The continued focus on Barry Reardon’s distribution heyday is based on the number of tremendous and culturally influential films released. He had worked his way into the President of Sales and Distribution position with over a decade of experience. He did serve in the Army in Europe during his youth and well before his time in entertainment.
Superman
The featured films here had an impact not only on the time they were released but also on future generations, franchises and the culture in which we live. Here are some more top-level Warner Brothers films that bring back nostalgia for a special era of cinema.
Blade Runner
Blade Runner is the classic and groundbreaking science fiction film adapted from the Philip K. Dick novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? Ridley Scott helmed the film from a screenplay by Hampton Fancher and David Peoples. It stars Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, Sean Young and Edward James Olmos. The story follows a futuristic version of Los Angeles in 2019 that has humans and replicants, which are clones or engineered humans by the Tyrell Corporation. The replicants are slaves and work in space colonies. A group of replicants breaks out and returns to earth illegally and replicant hunter Rick Deckard (Ford) must go after them. It has earned cult status and is considered one of the greatest science fiction films of all time. It has spawned a sequel with more in the works, a video game, comics and a couple of TV series. Blade Runner has also influenced technology and design to include the Tesla cybertruck. This production also opened the door to more of Philip K. Dick’s works being made such as Total Recall, Minority Report and A Scanner Darkly. The film won numerous awards when it came out and was nominated for two Oscars; Best Art Direction and Best Visual Effects.
Superman II
Superman II, the awaited sequel to the 1978 Superman, made it to the silver screen in 1980, which is a great way to start out the decade for movies. The film was directed by Richard Lester and written by Mario Puzo and David and Leslie Newman. The film stars Gene Hackman, Christopher Reeve, Terrance Stamp, Ned Beatty, Sarah Douglas and Margot Kidder. The story follows Superman as he battles General Zod (Stamp) and his minions who come to conquer Earth. Superman battles them with great strength and guile to beat the three former Kyptonians who seek only destruction for mankind. The movie made $190M at the box office and was nominated for multiple Saturn Awards, winning Best Science Fiction Film.
The Mission
The Mission came out in theaters nationwide on October, 31, 1986. It is a British period drama about the Jesuit missionaries during the 18th century in South America with much drama and suspense going up to its fast-paced conclusion. De Niro’s character in the film has many similarities to the Apostle Paul from the Bible, which is likely intended as it is a religious film. It was directed by Roland Joffe and written by Robert Bolt. It stars Robert De Niro, Jeremy Irons, Aidan Quinn, Cherie Lunghi and a young Liam Neeson, well before Taken. It was nominated for seven Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Art Direction and Best Cinematography. The movie won the Palme d’Or at Cannes and an Oscar for Best Cinematography. Ennio Morricone’s soundtrack received much critical praise as well.
Full Metal Jacket
Full Metal Jacket has stood the test of time to be the quintessential Marine film from Hollywood. It was directed and produced by Stanley Kubrick who also helped out with the screenplay. The script was written by Kubrick, Michael Herr and Gustav Hasford. The movie is based on the book The Short-Timers by Hasford, a Marine Corps Vietnam Veteran. It stars Matthew Modine, R. Lee Ermey (real Marine Corps Vietnam veteran and Drill Instructor), Vincent D’ Onofrio and Adam Baldwin. The story is about a group of Marine recruits who go to boot camp at Parris Island during the 1960s. The film covers their experience at boot camp and then the second half transitions to Vietnam with many of the same highlighted characters dealing with combat in Vietnam. It grossed $120M and won an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay. The movie is considered one of the greatest war films of all time.