80sfilms

The year before this film came out, two of what would come to be known as “The Brat Pack” starred in 1984’s romantic-comedy-drama Oxford Blues.

The film starred Rob Lowe, who had a string of successful 80s releases, including Illegally Yours (1988), Square Dance (1987), About Last Night… (1986), Youngblood (1986), St. Elmo’s Fire (1985), The Hotel New Hampshire (1984), Class (1983), and The Outsiders (1983).

Oxford Blues featured Lowe doing what he used to do best–looking good, acting smug and sarcastic, and, eventually, getting the girl of his dreams.

In this film, he played an American hustler who follows a rich Brit hottie to England, where he enrolls in Oxford and joins the rowing team to get her attention (and no, it’s not that easy to get into Oxford–he had a computer hacker friend work some magic to get him in).

In the vein of 80s hits such as St. Elmo’s Fire, The Breakfast Club and even About Last Night, Oxford Blues was neither crude nor crass, instead getting its point across without vulgar language, while still dealing with issues such as sex, drugs and general promiscuity. Yes, the plot was simplistic, but at least the film was entertaining without relying on crude slapstick shenanigans and F-bombs every two seconds.

Both directed and written by Robert Boris, Oxford Blues also starred Ally Sheedy as a fellow American at Oxford and part of the rowing team, Amanda Pays as the Brit hottie, Julian Sands, Julian Firth, Alan Howard, Cary Elwes and Chad Lowe.

Oxford Blues might be one of Lowe’s lesser-known films of the 80s, and I’m pretty sure no one I know has ever seen it, but it’s definitely worth a watch, as it’s light, funny and, in the end, satisfying.

In 1986’s Big Trouble In Little China, Kurt Russell stars as Jack Burton, a quick-witted, semi-tough truck driver who stumbles into another realm when his friend’s fiancee is kidnapped.

Jack heads under San Francisco’s Chinatown into a world ruled by Lo Pan, a 2000-year-old magician who can call upon anyone, dead or alive, to do his bidding.

Oddly enough, Big Trouble In Little China was pitched to be a western, but thank goodness the powers that be went for a Hong Kong action picture instead, because the results were magical.

Kim Cattrall (”Sex and the City”, Sex and the City, Mannequin) plays a lawyer named Gracie Law who becomes involved in the search, and also becomes the romantic interest for Jack.

Directed by John Carpenter, Big Trouble In Little China is a departure from horror into a world where karate chops replace chopped body parts, and characters deliver funny lines instead of screams.

Carpenter’s other popular directing efforts include Halloween (1978), Starman (1984), Christine (1983), The Thing (1982), Escape from New York (1981), and The Fog (1980).

While Big Trouble In Little China isn’t heavy on plot or character development, it more than makes up for that in combining martial arts and sci fi to produce edge-of-your-seat excitement.

Big Trouble In Little China might never pass today’s polotically-correct standards, but in 1986, it was a classic action/adventure/comedy that delivered plenty of fights/martial arts as well as some truly funny dialogue.

You’ve gotta love a film that was referred to in the television series “Friends” as Rachel’s favorite movie. That’s right, we’re talking about the hilarious 1989 film Weekend At Bernie’s.

The film is about two lowly underlings at an insurance agency who stumble across a $2 million fraud and, thinking they will earn brownie points, report it to their boss, Bernie (Terry Kiser).

But Bernie’s not a nice guy, and since he was behind the fraud to begin with, he invites the pair of employees to his island beach house for the weekend, where he intends to have them offed by his mob contacts.

In a comic twist, the mob decides to off Bernie instead. By the time the two guys, Richard (Jonathan Silverman) and Larry (Andrew McCarthy), get there and find Bernie’s body, all comic hell breaks loose.

The islanders don’t even seem to notice that Bernie is dead, so rather than explain, Richard and Larry decide to keep up the farce.

Weekend At Bernie’s was directed by Ted Kotcheff, and co-starred Catherine Mary Stewart and Kotcheff himself (in a small role).

The fact that the premise of the film is completely implausible is beside the point–Weekend At Bernie’s is a light 80s romp that will entertain viewers and get some laughs.
 
 
 

In the spring on 1988, my best friend and I went to the theater to see “that film with the geek from Sixteen Candles in it.”

