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80s films that stand the test of time

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 The Lemming 21 Nov 2018

Can you think of any films from the 80s that have stood the test of time and don't make you cringe if you watched them again today?

Surely Bladerunner has to be up there?

You can highlight any films of the decade that have not stood the test of time for what ever reason you care from fashion to becoming a victim of political correctness.

1
 koolkat 21 Nov 2018
In reply to The Lemming:

Aliens although the explosion at the end shows it's age 

In reply to The Lemming:

> Can you think of any films from the 80s that have stood the test of time and don't make you cringe if you watched them again today?

> Surely Bladerunner has to be up there?

> You can highlight any films of the decade that have not stood the test of time for what ever reason you care from fashion to becoming a victim of political correctness.

Test of time in what respect ?

Special effects or storytelling etc...

 

3
 Toccata 21 Nov 2018
In reply to The Lemming:

Local Hero

 Hat Dude 21 Nov 2018
In reply to The Lemming:

"Back to the Future 2" hasn't - Where's my self drying jacket and proper hover board?

 

 Andy Johnson 21 Nov 2018
In reply to The Lemming:

I think that mainstream films that were set in the 80s have aged badly because (in my opinion) it was a fairly shallow, tasteless time. Eighties scifi and historical films have done better.

Certainly Blade Runner. Also Aliens, Full Metal Jacket and Platoon, The Colour Purple.

Probably also Terminator, Highlander (the first one), The Untouchables.

 

 Andy Johnson 21 Nov 2018
In reply to The Lemming:

Das Boot.

Poltergeist.

 Kid Spatula 21 Nov 2018
In reply to The Lemming:

Robocop

Total Recall

The Thing

Aliens

Blade Runner

 TMM 21 Nov 2018
In reply to Toccata:

> Local Hero

That was my immediate thought as well. Still a beautiful, roughly cut gem of a film. Magical.

 profitofdoom 21 Nov 2018
In reply to The Lemming:

> Can you think of any films from the 80s that have stood the test of time and don't make you cringe if you watched them again today? > Surely Bladerunner has to be up there?

For me, "Life of Brian" and "Airplane!"

Funny you mentioned "Blade Runner" - I enjoyed it a lot when it came out, but I saw it again recently and thought it hadn't stood the test of time at all (for me)

 Robert Durran 21 Nov 2018
In reply to Toccata:

> Local Hero

Yes, one of my two most favourite films.

And, of course, Grehory's Girl (though not my other most favourite)

 subtle 21 Nov 2018
In reply to Andy Johnson:

> I think that mainstream films that were set in the 80s have aged badly because (in my opinion) it was a fairly shallow, tasteless time. Eighties scifi and historical films have done better.

> Certainly Full Metal Jacket and Platoon

> Probably also Highlander (the first one), The Untouchables.

Agree with these  - but lets not forget about the Goonies, a timeless classic

1
 koolkat 21 Nov 2018
In reply to The Lemming:

Let's not forget restless natives great music all so 

 Andy Johnson 21 Nov 2018
In reply to subtle:

> but lets not forget about the Goonies, a timeless classic

Well it's a children's film. I'm not sure whether "stood the test of time" vs "cringeworthy" applies in the same way as for adult films.

 

7
 Tyler 21 Nov 2018
In reply to The Lemming:

The dedication to the Mujahideen in Afghanistan at the end of Rambo III hasn't aged well!

 subtle 21 Nov 2018
In reply to Andy Johnson:

> Well it's a children's film. I'm not sure whether "stood the test of time" vs "cringeworthy" applies in the same way as for adult films.

Ooo, get you - childrens film, pah, its got to be an "adult" film.

 

 

 Blue Straggler 21 Nov 2018
In reply to subtle:

> Agree with these  - but lets not forget about the Goonies, a timeless classic

Funnily enough I never liked it much as a kid, but there is so much enduring love for it that I decided to give it another go quite recently, and I had to turn it off after about 45 minutes. It was dreary and annoying. I say "funnily enough" because I usually like stuff like this.

3
 Blue Straggler 21 Nov 2018
In reply to The Lemming:

Stood the test of time? Loads of them

someone mentioned RoboCop, which actually now looks to have been rather AHEAD of its time - its corporate themes feel very relevant today.

The Breakfast Club
Salvador
The Right Stuff
A Nightmare on Elm Street



Some that have not stood the test of time would be
Fatal Attraction
Sixteen Candles

 Phil79 21 Nov 2018
In reply to The Lemming:

Top 3 are obviously:

1. Predator

2. Predator

3. Predator

End of thread.

5
 Blue Straggler 21 Nov 2018
In reply to The Lemming:

Rain Man hasn't stood the test of time but then it was never that good to start with.
At the time people were wrongly praising it for bringing autism to public consciousness, but now that autism is very much in the public conscience, you watch Dustin Hoffman in Rain Man and the performance is offensively cartoonish. Tom Cruise acts him off the screen!

This comment isn't about Rain Man being a victim of political correctness.

2
 Blue Straggler 21 Nov 2018
In reply to Phil79:

> Top 3 are obviously:

> 1. Predator

> 2. Predator

> 3. Predator

> End of thread.

Well yes, but that's a bit "using a sledgehammer to crack a walnut"! That's why I didn't mention it. Too obviously the winner

4
 Andy Johnson 21 Nov 2018
In reply to subtle:

> Ooo, get you - childrens film, pah, its got to be an "adult" film.

I never said it had to be an adult film - just that (young) children tend to be less judgemental about films, and judgeing as classic or cringeworthy is what the thread is about. I'm assuming that most people here are (chronologically) adults.

But ok, if you think its a good 80's film then thats cool. By the 80s I was no longer a child, and I didn't have children then either, so I don't have much exposure to 80s kids films.

 

1
 wercat 21 Nov 2018
In reply to TMM:

and mine.

 

Also Withnail and I

Mad Max 2

Dune for strangeness

1984  (and of course the Mac cinema ad)

 

Post edited at 11:27
 TMM 21 Nov 2018
In reply to The Lemming:

I'll add 'The Princess Bride'. Family entertainment from the days before Pixar et al.

'Spinal Tap'. Still the definitive 'rockumentary' and still good for a giggle.

Reiner was on a rich vein of form.

Trivia. Under what obscure Spinal Tap related condition did Mark Knopfler agree to score 'The Pricess Bride'?

Post edited at 11:37
 tehmarks 21 Nov 2018
In reply to The Lemming:

I can't believe that nobody has mentioned The Shining yet.

 Blue Straggler 21 Nov 2018
In reply to TMM:

 

> Trivia. Under what obscure Spinal Tap related condition did Mark Knopfler agree to score 'The Pricess Bride'?

Did he want it recorded in Dobly?

 

 Blue Straggler 21 Nov 2018
In reply to tehmarks:

> I can't believe that nobody has mentioned The Shining yet.

Maybe "Gordon's Asleep!"

 Alyson 21 Nov 2018
In reply to The Lemming:

Studio Ghibli films are pretty timeless. So much so that I had to look up which ones were made in the 80s! Kiki's Delivery Service, My Neighbour Totoro, Castle In The Sky, Grave of the Fireflies, and Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind - all 80s films and all measure up to today's standards imo.

