Category: 1980s

“Crossing Delancey” (1988) starring Amy Irving & Peter Riegert

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Every girl knows exactly the kind of guy she isn’t going to marry… then she falls in love. -Tagline

Isabelle “Izzy” Grossman (Amy Irving- perhaps best known as Steven Spielberg’s ex-wife) is a 33 y.o. woman whose life revolves around the UWS NYC independent bookstore where she works and her eclectic/intellectual friends- men and women. Irving had supporting roles in 2 (iconic) films- Yentl and Carrie. Izzy has a crush on an European author, Anton Maes (Jeroen Krabbe), whose book talk she is organizing. Her traditional Jewish grandmother (living in LES), Bubbie Kantor (Reizl Bozyk- a veteran of Yiddish theater), secretly consults a marriage broker, Mrs. Mandelbaum (Sylvia Miles), to help Izzy find a husband. At lunch at Bubbe’s apt, Izzy meets a business owner (pickler), Sam Posner (Peter Riegert), who quickly takes a liking to her. She is NOT amenable to this (old-fashioned) process. Can they make a good match?

Mrs. Mandelbaum: Ya look, ya meet, you try, you see. Sometimes it fits, sometimes it don’t.

This film was written by a woman (Susan Sandler- who wrote the play) and also directed by a woman (Joan Micklin Silver)- V rare in the ’80s! As one critic noted: “The choice here is btwn the old world and the new.” Izzy and her 3 childhood gal pals grew up on the LES, but are navigating lives as modern/single/Jewish women. We hear the lament that there are few (eligible) bachelors- some things never change (LOL)!

Marilyn: And I’m sitting there, and my face is starting to hurt. And I’m thinking, Christ, I got 45 mins. to show this guy how loving, smart, supportive, funny, independent, and sexy I am. And all I can really think about is how I’d rather be sitting home watching the baseball game.

This movie is a love letter to NYC, esp. the LES (before gentrification). Sam’s store was Guss’ Pickles (35 Essex St, below Delancey St); he wears a City College of New York (CCNY) sweatshirt during the handball game. The hot dog place that Izzy goes to on her b-day was Papaya King (179 E 86th. St). Anton’s apt is in The Ayslmere (60 West 76th St). Bubbie’s apt. view includes the Williamsburg Bridge, which was undergoing reconstruction. There are actors of diverse races, ages, and body types in crowd scenes. Look out for young David Hyde Pierce (Izzy’s co-worker; before Frasier fame) and Reg E. Cathey (the newbie cab driver in last act).

Izzy: Sam, I don’t know what to do with you. You’re a nice guy.

Sam: Oh, what a thing to say. I’m wounded, I’m bleeding.

I recommend this movie highly, esp. to fans of OG rom coms (EX: When Harry Met Sally), those who love NYC, and anyone w/ a foot in two worlds. Serious themes are dealt w/ in a matter-of-fact (adult) manner; there no “good” or “bad” guys. One critic commented that (suave/charming) Anton would be characterized as “a total jerk, if this were made today.” Another critic noted that the “friends with benefits situation (btwn Izzy and neighbor Nick) is handled in a non-judgmental way.” Sam is probably one of the best examples of a love interest (w/ healthy sense of masculinity) depicted onscreen! He is calm, self-assured, likes himself, and has a (quietly) romantic side. TCM host, Alicia Malone, said that Riegert is still given jars of pickles from adoring female fans.

“To Live and Die in LA” (1985) starring William Petersen, Willem Dafoe, & John Pankow

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A federal agent is dead. A killer is loose. And the City of Angels is about to explode. -Tagline

A fearless Secret Service agent will stop at nothing to bring down the counterfeiter who killed his partner. -Synopsis

LA-based Secret Service agent, Richard Chance (William Petersen), becomes obsessed w/ finding counterfeiter, Eric Masters (Willem Dafoe), responsible for the killing of his former partner/friend, Jimmy Hart (Michael Greene). Chance loves the thrill of base jumping (similar to bunjee jumping); he is in a (complicated) relationship w/ a beautiful/blonde parolee, Ruth Lanier (Darlanne Fluegel). Chance gets a new partner, John Vukovich (John Pankow- best known for comedy)- who comes from a family of cops. Masters, a painter-turned-criminal, knows that the Secret Service is after him. Chance takes more… and more risks while conducting the investigation. Masters is NOT hesitant to use violence- even kill!

[1] I consider myself just another member of the crew, the highest paid member of the crew.

