'80s Class: Witness (1985)

 As we're in Oscar Season, let's look at a Film that was underrepresented at the Oscars 40 years ago.

This is Witness, a 1985 Drama from Peter Weir.  The Film stars Harrison Ford, who got his first and only Oscar nomination for Best Actor.

Seriously, that's the only time.

The Plot involves a young, Amish boy who is the only witness to the killing of a Cop.  When the crime turns out to be part of a bigger Plot, Ford has to keep the boy in hiding.

The Film was up for 8 Oscars in 1986, losing most of their potential statues to the combo of Out of Africa and Kiss of the Spider Woman.

As the Film with the Best Screenplay and Editing of 1985, does it hold up?

To find out, read on...

An Amish Woman- Rachel- is mourning the loss of her Husband.

She has to adjust to a new life without him.

To help her recovery, she goes with her son Samuel to visit her Sister.

At the Train Station, the kid goes into the bathroom.

While he's there, a man (later revealed to be a Cop) is killed by two men.

The kid is the only witness to this crime and Ford (as John Book) tries to get him to ID the man.

Checking out the people whose pictures they have on file doesn't work.

However, the kid sees a picture of a Lieutenant (Danny Glover) and IDs him.

Ford goes up the chain as high as he can, explaining that it likely has to do with some drugs recovered by Vice under Glover's supervision.

He hopes that he can get the help he need to go after someone in the Department.

The next day, Glover shoots at him in a Car Park, proving that the Boss is in on it too.

He covers his tracks until he can approach the case in a new way.

He drives the two of them back home, but he passes out from a wound he got from Glover.

They take him in- because why wouldn't you?- and he recovers amongst the Community as an outsider.

He also starts to fall for Rachel, getting into a soft conflict with Eli (the Elder) and Daniel, who clearly has a thing for the woman.

He finds out that things back home are not getting better, as his partner died 'in the line of duty.'

He also can't help but really fall for Rachel, coming across her one night and barely resisting his natural urge to go to her.

How did he not get the Oscar again?!?

Things take a turn for Act 3 as Ford- stressed out already- strikes a jerk who was actively trying to provoke the Amish when they came to Town.

He feels bad (sort of) and this gets the attention of the local Cop (working with the bad guy) to help them find Ford.

And yes, that is Viggo Mortensen.

The three bad guys come to Town (in a shot that proves that this should have won Best Cinematography) and Ford is not ready for it.

He manages to take out one guy with a ton of corn in the silo and Glover with a shotgun.

The corrupt Captain is finally guilted when he's surrouned by the community of Witnesses and surrenders.

In the aftermath, Ford knows that he can't stay, passing by Daniel on his way to see Rachel.
The End.

A strong Film that really holds up after 4 Decades- no questions.

A Critic praises a Peter Weir Film- shocking!

This one is not talked about nearly as mcuh as Weir's other Films, be it Dead Poets Society (the one I own on Laserdisc) or The Truman Show.

This was at the time when we started to get the so-called Buddy Cop Films, so it is interesting to see a Film that seems to set this up with Ford's Partner...and 

Focusing equally on Ford trying to fit in and how it is effecting Rachel's Character is a good one.  This is her Story too, after all.

So many tender moments, subtle things and even the lack of a big speech at the end between the two is what you get when you trust Weir on this.

If you haven't seen Witness, do it.  If you have seen it, watch it again.  It's great.

Plus, you get to see a sort-of Star Wars reunion in 1985 as Harrison Ford shares a brief moment with James Earl Jones...'s Father.

He shares more screen time with Vader's Dad than the voice of Vader!

Next up, a return to James Bond.  This time, it is another Classic involving Scaramanga and his golden gun!  Stay tuned...

Holiday TV: Evil Druids on 'Friday the 13th: The Series!'

 Another Friday the 13th in the year 2026 is here.

Let's see if there's a properly Irish Episode to cover.

***

We're at the 2nd to last ever Episode and it is...

