Welcome back my readers, YouTube viewers and all others who followed this series of articles focused on YouTube videos worth watching. Have you been searching for something fun or interesting to watch on YouTube? Do you feel bored right now and you crave for something to see on the world’s most popular online video destination?
I recommend you check out the following videos I found.
#1 Lost Odyssey Revisited – Back in 2008, I played Lost Odyssey on my Xbox 360 console and it was my most anticipated game of the time as I enjoyed playing Final Fantasy role-playing games (RPGs) on different consoles several years prior. In my experience, Lost Odyssey truly is a Final Fantasy game without the name and it remains an Xbox 360-exclusive game that happens to be compatible with Xbox One, Xbox Series S and Xbox Series X consoles (still available digitally online). For the newcomers reading this, Final Fantasy creator and former Square Enix producer Hironobu Sakaguchi co-wrote the story of Lost Odyssey and his own independent studio Mistwalker laid the foundation and the other studio Feelplus did the coding of the game. Not only that, famous game musician Nobuo Uematsu composed and scored the music of the Xbox RPG. To find out how the game was conceptualized, how its production happened and why it became an Xbox-exclusive game, watch the selected retrospective videos below.
#2 No Kings Protest Fails – In America, the Satanic Leftists, the woke extremists, the climate change zealots and other pawns of the Democrats organized the No Kings protests which eventually failed. The Leftists hatred for US President Donald Trump is so intense, they became out of touch with reality and they end up hating America. Lastly, many on the Left cannot tell the difference between a president and a king. The Democrats meanwhile are still obsessed with embracing immorality, destroying the traditional American family, empowering Islamic terrorists and support illegal immigrants. Watch and learn from the videos below.
#3 Delicious Meals With Big Portions In Japan – If you plan to do food trips while touring Japan, what exactly will you be looking for among the many food joins there? If you crave delicious food with big servings, there are indeed places to visit, and you can find what they offer and where could visit them by watching the Nippon TV video below. A friendly reminder for all who intend to visit Japan as foreign tourists…always behave yourselves by following local rules and being respectful to the Japanese.
#4 VKunia Reacts To Scary Movie – In 2000, Scary Movie was released in cinemas in America on July which was during the summer blockbuster season. The horror comedy parody film succeeded beyond expectations making almost $280 million worldwide on a budget of less than $20 million. Here in the Philippines, Scary Movie opened on November 1 of 2000 and I saw it that day inside the local cinema which was almost full. I noticed a lot of local moviegoers enjoyed its crude comedy under direction of Keenen Ivory Wayans and the performance of Anna Faris. Recently, VKunia posted her reaction video of Scary Movie and her reactions are similar to how the moviegoers around me reacted on November 1, 2000. Watch her video below.
#5 WarGames Revisited – Back in the 1980s, the Cold War was still hot in people’s minds and information technology (IT) itself was gradually becoming important in America. The 1983 movie WarGames featured a tale about war simulation, hacking, artificial intelligence (AI), the use of super computers for military operations and more. Back then, US President Ronald Reagan saw the film and this led to discussions with members of Congress, advisers and the Joint Chiefs of Staff. A review of full nation security was eventually ordered by Reagan. In today’s age, artificial intelligence is very common and it is causing varied disturbances worldwide which makes WarGames still relevant. To see how the movie impacts YouTubers, watch the selected reaction videos below.
Welcome back fellow geeks, Blu-ray collectors and movie buffs!
If you are looking for new movie about America’s iconic President Ronald Reagan to watch in the comfort of your home, be aware that the Blu-ray disc (with DVD and digital copy) of the film Reagan (2024) will be released on November 19, 2024, according to a Blu-ray.com update. The good news here is that pre-orders for it are already being accepted online and you can go for it by clicking right here. The movie was directed by Sean McNamara.
Reagan Blu-ray disc includes DVD and digital copy.
