Archives

They Live

| 1988-01-09

They Live is a 1988 American science-fiction action thriller film written and directed by John Carpenter, and based on the 1963 short story “Eight O’Clock in the Morning” by Ray Nelson. The film was a minor success at the time of its release, debuting #1 at the North American box office. It originally received negative reviews criticizing its social commentary, writing and acting. However, like other films of Carpenter, it later enjoyed a cult following and eventually became recognized as a largely underrated work. The film has also entered popular culture, and notably had a lasting impact on street art (particularly that of Shepard Fairey), while its near six-minute alley brawl between the protagonists makes appearances on all-time lists for best fight scenes.

Plot

A drifter discovers a pair of sunglasses that allow him to wake up to the fact that aliens have taken over the Earth.

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Saint Seiya: Evil Goddess Eris

| 1987-12-08

Saint Seiya (聖闘士星矢 Seinto Seiya), retitled Saint Seiya: Evil Goddess Eris (聖闘士星矢 邪神エリス Seinto Seiya: Jashin Erisu) on its home video release, is the first in a series of anime films produced by Toei Animation based on the manga Saint Seiya by Masami Kurumada. The movie premiered on July 18, 1987 at the Toei Manga Matsuri film festival, where it was shown as part of a quadruple feature along with Dragon Ball: Sleeping Princess in Devil’s Castle and the movie versions of Hikari Sentai Maskman and Choujinki Metalder.

Plot

Eris, the goddess of chaos, uses the body of Elien, Hyoga’s friend, to revive herself. She obtains the Golden Apple of Discord in order to drain Athena’s power, make herself complete and bring chaos to the world.

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Robocop

| 1987-09-07

RoboCop is a 1987 cyberpunk action film directed by Paul Verhoeven.

Plot
In a dystopic and crime-ridden Detroit, a terminally wounded cop returns to the force as a powerful cyborg haunted by submerged memories.

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Evil Dead 2

| 1987-06-09

Evil Dead II (also known in publicity materials as Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn is a 1987 American comedy horror film directed by Sam Raimi, and a parody sequel to the 1981 horror film The Evil Dead. Written by Raimi and Scott Spiegel, Evil Dead II was produced by Robert Tapert and stars Bruce Campbell as Ash Williams, who vacations with his girlfriend to a remote cabin in the woods. He discovers an audio tape of recitations from a book of ancient texts, and when the recording is played, it unleashes a number of demons which possess and torment him.

After the critical and commercial failure of Crimewave (1985), Raimi, Tapert and Campbell began work on a sequel to The Evil Dead at the insistence of their publicist Irvin Shapiro. Having endorsed the original film, author Stephen King brought the project to the attention of producer Dino De Laurentiis, with whom he had been making his directorial debut Maximum Overdrive (1986); De Laurentiis agreed to provide financial backing, and assigned the filmmakers a considerably larger budget than they had worked with on the original film. Although Raimi had devised a premise set in the Middle Ages and involving time travel, De Laurentiis requested that the film be similar to its predecessor.

Evil Dead II was shot in Wadesboro, North Carolina and Detroit, Michigan in 1986, and featured extensive stop-motion animation and prosthetic makeup effects created by a team of artists that included Mark Shostrom, Vern Hyde, Doug Beswick, Greg Nicotero and Tom Sullivan, the latter of whom returned from the original film. The finished film was released in the United States on March 13, 1987; due to its high level of violence, it was released through a pseudonymous distributor to curb an anticipated X rating from the Motion Picture Association of America. Like The Evil Dead, it was widely acclaimed by critics, with praise being reserved for its humor, Raimi’s direction and Campbell’s performance; despite being given a somewhat limited release, it was a minor box office success, grossing just under $6 million in the US alone.

PLOT
The lone survivor of an onslaught of flesh-possessing spirits holes up in a cabin with a group of strangers while the demons continue their attack.

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Aliens

| 1986-09-08

Aliens is a 1986 American science fiction action film written and directed by James Cameron, produced by Gale Anne Hurd and starring Sigourney Weaver. It is the sequel to the 1979 film Alien and the second installment in the Alien franchise. The film follows Weaver’s character Ellen Ripley as she returns to the moon where her crew encountered the hostile Alien creature, this time accompanied by a unit of space marines. Additional roles are played by Carrie Henn, Michael Biehn, Paul Reiser, Lance Henriksen, Jenette Goldstein, William Hope, Al Matthews, and Bill Paxton.

Plot

Ellen Ripley is rescued by a deep salvage team after being in hypersleep for 57 years. The moon that the Nostromo visited has been colonized, but contact is lost. This time, colonial marines have impressive firepower, but will that be enough?

