Red Dawn (1984)

“Red Dawn” (1984) is one of several “What if the Russians and us went to war?” movies from the 1980s. This one stars a Brat Pack B list. It’s a guilty pleasure for many red-blooded American men of a certain age. It makes passing reference to how hard it is to fight in Afghanistan (apparently, nobody listened). Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey are together, three years before “Dirty Dancing.” They even have a tender scene right before she blows up a Russkie with a grenade. She also has several scenes with Charlie Sheen, two years before “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.”

 

Article 99

To say “Article 99” is derivative is to say blood is red. The title evokes “Catch: 22” while the movie itself is a 1992 reboot of “M*A*S*H” at a veterans hospital. It even has Kiefer Sutherland as the new doctor, echoing his dad’s role in the 1970 film. Kiefer’s pornstache is splendid, as is Ray Liotta’s hair (Ray’s the new Hawkeye). Bureaucrats are again the enemy, co-workers again have sex, there’s laughs, there’s pathos, there’s an inspirational climax, there’s even John C. McGinley from “Scrubs” playing – surprise! – a wacky doctor. You see it all coming from a mile away. Yawn.