80sfilms

You may have noticed no new reviews in the past few days.

Since my pay structure was “reassessed”, I no longer can dedicate the time it takes to write interesting (?), sarcastic and/or funny reviews here, as my pay is about a millionth of a cent per word (not a good rate if you’re trying to make a living).

So, I’m off to find another place to share my love of 80s films, etc.

In the meantime, if you wish to keep reading, I blog at http://thatdogblog.com, http://dailyeatsonline.com, and http://blogcritics.org/writer/writnkitten.

I hope to see ya around some of my other blogs soon!

I missed Tequila Sunrise when it was released in theaters in 1988, but I had a chance to see it the following year when it came out on video (remember videos?).

Tequila Sunrise had it all–romance, danger, action, drama, witty dialogue, handsome leading men and a beautiful female lead. And the music…”Surrender to Me” still makes me swoon.

Writer/director Robert Towne (Chinatown) outdid himself in this quiet little tense crime film noir, which starred Gibson as a former drug dealer whose best friend from high school (Kurt Russell) works for the Los Angeles sheriff’s drug detail.

As if that’s not enough to complicate a long-standing friendship, both men also share designs on the same woman (Michelle Pfeiffer), the owner of the Italian restaurant they both frequent.

Gibson plays Dale “Mac” McKussic (Gibson), an ex-drug dealer trying to live the straight life, no thanks to the company he keeps. He and his old friend, Detective Lieutenant Nicholas “Nick” Frescia (Russell), dance around entrapment, and Jo Ann Vallenari (Pfeiffer) gets tangled up in the mess as the men compete for her affection, as well as to see who will come out on top professionally speaking.

The film also starred Raul Julia, Arliss Howard and J.T. Walsh.

Gibson enjoyed success in other films such as Lethal Weapon 2 (1989), Lethal Weapon (1987), Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985), The River (1984), The Year of Living Dangerously (1982)  and Mad Max 2 (1981).

Pfeiffer upped the ante with her performances in The Fabulous Baker Boys (1989), Dangerous Liaisons (1988), The Witches of Eastwick (1987), Ladyhawke (1985) and Scarface (1983), and went for leess-than-stellar in Married to the Mob (1988) and Grease 2 (1982).

Russell also starred in other 80s dramas, including The Mean Season (1985), Swing Shift (1984), Silkwood (1983), The Thing (1982), Escape from New York (1981) and Used Cars (1980) and the comedies The Best of Times (1986), Tango & Cash (1989), Overboard (1987) and Big Trouble in Little China (1986).

Both Walsh and Julia are deceased, but Julia’s work can also be seen in Compromising Positions (1985) and Kiss of the Spider Woman (1985), and Walsh’s in Good Morning, Vietnam (1987) and Hannah and Her Sisters (1986).

Putting aside my new-found dislike for Gibson, I think Tequila Sunriseis one of the best crime dramas released in the 80s, and fans of Gibson, Pfeiffer and Russell should definitely check it out.

In 1987, a cautionary tale of cheating on one’s spouse hit the theaters.

The film, Fatal Attraction, starred Michael Douglas as Dan Gallagher, a big shot New York City attorney with a loving wife (Anne Archer) and cute-as-a-button daughter. 

Dan has the job, the home life and, apparently, a wandering eye. When he meets Alex Forrest (played by Glenn Close), he decides to throw it all away for some sex.

Dan thinks one night is enough, but Alex wants him all to herself, and she does anything to get what she wants.

Director Adrian Lyne continued the same theme with Unfaithful (2002), and also directed Indecent Proposal (1993), Jacob’s Ladder (1990), Nine 1/2 Weeks (1986), Flashdance (1983), and Foxes (1980).

Beyond Fatal Attraction, Douglas enjoyed a string of successful 80s roles in films such as Romancing the Stone (1984), The War of the Roses (1989), Black Rain (1989), Wall Street (1987), A Chorus Line (1985) and The Jewel of the Nile (1985).
   
Close reprised this role of unhinged, evil incarnate in the cable television drama “Damages.” Archer has enjoyed a successful television career with guest parts on shows such as “Ghost Whisperer”, “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia”, “The L Word”, and “Boston Public”.

Be sure to keep your eye out for Jane Krakowski of television’s “30 Rock”, who plays the babysitter in Fatal Attraction.

