Nightkill (released in 1980) - Starring Robert Mitchum, Jaclyn Smith, James Franciscus and Mike Connors

A perfect suburban set up, the sound of shower water cascading, the brief interlude of  a conversation  between two lovers, unbeknownst to whom - the intimate details of which are being recorded. Katherine Atwell (played by Jaclyn Smith) arrives at the airport in Phoenix, afraid she’s late; till she sees her husband Wendell (played by Mike Connors) at the bar at the airport - he got there earlier, after having stashed a whole lot of greens in one of the airport lockers. Their marriage seems ideal to the average outsider, but peel away the façade and what you get is a whole lot of bitterness and anger at Wendell’s end, which he readily unleashes on Cathy. At work, Wendell’s hell bent on shutting down a research lab, as the government sees it fit to do so - he asks Steve Fuller (played by James Franciscus) to be the harbinger of ill news - the loyal sidekick seems not to like being a ‘hatchet man’. Wendell even asks Steve to step into his shoes and be Cathy’s date at an award function - now this, the latter doesn’t seem to mind!
When the three meet that evening at the Atwell’s residence, Steve gets to see the loathsome manner in which Wendell treats his wife, he even insults the housekeeper. As Cathy peruses through papers that her husband insists she sign without bothering to read, while Wendell plays with his caged pet, Steve laces his drink with a sinister looking substance in a vial. Suddenly, he collapses, and Cathy exclaims that he might be having a heart attack - Steve drily remarks ‘No he’s not, I  just killed the b@*t*d - its tasteless, odorless and real fast.’ He stops Cathy from calling the doctor - and the audience now stumbles on the truth about Cathy’s relationship with Steve - he only asks her to trust him, and tells her that he loves her. All the while somebody is recording their conversation.




They conceal the body in a large freezer, even as the family dog whines beside it. The two then go on to alter the pictures of Wendell in his passport - replacing them with Steve’s. The latter intends to steal the dead man’s identity - intending to travel to Washington under this guise. Proving to the police that Wendell went missing on the trip would then be cakewalk. He leaves Cathy to attend an award function held in her honor by two friends - Herbert and Monika Childs (played by Fritz Weaver and Sybil Danning), giving her an alibi. Steve promises Katherine that he will be back the next day.
Seems fine so far, but the efficient secretary at Wendell’s office - reports him missing to the police. Cathy is then questioned by detective Lt. Donner (played by Robert Mitchum), after which she thinks it’s best to dispose of the body - but when she opens the freezer - Wendell’s body isn’t in it - its Steve’s! Apparently, Wendell was aware of her liaison with Steve, and had bribed a detective to bug the house - he was responsible for the recordings. Meanwhile, Monika Child warns Cathy that she must stop flaunting her affair with Steve - how does she tell her he’s dead? Now, it’s his body she has to hide, putting it in a body bag, and driving off, she encounters a road block, due to an accident - she finally rides out into the wilderness, and leaves the body in an abandoned shack, a former building site - the body rolls into the debris. As she plans to fly out to Denver, she hears Wendell Atwell’s name being announced to proceed to the courtesy telephone - stunned, Cathy stops in her tracks. From a distance, she can make out her supposedly - dead husband’s Stetson as he picks up the receiver to speak to someone - she runs hysterically back into her car.
A thriller that seems slow on the pickup, directed by Ted Post, the film still manages to hold your imagination - Robert Mitchum’s performance is great!

The Agency (released in 1980) - Starring Robert Mitchum, Lee Majors, Saul Rubinek and Valerie Perrine

Also known as Mind Games, The Agency is a 1980 Canadian political thriller. It is directed by George Kaczender. The film finds inspiration from the novel by Paul Gottlieb. It was shot on location in Canada. Lee Majors plays Phillip Morgan (a copywriter in an advertising firm - Porter & Stripe). An anonymous millionaire – Ted Quinn (played by Robert Mitchum) buys out the firm, and flushes out old blood with new, not meaning to reduce the head count at the firm, as just as many are hired, that too of the sort who aren’t the ad-mad type, they’re in fact operatives for furthering political beliefs.
The film deals with the controversial subject of the unprincipled usage of the media by political and corporate barons to achieve their own end. Morgan realizes that Quinn is using the firm to line his own pockets by selling just about any product - from formula for kids to drain cleaners! All the while, it is Ted’s vitiated goal to actually ‘sell’ politicians’ images and warped dreams to consumers by lacing the advertisements with subliminal messages. As the audiences respond to these ads, not only would they increase corporate sales, but also give a boost to the evil designs of politicians and power brokers who remain unelected.
When a commercial writer Sam Goldstein (played by Saul Rubinek) and Morgan’s friend confides in the latter that something seems amiss, and in fact the firm is being misused - Phillip thinks he’s just being a little paranoid. However, Sam’s untimely and mysterious death change Morgan’s mind - he gets hold of an audio that the man recorded before he died. This discovery makes him a man on the run throughout the length of the film as Morgan is hunted high and low by Quinn’s men.




