10 Films For The Week (7/6/25)

Posted on July 6, 2025 by Lisa Marie Bowman

America, Hell Yeah!

As I always do, I celebrated Independence Day by watching one of the greatest films ever made, the original Red Dawn (1984). The communists land in America and try to take over and, sadly, they succeed to a large extent. However, a group of high school students led by Patrick Swayze and Charlie Sheen refuse to go down without a fight. Say it with me, “Wolverines!” This film really doesn’t get the respect that it deserves. Not only is it well-acted but, despite it’s reputation, it doesn’t glamorize war. Most of the Wolverines do not survive. C. Thomas Howell, the most committed of the Wolverines, loses a bit of his soul and goes from being a fresh-faced high school student to someone who can execute a former friend without a moment’s hesitation. While evil Russian William Smith plots to destroy the rebels, Ron O’Neal comes to respect their dedication. Still, in the end, the best thing about this film is that it’s shamelessly patriotic and unapologetically anti-communist. “Avenge me!” Harry Dean Stanton yells and you better do it. The film can be found on Max.

Warren Oates, Hell Yeah!

Yesterday was the birthday of the great character actor Warren Oates. Brad reviewed two of his films and Jeff shared a scene from Strips. I would like to recommend the enigmatic 1966 western The Shooting (1966). Deliberately paced and philosophically-minded, this film features Oates in a leading role. Millie Perkins and Jack Nicholson (who wrote the screenplay) make for a wonderfully menacing duo of villains. The Shooting can be found on Tubi.

Sylvester Stallone, Hell Yeah!

Today is Sylvester Stallone’s birthday. As far as I’m concerned, Stallone’s best performance was in First Blood (1982). The sequels, which were a bit more simplistic and jingoistic than the first film, have tended to overshadow just how good Stallone was as a troubled veteran who just wanted to get a cup of coffee and who found himself being thrown in jail for refusing to “go across the border.” Of course, it’s not just Stallone who is great in First Blood. Brian Dennehy and Richard Crenna were, arguably, never better than when they played Sheriff Teasle and Col. Troutman. First Blood was one of the first films to really be sympathetic to the plight of the Vietnam veteran. Rambo may snap and destroy an entire town but, after what he’s put through, you won’t blame him. First Blood is on Tubi!

Of course, if you really want a fun and wonderfully absurd Stallone film, check out the arm wrestling epic, Over The Top (1987). Stallone is Hawk, a truck driver who makes his living as an arm wrestler. Robert Loggia tries to Stallone’s son away so Stallone has to prove himself to be the world’s greatest arm wrestler. I distrust anyone who doesn’t love Over The Top. It can be viewed on Tubi.

Tom Cruise, Hell Yeah!

If you’re still in the mood to celebrate Tom Cruise’s birthday, Losin’ It (1982) features Cruise as a teenager in the 60s who goes down to Mexico with his friends so that he can …. well, lose it. While the comedy is often predictable, Losin’ It is still an amiable enough film and Cruise gives a likable performance and his character has a really sweet romance with Shelley Long. The great John Stockwell is also in the film. Director Curtis Hanson went on to do L.A. Confidental. Losin’ It is on Tubi!

It’s become fashionable to criticize Risky Business (1983), released a year after Losin’ It, for being a materialistic film but …. eh, screw that. Between the soundtrack, the surreal direction, Guido the Killer Pimp, and Tom Cruise bringing out the sunglasses at night, Risky Business is one of the best films of the 80s and it can be viewed on AMC+’s Prime Channel.

In Cocktail (1988), Tom Cruise is the last barman poet! A guilty pleasure for sure but a pleasure, nonetheless. Cocktail can be viewed on AMC+.

The Running Man, Hell Yeah!

There’s a remake of The Running Man coming out this year. I’ll live it to you to decide whether or not that’s a necessary thing. I will say that the original Running Man (1987) holds up very well, as both an action film and a media satire. You can smell the cigarettes and gin whenever Richard Dawson is on screen. The Running Man can be viewed on Tubi.

Beach Fun, Hell Yeah!

Saturday was National Bikini Day. If you missed your chance to celebrate, you can make up for it be watching Malibu High (1979), a film from the legendary production company, Crown International. It’s all fun and games the beach until a young woman is dumped by her boyfriend and decides to become a professional assassin. Malibu High can be viewed on Tubi.

The End of the World, Hell Yeah!

If you’re in the mood for some end of the world action, the low-budget, independently made A Thief In The Night (1972) is currently on Tubi, along with its sequels, A Distant Thunder, Image of the Beast, and The Prodigal Planet. A Thief In The Night is not necessarily a great film but it does have a few moments of dream-like intensity. And it’s short! It can be viewed on Tubi.

Click here for last week’s entry!

