I'm surprised that they didn't talk about The Breakfast Club in their review for St. Elmo's Fire. Because it has some of the same actors and has a more mature view of young adolescents.
I absolutely hated St. Elmo's Fire- it's one of the worst movies about young people ever made. I particularly hated the characters and the way almost every situation with them is handled. It makes my skin crawl.
Well How did the Rob Lowe character afford his college education it just seemed everything was great it appeared to be an advert to teenagers from Eastern Europe in the 80s to come to America where the life was easy.
My favorite scene in St. Elmo's Fire is when the women are all at the soup kitchen. I mean, talk about the height of entitlement. To me, it's best viewed the second time, because the first time you are overly drawn in by the romanticized aspect of their lives (and repulsed by it at the same time). The second time, when you're not so distracted, you can see the self inflicted misery of their shallowness under the surface. Also how disconnected they are from the world around them, and all the real world problems they refuse to face. It's like the 80's themselves: poor families were losing their homes while the wealthy partied. Hence, my favorite scene.
Gene bashing St. Elmo’s Fire is the best negative review he has ever done on the show. Although I don’t think the movie is quite that bad (but still not good in the slightest), his slam is still fun to see
Their corny ritual chant "booga booga booga Ah Ha Ha!" is so embarrassing and always made me want to vomit. I don't know why I would watch this one on cable when I was a kid? It's absolutely horrible... A total cheese fest. One of Schumacher's worst in my view ... The soundtrack has some pretty classic bits on it though..., and Demi Moore was still hot as hell.
I think it was this film that writer David Blum came up with the term Brat Pack. David Blum wrote in a June 10 1985 article for the New Yorker where he coined the phrase Brat Pack to describe the youthful cast of two recent teenage/ youth oriented films.: John Hughes' "The Breakfast Club" and Joel Schumacher's "St. Elmo's Fire" both of which came out in 1985.
Yep ... 50% of the time these guys were full of crap. Day is a classic and I enjoy best of the Romero zombie movies. The way they just dismiss it really shows how dense they were in many instances.
@@trikkerman1 Ok cool ... I'll find it, bookmark it and watch on my next drinking night. I like the title of that one ... Do you think Siskel is in heaven wearing that John Travolta suit he so cherished? .. I think he was kinda gay for him. Saturday Night Fever is an ok movie ... but it ain't that great.
St. Elmo's Fire is bad, alright, however, I have a bone to pick with two particular points they made: 1) if they're gonna point out angrily (and rightfully) that the only black character is a prostitute, i really hope they did the same for Woody Allen, who is WAY more egregious in this regard (he has a silent black maid in several films and i think his first speaking black character role is, yep, a prostitute in Deconstructing Harry); because critics tend to kiss Woody's ass, something tells me they didn't, though I'll look for myself; and 2) i don't agree with Ebert that these are the same horny teenagers from dumb sex comedies grown up; bad as the film is, i think it's bad BECAUSE it's actually trying to depict three dimensional kids, who are MORE than just horny one-note teens. I think these kids are obnoxious, too, but not in the same way whatsoever as the kids in, like, Porky's or whatever. They're faux intellectuals speaking a poorly written script.
@@citygirl5705 Absolutely not ... The on the nose 'social commentary', the shoehorned comedy, the bad effects, blue face paint, blood that looked like orange paint, and a pacing so slow you just want to sleep. Night of the living dead, Savini's remake of Night, and Day of the Dead completely destroy Dawn. It's cult following feels more trendy than anything else. Day did everything better in just about every aspect. The only thing worth sitting through is the Italian release because of that cool soundtrack by Goblin. The bandwagoning for Dawn is obnoxious... It's not that good.
I watched St. Elmo's Fire again after Brats and it still doesn't hold up (I am a child of the 80s). It's depressing, immature, and none of the characters are likeable. Jules lives in excess, Kirby is a stalker, Billy can't get past his frat boy days (How did he even graduate?), and Kevin is a morose whiner. I was just hoping someone would put them all out of their misery. Even by the ending, I still disliked them. The only character I feel sorry for is Kim Sung Ho. He can't keep an attaché. First Billy, then Kirby. That'll teach him not to hire Brat Packers
I didn't think St Elmos was very good but I didn't think it was terrible. As far as the cast let's give a shout out to Ally Sheedy. She was great as she almost always is. Winningham was good and McCarthy was great in this role. Lowe was really bad but he's gotten better over the years as he's gotten older but great as a narrator in documentaries. The other two you can pick 'em.
Surprised they didn't mention Emilio Estevez's character who pursues Andie McDowell despite her giving no indication that she's interested in him, and then gets angry with her when she doesn't fall for him straight away.
