Sidney J. Furie
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Wonder Woman 1984 (2020)
Directed by Patty Jenkins
influenced by Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987)
Visuals Themes
Because sometimes it’s handy to have, if I were to compare 1984 to any other superhero story, it would be a mix of Batman Returns (1992) and Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987).
She also evokes the sub-par effects and Kumbaya tone of “Superman IV: The Quest for Peace.”
Recycling the formula which seemed to work for Gal Gadot’s 2017 introduction to Diana Prince, for all the subtexts and emotional resonance conveyed the first time around, her return is as empty an spectacle as the beaten down baubles of other franchise properties delivered in the decade in which it’s set (the disappointment is something akin to the cut corner of 1987’s Superman IV: The Quest for Peace , a dismissed Sidney J. Furie property)—though this was likely not the aim of its creators, who many have already hailed as the heroic, escapist salve needed at the tail end of one of the planet’s bleakest years in, at least, the digital age.
It's like watching the unfortunate "Superman IV: The Quest for Peace" trade-in its action bonafides for a strident ideological dirge.
With definite nods to Suspiria (1977), The Entity (1982), and What Lies Beneath (2000), The Night House is a creepy suspense thriller that is ultimately too twisty for its own good.
Her arc from distraught widow to survivalist detective grounds the film's more confusing parts in a stark, emotional reality, especially when Beth experiences an encounter with an invisible partner, a daring, jarringly sensual segment recalling Barbara Hershey's sexually abusive phantasm in 1982's "The Entity."
With a bit of It Follows, a dash of The Babadook, and a hint of The Entity, herein lies a thriller that dares to personify depression itself, giving form to concept that isn’t just a metaphor.
For now, her talents will remain in horror’s pantheon of stellar performances next to The Changeling ‘s George C. Scott and The Entity ‘s Barbara Hershey.
From constant references to Pabst and Riefenstahl to pieces of score from Dimitri Tiomkin ( The Alamo ), Ennio Morricone (multiple Italian scores, The Battle Of Algiers ) and even snatches of music lifted from more recent horror movies like The Entity and Cat People (David Bowie’s song Putting Out Fire ) to hints of every war movie ever made, Tarantino once again insists on wearing his cinephilia on his sleeve.
But, while QT fans are still waiting for a film that doesn’t rely so heavily on past movie references (the score lifts from Kelly’s Heroes, The Entity (!) and Cat People (!!)), this is assembled with too much class to be anything other than a success.
The narrative is a mix of Sleeping with the Enemy , The Entity and Hollow Man .
No one will listen to Cecilia, and everyone thinks she is suffering a mental breakdown – until she either is left with “no choice” but to learn to live with her persecutor’s domineering aggression (like the protagonist of Sidney J. Furie’s in many ways similar The Entity , 1982), or else start to turn the tables on her oppressor and take back some control (in the process perhaps becoming a monster herself).
Black Bag (2025)
Directed by Steven Soderbergh
influenced by The Ipcress File (1965)
Visuals Characters
And is it a sly nod to Michael Caine’s famous 1960s spook Harry Palmer from THE IPCRESS FILE that Fassbender wears dark-rimmed glasses here?
…and, for die-hard spy film fanatics, Harry Palmer, played by Michael Caine in five films throughout the 1960s and ’90s.
…evoking memories of Michael Caine in The Ipcress File…
Wilson and Byrne make a believable stress-fractured couple, even if their performances lack the harrowing psychological detail of the genres best (like 1982's The Entity with Barbara Hersheywho appears in Insidious in the poorly established part of Joshs mother).
As if knowing we need this outlet, on the heels of one of the film's most terrifying shock-cuts, Wan introduces a pair of nerdy ghost-hunters that Josh and Renai bring in, at the behest of Josh's mother (Barbara Hershey, solidifying the film's tonal bond with 1982's The Entity by her mere creepy presence).
