What is your favorite American film from the 1980s and why? Does the material you are learning this week--in terms of industry and historical context--help you to better understand this film or your relationship to it? If so, how?
When Harry Met Sally (1989) is one of my favorite romantic comedies of all time. I think it set the tone for romantic comedies to follow and tackled all the stereotypes that men have about women and women about men. I think the movie goes through a journey of setting stereotypes and posing statements that it later works at disproving. One of my "theories" the movie poses is that guys and girls can never be just good friends without some sort of sexual attraction from one or the other. I believe this to be absolutely true! The movei presented a more adult romantic comedy with quirky dialogue and intense character development.
Selecting my favorite film from across an entire decade is quite a difficult task. The 80's were a decade that contained some of the most successful film franchises of all times. Examples of this would be movies like Star Wars or the Rocky series. While these movie are great I would not say they are my favorite of the decade. That distinction would probably belong to the movie Scarface. Scarface is special because it blurs the lines between good and bad through the protagonist. The historical context plugs in with the war on drugs occurring at the time. Scarface shows another side of the drug underworld. The acting is amazing, and I feel as though there are not many movies that can compare to the style of Scarface.
Many of my favorite movies were produced and released in the 1980's: E.T., Raiders of the Lost Ark, and The Empire Strikes Back, just to name a few. However, the one film from that decade that rises above the rest is Ferris Bueller's Day Off. There are very few movies that I can see multiple times and still enjoy. Ferris Bueller is one of those movies. Some of the things we learned about the history of the decade and the industry made Ferris Bueller's success a little confusing. It isn't a "blockbuster", and it doesn't fit into the newly rising sci-fi or action/adventure dramas. But the 80's also saw the rise of the teen demographic - young people with free time and disposable incomes were the ones going to movies, and Hollywood targeted them (and their money) by making films starring teenagers about teenage problems, like The Breakfast Club or Pretty in Pink, for example. Like those other films, Ferris Bueller's Day Off is a quintessential picture of teenage rebellion and life in the 1980's. It has become enduring and iconic, and still remains hilarious in each and every frame.
My favorite movie from the 1980's is Spaceballs because its one of the funniest movies I've seen. Spaceballs makes fun of the Star Wars movies and its absolutely hilarious. As many times as I have seen it, it never gets old. Mel Brooks is one of the best when it comes to making parodies and Spaceballs is easily one of the top spoof movies of all time.
The 1980s marked the rise of the 'blockbuster' films and an increase in sci-fi , action and adventure films. It also introduced teen comedies which were very popular because they dealt with teenagers and their problems. One of the films which relate a little bit to Do the Right Thing would be The Breakfast Club. The Breakfast club deals with different stereotypes or cliques among teenagers and how they accept each other after being forced to stay together in detention. The film shows how stereotypes can be broken despite existing notions about different teenage cliques . Do the Right Thing deals with racial stereotypes and how preconceived notions prevent acceptance. Both movies focus on teen culture and the problem of stereotypes.
For me my favorite film from the 1980's has to be Terry Gilliam's Brazil. I saw the film for the first time when I was younger and something about it struck a chord with me. The over the top behavior, the satire 1984-esque society, and just the world Gilliam had built was so unique I was hooked. Little did I know at the time that there was so much more to it. Every time I watch it I understand something about the film I didn't before and that to me is a beautiful thing. In context of what we are learning from class, Gilliam's attempt to make a meaningful film that was also big budget was thwarted by producers. Originally having a very dark ending, producer's sliced out "uncomfortable" portions of the film to make it more sellable. This did the exact opposite of what they planed and the film flopped with a 5 million dollar loss for being "too silly." The director's cut is an absolute masterpiece and every aspect of the film is incredibly well executed. This film was a stand against commercial cookie cutter film making and it unfortunately suffered for it.
I very much appreciated the B movies of the 1980s. While the blockbusters were dominating the film box office, the B movies also found success. in a way, they were the alternatives to the blockbusters. People during the 80's weren't so much interested in CGI and special effects, they were interested in a good story. That is why many of the films of JOHN HUGHES were such a success. They had a message. Also, the idea of escaping reality was a big trend in the 80s. Films like Ghostbusters and Back To The Future were epic, because they took you on a journey, and allowed you to escape your reality.
My favorite 80s movie would have to be Back to the Future. It's just so iconic and memorable to me that I can't resist watching it till the end whenever I find it on tv. To me it just seems to be an amalgam of all the things that make a great movie, excellent acting, visionary direction, and a strong story to tell. The 80s seemed all about being new and exciting and I find it a little ironic that that a movie about traveling to the past could do just that.
