Caddyshack 1980's movie.

A Movie Tribute to the 1980’s When Ronald Reagan Ran America

For eight years, from 1981 until 1989, the United States had one of the greatest Presidents running the nation; Ronald Reagan. Of course, the media hated him. Of course, subsequent politicians and their media sycophants have rewrote the narrative, turning the amazing decade into one of “racism”, inequality, and a trampling of rights.  What a crock of bullshit.

It was no such thing.

You can tell simply by looking at pop culture from that time.

If everyone was sad, unhappy, unemployed and suffering, the pop culture would reflect it. Just like pop culture reflected World War II, and the 1950’s. Pop culture is a far superior barometer of the health of a nation than the nonsense spewed out from mainstream media. For if you listen to the mainstream media narrative, the United States today is completely unified and angry against Donald Trump. The media has us believing that Antifa and the BLM are “grassroots” organizations that spring up organically. They try to give the impression that it’s just normal everyday folks that hide behind the black masks. Don’t believe them or their narrative, as it is not an accurate reflection of American society today.

This is my tribute to the decade of Ronald Reagan.

This is my tribute to the years from 1981 until 1989. If you, the reader, DON’T want to hear what actually happened during this time from someone who experienced it, you can leave. You can read the politically correct revised narrative; one that is saturating the history books, and one that is repeatedly proclaimed over and over by the progressive mainstream media. Go ahead. That is your reality. Suck it up. Absorb the bullshit. Read the narrative. Hell, you need boots to traverse the sludge.

I guess that Americans must be friggin’ idiots not to want this kind of “success” to continue. Because, last I heard, the entire policy plank of the liberal progressive elite was in tatters by 2016. Everyone was so happy with the “new” Global-centrist Socialist America that they decided to tear it all up and go with Trump. Go figure.  So, yeah. Believe what you want in your reality.

This is mine.

Introduction

If you go on many internet websites, such as history.com, you will see the politics of that time. You will see the big issues that the newspapers printed. You will see what wars the United States were involved in. You will see the various political issues and the various spending initiatives. All of which was true.

Yes. That was the 1980’s, but that was NOT what you personally experienced.

That was what you read about in the papers. That was what you watched on the news. That was what the radio talked about. It was the reality that was TOLD to us. Then, as now, the media are completely out of touch with the vast bulk of America.

Well, it should be clear by now, that everything that comes out of the mainstream media is propaganda designed to manipulate. It was just as true then as it is today.  If the news-babe is talking, you pretty much can believe that it is a lie. Any facts and figures coming from a “blue ribbon panel” is nonsense. And, just about any polling data is simply fabricated baloney.

Prediction for Hillary.
Here is a screenshot taken from a mainstream media website in 2015 that was using polling data to predict the outcome of the 2016 election. They predicted, based on polling data, that the vast bulk of the population would vote for Hillary Clinton. They predicted a landslide win over Donald Trump. The liberal website “The Daily Kos made this prediction in 2015 based on polling data from Democratic pollster Tom Jensen . Their conclusion; Let Donald Trump try to win, it would be the biggest mistake the GOP ever made, and would destroy their party.

So, instead of a nice rehash of what we were told was important, you know, by the oligarchy that runs the propaganda, let’s talk about what it was like on a personal level. Let’s talk about the society and culture under a conservative presidency.

Oh, yeah, real conservatives are a rare breed. Neither of the Bushes were conservatives. They were globalists. They served the global oligarchy.

The last real and honest conservative in office was Ronald Reagan.

Let’s talk about the culture during a successful Republican (Conservative) presidency. It’s not a perfect analogy by any means. However, for those of you who seemingly enjoyed watching these movies, realize that they are a reflection of that time and that place.

Here are some highlights as described by the pop culture (movies) of that time…

Movies during this time

There were so many good movies during this decade. I believe that this was pre-progressive Hollywood. They really hit their stride then.

Not like today, where the case is always diverse, progressive, and female. Hey! How did you like the all-female remake of Ghostbusters? Oceans Eleven? The Rocketeer? Get ready, they plan an all-female remake of Goodfellas next year too. Groan!

The Mixed (And Misguided) Messages Of All-Female Movie Remakes

What's up with all the Female Remakes

Dear Hollywood, These All-Female Remakes Are Dumb, Boring, Childish, And Demeaning
The trailer for the new all-female “Ocean’s 11” reboot was unveiled this week. The Hollywood Reporter called it "the capstone 2017 needed." Most regular people called it awful and stupid.

What else could it be other than awful and stupid? It’s a reboot of a remake of a remake, which means it already has all the fun and freshness of dried vomit. The feminist twist just gives it an extra touch of preachiness and pandering, like a vomit stain that comes to life and lectures you about the patriarchy.

-The Daily Wire

The movies in the 1980’s didn’t have any of this progressive revisionism rammed down our collective throats. They were light-hearted fun and charming. Even the more serious ones. Here’s a trip down memory lane…

Criteria

There were so, so, so many great movies made during this time, that there is no way that I would be able to put them all here. I just added them as my memories permitted. The first one is “Spaced Invaders” because it is really great and really obscure.

Spaced Invaders.

I don’t know how anyone could hate this movie. I honestly and really don’t. It is so funny. It took a unique mind to come up with this story line. It’s not your typical alien movie. These aliens are so stupid and confused. They remind me of Eric Holder, Nancy Pulaski, and Mad Maxine Waters.

Characters so stupid that you wonder how they learned to walk.

I am not at all kidding. Just pay attention to their actions and listen to what they say and how these aliens react to situations. When you transpose a progressive mantle onto them, the movie takes on an entirely new meaning.

Spaced
After mistaking a Halloween re-broadcast of Orson Welles’ classic radio adaptation of WAR OF THE WORLDS for a real Martian invasion, a group of moronic Martians shows up on Earth looking to conquer only their plans go awry as they find themselves truly out of their element and in reality all alone. This really is often quite good and funny, with some decent lines to boot. It will most likely appeal to Sci-Fi fans. This has passed the test of time for me as seeing it again recently it proved much better than I expected it to be. Despite a cast made up of no-name stars, this may just be the funniest Martian invasion ever put to film. Interestingly enough, the Martians themselves seem to represent almost every classic Action Hero/Sci-Fi Hero stereotype there is (cool 50s teen, fighter pilot, fearless astronaut, brave soldier and kooky scientist). Fun for the whole family.

Twins.

The whole film is about the brothers and how they get along. De Vito plays the sluggish criminal Vincent who finds it difficult to accept his brother and Arnie plays the very enthusiastic brother Julius who is always willing to do everything he can.

Having two different types of characters allows the tension and excitement of the film to boil up and engages the audience into watching the humor but also the emotional ideas contained. It is very heart warming and will bring a smile to your face as some actions are completely ridiculous in a humorous sense but the ending is also very special for many people. There are many ‘brother’ conventions. De Vito is willing to help his brother into the world and teach him the things he knows as is Arnie.

twins
TWINS, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Kelly Preston, Danny DeVito, Chloe Webb, 1988, (c)Universal Pictures

War Games.

Historically-speaking, there are two movies that have shaped public opinion about computers: 2001 and WarGames. With 2001, there is the question of “What happens when an automated computer system makes decisions on its own?” In today’s world of automatic Windows updates and random error messages for no reason, it seems very prophetic. WarGames poses the question of “Who uses the computer and what do they do?” The consequences, as one can easily guess, are enormous. Even when hardware ages, the ethics remain.

Wargames
Wargames was a movie that was way ahead of its time. No one was making films about hacking into computer systems. The only computers used in movies were on space ships. No home computer has ever really been brought to the big screen. Wargames broke from the normal studio sci fi norm of either Earth being visited by aliens (E.T) or battles of Good and Evil in space (Star Wars, Star Trek). With the raise in hacker crime rate now, and seeing how Dependent we’ve become on computers, Wargames was a movie with it the eye on the future. Imaginative story, great cast (who, despite other reviews, do not phone it in) Wargames is a true gem, as it was recently listed by AFI as one of the top 100 sci fi movies of all time.

WarGames isn’t perfect. There are plenty of logic problems in the script, but it still presents its topic with a naive fascination. What the writers don’t know, they pretend they do. Matthew Broederick is, once again, the nerdy teen with social problems (Ferris Bueller had a different problem, though). Aside from Glory, he won’t be able to shake that image even now in his 40s.

Weird Science.

This is a great movie that contained the hit from the group “Tears for fears” where “Everyone want’s to Rule the World”.

Welcome to your life
There's no turning back
Even while we sleep
We will find you
Acting on your best behavior
Turn your back on mother nature
Everybody wants to rule the world
Real Genius
Mitch Taylor is one of the youngest students ever accepted to a university known for its programs for geniuses. He partners up with his roommate, science club legend Chris Knight, on a project to develop a high-powered laser. Together with their hyperkinetic friends, they employ their intellects in the pursuit of bigger blasts, practical jokes, and a deeper understanding of what real genius means. When they find out that their professor intends to turn their work over to the military for use as a weapon, they decide to get even

Tears For Fears and “Everybody Wants To Rule The World”. This is jet another 1980’s classic . It was also in the movie “Real Genus“, which in itself was a totally classic 1980’s flick.

