Tag: 1980s

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’ →

The Art of the Ad: The Computer Revolution

Computer ads from the 1960s through the early 1980s are bursting with optimism for a future made easier—and better—through technology. Now that we’ve all assimilated, plugged in 24/7, the jury is out on whether that’s “better” or not. Now we just shrug with every iOS update, allow our data to be harvested, and rot our … Continue reading The Art of the Ad: The Computer Revolution →

Bad Girls We Love: Eve from See No Evil, Hear No Evil

The third of four cinematic collaborations between comedy legends Richard Pryor and Gene Wilder, See No Evil, Hear No Evil (1989) was a cable television staple in the early to mid-1990s. That’s where I saw it, over and over again, probably on my beloved WPIX-11. The film’s plot sounds like the setup for a joke: … Continue reading Bad Girls We Love: Eve from See No Evil, Hear No Evil →