1981
Noah’s Barks pages relating to the year 1981.
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Mobile Suit Gundam Movie Trilogy
This movie trilogy adaptation and rewrite of the original Mobile Suit Gundam series delivers a relatively clean, moving, and intriguing sci-fi war drama. (read more)
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Scientist – “Scientist Rids the World of the Evil Curse of the Vampires” (1981)
The horror theme of Scientist Rids the World of the Evil Curse of the Vampires is great—when it’s actually there. For the most part, this album doesn’t have an actual sonic framework. It’s fairly typical dub, as far as my limited experience with the genre goes. When the damp, swampy beats settle into a monster-mashing… (read more)
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Blue Öyster Cult – “Fire of Unknown Origin”
Blue Öyster Cult remain a band that tease me. One of those I feel should be made for me to obsess over, but the pieces don’t come together like they should. But I’ll be trying them until I can’t see the potential anymore. I was initially worried Fire of Unknown Origin would be a single-driven… (read more)
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Minutemen – “The Punch Line” (1981)
I was already prepared to say “too much hardcore, not enough post-hardcore” after listening to What Makes a Man Start Fires?, which is significant because I’m a big fan of one and care little for the other. No points for guessing which. I don’t hate The Punch Line. I just don’t care about (almost) any… (read more)
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Grace Jones – “Nightclubbing” (1981)
Nightclubbing is kind of like the Kraftwerk of dub. Every note calculated, pulled off with robotic precision, and just generally soulless. In other words, I find it quite boring. I would call myself a robot lover too, though that usually only extends to mecha and things not based in reality, because reality is dull. There is palpable… (read more)
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An American Werewolf in London
I was left confused by An American Werewolf in London‘s combination of comedy and horror because it’s more underwhelming than the concept promises. First of all, the horror element isn’t affecting at all. This is a movie that’s of the horror genre by theme, not by what it attempts at the audience. Secondly, it’s just… (read more)
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Raiders of the Lost Ark
AKA: Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark Raiders of the Lost Ark feels overly traditional and never truly exciting due to the fact every “dangerous” scene has heroic framework with the score and lighting cheering Indiana Jones on. The outcome of any scene is given away by its presentation. Yet, Raiders is non-stop fun.… (read more)
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Escape from New York
The action scenes are decent but frankly token and lack suspense. The plot is completely straightforward. So, why did Escape from New York inspire video games? Because it’s fun. A very capable director avoids the flubs of typical cult films, and the attention to colorful set design and simple yet strong characters creates a self-contained… (read more)
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The Evil Dead
The tension of The Evil Dead still holds up well. You begin to feel like you’re trapped in the cabin with the characters. I’ve heard people complain about the actors. That makes no sense to me, as I think this has one of the best casts of any low-budget indie movies I’ve seen. Maybe people… (read more)
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Possession
Possession is one of the most unsettling horror films ever. Dialogue is strange and the entire cast performs in subtly off ways. The atmosphere is surreal and the narrative provides more questions than answers. Also notable is the powerful emotional insanity of the crumbling romantic relationship between the two leads. Possession will make you feel… (read more)