80s Movie Review - Spies Like Us

Director: John Landis
Genre: Comedy
Runtime: 102 minutes
Year: 1985
Starring: Dan Aykroyd, Chevy Chase    
 
Description: Two bumbling government employees (Chevy Chase, Dan Aykroyd) think they are U.S. spies, only to discover that they are actually decoys for Nuclear War.

I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2025 MOVIE CHALLENGE.
WEEK 31: A FILM FROM 1985
 
Review: Comedy legends Chevy Chase and Dan Aykroyd play CIA office employees who, to their delight, are assigned a real spy mission: they have to track down a secret missile installation in Russia. In reality the duo is just a distraction for the real spies.

As is usually the cast in production featuring (former) stars of the sketch show “Saturday Night Live”, this good natured comedy offers a mix of inspired and particularly silly jokes. It’s slapstick comedy, some jokes that would not be acceptable nowadays. It was still funny, but director John Landis and both Chase and Ayrkroyd have made better films.

Rating: 3/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2016 - # 161: Twilight Zone: The Movie

Director: John Landis, Steven Spielberg, Joe Dante, George Miller
Genre: Horror/ Thriller/ Comedy/ Fantasy
Runtime: 101 minutes
Year: 1983
Starring: Dan Aykroyd, Albert Brooks, Vic Morrow, Doug McGrath, Charles Hallahan, Rainer Peets, Kai Wulff, Sue Dugan, Debby Porter, Steven Williams, Annette Claudier, Joseph Hieu, Al Leong, Stephen Bishop, Thomas Byrd, Scatman Crothers, Bill Quinn, Martin Garner, Selma Diamond, Helen Shaw, Murray Matheson, Peter Brocco, Priscilla Pointer, Scott Nemes, Tanya Fenmore, Evan Richards, Laura Mooney, Christopher Eisenmann, Richard Swingler, Alan Haufrect, Cheryl Sochler, Elsa Raven, Kathleen Quinlan, Jeremy Licht, Kevin McCarthy, Patricia Barry, William Schallert, Nancy Cartwright, Dick Miller, Cherie Currie, Bill Mumy, Jeffrey Bannister, John Lithgow, Abbe Lane, Donna Dixon, John Dennis Johnston, Larry Cedar, Charles Knapp, Byron McFarland, Christina Nigra, Lana Schwabb

Description: Four horror/sci-fi segments directed by four famous directors, each of them being a new version of a classic story from Rod Serling's landmark television series The Twilight Zone (1959).

Review: “Twilight Zone: The Movie” is based on the television series “The Twilight Zone”. It starts of with a prologue and then tells us four different stories, directed by four different directors. Two men are driving a card in the night and start reminiscing about old TV shows, like “The Twilight Zone”. It’s the set up for the film.

Segment # 1:
Bill Connor missed out on a promotion and spills his guts while having a drink in a bar with some friends. His words don’t come easy and bothers some other customers, because he is pretty racist. When Bill leaves the bar, he himself is the victim of racism and hatred. John Landis directs this part and it has a dark atmosphere. It’s somber and intense, but doesn’t really develop.

Segment # 2:
Mister Bloom arrives at the Sunnyvale Rest Home, as a new citizen. Bloom befriends many of the people living there and convinces them that you are as old as you feel. Steven Spielberg directed this second segment. The idea is good and it does have some good moments, but the story gets a bit too sentimental.

Segment # 3:
Teacher Helen Foley accidentaly hits the young Anthony with her car. She brings him home and meets his family. Anthony’s family acts strange, but so does Anthony. And this all happens because they are afraid of Anthony. Joe Dante directs and adds more humor to his story. It has a light horror undertone. Dante was definitely influences by cartoons and it is sometimes funny, especially because of the overacting of the actors. But the ending is again a bit too sweet.

Segment # 4:
John Valentine is afraid of flying, but he has to go by plane. He has to do everything to keep his fear under controle. But when he thinks he is calm, he sees a strange creature on one of the wings of the plane. He sees its trying to break one of the engines and off course no one believes John. The director for this story is George Miller and this is the only story that I liked completely. It gives you a claustrophobic feel and it has some scary moments. John Lithgow plays his role as Valentine very well. It’s the best story in this film.

I expected a bit more quality from those four amazing directors. It’s and entertaining flick, but only the last story really nailed it.

