Blue Steel is a 1989 action thriller film directed by Kathryn Bigelow. The film is now 22 years old the film begins with Megan Turner (Jamie Lee Curtis) is a rookie New York City policewoman who shoots and kills a suspect (Tom Sizemore) with her police issue 38 Special Smith & Wesson Model 10 revolver while he’s holding up a neighborhood market. The suspect’s weapon lands on the floor of the market in the shopping area as the suspect is blown backward through the front window. As she continues to the checkout area, Turner nearly steps on the suspect’s gun directly in front of Eugene Hunt (Ron Silver) a commodities trader, who is also a latent psychopath. Hunt takes the gun and slips away, committing several bloody and brutal murders over the next few days using the gun. Because the robber’s weapon was not found at the scene, Turner is accused of killing an unarmed man. While tTurner attempts to clear her name with Chief Hoyt (Kevin Dunn) and her superiors, Hunt begins to romance the suspended Turner in a twisted love fetish. Turner arrests him but he is freed by his attorney Mel Dawson (Richard Jenkins) and continues to stalk Turner at her family home, an uncomfortable place where Turner remembers her mother being physically abused by her dad. Turner fights to keep her badge and solve the murders with the help of Detective Nick Mann (Clancy Brown) while trying to figure out her relationship with a killer. Eugene steps up his torment of Meg and turns up at her apartment later in the week and injures Meg and guns down and kills her best friend Tracy (Elizabeth Pena) and this causes Meg to have an emotional breakdown when she regains consciousness. Later that day Nick and Meg spend the night together, Eugene turns up again and while Nick goes to the bathroom he is shot by Eugene, Meg doesn’t hear the shot because it was muffled. Eugene attacks her and she shoots him but he runs off. Meg and Nick, who is unconscious are taken to the hospital. She wants to find Eugene and finish him off, after a long and violent confrontation and a bullet in the shoulder she finally shoots and kills Eugene and is taken away by paramedics for treatment. more…

Ferris Bueller’s Day Off is a 1986 coming of age comedy film written and directed by John Hughes. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off was released on June 11 1986 and became one of the top grossing films of the year. The film is now 25 years old the film begins with high school senior Ferris Bueller (Matthew Broderick) who  decides to skip school on a nice spring day by faking an illness to his parents (Lyman Ward and Cindy Pickett). He then encourages his girlfriend Sloane (Mia Sara) and his pessimistic best friend Cameron (Alan Ruck) to spend the day in Chicago as one of their last flings before they head off to different colleges. Ferris persuades Cameron to let them use his father’s prized convertible 1961 Ferrari 250 GT California to drive into the city. The rest of the school and many residents learn of Ferris exaggerated illness and offer donations to help “Save Ferris”. Only two people are not convinced by Ferris’s deception his often sarcastic sister Jeanie (Jennifer Grey) who is outraged at Ferris’s ability to defy authority so easily and the school’s Dean of Students Edward Rooney (Jeffrey Jones) who believes Ferris to be a truant. Ferris and his friends arrive downtown and leave the Ferrari with two garage attendants, who drive off in it a short time later to take a joyride. Ferris, Sloane and Cameron enjoy many sights of the city, including taking in a game at Wrigley Field, visiting the Sears Tower, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Chicago Mercantile Exchange and taking part in the Von Steuben Day Parade with Ferris lip syncing on a float to “Danke Schoen” and The Beatles’ version of “Twist and Shout”. Ferris even uses his ploys to pretend he is Abe Froman the Sausage King of Chicago to dine at an upscale restaurant Chez Quis while narrowly avoiding his father, who is on his way to lunch with business associates. Meanwhile Mr Rooney has gone off campus to try and find Ferris, first at a local hangout then traveling to Ferris’s home. He tries to gain entry, but ends up getting stuck in the mud and losing his shoe in the process, while being chased by the family’s dog. Mr Rooney eventually gains access, but Jeanie comes home trying to find Ferris and discovers Mr Rooney in the kitchen, mistaking him for a burglar. She dropkicks him in the face and runs upstairs to call the police. This forces Rooney to flee the scene, dropping his wallet in the process. When the police show up, they take Jeanie in for prank calling and while at the police station, she talks to a drug addict (Charlie Sheen), who tells her that she needs to stop worrying so much about Ferris and more about herself. Jeanie becomes increasingly annoyed with the addict, but is found kissing him when her mother arrives to pick her up, upset at having to do so. At the end of the day Ferris and his friends retrieve the Ferrari, but discover on the way back that hundreds of miles have been added to the odometer sending Cameron into a panic attack with Ferris saying to the audience “This is where Cameron goes berserk”. Cameron emits a scream of terror, fearing his father’s reaction. Finally Cameron goes temporarily catatonic, even trying to drown himself in the neighbor’s pool, before Ferris saves him.  more…