[2] If you’re going to make a film or an album of music or a painting, you cannot afford to stop and think what other people will think of it. You’ve got to take into consideration what your editor thinks, if, say, you’re a writer. But I don’t have anyone to answer to. I make a film because I want to. Sometimes they’re successful, sometimes they’re not, but the way I think about my films is always very personal. [2018]

-William Friedkin, filmmaker

The screenplay was written by Gerald Petievich (who worked mainly on police TV shows/movies) and William Friedkin (who also directed). Known as a filmmaker who stays on-budget and on-time, yet goes his own way, Friedkin (who passed away in 2024) grew up in a working-poor family in Chicago. His mother was a nurse; his father worked many different jobs (yet never made enough to support the family). After watching Citizen Kane (1941), he fell in love w/ movies. Friedkin went to work for local (WGN) TV after graduating HS; he started making docs (one of which won the Golden Gate Award at the 1962 San Francisco Film Festival). In 1965, he moved to Hollywood and started directing TV, incl. an ep of the The Alfred Hitchcock Hour (1962). Hitchcock (famously) chastised him for NOT wearing a tie- LOL!

Richard Chance [to Ruth]: Guess what? Uncle Sam don’t give a shit about your expenses. You want bread, f***k a baker.

This neo noir is called “very 80s”; it was influenced by TV’s Miami Vice. The clothes, music, and production design reflect that time period well. There are several tense stunts/action scenes; one fan commented watching Ronin (where you’ll see how this movie influenced a car chase). The dark tone of To Live and Die in LA is NOT a big surprise when I recall an interview where Friedkin commented policemen in his neighborhood were never friendly. The baddies are just as interesting as the (NOT so heroic) cops!

Here we see (hot/young) Petersen in his 1st film role; he is locked-in to the role (incl. w/ physicality of running, jumping, fighting, and… more). Some viewers/critics wondered: “Was he an athlete?” Yes, Petersen played football growing up, then became interested in acting in college. As Chance interacts w/ Ruth, you see just how much of a cold bastard he can be! Masters seems to have a much better relationship w/ his love interest/avant garde performer, Bianca Torres (Debra Feuer). Fans of (veteran character actor) Dafoe, will get a kick out of seeing how young he looks here. Though he stands at just 5’7″- he dominates (larger) scene partners w/ his intensity/screen presence. You see John Turturro (young) and Dean Stockwell (who passed away in 2021) in small/memorable roles.

[1] “To Live and Die in L.A” is an excellent non-stop action movie, having an excellent pacing and being a politically incorrect police story.

[2] The film works on many levels. Yes, it is about counterfeiting and superficial (re: counterfeit) relationships. It is about greed, survival, justice and morality. It is also about human beings using and laying to waste other human beings.

[3] The good guys are flawed. This isn’t really new, since the mid 1960s there were plenty of flawed heroes in Westerns or police thrillers. The difference is that not only their characters are flawed, they are vulnerable, destructible, they make mistakes. And they pay for their mistakes. Similarly the villains: yes, they are formidable and glamorous… They make mistakes too. And they pay too.

-Excerpts from IMDb reviews

“Frantic” (1988) starring Harrison Ford, Betty Buckley, & Emmanuelle Seignier

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In a hotel room in Paris, a doctor comes out of the shower and finds that his wife has disappeared. He soon finds himself caught up in a world of intrigue, espionage, gangsters, drugs and murder. -Synopsis

Are y’all fans of (iconic/American) actor Harrison Ford? I’m sure a LOT of you are, esp. IF growing up in the late ’70s to early ’90s. I learned re: this (lesser-known) film of Ford’s from a past ep of the Screen Drafts podcast. An American/middle-aged surgeon, Dr. Richard Walker (Ford) goes to Paris for a medical conference w/ his wife of many yrs, Sondra (Betty Buckley). They can’t open one of their bags, as Sondra picked up the wrong suitcase at the airport. While her husband is in the shower, Sondra gets a call; then (when he gets out) she has disappeared! Richard begins a search for his wife, though he speaks no French, and has V little to go on for clues. Along the way, Richard has to deal w/ the local police, the U.S. Embassy, and a beautiful/exciting young woman hustling to make money, Michelle (Emmanuelle Seignier- just 21 y.o. at the time of filming). This was Seignier’s 1st movie; she has been married to the director (Roman Polanski) since 1989.

Hotel Detective Le Grand Hotel: Have you and your wife been to Paris before?