My favorite 80's film has to be E.T.: The Extra Terrestrial which is important contextually in that many people would say that Spielberg is the quintessential member of the New Hollywood generation. With E.T. (and pretty much any other late 70's-early 80's Spielberg film) he pretty much defined the archetypical Hollywood blockbuster. Spielberg defined New Hollywood and created much of the cinematic language used today and is especially important in that he showed how heavily he and the rest of the New Hollywooders were influenced by the previous decades of film and by television.
Tim Burton's Beetlejuice is definitely my favorite film of the 1980s. I love the bizarre artistry behind it and Michael Keaton just cracks me up. It took me a few years to catch on to the suggestive humor that I so easily dismissed as a kid, but the writing is really witty and enjoyable. Then, of course, there's the dance sequence at the dinner table -- entirely unforgettable. I'm not a fan of Burton's recent work, but Beetlejuice made way for Edward Scissorhands (another favorite) and undoubtedly influenced my appreciation for film.
i am quite the fan of the film caddyshack, which to me is extremely appealing for its deadpan approach to comedy and just the intrigue of the premise itself. i love movies in which an ordinary environment is approached with a sense of high tension and extra importance, and the exclusive country club that serves as the backdrop for this movie does this very well. rodney dangerfield is a blast, as is bill murray.
Rain Man is my favorite film of the 1980s. This is a class road movie, with the two siblings crossing country to Califomia in the Buick. Hoffman's savant--a mass of baseball and airline disaster statistics, prone to hysterics if his routine is broken--in one of the modern cinema's great triumphs:believable,unsentimental,often hilarious.But without Cruise, whose emotional journey runs from confused and impatient to understanding, protective and eventually loving,there is no film.Director Barry Levinson handles the whole thing beautifully, and also won the Oscar.
The 80’s was a golden age for science fiction and action films. My favorite movie was E.T. by Steven Spielberg. I remember growing up with that movie and never getting bored of it. Steven Spielberg had 2 decades ago, fascinated all the young fans and the new generation by the explicit use of reinserting missing scenes, digitally remastering sound and new special effects. He had defined new ways to look at Hollywood films. His influence in those times hasn’t faded out as yet science fiction has touched new skies of popularity. Spielberg’s handling of the film also shows us how well rooted we are in the past decades.
One of my favorite movies of the 80s was 16 Candles. Aside from being hilarious and having a great story, 16 Candles is great because it is very reflective of the period in which it was produced. During the 80's, teen romance/coming of age stories often had themes which demonstrated the strive for Americans to reach financial security. In many teen romances, like 16 Candles, love is associated with money. Sam, an average girl from a middle class family, has a huge crush on Jake,the school jock who comes from a wealthy family (his father drives a Rolls Royce). Sam's crush on Jake is reflective of the average young American's dreams of climbing the social ladder and their associations with money and happiness. As discussed in class, teens of the 80s became the primary movie-goers because of their free time and disposable incomes and as a result, more movies began to be made with this audience in mind. 16 Candles is one of many teen movies made to fit this increased teenage demographic as well as the rising issues associated with social standing and money.
The Empire Strikes back has to be my favorite movie of the 80s overall. It is just absolutely awesome! I always wish I could have watched it as a kid when it came out so I coule experience the magic just a bit more. While the special effects were pretty cool when I saw it, they predated me because I was used to CGI. This movie is quintesseintial New Hollywood with it's explosive action scenes and blockbuster status. One of the more interesting aspects of this movie are it's vast environmental situations. Since we are jumping from planet to planet Lucas experiments with so many different types of worlds from frozen (Hoth) to swamp (Dagobah). What makes this work so well is that he is expanding on places that are found on Earth so people don't have to suspend disbelief so much. This allows them to focus on the amazing story about our young hero Luke trying to fight off (spoiler alert) his father.
Taking the top spot as my favorite american film from the 1980's (and also one of my favorite films of all time) would have to be Scarface. While tanking at the box office and receiving harsh treatment from critics, Oliver Stone's blood splattered tale of a cuban immigrant amongst a world of greed and corruption, would go on to be THE most highly received crime film to ever hit America's mean streets.
The social/historical context in which the film was released, plays heavily into the role that the film has in popular culture today. While the 80's was very much a period of social and cultural shifting and progress, it's a fair argument to suggest that Scarface's box office bust was due in large part to the fact that, unlike the blaxploitation films of the 70's, Scarface was a film marketed to mainstream audiences (ie. whites) who's central character (although played by Al Pacino) was a latino minority. In turn, when the film was released to video, it became one of the most celebrated films to ever hit the hood, heralded by people of all colors, especially in underprivileged latino communities where Tony Montana was regarded as a sort of pseudo super hero, an anti-hero who had a clear set of ethics and struggled to do the right thing in a world of corruption (despite sparking a major concern among the latino, particularly Miami/Cuban community in regards to stereotyping, something that actually prevented the film from being shot in the city of Miami due to protests and boycotts). It's been said, "if you were a tough white kid, you liked Batman. If you were a tough latino or black kid, you liked Scarface."
