The deep end of the 80s developed an underwater fetish (possibly paperback-led based on that poster to the left), and obviously not all of these films were going to be graced with their moment in the sun. As the first to arrive, but ultimately the distant third wheel of three incredibly comparable 1989 genre flicks (the better forms of which were commercial underachievers as it is, and were themselves beaten to the punch by arguably Crichton's finest popcorn thriller in…

When my family first got a television in 1993, my daycare babysitter at that time (who had an entire vault closet of recorded VHS) gifted me two double-headers to break the TV in: Alice in Wonderland/Peter Pan & The Little Mermaid/Fern Gully. I saw these four films countless times, especially Fern Gully which went on to become my perennial formative favourite into adulthood.

Returning to The Little Mermaid after at least a decade reveals how dated the animation has become at…

That critical mauling on release no doubt scared many folks like myself away. I mean, Akiva Goldsman, directing his passion project? Fetch me a vomit bag! And being a then lush century-spanning Valentine's Day film featuring some then malignable stars made it a sitting target for so-bad-its-cult laziness. If you go back and read some of the professional reviews they are quite outlandish.

But if you turn off your brain and go with the wholesome ambitious magical realism, this is…

If you watch this film without a stupid foolish-looking knowing grin plastered on your face, there is something wrong with you. The match up of script, acting and direction here is sublime, creating an unbelievable sense of truth. John Singleton really hits this one out of the park.

This film also has one of Fishburne's very best roles.

You can just feel its palpable influence over urban music to come. It's all here, all the truth and all the myth.…

A couple years ago, this film was firmly in my Top 50. I haven't seen the film for a couple years now, and by the time I did my top 100 Letterboxd list, this was no where in sight. I've decided this film requires a rewatch.

This film is a delight from Cronenberg. It mixes various little film influences together into a great little story. But the film wouldn't work without the acting. Mortensen gives one of his best ever…