Several months ago, I was challenged by Gill from
Realweegiemidget Reviews to discuss my top five favorite movies from 1978. As many
film fans know, it was such an exceptional year for movies. The plethora of
choices made it difficult to narrow down my picks – so difficult, in fact, that
I decided to cheat a little and list my top eight, plus a few honorable
mentions. So, without further preamble, here they are, in no particular order…
Superman: The Movie –
It’s hard to top Christopher Reeve’s bravura portrayal as the Man of Steel,
balancing his performance with equal measures of gravitas and “gee whiz” optimism.
John Williams’ rousing score matches the scope of the lofty visuals. It’s a minor miracle that this profoundly cynical
post-Watergate/Vietnam era birthed such an earnest picture, told with an
abundance of heart. Superman: The Movie was just the salve that
generation needed, and ours could certainly benefit from. In an era when
superhero movies have become increasingly darker and grittier, current
filmmakers would be wise to learn from Richard Donner’s landmark movie. No
offense intended towards gritty, post-modern interpretations of beloved
superheroes, but there’s room for something that purposely goes in the opposite
direction.
Invasion of the Body
Snatchers – 1978 was a banner year for scary movies, and one of the most
terrifying of this or any year was Philip Kaufman’s paranoid remake of the
exceptional 1956 film (based on Jack Finney’s novel). Donald Sutherland shines
as San Francisco public health inspector Matthew Bennell, who along with his
colleague Elizabeth Driscoll (Brooke Adams), suspect that not all is copacetic
with the city’s residents. Kaufman’s chilling exploration of urban angst and
isolation features excellent supporting performances by Leonard Nimoy as pop
psychologist Dr. David Kibner, and Angela Cartwright and Jeff Goldblum as Nancy
and Jack Bellicec. Who can you trust when the world’s gone to the pod people?
Patrick – This
tasty slice of Ozsploitation from director (and unabashed Hitchcock disciple)
Richard Franklin and writer Everett De Roche, keeps you on edge until the final
scene. Susan Penhaligon plays Kathy Jacquard, a nurse assigned to monitor Patrick
(Robert Thompson), a comatose patient. As Kathy soon discovers, her patient
proves that still waters run deep. This little thriller (that deserves to be better
known) ratchets up the tension, despite the fact the title character remains motionless
for the bulk of the film. What’s Patrick’s secret? I’ll never tell.
The 36th
Chamber of Shaolin – Gordon Liu stars in the role of a lifetime, as San Te.
After his father is killed by a ruthless general’s henchmen, and he’s forced to
flee his home, San Te is intent on revenge. He joins a Shaolin monastery, and
must endure one grueling trial (“chamber”) after another on his quest to become
a Kung Fu master. Each trial demands a different combination of physical and
mental discipline, and with each chamber comes a new philosophical spin. The 36th
Chamber of Shaolin rises above the pack, thanks to Liu’s intensity, the
ingenious trials, and expert fight choreography by a cast of performers
well-versed in the martial arts. They don’t get better than this, folks.
Dawn of the Dead –
Ten years after his game-changing film, Night of the Living Dead, George
A. Romero returned for more social commentary (this time, the spotlight is on mass
consumerism). A helicopter pilot, his news anchor girlfriend, and two members
of a SWAT team hole up against hordes of the undead in a huge, soulless
Pennsylvania mall. Their little oasis is about to be disrupted, however, when
an army of bikers (led by Tom Savini) stake their claim. Amidst the bleak story
are moments of dark humor which help cushion the blow a bit. As with his
previous Dead film, Romero proves to have a keen eye for observing the
darker side of human nature, demonstrating there’s not as much that separates
us from the zombies as we’d care to believe.
Halloween – No
list of favorites from 1978 would be complete without John Carpenter’s
suspenseful slasher that started it all. The years haven’t diluted Halloween’s
impact, nor has it been surpassed by the myriad sequels, remakes and imitations.