Although The Godfather (part I & II) may hold the perennial title as arguably one of the best films of all time, certainly it is Scarface that holds the crown as the most definitive AMERICAN gangster tale ever told...a tale of CAPITALISM. No other film has ever quite been able embody the great paradox that is the American dream the way Stone did with his tale of a refugee escaping horrors at the hands of Castro, toiling incessantly to achieve wealth and status all the while in the throws of passion, only to have it all stripped from him in the end, succumbing to the force that drives us all...greed.
I think a really interesting film from the 1980's, agreeing with some previous comments, is The Breakfast Club. It helps to highlight the typical challenges of the everyday high school student, and works to play towards the new, younger generation audience who want to connect with the characters they are watching in ways they couldn't during previous generations of films. Films like The Breakfast Club and Ferris Bueller's Day Off analyzed the plights of the average teenager, examining the stereotypes and inner conflict of the new audience who the industries would have to cater to in the future.
It's hard to say what my favorite film from the 1980's is as dozens of my favorites from growing up were produced in the 80's. I loved the classics such as E.T., The Little Mermaid, and Airplane!. However, a movie that I just watched recently came to mind immediately after reading this prompt. A Fish Called Wanda is an all-around great movie. It's hilarious and sad at the same time, with a touch of romance. I've never seen a movie that made me laugh as hard as this one, or become so invested in the characters. Each scene ends up more twisted and more ridiculous than the last. Since I'm probably going into screenwriting, I can really appreciate the elements of the story of this film.
It's really hard to say which one is my favorite 80's film, because there have too many good films at that period, but there actually has one that leave me a deep impression. Koyaanisqatsi by direct by GodfreyReggio. This is a documentary film that reflect the absurdity of the fast developing world and show the affection of the nature world. I like it because it point out the rule that we try to forgot, that we are losing our direction when we living in the fast rhythm world. In this film, the director tried to show as that everything is changing so fast nowadays, control the world but don't like the world control you. Although this is a film from 1983, but when we watch it today, it's still telling you the truth.
Having seen numerous iconic films from the 80s, my favorite would have to be Beetlejuice. As a huge fan of Tim Burton and his films, Beetlejuice definitely left a long lasting impression on me. The plot line alone is bizarre, but nonetheless enjoyable to follow. The characters are each ridiculous in their own sense, which makes them unique and unforgettable. Perhaps one of the best scenes in the film is the dinner table scene. The unexpectedness of the dancing and singing is so entertaining, that I frequently go and rewatch the scene. As Sarah mentioned earlier, this film definitely helped to pave the way for Edward Scissorhands, which starred Johnny Depp - one of my favorite actors, and Burton's other works. Although the material discussed in class didn't really change my opinion of the film, it was interesting to learn more about what was going on in the industry at the time.
The Back to the Future series are my favorite films of the 80s. Like many other films of that time it targeted young male audiences but had mass appeal, and it was a large scale high budget movie (in which Steven Spielberg is involved). It was also an action-adventure film that operated in a world of fantasy. Part of the reason that I love those movies so much is that I am a young male, and clearly fit the demographic. It is about a teenage boy who has an average life, but gets thrown into this fantastic exciting adventure with incredibly high risks. It is sort of a coming-of-age story, where Marty learns to be more responsible and take care of himself. When he goes back in time, he serves as a sort of parent to his then-teenage parents. At the end, he is rewarded for growing up with a more sophisticated, happy life with a brand new truck, more successful parents, etc. It has all of the elements of a big action/adventure movie but it also strikes a cord with growing up and coming of age, which is why I think so many young adults connected to the story and the characters, and still celebrate the movies to this day.
Pretty high up on my list of 80s American movies would have to be True Lies. One of James Cameron's earlier efforts, True Lies is the quintessential Hollywood action blockbuster: Big explosions, hot ladies (Jamie Lee Curtis), and muscled men (Arnold Schwarzenegger). In all the action sequences, the Governator has an infinite amount of ammo, and kills baddies with pithy one liners. The story though, while obviously ridiculous, is a pertinent reflection of the 80s drug war. I think it's interesting to draw parallels between what the film portrays and what was actually occurring.
It's so hard to pick a favorite movie from this time period as so many movies were amazing. If I had to choose one I would say Back to the Future not only because I grew up watching this movie but because of it's futuristic plot and hysterical characters. The lecture discussed in class has definitely opened my eyes to the historical context of the film. The crisis of the Hollywood studio systems in 1960s left producers uncertain about which audiences to cater to. In the 80s they found that they need to be making movies for young adults and teens. Back to the Future is about teens going back in time. It has that futuristic notion and it appeals to kids and young adults. I would say the film totally appeals to the young male in the 80s. It is a character driven film. Marty McFly's mission is to go back in time to ensure his mom falls in love with his dad so he can be born.
