#1988films

[adamwatchesmovies]

Coming to America (1988)

Upon its initial release and even moreso today, Coming to America has a familiar story with few surprises. It’s a good thing Eddie Murphy was in his prime when made it. Otherwise, this would all be forgettable. Or… maybe not. In a post-Black Panther world, certain jokes become much funnier than anyone would’ve found them in 1988. With the already ample laughs and a sequel just released, now’s the right to go come back to Coming to America.

Crown prince Akeem Joffer (Addie Murphy) is turning 21. According to Zamunda customs, it is time for him to marry. Dissatisfied with his arranged bride-to-be (Vanessa Bell), he convinces his father to allow him an "extended bachelor party" visit to the United States. Akeem hopes Queens will provide a more suitable wife. With the help of his best friend/personal aide Semmi (Arsenio Hall), they search while attempting to blend in and not let anyone know of his kingly fortune.

With James Earl Jones playing King Jaffe, Akeem coming from a wealthy (made up) African nation and him being sheltered from the outside world all his life… it’s hard not to think of Black Panther while watching. As in the Marvel film, the cast is almost entirely black - the only significant white characters are a rude cab driver (Jake Steinfeld) and an employee at the McDonald’s knockoff called Maurice (Louie Anderson). Instead of portraying Africa as a place you send your pocket change to when feeling guilty about starving children, it’s an opulent paradise full of beautiful people and dazzling costumes. Except this isn’t a superhero movie, it’s more like “What if T’Challa landed in a romantic comedy and was played by Eddie Murphy?”

The romance is the most disappointing aspect of the film. After a hilarious montage of unsuitable women (that scene’s got a great punchline), Akeem and Semmi meet Lisa McDowell (Shari Headley). She’s intelligent, passionate, and beautiful. Too bad she’s dating self-obsessed, lazy, obnoxious Darryl (Eriq La Salle). I bet you know where most of the plot is headed just from the character descriptions. It's a shame, though you may not mind if you’ve been wanting to see it with Black performers.

If the romance is mundane to you, at least there's the comedy to look forward to. There’s a recurring gag about Soul Glo - a Jheri curl-like hairstyling product that leaves stains everywhere -, the “fish out of water” thing is well done at the McDowell’s restaurant and in the dilapidated apartment in which the Zamundans reside “to know what it’s like to be normal people”. Then, there are the now-trademark costumes and makeup effects. Murphy and Hall play a variety of outlandish characters that provide big, memorable laughs. Murphy playing the singer of Sexual Chocolate is a strong contender for “best gag in the movie”.

Coming to America would’ve been better if it made bolder statements about Black Africans vs. Black Americans or threw some curveballs during the romance. That’s alright. There’s more than enough here to keep you consistently laughing. At its worst, the movie is familiar. That’s not the same as being bad. Clearly, everyone is having a great time and it ends on the perfect note to wrap it all up nicely. (March 9, 2021)

[adamwatchesmovies]

Paperhouse (1988)

Although I wasn't taken by Paperhouse, I'd like to see it again to be sure about how I feel. I kept expecting certain things, only for it to move in a completely different direction. I could never get a foothold on what the story's objective. Is it a drama? A horror film? A coming of age story? It’s all of the above but the blend is not even. I can see it connecting with certain audiences so let me tell you what it's about in case you stumble upon this British dark fantasy.

11-year-old Anna (Charlotte Burke) is ordered to stay in bed by her doctor. She passes the time by drawing. In her sleep, she is transported to a world where her drawings come to life. Inside the drawing of the house, she meets Marc (Elliott Spiers).

The premise makes this sound like a children’s movie, the kind of thing that plays on Lifetime about the girl with the disease of the week who makes a friend and gets better. In a way that’s what this movie is… but it’s also a horror film. The world in which Anna and Marc meet lends itself well to terror. It gets surprisingly frightening, particularly about three-quarters in, when Anna and Marc try to escape from an assailant inside the dream world.

You'd think a movie where people meet danger in an imaginary world would have little tension but the film handles this aspect well. The plot is set up in such a way that even though Anna is dreaming you feel the danger she's in. There are real-world equivalents to the peril she's facing so you'll never say “come on you dumb kid, just wake up already”.