I’m shocked neither of them liked Day of the Dead. It’s a masterpiece. The tension between the military guys and civilians in the underground bunker was great and Joe Plato was brilliant as Captain Rhodes. I agree not as good as Dawn of the Dead, but the second best zombie film of all time after Dawn. They were right about St. Elmo’s Fire though. That movie is TRASH.
while "day of the dead" 1985 is not as good as the prior 2 "dead" movies from george romero, i certainly liked it better than "land of the dead", "diary of the dead", even the "1990 remake of night of the living dead". lol as much as i hate to admit it, the 2005 remake of dawn of the dead wasnt all bad. while it covered no truly new ground, and failed to really outdo the original, remake of dawn of the dead made some high octane gorey contributions to the nightmarish land of the zombie apocalypse, a place some of us can never seem to explore too much. i think its obvious that while day of the dead is the weak link, it does survive by its merits, if nothing else to merely pointing out that its role among the group of "dead" george romero movies that long haunted the horror vhs section of shelves only the brave or twisted dared venture, has never seemed to detract from the grandest of all zombie trilogies. while not pretty, day of the dead is effective at what it does. the actors were not lawrence olivier or katharine hepburn, but i think they each made a credible performance out of the material, particularly joe pilato (rip) as the fiercely murderous captain rhodes. the development of the characters felt one sided, and at times the script had chances to be clever in the end came across feeling kind of flat. i agree that the main flaw the film has is a lack of dialogue substituted with monologue after another. the characters dont talk so much as just make grandstanding speeches in a repetitive and frustrating process that fails to properly build up a climax. john russos "return of the living dead" of the same year is a better movie. writer of the screenplay for the original alien 1979, director dan o bannon stuck an artery by substituting slapstick humor for campy stiffness, keeping a quicker tempo, slicker style, and a hardcore soundtrack that all joyously helped to give the genre a badly needed facelift. still day of the dead 1985 horror imagery is memorable. the movie quietly roams about softly, while ROTLD is screaming frantic the whole way. if i had to take my pick, between that or day of the dead, i would take ROTLD.. but ONLY for the first one. there is NO sequel worthy of ROTLD. the best parts of day of the dead are at the edges, a memorable scene at the opening i really liked, shows an abandoned florida city swarming with big spiders and alligators but no human survivors weeks into the zombie plague. the title shot zombie missing his entire lower face, give way to a perfect view of the tongue sliding around the throat wode open like a columbian necktie.. it sticks with me and is one of the best make up effect zombies i feel of that entire genre, outdone maybe only by the cover of "zombie dead are among us" lucio fulci sequel to the italian release of dawn of the dead 1978. i disagree about the setting. i liked the caves and subterranean backdrop ok for day of the dead, and found it interesting how some of the zombies looked like.. well "cave zombies" lol for lack of a better description, with neanderthal type sloping heads.. it was a fitting motif as a backdrop for any post apocalyptic scenario, the last surviving humans occupying claustrophobic mine shaft areas, on the verge of wasting each other, might not be everyones cup of soup, but i felt it conveyed the right feeling for the film. i personally felt "frankensteins" lab had some memorable gore as well, with excellent models in both in the back and foreground. the guts sliding out of the zombie that turns sideways is later reenacted in a dream sequence to good effect. so i think while 1985 "day of the dead" is a very decent low budget flick, it simply carries a burden of being a disappointment compared to the other 2 movies that went before, both of which broke ground for newer movies to retread. that being said it isnt bad on its own, and it holds a steady place for that much touted trilogy.
Day of the dead have aged pretty well i think. Not a fan of it in 1985. But now a great watch. Dawn of the dead will always be number 1 for me. Love that movie.
I saw one of these vids when they first started back in the 70's and they looked so different and seemed nervous to be on camera. But it was still a great show.
Day was Romero's best .. Even he said that. The constant gushing over Dawn is a simply a product of trendy online nostalgia for the movie. Day of the Dead is so much better. Return is also a great movie .. I love Trash's dance sequence on top of the grave in the cemetery. Hubba Hubba when I was a kid.. Full Frontal. I couldn't believe it. But actually it was movie trickery .. They put some sort of codpiece to cover her bits so they wouldn't be filmed. It looked convincing though. I didn't care. I love the melting tar zombie too .. what a brilliant piece of practical effects magic. "Braaaaains!"
@@KahlessTheUnforgettable Na .. he's full of crap. He should stick to his worshipping of Woody Allen and his pretentious unfunny movies made for pseudo intellectual metro yuppies. Day of the Dead is a classic.
"Not as inspired" .. This is total BS ... It does everything better than Dawn ever did. Dawn is highly overrated because of it's long time cult status... It's more hype and fanboy bias than anything else. Day is the better movie.
@@kramalerav Dawn isn't better overall .. It's boring as hell. The first half hour is the only part worth watching .. and the score from Goblin .. Once they get to the mall I fall asleep.
kinda wild how dismissive they are of day of the dead, especially ignoring the helicopter pilots, who are very likeable, the heroes, and have great set design in their area of the bunker.
I did not like Day of the Dead the first time I saw it. I finally appreciate for the classic that it is. Is it flawless? No. But still a horror classic, and I can tell everybody on that production worked extremely hard making it.
Certain persons would call Gene's critique of St. Elmo's Fire's treament of minorities as "woke", althought they would mean it as a negative. Ironically, they'd be right. It IS woke... which, btw, is not a bad or negative thing. AND they had Thelma from "Amen" playing a 🎣er! C'mon! 😂
If they don't like the film, it doesn't mean they didn't get it. The script was weak, the acting atrocious, and most of the film takes place in a basement.
