tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33032586949604758862024-02-19T23:59:19.115+00:00POPSICULTUREpopsiculturehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12811079581127529283noreply@blogger.comBlogger32125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3303258694960475886.post-49644217018909042602011-02-28T22:21:00.004+00:002011-02-28T22:30:06.231+00:0080s Movies: Week 4Our month-long special look back at some of the greatest movies of the 80s comes to a close, but there's still time for a carousel of the past seven days' cinematic heroes, if you've got a spare fiver burning a hole in your Amazon account...<br /><br /><center><OBJECT classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://fpdownload.macromedia.com/get/flashplayer/current/swflash.cab" id="Player_2823d850-5d5c-4871-af2c-3b028a306c60" WIDTH="500px" HEIGHT="175px"> <PARAM NAME="movie" VALUE="http://ws.amazon.co.uk/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&MarketPlace=GB&ID=V20070822%2FGB%2Fp033-21%2F8010%2F2823d850-5d5c-4871-af2c-3b028a306c60&Operation=GetDisplayTemplate"><PARAM NAME="quality" VALUE="high"><PARAM NAME="bgcolor" VALUE="#FFFFFF"><PARAM NAME="allowscriptaccess" VALUE="always"><embed src="http://ws.amazon.co.uk/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&MarketPlace=GB&ID=V20070822%2FGB%2Fp033-21%2F8010%2F2823d850-5d5c-4871-af2c-3b028a306c60&Operation=GetDisplayTemplate" id="Player_2823d850-5d5c-4871-af2c-3b028a306c60" quality="high" bgcolor="#ffffff" name="Player_2823d850-5d5c-4871-af2c-3b028a306c60" allowscriptaccess="always" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" align="middle" height="175px" width="500px"></embed></OBJECT> <NOSCRIPT><A HREF="http://ws.amazon.co.uk/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&MarketPlace=GB&ID=V20070822%2FGB%2Fp033-21%2F8010%2F2823d850-5d5c-4871-af2c-3b028a306c60&Operation=NoScript">Amazon.co.uk Widgets</A></NOSCRIPT></center>Bobble Bardsleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02763858890686010543noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3303258694960475886.post-30994176007451919412011-02-28T16:51:00.002+00:002011-02-28T18:22:45.344+00:0080s Movies: Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982)<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQyeweMV-G8SUu8fzpVc3A_PtcLrrs8eJ3K0m46DA_PrM6-8ZFUtrwDPIE3BK-rQ2mZ8KWQHvyq9g9QRk4GbnADytxPlE53DrJgiV1WC0h3TZKufLYlWafTrTNPm2l3ZfqO8rR3MMEaMTj/s1600/star-trek-ii-the-wrath-of-khan-poster-1982.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQyeweMV-G8SUu8fzpVc3A_PtcLrrs8eJ3K0m46DA_PrM6-8ZFUtrwDPIE3BK-rQ2mZ8KWQHvyq9g9QRk4GbnADytxPlE53DrJgiV1WC0h3TZKufLYlWafTrTNPm2l3ZfqO8rR3MMEaMTj/s320/star-trek-ii-the-wrath-of-khan-poster-1982.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5578807501271136642" /></a>It's the end of the road for this month's 80s movies series... and we're rounding things off with a sequel, which is a little out of character. It's a good one though, as we're ending with <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B002KKCVXC?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B002KKCVXC">Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan</a>.<br /><br />There are inevitable comparisons between Star Trek and Star Wars. I've always been more of a Trekker - I really don't like Star Wars at all. Sorry about that. But it's worth noting the importance of <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B002KKCVXC?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B002KKCVXC">Wrath of Khan</a> in the history of Star Trek.<br /><br />Where the first Star Wars trilogy stands as a single entity now - albeit with the benefit of hindsight - the Star Trek movies were never so cohesive. The show and its big-screen spin-offs have always been primarily a series of separate stories, rather than being split into chapters or volumes.<br /><br />In <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B002KKCVXC?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B002KKCVXC">Star Trek II</a>, however, we have the first in a three-film story arc that remains probably the biggest tale the Star Trek world has ever told without distraction or interruption.<br /><br /><a name='more'></a><div style="clear:both;"><b>The Plot</b><br /><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B002KKCVXC?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B002KKCVXC">The Wrath of Khan</a> was an attempt to reinvigorate the Star Trek films franchise following a poor reception for <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B002KKCVXC?