Tag: films from 1984

Reel 87: Semi-Autobiographical Movies

Some directors like to look to their own lives, or to their hometowns, for material for their films. And few are more prolific at it than Martin Scorsese (New York) and Barry Levinson (Baltimore). Come to think of it, we could have stayed in Baltimore and covered Levinson and John Waters. Missed opportunity, dangit.

At any rate, we open the episode with a look at Scorsese’s MEAN STREETS (1973), which Scorsese also co-wrote. It’s an episodic look at some folks in New York who may not entirely be on the up-and-up. Scorsese didn’t yet have the clout to get enough budget to shoot in New York City, but Los Angeles makes for a fine stand-in this time around.

From there we move to Levinson’s DINER (1984), a film that didn’t tear up the box office but it was a critical darling and has been cited by many people as a huge influence on their own work. And lucky for you (or for him), Claude gets to flex some of his Baltimore geography skills.

COMING ATTRACTIONS: 

Next time we’ll be doing a follow-up to Reel 12, with more Backstage Drama, with a slight twist. We’ll start with TOPSY TURVY (1999) and move on to THE CLOUDS OF SILLS MARIA (2014). Join us, won’t you?

Reel 71: Accidental Spies

Don’t you hate it when you’re just out there minding your own business, doing your job and the next thing you know you’re involved with a South American crime cartel, or you’re behind the Iron Curtain?

That’s what happens in this episode of the show. We find some fairly ordinary people thrown into extraordinary circumstances. They’re just trying to do their thing and they find themselves in the middle of intrigue and espionage.

We start with 1979’s The In-Laws, directed by Arthur Hiller and starring Alan Arkin and Peter Falk. Arkin is a mild-mannered dentist whose daughter is about to marry Falk’s son, but there’s something not quite right about Falk. Before long, he finds himself tangled in international intrigue and on the verge of being killed by a firing squad. If you’ve seen the recent remake, don’t let it put you off of watching this much-better version.

From there we go to Top Secret! from 1984. It stars a very young Val Kilmer and a host of character actors, and was directed by Jim Abrahams along with brothers Jerry and David Zucker, more commonly known as ZAZ. It’s a spy comedy in the style of their earlier Airplane!, except that the story is more homage than a direct lift. But it’s still got deeply-layered jokes and a couple of scenes that have to be seen to be believed, including one which was shot like this…

…but it doesn’t appear on screen like this.


COMING ATTRACTIONS: 

We’re going to stick with the spy genre for the time being. Episode 72 features two films based on novels by John LeCarre. We start with The Spy Who Came in From the Cold, from 1965, and then it’s a visit to 1990’s The Russia House. Join us, won’t you?