In reply to Alyson:

+1 

 

Totoro is as close to a perfect piece of film making that i have seen

 mountainbagger 21 Nov 2018
In reply to Blue Straggler:

> Some that have not stood the test of time would be

> Sixteen Candles

Yes, I hear the cast are all burnt out now.

1
 Offwidth 21 Nov 2018
In reply to Blue Straggler:

Some more:

Raging Bull

Platoon

Stand by Me

Terms of Endearment

ET

Terminator

The Thing

The Empire Strikes Back

Raiders of the Lost Ark

Die Hard

 TMM 21 Nov 2018
In reply to Blue Straggler:

> Did he want it recorded in Dobly?

Top reference but incorrect, I reckon you knew that.

Post edited at 13:37
 mav 21 Nov 2018
In reply to profitofdoom:

Life of Brian was 1979 (though it's possibly my favourite film of all time).

For me, given my age, this topic is more about the films I watched as a teenage that I still think are good. Most of the ones that were favourites of my friends and I seem dated and embarrassing watching them back. I give you Flatliners as a prime example. The Breakfast Club stood up better (though I agree with Molly Ringwald's recent comments about it promoting mysogyny. One I'd like to re-watch would be the Lost Boys to see how it stands up. Just hearing Echo and the Bunnymen covering the Doors would make it worth it.

But the films I nominate above all others are Blue Velvet and Withnail & I.

 

 JamButty 21 Nov 2018
In reply to The Lemming:

Ferris Bueller 

 

 

 

 Offwidth 21 Nov 2018
In reply to Blue Straggler:

Forgot:

 

Brazil

Raising Arizona

Scarface

Elephant Man

Lost Boys

Flash Gordon

Akira

Tetsuo

Brother from Another Planet

Blue Velvet

Heathers

Pink Floyd the Wall

 ThunderCat 21 Nov 2018
In reply to The Lemming:

Scum. 

Watched that at a very young age and my mam said quite clearly "if you're a naughty boy and get in trouble with the police, that's where they put you"

Apart from having a loving, honest family I think that was one of the main reasons I've always kept my nose clean and not got into any bother.  Scared my sh*tless 

it also left me with a strange fear of green houses, for some reason...

OP The Lemming 21 Nov 2018
In reply to Toccata:

> Local Hero


Haven't seen that for years, well since it came out on VHS.

I shall watch it this very evening.

OP The Lemming 21 Nov 2018
In reply to wercat:

 

> Also Withnail and I

Sorry but this film should be wiped from the very fabric of time.

 

18
OP The Lemming 21 Nov 2018
In reply to tehmarks:

> I can't believe that nobody has mentioned The Shining yet.


Good point.  Very few horror films have stood the test of time however psychological films still scare the shit out of me every time.

Blood and guts only plots never did it for me from the age 15. 

 Blue Straggler 21 Nov 2018
In reply to TMM:

> Top reference but incorrect, I reckon you knew that.

Yes, I was being playful!

The funny thing about Knopfler w.r.t. Spinal Tap is that the BBC did a rather poor three part series on "the guitar", presented by Alan Yentob. In one section, he visits Knopfler sitting in his guitar loft wittering on about his guitars, totally unironically - and, brilliantly, that parallel scene from Spinal Tap was intercut into it, but only on the original broadcast - I was disappointed to be unable to show it to friends on iPlayer. Either Knopfler saw it and took umbrage, or they didn't have the rights to include Spinal Tap clips on iPlayer. 

What was the condition then?

In reply to The Lemming:

> Also Withnail and I

> Sorry but this film should be wiped from the very fabric of time.

youtube.com/watch?v=fChF1w9Dvno&

OP The Lemming 21 Nov 2018
In reply to ThunderCat:

> Scum. 

> also left me with a strange fear of green houses, for some reason...

And for me socks with pool balls in them.

 

I have a bit of trepidation, do I watch Escape from New york this weekend or leave it to my nostalgic memory banks?

 

 Blue Straggler 21 Nov 2018
In reply to mav:

> The Breakfast Club stood up better (though I agree with Molly Ringwald's recent comments about it promoting mysogyny.

 

It will be worth a look at her comments regarding Sixteen Candles, which are very well written and show Sixteen Candles up to be the appallingly dubious film that it always was. The Breakfast Club is NOTHING next to that one. 

The whole John Hughes obsession with Ringwald still creeps me out (basically he seemed to want her to be 15 forever and do nothing but play high-school girls in his films)

 David Alcock 21 Nov 2018
In reply to Alyson:

Totoro - perfect mix of melancholy and joy.

Gone for good 21 Nov 2018
In reply to The Lemming:

I agree that Blade runner has stood the test of time and I loved the more recent sequel.

My kids loved Mrs Doubtfire (OK it was 93 not 80s). All the Robin Williams films have stood the test of time so how about these 80s classics. 

Good morning Vietnam. 

Dead poets society.

1
 Blue Straggler 21 Nov 2018
In reply to Offwidth:

Decent list. 

I believe that if Tetsuo: Iron Man was shown to someone who didn't know it was a 1980s film, they could be convinced that it was made in 2018!

 Mike Highbury 21 Nov 2018
In reply to Offwidth:

You missed, Pretty Woman

1
 Blue Straggler 21 Nov 2018
In reply to Mike Highbury:

> You missed, Pretty Woman

1990

 TMM 21 Nov 2018
In reply to Blue Straggler:

> Yes, I was being playful!

> The funny thing about Knopfler w.r.t. Spinal Tap is that the BBC did a rather poor three part series on "the guitar", presented by Alan Yentob. In one section, he visits Knopfler sitting in his guitar loft wittering on about his guitars, totally unironically - and, brilliantly, that parallel scene from Spinal Tap was intercut into it, but only on the original broadcast - I was disappointed to be unable to show it to friends on iPlayer. Either Knopfler saw it and took umbrage, or they didn't have the rights to include Spinal Tap clips on iPlayer. 

> What was the condition then?

From Wiki.

'In his audio commentary of the film on the special edition DVD, director Rob Reiner said that only Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits could create a soundtrack to capture the film's quirky yet romantic nature. Reiner was an admirer of Knopfler's work but did not know him before working on the film. He sent the script to him hoping he would agree to score the film. Knopfler agreed on one condition: that somewhere in the film Reiner would include the USS Coral Sea (CV-43) baseball cap (which had been modified to say "USS Ooral Sea OV-4B") he wore as Marty DiBergi in This Is Spinal Tap. Reiner was unable to produce the original cap, but did include a similar cap in the grandson's room. Knopfler later said he was joking.'

 Stichtplate 21 Nov 2018
In reply to The Lemming:

Loads (but not all) of the above, plus...

Drugstore Cowboy.

Near Dark.

They Live.

Overall though, I think the 70's produced more 'timeless' classics.

 Blue Straggler 21 Nov 2018

some mentions of The Terminator and Aliens which are both very good but actually the James Cameron 1980s film which really does stand the test of time, is The Abyss. The cinematography, art direction, and editing (e.g. the transition between miniatures and full-scale) is astonishing, and for the most part the special effects don't look dated even if ILM themselves say they cringe when they see the water tentacle. 

