Claustrophobic Terror

 

 

This is my second entry in the Film. Release. Repeat. Blogathon hosted by Hamlette's Soliloquy and yours truly.

 

 

 

I make no bones about it. My favorite director is John Carpenter and five of his films are in my top ten favorite movies of all time. I missed out on Halloween when it first hit the theater, so my first John Carpenter movie was actually Escape from New York. Not long after I saw that, which highly impressed me, I went back and saw the aforementioned Halloween, as well as The Fog. And I also began to anticipate each new film that came out in subsequent years.  The five that occupy space in my top ten (in no certain order) are Big Trouble in Little China, They Live, The Thing, Escape from New York and Christine. 

My review of The Thing has been a long time coming as a feature film at The Midnite Drive-In. I feel certain if I hadn't gone through a lethargic period of writing during Covid that it would have long been reviewed. Same goes for Christine (and that will soon be remedied too.) Carpenter made four films with Kurt Russell back in the day, including a TV movie on Elvis, Escape from New York and it's sequel Escape from L.A., Big Trouble in Little China and The Thing. 

 

The Thing (1982):

Note: In the interest of not turning off some of the more skittish readers, I have refrained from using any pics in this review depicting the creature in it's changing process. If you really want to see them you can google images of The Thing 1982...

 

The film starts out with a dog. The dog is being chased by some guys in a helicopter. The occupants seem intent on killing the dog. When they arrive at the U.S. based camp they are still intent on killing the dog, but this is seen as an attack on the scientists and they kill the interlopers. Of course, if one or the other groups had been fluent in the other's language the US group might have been forewarned, but the interlopers only speak Norwegian and the US guys only understand English.

 

The base helicopter pilot, MacReady (Kurt Russell) and the base doctor, Copper (Richard Dysart) decide to go up to the Norwegian base and see what might have happened. They find the base in shambles, and an odd malformed body which they take back to the US base camp. The camp biologist, Blair (Wilford Brimley) is given the task of performing an autopsy on this weird body. What Blair finds inside are normal human organs, heart, liver and the like.

The crew decides to go try to find out what the Norwegians had been doing just prior to the havoc that happened at their camp. The end up finding a spaceship that appears to have been hidden under the ice for some 100,000 years. They also find the leftover remains of what may have been a body the Norwegians uncovered in the spaceship. 

 

The dog is put in the kennel with the base camps' dogs, because, after all, as far as they know, its just another dog. But this "dog", of course, is NOT a dog. Which is why those Norwegians were trying to kill it. The camp kills the odd thing as it is in the process of changing, and the day is saved. Roll credits.

 

Not so fast. The creature is able to replicate itself and disappears into the attic above the dog compound. Blair autopsies the dog thing the group killed and comes to the conclusion that the creature could assimilate any living organism, and through computer simulation estimates that if it got loose it could assimilate every living thing on the planet within a few years. As a result Blair becomes just a wee bit paranoid, since virtually any one of them could now be the thing, posing as one of them.

Blair, in his paranoia, wreaks havoc on the compound, virtually destroying any avenue that the thing could use to escape the compound: demolishing all radios, computers, sleds, etc. The crew manages to subdue Blair and lock him in the tool shed. Dr. Copper suggests that they take blood samples from each of them and compare them to blood samples held in storage in the compound, but of course, the thing has anticipated this and contaminated the samples.

 

No one knows exactly who to trust. Each of the crew immediately begins to look with suspicion upon his co-workers, and since they are isolated at the bottom of the world now, without any lines of communication with the outside world, it gradually becomes a matter of finger-pointing. Of course, everyone insists that he himself is the same as when he first came into the camp and thus not the alien creature. The one that is the creature also claims this, of course, but then why would it admit it was an alien?

In the end, virtually everyone in the crew has been killed, either because it was actually a part of the thing's assimilation process, or through misadventure. The remaining three crew members determine that the alien plans to go into hibernation again. MacReady and his remaining cohorts decide to demolish what is left of the base camp, although, since the creature can apparently survive in hibernation indefinitely, I am not sure what this would accomplish. As MacReady and Childs await the inevitable freezing to death that is coming now, they decide to share a bottle of Scotch.

 

The Thing  was a remake of a classic sci-fi film from the 50's, The Thing (from Another World). The original novella, Who Goes There? by John W. Campbell, Jr., has much more in common with the 1982 remake than it does with the 1951 original film. Basically the creature in the 1951 film, joking referred to these days as "an intelligent carrot" was just an alien form of a vampire. It killed, but it didn't kill to propagate it's species, it only killed to find sustenance off of the humans. (The "intelligent carrot" remark refers to the fact that, although it was filmed in black and white, the alien itself was orange, and had characteristics of a vegetable life form.)

