Ryo contact a doctor?  Priest?  Scientist?
Nope, he phones the local escort service.
Soon, he and his date are trailed by street toughs.
Watered down hentai, poor anime that simply resembles manga panels.
As a parody of the genre, however, not bad.

My Dearly Beloved Detective - 1986 - Soviet Union

My Dearly Beloved Detective - 1986 - 6/10
AKA - Moy Nezhno Lyubimyy Detektiv

 
“No, I’m sorry, he is a fictional character.  However, since we tired of endless people coming here with their troubles, we formed our own detective agency.  And … my name is also Holmes.”
Delightful, if daffy, comedy of the famed Baker Street sleuths, Shirley Holmes and Jane Watson.
Main mystery is when Scotland Yard asks them to find their missing Inspector Lester.
This features a number of songs, one or two dance numbers.
Something for the more cultured amongst us.
English subtitles = https://subscene.cam/subtitle/3279578

Louise Brooks Arena - 1986 - UK

Louise Brooks Arena - 1986 - 6/10

 
Eye-opening documentary back in the day, showing its age it bit now.
Vintage clips, especially from Brooks’ European films, along with films before and after.
Brooks’ interview in her apartment seems from Lulu In Berlin by Richard Leacock.
Readings stem from “Lulu In Hollywood”.
Images are soft and could benefit from a restoration.  Audio, even more so.
Nevertheless, essential for all fans of this surprising icon.

Hoosiers - 1986 - USA

Hoosiers - 1986 - 7/10

 
One of the great basketball films out there.
Small town team has the same ambitions of thousands of high school programs.
Make their way to the annual state tournament.
Their new coach, soon in trouble, receives strategic advice from the town’s alcoholic.
The focus is on the boys, however.
Well paced film is an underdog fable, set in a world that is now a ghost.
Sports before steroids, before endorsements.
Evoking a lost Americana that may never have existed.

Sherman’s March - 1986 - USA

Sherman’s March - 1986 - 7/10

 
Ross McElwee’s documentary about the South, focusing on the ramifications of the Union Army under William Tecumseh Sherman and their ruinous march from Atlanta to Savannah.
Instead, however, McElwee veers into his disastrous relationships with females.
Seemingly from one loony girlfriend to another.  We’re talking seriously oddball belles.
All of whom he films obsessively, constantly.  I’m amazed none shot or bludgeoned him.
Throughout, this is laugh out loud funny.  Burt Reynolds obsessing?  Please!
Thing is, this “doc” is really Southern.  Deeply Southern.
Such DNA is almost essential for “getting this”.
Probably overlong at 2+ hours.

The Killer Is Still Among Us - 1986 - Italy

The Killer Is Still Among Us - 1986 - 6/10
AKA - L'assassino è ancora tra noi

 
Half-assed Slasher film aspires.
An ugly killing of a “busy” couple in the woods.  Then another killing (using the same footage!).
Our young student, planning to be a criminal investigator, starts to suspect everyone around her.
Including her boyfriend – including her professor.
What to do?  Why, go to the Black Devil tavern, a hangout of the voyeur crowd.
Yes, blend in with peeping toms.
Deaths more cruel than imaginative.
By the fourth or fifth woodsy murder outside Roma, I wondered, “Don’t twenty year olds have apartments?”

Henry: Portrait Of A Serial Killer - 1986 - USA

Henry: Portrait Of A Serial Killer - 1986 - 6/10

 
Kinda sorta based on Henry Lee Lucas, murderer who falsely admitted killing 600.
Here, Henry is a drifter and opportunist.
Egged on by companion Otis, they proceed on a deadly spree.
There are a series of brutal killings, yet splatter hounds may be disappointed.
The tone is deadbeat and grim throughout, as if killing is a boring habit, a job that pays poorly.
Michael Rooker is fine as the emotionally numb Henry, while Otis and his sister are more complicated.
I appreciated the acting and the bleak tone.
This is one ugly film, though.

