Back....to the originality.

This past weekend, I was bored and scanning my ShowBox app for something fun, when I stumbled upon a "search by year" tab for movies. After seeing year after year of mostly forgettable titles combined with the occasional blockbuster, I scanned 1985. Something hit me, 1985 might have been the best year for movies, period.

 

Now, some of my all-time favorite movies are not represented in 1985, but the overall storytelling and epic characters of this cinematic year blows me away. Even the B movies are good.

 

Goonies

Back to the Future

Rambo

Mad Max, Beyond Thunderdome

Weird Science

The Breakfast Club

That one movie with Madonna which didn't suck

Rocky IV

A View to a Kill

Legend

Commando

The Color Purple

Nightmare on Elm Street II

Day of the Dead

Fright Night

Clue

Out of Africa

Spies Like Us

Teenwolf

Cocoon

St Elmo's Fire

National Lampoons European Vacation

Police Academy 2

Pee-Wee's Big Adventure

Brewster's Millions

LadyHawke

Fletch

The Legend of Billie Jean

Jewel of the Nile

Mask

Witness

Agnes of God

 

I mean... dang. I could watch Goonies right now.

 

It's probably the influence of Spielberg's storytelling and Lucas' special effects that made the 80's so epic. Each decade preceding the 80's had merit, but a steady Hollywood decline since the 1940's left us with strange, almost icky, periods in between. Beach babe movies, scary monsters, early gore porn, spaghetti westerns, and invaders from mars filled the seats and drive ins across North America. We eventually saw the birth of the obscure (Allen, Kubrick), and master storytellers as well (Hitchcock, Coppela). In the same spirit, the uncharted waters of mid century Hollywood allowed the rise of James Bond, made massive stars like Hepburn, Wayne, Redford, and Newman, and brought us lost cause idols like Marilyn and James Dean.

 

The 80's in general were a second peak for Hollywood. The stage was set for greatness with special effects finally growing up thanks to LucasArts. Action/Adventure movies became all the rage with really good screenplays and direction, making Indiana Jones and Karate Kid box office hits. Sci-fi was getting a much needed horror-esque rebirth with franchise players like the Terminator, Alien and Predator. Horror itself came out of the 1970's religion based shock of Omen and Exorcist to fun bad guys like Freddy Kruger, Jason Voorhees, and Chucky. With the help of SNL alums, comedy struck gold with Ghostbusters, Beverly Hills Cop, and Stripes. It was a world filled with BratPacks, Cusacks, corny montages, and cornier monologues. We ate it up by the shovel full.

 

I say we, but in 1985, I was 10. Let's say Nago SkyNet was not really self aware yet. I was, however, inclined to see Back to the Future, 3 times at the theater. A record that stood until 1989's Batman tied it. Both of which were finally defeated by The Force Awakens in 2014. I digress.

 

Another cool feature of the list from 1985 is the amount of quality-ish sequels:

•  USA vs. Russia via a winter's montage?
• DING FRICKING DING!
• Mad Max chilling with Tina Turner in the absolutely peak of the franchise?
• Two man enter, one man leave...me wanting more!
• Rambo freeing POW's with a M16, a bowie knife and a red headband?
• Cambodi-hell-yeah.
• Torin industries featuring Grace Slick taken down by 007?
• Her majesties secret serv-YES!

In a way it leaves me sad to see the creativity of a time gone past. We are so often bogged down by rehashed, overkilled, super hero stories, we forget about originality. I am also a bit sick of too much motion in my motion pictures. A camera flailing about to entice a feeling of action is a bit like cheating. It also gives me a headache. It's like listening to people talk over each other on the "news" programs. So, maybe this winter when it's dark early and cold too often, I will eat my popcorn at home watching a bit of fun nostalgia, and pass over whatever shit Jason Statham movie is on Netflix that week. Word.


I leave this blog with two final notes:

1. Goonies rule

2. Back to the Future deserves it's own blog.

Nago