What made this version of The Thing so compelling is that, like predecessors in such films as Invasion of the Body Snatchers, this creature had the ability after it consumed its victims, to take over their characteristics. (Much the same way the creature in the original novella did.) Carpenter had some good help in the special effects department on this film. He brought on board Rob Bottin, with whom he had worked on The Fog, to create the special effects of the creature transformation.

BTW, if the effects in the first Alien movie had you running for the porta-potty, let me just say "You ain't seen nothing yet". The special effects are one of the reasons that the movie got such initially bad reviews from critics. Initially Carpenter was not going to direct, because at the time he preferred directing movies in which he was actively involved in the original story, and filming a previously published story was not in his interest. As such Tobe Hooper (of Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Poltergeist fame) was approached, but producers became disenchanted with the way Hooper was doing it. Eventually they were able to convince Carpenter to do it.

As far as Kurt Russell as the star was concerned, he wa the last of the film's characters to be cast. Not that Carpenter was reluctant to work with him but he just wanted to keep his options open. Some of the actors considered were Christopher Walken, Brian Dennehy, Scott Glenn, Jeff Bridges and Nick Nolte. The most intriguing of those, in my opinion, would have been Jeff Bridges. I think Walken would have taken the character in an entirely different and not altogether sympathetic direction.

When the movie was initially released it was not well received, but in retrospect it has garnered some praise. Personally I think that it is an excellent remake. The creature in the original just never gave me the willies like the Carpenter/Bottin creation. And the atmosphere created by the film made it all that much more attractive. The claustrophobic situation, what with all the action taking place in an isolated are like Antarctica and the fact that no one can trust anyone else to be whom they seem to be has a profound effect on the terror the situation creates.  

The film barely made its original investment back and was NOT the hit that Carpenter hoped would boost his credibility. Coming in on the heels of Steven Spielberg's E,T.: The Extraterrestrial, which was a much more upbeat movie, to the say the least, of aliens, the dark and somewhat nihilistic The Thing was viewed as probably coming in at the wrong time for the political landscape. The country was in the middle of a recession, and hope for a better future was not prevalent in the film. In retrospect, however the film has been gradually gaining some more appreciative audiences. 

Watching this film in conjunction with the Philip Kaufman 1978 version of Invasion of the Body Snatchers might cause the most susceptible paranoiacs to run for the hills. Still, all in all, one of the reasons why  I consider this movie to be a good remake, not withstanding Carpenter's hand in it, is the fact that it entertains, even despite some of it's flaws.

Well, folks, time to crank this old Plymouth up and head home. There is snow predicted tonight, so my isolation may be a little discomforting...

Quiggy

 

 

 

 

The Film. Relase. Repeat. Blogathon is Here!

 

 

 

 

 

As we all know, the old adage of "there is nothing new under the sun" is pretty much stale in most areas. But when it comes to Hollywood, that adage is replaced with "what's good for the goose is good for the gander", so to speak. Just in the past calendar year there were no less than 6 movies in the top ten money maker movies of the year that were either reboots (or remakes) of classic theme subjects (such as a new Superman movie) or movies that were sequels to big movies from the past (with or without a number after the title; Zootopia 2, Wicked: For Good).

The goal of this blogathon was the germ of an idea that sometimes Hollywood can outdo itself in following a formulaic theme, but then, they can also push a story too far, all in the name of the Almighty Dollar. Rachel of Hamlette's Soliloquy and I present some of those sequels and remakes that Tinseltown put forth.

For the most part (as of this writing) it appears that most of our entrants decided to highlight the successes in that endeavor, but occasionally you might get one that calls out the filmmakers onto the carpet. (See my review of Star Trek V for an example of that.) Over the coming weekend, the bloggers who chose to participate are posting reviews of sequels and remakes that made their impact on the theater (good or bad). As always, if you have a last minute entry, and you would like to join in the fun, feel free to add your URL at the end, and I will get it added to the roll call.

 

Roll Call:

The Midnite Drive-In delves into space with Star Trek V: The Final Frontier.

 

Realweegiemidget Reviews takes us on a harrowing ride with Beyond the Poseidon Adventure.

 

 Angelman's Place delves into what price stardom charges with A Star is Born.

 

 

Nitrateglow points out the folly of trying to remake a classic with You Can't Run Away From It.  

