Footloose (1984)
71%RT Audience Score: 71%
Awards & Nominations: Nominated for 2 Oscars
1 win & 6 nominations total
There’s not much dancing, but what’s there is great. The rest of the time, Footloose is a nice hunk of trashy teenage cheese
Footloose” is like a time capsule of the 80s, complete with big hair, neon colors, and a killer soundtrack. Sure, the plot may be a bit dated and the acting a bit cheesy, but who cares when you’re too busy dancing along to “Let’s Hear It for the Boy”? Kevin Bacon may be the star, but the real MVP is the music. So put on your dancing shoes and get ready to cut loose, because “Footloose” is a guilty pleasure that never gets old.
Production Company(ies)
Marvel Studios, Walt Disney Pictures,
Distributor
Paramount Pictures
Release Type
Streaming, Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Provo, Utah, USA
MPAA / Certificate
PG
Year of Release
1984
-
Color:Color
-
Sound mix:Dolby Stereo
-
Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
-
Runtime:1h 47m
-
Language(s):English
-
Country of origin:United States
-
Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Feb 17, 1984 Original
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 8, 2002
Genre(s)
Drama
Keyword(s)
starring Kevin Bacon, Lori Singer, John Lithgow, Dianne Wiest, Chris Penn, Sarah Jessica Parker, directed by Herbert Ross, written by Dean Pitchford, drama, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Kathleen Carroll, Variety Staff, Dave Kehr, Roger Ebert, Nell Minow, Janet Maslin, Sean Collier, Richard Propes, Sezín Koehler, Diego Galán, PG, dancing, rock music, small town, rebellion, teenage, conservative, Reverend, Vi Moore, Willard Hewitt, Ariel Moore, Chicago, Midwestern, illegal, social parable, extremism, Flashdance, Boy Scout, schmaltz, 80s oddities, hair metal, gymnasts, cheesy, soundtrack, angst, rebellion, overprotective society, dance, comedy, drama, open mind, flack, horror movies, MCU movies, Netflix series, TV shows
Worldwide gross: $80,039,064
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $234,380,673
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 608
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 25,559,506
US/Canada gross: $80,035,402
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $234,369,950
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 283
US/Canada opening weekend: $8,556,935
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $25,057,517
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 547
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $8,200,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $24,012,294
Production budget ranking: 1,265
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $12,930,620
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $197,437,759
ROI to date (est.): 534%
ROI ranking: 238
Lori Singer – Ariel Moore
John Lithgow – Reverend Shaw Moore
Dianne Wiest – Vi Moore
Chris Penn – Willard Hewitt
Sarah Jessica Parker – Rusty
Director(s)
Herbert Ross
Writer(s)
Dean Pitchford
Producer(s)
Lewis J. Rachmil, Craig Zadan
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
Nominated for 2 Oscars
1 win & 6 nominations total
Academy Awards
All Critics (44) | Top Critics (8) | Fresh (23) | Rotten (21)
“Footloose” turns out to be a sort of Boy Scout version of “Flashdance,” a carefully toned-down, overly respectable piece of schmaltz …
February 17, 2016 | Rating: 2.5/4
Kathleen Carroll
New York Daily News
TOP CRITIC
Essential to the result is young Kevin Bacon, superb in the lead part.
February 12, 2008
Variety Staff
Variety
TOP CRITIC
Herbert Ross directed this odd but reasonably effective blend of rock music and didactic melodrama.
January 30, 2007
Dave Kehr
Chicago Reader
TOP CRITIC
Footloose is a seriously confused movie that tries to do three things, and does all of them badly.
October 23, 2004 | Rating: 1.5/4
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
TOP CRITIC
September 23, 2004 | Rating: 4/5
Nell Minow
Movie Mom
TOP CRITIC
Like the rest of today’s video-happy teen-age entertainments, Footloose doesn’t expect to be watched closely or taken seriously. It wants to fill the screen with catchy music and pretty kids, and this it certainly accomplishes.
May 20, 2003 | Rating: 3/5
Janet Maslin
New York Times
TOP CRITIC
While Footloose is fun, it’s not very good. Its story is a dud
August 13, 2021 | Rating: 5/10
Sean Collier
Box Office Prophets
I will always be grateful for the way this film has positively impacted my life.
September 8, 2020 | Rating: 3.5/4.0
Richard Propes
TheIndependentCritic.com
Footloose is elevated to something much more than a teen romance. It becomes a social parable about the dangers of extremism. Footloose is about what happens when you try to control people too much.
May 23, 2020 | Rating: 4/5
Sezín Koehler
Black Girl Nerds
These movies are produced only to promote album sales. [Full Review in Spanish]
February 10, 2020
Diego Galán
El Pais (Spain)
There’s a plot that would have been dated in the ’50s. Hokey doesn’t begin to describe the inanity, the tedium, the utter lack of originality in Dean Pitchford’s script.
January 3, 2018
Marylynn Uricchio
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Kevin Bacon moves like a machete chopping through the jungle.
October 19, 2016 | Rating: 1.5/4
Josh Larsen
LarsenOnFilm…
Plot
Classic tale of teenage rebellion and repression features a delightful combination of dance choreography and realistic and touching performances. When teenager Ren McCormack and his family move from big-city Chicago to a small Midwestern town, he’s in for a real case of culture shock. Though he tries hard to fit in, the streetwise Ren can’t quite believe he’s living in a place where rock music and dancing are illegal. However, there is one small pleasure: Ariel Moore, a troubled but lovely blonde with a jealous boyfriend. And a Bible-thumping minister, who is responsible for keeping the town dance-free. Ren and his classmates want to do away with this ordinance, especially since the senior prom is around the corner, but only Ren has the courage to initiate a battle to abolish the outmoded ban and revitalize the spirit of the repressed townspeople. Fast-paced drama is filled with such now-famous hit songs as the title track and “Let’s Hear It for the Boy”.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
There’s no specific tidbit about the cast, but one critic did describe John Lithgow’s performance as “brilliantly grave and conflicted as the Reverend.”
Herbert-Ross.jpg
Paris Texas
Paris, Texas (1984)
95%RT Audience Score: 93%
Awards & Nominations: Won 1 BAFTA Film Award
18 wins & 12 nominations total
A quiet yet deeply moving kind of Western, Paris, Texas captures a place and people like never before (or after).
Paris, Texas” is a movie that will make you feel like you’re on a road trip with your weird uncle who doesn’t talk much but has a lot of feelings. The cinematography is stunning, and you’ll find yourself wanting to pack up your bags and move to the desert. Harry Dean Stanton’s performance is so good, you’ll forget he’s acting and start to wonder if he’s just a real-life drifter they found on the side of the road. Overall, it’s a beautiful and haunting film that will stick with you long after the credits roll.