In this movie (released on August 30, 2024 in cinemas), Dennis Quaid played the iconic Ronald Reagan. The supporting cast includes Penelope Ann Miller as Nancy Reagan (the First Lady), Jon Voight as Viktor Petrovich, Robert Davi as Leonid Brezhnev, and Kevin Sorbo as Rev. Ben Cleaver.
The official description is as follows: From dusty small-town roots, to the glitter of Hollywood, and then on to commanding the world stage, REAGAN is a cinematic journey of overcoming the odds. Told through the voice of Viktor Petrovich, a former KGB agent who followed Reagan’s ascent, REAGAN captures the indomitable spirit of the American dream.
To see what the film looks like, watch the official movie trailer below.
In my honest view, Ronald Reagan is clearly the most defining President of the United States not only in the 1980s but in the entire 20th century as he used the full might of his office to push back hard against Communism while also lifting Americans up from the social downturn and rebellious norms that hurt the nation since the 1960s.
Reagan is known for reviving patriotism and economic progress (focused on capitalism and the Reagnomics policies) in America. It has been argued again and again that had Reagan never been US President, America would have fallen deeper into turmoil and the Communists would have gained ground in the Cold War.
1980 US Presidential Election material from Ronald Reagan’s campaign. The words “make America great again” was spoken by him long before US President Donald Trump’s time. If you think about it carefully, Reagan was an ordinary American who became President of the United States.
It was only right that a proper movie about President Reagan was made. Of course, knowing the traditions of Hollywood, I am anticipating that creative liberties were taken in order to make the cinematic narrative work. I am based here in the Philippines and it is frustrating for me that this movie was never released in local cinemas. That being said, I am closely watching this as a possible addition to my Blu-ray movie collection.
Looking back at the official trailer above, it looks like the filmmakers did a good job making Dennis Quaid look, move and sound like President Reagan. The movie looks like it has a strong focus on the Cold War through Reagan which really interests me.
US President Ronald Reagan in real life.
The cinematic President Reagan played by Dennis Quaid.
Disclaimer: This is my original work with details sourced from reading the comic book and doing personal research. Anyone who wants to use this article, in part or in whole, needs to secure first my permission and agree to cite me as the source and author. Let it be known that any unauthorized use of this article will constrain the author to pursue the remedies under R.A. No. 8293, the Revised Penal Code, and/or all applicable legal actions under the laws of the Philippines.
Welcome back superhero enthusiasts, 1980s arts and culture enthusiasts, Marvel Comics fans and comic book collectors! Today we go back to the year 1985 to examine a small part of the Marvel Comics universe through a tale of the Amazing Spider-Man monthly series.
For this particular review, the Amazing Spider-Man comic book does not involve Tom DeFalco and Ron Frenz. Instead, we will see the creative contribution of Bob Layton who already established himself within Marvel Comics on the Iron Man monthly series. Layton is the same guy who co-founded Valiant Comics with former Marvel Comics editor-in-chief Jim Shooter.
With those details laid down, here is a look back at Amazing Spider-Man #262, published in 1985 by Marvel Comics with a story written and illustrated by Bob Layton.
The cover.
Early story
The story begins as Spider-Man arrives at the Newark International Airport in New Jersey distracting a few air traffic control operators. As he makes his way into a deserted baggage room, Peter Parker intends to change clothes as he has a journalistic assignment from the Daily Bugle to photograph President Ronald Reagan who is set to arrive soon. For Peter Parker, the assignment is crucial as he needs to earn money.
Elsewhere within the airport, the sleazy tabloid news photographer D.J. Jones makes his way through and he intends to photograph something unusual or embarrassing about Reagan. He accidentally bumps into a lady whose items fall down. Jones pretends to be kind to her as he secretly takes her wallet while helping her collect her belongings.
As Jones decides to take the lady’s money, he goes into one of the baggage rooms to get rid of the wallet. Inside, he accidentally spots Peter Parker (still wearing the upper half of his Spider-Man costume) changing clothes and quickly photographs him. Jones starts to run away compelling Parker to chase him knowing that his secret identity will get exposed if he fails…
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This is what happens when you carry very valuable information with you which the mob wants.