(admittedly the massive static tidal wave in the Special Edition does look a bit unfinished)

Just really underrated film both now and at the time

 

1
OP The Lemming 21 Nov 2018
In reply to The Lemming:

Of all the quality films mentioned, out of curiosity have you seen these films recently to compare and contrast your happy 80s memories?

 Blue Straggler 21 Nov 2018
In reply to The Lemming:

Good point. I was about to say I hoped that nobody would be mentioning a film that they haven't seen relatively recently, as then they would have no proof that it has stood the test of time, but then remembered that I only watched 45 minutes of The Goonies on my recent attempt to re-appraise it, and I haven't seen Rain Man since about 1992 - but then in both those cases I'm saying they haven't stood the test of time and weren't that good in the first place, so I am sort-of in the clear. The ones I've said have stood the test of time, I've seen all of them in the past five years apart from Salvador which I maybe watched ten years ago at the most recent. 

 Alyson 21 Nov 2018
In reply to The Lemming:

Yes, I watched My Neighbour Totoro last week! I also recently re-watched Beverly Hills Cop and while there was still a lot I liked about it, it was very much of its time regarding the depiction of women and the occasional bit of casual sexism. Still love the soundtrack though!

 Andy Johnson 21 Nov 2018
In reply to Blue Straggler:

> The Abyss

I'd forgotten about that one. Excellent film.

 Blue Straggler 21 Nov 2018
In reply to Andy Johnson:

> I'd forgotten about that one. Excellent film.

Thanks and I'd meant to add that the story and acting and action scenes are good too. 

The actual dialogue is a hard one to judge though as it is almost entirely expository e.g. "how deep are we?" and "this tactical warhead is like 8 Hiroshimas"  

 Blue Straggler 21 Nov 2018
In reply to Alyson:

Was Beverly Hills Cop ever any good, aside from Judge Reinhold being quite funny? 

You have just reminded me (via Eddie Murphy) of one that has stood the test of time.

Trading Places

 HansStuttgart 21 Nov 2018
In reply to The Lemming:

the sacrifice

nostalghia

short film about love

Fanny and Alexander

 Andrew Lodge 21 Nov 2018
In reply to The Lemming:

An American werewolf in London

 

It has aged a bit but still good fun.

 wercat 21 Nov 2018
In reply to The Lemming:

> Sorry but this film should be wiped from the very fabric of time.

It was before time existed and shall be, beyond the end thereof

Something I would like to see again would be Richard Griffiths making an early appearance in the first series of "Bird of Prey", TV though.

 

I thought Timothy Dalton was a decent Bond.  The films would stand up if they had not been shown to death.

Duel with An Teallach

Post edited at 17:16
 badgerjockey 21 Nov 2018
In reply to The Lemming:

My Left Foot is still bloody amazing.

 

 

 

Especially since I got those verrucas seen to....

Post edited at 17:22
 Alyson 21 Nov 2018
In reply to Blue Straggler:

The first Beverley Hills Cop is quite good, the second is mediocre and the third abysmal!

Removed User 21 Nov 2018
In reply to The Lemming:

Although the release date was in 1990 I think most of the filming of Jim Sheridans The Field took place in 1989. Staring Richard Harris, John Hurt, Sean Bean, Brenda Fricker and Tom Berenger it's the only film I own. A Greek tragedy centred on one mans obsession with the field has tended for 30 years. As a tenant he is faced with the humiliation of having the field sold from under him. Stunning scenery and historical references to the famine and war of independence.

 BnB 21 Nov 2018
In reply to Blue Straggler:

> some mentions of The Terminator and Aliens which are both very good but actually the James Cameron 1980s film which really does stand the test of time, is The Abyss. The cinematography, art direction, and editing (e.g. the transition between miniatures and full-scale) is astonishing, and for the most part the special effects don't look dated even if ILM themselves say they cringe when they see the water tentacle. 

> (admittedly the massive static tidal wave in the Special Edition does look a bit unfinished)

> Just really underrated film both now and at the time

Mainly 'cos it was and still is very boring. You are right about Terminator and Aliens though. Very good indeed. Watched Blue Velvet with my son the other day. Always a good test when you make it inter-generational. He was proper impressed.

70s though for the real classics. Godfather, Deer Hunter, Taxi Driver, Alien, Chinatown, Exorcist, Cuckoo's Nest, Jaws, French Connection, Annie Hall, Star Wars not forgetting the almighty Apocalypse Now.

 Blue Straggler 21 Nov 2018
In reply to Removed UserDeleted bagger:

Funny, I was pondering this but knew it was a 1990 film and then I remembered how much I dislike Day-Lewis' performance (well, more the writing and direction) in My Left Foot, and got myself all distracted. 

The Field is indeed great, I would love to be running a cinema and show it as a double bill with the 1960 film Tunes of Glory which I feel is thematically similar. 

I need to show The Field to my dad, I think it will remind him of the petty machinations of the country estate he grew up on as the son of the estate joiner/handyman. John Hurt as "The Bird" in particular is reminiscent of an old busybody we knew. 

The thing about The Field is that Bull McCabe is in fact totally in the wrong, would you agree?

 Sean Kelly 21 Nov 2018
In reply to The Lemming:  Just been watching two of these on U tube recently. I'm not that into Sci-fi or horror so my list is...

Full Metal Jacket

Blue Velvet

Amadeus

Jean De Florette

Ran

Pale Rider

Post edited at 17:49
 Shani 21 Nov 2018
In reply to TMM:

> I'll add 'The Princess Bride'. Family entertainment from the days before Pixar et al.

> 'Spinal Tap'. Still the definitive 'rockumentary' and still good for a giggle.

Spinal Tap is the benchmark for EVERY 'mockumentary' since (particularly any of a musical nature, and it also directly influenced comedies like The Office and others of the genre).

I'd go so far as to say Spinal Tap is the third most quoted work of all time (in the West), after the Bible and the works of Shakespeare. So many cartoons, reviews and interviews i come across make knowing nods to '11', 'none more black' and 'Stonehenge' amongst others. As a social phenomena it is one louder.

 

I find "Flash Gordon" an interesting case;  it's a film that can never really be remade due to the strength of its soundtrack (they have tried to remake it, but I'm not aware it was ever finished).

Post edited at 17:54
 MonkeyPuzzle 21 Nov 2018
In reply to The Lemming:

Manhunter - Blows its remake/film from the same book (Red Dragon) out of the water for creepiness, and had Iron Butterfly playing for the climatic scene to boot.

Ghostbusters - If it's on, I'll watch it. Whenever it's on. Wherever I am. Can't think of anything more entertaining.

Hellraiser - One of the best bang for buck films of any genre I can think of.

Die Hard - The archetypal big dumb action movie.

Withnail and I - Of course.

Too many others to list.

OP The Lemming 21 Nov 2018
In reply to The Lemming:

This film came out in 78 and I never saw it the first time round either, but I wonder how Debbie does Dallas holds up to contemporary educational art styles?

 wintertree 21 Nov 2018
In reply to The Lemming:

Nothing by Mel Brooks.

