DIRECTOR: Steven Spielberg. CAST: Dan Aykroyd, John Belushi, Ned Beatty, Lorraine Gary, Murray Hamilton, Christopher Lee, Tim Matheson, Toshiro Mifune, Warren Oates, Robert Stack, Treat Williams, Nancy Allen, Bobby DiCicco, Dianne Kay, Perry Lang, Slim Pickens, Wendie Jo Sperber, Eddie Deezen, Joe Flaherty, John Candy, Frank McRae, Susan Backlinie. 1941 is a glorious disaster of a film; it is not a ‘good movie’ as much as it is an amazing spectacle. Personally, I cannot hate a movie simultaneously recognizing the diverse talents of Toshiro Mifune and Eddie Deezen. You certainly will not find such an ensemble cast anywhere else! 1941 is an attempt at a World War II-era comedy through the anarchic lens of Saturday Night Live or Animal House. American tension is high after the attack on Pearl Harbor just a couple days before. Wild rumors abound and everyone is on alert. Servicemen and zoot suiters are rioting in the streets and a lone Japanese submarine is lost in the Pacific Ocean while trying to find and attack Los Angeles. 1941 introduces several movies’ worth of characters and stories at once; so much is going on that most viewers would likely get lost in the chaos. Fans that can make sense of this mess will enjoy the 146-minute director’s cut that fleshes out some of the more principal characters. Although 1941 is not laugh-out-loud funny most of the time, it captures the period in which it takes place with good unpretentious fun.
DIRECTOR: Joe Dante. CAST: Zach Galligan, Phoebe Cates, Hoyt Axton, Frances Lee McCain, Corey Feldman, Keye Luke, John Louie, Dick Miller, Jackie Joseph, Polly Holliday, Judge Reinhold, Edward Andrews, Glynn Turman, Belinda Balaski, Scott Brady, Jonathan Banks, Harry Carey, Jr., Kenny Davis, Steven Spielberg, Jim McKrell, Jerry Goldsmith, William Schallert, Chuck Jones, Kenneth Tobey. Many kids of the ‘80s can point to Gremlins as their first “scary” movie; it is quintessential suburban horror that helped introduce the PG-13 rating for movies that were too violent or intense for children, but not enough to justify an R rating. Gremlins is full of homages and sendups of old movies and Christmas consumerism; it still works as a funny parody of ‘50s horror/sci-fi directed with a B-movie sensibility and written with a sick sense of humor a la MAD magazine. Dad wants to bring something unique home to his son for Christmas and finds an exotic new pet that will do the trick. This cute little critter comes with some responsibility though—no exposure to sunlight or water and definitely no food after midnight. What happens next is a result of two of those guidelines being broken and dozens of tiny mean-spirited monsters lay siege to a picturesque upstate New York town on Christmas Eve. Gremlins inspired a number of imitators—Critters, Ghoulies, and Munchies to name a few—and while some of them are good, none has had the impact on pop culture like this one. Although it is not actually a Christmas movie—it was inexplicably released in the summer—Gremlins will continue to be holiday viewing for years to come.
