35 years of Summer Blockbusters - May 25

May 25, 2007 - Three years ago Pirates Of The Caribbean: At World's End opened. This film picked up where the cliff hanger ending of the second left off. More action and better pacing than the first, it still paled when compared to the original. The film broke records opening weekend, but did not surpass part two in total ticket sales. At The Movie House rating *** stars

May 25, 2001 - Nine years ago Michael Bay released Pearl Harbor. This big budget romantic spectacle attempted to recreate the fateful day the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. It bombed at the box office.

At The Movie House rating ** stars

May 25, 1988 - Twenty two years ago Sylvester Stallone returned in Rambo III. This film took the 80's action star to Afghanistan to rescue his former mentor, played by Richard Crenna. At the time of it's release Rambo III was the most expensive movie ever made with a cost of $58 million. The 1990 Guinness Book Of World Records also called it the most violent movie ever made. It was a big hit with it's target audience, but critics hated it and it did not make as much money as Rambo II.
At The Movie House rating ** stars

Also opening the same day was Crocodile Dundee II. this sequel was a retread of the original without the heart or the charm. Hit was the #1 movie for the weekend. At The Movie House rating -not rated.

May 25, 1983 - Twenty seven years ago and six years after the original, Star Wars: Return Of The Jedi, the final chapter of the Star Wars saga opened. Their was a media frenzy before the opening and fans lined up days in advance for the first screenings. After the cliff hanger ending of The Empire Strikes Back fans were ready for the final conflict between the Force and the Dark Side. The film introduced the furry Ewoks of Endor and the evil Emperor Palpatine, played by Ian McDiarmid finally made an appearance. The film received mostly positive reviews and was a hit at the box office. It was the highest grossing film of 1983. At The Movie House rating ***1/2 stars

May 25, 1979 - Thirty one years ago Alien opened with the great tag line "In space no one can hear you scream". Directed by Ridley Scott this film set a new standard for terror and visual effects. After the gentleness of Spielberg's extra terrestrials in Close Encounters, the creature created by H.R. Geiger was truly monstrous. The film was a huge hit and spawned multiple sequels including the exceptional Aliens. At The Movie House rating **** stars

Also released was a remake of The prisoner Of Zenda. Peter Sellers starred, once again playing multiple roles. The comedy was flat and it quickly vanished from theatres. Last film directed by Richard Quine

At The Movie House rating -  not rated

May 25, 1977 -  Thirty three years ago movie history was made when Star Wars opened in 43 theatres. It was an instant hit and started a phenomenon that still goes on today. Afraid the movie would be beat out during the summer months by popular films like Smokey and The Bandit, 20th Century Fox moved the film to the Wednesday before Memorial Day and a new tradition of opening big pictures in May was born. The movie was box office gold and played in some theatres for a year.
At The Movie House rating **** stars