Let’s talk about it.

It’s interesting to me that Revenge of the Nerds, while still full up of the nostalgia that the 80s lends us, is lately being rewritten as chauvinistic . What was viewed for many years as a bit of harmless fun that waved the banner for nerds everywhere is now being a called a movie full of racism and misogyny, and damages the image of geek culture more than it applauds for it.

Oh, give me a friggin’ break.

Real Genius was loosely (very very very loosely) inspired by actual events that took place when university students were working to crack laser technology. But in Real Genius, this is being done on the fictional Pacific Tech campus, where the students are unknowingly creating that laser for the CIA to use in government sanctioned hits from space. They don’t know this because their odious professor, Dr. Hathaway (played to a tee by William Atherton), obviously isn’t letting them in on the secret.

He’s too busy skimming off the funds that the government is providing to the project, so he can renovate his house.

Real Genius
Mitch Taylor is one of the youngest students ever accepted to a university known for its programs for geniuses. He partners up with his roommate, science club legend Chris Knight, on a project to develop a high-powered laser. Together with their hyperkinetic friends, they employ their intellects in the pursuit of bigger blasts, practical jokes, and a deeper understanding of what real genius means. When they find out that their professor intends to turn their work over to the military for use as a weapon, they decide to get even.

Weird Science.

This is yet another great 1980’s movie. Even when John Hughes makes a mediocre film such as “Weird Science,” the nature of his intent still shines through, to the point where you can’t necessarily fault him for anything except not making a better one.

“Weird Science” serves as the ultimate 1980s high school nerd fantasy, one in which babes see social awkwardness as a turn-on and bullies and extortionist older brothers help themselves to large servings of humble pie. The movie truly doesn’t need to be anything more, even in spite of the shallowness of its characters and general disregard for logic.

Anthony Michael Hall (in his fourth Hughes film in three years) and Ilan Mitchell-Smith star as two losers who determine that if they can’t get girls the “old-fashioned” way that they can use their computer smarts to play Frankenstein and create the ideal woman. After some illegal hacking they pack her with a high IQ (and an appropriate breast size) then hook a doll up to a machine. One crazy storm inside their house later and suddenly there’s Lisa (Kelly LeBrock), who’s every bit as stunning with a type A personality as a nerd could possibly imagine or desire.

Weird Science
Weird Science is the best 80’s comedy that was ever made. I’m saying it. Ghostbusters, Summer Rental, The Great Outdoors, Strange Brew, Gung Ho, Mr. Mom, all of these movies have their place, but none of them can match Weird Science for laughs or pure….eightiesness. Yes eightiesness is a quality. It’s a corny, dated quality but one that is tangible and valued by my fellow eighties loving brethren to this day. Come back with me if you will to a time when Anthony Michael Hall was still fielding calls and Kelly LeBrock was French for sexy. Weird Science has everything that an eighties comedy needs: A least one hot girl, a few actors who are no longer working or who do anything that will come along, plenty of dashing eighties threads, a corny as hell eighties soundtrack,(and Oingo Boingo is as corny and eighties as they get), and plenty of cheap funny jokes.

The Lost Boys.

There are many films about vampires, but one that is almost always remembered with a shy smile on the face is definitely “The Lost Boys”. As one of the best remembered films of the 80s, this movie has become part of pop culture and a defining film for that period.

The movie showcases most of what was cool or hip in that decade.

While its status as “horror classic” has a lot to do with the nostalgic factor, it’s an entertaining film on its own right and its modernization of the vampire myth along with its tongue in cheek humor still make for a charming and funny session of pure mindless entertainment.

Lost Boys
“The Lost Boys” is a movie that effectively combines a cool and attractive look with a simple but entertaining plot resulting in a successful and charming film. The story modernizes classic elements of the vampire myth and adapts it to its time with intelligence and definitely tongue in cheek humor. In fact, this self-aware comedy approach is what makes the film enjoyable, and it relies more on fun and laughs than in actual scares. The plot is rather simple, and lacks some character development, but it makes an interesting (although also quite simplistic) analogy between the troubles of youth and becoming a vampire.

Trading Places.

Trading Places” is a 1983 comedy that sees Murphy teaming up with fellow Saturday Night Live star Dan Ackroyd.  It’s a fantastic tale of two men whose fates are manipulated by the unscrupulous Duke brothers, a pair of stock traders who decide to take Winthorpe (Ackroyd), a high-powered executive and Valentine (Murphy),  a down and out beggar, and swap their situations.

They do this to see if they can turn Winthorpe to crime and turn Valentine into a successful trader, regardless of how the two men are affected by it. I’m not sure anyone tolerates blacking up in the politically correct Hollywood movies today, but we still love Ackroyd’s brief stint as ‘Lionel Joseph’ a rasta from Jamaica who has a short but glorious meeting with Eddie Murphy’s ‘Nenge Mboko.’

Louis Winthorpe III: Nenge? Nenge Mboko? It is me, Lionel Joseph!

Billy Ray Valentine: Lionel? From the African Education Conference?

Louis Winthorpe III: Yah, mon, I was Director of Cultural Activities at the Haile Selassie Pavilion.

Billy Ray Valentine: I remember the pavilion – we had big fun there!

Both: Boo-boo yah, boo-boo yah, boo-boo yah, hah! Boo-boo yah, boo-boo yah, boo-boo yah, hah!

Billy Ray Valentine: Oh, memories!

Denholm Elliott’s drunk Irish priest adds to the racist fun. I love how politically incorrect it is.

Trading Places
This is probably one of the funniest films of the 1980’s. It not only is a play on the classic nature vs. nurture theme, but it is also a somewhat comedic commentary on the “greed is good” decade of the 80’s. However, it is also a nice bridging of the generations as it features two of the biggest stars to come from “Saturday Night Live” Eddie Murphy does a fine job as con man Billy Ray and Dan Ackroyd is great as Louis. Jamie Lee Curtis is also wonderful as Ophelia. In fact, it was good to see her do something other than the “scream queen” roles which she became famous for during the early part of her career. She definitely shows the comedic timing that she would display later in her career and would make her one of the finest comedic actresses in film today. However, the one that really steals it for me is Denholm Elliot as Coleman. He delivers a very low key performance that is befitting for that role. This is a real gem.

Dragnet.

When was the last time you watched this movie? Heh heh. Maybe it might be time to dust off the ol’ BetaMAX and pop that puppy in and watch it again.

This film is a scream. It takes everything that the original series did, and does it with tongue firmly planted in cheek. Dan Ackroyd’s deadpan Jack Webb impersonation is a riot, as are the remarks he makes to Hanks’ Pep Streebeck.

A typical example would be after Joe ignores Sylvia Wiss’ advances, and Pep calls him on it. Joe looks him dead in the eye and says,

"Streebeck, there are two things that separate us from the animals. One, we use cutlery. Two, we can control our sexual urges. I don't know about you, but don't drag ME into your private HELL!"

That line is so Jack Webb-DRAGNET that I’m surprised it never showed up in the 1960’s version. Like the Austin Powers films, DRAGNET spoofs a cultural icon in such a way as to evoke the original. Ignore the silly plot, and just enjoy the ride.

Dragnet
Dragnet is a satirical version of the famous documentary style police show from the Fifties and the later color version from the sixties. Dan Ackroyd’s dead-on impersonation of the no-nonsense monotone Jack Webb that a generation of Americans grew up remembering is excellent. Like Webb he plays it completely straight or maybe I should say straight man.

Young Sherlock Homes

What if Sir Arthur Conan Doyle created a story where Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson met as adolescents? What if he made it a very suspenseful mystery that explained may of the great sleuth’s character traits and stylistic characteristics?

What if…well, he did not, but screenwriter Chris Columbus, director Barry Levinson, and producer Steven Spielberg do bring us a fine film that does these things called Young Sherlock Holmes. Young Sherlock Holmes is the meeting of fantasy film and classic literature, and it is a meeting that coexists very nicely.

Young Sherlock
The plot is reminiscent of Raiders of the Lost Ark in that there is a lot of action and adventure, as well as exploration of the cult, which has its meetings in a cavernous place with a replica of a pyramid, where its members wear costumes and practice mummification. There are lots of special effects during the hallucination sequences as well as in other sections.

The great detective meets his future colleague and friend Dr. Watson in a London prep school amidst the mystery of what six men did many years ago in Egypt. Several of the men begin to die in horrible, inexplicable ways, and the young Holmes suspects mischief.

The film is a veritable treasure trove of Sherlock Holmes allusions. The film is fast-paced, fun, fantastical, and creates insights into why Holmes developed emotionally the way he did.

Overboard.

This was a great film. I enjoyed it thoroughly! The casting couldn’t have been better and it was hilarious! The kids were great and made me laugh! Kurt did another excellent job.

All those who are fanatics for edge of your seat thrillers, don’t even comment on this movie, go see Soldier or something, maybe you’ll like that better. “Typical 80’s trash” says the pompous Hollywood critics. Nonsense.  Just enjoy the story, I loved it.