The horror elements (which is what the graphic designer and marketing people decided to highlight on the VHS cover) is well-executed. My issue is that it's only partially a horror film. The beginning and the end are not scary at all. At most, the conclusion is bittersweet. With the intensity dropping way low and so suddenly, the final act feels like it drags because you don't realize that the emotional connections Anna has with the people in her life is what you were waiting to see get resolved, not the monster business. It’s frustrating. Paperhouse perfectly captures the way dreams can be frightening without making any sense and the way you can have these irrational phobias as a kid that will suddenly vanish completely. I wish the whole movie had integrated the two different stories better.

While I didn’t like Paperhouse while it played, I still recommend it. Now, you know this is a movie about a little girl who is growing up, and also about a frightening fantasy/fever dream world. This means you won't have the same experience I did while watching it. That’s a good thing. Despite my experience, Paperhouse had a strong impact on me and I'm willing to give it a second shot. It will also allow me to pay attention to the score, which many have praised.

My response to Paperhouse is a mixed one, but I firmly believe that I’m in the minority. I’m not sure if you’ll have to dig through bins of VHS tapes to find it or if there’s a more modern release available out there, but it's worth searching for. (On VHS, September 14, 2015)

[adamwatchesmovies]

The Land Before Time (1988)

Whenever revisiting a beloved childhood movie, you're always cautious in case it doesn't hold up. The Land Before Time does. In fact, I think I like it even better now than I did then.

Set during the age of dinosaurs, the film follows an orphaned “longneck” named Littlefoot (voiced by Gabriel Damon). When he is separated from his family after an earthquake, Littlefoot and several other dinosaur children must find their own way to “The Great Valley”, a land untouched by famine and hidden from the many predators of the savage world.

Although the story features cute characters, its tone is often somber. There are many moments of deep sadness even before the kids begin wondering how come none of the dinosaurs they see on-screen are still around today... Children will understand the danger of the adventure. They'll mostly grasp the depth of the emotions felt by Littlefoot as he contemplates his loneliness but older audiences will understand it better.

While the friendly dinosaurs band together and have some laughs along the way, director Don Bluth subtly sneaks in themes of love, faith and looking beyond society’s prejudices. Littlefoot has never seen the Great Valley. He's only been told about it from the mother he can no longer see but he perseveres nonetheless, believing that his belief in the valley itself is a key to finding it. There are numerous conversations between the dinosaurs about the different species not supposed to interact with each other. Separated from their parents, they choose to disregard what their parents have told them and form a new type of herd. Only by doing this can they ensure their survival.

Despite ideas that could make for a complicated story, it's relatively straightforward (and only lasts 69 minutes). You can choose to dig deeper into the characters or simply admire the picture for its visuals. For animators, there are impressive sequences that use shadows and foreshortening, particularly during the first act. More casual fans of moving pictures will be drawn to the lush, lively and varied backgrounds, environments, and flora. The details in every scene create the feel of a time and place teeming with life - along with added re-watch value. As for the characters, they’ve been given some humanoid features but only in the faces. For the most part, they remain relatively faithful to the creatures they’re based upon; not simply human children in a different skin.

Adding to the atmosphere is the film's excellent foley work and sound editing. The cries of insects, the bellows of prehistoric reptiles in the distance transport you to this world that's familiar but alien. It can get frightening and intense but it’s easy to picture children of any and every generation falling for The Land Before Time in the same way they did with Bambi. Littlefoot and his friends Petrie (Will Ryan), Cera (Candace Hutson), Ducky (Judith Barsi), and Spike have endearing personalities. There are laughs and effective character-based moments too. The character arcs of Littlefoot and Cera, for example, pack an emotional punch. Don’t even get me on the song that plays during the end credits, it’s so bittersweet it'll have your heart melting like a candy bar in the summer sun.

The Land Before Time holds up. Young dino-fanatics won't be able to let it go and for the parents, it's a quick watch. While you're sitting there with the young ones, you might even discover something that'll fly right over everyone else's heads. (On DVD, January 23, 2015)

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