Fire Birds also known as Wings of the Apache is a 1990 action thriller film directed by David Green. A joint task force operation between the Drug Enforcement Administration and the U.S Army has been formed to dismantle one of the largest drug cartels operating in South America. Multiple attempts to assault the cartel’s mountainous compound have been thwarted by a Scorpion attack helicopter piloted by a cartel leader, Eric Stoller (Bert Rhine). After having several aircraft shot down, most notably a pair of UH60 Black Hawks and their AH1 Cobra escorts the army turns to the new AH64 Apache attack helicopter, which can match its enemies maneuverability and firepower. Pilot Jake Preston (Nicolas Cage) is subsequently enlisted in the Apache air to air combat training program. Earlier Preston was the sole survivor of a previous air attack by Stoller. Upon his arrival at the training course, he encounters his ex girlfriend Billie Lee Guthrie (Sean Young) who broke off their relationship to pursue a separate career flying OH58 Kiowa scout helicopters which often work alongside the Apache. Jake’s arrogance and loose improvised style quickly earn him the mixed respect and chagrin of veteran pilot and flight instructor Brad Little (Tommy Lee Jones). During the training schedule, Preston is revealed to be suffering from an eye dominance disability, which makes it difficult for him to utilize the Apache’s visual input. Using an unconventional but effective training method, Little helps Preston deal with his handicap.  A formation of military aircraft consisting of four Apaches and Guthrie’s Kiowa fly down to South America to provide air support for a DEA mission to hunt down and arrest drug cartel leaders. However,they are soon attacked at their base camp, one Apache is destroyed. With another Apache left to protect the DEA personnel, Preston, Little and Guthrie attempt to seek out Stoller. They soon locate his position as well as a pair of jet fighter aircraft who are also protecting the cartel. Little destroys one aircraft but is shot down in aerial combat by Stoller. He survives but his Apache is disabled. Stoller later targets Guthrie but Preston reaches their coordinates and engages him in a fierce dogfight. Using the Apache’s maneuverability near a mountainous peak, Preston manages to trick Stoller into flying past him, he then attacks and destroys his helicopter. Meanwhile Guthrie uses one of the Stinger missiles on board Little’s downed Apache to destroy the remaining enemy aircraft. With no air support the cartel’s defenses cease and their leaders are later apprehended. As an injured Little is loaded onto a Medevac helicopter, he expresses pride in both Preston and Guthrie. more…

Witness is a 1985 American thriller film directed by Peter Weir the film is now 26 years old. After the death of her husband in Lancaster County in 1984 a young Amish woman Rachel Lapp (Kelly McGillis) decides to take her 8 year old son Samuel (Lukas Haas) into the outside world for the first time on a trip to Baltimore, Maryland to visit her sister. Traveling by train, Samuel is amazed to see people different from him and sights such as a hot air balloon. When Rachel is waiting to change trains at the 30th Street Station in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Samuel uses the men’s room. As he does, he accidentally witnesses the brutal murder of a man (Timothy Carhart) in the restroom while hiding in the toilet stall. He sees the two men who committed the murder, but could only get a good look at one a tall African American man. Rachel and Samuel are then introduced to Captain John Book (Harrison Ford) and Sergeant Carter (Brent Jennings) who reveal that the victim was a police officer named Zenovich. Book and Carter take Samuel and Rachel around inner city Philadelphia and has him study pictures of convicts and a police line up to try to identify Zenovich’s murderer, but Samuel does not see a match. Wandering around the police station, Samuel sees a newspaper clipping with a picture of police Narcotics Lieutenant James McFee (Danny Glover) Samuel identifies him to Book as the man he saw at the train station. Book reports this to his superior officer, Chief Paul Schaeffer (Josef Sommer) saying that McFee was responsible for a drug raid where expensive chemicals were used to make amphetamines were discovered.  The drugs but were never reported to the police department. Zenovich was investigating the disappearance of these chemicals which if sold would make McFee a very wealthy man. McFee murdered Zenovich to ensure his silence.  Schaeffer advises Book to keep the case secret so they can work out how to move forward with it. As Book returns home, he encounters McFee in a parking garage.  McFee tries to shoot him with a 357 Magnum Smith & Wesson Model 28 revolver but Book draws his 38 Smith & Wesson Model 10 snub and after a fierce shoot out McFee flees the scene but not before Book is wounded. Book realizes that since he only told Schaeffer about McFee’s corruption, then Schaeffer must be corrupt too.  Book then phones Carter and tells him to remove all the police files that include the Lapps’ details and that he is going into hiding. Schaeffer, McFee and Fergie (Angus MacInnes) the second murderer of Zenovich, start their hunt for Book. Book returns Rachel and Samuel to their farm in Lancaster County, but as he is about to leave he passes out from loss of blood as a result of McFee’s gunshot and crashes his car into the Lapps birdhouse.  He cannot go to a hospital as doctors are required to report gunshot wounds to the police, which will lead McFee to find and kill Samuel. Eli Lapp (Jan Rubes) Rachel’s father in law, who also lives at the farm reluctantly agrees to shelter Book in their home for the sake of his grandson and daughter in law’s safety. more…

