|
|
My Top Ten Favorite Summer Blockbuster Movies From The 80'sJun 22 '09 (Updated Dec 02 '09) Write an essay on this topic.The Bottom Line The "Power of the Force", "Live long & prosper" & "Who you gonna Call?" Even though the summer blockbuster is considered to have started with Jaws, followed by some more into the late 70's, it was the 1980's that was the decade that solidified the blockbuster as a staple of the theatre during the summer season. Therefore, here are my faves during this golden time for high budgeted pics that made the time of "no school' even more enjoyable than it already was. First, a quick list of some runners up which I couldn't fit into a top ten or just missed the dates that would qualify 'em as a summer movie (oh, and in no particular order): Rambo: First Blood - Lemme tell you guys sumthin, before the Rambo character become a cartoon like character of violence that he's become famous for, there was First Blood. And he seriously kicked @ss without as much snicking or as many eyerolls from movie viewers that the successors of this series tend to receive. This movie was both over the top & yet down to earth at the same time. For a Stallone movie, that is. Tootsie - Outside of When Harry Met Sally, this movie ranks as one that could easily represent for me, the epitomy of the modern romantic comedy. A good script, with each of the central actors approaching their roles with quality efforts, despite the lightness of the subject matter. This movie has the heart, laughs, chemistry & even a touch of satiric social commetary that matches the rest of the film's themes in the same way that a nice pair of high heels would match an elegant dress-gown. Tootsie's end-result is that it satisfies in the manner which was always meant to be of the rom-com when the genre was first conceived. The Karate Kid - Wax on, wax off. Don't forget to breathe. Superman 2 - Okay, after his intro in the first movie, Supes finally gets to take the kid gloves off, kick some real @ss & take names. The three rogue Kryptonians have landed, to reveal to the Last Son of Krypton that he's not exactly the last son of Krypton. And even though Supe-2 isn't as good as the first one, it's still pretty soild for a sequel, especially back when good sequels were rarer than last sons of Krypton. . Even the infamous out-of-left-field "wtf" moment when Supes pulls off a big plastic-wrap S insignia off his chest during the climatic battle is negated by the dynamic quality & the strength of the Lois Lane/Clark Kent romance subplot. A subplot whereupon the mighty Ka-El must learn that with great power comes not only great responsibility, but also, great sacrifice too. Star Trek: The Voyage Home - Late in the future 2300's, some super-powerful alien force is looking for the now extinct whales, & it's approach towards Earth is likely to destroy the entire planet. Kirk & crew decide to jump back through time to the mid 1980's & fetch one, with the hope that utilizing it's whale lingo, it can persuade the gigantic "whatever-it-is" to back the eff off. A great story with fun energy & for my money, the best of the ST franchise series. The interaction between the the crew members in this film is the most integrated of the "old" generation series. You can really get a sense of family that this group of people (whom we've come to know after so many years) have grown into. The actual Top Ten: 10. Batman - After having both of his parents killed by a mugger, Bruce Wayne grows up into the dual identity a Playboy millionaire by day, who then dons a masked & caped battle outfit by night to fight crime as the Batman. Okay, maybe, the latest incarnations of ol' Bats have sort of watered down the impact of the Caped Crusader's modern film debut. And maybe, Jack Nicholson, for the role of the Joker, was a little too old, not to mention, not exactly in the kind of shape that one would expect for a Clown-Prince of Crime. But in the same manner of Marlon Brando in Superman's 1st big budget blockbuster, Nicholson also brings a certain class & credibility to a movie based off a comicbook. And just as in Clean & Sober, Michael Keaton shows that he can provide the kind of weight that is needed for more "non-humorous" roles. Besides, Tim Burton's adaptation of the Batman still was the first serious effort outside of the comicbook to try & depict ol' Bat's as a true Dark Knight of justice. 9. Back To The Future - 'Ey, it's that's one dude from Family Ties teaming up with that one other dude from Taxi & that one chick from Howard The Duck. Michael J. Fox, Leah Thompson, Christopher Loyd, along with Crispin Glover, form a cadre of actors whom, at the time of that BTTF occupied theatres, were not considered top marquee celebtitries, a situation that changed after release, particularly for Fox. Directed by Robert Zemekis, Back To The Future is a time-traveling tale which inarguably solidified the fact that it's never a good idea to take your mother to the school dance. Even if it's before she becomes your mother. 