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B002KKCVXC">The Motion Picture</a> in 1979. Its plot calls back Khan Noonien Singh, who first appeared in the original series episode Space Seed.<br /><br />Khan is on the hunt for Genesis, a device capable of regenerating dead worlds to make them habitable - but also of destroying existing planets. The movie is the usual Star Trek chess game of good versus bad, culminating in apparent victory, but at the loss of the Enterprise's Vulcan shipmate, Spock.<br /><br />It is not just <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B002KKCVXC?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B002KKCVXC">Wrath of Khan</a> that matters when watching this movie now, however; movies III and IV, <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B002KKCVXC?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B002KKCVXC">The Search for Spock</a> and <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B002KKCVXC?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B002KKCVXC">The Voyage Home</a>, continue the same story arc to create a trilogy that, as I said above, is probably Star Trek's single most ambitious and successful story so far.</div><br /><b>The Legacy</b><br /><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B002KKCVXC?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B002KKCVXC">Wrath of Khan</a> was a landmark moment in the 80s - and it came so close to the beginning of the decade, too. I wasn't even born when this movie was released, so I may be swayed slightly in my 'recollections' of it by the reputation that it has now built up.<br /><br />One thing I do know, however, is that <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B002KKCVXC?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B002KKCVXC">Wrath of Khan</a> stands alone as a title totally separate from the 'Star Trek' label. It's another comparison with Star Wars, where the sequels <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B001FVKUA8?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B001FVKUA8">The Empire Strikes Back</a> and <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B001FVKUA8?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B001FVKUA8">Return of the Jedi</a> similarly broke free of their parent franchise, at least in terms of how people refer to them.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B002KKCVXC?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B002KKCVXC">Wrath of Khan</a>, though, seems to single-handedly represent a turning point for more sci-fi fanatics than any other movie. The 1998 film <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00004YVGL?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00004YVGL">Free Enterprise</a> pays homage to this, not only through its hero worship of Bill Shatner, but with a scene devoted specifically to the comic-book-reading protagonists heading to a late-night cinema screening of the film.<br /><br />It's just one example of how a film released almost three decades ago continues to resonate with an audience around the world - and may be largely responsible for the continued popularity of Star Trek today.<br /><br /><i><b>80s Movies</b><br /><br />In February, POPSICULTURE are dedicating the month to a look back at the iconic films of the 1980s - a decade whose films continue to draw massive audiences when they are shown on TV. To follow posts in this series, check the <a href="http://popsiculturereviews.blogspot.com/search/label/80s%20Movies" title="More 80s Movies reviews from POPSICULTURE">80s Movies</a> label or sign up to the <a href="http://popsiculturereviews.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default/-/80s%20Movies" title="POPSICULTURE 80s Movies RSS feed">dedicated RSS feed</a>.</i>Bobble Bardsleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02763858890686010543noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3303258694960475886.post-12173642128591001672011-02-27T12:16:00.004+00:002011-02-27T13:39:18.985+00:0080s Movies: Gremlins (1984)<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg48j0Ve54Gd_p6rtbemZ5quAGHUhNbaVbh3EngyrVq2AAyPmxyNByqzkW_LBord16Dbp8gzPAesXZul2zf1_eVXoP4y6M72dX8W5OgGuM2RoBpuSa0dixbxkdHeTF8eHvAr3Go6zZYgVMP/s1600/gremlins-1984.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg48j0Ve54Gd_p6rtbemZ5quAGHUhNbaVbh3EngyrVq2AAyPmxyNByqzkW_LBord16Dbp8gzPAesXZul2zf1_eVXoP4y6M72dX8W5OgGuM2RoBpuSa0dixbxkdHeTF8eHvAr3Go6zZYgVMP/s320/gremlins-1984.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5578358698026312850" title="Gremlins (1984)" /></a><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B000A85TSU?