LoC 66 Top 50 80s Movies

[Darth Geek]

18b. The Naked Gun

(82 points, 6 lists of 24, highest ranking: #5 gojikranz)
Release date: December 2 1988

Directed by: David Zucker

From IMDB: Incompetent cop Frank Drebin has to foil an attempt to assassinate Queen Elizabeth II.

My take:
The first of three movies, the combines length of which is almost more than the few Police Squad episodes that it's based off of. I haven't seen it in a really long time, but I remember liking it.

What have we learned?
 Well, eventually we forgot that Leslie neilson was originally hired for these spoofs because he isn't a comedian and is a straight actor.
 There was a time when we could laugh innocently at O. J. Simpson.

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/LrHmGEOTagg" target="_blank" class="new_win">http://www.youtube.com/v/LrHmGEOTagg</a>

Remake: Have him be from England to give it kind of a Bond vibe, and star a physical comedian like maybe Rowan Atkinson.

[Darth Geek]

18a. Big Trouble in Little China

(82 points, 5 lists of 24, highest ranking: #5 Relaxing Dragon)
Release date: July 2 1986

Directed by: John Carpenter

From IMDB: An All-American trucker gets dragged into a centuries-old mystical battle in Chinatown.

My take:
Delightfully looney. This movie plays out like one big comic book or cartoon, in the best way possible. Kurt Russell's great comedic skills come into play here with his natural charisma as an action star perfectly. Everyone else here is very good too (yes, including Kim Cattrall).

What have we learned?
 Kurt Russell is AWESOME!
 Every cliche you've heard about Asians is true, and they will fucking kill you with them!
 
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/4y5gn4qWeLM" target="_blank" class="new_win">http://www.youtube.com/v/4y5gn4qWeLM</a>

Remake: This seems like it'd be right up Stephen Chow's alley. He directed Kung Fu Hustle and Shaolin Soccer, which have a similar action/comedic sensibilities (although maybe taken a little less seriously). As for who could fill Kurt Russell's tank top...Chris Hemsworth.

[Darth Geek]

17. The Shining

(89 points, 7 lists of 24, highest ranking: #2 D.B. Barnes)
Release date: May 23 1980

Directed by: Stanley Kubrick

From IMDB: A family heads to an isolated hotel for the winter where an evil and spiritual presence influences the father into violence, while his psychic son sees horrific forebodings from the past and of the future.

My take:
One of the definative proofs that slavish adaptation is secondary to having a visionary director. This movie is also the rather significant exception to the rules about Stephen King adaptations sucking. Connection...okay, not necessarily. But Stephen King himself (director of magnum opus Maximum Overdrive) has said he doesn't like how much it diverts from his novel. Which kind of makes it stand on it's own. You don't have to have read the novel to love the movie.
Stylish and iconic, this movie imfluenced so much of the horror genre after it.

What have we learned?
 Jack Nicholson can act crazy. Who knew, right?
 Johny is here.
 Isolated spooky old hotels in the dead of winter may not be very good family bonding time.
 He's got cabin fever! I think the muppets had a song about that...
 Blood is polite enough to take the elevator.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mqprgBY70qM&feature=share&list=PLC56E72C7F64C197C

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/Os6raCCmAFk" target="_blank" class="new_win">http://www.youtube.com/v/Os6raCCmAFk</a>


Remake: They already did one in 1997 as a TV mini-series with that guy from Wings (no, not Sandman, the other guy). It had a few things from the book that weren't in the original. I hear it wasn't great. I think if you were going to do a full on big budget theatrical one, go for darker. James Watkins (The Woman in Black)for director, and have it star Jackie Earle Haley.

[ScottotD]

18a. Big Trouble in Little China

(82 points, 5 lists of 24, highest ranking: #5 Relaxing Dragon)

 

[Darth Geek]

16. Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure

(99 points, 7 lists of 24, highest ranking: #4 goflyblind)
Release date: February 17 1989

Directed by: Stephen Herek

From IMDB: Two seemingly dumb teens struggle to prepare a historical presentation with the help of a time machine.

My take: Wait...seemingly?
Anyway, this movie is the kind of goofy high concept fun that the 80s did so well. It also epitomizes the slacker dumb highschool kid that were in a lot of 80s and early 90s comedies.
The very presence of an enclosed phone booth just screams 80s. This is another movie like Ferris Bueller that depends completely on the leads performance and likeability. It's also amazing that Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter were cast seperately, and were not actually friends before this movie.