@@Fiveash-Art why are you upset that someone didn't like a film that you did? Are you so insecure that you need to have your own views reinforced by others and get angry when you hear a contrary opinion?
@@Nathan-gd7xq I'm not upset. I'm fine with people not liking it. People don't like the same things. But I still think these guy's opinions were often garbage. Time has shown this on many occasions with both of them where they even were forced to retract some of their initial thoughts about certain movies. They were often flat out WRONG about movies. Yeah, we know, that taste in art is subjective.. But they have made some objectively terrible reviews about movies plenty of times. They also have elevated a lot of mediocre junk that no one saw or even remembered if they did. It's fine though.. I still love those two. I grew up listening to them and it's why I'm still entertained by them today. People like yourself make way too many assumptions about people you might be interacting with on the internet. I never get 'angry' about people's comments online. I might think they're stupid.. but it never 'angers' me. 👍🏻
"A real, Bloody, Gory, Geek show!" It's a film about reanimated corpses that Feast on human flesh. And it was the 1980s were special effects in Practical makeup effects were going above and beyond and you want to bash it just because it's gory and unsettling. Rodger did you ever grow a set of balls???
Dawn was released In Italy in 78 and then a little later in Japan. It didn't come to the US until Spring 79 at a film festival in Dallas, Texas), then slowly released to other cities. Why I have no idea. But Ebert should had known that since he personally selected it for that festival in Dallas.
Non-stop Ls in this one in hindsight. Roger is on-point with "Pale Rider", but everything else was way off, especially for "Day of the Dead". The movie they both liked has gone on to be so obscure it doesn't even have a DVD release. You can see it on Plex though, a streaming service that's literally free.
They were always doing that .. Always gushing over some crap foreign movie that no one saw or remembered. And Siskel with his constant jabbering about Woody Allen and his 'genius' .. couldn't stand that junk.
I think the two men were just TOO OLD for St. Elmo's Fire. On Day of the Dead...it was the weakest of the original Dead trilogy by Romero...but, it's still good...kinda ahead of its time...and I think S&E were paying attention to the wrong things. And I, too, was rather let down by Pale Rider. I expected more...and didn't get it.
Saint Elmo’s Fire will never be listed as one of the greatest movies ever made, however, because I was the same age and in the same general lifestyle as those characters at that time, it did have a likeable quality to it.
Of course the brilliance of Day of the Dead was lost on these guys .... Dawn is and has always been criminally overrated while Day should've been talked about way more than it has. Day of the Dead was Romero's best movie of all of them, .. Hell, I'd take Night of the Living Dead before that snooze fest with those terrible effects Dawn. Savini's remake of Night was also better than the original Dawn. The way they just lump Day into a poorly acted gore fest is exactly how they're missing the mark. The gore and ham fisted acting is what makes it so damned great.
@@KahlessTheUnforgettable Ha ha .. I'm 48 ... yeah, I think Romero has some serious moments of brilliance. I still love these movies ... I don't really care what you think. 😁 ... A lot of my own work was inspired by what horror film makers like Romero created ... my audience are not teenage boys.. in fact, most of my patrons are successful adults who might be a bit eccentric, but still enjoy the macabre , fantasy aspect of the work. Who cares if young people enjoy these movies?
@@Fiveash-Art My apologies, you sound like a child. I don’t give fuck what you do for a living pal; whatever it is it ain’t enough if you’re still so insecure that you have to repeatedly allude to it like anyone could possibly be interested. “Macabre, fantasy,” is just prettying up the word corny; which you seem to have in spades. No one cares if young people like these movies, but like you said; you ain’t young pal 😂
Saw St. Elmo’s Fire for the first time in the past year and loved it. It’s a world away from some Kurosawa or Bergman masterpiece, but probably one of the very best 1980s teen dramas. A lot of fun, beautiful visuals, and Andrew McCarthy & Ally Sheedy I always really like. The craft of movies at this time, as generally lightweight as this one is is very rare nowadays.
@@MS-ns2pj It depends on the genre; but if you are talking about anything comparable to this junk (Ensemble Cast and/or Coming of Age); I’d say The Breakfast Club, The Big Chill, Less Than Zero, The Lost Boys, The Outsiders, The Last American Virgin, Fast Times at Ridgemont High & Times Square, Stand By Me are all superior in one way or another. There isn’t one likable character in this movie.
St. Elmo’s Fire is embarrassingly bad. And it’s not a teen drama. The fact that you say that makes me question your opinion even more. 🤣 If you think a trash movie like this is one of the best of the 80s, it makes me think you haven’t seen many 80s movies.
They were both 100% right on Saint Elmo's Fire. Except for Gene trying to call it racist. Would he call a black film racist with no lead white characters?
@@adamgrimsley2900 Ummmmm..... he said if he were black he'd walk out of the film and call the NAACP. I'd say that's calling it racist. Gene acted like such a kiss-ass liberal, he called Rocky 3 racist because Rocky fought a black man again.
@@adamgrimsley2900 Really? So when Siskel says something totally absurd, I'm not allowed to point it out? Got it. Apparently you can't handle any criticism. And who's the snowflake?
