Universal Pictures (USA): 245

Halloween II (1981) is an American slasher film directed by Rick Rosenthal. It marks his first time as a director and was written and produced by John Carpenter and Debra Hill. On October 31, 1978, Michael Myers is shot and falls off a balcony by his psychiatrist Dr. Sam Loomis. Despite his injuries, he manages to flee into the night. While wandering through alleys, he comes across an elderly couple from whom he steals a kitchen knife. He then proceeds to murder a teenage girl next door. Meanwhile, Laurie Strode, who ...

The American semi-biographical comedy film, Where the Buffalo Roam (1980), follows the rise of author Hunter S. Thompson in the 1970s and his friendship with activist Oscar ‘Zeta’ Acosta. The story begins on Thompson’s Colorado ranch as he frantically works to complete a piece on his former attorney and friend, Carl Lazlo, Esq. A series of flashbacks then detail their wild adventures together. In one instance, Lazlo convinces Thompson to write about a group of San Francisco youth facing harsh prison sentences for marijuana possession. Despite being reminded by his editor Marty Lewis that he only has 19 hours until deadline, Thompson witnesses the ...

The Nude Bomb (1980) is a comedic spy film based on the popular television series, Get Smart, which originally aired from 1965 to 1970. In this movie, Agent Maxwell Smart (also known as Agent 86) is brought out of retirement to thwart the plans of infamous KAOS clothing designer, Jonathan Livingston Seigle. Seigle intends to detonate a bomb that would leave the entire world without any clothes. In exchange for not setting off the bomb, KAOS demands a hefty ransom of $10 billion per month from the United Nations. Smart’s government agency, PITS (Provisional Intelligence Tactical Service), is similar to CONTROL from the TV show. He teams up with a new ...

The fourth and final installment of the Airport franchise, The Concorde… Airport ’79 (1979), is an American air disaster film. In this film, a corrupt arms dealer named Kevin Harrison attempts to destroy a newly launched American-owned Concorde. His motive? To cover up his weapons sales to communist countries during the height of the Cold War. The story follows reporter Maggie Whelan, who uncovers Harrison’s illegal activities while on board the flight. Despite facing obstacles such as environmental protestors flying a hot air balloon into its path and having to perform a go-around, the Concorde successfully takes off from Charles de Gaulle ...

1941 (1979) is an American war comedy film directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale. On Saturday, December 13th at 7:01 a.m., an Imperial Japanese Navy submarine commanded by Akiro Mitamura surfaces off the coast of California, six days after the attack on Pearl Harbor. With the goal of destroying something “honorable” in Los Angeles, Mitamura sets his sights on Hollywood. Meanwhile, a tank crew from the 10th Armored Division led by Sergeant Frank Tree and including Corporal Chuck ...

The American epic war drama film, The Deer Hunter (1978), was co-written and directed by Michael Cimino. Set in late 1968 in a tight-knit Slavic American community in Western Pennsylvania, it follows the story of three friends: Mike Vronsky, Steven Pushkov, and Nikanor ‘Nick’ Chevotarevich. The trio works at a steel mill and often goes hunting with their co-workers – Stanley (‘Stan’), Peter ‘Axel’ Axelrod, and John Welsh. As they prepare to leave for military service in Vietnam, Steven is engaged to Angela Ludhjduravic who has been secretly impregnated by another man. Meanwhile, ...

Jaws 2 (1978), directed by Jeannot Szwarc and co-written by Carl Gottlieb, is an American thriller film. As a new hotel opens on Amity Island, tragedy strikes when a great white shark kills two scuba divers who were photographing the wreckage of the Orca. Fortunately, their camera captures the attack before it sinks to the ocean floor. In a separate incident, a water skier also falls victim to the predator. Despite her attempts at self-defense using a gas tank and flare gun, the boat explodes, killing her instantly. The discovery of a killer whale carcass on the beach ...

Airport ’77 (1977), the third film in the Airport series, tells the story of wealthy philanthropist Philip Stevens and his plan to reconnect with his estranged daughter and grandson by inviting them onto his private Boeing 747-100, Stevens’s Flight 23. The jetliner also carries priceless artwork from Stevens’s personal collection, which has caught the attention of a group of thieves led by co-pilot Bob Chambers. In an attempt to hijack the aircraft, they lure Captain Don Gallagher away from the cockpit and release a sleeping gas into the cabin, knocking out everyone on board. Under Chambers’s control, the plane is flown to a deserted ...

The Eiger Sanction (1975), an American action film, features both Clint Eastwood as director and leading actor. Adapted from the 1972 novel of the same name by Trevanian, it follows the story of Jonathan Hemlock – an art professor and skilled mountaineer who also happens to be a retired government assassin. Despite having left his previous profession behind, he is suddenly called back for two more ‘sanctions’ – or officially sanctioned killings. Throughout his time with the secretive government agency known as ‘C2’, Hemlock had amassed ...

Jaws (1975), an American thriller film directed by Steven Spielberg and adapted from the 1974 novel by Peter Benchley, tells the story of a New England beach town called Amity Island. During a late-night beach party, a young woman decides to go for a swim in the ocean but is viciously attacked and pulled underwater by an unseen force. Tragically, her remains are discovered on the shore the next morning. The medical examiner determines it to be a shark attack, prompting newly hired police chief Martin Brody to close the beaches. However, Mayor Larry Vaughn urges him to ...

