1983
Noah’s Barks pages relating to the year 1983.
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Cocteau Twins – “Head Over Heels”
Head Over Heels is the best album by Cocteau Twins. The simple reason for that being that it has the most variety in the songwriting. Lack of variety in the songs is always, always, always the number one problem when it comes to dream pop albums and is what separates the good albums of the… (read more)
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Golgo 13
This movie adaptation of Japan’s legendary stoic super-spy is elevated from pulp to something genuinely moving thanks to some incredible direction and scene composition. (read more)
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Star Wars: Return of the Jedi
Yeah, there’s a lot of dumb shit in Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, but unlike The Force Awakens it still has the soul of Star Wars despite a weaker screenplay, which is more important. It’s not simply an adventure plot in space; it’s a film that still has the magic of the previous two,… (read more)
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Angst
“Angst” is right. This portrait of a serial killer is nowhere hear engaging as a certain Henry’s, and the brutality shown is surprisingly tame for the era. Which is to say nothing of how it’s presented, with an incredible performance by Erwin Leder as he narrates his deranged fantasies while accompanied by a pseudo-documentary real-time… (read more)
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The Dead Zone
The Dead Zone lacks David Cronenberg‘s daring creative spark, but its by-the-books competence also ensures it isn’t one of his worst. This is not a thriller, but instead a drama focused around Christopher Walken trying to find a way to cope with his lost time from a coma. The abridged screenplay shows itself as the… (read more)
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Cybotron – “Enter”
If ‘Enter’ by Cybotron had more tracks on the level of "Clear," it would be an essential album. But… (read more)
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Armored Trooper Votoms
One of the most influential works in mecha anime, ‘Armored Trooper Votoms’ delivers a gritty dystopian setting and raw, low-tech combat. (read more)
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Scarface
The Godfather is significant in how it makes us love a family of criminals as people, and Goodfellas shows us all the thrills that come with the high-life. Scarface gets plain and ugly about the underground, and Tony Montana (Al Pacino) suffers for his obsession with power. Even when he’s on top of the world… (read more)
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The Sisters of Mercy – “The Reptile House E.P.” (1983)
“Kiss the Carpet” and “Lights” are your brooding post-punk taken to an extreme, trudging along at a pace that would make a snail seem exciting. They lack the intriguing menace and subtle hooks of The Sisters of Mercy‘s album material to keep attention, and they quickly fade from memory despite seeming to go on forever.… (read more)
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David Bowie – “Let’s Dance”
“Modern Love” and “China Girl” are fantastic pop songs and what make Let’s Dance so frustrating. It’s clear David Bowie‘s songwriting skills haven’t dried up yet with those two tracks, so you get the impression that he isn’t even trying with the rest of the songs on here. Most likely because he probably isn’t. David… (read more)