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Strike Force (1975) Crime caper written by Sonny Grosso, the real life cop from The French Connection.

Published February 1, 2013November 13, 2021by Stunt Rock in Early-Buddy Erotica, Insinuated Thrills - Allged Action

Happy Hour (1987) Troma-esque comedy about two big beer companies destroying society with their top secret ingredient.

Published January 25, 2013November 13, 2021by Stunt Rock in Slapstick Fallout

Listen To Your Heart (1983) Made-for-TV 1980s-existential-relationship-melodrama.

Published January 19, 2013November 13, 2021by Stunt Rock in Lifetime Movie Network, Unrealistic People Falling In Love

Windy City (1984) It's like a The Big Chill meets Annie Hall but with more dudes and only one female character in Chicago.

Published January 11, 2013November 13, 2021by Stunt Rock in Early-Buddy Erotica, Unrealistic People Falling In Love

One Trick Pony (1980) Paul Simon vanity project dreamt up by Warner Bros. to help lure him to their label.

Published January 3, 2013November 13, 2021by Stunt Rock in Extremely Dated Musical Entertainment

Prime Suspect (1982) Made-for-tv movie about a guy who gets accused of abducting and murdering and/or sodomizing a small child.

Published September 24, 2012November 13, 2021by Stunt Rock in Lifetime Movie Network

Blue Skies Again (1983) Post-Bad News Bears baseball movie about a teenage girl who wants to play in the majors.

Published September 15, 2012November 13, 2021by Stunt Rock in Coming of Age According To A Script, Unrealistic Teen Fantasy

Fleshburn (1984) A vengeful 'Nam vet takes a bunch of whites hostage.

Published April 3, 2012November 13, 2021by Stunt Rock in 'Nam Vet Toughness, Animals Who Kill People Who Are Dumb, Insinuated Thrills - Allged Action

Mike’s Murder (1984) A non-linear murder mystery re-edited by the studio to be linear.

Published March 26, 2012November 13, 2021by Stunt Rock in 70s Existential Bullshit, Drugs, My Favorite Films

The Dark Ride, aka Killer’s Delight (1978) Slow paced early slasher film loosely based on the exploits of Ted Bundy.

Published March 12, 2012November 13, 2021by Stunt Rock in Instructional Films For Killing Teens

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About

The Betamax Rundown was started by failed musician and artist Stunt Rock in October of 2006, with the intent being to review and analyze a personal library of over 2100 Betamax tapes.

When not watching movies, he enjoys making artistic horseshit no one cares about.

Steve Bullyhuff is the ever-loyal proofreader and fact-checker. When not fixing drunken typos, he enjoys playing rock music.

The Betamax Rundown is updated sporadically.

Marathon (1980) This movie is written by men, from the perspective of men, and for consumption by men. Longing for extramarital affairs, fixation on younger women, unhappiness with a spouse, disappointment with kids - it’s all here. Independence Day (1983) Trigger warning if your grandfather ever made you high like a tree. Independence Day (1983) Beret-clad photographer Mary Ann (Kathleen Quinlan) has lived in the same town her entire life yet still finds the energy to run around snapping photos of townspeople as she awaits an acceptance letter from a San Franciso art school, while also helping her cancer-stricken mother convalesce. We’re supposed to ignore that she’s clearly 30 and still trying to get into art school. Enormous Changes at the Last Minute (1983) Extra Ellen Barkin appreciation post. Her performance in the first segment was described as "bruised, tough and sexy" by Janet Maslin in the NYT. Accurate. Enormous Changes at the Last Minute (1983) Kevin Bacon, playing a young cabbie looking for love in the third story of this anthology film, sings a song, but it sound like it might be overdubbed. Enormous Changes at the Last Minute (1983) Uneven New York anthology full of progressive themes and likable performances. Mid-Knight Rider aka Hard Knocks (1979) Some select clips: Mid-Knight Rider aka Hard Knocks (1979) HARD RECOMMEND! This movie is insane. Somewhere there has to be a proper cut where it all works perfectly, but this seventy-seven-minute cut released on home video is wild. It’s Midnight Cowboy but quickly turns into homesteading Western before dropping into First Blood territory. Foolin' Around (1980) A young Bill Macy in his first screen role! Foolin' Around was filmed in 1978 so I'm comfortable saying this even though it was released after Somewhere In Time (1980) which is technically the first appearance of W. H. Macy.

The World Sucks Now.