Ok… now here's a selection I really wasn't expecting to like:
Black Moon Rising (1986) stars Tommy Lee Jones and Linda Hamilton with Robert Vaughn as the bad guy and also notable are appearances from Bubba Smith and Nick Cassavetes. What's this? The screenplay was by John Carpenter! Wow, what a cast list!
It has a 5.5/10 on IMDB from over 4,800 viewers, lol. But really? It's actually not that bad. Well, it's actually really good, nay nearly great, depending on what it is you're watching for.
It's an 80s action film. A cheap 80s action film. But then so was Terminator. And it really does have that same exact era vibe as Terminator, particularly with things like the music, the urban setting, the way people fight and the stunts used.
If you're a connoisseur of that very specific 80s action film aesthetic that only people familiar with this specific genre understand, then this right here is a real hidden gem of that genre. I really enjoyed every minute of it.
I mean, yeah, I can see why it's a 5.5/10 on a scale of every film ever made, but on a scale of video shop 80s action films, this is easily a 7/10, but for me today, with the added weight of all that instant nostalgia that literally drips from every crevice of every scene? Well, I got an 8/10 out of this unexpected wonder.
I then watched:
The Big Brass Ring (1999) which made me chuckle as the title seemed like a sexual euphemism. I then ceased chuckling as the film turned out to be a utter bore from beginning to end. A political intrigue movie where the intrigue wasn't very intriguing at all.
I then at least laughed out loud when it turned out homosexuality was indeed part of the intrigue/potential scandal. However, the brass ring of the title is apparently something politicians wear to signify their status, though I'm sure there's an inside joke going on here somewhere. IMDB has it at 5.3/10, I'd have gone lower at 2/5.
The following day I had another pleasant 80s surprise:
The Brotherhood of Justice (TV Movie, 1986) Starring… wait for it… OMG, a very young Keanu Reeves, with hearty support from a very young Keifer Sutherland, Billy Zane, Lori Loughlin and many more.
And Reeves was great, pure Keanu. It's sort-of a high-school coming of age thing, but also not, as Reeves, the good guy, leads a gang of vigilantes out to right the wrongs of the evil doers, with the grey areas becoming blacker every new scene, resulting in a film that actually has quite a bit of depth to it.
But again, whoa, that 80s factor is again strong with this one. That extra cherry on top. Not quite as dripping as Black Moon Rising, but just in the background here, the main draw is without a doubt being Keanu'd by a very early and youthful Keanu for 90 whole minutes. IMDB has it at… 5.5/10, but, again, I got a good 7.5/10 from this marvellous little tail, though probably not for reasons that would have been in effect when it was released.
