The Deer Hunter (1978) 7/10

Starring : Robert De Niro, John Cazale, John Savage, Christopher Walken, Meryl Streep
Director : Michael Cimino
Running Time : 179 mins

Following a wedding celebration, a trio of factory workers go off to fight in the Vietnam War. Their experiences there in a prisoner of war camp result in some drastic changes in their personalities, most notably in Nick (Walken) who, so scarred by how his life has changed him, stays on in Vietnam where he takes part in some back alley games of Russian Roulette.

Despite a very slow opening sequence and some dubious historical facts, this isn’t a bad movie, with some good acting and some pivotal cinematic moments. It’s a little over hyped, mainly because of the time at which it was made, but over the years I really think it’s lost some of its edge. Still, it’s got some interesting ideas and some great stark contrasts between the wedding party and Vietnam.

Mallrats (1995) 8/10

Starring : Shannen Doherty, Jeremy London, Jason Lee, Claire Forlani, Ben Affleck, Joey Lauren Adams, Jason Mewes, Kevin Smith
Director : Kevin Smith
Running Time : 91 mins

Brodie Bruce (Lee) and TS Quint (London) are dumped by their girlfriends, so decide to go to the local mall to try to get over it. While there they discover that not only is Brodie's now ex-girlfriend Rene (Doherty) seeing another guy - one with questionable sexual preferences - but that Stan "The Man" Lee is doing a very rare comic book signing! Now the two are torn between trying to get their grilfriends back and meeting their all-time hero.

With a significantly larger budget, Kevin Smith managed to make a pretty good looking teen-movie, with faces that were far more familiar to American audiences than those in Clerks. Still, despite having a bigger budget and looking much more slick, the script isn't quite as crisp as Clerks, though Jason Lee is absolutely brilliant as Brodie.

Back To The Future Part II (1989) 8/10

Starring : Michael J Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, Thomas F Wilson, Elisabeth Shue
Director : Robert Zemeckis
Running Time : 108 mins

Having only just returned from 1955, Marty McFly (Fox) is whisked into the future by Doc Brown (Lloyd), who has information about a disaster that is going to befall Marty’s future children. This issue is soon solved, but when Marty returns to 1985 he finds his world has been altered and has to travel back to 1955 to rectify the changes that have occurred.

Despite not being as good as the original, and a few niggly plot points which I won’t go into here, this is still a damn fine sequel with all the energy of the original. Fox and Lloyd repeat their performances as if it’s only been a few days, rather than four years, since they last played Marty and the Doc, and once again Thomas F Wilson puts in a stirling effort as the irrepressible Biff Tannen.

Poltergeist (1982) 9/10

Starring : Craig T Nelson, JoBeth Williams, Beatrice Straight, Dominique Dunne, Oliver Robbins, Heather O’Rourke
Director : Tobe Hooper
Running Time : 115 mins

Young couple Steve (Nelson) and Diane Freeling (Williams) find their house to be haunted, although at first things seem okay as the ghosts are just being playful, but when their young daughter Carol Ann (O’Rourke) is kidnapped by the ghosts, the parents decide to call in professional help to deal with the hauntings.

A truly classic horror film, and penned by Steven Spielberg, this movie is still as scary today as it’s always been. The effects might not look as good after 25 years, but there’s still the deep sense of foreboding throughout the film, hinting at what is yet to come, mixed with an unnatural calm that keeps you waiting for something spooky to happen.

Taxi Driver (1976) 7/10

Starring : Robert De Niro, Cybill Shepherd, Peter Boyle, Jodie Foster, Harvey Keitel
Director : Martin Scorsese
Running Time : 109 mins

Travis Bickle (De Niro) works as a cabbie in New York, using the night shifts as a means to cure his insomnia which has come as a result of his time in Vietnam, and he soon finds himself loathing the types of people who ride in his cab at night. As his relationship with Betsy (Shepherd), a campaign worker for a state senator, falls apart, Bickle decides to make a name for himself by assassinating the senator in a vague attempt to start cleaning up the town, and also attempts to rescue a young prostitute (Foster).

The only word to suitably describe this movie is interesting. Although De Niro gives a memorable performance, as does Keitel’s hair, there isn’t anything particularly outstanding about this movie. It does feel as if it’s been over hyped over the years, and this just builds the movie up into something it’s not; it’s good, but it’s nothing that special.

Edward Scissorhands (1990) 8/10

Starring : Johnny Depp, Winona Ryder, Dianne Wiest, Anthony Michael Hall, Kathy Baker
Director : Tim Burton
Running Time : 107 mins

An Avon lady, Peg Bogs (Wiest), discovers a young man named Edward (Depp), who was built by an Inventor (Vincent Price) who died before he was complete. Now left with scissors for hands, Edward finds himself entering the outside world to live with Peg, and discovers a knack for hair styling and exterior design, whilst falling in love with Peg’s daughter Kim (Ryder).

This is a charming little tale, inspired in parts by both Pinocchio and Frankenstein, and makes the rather creepy-looking, leather-clad, knife-wielding Depp into a heart warming character that everyone can love. Burton’s manages to do something truly unique with this movie, and it’s good to see that much of his later works have held the same level of uniqueness.

Midnight Run (1988) 8/10

Starring : Robert De Niro, Charles Grodin, Yaphet Kotto, John Ashton, Dennis Farina, Joe Pantoliano
Director : Martin Brest
Running Time : 122 mins

Bounty hunter Jack Walsh (De Niro) has his work cut out for him when he is hired to capture bail jumper and former Mafia accountant Jonathan Mardukas (Grodin) and bring him back to LA from New York. When he finds Mardukas, Walsh realises that this assignment may not be as easy as it first seemed when he discovers that the mob are trying to kill Mardukas.

Martin Brest does it again when he manages to direct a movie that is the perfect mix of drama and light heartedness. I don’t think De Niro had done any real comedy before this (other than The King Of Comedy), so it is quite surprising in retrospect to see him teamed up with Charles Grodin, but this movie, even today, is still refreshingly inventive and somewhat timeless in it’s natural charm.