Blockbusters and Birdwalks

A Pizza Hut / A Pizza Hut / Kentucky Fried Chicken / And a Pizza Hut.

This is the final part of an eight-part series about American movie ratings. 

Part 1 focused on Prano Baily-Bond’s “Censor”. Part 2 focused on Mike Nichols’s “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?”. Part 3 focused on Brian DePalma’s “Greetings”. Part 4 focused on Gordon Flemyng’s “The Split”. Part 5 focused on Steven Spielberg’s “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom”. Part 6 focused on Garry Marshall’s “The Flamingo Kid”. Part 7 focused on John McNaughton’s “Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer”.

***
Referenced media:

• “Taboo” (Kirdy Stevens, 1980)
• “Goodfellas” (Martin Scorsese, 1990)
• “King of New York” (Abel Ferrara, 1990)
• “Miller’s Crossing” (Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, 1990)
• “Jacob’s Ladder” (Adrian Lyne, 1990)
• “Dances With Wolves” (Kevin Costner, 1990)
• “Misery” (Rob Reiner, 1990)
• “The Grifters” (Stephen Frears, 1990)
• “The Godfather Part III” (Francis Ford Coppola, 1990)
• “Sid and Nancy” (Alex Cox, 1986)
• “Red Shoe Diaries” (Zalman King, 1992-1997)
• “The Passion of Joan of Arc” (Carl Theodor Dreyer, 1928)
• “Un Chien Andalou” (Luis Buñuel, 1929)
• “Mädchen in Uniform” (Leontine Sagan, 1931)
• “The L Word” (Ilene Chaiken, Michele Abbot, and Kathy Greenberg, 2004-2009)
• “Mr. Belvedere” (Frank Dungan and Jeff Stein, 1985-1990)
• “Airplane!” (Jim Abrahams, David Zucker, and Jerry Zucker, 1980)
• “Clash of the Titans” (Desmond Davis, 1981)
• “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” (Philip Kaufman, 1978)
• “The Right Stuff” (Philip Kaufman, 1983)
• “Mank” (David Fincher, 2020)
• “Cape Fear” (Martin Scorsese, 1991)
• “The Exorcist: Extended Director’s Cut” (William Friedkin, 2000)
• “Showgirls” (Paul Verhoeven, 1995)
• “Deep Throat” (Gerard Damiano, 1972)
• “Behind the Green Door” (Artie Mitchell and Jim Mitchell, 1972)

This is the seventh part of an eight-part series about American movie ratings. 

Part 1 focused on Prano Baily-Bond’s “Censor”. Part 2 focused on Mike Nichols’s “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?”. Part 3 focused on Brian DePalma’s “Greetings”. Part 4 focused on Gordon Flemyng’s “The Split”. Part 5 focused on Steven Spielberg’s “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom”. Part 6 focused on Garry Marshall’s “The Flamingo Kid”. 

The final episode in this series will focus on Philip Kaufmans’s “Henry & June” (1990).