The simple story, with its seemingly unstoppable antagonist and reluctant hero
Laurie Strode (played by then 19-year-old Jamie Lee Curtis), works due to
Carpenter’s assured direction, Dean Cundey’s atmospheric cinematography, and a
cast of believable, three-dimensional characters. Donald Pleasence shines as
the determined Dr. Loomis, who in his own way, is as singularly minded as his
escaped patient, Michael Myers.
Coma – One of the
movies that scared the pants off me as an impressionable youngster still holds
up remarkably well today. Writer/director Michael Crichton’s (yes, that Michael Crichton) taut adaptation
of Robin Cook’s novel provides an abundance of chilling moments. This paranoid
medical thriller with a science fiction twist seems all too plausible today, with
its depiction of a healthcare system more interested in profits than the common
good. Geneviève Bujold stars as Dr. Susan Wheeler, an upstart young doctor with
a predilection toward sticking her nose where it doesn’t belong. Despite being
gaslit by hospital administrator Dr. Harris (Richard Widmark) and doubted by
her ladder-climbing boyfriend, Dr. Mark Bellows (Michael Douglas), she persists
in her personal investigation of a series of operating room incidents. When Wheeler
discovers the horrible truth behind these events, she’s running for her life, as
the woman who knew too much.
The Boys from Brazil –
Franklin J. Schaffner’s science fiction thriller (adapted from an Ira Levin
novel) takes its loopy premise which wouldn’t seem out of place as a Weekly
World News article, and milks it for all it’s worth. Under the guidance of
Joseph Mengele (Gregory Peck), an army of Hitler clones are created, with the
hope that one will eventually usher in the Fourth Reich as the new führer. Nazi
hunter Ezra Lieberman (Laurence Olivier) becomes wise to the doctor’s evil
scheme. Is it nature or nurture that decides who becomes a monster? The Boys
from Brazil will make you wonder.
Honorable Mentions
The Shout (1978) I
only discovered this one a couple of years ago, but it’s stuck with me. Alan Bates stars as a mysterious visitor to a
small English village, who wedges his way into a married couple’s lives (John
Hurt and Susannah York), turning everything upside down. He brings with him a
supposed Aboriginal technique (learned in the Australian Outback), with a shout
that can kill. Polish director Jerzy Skolimowski (who made the equally
intriguing Deep End), has created a purposely ambiguous and obtuse but
endlessly engrossing film that’s unlike anything else I’ve ever seen.
National Lampoon’s Animal
House – No list of 1978 favorites would be complete without director John
Landis’ boisterous comedy about a bunch of misfits residing in Delta House,
Faber College’s least prestigious fraternity. John Belushi (in quite possibly his finest
moment) stars as the lovable oaf Bluto. The terrific cast features Tom Hulce, Karen
Allen, Donald Sutherland, Stephen Furst, and John Vernon as the man you love to
hate, Dean Wormer. Although some elements have not aged well (such as a
misguided scene in a blues club), many of the gags have held up. Countless
filmmakers have tried to copy the formula of the slobs versus the snobs, and
most have failed. “May I have 10,000 marbles, please?” will never not be funny.
Piranha – It’s the
Jaws rip-off that even Spielberg couldn’t ignore. Sure, Piranha is
rough around the edges, and it may not be Joe Dante’s best, but it wears its
B-movie sensibilities on its tattered sleeve. Its secret weapon is that it
never takes itself too seriously, with ample doses of humor and over-the-top
thrills. Its fun, skewed sensibilities are exemplified by this exchange alone:
“What about the goddamn piranhas?” “They’re eating the guests, sir.”
Because this
challenge is all about passing the baton, I’m providing some new challenges for
a few of my fellow bloggers, should they choose to accept:
Gill from
Realweegiemidget Reviews: Top Five Supernatural TV Movies from the 1970s or Top
Five Favorite Joan Collins roles.
John from Tales from the Freakboy Zone: Review The
Greasy Strangler (2016) or Sometimes Aunt Martha Does Dreadful Things (1971)
Brian from Movies from Beyond the Time Barrier: Top Five underrated/overlooked 1950s science fiction
movies or Top Five underrated/overlooked 1970s science fiction TV movies
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