Guy had to wear a suit to watch a movie to remind everyone he was doing his job but then sneaks into the balcony so he can't be seen. Ok. Talk about a silly plot.
@@CoIoneIPanic St. Elmo's Fire is good for nostalgia and seeing these actors, but they are fucking annoying, acting like they're so cool with their "buga, buga, buga" chant.
I generally liked Siskel & Ebert's reviews but the take down of St Elmo was too harsh. They were college age kids finding their way, several characters had good arches. I especially liked Ally and Mare's. 2 thumbs down by two old guys that dismissed the movie before even seeing it, tainting their views. Was it a super good film? But great popcorn flick that has held up?
@@FreshSpecimens It's so cheesy and cringeworthy .. I remember watching it around 20 years ago and thinking how bad it was. I do have fond memories of some of the music from the soundtrack though. It got lots of radio play back in 85 / 86 ... ' Man in Motion' .. and Even the main theme with no vocals used to get played a lot. The 80s were a weird time.
Boy, Siskel and Ebert! Tell us how you really feel about St. Elmos Fire. Lol.
I'm surprised that they didn't talk about The Breakfast Club in their review for St. Elmo's Fire. Because it has some of the same actors and has a more mature view of young adolescents.
@@thekingofmovies193 it's weird that Nelson and Estevez and Sheedy play 22 in st elmo and then back to high school, same year.
St Elmos fire is fucking awful. Gene was actually pissed.... love it when he's pissed!
To everyone uploading Siskel & Ebert episodes to UA-cam, you are doing the Lord's work.
Their takedown of St. Elmo's Fire was savage.
As well it should have been-it is a horrid film.
@@Wildcock23 I agree.
I agree, this film is a turd.
Wasn’t it successful at the box office?
@@matthewschwartz6607 It was, mainly because of the star power involved, but it was trashed by critics. Rightly so.
I absolutely hated St. Elmo's Fire- it's one of the worst movies about young people ever made. I particularly hated the characters and the way almost every situation with them is handled. It makes my skin crawl.
It is so lazy and it fails on every possible level. Terrible script, terrible directing, terrible acting.
I only saw St Elmo's Fire on Friday and its sheer awfulness hasn't left me since. Thank God for Gene and Roger. No mercy for yuppies.
Well How did the Rob Lowe character afford his college education it just seemed everything was great it appeared to be an advert to teenagers from Eastern Europe in the 80s to come to America where the life was easy.
He was already graduated from college. Before that I assume his parents paid for it or he got loans?
St. Elmo's Fire was bad but almost 40 years later I like its visuals.
My favorite scene in St. Elmo's Fire is when the women are all at the soup kitchen. I mean, talk about the height of entitlement.
To me, it's best viewed the second time, because the first time you are overly drawn in by the romanticized aspect of their lives (and repulsed by it at the same time). The second time, when you're not so distracted, you can see the self inflicted misery of their shallowness under the surface. Also how disconnected they are from the world around them, and all the real world problems they refuse to face. It's like the 80's themselves: poor families were losing their homes while the wealthy partied. Hence, my favorite scene.
R.I.P. Joel Schumacher.
My oldest sister and I went to see St. Elmo's Fire at the same theater where these GIs were going to see Pale Rider. 😁
R.I.P. Carrie Snodgrass.
Gene bashing St. Elmo’s Fire is the best negative review he has ever done on the show. Although I don’t think the movie is quite that bad (but still not good in the slightest), his slam is still fun to see
I agree with him, terrible film. I hated the Rob Lowe character the most.
@@sha11235 awful. Has a wife and kid but would rather play his ear rape music.
@@sha11235 Yes… every character in the film is despicable.
Ya...the movie is so bad....
Their corny ritual chant "booga booga booga Ah Ha Ha!" is so embarrassing and always made me want to vomit. I don't know why I would watch this one on cable when I was a kid? It's absolutely horrible... A total cheese fest. One of Schumacher's worst in my view ... The soundtrack has some pretty classic bits on it though..., and Demi Moore was still hot as hell.
Soaked mailed it. St. Elmo’s Fire was garbage.
Crapola.
Instead of Chekhov it was Bub's gun.
My thoughts exactly when I heard them describe it lol
I think it was this film that writer David Blum came up with the term Brat Pack. David Blum wrote in a June 10 1985 article for the New Yorker where he coined the phrase Brat Pack to describe the youthful cast of two recent teenage/ youth oriented films.: John Hughes' "The Breakfast Club" and Joel Schumacher's "St. Elmo's Fire" both of which came out in 1985.
Day of the Dead was good IMO. It was better than the rest of the movies that were reviewed.
Yep ... 50% of the time these guys were full of crap. Day is a classic and I enjoy best of the Romero zombie movies. The way they just dismiss it really shows how dense they were in many instances.
@@Fiveash-Art Here are two movies you might have never watched.
1)Timecrimes
2)Predestination with Ethan Hawk.
Avoid trailers due to spoilers.
@@trikkerman1 Nope, never seen either of those. I'll make a note of it.
@@Fiveash-Art If you can, get back to me and tell me what you though of the two movies. You can watch Predestination free on youtube.