While I question the attraction of Alex and Dan (on both parts, as I find neither one that appealing), on the whole, Fatal Attraction is a suspenseful, roller coaster ride of emotion that proves that sometimes the grass isn’t greener on the other side, it’s just plain crazy.

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 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.

In 1989, literally a week before I graduated high school, a film came out that made literary geeks like me rejoice. That film was Dead Poets Society.

In the film, young actor (and current mega-star writer/actor) Ethan Hawke played Todd Anderson, a boy under pressure because he lived in the shadow of his older brother’s reputation at a prestigious all-boy’s prep school, the Welton Academy.

The elite academy stressed four pillars/morals: Tradition, Honor, Discipline, and Excellence.

Soon, Todd meets student Neil Perry, a boy who us harangued by his father and under pressure to meet his parent’s expectations.

The pair and their classmates meet their new English teacher, Mr. Keating (played by Robin Williams), who encourages free thinking and passion in academics.

Among the radical approaches he takes toward teaching, Mr. Keating tells the boys, “Carpe Diem”, which means “seize the day”. He also has his students rip the introduction out of a book, which both shocks and delights the boys.

When the boys discover Mr. Keating not only attended their school, but also was involved in something called the Dead Poets Society, they dig for information.

The boys decide to continue in the Dead Poets Society tradition of meeting at night to read poetry and discuss life.

Over time, each boy begins to assert his independence in a different way. For Neil, it’s trying out for a role in the play A Midsummer Nights Dream. But when he gets a part, he must face his father’s disapproval.

The boys begin to take things too far with their meetings by turning them into a reason to drink, smoke and act stupid. Eventually, they realize that every action has a consequence, and in the end, they learn that conformity is not all it’s cracked up to be.

Dead Poets Society was directed by Peter Weir, who also directed The Mosquito Coast (1986) and Witness (1985). The film was written by Tom Schulman, and co-starred Robert Sean Leonard (as Neil) and Josh Charles.

Probably one of the biggest reasons I loved this film was because it reminded me so much of one of my all-time favorite books, A Separate Peace by John Knowles.

Although the film does have some swearing, smoking, drinking and light promiscuity, as well as self-inflicted violence, I still deem it teen friendly (it’s tame compared to teen films these days!) and a good watch for the entire family.

Dead Poets Society is a well-acted, wonderfully written and directed 80s films that families can watch, enjoy and discuss together. 

When Harry Met Sally came out in 1989, when I had just started college and was poised for amazing adventures and romance.

And while I never had a “Harry” to my “Sally”, the film did help me learn to laugh about love, which in turn helped quite a bit during a few years of hit-or-miss romances until I met my husband.

The brilliant Nora Ephron wrote the screenplay for When Harry Met Sally, a romantic comedy in every sense, and Rob Reiner directed it. The writer/director pair created a classic New York love story.

Stars Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan, who play Felix/Oscar opposites and longtime platonic friends, play their roles with a chemistry that’s believable and, although I know the ending, still have me rooting for them every time I watch the film. The friends’ best friends, played by Bruno Kirby and Carrie Fisher, hold their own as well, maintaining the comic rhythm of the film while their character’s fall in love and get married.

When Harry Met Sally offers relevant commentary on friendship, courtships, marriage and love, all while delivering laughs and a few tears.
 

There’s a lovely little film that came out in 1987, and I think I may be the only person who’s ever seen it, but no matter because it’s so dreamy.

It’s called, appropriately, Made in Heaven, and although it stars Kelly McGillis, who I think was a little overrated in this film, I don’t mind a her bit here because she’s wonderful. Her costar, Timothy Hutton, brings a lot to the film as well, and they share a sweet chemistry that’s totally believable.

Made in Heavenhas some notable 80s musicians in it, as it is part musical (less than Once, but sort of along the same lines).

The film also stars Maureen Stapleton, Mare Winningham, Tim Daly and Amanda Plummer, and look for cameos from (the aforementioned musicians) Tom Petty, Rick Ocasek and Neil Young. There are also cameos from Ellen Barkin and Debra Winger (she’s hard to spot, because she plays a man).

Made in Heaven is a beautiful, bittersweet and surprising love story along the lines of The Notebook, and fans of romance, well-crafted plots, and fine acting should take a look at this 80s gem.