Overboard
Overboard is a wonderful and delightful movie. Every aspect of this story is entertaining. Goldie Hawn, Kurt Russell and Edward Herrmann turn in great performances. But what bolsters this movie is the story about how a vain, selfish and spoiled woman undergoes a major transformation and in the process emerges as truly beautiful, not only physically but spiritually as well. The movie also has its share of amusing scenes, and in many respects it is a farce, but it’s a lot more than that – it is statement about home, family, devotion and love. The movie shows the spiritual emptiness of conspicuous materialism and the shallowness associated with unfettered consumption. This is is not to say that the movie is anti-wealth because it isn’t. Rather, it is an amusing foray into the quirkiness of relationships and how people with seemingly nothing in common can form strong personal bonds.

My Stepmother is an Alien.

Here is an oldie but goodie. This movie is great! It’s got a funny script and an interesting storyline…I don’t know if people were expecting some kind of “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” challenger, but you all need to see this movie for what it is…somehow I doubt it was meant to deliver some deep message about society or help you delve into your soul…it’s a comedy that is meant to entertain!

Lighten up, people….

Alien
I rate this film as “so bad, it’s kinda good”. It reeks of everything I feel the Eighties was trying to get away from when it became the Nineties, however nostalgia will forever hallow certain themes, in a “beauty is in the eye of the beholder” sort of way. Certainly by today’s standards this movie is very corny and lacks any real depth sought by movie lovers everywhere, but it has a lot of tongue in cheek charm that other movies lack.  As a summary, I couldn’t sit down and watch this film with any of my friends, but it would be a perfect companion on a slow evening when I’ve had a few beers and need my mind taken off things.

Top Gun.

How can we ignore this movie? I remember when it first came out. I was in ELF training at the China Lake Naval Weapons Center. We, my wife and I, went to the theater in Ridgecrest on a lovely Friday night. They were playing this movie, and I with my wife sat and watched it. There were other Naval Aviators in the theater, and everyone thought that the movie was outstanding. It was a great time, and afterwards, we went to the local pizza parlor and had a stuffed-crust deep dish with a pitcher of beer.

Top Gun
Top Gun is undoubtedly one of my favorite films, and one of those that has the ability to keep enthralling you even while watching for the tenth time. Director Tony Scott was chosen after the producers saw his work in advertising, and true to their judgement he has produced a visual masterpiece. It looks simply gorgeous, and the live action sequences have never been bettered. If there is one flaw in the film it is that it is somewhat shallow, with all of the people behind the film (and Tom Cruise) rather better at making visual spectaculars than an engaging story.

Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.

This movie exemplified what the 1980’s was. It was fun, positive and upbeat. People, for the most part, were optimistic. It was a big change from the doom and gloom of the Jimmy Carter years.

Remember that time? President Carter would hold these “fireside chats” and tell Americans that we have to accept a new reality, one where we are not as good as other nations. We, as Americans need to do with less. We need to stop dreaming. We, need to pay more, and more, and yet more taxes. It is to atone to our sins of the past (whatever the fuck they were…).

Yes. I remember that time.

I well remember this movie. I remember his sister, the crazed principal, and his secretary with the big bee-hive hairdo. I remember his carefree attitude, and who can forget the fantastic parade scene? Honestly!

John Hughes was believed to be THE scribe for teen angst. 

He wrote eloquently of it in "Sixteen Candles", "The Breakfast Club" and "Pretty in Pink". And with "Ferris Bueller's Day Off", he creates a person and a time in life that just about anyone who's ever been a teenager can relate to.

Who hasn't known someone like Ferris Bueller (Broderick)? Someone who always has a plan, someone who made loafing off an art form, someone who could fall in a barrel of you-know-what and come out smelling like a rose?

-Mister-6
Ferris
High school student Ferris Bueller wants a day off from school and he’s developed an incredibly sophisticated plan to pull it off. He talks his friend Cameron into taking his father’s prized Ferrari and with his girlfriend Sloane head into Chicago for the day. While they are taking in what the city has to offer school principal Ed Rooney is convinced that Ferris is, not for the first time, playing hooky for the day and is hell bent to catch him out. Ferris has anticipated that, much to Rooney’s chagrin.

Doctor Detroit.

With the democrats constantly harping that the 1980’s were a travesty with Conservatives running things, the popular culture did not reflect that at all. People listened to music that they could relate to.

They watched movies that they found happy, light and funny. The movie “Doctor Detroit” is one such movie. That is what they could relate to. Just like today, under Obama, people watched zombie survival movies. It’s all a reflection of the times.

Doctor Detroit
“Doctor Detroit” ranks in my top five comedy films ever. It is not so much an “intelligent” comedy, as seems to the trend recently. But it is definitely good old ’80s fun. This really just a fun, silly movie which will give you a 90-minute shot of escapism. It is worth seeing if for no other reason than the costume that Aykroyd dons as he becomes “Dr. Detroit.”

Airplane.

Yuppur, if everyone was so miserable, then why did they enjoy so many absolutely silly comedies? The liberal narrative just falls apart.

This is still one of funniest spoof movies ever made, Airplane is one of the first and one of the best around. Spoof movies definitely have there place in everyone’s collection, but this is probably the best you’ll ever see in the genre, if you have never seen it and you fancy a laugh, I can’t recommend a better film.

Airplane
“Airplane!” is, was and always shall be the master of spoof movies. It is single-handedly responsible for literally inventing a sub-genre of comedy. It is the ultimate Silly Movie. A satire of the disaster movies of the 1970s, particularly the “Airport” series, nothing makes sense and it doesn’t need to. There’s no real plot. Just laughs – and plenty of ’em.

Caddyshack.

This is a classic. When the world seems to be spinning out of control, I just download this torrent and get a smile on my face. What’s not to love?

Rodney Dangerfield is just like Trump in Washington DC. It’s friggin’ awesome. (Which is something that even Rush Limbaugh noted.)

You know another way to look at Trump? How about the movie Caddyshack? Here you have these phony club members led by Ted Baxter, and he's running around. They've got this little country club and everybody in it thinks they're the best of the best in town.

Rodney Dangerfield decides to join and gets in and blows the club up. He gets this gigantic golf cart, drives it on the greens, blows a big horn, has a gigantic golf bag. The leaders of the country club are beside themselves. They try to kick the guy out, and they can't. They lose every effort against him. That's Trump: Rodney Dangerfield in the Caddyshack, and the media thinks he's Governor William Le Petomane in Blazing Saddles.

They haven't the slightest idea who the guy is.

-Rush Limbaugh
Caddyshack
Some of the greatest comedic actors of that era, namely Bill Murray, Rodney Dangerfield, Ted Knight, and Chevy Chase, are firmly on their A Game here, and are absolutely sublime in this film. And with the help of the great Harold Ramis behind the camera, they raise these characters that should’ve been easily forgotten to some of the most quoted in the history of comedy. It shouldn’t have worked, but it did. This film is not for everyone. If you aren’t tickled by these performances, then there’s very little to hold your interest. And I get that. But that’s the way comedy works. It either hits you or it doesn’t. And this film still makes me laugh out loud every single time. And I imagine that it probably always will.

Better off Dead.

John Cusack was one of my favorite actors during the 1980’s. He had many films, especially the young romantic comedies. I loved them all. One of my favorite memories is the scene with the newspaper boy that keeps on wanting to get paid.

via GIPHY

Lane Myer: Johnny...

Johnny: Four weeks, twenty papers, that's two dollars. Plus tip.

Lane Myer: Gee Johnny, I don't have a dime.

Johnny: Didn't ask for a dime. Two dollars.

Lane Myer: Well... it's funny see... my mom, had to leave early to take my brother to school and my dad to work cuz...

Johnny: ...two dollars... cash.

Lane Myer: See... the problem here is that... my little brother, this morning, got his arm caught in the microwave, and uh... my grandmother dropped acid and she freaked out, and hijacked a school bus full of... penguins, so it's kind of a family crisis... so come back later? Great.

A look of the movies that he participated in and the years make a great statement that it would seem that his movies were a firm fixture and part of the Reagan years.

1984 Sixteen Candles Bryce
1984 Grandview, U.S.A. Johnny Maine
1985 The Sure Thing Walter Gibson
1985 Better Off Dead Lane Meyer
1985 The Journey of Natty Gann Harry
1986 Stand by Me Denny Lachance
1986 One Crazy Summer Hoops McCann
1987 Hot Pursuit Dan Bartlett
1987 Broadcast News Angry Messenger
1988 Tapeheads Ivan Alexeev
1988 Eight Men Out Buck Weaver
1989 Say Anything… Lloyd Dobler
1989 Fat Man and Little Boy Michael Merriman

Back to the Future.

Who hasn’t watched this? I have versions of this movie on BetaMAX, VHS, LaserDisc, and DVD. I remember the first time I saw this move, like Top Gun, on a Friday night in Ridgecrest after ELF training at China Lake NWC. Sit down and watch it again. It’s great!

Back to the future
Back to the Future is a 1985 American science fiction film directed by Robert Zemeckis and written by Zemeckis and Bob Gale. It stars Michael J. Fox as teenager Marty McFly, who accidentally travels back in time to 1955, where he meets his future parents and becomes his mother’s romantic interest. Christopher Lloyd portrays the eccentric scientist Dr. Emmett “Doc” Brown, inventor of the time-traveling DeLorean, who helps Marty repair history and return to 1985.