 BnB 21 Nov 2018
In reply to wintertree:

> Nothing by Mel Brooks.

Young Frankenstein is a masterpiece.

 Blue Straggler 21 Nov 2018
In reply to BnB:

I assume wintertree was referring to Brooks’ 1980s output 

 wintertree 21 Nov 2018
In reply to BnB:

> Young Frankenstein is a masterpiece.

I’m afraid to re-watch it as an adult lest another childhood memory be erased, as with Spaceballs.  Hard to go wrong with Gene Wilder however.  Except for Hanky Panky.

I’m also afraid to re-watch The Last Starfighter.  Eye-eye-eye-alien aside, Flight of the Navigator has held up well.

Post edited at 18:43
 Alyson 21 Nov 2018
In reply to The Lemming:

I want to say Field of Dreams, but I haven't watched it for a while so I don't know whether I'm judging it fairly. I seem to think it holds up well though.

 DaveHK 21 Nov 2018
In reply to Alyson:

> I want to say Field of Dreams, but I haven't watched it for a while so I don't know whether I'm judging it fairly. I seem to think it holds up well though.

It probably hasn't got any worse with time!

 Blue Straggler 21 Nov 2018
In reply to wintertree:

> I’m afraid to re-watch it as an adult lest another childhood memory be erased, as with Spaceballs.  Hard to go wrong with Gene Wilder however.  Except for Hanky Panky.

I saw Young  Frankenstein at the cinema on Friday, it was their “mystery movie”

I loved it, 8/10. I think I’ve only seen it once before, as a teenager. I think the humour works better when you are an adult.

What is peculiar about it is that it’s not some out and out spoof/parody but more of a respectfully irreverent homage to the 1930s hokey classics , with the camp and the cheese ramped up to 11, and plenty of additional innuendo.

 

The entire cast is spot-on although I felt Madeleine Kahn was a bit underused.

 

It stands up a lot better than does Spaceballs and arguably Brooks’ most consistent and coherent film - there is very little filler.

It’s from 1974 by the way

Post edited at 19:10
 Alyson 21 Nov 2018
In reply to DaveHK:

Oi!  

 DaveHK 21 Nov 2018
In reply to Alyson:

> Oi!  

Post edited at 19:13
 Tom Valentine 21 Nov 2018
In reply to Blue Straggler:

Finally got round to seeing First Man today and my reaction afterwards (having this thread in the back of my mind) was that The Right Stuff has most definitely aged very well.

I don't know how well Cutters Way would be received these days, an absolute masterpiece as far as I'm concerned but not well known.

More mainstream is Witness, hard to forget and the Amish scenes might help it stop aging too much.

And, full circle, Lukas Haas plays both the witness of the title and Michael Collins in First Man.

 Blue Straggler 21 Nov 2018
In reply to Tom Valentine:

I don’t think I have seen Cutter’s Way but I know it is still consistently revered.

 

I never liked Witness, Ok there is the novelty setting and it is well shot but overall it is a pretty generic crime flick and the denouement of the henchmen is ludicrous

 

i did spot Lukas Haas on the cast list for First Man and thought it was a nice little in-joke what with Michael Collins being the only “eye witness” to Apollo 11 (even if he did miss a bit when he went behind the moon)

 

he also popped up in Widows, which meant two  Lukas Haas films in the cinema in a month 

 Blue Straggler 21 Nov 2018
In reply to Tom Valentine:

You have reminded me that I need to re-watch The Mosquito Coast to see if it stands up. I’ve always said it is Ford’s finest performance but maybe I am wrong .

 Dr.S at work 21 Nov 2018
In reply to wintertree:

Last star fighter is on from time to time and is still good fun.

 Tom Valentine 21 Nov 2018
In reply to Blue Straggler:

Regarding Cutter's Way, without checking I can't remember who robbed Lisa Eichorn of her Oscar and although drink driving is not funny the way John Heard's character weasels his way out of a ticket will make most people cry with laughter (except Toyota owners)

My mistake: I always thought she was nominated but no

Post edited at 19:39
 BnB 21 Nov 2018
In reply to Blue Straggler:

Touché

 Welsh Kate 21 Nov 2018
In reply to The Lemming:

I can't believe nobody's mentioned Top Gun yet. It has to be one of the defining movies of the 80s :-D

 Stichtplate 21 Nov 2018
In reply to BnB:

> Young Frankenstein is a masterpiece.

Re-watched it a few weeks ago with my eldest. Must've been the 4th or 5th time I've seen it and it was still laugh out loud funny.

OP The Lemming 21 Nov 2018
In reply to Welsh Kate:

Who does not like a good goosing?

I shall report back after watching Escape from New York.

 MarkH55 21 Nov 2018
In reply to The Lemming:

Conan the Barbarian 

 Blue Straggler 21 Nov 2018
In reply to Tom Valentine:

 Regarding Cutter's Way, without checking I can't remember who robbed Lisa Eichorn of her Oscar

> My mistake: I always thought she was nominated but no


As I mentioned above, without my ever having knowingly seen this film, I am aware of its reputation and a lot has been said about Eichorn's performance in particular (and Heard and the motoring offence)


Maybe look at the Oscar nominations that year and see if she was robbed of a nomination, maybe it was just a tough year, or the film wasn't commercial enough to attract the Academy (I think in 2018 Michelle Williams was robbed of a Best Actress nomination due to All The Money in the World being basically brushed under the carpet without a hope of being commercial, and likewise Christian Bale and Rosamund Pike in Hostiles lost out due to that film just being relentlessly bleak - nobody saw it but it's the best work I've ever seen Bale do) I digress, that's not like me, to digress.


edit: looks like a very tough year in the Lead Actress stakes, with a shoo-in for Hepburn  

Katharine Hepburn – On Golden Pond as Ethel Thayer Diane Keaton – Reds as Louise Bryant Marsha Mason – Only When I Laugh as Georgia Hines Susan Sarandon – Atlantic City as Sally Matthews Meryl Streep – The French Lieutenant's Woman as Sarah Woodruff/Anna The supporting actress nominations that year are harder to call as I've seen vey few of the films (and actually I'ver got far into Reds, nor bothered with On Golden Pond, and barely heard of Only When I Laugh but I do know Marsha Mason's work pretty well, she's had four nominations I think!)

 

Post edited at 20:50
 mbh 21 Nov 2018
In reply to Wanderer100:

+1 for Good Morning Vietnam. One of my favourite and most often watched films. If I want a laugh, I just say to myself 'Well, we ask people, 'Are you the enemy? And whoever says yes, we shoot them.' 

Some people on here clearly want very different things for films than I do. Scarface? Withnail and I? They were dull when they were made and still are.

Terminator is terrific. I haven't watched Local Hero or Gregory's Girl in ages. I so hope they haven't dated, but doubt they have. I still find the idea of trying to hitch to Caracas funny.

 

Removed User 21 Nov 2018
In reply to The Lemming:

I'm appalled to scroll through this thread and find the following omission:

Big Trouble in Little China.

 Welsh Kate 21 Nov 2018
In reply to mbh:

Good Morning Vietnam has the best movie sound-track ever!

