An American Werewolf in London (1981)

I enjoyed An American Werewolf in London so much. It's quirky and amusing and campy, but it's also very violent and rather merciless in its gaze. The direction is pretty great, and it's a pleasure to be looking at a naked David Naughton as much as this movie wants me to.

Weirdly enough I just watched John Landis's 1983 movie Trading Places and really liked that too. This is a director to whom I have definitely paid no attention, but he really knew what he was doing.

Trading Places (1983)

Trading Places is a very funny comedy that I enjoyed a ton. It's a cross between the stupid 1930s comedy $1000 a Minute and Calderón's classic La Vida Es Sueño, and it works. The cast is excellent. I fucking love Eddie Murphy and there's just no getting around it. He is so goddamn funny, and this shows off his talents perfectly. There is an unnecessary blackface scene, and Murphy says faggot too many times, and there is also a male/male rape joke involving a villain in a gorilla suit, but listen, this is a funny movie, unlike some garbage like Splash or something – a movie that has plenty of its own problems, mind you. I thought this was great.

Look for tons of excellent actors in very small parts, including James Eckhouse as a cop and Giancarlo Esposito as one of the guys in jail with Eddie Murphy. 

I watched Trading Places on DVD, but I am sure it must be available via VOD.