The Princess Bride.

Of course, this is such a classic that I am afraid to list it here. This is one of those rare films that gets better each time you watch it. With something for everyone, The Princess Bride combines romance, action, adventure and parody to create the perfect movie.

Princess Bride
I’m not exactly sure what exactly it is that makes The Princess Bride such a spectacular film. Or, at the very least, I just can’t pinpoint a single characteristic about it that really rises above all others as the main reason that no one should miss it. Indeed, it has a title that should prove to be remarkably uninteresting to the typical action adventure fan (okay, MALE action adventure fan), but even the most die-hard Die Hard fan would love this film. It is extremely important not to judge this film just because it has such a flowery and dangerously (at the risk of sounding shallow) girly name, because it is full of wonderful adventure and even some good killing and violence. Does this belong in this kind of romantic comedy? Absolutely! The cover box of the film looks like that of a cheesy romance novel, but the film is truly great from start to finish. And, indeed, the film is very aware of the superficial impression that it leaves, and it even presents it directly through Fred Savage’s initial response to his grandfather reading him the story. But as the film goes on, we begin to have the same reaction that Fred has. We can’t get enough.

The plot is rich, with adult innuendos the kids will miss all together and levels of wit to entertain the whole family. The dialogue is full of very funny catch phrases- many of which are still part of my repertoire more than a decade after I first saw the movie. If you like dry humor and fast wit, The Princess Bride will make your day.

Revenge of the Nerds. 

Revenge of the Nerds (1984) was a surprise hit. The film follows the adventures of two “nerds” as they go to college and try to join a fraternity. Oh the trials and tribulations they go through. Robert Carradine and Anthony Edwards are the two “nerds”who do everything they can to try and fit in with the rest of the college crowd.

Nerds!
What made Revenge work is that it didn’t try to pretend to be something that it wasn’t. This was an exploitative sex-fest and it worked well. What it also had was a funny script and one that we could all relate to. I mean, who hasn’t felt left out or relegated to the side lines while someone else gets all the glory? Besides being extremely funny, this film touched on something that we all can relate to.

This one is the first and best of the series. They should have left well enough alone. But since this was made during the 80’s, a mandatory sequel was made. I recommend this movie. It’s entertaining and worth watching.

Fletch.

Yet another forgotten gem. What really makes the movie is both Fletch’s imagination, his flair for developing different characters, and especially his speed talking. examples include “I love your body Larry (Geena Davis)” while on the phone in front of a hotel clerk, “Nugent, Ted Nugent” when asked by Alan what his name was, “What kind of a name is Poon anyways?” asks Mr. Boyd, to which Fletch’s reply is, “Comanche Indian”.

This movie totally rocks and you will love seeing it AGAIN and AGAIN!!! It is so much better than jay and silent bob strike back, you’ll be laughing for hours! enjoy!

Fletch
Class! just pure class, nothing long winded just short and sweet, made at a time when chase was top of his class with others like Steve Martin, as for the film its a good story with many many jokes most of which you will have to see the film again to catch as some as they are very fast such as name changes he comes up with, it still stands up well today even if some jokes are lost on people to young to remember certain peoples names, its a shame people like chase don’t get the films that made them so big in the 80s but times and tastes change.

The Goonies.

Here is just another fun movie. It’s now a cult movie, and over the years the house in the movie has had countless visitors to it wanting to relive the movie in their own way. I had this movie on both BetaMAX and LaserDisc, and when the production of the movies in this format dried up, I was left with these classics to watch on rainy days.

The Goonies
The Goonies was written by Chris Columbus from a story by executive producer Steven Spielberg. A band of kids who live in the “Goon Docks” neighborhood of Astoria, Oregon, attempt to save their homes from demolition, and, in doing so, discover an old Spanish map that leads them on an adventure to unearth the long-lost fortune of One-Eyed Willy, a legendary 17th-century pirate. During the entire adventure, they are chased by a family of criminals, who also want the treasure for themselves.

Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure.

This is classic. He and Alex Winter (an indie film dynamo) play Bill and Ted, a couple of 80’s California dudes who want to start their own rock band (Wyld Stallyons). However, both are flunking in high school and will be expelled unless they get an A+ in history.

To make matters worse, Ted will be sent to the military by his father, therefore squashing their dreams of rock stardom.

Enter Rufus (George Carlin), a man from the future who plays Clarence to the boys George (shades of It’s A Wonderful Life) who gives them a telephone booth. With it, they decide to use it to collect great historical figures and bring them to San Dimas, California to show them how mankind has evolved.

Bill and Ted
Bill and Ted are truly likeable boneheads and both Reeves and Winter deliver fine performances. Carlin is funny in his appearances, showing that he doesn’t need trash-talk to be entertaining. The dialogue is truly amusing, probably because no one talks like that any more. The only weakness is that it’s an 80’s film, so if you didn’t grow up in that era, you might not understand why there’s music playing throughout the film, or why everyone looks and dresses so weird (yes, that’s how everyone looked in the 1980’s).

Who’s Harry Crumb?

This is a forgotten jewel. John Candy’s best film, by far. Granted, he’s been in such classics like Uncle Buck, Planes, Trains and Automobiles, and Little Shop of Horrors, but this is a film where he had to completely stand alone as THE MAN. Campy, fun and entertaining, this film is a great find for anyone who loves old-school comedies.

Harry
Harry’s asinine comments make him look like a real ass but he isn’t. Once you get that, it’s easy to get into the humor. That’s John Candy’s genius; his ability to humanize a variety of unlikely or impossible characters and make us love them even if we don’t believe them. this is party because of the expressiveness of his face but also because of his indefinable comic spark.

Volunteers.

Before they started winning Oscars, struggling actors such as Tom Hanks and Robin Williams used to be… SURPRISE!! funny! volunteers is a great example of a movie that refuses to take its leading actors seriously and is all the better for it. this is not a “star vehicle” but is rather an irreverent tongue-in-cheek romp. it takes its cues from Saturday night live, SCTV, Monty Python, and cheesy off-broadway one-act plays.

In return, it is spoofed by one particular Hollywood blockbuster to follow, Austin Powers Goldmember. Mike Myers must have been as impressed with the “reading the subtitles” joke, as well as the “Asian guy on the toilet/being chased by sumo wrestler” schtick. but rather than beat the jokes to death, volunteers assumes we are smart enough to catch them on the fly.

Volunteers
“Volunteers” successfully spoofs more classic films than any other – from Casablanca, through Bridge over the River Kwai, to Lawrence of Arabia, they’re all there if you’re watching carefully enough. Volunteers is a very funny, well written, well acted film. It is so packed with humor it reminds me of the old Mad Magazines with the jokes written in the margins. Some of the humor is rather subtle and the dialogue rolls right over it. If you’re not paying attention, you might miss it.

Back to School.

Old Rodney Dangerfield never got the level of respect that he deserved. (Snicker…)

A funny post-Animal House college film with a pretty distinguished cast. In addition to Dangerfield, who is terrific as usual, we also get to see Sally Kellerman, Burt Young, Ned Beatty, and an introduction to the brilliance of Robert Downey Jr. who is unforgettable as Derek Lutz.

Although the movie is silly, lacking any convincing realism or plot, it is nonetheless wonderful fun…especially if you are a Dangerfield fan. His rendition of “Twist and Shout” is a classic. And the scene at registration where his chauffeur Lou, played by the redoubtable Young, is priceless when he holds up a sign by the limo with Bruce Springstein’s name on it and all the students rush out to mob the car while Dangerfield, his son, his son’s love interest, and Lutz have the pick of classes.

Back to school
I love Rodney Dangerfield. Always have. His one-liners, and all-around smartass attitude have made him a living legend and he never fails to crack me up. Back to School is a great example of what he can do and I never get tired of watching it. Keith Gordon is great as his son and Robert Downey Jr. is pretty hysterical as his best bud. The ever-reliable Burt Young is a lot of fun as Dangerfield’s limo-driver/best friend and he does his duty at supplying the laughs.

Fast Times at Ridgemont High.

This was made during the post-disco, pre-greed era of the 80s that was far too short. I’m surprised to find out this movie is still popular considering it is far from being politically correct. And, boys and girls, that is a very good thing.

I’ll admit, I wouldn’t want my kids to some of the things these high school kids did, but it is a nice reminder how much fun the era was.

Phoebe
It’s a film about a group of kids looking for love, status, or a good buzz. The film was nothing more than that, and it didn’t pretend to be more. In addition, Cameron Crowe’s script made you *care* about what these kids went through as if their individual situations were happening to us (as they may very well have). It’s almost a crime that a sequel was never made, although a mediocre TV series was spawned. Armed with a cast of characters that struck a chord with all of us (primarily because we knew someone in High School who acted just like them), and a soundtrack that reeked of the Mark Goodman-J.J. Jackson era of MTV, this film stands as a perfect portrait of a decade a lot of us say we’d like to forget….shortly before brushing the dust off an old Night Ranger cassette and indulging in a guilty pleasure.

