My friends have been giving me a hard time because there were a lot of movies during the 80's that I didn't see. My parents never took me to the theater and I never went to see movies with friends nor did I have cable as a child. So seeing movies wasn't a regular thing for me. My friends started a list of all the movies I have to see. I believe a lot of them are a waste of time. Could you all please point out the ones I definately should see. I will asterisk the ones I want to see/am embarressed I missed. Thanks. Roadhouse The Jerk** Beverly Hills Cop Raw Action Jackson Predator Terminator Close encounters of the 3rd kind* Nightbreed Dark Crystal 16 Candles Legend Swamp Thing Silent Night Deadly Night Conan The Philadelphia Project Uncle Buck Spinal tap* Great Outdoors* Summer Rental The Manhattan project Ice Pirates Mannaquin Weekend at Bernie's Fletch Lives Stripes** Toxic Avenger Halloween Transylvania 6-5000 Point Break Lost Boys* License to Drive Hellraiser 1&2 Men at Work Ghoulies Puppet master Childs play Wildcats Breakin' Heathers Bachelor Party Biloxi Blues* Project X* Krull Dune (Lynch) Creep Show Less than Zero Back to School Easy Money Real Genius Outsiders Pet Cemetery Loverboy Abyss Romancing the Stone See no evil Hear no evil Alien Armed and Dangerous Running Man* Tango & Cash Gung-ho Weird Science* Say Anything* Clash of the Titans Stake out Secret of Nymn Die Hard Last Boyscout Colors Fast Times at Ridgemont High* 3 O'clock high Boyz in the hood** Lethal weapon Rad Iron Eagle Red Dawn* Wargames Monster squad American werewolf in london Poltergeist* Cobra Fright Night Phantasm Amityville Horror Once Bitten American Ninja 48 Hours Summer School Amazon women on the Moon One Crazy Summer Killer Klowns from Outerspace Vice Versa Time Bandits House Rudy Brewster's Millions Just one of the guys Dead Heat Legend of Billie Jean Secret of my Success BMX Bandits Over the Top Ski School Beastmaster Little Shop of Horrors Children of the Corn The Hot Seat
This is my list for you to see. SOme of them are still bad movies but are worth seeing for their "cheesyness" and just because they have pop culture references to them. Ill asterisk the ones I think you MUST go see. The Jerk Beverly Hills Cop Raw Predator* Terminator* Close encounters of the 3rd kind 16 Candles Conan* The Philadelphia Project Spinal tap* Great Outdoors The Manhattan project Mannaquin* Stripes* Toxic Avenger <--only cause of the NJ reference Point Break Lost Boys* License to Drive Hellraiser 1&2 Breakin'*(Dont forget Breakin' 2:Electric Boogaloo) Heathers* Bachelor Party Biloxi Blues Project X Creep Show Less than Zero Back to School Real Genius Outsiders Alien Armed and Dangerous Running Man Tango & Cash Gung-ho Weird Science Say Anything Die Hard Last Boyscout Colors Fast Times at Ridgemont High 3 O'clock high Boyz in the hood Lethal weapon Rad Iron Eagle Red Dawn Wargames Monster squad Poltergeist Cobra Once Bitten American Ninja 48 Hours Summer School One Crazy Summer* Vice Versa Brewster's Millions* Just one of the guys* Dead Heat Legend of Billie Jean Secret of my Success BMX Bandits Over the Top Beastmaster
Re: Re: I had a somewhat sheltered childhood I think that's their main point. They're movies that are ingrained in our generation's culture.
I'm partial to "Roadhouse". Swayze plays a ridiculous role with a total seriousness that makes almost every line he utters a beaut. My favorite line, when asked by a doctor/future paramour (Kelly Lynch) if he wants a painkiller while he's being stitched up: "Nah, pain don't hurt." This movie's also notable for a supporting role by X's John Doe, who plays a bartender with a bad attitude and his hand in the till. Doe plays this part with abject mugging not seen on film since Spanky & Alfalfa chased Algebra The Mule around Miss Crabtree's schoolroom. And it's just been released on DVD. Tell you what...if you don't think this movie is absolutely great in it's badness, I'll refund your rental fee in beers at the next Metro tailgate.