My favorite movie of the 80's is The Terminator. This is one of those movies that falls under the category of "Hard Body" movies that were popular in the 80's. Kyle Reese, played by Michael Beihn, would be the suffering middle class white man that ends up on top, even though he was from the future. This movie was full of action that hoped appealed to the masses, which it did.
The 1980's saw the emergence of the two of the greatest franchises in film history and personal: The Indiana Jones series, from Raiders of the Lost Ark in 1981 to The Last Crusade in '89 and the continuation of the original Star Wars trilogy, Star Wars V and VI. These two franchises boasted such intriguing stories, with characters and worlds so interesting and larger than life that they not only keep audiences coming back to see the next installment but also breed legions of devoted fans. These films were so successful that they led to the establishment of a Hollywood's biggest modern money makers, the series, as seen with Pirates of the Caribbean and the Harry Potter films. Both Indiana Jones and Star Wars were both products of new Hollywood of the 80's, directed at young males but also appealing to mass audiences. While looking at the films in hostorical context was interesting, nothing could ever change the way I feel about Dr. Jones and Luke Skywalker!
My favorite film from the 1980s is The Terminator from 1984. I tend to enjoy films that manage to seamlessly merge several genres of film into one, and I feel Terminator manages to do this quite well. On the surface its a sci-fi film about a time traveling cyborg, but its also a love story, a slasher horror pic, an adventure story, etc. One of the ways this class helped me appreciate the film further is to realize that it actually stands on its own from the other big budget action films of the era. With a budget of only 6 million, most of The Terminator was shot guerrilla style, without permits, in the middle of the night. It utilized a by-any-means-necessary type of gritty film-making that the other polished films of the decade just didnt have. And after grossing 78 million at the box office, it forever cemented James Cameron as a can-do director. Not bad for his first picture.
My favorite movie is Rambo with Sylvester Stallone l. It was one of the first movie to show a misunderstood war veteran, and the affects of war on a man as a whole. Showing symptoms of post traumatic stress with frquent flashbacks, a topic we discussed in class. Also the hard times war veterans had assimilating to society as a whole, constantly being rejected. They only know the tools that they were taught from the military and it does not help them become integrated into our culture
Way too many good 80's films. Growing up I'd have to say E.T was one of the most dominant films during my childhood but in retrospect I didn't appreciate cinema till at least the new millennium, and some of my favorite films today are 80's films. Do The Right Thing is easily in my top five 80's and top fifteen in general. The Breakfast Club in my opinion is the best high school movie of all time. Stanley Kubrick is my favorite director and during that decade he directed the Shining (favorite thriller) and Full metal Jacket (second favorite war film). Amadeus is a great film, Rain man is one of my favorites, A Christmas Story, Scarface is a classic. There's too much to choose from. Everything I've learned from this course up to this point has helped me understand these films and all cinema in genera. Full Metal jacket for instance presents a vision of the U.S. war in Vietnam that's stunningly realistic while at the same time surrealistic. The film doesn't convey any personal sagas or contain any full blown characters, which helps portray the mystery of Vietnam.
Having to choose a favorite movie is so difficult! Especially when the 1980’s is filled with them. A few that are at the top of my list are, The Shinning, Risky Business, Back to the Future, Sixteen Candles and Heathers. I remember that the New Hollywood in the 1980’s was making a lot of action/blockbuster/hard body films. But my favorite movies from this era are not really categorized as “hard body”. I guess my set of favorites from the 1980’s are not the movies that were making the big bucks at the time in Hollywood. Also, a lot of the films (8 out of 10 of the box-office movies) were being made by George Lucas and Spielberg. None of the movies I mentioned to be my favorites are in this category. Back to the Future might be the only “fitting in” movie of my selection because it is was a big action movie at the time.
My favorite movie from the 80s would have to be Ferris Bueller's Day Off. The acting techniques draw me in, as well as breaking the fourth wall. The actions from Bueller crossed this barrier getting the audience involved with the film, which doesn't always work. It also has sporadic events that kept me wondering "what next"! From the Ferrari being ruined to a musical number . In my home town, living three hours away from Chicago I enjoy how the director embodies the location. Ferris Bueller's Day Off was a number one in the mid 80s and is proudly a number one in my list of favorite films!
My favorite film is Do The Right Thing. The saturated colors and portrait scenes of the various characters are innovative and give the viewer the feeling of what is on that persons mind. The time period of hip hop's emergence and the use of black cultural in a realistic method also helps the film feel more believable. All the different narratives come together at the end for a reason, and show a symbol for oppression and the horrible circumstances that the African Americans had overcome. It truly is a film that defines the generation.
When Harry Met Sally (1989) is one of my favorite romantic comedies of all time. I think it set the tone for romantic comedies to follow and tackled all the stereotypes that men have about women and women about men. I think the movie goes through a journey of setting stereotypes and posing statements that it later works at disproving. One of my "theories" the movie poses is that guys and girls can never be just good friends without some sort of sexual attraction from one or the other. I believe this to be absolutely true! The movei presented a more adult romantic comedy with quirky dialogue and intense character development.