 

 

Crítica Retrô gives us a peek into the life of Gidget (maybe) with Gidget Goes Hawaiian

 

The Midnite Drive-In looks into the terror of isolation with a monster in The Thing.

 

Movies Meet Their Match gives us a who list of personal favorites: Top Ten Sequels.

 

Hoofers and Honeys gets Egyptian on us covering The Mummy. 

 

Silver Screenings takes a look at the marriage of Dagwood and Blondie. 

 

 Hamlette's Soliloquy gets into the intricacies of internet romance with You've Got Mail.

 

18 Cinema Lane looks at Lovey: A Circle of Children Part II.

 

 
 

 

 Hope you all had fun. 

Quiggy

Star Trek V: The Search for a Plot

 

 

 

 

This is my first entry in the Film. Release. Repeat. Blogathon hosted by Hamlette's Soliloquy and yours truly.

 

 

Star Trek, as a franchise, has had it's ups and downs.

A brief history, for those three or four people out there who have never even heard of Star Trek.  The first incarnation of Star Trek began with creator Gene Roddenberry pitching the idea around Hollywood for a science fiction series for adults. Previously science fiction had been in the realm of shows primarily aimed at kids (Captain Video, Space Patrol and Tom Corbett, Space Cadet). Roddenberry envisioned a series that, although it took place in space, would end up addressing social issues of the day. He struggled to get anybody to understand the concept until he just said "It's Wagon Train to the stars!"

The original Star Trek TV show, (affectionately referred to in these later days as Star Trek: TOS (The Original Series), had a following of devotees, but never really took off enough to keep it going, and thus lasted only 3 short seasons. But the fans refused to let it go. 

 

So for a brief period there was an animated series, Star Trek: TAS (The Animated Series) to try to appease them, but that one never really took off, lasting only 2 seasons. (You could chalk that up to the fact that it was a cartoon and most of the fans were well into adulthood, but I don't think that really encapsulates why it was not a success...) So, the fans became even more ardent, starting sci-fi conventions solely dedicated to the series, and, coupled with the astounding attention from the original series then in syndication, it sparked Hollywood's interest.

 

Thus, beginning in 1979, a series of 6 movies that expanded on the original series were released. Some were great, some mediocre and one was a dud from the outset.  The interest in Star Trek would eventually spawn several offshoots of the Star Trek universe, including the first follow up TV series, Star Trek: TNG (The Next Generation), which in turn would also spawn 4 theatrically released movies. 

 

Following Star Trek: TNG would be several other series, none of which spawned a theatrical movie release, but were nonetheless good, or even great: Star Trek: DS9 (Deep Space Nine) which lasted 7 seasons, 

 

Star Trek: VOY (Voyager), which also lasted 7 seasons, 

 

and Star Trek: ENT (Enterprise), which lasted 4 seasons. 

 

In addition, there have been numerous streaming series available if one had access to them. There have also been 3 movies featuring a new cast in the roles of the classic series characters. I refer to these as "reboots".  As well, a recent 2025 new look film, Star Trek: Section 31.

At the time of this writing there have been 14 of them. Although my rating of them differs from the consensus in many cases, most everyone agrees that Star Trek V: The Final Frontier is the worst of the output. (Note: I consider it still too early to make the call on the recent Star Trek: Section 31, which currently occupies last place on a list of Star Trek movies on the Tomato-meter...) 

So just for clarity, I will rate my personal opinion of the ranking of the Star Trek movies before delving into today's review:

1.  Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982) {a TOS film} 

2.  Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991) {a TOS film}

 

(Both of those films were, coincidentally, directed by Nicholas Meyer, who also gave us Time After Time, a film still waiting for a review on The Midnite Drive-In...)

 

3.  Star Trek: First Contact (1996) {a TNG film}

4.  Star Trek (2009) {a "reboot" film}

5.  Star Trek: Generations (1994) {a conjoining/transition film which includes TOS and TNG characters}

6.  Star Trek: Beyond (2016) {a "reboot" film}

7.  Star Trek: Insurrection (1998) {a TNG film}

8.  Star Trek: Into Darkness (2013) {a "reboot" film}

9.  Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984) {a TOS film}

10. Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979) {a TOS film}

11. Star Trek: Nemesis (2002) {a TNG film}

12. Star Trek: Section 31 (2025) {a different "reboot" film} 

13. *Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986) {a TOS film}*

14. Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989) {a TOS film}  

 (*Note: Contrary to the public opinion of Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, which usually ranks it much higher, the in your face, environmental, "save the whales" message just turned me off, this despite the fact that I adore movies that feature time travel. So no apologies if your opinion differs...)

