Saturday Night At The Movies
VHS only: 5 hidden gems from the ‘80s
By Dennis Hartley
“Ka-CHUNK…(click)…whirr…” (*sigh*)
If video killed the radio star, then surely ‘twas the internet what killed the video store. Which, in addition, took all the fun out of being a geeky film collector (well, most of it, anyway). It’s getting tougher all the time to be able to reach into the deepest recesses of my vaults, pull out a coveted “VHS only” title and raise it to the heavens for all to behold without some smug git from the peanut gallery gleefully pointing out that Netflix has it, or that you can watch it for free on YouTube (a 27th-generation copy, in ever-buffering 10-minute segments? Enjoy!). You also have to understand the mindset of the collector. You see, we need that tactile experience of actually removing the Sacred VHS (or DVD, CD, cassette, 8-track, LP) from its (jewel case, slipcover, sleeve, golden sarcophagus, whatever) and holding it before placing it into the Holy Player. It’s all about the ritual. With that in mind, I have perused my stash and dug up five good reasons to hang on to that clunky VCR; a handful of worthwhile gems not available on DVD, Netflix, or cable:
Heartbreakers (1984) – A true hidden gem, this is arguably the most quintessentially 80s film on this list, and one of my favorite “L.A. stories”. Director-writer Bobby Roth delivers an absorbing character study about two 30-something pals who are both going through big cha-cha-cha-changes in their personal and professional lives. Peter Coyote is excellent as a petulant man-child named Blue, a starving artist who specializes in quasi-pornographic, fetishistic female portraiture (his character is supposedly based in part on real life artist Robert Blue). Blue is nurturing a broken heart; his long-time girlfriend (Kathryn Harrold), tired of waiting for him to grow up, has recently dumped him. Blue’s friend Eli (Nick Mancuso), while much more together financially (he’s a wildly successful super-Yuppie who lives in a dream bachelor pad with the requisite lofty L.A. Basin view) is feeling equally unfulfilled emotionally. With his male model looks and shiny toys, it’s not like he has any problem with hookups; he just can’t seem to find The One (yes, I know- how many nights of empty sex with an endless parade of beautiful women can one guy stand?). However, just when the commiserating duo’s love lives are looking absolutely hopeless, they both meet The One. Unfortunately, she is the same One (Carole Laure). The plot thickens, and the friendship is about to be sorely tested. Formulaic as it sounds, I’ve always really liked this film; I think it’s a sharply observed look at modern love (and sex) in the Big City. Max Gail (best known for his role on TV’s Barney Miller) is surprisingly good, as is Carol Wayne (in her very last film appearance).
Light of Day (1987) – From off the streets of Cleveland comes…that rare Paul Schrader film that actually doesn’t culminate in a blood-spattered catharsis. Rather, this is a character study about a pair of blue-collar siblings (Michael J. Fox and Joan Jett) struggling to make a name for themselves in the music biz. That being said, this is still Paul Schrader we’re talking about, so don’t expect a bubbly musical-comedy (a la That Thing You Do!). In fact, the film is more like an American version of one of those gritty, working-class “kitchen sink” dramas that came out of Britain in the 60s, with intense performances from a uniformly fine cast. Jett, naturally, does her own singing and playing; but it’s worth noting that Fox and the other actors portraying “The Barbusters” do so as well. That fact, coupled with the no-nonsense performances, adds up to one of the most realistic narrative films I’ve ever seen about what it’s really like to eke out a living in the rock’n’roll trenches; i.e., these guys actually look and sound like a bar band. Gena Rowlands is a standout as Jett and Fox’s mother (she is also the most “Schrader-esque” character in the piece). Bruce Springsteen penned the title song (originally a little number called “Born in the USA”…which the Boss wisely decided to keep for himself).
One Night Stand (1984) – An early effort from eclectic filmmaker John Duigan (Winter of Our Dreams, Year My Voice Broke
, Flirting
, Sirens
, The Journey of August King
, Lawn Dogs
), this is a worthwhile, yet largely overlooked entry amidst the flurry of nuclear paranoia-themed movies that proliferated during the Reagan era. Through circumstance, four young people (three Australians and an American sailor who has jumped ship) find themselves holed up in an otherwise empty Sydney Opera House on the eve of escalating nuclear tension between the superpowers in Eastern Europe. In an effort to deflect their anxiety over increasingly ominous news bulletins droning from a portable radio, they find various creative ways to amuse themselves. The film is a little uneven at times, but for the most part Duigan is able to juggle this busy mashup of romantic comedy, apocalyptic thriller and art house anti-war statement. There are several striking set pieces; particularly an eerily affecting scene where the quartet screen Metropolis
as the Easybeats hit “Friday on My Mind” is juxtaposed over its orchestral score. Midnight Oil performs in a scene where the two young women attend a concert. The bittersweet denouement (in an underground subway station) is powerful and moving.
Sammy and Rosie Get Laid (1987) – I think that the thing I adore most about this criminally underappreciated comedy-drama from accomplished British director Stephen Frears (My Beautiful Laundrette
, Prick Up Your Ears
, Dangerous Liaisons 
, The Grifters
, High Fidelity
) is that it is everything that the Rush Limbaughs of the world fear and despise the most: Pro-feminist, gay-positive, anti-fascist, pro-multiculturalism, anti-colonialist and Marxist-friendly. In other words, they don’t make ‘em like this anymore (no 3-D potential there, I’d reckon). At first glance, Sammy (Ayub Khan-Din) and Rosie (Frances Barber) are just your average middle-class London couple. However, their lifestyle is somewhat unconventional. For example, they have adapted a libertine approach to their marriage; giving each other an unlimited pass to take lovers on the side (the implied in-joke of the movie title is that Sammy and Rosie seemingly “get laid” with everyone but each other). They also don’t seem to mind that their neighborhood has turned into a veritable war zone; ethnic and political unrest has led to nightly riots and clashes with police (this is unmistakably Thatcher’s England). However, when Sammy’s estranged father (Shashi Kapoor), a former Indian government official haunted by ghosts from his murky political past, returns to London after a long absence, everything goes topsy-turvy for the couple. Wonderful performances abound (including the great Claire Bloom, and Fine Young Cannibals lead singer Roland Gift), buoyed by the fine direction and a literate script (by Hanif Kureishi). This is a terrific little film, ripe for rediscovery.
Tokyo Pop (1988) – A likable entry in the 80’s New Wave genre (in the vein of Starstruck
, Breaking Glass
, Desperately Seeking Susan
, Smithereens
and Ladies And Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stains
). The fluffy premise is buoyed by star Carrie Hamilton’s winning screen presence (Hamilton employs the same mixture of goofy charm and genuine warmth that her mother, Carol Burnett, parlayed into a long and successful career). Hamilton (who does her own singing) plays a struggling wannabe rock star who buys a one way ticket to Tokyo at the invitation of a girlfriend. Unfortunately, her flakey friend has flown the coop, and our heroine finds herself stranded in a strange land. “Fish out of water” misadventures ensue, including cross-cultural romance with all the usual complications. For music fans, it’s a fun time capsule of the late 80s Japanese music scene, and the colorful cinematography nicely captures the neon-lit energy of Tokyo nightlife. I can’t help but wonder if Sofia Coppola took inspiration from this for Lost in Translation 
(at any rate, it makes a perfect double bill). Director Fran Rubel Kuzui later helmed the 1992 film version of Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Sadly, Hamilton died of cancer at 38 in 2002. .