Siskel & Ebert (1984) - Police Academy, Children of the Corn, This is Spinal Tap & Love Letters

[@TheJameslehr]

Each and every episode of these two men discussing movies of every genre, type, quality, era, etc. needs to be ARCHIVED like we're seeing here.

[@kali3665]

And Gene and Roger would be horrified at the number of sequels Police Academy and Children of the Corn generated. Not ONE needed to be made - not even the originals.

[@ScootyPuffSr7]

Well they were alive for them.

[@maximusprime3459]

I believe they reviewed, and disliked a majority of the Police Academy sequels.

[@xdmaster7888]

I liked the original POLICE ACADEMY as a light R-rated comedy with good characters. But S&E made a good point about the strange way that a lot of joke setups in the film kind of didn't pay off with attempted punchlines or sight gags. Not all of them (and when the movie carried on to the jokes they were funny) but a fair number, and it's something I didn't notice until I saw this review and it resonated with my vague feelings on what I'd seen.

[@matthewschwartz6607]

Was there sex or nudity in it?

[@evilsWa]

I love how neither they nor you give any specific examples of jokes that are set up and not paid off… You mean like the prostitute joke that pays off with commandant Lessard thinking that he just got a blowjob from Steve Gutenberg? Or do you mean the times when Steve Gutenberg fucks with Harris and it always pays off with Harris looking like a jackass? I've seen this movie 100 times I can recall damn near every gag in the picture. Seriously I would love to know which jokes you all think they set up and didn't pay off. Sounds to me more like another case of oh I like to move until I find out Siskel and Ebert said it was bad and now I have to act like I think it's bad too.

[@yournamehere6002]

I love POLICE ACADEMY, but it wasn't perfect. Ironically, Ebert loved BACHELOR PARTY not long after, also written by the same guys.

[@jakemetzgar]

Isaac is pretty great in children of the corn. If it was a short film just about him, I would have actually enjoyed it lol

[@oldfashionedguy1368]

Their criticism over Police Academy is pretty harsh if I say so myself, then again that didn’t stop the film from becoming one of the most commercially successful comedies of the 1980s. Still a funny comedy.

[@eightfootmanchild]

No it isn't. Not even a little bit.

[@mesicek7]

I mean they shat on a ton of movies that have gone on to either become cult classics or did amazingly well at the box office.

[@jeshkam]

@@stonegasman3866 Good for you.

[@miketrav]

@@mesicek7 You have to put yourself back in 1984 when they watched it for us hindsight is 2020. Think of all the movies you didn’t like at first but now you like

[@matthewschwartz6607]

Is that Del Shannon in the background?

[@davidthieroff9452]

This was a good week despite what they say. I liked all of these movies.

[@davidthieroff9452]

If you're a Jamie Lee Curtis fan definitely check it out.

[@TheJameslehr]

Also, now Roger, now Gene: remember what PAULINE KAEL said about watching films of questionable taste....Also STRIPES' version of the US ARMY wasn't anything like what I enlisted in. And no problem with that classic comedy.

[@timothygrant7266]

I started watching COTC on KZbin a while ago. I shut it off during the coffee shop scene. I'd rather watch Police Academy.

[@TheJameslehr]

and if you think COTC is bad, wait till you see MAXIMUM OVERDRIVE.

[@Jbaxter85]

This is spinal tap 👍🌟🌟🌟 Love letters 👍🌟🌟🌟

[@sleuthentertainment5872]

Police Academy is really funny, as This is Spinal Tap, a so realistic film that all the rock bands of the moment actually thought it was a documentary about a real band😂

[@uyeda]

There was even an animated series Police Academy.

[@reneedennis2011]

I didn't know that! I like the first Police Academy movie.

[@maximusprime3459]

And they also had an awful live action spinoff TV series.

[@uyeda]

@@maximusprime3459 Back in 1984 late singer Prince did Purple Rain. Also the Angela Lansbury did Murder She, Wrote. Even the first episode of Jeopardy debuted.

[@yournamehere6002]

POLICE ACADEMY is a classic, and it's funny Ebert sites it as an AIRPLANE! rip-off, when POLICE ACADEMY co-writer Pat Proft worked on AIRPLANE! uncredited, and later went on to do the NAKED GUN and HOT SHOTS movies.

[@stonehobson2487]

Great to watch that again. Thanks for uploading.

[@Jbaxter85]

Any time!

[@johnwhite1721]

This Is Spinal Tap is an absolute classic that set up the career of all the great, classic Christoper Guest "mockumentaries." If you love Waiting for Guffman, or Best in Show, or Mighty Wind, this is where it all started.