Production Company(ies)
Road Movies Filmproduktion, Argos Films, Westdeutscher Rundfunk
Distributor
20th Century Fox
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Marathon Motel & RV Park – Highway 90, Marathon, Texas, USA
MPAA / Certificate
R
Year of Release
1984
-
Color:Color
-
Sound mix:Dolby
-
Aspect ratio:NA
-
Runtime:2h 28m
-
Language(s):English, Spanish
-
Country of origin:United States
-
Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Nov 18, 1984 Original
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 26, 2010
Genre(s)
Drama
Keyword(s)
Worldwide gross: $2,207,548
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $6,464,426
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,099
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 704,954
US/Canada gross: $2,181,987
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend:
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): £1,162,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
– Harry Dean Stanton – Travis
– Nastassja Kinski – Jane
– Dean Stockwell – Walt
– Aurore Clément – Anne Henderson
– Hunter Carson – Hunter
– Bernhard Wicki – Doctor Ulmer
– Director: Wim Wenders
– Producer: Don Guest, Anatole Dauman
– Writer: L.M. Kit Carson, Sam Shepard
– Distributor: 20th Century Fox
Director(s)
Wim Wenders
Writer(s)
L.M. Kit Carson, Sam Shepard
Producer(s)
Don Guest, Anatole Dauman
Film Festivals
Berlin, Cannes
Awards & Nominations
Won 1 BAFTA Film Award
18 wins & 12 nominations total
Academy Awards
All Critics (49) | Top Critics (13) | Fresh (46) | Rotten (3)
It’s a striking, gripping film for most of its length, with Wenders and cinematographer Robby Muller showing a great love of and fascination for the land — almost as if their European upbringings had made them slightly envious of the wide-open spaces.
October 7, 2021
Joe Pollack
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
TOP CRITIC
It is clear-eyed and unsparing, and full of the price our way of life extracts from those who can least afford it emotionally.
October 7, 2021 | Rating: 3/4
Desmond Ryan
Philadelphia Inquirer
TOP CRITIC
The movie belongs to Stanton, of course, and it’s hard to think of any other actor who can go from Chaplinlike outcast to tragic hero in the space of a feature film.
October 7, 2021
Marsha McCreadie
Arizona Republic
TOP CRITIC
It would be worth seeing for Stanton’s performance alone.
October 7, 2021 | Rating: 2.5/4
Bill Cosford
Miami Herald
TOP CRITIC
A rewarding story of distance, separation and ultimately, of renewed chances.
October 7, 2021 | Rating: 4/4
Anne Marie Biondo
Fort Worth Star-Telegram/DFW.com
TOP CRITIC
“Paris, Texas,” despite its history of last-minute rewrites, is unsentimental adult entertainment.
October 7, 2021 | Rating: 8/10
Catherine Rambeau
Detroit Free Press
TOP CRITIC
A rare and fascinating experience for those patient enough to go with its slow flow.
October 7, 2021
Malcolm Johnson
Hartford Courant
All kinds of allegorical meaning could be read into this movie by any analyst determined and supercilious enough. It wouldn’t be worth the trouble. The film is far too full of itself as it is.
October 7, 2021 | Rating: 2/4
Barbara Shulgasser
San Francisco Examiner
Paris, Texas is a landmark work in every sense: understated, powerful, sublime.
October 7, 2021
F.X. Feeney
L.A. Weekly
The grief, the love, the loss; the images by the great, late Robby Mller. The kinetic, the peripatetic; the still, the stilled. The beating heart. The lonely man. The lonely land. I should just sit down and write a letter to Wim Wenders.
September 30, 2021 | Rating: 10/10
Ray Pride
Newcity
Paris, Texas is the cinematic equivalent of a symphony. The film is composed in movements that chart the emotional lives of its characters — of haunting images and anxious silences, of gestures, landscapes, weird juxtapositions and epiphanies.
July 21, 2021
Kirk Honeycutt
Escondido Times-Advocate (CA)
By contributing these different cultural influences, Wenders makes this less about a certain place and time, and more of an overarching human experience.
July 27, 2020
Allen Almachar
The MacGuffin…
Plot
A man wanders out of the desert after a four year absence. His brother finds him, and together they return to L.A. to reunite the man with his young son. Soon after, he and the boy set out to locate the mother of the child, who left shortly after the man disappeared.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
NA
Wim-Wenders.jpg
Sugar Cane Alley
Sugar Cane Alley (Rue Cases Negres) (1984)
90%RT Audience Score: 80%
Awards & Nominations: NA
Sugar Cane Alley is a cinematic masterpiece that transcends the boundaries of time and space, transporting the viewer to a world of texture, color, and emotion. Euzhan Palcy’s direction is nothing short of brilliant, as she weaves together a tapestry of hope, despair, and the human spirit. The sepia-toned print is a work of art in itself, basking in the Martinique sun and bringing to life the backbreaking life of the native cane harvesters in the 1930s. The ensemble cast, led by Garry Cadenat and Darling Legitimus, delivers performances that are both nuanced and powerful. Palcy’s eye for detail and color is unparalleled, making Sugar Cane Alley a feast for the senses. This film is a must-see for anyone who appreciates the art of cinema and the human experience.
Sugar Cane Alley is a movie that will make you feel all the feels. From the warm and fuzzy moments to the heart-wrenching scenes, this film has it all. The sepia-toned print and vibrant colors transport you to Martinique, and the performances are top-notch. You’ll find yourself rooting for Jose and his grandmother as they navigate life in the face of oppression. And let’s not forget the unexpected sweetness of the funeral scene. Overall, Sugar Cane Alley is a must-watch for anyone who wants to feel hopeful about the world around us.
Production Company(ies)
Government of West Bengal
Distributor
Orion Pictures, New Yorker Films
Release Type
Filming Location(s)
MPAA / Certificate
PG
Year of Release
1984
-
Color:Color
-
Sound mix:Mono
-
Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
-
Runtime:1h 45m
-
Language(s):
-
Country of origin:United States
-
Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Sep 21, 1983 Original
Genre(s)
Comedy/Drama
Keyword(s)
Sugar Cane Alley, PG, Comedy, Drama, French (Canada), directed by Euzhan Palcy, written by Euzhan Palcy and Joseph Zobel, starring Garry Cadenat, Darling Legitimus, Douta Seck, produced by Michel Loulergue, Jean-Luc Ormières, Alix Régis, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Laurie Horn, David Robinson, Derek Malcolm, Nigel Andrews, Janet Maslin, Bob Lundegaard, Philip French, Noel Taylor, Tom Long, George Williams, Bruce Bailey, PG rating, Martinique, African slaves, scholarship, high school, village elder, texture, sepia-toned print, Martinique sun, poetry, protest, warmth, funeral scene, hope, oppression, moral tale, innocence, justice, eye for detail, color, ensemble, pipe-smoking grandmother
Worldwide gross: NA
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): NA
US/Canada gross: NA
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend:
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Darling Legitimus – M’Man Tine
Douta Seck – Medouze
Euzhan Palcy – Director, Screenwriter
Joseph Zobel – Screenwriter
Michel Loulergue – Producer
Jean-Luc Ormières – Producer
Alix Régis – Producer
Director(s)
Euzhan Palcy
Writer(s)
Euzhan Palcy, Joseph Zobel
Producer(s)
Michel Loulergue, Jean-Luc Ormières, Alix Régis
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
NA
Academy Awards
All Critics (40) | Top Critics (19) | Fresh (40)
Sometimes the best thing about a movie is its ability to create a sense of texture Sugar Cane Alley is textural in almost every aspect.
May 7, 2021 | Rating: 3/4
Laurie Horn
Miami Herald
TOP CRITIC
It is, what is more. the most attractive and optimistic film at present on show in London. Which is not to sav that it is without ferocity.
May 7, 2021
David Robinson
Times (UK)
TOP CRITIC
Even the superb sepia-toned print seems to be enjoying itself, basking in the Martinique sun as Palcy illustrates her theme with bold and confident brushstrokes.
May 7, 2021
Derek Malcolm
Guardian
TOP CRITIC
Palcy’s film is as strong on poetry as on protest.