@@trikkerman1 Ok cool ... I'll find it, bookmark it and watch on my next drinking night. I like the title of that one ... Do you think Siskel is in heaven wearing that John Travolta suit he so cherished? .. I think he was kinda gay for him. Saturday Night Fever is an ok movie ... but it ain't that great.
St. Elmo's Fire is bad, alright, however, I have a bone to pick with two particular points they made: 1) if they're gonna point out angrily (and rightfully) that the only black character is a prostitute, i really hope they did the same for Woody Allen, who is WAY more egregious in this regard (he has a silent black maid in several films and i think his first speaking black character role is, yep, a prostitute in Deconstructing Harry); because critics tend to kiss Woody's ass, something tells me they didn't, though I'll look for myself; and 2) i don't agree with Ebert that these are the same horny teenagers from dumb sex comedies grown up; bad as the film is, i think it's bad BECAUSE it's actually trying to depict three dimensional kids, who are MORE than just horny one-note teens. I think these kids are obnoxious, too, but not in the same way whatsoever as the kids in, like, Porky's or whatever. They're faux intellectuals speaking a poorly written script.
Day of the dead was Romero's favorite
Don't know why. "Dawn of the Dead" was infinitely better.
@@citygirl5705 Absolutely not ... The on the nose 'social commentary', the shoehorned comedy, the bad effects, blue face paint, blood that looked like orange paint, and a pacing so slow you just want to sleep. Night of the living dead, Savini's remake of Night, and Day of the Dead completely destroy Dawn. It's cult following feels more trendy than anything else. Day did everything better in just about every aspect. The only thing worth sitting through is the Italian release because of that cool soundtrack by Goblin. The bandwagoning for Dawn is obnoxious... It's not that good.
Because it was his best one. 🤘🏻
I hated the Rob Lowe character in St. Elmo's Fire the most.
Because rob Lowe was playing himself in the movie!! He was the bad boy at his age!!
I took a date to St Elmo's Fire, she loved it, I couldn't begin to describe how much I hated it. I went to Paler Rider by myself.
I watched St. Elmo's Fire again after Brats and it still doesn't hold up (I am a child of the 80s). It's depressing, immature, and none of the characters are likeable. Jules lives in excess, Kirby is a stalker, Billy can't get past his frat boy days (How did he even graduate?), and Kevin is a morose whiner. I was just hoping someone would put them all out of their misery. Even by the ending, I still disliked them.
The only character I feel sorry for is Kim Sung Ho. He can't keep an attaché. First Billy, then Kirby. That'll teach him not to hire Brat Packers
They reviewed Day of the Dead and mentioned both Night of the Living Dead and Dawn of the Dead, and never once used the word "zombie."
Back then they called them ghouls instead of zombies.
@@kevinhoffman8112 Yup.
Funny review on St. Elmo's Fire lol.
I didn't think St Elmos was very good but I didn't think it was terrible. As far as the cast let's give a shout out to Ally Sheedy. She was great as she almost always is. Winningham was good and McCarthy was great in this role. Lowe was really bad but he's gotten better over the years as he's gotten older but great as a narrator in documentaries. The other two you can pick 'em.
Surprised they didn't mention Emilio Estevez's character who pursues Andie McDowell despite her giving no indication that she's interested in him, and then gets angry with her when she doesn't fall for him straight away.
Maybe that’s because there’s so much wrong with the movie that they didn’t have extra time to point out everything in excruciating detail.
no character or story development with Emilio here. Breakfast club, solid movie and his performance. Here, unlikeable and total waste to time.
I’m shocked neither of them liked Day of the Dead. It’s a masterpiece. The tension between the military guys and civilians in the underground bunker was great and Joe Plato was brilliant as Captain Rhodes. I agree not as good as Dawn of the Dead, but the second best zombie film of all time after Dawn.
They were right about St. Elmo’s Fire though. That movie is TRASH.
I love Joe Pilato's "overacting"
Amen. Rest in Peace, Joe "Captain Rhodes" Pilato.
He's so much fun to watch .. and his death scene was very disturbing.