OP The Lemming 21 Nov 2018
In reply to Removed User:

> I'm appalled to scroll through this thread and find the following omission:

> Big Trouble in Little China.


Cracking film which I have seen a couple of times this year.

 jonny taylor 21 Nov 2018
In reply to Hat Dude:

> "Back to the Future 2" hasn't - Where's my self drying jacket and proper hover board?

 

But you got your Biff-led dystopia...

 Blue Straggler 21 Nov 2018
In reply to The Lemming:

Emir Kusturica's "The Time of the Gypsies" stands the test of time

 Toccata 22 Nov 2018
In reply to Sean Kelly:

> Jean De Florette

My exact thoughts when driving to work this morning. I like Manon too.

 scoobydougan 22 Nov 2018
In reply to ThunderCat:

What a horrible film! 

 felt 22 Nov 2018
In reply to TMM:

> From Wiki.

>that somewhere in the film Reiner would include the USS Coral Sea (CV-43) baseball cap (which had been modified to say "USS Ooral Sea OV-4B")

From somewhere else:

"[In Spinal Tap] permission to use the real Coral Sea hat was refused [hence the Ooral Sea...]

The joke is more about the trend of (bearded) big-time directors wearing ballcaps of teams/groups that they have no affiliation with. Spielberg in particular was known for this. There are pics of him wearing police and navy hats from the same time period. I think he got the joke, because he mainly wears a flat cap (old man kind) or blank ballcap these days."

Lovely trivia.

 Blue Straggler 22 Nov 2018
In reply to Toccata:

I was going to name both those films then I remembered I hadn't actually seen either of them, only countless clips because it seemed that in the late 1980s every cultural TV show wanted to bang on and on about them. Especially Manon des Sources as it gave them an excuse(*) to show clips of Emmanuelle Beart, and this is probably why I keep thinking I've seen them!



* and why not
https://bit.ly/2znTwUl

Post edited at 10:09
 Raskye 22 Nov 2018
In reply to Toccata:

> Local Hero

One of my favourites as well.

I was lucky enough to work up in the Morar area for a few years and used to have lunch on the beach... idyllic.

There also used to be a B&B there which had a Local Hero DVD in every room. They also had a decanter of whisky on the landing for a free nightcap and a copy of Ooor Willie in the loo.... perfection.

 Blue Straggler 22 Nov 2018
In reply to Toccata:

Google Images suggests that Ms Beart may have had some facial surgery done. 

By Mr Magoo. 

 wercat 22 Nov 2018
In reply to The Lemming:

The Day After stands up terrifyingly well.  I am haunted by the looks on the people's faces as they see silos opening up in the fields and spaces around small town US and streaks heading up into the sky.  A bit like Threads, which I only saw recently.

Going back in time Culloden and The War Game are starkly as strong as the day they were first seen in the 60s

That brings me to When the Wind Blows and more happily the Snowman

Post edited at 10:22
 Blue Straggler 22 Nov 2018
In reply to wercat:

Is it unpatriotic to say that The Day After is superior to Threads in every way?

I do, er, ADMIRE Threads (careful not to say I "like" it, as that would be weird!) but it at least has not aged well, and a lot of the acting is on the cheesy side, sorry to say. 

I want to see When the Wind Blows again, but last few times I looked, it was hard to get hold of. Maybe I can stream it. Or just read it again maybe. 

 felt 22 Nov 2018
In reply to Shani:

> I'd go so far as to say Spinal Tap is the third most quoted work of all time (in the West), after the Bible and the works of Shakespeare. 

I love Tap quotes ("Look, look; who's in here? No one"; "Yeah, and clever") but I'd say Life of Brian was third. 

In reply to Kid Spatula:

Total Recall 1990?

OP The Lemming 22 Nov 2018
In reply to wercat:

The snowman. Possibly the finest bit of British animation, period.

 Shani 22 Nov 2018
In reply to felt:

> > I'd go so far as to say Spinal Tap is the third most quoted work of all time (in the West), after the Bible and the works of Shakespeare. 

> I love Tap quotes ("Look, look; who's in here? No one"; "Yeah, and clever") but I'd say Life of Brian was third. 

Interesting. They're certainly close.

 MonkeyPuzzle 22 Nov 2018
In reply to The Lemming:

I almost forgot two Kurosawa classics: Ran and Kagemusha! Great way to spend 6 hours.

 stp 22 Nov 2018
In reply to Blue Straggler:

> I do, er, ADMIRE Threads (careful not to say I "like" it, as that would be weird!) but it at least has not aged well, and a lot of the acting is on the cheesy side, sorry to say. 

Threads is an ace film in my opinion. Unique and disturbing and one of those films that I wonder what impact it had people's consciousness or society as a whole. Not watched for a good few years so I'm preparing myself for second viewing sometime soon - now the HD version has been released.

Also another vote here for Dead Poets Society - one of the best films in any decade. Watched a year or so ago and it hasn't aged a bit.

 

 Bulls Crack 22 Nov 2018
In reply to wercat:

Dune didn't pass the test in the 80's! A dogs ' breakfast of a film...sadly

 

 Blue Straggler 22 Nov 2018
In reply to stp:

> Threads is an ace film in my opinion. Unique and disturbing and one of those films that I wonder what impact it had people's consciousness or society as a whole. Not watched for a good few years so I'm preparing myself for second viewing sometime soon - now the HD version has been released.

Maybe I was a bit harsh but I did say I admired it!

But have you seen a The Day After (1983 thing with Jason Robards and Jobeth Williams, not to mixed up with The Day After Tomorrow)?

 

 DerwentDiluted 22 Nov 2018
In reply to The Lemming:

I'm going to nominate 1985's 'Come and See' by Elim Klimov. Not only does it stand the test of time, but it still stands as one of the greatest ever war films for those who can look beyond the English language.

 

 Calvi 22 Nov 2018
In reply to profitofdoom:

> For me, "Life of Brian" and "Airplane!"

> Funny you mentioned "Blade Runner" - I enjoyed it a lot when it came out, but I saw it again recently and thought it hadn't stood the test of time at all (for me)


Life of Brian is a 70s film.

 

 Blue Straggler 22 Nov 2018
In reply to DerwentDiluted:

I’ve been quietly waiting for that particular UKC stalwart to appear on this thread!

 

Removed User 23 Nov 2018
In reply to The Lemming:

in no particular order-

Ran

Nostalghia

Repo Man

Withnail and I

 Blue Straggler 23 Nov 2018
In reply to The Lemming:

Rumble Fish is still really good to watch. 

 Blue Straggler 23 Nov 2018
In reply to The Lemming:

Excalibur is better now than it was for most of the 1980s because the association with the Old Spice adverts has faded massively (Excalibur uses Orff's Carmina Burana quite a bit in dramatic action montages and suffered for this when Old Spice also used it in their adverts)

And you get prime Helen Mirren at 36, plus an effective and disturbing Charley Boorman before he grew into an utter upper class wally. And pre-fame Patrick Stewart and very briefly Gabriel Byrne. 

