Marko had a post up the other day asking for your "ultimate 80's movie", but, being a child of the 80s, I couldn't pick just one.
So, I have to make a list...
It’s a moral imperative.
The Princess Bride, from 1987 is my favorite movie of all time, but I don’t think of it as an ’80s movie” so much. I'm artificially disqualifying it, because it isn't actually SET in the 80s.
80’s movies for me are defined by John Hughes, Savage Steve Holland, Harold Ramis, Ivan Reitman, and Bob Zemeckis... and they have to be comedies, or at least comedy dramas.
Also, the 80's movie is a movie "of the moment". After all, the quintessential 80's attitude was all about how great the 80s were; and other time periods just weren't as happenin. So "the princess bride" is right out.
Ok, so, a little list:
1. The Blues Brothers
2. Real Genius
3. Better Off Dead
4. Ferris Beullers Day Off
5. The Breakfast Club
6. Caddyshack
7. Stripes
8. Airplane
9. Top Secret
10. Ghost Busters
That's my list (and believe me I could easily get to 50 just on comedies), what's yours?
Oh and an aside, four of those movies were strongly connected to Saturday Night Live, all made within 4 years of each other, and all of them are classics. Between them Bill Murray and Chevy Chase alone made about 8 great comedies between 1980 and 1984. Akroyd and Belushi did about 5 more between them. Eddy Murphy did 4 great ones as well. When was the last really GREAT movie with a strong SNL connection that wasn't one of the guys I mentioned above; never mind almost two dozen within 4 years?
Really, only Will Ferrel and Mike Meyers even have close to the talent. Farley and Hartman did, but of course they are gone now. Dana Carvey should have, but somehow it just never works with him.
