Reply to Topic
I watched one last night, Jack the Ripper. It was a CBS two-parter from the 80's with Michael Caine and Jane Seymour. Of all the ripper movies made, this one was the best. It speculated on who the ripper really was. Great production values for a made for TV movie.
What is your favourite movie from the 80's?
The Thing
A Nightmare On Elm Street
Evil Dead II; Dead By Dawn
__________________
for my personal blog: fireworkeyes-hauntedhearts.blogspot.com
for my movie reviews: letterboxd.com/raineotaku
for my personal blog: fireworkeyes-hauntedhearts.blogspot.com
for my movie reviews: letterboxd.com/raineotaku
1 Raging Bull
2 Blue Velvet
3 E.T
4 The Shining
5 The Elephant Man
6 Once upon a time in America
7 Full Metal Jacket
8 This is Spinal tap
9 Amadeus
10 Scarface
2 Blue Velvet
3 E.T
4 The Shining
5 The Elephant Man
6 Once upon a time in America
7 Full Metal Jacket
8 This is Spinal tap
9 Amadeus
10 Scarface
Last edited by Hitchcockian; 01-11-13 at 01:33 PM.
X
Favorite Movies
X
User Lists
No order:
Blow Out
The Shining
Die Hard
Raging Bull
Brazil
Blade Runner
Back to the Future
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Star Wars Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back
Blue Velvet
Blow Out
The Shining
Die Hard
Raging Bull
Brazil
Blade Runner
Back to the Future
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Star Wars Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back
Blue Velvet
X
Favorite Movies
Legend, obviously. Others I am extremely fond of are Blade Runner, Fanny and Alexander, Blue Velvet, Escape from New York and Who Framed Roger Rabbit.
X
Favorite Movies
An American Werewolf in London is right up their. It was a real personal project from John Landis and easily one of the greatest pieces of escapism cinema i've ever seen. Absolutely hilarious and awesome. I'd also rank E.T and Empire of the Sun by Steven Spielberg up their(Oh and Raiders and Color Purple of course, damn Spielberg's made some good ones). It really is just a matter of opinion and when you face classics like Die Hard, Ghostbusters, Gremlins, Trading Places, Caddyshack, Beverly Hills Cop, et cetera the job gets to hard.
I had 9 good ones, and then The Rodent reminded me of Predator. So thanks for that!
10. Predator- Maybe the film with the most testosterone per minute that I've ever seen. The mid-air arm wrestling match between Arnold and Carl Weathers in the beginning is just a screen full of biceps. Awesome. Also, "I ain't got time to bleed" is an all-time great line.
9. Tootsie- Cross-dressing is one of the oldest techniques in show-business to get laughs, but using it to approach gender politics from a couple of interesting angles is what makes Tootsie stand out. That and Bill Murray, of course.
8. Raising Arizona- I respect what the Coen Brothers did in some of their other early films, like Blood Simple and Barton Fink, but Raising Arizona is by far my favorite from that time period (I'm planning to watch Miller's Crossing for the first time this weekend, though, so we'll see what happens with that). The surreal, lower-class comedy is great.
7. Chan is Missing- One of my favorite modern film noirs, this no-budget film set in San Francisco makes you question everything about the film, from the characters to the conflict, and keeps you off-balance the whole time.
6. My Neighbor Totoro- Beautiful animation, and the magical occurrences feel genuinely special. It makes me want to live in the Japanese countryside.
5. The Elephant Man- This film almost feels like it's shot in slow motion, at times, so that when the title character finally stands up for himself at the end, it has a powerful emotional impact. Very interestingly shot.
4. Purple Rose of Cairo- One of my favorite movies about movies. The screenplay is really strong, and it really makes you love film and what it represents even more.
3. Empire Strikes Back- Great diversity of settings, from the iciness of Hoth to the steaminess of Dagobah, from the chaos of the asteroid field to the dream-like feeling of Cloud City. Not just the best Star Wars film, but a great film on its own merits.
2. Amadeus- A film that makes you think about the meaning of genius, and the fairness of the universe as a whole. You know, nothing big. I still believe that they could have found someone better than Elizabeth Berridge to play Constanze, with her distracting 1980s way of speaking *grumble grumble*
1. Ran- This makes me decidedly NOT want to live in the Japanese countryside! Breathtaking visuals, epic scale, and I can't get over the fact that (SPOILER) the scene with the castle burning down had to be done in one take, and if the actor playing the king had messed up, or tripped, they were doomed.
10. Predator- Maybe the film with the most testosterone per minute that I've ever seen. The mid-air arm wrestling match between Arnold and Carl Weathers in the beginning is just a screen full of biceps. Awesome. Also, "I ain't got time to bleed" is an all-time great line.
