The 80’s were an amazing time for movies! This is when I
used to love going to the movies, when it really was an adventure to be taken
to another place. Nowadays movies just don’t have that same magic for me. Of
course, they don’t make movies like these anymore. Here is a look at some of
these films which I really enjoyed. As always with these articles, these are in
no specific order.
Back To The Future (1985)
How can I explain how much I loved this movie? This is my
favorite movie ever. We know the plot, Michael J.Fox gets sent back to 1955 via
Delorean where he runs into his father, and his mother falls in love with him.
Yeah, people complain about the "incest" thing but I think the movie
handles this smartly. Christpher Lloyd is Doc Brown, and this is my favorite Christopher
Lloyd role. The story is solid, the action keeps moving, and the climax with
the lightning bolt at the clock tower was extremely well done. I could see it a
million times (in fact, I think I have). To top it all off, that amazing music
playing through the movie. This is one of my favorite soundtracks ever! Anyone
remember that other 1985 Michael J. Fox movie? I liked Teen Wolf, I admit.
Star Trek IV-The Voyage Home (1986)
I was lucky enough to see this movie in a theatre full of
Trekkie’s. This was one of the best times I ever had at a movie, and I think
I've seen it a hundred times. We know the plot, Kirk & co have to go back
to 1986 and bring some whales back to the future. This movie just works on
every level, you don’t have to be a Star Trek fan to enjoy it. The comedy is
funny. There is enough action. All of the characters have something to do. And
at the end, we see the new Enterprise! Before this came out Star Trek III was
my favorite, but I look back at that now and see the flaws. SFDebris did a good
job explaining why that movie is not at the level of Khan, and I can't wait for
the NC review. As for Wrath of Khan, I was too young when I saw it and while I
appreciate it, it wasn't my personal favorite. It would take another article to
explain why. Yes, Star Trek V came out in the 80’s too, but it sucks besides I
already reviewed that.
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986)
There was a time I had seen this as many times as Back to
the Future. Matthew Broderick just charmed his way through this, the one John
Hughes movie I didn't have to learn to like. I loved it from the first time I
saw it. It's true; Ferris should not be a sympathetic person because he is
really selfish and arrogant. But no one cares, we love watching this. It’s such
a simple plot, Ferris takes a day off from high school. Taken literally, that’s
really it. Of course there is more to it than that as he goes to Chicago with
his neurotic friend Cameron and girlfriend Sloan while the school Principal Ed
Rooney chases after him. The hijinks are great, the 4th wall gags
are funny, and that parade scene is just so much fun. I even loved Jeanie, the
sister played by Jennifer Grey. The sad thing is I remember not even being in
high school yet when this movie came out. This year marks twenty years since my
high school graduation. I am so old!!
Ghostbusters (1984)
"Who you gonna call?" Loved this movie! The action
is great, the comedy is great, the special effects are awesome, and the actors
are perfectly cast. Sure, there is one or two scary scenes, but those don't
last long. Bill Murray is hilarious, Dan Aykroyd is funny, and Harold Ramis is
surprisingly charming. Even something as silly as a giant walking Marshmallow
man somehow works, that how great this movie is! I think this movie also has
the most number of quotable lines of any I've seen. "When someone asks you
if you're a god, you say YES!" I can’t say enough about it, there is just
nothing wrong with this film. It's just
too bad the same can’t be said for the sequel.
E.T. (1982)
I am going to say something which will make me unpopular. I
don't know why I like this movie. Seriously! Elliot is whiny little brat, watch
the beginning and tell me I'm wrong. Sure, the scenes where we first meet ET
are cute, but then the movie gets freaking depressing! The house is taken over,
ET dies on the table, and then the FBI chase after the kids with rifles! I was
very happy when Steven Spielberg changed that in the 2002 re-release. This is a
movie which shouldn't be liked and yet everyone, including me, regards this as
one of the classics of all time. I loved this movie, I had every toy and
souvenir that came out. I ate the cereal, and I even had that awful Atari game.
I guess Steven Spielberg did his job well, he made this movie so touching and
ET so lovable, that we love it even if at times this movie can be almost
disturbing. Go ahead, watch the ending and don’t cry. I dare you!
Return of the Jedi (1983)
I know I am in the minority on this, but this was my
favorite Star Wars film. I was too young for the first (only 3!) and also for
Empire, I remember not understanding the ending and why it was so sad. When
this came out, I was just the right age. I loved it, everything from Princess
Leia in the bikini to the Ewoks. The space battle was epic, and the final
showdown with Vader was just great. It was a fantastic moment when Vader takes
the emperor and throws him down the shaft to save his son. Of course, I am
older and wiser so I will concede that the Ewoks were a mistake. The thing that
killed me was when Luca re-released the movie years ago and tweaked the ending!
The music was different, and the shots of the other planets just felt like a
forced attempt to unite the six movies which just failed. I haven't seen the
new blue ray version, are there any changes on that?
Big (1988)
This is a charming movie which established two things. Yes,
Tom Hanks can really act. And yes, Penny Marshall is a decent director. The
story is kind of silly; a 10 year old makes a wish on an arcade game and wakes
up thirty years old. You can nitpick the story to death, I mean the success
this kid has, in New York City no less, is nothing short of remarkable.
However, Tom Hanks has enough charm that it is still fun to watch. there were
other films which tried to rip the premise off, including one with Kirk Cameron
and Dudley Moore (which is so bad!!) and another with George Burns. This was
the only one that worked.