What have we learned?
 The future has perfected college pranks like fitting many people in a phone booths. We didn't get to see it, but Rufus could eat 17 goldfish.
 Apparently, leaders in the future will just emulate their entire culture on anyone who shows up.
 Historic figures are perfectly fine with phone booths and TIME MACHINES, but got nuts at the sight of sports equipement and water.
 Leaders of entire countries are fine with doing the bidding of strange idiot teenagers they just met.
 In the 80s, cell phones were so big you had to climb inside them, and had wierd rotating buttons.

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/ZP1flgrfRQU" target="_blank" class="new_win">http://www.youtube.com/v/ZP1flgrfRQU</a>

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/LLRu--619F0" target="_blank" class="new_win">http://www.youtube.com/v/LLRu--619F0</a>

Remake: There is actual plans for a third movie, so I doubt they would do a remake anytime soon.

[Darth Geek]

15. Robocop

(105 points, 7 lists of 24, highest ranking: #6 Darth Geek)
Release date: July 17 1987

Directed by: Paul Verhoeven

From IMDB: In a dystopic and crime-ridden Detroit, a terminally-wounded cop returns to the force as a powerful cyborg with submerged memories haunting him.

My take:
The 80s brought us many iconic action heroes, and few were more marketable and practically made to be a toy than RoboCop. So of course the movie is a dark satire of corporate business culture or corruption and greed.
It's also a study on how many squibs can be attached to an actor until he tips over before you can yell "action!"

What have we learned?
 A highly sophisticated robot with a human reasoning brain can't figure out how to recalibrate it's aim with practice.
 Robots eat babyfood.
 One slow moving cop robot could terrify an entire city's criminals.
 Just bulldozing Detroit and starting new...somehow will make OmniCorp money?
 In the future, kids will still be watching stupid TV shows.
 The monopoly guy became a pervert in his old age, and lost most of his money (but not his sleazy women). So he can only pay for things in singles.

Hey, it's been riffed! By Cinester Theater.
http://www.rifftrax.com/iriffs/cinester-theater/cinester-theater-presents-robocop

At 1:00 mark:
http://www.southparkstudios.com/clips/151568/no-grandma

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/kD8AHoMsCeE" target="_blank" class="new_win">http://www.youtube.com/v/kD8AHoMsCeE</a>


Remake: NO! No no no no, FUCKING NO!

[Darth Geek]

14b. Gremlins

(109 points, 8 lists of 24, highest ranking: #3 Darth Geek)
Release date: June 8 1984

Directed by: JOE DANTE!

From IMDB: A boy inadvertantly breaks 3 important rules concerning his new pet and unleashes a horde of malevolently mischievous monsters on a small town.

My take:
Oh boy. You all knew this was coming. Darth Geek gets to talk about GREMLINS! Woohooo!
Actually, I think Gremlins kind of speaks for itself. This is pure unaduterated 80s puppet mayhem. Sprinkled with an aggresively cute marketing tool and topped by a child-scarringly horrifying story about Christmas death.


What have we learned?
 I obsess over this movie and Joe Dante WAAAAY too much.
 The average airspeed velocity of an unladen old lady in a chair.
 Why Kate hates Christmas.
 

Hey, it's been riffed! By Hor-Riff-ic Productions:
http://www.rifftrax.com/iriffs/hor-riff-ic-productions/hor-riff-ic-gremlins


<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/zh0bXxr7bu0" target="_blank" class="new_win">http://www.youtube.com/v/zh0bXxr7bu0</a>

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/tfVUVUXrIg0" target="_blank" class="new_win">http://www.youtube.com/v/tfVUVUXrIg0</a>

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/iA1iQm413No" target="_blank" class="new_win">http://www.youtube.com/v/iA1iQm413No</a>

Remake: Well, as much as I would like to have Joe Dante do it, I don't think he wants to dip into that well again. Considering that it's still what defines him all these 28 years later, I don't really blame him.
So I would LOVE to see Peter Jackson get back into his old Dead Alive, Meet the Feebles and The Frighteners mode and do this. NO CGI GREMLINS! What I would like to see is a lot of puppets filmed on greenscreen with multiple puppeteers and composited into shot to get the kinds of things they couldn't accomplish in camera the other times.

[Darth Geek]

14a. Brazil

(109 points, 8 lists of 24, highest ranking: #2 George Harrison)
Release date: France, February 20 1985
              USA, December 18 1985

Directed by: Terry Gilliam

From IMDB: A bureaucrat in a retro-future world tries to correct an administrative error and himself becomes an enemy of the state.