The film, Johnny Be Good, was about football, so we weren’t expecting much, but we were in for quite a surprise.

Sometime in the span of a few years, Anthony Michael Hall morphed from scrawny geek to hot guy. And his cohort, Robert Downey Jr., wasn’t too shabby either.

In the film, Hall played Johnny Walker, a high school football stud being recruited by big names. 

His girlfriend, Georgia, isn’t too thrilled with the recruitment tactics of some of the schools, and when Johnny starts to let all the accolades go to his head, everyone gets a bit tired of his schtick.

The film, directed by Bud Smith, co-stars Paul Gleason, Jennifer Tilly and Uma Thurman (as Georgia). Look for Howard Cosell, Jim McMahon and Robert Downey Sr. in small roles as well.

Johnny Be Goodis an often-overlooked 80s film, and for Hall, marked his transition from co-star to bonafide leading man. His previous roles included Weird Science (1985), The Breakfast Club (1985), Sixteen Candles (1984), and Vacation (1983). Hall built on his successful movie career by going on to star in the television drama “The Dead Zone”, where, ironically, he played a guy named Johnny.

Downey Jr. was just getting his feet wet in acting in the 80s as well, after having co-starred with Hall in Weird Science. He moved on to roles in The Pickup Artist (1987), Less Than Zero (1987), and Chances Are(1989). After hitting a few bumps in the road, Downey Jr. is currently enjoying a strong comeback and has exhibited excellent acting in films such as Iron Man (2008), Charlie Bartlett (2007), Zodiac (2007), A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints (2006), Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus (2006), A Scanner Darkly (2006), Good Night, and Good Luck (2005), and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005).

Thurman retained both her beauty and her underrated acting ability, parlaying both into roles both large and small in films such as Beautiful Girls (1996), Pulp Fiction (1994), Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003), Hysterical Blindness (2002) (TV), and The Life Before Her Eyes (2007).

For those who enjoy morality comedy/dramas, as well as fans of Hall, Johnny Be Good is a great 80s film about the choices we make in life, and how those choices affect everyone around us in one way or another.

In 1989, the two Coreys starred in Dream a Little Dream, a cute little 80s film about body switching hijinks and high school romance.

The plot revolved around Bobby Kellar (played by Corey Feldman), who had a crush on Lainie Diamond (played by Meredith Salenger) who was dating a jerk (of course!).

In the meantime, an old married man named Coleman (played by Jason Robards) was tinkering with dreams, and when he crossed paths with Bobby, they wound up switching bodies.

The interaction caused Coleman and his wife, and Bobby and Lainie, with intertwining lives.

Dream A Little Dream is a great film about the “grass is greener” effect, and shows that no matter how old or young you are, life can be difficult and complicated.

The film also starred the otherCorey-Corey Haim, as well as Piper Laurie, Harry Dean Stanton, William McNamara, and Victoria Jackson.

This, along with The Lost Boys, is probably the best of the “Corey” films. Moreover, Dream A Little Dream is a sweet film about life and love in the 80s. 

In 1985, Cocoon hit theaters, leaving in its wake the uplifting feeling that growing old might not be so bad after all.

Directed by Ron Howard (Ransom, Apollo 13), Cocoonis part sci-fi, part comedy, and all entertaining.

The unlikely premise is about a group of aliens who visit a Florida retirement community to rescue some long-stranded aliens cocooned and buried beneath the sea.

The aliens morph into humans, put their cocooned colleagues in the facility swimming pool, and that’s when a group of residents find the pool, take a dip and feel young again.

The cast of talented veteran actors includes Don Ameche (who won an Academy Award for his supporting role), Hume Cronyn, Jessica Tandy, Mareen Stapleton, Wilford Brimley, Brian Dennehy, Steve Guttenberg, Tyrone Power Jr., and Clint Howard.

Cocoon, rated PG13, is not all laughs, as it deals with the realities of growing old and death, but in all, it’s a funny, well acted and directed fantasy film that answers some aging “what if” questions.

In 1986, when Nine 1/2 Weeks came out, I didn’t pay much attention to it. But a few years later, I was obsessed.
I was dating a guy who reminded me so much of the male character in the film, that I couldn’t help but wonder if he was trying to be perceived that way. Needless to say, our relationship lasted about as long as the pair in the film.