Airport 1975 (1974) is a disaster film that follows the success of its predecessor, the film Airport. The story centers around Columbia Airlines Flight 409, a Boeing 747-100 on a late-night trip from Washington Dulles International Airport to Los Angeles International Airport. On the same route is Scott Freeman, a businessman heading to Boise, Idaho in his private Beechcraft Baron for a sales meeting. However, an occluded front causes their flight paths to be redirected to Salt Lake City International Airport. With both aircraft now headed for Salt Lake, air traffic control instructs Columbia 409 to land before Freeman’s Beechcraft. As they begin their ...

The Sugarland Express (1974) is an American crime drama film, marking Steven Spielberg’s directorial debut in the theatrical world. Lou Jean Poplin pays a visit to her incarcerated husband, Clovis Michael Poplin, informing him that their son will soon be placed under foster care. Despite his release being only four months away, she persuades him to escape and aid her in retrieving their child. Hitching a ride from the prison with a couple, they are eventually stopped by Texas Department of Public Safety Patrolman Maxwell Slide. In the ensuing chaos, the felons take control of the vehicle and flee with Slide as ...

The film The Sting (1973) takes place in September of 1936, during the Great Depression. It follows two skilled con artists as they attempt to swindle a mob boss. Their first scam in Joliet, Illinois brings in $11,000, but Hooker’s luck turns when he loses his share in a rigged roulette game. His partner Luther, on the other hand, decides to retire after their big score. Before leaving, he advises Hooker to seek out his old acquaintance Henry Gondorff in Chicago for ‘the big con’. However, their victim turns out to be working for corrupt police officer William Snyder and notorious gangster Doyle Lonnegan. After Luther and the victim are murdered by ...

In his directorial debut, Clint Eastwood brings us the American psychological thriller film, Play Misty for Me (1971). The story follows Dave Garver, a radio DJ at KRML who often incorporates poetry into his nightly broadcasts from Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. After a shift at the station, Dave heads to his favorite bar where he plays a game with the bartender involving corks and bottle caps. It is here that he catches the eye of Evelyn Draper, who reveals that she purposely sought him out after hearing about the bar on his show. As they drive back to her place, it becomes clear that Evelyn is the recurring caller who ...

Directed by Henry Hathaway, Raid on Rommel (1971) is a Technicolor American B movie that takes place in Libya during the year 1942. A British intelligence officer named Captain Alex Foster hatches a plan to infiltrate a German Afrika Korps convoy transporting British prisoners by pretending to be injured. Foster, along with the prisoners who are comprised of a medical unit and remnants of a commando force, set out to take control of the convoy and redirect it to the Libyan port town of Tobruk. While en route, they stumble upon an unexpected concentration of German tanks and deduce that there must be a hidden fuel depot ...

The film, Two Mules for Sister Sara (1970), is an American-Mexican Western directed by Don Siegel and starring Shirley MacLaine and Clint Eastwood. Set after the American Civil War, a former Northern soldier named Hogan rescues a woman from bandits attempting to rape her. After he dispatches the bandits, the woman reveals herself to be a nun and begs for his protection from French soldiers who are searching for her as a supporter of the Juarista rebels. Despite initially hesitating due to his own plans, Hogan agrees to help ...

Winning (1969) is an American Panavision film that follows the story of professional race car driver Frank Capua. After meeting divorcee Elora, the two quickly marry following a whirlwind romance. Elora’s teenage son Charley, from her previous marriage, forms a close bond with Frank and even helps him prepare for his races. However, Frank’s intense focus on his career causes strain on their relationship and leads to Elora having an affair with Frank’s rival Luther Erding. Upon discovering them together, a furious Frank storms out and the couple separates. Despite this, Frank maintains a relationship with Charley and his bitterness only drives him to ...

Coogan’s Bluff (1968), an American crime thriller film directed and produced by Don Siegel, follows the story of Arizona deputy sheriff Walt Coogan. He is sent to New York City to extradite escaped killer James Ringerman, but Detective Lieutenant McElroy informs him that Ringerman is currently recovering from an LSD overdose and cannot be moved until cleared by doctors. To obtain extradition papers from the New York State Supreme Court, Coogan must first win over probation officer Julie Roth and take her out for lunch. Despite facing resistance at the prison hospital, Coogan manages to trick attendants and reach ...

Moment to Moment (1966) is an American neo-noir psychological thriller film directed by Mervyn LeRoy and starring Jean Seberg. Kay Stanton resides on the French Riviera with her husband Neil, a psychiatrist, and their son Tommy. During Neil’s absence, Kay meets Mark, an American naval ensign, and they engage in a secret relationship. Although Kay initially falls for Mark, she ultimately realizes that her true love is her husband. In a tragic twist of fate, Kay accidentally shoots Mark during an argument and with the assistance of her friend Daphne, disposes of his ...

The American film, Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy (1955) directed by Charles Lamont, tells the story of two Americans stranded in Cairo, Egypt. While there, they overhear a discussion about the mummy Klaris, who guards the Tomb of Princess Ara, and his sacred medallion that reveals the location of her treasure. Along with them, Semu and his followers eavesdrop on this conversation, as does Madame Rontru, a woman hoping to steal the treasure for herself. In an attempt to fulfill their dream to return to America, Abbott and Costello apply for positions to accompany Klaris back home. Tragically, before they can reach ...