Earth Girls are Easy (1988)

"Okay, I'm going to show you something that's going to totally change your life, completely, forever. Okay?"
"Well, in that case, let me get a cigarette."
-Valerie Gail and Candy Pink.

Celebrities and divorce basically go together like peanut butter and jelly. I must confess, though, that there are been some celebrity couples whose divorces made me a bit sad. One such couple was Jeff Goldblum and Geena Davis. These two made three films together during the 1980's. The first was the so-so comedy Transylvania 6-5000 (1985), while the second, and most famous, of their teamings came the following year with The Fly. The two would actually get married during production of this, their final, movie together.
Davis plays manicurist Valerie Gail, who is currently having trouble in the romance department, thanks to her philandering boyfriend Dr. Ted Gallagher (Charles Rocket). Despite the efforts of her co-worker Candy Pink (Julie Brown), Valerie is having trouble turning her frown upside down until, one day, an alien ship crashes into her swimming pool as she's sunbathing.
This ship is manned by Zeebo (Damon Wayans), Wiploc (Jim Carrey) and their captain Mac (Jeff Goldblum), all three of whom basically look like Wookies doused in different food coloring.
After her inital, understandable fear, Valerie agrees to take the trio in until they can fix their ship. With Candy's help, our outworlders get a makeover at the salon the ladies work at, so they can blend in more easily with society in the interim.
A night on the town leads to Zeebo making the moves on the local ladies at a disco, while Wiploc and Candy engage in some fun of their own. But later, Ted returns to try to make amends but then darts off again after seeing the company Valerie is now keeping.
Valerie's sadness prompts Mac to try to make her feel better. After some hesitation, Valerie ends up having sex with him.
The next day, with repairs on their ship almost complete, Valerie and Mac learn that Zeebo and Wiploc, along with Valerie's slacker neighbor Woody (Michael McKean), have been arrested after unknowingly robbing a convenience store. Mac gets himself arrested as well so he can help them out.
After a police chase, Zeebo and Wiploc are taken to a hospital, where Ted discovers how alien they truly are. Fortunately, Mac and Valerie manage to convince Ted he's delusional in order to help Mac's shipmates escape.
Ted later stops by Valerie's again and, in order to help Mac and the others take off, she tries to stall Ted by agreeing to go to Vegas to marry him.
Mac is heartbroken, but, once everything is ready, launches their ship. Valerie then realizes that she really loves Mac and tells him she wants to return to his world, a request he happily grants.
Like The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975), this is a musical with science fiction elements in it. But I actually found this more enjoyable than Rocky Horror mainly because it makes no attempt to gross the viewer out like that film did with its dinner scene and the protagonists here are a bit more lively.
Both Wayans and Carrey would go on to success with the TV series In Living Color, and their subsequent film success is one reason why this movie has the cult following it does. Hey, if Rocky Horror can get such a following, this movie should be able to.

The Hill (1965)

"So, what's the charge? Failing to obey an order? Or drunk in charge of a cigarette lighter? Oh, you crazy bastard! You'd prop up dead men and inspect them if you was ordered to!"

-prisoner of war Joe Roberts

Sean Connery had become a superstar by the middle of the 1960s thanks to his role as James Bond. This superstardom was assured with the release of the third Bond picture Goldfinger (1964), a wonderfully stylish thriller which many view as the definitive James Bond film.

Connery, however, took pains to assure the world that Bond was only one role he was capable of playing. To that end, in between cinematic assignments as 007, he chose roles which were quite different from Bond. One of the most memorable of these was his role in Marnie (1964) which is probably the most unique of all of Alfred Hitchcock's movies as it isn't so much a thriller as it is a character study involving psychology. This low-key presentation didn't generate much attention for Marnie upon its initial release, but, over the years, the movie has generated a more positive reputation.

Perhaps the best of Connery's non-Bond work in the 60s, though, came with his role in this Sidney Lumet picture, which was sandwiched in between the Bond pictures Goldfinger and Thunderball (1965), and, like Marnie, became overshadowed by Bondmania.

In a British military prison in Libya during WWII, Connery portrays Joe Roberts, one of five newly arrived prisoners. The others are Jacko King (Ossie Davis), Monty Bartlett (Roy Kinnear), George Stevens (Alfred Lynch), and Jock McGrath (Jack Watson).

Upon their arrival, the quintet are immediately introduced to the unfriendly staff sargeant Williams (Ian Hendry) and his right hand R.S.M. Wilson (Harry Andrews), who describes to them the hill of the title; a man-made hill which the prisoners routinely scale with full backpacks in the scorching sunlight. This daily ordeal becomes too overwhelming for Stevens, who eventually dies while escalating the hill.

Williams's decision to cover Stevens's death up prompts the remaining four to begin quietly rebelling against him. They unofficially designate Roberts as their leader due to his familiarity with Williams. The more considerate medical officer (Michael Redgrave) and sargeant Harris (Ian Bannen) also begin expressing their disapproval of Williams's tactics. Roberts hopes to use their influence to bring Williams to justice properly. However, while Bartlett becomes indifferent to what his fellow prisoners are going through and attempts to ingratiate himself to Wilson, King and McGrath make no secret of wanting to take matters into their own hands, despite Roberts's warnings that such action would simply undermine their own position. The ending illustrates how powerless everyone in the prison truly is.

As Connery had become a superstar, it's not surprising that he received above-the-title billing. He received glowing reviews from film critics, thus proving for all time that his acting wasn't simply limited to playing James Bond.

In additon to his acting talent, though, what ensured that Connery would go on to be an acclaimed artist is his willingness to share the spotlight with other actors, with this movie perhaps being the first example of that as all the other actors here are equally great. Davis, in particular, has a great moment in which King protests his treatment by walking around the prison wearing only his underwear.

The film has an appropriately gritty, uncomfortable feel to it, due in part to it being shot in the Spanish desert. The black-and-white photography adds to the intensity.

Like Marnie, this film is viewed as a classic today & it also paved the way for similar dramas such as Midnight Express (1978) and Brokedown Palace (1999).