***
Referenced media:

• “The Terminator” (John Cameron, 1984)
• “The Silence of the Lambs” (Jonathan Demme, 1991)
• “Hannibal” (Ridley Scott, 2001)
• “Red Dragon” (Brett Ratner, 2002)
• “Hannibal Rising” (Peter Webber, 2007)
• “Dexter” (James Manos, Jr. 2006-2013)
• “Dexter: New Blood” (Clyde Phillips, 2021-2022)
• “House of 1000 Corpses” (Rob Zombie, 2003)
• “The Devil’s Rejects” (Rob Zombie, 2005)
• “Werewolf Women of the SS” (Rob Zombie, 2007)
• “Halloween” (Rob Zombie, 2007)
• “Guardians of the Galaxy” (James Gunn, 2014)
• “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” (James Gunn, 2017)
• “The Walking Dead” (Frank Darabont, 2010-now)
• “Days of Thunder” (Tony Scott, 1990)
• “Tombstone” (George P. Cosmatos, 1993)
• “A Nightmare on Elm Street” (Wes Craven, 1984)
• “Friday the 13th” (Sean S. Cunningham, 1980)
• “Funny Games” (Michael Haneke, 1997)
• “Manhunter” (Michael Mann, 1986
• “Platoon” (Oliver Stone, 1986)
• “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” (Tobe Hooper, 1974)
• “Puppet Master” (David Schmoeller, 1989)
• “Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers” (Dominique Othenin-Girard, 1989)
• “Shocker” (Wes Craven, 1989)
• “The Phantom of the Opera” (Dwight H. Little, 1989)
• “Stepfather II” (Jeff Burr, 1989)
• “Harlem Nights” (Eddie Murphy, 1989)
• “Leatherface: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre III” (Jeff Burr, 1990)
• “Brain Dead” (Adam Simon, 1990)
• “Nightbreed” (Clive Barker, 1990)
• “The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover” (Peter Greenaway, 1990)
• “Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!” (Pedro Almodóvar, 1989)

A love story in time of war that's presented as a mystery centered on how to tell stories.

Is pre-slap Will Smith worth reflection?

This is the sixth part of an eight-part series about American movie ratings.

 Part 1 focused on Prano Baily-Bond’s “Censor”. Part 2 focused on Mike Nichols’s “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?”. Part 3 focused on Brian DePalma’s “Greetings”. Part 4 focused on Gordon Flemyng’s “The Split”. Part 5 focused on Steven Spielberg’s “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom”.

Future episodes will focus on John McNaughton’s “Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer” (1986) and Philip Kaufmans’s “Henry & June” (1990).

***
Referenced media:

• “Green Book” (Peter Farrelly, 2018)
• “Crash” (Paul Haggis, 2004)
• “Stand By Me” (Rob Reiner, 1986)
• “The Graduate” (Mike Nichols, 1967)
• “Arrested Development” (Mitchell Hurwitz, 2003-2006 and 2013-2019)
• “The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!” (David Zucker, 1988)
• “Happy Days” (Garry Marshall, 1974-1984)
• “My Tutor” (George Bowers, 1983)
• “American Graffiti” (George Lucas, 1973)
• “Head of the Class” (Michael Elias and Richard Eustis, 1986-1991)
• “Eight is Enough” (William Blinn, 1977-1981)
• “Paris, Texas” (Wim Wenders, 1984)
• “The Terminator” (James Cameron, 1984)
• “A Nightmare on Elm Street” (Wes Craven, 1984)
• “The Killing Fields” (Roland Joffé, 1984)
• “Supergirl” (Jeannot Szwarc, 1984)
• “Beverly Hills Cop” (Martin Brest, 1984)
• “City Heat” (Richard Benjamin, 1984)
• “The Cotton Club” (Francis For Coppola 1984)
• “Dune” (David Lynch, 1984)
• “1984” (Michael Radford, 1984)
• “A Passage to India” (David Lean, 1984)
• “Runaway” (Michael Crichton, 1984)
• “Starman” (John Carpenter, 1984)
• “The River” (Mark Rydell, 1984)
• “Breakin’ 2: Electric Boogaloo” (Sam Firstenberg, 1984)
• “Blood Simple” (Joel Coen, 1984)
• “The Falcon and the Snowman” (John Schlesinger, 1985)
• “Fandango” (Kevin Reynolds, 1985)
• “Witness” (Peter Weir, 1985)
• “The Breakfast Club” (John Hughes, 1985)
• “Vision Quest” (Harold Becker, 1985)
• “The Sting” (George Roy Hill, 1973)

This is the fifth part of an eight-part series about American movie ratings. 

Part 1 focused on Prano Baily-Bond’s “Censor”. Part 2 focused on Mike Nichols’s “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?”. Part 3 focused on Brian DePalma’s “Greetings”. Part 4 focused on Gordon Flemyng’s “The Split”.