I really like this Spider-Man tale crafted by Bob Layton. For one thing, it tackles the concept of having your secret identity being discovered by someone who has a record of unethical behavior as well as the opportunity of using the acquired confidential information (the secret identity) for financial gain (at the expense of the affected person). Layton’s story also reconnected Spider-Man to a significant part of his legacy (the death of his Uncle Ben and the identity of the man who killed him) which opens up moral and ethical challenges on his part.
Character development of Spider-Man in this story is short yet substantial to read. As he recalls the painful lesson he learned about his uncle’s death, he remembers how guilt (by previously allowing a crook to get away who later turns out to be the same person responsible for the death of Uncle Ben) overwhelmed his early desire for revenge and this compels him to re-evaluate the responsibility he carries with his superhuman abilities.
Instead of utilizing a super villain, Layton presented D.J. Jones as the antagonist that Spider-Man has to overcome somehow. Jones is not exactly evil, he’s just unethical and sleazy. As a human being, Jones is a turn-off but he is not murderer nor a bank robber. The sleazy photographer is an ordinary man who, like Peter Parker, is trying to survive with his occupation which in turn makes him determined to get the big scoop to rise high.
Conclusion
Spider-Man ended up having to save the lives of many innocent people resulting in losing track of the man he was chasing.
Amazing Spider-Man #262 (1985) is a very inspired work by Bob Layton who clearly researched the history of Spider-Man and tackled the crucial themes (note: power, responsibility, morality and ethics) through the story. The plot is simple yet engaging to follow and the character development is really solid. This is great writing by Layton and his approach on superhero spectacle (the action scenes) works well within the narrative.
Disclaimer: This is my original work with details sourced from watching the film and doing personal research. Anyone who wants to use this article, in part or in whole, needs to secure first my permission and agree to cite me as the source and author. Let it be known that any unauthorized use of this article will constrain the author to pursue the remedies under R.A. No. 8293, the Revised Penal Code, and/or all applicable legal actions under the laws of the Philippines.
Welcome back, movie buffs, science fiction fans and geeks! When it comes to making remakes or reimagined versions of established movies from previous decades, the 1980s was indeed a special time to watch them. In 1986, The Fly (directed by David Cronenberg) was released and it made a tremendous impact on moviegoers in ways that the original 1958 movie did not.
Remember when The Blob was first released in 1958? That classic film (read my retro review by clicking here) went on to have a forgettable sequel released in the 1970s but got remade big time with a new version in 1988 simply titled The Blob.
The story begins in the town of Arborville where many locals attend an exciting football game. High school player Paul (Donovan Leitch, Jr.) asks cheerleader Meg (Shawnee Smith) to a date. Elsewhere, the troubled guy Briann Flagg (Kevin Dillon) fails with his attempted stunt as a result of his flawed motorcycle which was witnessed by an elderly vagabond. Flagg goes back to town and encounters the local sheriff (Jeffrey DeMunn) who warns him about trouble.
That evening at the outskirts of town, a meteorite crashes within the forest which the elderly vagabond pursues. With strong curiosity in his mind, the old man uses a stick on a sizable body of slime mold substance (the blob itself) that came out of the crashed meteor. Suddenly, the substance moves and sticks to the elderly vagabond’s hand causing him great pain.
A short time later in the forest, Brian Flagg got surprised by the sudden appearance of the vagabond who desperately tries cutting off his own hand. The blob, which Brian saw for the first time ever, attaches itself even more on the old man causing him to run away until he gets hit by a car (with Meg and Paul inside)…
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The blob in this movie looks more menacing as it has a tumor look and the special effect work remains excellent to look at. You should also see the blob move and what it sounds like.
This late-1980s remake of The Blob is not only more engaging and more entertaining than its 1958 predecessor…it is easily on of the best sci-fi horror movies of the 1980s thanks to a very talented creative team led by Chuck Russell.