Richard Walker: Yes, on our honeymoon.

Hotel Detective Le Grand Hotel: Is it possible she met someone here? Someone she has been thinking about?

Richard Walker: Since June 15th, 1968?

The original ending was shown to a small test audience and subsequently changed to the (happy) one in the final cut. Some audience members reported that Sondra was a spy in the original ending! The studio made Polanski cut the run time, too. Now, this is NOT a great movie (crime drama/mystery/thriller), yet it’s tense and will keep the audience entertained. Aside from a few scenes, I thought the film was well-paced. Some viewers compared it to Hitchcock, BUT transported to Paris in the ’80s. Ford carries the movie V well; this is a role that calls for a protagonist who is relatable, trustworthy, and capable. As an added bonus, Ford is looking esp. fit (and the French don’t shy away from showing that)!

[1] Polanski tells us the story with great suspense involving the city of Paris like a character of the film. All movie spends time on the Parisian places and rooftops. The music of Ennio Morricone also is a great element of the film success that gives us a great mood. The characters as Harrison Ford and Emmanuel Seignier are superb in their roles too. I think a must see movie if you love great oeuvres of Hitchcock and you love Paris.

[2] The cast are good but it is Ford’s film and he leads it really well. He convinces as the man becoming increasingly “frantic” and he manages to involve humour as his character becomes savvier about what is happening and also appears to be seedier and less professional as a result!

[3] The film would truly live up to a degree of tension if his interactions with Parisians were realistic. They all seem willing to help, none of them annoyed by an American archetype anxiously babbling English at them in their native country. I’ve heard many stories from friends and writers who’ve been to Paris. They do not bless Paris with a reputation for being nice and accommodating to English-speaking Americans. One friend told me that he was not allowed to have his passport back unless he asked for it in French. Another told me that when he tried to order a meal at a restaurant in English, the clerk slammed her hand on the table and ordered that he speak French. My own experience in Paris might be vastly different, and it is no doubt a beautiful and culturally rich city, but there would inevitably be at least a blemish of resistance against Ford’s conventionally American character.

-Excerpts from IMDb reviews

“The Verdict” (1982) starring Paul Newman, Charlotte Rampling, Jack Warden, & James Mason

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Frank Galvin Has One Last Chance At A Big Case. -Tagline

An outcast, alcoholic Boston lawyer sees the chance to salvage his career and self-respect by taking a medical malpractice case to trial rather than settling. -Synopsis

The Verdict was ranked #4 on the AFI’s list of the 10 greatest films in the genre of “Courtroom Drama.” The movie was nominated for 5 Academy Awards (Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, and Best Adapted Screenplay); it didn’t win any Oscars. One of Paul Newman’s closest friends, Robert Redford, was originally involved w/ this film. David Mamet delivered his draft of the screenplay; Redford felt uncomfortable w/ how Frank Galvin was characterized (alcoholic, opportunistic, and mostly unlikeable). He hired another writer to work on a draft, and so on and on, until Redford decided NOT to tackle the role. Sidney Lumet was offered the project; he read all the drafts and identified the original Mamet version as the one he wanted to make. Newman agreed to star and received a Best Actor Oscar nom!

James Mason was eager to work w/ Lumet again; he was 1st offered the part of Mickey Morrissey (eventually played by Jack Warden). The director didn’t think that Mason wanted the role; at the advice of his wife, Mason called Lumet. Burt Lancaster (originally set to play Ed Concannon) dropped out, so the role was available. Edward Binns (who plays Bishop Brophy) and Warden played jurors in 12 Angry Men (1957), the 1st feature film directed by Lumet. Although the film was set in Boston (and looks like it), most of it was shot on sound stages in NYC. The actors rehearsed for 3 wks prior to filming (as was part of Lumet’s process); the studio also allowed the director to have final cut (which is rare).

I recall a LOT of ppl commenting that they 1st watched this movie in their HS (Social Studies/History) class. I suggest taking a 2nd look, esp. if you’re a fan of courtroom dramas and/or Newman. Wow, even at age 57, the iconic actor (purposefully de-glamorized) shows that he can still stretch himself! In one interview, Lumet comments that Newman “put a lot of himself into that role.” I think it’s his most impressive role, aside from Hud.

[1] Newman is a wonder with his loser posture and hyperventilation and his desperateness. It’s in his voice, it’s on his face, it’s in his smile, it’s in his shaking hands.

