Visiting Hours (1982)

 

A deranged, misogynistic killer assaults a journalist. When he discovers that she survived the attack, he follows her to the hospital to finish her off.

From memory: Adequate, but not quite memorable slasher doesn't spare us with some nasty scenes; however, it's remarkable that Shatner and Grant participated in this mayhem.

Halliwell (no star): "Tedious shocker wasting a reliable idea."

Maltin BOMB: "Awful programmer...with...Grant, who hopefully was well paid for this junk." 

 

Scanners (1981)

A scientist sends a man with extraordinary psychic powers to hunt others like him.

Top Gun (1986)

As students at the United States Navy's elite fighter weapons school compete to be best in the class, one daring young pilot learns a few things from a civilian instructor that are not taught in the classroom.

Reagan Era (and fascistoid) gung-ho as slick entertainment; only watchable, if your mind is turned off.

Halliwell (no star): "A feast of hardware and noisy music; not much story."

Maltin**1/2: "Contrived beyond belief, with dogfights that play like video games, and total lack of sexual chemistry between the two leads...but slickly calculated to please '80s audiences (and fans of ever-smiling Cruise). Edwards, as Cruise's sidekick, steals the show."

X: First Class (2011)

In 1962, the United States government enlists the help of Mutants with superhuman abilities to stop a malicious dictator who is determined to start World War III.

Typical modern-day superhero extravaganza: great production value and some good bits, but very slow to get started and the heroes' diverse superpowers seem silly and arbitrary.

Maltin**1/2: "Good story tries to cover too much ground and introduces an abundance of characters...but the appeal of Marvel's X-Men remains intact, especially in the solid perforances of McAvoy and Fassbender. Newcomers Lawrence and Hoult score while Bacon seems miscast. A couple of surprise cameos will please series fans."

The Perfect Storm (2000)

In the Fall of 1991, the "Andrea Gail" left Gloucester, Mass. and headed for the fishing grounds of the North Atlantic. Two weeks later, an event took place that had never occurred in recorded history: a giant storm.

The story is told presenting the crew of the ship as simple fisherman who become heroes. But the only true hero in this movie is the storm.

On second viewing: it's watchable mostly for the storm scenes.

Halliwell*: "There are some astonishing visual moments here - notably the small boat attemting to climb an impossibly high wave - but the crew members, each equpiied with a personal crisis to fill in the gaps between the waves, are no more than stereotypes so that their elemental struggle remains uninvolving."

Maltin**1/2: "...drenched with special effects and noisy, exciting seagoing action, but its characters and story points are bathed in cliche'."

Reeker (2005)

Strangers trapped at an eerie travel oasis in the desert must unravel the mystery behind their visions of dying people while they are preyed upon by a decaying creature.

Chaotic horror movie leaves you wondering throughout what's going on; the Carnival of Souls-like resolution hardly helps and is in no way the surprise it's obviously intended to be.