Damn man, do your friends think you work at blockbuster? A $ 4 a pop that's like $ 300 in movie rentals. Anyway, some of those movies are classics that you may not enjoy but are just all time movies that are uber-famous. For example, you need to see 48 Hours so that you can recall when Eddie Murphy was funny and wasn't busy making the lexus payments with trite crap like Daddy Day Care. Anyway, you are always going to be at a loss around Flip and I, who had cable TVs and little else to do as children. Memorizing half of the movies on that list hasn't made us better people, just ones who will drop the entire scene from Armed and Dangerous on you when you aren't looking. I wouldn't worry about it too much. Frankly, if we both turn our ball caps around and get jacked up, knowing that it is a reference to Over the Top isn't going to make you feel any better about sitting through 90 minutes of what is a very crap movie. I would say that there are probably 10-20 movies on that list that you should see because they are just good, and the rest are just references that place you as being a certain age. You have other common experiences that can probably do that, and most inside jokes aren't really all that funny, it's just that they serve as a bond between people so people laugh more at that than at the hilarity of the joke. If you think you are missing that bond in life, okay, but I never noticed. Anyway, moving along to the list: (some of these I've added and you may have seen them) Iconic 80s movies- (from your list, all must see movies) Beverly Hills Cop Terminator Spinal tap Stripes Bachelor Party Boyz in the hood 48 Hours To this I would add: Stand by Me Vacation European vacation Platoon Breakfast club Revenge of the Nerds Back to the future Tootsie Big The Princess Bride Caddyshack Ghostbusters When Harry Met Sally Ferris Bueller's day off Airplane Spinal Tap Monty Python and the holy grail Trading Places Other Good 80's movies: Risky Business A Fish Called Wanda Good Morning Vietnam Raising Arizona The Naked Gun Funny comidies that your parents never saw, realitvely essential for people our age (from your list, I would tackle these first). 16 Candles Heathers Biloxi Blues Real Genius Just one of the guys One Crazy Summer To this I would add: Fletch Better off dead Spies Like Us I'm gonna git you suckka! Clue Spaceballs The Three Amigos Coming to America Defending your life Monty Python's Life of Brian Brighton Beach memoirs and about 40 others I can't remember. Please don't see Vice Versa, it's a crap film.
Plus you have the ultra cool Sam Elliot dropping phrases like "It's okay 'miho" (because he's too cool to use the entire word "Amigo"), and Jeff Healy with a shamless plug of "Angel Eyes". It is a crap movie, but Footix is right about it being funny in it's crap-ness. And you do get to see Kelly Lynch topless, which is almost worth the 4 bucks.
Skip the following Roadhouse Raw Action Jackson Dark Crystal Legend Swamp Thing Silent Night Deadly Night Conan The Philadelphia Project (I don't think this one exists, but see Philadelphia Story) Spinal tap* Great Outdoors* Summer Rental Mannaquin Weekend at Bernie's Fletch Lives Transylvania 6-5000 License to Drive Men at Work Ghoulies Puppet master Childs play Breakin' (But see Breakin' 2 Eletric Boogaloo) Project X* Krull Creep Show Outsiders Pet Cemetery Loverboy Tango & Cash Weird Science* Secret of Nymn 3 O'clock high (This I never heard of) Rad Monster squad Cobra Phantasm Once Bitten Amazon women on the Moon Killer Klowns from Outerspace Vice Versa House Rudy Just one of the guys Dead Heat Legend of Billie Jean Secret of my Success BMX Bandits Over the Top Ski School Beastmaster Little Shop of Horrors Children of the Corn The Hot Seat Thx, Jay!
I'm proud to say I saw all the movies in the above list. I cut out these that I didn't see: Tootsie When Harry Met Sally Spinal Tap Risky Business I'm gonna git you suckka! Clue Defending your life Brighton Beach memoirs
Well, we figured if I saw one a week we could do it in a year or so! These are the movies I've seen so far and scratched off the list: Breakfast Club (I'd seen it on regular tv but was told "that doesn't count) Delirious (very funny) Labrynth (waste of time) Planes, Tranes and Automobles (Another one I'd seen parts of but finally saw the whole thing)
Well the Dark Crystal is Henson on acid...but well worth seeing. I would also have to say go see I'm Gonna Git you Sucka. This movie is pure blaxploitation but funnier than hell. A movie can't be bad if you have Jim Brown in it can it?
