Big Trouble in Little China (1986)

 ☆ ☆ ☆ ½

Big Trouble in Little China (1986) – J. Carpenter

My friend Reece told me that the folk horror group on facebook had been talking about this film and I suppose the plot does feature some Chinese Black Magic, but really this is a silly action comedy with more in common with Ghostbusters than with The Wicker Man.  Kurt Russell is larger than life as Jack Burton, a big-rig driving, CB-talking hero who hangs out in Chinatown, gambling with Wang Chi (Dennis Dun). When they stop at the airport to pick up Wang’s fiancée (a girl with green eyes), she is abducted and they end up in the middle of a gang war on the streets, that is totally torn asunder by some supernatural action. Enter Kim Cattrall as lawyer Gracie Law (also with green eyes) who joins in the attempt to rescue Miao Yin (Suzee Pai) from the evil spirit/ancient being David Lo Pan (James Hong).  Director John Carpenter keeps the action moving (aided by his original synth soundtrack) with lots of kung-fu fighting, visual effects and weird creatures. Kurt Russell has had a pretty amazing career, going all the way back to his Disney days as a child actor (e.g., The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes, 1969) through his partnerships with John Carpenter, Goldie Hawn, and Tarantino and a few cult hits along the way (Used Cars, Stargate).  This is a relatively minor entry in his filmography but better than some of the many misses he acted in. Impressive to have a mostly Asian cast in 1986.

 

The Big Easy (1986)

 ☆ ☆ ☆ ½

The Big Easy (1986) – J. McBride

I think it was Roger Ebert who said that he’d seen so many thrillers that he just didn’t care about the plots anymore – and it’s true that the (ludicrous) plot of The Big Easy does seem quite beside the point in terms of enjoyment of the film. Instead, its pleasures are found in the New Orleans locale and the sexual tension between Ellen Barkin’s district attorney’s office investigator and police detective Dennis Quaid (showboating with a broad and sometimes incomprehensible Nawlins accent). There may or may not be a gang war and the force may or may not be corrupt (including Quaid’s Remy McSwain) but it is definitely true that both McSwain and Barkin’s Anne Osborne are not really keeping their minds on their work.  Sure, his colleagues, including John Goodman and Ned Beatty, tease him about this but we come to believe that McSwain may be sincere in his feelings. In between the crime scenes, we get some New Orleans music (including Beausoleil, The Neville Brothers, Buckwheat Zydeco, and Professor Longhair), restaurants (Tipitina’s), and locales (not much French Quarter, really). Better than I expected.

The Karate Kid, Part II (1986)

 ☆ ☆ ☆

The Karate Kid, Part II (1986) -- J. G. Avildsen

There’s an easy-going likeability that infuses Part II of the series, sort of like an extended episode of your favourite Seventies TV show.  There are good guys (Mr Miyagi, Daniel-san), there are bad guys (Miyagi’s nemesis Sato and his evil student) and there are love interests for both Miyagi (Pat Norita) and Daniel (Ralph Macchio).  The action takes place in Okinawa (filmed in Hawaii) where Mr Miyagi is called to return when his father lays dying.  So, this is that extended episode of that TV show where the whole cast travels to another location and has adventures there. We spent a lot of the movie playing the “Are they really Japanese?” game. Director John G. Avildsen (who also directed the first movie as well as Rocky) manages to create tension but still keeps things light-hearted (the bad guys are really buffoons).  Near the end, I realised we hadn’t seen Daniel fight at all, which was surprising – until well, you’ll have to watch the film!  Amon thought it even better than the first one.

 

Mona Lisa (1986)

 ☆ ☆ ☆ ½

Mona Lisa (1986) – N. Jordan

Bob Hoskins plays George, just released from prison (and quite a few steps lower on the gang ladder than his Harold Shand from The Long Good Friday, 1980), and in need of work.  His old boss, Michael Caine, arranges for him to drive a high-class call girl, Simone (Cathy Tyson), on her dates in fancy hotels.  He’s too rough and Cockney but she buys him clothes to make him more respectable (basically an impossible goal). Although his wife has basically shut the door in his face, George manages to reconnect with his teenage daughter who he is sad to discover is the same age as some of the streetwalkers he sees on his nightly rounds with Simone. As a result, he wants to help them because he’s a good egg, after all.  But it’s so Eighties, right down to the Genesis/Phil Collins-soundtracked montage (“In Too Deep”) in the middle.  Eventually Simone trusts him enough to ask him to find her missing friend, Cathy, another young prostitute who has been beaten and subjugated by Simone’s old pimp, Anderson.  By this time, George is in love – and the film noir themes come to the forefront and carry us to the film’s violent conclusion.  Director Neil Jordan went on to greater fame with The Crying Game (1992) and Interview with the Vampire (1994).   

 

Salvador (1986)

☆ ☆ ☆

Salvador (1986) – O. Stone

A couple of weeks ago, I watched Under Fire (1983) which starred Nick Nolte as a photojournalist covering the war in Nicaragua at the end of the Seventies and now here we have James Woods as a photojournalist covering the war in El Salvador at the start of the Eighties.  Both films portray the American diplomatic and media communities as small groups disconnected from the reality of the cultures around them.  One difference however is that Woods’ character is a real jerk.  It is hard to identify with him for a whole host of reasons (how he treats women, for example).  But somehow director Oliver Stone seems to be getting a kick out of Woods’ hyperactive loser – perhaps he sees him as a gonzo journalist of sorts (sidekick Jim Belushi is certainly all about drugs, booze, and hookers).  I was hard pressed to see whether Woods’ heart was in the right place, but apart from some hard to understand polemic specific to El Salvadoran politics (that is never explained) put in his mouth by the director which I assumed was supportive of the oppressed, he seems mostly self-interested.  Not sure why the more professional photog played by John Savage likes him at all.  As usual, Stone takes liberties with reality and places his characters at the scene of pivotal events, such as the assassination of Archbishop Romero.  But for all its visceral impact (there are dead bodies and threats of violence everywhere), the film feels a mess, which I guess is supposed to be a reflection of the way Richard Boyle (Woods) operated.

  

Malcolm (1986)

☆ ☆ ☆ ½

Malcolm (1986) – N. Tass

Charming Australian comedy that also includes a bank heist that is essentially ridiculous – pulled off with mechanical rubbish bins – but that’s not the point. Instead, this is a bit of a character study (or two) about the titular Malcolm (Colin Friels), a shy grown up mother’s boy (who might be thought to be “on the spectrum” these days), who spends his time building model trams and creating mechanical contraptions in his home. He also has a pet cockatoo. When his mother passes away, he takes in a lodger, Frank (John Hargreaves), who, it turns out, has just gotten out of prison; Frank’s girlfriend, Judith (Lindy Davies), soon joins them and smooths over Frank’s rough edges. Eventually, they decide to rob banks together! The movie is clearly low budget but its location shooting in Melbourne (the milk bar, the pub, the tram lines) feels right -- and shows just how much the city has changed since the ‘80s (which is to say a lot!). Of course, the cops are bumbling and there is a bit of keystone comedy when Malcolm’s self-engineered car splits in two during a getaway but the movie happily allows the crooks to get away with it and we feel somehow that no one was disadvantaged at all. In fact, the heist seems to have helped Malcolm socially since he uses his skills to fit in.  Worth a look, especially if you are in Melbourne.