ReplyDeleteSelecting my favorite film from across an entire decade is quite a difficult task. The 80's were a decade that contained some of the most successful film franchises of all times. Examples of this would be movies like Star Wars or the Rocky series. While these movie are great I would not say they are my favorite of the decade. That distinction would probably belong to the movie Scarface. Scarface is special because it blurs the lines between good and bad through the protagonist. The historical context plugs in with the war on drugs occurring at the time. Scarface shows another side of the drug underworld. The acting is amazing, and I feel as though there are not many movies that can compare to the style of Scarface.
ReplyDeleteMany of my favorite movies were produced and released in the 1980's: E.T., Raiders of the Lost Ark, and The Empire Strikes Back, just to name a few. However, the one film from that decade that rises above the rest is Ferris Bueller's Day Off. There are very few movies that I can see multiple times and still enjoy. Ferris Bueller is one of those movies. Some of the things we learned about the history of the decade and the industry made Ferris Bueller's success a little confusing. It isn't a "blockbuster", and it doesn't fit into the newly rising sci-fi or action/adventure dramas. But the 80's also saw the rise of the teen demographic - young people with free time and disposable incomes were the ones going to movies, and Hollywood targeted them (and their money) by making films starring teenagers about teenage problems, like The Breakfast Club or Pretty in Pink, for example. Like those other films, Ferris Bueller's Day Off is a quintessential picture of teenage rebellion and life in the 1980's. It has become enduring and iconic, and still remains hilarious in each and every frame.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite movie from the 1980's is Spaceballs because its one of the funniest movies I've seen. Spaceballs makes fun of the Star Wars movies and its absolutely hilarious. As many times as I have seen it, it never gets old. Mel Brooks is one of the best when it comes to making parodies and Spaceballs is easily one of the top spoof movies of all time.
ReplyDeleteThe 1980s marked the rise of the 'blockbuster' films and an increase in sci-fi , action and adventure films. It also introduced teen comedies which were very popular because they dealt with teenagers and their problems. One of the films which relate a little bit to Do the Right Thing would be The Breakfast Club. The Breakfast club deals with different stereotypes or cliques among teenagers and how they accept each other after being forced to stay together in detention. The film shows how stereotypes can be broken despite existing notions about different teenage cliques . Do the Right Thing deals with racial stereotypes and how preconceived notions prevent acceptance. Both movies focus on teen culture and the problem of stereotypes.
ReplyDeleteFor me my favorite film from the 1980's has to be Terry Gilliam's Brazil. I saw the film for the first time when I was younger and something about it struck a chord with me. The over the top behavior, the satire 1984-esque society, and just the world Gilliam had built was so unique I was hooked. Little did I know at the time that there was so much more to it. Every time I watch it I understand something about the film I didn't before and that to me is a beautiful thing.
ReplyDeleteIn context of what we are learning from class, Gilliam's attempt to make a meaningful film that was also big budget was thwarted by producers. Originally having a very dark ending, producer's sliced out "uncomfortable" portions of the film to make it more sellable. This did the exact opposite of what they planed and the film flopped with a 5 million dollar loss for being "too silly." The director's cut is an absolute masterpiece and every aspect of the film is incredibly well executed. This film was a stand against commercial cookie cutter film making and it unfortunately suffered for it.
Peter Markoski
I very much appreciated the B movies of the 1980s. While the blockbusters were dominating the film box office, the B movies also found success. in a way, they were the alternatives to the blockbusters. People during the 80's weren't so much interested in CGI and special effects, they were interested in a good story. That is why many of the films of JOHN HUGHES were such a success. They had a message. Also, the idea of escaping reality was a big trend in the 80s. Films like Ghostbusters and Back To The Future were epic, because they took you on a journey, and allowed you to escape your reality.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite 80s movie would have to be Back to the Future. It's just so iconic and memorable to me that I can't resist watching it till the end whenever I find it on tv. To me it just seems to be an amalgam of all the things that make a great movie, excellent acting, visionary direction, and a strong story to tell. The 80s seemed all about being new and exciting and I find it a little ironic that that a movie about traveling to the past could do just that.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite 80's film has to be E.T.: The Extra Terrestrial which is important contextually in that many people would say that Spielberg is the quintessential member of the New Hollywood generation. With E.T. (and pretty much any other late 70's-early 80's Spielberg film) he pretty much defined the archetypical Hollywood blockbuster. Spielberg defined New Hollywood and created much of the cinematic language used today and is especially important in that he showed how heavily he and the rest of the New Hollywooders were influenced by the previous decades of film and by television.