May 7, 2021
Nigel Andrews
Financial Times
TOP CRITIC
Euzhan Palcy brings so much warmth to her film Sugar Cane Alley that even a funeral scene midway through has an unexpected sweetness.
May 7, 2021
Janet Maslin
New York Times
TOP CRITIC
Like many (perhaps most?) great works of art, it’s depressing and exalting, showing us the backbreaking life of the native cane harvesters in the 1930s and the attempt of one radiantly sunny boy named Jose to escape that life through education.
May 7, 2021
Bob Lundegaard
Minneapolis Star Tribune
TOP CRITIC
I don’t think anyone could leave this wonderful film without feeling more hopeful about the possibilities of the world around us.
May 7, 2021
Philip French
Observer (UK)
Effortlessly enchanting.
May 7, 2021
Noel Taylor
Ottawa Citizen
Sugar Cane Alley is a well-felt film that focuses on hope rather than despair in the face of oppression, a moral tale that works because of its own sense of innocence and belief in justice.
May 7, 2021
Tom Long
Santa Cruz Sentinel
Though Palcy is young and virtually untried, you never get the feeling you are in the hands of anyone but a masterful filmmaker.
May 7, 2021 | Rating: 4/4
George Williams
Sacramento Bee
An intriguing but depressing film.
May 7, 2021 | Rating: 3.5/4
Bruce Bailey
Montreal Gazette
Palcy’s eye for detail and color make this film something quite special. She’s elicited wonderful performances from an ensemble headed by Garry Cadenat as Jose and Darling Legitimus as his indomitable, pipe-smoking grandmother.
May 7, 2021
Lou Lumenick
Bergen Record (New Jersey)…
Plot
In 1930s Martinique, a young boy named Jose, living with his grandmother in a small village, wins a scholarship to a prestigious high school in the capital, bringing with him the wisdom of his village and the stories of African slaves.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Darling Legitimus plays the role of M’Man Tine in Sugar Cane Alley.
Euzhan-Palcy.jpg
Dune
Dune (1984)
65%RT Audience Score: 65%
Awards & Nominations: Won 6 Oscars
159 wins & 268 nominations total
This truncated adaptation of Frank Herbert’s sci-fi masterwork is too dry to work as grand entertainment, but David Lynch’s flair for the surreal gives it some spice
Dune is like a futuristic fever dream that you can’t quite shake off. It’s a mishmash of confusing plotlines, bizarre rituals, and over-the-top special effects that somehow manage to be both dazzling and headache-inducing. But hey, at least the music is good, right? If you’re a die-hard fan of the book, you might find something to love here, but for the rest of us, it’s a bit of a slog. Still, there’s something undeniably fascinating about this mess of a movie, and it’s definitely worth a watch if you’re in the mood for something weird and wild.
Production Company(ies)
Distributor
Universal Pictures
Release Type
Filming Location(s)
Wadi Rum, Jordan
MPAA / Certificate
Rated PG-13 for sequences of strong violence, some disturbing images and suggestive material
Year of Release
1984
-
Color:Color
-
Sound mix:Auro 11.1 Dolby Surround 7.1 Dolby Atmos Dolby Digital IMAX 6-Track
-
Aspect ratio:2.39 : 1
-
Runtime:2h 17m
-
Language(s):English, Mandarin
-
Country of origin:United States
-
Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Dec 14, 1984 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 16, 2011
Genre(s)
Adventure
Keyword(s)
starring Kyle MacLachlan, Sting, Francesca Annis, Leonardo Cimino, Brad Dourif, José Ferrer, directed by David Lynch, written by Frank Herbert and David Lynch, PG-13, Adventure, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Eric Shorter, Paul Taylor, Milton Shulman, Derek Malcolm, Peter Bradshaw, Kevin Maher, Kent Garrison, Alachia Queen, Philip French, Brian Eggert, Mike Massie, cult classic, sci-fi, epic novel, melange, Arrakis, Fremen, Harkonnens, Padishah Emperor Shaddam IV, Lady Jessica, Feyd-Rautha, Piter DeVries, Raffaella De Laurentiis, Universal Pictures, Stereo, Surround, Dolby Stereo, Magnetic Stereo 6 Track, 70mm, Scope (2.35:1)
Worldwide gross: $400,671,789
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $435,773,331
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 349
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 47,521,628
US/Canada gross: $108,327,830
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $117,818,076
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 647
US/Canada opening weekend: $41,011,174
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $44,604,028
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 270
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $165,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $179,455,109
Production budget ranking: 153
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $96,636,576
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $159,681,646
ROI to date (est.): 58%
ROI ranking: 1,109
Sting – Feyd-Rautha
Francesca Annis – Lady Jessica
Leonardo Cimino – The Baron’s Doctor
Brad Dourif – Piter DeVries
José Ferrer – Padishah Emperor Shaddam IV
Director(s)
David Lynch
Writer(s)
Frank Herbert, David Lynch
Producer(s)
Raffaella De Laurentiis
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
Won 6 Oscars
159 wins & 268 nominations total
Academy Awards
All Critics (72) | Top Critics (17) | Fresh (31) | Rotten (41)
Unless you know the book you may be wondering what to make of all this electronic agitation.
May 4, 2022
Eric Shorter
Daily Telegraph (UK)
TOP CRITIC
For all my half-hearted hedging, I can see Lynch’s Dune lasting the repertory course a lot longer than Ralph Bakshi’s Lord of the Rings or Fred Haines’ Steppenwolf.
May 4, 2022
Paul Taylor
Financial Times
TOP CRITIC
Even if the plot has a serpentine complexity, the visual Impact of David Lynch s direction is never less than dazzling.
May 2, 2022
Milton Shulman
London Evening Standard
TOP CRITIC
No matter how hard it tries to make Herbert understandable to those who find the saga resistible, or even to make Dune hang together for devoted fans, there is an overwhelming sense that this is familiar cinematic territory.
October 21, 2021
Derek Malcolm
Guardian
TOP CRITIC
This is a film that doesn’t dramatically harness the vast forces it’s gesturing at, but trundles determinedly along with very little variation of tone or pace.
September 24, 2021 | Rating: 3/5
Peter Bradshaw
Guardian
TOP CRITIC
The convoluted narrative ultimately slips away from Lynch and in that failure lives the suspicion that Frank Herbert’s novel is beyond adaptation.
September 24, 2021 | Rating: 3/5
Kevin Maher
Times (UK)
TOP CRITIC
The only thing that works is the music.
June 9, 2022 | Rating: C-
Kent Garrison
Mad About Movies Podcast
Dune 1984 is a muddling, dull feudal drama dressed up in an elaborate sci-fi costume. The film tries desperately to elevate the basic messianic archetype with excess futurism in hopes to disguise its banal core.
May 10, 2022 | Rating: F
Alachia Queen
Alachia Queen
Under a barrage of incomprehensible dialogue, hieratic rites, inscrutable encounters, confused battles and cornea-peeling special effects, my mind steadily contracted, until at the end of the 135-minutes it felt like the fibre-dry centre of a bad walnut.
May 2, 2022
Philip French
Observer (UK)
Dune is ripe for cult adoration.
February 18, 2022 | Rating: 2.5/4
Brian Eggert
Deep Focus Review
The onslaught of singular imagery is engaging, even if it’s unfocused and confused.
