As a movie that was a moderate success at the box office, the cult following of this gem continues today as we relive the world of Westley, Princess Buttercup, and Prince Humperdinck.
The film stands the test of time as a postmodern fairy tale that takes romance, comedy, and some swashbuckling humor and blends it into a delightful story. The players are memorable and the dialogue is quotable.
While production values have changed over the years, The Lost Boys still holds up as a bastion of '80s pop iconography with a trailblazing story. It’s not just the Coreys. It’s the fashion. It’s the setting and the cinematography.
It set the precedent for legions of vampires to come- including Edward, Angel, and Stefan. Also, the soundtrack is phenomenal.
You can’t talk about '80s movies and not mention John Hughes, who used his extraordinary point of view to create teen-specific movies that teens could relate to. In fact, narrowing down the choice seems like a waste, but The Breakfast Club set the standard for how we saw each other and ourselves, all while set in a library during Saturday morning detention.
While some of the references seem dated, it’s the genuine problems that teens felt they had and the emotional toll they experience. The soundtrack is lit.
While this is a 1991 flick, you have to understand that Director John Singleton made Boyz in the Hood, a teen drama about growing up in South Central Los Angeles citing the Breakfast Club writer-director John Hughes as a major influence.
“He gave me a template,” Singleton has said. Boyz in the Hood featured a black cast and was noted as observing urban America with depth and compassion while launching the careers of Cuba Gooding, Jr., Ice Cube, Angela Bassett, and Regina King. Boyz in the Hood was the west coast anthology as Do the Right Thing was on the east coast.
Boy and girl travel across the country and become friends. They depend on each other through thick and thin, only looking for love with each other while one of them is always engaged.
Outside of the diner scene, the conversation about the standards that men and women put each other through still resonates as does the realization that friendship is a necessary ingredient for love. The movie also set the stage for the phenomenon known as the rom-com that has spun in 1000 different directions since then.
A movie with an all-black cast was a gamble back in the eighties, but Eddie Murphy pulled it off, with a fabulous script and fish-out-of-water story. What it did do was set the stage for alternative representations of blackness and created a safe space for actors of color that was anything but standard.
Also, before Wakanda, there was Zamunda--an ancestral home of great wealth and a nation that was anything but impoverished where a prince would give up his throne to marry a commoner from Queens. The jokes and story still stand, even if the technology doesn’t.
What sets Stand by Me apart from other movies of the decade is the boldness to portray the kids with the reality of maturity--these fellas are stuck in bad families, yet remain loyal to each other. And you instantly enjoy their easiness and camaraderie- -you cheer it and hope it stays forever.
Their mindless banter as boys and the ache of remembrance of your best friends, along with a daring adventure allows Stand By Me to rise above its initial viewing--it simply gets better with time. The soundtrack is full of '50s standards and should be required listening for all ages.
What makes Die Hard so incredibly resilient is the age-old plot of good versus evil and man versus corporation. We all know John McClane’s iconic line, and there are honest arguments to be made that this is a Christmas movie. But the down-and-out cop who lost his wife to bougie society is something that still radiates with audiences today. And Hans Gruber was the baddie to end all baddies, who cared only about the greed and let absolutely no one stand in his way, including innocent bystanders or teammates.
But it’s the film’s attention to detail that helps pave the way as a classic--whether it’s Hans hanging by a watch or the actual explosions (they were real) that set the stage for so many more knockoffs. It became the Hollywood standard that all other action films strive to achieve.
Tim Burton created a film sensation with Beetlejuice, and Michael Keaton provided the stellar acting that allows this movie to stand the test of time. In today’s world, no one would give such a huge budget to such a weird movie, and that’s exactly what makes it work.
It's surreal, silly, and sometimes beautiful. The premise is as simple as hiring a demon to haunt a house and scare away people. Except it's anything but simple, and the brilliance lies in the performances and gags.
Hiring professionals to find ghosts and otherwordly spirits seemed weird in the '80s unless those actors were comedic geniuses like Dan Aykroyd, Bill Murray, Harold Ramis, and Annie Potts. The movie was driven by characters and their relationship with one another.
The jokes, slapstick, and quips all come naturally, and the action never pauses for the audience's reaction. In fact, watching a second time will allow you to absorb all the little nuggets you missed the first time around. But in good versus evil, where evil is dreaded and, in some cases, a behemoth--our heroes are human enough to relate to.
There’s something to be said for a trilogy of movies that harken back to the early '30s with enough action and incredible stunts to keep a family entertained. The stories are set in fantastic, faraway places, and the mission is always the same--to retrieve a valuable, one-of-a-kind object and keep it safe from the bad guys.