Nowadays Day of the Dead is considered to be a masterpiece
while "day of the dead" 1985 is not as good as the prior 2 "dead" movies from george romero, i certainly liked it better than "land of the dead", "diary of the dead", even the "1990 remake of night of the living dead". lol as much as i hate to admit it, the 2005 remake of dawn of the dead wasnt all bad. while it covered no truly new ground, and failed to really outdo the original, remake of dawn of the dead made some high octane gorey contributions to the nightmarish land of the zombie apocalypse, a place some of us can never seem to explore too much. i think its obvious that while day of the dead is the weak link, it does survive by its merits, if nothing else to merely pointing out that its role among the group of "dead" george romero movies that long haunted the horror vhs section of shelves only the brave or twisted dared venture, has never seemed to detract from the grandest of all zombie trilogies. while not pretty, day of the dead is effective at what it does. the actors were not lawrence olivier or katharine hepburn, but i think they each made a credible performance out of the material, particularly joe pilato (rip) as the fiercely murderous captain rhodes. the development of the characters felt one sided, and at times the script had chances to be clever in the end came across feeling kind of flat. i agree that the main flaw the film has is a lack of dialogue substituted with monologue after another. the characters dont talk so much as just make grandstanding speeches in a repetitive and frustrating process that fails to properly build up a climax. john russos "return of the living dead" of the same year is a better movie. writer of the screenplay for the original alien 1979, director dan o bannon stuck an artery by substituting slapstick humor for campy stiffness, keeping a quicker tempo, slicker style, and a hardcore soundtrack that all joyously helped to give the genre a badly needed facelift. still day of the dead 1985 horror imagery is memorable. the movie quietly roams about softly, while ROTLD is screaming frantic the whole way. if i had to take my pick, between that or day of the dead, i would take ROTLD.. but ONLY for the first one. there is NO sequel worthy of ROTLD. the best parts of day of the dead are at the edges, a memorable scene at the opening i really liked, shows an abandoned florida city swarming with big spiders and alligators but no human survivors weeks into the zombie plague. the title shot zombie missing his entire lower face, give way to a perfect view of the tongue sliding around the throat wode open like a columbian necktie.. it sticks with me and is one of the best make up effect zombies i feel of that entire genre, outdone maybe only by the cover of "zombie dead are among us" lucio fulci sequel to the italian release of dawn of the dead 1978. i disagree about the setting. i liked the caves and subterranean backdrop ok for day of the dead, and found it interesting how some of the zombies looked like.. well "cave zombies" lol for lack of a better description, with neanderthal type sloping heads.. it was a fitting motif as a backdrop for any post apocalyptic scenario, the last surviving humans occupying claustrophobic mine shaft areas, on the verge of wasting each other, might not be everyones cup of soup, but i felt it conveyed the right feeling for the film. i personally felt "frankensteins" lab had some memorable gore as well, with excellent models in both in the back and foreground. the guts sliding out of the zombie that turns sideways is later reenacted in a dream sequence to good effect. so i think while 1985 "day of the dead" is a very decent low budget flick, it simply carries a burden of being a disappointment compared to the other 2 movies that went before, both of which broke ground for newer movies to retread. that being said it isnt bad on its own, and it holds a steady place for that much touted trilogy.
Day of the dead have aged pretty well i think. Not a fan of it in 1985. But now a great watch. Dawn of the dead will always be number 1 for me. Love that movie.
I saw one of these vids when they first started back in the 70's and they looked so different and seemed nervous to be on camera. But it was still a great show.
How the hell could anyone not like Pale Rider?
1:16 Day of The Dead
5:30 St Elmo's Fire
11:05 Pale Rider
15:45 A Flash of Green
20:15 review
day of the dead is so good, that and return of the living dead are my fav zombie films ever
Day was Romero's best .. Even he said that. The constant gushing over Dawn is a simply a product of trendy online nostalgia for the movie. Day of the Dead is so much better. Return is also a great movie .. I love Trash's dance sequence on top of the grave in the cemetery. Hubba Hubba when I was a kid.. Full Frontal. I couldn't believe it. But actually it was movie trickery .. They put some sort of codpiece to cover her bits so they wouldn't be filmed. It looked convincing though. I didn't care. I love the melting tar zombie too .. what a brilliant piece of practical effects magic. "Braaaaains!"
Don't call them zombies 😁
A flash of green 👍🌟🌟🌟
I still love St. Elmo's Fire
You could tell Gene would've gotten into a fist fight with St. Elmo's Fire if he could.
I've decided. I am getting my fashion sense from Roger Ebert from now on.
This movie was about friendship.....
Gene Siskel didn't know what he was talking about, Day of the Dead is a great movie.
Nah, he was right. Zombies are corny AF.
@@KahlessTheUnforgettable Na .. he's full of crap. He should stick to his worshipping of Woody Allen and his pretentious unfunny movies made for pseudo intellectual metro yuppies. Day of the Dead is a classic.
Day of the Dead is not that bad.... not as inspired, but still cool.
"Not as inspired" .. This is total BS ... It does everything better than Dawn ever did. Dawn is highly overrated because of it's long time cult status... It's more hype and fanboy bias than anything else. Day is the better movie.
@@Fiveash-Art agreed. Day is far superior to Dawn. More convincing in every possible way.
@@Fiveash-Art Dawn may be the better overall film, but Day is the better horror zombie film.
@@kramalerav Dawn isn't better overall .. It's boring as hell. The first half hour is the only part worth watching .. and the score from Goblin .. Once they get to the mall I fall asleep.
St. Elmo's Fire was crap, but thumbs down for Day of the Dead and Pale Rider?
kinda wild how dismissive they are of day of the dead, especially ignoring the helicopter pilots, who are very likeable, the heroes, and have great set design in their area of the bunker.
As time goes on, the more I agree with their "Day..." review. Tom Savini was the star of the movie because nobody else really did their job well.
I did not like Day of the Dead the first time I saw it. I finally appreciate for the classic that it is. Is it flawless? No. But still a horror classic, and I can tell everybody on that production worked extremely hard making it.
Certain persons would call Gene's critique of St. Elmo's Fire's treament of minorities as "woke", althought they would mean it as a negative. Ironically, they'd be right. It IS woke... which, btw, is not a bad or negative thing.