4 Shots From 4 Films: Special Tom Cruise Edition

Posted on July 3, 2025 by Lisa Marie Bowman

4 Shots From 4 Films is just what it says it is, 4 shots from 4 of our favorite films. As opposed to the reviews and recaps that we usually post, 4 Shots From 4 Films lets the visuals do the talking.

It’s Tom Cruise’s birthday and that means that it’s time for….

4 Shots From 4 Tom Cruise Films

Risky Business (1983, dir by Paul Brickman, DP: Bruce Surtees)

Cocktail (1988, dir by Roger Donaldson, DP: Dean Semler)

Mission Impossible (1996, dir by Brian De Palma, DP: Stephen H. Burum)

Eyes Wide Shut (1999. dir by Stanley Kubrick, DP: Larry Smith)

Song of the Day: Love On A Real Train by Tangerine Dream

Posted on January 29, 2025 by Lisa Marie Bowman

This is from the soundtrack of 1983’s Risky Business. That film, of course, is not a dystopian noir. But the soundtrack certainly has the feel of being from one.

I just love sound of this.

Back to School #28: Risky Business (dir by Paul Brickman)

Posted on August 31, 2014 by Lisa Marie Bowman

“It was great the way her mind worked. No guilt, no doubts, no fear. None of my specialities. Just the shameless pursuit of immediate gratification. What a capitalist.” — Joel Goodson (Tom Cruise) in Risky Business (1983)

So, this is the film where Tom Cruise — playing a high school senior named Joel, who has been left at home on his own while his wealthy parents go on vacation — ends up dancing around his living room in his underwear. It’s a scene that has shown up in countless awards show montages and which has been parodied, imitated, and recreated to such an extent that even people who have never seen the movie know the scene.

Risky Business is about a lot of different things. It’s a coming-of-age film. It’s both a celebration and a satire of material excess and greed. It’s a time capsule of the 80s. It’s a comedy. It’s a drama. It’s a somewhat twisted romance. It features good performances, clever dialogue, and an excellent soundtrack. It’s a film that does for “Sometimes you just go to say, ‘What the fuck?'” what Dead Poets Society did for “Carpe Diem.”

But ultimately, for a lot of people, Risky Business is always just going to be about Tom Cruise dancing in his underwear.

And why not? It’s a great scene, one that deserves its fame. I’m not just saying that just because I happen to love dance scenes in general. When Joel celebrates having the house to himself by dancing, he’s also celebrating his independence. He’s celebrating the fact that he can do whatever he wants. He’s celebrating freedom. It’s true that sometime you just got to say, “What the fuck?” But some other times, you just have to dance.

And you can’t deny that Tom Cruise is at his most appealing and spontaneous in this scene. Actually, he’s at his most appealing and spontaneous throughout the entire film. Up until I watched Risky Business, my main impression of Tom Cruise was that he was the creepy guy who forced Katie Holmes to abandon Catholicism for Scientology and chop off her hair. I knew he was an okay actor but his greater appeal was lost on me. I think that if I had gotten to know the Tom Cruise in Risky Business before I got to know the Tom Cruise who jumped up and down on that couch and who is rumored to be the secret leader of Scientology, I might have a different opinion of him as an actor.

Anyway, with all that said, here’s that famous scene:

As I said, as famous as that scene may be, there’s actually a lot more to Risky Business than just Tom Cruise dancing in his underwear. In fact, you could remove that entire scene and Risky Business would remain one of the defining films of the 80s. It tells the story of Joel Goodson who lives up to his name in almost every way. He’s a very good son. He gets good grades in high school. He’s a member of the Future Enterprisers of America. His father has decided that Joel is going to go to Princeton and Joel isn’t one to argue. When his parents leave him alone at the house, they also leave him with a long list of rules and they have every reason to believe that Joel will follow every one of them.

But then Joel meets a prostitute named Lana (Rebecca De Mornay) and he makes an enemy out of Guido the Killer Pimp (Joe Pantoliano) and then his father’s car ends up rolling into a river and, next thing you know, Joel is partnering up with Lana to turn his house into a brothel and they’re making $8,000 in one night.

And really, as good as Tom Cruise is, Rebecca De Mornay is even better because she has a tougher role to play. As written, Lana is essentially a male fantasy figure. (And there’s still a part of me that suspect the entire film was meant to be Joel’s daydream.) But, as played by De Mornay, Lana actually becomes a real human being and someone who definitely has something important to say. If Cruise gives the film its energy and its heart, De Mornay gives the film a brain. It’s no coincidence that Joel is the one who dances in the living room while Lana is the one who sets up business deals. With her no-nonsense approach to life and her love of money, she comes to symbolize the film’s own conflicted views of wealth and success. It’s not by chance that the American flag appears on TV while Joel and Lana are fucking in the living room. Together, Joel and Lana are the perfect American success story.