Adventures in Babysitting.

Elizabeth Shue plays Chris Parker who is babysitting one night but due to certain circumstances ends up taking the kids out on the town in order to pick up one of her friends. What follows is all sorts of adventures involving thugs, crooks, thieves, the lot.

The film is totally funny to watch and has some really good scenes in. Two that come to mind involve a fight between two gangs on a train and one involving the god of Thunder Thor (well, not the Thor you would be expecting).

Adventures...
“Adventures in Babysitting” is a movie that I’ll never forget. One of the reasons why this film is so memorable is because of the Chicago locations. For the past 25 years or so there have been lots of good movies shot in and around Chicago (as well as the suburbs) such as “Risky Business”, “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off”, and “The Fugitive” just to name a few. But “Adventures in Babysitting” is probably my favorite movie to be made in Chicago. I saw this movie when it first came out in the summer of 1987 (a year after “Ferris Bueller” which “Adventures” bares somewhat of a resemblance to) and while I was watching the film it felt to me like I was part of the adventure. Today, this is still a very entertaining picture, and a lot of fun.

This is an exciting movie which was typical of 1980’s movies.

Boy, I wish they could make movies like that now. The 80’s has got to be the best decade ever for films of all genres and this movie is just one of many great comedy films of that era. Oh and by the way, I think Elizabeth Shue is beautiful and I believe this was her best role.

Pee Wee’s Big Adventure.

It’s terrible what the liberals did to Pee Wee. I guess you could say that he was “Borked” long before the democrats assaulted picks for the Supreme Court. Because they and the liberal media got away with it without consequence, it paved the way for all subsequent terror and mayhem that they implemented. Sigh.

Surprisingly, this is Tim Burton’s first movie and he did a great job. His unique directing, visual design, and dark comedy just work superbly as a whole. I can never remember being so affected by clowns in hospital smocks.

Let’s not forget Pee Wee as well. He was definitely a character who I enjoyed watching because he was so carefree, happy, and it was hard not to like him. There are so many great scenes in this one like breakfast time, the Alamo, Pee Wee’s nightmares, any scene with Francis “YOU’LL BE SORRY PEE WEE HERMAN!” Buxton, Mickey the con, the Warner Bros lot and so many more.

The characters are great too and from their performances, you can tell they had fun doing this film cause it shows. With a the limited budget, Pee Wee’s wacky nature, and Tim Burton’s imagination, it all adds up to a really entertaining film. Oops, can’t forget Danny Elfman’s great soundtrack which sets the tone rather nicely.

Kitchen
Some people may think that this movie is silly, pointless, and has ridiculous scenes. But I, however, find it to be entertaining, very funny, and a good family movie made back in the 80’s. It has a lot of jokes that are mostly the ones that are funny because they are weird and never seen anywhere else, but it does also have some one-liners that make even the most stern of audiences laugh. What I liked about this movie was that it had a lot of people involved in it. There were also a lot of locations that were shown in this film, even if the places were not the initial location that they intentioned of in the movie.

One Crazy Summer.

I love the atmosphere, the story line, and the black and white portrayals of Rich Country-Club Republicans.

Do you remember the monster suit where the zipper broke? The poor guy was trying to get the darn head off, and the rich millionaire threw his cigar in the mouth. The monster began streaking and demolishing the model community while smoke came out of his mouth! LOL.

One Crazy Summer
Watermarked photo for One Crazy Summer. I love the Nancy and Ronnie Lunch pail and the Generic Elementary School.

Spies Like Us. 

Chevy Chase and Dan Aykroyd were awesome in this film. It reflected the changing politics of the time, and how two nations can get together after a long, long cold war. What a great 1980’s movie.

Spies like us
Spies Like Us is a 1985 American comedy film directed by John Landis and starring Chevy Chase, Dan Aykroyd, Steve Forrest, and Donna Dixon. The film is an homage to the famous Road to … film series which starred Bob Hope and Bing Crosby. Hope himself makes a cameo in one scene.

Night of the Comet

Cheesy, but enjoyable satire with a big chunk of ’80’s vibe for flavor! Comet eliminates the worlds population, leaving surviving sisters to fend against a group of demented scientists.

Comet
Trapped in a hellish copyright limbo for over a decade, Thom Eberhardt’s “Night Of The Comet” is a film whose reputation is due for a serious rehabilitation. Generally–and wrongly–categorized with typical 80s teen horror films, “Comet” is in fact a smart, skillful parody of the low-budget sci-fi horror classics of the 50s, 60s and 70s–and a wry commentary on teen culture in the 1980s as well.

While many peg Night of the Comet as a zombie picture, and granted two or three zombies do show up along the way, this film really has much more in common with the old B sci-fi movies of the 1950s. In fact, one could make a good case that the film is meant to be a comical parody of those old schlock films, after all it does have a nice comic book feel! From any view, this is an entertaining film even with its silly moments. It manages to stir up a few chills along with the laughs.

Hot Dog. 

For a while, I worked as a movie theater manager in Corpus Christi Texas. We would get movies and then run them for one or two weeks. This movie “Hot Dog” ran for four weeks and was, in my mind, very typically 1980’s.

“Hot Dog” is a light-hearted comedy and served to inspire me to trek out to California later on that year. While there is no proof, I suspect that the movie “Hot Tub, Time Machine” is somehow a modern day incarnation of this movie.

The Harkin Banks character reminded me of my best friend in university, ol’ Peter. Heck, he’d probably think of me as the hard-drinking clown Dan O’ Callahan. LOL.

Hot Dog
Harkin Banks is a young Idaho farm kid who is also an ace at skiing. He is headed to the freestyle skiing championships in Squaw Valley, CA along with runaway Sunny. He meets his adversary in the form of Rudy, a self centered European skier who doesn’t take a liking to Harkin or his new found friends, The Rat Pack, led by veteran Dan O’ Callahan. Harkin has many misadventures with Dan and his buddies, but doesn’t lose focus in his attempt to get the World Cup.

An Officer and a Gentleman. 

This movie really seemed to seriously influence everyone during this time. It was almost as if the ideas of the knight in shining armor that would come and rescue the damsel in distress would actually come  true.

This was a central theme of many of the movie of the 1980’s; that the childhood fantasies of our childhood could really come true, we just need to see them in a new light.

Officer and A Gentleman.
In the Movie an Officer and and a gentleman, the AOC sticks through the training, and then at the end of the movie through all the hardship shows pure love and faithfulness to his love. He arrives at her factory and literally sweeps her off her feet and carries her away.

Flashdance. 

It wasn’t only the movie “An Officer and a Gentleman” that had the knight in shining armor rescue the girl. There were other movies of a similar theme. In Flashdance, a hardworking steel worker gets a big shot at her dream. Oh, don’t ever, ever let anyone steal your dream. It’s a story about hopes, dreams, and obtaining them.

When Flashdance first came out, all the New York, Chicago and LA critics despised the film. They thought it was a flop. That’s how far out of touch the liberal elites were back in the 1980’s. Yet, when the movie was released, it became an instant success.

Everyone in the heartland could relate to it.

Flashdance.
In Flashdance you see the only moment that matters. It all builds up. Everyone else is better than you. They are classically trained, and all you are is a steel worker; a welder. The chances of escaping from the mills of Pittsburgh is slim. You could end up like your sister. You have to give it everything that you have.

Risky Business. 

This is a great movie about being an entrepreneur. Of course, things don’t always go as you have planned.  The underwater 928 is a great case in point. But, what a great movie. Of course, it stars  Tom Cruise and Rebecca De Mornay which made the film even more magical.

I really love the job interview scene at the tail end of the movie. Heh heh.

Risky Business
A suburban Chicago teenager’s parents leave on vacation, and he cuts loose. An unauthorized trip in his father’s Porsche means a sudden need for lots of money, which he raises in a creative way.

The Witches of Eastwick. 

This is a great movie, but somehow it’s been kind of forgotten. I love the movie plot, three women, who have “powers”, conjure up a demon. Suddenly all sorts of interesting things happen. Yikes!

Witches
John Updike probably panicked when he saw what screenwriter Michael Christoper and director George Miller did to his book…..but this movie is all the BETTER for what they did! Careening wildly between scenes of light fantasy, full-bore horror and extreme gross-outs, this film is wildly imaginative and terrifically entertaining. With Jack Nicholson as the devil himself, things just don’t get any better than that! Actually, the whole cast is very well-chosen and all give great performances. Who can forget the cherry scene…?

Dirty Dancing. 

This movie inspired me to take up ballroom dancing. Which, I might add, became a serious love of mine and a significant hobby. It’s a great movie about summer, dancing, and many other things. Of course, the show point is the dancing. This is such a wonderful movie.

Oh, by the way, as great as the acting was with actress Jennifer Grey was, when she had plastic surgery on her nose, she was unable to get any other roles in Hollywood, she became unrecognizable.

Dirty Dancing

This is literally the original “feel good” dance film — which spawned dozens if not hundreds of imitations. The script is perfect. The acting is perfect. The casting is perfect. The direction is perfect. And the music score is to die for. Swayze’s career was unfortunately cut short. Jennifer Grey, who practically made this role a part of her DNA, had a nose job and (the cynics say) lost a lot of later roles because the casting directors were afraid no one would recognize her.