AND they had Thelma from "Amen" playing a 🎣er! C'mon!
😂
They clearly don’t ”get” Day of the Dead”… The conflict between the people and their inability to communicate is the point of the film,😂
It was also the point of Night of the Living Dead, so IDK WTF Roger was on about here.
If they don't like the film, it doesn't mean they didn't get it. The script was weak, the acting atrocious, and most of the film takes place in a basement.
@@Nathan-gd7xq Who cares if they 'got it' or not .. Their opinions about it are straight up garbage.
@@Fiveash-Art why are you upset that someone didn't like a film that you did? Are you so insecure that you need to have your own views reinforced by others and get angry when you hear a contrary opinion?
@@Nathan-gd7xq I'm not upset. I'm fine with people not liking it. People don't like the same things. But I still think these guy's opinions were often garbage. Time has shown this on many occasions with both of them where they even were forced to retract some of their initial thoughts about certain movies. They were often flat out WRONG about movies. Yeah, we know, that taste in art is subjective.. But they have made some objectively terrible reviews about movies plenty of times. They also have elevated a lot of mediocre junk that no one saw or even remembered if they did. It's fine though.. I still love those two. I grew up listening to them and it's why I'm still entertained by them today. People like yourself make way too many assumptions about people you might be interacting with on the internet. I never get 'angry' about people's comments online. I might think they're stupid.. but it never 'angers' me. 👍🏻
Only one person in st elmos fire won a razzie rob lowe the entire cast and joel Schumacher should have won razzie as well
I like Gene review on. St. Elmo's
"A real, Bloody, Gory, Geek show!" It's a film about reanimated corpses that Feast on human flesh. And it was the 1980s were special effects in Practical makeup effects were going above and beyond and you want to bash it just because it's gory and unsettling. Rodger did you ever grow a set of balls???
They were idiots when it came to horror and a lot of sci-fi .. extremely biased and snobbish most of the time. Not always, but most of the time.
FWIW, George Romero always said that Day of the Dead was the best movie he ever made.
That's because it was.
He also said St. Elmo’s Fire was REALLY the type of film he wanted to make and superior in every way 💁♂️
@@KahlessTheUnforgettable Pathetic watching people type dumb comments under the delusion that they're being clever or funny. 😂
@@Fiveash-Art Yeah, you know yourself almost as well as I know your mother 😂
@@KahlessTheUnforgettable Wow .. a mama joke. You're a real genius.. Very creative.
You couldn’t just call them zombies Roger lol
Im in charge of this monkey farm, and I wanna know what the f*ck is going on.
#RIPJoePilato Salute to Captain Bastard. lol
Night Of The Living Dead came out in 1968 and Dawn Of The Dead came out in 1978 not 1980
Dawn was released In Italy in 78 and then a little later in Japan. It didn't come to the US until Spring 79 at a film festival in Dallas, Texas), then slowly released to other cities. Why I have no idea. But Ebert should had known that since he personally selected it for that festival in Dallas.
St. Elmo's fire is absolutely awful.
Fun Fact: Gene was an early practitioner of virtue signaling.
I would argue that’s Jesus but ok….😒
Non-stop Ls in this one in hindsight. Roger is on-point with "Pale Rider", but everything else was way off, especially for "Day of the Dead". The movie they both liked has gone on to be so obscure it doesn't even have a DVD release. You can see it on Plex though, a streaming service that's literally free.
They were always doing that .. Always gushing over some crap foreign movie that no one saw or remembered. And Siskel with his constant jabbering about Woody Allen and his 'genius' .. couldn't stand that junk.
Why are you here watching it, then?
Day of The Dead now rightfully considered a masterpiece.... That wasn't very polite, that wasn't very polite at all
I think the two men were just TOO OLD for St. Elmo's Fire.
On Day of the Dead...it was the weakest of the original Dead trilogy by Romero...but, it's still good...kinda ahead of its time...and I think S&E were paying attention to the wrong things.
And I, too, was rather let down by Pale Rider. I expected more...and didn't get it.
Saint Elmo’s Fire will never be listed as one of the greatest movies ever made, however, because I was the same age and in the same general lifestyle as those characters at that time, it did have a likeable quality to it.
St Elmos is my favorite movie of all time.
Of course the brilliance of Day of the Dead was lost on these guys .... Dawn is and has always been criminally overrated while Day should've been talked about way more than it has. Day of the Dead was Romero's best movie of all of them, .. Hell, I'd take Night of the Living Dead before that snooze fest with those terrible effects Dawn. Savini's remake of Night was also better than the original Dawn. The way they just lump Day into a poorly acted gore fest is exactly how they're missing the mark. The gore and ham fisted acting is what makes it so damned great.
Brilliance? These are stupid movies made for teen boys. The ghouls is an excuse not to have to write dialogue. You’ll see when you grow up young man.
@@KahlessTheUnforgettable Ha ha .. I'm 48 ... yeah, I think Romero has some serious moments of brilliance. I still love these movies ... I don't really care what you think. 😁 ... A lot of my own work was inspired by what horror film makers like Romero created ... my audience are not teenage boys.. in fact, most of my patrons are successful adults who might be a bit eccentric, but still enjoy the macabre , fantasy aspect of the work. Who cares if young people enjoy these movies?