Nine 1/2 Weeks, director Adrian Lyne’s follow-up to Flashdance, revolves around a nine 1/2-week affair between straight-laced art-gallery dealer Elizabeth and emotionally-detached Wall Street exec John.

Stars Mickey Rourke and Kim Basinger play the lovers, and while I can’t see the appeal of Rourke in this day and age, back then he left me breathless.

While the thought of watching Rourke doing anything these days is a bit unpleasant (to put it nicely), I still enjoy watching Basinger perform (as long as it’s not on “Saturday Night Live”).

I would hasten to say Nine 1/2 Weeks was the high point of Rourke’s career, as he continued to take on controversial, highly sexual roles in films such as 1987’s Angel Heart and 1990’s Wild Orchid.

Basinger, on the other hand, used Nine 1/2 Weeks as more of a stepping stone to better projects, including 1987’s Blind Date, 1992’s Final Analysis, 1997’s L.A. Confidential and 2002’s 8 Mile.

Nine 1/2 Weeks is an 80s rite of passage, but best left for adults, as it is erotic and deals with very mature subject matter.

When I see films like 1980’s Foxes, I am so glad I don’t have kids, or more specifically, a daughter. Along the lines of Thirteen, Havoc and Normal Adolescent Behavior, Foxes deals with teenage girls asserting their independence in reckless ways.

The film is about four best friends, one of whom is played by a young Jodie Foster, all of whom drink, do drugs, sleep around, argue with their absentee parents, and gripe about boring high school and its immature boys.

While each of the girls faces her own set of home life issues, when one runs away from her abusive father, they all have to grow up even faster than they already are.

Foxeswas directed by Adrian Lyne, who also directed some great films like Flashdance, Nine 1/2 Weeks, Fatal Attraction, Jacob’s Ladder, Indecent Proposal and Unfaithful. 

Foxesalso stars teen heart throb Scott Baio (of television’s “Happy Days”), Randy Quiad, Laura Dern and Sally Kellerman (of “M*A*S*H”).

I was nine years old when Foxes came out–my sister was 15–and I clearly remember how obsessed she was with this film. Of course, back then I had no idea why, but now I do.

Foxes is an eye-opening look at teenage girls.

Nostalgia for the 80s and childhood is at its sweetest with the 1988 hit comedy Big, starring Tom Hanks as a 12-year-old boy who gets trapped inside the body of a 30-year-old man. Hilarious chaos ensues.Brilliant director Penny Marshall (who went on to direct the hit 90s comedy A League Of Their Own a few years later), and writers Gary Ross and Anne Spielberg create a magical tale of childhood innocence, friendship, romance and adulthood that anyone, child or adult, is bound to enjoy.

Bigalso stars Elizabeth Perkins (who can now be seen on the cable comedy-drama “Weeds”) as Hank’s adult character’s love interest, as well as John Heard, Jon Lovitz, and Mercedes Ruehl, all of whom play strong parts that make this fairy tale believable. 

Big grapples with the struggles all young adults face (jobs, relationships, friendships), and makes the point that although adults tend to take life a lot more seriously, sometimes acting like a kid can make everything OK.

The underlying message is to be true to yourself, and happiness and success will follow.

Big is a great 80s comedy for families, fans of Hanks, and anyone who just wants to enjoy a great film and have some good laughs.

In 1987, Michael J. Fox parlayed his Back to the Future and Teen Wolf success, as well as his ”Family Ties” stardom, into a great little film called The Secret of My Succe$s.

(This was a year before Bright Lights, Big City came out, which was another film about keeping up with yuppie-dom, but The Secret of My Succe$s maintained its message while keeping things light and fun, whereas Bright Light Big City was a depressing, but good, film.)

In this film, Fox plays a small town kid who heads to New York City to take a bite out of the big apple. His uncle (Richard Jordan) gives him a mail-room job in the headquarters of a major corporation, and soon Fox is sneaking in the back door of big business. He sets his sights on a dream job and a dream girl (Helen Slater), as well as gets in bed with his boss’s wife (Margaret Whitton).

The Secret of My Succe$s is a typical 80s yuppie fest filled with dated clothes and predictable plot points, but Fox does what he does best, playing a good guy in over his head, delivering funny lines and physical comedy as only he can.