Explorers.

This is a charming little movie that has faded into obscurity. It’s all about a group of boys who start getting messages in their sleep. They listen to their dreams and build a space ship. It’s a fun and wild tale. I well remember this movie as yet again, I watched it the Ridgecrest movie theater after training at the ELF substation at China Lake.

Explorers
A boy obsessed with 50s sci-fi movies about aliens has a recurring dream about a blueprint of some kind, which he draws for his inventor friend. With the help of a third kid, they follow it and build themselves a spaceship. I loved the detail and imagination within this movie – like the one dream that the three boys all share, the sphere they create from their computer, the guard dog they give bubble gum to, the amusement ride seat they turn into their spaceship, with windows made from the fronts of washing-machines and TVs. And our three heroes make a great team. They are all very different in character, yet share that same dream of escape and adventure. Ethan Hawke is the main hero – the one that most viewers will relate to – the average 80’s kid hooked on television, daydreaming during school lessons and a huge crush on the girl next door.

Sixteen Candles.

This is a pure classic, and it is so well known that I would be surprised if anyone hasn’t heard of this movie.

I once taught English to a 16 year old Chinese gal who had a terrible crush on this other boy in her school. She would talk about it (in English with me) and expressed her frustration that no one understands. So I downloaded this movie on a USB and gave it to her. I can’t say that it changed her for the better or the worst, but I will tell you that she really appreciated it.

16 candles
These are the immortal words spoken by SIXTEEN CANDLES heroine Samantha Baker (Molly Ringwald) in the ultimate 80’s teen comedy. This movie has become a classic to those who grew up in the 60’s and 70’s, like myself, and I now consider it a “guilty pleasure”. Its a movie we all grew up with. Didn’t we all know a person like ‘Farmer Ted’, or a hot queenie like the blonde he hilariously gets. It was every young freshman’s fantasy. This funny flick is also a relic of the 80’s that is not all that dated.

Coming to America.

What an absolutely laugh out loud comedy. Again, this is yet another of the dreams come true fairy tales. This is a modern day story of the prince comes and rescues Cinderella from a life of drudgery. Only this time Cinderella lives in Queens, and the Prince is from Africa.

I watched this movie with my girlfriend from Zambia. She couldn’t control herself. She was rolling in the chair laughing, as many of the scenes in Africa were really, really exaggerated versions of Zambia.

Coming to America 1
An extremely pampered African Prince travels to Queens, New York, and goes undercover to find a wife who he can respect for her intelligence and will. It is the 21st birthday of Prince Akeem of Zamunda and he is to marry a woman he never saw before. Now the prince breaks with tradition and travels to America to look for the love of his life.

The movie is filled with gags and charming and funny situations. It’s a poke in the eye of barbershops, Queens, Black culture, relationships, McDonalds and just about everything else. However, as funny and charming as it is, the end where Cinderella gets married with the prince is most especially pleasing.

Coming to America 2
The first part of this movie, showing Eddie Murphy’s life as an African prince, is one of the funniest things I have ever seen. I loved it. The wedding ceremony alone was so funny, I almost fell out of my chair from laughing so hard. I thought this could be one of the funniest movies of all time. At about the halfway point, though, it stops being a laugh-a-minute riot, and kind of settles down into more of a quiet romance movie. The scene at the basketball game (with the man who worships Murphy) is the last really hilarious thing that happens. After that, it never again reaches the energy of the beginning. This is not really a bad thing, though: it is still enjoyable from start to finish, even during the quiet parts. It has good actors, and it is fun to watch, and that makes it a great movie.

Ghostbusters.

Here we talk about the very first movie. Not the sequel, and most certainly not the progressive politically correct all-woman remake. Yuck!

Like numerous other movies, I first watched this movie in Ridgecrest when I was in ELF training at China Lake. What a fun movie. I remember standing in line to buy the tickets and a son in front of us asks his father if this movie will be too scary for him. The father smiled and said that he didn’t think so. LOL.

Ghostbusters
What’s that you say? Ghostbusters, one of the most financially successful and over-hyped comedies of the eighties, underrated? Yes. Precisely because it was so over-hyped and made so much money, there has been a stigma attached to this film identifying it as a childish FX piece, when it is nothing of the sort. Most of the lines people remember(“He slimed me,” “OK. So? She’s a dog,” “When someone asks you if you’re a god, you say YES!”) are not its funniest or wittiest lines, which often are missed on first or even second viewing. I laugh every time I observe a gag or a quip that I somehow missed the other 20 times I viewed a scene; “Egon, this reminds me of the time you tried to drill a hole through your head, remember that?” “That would have worked if you hadn’t stopped me”, or, to the driver of a van from a loony bin, “Dropping off or picking up?” Brilliant.

Vacation.

I am not sure, but I think that all the “National Lampoon” Vacation movies were made in the 1980’s. What a great decade!  Who can forget this movie. I most especially love the new station wagon. LOL!

Vacation
The Griswolds are a gene pool of absolute disaster and nothing…NOTHING goes right…ever. The fun begins with Clark being forced to accept a disgusting metallic pea-green family truckster instead of a cool-blue sports model with CB and optional fun pack. It’s literally the most hideous car in the history of automobiles (and that includes the car that Homer Simpson made for his brother Herb).

Honey, I Shrunk the Kids. 

This is the charming comedy when a “mad scientist” accidentally shrinks the kids and they get stuck in the backyard. Not bad, eh? Well, it is if you are the size of an ant. Oh, remember that this was made in the 1980’s.

Today, in the hyper-protective, politically-correct America, there is a parental advisory for this movie (if you can believe it.) Why the friggin’ heck why?

WARNING: Husbands and wives kiss in several scenes! Two teens kiss passionately. The mother makes a reference to a boy being in the dark with her daughter. A boy says he learned to give mouth to mouth resuscitation in "french class". A teen girl talks about a boy she would like to date. A boy asks a girl for a date. A man tells another man that his wife has "plumbing trouble".

-Parents Advisory IMDb
Honey I shrunk the kids
The scientist father of a teenage girl and boy accidentally shrinks his and two other neighborhood teens to the size of insects. Now the teens must fight diminutive dangers as the father searches for them.

Labyrinth

By today’s standards “Labyrinth” may look dated and cheap but there’s something about it that makes it special. David Bowie makes it a stand alone movie in the weird ranking. The man is crazy but his performance is excellent!

Jennifer Connely (being 16 at the time) delivers a solid and tender performance. She was very, very cute and her performance totally gained the audience’s love.

laybrinth
This is a classic fantasy film from Jim Henson, in collaboration with George Lucas. There really is a magic about the film and that has helped it last as a firm family favorite all these years. As with many films aimed at younger audiences there are messages that the writers, in this case Henson himself, have tried to convey, such as `be careful what you wish for (as in the heat of the moment we are not always sure what is best for us) and also about not taking things for granted. These lessons not only relate to the major target audience of young children but also teenagers and adults alike. The film also has values and attitudes about growing up, the central character Sarah is in the awkward stage between child and womanhood, the stage of adolescence. She acts like a child in her self importance and possessiveness but she is perhaps starting to grow out of her young imagination. She does not want to, her room full of inanimate companions, dreams and fantasies, she feels are slipping away.

The tale is fantastic and keeps you interested from the beginning to the end. The musical moments are also great! The f/x were great for it’s time and I wonder how they came out with the idea for creating such original characters. The thing that I liked the most about the movie is it’s art direction. The world that is created is taken directly from everyone’s fantasy world idea. Colorful and dark at the same time.

Splash. 

This is a seemingly forgotten movie with the great John Candy and a mermaid. It is charming and funny at the same time. It is a shame that it has fallen into obscurity.

This movies, as well as many of the movies of the 1980’s were made long before the social re-engineering of the Bill Clinton presidency. People could smoke in offices, and have beer at lunch.  You could talk about porn openly, and no one would bat an eyelash. Ah, the days when Americans had freedom.

Splash
Over-achieving little film that was directed by Ron Howard and stars Tom Hanks as a young man who finds the woman of his dreams (Daryl Hannah). The only problem: she is really a mermaid. Splash is a 1984 American fantasy romantic comedy film directed by Ron Howard, written by Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel, and starring Tom Hanks, Daryl Hannah, John Candy, and Eugene Levy. The film involves a young man who falls in love with a mysterious woman who is secretly a mermaid. The film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay.

Riders of the Storm (The American Way).

This is a great little movie that kind of got lost over the years. It is a gleefully anarchic one fingered salute by the liberals in Hollywood to Eighties America, especially Ronald Reagan politics.

But, don’t let that scare you. It’s really obvious who the enemies are; the rich and wealthy elite that controls government and media… who are they? Yeah. They are progressive liberals. Not conservatives.

“The American Way” sees Hopper playing the leader of a bunch of technological pirates who continually broadcast anti-establishment anti-Reagan material over mainstream television channels.

The American Way
Riders of the Storm is a little known film starring Dennis Hopper, featuring him as the captain of an ex-USAF electronic warfare aircraft, now dedicated to filling the airwaves with pirate TV broadcasts. Politics, TV evangelism, the USAF, Transvestisism, public access TV: none can escape the cutting observations of this must see film.

