Weird Science (1985)

Directed by: John Hughes
Written by: John Hughes
Starring: Kelly LeBrock, Anthony Michael Hall, Ilan Mitchell-Smith, Bill Paxton, Suzanne Snyder, Judie Aronson, Robert Downey Jr., Robert Rusler, Vernon Wells, Michael Berryman

The plot is simple. Two unpopular teenage virgins (Hall and Mitchell-Smith) use a supercomputer to build the perfect woman (Kelly LeBrock.) She's programed to give them whatever they want. (Why they only create one for the two of them is a little kinky, no?) Instead of giving them what they want, the all-knowing Lisa gives them what she knows they really want. They want to be popular, well liked, cool, and most of all, popular with the ladies. So she sets out to boost their confidence using her magic powers and sex appeal in various ways.

The boys deal with bullies (Robert Downey Jr. and Robert Rusler,) a nasty older brother (Bill Paxton,) uptight parents, a gang of mutant bikers, a nuclear warhead in the living room, and cranky grandparents, all while gaining respect from their classmates and winning the affection of two popular girls from school.

Personally, I have never been big a fan of John Hughes movies*. I think 'Sixteen Candles,' 'Ferris Bueller,' and 'The Breakfast Club' are all overrated. They're not bad movies, I've just never personally found them very interesting.

But I really enjoyed 'Weird Science.' It's probably one of the most unpretentious films I've ever seen. It's random, funny, bizarre and has a refreshing anarchic feel to it. It's like a punk film without the punks.

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Final Verdict: See It

*Excludes the first three 'Vacation' movies, 'Class Reunion,' 'Uncle Buck,' 'Home Alone 1 & 2,' 'Beethoven 1 & 2,' and 'Dennis the Menace.' All films I cherish from my childhood. He only wrote those ones.

Cooley High (1975)

Directed by: Michael Schultz
Written by: Eric Monte
Starring: Glynn Turman, Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs, Garrett Morris, Cynthia Davis, Corin Rogers, Maurice Leon Havis, Joseph Carter Wilson


This this coming of age dramedy set in Chicago in the early 60's, we follow a group of highschool friends as they navigate through the ups and downs of their lives. The two central characters are Leroy "Preach" Jackson (Turman) and his best friend Richard "Cochise" Morris (Hilton-Jacobs.) Both of these boys have promising futures. Preach is a great writer but a lazy student, and Cochise has just received a college scholarship for basketball. When they're not hanging out at the local diner shooting craps with their friends, or hanging out at a friends house or chasing girls, they're skipping school, riding the trains through Chicago or going to quarter parties on the weekends.

Things go wrong when Preach and Cochise make the mistake of getting involved with two hoods and go joyriding in a stolen car. The police pursue them and they are arrested. But thanks to the efforts of a concerned teacher (SNL's Garrett Morris) they are released. But the two hoods are not, and vow to get revenge on Preach and Cochise, thinking they blamed the whole thing on them.

This movie is very episodic, but it still works because thats what life is, a series of episodes. Some funny, some sad, some romantic, some bizarre. The film never gets boring because all the characters are so well played and realistic, and the situations are all believable and relatable. Like Preach romantically pursuing a beautiful girl, or a party turning violent when some asshole decides to start a fight, or dealing with a bratty younger sibling. But even when a situation isn't personally relatable, like the guys pretending to be undercover cops to con a hooker out of some money so they could get all their friends into a movie, the sequence is still hilarious.

'Cooley High' was the basis for the classic 70's sitcom 'What's Happenin!' which aired on ABC from 1976-1979. Even though the show is most famous for the character Rerun, he is not in this film, nor is there any character remotely like him. The humor of that show was very broad, but still funny. The humor of 'Cooley High' is truer to life, and thus more entertaining.

Additionally, the soundtrack is wonderful. Classic songs from that period by Diana Ross & The Supremes, The Temptations, Martha & the Vandellas, and Smokey Robinson play throughout the film, adding to the fun, youthful, exuberant tone of the film.



Final Verdict: See It

Wildcats (1986)

Directed by: Michael Ritchie
Written by: Ezra Sacks
Starring: Goldie Hawn, Swoosie Kurtz, Robyn Lively, James Keach, Jan Hooks, Bruce McGill, Nipsey Russell, Mykelti Williamson, Wesley Snipes, Woody Harrelson

In the 1980's there wasn't a bigger female comedy star than Goldie Hawn. She excelled at playing the 'fish out of water' character in films like 'Private Benjamin,' 'Protocol,' and 'Overboard.' 'Wildcats' has the same formula those films had, only instead of the Army, Washington DC, or abject poverty, Goldie finds herself coaching football.

Here Goldie plays Molly, a divorced mother of two who has always dreamed of coaching a football team. But throughout her coaching career all she's been allowed to do was coach female track and field. When Molly gets the opportunity to take a head coaching job in an inner city school, she jumps at the chance. When she arrives at the school she is faced by a disorganized and disrespectful team of players. They don't want her as their coach, but she sticks to her guns, and she fights to gain their respect and obedience.

Of all the comedies that Goldie has starred in, this isn't one of her best. She's still great in this, but the film is overlong, bogged down by a buzz killing custody storyline with her schmuck ex-husband (Keach) and her two kids. There's also alot of unfunny 'fart humor' on display, but thankfully not from Goldie's character.

But when the film is good, it's good. Besides the custody storyline, things move at a brisk, fun pace. It's fun to watch Goldie work to get the team to see eye to eye with her, or hunt down the truant quarterback in the ghetto and almost get herself caught up in a robbery, or hide a rival teams goat mascot in the locker room.

This isn't really heavy stuff here, but it is a fun 80's comedy with a great star doing what she does best. So if you're a fan of Goldie Hawn and 80's comedies, check this out.

Final Verdict: See It

Full Moon High (1981)

Directed by: Larry Cohen
Written by: Larry Cohen
Starring: Adam Arkin, Ed McMahon, Roz Kelly, Kenneth Mars, Alan Arkin, Demond Wilson, Bob Saget, Joanne Nail, Pat Morita, Elizabeth Hartmen

In this send-up of horror films, 50's cold war paranoia, Reagan-era America, and high school films, Adam Arkin plays Tony, the star quarterback of Full Moon High in the 1950's. He and his father (Ed McMahon) travel to communist Romania and while he's lost in the streets one night, he is bitten by a werewolf. When he returns stateside, he cannot control his animalistic urges and goes on a killing spree. Frustrated, he flees town. Decades later, the immortal Tony returns to town and re-enrolls in highschool. He still can't control his transformations, and the townspeople, and his friends, realize he's not quite human. It all culminates during the schools big football game.

I expected this to be one of those 'so bad it's good' films from the early 80's. But I was surprised that the film was actually, legitimately funny. The cast, including Kenneth Mars as a pervy coach, Roz Kelly as Tony's lusty former flame, Demond Wilson as a bus driver, and Alan Arkin as a oddball doctor, go all out, with hilarious results.

While watching this film I was struck by how similar the writing and humor were to 'Family Guy.' 'Full Moon High' has that same anything goes attitude and never takes itself seriously.



Final Verdict: See It