To begin with, Russell and Darabont (this is the same great director behind The Shawshank Redemption), crafted a very solid screenplay that used key story elements from the 1958 classic while successfully updating everything else with 1980s America (or Ronald Reagan’s America) in mind. For this version, the three leading teenagers played by Shawnee Smith, Kevin Dillon and Donovan Leitch, Jr. were relatable and clearly worth following.
(From left to right) Shawnee Smith, Kevin Dillon and Candy Clark in an early encounter with the blob.
While the 1958 movie emphasized American teenagers being disadvantaged as local adults don’t take them seriously (even though the youth knew the problem and intend to solve it), this remake moved away from the generational gap as it strongly focused more on the crisis of a fast-growing blob that simply won’t stop killing people and destroying things. In other words, this is a crisis-focused monster story that is more violent, more horrific, more action-packed and more graphic than its predecessor.
I should also state that Russell and his team established a solid structure for storytelling and the narrative flowed on a medium-to-fast pace. As this movie has more spectacle in terms of action, monster moments and the like, the creative team carefully balanced the fun stuff with the dramatic and exposition scenes smoothly.
If you see people wearing protective suits arriving in your community and implementing a lockdown, you know a crisis is in effect.
The cast here is solid! Shawnee Smith’s Meg is the sweet, young good-natured high school girl who is willing to not only survive but also take part in solving the crisis situation not for herself but for her family and the entire Arborville community. Meg has some common elements with that of the character Sarah Connor from The Terminator and Terminator 2: Judgment Day. I also love the fact that there is NO WOKENESS and NO RABID FEMINIST VALUES in Meg. Kevin Dillon’s Brian – the troubled youth – is clearly the 2nd lead and he does a good job dramatizing how his character changes from a guy of uncertainty into an actual doer whose efforts proved to be valuable. There definitely is a non-romantic chemistry between Meg and Brian as the crisis situation really brought out solid transformations from them respectively.
The supporting cast is really good too. Candy Clark’s Fran is the relatable community diner owner/manager who contributed nicely to the plot as well as the early showdown of the blob. Jeffrey DeMunn’s sheriff is the local law enforcer who has to deal with the local situations while tackling the challenges of his leadership post. Paul McCrane here plays a local cop who is tough but not necessarily abusive, and this is the same guy who played a very vicious bad guy in 1987’s RoboCop! Joe Seneca is the government scientist who has charisma and deception carefully blended together which added to the plot. You will even see Erika Eleniak in a very small and yet notable appearance that happens to involve the blob. This film has a really interesting cast and I encourage you to research the names mentioned here.
This remake is loaded with action scenes, stunts and incredible visual effects!
On the technical side of things, I really like the cinematography done by Mark Irwin as the visuals captured looked really detailed and clear even during the dark or night-time scenes. The music by Michael Hoenig was pretty good too and his tunes ranged nicely from creepy to sentimental and energetic which reflected the scenes. As for the design of the blob, Lyle Conway deserves the credit for making it very monstrous. As for the physical environment of the movie, the state of Louisiana turned out to be a great location and the real-life Louisiana town Abbeville added strongly to the small town concept of the story.
As mentioned earlier, this version has a lot more spectacle to enjoy. For one thing, there is a good amount of hard action, gunfire and stunts which really added to the excitement (on top of the suspense and horror scenes already implemented). Rest assured, you will not get bored at all when watching this.
Shawnee Smith is the protagonist in this movie and her performance is very memorable.
The highlight of the spectacle is the very blob itself which looks so much like a tumor (instead of the jello form in the 1958 version) and the credit goes to the visual effects, sound effects and the animation team behind it all. Compared to its counterpart in the 1958 film, the blob here is very monstrous and horrifying to watch and the way it got animated is excellent. Apart from being unrelenting, this blob is deadlier and even intelligent. Not only does the blob devour the living which adds to its tremendous growth of size and mass, it also has the ability to extend tentacles which added more to the danger. Thanks to the sound effects, the blob is believably animalistic.