 Blue Straggler 23 Nov 2018
In reply to The Lemming:

The Cook, The Thief, His Wife and Her Lover

Watched it in 2013 having not seen it since about 1992. 
It's good. 

aultguish 23 Nov 2018
In reply to The Lemming:

Lion of the Desert, starring Anthony Quinn.

The real footage of the concentration camps from the air brings the atrocities to life.

 wercat 23 Nov 2018
In reply to Blue Straggler:

The Name of the Rose

The early 80s was the moment Blake returned and he and his gang were wiped out by Servalan, quite a talking point at the time - someone I met the next morning said he and his wife were so shocked they cancelled going out for a meal.

 Hat Dude 23 Nov 2018
In reply to Blue Straggler:

 

> And you get prime Helen Mirren at 36, plus an effective and disturbing Charley Boorman before he grew into an utter upper class wally. And pre-fame Patrick Stewart and very briefly Gabriel Byrne. 

The real star of the show is the totally loopy performance of Nicol Williamson

 Blue Straggler 23 Nov 2018
In reply to Hat Dude:

> The real star of the show is the totally loopy performance of Nicol Williamson

Absolutely. Loopy but somehow bang-on. He was never a household name was he. I have some Grahame Greene adaptation that stars him, from around 1979, but haven't seen it yet. Was he more of a stage actor than a television/film man, or was he just a bit before my time?

 Hat Dude 23 Nov 2018
In reply to Blue Straggler:

A bit of a flawed genius, would definitely be classed as belonging to "the awkward squad" he had a few famous meltdowns on stage.

Worth watching him in "Robin and Marian", "The Seven Percent Solution" or earlier in his career "The Bofors Gun"

Andrew Kin 23 Nov 2018
In reply to The Lemming:

Running Man

Weird Science

 

 Pero 23 Nov 2018
In reply to The Lemming:

My top films from the 80's:

Breaker Morant

Gallipoli

The Glass Menagerie

Jean de Florette

Raging Bull

Raising Arizona

The Unbearable Lightness of Being

Withnail and I

 

 kipper12 23 Nov 2018
In reply to wercat:

Dune!!

It was woeful.  A brilliant book but massacred by the film.  I think it deserves a remake with the best technology has to offer.

OP The Lemming 23 Nov 2018
In reply to kipper12:

> Dune!!

> It was woeful.  A brilliant book but massacred by the film.

I loved Dune back in the day however I tried to watch it this year and turned off after 15 minutes.  I tried so hard to persevere but it was awful.

Post edited at 12:51
 kipper12 23 Nov 2018
In reply to Andrew Lodge:

> An American werewolf in London

Does the three stags heads outside Stoney Middleton do a passable impression of the slaughtered lamb?

 

 mav 23 Nov 2018
In reply to Blue Straggler:

> likewise Christian Bale and Rosamund Pike in Hostiles lost out due to that film just being relentlessly bleak - nobody saw it but it's the best work I've ever seen Bale do)

Bale is consistently ignored for awards, yet frequently delivers staggeringly good performances. Unfortunately for him they tend to be in dark and/or ignored films. The Machinist, the Prestige...

and interesting to hear Rumblefish stands up well. It's on my list of films to revisit when the kids get just a touch older.

 Blue Straggler 23 Nov 2018
In reply to Hat Dude:

Thanks
The Human Factor is the Graham Greene thing I was thinking about.

 stp 23 Nov 2018
In reply to Blue Straggler:

No not seen it. Will have to check it out.

I'm probably a little biased towards Threads is as I live in Sheffield though. And I like the fact it's British making the characters easy to relate to.

 Tom Valentine 24 Nov 2018
In reply to Pero:

Great to see Breaker Morant get a mention.

I suppose "period" pieces like that do age better because you don't begin your assessment of them in 2018 by expecting them to pass for a contemporaneous film, whereas Do the Right Thing was a film of its time and is no longer one that can be viewed as such and so might be considered not to have aged well.

 

In reply to stp:

> Threads is an ace film in my opinion. Unique and disturbing and one of those films that I wonder what impact it had people's consciousness or society as a whole. Not watched for a good few years so I'm preparing myself for second viewing sometime soon - now the HD version has been released.

I just watched Threads after reading about it in this thread. Totally harrowing, and while obviously of it's time, I didn't find it too dated.

 

 Blue Straggler 27 Nov 2018
In reply to Tom Ripley Mountain Guide:

Now watch The Day After

In reply to The Lemming:

Amazon women on the moon. Classic 

 Tom Valentine 27 Nov 2018
In reply to Blue Straggler:

possibly superior piece of cinema but nowhere near as relevant to a teenager living in South Yorkshire in the early 80s

 Hat Dude 27 Nov 2018
In reply to The Lemming:

The death of Bernado Bertolucci  has reminded me about "The Last Emperor" a brilliant epic film

I particularly remember the scene where the palace eunuchs are evicted from the Forbidden City, carrying jars containing their emasculated organs.

 Blue Straggler 27 Nov 2018
In reply to Justsomeclimber:

> Amazon women on the moon. Classic 

Son of the Invisible Man in that film, is pure genius 

In reply to Hat Dude:

> The death of Bernado Bertolucci  has reminded me about "The Last Emperor" a brilliant epic film

Don't let us forget his two greatest films: 'The Conformist' and 'The Spider's Stratagem'. Just brilliant all-time greats.

 

 graeme jackson 27 Nov 2018
In reply to The Lemming:

Surprised there's been no mention of what is easily the best movie of 1980 (if not of all time IMO)..

The Blues Brothers. 

 

 Offwidth 27 Nov 2018
In reply to graeme jackson:

Apologies due from me in that respect. I thought it was very late 70s  but that was just the Saturday Night Live incarnation. It had the most effect on me of any film I had ever seen.

 wercat 27 Nov 2018
In reply to The Lemming:

I watched Dragnet recently and it certainly stood up to watching.

 toad 27 Nov 2018
In reply to The Lemming:

Empire Strikes Back/ Return of the Jedi are both 80s!

 BnB 27 Nov 2018
In reply to toad:

> Empire Strikes Back/ Return of the Jedi are both 80s!

And one of them is a good film (a great film even)

 Blue Straggler 27 Nov 2018
In reply to The Lemming:

 

Southern Comfort

 

 Blue Straggler 28 Nov 2018
In reply to Offwidth:

> It had the most effect on me of any film I had ever seen.

What sort of an effect did it have on you?

 

 Jon Stewart 28 Nov 2018
In reply to The Lemming:

youtube.com/watch?v=28NnWphc8IY&

There's also an utterance of "balls!" that you deserve, but it's unfortunately not up on YouTube. 

 John Ww 28 Nov 2018
In reply to The Lemming:

Raging Bull 

Cal 

Midnight Run

Planes, Trains and Automobiles

In reply to Blue Straggler:

> Now watch The Day After

I didn't find it quite as a compelling, and I also thought that the post-nuclear world depicted in The Day After was unrealistically ordered. The bleakness, chaos and total destruction of the situation came across far better in Threads. Or maybe it just resonated more with me as I'm typing this in Nether Edge.  

 spartacus 28 Nov 2018
In reply to The Lemming:

Starman

An American werewolf in London

 

Post edited at 12:50
 Blue Straggler 29 Nov 2018
In reply to Tom Ripley Mountain Guide:

> I didn't find it quite as a compelling, and I also thought that the post-nuclear world depicted in The Day After was unrealistically ordered. The bleakness, chaos and total destruction of the situation came across far better in Threads.

