Movie review: Beverly Hills Cop (1984)

A cool police comedy, Beverly Hills Cop transformed Eddie Murphy from superstar to global phenomenon. The film is a perfect vehicle for Murphy's brand of comic urban agitation, and the blend of laughs and action is irresistible.

Axel Foley (Murphy) is a Detroit undercover cop who does not mind breaking all the rules in pursuit of bad guys. His old friend Mikey (James Russo), an ex-convict, shows up in town carrying some seemingly stolen government bond certificates. Mikey had been working as a bodyguard at a Beverly Hills warehouse, and seems agitated. Sure enough, a couple of hitmen soon show up and kill Mikey. Against the wishes of his superiors, Axel heads to California in his beat-up car to track down the murderers.

Once in Beverly Hills, Axel connects with art gallery curator Jenny Summers (Lisa Eilbacher), a common friend with Mikey. She in turn directs Axel to the very wealthy gallery benefactor Victor Maitland (Steven Berkoff), who also owns the warehouse where Mikey worked. Axel starts snooping into Maitland's business, which puts him on the radar of local police detectives Rosewood (Judge Reinhold) and Taggart (John Ashton) and their Lieutenant Bogomil (Ronny Cox). Axel uncovers a sophisticated smuggling operation run by Maitland and his goons, but bringing the wealthy businessman to justice will be a tough assignment for a Detroit cop out of his jurisdiction.

Produced by the 1980s power duo of Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer and directed by Martin Brest, Beverly Hills Cops is star vehicle for the unstoppable charismatic talent of Eddie Murphy. This is a foul-mouthed police comedy filled with frantic action and polished to a colourful southern California shine, embracing the contrast of an undercover cop from downtrodden inner-city Detroit invading sparkly Beverly Hills and causing comical mayhem on a personal mission to avenge his dead buddy.

While the story is quite standard, it serves as merely a backdrop for Murphy to let loose in a series of memorable set-pieces. Whether talking his way into a succession of off-limits glitzy locations, outsmarting the local cops or penetrating heavily defended warehouses, Axel Foley emerges as a witty, resourceful and hilarious hero, revelling in his transplanted status and happy to bring the best of Detroit's street-wise attitude to the tony environs of Rodeo Drive and its self-loving people.

The Daniel Petrie, Jr. script keeps things simple, playing to the strengths of Murphy by just presenting Axel with a series of asymmetrical challenges and allowing him to turn the tables in the funniest possible way. And the dishevelled cop does it all with a broad smile on his face, except for the numerous occasions when he bursts into his goofy guffaw. Axel manages to laugh at and with his opponents at the same time, keeping them off-balance, as he navigates every occasion with a disarming "who me?" sense of the underdog who couldn't possibly hold the advantage until he very much does, and it's too late for everyone else.

The film's cool vibe is dramatically enhanced by a legendary soundtrack. The Heat Is On by Glenn Frey and Neutron Dance by the Pointer Sisters both became huge hits, while Harold Faltermeyer's electronic instrumental Axel F remains one of the most iconic 1980s music themes.

The supporting actors alternate between standing back to create space for Murphy and stepping forward to present juicy targets. Judge Reinhold and John Ashton fulfill their roles admirably as the by-the-books local cops who initially stand in Axel's way but eventually buy into his methods and mission. Steven Berkoff makes for a worthy adversary, but Lisa Eilbacher gets the most stuck-in-the-eighties role of superfluous female interest struggling against oversized shoulder pads.

Dripping with a winning attitude, Beverly Hills Cop cruises down the glitzy boulevard paved with blinding star power.

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Movie Review: Gremlins (1984)

A comic-horror adventure with mischievous killer creatures taking over a small town, Gremlins enjoys a decent opening but runs out of ideas half-way through, and degenerates into silly puppeteering overload.

In a mysterious Chinatown shop, eccentric inventor Rand Peltzer (Hoyt Axton) buys a small furry creature called a Mogwai as a Christmas present for his teenaged son Billy (Zach Galligan). The Mogwai comes with three strict rules: the creature should not be exposed to bright light and particularly not direct sunlight, should not come in contact with water, and should never be fed after midnight. In the family's quaint hometown of Kingston Falls, Billy calls his new pet Gizmo and does his best to adhere by the rules, but when an accident caused by neighbourhood kid Pete (Corey Feldman) spills water on Gizmo, the creature emits fur balls and each becomes a new Mogwai. One of the new offspring has a mohawk and a mean streak, and is labelled Stripe.

Zach seeks the help of his high school science teacher (Glynn Turman), who starts to run blood tests on one of the Mogwai. The playfully malicious creatures (with the exception of Gizmo) then get their hands on some food after midnight, and after a cocoonish incubation period they transforms into ugly looking evil monsters, intent on death and destruction. Zach's mother Lynn (Frances Lee McCain) has to fight off the gremlins in her kitchen, but Stripe escapes, jumps into a pool, and creates a large army of cohorts. As the number of victims grows, Zach and his potential girlfriend Kate (Phoebe Cates) have to find a way to stop the gremlins before the whole town is destroyed.