Dennis Hopper and Michael J. Pollard (Doc Tesla) lead a crew of misfit Vietnam veterans highly trained in psychological warfare and armed with a B29 equipped as a flying pirate TV station creating havoc for the broadcast networks and authorities as they fly the country on a crusade to bring radical philosophies and classic audiovisuals to a conservative and media brainwashed viewing public.

On the verge of retirement they are compelled to mount one last campaign to destroy a demographically engineered presidential candidate (who looks to me a lot like a Conservative version of Hillary Clinton) who would see the country brought to war again.

Extensive explorations into concepts of non-violent defiance of authority and pursuit of justice, questioning conventional morality, exposition of criminal activities in the guise of righteousness by righteous people being classed as criminals by a corrupt establishment, existentialist themes, technology and rock music versus violence and force, nature of religious beliefs, political corruption and post Vietnam issues.

Some excellent 60’s and 70’s music in the soundtrack. Not to be missed.

Funny, heartfelt and with a serious bone to pick with the world in general, “The American Way” is something of a lost gem. Hunt it down if you’re in the mood for something different that really taps into what makes Hopper great.

Amazon Women on the Moon

This is a kind of odd-ball movie. It is simply a collection of comedy sketches. “Amazon Women on the Moon” is one of my all-time favorite movies, not because it is perfect, but because it effectively yet respectfully lampoons so many genres, including 50s movies, late-night television of all sorts, and even different styles of literature available throughout a good portion of the 20th century. Find a trend in literature of the 40s and 50s, movies of the 50s and 60s, or television of the 50s through the 70s, and it is somehow made fun of in this movie.

Amazon Women 1
Boy, do i love this movie! I’m not saying it didn’t have any flaws. Id say about 80% of it was very funny. The movie itself is built around a 50’s b-movie “Amazon women on the moon” which has some serious troubles while showing and the jokes are then presented as commercials etc. One of the most memorable moments IMO in this film include: “The blacks without the soul”, “Petmate of the month” and several others.

With a few exceptions, the film is about your typical late night television and the crazy ads that used to permeate the airwaves before all the infomercials started taking over in the 90’s. In this film, they make fun of those crazy ads and programming by doing outrageous spoof ads interspersed with an old 1950’s B movie with a lot of projection problems.

Amazon 2
Like Monty Python stuff, this uneven collection of comedy tidbits with several different directors and a huge cast will receive mixed reactions: some will love almost all of it; some will like some parts and loath others; and there will be those who find the whole thing to be sophomoric, humorless idiocy. For me, the best parts were the title skit, an almost too real parody of a ‘fifties space movie, the concluding social disease sketch (you have to have experienced the ‘thirties and ‘forties to get it, though), and some of the commercials, especially the ones by Don (The Man With No Soul) Simmons.

Any couch potato with a good sense of humor and a memory of the 70’s & 80’s television programming should enjoy this one!

Desperately Seeking Susan

In this very clever story, Roberta (Arquette) is a bored housewife with a rich fantasy life who envies a woman named Susan (Madonna). Susan’s boyfriend is always leaving her notes in the personals column about where to meet.

Before long, Roberta is showing up at the meeting places and actually starts stalking Susan. When Susan pays for a pair of boots that she wants with her unique leather jacket, Roberta buys it and starts wearing it.

All this could have been harmless fun except for three things: 1) Susan is a con artist, and she’s stolen Egyptian artifacts she mistook for earrings from a guy in Atlantic City, who ended up dead at the bottom of his hotel; 2) Susan was seen (from the back) wearing her jacket in the hallway of the hotel by a mobster who wants the artifacts; and 3) Roberta is in an accident, and when she wakes up, she has amnesia…

Desparate
“Desperately Seeking Susan” is the best kind of amusing: pleasant but not so much so that we become immersed in the fact that things aren’t as zany as they could be. The film is smartly amusing, after all, with the comic scenario bettering as it grows increasingly convoluted. Thank God for this little gem of a movie, in all its silliness. It takes me back to a time when everything was still possible, and I thought I knew everything although I really knew nothing. Well, now that I know, not everything but a great deal, I still find this movie really likable. It’s strange that it’s so old, and it still feels quite fresh and exciting. Maybe it’s the New York atmosphere, or the sense of excitement that Madonna brings to every one of her scenes. I think she’s good in this film because she doesn’t yet take herself too seriously and isn’t trying too hard.

This is such a fun movie, with much of the comedy being in the situation rather than in the dialogue. Not only that, it’s totally ’80s, right down to Madonna’s leggings, and brings back a lot of great memories.

Near Dark

I loved this movie when it first came out. It was able to portray a more “realistic” scenario for vampire outlaws. LOL. A young cowboy is literally bitten by a beautiful stranger and ends up joining a band of blood-suckers who roam the American heartland.

Although Near Dark is often over-shadowed by the ultra-hip vampire movie The Lost Boys (1987), Near Dark is a far more juicier treat for horror fans. Eric Red, who also wrote The Hitcher (1986), gives us a seemingly old-fashioned tale of struggle between human nature and savage lust with a nicely spun sense of modernism. Not to mention plenty of touches of dark humor.

Near Dark
This is one of the best vampire flicks I’ve ever seen. These aren’t your standard sharp fang having, flying, cool contact wearing, red cape sporting vampires. Rather these vampires look like nomads, leftovers from a roaming biker gang. They drive around in a trailer that has aluminum foil covering the windows to block out the sunlight. They drink blood. They spit out the bullets you shoot them with. They’re a tad different than your classic vampire but different enough to keep them interesting.

It’s a story that does well with avoiding the obvious clichés of the vampire genre. Director Kathryn Bigelow gives this film terrific style, not only adding scenic beauty but sharply creating plenty of intense action sequences. The entire sequence in the bar has became a favorite among many. Adding even more to the film is the beautiful music score by Tangerine Dream.

The Freshman.

OK, for you purists out there, this movie was released in 1990, but was in production in 1988. So I am including it herein. How many actors could have parodied their most classic roles without falling into caricature? Think about it: while it takes a certain talent to make a performance that elevates a character to a legendary status, overplaying enough to make it comical but not over-the-top is the ultimate proof of acting genius.

Only Marlon Brando could have got away with playing his most iconic character, the Godfather, and make it so damn believable. And it’s this very seriousness in his performance that makes “The Freshman” so delightful and naturally, hilarious.

The Freshman
Clark had no other choice than to say yes, after all, isn’t Vito Corleone, the man who makes offers we can’t refuse? The film’s funniest moments are driven by Sabantini’s aura and Clark’s incapability to control the situation or to say ‘no’. The script finds the perfect tone to show a guy screwed but in a way that inspires our sympathy without feeling antipathy toward Sabatini. And another triumph on the writing department is the way everything seems believable despite all the zany material it employs. Whether it’s a picture of Mussolini in an Italian Social club, an espresso that takes three spoons of sugar, the Mona Lisa painting in Carmine’s house, and a weird traffic involving a Komodo dragon, I wonder why I wanted to believe that the first time I saw it. Maybe I was just a 10-year old kid who just laughed at the gags without looking too much deeper into it. The irony is that after watching ‘The Godfather’ so many times, I believed in Sabatini even more.

Although not revolutionary, what makes “The Freshman” such a classic on its own is that it accomplishes a real miracle by resuscitating Vito Corleone, his name is Carmine Sabatini but the movie can’t fool us: the guy IS Vito Corleone.

As explained in the film, Sabatini’s the one who inspired Vito’s character, in other words, “The Freshman” is so confident over its comical premise, and rightfully so, that it doesn’t even hesitate to insert several references to “The Godfather”.

Yeah, and these are not just gratuitous ‘Godfather’ references thrown away for the sake of it, it’s important to know that it’s not a parallel world where the movie isn’t supposed to exist. On the contrary, not only it does, but whoever sees Carmine Sabatini has the most natural reaction by immediately thinking of Vito Corleone.

The movie, in a way, asks the question, how any of us would react in front of a movie character. How would I if I met my favorite character? I guess, probably like Clark Kellog, Matthew Broderick as a film college student, the titular “Freshman”.

Die Hard. 

This movie has a special place in my heart. But, aside from that, this is just a great flick. Period. It is all about the everyday, plain old man, who has (out of necessity) be the hero and do the uncomfortable and the job that no one else wants to do. Hey guy! How’s your friggin’ Christmas this year? Eh?

Die Hard
One could claim that 1988’s “Die Hard” is one of the most influential action movies ever made because it basically revolutionized one of the most copied (but never matched, at least in terms of quality) formulas: a loner, by some unique twist of fate, battles it out with an “x” number of terrorists in an enclosed environment. Willis was a wild card – an unlikely choice for the role of our hero “John McClane” – since he didn’t have any action credits on his resume’ and let’s face it: Bruce Willis just didn’t have the bulging biceps required for a role like this. But that’s the beauty of his performance in this movie: he’s an everyday guy, caught in a not-so-everyday situation. Certainly one of the best known action movies ever, “Die Hard” did receive the scorn of critics upon its 1988 summer release, but the audiences sung a completely different tune.