 

 

 

Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989):

The  beginning of the film is your standard fare for a Star Trek movie. A native of Nimbus III is digging holes on his land. Why? Who knows. All logic of this movie vanishes the moment the native sees a cloaked figure riding up to his position. The native is initially hostile and wary of this interloper, but it becomes immediately apparent that the newcomer has no hostile intentions against the native. As a matter of fact, the newcomer exhibits compassion and care for the native and asks him to "share his pain".And here is where the movie goes off track.  It seems to have a new age feel to it. And just what the hell is a "new age philosophy" doing in a Star Trek move?

 

Anyway, this newcomer, name of Sybok (Laurence Luckinbill), is some sort of mystic visionary. He is also a Vulcan, and the later revelation, that Sybok is related to Spock is almost telegraphed from the very beginning. Sybok's intentions become clear. He has plans to invade the capitol city of Nimbus III. There, as the planet is a neutral site, three envoys, one a Terran, St. John Talbot (David Warner), one a Romulan Caithlyn Dar (Cynthia Gouw), and one a Klingon General Korrd (Charles Cooper) are meeting to negotiate a peace treaty.

 

Sybok's intentions are to take the three envoys hostage, thus inciting rescue operations. But Sybok's intentions are not to incite a war. Instead he desires to take command of a starship. And why, you might ask? He seeks out the mythical birthplace of life as we know it, known variously as Sha'ka'ree or Eden or any other religious mythical name. And he wants to meet "God". face-to-face. (So we went new age, which rejects Judeo-Christian myths, to actually striving to prove the existence of a Judeo-Christian mythos? Geez, Shatner, couldn't you get a grasp on what you wanted to say?)

Anyway, as usual, the only starship even remotely nearby enough to go on the rescue mission is of course the Enterprise. (OK, so we have to be used to this development. since it was the reason the Enterprise was sent to encounter the mysterious force headed to Earth in the first movie, and also to go check out the mysterious goings on with Project Genesis in Star Trek II.)

 

The problem with using the Enterprise is that it is in serious need of a shakedown. In case you didn't know the timeline, I'll give you a bit of background. In Star Trek III the crew of the Enterprise hijacked the ship to go rescue Spock, and in the process had demolished the ship. A new Enterprise was commissioned at the end of Star Trek IV. This is the one that Kirk and crew have to maneuver  to rescue the hostages, and it is not entirely ready for the mission.

Meanwhile, a renegade Klingon captain has heard about the mission and decides on his own to chase down Kirk solely for the glory of defeating the vaunted legendary Captain. One wonders why the Klingons don't have their own rescue mission mounted to save their own envoy on Nimbus IIi, but given the Klingon predilection for honor in battle, perhaps they figured the Klingon ambassador deserves his fate. It is hinted at that General Korrd must have committed some grievous error to be in the "demoted" position of a lowly ambassador...

 

When Kirk and his crew arrive at Nimbus III, they find they don't even have the ambassadors as allies, since Sybok has managed to work his mumbo-jumbo to get them on his side. He also manages to convert many members of the Enterprise crew as allies, through his "sharing" of their pain and forcing them to face their fears. The only person who refuses to submit to Sybok's ministrations is Kirk himself, who insists that his fears and pain are what makes him Kirk, and his pains are important to him.

Still Sybok does manage to get the rest of the crew, including Spock, to at least let him have his way with the ship and they travel to the Great Barrier of the universe. No ship has ever crossed the Great Barrier and returned, so no one knows what is on the other side. But Sybok is certain he will not only find the mythical  Sha'ka'ree, but will also encounter "God".

Of course the ship has to cross that Great Barrier and enter into the unknown, otherwise this whole movie would have been entirely pointless (notwithstanding that it is mostly pointless anyway...). Once beyond the Great Barrier, they do manage to encounter "God". But before you get the idea that it is a validation of the existence of a Supreme Being, this "God" turns out to be just a powerful entity whose power is somewhat limited to just the area where it resides. And apparently, there must be some greater power behind the scenes, because this "God" character is a prisoner on this planet.

 

He (it?) somehow managed to contact Sybok and maneuver the Vulcan in order to bring a starship into the vicinity so it could escape it's prison, and... do what? Wreak havoc over the entire universe? Kirk, being Kirk, asks the most obvious question... "What does God need with a starship?" This of course angers the being and it (he?) attempts to kill or at least punish Kirk for his impertinence.

