Movies: 2833

The sports drama film, Rocky II (1979), was written and directed by Sylvester Stallone, who also starred in the movie. On New Year’s Day of 1976, world heavyweight boxing champion Apollo Creed had defended his title against Rocky Balboa in a split decision. Both men were taken to the same hospital where, despite their previous agreement, Apollo challenged Rocky once again that night. He wanted to prove that Rocky’s ability to go the distance with him was just a fluke. However, Rocky chose to decline the rematch and retire from professional boxing. His girlfriend, Adrian, supported this decision as did his ...

Série noire (1979), a French crime film directed by Alain Corneau, is based on Jim Thompson’s novel A Hell of a Woman. In the outskirts of Paris, Franck Poupart sells goods door to door on commission, living in a rundown apartment with his despondent wife. Struggling with alcohol and withdrawal symptoms, Franck seeks out a man named Tikides who owes him money. His search leads him to an old woman’s dilapidated house, where he learns that Tikides can be found at the gym. Despite being drawn to a girl he meets there, Franck manages to control his impulses and departs.

The American epic war film, Apocalypse Now (1979), was produced and directed by Francis Ford Coppola. It begins in Saigon, South Vietnam in late 1969 where U.S. Army Captain and special operations veteran Benjamin L. Willard has returned on another combat tour during the Vietnam War. He openly admits that he is unable to readjust to society in the USA and shares that his marriage has ended. In his room, he drinks heavily, chain-smokes, and experiences hallucinations alone until one day when he becomes upset and injures himself by shattering a large mirror. Soon after, two military policemen arrive to escort him to an ...

Manhattan (1979) is a charming romantic comedy-drama from the renowned director Woody Allen and producer Charles H. Joffe. The movie opens with captivating scenes of New York City, set to the delightful tune of George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue. As the camera pans over the city, we hear Isaac Davis, our main character, narrating an introduction for his book on a man who adores this vibrant metropolis. A 42-year-old television writer and two-time divorcee, Isaac decides to leave his unfulfilling job. He’s currently dating Tracy, a young student at Dalton ...

Alien (1979), directed by Ridley Scott and written by Dan O’Bannon, is a science fiction horror film. The story was co-authored by Ronald Shusett. The seven-member crew of the commercial space tug Nostromo, including Captain Dallas, Executive Officer Kane, Warrant Officer Ripley, Navigator Lambert, Science Officer Ash, and engineers Parker and Brett, are in stasis as they return to Earth. Upon receiving a transmission from a nearby moon, Mother awakens the crew. In accordance with protocol to investigate any potential ...

Norma Rae (1979) an American drama directed by Martin Ritt, follows the story of a worker in a cotton mill. Despite the negative impact on her family’s health, Norma refuses to turn a blind eye to the poor working conditions. As a single mother with two children from different fathers (one deceased and the other neglectful), she often engages in flings to combat feelings of loneliness and boredom. Initially, management attempts to pacify her frequent protests by promoting her to ‘spot checker’, where she is responsible for monitoring work quotas. Though hesitant, she accepts the position for the higher ...

The film The China Syndrome (1979), directed by James Bridges, follows a television reporter named Kimberly Wells and her colleagues Richard Adams and Hector Salas as they visit the Ventana nuclear power plant near Los Angeles. During their visit, they witness a turbine trip and emergency shutdown. Shift Supervisor Jack Godell notices an odd vibration in his coffee cup and responds to high water levels by removing water from the core. However, the gauge remains high even as more valves are opened to dump water. Another operator sees a second gauge showing low water levels. Godell taps the first gauge, causing it to ...

Time After Time (1979) is an American sci-fi movie written and directed by Nicholas Meyer. Set in 1893 London, it follows H.G. Wells as he showcases his time machine to skeptical guests at a dinner party. He explains its inner workings, including a ‘non-return key’ that locks the traveler’s destination and a ‘vaporizing equalizer’ that maintains equilibrium between the traveler and the machine. Suddenly, police constables interrupt the event, searching for notorious serial killer Jack the Ripper. Upon finding blood-stained gloves belonging to ...

Going in Style (1979) is an American heist comedy/drama film written and directed by Martin Brest. Three senior citizens, Joe, Al, and Willie, reside together in a small apartment situated in Queens, New York City. In order to escape their mundane routine of spending their days on a park bench, Joe proposes the idea of a ‘stick-up’. Despite their lack of experience as criminals, Al eventually agrees to borrow three pistols from his nephew Pete’s gun collection. Going ahead with the plan while disguised with novelty glasses, the trio successfully carries out the heist and obtains $35,000. However, their ...

Moonraker (1979) is a spy-fi film, the eleventh in the James Bond series produced by Eon Productions. It features Roger Moore as MI6 agent James Bond and was directed by Lewis Gilbert. Based on a screenplay manuscript originally devised by author Ian Fleming in 1954, the story follows Bond as he investigates the hijacking of a Drax Industries Moonraker Space Shuttle. M, head of MI6, assigns Bond to the case after the shuttle’s carrier aircraft is destroyed with no trace of the shuttle itself. During his ...