The basis for the film is its controversial premise that advertisers use subliminal messages to induce consumers to buy their products - this is an idea that social critic and journalist Vance Packard alludes to in his book The Hidden Persuaders. Quinn is hoping that the subliminal messages he’s planting will sway the viewers’ choice towards the politician he favors - a pro Nazi, anti–Semitic type who, if he gets elected as President of the US, will lead the way to a glorious future, or so Ted is inclined to believe. Apparently, Quinn is an old hand at this sort of thing - having helped out a fellow in Arizona get to the US Senate. With the help of his love interest Brenda (played by Valerie Perrine), a doctor, Phillip Morgan is able to unearth that a message which was placed under a deodorant commercial, was responsible for this key upset in the elections. The man Quinn is totally without scruples as he has stooped to vitiating kiddy commercials as we, with the intention of catching ’em young!
Now this sort of thing was actually capturing the public’s imagination back in the ’80s, the mid and late Seventies were already questioning the sway advertising held over viewer and as result - consumer choices. However potent the subject matter of the film, the film itself was a near -disaster - boring for the most part of it, the movie is a soufflé gone flat! And of course, the entire matter of effectiveness of this kind of subliminal advertising has been questioned a lot in the last couple of decades to the extent that much of it no longer happens.

Star Wars – The Empire Strikes back (released in 1980) - directed by Irvin Kershner, and starring Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, and Carrie Fisher

Continuing where New hope has left, George Lucas pens the story of Luke, Leia and Solo's adventure's through galaxies, planets and space battles.
Despite the destruction of the Death Star, the rebel forces have suffered massive causalities and are forced in to hiding in an icy planet Hoth. Darth Vader, obsessed with the capture of Luke has sent in probes across the galaxy to find information. One of the probes reach Hoth and crashes as a meteor. Luke goes to find it and is captured by an evil predatory creature called a Wampa. Luke with the help of the force retrieves the light saber to slice the Wampa and escape. But he soon collapse out of cold and exhaustion. Hans Solo who rescues him and brings him to the base. Luke has visions of Obi-Van-Kenobi exhorting him to go to Dagohaath and train under the legendary Jedi master, Yoda.
The imperial probe sends in the position of Hoth as a rebel base and is destroyed by Darth Vader. But Rebel troops evacuate and Solo and Leia leave aboard Millennium Falcon. Darth Vader tries to capture them but they manage to slip away. Mean while Luke reaches Dagohaath and s under intensive training with Yoda. Darth Vader under takes Boba Fett a bounty hunter to capture Hans Solo. Hans and Leia reach Solo's friend Lando Clarissian's Cloud city for asylum. But Clarissium, threatened by Vader turns them in. Hans is frozen and is given to Boba Fett as a bounty to be presented to Jabba the Hutt. Leia and Hans fall in love with each other but are separated.



Luke under training gets premonitions of Hans and Leia and leaves to rescue them promising Yoda to return and complete his training. Meanwhile Lando Clarissium chastened by Vader's betrayal returns to rescue Leia and Hans. But Boba Fett flies away with Hans to Jabba the Hutt. Luke who goes to fight Vader is attacked and cornered wherein Vader offers him great riches to join him. But Luke rebuffs Vader's offer which angers him to slice away his hand. As an ultimate inducement he reveals to Luke that he is his father. A stunned Luke lets himself to be sucked in to the training chute and sends a telepathic message to Leia. Leia along with Lando rescue him and carry him aboard the rebel ship where he is fitted with a new hand. The film ends with Luke's new hand and the staggering revelation about his father.
The second episode was one of the most eagerly awaited movies and not surprisingly the box office scorcher of that year. George Lucas and his team had delivered an iconic classic and again was followed by audience adulation and critical acclaim. It won Oscars for the best special effects and best back ground score. In addition it also won the Golden Globes, Grammy and BAFTA awards. The Saga continues with new viewers and even in the face of more technologically advanced films of the century Star Wars holds its on through sheer brilliance. The Force is still with the movie.