January 2, 2022 | Rating: 4/10
Mike Massie
Gone With The Twins
…a predominantly inert adaptation…
December 14, 2021 | Rating: 1.5/4
David Nusair
Reel Film Reviews…
Plot
A mythic and emotionally charged hero’s journey, “Dune” tells the story of Paul Atreides, a brilliant and gifted young man born into a great destiny beyond his understanding, who must travel to the most dangerous planet in the universe to ensure the future of his family and his people. As malevolent forces explode into conflict over the planet’s exclusive supply of the most precious resource in existence-a commodity capable of unlocking humanity’s greatest potential-only those who can conquer their fear will survive.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
No goofy or funny or odd comments were found in the Fresh Kernels database for Dune (1984).
David-Lynch.jpg
This Is Spinal Tap
This Is Spinal Tap (1984)
95%RT Audience Score: 92%
Awards & Nominations: 2 wins & 2 nominations
Smartly directed, brilliantly acted, and packed with endlessly quotable moments, This Is Spinal Tap is an all-time comedy classic.
This Is Spinal Tap is the ultimate mockumentary for anyone who loves to laugh at the absurdity of the music industry. From the dimwitted characters to the hilarious japes and jokes, this film will have you in stitches. And let’s not forget the iconic line, “These go to eleven.” It’s a classic that never gets old. Even if you’re not a musician, you’ll appreciate the truths that this slim, 82-minute comedy gnaws at. So turn up the volume, grab some popcorn, and get ready to rock out with Spinal Tap.
Production Company(ies)
Spinal Tap Prod. Goldcrest Films, International,
Distributor
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Release Type
Streaming, Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Six Flags Magic Mountain – 26101 Magic Mountain Parkway, Valencia, California, USA
MPAA / Certificate
R
Year of Release
1984
-
Color:Color
-
Sound mix:Dolby
-
Aspect ratio:1.70 : 1
-
Runtime:1h 22m
-
Language(s):English
-
Country of origin:United States
-
Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Sep 8, 1984 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 12, 2000
Genre(s)
Comedy/Music
Keyword(s)
starring Michael McKean, Christopher Guest, Harry Shearer, directed by Rob Reiner, written by Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, Rob Reiner, Harry Shearer, comedy, music, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Yardena Arar, Variety Staff, Richard Corliss, Dave Kehr, Geoff Andrew, Janet Maslin, Mike Massie, Josh Larsen, Brian D Johnson, Michael Roffman, Rob Vaux, Felix Vasquez Jr., R rating, Karen Murphy produced, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer distributed, stereo sound mix, Dolby Stereo, Surround, flat aspect ratio, Marty DiBergi played by Rob Reiner, David St Hubbins played by Michael McKean, Nigel Tufnel played by Christopher Guest, Derek Smalls played by Harry Shearer, Mick Shrimpton played by R.J Parnell, Viv Savage played by David Kaff
Worldwide gross: $4,736,202
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $13,869,155
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,853
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 1,512,449
US/Canada gross: $4,736,202
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $13,869,155
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,514
US/Canada opening weekend: $30,835
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $90,295
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,971
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $2,500,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $7,320,821
Production budget ranking: 1,797
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $3,942,262
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $2,606,072
ROI to date (est.): 23%
ROI ranking: 1,277
Michael McKean – David St. Hubbins (Lead Guitar, Vocals)
Christopher Guest – Nigel Tufnel (Lead Guitar, vocals)
Harry Shearer – Derek Smalls (Bass, vocals)
R.J. Parnell – Mick Shrimpton (Drummer)
David Kaff – Viv Savage (Keyboards, vocals)
Director(s)
Rob Reiner
Writer(s)
Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, Rob Reiner, Harry Shearer
Producer(s)
Karen Murphy
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
2 wins & 2 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (66) | Top Critics (12) | Fresh (63) | Rotten (3)
Reiner, with McKean, Guest and Harry Shearer, have done a great job in creating and portraying characters that are dimwitted, cliched and yet oddly endearing.
October 23, 2018
Yardena Arar
Associated Press
TOP CRITIC
For music biz insiders, This Is Spinal Tap is a vastly amusing satire of heavy metal bands.
March 26, 2009
Variety Staff
Variety
TOP CRITIC
For all its japes and jokes, the movie is really about exhaustion of the spirit: sitting in a bleak hotel suite at 4 a.m. with the bad taste of last night in the mouth and the feeling that tomorrow will not be a better day.
August 19, 2008
Richard Corliss
TIME Magazine
TOP CRITIC
The material is consistently clever and funny, though ultimately the attitudes are too narrow to nourish a feature-length film.
December 17, 2007
Dave Kehr
Chicago Reader
TOP CRITIC
Reiner’s brilliantly inventive script and smart visuals avoid all the obvious pitfalls, making this one of the funniest ever films about the music business.
February 9, 2006
Geoff Andrew
Time Out
TOP CRITIC
It stays so wickedly close to the subject that it is very nearly indistinguishable from the real thing.
May 20, 2003 | Rating: 4.5/5
Janet Maslin
New York Times
TOP CRITIC
The hilariousness here is unending.
March 24, 2021 | Rating: 8/10
Mike Massie
Gone With The Twins
Little riffs of comic genius can be heard amidst the heavy-metal cacophony of This is Spinal Tap…
March 22, 2020 | Rating: 3.5/4
Josh Larsen
LarsenOnFilm
Documenting the licks and antics of a real band is one thing. Building a movie around a fake one is a challenge of a different order. The key, as Spinal Tap proved, is to fabricate a band that looks, acts and sounds at least as good as the real thing.
October 18, 2019
Brian D. Johnson
Maclean’s Magazine
This is Spinal Tap is hilarious to everyone who’s not a musician. Because as ridiculous and perverse as Rob Reiner’s heavy metal mockumentary gets, the slim, 82-minute comedy gnaws at more truths than any other rock ‘n’ roll biopic put to celluloid.
March 2, 2019 | Rating: A
Michael Roffman
Consequence
Yes Nigel, you did go to 11. Where would cinematic comedy be if you hadn’t?
March 3, 2014 | Rating: A+
Rob Vaux
Mania.com
Consistently funny, with sheer brilliant turns from every performer on the cast…
January 19, 2013
Felix Vasquez Jr.
Cinema Crazed…
Plot
In 1982, the legendary English heavy metal band Spinal Tap attempt an American comeback tour accompanied by a fan who is also a film-maker. The resulting documentary, interspersed with powerful performances of Tap’s pivotal music and profound lyrics, candidly follows a rock group heading towards crisis, culminating in the infamous affair of the eighteen-inch-high Stonehenge stage prop.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
“This Is Spinal Tap” features a cast of comedic heavyweights, including Michael McKean, Christopher Guest, and Harry Shearer.
Rob-Reiner.jpg
Ghostbusters
Ghostbusters (1984 Original) (1984)
93%RT Audience Score: 88%
Awards & Nominations: Nominated for 1 BAFTA Award
16 nominations total
An infectiously fun blend of special effects and comedy, with Bill Murray’s hilarious deadpan performance leading a cast of great comic turns.
Ghostbusters is like taking a ride on a rollercoaster, but instead of screaming in terror, you’re laughing your head off. Bill Murray steals the show with his hilarious one-liners and cheeky attitude. The special effects may be a bit primitive, but who cares when you’re having this much fun? The script is joke-dense and tightly structured, leaving no wasted time. It’s a classic that will have you quoting lines for years to come. Ghostbusters is a must-watch for anyone who loves a good laugh and a thrilling adventure.