Rating: 2,5/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2015 - # 136: Masters of Horror - Family

Director: John Landis

Genre: Horror

Runtime: 59 minutes

Year: 2006

Starring: George Wendt, Meredith Monroe, Matt Keeslar, Haley Guiel, Kerry Sandomirsky, John B. Scott, Nancy Whyte, Emily Tennan, Emily Hope, Aleita Northey, Frances Flanagan & Donald R. Mintz

Description: Harold (George Wendt) is a seemingly peaceful neighbor in a quiet midwestern neighborhood, but underneath, he's a murderous psychopath who sets his eyes on a couple (Meredith Monroe, Matt Keeslar) that have moved in across the street.

Review: When David and Celia movie into a new neighborhood and in a drunk mood knock over their neighbor’s mailbox, they meet Harold. He seems lonely, but nothing is as it seems. He has a family, Harold made it himself. He kills to eventually keep the skeletons. Harold dresses them up and even talks to them. His ‘wife’ is boring him and now he has his eyes on Celia. David and Celia invite him over for dinner and from that moment on things are going wrong.

Wendt is fun to watch in his role. He looks friendly and likeable, has a nice house, looks normal and is actually hardly noticeable. Harold could be anyone’s neighbor. Matt Keeslar and Meredith Monroe, as David and Celia, do a solid job.

The story is the most fun. The plot if perfect to fill an hour and as a viewer you’re constant curious of what’s going to happen next. It has a Hitchcock feel.

“Family” is never really scary, but I think director John Landis never intended that. It’s has a light atmosphere. There is a little gore in the film, but it’s easy to watch. And the movie has a fun twist, that you probably won’t see coming.

“Family” is probably a film that you won’t remember for long, because it’s simple. But it’s a fun film and it’s enjoyable to watch.

Rating: 3,5/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2015 - # 52: An American Werewolf in London

Director: John Landis

Genre: Horror/ Comedy

Runtime: 93 minutes

Year: 1981

Starring: David Naughton, Jenny Agutter, Griffin Dunne, John Woodvine, Lila Kaye, Joe Belcher, David Schofield, Brian Glover, Rik Mayall, Sean Baker, Paddy Ryans, Anne-Marie Davies, Frank Oz, Don McKillop, Paul Kember, Colin Fernandes, Albert Moses, Michele Brisigoth, Mark Fisher, Gordon Sterne, Paula Jacobs, Claudine Bowyer, Johanna Crayden, Nina Carter, Geoffrey Burridge, Brenda Cavendish, Christopher Scoular, Mary Tempest, Cynthia Powell, Sydney Bromley, Frank Singuineau, Will Leighton, Michael Carter, Elizabeth Bradley, Rufus Deakin, Lesley Ward, George Hilsdon, Gerry Lewis, Dennis Fraser

Description: Two American college students on a walking tour of Britain are attacked by a werewolf that none of the locals will admit exists.

Review: “An American Werewolf in London” is a movie that, within its genre, has reached a cult status. The start of the movie says enough and tells us which direction it’s heading: full moon, warnings, a pentagram on the wall of the local pub and a hostile attitude from the villagers. Something bad is about to happen. It’s in the form of a werewolf, that attacks both David and Jack while on a nightly stroll. Jack is killed and David survives the attack. But that’s just the beginning of David’s nightmare.

This film has that cult status to thanks to the wonderfully visualized transformation, where David turns into a werewolf. Director John Landis wanted the camera to stay close and to shoot the scene in clear light. This makes the transformation very realistic, especially for its time. This scene is definitely the best and most memorable moment of the movie.

Aside from that one scene, the physical appearance isn’t that present. It’s often more short and quick scenes with a bloody werewolf’s head and some growling noises. Only a couple of times the beast is fully shown, mostly from a distance. This doesn’t make the movie less exciting or scary. Landis managed to create an oppressive atmosphere and a good build-up.

At the time the movie came out, it got mixed reviews. People weren’t sure in which category “An American Werewolf in London” belonged. That’s because of the mix between horror and comedy. Landis claimed it was a horror movie. And that’s the case. The comedy, also thanks to lead actor David Naughton, is just a little bit of relief from all the gore. If this movie is a horror comedy, we will leave that up to the audience.

“An American Werewolf in London” is one of the best movies in the genre of werewolf movies and will definitely make every horror fan happy.

Rating: 4/ 5