ReplyDeleteTim Burton's Beetlejuice is definitely my favorite film of the 1980s. I love the bizarre artistry behind it and Michael Keaton just cracks me up. It took me a few years to catch on to the suggestive humor that I so easily dismissed as a kid, but the writing is really witty and enjoyable. Then, of course, there's the dance sequence at the dinner table -- entirely unforgettable. I'm not a fan of Burton's recent work, but Beetlejuice made way for Edward Scissorhands (another favorite) and undoubtedly influenced my appreciation for film.
ReplyDeletei am quite the fan of the film caddyshack, which to me is extremely appealing for its deadpan approach to comedy and just the intrigue of the premise itself. i love movies in which an ordinary environment is approached with a sense of high tension and extra importance, and the exclusive country club that serves as the backdrop for this movie does this very well. rodney dangerfield is a blast, as is bill murray.
ReplyDeleteRain Man is my favorite film of the 1980s. This is a class road movie, with the two siblings crossing country to Califomia in the Buick. Hoffman's savant--a mass of baseball and airline disaster statistics, prone to hysterics if his routine is broken--in one of the modern cinema's great triumphs:believable,unsentimental,often hilarious.But without Cruise, whose emotional journey runs from confused and impatient to understanding, protective and eventually loving,there is no film.Director Barry Levinson handles the whole thing beautifully, and also won the Oscar.
ReplyDeleteThe 80’s was a golden age for science fiction and action films. My favorite movie was E.T. by Steven Spielberg. I remember growing up with that movie and never getting bored of it. Steven Spielberg had 2 decades ago, fascinated all the young fans and the new generation by the explicit use of reinserting missing scenes, digitally remastering sound and new special effects. He had defined new ways to look at Hollywood films. His influence in those times hasn’t faded out as yet science fiction has touched new skies of popularity. Spielberg’s handling of the film also shows us how well rooted we are in the past decades.
ReplyDeleteOne of my favorite movies of the 80s was 16 Candles. Aside from being hilarious and having a great story, 16 Candles is great because it is very reflective of the period in which it was produced. During the 80's, teen romance/coming of age stories often had themes which demonstrated the strive for Americans to reach financial security. In many teen romances, like 16 Candles, love is associated with money. Sam, an average girl from a middle class family, has a huge crush on Jake,the school jock who comes from a wealthy family (his father drives a Rolls Royce). Sam's crush on Jake is reflective of the average young American's dreams of climbing the social ladder and their associations with money and happiness. As discussed in class, teens of the 80s became the primary movie-goers because of their free time and disposable incomes and as a result, more movies began to be made with this audience in mind. 16 Candles is one of many teen movies made to fit this increased teenage demographic as well as the rising issues associated with social standing and money.
ReplyDeleteThe Empire Strikes back has to be my favorite movie of the 80s overall. It is just absolutely awesome! I always wish I could have watched it as a kid when it came out so I coule experience the magic just a bit more. While the special effects were pretty cool when I saw it, they predated me because I was used to CGI. This movie is quintesseintial New Hollywood with it's explosive action scenes and blockbuster status. One of the more interesting aspects of this movie are it's vast environmental situations. Since we are jumping from planet to planet Lucas experiments with so many different types of worlds from frozen (Hoth) to swamp (Dagobah). What makes this work so well is that he is expanding on places that are found on Earth so people don't have to suspend disbelief so much. This allows them to focus on the amazing story about our young hero Luke trying to fight off (spoiler alert) his father.
ReplyDeleteTaking the top spot as my favorite american film from the 1980's (and also one of my favorite films of all time) would have to be Scarface. While tanking at the box office and receiving harsh treatment from critics, Oliver Stone's blood splattered tale of a cuban immigrant amongst a world of greed and corruption, would go on to be THE most highly received crime film to ever hit America's mean streets.
ReplyDeleteThe social/historical context in which the film was released, plays heavily into the role that the film has in popular culture today. While the 80's was very much a period of social and cultural shifting and progress, it's a fair argument to suggest that Scarface's box office bust was due in large part to the fact that, unlike the blaxploitation films of the 70's, Scarface was a film marketed to mainstream audiences (ie. whites) who's central character (although played by Al Pacino) was a latino minority. In turn, when the film was released to video, it became one of the most celebrated films to ever hit the hood, heralded by people of all colors, especially in underprivileged latino communities where Tony Montana was regarded as a sort of pseudo super hero, an anti-hero who had a clear set of ethics and struggled to do the right thing in a world of corruption (despite sparking a major concern among the latino, particularly Miami/Cuban community in regards to stereotyping, something that actually prevented the film from being shot in the city of Miami due to protests and boycotts). It's been said, "if you were a tough white kid, you liked Batman. If you were a tough latino or black kid, you liked Scarface."