Production Company(ies)
Distributor
Columbia Pictures
Release Type
Theatrical, Theatrical (Limited)
Filming Location(s)
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
MPAA / Certificate
Rated PG-13 for supernatural action and some suggestive references
Year of Release
1984
-
Color:Color
-
Sound mix:Dolby Atmos
-
Aspect ratio:2.39 : 1
-
Runtime:1h 47m
-
Language(s):English
-
Country of origin:United States
-
Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Jun 8, 1984 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 2, 2005
Genre(s)
Comedy/Fantasy
Keyword(s)
starring Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, Sigourney Weaver, Rick Moranis, Annie Potts, directed by Ivan Reitman, written by Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, comedy, fantasy, adventure, PG rating, box office gross $298.5M, reviewed by Joseph Gelmis, Kathleen Carroll, Arthur Knight, Gene Siskel, Kate Muir, Bill Murray’s deadpan performance, special effects, high-tech battle with the supernatural, gateway to another dimension, evil upon the city, save New York from complete destruction, university in New York City, ghostbusters, supernatural, magnetic stereo 6 track, Dolby stereo, surround, scope (2.35:1), Columbia Pictures, Ghostbusters collection
Worldwide gross: $197,360,575
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $214,650,688
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 656
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 23,407,927
US/Canada gross: $129,360,575
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $140,693,431
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 545
US/Canada opening weekend: $44,008,406
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $47,863,838
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 245
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $75,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $81,570,504
Production budget ranking: 513
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $43,925,716
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $89,154,467
ROI to date (est.): 71%
ROI ranking: 1,061
Dan Aykroyd – Doctor Raymond Stantz
Harold Ramis – Doctor Egon Spengler
Sigourney Weaver – Dana Barrett, Zuul, The Gate Keeper
Rick Moranis – Louis Tully, Vinz Clortho, The Key Master
Annie Potts – Janine Melnitz
Director(s)
Ivan Reitman
Writer(s)
Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis
Producer(s)
Ivan Reitman
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
Nominated for 1 BAFTA Award
16 nominations total
Academy Awards
All Critics (75) | Top Critics (18) | Fresh (73) | Rotten (2)
Ghostbusters is like romping through Disneyland’s haunted house with Bill Murray.
June 8, 2016 | Rating: 3/4
Joseph Gelmis
Newsday
TOP CRITIC
Ghostbusters is primarily a showcase for Murray, who slinks through the movie muttering his lines in his usual cheeky fashion and getting off an occasionally hilarious crack that proves he’s thoroughly enjoying himself.
June 16, 2015 | Rating: 3/4
Kathleen Carroll
New York Daily News
TOP CRITIC
The plotting may be primitive, but it’s all carried off with far more style and finesse than one might expect from the creators of Animal House and Meatballs.
June 16, 2015
Arthur Knight
Hollywood Reporter
TOP CRITIC
Part of the sheer joy of this movie — aside from the comic timing of Bill Murray — is the cartoonish crapness of its apparitions and their placid acceptance by the Ghostbusters team.
October 31, 2014 | Rating: 4/5
Kate Muir
Times (UK)
TOP CRITIC
On balance, Ghostbusters is a hoot. It’s Murray’s picture, and in a triumph of mind over matter, he blows away the film’s boring special effects with his one-liners.
August 19, 2014
Gene Siskel
Chicago Tribune
TOP CRITIC
A fantasy, but with no touches of reality at all, to be enjoyed for its zany humour typical of the “National Lampoon” school from which several of its contributors are drawn.
June 12, 2014
Patrick Gibbs
Daily Telegraph (UK)
TOP CRITIC
While Ghostbusters II failed to have the same effect on me, it will take nothing away from the greatness of this film and is one of my personal top 10 films of all time. Ghostbusters is the definition of a classic.
February 18, 2022 | Rating: 4/4
David Gonzalez
Reel Talk Inc.
Ghostbusters is one of the greatest comedy films of all time!
February 14, 2022
Danielle Solzman
Solzy at the Movies
Test.
December 10, 2021
Sophie-Marie Prime
Ain’t It Cool Movie Reviews
I also really appreciate that Aykroyd and Ramis’ script is so tightly structured but joke dense. There is practically no wasted time in this film.
April 1, 2021
Sarah Brinks
Battleship Pretension
It’s the thrills of wraith-combating, action-packed citywide devastation, and carefree attitudes that highlight the adventures and give the film a strong sense of originality.
September 6, 2020 | Rating: 7/10
Mike Massie
Gone With The Twins
It is not intended to change anyone’s life, just invite you to follow a fun and crazy group. [Full Review in Spanish]
August 20, 2019
Juan Luis Caviaro
Espinof…
Plot
When a single mom and her two kids arrive in a small town, they begin to discover their connection to the original Ghostbusters and the secret legacy their grandfather left behind.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Bill Murray’s deadpan delivery and hilarious one-liners steal the show in Ghostbusters.
Ivan-Reitman.jpg
Splash
Splash (1984)
76%RT Audience Score: 58%
Awards & Nominations: Nominated for 1 Oscar
2 wins & 9 nominations total
A perfectly light, warmly funny romantic comedy that’s kept afloat by Ron Howard’s unobtrusive direction and charming performances from Tom Hanks and Daryl Hannah
Splash is the perfect movie for anyone who’s ever dreamed of falling in love with a mermaid. Tom Hanks and Daryl Hannah have amazing chemistry, even though one of them is a fish out of water. Ron Howard’s direction is spot-on, and the underwater scenes are breathtaking. Plus, who doesn’t love a good fish-out-of-water story? It’s a classic romantic comedy that will make you laugh, cry, and maybe even want to take a dip in the ocean. Just don’t expect to find any mermaids there.
Production Company(ies)
RKO Radio Pictures,
Distributor
Buena Vista Pictures
Release Type
Filming Location(s)
Nassau, New Providence Island, Bahamas
MPAA / Certificate
PG
Year of Release
1984
-
Color:Color
-
Sound mix:Dolby
-
Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
-
Runtime:1h 51m
-
Language(s):English, Swedish
-
Country of origin:United States
-
Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Mar 9, 1984 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 26, 2002
Genre(s)
Fantasy
Keyword(s)
starring Tom Hanks, Daryl Hannah, John Candy, Eugene Levy, Dody Goodman, Shecky Greene, directed by Ron Howard, written by Lowell Ganz, Babaloo Mandel, Bruce Jay Friedman, fantasy, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Rita Kempley, Duane Byrge, Richard Schickel, Ian Freer, produced by Brian Grazer, PG rating, mermaid, romantic comedy, underwater romance, scientist, New York, beach, comedy, heart-warming, pathos, teamsters, mermaid mythology, fish out of water, love story, charming performances, unobtrusive direction, scheming scientist, deep sea paradise, dry land, intervention, tidal wave, moonlit tide, wild and crazy spirit, salty and bracing, plunge in the surf, airy tone, delectable, unblemished performance, underwater scenes, mermaid tail, mermaid transformation, mermaid kiss, mermaid hair, mermaid mythology, mermaid culture, mermaid language, mermaid songs, mermaid powers, mermaid abilities, mermaid society, mermaid family, mermaid community, mermaid love, mermaid fantasy
Worldwide gross: $69,821,334
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $204,459,803
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 684
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 22,296,598
US/Canada gross: $69,821,334
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $204,459,803
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 339
US/Canada opening weekend: $6,174,059
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $18,079,673
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 705
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $11,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $32,211,614
Production budget ranking: 1,119
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $17,345,954
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $154,902,236
ROI to date (est.): 313%
ROI ranking: 446
Daryl Hannah – Madison
John Candy – Freddie Bauer
Eugene Levy – Walter Kornbluth
Dody Goodman – Mrs. Stimler
Shecky Greene – Mr. Buyrite
Director(s)
Ron Howard
Writer(s)
Lowell Ganz, Babaloo Mandel, Bruce Jay Friedman
Producer(s)
Brian Grazer
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
Nominated for 1 Oscar
2 wins & 9 nominations total
Academy Awards
All Critics (43) | Top Critics (10) | Fresh (39) | Rotten (4)
Splash, an aquacade of myth and laughter, glimmers like moonlit tide. It’s an enrapturing underwater romance pairing dry-lander Tom Hanks with mermaid Daryl Hannah (not an easy affair for a nonswimmer).