Rescues that Occurred and their Movies

There were numerous heart-warming events that happened during the 1980’s. Funny how the mainstream media has somehow forgotten these important events. Let’s discuss three of them. The first is the true story of how three trapped whales were freed by joint efforts of the United States, Russia and the local inhabitants of the icy North.

The rescue of the whales. 

Operation Breakthrough was an international effort to free three gray whales in 1988. The whales had become trapped in pack ice in the Beaufort Sea near Point Barrow. Point Barrow in the U.S. state of Alaska. The whales’ plight generated media attention that led to the collaboration of multiple governments and organizations to free them. The youngest whale died during the effort and it is unknown if the remaining two whales ultimately survived.

This event was made into a Hollywood movie titled “Big Miracle“. The entire nation, including myself, were riveted to the television screen trying to find out what was going on with the poor trapped whales.

Big Miracle.
The movie titled “Big Miracle” is a realistic portrayal of an actual rescue event during the 1980’s. In it, both the United States, led by Ronald Reagan and the USSR worked together to free three trapped whales.

The rescue of the geese and their breeding grounds. 

In 1986, Bill Lishman started training Canada Geese to follow his ultralight aircraft. As such, he succeeded in leading their migration through his program “Operation Migration.”  This event was made into a movie titled “Fly Away Home“. I have to admit that this move is a “tearjerker”. But that is in a good way.

Fly Away Home
The movie “Fly Away Home” is film rendition of a rescue effort that took place during the 1980’s to save geese and their breeding grounds.

The recovery of huskies abandoned at the South Pole.

Like the other two events, this was also made into a movie. The event itself took place in 1958, but the movie about it was very popular and released in 1983 and was a big hit. This movie was then remade later on. The remade  movie was named “Eight Below“.

In the extreme wilderness of Antarctica, three members of a scientific expedition -- Jerry Shepard, his best friend, Cooper and a rugged American geologist -- are forced to leave behind their team of beloved sled dogs due to a sudden accident and perilous weather conditions in Antarctica. During the harsh, Antarctic winter, the dogs must struggle for survival alone in the intense frozen wilderness for more than six months.

-Rotten Tomatoes

The 1958 ill-fated Japanese expedition to Antarctica inspired the 1983 hit film Antarctica, of which Eight Below is a remake. Eight Below adapts the events of the 1958 incident, moved forward to 1993. In the 1958 event, fifteen Sakhalin Husky sled dogs were abandoned when the expedition team was unable to return to the base. When the team returned a year later, two dogs were still alive. Another seven were still chained up and dead, five were unaccounted for, and one died just outside Showa Station.

Eight Below Movie
Huskies and Malemutes look at home in that element because they were bred to work and survive in like conditions. These two near primitives could really do what these actors did and survive. It was refreshing to me to see humans show the same dedication and love for the dogs that dogs give to their human family members every day. It would be hard for actors to really be able to show all that those of us who treasure our dogs would feel if we had to leave them behind but he did a credible job

Conclusions

These are just some vignettes of my snippets of memory from the 1980’s. I present them here as someone who had experienced them first hand. You know, for a time period that was so full of inequality, poverty and racism as the Democrats, and Obama constantly says, the popular media of that time did not reflect it.

Which is WHY the elites and the oligarchy has to rewrite history.

If the decade was truly one as described by the democrats, then the songs would be sadder, the movies darker, and the culture more subdued. Right? Look at the movies and the culture of America under Obama. Look at the movies that were made and the popular television shows.

Obama's America.
It was under the Obama presidency where end-of-the-world, and zombie movies really became popular. Why is this? While it is true that there were comedies, and all sort of progressive movies, the most popular movies reflected an interest in war, terror, and destruction. It reflected Obama’s America.

I am firmly convinced that Americans have been the most propagandized people in all of history. It doesn’t matter what the subject is; whether it is life in China to history three decades ago, the narrative has constantly been directed towards certain targets. The “goal posts” have constantly been moving. All to keep Americans ignorant, fearful and suspicious.

In short, the mainstream American media has spent the last fifty years trying to separate, divide and isolate Americans from each other. That is because, unified we are a serious threat to those who control the nation.

When your children look back at the presidency of Barrack Obama, a socialist democrat, what will they read and see? The history books will talk glowingly about his “many” successes, and repeatedly state how everyone was happy and dancing around with unicorns under rainbows…

Liberal dream
The liberal progressive dream. That if the world is ruled by one world government that we would all function in love and warmth because our leaders would care for us. They would hand us presents, and care for us. They would give us free food, free medicine, free housing, free education. They would be our overlords and we would worship them for the paltry scraps that they would provide to us.

Eh?

Well, maybe a look at the culture at that time will tell you all that you need to know about what life was under his sphere of influence…

Screen shot obama.
Screen shot of “popular movies from 2008 to 2016”. This is what culture was like under Obama. We see horror, zombies, police, drugs, mutations, and worlds being threatened with extinction.

Take Aways

  • History can be described by facts, numbers, charts and data.
  • However, the best measure of a period of time is how you felt living it.
  • The Obama rewritten narrative of the 1980’s does not resemble what it was like by those who experienced it.
  • I argue that to understand a period of time, you need to delve into the culture.
  • The culture of the 1980’s was strange and unusual compared to today.
  • A look at the movies of the 1980’s can illustrate what it was like living during that time period.

FAQ

Q: What is the purpose of this post?
A: I see many people who have not lived in the 1980’s try to tell me that it was a horrible and terrible time. They do so because that is what they were taught. Yet, these very same people also tell me that they love the movies and the people during that time. They wish that they could be cruising in a GTO and living the life that they can only dream of.

They wish that the movies of today would be of the same caliber as the movies of today. Their disconnect from the awareness that culture tracks reality is disturbing. They go hand-in-hand. A culture always is a reflection of the people in society.

Q: Is this a complete list of movies?
A: No, not by a long shot. Many movies are left off, but I really don’t have all day. Here are just a handful of movies that are reflective of this time. Honorable mentions include…

  1. Brainstorm (1983)
  2. Dead Heat (I love the animated butcher shop. LOL)
  3. Raiders of the Lost Ark
  4. My Best Friend is a Vampire
  5. Lean on Me.
  6. Blade Runner.
  7. The Terminator
  8. The Breakfast Club
  9. Platoon
  10. Blue Velvet
  11. Full Metal Jacket
  12. The karate Kid
  13. Earth Girls Are Easy
  14. The Burbs
  15. Red Dawn
  16. Big Trouble in Little China
  17. Aliens
  18. They Live
  19. Predator
  20. American Werewolf in London
  21. The Blues Brothers
  22. Gremlins
  23. The Money Pit
  24. Beetlejuice
  25. Howard the Duck
  26. Raising Arizona
  27. The Neverending Story
  28. The Adventures Of Buckaroo Bonzai Across the Eighth Dimension
  29. Ernest goes to camp
  30. The Last Starfighter
  31. The Blues Brothers
  32. Brazil
  33. Strange Brew

Posts Regarding Life and Contentment

Here are some other similar posts on this venue. If you enjoyed this post, you might like these posts as well. These posts tend to discuss growing up in America. Often, I like to compare my life in America with the society within communist China. As there are some really stark differences between the two.

Tomatos

Mad scientist

Gorilla Cage in the basement

Pleasures

Work in the 1960's

School in the 1970s

Cat Heaven

Corporate life

Corporate life - part 2

Build up your life

Grow and play - 1

Grow and play - 2

Asshole

Baby's got back

More Posts about Life

I have broken apart some other posts. They can best be classified about ones actions as they contribute to happiness and life. They are a little different, in subtle ways.

Being older

Civil War

Travel

PT-141

Bronco Billy

r/K selection theory

How they get away with it

Line in the sand

A second passport

Paper Airplanes

Snopes

Taxiation without representation.

Stories that Inspired Me

Here are reprints in full text of stories that inspired me, but that are nearly impossible to find in China. I place them here as sort of a personal library that I can use for inspiration. The reader is welcome to come and enjoy a read or two as well.

Links about China

Business KTV

Dance Craze

End of the Day Potato

Dog Shit

Dancing Grandmothers

When the SJW movement took control of China

Family Meal

Freedom & Liberty in China

Ben Ming Nian

Beware the Expat

Fake Wine

Fat China

China and America Comparisons

SJW

Playground Comparisons

The Last Straw

Diversity Initatives

Democracy

Travel outside

10 Misconceptions about China

Top Ten Misconceptions

Learning About China

Pretty Girls 1

Pretty Girls 2

Pretty Girls 3

Pretty Girls 4

Pretty Girls 5

Articles & Links

  • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
  • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
  • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
  • You can find out more about the author HERE.
  • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
  • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

Notes

  1. Compiled 12OCT18.
  2. Completed 14OCT18.
  3. Published 15OCT18.
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Chris

Great list!

youra racist

LOL of course you worship Reagan! You even love Trump. You tout racist lies about BLM and Antifa organizers. You defend the white supremacist system because it benefits you. You’re full of it and you’ve learned nothing over the decades. Being against anti-fascism means you’re a fascist!