My take:
I have to admit, I watched this once many years ago and didn't really get it. I should revisit it though, because it seems like it'd be right up my alley.

What have we learned?
 Despite the poster, this is not a sequel to Scanners.
 Strangely prophetic of Dilbert, whcih would start 4 years later.

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/7hZlFTF4300" target="_blank" class="new_win">http://www.youtube.com/v/7hZlFTF4300</a>

Remake: I would like to see Zack Snyder take a shot at this. As long as he didn't write it, and had a good producer to reign him in.

[Darth Geek]

13. The Thing

(110 points, 6 lists of 24, highest ranking: #1 Relaxing Dragon)
Release date: June 25 1982

Directed by: John Carpenter

From IMDB: Scientists in the Antarctic are confronted by a shape-shifting alien that assumes the appearance of the people that it kills.

My take:
This movie is one of the best of the best in every aspect it is in. A great claustrophobic tense horror movie, gore and practical effects at their absolute peak, and excellent acting by everyone. Kurt Russell of course is the standout, but with a diverse cast, everyone gets something to do and is interesting. Something that can't be said for a lot of movies, particularly this effects heavy.


What have we learned?
 We could have gotten a sequel where Wilford Brimley is flying around in a tiny spaceship strafing cities with lasers, but noooooo, they had to blow him up.
 Kurt Russell is AWESOME!
 Kurt Russell with a flamethrower is even more AWESOME!

Hey, it's been riffed! By One Man Band. It even made it onto the Top iRiffs List:
42 e  One Man Band - The Thing   -   BUY


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RMuEWh4lcoI

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/xFgXi_0rGyo" target="_blank" class="new_win">http://www.youtube.com/v/xFgXi_0rGyo</a>


Remake: Have you ever really wondered what actually happened at the Norwegian base before the events of this movie? Me neither.

[Darth Geek]

12. Who Framed Roger Rabbit?

(115 points, 8 lists of 24, highest ranking: #1 Pak-Man)
Release date: June 21 1988

Directed by: Robert Zemeckis

From IMDB: A toon hating detective is a cartoon rabbit's only hope to prove his innocence when he is accused of murder.

My take:
A premise that shouldn't by all accounts work, we are expected to care about the lives and concerns of goofy toons, some of whom are often very annoying. But damnit, work it does! Great performances ground this wierd reality where toons co-exist with humans. A marvel of technical acheivement, but everything serves the story.
Holy crap, a film noir movie I actually like!

What have we learned?
 She's drawn that way.
 Toons can break physics, but only if it's funny.
 You can die laughing.

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/aD9xm467pFQ" target="_blank" class="new_win">http://www.youtube.com/v/aD9xm467pFQ</a>

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/ZN8tjZb0Er8" target="_blank" class="new_win">http://www.youtube.com/v/ZN8tjZb0Er8</a>

Remake: John Favreau for director. Charles Fleischer is still around, so he should do Roger's voice. Danny DeVito would be good as Eddie Valiant.

[Darth Geek]

11. Star Trek II: Wrath of Kahn

(120 points, 8 lists of 24, highest ranking: #1 anais.butterfly)
Release date: June 4 1982

Directed by: Nicholas Meyer

From IMDB: With the aide of the Enterprise crew, Admiral Kirk must stop an old nemesis, Khan Noonien Singh, from using his son's life-generating device, the Genesis Device, as the ultimate weapon.

My take:
Easily the best of the Star Trek movies, mostly because of the interesting villainous turn by Ricardo Montalban.

What have we learned?
 Kahn never finished reading Moby Dick.
 Thinking 3 dimensionally isn't basic spaceship captain training.
 Kirk yells the villain's name.
 

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Spock dies.

Hey, it's been riffed! By Rifftrax:
http://www.rifftrax.com/rifftrax/star-trek-ii-wrath-khan

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/QZ7z2oXxiPU" target="_blank" class="new_win">http://www.youtube.com/v/QZ7z2oXxiPU</a>

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/YZJmVj0pveA" target="_blank" class="new_win">http://www.youtube.com/v/YZJmVj0pveA</a>


Remake: They are already making a sequel to the Star Trek reboot, and it is unlikely they would follow this movie explicitly.

[ScottotD]

I'm loving this list! :-D

[Darth Geek]

And that's it for another night. Tune in tomorow, same 80s time, same 80s channel to learn the TOP 10!

[Starman!]

I've actually never seen Big Trouble in Little China!

[gojikranz]

lots of goodies this round lots from my list too!