@@Fiveash-Art My apologies, you sound like a child. I don’t give fuck what you do for a living pal; whatever it is it ain’t enough if you’re still so insecure that you have to repeatedly allude to it like anyone could possibly be interested. “Macabre, fantasy,” is just prettying up the word corny; which you seem to have in spades. No one cares if young people like these movies, but like you said; you ain’t young pal 😂
@@KahlessTheUnforgettable 😂 Ok .. go watch the movies you enjoy then. Take it easy.
@@KahlessTheUnforgettable UA-cam ate your comment by the way. It doesn't like certain four letter words.
all his complaints about young people are how every young person ever irl acts pretty much though
Yeah I kinda feel that way too - I definitely don’t agree with their day of the dead review but that’s just my opinion.
@@BlindBison They're full of crap.
Saw St. Elmo’s Fire for the first time in the past year and loved it.
It’s a world away from some Kurosawa or Bergman masterpiece, but probably one of the very best 1980s teen dramas.
A lot of fun, beautiful visuals, and Andrew McCarthy & Ally Sheedy I always really like. The craft of movies at this time, as generally lightweight as this one is is very rare nowadays.
👎🏻
Wow! Can’t imagine what you’d say if you saw really good 80s films; Or actual teen dramas for that matter!
@@KahlessTheUnforgettable Which 80’s movies are your favorites?
@@MS-ns2pj It depends on the genre; but if you are talking about anything comparable to this junk (Ensemble Cast and/or Coming of Age); I’d say The Breakfast Club, The Big Chill, Less Than Zero, The Lost Boys, The Outsiders, The Last American Virgin, Fast Times at Ridgemont High & Times Square, Stand By Me are all superior in one way or another. There isn’t one likable character in this movie.
St. Elmo’s Fire is embarrassingly bad. And it’s not a teen drama. The fact that you say that makes me question your opinion even more. 🤣 If you think a trash movie like this is one of the best of the 80s, it makes me think you haven’t seen many 80s movies.
Dont think St elmo's fire is great but it's slick. Doesn't have much drama
They were both 100% right on Saint Elmo's Fire. Except for Gene trying to call it racist. Would he call a black film racist with no lead white characters?
That's not with he said. He said the only black character is a tired poor character.
@@adamgrimsley2900 Ummmmm..... he said if he were black he'd walk out of the film and call the NAACP. I'd say that's calling it racist.
Gene acted like such a kiss-ass liberal, he called Rocky 3 racist because Rocky fought a black man again.
@@citygirl5705 yes correct he did and he's right. And you seem to be the one whining about his view, such being such a snowflake.
@@adamgrimsley2900 Really? So when Siskel says something totally absurd, I'm not allowed to point it out? Got it.
Apparently you can't handle any criticism. And who's the snowflake?
@@citygirl5705 yeah you can but you have to be correct in reporting what he said and they don't whine about it afterwards
Gene gets it wrong…again
Guy had to wear a suit to watch a movie to remind everyone he was doing his job but then sneaks into the balcony so he can't be seen. Ok. Talk about a silly plot.
That's not a suit. A jacket with no tie, a sweater vest, and pants that didn't come with the jacket? That was a casual professional look.
@@pazza4555 Thank god only tools dress like that now
Shame, I like St. Elmo's Fire more than these guys give it credit for, they were so mean in their review.
Have you watched Saint Elmo's fire recently?
@@CoIoneIPanic St. Elmo's Fire is good for nostalgia and seeing these actors, but they are fucking annoying, acting like they're so cool with their "buga, buga, buga" chant.
@@citygirl5705 yes thankfully most of them are dead by now or too criminally fat to move.
@@citygirl5705 HI
@@citygirl5705 That crap makes me cringe with embarrassment ... Who does stuff like that? It's so freakin' corny.
I generally liked Siskel & Ebert's reviews but the take down of St Elmo was too harsh. They were college age kids finding their way, several characters had good arches. I especially liked Ally and Mare's. 2 thumbs down by two old guys that dismissed the movie before even seeing it, tainting their views. Was it a super good film? But great popcorn flick that has held up?
They had some really correct criticisms from where I sit.
It wasn’t too harsh. This movie is garbage.
Mare Winningham is hideous. She’s awful why WHY does anyone think she should be in the movies?
@@FreshSpecimens It's so cheesy and cringeworthy .. I remember watching it around 20 years ago and thinking how bad it was. I do have fond memories of some of the music from the soundtrack though. It got lots of radio play back in 85 / 86 ... ' Man in Motion' .. and Even the main theme with no vocals used to get played a lot. The 80s were a weird time.
WHY is George Romero considered to be a good director?
Because he brilliantly directed three horror classics on very limited budgets.
@@kramalerav I'd say 4, Creepshow is also very good.
@@benphillips2947 Creepshow is amazing .. I loved The Crate with Adrienne Barbeau
I love st Elmo’s fire it’s about friendship and love with great music
😂 Good one! 😂
SEF is about flawed people. We are all flawed.