July 3, 2018
Rita Kempley
Washington Post
TOP CRITIC
It’s a rambunctious comedy, coming from director Ron Howard who, with his previous, wacky Night Shift, unarguably shows that beneath that Opie Taylor/Richie Cunningham persona, there’s a wild and crazy spirit.
March 9, 2017
Duane Byrge
Hollywood Reporter
TOP CRITIC
A romantic comedy that is as salty and bracing as a plunge in the surf.
May 10, 2009
Richard Schickel
TIME Magazine
TOP CRITIC
The movie that really showed Tom Hanks’ promise as a deliverer of great comedy and heart-warming pathos.
February 3, 2009 | Rating: 4/5
Ian Freer
Empire Magazine
TOP CRITIC
Although film is a bit uneven, production benefits from a tasty look, an airy tone, and a delectable, unblemished performance from Hannah.
May 21, 2008
Variety Staff
Variety
TOP CRITIC
Howard demonstrates exactly the correct soft touch, skirting the myriad problems of taste.
February 9, 2006
Chris Peachment
Time Out
TOP CRITIC
Manages plenty of laugh-out-loud moments and genuine fun.
September 7, 2020 | Rating: 7/10
Mike Massie
Gone With The Twins
Splash could have been a silly and simple comedy, but it escapes that destiny thanks to its creative script and talented actors. [Full Review in Spanish]
February 18, 2020
Octavi Marti
El Pais (Spain)
A mild and bland slapstick Disney comedy.
July 3, 2018 | Rating: C+
Dennis Schwartz
Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews
Line up a row of Howard’s films and ask someone to choose. Chances are, their hands will fall to Splash as often as any other
March 17, 2014 | Rating: B+
Rob Vaux
Mania.com
This charming romantic comedy touched a chord with audiences around the world and propelled its stars Tom Hanks and Daryl Hannah, along with director Ron Howard, to Hollywood’s front rank.
February 10, 2014 | Rating: 4/5
John Ferguson
Radio Times
Fishy fairy tale the wrong hook on relationships.
December 18, 2010 | Rating: 3/5
Heather Boerner
Common Sense Media…
Plot
Allen Bauer is rescued from drowning as a young boy off Cape Cod by a young mermaid. Years later, he returns to the same location, and once again manages to fall into the sea, and is rescued once more by the mermaid (Allen isn’t sure what he has seen and what he has imagined). Using maps from a sunken ship, the mermaid decides to search for Allen in New York City, sprouting legs when her tail dries. On finding Allen, they fall in love, but she has a secret, which will no longer be a secret if she gets her legs wet.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Fresh Kernels praises the “charming performances” of Tom Hanks and Daryl Hannah in Splash.
Ron-Howard.jpg
The Right Stuff
The Right Stuff (1983)
92%RT Audience Score: 90%
Awards & Nominations: Won 4 Oscars
11 wins & 16 nominations total
The Right Stuff packs a lot of movie into its hefty running time, spinning a colorful, fact-based story out of consistently engaging characters in the midst of epochal events.
The Right Stuff is a movie that will make you want to put on a spacesuit and blast off into the great unknown. It’s a celebration of the bravery and lunacy of those fly jocks who fought the demons of space to launch a new era in American air technology. Sure, it may not capture the inner drives and ethics of the test pilots and astronauts, but who cares when you’re watching them break through the atmosphere and into the final frontier? It’s a movie that will make you feel like you have the right stuff, even if you’re just sitting on your couch.
Production Company(ies)
Columbia Pictures, Columbia Pictures, Bill, Phillips
Distributor
Warner Home Vídeo, Warner Bros.
Release Type
Filming Location(s)
Cow Palace – 2600 Geneva Avenue, Daly City, California, USA
MPAA / Certificate
PG
Year of Release
1984
-
Color:Color
-
Sound mix:Dolby
-
Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
-
Runtime:3h 13m
-
Language(s):English, Russian
-
Country of origin:United States
-
Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Sep 9, 1983 Original
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 22, 1997
Genre(s)
History/Drama
Keyword(s)
starring Sam Shepard, Scott Glenn, Ed Harris, Dennis Quaid, Fred Ward, Barbara Hershey, directed by Philip Kaufman, written by Philip Kaufman and Tom Wolfe, History, Drama, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Adam Nayman, Dave Kehr, Arthur Knight, Dolores Barclay, Sheila Benson, Gary Arnold, Taylor Baker, Diego Galán, Federico Furzan, Josh Larsen, Sean Axmaker, PG, NASA, space program, Mercury astronauts, John Glenn, Alan Shepard, Chuck Yeager, Gordon Cooper, Gus Grissom, Glennis Yeager, Robert Chartoff, Irwin Winkler, Warner Home Vídeo, Warner Bros., Surround, Magnetic Stereo 6 Track, Dolby, Flat (1.85:1)
Worldwide gross: $21,192,315
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $62,058,060
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,240
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 6,767,509
US/Canada gross: $21,192,102
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $62,057,437
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 974
US/Canada opening weekend: $1,601,167
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $4,688,743
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,109
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $27,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $79,064,870
Production budget ranking: 531
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $42,576,432
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): -$59,583,242
ROI to date (est.): -49%
ROI ranking: 1,686
Scott Glenn – Capt. Alan Bartlett Shepard Jr., Mercury Astronaut
Ed Harris – Maj. John Herschel Glenn Jr., Mercury Astronaut
Dennis Quaid – Gordon Cooper
Fred Ward – Gus Grissom
Barbara Hershey – Glennis Yeager
Director(s)
Philip Kaufman
Writer(s)
Philip Kaufman, Tom Wolfe
Producer(s)
Robert Chartoff, Irwin Winkler
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
Won 4 Oscars
11 wins & 16 nominations total
Academy Awards
All Critics (51) | Top Critics (14) | Fresh (49) | Rotten (2)
Where 2001: A Space Odyssey depicted astronauts (and mankind) as being at the mercy of some higher, alien intelligence, The Right Stuff finds its characters imposing their will on the unknown.
March 27, 2020
Adam Nayman
The Ringer
TOP CRITIC
Philip Kaufman’s 1983 film is an efficient and absorbing recapitulation of the main events of Tom Wolfe’s book that still never succeeds in capturing the inner drives and ethics of the test pilots and astronauts – the “right stuff” never materializes.
February 4, 2019
Dave Kehr
Chicago Reader
TOP CRITIC
Rarely has a film made a historic accomplishment seem so vivid and personal… It makes you wonder, quite suddenly, why there aren’t more movies like this.