9. Tootsie- Cross-dressing is one of the oldest techniques in show-business to get laughs, but using it to approach gender politics from a couple of interesting angles is what makes Tootsie stand out. That and Bill Murray, of course.
8. Raising Arizona- I respect what the Coen Brothers did in some of their other early films, like Blood Simple and Barton Fink, but Raising Arizona is by far my favorite from that time period (I'm planning to watch Miller's Crossing for the first time this weekend, though, so we'll see what happens with that). The surreal, lower-class comedy is great.
7. Chan is Missing- One of my favorite modern film noirs, this no-budget film set in San Francisco makes you question everything about the film, from the characters to the conflict, and keeps you off-balance the whole time.
6. My Neighbor Totoro- Beautiful animation, and the magical occurrences feel genuinely special. It makes me want to live in the Japanese countryside.
5. The Elephant Man- This film almost feels like it's shot in slow motion, at times, so that when the title character finally stands up for himself at the end, it has a powerful emotional impact. Very interestingly shot.
4. Purple Rose of Cairo- One of my favorite movies about movies. The screenplay is really strong, and it really makes you love film and what it represents even more.
3. Empire Strikes Back- Great diversity of settings, from the iciness of Hoth to the steaminess of Dagobah, from the chaos of the asteroid field to the dream-like feeling of Cloud City. Not just the best Star Wars film, but a great film on its own merits.
2. Amadeus- A film that makes you think about the meaning of genius, and the fairness of the universe as a whole. You know, nothing big. I still believe that they could have found someone better than Elizabeth Berridge to play Constanze, with her distracting 1980s way of speaking *grumble grumble*
1. Ran- This makes me decidedly NOT want to live in the Japanese countryside! Breathtaking visuals, epic scale, and I can't get over the fact that (SPOILER) the scene with the castle burning down had to be done in one take, and if the actor playing the king had messed up, or tripped, they were doomed.
X
Favorite Movies
X
User Lists
Wow, I've only got one movie from the '80s in my Top Ten Favorites, but in the '80s I probably went to the movies more than at any other time in my life. Just out of high school, with a job and money burning a hole in my pocket, I went and went. And there were so many to choose from and I find that a majority of them are in my DVD collection. Very hard to keep this list down to a reasonable length, so I just decided to go with Top Ten of the '80s. Here goes:
1: Aliens
2: The Empire Strikes Back
3: Raiders of the Lost Ark
4: The Blues Brothers
5: The Thing
6: Inside Moves
7: The Ninth Configuration
8: A Christmas Story
9: Predator
10: Big Trouble in Little China
It was so hard to leave some out of the Top Ten. My '80s list gets close to 200 movies, easily.
1: Aliens
2: The Empire Strikes Back
3: Raiders of the Lost Ark
4: The Blues Brothers
5: The Thing
6: Inside Moves
7: The Ninth Configuration
8: A Christmas Story
9: Predator
10: Big Trouble in Little China
It was so hard to leave some out of the Top Ten. My '80s list gets close to 200 movies, easily.
__________________
"Miss Jean Louise, Mr. Arthur Radley."
"Miss Jean Louise, Mr. Arthur Radley."
X
Favorite Movies
X
User Lists
Some of my most cherished memories as a kid was going to see the summer blockbusters during the 80's. So, it's no wonder that most of my favorites from this decade were some of the "biggest" flicks of the time.
5. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
An extra-terrestial becomes trapped on our planet & befriends an Earthling boy who shares it's love for Reese's Pieces. From there, these two beings "from different worlds" (one of the rare times that this phrase is meant literally), begin to share each other's experiences in a bond that can only result from attitude unconditional acceptance.
A moving picture which "teaches" that when it comes to a deep longing for love in the form of kindness & friendship, we humans are not alone.
And all we have to do to get it, even on a universally galactic level, is to just simply "be.... good".
This movie has gotten such a stigma attached to it, that I easily forget how much I enjoy watching it. After several years of this movie collecting dust on my video collection, I finally watched it again, this time with with my 6 yr. old niece a couple of. And I'll be honest with you: I don't know which one of us was left sitting there with more childlike awe & wonder on our faces.
Her, b'cuz as a child, she found E.T. to be one amazing tale.
Or me, b'cuz as an adult, I found Elliot's mom to be one amazing tail.
4. Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back
Sure, there are sci-fi films better written, or with, now much more grander & updated special effects. But other than Star Trek, none have the expansive imagination or have been able to touch the heart of an entire generation of nerds, particularly with such a long lasting impact, as the original Star Wars trilogy.
And while I know that Star Trek has affected more numbers of sci-fi geeks, but, for me, as "big" as their stories & concepts were, they never seemed to go all out with their depictions of aliens races as much as Wars. And as integalactic as they tried to make their stories, I never felt that they were as epic.
For the movie of Empire itself, again, what can I say that hasn't already been said?