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The Transformers: The Movie

| 1986-07-11

The Transformers: The Movie is a 1986 animated film based on the Transformers television series, in turn based on the Transformers toyline created by Hasbro. It was released in North America on August 8, 1986, and in the United Kingdom on December 12, 1986. The film was co-produced and directed by Nelson Shin, who also produced the original Transformers television series. The screenplay was written by Ron Friedman, who would create The Bionic Six a year later. The movie features the voices of Eric Idle, Judd Nelson, Leonard Nimoy, Casey Kasem, Robert Stack, Lionel Stander, John Moschitta Jr., Peter Cullen and Frank Welker. It also marked the final roles for both Orson Welles, who died the year before its release, and Scatman Crothers, who died months after its release. The film’s story takes place in 2005, 20 years after the events of the TV series’ second season, and serves to bridge into the third season.

Synopsis

The Autobots must stop a colossal planet consuming robot who goes after the Autobot Matrix of Leadership. At the same time, they must defend themselves against an all-out attack from the Decepticons.

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Ghostbusters

| 1984-09-05

Ghostbusters is a 1984 American fantasy comedy film directed by Ivan Reitman and written by Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis. It stars Bill Murray, Aykroyd, and Ramis as, respectively, Peter Venkman, Raymond Stantz, and Egon Spengler, a trio of eccentric parapsychologists who start a ghost-catching business in New York City. The film also stars Sigourney Weaver and Rick Moranis, and features Annie Potts, William Atherton, and Ernie Hudson in supporting roles.

Plot

Three former parapsychology professors set up shop as a unique ghost removal service.

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Gremlins

| 1984-06-07

Gremlins is a 1984 American comedy horror film written by Chris Columbus and directed by Joe Dante. The film stars Zach Galligan and Phoebe Cates, with Howie Mandel providing the voice of Gizmo, the main mogwai character. Steven Spielberg was the film’s executive producer, with the film being produced by Michael Finnell and released by Warner Bros.

Plot

A boy inadvertently breaks three important rules concerning his new pet and unleashes a horde of malevolently mischievous monsters on a small town.

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The Evil Dead

| 1981-06-09

The Evil Dead (originally released as Book of the Dead) is a 1981 American supernatural horror film written and directed by Sam Raimi, produced by Robert Tapert and executive produced by Raimi, Tapert and Bruce Campbell, who also starred alongside Ellen Sandweiss, Richard DeManicor, Betsy Baker and Theresa Tilly.

Raimi, Tapert, Campbell and their friends produced the short film Within the Woods as a proof of concept to build the interest of potential investors, which secured US$90,000 to produce The Evil Dead. Principal photography took place on location in a remote cabin located in Morristown, Tennessee, in a difficult filming process that proved extremely uncomfortable for the cast and crew; the film’s extensive prosthetic makeup effects and stop-motion animations were created by artist Tom Sullivan. The completed film attracted the interest of producer Irvin Shapiro, who helped screen the film at the 1982 Cannes Film Festival. Horror author Stephen King gave a rave review of the film, which resulted in New Line Cinema acquiring its distribution rights.

PLOT
Five friends travel to a cabin in the woods, where they unknowingly release flesh-possessing demons.

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Alien

| 1979-09-08

Alien is a 1979 science fiction horror film directed by Ridley Scott and written by Dan O’Bannon. Based on a story by O’Bannon and Ronald Shusett, it follows the crew of the commercial space tug Nostromo who encounter the eponymous Alien, a deadly and aggressive extraterrestrial set loose on the ship. The film stars Tom Skerritt, Sigourney Weaver, Veronica Cartwright, Harry Dean Stanton, John Hurt, Ian Holm, and Yaphet Kotto. It was produced by Gordon Carroll, David Giler and Walter Hill through their company Brandywine Productions, and was distributed by 20th Century Fox. Giler and Hill revised and made additions to the script; Shusett was executive producer. The Alien and its accompanying artifacts were designed by the Swiss artist H. R. Giger, while concept artists Ron Cobb and Chris Foss designed the more human settings.

Plot

After a space merchant vessel perceives an unknown transmission as a distress call, its landing on the source moon finds one of the crew attacked by a mysterious lifeform, and they soon realize that its life cycle has merely begun.

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Mazinger Z vs. The Great General of Darkness

| 1974-05-11

Mazinger Z vs. The Great General of Darkness (マジンガーＺ対暗黒大将軍, Majingâ Zetto tai Ankoku Daishôgun) is a 1974 Japanese mecha animated film that served as an alternative link between the Mazinger Z series and the Great Mazinger series. It basically introduces Great Mazinger to the audience, as well as his enemies from the Mikene Empire, showing the defeat of Mazinger Z. It was released on July 25, 1974.

PLOT
The evil Mycene Empire unleashes its army against humans in a world wide strike. Koji Kabuto must risk his life in a desperate journey to find Mazinkaiser so he can defend the Earth against this ruthless new enemy.

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Mazinger Z vs. Devilman

| 1973-05-11

Mazinger Z vs. Devilman (マジンガーＺ対デビルマン, Majingā Zetto tai Debiruman) is a 1973 animated movie that crossed over two then-popular anime series, both of which were created by manga artist Go Nagai. Note, however, that the movie features alternate versions of events from both series, and is therefore not canonical to either one.

PLOT
The heroes of the series Mazinger Z and Devilman fighting against the evil Demon Clan.

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