Five film-related recommendations you’ll love, coming at you every weekend.
’80s Action Heroes
THIS WEEK: ’80s Action Heroes
THE FILMS: Rocky III (1982, Sylvester Stallone), Commando (1985, Mark L. Lester), First Blood (1982, Ted Kotcheff)
1980s Hollywood was a landscape rich with American Superpower energy, post-Vietnam trauma, and unparalleled violence on screen. And for the better part of the decade, two men were at the center of it all.
In his latest book, The Last Action Heroes, author Nick de Semlyen examines how Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger—along with their mile-wide egos—used guns and muscles to become action icons. But their reign as the Kings of Tinseltown would be short-lived. As 1990 grew closer, people like Bruce Willis, Steven Seagal, and Jean-Claude Van Damme picked up the mantle. For the better part of the decade though, nobody could touch them. That’s the time we’re celebrating with this week’s triple feature. There is a plethora of films to pick from, but these three are at the top of the heap. So dust off the VCR, cue the synth music, and dive in—then be sure to pick up Nick’s amazing book.
Heists Gone Wrong
THIS WEEK: Heists Gone Wrong
THE FILMS: Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead (2007, Sidney Lumet), The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974, Joseph Sargent), Heat (2005, Michael Mann)
This is a film genre where the audience roots for the bad guy. As we live vicariously through the characters, we’re getting one over on the man and often doing something dangerous, something illegal. There’s a small part of all of us that wants to go on a heist. Luckily there’s a vast archive of films that goes on heists for us, since heists almost never work out.
Strangers in a Strange Land
THIS WEEK: STRANGERS IN A STRANGE LAND
THE FILMS: The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976, Nicolas Roeg), Lost in Translation (2003, Sofia Coppola), Under the Skin (2013, Jonathan Glazer)
Being in a new place is tough. Especially if you don’t know the language or customs. It’s an isolating experience that can make you feel like you’re on another planet—which is the actual case in two of this week’s three films. It takes time to adjust, and that process is what we see in the titles that make up our latest triple feature.
Weekend Picks, 10/28/22
Five film-related recommendations you’ll love, coming at you every weekend.