Through the blob’s on-screen presence, you can see the hard work implemented by the special effects crew when showing the monster entirely move and devour people, when showing its flexibility on adjusting its size (or its parts) when entering new places through tight spots, and most notably, how the blob alters the flesh of the victims it touches which resulted in very horrifying visuals. The special effects team really excelled with the use of practical effects (read: no computer-generated images) on presenting the titular monster. This is indeed a special effects extravaganza that a lot of people are missing out on.
Conclusion
The Blob (1988) looks and sounds better than ever in 4K Blu-ray format. I highly recommend this version as it is so much better than streaming.
There is no doubt in my mind that The Blob (1988) is a great sci-fi horror film that has a more menacing monster complete with sufficient action, great visual effects and a pretty solid cast! This is indeed a great example of a how a remake of an established film from the past should be done and this also includes raising the stakes within the story, modernizing past cinematic elements and ensuring high entertainment value. What director Russell, his team and the cast collectively achieved is indeed a creative success and this is the kind of film that Commie-filled Hollywood (Commiewood) today does not want to make.
As a companion piece to The Blob (1958), this remake has the good stuff that people who love horror, science fiction, action and monsters will enjoy.
Of all the many movies I have seen, The Blob (1988) stands out as one of the best remakes ever made as well as one of the best mixed-genre movies of its decade as well as of all time. That being said, today is a great time to watch this movie with better-than-ever visuals and sounds through its 4K Blu-ray release (pictured above) which is now available (you can order it online now). There is also a lot of features and extra stuff with the 4K Blu-ray. Make no mistake, The Blob (1988) is great to watch and its replay value is pretty high.
Disclaimer: This is my original work with details sourced from watching the movie Cloak & Dagger (1984) and doing personal research. Anyone who wants to use this article, in part or in whole, needs to secure first my permission and agree to cite me as the source and author. Let it be known that any unauthorized use of this article will constrain the author to pursue the remedies under R.A. No. 8293, the Revised Penal Code, and/or all applicable legal actions under the laws of the Philippines.
Welcome back my readers, fellow movie buffs and 20th century pop culture enthusiasts! Decades ago, I got to watch the movie Cloak & Dagger when it was first released on home video. As time passed by, I got to replay it on cable TV and DVD. I have yet to see its 4K Blu-ray disc version (note: you can order it here) Starring Henry Thomas (the star of Steven Spielberg’s E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial) and Dabney Coleman, Cloak & Dagger was one of those American movies that did not succeed in movie theaters but found its audience on home video, cable TV and free TV.
The 1984 movie was released at a time when video games gradually made its way into motion pictures in varied ways just before Nintendo started reshaping video gaming. Back then, I was very young and already got into playing games on console and at the arcade which helped me relate with the video game elements of Cloak & Dagger. In case you are wondering, the filmmakers and Atari, Inc. itself collaborated together. There may be some among you who never saw this 1980s flick and some of you may be wondering what is significant about Cloak & Dagger and why is it the topic of this retro movie review.
With those details laid down, here is a look back at Cloak & Dagger (1984) directed by Richard Franklin and written by Tom Holland and Nancy Dowd inspired by the short story “The Boy Cried Murder” written by Cornell Woolrich. This movie is the 4th cinematic adaptation of the said short story.
The movie poster of Cloak & Dagger (1984)
Early story
The story begins with Jack Flack (Dabney Coleman) overcoming Soviet guards to enter a place to retrieve top secret documents from incoming people. It turns out that Jack Flack is nothing more than a fictional character imagined by a young boy named Davey (Henry Thomas) who keeps on immersing himself with flights of fantasies, loves playing games and believes that real life is filled with enough opportunities and places to play. In the presence of game store owner Morris (William Forsythe) and his little blonde neighbor Kim (Christina Nigra), Davey boasts a lot about Jack Flack as if he was a real-life hero and even talks to him as his imaginary companion that no one else could see nor hear. Inspired by the said character and the world of espionage he always imagined, the boy carries with him a black water pistol for a “gun” and a softball for a “grenade”.
