Thanks to Charlie Horse 47 and Killdumpster for their sponsorship of this post, via the magic of Patreon.
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Good grief! There were more memorable movies released in December 1985 than you can shake a clapperboard at!
Was this an attempt to cash in on the lucrative pre-Christmas market? Or was it just a sign of the film industry's unbridled creativity?
I've seen surprisingly few of those films and suspect that the ones I have seen - The Jewel of the Nile and Legend - are not the best of the bunch.
Therefore, as so often in the past, I shall leave it the reader of discernment to decide just which is Film of the Month.
To be honest, I don't have a clue what it is or what it involves but I do know it's the handiwork of David Michelinie and Bret Blevins and will run for six issues of, what its covers imply to be, retro but high adventure.
This magazine is likewise mysterious to me but I do know it comes from the minds of Doug Moench and Paul Gulacy and is destined to run for four instalments.
It's the news we've all been waiting for, as The Bozz Chronicles hits a spinner rack near us and intends to fully embed itself there until we determine to buy it!
And that's not the only new publication tempting us to part with our hard-earned dollars, pounds, francs, guilders and whatever other currency we may possess, because Six From Sirius 2 also makes its debut.
This issue also includes a six-page yarn titled Parody which is the sole work of John Zack.
We all love the X-Men. We all love Alpha Flight. Clearly, if they meet, we're going to love it twice as much!
And so it is that we spy in on an adventure in which they find themselves in a mysterious big palace thing and come up against the schemes of Loki himself.
All I recall of this one is that, at some point, Rogue tries to absorb the powers of Loki but can't, what with him being a god.
Also, I think Loki gives the members of the cast what they most want in life but they end up rejecting his gifts. A fact that he gets very miffed about.
Marvel makes its stab at relieving famine in Africa, with Heroes For Hope.
It seems to be made up of a whole heap of stories of not more than three pages each, utilising such talents as Harlan Ellison, George R R Martin and Stephen King, as well as a whole slew of our favourite comics creators. I do notice that Jim Starlin seems to have an input into much of the material.
The Hulk gets his fourteenth annual and does so with the 40-pager The Weakness of the Flesh!
Again, I know little of this but can sensationally reveal it's brought to us by writer and artist team John Byrne and Sal Buscema.
And, barely to be outdone by the Hulk, Thor lands his thirteenth annual.
But will it be unlucky for some?
Especially the thunder god when Mephisto kidnaps Ulik's brother and uses that to force the troll into fighting Thor?
Although, knowing Ulik, it's a bit of a surprise that he has to be forced into it.
What's this? Has Marvel taken the radical and bold step of reprinting issues of the legendary British girls horror comic Misty?
No, it hasn't.
Does that mean Iron Fist's Misty Knight has finally been granted the comic of her own that she's always warranted?
No, it doesn't.
Instead, we're treated to a string of short dramas starring the woman of that name, and produced by Trina Robbins.
I get the feeling the tone of this comic may be quite light.
I also get the feeling it will run for six issues.
Equally stunning was Dick Van Dyke was only 65 on 1985-12-13 and yesterday he turned 100!
ReplyDeleteNow everyone drop what they are doing and watch Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and Mart Poppins!
Prowler saw both Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and Mart Poppins in theaters, or theatres, but after their initial releases. Prowler seems to remember in the late 70s, whatever the feature, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang would run first, or an Elvis Movie, then the feature. Small towns...
DeleteProwler would have to say 1985 was a great year to be watching movies... mostly. Of the movies listed, A Chorus Line, Brazil, Jewel Of The Nile, and Spies Like Us would be enjoyed in theaters, or theatres. Clue, Enemy Mine, Legend, Out Of Africa, and Ran would be VHS rentals. The Color Purple would later become one of Prowler's mother's favorite movies. AND a birthday gift eventually!!! And Prowler, like the rest of the civilized world, never saw Revolution.
ReplyDeleteProwler's pushing PUBLISH... NOW!!!
Charlie never saw Brazil but it has decent ratings. Should Charlie schlepp himself to the library this afternoon in 3 degrees and check out the DVD? Is it worth the shock and strain to Charlie’s body?
ReplyDeleteI saw Jewel Of The Nile in the cinema, but it was in 1986 and it was on a date. What I remember of it marked it down as one of the worst films I’d ever seen.
ReplyDeleteActually, a couple of years earlier I saw Mary Poppins in the cinema - also on a sort of date. A pretty chaste one as I was 11 at the time, but it was me and a girl and we liked each other. I remember the first reel was out of sync quite badly.
I never saw Revolution. I picked up a copy on Blu-ray for £2 a few years back but it’s very very low on my list of priorities to watch. Any fans out there?
Charlie, definitely watch Brazil but on the biggest screen you can. It’s not a laptop movie. There is almost as much going on visually in every frame as Blade Runner. And it’s very funny (if you like English humour and jokes about bureaucracy).
