Fear City (1984)
Lame thriller from director Abel Ferrara about psycho stalking strippers in sleazy NYC club. A decent cast wasted that includes Tom Berenger, Melanie Griffith, Billy Dee Williams, Rae Dawn Chong and Michael V. Gazzo. (THUMBS DOWN)

Bad Company (1972)
Gritty, offbeat Western starring Jeff Bridges as leader of a teenage gang of wannabe outlaws. Great cast also includes John Savage, Geoffrey Lewis, David Huddleston and John Quade (leader of hapless Black Widows motorcycle gang in Every Which Way but Loose). (THUMBS UP)

The Lords of Flatbush (1974)
Rambling coming-of-age comedy-drama about teenage gang in Brooklyn in 1958, most notable for featuring Sylvester Stallone and Henry Winkler right before they hit superstardom. Richard Gere was originally cast as a gang member, but was replaced by Perry King after a physical altercation with Stallone. The two actors reportedly despise each other to this day. (THUMBS UP)

The Discoverers (2012)
Burnt-out professor (Griffin Dunne) joins a group of reenactors on the Lewis & Clark Discovery Trail in order to reconnect with his estranged father in this forgettable comedy-drama. Not much happens. Most of the humor falls flat. By the way, Dunne’s father is portrayed by Stuart Margolin, best known as “Angel” from The Rockford Files. (THUMBS DOWN)

The Sender (1982)
Doctor treating telepathic patient in psychiatric hospital starts experiencing violent hallucinations. An offbeat, low-budget horror film that owes nothing to the slasher genre. For what it’s worth, Tarantino called The Sender his favorite horror film of 1982. (THUMBS UP)

Enough Said (2013)
Low-key, well-acted comedy-drama starring James Gandolfini and Julia Louis-Dreyfus. Look for Toby Huss (“The Wiz” on Seinfeld!) as the ex-husband of Louis-Dreyfus. (THUMBS UP)

Chattahoochee (1989)
Disturbed Korean War veteran (Gary Oldman) ends up in Florida State Hospital and exposes brutality of the conditions there in this rather turgid drama based on a true story. Despite Oldman’s spirited performance and a great supporting cast that includes Dennis Hopper, Frances McDormand and M. Emmet Walsh, this curiously uninvolving film ultimately falls flat. (THUMBS DOWN)

Across 110th Street (1972)
A gritty, brutal NYC crime drama that features a superb cast that includes Anthony Quinn, Yaphet Kotto, Paul Benjamin, Anthony Franciosa and Richard Ward. And, of course, a great title song that Tarantino paid tribute to in Jackie Brown. Look for Burt Young (briefly) as a mobster who gets blown away in the first five minutes of the film. (THUMBS UP)

Thunder Alley (1985)
Hick guitarist joins struggling rock band in a cheesy, predictable but reasonably entertaining teen drama from none other than the Cannon Group. The concert scenes are rather hilarious! Clancy Brown steals the show as the band’s badass road manager, while Leif Garrett portrays the douchebag lead singer. (THUMBS UP)

I Walk the Line (1970)
Delusional Southern sheriff (Gregory Peck) becomes obsessed with moonshiner’s daughter (Tuesday Weld) and makes extremely poor decisions as a result in this interesting and offbeat drama featuring a great soundtrack by Johnny Cash. Directed by John Frankenheimer. Supporting cast includes Charles Durning and Estelle Parsons. (THUMBS UP)

Mazes and Monsters (1982)
Four college students retreat to a local cave to act out a fantasy role-playing game with tragic results in this truly awful made-for-TV movie notable for the abysmal performance of Tom Hanks in one of his first roles. Definitely has some camp value if you stay awake long enough. The last 30 minutes of this ridiculous outing features arguably the worst acting of Hanks’ entire career. Oh yeah, and Chris Makepeace costars (his performance is terrible as well). (THUMBS DOWN)

Birdy (1984)
Solid performances by Matthew Modine and Nicolas Cage highlight this very offbeat drama set in Philadelphia in the 1960s about teenage friends “Birdy” (yes, he’s obsessed with birds and dreams of flying) and “Al,” who both suffer post-Vietnam War trauma. Directed by Alan Parker. Definitely not for all tastes! Added bonus: Al’s abrasive father si portrayed by none other than Sandy Baron (“Jack Klompus” from Seinfeld). (THUMBS UP)

Wind (1992)
A drama about sailing that runs over 2 hours and stars Matthew Modine and Jennifer Grey? Yes, it’s as boring as it sounds! Watch Summer Rental (1985) starring John Candy instead! (THUMBS DOWN)

Fat City (1972)
Gritty and uncompromising drama directed by John Huston and featuring Stacy Keach as a down-and-out, alcoholic former boxer halfheartedly trying to make a comeback. Jeff Bridges is the naive young upstart. Nicholas “Coach” Colasanto is great as the delusional trainer. This is the anti-Rocky. These bums are headed on the road to nowhere. Favorite quote: “Before you can get rolling, your life makes a beeline for the drain.” (THUMBS UP)

Tiptoes (2003)
Firefighter (Matthew McConaughey) keeps a big secret from his pregnant girlfriend (Kate Beckinsale): his twin brother (Gary Oldman!) and parents are dwarfs. Meanwhile, in an unrelated subplot, Peter Dinklage portrays a French Marxist with a bad accent who picks up free-spirited hitchhiker (Patricia Arquette). Say what? A total mess! However, if you’ve ever wanted to see Gary Oldman channel Toulouse-Lautrec, here’s your big chance! (THUMBS DOWN)