 

Having lost it's way long before this point, the renegade Klingon shows up and attempts to destroy the Enterprise. He discovers that Kirk is not aboard the Enterprise, but is actually on the planet and thus aborts his attempt to destroy the Enterprise. Instead he turns his attention towards the planet, intending to take his prize defenseless.  But eventually he saves Kirk rather than kill him. The reason for this developmental change is just as egregious as the rest of the movie, but the fact is that Kirk does not really win the day at the end, but is saved by a sworn enemy. Which is even more astounding by the fact that Shatner was renowned for his attempts to make Kirk the focal point of the Star Trek universe. (He would often steal lines that were originally intended for other characters...)

Harve Bennett, the producer of the film, is quoted as saying that Star Trek V  "nearly killed the franchise". Besides the ridiculous plot, another thing that had a bad impact on the film was the subpar special effects team. Originally the production company was going to go with Industrial Light and Magic, the special effects company who had produced the effects for the previous three films. But ILM was involved in two other projects, Ghostbusters II and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, both of which used up much of the company's top talent, so the film had to seek other avenues. 

The worst special effects, in my opinion, come when Kirk and company finally arrive at Sha'ka'ree and meet "God". The wizard encounter in The Wizard of Oz was loads better, and they didn't even know what CGI was back in 1939. Much of the rest of the space scenes seem to have been done on the fly rather than actually have been done in earnest to give the viewer some bang for his buck. 

Star Trek V had high hopes upon it's release, despite the fact that it was competing  with a whole raft of big budget movies, not only including the above mentioned Ghostbusters and Indiana Jones films, but also the first Tim Burton Batman film, the second Back to the Future film, the second Lethal Weapon film and a few gems that became bigger events for the year, Look Who's Talking and Honey, I Shrunk the Kids. Ultimately the movie didn't even crack the top ten grossing films, making it the first of the franchise to not earn that honor. In addition it was also the lowest grossing film in the franchise.

Critics excoriated the film. Roger Ebert called it "pretty much of a mess - a movie that betrays all the signs of having gone into production at a point where the script doctoring should have begun in earnest."  Probably the best (or worst) indication of how bad Star Trek V was is the fact that it was nominated for some Razzies, an award given out to the worst movies of the year. William Shatner "won" Worst Director and Worst Actor and the film won Worst Picture. To put that in perspective here are some of the competitors that year: Worst Picture: The Karate Kid Part III and Road House. Worst Director: John G. Avildsen for The Karate Kid Part III, Rowdy Harrington for Road House and Eddie Murphy for Harlem Nights. Worst Actor: Ralph Macchio for The Karate Kid Part III, Patrick Swayze for Road House ans (big surprise) Sylvester Stallone. ("Big surprise" because Stallone was almost a shoo-in to win a Razzie whenever he was nominated...)  (And just a side note: Sorry, John Wilson, but I think Road House was pretty good. 

Star Trek movies are almost always worth at least one viewing. It takes a pretty bad movie to make me have to actually have to work at finding the energy to watch it a second time. I can do most "bad" movies twice, standing on my head... I delayed watching this movie the second time,  because it was such a bad experience 35 years ago. This is only my second time to watch it and it still was the same stinker I thought it was when I left the theater in 1989. Rarely do I recommend that you DON'T give a movie a shot, but if you haven't seen this one yet, take my advice... save your rental fee.

Until next time.

Quiggy

 

Semiquincentennial Movie Project #1: Hiding Out

 

 

The Semiquincentennial  Movie Project is an ongoing celebration of the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States. During the course of this project your humble blogger is choosing a movie a week to represent each of the 50 states in the Union, as well as a movie scheduled for 4th of July weekend that will represent the nation's capitol, Washington D.C. The order of the weekly entries will coincide with the order of each state's entry into the fold (although, not necessarily coinciding with the date of their entry into said fold).

 

 

 

 Week #1: Delaware :

 

The state of Delaware was the first of the 13 colonies to be established as a state in the United States. It was established, as so proudly displayed on it's state flag, on December 7, 1787. 

Details about Delaware:

State bird: Delaware blue hen

State flower: Peach blossom

State tree: American holly

Additional state trivia: 

Delaware's biggest claim, of course is the fact that they were the first state to join the union, and that appears on all of it's official material.

Delaware, as the 49th state in size, only has 3 counties, By comparison, Rhode Island, the smallest state, has 5 counties.

The movie Dead Poet's Society was filmed in Delaware.

The record for the largest Lego tower ever built was set in Wilmington.

Bob Marley once lived in Delaware. 