The sports metaphor in war is used so often as to verge on cliche unless it is a means to make some other point, as in Don Delillo's novel Endzone, Robert Altman's 1970 film M*A*S*H, or Sidney J. Furie's 1978 The Boys in Company C. In U-571, though, the metaphor functions as an end in itself.
In addition to the aforementioned Dustin Hoffman and Robin Williams starrers, the underappreciated likes of 1992's "Ladybugs," 2002's " Sorority Boys ," and 2006's " She's the Man " have all been formidable entries within the gender-bending subgenre.
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011)
Directed by Tomas Alfredson
influenced by The Ipcress File (1965)
Themes
Fans of The Ipcress File and le Carré's The Spy Who Came in From the Cold, rejoice.
…why have the climax showcasing Superman in a fight with a cloned version of himself when that very idea stank up the ending of SUPERMAN IV: THE QUEST FOR PEACE in 1987?
…when Superman IV: The Quest for Peace flopped critically and commercially, it was time to give the character a 20-year rest…
This makes Superman, starring David Corenswet and Rachel Brosnahan, the second-shortest Superman movie ever, after Superman IV: The Quest for Peace, which ran for just 90 minutes.
Like almost every psychological horror flick spawned from Hollywood these days -- from "The Forgotten" to "Hide and Seek" to 2001's exceptional "The Others" -- "The Skeleton Key" creates a mood of general foreboding, sprinkles in a few spine-straightening jolts, then caps it all off with a twist ending that, in this case, viewers may not see coming.
Kingsman: The Secret Service (2015)
Directed by Matthew Vaughn
influenced by The Ipcress File (1965)
Characters
Colin Firth plays Harry Hart, a well-tailored superspy in the vein of The Avengers (the British one, don't you know) or The Ipcress File.
Seeing Michael Caine (“The Ipcress File,” anyone?) is a nice reminder of the era.
Not even three years out from Dr. No , Bond producer Harry Saltzman released The Ipcress File , the first of several Len Deighton novel adaptations starring Michael Caine as Harry Palmer, a sort-of downmarket, unglamorous James Bond.
Their leader, Arthur, is played by Michael Caine -- an in joke, perhaps, since Caine helped invent the ring's square-cool dress code in 1965's "The Ipcress File."
Michael Caine, the star of The Ipcress File and a couple of other Len Deighton Harry Palmer adaptations, plays the role of Arthur, Kingsman's version of "M."
Iron Man (2008)
Directed by Jon Favreau
influenced by Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987)
Themes
Iron Man, on the other hand, is closer to a blockbuster mechanism, having been made with wide-ranging receipts in mind: There are detonations and brown-skinned targets for hawks, disarmament lip-service (shades of Superman IV!) for doves, and Robert Downey, Jr. transforming the Marvel Comics original into Irony Man for critics.
Jennifer Kent’s feature debut is wholly inventive and original, while still calling to mind Drag Me To Hell , The Entity , Repulsion , The Shining , and Carrie .
Basically, the film is a throwback to the 60s anti-Bond spy thriller (a la The Ipcress File), except here the genre's annihilating irony has been replaced by Pollack's liberal piousness.
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)
Directed by Zack Snyder
influenced by Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987)
Plot
The worst Superman movie since 1987's Superman IV: The Quest for Peace, Man of Steel follows Henry Cavill's Clark Kent as he struggles to find his place in a world that's not his own - with the character's existential musings interrupted by the arrival of a vicious Kryptonian warlord (Michael Shannon's Zod) bent on world domination.
Only Superman IV: The Quest for Peace keeps it from being the worst Superman movie ever.
Man of Steel (2013)
Directed by Zack Snyder
influenced by Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987)
Plot
The worst Superman movie since 1987's Superman IV: The Quest for Peace, Man of Steel follows Henry Cavill's Clark Kent as he struggles to find his place in a world that's not his own - with the character's existential musings interrupted by the arrival of a vicious Kryptonian warlord (Michael Shannon's Zod) bent on world domination.
Yes, Man of Steel is inches away from becoming the Captain Planet movie nobody wanted, or the Superman IV redux everyone fears.