Heathers (1988)
Posts tagged 80s.
Hellraiser (1987)
A film directed and written by Clive Barker (based on his novel “The Hellbound Heart”), starring Andrew Robinson, Clare Higgins, Sean Chapman, and Ashley Laurence. Barker has delivered us a real horror story, packed with intensity, both emotionally, as well as physically, also with a great/scary soundtrack. Though the special effects from the 80’s make you smile a little, “Hellraiser” can be pretty revolting, so I don’t recommend this to everyone!
Clive Barker’s feature directing debut graphically depicts the tale of a man and wife who move into an old house and discover a hideous creature - the man’s half-brother, who is also the woman’s former lover - hiding upstairs. Having lost his earthly body to a trio of S&M demons, the Cenobites, he is brought back into existence by a drop of blood on the floor. He soon forces his former mistress to bring him his necessary human sacrifices to complete his body.
Trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddGQiiNzF84
Blade Runner (1982)
I wish more directors would try to make sci-fi movies this epic and deep, like Ridley Scott does. The story plays in the future but is told in a classic film noir style. “Blade Runner” is well written, and multi-layered, it may require more than one viewing to fully absorb the brilliance of it. No, it’s not effect driven, rather, it is a visually driven story that doesn’t rely on special effects, unlike in today’s Hollywood.
In a cyberpunk vision of the future, man has developed the technology to create replicants, human clones used to serve in the colonies outside Earth but with fixed lifespans. In Los Angeles, 2019, Deckard, played by Harrison Ford, is a Blade Runner, a cop who specialises in terminating replicants. Originally in retirement, he is forced to re-enter the force when six replicants escape from an offworld colony to Earth.
Trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uNxNqvpaat0
The NeverEnding Story (1984)
A film from Wolfgang Petersen that everyone can enjoy watching. It’s about Bastian (Barett Oliver) who’s having a hard time getting over his mother’s death and spends most of his time in dreamland. His teachers and father of course want him to get serious. He’s being tormented by school bullies, and one day escapes into a book shop from them, where he meets Carl Conrad Coreander (Thomas Hill), the reclusive owner who piques his curiosity about the book he’s reading, but warns it’s not “safe”. Shortly after he borrows the book, he begins to read it in the school attic where Bastian is drawn into the mythical land of Fantasia, which desperately needs a hero to save it from destruction. (There is also a famous OST by singer Limahl.)
Trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3DcWtkKeIY
The Hotel New Hampshire (1984)
A film by Tony Richardson, based on John Irving’s novel. Starring Rob Lowe, Jodie Foster, Paul McCrane, Beau Bridges, Lisa Banes, Jennifer Dundas, a young Seth Green and Nastassja Kinski. The film talks about a family that weathers all sorts of disasters and keeps going in spite of it all, and has a wonderful assortment of oddball characters.
I must say I’m surprised by the unfavorable reviews. When I watched this for the first time, I loved it for the very reasons that some people seem to hate it. It was deliciously weird. Our heroes are in an incestuous relationship, and the movie is uncritical of this. That gets the brain working from the start. Then you discover the other bizarre characters/family members, who deal with topics like rape, death, incest, fame, prostitution, hotels, Dr. Freud, politics and more - and the movie becomes extremely lovable. Also the writing is exquisite. Admittedly, Rob Lowe’s acting isn’t up to much, but there’s great work, as usual, from Jodie Foster to compensate. To top it off “The Hotel New Hampshire” achieves great effect without being overly sentimental, which is rare. And remember, keep on passing open windows!
Trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibUBoYL_6vk
Harrison Ford in “Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark” (1981)
Trading Places (1983)
A film by the great John Landis starring Eddie Murphy, Dan Aykroyd (who knew each other from SNL) Don Ameche, Ralph Bellamy and Jamie Lee Curtis. A comedy film with two fantastic comedians, if you are a fan of either actor, you won’t be disappointed. The language surprised me, with how uncensored it was, compared to today’s standards. The plot is interesting, and based on an smart idea. The humor is mostly good and tasteful, unfortunately Murphy has failed to deliver those kinds of movies lately.
Louis Winthorpe is a businessman who works for commodities brokerage firm of Duke and Duke owned by the brothers Mortimer and Randolph Duke. Now they bicker over the most trivial of matters and what they are bickering about is whether it’s a person’s environment or heredity that determines how well they will do in life. When Winthorpe bumps into Billy Ray Valentine, a street hustler and assumes he is trying to rob him, he has him arrested. Upon seeing how different the two men are, the brothers decide to make a wager as to what would happen if Winthorpe loses his job, his home and is shunned by everyone he knows and if Valentine was given Winthorpe’s job. (Trading Places)
Trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZjDbJQKDXCY
Kate Capshaw, Steven Spielberg, George Lucas and Harrison Ford on the set of “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom” (1984)
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This is a Movie Blog, a different kind of blog. Mostly I write reviews of old and new movies. But I also post lots of movies in pictures and behind the scenes.
Over 800 movies in my archive. From "The Godfather" to "Requiem for a Dream", "The Truman Show", "American Beauty", "The Pianist", "Shining", "Taxi Driver", "Schindler's list", "American Psycho", "The Royal Tenenbaums", "A Clockwork Orange" and many more...