A woman is about to give birth at a Private Center.

The Nurse says that the Father-to-be needs to go outside with a candle for a ritual...and he's grabbed by roots and pulled into the base of a tree!

Johnny- the new Male Lead for Season 3- meets the woman from earlier.

She was told that only her Son survived, but she doesn't buy it.

Johnny looks into her story and, well, she's right.
This would be a bad Episode if she was just crazy.

The Center is run by Druids- all Ladies- is helping couples give birth to fraternal twins and then keeping the girl child.

They're also sacrificing the Husbands, because Cults.

The girls are all part of a plan to form new Druidic Covens across the World!

Step 1: Make A Bunch of Covens
Step 2: ????
Step 3: Profit!

The group finally believes Johnny as he finds out more about the group.

It all revolves around an artifact- a Cernunnos Idol.

It makes magic fruit or something as long as you do the rituals correctly.

The Mom, of course, doesn't wait for help and is left to die by the evil Druids.

They do what Dr. Phibes did to Terry Thomas, but slower and less efficiently.

The trio try to stop it, but things don't go well at first.

Jack is nearly sacrificed, while Johnny attacks the tree at the roots.

Lightning strikes and the ritual is ruined.

The tree falls on the evil Doctor and the day is saved.
The End.

A strong Episode, even if the promise of a Wicker Man isn't delivered.

The idea of evil, lady Druids is a good one.  It only took 71 Episodes to get there!

Granted- in a real-world situation, this evil plan has about 100 holes in it.  This is the Show about magical artifacts though, so...

While watching the Episode, I was making Wicker Man jokes to myself (jokes about bear suits and bees, etc.).  Seconds later, they say that they are preparing a Wicker Man!

Well, it is actually just a Wicker Coffin to burn.  Boo.

Regardless, this one has an evil villain with a lovely Irish brogue and Jack speaking Gaelic.
Oh well, time to check out this Show in...8 months.

Sorry, Jack.

An Episode with good villains and an interesting Artifact.  Just don't promise me a Wicker Man and then give me nothing!

Tubi Thursday: Godzilla vs. Destoroyah (1995)

 We're at an interesting point in time for the Godzilla Franchise.

We have a Sequel to Minus One, another MonsterVerse Film and about 70 crossover Comics.

Let's take a trip back to 1995 and see how the Heisei Era ended...

Godzilla is on the rampage and he looks quite different.

It turns out that his heart/nuclear generator is working towards a meltdown!

The Japanese Government knows that this is trouble and seeks out a young Scientist (the brother of the one from Godzilla vs Biollante).

He initially says 'no,' but quickly says 'yes' when he hears who is working there.

Elsewhere, a Scientist has created something called Micro-Oxygen.

It can be a helpful too, but the Widow of Dr. Serizawa (the Creator of the Oxygen Destroyer in the OG Godzilla) is nervous.

Her fears turn out to be somewhat founded as small creatures exposed to remnants of the Oxygen Destroyer and the new Micro-Oxygen form.

They become walking crabs/tanks for a while and wreaking havoc.

The Government is desperate to stop Godzilla, fearing that his meltdown will destroy the World.

From inside of what looks like Gizmonic Institute, they come up with a plan to freeze him and stall for time.

Despite seemingly being dead/missing, Little Godzilla (aka Little) appears and is unharmed.

He's grown to look like his Dad, only much smaller.

He's the key to getting the melting down Godzilla to Tokyo.

Why?

Because the big crabs/tanks have now formed Destoroyah (often called Destroyer).

Can Little and the soon-to-blow Godzilla save Tokyo?

Yes, but at what cost?!?

To find out, stream it now.

A dramatic, powerful and exciting conclusion to the Heisei Era.

It was actually meant to let the Series rest until 2004, but Roland Emmerich's work changed plans.

The Plot works well in isolation, but even better as a Series Finale.  Characters and Actors from the Past return here, from a Psychic to Momoko Koichi returning as Serizawa's Wife from the 1954 Film.