[2] And I found the direction by Sidney Lumet to be, once again, outstanding. Lumet has such a long list of great movies that you wonder why he has never won an Oscar or been given an AFI Lifetime Achievement award.

This is a riveting movie — about the law, but mainly about the flawed nature of the human beings who are entrusted with it.

[3] Production design: as good as it gets. Everything looks old, as if it has been used and lived in for years, not shabby but burnished with age, all mahogany wood and scarlet carpets. Lighting and photography: up there with the best. Most scenes are dark — it’s midwinter in Boston — but not too dark, cleverly lighted. The snow in the streets is literally blue, as if it had just leaped out of an impressionist landscape. Tree branches glisten with moisture on slick night-time streets. Tinsel draped along a bar ceiling twinkles with fraudulent joy.

-Excerpts from IMDb reviews

“The Mission” (1986) starring Robert De Niro & Jeremy Irons

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Deep in the jungles of South America two men bring civilization to a native tribe. Now, after years of struggle together, they find themselves on opposite sides in a dramatic fight for the natives’ independence. One will trust in the power of prayer. One will believe in the might of the sword. -Taglines for the film

In the 1750s, an idealistic Spanish Jesuit, Father Gabriel (Jeremy Irons), goes high in the remote mountains of South America to build a mission, hoping to convert the native Indians. A Portuguese slave hunter, Capt. Rodrigo Mendoza (Robert De Niro), renounces his life of greed/violence and joins the mission; he eventually becomes a priest. Then, Spain sells this colony to Portugal, putting the freedom of the natives (and lives of the European priests) at risk! The film was released 4 yrs. after its (uncredited) source book- The Lost Cities of Paraguay– by Father C. J. McNaspy (an American Jesuit) was published. McNaspy was a historical consultant on the movie (loosely based on his work).

Gabriel: If might is right, then love has no place in the world. It may be so, it may be so. But I don’t have the strength to live in a world like that, Rodrigo.

The Mission was shot over 16 wks (mostly in Colombia), w/ 3 wks at the Iguazu Falls (Argentina). The Indian communities of Togorama, Burajon, Papayo, and Pangala (Choco, Colombia), esp. the tiny Guarani community (Iguazu, Argentina) contributed to its making. The Mission of San Carlos reconstructed for the movie was built on indigenous land w/ local materials and labor- wow! At Cannes (1987), it won both the C.S.T. Prize (the Technical Grand Prize) and the top award (the Palme d’Or), which were awarded to the director (Roland Joffé). The real draws here are its gorgeous cinematography and captivating musical score (by Ennio Morricone). Though it got 7 noms, the film won only one Oscar- Best Cinematography (awarded to Chris Menges).

Gabriel: If you die with blood on your hands, Rodrigo, you betray everything we’ve done. You promised your life to God. And God is love!

Like many viewers, I thought Irons did well; he shows a softer (gentler) side here than in some other roles. De Niro doesn’t seem V connected to this material; he looks good w/ longish/wavy hair and capable in the action scenes. When w/ the native kids, De Niro looks like he’s having a good time. The pacing is a major issue, aside from character development. There is only one (minor) female role; British theater actress (Cherie Lunghi) plays a noblewoman. We also see two tall/handsome (future) stars of Irish heritage: American actor Aidan Quinn (as Mendoza’s younger brother) and Irish actor Liam Neeson (as a priest- Fielding- using his own accent).

[1] The film is beautifully shot and features lush cinematography; however, the battle choreography of the film’s climax is somewhat ragged and unrealistic; the relative lack of character development adds to the “ho hum” feeling one gets while watching the Portuguese and the Guarani-Jesuit team fight it out on land and in kayaks.

The performances are decent though not spectacular. […] The dialogue, however, is such that none of the performances, except perhaps for Mr. Irons, are very memorable.

[2] Sadly, the story is never fully developed, and the inherent conflicts are not exploited. The movie becomes just a pastiche of related scenes lacking a strong narrative theme and supporting characters to tie them together. The story is subsumed by propaganda. Granted, these are extraordinarily beautiful scenes, but breathtaking scenery is not enough. It feels more like a History Channel lecture than a character-driven story.

[3] Jeremy Irons is well cast as Father Gabriel, ably encompassing a range of gentleness, sternness, and passionate devotion. Robert De Niro turns in a surprisingly weak performance… Anyone hoping that the scenes between Irons and De Niro would be exceptional will be disappointed. The real standout in the acting department is Ray McAnally as Cardinal Altamirano…

-Excerpts from IMDb reviews