8. Ghostbusters - The dead are starting to rise on the streets of New York. Well, moreso that usual that is. And at the center of it all, is the head ghost demon known as Gozer The Destructor. Who, even in marshmellow form, is still a destructor. So when ol' Goze decides to start giganticly rampaging down through the avenues of the Big Apple, who you gonna call....? The only guys around who know how to show this prehistoric b#tch how we do things downtown. Ghostbusters is a fun, 80's summer-blockbuster defining sci-fi comedy that not only features Bill Murray at his sharpest & Sigourney Weaver at her sexiest (even though at one point, she does turn into a dog....), but also cool specials effects, a couple of proton packs, sliming goblins, a key master, a gatekeeper, streams crossing, cats & dogs living together, not to mention one really big "Twinkie". Die Hard - It's the holiday season, & for John McClane that means that it's time for him to become a pain in the collectives asses of a group of sophisticated terrorists, to a police force of typical movie bumblers, not to mention to that one guy who plays Professor Snape in the Harry Potter flix. Bruce Willis begins his most famous role of the lone wolf "modern cowboy" cop who always manages to find himself crawling through air-vents, systematically taking out bad guys one by one, and escaping one clutch after another of death-defying situations that, in future films, and for some reason he can't grasp, will start to seem like they always happen to him. IMO, it's always a real joy to write about this movie &/or it's successors because it always gives me the chance to use the phrase "Yippy-ky-yay, mother-f#cker". And let's face it, that's just always fun. 6. The Abyss - Or "Close Encounters Of The Under-Water Kind". Or maybe "The Day The Ocean Stood Still". We humans are a species capable of our own destruction. Or of our own salvation. And though sometimes, it's can seem like we're going down the road of total annihilation, there's still enough within us to choose otherwise. At least, that's the kind of hope the water-breathing life-forms from outer space in this film seem to hold about us. Personally, I think this is James Cameron's masterpiece. It's actually two stories in one. The alien storyline that provides the twist for the film, crossed over with the tension building plot involving the scientific crew & the naval SEAL team. And both plots, while differently paced, are still very excellently executed. Now, while the edited version that was originally released into theatres is a fine film, for my money, the uncut version is what truly reveals just how great this movie really is. 5. E. T. the Extra-Terrestrial - 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 watched it with my 6 yr. old niece a couple of months ago, & 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 thought that E.T., was one amazing tale. Or me, b'cuz as an adult, I thought that Elliot's mom was one amazing tail. Seriously, though, as a kid or as a grown up, I think that this is Steven Spielberg's sci-fi masterpiece. With the exception of Close Encounters of the Third Kind, of course. 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 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". 4. Return Of The Jedi - It's father vs. son vs. the Emperor as the first franchise to go under the simple term of "The Trilogy" by it's fans reaches it's long awaited climax. Luke has become a full Jedi, Han has become decarbonized & Princess Leia is completely ignoring the fact that she made out with her brother in the first episode, A Brave New Hope. Yeah, I know that this is considered the weakest of the original series, but at the time of it's initial release, for me, there was was nothing more important than the Force Fever that was sweeping all of society back then. I don't care that the Ewoks were corny, stupid & had a hit song at the time (if anyone out there has the 12-inch extended dance mix to this, contact me & you will have a new very best friend ... ), for my sci-fi geeked-out @ss, this sh#t wuz fo sho', yo. And besides, no matter how much ROTJ gets the stigma as the lesser of the groundbreaking blockbuster franchise trio , it still kicks the butt of any of the prequels (yeah, that's right.... I sed it). Plus, let's not forget, this was the chapter in which Princess Leia wore the famous outfit that influenced many a Star Wars nerd to engage in bouts of the self-member role-playing game mockingly known as "Hands Solo". 3. 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, 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. 2. 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 alien, 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, solid story, distinct characters (with great chemistry), great visuals, the most kick-@ss aliens ever produced for film (xenomorphs, a hive-race of double-mouthed acid-blooded slick black visitors who take the role of their hosts quite literally), 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. 1. 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 they're childhood spirits crushed along 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, hardcore pimp-@ss. 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.  |
| Read all comments (1)|Write your own comment |
|
Ads by Google
|
by carstairs38
by cdm72
