of anyone to whom he took a dislike. Kurzel depicts James at the center of the story, young, meek, and confused, in a world of tough places and brutal male role models. Not many would be more brutal than Bunting.

Over a period of a number of years, Bunting and his crew tortured and killed at least 12 people, dragging James along, even killing James’ half-brother Troy, who had also sexually molested James. It’s a gruesome story, sad and brutal. But afterward, I found myself wanting to know what really happened. Some of the things happen in stretches of time that mask the reality of it all. And while the acting and overall film are good, I never got a good grasp on the whole. Which I found myselfthe Extra-Terrestrial (1982), Poltergeist (1982), Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983), Gremlins (1984), Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984), and Back to the Future (1985). The kids and I had just watched Young Sherlock Holmes (1985), which I recalled liking, if not overly so. I recall seeing his film The Color Purple (1985), though I kind of recall seeing that with a girlfriend. By this point in time, I was 16.

And while I continued to enjoy a number of films he produced or directed before and since, I guess the cut-off line for me was The Goonies. Over the years, I’ve probably lost sight of whatever it was that seemed lame about it to me. Some of it was doubtlessly the commercialism of it at the time