Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins (1985)
I’m kicking this volume off with action when a NYC cop is killed and given a new life as an assassin with extraordinary powers in the action blockbuster that never was, Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins from 1985 directed by Guy Hamilton. Starring Fred Ward, Joel Grey, the Quaker Oats man himself Wilford Brimley, J.A. Preston, and Kate Mulgrew.
Remo Williams is a wildly fun movie that’s able to embrace its cheesiness. There are some stunning moments of stunt work and great practical effects to give this movie plenty of awe-inspiring action. It’s a strong action-adventure film that just wasn’t able to catch fire like hoped. Now it’s a bit tamer and sanitized in a way. It’s certainly not as gritty as many other action movies during that time but it isn’t a deal breaker. It feels a bit like a live-action Saturday morning cartoon and that actually works for me. It sort of makes this movie feel different than all the other action movies from the mid-80s. Ward is strong in the lead, but I will admit he is missing that leading man gravitas that probably didn’t help this film much. Ward’s a great actor but leading man is a world of its own and had Remo Williams gotten a larger name it could’ve potentially helped this film win over the masses but as it stands Remo Williams is still a great time in the genre.
Clean and Sober (1988)
A year before he would become Batman Michael Keaton would deliver possibly his best performance to date in a story about a drug addict who check into rehab to avoid the law and find a rebirth in Glen Gordon Caron’s Clean and Sober from 1988 starring of course, Michael Keaton as well as, Kathy Baker, Tate Donovan, Morgan Freeman, and Claudia Christian.
I think this could potentially be Michael Keaton’s best, if not his most emotionally gripping performance. Clean and Sober explores a man who’s a liar, an alcoholic, and a drug addict who hits rock bottom and Keaton certainly delivers the layering needed for this extremely broken character. The film overall is well acted, Keaton of course is phenomenal, but Morgan Freeman is fantastic in this one, as is Kathy Baker as Keaton’s love interest. This story doesn’t glamorize drug or alcohol addiction, conversely it shows the ugly side of it and how the disease can destroy a person through the exploration of this small group of characters. And what I enjoy about Clean and Sober is delivering a fly-on-the-wall vibe, like a look inside these lives. It doesn’t over-do any redemption arcs; it doesn’t hit you over the head with melodrama. It’s a very raw, very intimate film that can easily grab your heartstrings.
Maximum Overdrive (1986)
This next movie is a blend of horror and impressive amounts of unintentional humor as a group of random people at a diner try to survive as all the machines inexplicably come to life and go on a killing spree in Stephen King’s Maximum Overdrive from 1986 starring Emilio Estevez, Laura Harrington, Yeardley Smith, Pat Hingle, and Ellen McElduff.
Now you either completely dislike or appreciate the ridiculousness of Maximum Overdrive if you’ve heard of this little Stephen King movie. To me this is one of those movies that’s so bad it’s good and it’s actually a good time to sit back with friends and just have fun with it as machines begin killing people in a variety of comical ways. AC/DC does the music and it’s perfect for the tone. Estevez and crew are a competent group of characters but what this movie really comes down to is its bizarre atmosphere and progression. It’s been noted King was on a lot of cocaine when writing this story and making this movie and I actually think it shows itself in beautiful ways as a soda machine takes out a coach and a steamroller flattens a kid which is just the beginning. The plot is basically given to you in a short paragraph and from there the magically absurd carnage begins in a movie that is so 80s, it was almost nostalgic upon its release as a quirky horror comedy from an obscure area of cinema.
Back to School (1986)
Now this next movie is certainly known in the comedy circles, but it’s also relatively forgotten overall. It boasts a comedic legend who plays a rich businessman that decides to enter the same college as his son to give him a boost of morale, but he enrolls as a…student in Back to School from 1986 starring Rodney Dangerfield, Burt Young, Sally Kellerman, and Robert Downey Jr.
To me Back to School is a comedy that just rides at full comedic efficiency. All of the elements to this movie you could say are dialed in nicely. Front and center ais a hilarious performance from Dangerfield who brings this one both improv and script work. The supporting cast brings a lively enthusiasm to the characters. The story is strong enough to connect the comedic gag and situational attempts at humor and there are just enough subplots to give the film some depth. It’s part college comedy, part Dangerfield vehicle and the balance is perfect which results in a feast of humor from jokes to one-liners, to physical comedy, and slapstick silliness and it’s a wild ride of amusement. Back to School knows when to take itself seriously and it knows when to let loose and go completely bonkers and that’s why Back to School is not only a forgotten 80s comedy, it’s one of the strongest comedies from the decade.
The Serpent and the Rainbow (1988)
We’re stepping into the world of fantasy and horror for my next film from the mind of Wes Craven. It follows an anthropologist who ventures to Haiti in search of a drug used in black magic that can bring people back from the dead turning them into zombies in 1988s The Serpent and the Rainbow starring Bill Pullman, Cathay Tyson, Paul Winfield, Brent Jennings, and Zakes Mokae.
I remember seeing this movie for the first time on HBO at a friend’s house and it terrified me. This one actually scared me more than Nightmare on Elm Street and even as an adult I think this movie delivers such an immersive atmosphere of tension and looming dread that’s perfect for the subject matter. Craven’s direction is excellent. The production design and visual effects are gritty, and dirty, and just right for making this story of black magic feel lived in. The Serpent and the Rainbow is well acted with Bill Pullman coming in front and center to deliver maybe his best performance. The story is smart, well-layered and evenly paced with a near seamless elevation of suspense before closing out with satisfyingly demented gusto. This one isn’t flashy, it’s grimy, foreboding and it takes you to a place that makes you feel uncomfortable while still being able to command your imagination.
