Fave '80s Flicks
May 21 '00
By the end of the 1980s, I hadn't even reached adolescence. During that decade, the movies that ranked at the top of my list were Space Camp, Back to the Future, and The Princess Bride. Now, I think Back to the Future and Princess Bride have held up rather well, but Space Camp? I remember asking my mom once, "How could the newspaper only give Space Camp two stars when it's so good?" She told me the reviewers judge stuff like lighting as well as the story. Yeah, I remember the lighting being really bad in Space Camp, though the story of a bunch of kids who accidentally gets launched into space only to be saved by a robot who recognizes Morse Code will undoubtedly remain in our hearts and minds for innumerable years to come.
I didn't even encounter some of my favorite '80s films until a few years ago. Still, these have influenced me just as greatly as the '80s films I saw during the decade. Because, you know, adolescence is a very sticky period. As in, things stick with you. These are in no particular order, by the way.
Desperately Seeking Susan
A surprisingly funny, well-written story starring Rosanna Arquette as an unsatisfied, rich '80s housewife who "finds herself," both literally and figuratively, in a bad-girl identity. Arquette is good, Madonna is just fine as she whose identity has been taken, and Aidan Quinn is himself quite fine as Arquette's love interest. Punk rocker Richard Hell also makes an appearance as Madonna's boyfriend. It's a funny, quick movie that can be viewed repeatedly (e.g. every time it shows up on TV) without annoyance.
Back to the Future
As I mentioned before, this movie holds up. I like the '80s/'50s parallel -- because hey, those decades had a lot in common. In some senses. The Huey Lewis element is laughable now, and generally, the movie looks dated, but the story -- the relationship between Doc and Marty, Marty's struggle to get home, Marty's botched attempts at avoiding his parents in the past -- is strong.
Sixteen Candles
Many of my peers blame John Hughes on tainting '80s kids with skewed versions of what high school life would be like. This film tries to cover all bases of teen experience -- it's got "richies," partiers, dorks, and the angsty teen girl -- and it succeeds in creating a funny, charming, somewhat idealistic version of it. Hughes films affected my expectations of teenhood, but even though I never got the guy, I'm not bitter. It's a great film.
Fast Times at Ridgemont High
Where Sixteen Candles is idealistic, Fast Times is refreshingly realistic. Director Amy Heckerling's (she also did Clueless) first film covers loss of virginity, abortion, drugs, crushes, masturbation, school, and the overall teen experience in a very low key, non-judgmental way. It isn't preachy; it's just relating episodes from a number of teen's lives to create a well-rounded sense of the experience.
Pee Wee's Big Adventure
PWBA may be one of the most original and funniest films ever created. There's just nothing else like this. Quite simply, it's brilliant. Pee Wee embarks on a mission to find his lost bike and travels through the US, meeting various characters along the way who often rival himself in strange yet endearing persona. There's just so much to this movie, I don't want to start getting into it all. If you haven't seen it yet, give it a shot. Twisted Sister is in it.
Heathers
Yeah, I've got a thing for teen movies. But of any genre during the 1980s, the teen genre grew and developed the most. Heathers is not the typical teen flick. It's darkly humorous, somewhat grotesque, and potentially disturbing. But fun! One critic calls it the "teen pic to end all teen pics"; in Heathers, the typical characters found in most teen films are stretched to unreal stereotypes (e.g. the stereotype of the catty popular girl here mutates into three girls with the same name, each vying for the role). Winona Ryder plays a popular but good girl battling ennui, Christian Slater plays a bad boy who likes to kill.
Those are my six favorites. Below are the runners up, or "movies I don't feel confident to/am too lazy to expound upon at length."
- Paris, Texas: A beautiful American film by Wim Wenders.
- Wings of Desire: A beautiful film in German and French by Wim Wenders.
- Body Heat: Neo noir starring William Hurt and Kathleen Turner. Very twisty plot, very sensual.
- 9 to 5: A silly, fun flick with Dolly Parton, Lilly Tomlin and ooh, I forget the other one. They get back at their mean man boss.
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bethy
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Member: Beth
Location: NY
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