Threads covered a rather longer timescale than did The Day After, iirc. I think The Day After (despite its title) covers roughly a week. The bulk of Threads covers several months to a year, and then a couple of quick leaps of several years. If I am remembering this correctly then it is totally unreasonably to compare them on such a basis. If it turns out that the bulk of threads is focused on the initial week, then I'll give you that one. 


Anyway if you want to see a very ordered post-nuclear world, watch (or read) On the Beach. I have not read it but I saw the 1959 film on a flight once (choosing my popcorn in-flight entertainment brilliantly there) and it's fab 

 Blue Straggler 29 Nov 2018
In reply to Stichtplate:

 

> Drugstore Cowboy.

> Near Dark.

> They Live.

 


For some reason I am feeling that these three are linked despite no obvious major connections in cast and crew. It's an interesting trinity that you chose there. 

 

 DaveHK 29 Nov 2018
In reply to The Lemming:

Having watched it recently I think My Beautiful Laundrette has aged really poorly but remains a good film. Although perhaps if one were to watch it for the first time today one might think differently.

Dingerbell 29 Nov 2018
In reply to The Lemming:

Goonies, Ghostbusters, ET, Ferris Buellers day off.

 Stichtplate 29 Nov 2018
In reply to Blue Straggler:

> For some reason I am feeling that these three are linked despite no obvious major connections in cast and crew. It's an interesting trinity that you chose there. 

Hmm..... Initially unloved, achieved cult status for a decade or so, since dropped off the radar?

... A trajectory that somewhat mirrors the lives of many?

 Blue Straggler 29 Nov 2018
In reply to Stichtplate:

Drugstore Cowboy and especially They Live are back on the radar now. Near Dark is still off the radar, there was a brief resurgence a few years ago though. 

 StockportAl 30 Nov 2018
In reply to The Lemming:

It seems a lot of films from the 80s set in a time before the 80s have survived quite well. Scanning through the thread I see Das Boot which is a definite for the list as well as Full Metal Jacket & Platoon, I'd add such things as Empire of the Sun (just a shame A Bridge Too Far was in the 70s).

But, then there's Predator, we have to remember, if it bleeds we can kill it.

 wercat 30 Nov 2018
In reply to The Lemming:

What about John Carpenter?

The Fog and Prince of Darkness, classics of menace with music

 

Anyone mention The Evil Dead for OTT comedy horror?

Post edited at 09:45
 Blue Straggler 30 Nov 2018
In reply to wercat:

> What about John Carpenter?

Several of his films have been mentioned on this thread

 

 Blue Straggler 30 Nov 2018
In reply to The Lemming:

 

I haven’t “tested” this film “recently” to verify whether it stands up today but I did view it around ten years ago and found it more effective than when I saw it in 1990

 

Michael Radford’s 1984 film adaptation of George Orwell’s “Nineteen Eighty-Four” is very underrated

 

Removed User 30 Nov 2018
In reply to Phil79:

Realise im late to the party but Phil79 clearly knows his stuff...……. 

 Jim Hamilton 30 Nov 2018
In reply to The Lemming:

Midnight Run

 wercat 30 Nov 2018
In reply to Blue Straggler:

yes, but not the ones I mentioned, and I already mentioned 1984

Post edited at 16:20
 Blue Straggler 30 Nov 2018
In reply to wercat:

> yes, but not the ones I mentioned

 

 

Your “what about John carpenter” strongly implied that you were unaware that any of his works had been mentioned. 

 

> and I already mentioned 1984

 

my apologies for missing that. In my defence it isn’t actually the title of the film

<goes to check>

oh, sorry, looks like 1984 is the title of the film now or at least in some territories. I remember it as being variously Nineteen Eighty-Four, George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four, and I do believe also Michael Radford’s Adaptation Of George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four 

Post edited at 16:47
 Blue Straggler 30 Nov 2018
In reply to The Lemming:

Who Framed Roger Rabbit?

 wercat 01 Dec 2018
In reply to Blue Straggler:

Sorry -came over a bit terse  - my comment about John Carpenter was a bit of a throwaway anyway

 Blue Straggler 01 Dec 2018
In reply to wercat:

No worries, I may have been cratchety too. Thanks for acknowledging though !

 Blue Straggler 01 Dec 2018
In reply to The Lemming:

 

2010: The Year We Make Contact

 

a few inconsistencies and some bad science and yes you can point and laugh at the 128kB Apple and all the CRT screens but remarkably the special effects hold up quite well even today (apart from one or two shots) and it’s just a belting good space adventure

 

 Blue Straggler 01 Dec 2018
In reply to The Lemming:

 

havent seen these recently enough to comment with confidence but I’ll take a punt  on a nice pair of Wim Wenders films

Paris, Texas

and

Wings of Desire

 

 wercat 02 Dec 2018
In reply to StockportAl:

My wife used to take kids on daytrips to the Bavarian Film studios where they could see the sets for Das Boot and also see themselves on video riding on the back of the dragon in Neverending Story

 wercat 02 Dec 2018
In reply to The Lemming:

Saturn 3 has a somewhat claustrophobic and threatening atmosphere.   The part where the Robot is being trained (probably from what was developing technology in 1980) is rather sinister still.  I didn't see it until a few years ago and found it very watchable.

 The New NickB 02 Dec 2018
In reply to The Lemming:

> The snowman. Possibly the finest bit of British animation, period.

The Wrong Trousers was made in 1989. A short rather than a feature, but it won an Oscar so definitely counts as film.

1
In reply to The Lemming:

Hellraiser

 Blue Straggler 02 Dec 2018
In reply to The New NickB:

> The Wrong Trousers was made in 1989. A short rather than a feature, but it won an Oscar so definitely counts as film.

The Wrong Film, and/or The Wrong Year

You probably mean A Grand Day Out, which didn't win an Oscar 

 Blue Straggler 02 Dec 2018
In reply to The Lemming:

Aside from three mentions of Raging Bull, there's not much love for Scorsese on here (and admittedly the 1980s were rather dark days for him) but I'll put forward a suggestion of After Hours. 

 

Also, I always thought Brian DePalma's "Blow Out" was really underrated.


To be clear, I am not simply saying "I like these films". I am saying I think that they have stood the test of time, w.r.t. the actual point of the OP. 

There are 1980s films that I like but which can not be said to have truly stood the test of time. 

Post edited at 13:24
 wercat 02 Dec 2018
In reply to wercat:

A clip of the Robot being trained

youtube.com/watch?v=g-kV-DZG0ss&

In reply to wercat:

> My wife used to take kids on daytrips to the Bavarian Film studios where they could see the sets for Das Boot and also see themselves on video riding on the back of the dragon in Neverending Story

When I was working on Neverending Story in 1983 I went inside the mock-up submarine used in Das Boot, which was still on the back lot. It was very claustrophic.