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B000A85TSU">Gremlins</a> is yet another fine example of a standalone 80s movie. Sure, they made <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B000A85TSU?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B000A85TSU">The New Batch</a> in 1990, but that wasn't planned from the outset. <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B000A85TSU?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B000A85TSU">Gremlins</a> was never the 'first' film in a franchise (as far as I know) - it was just a one-off, cute comedy-horror movie.<br /><br />It stars Gizmo, the wide-eyed mogwai who pretty much personifies the concept of Pandora's Box, along with his human friends, Zach Galligan and Phoebe Cates, who play Billy and Kate. This is Gizmo's show though, along with the eponymous Gremlins who later emerge - the humans are basically cattle waiting to be slaughtered.<br /><br />This movie pushes slapstick to its acceptable limits - if it's Christmas and the protagonists are puppets, is it OK to fire an old lady through her own skylight on an overclocked stairlift? The answer, happily, is yes. I was one when <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B000A85TSU?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B000A85TSU">Gremlins</a> was released so can't have been more than four or five the first time I watched it on TV. I don't remember ever actually being scared of the Gremlins - but then, I may have been too busy thinking Gizmo was awesome.<br /><br /><a name='more'></a><div style="clear:both;"><b>The Plot</b><br /><br />It's nice when a plot has rules. It's particularly nice when a film begins with somebody being told not to do certain things - you know they're bound to come into play at some point. Long before <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B001ECPV7A?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B001ECPV7A">Scream</a> set out the rules of survival for horror films (never, ever say "I'll be right back"), <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B000A85TSU?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B000A85TSU">Gremlins</a> laid down its own rules on how to keep your mogwai happy, safe and sane.<br /><br /><blockquote><i>Rule One: Keep him out of the light</i><br /><br />Mogwai don't much like the light. Bright light is intensely uncomfortable for them; sunlight is fatal. I guess you could say they're basically nocturnal. It's probably reasonable to expect them to eat at night too, then...?<br /><br /><i>Rule Two: Never get him wet</i><br /><br />Forget cooking him dinner or nibbling his ear. If you want to make babies with Gizmo, just bathe him. The smallest drop of water will make new mogwai fire out of his very flesh as tiny furballs, which then uncurl into little monsters. It's never really explained why Gizmo is the only pacifist in the bunch, but his offspring are severely unbalanced creatures.<br /><br /><i>Rule Three: Never, ever, feed him after midnight</i><br /><br />Oh. Forget that nocturnal thing, then. Because if you feed him after midnight, Gizmo will not be a happy bunny. More precisely, he'll form a cocoon, gestate for a bit and then emerge as a demonic lizard-bunny that'll make you wish a facehugger had come out of that pod.</blockquote><br />Naturally, all three rules are broken at one point or another. It is by accident though - with the exception of Gizmo's second spawning, which happens at the hands of Billy's science teacher. The eating after midnight thing is thanks to the Gremlins themselves, who stop Billy's clock to make him believe it's still safe to feed them. And the sunlight - well, that's not so accidental either, but it's the only option once the rampant little funnymonsters take over the town.<br /><br />Expect lots of screams and genuinely dark moments. The reason <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B000A85TSU?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B000A85TSU">Gremlins</a> is so believable is that the little lizard guys really are totally homicidal - as opposed to the more fun-loving goblins in <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0001FYR3A?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B0001FYR3A">Labyrinth</a>, for example. Despite that, it's the kind of violence even well-adjusted kids should find pretty funny, so don't be put off.</div><br /><b>Gizmo</b><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnmDL5UDYMh6LFVu7eFcw-UFctfVrpMlNvB_gvNkxKUIjD7kc8kEf9MJgcMpX7-wIm5O2ITB9mloSyoTeMJPPqBmj9hYEj2A8spOVnpmiQXd5EFPZCa5U8iKGksowSwl4CarsNP6LQsARe/s1600/gremlins-1984-gizmo-mogwai.