Tim Salmons

A major success in its home country, JSA: Joint Security Area identified director Park Chan-wook as a cinematic force to be reckoned with. Slick, stylistic, and effective, JSA plays out as a sociopolitical mystery thriller, but on a very human level—highlighting the division between North and South Korea through four characters. The film was so successful, even outgrossing the monster that was Titanic, that it spawned stage musical and TV miniseries adaptations. In North America, Park Chan-wook’s name became more associated with the “Tartan Asia Extreme” series due to the violent nature of The Vengeance Trilogy (Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, Oldboy, and Lady Vengeance), and later 2013’s Stoker, meaning that JSA was and continues to be underappreciated as a meditation on the effects of war on four young men who manage to put aside their differences, not only to find common ground, but friendship as well.

The Addams Family has been a mainstay in popular culture for decades, beginning with the original Charles Addams cartoons, continuing with the iconic 1960s TV series, moving forward with the mostly forgotten 1973 animated series, and more or less halting as a franchise in the 1990s with the live action films. 2019’s The Addams Family welcomes the creepy and kooky family into the feature-length animated world for the first time, but with mixed results.

The Italian action and crime films of the 1960s and 1970s, known collectively as poliziotteschi, were often akin to their gialli counterparts in terms of their extremism. Featuring over-the-top violence and performances, they often paralleled or even mimicked what was going on in British and American filmmaking at the time. In the case of the 1973 Italian/Spanish co-production High Crime (aka La polizia incrimina la legge assolve), shades of The Godfather, Dirty Harry, and most obviously The French Connection, are definitely visible in this high octane crime thriller, executed Euro-style. The results were hugely successful in the film’s home territory, while also adding another feather in the long and varied career cap of Franco Nero.

Among the many nature-strikes-back horror films of the 1970s released through American International Pictures, 1976’s Squirm was also Jeff Lieberman’s directorial debut, though he would go on to helm other cult favorites like Blue Sunshine, Just Before Dawn, Remote Control, and Satan’s Little Helper. Shot in and around Georgia and employing Rick Baker for the make-up effects, the film features Don Scardino as Mick, an average guy from New York City who’s visiting his Southern girlfriend Geri (Patricia Pearcy) and her family when an outbreak of electrified and deadly worms begin to pile up and devour the locals in succession.

The late 1970s and early 1980s seem to have no shortage of disco musicals, many of which were fueled by drugs (allegedly) and imagination. Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, Thank God It’s Friday, Xanadu, The Apple... they all earned their fair share of criticisms, and in some cases, financial success, or a lack thereof. One of the oddest came in 1980, courtesy of stage producer-turned-film producer Alan Carr, who had had major success with Grease two years earlier. Directing was Nancy Walker, mostly known for acting roles in The Mary Tyler Moore Show and McMillan & Wife, but the disco-laden comedy extravaganza Can’t Stop the Music was her feature film directorial debut, for better or worse.

Long before Zack Snyder’s Justice League assembled, DC fans were treated to Saturday morning and syndicated adventures with some of their favorite DC superheroes and villains with the long-running Super Friends animated TV franchise, which consisted of seven shows over the course of twelve years, courtesy of Hanna-Barbera Productions. The line up of heroes would be altered over the time, sometimes including young sidekicks who weren’t from the original comics, or some of the lesser known characters in the DC canon. At the center always was Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and Aquaman, with Robin, the Flash, Cyborg, Firestorm, the Wonder Twins, Apache Chief, El Dorado, and Green Lantern, among others, coming and going over the various iterations of the show when it aired on ABC.

In many ways, So I Married an Axe Murderer is a transitional film for its star, Mike Myers. Post-Wayne’s World and prior to Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (as well as the superior sequel, Wayne’s World 2), Myers was moving from more grounded material with satirical edge into full-on fantastical and blatantly over-the-top comedic territory. He soon became known more for his makeup-laden, costumed characters, crashing hard in 2008 with The Love Guru, but still managing to stay afloat thanks to success of the Shrek franchise. Axe was by no means a hit upon release, though it wasn’t a total bomb either. Critics were mixed on it or indifferent towards it altogether, but today fans of it can see the beginnings of where Mike Myers was going with his career, as there are elements in the film pushing him in that direction.

One of the crown jewels of the theatrically-released Agatha Christie adaptations, Sidney Lumet’s Murder on the Orient Express became a trend-setter for adapting her work. Although films before it had featured large casts, this seemed to be the first time that such a lavish production with impeccable art direction and cinematography, and a cast of highly regarded actors, would set the template for what would come later on, particularly in the Peter Ustinov era.

Though the series has lapsed in the wake of the 2010 remake, A Nightmare on Elm Street was one of the most popular horror franchises of its day, spawning multiple sequels, a TV series, books, comics, and an endless supply of various forms of merchandise the world over. The original 1984 film continues to stand today as one of the most original horror films ever mounted, untainted by everything that came in its wake.

Trick ‘r Treat not only became a beloved Halloween tradition for many a horror fan, but it also spurred on a number of other filmmakers to revive horror anthologies, creating a number of them in its wake. It was a slow start though as it was delayed for two years after screening at film festivals and receiving acclaim from critics and audiences. Rather stupidly, it was ported straight to home video in 2009, bypassing a wide theatrical release altogether. However, it did find its audience, and put director Michael Dougherty on the map after having mostly been known for animation, and writing projects for Bryan Singer.