Didn’t have any of those comics at the time. But I’ve picked up Heroes For Hope since. I think because Alan Moore did a couple of pages, and Richard Corben?
I’d have been into the Alpha Flight / X-Men thing if I’d known it existed. I think I read recently that Paul Smith did the art? I was into his stuff back then.
Personally, Charlie, I’ve always thought BRAZIL was highly over-praised, so I’d rate it ‘Not Worth The Schlepp’. It’s like ‘1984 with a few jokes’.
ReplyDeleteOf the rest:
I thought YOUNG SHERLOCK HOLMES was larded with too much boilerplate Spielberg Schtick and borrowed at least two important story beats from THE SEVEN PERCENT SOLUTION. I will say that former Hammer leading man Anthony Higgins was a solid Moriarty.
LEGEND was a little trifle of a story produced on a gargantuan scale. I thought it was beautiful to look at but kind of a Big Nothing. I’ve never seen it with Jerry Goldsmith’s symphonic score, though I don’t know how much difference that would make. Mia Sara was heartbreakingly beautiful and Rob Bottin’s prosthetic make-up FX were insane.
Speaking of music, John Barry’s epic romantic score for OUT OF AFRICA is pretty much all I remember from that movie.
I know I saw JEWEL OF THE NILE, but can’t remember a bit of it now. I thought ENEMY MINE was well-made but schmaltzy and predictable. CLUE was lightweight but fun.
I remember being hugely impressed by RAN when I saw it on the big screen, and even though I’ve never re-watched it, it might just be my pick for Film of the Month.
b.t.
Charlie’s timbers are shivering. Maybe Brazil waits until MP stops sending his polar vortexes from Dakota Charlie’s way!
ReplyDeleteAnecdotal SoCal Radio X-mas Music Report — Update:
ReplyDeleteAmazingly, I haven’t heard Burl Ives singing “Holly Jolly Christmas” yet! Not ONCE. But I’ve heard violinist Lindsey Stirling’s rendition of “Carol of the Bells” twice. “Carol” seems to be a very popular tune on our local station this year — so far I’ve also heard the versions by Mannheim Steamroller, David Foster and Trans Siberian Orchestra. So far.
Other songs I’ve heard at least twice:
Dean Martin: “Rudolph”
Andy Williams : “Most Wonderful Time”
Brenda Lee: “Rockin’ Around”
I’ve heard just the opening of Mariah Carey’s ubiquitous tune and the tail-end of Wham’s “Last Christmas” just once each.
b.t.
Oh — and I got the HEROES FOR HOPE one-shot, THOR ANNUAL 13 and every issue of the two SIX FROM SIRIUS limited series. Theoretically, I would still have my copies but haven’t looked at them in years and years.
ReplyDeleteI bought just about every Moench / Gulacy comic for years and years, in the hope that they’d somehow manage to recapture the magic of their MASTER OF KUNG FU run. But alas.
Like Matthew, I was into Paul Smith’s stuff a lot at that time, so I probably did buy the X-MEN AND ALPHA FLIGHT crossover books too. I just have no memory of them, at all.
b.t.
Charlie, how could Dick Van Dyke be 65 exactly 40 years ago but 100 now?? I assume maths is not your strong point!
ReplyDeleteI didn't know DVD had turned 100 and I didn't know his birthday was on December 13th which was also my grandmother Amelia's birthday - she died in 1989 aged either 78 or 79 but was unsure of her actual age because her birth certificate had long since vanished and she couldn't remember if she'd been born in 1909 or 1910.
On the subject of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang - I discovered only recently that the little girl in the film was actually Scottish with a strong accent which had to be removed with voice coaching!
ReplyDeleteThe best thing about Jewel Of The Nile was the theme song, When The Going Gets Tough, The Tough Get Going by Billy Ocean which spent four weeks at #1 in the UK including my 20th birthday on 17 Feb 86.
And the theme song from Spies Like Us was sung by Paul McCartney which I think was his last ever hit single(?)
COLIN - CHARLIE is a VICTIM of the polar vortex! It freezes the little grey cells immediately!
ReplyDelete'Out of Africa' was a Barry Norman must see, but is now largely forgotten. To Norman, 'The Mission' was the greatest thing since sliced bread, too. That film is also largely forgotten. 'Witness', likewise - another with Bazzer's ringing endorsement. Maybe that's fared a little better, but it's not a classic of the kind Barry thought it was, back in the day.
ReplyDelete( Barry Norman - the pre-eminent UK film critic, in the 80s! )
As regards Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, most people only remember the Child Catcher. Cinema's scariest villain until Hannibal Lector ( who isn't scary at all, to be honest! )
Charlie - Would the polar vortex affect Poirot, do you think?
Phillip
Phillip, apparently Out Of Africa is one of Prince William's favourite films!
