The Hunger (1983)

 

A love triangle develops between a beautiful yet dangerous vampire (Catherine Deneuve), her cellist companion (David Bowie), and a gerontologist (Susan Sarandon).

From memory: Extremely stylish vampire tale is more focused on visuals and (erotic) atmosphere than on a convincing story; in the end it all appear s pretentious and quite silly.

Halliwell (no star): Absurd attempt to update Dracula with lashings of sex, rock music and flashy photography. An ordeal."

Maltin*1/2: "Kinky trash masquerading as a horror film...Bowie's quite good as Deneuve's companion...with an aging scene that's the film's highlight. As for the rest, beware, unless seeing Deneuve and Sarandon in bed together is your idea of a good time." 

 

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."

Unstoppable (2010)

With an unmanned, half-mile-long freight train barreling toward a city, a veteran engineer and a young conductor race against the clock to prevent a catastrophe.

Straightforward thriller made in good and simple taste and effectively so, and never intends to be more than just that.

Maltin***1/2: "Sensationally exciting thriller...recalls DIE HARD in its focus on working-class heros in the wrong place at the right time...White-knuckle action sequences and stripped-to-essentials storytelling enhance the full-throttle impact."