Breakin’ (1984)
This next movie in my opinion is two things. It’s the best dance movie ever, and it’s also a forgotten 80s gem as it follows an aspiring jazz dancer that befriends a couple of break-dancers and together that becomes the sensation of the street dance scene in 1984s Breakin’ directed by Joel Silberg. Starring Lucinda Dickey, Adolfo Quinones, Michael Chambers, Christopher McDonald, and many others.
Few films are a product of their time more than Breakin’. It isn’t excellently acted, nor does it weave an overly compelling story, and the performances are iffy in places. But the cheesiness and the style that pumps out of this movie can easily put a smile on your face. The music is infectious, it’s the heartbeat of the entire film. The wardrobes, the production design, everything in this is like a timestamp to the early 80s and the growth of hip-hop culture. Breakin’ is part musical, part young adult drama and admittedly it’s a bit disjointed as it tries to incorporate its musical numbers into a tracing paper thin storyline. The music and dance performances are without a doubt much more entertaining than the narrative attempting to connect them. This is when the pace drops as the stiff performances and weak writing are exposed but when the music is pumping which is often Breakin’ is a blast of nostalgia. Complete with a young Van Damme cameo.
Leviathan (1989)
Moving along, I have a tense and gritty underwater thriller many have forgotten. It follows a group of deep-sea miners who come face to face with a mutant creature birthed from failed genetic experiments in Leviathan from 1989 directed by Goerge P. Cosmatos. Starring Peter Weller, Amanda Pays, Richard Crenna, Ernie Hudson, Daniel Stern, Lisa Eilbacher, and Hector Elizondo.
Now Leviathan is not without its flaws. It certainly follows the traditional formula of the contained sci-fi horror thriller and admittedly there is an undercurrent of predictability that could be a dealbreaker for some. However, this movie has a rock-solid ensemble cast with names like Weller, Crenna, Hudson, Eilbacher, and Elizondo so the familiar faces are an added bit of nostalgia for this movie, and they all are able to pump more depth into their characters than the writing ultimately provides. So, Leviathan is a relatively fast-moving thriller filled with strong performances and spots of suspense that can lure you in. The first half is a bit methodical as it builds the set-up then somewhere in the middle this movie hits the accelerator, and the body count piles up. Now sure, you can guess the hit-list based on the level of star power and regardless of its recycled bits when the killing ramps up Leviathan is guilty pleasure fun.
The NeverEnding Story (1984)
Now this next fantasy film is certainly a classic, but it may not be so well-known to younger film fans. It follows a troubled boy who finds a mysterious book and from within its pages he is swept off into another world in Wolfgang Petersen’s The NeverEnding Story from 1984 starring Noah Hathaway, Barret Oliver, Tami Stronach, Gerald McRaney, and many more.
This one is hands down an 80s classic, but it doesn’t really get mentioned as much when talking about revolutionary fantasy films. The NeverEnding Story was able to create an entirely new visionary world and the creative ambition on display in this one still delivers a magical adventure for the entire family in the modern world. The visual effects are stunning with a blend of computer effects, with matte paintings, make-up work, puppeteer work, and a buffet of practical effects and filmmaking tricks that give The NeverEnding Story a timeless visual appeal with crisp direction from Peterson. Now the story gets a bit sappy in places, and it gets a bit dark in places as well but it all gels together into a magical adventure that can pull the kid inside you up to the surface and command your attention both from a storytelling aspect and from a filmmaking one.
The Rescue (1988)
This next forgotten action thriller is admittedly silly in premise as a group of teenagers devise an impossible mission to break into a North Korean prison to rescue their Navy SEAL fathers in Ferdinand Fairfax’s The Rescue from 1988 starring Kevin Dillon, Ned Vaughn, Marc Price, Christine Harnos, and James Cromwell.
There is no denying The Rescue is a movie that plays much better if you have some fondness for it from your childhood. It’s a movie that kids can see themselves as adults in and with that in mind this movie is a charming mashup of Red Dawn, Toy Soldiers, and Tom Clancy. If you are watching for the first time, there is more than a moderate suspension of disbelief needed when sitting down for a movie about a group of kids who break into North Korea to rescue their fathers. Again, this is one of those movies that plays like a Saturday morning cartoon where 10–15-year-old boys can envision themselves saving the day in a grown-up world. There’s plenty of action in The Rescue and while the writing may be overly cheesy and melodramatic the adventure at the core of this story can take you on a ride if you can find that child inside yourself for 97 minutes.
Vibes (1988)
Closing out this volume is a psychic comedy that claimed to be out of its mind when two psychics are hired to find a lost Incan city that’s supposedly holding a bountiful treasure in 1988s Vibes starring Cyndi Lauper, Jeff Goldblum, Julian Sands, Elizabeth Pena, and Columbo himself Peter Falk from director Ken Kwapis.
Vibes is one of those wildly eccentric and silly films that will not be to everyone’s taste. It’s cheesy at times and the story is not without its flaws. And I’ll admit Vibes is one of those movies that is rather forgettable despite being an enjoyable time while watching. Primarily because of the charismatic performances from Lauper and Goldblum who are clearly having fun in these roles and together because their chemistry really does supply the energy to this movie. The plot is silly and has more holes than a slice of Swiss cheese but it’s mindless fun with effective laughs and an engaging adventure that you can turn your brain off to and have fun with when in the mood. The filmmakers clearly knew they weren’t making cinematic magic when shooting Vibes, but everyone put in the effort and while not a laugh-out-loud movie Vibes is an off the wall comedy with a capable sense of humor.
Anthony J. Digioia II © 2025 SilverScreen Analysis & Movies Never Say Die