That said, if you don't watch these in order, it is still quite good.  You just lose some subtext and pathos.

Godzilla has a unique look here with his meltdown appearance.  When you see things get worse and his fins actually melt, it is a sight to behold.

Like most of these Films, the usual things come up- miniatures not always looking real, Godzilla disappearing in the middle of the Film and some technical limitations.

Knowing all that, the Film is great.
It only actually ended the Series for about 4 years, but it is still straight fire!

A Film that is full of finality, even behind the Scenes.  If you enjoy these for what they are, this is a real delight!

Oscar Flix: Bugonia (2025)

 Does this Film have the right amount of buzz to be an Oscar Winner?

Is that the last Bee Pun?

To find out, check out my Review of...

Michele Fuller (Emma Stone) is the CEO of a major Company.

They have a history of experiments with chemicals and bioengineering.

She draws the ire of a crazy man (Jesse Plemmons) and his Cousin.

He's convinced that she's an Alien and kidnaps her.

They take her back to their home- hiding her car and destroying her phone.

They also shave her head, since he explains that she needs it to communicate with her ship.

She is also covered in lotion, because...it made sense in Korean.

The man wants her to send a communication to her Leader and to help him negotiate a deal to save the Earth.

He's clearly motivated by the fact that Stone's CEO is also responsible for his Mom- a random Alicia Silverstone- being in a coma after he drug issues.

He's...not well.

There's a local Cop who has a vague backstory with Plemmons' Character.

It's implied that he did something terrible to him, but there's also no payoff to this, so...

Lots of weird stuff happens.

It gets pretty freaky.
It gets pretty messy.

To find out what, stream it now...

This sure was...something.

Is this Yorgos' most twisted and bleak Movie?
Well, no.

The Killing of a Sacred Deer's 3rd Act is hard to beat and the lady stomping a dog in The Lobster, so...

The Film walks an interesting line as it comes to Plemmons' Character and whether he's right or not.  He's crazy...but wait...maybe not...okay, he is...but now he's right...maybe?

Plemmons is great, by the way.  Where is his nomination?
Stone is, as always, great.  A justified nomination.

I will say that I do like this Remake a bit better than the Original.  That one leaned more into the weird contrast between 'People act weird' and 'Guy tortures Captive' than this one (mercifully) does.

Bugonia is a Remake that does good things with a strange premise.  Just know that the Plot is not all that different, so, if you've seen one, you don't also necessarily need to see this...

A Film that has good ideas, a good Cast and a twisted sense of morality.  Fans of Yorgos' previous works will be pleased, and it sure hooks you.

Shudder Day: Queen of Black Magic (2019)

 Back when I got DVDs from Netflix, I used to LOVE watching whatever Mondo Macabro would distribute.

In 2026, I can now check out the (sort of) Remake of one of those Films.  
This is...

A trio of men- now married and one with children- return to the Orphanage at which they were raised when the man running it is near death.

Their past comes in the form of stories about a malformed woman and her mysterious disappearance.

Along the way there, they hit a deer.

As weird stuff starts to happen, the Dad checks the car and sees...something not right.

What he sees at the place of the wreck, he sees something even worse.
No, I won't SPOIL what that is.

Attempts to call the Police- fail.
Cell Phones- they don't work.

And yes, we are still doing 'No signal out here' stuff in 2019.

What is the weird cord attached to her cell phone?

Everyone there- from the kids to the parents to the staff running the place- is in danger.

A strange force is making them confront their fears/phobias.

It gets bloody.
It gets cruel.

Who will live?  Who will die?

What happens when the truth comes out?

To find out, stream it now.

A slow burn Film that gets very, very dark by the end.

The key aspect of the Film is that it needs about 25 Characters to let them do all of the crazy kills/torture they need to do.

As such, the Film takes a while setting things up.

Once the Horror starts, it never really lets up.
The CGI and make-up work is good here- almost too good.

