The Last Starfighter is sweet wish fulfillment, representing the gaming collective's unspoken hope of--somehow, maybe?--redeeming their digital skills in the real world. What if all those hours plunked into an arcade game somehow mattered? This movie plays a fanciful dance with that very question.
Defending Your Life ponders the hereafter, positing an afterlife less concerned about being "good" and more about being courageous. And Daniel Miller, having just died, finds himself on trial to defend his Earthly existence--one rife with missed opportunities and general indecision. Can he prove his worthiness to "move forward," or is he doomed for another round of Earth? And more importantly, does the film itself face, or runaway, from the very existential questions it raises?
Crimes and Misdemeanors is a parable without a point...which, maybe ironically, is exactly what the movie is trying to achieve through Judah, a man clinging to the final shreds of his Jewish values and heritage.
Does God rule? Are sins punished? For the rich and desperate, such tricky questions become surprisingly trivial...
Mr. Destiny is about the costs that come with second chances. Larry, an everyman who pines for a better life, gets his wish--a miraculous rewinding of time that delivers him the wonders of a "greater" existence. But Fate is not a cake that can be both eaten and saved. And soon, very soon, Larry wonders if he's made a terrible mistake...
Invaders from Mars follows a boy's desperate attempt to save his town--nay, his planet--from a clandestine alien invasion. These creatures "conquer" from within, brainwashing their victims single-file before sending them out to lure in more. And with his Mom and Dad now "changed," his school converted, and even the local police subverted...who's left to help him?
And worse, who'd believe such a story anyway...especially from a silly kid?
Still the Beaver gave audiences what they thought they wanted: bringing the beloved Leave It to Beaver cast back for a fun, nostalgic reunion. Instead, the film took a more sobering turn; Ward, the wise patriarch, has since passed away, leaving his son--Theodore "Beaver" Cleaver--a rudderless man-child as he flounders through life without his mentor's guiding wisdom.
This dredges up a critical question--if the original TV show is a timeless classic, how should this messier sequel be construed?
Freaky Friday Franchise: How many times can a daughter be swapped with her mother? According to Disney, four times (so far), with the roughspun Annabel switching with her mom, the elegant Ellen Andrews, and then literally living a day in her shoes. Who gets the better half--the bitter end--of the deal? Does Mom or Daughter prosper, or falter, playing the other? Each version has its freaky answer.