I would recommend you see the following in your list, I've put an asterisk next to the ones I think should be top of the list The Jerk Beverly Hills Cop* Raw Action Jackson Predator* Terminator* Close encounters of the 3rd kind 16 Candles* Swamp Thing Conan* Uncle Buck Spinal Tap Great Outdoors Summer Rental The Manhattan project Mannaquin Weekend at Bernie's Fletch Lives Stripes** Toxic Avenger Halloween Point Break Lost Boys* License to Drive Men at Work Ghoulies Puppet master Childs play Wildcats Breakin' Heathers Bachelor Party* Biloxi Blues Creep Show Less than Zero Back to School* Easy Money Real Genius Outsiders Pet Cemetery Loverboy Abyss Romancing the Stone Alien Armed and Dangerous Running Man* Gung-ho Weird Science* Say Anything Clash of the Titans Stake out Die Hard* Last Boyscout Colors Fast Times at Ridgemont High* Boyz in the hood* Lethal weapon Iron Eagle Red Dawn* Wargames American werewolf in london Poltergeist* Amityville Horror American Ninja 48 Hours Summer School Time Bandits Brewster's Millions Legend of Billie Jean Beastmaster Little Shop of Horrors Children of the Corn
That's a long friggin list. Conan the Barbarian is brilliant. Great cinematography and fantastic music, it's a must-see. Probably the best fantasy movie ever until Lord of the Rings came out recently. Conan the Destroyer... meh.
Ok, other people have shortened the list, but not enough. I have shortened the list down to a reasonable level, not by picking good or fun movies, but by picking ones that are vital to having an understanding of 1980's culture (except for Roadhouse, which is just so much fun). In fact, I don't even like some of the movies I picked (like Heathers, Fast Times or Red Dawn). I took out the horror movies, as they are only vital if you are into horror movies now and want to understand where they come from and where the cliches originated. Must See: ------- Beverly Hills Cop Predator Terminator Conan Spinal tap* Lost Boys* Heathers Less than Zero Alien (add or replace this with "Aliens" if you have not seen that) Running Man* Say Anything* Fast Times at Ridgemont High* Boyz in the hood** Lethal weapon Red Dawn* American Ninja Die Hard Roadhouse Wargames 16 Candles
From your list: Essential, do not wait, go out tonight and rent these Spinal tap* Stripes** Alien Fast Times at Ridgemont High* Poltergeist* Time Bandits Very Good/Culturally Interesting or Important/Good for Cheesy 80s factor/etc The Jerk** Beverly Hills Cop Terminator Close encounters of the 3rd kind* Conan The Philadelphia Project Lost Boys* Breakin' Krull Dune (Lynch) Less than Zero Abyss Romancing the Stone Running Man* Weird Science* Clash of the Titans Die Hard Boyz in the hood** Lethal weapon Red Dawn* Wargames Amityville Horror 48 Hours Amazon women on the Moon (Not nearly as good as the "Kentucky Fried Movie") as for the rest, life is to short to waste on such half assed crap.
Outsider I read the book for my class in the Junior high. Basically, it was the first book I ever read and enjoyed. It was big part of my childhood. The movie itself was a big disappointment. The cast was who's who in the 80's. It is a kind of interesting to see all those actors before they were famous and became the icons of the 80's. I did not know the director was Francis Ford Coppola until years later. I would not mind seeing it again.
I think you should ignore this list and go with the 70s or 90s. There are a few good movies in this list but most of them are not worth your time. Why don't you just focus on good flicks, instead of trying to see a whole bunch from a certain era?
Rumble Fish and the Outsiders were both great movie versions of the books. Mostly because they were not what you expected. Rumble fish, especially, is worth watching. Was the Pope of Greenwich Village an 80s movie? Eric Roberts and Mickey Rourke in their prime. Enough said.
This is a much better list, IMHO, although I'd definitely **Sixteen Candles. The 80's teen movie watching was all about John Hughes.
Rumble Fish was better than Outsider. I like the book too much that I hate the movie. Rumble Fish is more artsy. I do not remember the book very much.
Re: Re: I had a somewhat sheltered childhood I have to agree with Meridian's distillation of the must see list, perhaps dropping Poltergeist in favor of Close Encounters and Sixteen Candles. Paul, we've been watching Metro side by side going on eight years now. Trust me, here, when I say the following: Rent This Is Spinal Tap Friday night, preferably on DVD, prepare your most favorite comfort food, turn off the ringer on your phone and sit back and watch, preferably in stereo. While Footix has made his refund pledge to you on Roadhouse, think of me as the Nutley ShopRite with a double coupon offer. I will double the rental fee in beer if you are not completely pleased with this movie.