ReplyDeleteCharlie, I was in Tesco this morning and they played Sleigh Ride by The Ronettes and Santa Baby by Eartha Kitt.
Philip -
ReplyDeleteWitness is generally still quite well-liked.
Colin - I suppose Prince William & Harry were in Africa a lot, so maybe the film appealed. According to Robert Redford, his character felt he could get what he wanted in life, without becoming fully involved ( or something.) That
ReplyDelete( rather general )criticism is valid in many human situations, I suppose.
Matthew - I like 'Witness', too ( hence my qualification) - and watch it whenever it's (very rarely) repeated; but it's hardly remembered like Citizen Kane. I suppose my point is, with films Barry Norman believed were 'for the ages', the test of time hasn't always been as favourable as Barry Norman thought. Barry's pronouncements were delivered very 'ex cathedra', at the time, his profile being so high. Nowadays no single film critic's sway could ever be so massively great.
Phillip
Matthew- like you, I had none of the comics pictured; but years later picked up the "Heroes for Hope" book. Interesting how the mid 80's generated such a burst of charity fundraising 'events' (Live Aid, "Do They Know it's Christmas", "Heroes for Hope", "Heroes Against Hunger", "Farm Aid", and so on).
ReplyDeleteCount me among those who enjoy "Witness", and "Brazil". Actually, I also rather liked "Jewel of the Nile", albeit not as much as "Romancing the Stone". As Colin noted, the presence of Billy Ocean on the soundtrack to "Jewel" was a high point; indeed the score had some nice parts thanks to Jack Nitzsche.
PHILLIP! NO! Poirot would never even experience the POLAR VORTEX? Do you guys get that in the UK? I do recall, living in Germany and suffering horribly through Siberian cold fronts. Those really sucked too.
ReplyDeleteCharlie - Poirot's obsessed with 'the little grey cells' -
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/shorts/DnZxpuJza34
So, a weak joke, there! The only UK types getting it might be in the Shetlands, perhaps ( not the rest of us! )
Phillip
Getting the Polar Vortex ( perhaps?), not the joke!
ReplyDeletePhillip
'Brazil' came out early in 1985, Steve. December was the US release date, after a protracted dispute in which the studio - Universal - insisted on a re-edit with a happy ending.
ReplyDeleteCharlie, 'Brazil' is definitely worth watching - although make sure it's not one of the dodgier cuts - but like 'Bladerunner' it was very much a film of its time, and you probably needed to see it in the 1980s to get the most out of it.
-sean
Matthew, yeah, Alan Moore and Richard Corben did a couple of Heroes For Hope pages together. Which was - and is - an unusual credit for a Marvel comic (!) but the results aren't great. As often seems to be the case with 'jam' comics, the whole is less than the sum of the parts.
ReplyDeletePlus there's the whole problem of a story in which superheroes 'fight' hunger. It's a bit like which ever issue of the Invaders dealt with the Warsaw ghetto uprising - no doubt well intentioned, but it's hard to see how that could really work.
Btw according to Jim Shooter's blog, Oxfam didn't want to be associated with the project.
https://jimshooter.com/2911/09/heroes-for-hope-and-why-i-dont-like.html/
That's a fairly loaded account from Shooter there, and tbh a bit disingenuous. I mean, you can criticise the charity biz for many things, but is it really that hard to understand why someone might have a problem with Chris Claremont and Brian Bolland's pages with Storm? And that they might have a point?
-sean
PHILLIP - Charlie immediately picked up on the Poirot - Little Grey Cells reference LOL!
ReplyDeleteCharlie - I should have guessed, as you & the missus watch so many UK detective shows!
ReplyDeletePhillip
Poirot regularly pops up in radio adaptations too, on BBC Radio 4-Extra (originally broadcast on Radio 4).
ReplyDeleteMiss Marple too - played by the late June Whitfield taking a break from her usual comedy roles.
ReplyDeleteThe UK rules the US when it comes to a more sophisticated, yet gentile, detective/drama series… no doubt about it!
ReplyDeleteThe UK shows are broadly referred to or televised under a banner called “Masterpiece Theater” which is shown on thr PBS (Public Broadcast System) in the USA.
I am fairly certain that president bonespur and his synchophants voted to defund PBS (TV) and NPR (National Public Radio) as of 2025. We will see what the future holds for those UK shows here.
All that said, ChRlie’s fav of the bunch had been FOYLE’S WAR!
Charlie - On one Foyle's War episode, a burglar alarm was evident on the side of a house! Somebody hadn't done their homework, on the wide-shots!
ReplyDeletePhillip
Tonight BBC Four is showing the Tomorrow's World Christmas special from 1975 and it should be fascinating to see what inventions are featured - I seem to remember that Tomorrow's World had a rather poor record of actually predicting the world of tomorrow and most of the inventions that appeared on the show were never heard of again.
ReplyDelete