Morris then sends Davey and Kim out to do a real assignment – an errand to travel within the city going to a certain company and retrieve something for him. Afterwards, the two commuted and entered a building which Davey does with his fantasy of espionage and infiltration burning in his mind. Leaving Kim on the ground floor, he climbs up the stairs until he reaches a certain window and sees something sinister going on in the next level as reflected on one of the windows outside.
Suddenly a door opens near him and a wounded man slowly hands him an Atari 5200 cartridge titled Cloak & Dagger, tells him to bring it to the FBI, and mentions “one million three hundred twenty nine.”
The door near them suddenly opens with two armed men emerging. Right in the presence of Davey, they opened fire at the wounded man who fell down to his death. Davey just became the witness of an actual murder and becomes the target of the two gunmen…
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Henry Thomas and Christina Nigra as Davey and Kim respectively.
To get to straight to the point, I can declare that this movie is very clearly a spy thriller designed to engage both children and adults. It took the key concept of the short story “The Boy Cried Murder” and implemented it into its very own tale that happens to be set during Ronald Reagan’s America (the 1980s) with elements of video games, espionage and even murder mixed together.
The story told through Davey was crafted to be entertaining while keeping viewers in suspense as to how the overly imaginative young boy would deal with real-life danger and consequences as he became the target of murderous men who would not stop at all. Davey is clearly in danger for much of the movie and you will get to sympathize with him and wish he should stop being obsessed with fantasy so he could overcome the trials that were happening. This is, indeed, a well structure and nicely directed work by Richard Franklin who seem to be inspired by past works of Alfred Hitchcock (note: Franklin directed the sequel to Hitchcock’s classic Psycho).
As mentioned earlier, this movie was made to engage both children and adults. Cloak & Dagger is not exactly a wholesome viewing experience as its presentation has always been quite intense because of on-screen violence that was executed carfully. There are guns, shooting and even killing in this flick which proved to be integral to the overall presentation and clearly added to the thrill factor. You will get to see getting Davey shot at by the armed henchmen (Eloy Casados and Tim Rossovich) who clearly do not give a damn of shooting a minor as they are so focused on their mission. Looking at the henchmen in this film, I can imagine them as traitorous Americans conspiring with their nation’s foreign enemies such as the Soviets, the Iranians and the Palestinians. Along the way, there is the clear villain named Rice (Michael Murphy) who has this subtle touch of evil as well as a good amount of sleaziness in him. While the violence is intense, it does not necessarily push this film into rated R territory.
Michael Murphy as the sleazy villain who is willing to kill Davey even though he is a minor.
The two henchmen about to commit murder in the presence of Davey. There is evil visible in their faces.
Henry Thomas really shines as the protagonist here. While Davey here shares a few elements with E.T.’s Elliot – struggling to move forward with the absence of one parent and adjusting his life with what he perceives to be the best ways possible – he truly dramatizes how weird and wild he could be living his life with a very loose grip on reality. For him, local society in San Antonio, Texas, provides him a huge playground for his spy game and he sure distracts people as he walks by them talking to his imaginary friend Jack Flack. Still, there are key parts of the story in which Henry Thomas convincingly dramatizes Davey who feels lonely inside as he misses his late mother and is unable to spend quality time with his father. Thomas also acted with intensity in the scene in which he makes a trade with the villain and also during his last face-off with him in the 2nd half of the film. Henry Thomas really was a good youth actor and his performance here is often overshadowed by his role in Spielberg’s E.T.