The Film looks too real and the body horror stuff is quite unsettling.  If that's your thing, then you'll love this one.

Fans of freaky, dark Horror are in for a treat- as long as they can deal with foreign Actors, locations and subtitles.

A Film that eventually gets to a scary and graphic place.  If you don't like blood and cruelty in Film, skip this one!

'90s Class: Trespass (1992)

 Another late Film, but very much worth the wait!

This is Trespass, specifically the 1992 Film.  Sorry, it is not the 2011 Film by Joel Schumacher (his last Feature Film).

Instead, it is the one by Walter Hill and featuring a slew of notable names for its time.

Bill Paxton!  William Sadler!  Ice Cube!  Ice T!

Yes, the Stars aligned and we got both ice-named Rappers in one Film together!  The Prophecy came true!

On top of that, this is another Film based on a Script written by a young Bob Gale and Robert Zemeckis.  The previous Tales from the Crypt Film (made 3 years after this) also happened to star Sadler.  
At least his Cameo in Bordello as a Mummy does connect things!

The Plot involves Paxton and Sadler as Firemen seeking a treasure haul to change their lives.  They just happen to be at the worst building at the worst time and now a stand-off occurs!

Who will live?  Who will die?  Why was this one retitled from Looters?

To find out, read on...

Paxton and Sadler are Firefighters trying to rescue people from a burning building.

An old man gives them some papers and then flees into the room, burning alive!

In the aftermath, they figure out that he gave them a story about stolen gold artifacts from a Church...and a Map.

They take a weekend trip from Arkansas to Illinois to find it.

They have to search a large, vacant building and work hard.

Up on a nearby roof, a deal is interrupted by a crew led by Ice T and Ice Cube.

They are there because the former's brother- Lucky- was making the deal.

They toss the guy through a glass part of the roof...

...and unfortunately, Bill Paxton just happened to walk into view and look up as they looked down.

They confront him, guns drawn and Sadler steps by grabbing Lucky has a hostage!

Now they are under a siege.

With Lucky tied to the door, the gang couldn't enter.
With the gang blocking all exits, they can't get away.

They have to work with the homeless man living in the House, which gets easier when they finally find the loot!

As time passes and options disappear, tension is also raising in the group.

Ice Cube thinks that the Boss is too soft and his comrade- nicknamed Superfly- agrees.

They plan to burn the whole building down!

Guns are fired.

Lucky is killed in the crossfire.

Paxton uses his fireman skills to go down the once-blocked chimney on a rope line.
He swings back into the building Die Hard-style when Ice-T starts shooting.

Ultimately, Sadler- as the most aggressive and greedy one- dies in a shootout with Ice-T.

The rest of the gang either leaves or gets killed.

Paxton reaches the bottom when he sees the building explode- thanks to Cube's C-4- moments later!

The homeless guy manages to get out with the loot and hide it from Paxton.

He convinces him to leave- 'they don't care about me- and the man smiles when he leaves with all of the loot.

The End.

An exciting and tense Action Film from a man who surely had the formula down by now.

If you've seen the 48 Hours Films, you know what Hill can do with a mismatched duo in a tense shootout.

This one was apparently inspired by The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, which tracks.
It was also going to be released as Looters, but then the Rodney King Verdict and the LA Riots happened, so...new Title.

The Actors do a great job showing the escalating tensions between friends, gang members and mentor-mentee.  Both Ices do a good job, though T's role requires more nuance and has more of an Arc.

Ice Cube is basically a dick the whole time.  He's effective but never changes much.

Paxton and Sadler both shine too.  They were always good.

The use of a big, but isolated building is great for the tension and they used every angle possible.

Trespass is an Action Film with some nuance and a bit more than you might expect.
Ice-T also reminds me of a Christmas Film too...

***Who pulls off the look better?***

Next up, it is time to revisit an '80s Film with Harrison Ford.  Can he keep a woman safe in a tight-knit community unlike our own?  Stay tuned...