Tag: 1980s

Samantha “Sunshine” Jensen

Twelve years before she roared into immortality as Catwoman in Batman Returns, Michelle Pfeiffer played a different type of cat, a B.A.D Cat, to be precise. A what, you ask? Well, I’ll tell ya what. After starting her career with guest spots on television series like Fantasy Island and ChiPs, Michelle nabbed a regular gig … Continue reading Samantha “Sunshine” Jensen →

Janet, Jack, and Some of That Jazz

In the season six episode of Three’s Company—hilariously titled “Some of That Jazz”—Janet (my birthday buddy, the lovely and talented Joyce Dewitt) thinks her dance instructor’s interest in her is strictly for her dancing skills. Jack (one of the best comedic actors of all time, the late John Ritter) knows the teacher (Michael Bell in … Continue reading Janet, Jack, and Some of That Jazz →

A Journey in Three Moods, or, How My Brain Works

1. The light bulb moment: sudden, powerful jolt of inspiration for my next creative endeavor. 2. The details of making it happen start crashing and careening around in my head. 3. *distracted by another light bulb flickering in the distance* Special thanks to Michelle Pfeiffer's expressive facial reactions as one of my favorite cinematic inspirations, … Continue reading A Journey in Three Moods, or, How My Brain Works →

Bad Girls We Love: Jane Mitchell from Zapped!

Zapped! (1982) is the heartwarming story of high school science geek Barney (Scott Baio, years before we knew how evil he was), who develops the power to move things with his mind after a lab accident, just like a Marvel Comics character. After slamming doors and flinging objects across rooms with an arched eyebrow and … Continue reading Bad Girls We Love: Jane Mitchell from Zapped! →

Still the Coolest Rider: Stephanie Zinone and Grease 2 at 40

We adore certain movies with such fervent, exuberant, out-of-control and infinite love that they feel like an inextricable part of our lives. There is no us without them. I feel this way about quite a few of Michelle Pfeiffer’s movies, and one of them is celebrating its fortieth anniversary today. Grease 2 might’ve been considered … Continue reading Still the Coolest Rider: Stephanie Zinone and Grease 2 at 40 →

Ray Liotta, 1954–2022

In James Mangold’s criminally unsung Cop Land (1997), Ray Liotta played disgraced, disheveled, and chain-smoking police detective Gary Figgis, one of several NYPD officers living in “Cop Land”—a police enclave across the river in Jersey. In a cast that is outrageously stacked with talent and great performances—Robert De Niro, Harvey Keitel, Annabella Sciorra, Janeane Garofalo, … Continue reading Ray Liotta, 1954–2022 →