The past few days have been fairly good. Christmas is coming closer, the cool weather feels good, and I have not seen one inch of Catherine Heigl on TV. This is not to say she is a horrible person. Goodness gracious, I think the name Heigl could have been used on every episode of Hogan's Heroes! Alas, she, and other actors and movies out there nowadays, just don't do it for me like they used to. I began a list of movies I actually looked forward to seeing at the theater, based on the draw of previews and TV ads...and perhaps visions in my head. Last I saw we'd completed 1986. Now, this list of movies does NOT include films I was dragged to by my parents because I was a dateless nerd (was? my wife muses regarding the nerd part). No, I was DRAWN to these movies somehow....and some of them were indeed mutant magnetic attractions that died soon after the films started. So...on to 1987!
1987- I am ashamed of none of these!
Dragnet- I still love this one! Dan Aykroyd as the new generation of Sgt. Friday is classic. Tom Hanks was, well, Tom Hanks and we liked him that way then...I kind of wish he'd revert now and then.
Three Men and a Baby- Still a cute movie, and its not too dated.
Stakeout- Emilio Estevez in a mustache 2 years after "Breakfast Club...nuff said
The Untouchables- Still a classic! Sean Connery made this movie work.
1988
Beaches...NOT! NEVER! Just checking alertness
Biloxi Blues- Still like this one, kind of like I still love An Officer and a Gentleman and Stripes, basic training movies, comedy or drama, always engage me. Matthew Broderick in basic training is, well, different.
Coming to America- Still funny, but less so 23 years later.
The Great Outdoors- once again, classic Candy. I didn't enjoy this one as much as others like Summer Rental, but its still good cable fare.
Scrooged- Still a favorite! Carol Kane beating up Bill Murray is still fun to watch.
Twins- Less funny now given Schwarzeneggar's political years and latest scandal, but still amusing.
Working Girl- Saw this with a childhood friend even though we were under 17.....to this day I think Melanie Griffith is hotter than Sigourney Weaver
Actually, 1988 was fairly lame in terms of movies I wanted to see.....so let's move to the end of the Reagan era with
1989
Batman- Still a favorite! The only good one of that particular series, in fact. One of Nicholson's best.
The Burbs- Disappointment! Tom Hanks should be ashamed of this one, but since his track record was pretty good to this point, I can forgive him.
Disorganized Crime- Still good! Fred Gwynne tried for years to shed Herman Munster, and was beginning to succeed with this.
Ghostbusters 2- I don't like it much now, but it was funny then. Too much time had passed from the first one and the magic was just gone.
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade- Sean Connery and Harrison Ford.....you couldn't pair up 2 bigger names and come up with a classic like this! Still a fave to watch!
Lethal Weapon 2- Still good! Can't say much else.
Look Who's Talking- Still funny, but Travolta playing lovable but dumb New York punk at 35 is a stretch.
Major League- Funny funny funny! Still watch it when its uncut and unedited. Great baseball flick!
Star Trek 5 The Final Frontier- Thankfully it wasn't the final one for the original crew because they wouldn't want to go out on this one! Bad script and Shatner's bad directing made this one ripe for Mystery Science Theater 3000.
Tango and Cash- Cheesy, bad, tasteless.....but I bought it for $5 anyway.....all movie collections need a balance
1989 was a MUCH better year for must-see flicks apparently.
Coming soon, 1990-95
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Monday, December 5, 2011
Coming soon....look out!
Last Saturday, my wife and I went to a movie for the first time in several months...and it may be a longer time, based on what we were forced to see before our movie even started! If it were not for 2 free movie passes we got last Christmas (am I allowed to say that without being assaulted for sensitivities violations?), we would have stayed at home to battle ants. And that plotline sounds better than the ones in the previews we were "honored" with. Let's see, another goofball comedy about CIA agents battling over a girl, I'm pretty sure there was a romantic comedy there somewhere, and some travesty with Catherine Heigl (the only fun thing about her is making new pronunciations of Heigl with a Nazi salute). I am afraid that, with rising popcorn and soda costs, we will be using on-demand more often in the next several months. What I want to know is....WHAT HAPPENED TO THE DAYS OF CRAP WE COULDN'T WAIT TO SEE???
Seriously, from my childhood through the early 2000s, a range of about 35 years, there was almost always what they called a "blockbuster" summer, where they poured steaming hot crap onto celluloid that looked pretty good! At least one movie every year came to mind, and many were good and rewatched today. So, I've compiled a list going back to 1983, and ending in 2002, of movies I looked forward to seeing (and more often than not, did) at the theater.
Note- This list is only movies I looked forward to seeing from previews and TV ads. Movies my parents dragged me to see and I ended up liking anyway don't count. Some of these were worth it...and others were, well, forgettable at best.
1983
1. Return of the Jedi- Hands down, a disappointing conclusion, but I waited 3 years to see it...the green lightsaber rocked! Ewoks just an inch from being gremlins.