The Morning After - 1986 - USA

The Morning After - 1986 - 6/10

 
Has-been actress, now a lush, wakes next to a corpse.
How?  Who?  Uh, did I?  Nothing like death to rouse sodden brain cells.
Hey!  She belongs to an alcoholics support group, where there’s an ex-cop.
How lazy is this?
Jane Fonda and Jeff Bridges have, if not chemistry, an easy rapport.
The photography is glorious, especially if you pine for sunshine LA.
Still, this is a mystery, and a poor one at that.  If you want a thriller, watch something else.

52 Pick-Up - 1986 - USA

52 Pick-Up - 1986 - 6/10

 
Harry, successful businessman, gets blackmailed for cheating on his wife (Ann Margaret, really?).
Somewhat an ego-head, Harry blows them off, refuses to pay.
The hoods up the ante, screening Harry an up close and personal snuff flick.
Neo-Noir roots are strong in this, likely because this is based on an Elmore James novel.
That said, sport, this is trashy exploitation at times.
The narrative leaps logic, there are plot holes, and characters are too knowledgeable, or pure stupidity.
Although Roy Scheider stars, and there are plenty of “names” (including a slew of porn stars), John Glover as the lead villain, steals every scene he is in.
Got that, sport?
Fun film, though extremely sleazy.

Fatherland - 1986 - UK

Fatherland - 1986 - 6/10
AKA - Singing The Blues In Red

 
1985, protest singer Klaus is being nudged out of East Germany.
True, he is offered choices:  prison, recant, or the exit door.
Once in the West, music execs are quick to offer a recording deal.
He is a hot property, and the industry wants to take advantage while he remains hot.
Klaus is no innocent, however, and resists being treated as a commodity.
There is a subplot of Klaus’s father, a fellow musician, who defected a generation earlier.
Dialogue about and with the father is muffled or mumbled, leaving me unsure there.
Despite that, this is a film of outsiders / observers, who understand that whatever the ism (Communism, Capitalism, Nazism) they, and by extension us, will be exploited.

Raw Deal - 1986 - USA

Raw Deal - 1986 - 6/10

 
Mid-tier Schwarzenegger vehicle, made during the stokin’ ten year box-office run.
Here, an ex-colleague asks Arnold to infiltrate a Chicago mob.
Might as well as him to join a ballet troupe.
Anyway, he sidles in, and the formula unfolds.
Alpha male confrontation, scattered violence, bad music choices.
Sleek 80’s look, boasting a cast of strong villains (Robert Davi, Sam Wanamaker).
Not the best Schwarzenegger film, yet crackles more energy than most of his ensuing output.

Betty Blue - 1986 - France

Betty Blue - 1986 - 7/10
AKA - 37°2 le Matin

 
Zorg, handyman and hopeful writer, and the ferociously protective Betty.
Carpe diem applies as they live from one situation to another.
Moving, primarily because of Betty’s explosive temper.
Dangerous, too.  Not only to others, but increasingly to herself.
Heady arthouse film of consuming passion still packs a punch.
The limits of how far one would go for love.
The photography is gorgeous (as is Béatrice Dalle), and the music is hypnotic.
Long, at three hours, though seldom slow.  A lot of skin and friction.

Summer - 1986 - France

Summer - 1986 - 6/10
AKA - Le Rayon Vert

 
French patience tester, extremely well acted, but might strain your endurance.
Recently dumped female (ahem, three years earlier) whines about what to do during summer vacation.
She stays with family and complains.  Visits friends, moans incessantly.
Asks for advice, only to disregard.
One of the best / worst moments occurs during an outdoor meal when our protagonist, a recent vegetarian, launches into a tirade about meat and animals.
Doesn’t stop her from drinking, however.  And complaining about vintages.
I always say people get what they deserve.
Sadly, how did friends and family deserve this?