Kara Zor El (Helen Slater) lives in an isolated Kryptonian community called Argo City, in a pocket of trans dimensional space. Zaltar (Peter O’Toole) allows Kara to see a unique item known as the Omegahedron, which he has borrowed without the knowledge of the city council, which also has immense power. However after a mishap the Omegahedron (which also powers the city) is sucked out into space. Kara follows it to Earth in an effort to recover it and save the city, which will die without it. On Earth the Omegahedron is recovered by Selena (Faye Dunaway) a power hungry would be witch who quickly realizes that it can be used to allow her to perform real magical spells. On the radio, Selena hears that Superman has just left on a peace seeking mission to another galaxy.  Kara, now dressed as Supergirl arrives on Earth and discovers her powers. Following the path of the Omegahedron, she takes the name Linda Lee and identifies herself as the cousin of Clark Kent and enrolls at an all girls school.  Supergirl and Selena are both enamored by Ethan, who works as a groundskeeper at the school. After Selena misuses the Omegahedron to make herself a “princess of Earth” she drugs Ethan with a potion to make him love her and serve as her consort.  Supergirl rescues Ethan and he falls in love with her instead.  Supergirl and Selena repeatedly battle in various ways, until Selena uses her powers to put Supergirl in an “eternal void” known as the Phantom Zone. Here stripped of her powers she wanders the bleak landscape and nearly drowns in an oily bog.  Yet she finds help in Zaltar, who is also in the Phantom Zone after going into self imposed exile for losing the Omegahedron. Zaltar sacrifices his life to allow Supergirl to escape. Back on Earth, she regains her powers and defeats Selena.  Ethan admits his love for Kara, but knows it is possible he may never see her again and understands she must save Argo City. The final scene shows Kara returning to a darkened Argo City, which promptly lights up again. more…

Big Trouble in Little China is a 1986 American martial arts film directed by John Carpenter the film is now 25 years old the film begins with truck driver Jack Burton (Kurt Russell) and his friend Wang Chi (Dennis Dun) going to the San Francisco International Airport to pick up Wang’s fiancee Miao Yin (Suzee Pai). While at the airport a Chinese street gang kidnap Miao Yin and take her into Chinatown intent on selling her as a sex slave. Jack and Wang follow and in the back alleys of Chinatown they get caught in a gang battle when the Wing Kong interrupt a funeral procession the Chang Sing are having for their recently assassinated leader. During the street battle, powerful magicians in league with the Wing Kong called “The Three Storms” (Thunder, Rain and Lightning) use their supernatural powers to slaughter the Chang Sing. Trying to escape Jack runs over the Wing Kong’s leader the sorcerer Lo Pan (James Hong). However Lo Pan is not harmed by this and Wang has to help Jack after he is temporarily blinded by Lo Pan’s glowing eyes. Jack’s truck is then stolen by the Lords of Death. Wang takes Jack to his restaurant where they meet up with lawyer Gracie Law (Kim Cattrall) Wang’s friend Eddie Lee (Donald Li) and Egg Shen (Victor Wong) a magician and local authority on Lo Pan who moonlights as a tour bus driver in Chinatown. Together they come up with a plan to infiltrate the brothel where they think Miao Yin is being held. Once inside Jack starts to question one of the girls, but is interrupted when the Storms crash in and make off with Miao Yin.  Back at Gracie’s apartment, they find that Miao Yin was taken to a place called The Wing Kong Exchange a front for Lo Pan’s domain. With Wang’s assistance, Jack infiltrates the place and the two get caught in a lift that fills with water. After making their way out Wang claims they’re in “The hell of the upside down sinners” and they are taken to a cell by Rain, who grabs Wang by the neck and sends rubber balls to Jack’s stomach with force.  Afterwords they are taken in wheelchairs to see Lo Pan where he claims that Miao Yin is “Safer with me than any creature on this Earth” after telling them of his intent. Lo Pan catches Gracie, Eddie and Gracie’s journalist friend Margo entering the building on his security monitor and sends Thunder to deal with them. Wang and Jack are taken back to their cell, still in the wheelchairs when Wang tells Jack about the 2,000 year old legend of Lo Pan; that he was cursed to roam the Earth until he can marry a special kind of girl. They break free from the wheelchairs, but hearing Thunder return they get back into the wheelchairs and put their blindfolds back on. Thunder hangs Eddie up by the collar of his jacket and Jack jumps Thunder, who manages to push Jack off of him and into his wheelchair sending him back down the ramp and nearly falling into a deep well.  Wang and Eddie make a diversion so Jack can rescue the imprisoned girls and get out safely. more…