[@ganglabesh]

part 2 is coming soon!

[@Gen-X-Memories]

The Blue Oyster Bar was hilarious.

[@mattjazzfan2288]

I watched Children of the Corn and Carrie (1976) back to back yesterday and it’s easy to tell why Carrie is so much better. The relationships between the characters are much more developed and the film doesn’t waste time on scenes where a villain is stalking the main characters. The horror comes out of the genuine drama that unfolds

[@kyloren3693]

Two very different narratives, and two very different style of film to be sure. Corn has that independent low budget feel, where it doesnt focus on any of the characters very long due to the budget, instead it goes for fast pace/lots of action, and great locations like that desolate abandoned farm town, and it's surrounding fields. Carrie is a character study about mainly one person. It's got a big budget, and alot of star power even though they are mostly unknowns at the time. Brian De Palma directs Carrie and infuses it with tons of style, and interesting techniques to keep your eyes fixed.

[@mattjazzfan2288]

@@kyloren3693 you make a lot of great points, only thing I disagree with is children of the corn having a fast pace. For me personally, it’s one of the dullest and most slow moving films I’ve ever seen. I’m usually a huge fan of slow burn horror, but watching Vicky and burt walk around the town with zero character development happening was absolute torture to sit through

[@nicktaylor2657]

The fact that it spawn 6 sequels mean it's a success 🤑

[@theessentials450]

No, it means the fans watching the trash are indiscriminating turds.

[@dgemini2]

Children of The Corn is not that bloody. Lol. But he's right about the second half falling apart. It starts out genuinely scary and intriguing then ends in the most preposterous way with really bad acting and laughable "special effects."

[@wardragonprime]

In the climatic scene (spoiler time, guys and gals) He Who Walks Behind the Rows looked like a chipmunk!!!

[@KingLouisII]

​@@wardragonprimeStephen King has never been good at endings. Nearly every SK adaptation changes them.

[@buckiemohawk3643]

it really falls apart. A gf was dying to watch it so i got from the video store and she was like oh wow it really dived off

[@metatron1970]

Siskel gets tiresome denouncing the violence in almost every horror movie he reviews.

[@ilovebrandnewcarpets]

I strongly dislike what I interpret as over the top slasher horror violence, and even I have to agree with you. Gene should come with a disclaimer that he doesn’t like that genre.

[@ronaldh8446]

Yet I could find a bunch of shows where he gives positive reviews to violent horror movies. Ebert was the more consistent of the two.

[@theessentials450]

Yes, he was a big baby.... his dislike is often amusing though.

[@kyloren3693]

Siskel had no foresight for where film was going. He had a love for classic cinema, old black and white, musicals, and always likes well acted drama. But he did not have a taste for anything ahead of its time.

[@thekingofmovies193]

​@kyloren3693 Yeah, because he didn't like Fargo. Or Hoop Dreams. Or Schindler’s List. The first and last of which deal with heavy and often very violent subject matter. It's not the violence that he's complaining about, it's how often that it occurs. And that can be pretty annoying to watch when that's all a movie has to offer.

[@Mike_Dark]

This movie was Iconic

[@Jbaxter85]

Which movie?

[@Mike_Dark]

@@Jbaxter85 Police Academy

[@Jbaxter85]

@@Mike_Dark Should've said police academy was iconic

[@ronaldh8446]

What the heck is that clip of Spinal Tap at Ebert's introduction? 10:35 mark - deleted scene I guess or from a trailer?

[@majikman7355]

Heeey Bert....

[@drakedarkstar5422]

If they saw recent remake of Children of the Corn, they'd see that showing "Him..." is even worse than not

[@stonefree1911]

Sad that these movie review are way more entertaining that actual "movies" today...

[@bobspence5322]

the thing about police academy and i dont agree that it tried to be airplane or private whatever is that steve guttenburgs boyish grinning way of shrugging though those scenes in the first four movies was endearing. also he gives a chance for a lot of side characters like motormouth jones and tacklebury to steal a lot of scenes. so they werent good but they had memorable parts and as a whole better than they probably wouldve admitted.. but i do agree they couldve been done better with some better edits compared with ski patrol yeh those TYPE of movies are probably making each others name suffer worse. children of the corn was better than i thought it would be. still not good but linda hamilton makes the film better while the kids like issac and malachy were indeed creepy (and still are). and the stuff with the cornfield is cheesy still i think it produced some creepy atmosphere just gene would not recommend any movie with slick violence in the 1980s. spinal tap brilliant of course and still one of the best movies of that year imo with ghostbusters and a few others ..beverly hills cop. theres layer extras in that i am still digging it out once in awhile even now in 2023.