Future episodes will focus on Garry Marshall’s “The Flamingo Kid” (1984), John McNaughton’s “Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer” (1986), and Philip Kaufmans’s “Henry & June” (1990).

***
Referenced media:

• “Raiders of the Lost Ark” (Steven Spielberg, 1981)
• “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade” (Steven Spielberg, 1989)
• “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” (Steven Spielberg, 2008)
• “The Most Dangerous Game” (Irving Pichel and Ernest B. Schoedsack, 1932)
• “Thor” (Kenneth Branagh, 2011)
• “The Goonies” (Richard Donner, 1985)
• “Head of the Class” (Michael Elias and Richard Eustis, 1986-1991)
• “Everything Everywhere All at Once” (Danial Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, 2022)
• “Classic Creatures: Return of the Jedi” (Robert Guenette, 1983)
• “The Making of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (Frank Marshall, 1984)
• “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (Steven Spielberg, 1982)
• “Splash” (Ron Howard, 1984)
• “Clash of the Titans” (Desmond Davis, 1981)
• “Entertainment Tonight” (Al Masini, 1981-now)
• “Police Academy” (Hugh Wilson, 1984)
• “Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes” (Hugh Hudson, 1984)
• “Romancing the Stone” (Robert Zemeckis, 1984)
• “The Bounty” (Roger Donaldson, 1984)
• “Mutiny on the Bounty” (Frank Lloyd, 1935)
• “Sixteen Candles” (John Hughes, 1984)
• “Ghostbusters” (Ivan Reitman, 1984)
• “Gremlins” (Joe Dante, 1984)
• “The Karate Kid” (John G. Avildsen, 1984)
• “Conan the Destroyer” (Richard Fleischer, 1984)
• “The Last Starfighter” (Nick Castle, 1984)
• “Purple Rain” (Albert Magnoli, 1984)
• “Red Dawn” (John Milius, 1984)
• “A Passage to India” (David Lean, 1984)

Best Picture Winner, really?

"The smiles you'll gather / Will look well on you / Oh, I hope you're Going My Way too."

This is the fourth part of an eight-part series about American movie ratings. 

Part 1 focused on Prano Baily-Bond’s “Censor”. Part 2 focused on Mike Nichols’s “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?”. Part 3 focused on Brian DePalma’s “Greetings”.

Future episodes will focus on Steven Spielberg’s “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom” (1984), Garry Marshall’s “The Flamingo Kid” (1984), John McNaughton’s “Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer” (1986), and Philip Kaufmans’s “Henry & June” (1990).

***
Referenced media:

• “Marty” (Delbert Mann, 1955)
• “Star Wars Holiday Special” (Steve Binder, 1978)
• “The Dirty Dozen” (Robert Aldrich, 1967)
• “Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song” (Melvin Van Peebles, 1971)
• “Shaft” (Gordon Parks, 1971)
• “Superfly” (Gordon Parks, Jr., 1972)
• “M*A*S*H” (Robert Altman, 1970)
• “The French Connection” (William Friedkin, 1971)
• “Black Sunday” (John Frankenheimer, 1977)
• “Bonnie and Clyde” (Arthur Penn, 1967)
• “Julia” (Hal Kanter, 1968-1971)
• “Rocky” (John G. Avildsen, 1976)
• “Bamse” (Arne Mattsson, 1968)
• “The Night of the Assassin” (Adriano Bolzoni, 1970)
• “Coogan’s Bluff” (Don Siegel, 1968)
• “Bullitt” (Peter Yates, 1968)
• “Ice Station Zebra” (John Sturges, 1968)
• “Hellfighters” (Andrew V. McLaglen, 1968)
• “Where Eagles Dare” (Brian G. Hutton, 1968)
• “Hell in the Pacific” (John Boorman, 1968)”
• “Assignment to Kill” (Sheldon Reynolds, 1968)
• “Riot” (Buzz Kulik, 1969)