Romancing the Stone (1984)
How about a big 80's movie everyone has totally forgotten
about? Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner (hard to believe there was a time
she was taken seriously) star in this kind of fantasy/action film about an old
fashioned treasure hunt. This movie has some great thrills, and the chemistry
between the two leads is remarkable. For some reason this movie has kind of
dropped off everyone's radar, mine included. A re-viewing of this is looong
overdue. Yes, I know there is a remake in the works but there is no way it will
be as charming as this pure 80's original.
Muppets Take Manhattan (1984, again. Actually this was some
year for movies it even included Beverly Hills Cop and The Terminator)
This was, and still is, my favorite Muppet movie! I loved
it, from the depressing beginning where the Muppets split up, to the Muppet
Babies scene, to the wedding at the end. Ok, I never liked seeing Kermit get
hit by a cab, but that scene goes right by and the whole amnesia story kind of
works. Especially the way Kermit gets his memory back, if you've seen it you
know what I mean. It's a classic moment. Great movie, mad unlike another recent
Muppet movie the human actors stay quietly in the background. Of course the
wedding scene was just so much fun, and by the way are Kermit and Piggy really married
or not?
Three Men and a Baby (1987)
What happened to this movie? This didn't stand the test of
time either. However, I loved it when it first came out. Ok, I didn't care for
the drug subplot but that was only a small part of the film. The baby stuff was
cute, and the three leads were great. Tom Select, Ted Danson, and as hard as it
may be to believe, Steve Guttenberg were well cast. Basically the movie is
about these guys trying to live their lives after a baby is dropped on their
doorstep (literally). This is a perfect example of a cheesy 80's movie. Nancy
Travis is also in this, and this movie is just silly fun. The sequel is, well,
meh.
You may notice a lack of action films. Not sure if I talked
about this before, but I am not a huge fan of those knock out action flicks. So
many of them I didn’t see, like First Blood (or Rambo), and the one’s I did I
only liked a little. RoboCop traumatized me, and I don’t even remember Lethal
Weapon. I know I saw it, but until someone mentioned it I had forgotten all
about the fact it was set at Christmas. However, there is one exception. This
set the standard for 80's action flicks, and yes I did see it in theatres and
yes, I enjoyed it a lot. Of course, I am talking about....
DIE HARD! (1988)
What can I say about this movie that hasn't been said? This
movie was awesome. I loved it, how could you not? The concept sounds crazy, one
man against an entire group of terrorists? But they pull it off, and Bruce Willis
was perfectly glass. I always loved the scene where he is pulling glass out of
his foot, ouch! Yes, it's filled with action cliché’s, but who cares it's DIE
HARD! Alan Rickman was a fantastic villain. I also hated the jerk reporter in
it, I was very happy to see him get punched at the end. This movie is
considered for some to be a season Christmas movie, so last year I decided to
watch it at Christmas time for fun. The truth is, in some ways it is a nice
Christmas movie. Although, I don’t think that was the intention.
Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988)
This movie was just great! I will never forget seeing Bugs
Bunny and Mickey Mouse together on screen, what a great moment! Of course, the
plot involves Bob Hoskins as Eddie Valiant who has to help Roger Rabbit after
he has been framed for murder. Who can forget the characters this movie
introduced, Kathleen Turner was Jessica Rabbit (who was hot!) Of course, Christopher Lloyd played the
amazing villain Judge Doom. This guy was just evil! This movie was nothing but
fun, and kicked off the computer revolution in movies that we take for granted
today.
Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
What can I say about Indiana Jones? I enjoyed the
action and
adventure as much as anyone. I will admit, I did not love these movies.
They
were good, especially The Temple of Doom. Guess what year that came out?
Yep,
1984 again!!These movies are just pure 80's fun, I just wish there were
more story than action at times. But the images in these films are
iconic, and for good reason. I hated the one that came out a couple
years ago, it was awful.
I actually enjoyed Harrison Ford's work through the decade,
everything including Witness and Working Girl in 1988 which he starred in with
Melanie Griffith and Sigourney Weaver. I don’t know why I like this so much,
the movie was pure 80’s, and I still watch it when it’s on.
Honorable big movies worth mentioning include Midnight Run (which was freaking
awesome!), Lethal Weapon, Beverly Hills Cop, Beetlejuice, Aliens, and Big &
Ted's Excellent Adventure (yeah, I liked it, So?). Short Circuit was pure
cheese. The Karate Kid (another 1984 release!!) was really good and had the
best ending ever. Of course there was Crocodile Dundee in 1986, and I admit I
liked it. I have no idea why, was Paul Hogan really that charming? Honey, I
Shrunk The Kids was cute, and I think I am the only person who enjoyed the
James Bond flick, "A View to a Kill". More serious films included Parenthood, Rain
Man, Terms of Endearment, Amadeus, Out of Africa, Platoon, Field of Dreams, and
The Color Purple.
Finally, after all the amazing films that came out, how did
the decade end? Quietly? Nah, 1989 saw the premier of.....
BATMAN (1989)
Yes, I thought this came out in 1990 too. This movie
rejuvenated the super hero genre, and gave Batman a new fan base. This was, and
for me always will be, the perfect performance of Batman. I was a nervous as
everyone else when I heard Michael Keaton, but I give him credit he made it work!
Jack Nicholson was also amazing with the Joker, and Kim Bassinger got to be in
a decent movie for once! (sorry, that wasn’t nice). I love this movie, and nothing Chris Nolan can
do will top it in my mind. I will talk more about this film another time.
This isn't all of the movies by any means. I could keep
going, but think I have made my point. Of course, there were duds. This was the
decade that brought us Supergirl, Howard the Duck, Masters of the Universe, and
Ishtar. Despite those few misses, I loved the movies of the 80's!
This was a lot of fun, it brought back some great memories. Did I forget to mention your favorite?
No comments:
Post a Comment