[@williambarger8468]

Can you imagine Siskel reviewing horror today 😂

[@chrisga9771]

Children of the Corn is not a great film, but the violence in it is pretty tame relatively speaking.

[@Linkman247]

Well thankfully critics don't dictate what most people like or dislike. The disparity between critics and audiences has only increased over the years. I remember a lot of critics gushing over Ghostbusters 2016 and how did that turn out? Police Academy is a classic. Many of the jokes are set up and the payoff comes a few scenes later. Like when Blankes and Copeland try to find out about the party and Mahoney tells Barbara that it's at the Blue Oyster. They play the same gag later where the two run into the same bar to escape the mob. Or the sketch with the podium and how they reverse it at the end.

[@BernardChelgren]

When did they stop doing the Dogs of the Week? I loved those segments

[@wez4517]

To me this is a prime example of why film critics/journalists are so far removed in their opinions to the everyday person on the street. Ok, Police Academy is a dumb movie but it ended up being an absolutely stonking success! The things they criticise it for; “it’s like no Police Academy I know!” That’s because it’s all make believe!!! Jeez... Then they show two clips to prove how unfunny it is and then admit that the scenes they showed were actually kinda funny! Had I been around in those days I reckon a bad review from these guys would make me want to see it... I dunno, I guess that’s what happened!

[@Dreamline78]

To extrapolate from that, I guess you wouldn't have wanted to see either Airplane, The Naked Gun, or Hot Shots! Part Deux, because they both liked all of those movies.

[@wez4517]

@@Dreamline78 that's right, you're guessing... 🙄

[@mrsupertash]

"This police academy is like no American police academy I've ever heard of. 14-week boarding school." this take aged like fine 14-week old milk.

[@adamquiles2468]

I enjoyed Police Academy myself these two didn't like it because they're not fans of screwball slapstick comedy

[@Dreamline78]

I beg to differ. They both LOVED Airplane, and they really liked the first Naked Gun movie. They gave high marks to screwball comedies that they felt were done well. Watch their review of Police Academy 3 for an explanation of why they didn't find the Police Academy movies to be funny. In short, the pace is way too slow.

[@movieman104]

police academy is funny maybe u need a good sense of humor to enjoy it i think they looked at it with wrong attitude

[@Sleepingsparklegirl]

The first five minutes of children of the corn is the only good thing about that movie. If it had been more about a cult of kids whose twisted religious thinking has corrupted them to k*****, get rid of the supernatural elements and it could have worked.

[@80sNewWaveGeek]

Disagreeing with Ebert.....Cujo was not bad

[@steveralston8837]

One thing I don't like about 80s Siskel and Ebert is that every movie is somehow a ripoff to them. A movie with some adventure elements? It's a Raiders of the Lost Ark ripoff. Police Academy is just a comedy, not even a satire at all? Everyone is trying to make Airplane! A movie with fantasy elements like Excalibur? Star Wars!

[@movieman104]

chldren of the corn is that worse king film id dark tower was worse it was such a disapoipointment n dreamcatcher.

[@cybertoe1221]

The outtakes for Dreamcatcher was hilarious, though.

[@majikman7355]

It's not a karate scene... 🙄

[@jime6688]

Police Academy is bad?!? Wtf?!?

[@yournamehere6002]

At the time it was widely panned, but it's come to be appreciated over time. It was a big financial hit at the time though.

[@ricardocantoral7672]

Totally on point regarding Police Academy. Those films were horrid.

[@mesicek7]

You're joking? Police Academy is a hilarious movie.

[@ricardocantoral7672]

@@mesicek7 As hilarious as cancer.

[@mesicek7]

@@ricardocantoral7672 Cancer? Do you even have a sense of humour?

[@reneedennis2011]

Children of the Corn is stupid and awful, and Love Letters is good. Police Academy was silly but I thought it was okay. I have not seen This is Spinal Tap.

[@danwroy]

Thanks

[@reneedennis2011]

@@danwroy You're welcome ☺️!

[@happiness1772]

@@reneedennis2011 Spinal Tap is the best of those films.

[@reneedennis2011]

@@happiness1772 Thanks 😊 !

[@theessentials450]

Children of the Corn is trash. Pointless, dumb story. One of King's COKE years.