Although The Godfather (part I & II) may hold the perennial title as arguably one of the best films of all time, certainly it is Scarface that holds the crown as the most definitive AMERICAN gangster tale ever told...a tale of CAPITALISM. No other film has ever quite been able embody the great paradox that is the American dream the way Stone did with his tale of a refugee escaping horrors at the hands of Castro, toiling incessantly to achieve wealth and status all the while in the throws of passion, only to have it all stripped from him in the end, succumbing to the force that drives us all...greed.
Nicholas Kolasinski
I think a really interesting film from the 1980's, agreeing with some previous comments, is The Breakfast Club. It helps to highlight the typical challenges of the everyday high school student, and works to play towards the new, younger generation audience who want to connect with the characters they are watching in ways they couldn't during previous generations of films. Films like The Breakfast Club and Ferris Bueller's Day Off analyzed the plights of the average teenager, examining the stereotypes and inner conflict of the new audience who the industries would have to cater to in the future.
ReplyDeleteIt's hard to say what my favorite film from the 1980's is as dozens of my favorites from growing up were produced in the 80's. I loved the classics such as E.T., The Little Mermaid, and Airplane!. However, a movie that I just watched recently came to mind immediately after reading this prompt. A Fish Called Wanda is an all-around great movie. It's hilarious and sad at the same time, with a touch of romance. I've never seen a movie that made me laugh as hard as this one, or become so invested in the characters. Each scene ends up more twisted and more ridiculous than the last. Since I'm probably going into screenwriting, I can really appreciate the elements of the story of this film.
ReplyDeleteIt's really hard to say which one is my favorite 80's film, because there have too many good films at that period, but there actually has one that leave me a deep impression. Koyaanisqatsi by direct by GodfreyReggio. This is a documentary film that reflect the absurdity of the fast developing world and show the affection of the nature world. I like it because it point out the rule that we try to forgot, that we are losing our direction when we living in the fast rhythm world. In this film, the director tried to show as that everything is changing so fast nowadays, control the world but don't like the world control you. Although this is a film from 1983, but when we watch it today, it's still telling you the truth.
ReplyDeleteHaonan Wang
Having seen numerous iconic films from the 80s, my favorite would have to be Beetlejuice. As a huge fan of Tim Burton and his films, Beetlejuice definitely left a long lasting impression on me. The plot line alone is bizarre, but nonetheless enjoyable to follow. The characters are each ridiculous in their own sense, which makes them unique and unforgettable. Perhaps one of the best scenes in the film is the dinner table scene. The unexpectedness of the dancing and singing is so entertaining, that I frequently go and rewatch the scene. As Sarah mentioned earlier, this film definitely helped to pave the way for Edward Scissorhands, which starred Johnny Depp - one of my favorite actors, and Burton's other works.
ReplyDeleteAlthough the material discussed in class didn't really change my opinion of the film, it was interesting to learn more about what was going on in the industry at the time.
The Back to the Future series are my favorite films of the 80s. Like many other films of that time it targeted young male audiences but had mass appeal, and it was a large scale high budget movie (in which Steven Spielberg is involved). It was also an action-adventure film that operated in a world of fantasy. Part of the reason that I love those movies so much is that I am a young male, and clearly fit the demographic. It is about a teenage boy who has an average life, but gets thrown into this fantastic exciting adventure with incredibly high risks. It is sort of a coming-of-age story, where Marty learns to be more responsible and take care of himself. When he goes back in time, he serves as a sort of parent to his then-teenage parents. At the end, he is rewarded for growing up with a more sophisticated, happy life with a brand new truck, more successful parents, etc. It has all of the elements of a big action/adventure movie but it also strikes a cord with growing up and coming of age, which is why I think so many young adults connected to the story and the characters, and still celebrate the movies to this day.
ReplyDeletePretty high up on my list of 80s American movies would have to be True Lies. One of James Cameron's earlier efforts, True Lies is the quintessential Hollywood action blockbuster: Big explosions, hot ladies (Jamie Lee Curtis), and muscled men (Arnold Schwarzenegger). In all the action sequences, the Governator has an infinite amount of ammo, and kills baddies with pithy one liners. The story though, while obviously ridiculous, is a pertinent reflection of the 80s drug war. I think it's interesting to draw parallels between what the film portrays and what was actually occurring.
ReplyDeleteIt's so hard to pick a favorite movie from this time period as so many movies were amazing. If I had to choose one I would say Back to the Future not only because I grew up watching this movie but because of it's futuristic plot and hysterical characters. The lecture discussed in class has definitely opened my eyes to the historical context of the film. The crisis of the Hollywood studio systems in 1960s left producers uncertain about which audiences to cater to. In the 80s they found that they need to be making movies for young adults and teens. Back to the Future is about teens going back in time. It has that futuristic notion and it appeals to kids and young adults. I would say the film totally appeals to the young male in the 80s. It is a character driven film. Marty McFly's mission is to go back in time to ensure his mom falls in love with his dad so he can be born.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite movie of the 80's is The Terminator. This is one of those movies that falls under the category of "Hard Body" movies that were popular in the 80's. Kyle Reese, played by Michael Beihn, would be the suffering middle class white man that ends up on top, even though he was from the future. This movie was full of action that hoped appealed to the masses, which it did.
