Thursday, July 25, 1985

Back to the Future

Buy-it - If you don't already own Back to the Future on DVD or Blu-ray go get this 80s adventure comedy now! If you do already own it, jump in your Delorian and go back in time to return it, because this is the special edition you have been waiting for!

Friday, September 28, 1984

Footloose

Skip-it - One can only hope the remake of this film about an ultra-conservative backwater Midwestern town that outlawed rock & roll and dancing is better than this 1984 version.

Monday, August 20, 1984

Conan the Destroyer

Skip-it - If you thought the Barbarian was over-the-top you won't believe how campy this sequel is - skip-it.

Wednesday, July 25, 1984

Children of the Corn

Skip-it - Children of the Corn is one of those scary movies you've heard about but never seen - there's good reason why!

A Nightmare on Elm Street

Rent-it - The original Nightmare is one the best horror films ever, and though the sequels weren't great (except for Wes Craven's New Nightmare), this original is being rebooted and will be in theaters soon, so remind yourself how high the bar is set before venturing to theaters in a couple weeks.

Saturday, August 20, 1983

Easy Money

Skip-it - Names like Rodney Dangerfield and Joe Pesci can be tempting, but this film about a man giving up all of his vices for a year has few intended laughs.  

Friday, August 20, 1982

Conan the Barbarian

Buy-it - This raunchy 80s adventure film about a slave seeking vengeance stars Arnold Schwarzenegger and has everything you love about his films - epic one liners, roided-up action, and ridiculous loin cloths.

Fast Times at Ridgemont High

Buy-it - This early 80s film about teenage life (school, work, sex, sports and cliques) rings true 30 years later where Sean Penn is now all grown up.

Monday, October 12, 1981

Halloween II

Skip-it - The original H2 sequel with Jamie Lee Curtis is only worth watching during a scary movie Halloween marathon in late-October, otherwise skip this emotionless mask of a film.

Thursday, August 20, 1981

The Fox and the Hound

Rent-it - If you have children this Disney film with a predictable plot about a friendship between traditional enemies has some morals worth watching -- otherwise skip-it as a mature non-grudge-holding adult.

Saturday, July 25, 1981

An American Werewolf in London

Rent-it - If you're looking for a vintage scary b-movie with genuine thrills and dark humor this Halloween season.  

Friday, July 25, 1980

Caddy Shack

Rent-it - Though nothing special in HD, Caddy Shack is one of the best sports films ever made and is hilarious, juvenile, slapstick comedy before juvenile slapstick comedy was overdone.

Wednesday, July 25, 1979

Alien

Buy-it - It is hard to believe this deep space action thriller starring Sigourney Weaver came out in 1979 (four years before I was born), especially with the remastered special-effects in Blu-ray high def. Alien is still the best sci-fi horror movie ever made - 30+ years later.

Sunday, August 20, 1978

National Lampoon's Animal House

Buy-it - This original college comedy starring John Belushi in his famous "COLLEGE" sweatshirt is a must-see for any twenty-something/millennial who somehow skipped it all these years.

Monday, August 20, 1973

Enter the Dragon


Buy-it - The only thing I can say bad about my second favorite Bruce Lee movie (Game of Death being my favorite) is that it was sadly his last.

Wednesday, July 25, 1973

American Graffiti

Buy-it - Did you know George Lucas created the original high school dramedy about a group of teen's final day of summer? Did you know it came years before Star Wars or Indiana Jones? Did you know it's one the greatest, most nostalgic, feel good films of all time? Well then what are you waiting for? Go buy it!

Sunday, July 25, 1971

A Clockwork Orange

Rent-it - Taken at face value, Stanley Kubrick's dark dystopian creation is an imperfect look at an imperfect future. It's one of those films that you watch drunk and stoned when you're a freshman in college. Diving deeper into it as an adult, you find numerous flaws and an ideological mess.

Saturday, July 25, 1970

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

Skip-it - Dick Van Dyke stars in this holiday-ish children's musical about a wacky inventor with a flying car.

Bambi

Buy-it - 69 years after Disney's famed baby deer first lost his mother and left theater floors flooded with tears, he'll leave you sobbing on your couch at home in just 70 minutes and 950 words or less.

Alice in Wonderland

Rent-it - The classic animated version of this film is much better than the recent Tim Burton/Johnny Depp theatrical release, which is scary and weird, instead of strange and fun.

Wednesday, January 28, 1970

Ben-Hur

Buy-it - Ben-Hur won 11 Oscars and deservedly so -- this epic action film is pure Hollywood entertainment and so is its star, Charlton Heston as a rebellious Israelite Jew who takes on the Roman Empire.

Tuesday, January 20, 1970

The Killing

Buy-it - Stanley Kubrick's third feature film about "one last heist" gone awry is as dramatic as any movie he made.

Easy Rider

Rent-it - Peter Fonda, Dennis Hopper and Jack Nicholson star in this now-dated, ultimate road-trip film about two hippies and their chopped hogs.