I agree with the rest of the world that this is the pinnacle of the entire Star Wars franchise, with it's darker tone & cliff-hanger ending within it's still fairytale-like structure. The saga of the intergalactic war between the Empire & the Jedi-led Rebellion hits it stride as Luke Skywalker, Hans Solo, Princess Leia & the rest of the crew find themselves pursued & cornered by Darth Vader & the forces of the Dark Side.
The Empire Strikes Back came out at a time back when movies would stay in wide release, not for weeks at a time, but for months, and a few of 'em, like this one, for almost a full year.
From my own point of view, I think that, on the majority, audiences today have been so desensitized from so-so blockbusters being released every other week-end or so, that they will never get to fully understand or experience the feeling a big movie-event like Star Wars. The year of Empire was one of my fave summers ever as a kid. It was really cool knowing that I could hop on the city bus at any point during the season & go watch TESB. And every time that I did, the other audience members were just as excited to be seeing this film at the end of the summer as they were at the beginning. Every year that one of the 3 original films was released, you could feel the power of the "Force" within the air, and not just until the next "big" movie came out. You could actually feel it in the air for almost the entire year long. And then some.
3. Gandhi
The British Empire, humbled via one man & the power of peaceful resistance.
Nuff said.
2. Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark
George Lucas.
Steven Spielberg.
Harrison Ford.
A trio of names that entered the lexicon of sci-fi cinema with their earlier star-faring efforts.
Now, for this film, all three team up for the first time ever, but instead of a tale that took place a long time ago, in a distant galaxy far far away, this time it's not that long ago, & much more down to Earth. This modern take on the "old serials" follows the adventuress of Indiana Jones, an archeologist/adventurer/university professor/whip-meister, who finds himself in a race against time, for the Ark Of The Covenant, an ancient artifact which according to legend, can summon the power of God Himself.
Thus begins a world-hopping journey that includes cadres of Nazis, snake filled pharoah tombs, Cairo scimitar-wielding assasins & maybe even a bad date or two. In other words:
Best.
Action.
Adventure.
Movie.
Ever.
These days no matter how much I try to assimilate with all the other adults my age, most of whom have had their childhood spirits crushed a long time ago, Raiders is a reminder to me of what it was like to watch a movie with childlike awe. This is a film with alot affection for me, that never fails to bring a smile to my now grown-up hairy pimp-ass.
This early blockbuster not only shaped the way I enjoy watching movies, but also, it contributes to the foundation of why going to the theatre & having the experience of being swept away by what is playing on the big silver screen has become one the greatest joys in my life.
1. Aliens
In this sequel to the non-plural installment of the series, Ripley, believe it or not, is back. And this time, she arms herself with some big guns & with an even bigger attitude of instead of squaring off against just one xenomorph, she's taking on a whole hive full of them. And their momma too.
This movie has everything that I look forward to in a sci-fi adventure. Suspenseful action, a solid story, a group of distinct characters (with great chemistry), great visuals, kick-@ss aliens, a turning plot-twist (we all thought for sure, that Bishop couldn't be trusted), & of course, a catch-phrase that made the entire theatre that I saw this movie in to roar ("Get away from her, you b#tch!").
Mannnn....
I wish I had acid for blood.
5. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
An extra-terrestial becomes trapped on our planet & befriends an Earthling boy who shares it's love for Reese's Pieces. From there, these two beings "from different worlds" (one of the rare times that this phrase is meant literally), begin to share each other's experiences in a bond that can only result from attitude unconditional acceptance.
A moving picture which "teaches" that when it comes to a deep longing for love in the form of kindness & friendship, we humans are not alone.
And all we have to do to get it, even on a universally galactic level, is to just simply "be.... good".
This movie has gotten such a stigma attached to it, that I easily forget how much I enjoy watching it. After several years of this movie collecting dust on my video collection, I finally watched it again, this time with with my 6 yr. old niece a couple of. And I'll be honest with you: I don't know which one of us was left sitting there with more childlike awe & wonder on our faces.
Her, b'cuz as a child, she found E.T. to be one amazing tale.
Or me, b'cuz as an adult, I found Elliot's mom to be one amazing tail.
4. Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back
Sure, there are sci-fi films better written, or with, now much more grander & updated special effects. But other than Star Trek, none have the expansive imagination or have been able to touch the heart of an entire generation of nerds, particularly with such a long lasting impact, as the original Star Wars trilogy.
And while I know that Star Trek has affected more numbers of sci-fi geeks, but, for me, as "big" as their stories & concepts were, they never seemed to go all out with their depictions of aliens races as much as Wars. And as integalactic as they tried to make their stories, I never felt that they were as epic.
For the movie of Empire itself, again, what can I say that hasn't already been said?