ReplyDelete- Patrick Corcino
The 1980's saw the emergence of the two of the greatest franchises in film history and personal: The Indiana Jones series, from Raiders of the Lost Ark in 1981 to The Last Crusade in '89 and the continuation of the original Star Wars trilogy, Star Wars V and VI. These two franchises boasted such intriguing stories, with characters and worlds so interesting and larger than life that they not only keep audiences coming back to see the next installment but also breed legions of devoted fans. These films were so successful that they led to the establishment of a Hollywood's biggest modern money makers, the series, as seen with Pirates of the Caribbean and the Harry Potter films. Both Indiana Jones and Star Wars were both products of new Hollywood of the 80's, directed at young males but also appealing to mass audiences. While looking at the films in hostorical context was interesting, nothing could ever change the way I feel about Dr. Jones and Luke Skywalker!
ReplyDeleteMy favorite film from the 1980s is The Terminator from 1984. I tend to enjoy films that manage to seamlessly merge several genres of film into one, and I feel Terminator manages to do this quite well. On the surface its a sci-fi film about a time traveling cyborg, but its also a love story, a slasher horror pic, an adventure story, etc. One of the ways this class helped me appreciate the film further is to realize that it actually stands on its own from the other big budget action films of the era. With a budget of only 6 million, most of The Terminator was shot guerrilla style, without permits, in the middle of the night. It utilized a by-any-means-necessary type of gritty film-making that the other polished films of the decade just didnt have. And after grossing 78 million at the box office, it forever cemented James Cameron as a can-do director. Not bad for his first picture.
ReplyDeleteMatt Steinberg-
ReplyDeleteMy favorite movie is Rambo with Sylvester Stallone l. It was one of the first movie to show a misunderstood war veteran, and the affects of war on a man as a whole. Showing symptoms of post traumatic stress with frquent flashbacks, a topic we discussed in class. Also the hard times war veterans had assimilating to society as a whole, constantly being rejected. They only know the tools that they were taught from the military and it does not help them become integrated into our culture
Way too many good 80's films. Growing up I'd have to say E.T was one of the most dominant films during my childhood but in retrospect I didn't appreciate cinema till at least the new millennium, and some of my favorite films today are 80's films. Do The Right Thing is easily in my top five 80's and top fifteen in general. The Breakfast Club in my opinion is the best high school movie of all time. Stanley Kubrick is my favorite director and during that decade he directed the Shining (favorite thriller) and Full metal Jacket (second favorite war film). Amadeus is a great film, Rain man is one of my favorites, A Christmas Story, Scarface is a classic. There's too much to choose from. Everything I've learned from this course up to this point has helped me understand these films and all cinema in genera. Full Metal jacket for instance presents a vision of the U.S. war in Vietnam that's stunningly realistic while at the same time surrealistic. The film doesn't convey any personal sagas or contain any full blown characters, which helps portray the mystery of Vietnam.
ReplyDeleteHaving to choose a favorite movie is so difficult! Especially when the 1980’s is filled with them. A few that are at the top of my list are, The Shinning, Risky Business, Back to the Future, Sixteen Candles and Heathers. I remember that the New Hollywood in the 1980’s was making a lot of action/blockbuster/hard body films. But my favorite movies from this era are not really categorized as “hard body”. I guess my set of favorites from the 1980’s are not the movies that were making the big bucks at the time in Hollywood. Also, a lot of the films (8 out of 10 of the box-office movies) were being made by George Lucas and Spielberg. None of the movies I mentioned to be my favorites are in this category. Back to the Future might be the only “fitting in” movie of my selection because it is was a big action movie at the time.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite movie from the 80s would have to be Ferris Bueller's Day Off. The acting techniques draw me in, as well as breaking the fourth wall. The actions from Bueller crossed this barrier getting the audience involved with the film, which doesn't always work. It also has sporadic events that kept me wondering "what next"! From the Ferrari being ruined to a musical number . In my home town, living three hours away from Chicago I enjoy how the director embodies the location. Ferris Bueller's Day Off was a number one in the mid 80s and is proudly a number one in my list of favorite films!
ReplyDeleteMy favorite film is Do The Right Thing. The saturated colors and portrait scenes of the various characters are innovative and give the viewer the feeling of what is on that persons mind. The time period of hip hop's emergence and the use of black cultural in a realistic method also helps the film feel more believable. All the different narratives come together at the end for a reason, and show a symbol for oppression and the horrible circumstances that the African Americans had overcome. It truly is a film that defines the generation.
ReplyDelete