Famous people born in Delaware: Henry Heimlich (of the Heimlich Maneuver), Ryan Phillipe, George Thorogood (originally performed with a backup band called "the Delaware Destroyers...duh), the du Pont family (founders and heads of the Du Pont Company) and Valerie Bertinelli.

 

 

 

 

It turns out that, although quite a number of films have utilized locations in Delaware for it's filming locations, there are surprisingly few films that are actually taking place in Delaware. You should be thankful, therefore, that I made "taking place in the state" a priority when making my choices, otherwise today's entry might well have been Redneck Zombies...

 

 

Hiding Out (1987): 

 

Imagine if Michael Douglas' Gordon Gecko was connected to the mob, and instead of just taking a swing at Charlie Sheen's Bud Fox in Wall Street, he actually sent a few of his underlings out to kill the sorry S.O.B. that was going to testify against him at the end of the movie.  That was what I thought of during the initial set up of this film.

It seems that Andrew Morenski (Jon Cryer) and his pals in the bond market have been pegged as key witnesses in the trial of a mob boss named Kapados. It turns out they, maybe or maybe not unknowingly, had been involved in a process of money laundering for the kingpin in said bond market, and are now not so good friends with the mob boss. A contract is out on each of them, and one of them is killed early on. 

 

The FBI have Andrew under tight rein, but Andrew is not happy staying under house arrest.  He convinces his keepers to take him to a diner. Bad move, as a couple of the hit men show up, and while trying to take out Andrew end up killing one of the FBI agents. Andrew makes his escape into Delaware where he plans to hide out with his Aunt Lucy (Gretchen Cryer, and yes that is Jon's mom in real life) and his cousin Patrick (Keith Coogan).

 

In the process to trying to hide out Andrew gets a self induced makeover by cutting and dying his hair. He calls his aunt, who is the local school nurse, and arranges to meet her at the school. But in the process he decides the best way to hide out is take on an entirely new identity. Thus the late 20's-something Andrew becomes the new 17 year old senior at the high school. (Really!) He also takes on a new name: Maxwell Hauser: inspired, on a whim, by seeing a can of Maxwell House coffee... (Really!)

 

OK, just so you didn't miss out on this for later, what we have here is a guy pushing 30 posing as a high school senior. Because some of this stuff is going to push some buttons. For one thing, the inevitable romance between our main character and a girl who really IS a high school senior. In terms of age difference it's only about 12 years, which may be fine and dandy if the guy was 35 and the girl was 23, but it comes off a little weird in retrospect.

Because he has changed his look, he is no longer recognizable to his aunt, but his cousin helps out by hiding him in his bedroom. This works out for a while, but it can't last. 

Anyway, Andrew/Max becomes the center of attention at the high school, especially after he confronts a history teacher, Mrs. Billings (Nancy Fish), who has some decidedly controversial opinions about former Richard Nixon. When he points out the bad side of the former President, he makes an an enemy of the teacher. But on the other hand, he becomes a hero to the class for his stance against the status quo of the school.

 

It ends up getting him more attention than he really wants as there is an effort to get him elected class president, something that the current class president, Kevin O'Roarke (Tim Quill) sees as a threat. Not to mention that Andrew/Max has been spending time with Ryan (Annabeth Gish), whom Kevin considers his own girl. 

 

In the meantime, both the FBI and the crime boss' hit men are on the search for the missing Andrew.  The hit men meet up with Andrew's grandmother, Jennie (Anne Pitoniak), and come across a recently mailed birthday card from Andrew which has the cancellation code clearly stamped as coming from Top Sail, DE. Thus the hit men now know where he is. Of course, they are looking for Andrew before his transformation makeover, so a couple of times they are right next to him but don't know who he is.

Andrew/Max finds out that the FBI has found out who is his aunt is and are at the house looking for him. He has to ditch hiding in her house, and with the help of Patrick ends up hiding out in the last place anyone would look, the school's doctor's office. This goes well until the janitor, Ezzard (Lou Walker) discovers him. The janitor is a good soul and a former boxer who now lives in digs himself at the school.  (Just what kind of security does this school have, anyway..) Andrew lets Ezzard  in on his secret, and Ezzard  lets him in on a secret hideaway in the basement where he can stay. 

Eventually Andrew's conscience gets the better of him and he lets Ryan in on the secret, too.  But all this comes to a head when the hit men really learn exactly where Andrew disappeared to and what he looks like now. At a school assembly announcing the results of the school officers elections, one of the hitmen decides to dispute the election in his own manner.