I agree with the rest of the world that this is the pinnacle of the entire Star Wars franchise, with it's darker tone & cliff-hanger ending within it's still fairytale-like structure. The saga of the intergalactic war between the Empire & the Jedi-led Rebellion hits it stride as Luke Skywalker, Hans Solo, Princess Leia & the rest of the crew find themselves pursued & cornered by Darth Vader & the forces of the Dark Side.
The Empire Strikes Back came out at a time back when movies would stay in wide release, not for weeks at a time, but for months, and a few of 'em, like this one, for almost a full year.
From my own point of view, I think that, on the majority, audiences today have been so desensitized from so-so blockbusters being released every other week-end or so, that they will never get to fully understand or experience the feeling a big movie-event like Star Wars. The year of Empire was one of my fave summers ever as a kid. It was really cool knowing that I could hop on the city bus at any point during the season & go watch TESB. And every time that I did, the other audience members were just as excited to be seeing this film at the end of the summer as they were at the beginning. Every year that one of the 3 original films was released, you could feel the power of the "Force" within the air, and not just until the next "big" movie came out. You could actually feel it in the air for almost the entire year long. And then some.
3. Gandhi
The British Empire, humbled via one man & the power of peaceful resistance.
Nuff said.
2. Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark
George Lucas.
Steven Spielberg.
Harrison Ford.
A trio of names that entered the lexicon of sci-fi cinema with their earlier star-faring efforts.
Now, for this film, all three team up for the first time ever, but instead of a tale that took place a long time ago, in a distant galaxy far far away, this time it's not that long ago, & much more down to Earth. This modern take on the "old serials" follows the adventuress of Indiana Jones, an archeologist/adventurer/university professor/whip-meister, who finds himself in a race against time, for the Ark Of The Covenant, an ancient artifact which according to legend, can summon the power of God Himself.
Thus begins a world-hopping journey that includes cadres of Nazis, snake filled pharoah tombs, Cairo scimitar-wielding assasins & maybe even a bad date or two. In other words:
Best.
Action.
Adventure.
Movie.
Ever.
These days no matter how much I try to assimilate with all the other adults my age, most of whom have had their childhood spirits crushed a long time ago, Raiders is a reminder to me of what it was like to watch a movie with childlike awe. This is a film with alot affection for me, that never fails to bring a smile to my now grown-up hairy pimp-ass.
This early blockbuster not only shaped the way I enjoy watching movies, but also, it contributes to the foundation of why going to the theatre & having the experience of being swept away by what is playing on the big silver screen has become one the greatest joys in my life.
1. Aliens
In this sequel to the non-plural installment of the series, Ripley, believe it or not, is back. And this time, she arms herself with some big guns & with an even bigger attitude of instead of squaring off against just one xenomorph, she's taking on a whole hive full of them. And their momma too.
This movie has everything that I look forward to in a sci-fi adventure. Suspenseful action, a solid story, a group of distinct characters (with great chemistry), great visuals, kick-@ss aliens, a turning plot-twist (we all thought for sure, that Bishop couldn't be trusted), & of course, a catch-phrase that made the entire theatre that I saw this movie in to roar ("Get away from her, you b#tch!").
Mannnn....
I wish I had acid for blood.
__________________
Right now, all I'm wearing is a mustard-stained wife-beater T-shirt, no pants & a massive sombrero.
Right now, all I'm wearing is a mustard-stained wife-beater T-shirt, no pants & a massive sombrero.
X
Favorite Movies
X
User Lists
The Thing
Raging Bull
American Werewolf
After Hours
Evil Dead 2
Crimewave
TCM 2
Death of a Salesman
Predator (^ agree!)
Blood Simple
Plains Trains and Automobiles
The Sacrifice (Tarkovsky)
Rush
and right at the end of the 80's - War of the Roses
^ these are what came to mind...
Raging Bull
American Werewolf
After Hours
Evil Dead 2
Crimewave
TCM 2
Death of a Salesman
Predator (^ agree!)
Blood Simple
Plains Trains and Automobiles
The Sacrifice (Tarkovsky)
Rush
and right at the end of the 80's - War of the Roses
^ these are what came to mind...
Some of my most cherished memories as a kid was going to see the summer blockbusters during the 80's. So, it's no wonder that most of my favorites from this decade were some of the "biggest" flicks of the time.
X
Favorite Movies
X
User Lists
1) Big Trouble in Little China
2) They Live
3) the Terminator
4) Blade Runner
5) Aliens
6) the Thing
7) Indiana Jones & the Last Crusade
8) the Empire Strikes Back
9) Gremlins
10) Evil Dead II
in my own goofy opinion, my favorite decade for movies
2) They Live
3) the Terminator
4) Blade Runner
5) Aliens
6) the Thing
7) Indiana Jones & the Last Crusade
8) the Empire Strikes Back
9) Gremlins
10) Evil Dead II
in my own goofy opinion, my favorite decade for movies
