Category: 1980s

Random Image Dump #13

More randomness for your viewing pleasure. For this lucky 13th post in the series, I’ve selected 13 black and white photos. Black and white always conveys a certain vintage appeal, while also feeling utterly timeless. Susanna Hoffs: Huge crush. I repeat: HUGE. Writer Alan Moore and artist Bill Sienkiewicz: comic book royalty. Maria always got … Continue reading Random Image Dump #13 →

Cheers to Elevators: Married to the Mob at 35

Cheers to elevators! You meet the nicest people in them. Angela De Marco On August 19th, Jonathan Demme’s absolutely sublime 1988 comedy Married to the Mob celebrated its 35th anniversary. The film tells the story of a former bridge-and-tunnel mob wife (Michelle Pfeiffer), who seemingly never felt comfortable in such a role, trying to find … Continue reading Cheers to Elevators: Married to the Mob at 35 →

Lost and Found: Arabella: Black Angel

Words can’t really do justice to the 1989 Italian giallo-style Arabella: Black Angel (Arabella l'angelo nero). Wildly raunchy, severely kinky, and absurdly convoluted, the film both titillates and confounds. I watched at least half of it with my jaw on the floor, either because of star Tinì Cansino’s various sexual exploits or because I couldn’t … Continue reading Lost and Found: Arabella: Black Angel →

Meet Me at Vallenari’s

Of the three sensational films Michelle Pfeiffer’s made in 1988, Robert Towne’s California crime drama Tequila Sunrise (1988) has really grown on me. The other two, Married to the Mob and Dangerous Liaisons, felt like instant classics for me., but Tequila Sunrise took a little time to work it’s slow charms on me—not too long, … Continue reading Meet Me at Vallenari’s →

The Art of the Ad: Sex, Lies, and Video Games, Part III

We’re back with a third installment of shamelessly sexy vintage video game and arcade game ads. Marketers produced so many of these from the 1970s through 1990s that there’s enough for future installments, too. As I’ve said before, it was a very different time. Game makers knew their target audience—adolescent boys and young men—and understood … Continue reading The Art of the Ad: Sex, Lies, and Video Games, Part III →

Lost and Found: Streetwalkin’

One of the more prevalent cult movie genres in the 1980s featured prostitutes navigating the dangerous streets of whatever big city in which they plied their trade (almost always New York or Los Angeles). Let’s name it the Streetwalkin’ genre, after the 1985 film that, in my humble opinion, best personifies this style: Streetwalkin’. A … Continue reading Lost and Found: Streetwalkin’ →