 

Several things seem to gel to make this movie, but a lot of it is far from unique. We've seen, dozens of times, that old yarn about a "well past high school age" adult trying to pass himself off as a high school student. (While the episodes might have been interesting on occasion, the entire concept of 22 Jump Street was just too unbelievable, even if Johnny Depp did "sort-of" look like he was high school age.)

On the other side of the coin, the teen life in school aspect of the film never really came off for me. Admittedly, in 1987, I was 7 years past my own high school experience, so a lot of the inner relationship angle of school never got me involved. I was much more into the theme in Fast Times at Ridgemont High, even though at the time of THAT movie I had been out of high school for 4 years.

The only part of the movie that really connected with me was the experience of young Patrick trying to get his learner's permit. His mishaps while trying to learn to drive were not like mine (believe it or not, I was driving expertly by the time I took my first driving test), but I could still relate. The only down side to that part is he seems to catch on pretty quick over a brief period, since at the end of the movie he drives up to the graduation in a limo...   

The mob connection part of this movie is what makes this film worth watching, but even that part has some retread sense to it.  

But the main part of the movie, involving Andrew's attempts to try to stay incognito despite his having 10 years of experience in the outside world (you know, like being a working man with an education that far exceeds what any high school boy might be familiar with) sometimes falls flat. For instance, Ryan's father is impressed by "Max's" knowledge of tax codes that helps him save $1000 on his tax return, but he never really becomes entirely suspicious of this kid (which any normal adult would probably do without hesitation). The movie never really plays up on this within the context of the film itself, leaving only the audience to cringe in anticipation of someone actually saying "Hey! Just who the Hell are you.. really?" Most adults in the film seem to just think "hmm... that's a really bright kid..."

Still, all in all, it's not a bad movie. You could be forgiven if your first reaction to this review was "Hiding Out ? Never heard of it." Some of the top films of the year, such as Three Men and a Baby, The Untouchables, and Beverly Hills Cop raked in tons of cash, but Hiding Out only made a paltry $200,000 over it's original budget. And it wasn't entirely well received. Roger Ebert only gave it 2 out of 4 stars, who at least admitted that "the plot continued to intrigue me even after I'd more or less given up on the movie's ability to find anything interesting in it's material". According to one review I read this film barely cracked the top 90 in terms of ticket sales. (And just how many movies were released in 1987, anyway...?)

For those of you who are fans of Cryer's portrayal of Alan in Two and a Half Men, you may find this movie a welcome refresher into the actor. For those of you who like the idea of a 30 year old man trying to pass himself off as a high school student, it may fall a bit short, because, even though Cryer was only 22 when the film was made, I personally found it hard to see him effectively convincing as a 17 year old. But, as for the driving force that brings this situation to it's necessity, the fact that there are some goons out to cut him down, that part I did like.

That's it for this week. Drive safely.

Quiggy

 

 

  

The Semiquincentennial Movie Project

 

The Semiquincentennial Movie Project

Happy New Year 2026!

2026 marks the 250th anniversary of the creation of the United States. As the blogger of The Midnite Drive-In, I decided to launch a celebration of my own to celebrate this milestone.  As such, I am beginning a series of entries which will last the entire year.  Each week of 2026 I am going to highlight a movie that uses one of the states of the Union as one of it's primary locations.

Of course, film did not even exist as a medium in 1776.  And, even though I was a history major in college, I have no desire to make this project a history lesson (although, as per my wont, there will be occasional historical notes...). My choice of movies will be primarily the same type of movies in which I have always had an interest. So prepare for some action, science fiction, horror, comedies and the occasional straightforward dramas.

Since I don't want it to appear I am playing favorites, I decided to post these entries in order of each state's entry into the Union. Otherwise my first entry would have been Texas, my home state. As such, the Texas entry won't appear until late July. Beginning with Delaware, the first state to be officially admitted to the union, each week I will be presenting a movie that has a connection to the state featured, usually meaning the primary story takes place within the state.  And there will be a break halfway through the series, because I thought it fitting that I devote the week of July 4th to a movie filmed in Washington, D.C., the nation's capital, since July 4 is Independence Day for the U.S. And since that makes only 51 weekly entries, that means the final week of the year is open. I decided on a cross country road trip theme. Thus, Damnation Alley, a science fiction classic that involves traversing the continental United States will wrap this whole shebang up.

The schedule, which I will try to stay committed to is as follows: Note: The entry could appear on Sunday, but the weekly schedule leaves me an option to post later in the week if circumstances occur that cause delays. And, although at this point I intend to stick to the ones I've chosen, I may decide to change my choice by the time the actual date comes around.