2. Superman 3- Mixing Christopher Reeve and Richard Pryor was a disaster, but the Good vs Evil Superman scene was pretty good.
3. Wargames- Computers starting World War 3....gave me fantasies about rigging my Atari 2600! Incidentally, saw this one at the long-defunct Shillington one-room theater.
1984
1. Star Trek 3: The Search for Spock- The Wrath of Khan made this one a necessity, and I still like it. Christopher Lloyd as a Klingon (shortly after Taxi!) is priceless!
2. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom- If it weren't for Kate Capshaw's 2-hour scream, this movie may have been redeeming.
3. Splash- Was a favorite then, a favorite now
4. Ghostbusters- Same as Splash in terms of being a favorite. Stay Puft Marshmallow Man is always a classic!
5. Johnny Dangerously-I'm almost embarrassed to say it, but it looked funny...note: I have it on DVD, meaning I value it above today's Heigl crap
1985
1. Back to the Future- It still rocks to this day...goes to show that retro rules no matter what decade you're in!
2. Fletch- Loved it, then read the books. I still like it, but now feel Chevy Chase wasn't what the author had in mind.
3. Explorers- Pure, total crap! River Phoenix and Ethan Hawke still had promising careers despite this.
4. Summer Rental- good, average John Candy flick, which is a good thing, may he Rest in Peace
5. European Vacation- The Griswold's were stale here, but redeemed themselves years later for the holidays
1986- a fairly fruitful year
1. Star Trek 4: The Voyage Home- a fun movie my wife and I like to watch from time to time
2. Karate Kid 2- Daniel-San beating that Okinawan bully's face with his fists is still a favorite climax!
3. Ruthless People- looked stupid, was stupid...and it's funny nonetheless!
4. Every Time We Say Goodbye- Just kidding! Tom Hanks wasn't ready for his Oscar drama years just yet.
5. The Mosquito Coast- I love Harrison Ford, but this was a downer at the end, and no 13 year old wants a downer...haven't seen it since!
6. The Fly- yes, a horror flick with Jeff Goldblum. One might argue that all of his films are, but this was a nice remake of a classic (as remakes go!)
1987-1990 coming soon
Seriously, from my childhood through the early 2000s, a range of about 35 years, there was almost always what they called a "blockbuster" summer, where they poured steaming hot crap onto celluloid that looked pretty good! At least one movie every year came to mind, and many were good and rewatched today. So, I've compiled a list going back to 1983, and ending in 2002, of movies I looked forward to seeing (and more often than not, did) at the theater.
Note- This list is only movies I looked forward to seeing from previews and TV ads. Movies my parents dragged me to see and I ended up liking anyway don't count. Some of these were worth it...and others were, well, forgettable at best.
1983
1. Return of the Jedi- Hands down, a disappointing conclusion, but I waited 3 years to see it...the green lightsaber rocked! Ewoks just an inch from being gremlins.
2. Superman 3- Mixing Christopher Reeve and Richard Pryor was a disaster, but the Good vs Evil Superman scene was pretty good.
3. Wargames- Computers starting World War 3....gave me fantasies about rigging my Atari 2600! Incidentally, saw this one at the long-defunct Shillington one-room theater.
1984
1. Star Trek 3: The Search for Spock- The Wrath of Khan made this one a necessity, and I still like it. Christopher Lloyd as a Klingon (shortly after Taxi!) is priceless!
2. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom- If it weren't for Kate Capshaw's 2-hour scream, this movie may have been redeeming.
3. Splash- Was a favorite then, a favorite now
4. Ghostbusters- Same as Splash in terms of being a favorite. Stay Puft Marshmallow Man is always a classic!
5. Johnny Dangerously-I'm almost embarrassed to say it, but it looked funny...note: I have it on DVD, meaning I value it above today's Heigl crap
1985
1. Back to the Future- It still rocks to this day...goes to show that retro rules no matter what decade you're in!
2. Fletch- Loved it, then read the books. I still like it, but now feel Chevy Chase wasn't what the author had in mind.
3. Explorers- Pure, total crap! River Phoenix and Ethan Hawke still had promising careers despite this.
4. Summer Rental- good, average John Candy flick, which is a good thing, may he Rest in Peace
5. European Vacation- The Griswold's were stale here, but redeemed themselves years later for the holidays
1986- a fairly fruitful year
1. Star Trek 4: The Voyage Home- a fun movie my wife and I like to watch from time to time
2. Karate Kid 2- Daniel-San beating that Okinawan bully's face with his fists is still a favorite climax!
3. Ruthless People- looked stupid, was stupid...and it's funny nonetheless!
4. Every Time We Say Goodbye- Just kidding! Tom Hanks wasn't ready for his Oscar drama years just yet.
5. The Mosquito Coast- I love Harrison Ford, but this was a downer at the end, and no 13 year old wants a downer...haven't seen it since!
6. The Fly- yes, a horror flick with Jeff Goldblum. One might argue that all of his films are, but this was a nice remake of a classic (as remakes go!)
1987-1990 coming soon
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