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 ...

Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979) is a science fiction movie based on the popular TV series of the same name. Directed by Robert Wise and produced by Gene Roddenberry, it follows the story of a monitoring station called Epsilon Nine in the 23rd century that discovers a powerful alien entity making its way towards Earth. The entity easily destroys three Klingon warships and Epsilon Nine before continuing on its course. Meanwhile, the starship Enterprise, commanded by former captain James T. Kirk who has been promoted to Admiral, is undergoing a major refit on Earth. As ...

Directed by Don Taylor, Damien: Omen II (1978) is a supernatural horror film that follows the story of Damien Thorn, the Antichrist. One week after the events of the first film, archaeologist Carl Bugenhagen discovers that Damien is still alive. He enlists the help of his friend Michael Morgan to deliver a box containing the Seven Daggers of Megiddo – necessary for Damien’s demise – to his new guardian. Initially doubtful, Morgan eventually believes Bugenhagen after seeing a depiction of Damien on a mural at a local ruin called Yigael’s Wall. Sadly, both men are buried alive when the ruins ...

Days of Heaven (1978) is a romantic period drama film directed and written by Terrence Malick. Set in 1916, the story follows Bill, a laborer from Chicago who accidentally kills his boss at a steel mill and flees with his girlfriend Abby and sister Linda to the Texas Panhandle. In order to avoid gossip, Bill and Abby pretend to be siblings when they are hired by a shy wealthy farmer as seasonal workers. The farmer’s doctor reveals he only has one year left to live but doesn’t specify the illness. As the farmer falls for Abby, Bill convinces her to marry him so they can inherit his wealth. However, their ...

Every Which Way but Loose (1978), an American action comedy film released by Warner Bros., features Clint Eastwood in a unique comedic role. Philo Beddoe is a truck driver residing in the San Fernando Valley, sharing a small home with an orangutan named Clyde behind his brother and mother’s house. Philo earns extra money as a bare-knuckle fighter and is often compared to renowned boxer Tank Murdock. One evening at the Palomino Club, a local honky-tonk, Philo becomes enamored with Lynn Halsey-Taylor, an aspiring country singer. However, their seemingly successful relationship takes a turn when Lynn and her camper ...

F.I.S.T. (1978) is a neo-noir crime drama film from America, produced and directed by Norman Jewison. At a loading dock in Cleveland in 1937, Mr. Gant, the supervisor, hires Lincoln Dombrowsky – a new worker of Polish descent. Gant warns Dombrowsky that any overtime work will go unpaid and any damages to merchandise during working hours will be taken out of his pay. When Dombrowsky accidentally spills some carts of tomatoes, he loses pay and a colleague gets fired for trying to help him clean up. Johnny Kovak – a Hungarian-American laborer – becomes resentful of these unjust practices and leads a riot. ...

Based on Raymond Chandler’s 1939 novel, The Big Sleep (1978) is a neo-noir film. Set in 1970s England, the story follows private detective Philip Marlowe as he is summoned to the lavish estate of General Sternwood. The general enlists Marlowe’s help to expose his blackmailer. During his time at the mansion, Marlowe crosses paths with the general’s spoiled daughter Charlotte and her spirited sister Camilla. As he delves into the case involving homosexual pornographer Arthur Geiger, Marlowe meets Agnes Lozelle, a worker at Geiger’s establishment, and Joe Brody, a man who has caught Agnes’ ...

Paradise Alley (1978) is an American sports drama film featuring Sylvester Stallone as the writer, director, and lead actor. The Carboni brothers, Cosmo and Lenny, see potential for success in their younger brother Victor. They encourage him to enter the world of wrestling under the name Kid Salami. With Cosmo as his manager and Lenny as his promoter, they hope to earn enough money for all three of them to leave Hell’s Kitchen behind. Victor’s motivation? To marry his girlfriend from Asian descent and start a life on a houseboat in New Jersey. Each brother has their own unique personality; Cosmo is always on ...

The Fury (1978), an American supernatural horror thriller film directed by Brian De Palma, follows ex-government agent Peter Sandza and his psychic son Robin as they encounter Ben Childress, Peter’s former colleague from the agency. Despite Sandza’s plans to leave their old lives behind and return to the United States, Childress objects and stages a terrorist attack as a cover-up for kidnapping Robin in order to protect him. Though Peter manages to survive the attack and escape while badly injured, he is unable to save his son. Meanwhile in Chicago, high-school student Gillian Bellaver discovers her own ...

Interiors (1978) is an American drama film written and directed by Woody Allen. It follows the story of a family, specifically Arthur and Eve, who have three adult daughters. The eldest daughter, Renata, is a successful poet with a struggling writer husband named Frederick. Meanwhile, the youngest daughter, Flyn, is an actress who is often away filming low-quality movies that are the subject of gossip. Joey, the middle daughter in a relationship with Mike, struggles to find her career path and resents her mother’s favoritism towards Renata. While Renata resents their father’s concern for Joey’s ...