With Steven Spielberg as Executive Producer and an effective premise, the opening 40 minutes of Gremlins feature an entertaining build-up. Director Joe Dante, working from a Chris Columbus script, takes his time in introducing the little critters, the Chinatown scene appropriately mysterious, and the initial tour through Kingston Falls setting a rich stage for the mayhem to come and the colourful locals who will soon become victims.

The kitchen battle scene between Mom and the first group of gremlins is a highlight, small appliances being put to good use, both the blender and microwave getting to grips with the ugly critters and causing quite the gremlin gore and juice mess.

But then the film's energy ebbs away, as the novelty wears off and Dante settles for the obvious: numerous shots of numerous gremlins behaving badly, the yuks disappearing as familiarity takes over. And it's a common problem, a running gag about Dad's useless inventions equally floundering on the rocks of repetition. Like all jokes that stretch too far, Gremlins goes from funny to boring in a hurry.

The lack of charisma in the central role does not help. Once the mayhem erupts, Zach Galligan is given very little to do, and Billy mostly comes across as an unconvincing dork playing second fiddle to an evil version of the muppet show. Better but still underutilized is Phoebe Cates, and at least she gets to deliver the film's best spooky story, sharing the reason why she really does not like Christmas. Judge Reinhold has a small role that seems to have suffered severely in the editing room.

Gremlins is funny when it's furry, but soggy when it's slimy.

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Movie Review: Fast Times At Ridgemont High (1982)

A high school sex farce that set new standards for raunchiness, Fast Times At Ridgemont High is a bold comedy with the added credibility of being based on screenwriter Cameron Crowe's undercover observations at a real high school. A fresh cast of newcomers would spawn several future super stars, enhancing the movie's legendary status.

The coolest dude in the Ridgemont High School community is surfer Jeff Spicoli (Sean Penn). He is constantly stoned, mellow beyond caring, but probably the smartest kid in school, if he would ever clear his head to find out. Around him swirls a tornado of uncontrolled hormones. 15-year-old Stacy (Jennifer Jason Leigh), who works at the coolest food outlet in the local hang-out mall, has yet to have any sexual encounters, but is eager to start. Her best friend Linda (Phoebe Cates) is encouraging her to go ahead and experiment, although Linda's claims to be sexually experienced sound more like bravado than reality.


Mark "Rat" Ratner (Brian Backer) is an usher at the mall movie theatre and is interested in Stacy, but despite the sage advice of his smooth friend Mike Damone (Robert Romanus), Mark is unsure and hesitant, leaving Stacy cold. Her rush to find physical intimacy ends with unsatisfactory sex, first with an older student and then unexpectedly with Damone; the result is an unwanted surprise. Meanwhile, Stacy's older brother Brad (Judge Reinhold) is bouncing between jobs trying to make enough money to pay for his car while plotting a break-up with his girlfriend and lusting after Linda.

Cameron Crowe was a freelance writer who went undercover at a San Diego high school and wrote the book on which the movie is based. This was the start of Crowe's film career, and artistic exaggerations aside, his script reflects the reality of the way teens talk, behave, and think.

Remarkably, Fast Times At Ridgemont High was Amy Heckerling's directing debut. Recognizing the depth of talent at her disposal, she quickly settles on an almost documentary style, her cameras simply recording teens living their misadventures. Crowe and Heckerling maintain sparkle and momentum by rotating scenes among their main characters.


Fast Times At Ridgemont High was Sean Penn's second screen role and his breakout performance. Dominating with utter ambivalence, Spicoli is the type of character who can either become a future corporate leader or an unidentified dead body in the gutter. Penn leaves us guessing, Spicoli operating in a constant fog of weed but demonstrating flashes of social and intellectual brilliance that hint at his potential.

Jennifer Jason Leigh, 20 years old but convincingly playing 15, is the centre of the film's exploration of teen sex. Curious, impressionable, eager, disappointed, then shocked, Stacy's finds the most difficult path to contentment, Crowe summarizing in Stacy the casual recklessness of youth. It's not necessarily a pretty picture of considered behaviour, but Leigh's natural performance shines with a non-judgemental honesty. Crowe and Heckerling throw Stacy on the screen as a mirror to reality. Her behaviour may be shocking for some, but rings true for many in her generation.

Phoebe Cates became best friends with Leigh in real life, and they are best friends here on the screen. Cates has less to do as Linda, but her stunning fantasy scene, dropping her red bikini top after emerging from the pool, catapulted her overnight to the front row of sex symbols for adolescent boys. In her other scenes, Cates gives Linda an appealing coyness, as her confident advice to Stacy begins to leak, possibly due to manufactured personal experience.


The boys chasing sex and companionship also do well, Brian Backer, Robert Romanus and Judge Reinhold creating memorable characters. Reinhold's Brad defines the well-meaning goof, Romanus gives Damone a slick veneer of cool that proves all to easy to puncture, while Backer's portrayal of Rat is an early example of the nerd who succeeds by being slow and steady.


In a rare strike of fortune for teen comedies, Fast Times At Ridgemont High proved to be a true training ground for fine future acting talent. Lurking deep in the cast list are future Academy Award winners Nicolas Cage (credited as Nicolas Coppola) and Forest Whitaker, as well as Anthony Edwards and Eric Stoltz.

The teens of Fast Times At Ridgemont High can't help misbehaving, and are nevertheless undoubtedly endearing, ensuring an everlasting mark in the history of high school comedies.

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