January 29, 2019
Arthur Knight
Hollywood Reporter
TOP CRITIC
The Right Stuff is a spectacular celebration of those heroes of the skies — those fly jocks who fought the demons of space to launch a new era in American air technology.
October 22, 2018
Dolores Barclay
Associated Press
TOP CRITIC
Kaufman has combined the resources and ingenuity of movie making with the freewheeling, damn-the-conventions style of of the New Journalism and come up with a generous, high-spirited look at the bravery and lunacy that was that era.
December 9, 2016
Sheila Benson
Los Angeles Times
TOP CRITIC
It means something to be a member of the brotherhood whose trials and accomplishments are celebrated so enjoyably in The Right Stuff.
December 18, 2015
Gary Arnold
Washington Post
TOP CRITIC
Episode 12: Away We Go
September 1, 2021 | Rating: 90/100
Taylor Baker
Drink in the Movies
The Right Stuff is so clumsily shot and has such a simple structure that boredom can threaten to drown the viewer’s patience. [Full Review in Spanish]
February 7, 2020
Diego Galán
El Pais (Spain)
An epic symphony of triumph that portrays modern man as the ultimate being driven by power. So visually stunning it looks almost experimental. [Full review in Spanish].
May 24, 2019 | Rating: 3/4
Federico Furzan
Cinelipsis
Masculinely romantic…
January 26, 2018 | Rating: 3/4
Josh Larsen
LarsenOnFilm
The Right Stuff (1983), Philip Kaufman’s adaptation of Tom Wolfe’s acclaimed portrait of the original NASA astronauts, is *the* American epic of the last great frontier and a genuinely romantic take on the first generation of space cowboys.
April 10, 2016
Sean Axmaker
Seanax.com
A great movie that unfortunately failed to attract audiences back in ’83, this adaptation of Tom Wolfe’s book about astronauts pays tribute to what we would like to believe represents the American spirit: hard work, perseverance, camaraderie and vision.
November 6, 2013 | Rating: 4/4
Matt Brunson
Creative Loafing…
Plot
Tom Wolfe’s book on the history of the U.S. Space program reads like a novel, and the film has that same fictional quality. It covers the breaking of the sound barrier by Chuck Yeager to the Mercury 7 astronauts, showing that no one had a clue how to run a space program or how to select people to be in it. Thrilling, funny, charming and electrifying all at once.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Sam Shepard plays Capt, Col. Chuck Yeager, a test pilot in The Right Stuff.
Philip-Kaufman.jpg
The Dead Zone
The Dead Zone (1983)
86%RT Audience Score: 77%
Awards & Nominations: 7 wins & 4 nominations
The Dead Zone combines taut direction from David Cronenberg and and a rich performance from Christopher Walken to create one of the strongest Stephen King adaptations
The Dead Zone is a psychological thriller that will have you on the edge of your seat. It’s a Stephen King adaptation that’s both supernatural and grounded in reality, making it a believable story. Christopher Walken delivers a nuanced performance that’s both mad and sorcerer-like. The movie’s sense of dread is unnervingly of the moment, evoking the feel of this moment with surprising authenticity. It’s a fast-moving thriller that’s two separate stories connected by the same hero. Overall, The Dead Zone is one of the best Stephen King film adaptations that’s worth watching.
Production Company(ies)
New Line Cinema, Wing Nut Films, The Saul Zaentz Company,
Distributor
Paramount Pictures, VTI Home Video, Video Classics
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada
MPAA / Certificate
R
Year of Release
1983
-
Color:Color
-
Sound mix:Dolby Stereo
-
Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
-
Runtime:1h 43m
-
Language(s):English, Polish, Russian
-
Country of origin:United States
-
Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Oct 21, 1983 Original
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 26, 2006
Genre(s)
Mystery & thriller/Sci-fi
Keyword(s)
starring Christopher Walken, Brooke Adams, Tom Skerritt, Herbert Lom, Anthony Zerbe, Colleen Dewhurst, Martin Sheen, directed by David Cronenberg, written by Stephen King, Jeffrey Boam, Mystery & Thriller, Sci-Fi, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Adam Nayman, Variety Staff, Kim Newman, Dave Kehr, Eric Henderson, Tom Charity, Kevin Carr, Matt Brunson, Christopher Lloyd, Bernard Drew, Tim Stevens, Michelle Kisner, produced by Debra Hill, MPAA rating R, psychic abilities, supernatural thriller, Stephen King adaptation, Johnny Smith, Greg Stillson, aspiring politician, danger, psychic powers, future, touch, heartbroken, girlfriend, sheriff, doctor, Roger Stuart, Henrietta Dodd, psychic visions, tragedy, foreboding, atmospheric, creepy, unsettling, fun thrill ride
Worldwide gross: $20,766,616
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $63,544,966
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,229
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 6,929,658
US/Canada gross: $20,766,616
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $63,544,966
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 966
US/Canada opening weekend: $4,556,083
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $13,941,421
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 831
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $10,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $30,599,577
Production budget ranking: 1,145
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $16,477,872
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $16,467,517
ROI to date (est.): 35%
ROI ranking: 1,220
Brooke Adams – Sarah Bracknell
Tom Skerritt – Sheriff Bannerman
Herbert Lom – Dr. Sam Weizak
Anthony Zerbe – Roger Stuart
Colleen Dewhurst – Henrietta Dodd
David Cronenberg – Director
Debra Hill – Producer
Stephen King – Writer
Jeffrey Boam – Writer
Director(s)
David Cronenberg
Writer(s)
Stephen King, Jeffrey Boam
Producer(s)
Debra Hill
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
7 wins & 4 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (48) | Top Critics (8) | Fresh (43) | Rotten (5)
What makes the The Dead Zone so frightening-and finally deeply moving-is how it commits to the psychology of a guy whose destiny is destroyed and fulfilled by the way he’s slipping through the cracks.
September 5, 2019
Adam Nayman
The Ringer
TOP CRITIC
An accomplished psychological thriller.
October 7, 2008
Variety Staff
Variety
TOP CRITIC
Cronenberg attempting a little mainstream with this Stephen King yarn and really pulling it off.
September 25, 2007 | Rating: 4/5
Kim Newman
Empire Magazine
TOP CRITIC
By no means a bad film, just a disappointingly bland and superficial one.
September 25, 2007
Dave Kehr
Chicago Reader
TOP CRITIC
Don’t let the fact that visible breath and frosty misery take priority over exploding heads and fetus-licking snow you.
October 23, 2006 | Rating: 3.5/4
Eric Henderson
Slant Magazine
TOP CRITIC
Cronenberg pulls it off, but you can’t help feeling it’s a movie in search of a TV series.
January 26, 2006
Tom Charity
Time Out
TOP CRITIC
Over the years, I have grown to love this movie… It’s a beautiful film with a great nuanced performance by Christopher Walken.
July 31, 2021 | Rating: 4/4
Kevin Carr
Fat Guys at the Movies
Ranks among the finest of all Stephen King adaptations.
September 26, 2020 | Rating: 3.5/4
Matt Brunson
Film Frenzy
David Cronenberg delivers a curiously flat, uninspired adaptation of Stephen King’s book starring Christopher Walken doing his mad sorcerer thing.
September 21, 2020 | Rating: 3/5
Christopher Lloyd
The Film Yap
An unusual, fast-moving thriller even though it seems to be two separate stories connected by the same hero.
