Greatest 80s Movies

[Tarka Dal]

http://www2.five.tv/programmes/greatestevermovies/countdown/

I finally watched the end of this today. Apparently the list was voted for by the public. Now I know the voting public at large are stupid, but how I mean seriously how can Ghostbusters not have made the top 40!? No Blade Runner either.

Topic

[peas_and_corn]

Ben, what’s your opinion of Short Circuit? I hear that you think it’s a masterpiece.

On a serious note, what about Short Circuit 2 compared to the first?

[pfm]

I love Short Circuit. YES it’s a cheesy ’80s movie, but it’s packed with coolness and Ally Sheedy being very cute. Not to mention the fact that Fisher Stevens as Benjamin is one of the greatest performances of all-time! He is also the reason SC2 is watchable. As well as the part where Johnny 5 gets the crap beaten out of him, which I think traumatized me as a child…it still saddens me… ‘No! Do not disassemble! Do not kill!!’

[peas_and_corn]

The fact that scene has so much impact says something for the writing and characterisation

[Tarka Dal]

Well I’m a fan of short-circuit too (not so much Two). Although I’m interested in this…

> It?s an extremely well-constructed screenplay and I shan?t hear a word against it.

Could you expand on that a bit?

> Krull, or Masters Of The Universe, or The Godfather.

So glad you didn’t include Flash Gordon on that list. Somehow I’ve never seen Krull.

[TheLeen]

I love Flash Gordon. Almost as much as Barbarella and Batman – The Movie (1966).

[Andrew]

> On a serious note, what about Short Circuit 2 compared to the first?

I’m with PM on the second – watching with a friend recently it STILL makes me bloody cry in that last act (using Holding Out For a Hero in the climax long before Shrek 2 did it, and the hilarious tragedy of Five’s speech patterns messing up) – and while it’s a more trvial ’80s movie bank robbers’ flick, there are stacks of good jokes.

> Could you expand on that a bit?

It’s a very clean and efficient screenplay. Things are smartly established and then utilised, characters are locked down efficiently, themes are set up and paid off. It’s a perfect ‘Save The Cat’ example.

Our science guys don’t actually have a life, Stephanie’s entire instinct is to rescue and preserve lives that need looking after, Five is discovering life for the first time. On a story level they teach each other about life, blah blah, but thematically they’re connected from the get-go. Stuff like that works for me.

Oh, and all the neat touches. The dialogue twiddles (so much wordplay in the dialogue, acres of smart writing – and that follows into the sequel), the minor character beats (the debate about how choppers are now being called hueys). It’s just lovely.

[Tarka Dal]

> I love Flash Gordon. Almost as much as Barbarella and Batman – The Movie (1966).

Those are really good films to dump it in with actually, and something I had never previously considered.

I’ve always said that ‘Bad Boys 2’ exists in a genre entirely of it’s own. No matter how much you might hate it no other action, buddy-cop, shoot-em-up flick is quite the same or numbs the mind in quite the same way. Then a few weeks ago I watched ‘Point Break’ on the Beeb and it left me feeling exactly the same way. Pegg/Frost = Observational Genius. I’m tempted to watch them back to back one night followed by Hot Fuzz.

[TheLeen]

> Five is discovering life for the first time

Oh, THAT movie. *slaps forhead*
It’s called “Number Five is alive” in German.

I only remember one thing about the movie and that’s the robot trying to make pancakes, which I found very funny when I was little.

[ChrisM]

Speaking of Pegg/Frost and Hot Fuzz, I’ve been munching my way through the Spaced boxset I got for Christmas. Great stuff. I’ve seen the series before as it seems to be On Demand pretty permanently, but it was well worth it with the extra goodies. I found the Homage-o-meter by mistake. Great to find the stuff I missed.

[TheLeen]

>> I love Flash Gordon. Almost as much as Barbarella and Batman – The Movie (1966).

> Those are really good films to dump it in with actually, and something I had
> never previously considered.

Dino de Laurentiis was involved with both Barbarella and Flash Gordon, and I thought also with Batman somehow, although I can’t find any proof for this right now… I may be wrong.

[Tarka Dal]

It always amazed me how much Ally Sheedy appeared to have aged in one year between Breakfast Club and Short Circuit too. Obviously I was too young to appreciate the idea of make-up and wardrobe departments as a kid.

That sounds so wrong.

[Pete Part Three]

Nice software.

[mick]

even though it was not released until the 90’s, it was made in the 80’s so I’m gonna have to say: Robot Jox

And Karl please don’t mention Ally Sheedy again, I’ve worn it down to a nub already watching Elizabeth Shue in Karate Kid.

[si]

I cannot believe nobody’s mentioned Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure. Keanu Reeves’s finest hour.

[NitroChrisUK]

EXCELLENT

[Seb Patrick]

>Keanu Reeves?s finest hour.

Wrong. Bogus Journey.

[Tarka Dal]

Point Break surely?

[TheLeen]

Johnny Mnemonic for me.

[Pete Part Three]

You’re all mad. It’s clearly “A Walk in the Clouds”.

[Tarka Dal]

> Johnny Mnemonic for me.

You are a sick, sick young lady.

[pfm]

> Wrong. Bogus Journey.

While parts of it are atrocious it’s not THAT bad and at least has a new idea of them dying and everything. I like the bit where they’re facing their fears and Bill has to face Granny S Preston Esq. (Alex Winter playing both parts!) which is pretty funny. Death is a good character too, though being a Pratchett fan (to the extent that I’ve read six whole Discworld books, god I’m so good) it’s not surprising I like the character. It’s funny how this film takes the piss out of how Death plays chess in the Seventh Seal film just like how Pratchett does.

[Jonathan Capps]

> While parts of it are atrocious

This is incorrect. There are no parts of Bogus Journey that are anywhere NEAR being atrocious.

[NitroChrisUK]

back to the future

[Danny Stephenson]

I like the bit where they?re facing their fears and Bill has to face Granny S Preston Esq. (Alex Winter playing both parts!) which is pretty funny

Strangely, That’s the only part of the film I hate, and to this day I’m trying to work out why. it just makes me cringe so bad.

[Pete Part Three]

>This is incorrect. There are no parts of Bogus Journey that are anywhere NEAR being atrocious.

This is correct. Explain yourself, Monkey.

[hummingbird]

you’re all philistines

[si]

Bogus Journey was 1991, thus not an eighties movie.

Excellent Adventure it is.

[Pete Part Three]

We were debating Keanu’s finest hour.

[Dave]

>We were debating Keanu?s finest hour.

Dogstar

[Jo]

Parenthood

[Mnoooah]

I second Johnny Mnemonic. I mean, a film where even the good guys want to cut his head off, surely that’s entertainment.

[Jo]

‘Much Ado About Nothing’

Oh and of course don’t forget ‘Speed’

AND… ‘My Own Private Idaho’

[Mnoooah]

Oh, SO right. Shakespere!Keanu was epically underwhelming.

[hummingbird]

>Keanu?s finest hour

an oxymoron, shurely?

[Joey TORDFC]

I’m going to have to say Labyrinth for me. Or Flash Gordon.

[Tarka Dal]

I love you Joey Cannon, I love you so much.

[Jo]

>an oxymoron, shurely?

*You’re* an oxy moron… and don’t call me Shirley.

[Author]

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