And one final note: It may just be that the movie I picked may not have much of a good reputation with the citizens of the state in question. I picked these movies because I like them. I make no apologies for my choices.  But, being that the comment section of this blog is not ruled over with an iron fist (meaning I allow anybody to criticize me), you are welcome to dispute my choices. 

Week 1 Jan. 4-10: Delaware - Hiding Out (1987)

Week 2 Jan. 11-17: Pennsylvania - The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh (1979)

Week 3 Jan. 18-24: New Jersey - Friday the 13th (1980)

Week 4 Jan. 25-31: Georgia -Gator (1976)

Week 5 Feb. 1-7: Connecticut - The Stepford Wives (1975)

Week 6 Feb. 8-14: Massachusetts - Alice's Restaurant (1969)

Week 7 Feb. 15-21: Maryland - Explorers (1985)

Week 8 Feb. 22-28: South Carolina - D.A.R.Y.L. (1985)

Week 9 Mar. 1-7: New Hampshire - All That Money Can Buy (1941)

Week 10 Mar. 8-14: Virginia - Greased Lightning (1977)

Week 11 Mar. 15-21: New York - Serpico (1973)

Week 12 Mar. 22-28: North Carolina - Hero's Island (1962)

Week 13 Mar. 29-Apr. 4: Rhode Island - The Witches of Eastwick (1985)

Week 14 Apr. 5-11: Vermont - The Trouble with Harry (1955)

Week 15 Apr. 12-18: Kentucky - The Moonshine War (1970)

Week 16 Apr. 19-25: Tennessee - The Evil Dead (1981)

Week 17 Apr. 26-May 2: Ohio - Harper Valley P.T.A. (1978)

Week 18 May 3-9: Louisiana - Southern Comfort (1981)

Week 19 May 10-16: Indiana - Breaking Away (1979)

Week 20 May 17-23: Mississippi - Mississippi Burning (1988)

Week 21 May 24- 30: Illinois - The Untouchables (1987)

Week 22 May 31-Jun 6: Alabama - To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)

Week 23 Jun. 7-13: Maine - The Dead Zone (1983)

Week 24 Jun. 14-20: Missouri - The Great St. Louis Bank Robbery (1959)

Week 25 Jun. 21-27: Arkansas - True Grit (1969)

Week 26 Jun. 28-Jul. 4: Washington, D.C. - The Werewolf of Washington (1973)

Week 27 Jul. 5-11: Michigan - The Rosary Murders (1987)

Week 28 Jul. 12-18: Florida - Attack of the Giant Leeches (1959)

Week 29 Jul. 19-25: Texas - Cloak and Dagger (1984)

Week 30 Jul. 26-Aug. 1: Iowa - Cold Turkey (1971)

Week 31 Aug. 2-8: Wisconsin - The Giant Spider Invasion (1975)

Week 32 Aug. 9-15: California - Car Wash (1976)

Week 33 Aug. 16-22: Minnesota - The Long Riders (1980)

Week 34 Aug. 23-29: Oregon - Short Circuit (1986)

Week 35 Aug. 30-Sep. 5: Kansas - King Kung Fu (1976)

Week 36 Sep. 6-12: West Virginia - Invasion of the Space Preachers (1990)

Week 37 Sep.13-19: Nevada - The Beast of Yucca Flats (1961)

Week 38 Sep. 20-26: Nebraska - Children of the Corn (1984)

 Week 39 Sep. 27-Oct. 3: Colorado - America 3000 (1986)

Week 40 Oct. 4-10: North Dakota - Leprechaun (1993)

Week 41 Oct. 11-17: South Dakota -  The White Buffalo (1977)

Week 42 Oct. 18-24: Montana - Alien Abduction: Incident in Lake County (1998)

Week 43 Oct. 25-31: Washington - Stay Tuned (1992)

Week 44 Nov. 1-7: Idaho - The Being (1983)

Week 45 Nov. 8-14: Wyoming - Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)

Week 46 Nov. 15-21: Utah - Carnival of Souls (1962)

Week 47 Nov. 22-28: Oklahoma - The Outsiders (1983)

Week 48 Nov. 29-Dec. 5: New Mexico - The Leopard Man (1943)

Week 49 Dec. 6-12: Arizona - Tarantula! (1955)

Week 50 Dec. 12-19: Alaska - Red Snow (1952)

Week 51 Dec. 20-26: Hawaii - Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970)

Week 52 Dec. 27-Jan 2: Road Trip: Damnation Alley (1977)

Hope you have an excellent 2026. I'm certainly going to try.

Quiggy