200 Items Or Less: The Stepfather (1987)

A few thoughts: The first thing any classic horror movie needs is that one great character/performance that everyone can point to and remember. Nearly every major horror franchise has one, and this one is no different -- with the single exception being an emphasis on the quality of the performance and less on the character itself. The positives of this movie pretty much begin and end there. Terry O'Quinn gives one of my favorite film performances ever here, in a role that's so unsettling and absorbing it's hard to take your eyes off him. It's the rest of the movie that has difficulty keeping up, but avoiding the need for a twist ending and laying it all out from the beginning helps keep it from being a bore. I hate when movies feel the need to throw in obvious twists, but this one does away with that and this allows O'Quinn to give the best performance of his career as someone not held back by the clumsy direction of the plot. It might not be everyone's cup of tea, but I find it very engrossing.

200 Items Or Less: The Terminator (1984)

A few thoughts: One of the first films ever directed by James Cameron, this first Terminator movie (that's birthed a handful of sequels and TV spin-offs) is a very flawed but still impressive and exciting sci-fi action thriller. While many of the effects are, of course, slightly dated, there's still a timeless quality to this movie that makes it hold up better than nearly any of its sequels -- perhaps even all of them. With an intimidating performance by Arnold Schwarzenegger, a frazzled Linda Hamilton, and some solid support from Michael Biehn and Lance Henriksen (who sadly was given close to no material to work with here), there can be few complaints about the cast. While there are some obvious issues with the writing and time travel mechanics that originated here, flaws of the sequels shall not deter me from enjoying the first movie. It has great action, fun performances, plenty of great quotes, iconic moments, and some (mostly) impressive visuals. It isn't a masterpiece, but it has all the pop culture influence of one.