Dabney Coleman on the other hand plays both Jack Flack and Davey’s father Hal. Coleman is quite versatile playing different characters here. As Jack Flack, he fits in excellently into Davey’s uncontrolled belief of espionage as he gives him advise which were taken seriously leading into danger. Of course, advising Davey does not really mean the fictional spy cares for him on a personal level and you will eventually Flack’s true value before the film ends. Flack’s final moments could inspire you to re-examine the true meaning of heroism. As Hal, Coleman convincingly plays the father who has been so busy working in the Air Force as an air traffic controller, he has been unable to spend quality time with his son and the recent death of his wife really took its toll on their family. Compared to Jack Flack, Hal is indeed caring towards his son but his hectic work schedule prevents him from bonding closely with him. Coleman delivered a fine performance during the scene when Hal explains to Davey what real-world heroism is and that not all heroes just shoot bad guys. There definitely are helpful values on parenting within Hal.
Henry Thomas and Dabney Coleman are really convincing as son and father.
Thomas and Coleman artistically have really fine chemistry together as the father and son (Hal and Davey) and as the wannabe adventurer spending lots of time with his action hero (Davey and Jack Flack). Considering Davey’s obsession with fantasy and the attention he pays so much to Jack Flack, he was practically living with idolatry and foolishness. If you observe closely, Davey is very lively with Flack and not so lively with his father.
Even though this movie is fictional, it still dramatizes that parenting will never be easy. That being said, this should inspire parents and also incoming parents to prepare themselves on nurturing their children and ensure they help them understand the differences between reality and fantasy.
Video game elements
Screenshot from the Cloak & Dagger arcade game. This game can be played nowadays through Antstream Arcade on Xbox consoles.
To make things very clear, Cloak & Dagger (1984) is not an adaptation of the electronic game that was released the same year. Rather it has the Cloak & Dagger game as a key plot element in the form of an Atari 5200 game cartridge (referred to as a “tape”) which the movie dramatizes to be real.
As a kid, I got to play arcade and console games a lot. As such, seeing Davey play the Cloak & Dagger game on his Atari 5200 as well as gameplay footage was a very entertaining viewing experience for me the first time I ever saw this movie. It was a scene I personally related with.
In real life, however, the Cloak & Dagger game from Atari, Inc. was released only in the arcades as the efforts to create a port for the Atari 5200 never got fulfilled. That being said, it was through very clever film editing that video footage of the arcade version were inserted into the scene in which Davey played the Cloak & Dagger cartridge on his console in the presence of his father. To clarify things, the Atari 5200 was a commercial failure in real life and it seems that making a console version of the arcade game did not make business sense to Atari, Inc. at all.
If you want to play the Cloak & Dagger arcade game in your home right now, you will need an Xbox console and Antstream Arcade ($30 for 1-year subscription, $80 for lifetime pass). Cloak & Dagger is just one of over a thousand games available through Antstream Arcade and you can learn more by clicking here and here.
Conclusion
Henry Thomas as an armed Davey.
I have seen Cloak & Dagger (1984) many times throughout my life from childhood and to adulthood. I can clearly say that this 1980s movie is still really good to watch as its appeal to both children and adults remains strong and intact. It is a medium-paced spy thriller that not only follows a young boy who witnesses and murder and gets into danger (note: even his neighbor gets involved) but also dramatizes (in entertaining ways) how dangerous situations can get when you are living with uncontrolled personal fantasy and interacting with a heroic friend who does not really exist. Considering the time this movie was released, I am delighted to tell you cautious readers that there definitely is no wokeness nor were there any traces of political correctness that got in the way of its presentation. Going back to the parenting aspect of this film, it is made clear that children need their parents for moral support and there is absolutely no way that games, fictional heroes and geek culture could ever be good alternatives. Like the adults, children should never lose their grip on reality and should be taught that uncontrolled fantasy can lead to real-life danger. Very clearly, director Richard Franklin and the crew did a fine job telling a solid story and emphasizing the main characters while also providing suspense, action and thrills.
Considering all the mixed elements it has, Cloak & Dagger (1984) can be engaging towards parents, their children, fans of espionage and people who love video games. Finally, I should state that the City of San Antonio in the Lone Star State of Texas is indeed a great location for filmmaking and viewing.
Author Carlo Carrasco 