The best part is the infusion of comedy and common sense that our hero Indiana Jones has--he's part scientist, part reluctant adventurer, part ladies’ man. These movies invoke adventures that stretch the mind and conjure up real fears about what is worth saving and at what cost.
Ask any person who was a teen in the '80s, and they’ll cite this film as one of the scariest movies ever. It was the reason we hated large trees, clown dolls, and the white noise on the television after the news signed off. There wasn’t an aspect of Poltergeist that wasn’t meant to frighten the hell out of you--and while better technology exists today, the story still scares.
It goes beyond the story of ghosts and ventures into dark horror as the house is located in an unfortunate place. Written by Steven Spielberg, the visual scenes invoke the worst nightmares--with the special effects produced by Industrial Light and Magic. Rated PG-13, the long-term effects of this movie still stand, and the scare factor remains.
Seeing Fame for the first time was life-altering for me. At the time, I knew about performing arts schools but didn’t understand the hope, promise, and even defeat of aspiring dancers, singers, actors, and musicians. The premise told the story that if you work hard and aim high, you could become famous, and your star would rise.
It chronicled the odds of making it in NYC and the hard work and sacrifices made to reach your pinnacle. It also solidified the dance/musical as part of the American cinema genre--with Flashdance and Dirty Dancing coming along later in the decade. But its resounding legacy can be seen in today’s reality shows that are based on a similar format--work hard and become a star.
At its core, the film was centered around the idea of police killing young black men and served as a foreshadowing for the existing media landscape and realization of police brutality.
As controversial as the film was in the '80s, it held a mirror up to America about racial inequality and the indifference of it in the mainstream media. While the film doesn’t provide any answers on what should be happening, it provided the backdrop that is still prevalent in today’s society.
A film about class warfare, the poor, and the rich seemed tricky to stage in the age of excess, but Trading Places hit it right on the nose with the help of Eddie Murphy, Dan Aykroyd, and Jamie Lee Curtis. It was based on the theory of “nurture versus nature”, where men could swap lives and their outcomes would change based on their circumstances.
Although there is one unfortunate element of blackface, the movie shined a light on the need for diversity on Wall Street and insider trading reform, which until then, has been perfectly legal. It also showcases the deep racial divide that was culturally normal during the '80s.
The film sparked great interest in the minor league system that paved the way for some of the best baseball in towns across America today. The best part about Bull Durham is the resounding quotes and the sameness that is pervasive in minor league baseball today. There are still giveaways and goofiness at games. It’s still a family sporting event where hot dogs and a cold beer can be consumed.
The endurance of sports metaphors over the ages never ceases to amaze. The film is as much about relationships--between teammates, between men and women, and between pitchers and catchers--as much as it is about baseball. But let’s examine this film for a moment--it was made for adults, not kids.
Many will argue that this film is outdated, but that’s the beauty of Airplane! At its core, it’s a parody of disaster films of the '70s, and it seems even more relevant today. It’s the uncanny timing of every single joke and gag that are delivered in every single line.
Is it sophomoric? Absolutely. But as Roger Ebert said “As a remedy for the bloated self-importance of too many other current efforts, it's just what the doctor ordered". It’s a foundational comedy that delights in density and dexterity and set the stage for Judd Apatow, Kevin Smith, and the Farrelly brothers to make movies today.
The Shining is a masterclass in creating a classic horror tale that is beautifully woven in the scenery of an abandoned hotel during the darkness of winter. Stanley Kubrick didn’t set out to just adapt the Stephen King novel, he set out to create a cinematic experience as Alfred Hitchcock did with Psycho.
And Kubrick’s adaptation gives way to a terrorizing madman who was once the author/father of this delightful family of three. The Shining set the bar that Wes Anderson, Paul Thomas Anderson, and Andres Muschietti had to hurtle in order to make the iconic horror films of today.
Although this film predates the list by one year, it's widely considered a horror film of the eighties. Alien’s genius was in slowly unveiling the story to a point, then turning up the suspense to an 11 about mid-movie. The discovery of the eggs was scary. The dining scene was nightmarish. But the film remains iconic in that the incredible Sigourney Weaver was one of the first female heroines in sci-fi.
Ridley is strong and defies what was, at the time, the definition of feminine and motherly, and the character wasn’t sexualized in this film. Today, 40 years later, we have women in strong lead roles that fight and defeat evil, but that may not have been possible without the character of Ridley.
In what was his directorial debut, Rob Reiner created a mockumentary about a washed-up fictional band going on one last tour. The satire created by Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, and Harry Shearer is nothing short of brilliant, highlighting the bad behavior and pretentious activities of rock bands.
It opened the door for satire in movies that we still enjoy today. The minimal scripting allowed the actors to improvise, which showed that comedians have a place at the forefront of film and the mockumentary was here to stay. Turn it up to 11!
