Thankfully a Toronto Sun loomed in the distance at a recent hunt though a barn converted into an antique shop. Not sure if it was a hot commodity for collectors but it wasn’t sealed so out came the phone camera and a quick run down of what was playing at local theaters on the streets of T.O. back when Harold Ballard owned the Leafs making them the embarrassment of the league for a good many years.
Oscar winners? Jon Voight and Jane Fonda if high drama suits your fancy. Then again let’s not forget the power of a Bruce Dern.
That converted TV star Travolta continues to bring them in but I’d rather go see this under appreciated Hoffman flick which falls under the Stanton-Walsh X2 rule. (Look it up)
Richard Burton in another thriller? Hope it’s better than Exorcist 2. But if you haven’t seen Mel’s latest it’s hilarious! Sandwiched in the middle is a Cicely Tyson-Paul Winfield flick I’m not familiar with.
Slap Shot is still playing! A Canadian institution. Choir Boys an added bonus and personally I don’t really want to hold your hand. Sorry.
Dreyfuss goes from Jaws to an Oscar. He’s on a roll!
I have no idea what Island of the Damned is about but I know I’d rather see it than the other two titles showing here.
Old school that I am, This presents some tough choices. Kirk Douglas, Richard Widmark or Oliver Reed and a to die for surrounding cast.
When’s the last time any movie played for 7 months let alone 4? Times have changed and I’ve still never seen Julia or The Turning Point.
I don’t give a damn what the critics say, I’m gonna go check out this Tony Curtis flick.
Plenty to choose from here and Sorcerer is that new film from the Exorcist guy and it stars the Jaws guy! If all else fails I’d be happy to see Burt and Jackie all over again. “East Bound and Down.”
What’s with Kirk Douglas? The Fury and now The Chosen? Could he be the new Vincent Price?
Yup, it’s the one that started it all.
Michael Caine anyone? If not “Bloody Hell” Michael then how about the co features?
Ah yes, I always save a few snippets for the late night crowd. Feast your eyes.
Before you go, check out what I found in a box left off in the corner of that old barn hawking furniture. Waterlogged and left to rot but now resting peacefully here in the vault at Mike’s Take where it’s appreciated.
Mike's Take On the Movies 
Another fun trip down memory lane! Coma was actually a pretty good thriller with a nice Jerry Goldsmith score (I first saw it way back when it came out) and you reminded me I need to add it to the library here at some point.
Haven’t seen it in years and have been meaning to have another look. Isn’t Tom Selleck a victim in this?
Selleck was in Coma, but it’s a cameo at best. I know even though he played the hero, he was definitely a victim of being in that horrible film 1984 film Runaway (which I sat through with an audience that booed it at the end, lol).
That’s a bad flick. A total career killer. That and missing out in Indy. But in the end he’s done ok and thankfully had a hand in keeping the western alive in cable movies when very few were being made.
The only ones from the list above I saw in the theater back in ’78 were Coma, Smokey and the Bandit, and that quickly-forgotten War Stars movie. And I don’t know if this will sway your vote any, but I do own Coach.
I saw Smokey as a kid back then and Star Wars in a rerelease around 1981. So should I seek out a copy of Coach for myself?
Coach is a typical ’80s teen sex comedy…totally lame, but for me a fun look back at the early 1980s. If you can get it in the ‘Too Cool for School’ 12-pack of teen sex comedies for under five bucks, like I did…go for it!
Sounds like an easy decision. I’ll keep my eyes peeled.
Haha the Stanton-Walsh rule x2. I didn’t know that but yep it’s very true. Both outshine Hoffman in that picture I think.
The Medusa Touch as a teenager was much fun.
I still haven’t seen “The Fury” yet and weirdly I was thinking about revisiting “Coma” again, such a long time since I saw it I can’t recall much of it.
Nice save on the Return of the Seven poster. It’s gone to good home.
I saw Medusa as well years ago and Fury I’ve been meaning to have another look at for the Kirk Douglas factor. Been a long time. Same as Coma for the Widmark factor.
Forgot Widmark was in Coma! Even more reason for me to revisit it soon.
SO many movies showing at the same time! Do we have that many movies available in theatres today? (Asking for a friend who doesn’t get out much…)
Just a wee bit less of a selection you’ll find in that same newspaper today for Toronto listings.