 Blue Straggler 02 Dec 2018
In reply to The Lemming:

Jackie Chan's "Police Story"

The climax was always a let-down after the hijinks that precede it, but it still represents a high watermark in this kind of crazy action comedy

 Stichtplate 02 Dec 2018
In reply to Blue Straggler:

I'll see your pair of Wim Wenders and raise you a pair of Alex Cox's (don't think we've had them yet?).

Repo Man.

Walker.

 Blue Straggler 02 Dec 2018
In reply to Stichtplate:

DO they truly stand the test of time? I haven't seen it for decades and probably didn't understand it at the time, but wouldn't Walker look REALLY dated today? Wasn't it a commentary on 1980s US military intervention in central America, clumsily melded with a 19th century drama in that Alex Cox "throw everything in at once" manner, that is certainly not without charm?

 Stichtplate 02 Dec 2018
In reply to Blue Straggler:

Of course they stand the test of time! (I've not seen either in over a decade).

Repo Man purely on the strength of Harry Dean Stanton and the brilliant soundtrack. Walker just for the final scene when he's evacuated out of the 19th century by helicopter.

OP The Lemming 02 Dec 2018
In reply to Gordon Stainforth:

What films have you been part of, over the years?

In reply to The Lemming:

It's on my website > Gordon's CV > main film credits.

OP The Lemming 02 Dec 2018
In reply to Gordon Stainforth:

Krull, another cracking film from the 80s

 

 Blue Straggler 03 Dec 2018
In reply to The Lemming:

I know you won’t reply but anyway...

do you genuinely think Krull has stood the test of time?

 

i say this as someone for whom it was a childhood favourite, and I think there is a lot of good stuff in there still now (Gordon’s work on it was superb btw) but have you seen it recently and do you believe it stands the test of time? I know you’re not claiming that anyway, and just praising it generally as a tangent, but just wondering.

 

for my money, it has to be said that it is overlong, the lead actor is wooden, and there are too many “protagonists travelling” montages - and the decision to overdub Lysette Anthony with Lindsay Crouse was appalling. 

 

On the the other hand it has great cinematography , an intriguing story with a complex antagonist, some cracking individual scenes, a nice balance of sci fi, fantasy, comedy and mild horror, and some wonderful characterisations. And that score!

 Blue Straggler 03 Dec 2018
In reply to The Lemming:

 

Black Widow 

 

 Blue Straggler 03 Dec 2018
In reply to The Lemming:

Atlantic City

 Tom Valentine 03 Dec 2018
In reply to Blue Straggler:

Every time I cut a lemon in half and squeeze it, I'm a young Susan Sarandon. Quite enervating , actually.

 aln 03 Dec 2018
In reply to Blue Straggler:

> I know you won’t reply but anyway...>

It's so.....

 FactorXXX 03 Dec 2018
In reply to The Lemming:

First Blood.

 

 aln 03 Dec 2018
In reply to The Lemming:

Poltergeist.

E.T.

 wercat 03 Dec 2018
In reply to The Lemming:

I rewatched an 80s TV film recently and still found it poignant - Across the Lake with Anthony Hopkins as Donald Campbell, filmed in and around Coniston.

(Laughed out loud last night at Alec Guinness in "Barnacle Bill", his last Ealing film made in 1957, beautiful performance)

Post edited at 13:12
 wercat 03 Dec 2018
In reply to Gordon Stainforth:

I've only seen it once but I did record some special cut of  it some time ago so it's long overdue to be watched.  There seems to be something in the German psyche that makes their war films full of characterisation and tragedy rather than excitement and excessive gore - Like Stalingrad and some others I've seen.  I suppose it's not surprising considering how many families must have lost relatives.

Post edited at 13:17
OP The Lemming 03 Dec 2018
In reply to wercat:

Who does not like a good Ealing Comed?

youtube.com/watch?v=AKrc0nIBHFs&

Let's not make any comparisons to modern day politics please.

 

 Blue Straggler 03 Dec 2018
In reply to The Lemming:

It pains me to say it because it is a good film, but it is fair to say that To Live and Die in LA has dated pretty badly 

 Blue Straggler 03 Dec 2018
In reply to The Lemming:

Of the five official Bond films made in the 1980s, For Your Eyes Only and The Living Daylights have stood the test of time. The other three rather less so (although Licence To Kill does have its plus points, it feels a bit cheap for a Bond)

Never Say Never Again is simply embarrassing 

 Oldbro3 05 Dec 2018
In reply to The Lemming:

Raising Arizona

Ferris Buellers Day off

 

 subtle 07 Dec 2018
In reply to The Lemming:

Caddyshak - has this been mentioned?

 AlanLittle 18 Dec 2018
In reply to The Lemming:

Stone Monkey

 Belle74 04 Jan 2019
In reply to The Lemming:

There's only one film that will ever stand the test of time. It's called... Footloose. And in it, a great hero, named Kevin Bacon, teaches an entire city full of people with sticks up their butts that dancing, is the greatest thing there is.

 

My favourite would probably be Lost Boys. But I'd have to say the best think to come out of the 80s fims has to be... This is Spinal Tap.

Post edited at 10:11
 planetmarshall 04 Jan 2019
In reply to The Lemming:

> Surely Bladerunner has to be up there?

Ah, but which one? The version released to cinemas in the 80s is a vastly inferior film to the Director's Cut, which was created in the 90s

Either way though, it still looks amazing. I've just finished watching the 4k version as I type. That last scene with Rutger Hauer has to be one of the iconic film scenes.

 

 Blue Straggler 04 Jan 2019
In reply to planetmarshall:

>  That last scene with Rutger Hauer has to be one of the iconic film scenes.

Don't encourage UKC to start quoting and misquoting it!

 

1
 afx22 04 Jan 2019
In reply to The Lemming:

I've just been catching up on this thread and saw the references to Threads.  One of my best mates was an actor in this (we were 14 years old at the time), so I found this even more harrowing that I might have done otherwise.

So, I foolishly decided to read through all of the detail on Wikipedia - including the synopsis.  Really scary stuff, especially in light of the modern politics and when you consider where we are on the Doomsday Clock right now.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Threads

Post edited at 13:10
In reply to The Lemming:

Die Hard

Empire Strikes Back

Blade Runner

Aliens

Predator

Full Metal Jacket

Platoon

Fitzcarraldo

Blue Velvet

Ferris Bueller’s Day Off

 wercat 04 Jan 2019
In reply to The Lemming:

Artemis 81 anyone?

 Blue Straggler 04 Jan 2019
In reply to wercat:

> Artemis 81 anyone?

Ooh that's a new one on me. Sounds fascinating, thanks

 

 Thunderbird7 05 Jan 2019

Highlander!

"I'm Connor McLeod of the Clan McCleod and I am immortal"

Swordfight on the Cioch, low flying Jag in the end piece - whats not to like?

 Tom Valentine 05 Jan 2019
In reply to Thunderbird7:

Thanks for the post - you have just prompted me to order a Collector's Edition of Razorback. Can't wait.

 Bob Hughes 10 Jan 2019
In reply to Stichtplate:

> Loads (but not all) of the above, plus...

> Drugstore Cowboy.

That was my favorite film for years. Hence the profile name...

 


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