Eighties edumacation
Okay, so when I was growing up my family didn't have much money, plus my parents are pretty conservative. This meant I didn't see very many movies as a kid -- really not until I was a teenager.
Thus, I have missed out on a bunch of classic '80s flicks. In the past several months, testitest has been educating me on what I've been missing. We've watched Wall ( Read more... )
Thus, I have missed out on a bunch of classic '80s flicks. In the past several months, testitest has been educating me on what I've been missing. We've watched Wall ( Read more... )
Another definite highlight--slight, but spot-on--is The Sure Thing, which is Rob Reiner's version of It Happened One Night. It won't surprise you with its plot twists, but it's a crowd-pleaser and the cast has loads of fun.
Some people will recommend Weird Science or Better Off Dead. I don't. And one of those Hughes films--either Pretty in Pink or Sixteen Candles--is widely loved, but deeply racist, and I don't like comedies where I feel like I need to shower afterward. Don't watch it with Asian people nearby.
I don't know if you like horror movies, but there are at least two certifiably brilliant horror films from this decade: Fright Night (a loving send-up of the genre, and the special effects hold up), and Near Dark, a western, deserty vampire film where the word "vampire" is never uttered. I'd put both of them right up there with Tremors for sheer fun--and if you haven't seen that, it's probably the best Halloween party movie ever made. (Back to the eighties, some people are also big fans of The Lost Boys, but it never made much of an impression on me. But I'm a straight male, and may be immune to Coreys.)
Finally, I'm not sure why you're doing this--to get cultural references? To get a sense of the decade? to actually be entertained?--but if you want a feeling of the zeitgeist, you could probably do worse than see Wargames or (ahem) Red Dawn, which imagines Russians invading America and is as silly and chest-thumping as it sounds.
But if you just want eye candy, many female friends of mine are fans of Young Guns, and (to a slightly lesser extent) Silverado. For some reason there was a brief flirtation with westerns for a year or so there.
I haven't seen Earth Girls are Easy since it came out, but I remember feeling like I was being punished for having a brain. UHF, much as I love Weird Al, is only worth a rental if you're getting something else done (like ironing, maybe) and try not to look directly at the screen.
Final note: I assume you've seen all the girly romantic comedies of this period, since my own 18-year-old students were still watching them back when I taught: Moonstruck, Working Girl, and Pretty Woman for some reason. But I recently re-watched Crossing Delancey and I still liked it to pieces. So don't ignore it if you get the opportunity.
Closing thought: I have heard there are guys who do nothing but quote Fletch. But is it worth the price of watching Chevy Chase smirk for ninety minutes? That's a decision between you and your conscience.
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