September 20, 2019
Bernard Drew
Gannett News Service
The Dead Zone evokes the feel of this moment with surprising authenticity. The movie’s sense of dread, of a system that is teetering on the edge of disaster, feel unnervingly of the moment.
September 10, 2019
Tim Stevens
The Spool
The Dead Zone is one of the best Stephen King film adaptations as it deftly combines the supernatural with real world elements culminating in a believable story.
January 29, 2019
Michelle Kisner
The Movie Sleuth…
Plot
Johnny Smith wakes from a coma due to a car accident, only to find he has lost five years of his life, and yet gained psychic powers. Foreseeing the future appears to be a ‘gift’ at first, but ends up causing problems…
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Christopher Walken delivers a “rich performance” in The Dead Zone, according to Fresh Kernels.
David-Cronenberg.jpg
Terms of Endearment
Terms of Endearment (1983)
81%RT Audience Score: 83%
Awards & Nominations: Won 5 Oscars
32 wins & 18 nominations total
A classic tearjerker, Terms of Endearment isn’t shy about reaching for the heartstrings — but is so well-acted and smartly scripted that it’s almost impossible to resist
Terms of Endearment is like a rollercoaster ride of emotions that will make you laugh, cry, and everything in between. It’s a classic American movie that tells the story of three relationships in a completely effortless way. The quirky rhythms and veering emotional tones are what make this movie unique and unforgettable. You’ll fall in love with the leading characters in just five minutes and be putty in the hands of writer-director James L. Brooks. So grab some tissues and get ready for a sweet-ass gal of a movie that will leave you feeling all the feels.
Production Company(ies)
Walt Disney Pictures, Lin Pictures, Rideback
Distributor
Paramount Pictures
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
3060 Locke Lane, Houston, Texas, USA
MPAA / Certificate
PG
Year of Release
1983
-
Color:Color
-
Sound mix:Mono
-
Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
-
Runtime:2h 12m
-
Language(s):English
-
Country of origin:United States
-
Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Nov 23, 1983 Original
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 10, 2001
Genre(s)
Comedy/Drama
Keyword(s)
starring Shirley MacLaine, Debra Winger, Jack Nicholson, Jeff Daniels, Danny DeVito, John Lithgow, directed by James L Brooks, written by James L Brooks, produced by James L Brooks, comedy, drama, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Nigel Andrews, David Robinson, Jay Carr, Kathleen Carroll, Gene Siskel, Richard Schickel, James Wegg, Mike Massie, Tim Brayton, Cole Smithey, Diego Galán, PG rating, mother-daughter relationship, family dysfunction, cancer, romance, melodrama, sentimentality, Michael Gore’s score, ensemble cast, Academy Awards, Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Screenplay, Best Original Score, Best Editing, Best Cinematography, Golden Globe Awards, Best Motion Picture – Drama, Best Director – Motion Picture, Best Screenplay – Motion Picture, Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama, Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture, Best Original Score – Motion Picture, Best Original Song – Motion Picture, Best Cinematography – Motion Picture, Best Film Editing – Motion Picture, Screen Actors Guild Awards, Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture, Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role, Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role, Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role, mother, daughter, astronaut, teacher, cheating, hospital, marriage, divorce, death, cancer diagnosis, family dynamics, heartstrings, tearjerker
Worldwide gross: $108,423,749
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $331,772,085
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 452
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 36,180,162
US/Canada gross: $108,423,489
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $331,771,289
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 162
US/Canada opening weekend: $3,498,813
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $10,706,220
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 936
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $8,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $24,479,662
Production budget ranking: 1,259
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $13,182,298
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $294,110,126
ROI to date (est.): 781%
ROI ranking: 164
Debra Winger – Emma Greenway Horton
Jack Nicholson – Garrett Breedlove
Jeff Daniels – Flap Horton
Danny DeVito – Vernon Dahlart
John Lithgow – Sam Burns
Director(s)
James L. Brooks
Writer(s)
James L. Brooks
Producer(s)
James L. Brooks
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
Won 5 Oscars
32 wins & 18 nominations total
Academy Awards
Oscar Best Achievement in Directing Winners, Oscar Best Picture Winners, Oscar Best Writing Winners, Oscar Nominees, Oscar Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published Winners, Oscar Winners
All Critics (55) | Top Critics (13) | Fresh (43) | Rotten (12)
Anyone who believes that television styles are new taking over the cinema — or at least large sections of it — will have their fears confirmed here.
February 3, 2020
Nigel Andrews
Financial Times
TOP CRITIC
It is impossible to resist the feeling of watching a long-running soap opera of which you have missed rather a lot of crucial episodes.
February 3, 2020
David Robinson
Times (UK)
TOP CRITIC
Terms of Endearment is that uncommon kind of American movie, the kind that doesn’t just manipulate our feelings, but releases them.
April 26, 2018
Jay Carr
Boston Globe
TOP CRITIC
It takes all of perhaps five minutes to fall in love with the leading characters in Terms of Endearment and from that point on, the audience is just putty in the extremely capable hands of writer-director James L. Brooks.
February 22, 2015
Kathleen Carroll
New York Daily News
TOP CRITIC
Terms of Endearment is about three relationships and students of screenwriting would do well to study the way in which these three stories are told completely and effortlessly in a movie of average length.
January 18, 2013 | Rating: 4/4
Gene Siskel
Chicago Tribune
TOP CRITIC
Its quirky rhythms and veering emotional tones are very much its own, and they owe less to movie tradition than they do to a sense of how the law of unintended consequences pushes us ceaselessly through the years, permitting no pause for perspective.
February 20, 2009
Richard Schickel
TIME Magazine
TOP CRITIC
“My sweet-ass gal”
May 8, 2022 | Rating: 3.5/5
James Wegg
JWR
With this attention to maintaining a certain earnestness, overflowing with small details and comic touches, the pacing lags – even when laughs or heartbreak are abundant.
September 8, 2020 | Rating: 7/10
Mike Massie
Gone With The Twins
A bunch of loosely-assembled anecdotes that move in chronological order without explaining why anything actually happens.
June 29, 2020 | Rating: 2/5
Tim Brayton
Alternate Ending
Dysfunctional adults, an unhappy marriage, too many kids, a cruel mom, an over-the-hill astronaut, and cancer are elements in this hardcore tear-jerker. Cry, cry, cry.
June 7, 2020 | Rating: A-
Cole Smithey
ColeSmithey.com
How James L. Brooks’s Terms of Endearment evolves from a prolonged and bizarrely unfunny sit-com into a heartbreaking ten-hankie family tragedy is a phenomenon I’m not sure I can wholly explain.
February 26, 2020
Molly Haskell
Vogue
One doesn’t begin to understand what exactly is Terms of Endearment: what does it represent or what is it trying to tell us? [Full Review in Spanish]
February 5, 2020
Diego Galán
El Pais (Spain)…
Plot
Aurora and Emma are mother and daughter who march to different drummers. Beginning with Emma’s marriage, Aurora shows how difficult and loving she can be. The movie covers several years of their lives as each finds different reasons to go on living and find joy. Aurora’s interludes with Garrett Breedlove, retired astronaut and next door neighbor are quite striking. In the end, different people show their love in very different ways.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Jack Nicholson’s performance in Terms of Endearment is described as “sublime” and “charismatic” by an audience reviewer.
James-L.-Brooks.jpg