Sometime in 1985 my Dad came home with a brand new video recorder. This would spell the end of my love of outdoor activities and would lead to retinal damage and a lifetime of geekdom. Back in the eighties though it was hard to come across movies, if you're local video store didn't stock them you had to rely on TV. Seeing how we only had about eight channels in Ireland, TV just didn't cut it. Then in 1988 BBC2 introduced a new format for Sunday nights. "Moviedrome" showed one or two movies each Sunday and they were introduced by indie film-maker Alex Cox, most famous for "Repo Man". I don't know how responsible Cox was for selecting the movies but it was a hell of a selection. If I compiled my top 50 movies I'd estimate I saw about half of them for the first time at some point in the series six year run. The opening movie was "The Wicker Man", a film my mother recommended I watch, and as soon as the credits rolled I was eager to see if next weeks pick would be as good. Here's Cox's intro to the inaugural show...
The series ran over the summer months and lasted until 1994, showing close to twenty flicks a year, sometimes in double bills. Here are some of my memories from each season...
1988
THE WICKER MAN
One of my all-time favourites, seeing that giant Wicker Man for the first time is one of the great movie-watching experiences not to mention seeing Britt Ekland naked.
RAZORBACK
I'm a sucker for killer animal movies and Russell Mulcahy's tale of a giant boar terrorizing the Australian outback is one of the best of the modern era.
BIG WEDNESDAY
I'm pretty much the last person who'd want to go surfing but somehow John Milius makes it seem cool.
INVASION OF THE BODYSNATCHERS (1956)
It's atmosphere has rarely been matched, must have terrified people at the time.
THE FLY (1958)
Still think it's better than the Cronenberg remake.
THE GOOD, THE BAD & THE UGLY
Loved Clint when I was a kid thanks to performances like this.
1989
THE THING FROM ANOTHER WORLD
What 13 year old wouldn't love something like this?
CALIFORNIA DOLLS
Peter Falk as the manager of two hot female wrestlers, what's not to like?
THX1138
Like every eighties kid I was a Star Wars nut and couldn't believe it when I got to see Lucas debut.
STARDUST MEMORIES
Probably in my top 3 Woody Allen movies.
TWO LANE BLACKTOP
A car race movie that trudges along at a snail's pace. The ultimate existential road movie.
TRANCERS
When I was a kid I lapped up shit like this, the lower the budget the better.
THE SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS
The sort of movie even those freaks who hate black & white movies will enjoy.
SUNSET BOULEVARD
Likewise. Must have blown away it's original audiences.
1990
ASSAULT ON PRECINCT 13
The Sunday night this aired John Carpenter became my official favourite director.
GET CARTER
Though I didn't think so at the time, this is probably my favourite gangster movie.
DEAD OF NIGHT
I love a good horror anthology and this is the one that set the standard.
THE TERMINATOR
You could probably make this 300 times with Avatar's budget. Cameron and Schwarzeneggar were never better.
AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON
I'd probably seen this about ten times before it aired on Moviedrome and probably ten times since. Should be in an early eighties time capsule.
A WEDDING
Screened a year or two before "The Player" would put him on the map, this introduced me to Robert Altman.
THE PHENIX CITY STORY
Phil Karlson knew how to make a crime movie and this is his best.
1991
CARNIVAL OF SOULS
Director Herk Harvey never made another movie, damn shame as this is a horror classic. Ripped off by "The Sixth Sense".
CAPE FEAR
Screened the weekend the awful remake hit cinemas. Mitchum knew how to pull off psycho schtick.
1992
THE SERPENT AND THE RAINBOW
Before the Scream franchise Wes Craven made quality fare like this tale of voodoo and skullduggery in Haiti.
ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK
Kurt Russell in his signature role. "Call me Snake"
Q - THE WINGED SERPENT
Fuck "Cloverfield", there's only one great movie featuring New York under siege by a giant beast.
THE WITCHFINDER GENERAL
Vincent Price's greatest performance.
LOLITA
Who would've thought James Mason could turn in a great comic performance.
PLAY MISTY FOR ME
Still the best crazy-bitch movie.
1993
HOUSE OF GAMES
David Mamet's masterpiece.
THE HILL
Sidney Lumet was the only director to ever get decent performances from Sean Connery.
LENNY
Dustin Hoffman has never been better and Bob Fosse gives a directing masterclass.
INVASION OF THE BODYSNATCHERS (1978)
Doesn't reach the heights of the original but a damn fine horror nonetheless.
REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE
One of the great fifties melodramas.
DJANGO
Franco Nero out-Clints Clint in this great Spaghetti Western.
THE LONG RIDERS
What Hollywood needs now is directors who know how to film action like Walter Hill.
CARRIE
De Palma's movies are always either fantastic or horseshit. This is not horseshit.
1994
COOGAN'S BLUFF
Another great Clint movie from back in his prime, a dry run for Harry Callaghan.
THE PEOPLE UNDER THE STAIRS
Another Wes Craven effort from before he started making mainstream fodder.
HALLOWEEN
My all-time favourite movie. Shown in widescreen on Moviedrome, a practice almost unheard of at the time.
THE BABY
The term "Exploitation Movie" was coined for movies like this.
RACE WITH THE DEVIL
Warren Oates never made a bad movie, this was a rare horror outing for him. Classic atmospheric stuff.
DETOUR
Went straight into my top ten upon viewing.
ROPE
Filmed to appear as one long camera move, one of Hitchcock's best.
MAJOR DUNDEE
One of Peckinpah's first and finest westerns.
BRING ME THE HEAD OF ALFREDO GARCIA
Peckinpah's true masterpiece and Warren Oates greatest performance.
KISS ME DEADLY
Went on to inspire Cox's own "Repo Man".
Nowadays the screening of cult movies on network TV is practically unheard of, but I'll always have fond memories of those late Sunday nights. Thanks BBC.