WATCHED THEM AGAIN. “Jackie Brown.” / “The Fifth Element.” / “The Running Man” / “Eraserhead.”

“Jackie Brown” (1997, Pluto TV) American crime film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino, based on the 1992 novel “Rum Punch” by Elmore Leonard. Stars Pam Grier as Jackie Brown, a flight attendant who smuggles money between the United States and Mexico. I saw this movie many years ago in Manila. 


       A homage to 1970s blaxploitation films, which featured Ms Grier in a number of flicks, Mr Tarantino's off-center treatment of the genre is quite badass catchy. Alluring in a stereotypical but entertaining way. For some reason, Samuel L. Jackson's “maddafacqa” mouth stays hilariously charming. 

       Robert Forster's performance (as a bail bond guy) earned him a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, and Golden Globe Award nominations for Samuel L. Jackson (you know the role) and Pam Grier. 🎥💻📽


“The Fifth Element” (1997, Pluto TV) English-language French science-fiction action film conceived and directed by Luc Besson. Primarily set in the 23rd century, the plot involves the survival of planet Earth, which becomes the responsibility of a taxi driver and former special forces major. 


       At more than 2 hours, this fantastically weird sci-fi fiesta is quite long but it's also fun. I first saw it in the moviehouse so it was more hilariously enthralling with the whacked costumes (by Jean Paul Gaultier) and insane, elaborate set (by Dan Weil). 

       Bruce Willis as Korben Dallas is his usual cliché-spouting John McClane but Gary Oldman as Zorg is perfect carnival badass and Mills Jovovich as Leeloo is high-powered, ass-kicking cuteness. However, the guilty pleasure reason why I watched this grandiose whackness again is Chris Tucker as the motor-mouth, wide-eyed Ruby Rhod. 

       I don't know how to rate this Luc Besson shenanigan (from his and Robert Mark Kamen's eerie script), other than it is definitely entertaining. 🎥💻📽


“The Running Man” (1987, Apple TV+) science fiction action film, based on the 1982 novel by Stephen King (as Richard Bachman). Set in a dystopic and totalitarian future United States, where a state-controlled broadcaster airs a deadly game show in which convicted criminals must survive pursuit by themed gladiatorial assassins. Stars Arnold Schwarzenegger and Paul Michael Glaser (of “Starsky & Hutch”) directs.



       Take note that the time frame of this movie is set in 2017! Yet the hi-tech situation, except with the Hunger Games-styled TV show, still seems so backward from what we have now, 2025.

       Still, it's fun watching this movie again. Slick production values and bubblegum action thrills. Plus a fine performance by Richard Dawson as TV host Damon Killian. And there's Jesse Ventura, Jim Brown and Fleetwood Mac's Mick Fleetwood. Arnie is Arnie, okay? 🎥💻📽


“Eraserhead” (1977, Plex) independent surrealist body horror film, written, directed, produced, and edited by David Lynch. Tells the story of a man who is left to care for his grossly deformed child in a desolate industrial landscape. 



       I didn’t really focus the first time that I saw this movie, many years ago. No memorable thought, compared with Mr Lynch’s next movie, 1980’s “The Elephant Man,” which I extremely enjoyed. True, “Eraserhead” has a cult following, maybe because it was so senselessly insistent (sic) that it was cool to talk about it because it sucked, LOL! But hey! For a budget of $100,000 (scrounged mostly), the movie’s box-office take was $7.1 million.

      Arguments aside, many actually know David Lynch for “Eraserhead” than they know “The Elephant Man,” 1984’s “Dune,” 1986’s “Blue Velvet,” or TV’s “Twin Peaks.” Believe it or not. 🎥💻📽

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