January 13, 1984

Angel (1984)



Donna Wilkes is a 15-year-old, straight-A student (Molly) by day and a hooker (Angel) at night in an almost-good exploitation film with several nude scenes. She is also the target of necrophiliac serial killer John Diehl, who disguises himself as a Hare Krishna.

d: Robert Vincent O’Neill | imdb.com | trailer | whole movie
trailers | Angel | Avenging Angel | Angel III: The Final Chapter

May 26, 1983

Personal Best (1982)


Mariel Hemingway plays as an Olympic-caliber pentathlete, and Scott Glenn is her demanding coach. The film excels at presenting the beauty and grace of the athletes through slow motion and the complications of girlfriends competing against each other.

d: Robert Towne | imdb.com | Arm wrestling | the first part

February 18, 1983

The King of Comedy (1983)



Obsessed fan Robert De Niro doesn’t just want to be like his idol — talk show host Jerry Langford (played by Jerry Lewis) — he wants to be him. The dark comedy is an indictment of America’s celebrity culture, and it was long ahead of its time.

d: Martin Scorsese | imdb.com | trailer | movie | Critics’ Choice

December 17, 1982

Tootsie (1982)



Dustin Hoffman is brilliant as actor Michael Dorsey and actress Dorothy Michaels, and the cross-dressing never turns into a gimmick. A pro-feminist satire of acting, the film is also lots of fun, with supporting roles by Jessica Lange, Dabney Coleman and Bill Murray.

d: Sydney Pollack | imdb.com | trailer | No one will hire you.

July 30, 1982

Night Shift (1982)


Fast-talking idea man Michael Keaton and down-trodden straight man Henry Winkler turn their night shift at the city morgue into home base for a prostitution ring, and they make a good comedy team. Shelley Long adds smarts and heart as a prostitute.

d: Ron Howard | imdb.com | trailer | Prostitution

August 14, 1981

They All Laughed (1981)


Three detectives (Ben Gazzara, John Ritter, Blaine Novak) follow two women (Audrey Hepburn, Dorothy Stratten) in a throwback to the double-talk, screwball comedies of the 1930s. There’s sweetness to the love stories, and the country soundtrack informs them.

d: Peter Bogdanovich | imdb.com | soundtrack | interview