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px; margin:0 0 0 10px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnmDL5UDYMh6LFVu7eFcw-UFctfVrpMlNvB_gvNkxKUIjD7kc8kEf9MJgcMpX7-wIm5O2ITB9mloSyoTeMJPPqBmj9hYEj2A8spOVnpmiQXd5EFPZCa5U8iKGksowSwl4CarsNP6LQsARe/s320/gremlins-1984-gizmo-mogwai.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5578360189929533474" title="I love this little guy..." /></a>I can't help but give Gizmo special mention. He's a true action hero, a character in his own right - despite hardly ever saying anything recognisable as words - and totally believable as a separate entity, rather than just one more puppet in the show.<br /><br />He is the vehicle for the slapstick, frequently suffering at the hands of his brethren for being a pacifist. His near-mute status harks back to the silent movies and even more recent slapstick successes (<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B003ZSHM50?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B003ZSHM50">Mr Bean</a> and, though I hesitate to say it, <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00004CR2R?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00004CR2R">The Baldy Man</a>). But he also has something deeper to offer.<br /><br />Gizmo is also <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B000A85TSU?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B000A85TSU">Gremlins</a>' voice of reason. His insistence that he will not fight is surely inspired in part by the Vietnam War. When he does take up arms - particularly in <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B000A85TSU?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B000A85TSU">The New Batch</a> - it is as an action hero rather than as an all-out aggressor. In all instances, he seems keen only to sort out the chaos that, whether deliberately or not, initially arose from his own flesh.<br /><br />While the mindless violence is lots of fun, and the Gremlins' torture techniques genuinely ingenious, it is little Gizmo, forever caught in the crossfire, who carries the true message of hope and harmony in a troubled world that makes this movie one of the all-time greats.<br /><br /><i><b>80s Movies</b><br /><br />In February, POPSICULTURE are dedicating the month to a look back at the iconic films of the 1980s - a decade whose films continue to draw massive audiences when they are shown on TV. To follow posts in this series, check the <a href="http://popsiculturereviews.blogspot.com/search/label/80s%20Movies" title="More 80s Movies reviews from POPSICULTURE">80s Movies</a> label or sign up to the <a href="http://popsiculturereviews.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default/-/80s%20Movies" title="POPSICULTURE 80s Movies RSS feed">dedicated RSS feed</a>.</i>Bobble Bardsleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02763858890686010543noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3303258694960475886.post-18341548172086965872011-02-26T10:20:00.005+00:002011-02-26T12:29:45.165+00:0080s Movies: Weird Science (1985)<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcd1CgKW_6OhmJuMvC3ttBus6L6MFEYKBdqJc0FSOfHT95ZYKA1RFf-KCrTYxjx8j15uJx9BZ4bO2y1ab6pQBBEXCdrwIw5ynjQtWs50MLU8ppNnG-hog0IY0YvDr2Rg7OuQvbZnnyhekr/s1600/weird-science-movie-poster.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcd1CgKW_6OhmJuMvC3ttBus6L6MFEYKBdqJc0FSOfHT95ZYKA1RFf-KCrTYxjx8j15uJx9BZ4bO2y1ab6pQBBEXCdrwIw5ynjQtWs50MLU8ppNnG-hog0IY0YvDr2Rg7OuQvbZnnyhekr/s320/weird-science-movie-poster.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5577969554849361378" title="Weird Science movie poster (1985)" /></a>If you watch just one 1985 teen sci-fi movie this year, make it <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B003AQCV08?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B003AQCV08">Back to the Future</a>. But if you've had enough of paradoxes and jigowatts and you'd much rather see Kelly LeBrock in her prime, watch <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B000BMUVFQ?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B000BMUVFQ">Weird Science</a>. She pretty much single-handedly carries this movie in the way that, for example, Liz Hurley doesn't quite manage to do in 2000's <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00005NOM5?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00005NOM5">Bedazzled</a>.<br /><br />So much happens in <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B000BMUVFQ?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B000BMUVFQ">Weird Science</a> that it's hard to know quite what to say about it. This might be one of those movies that you just have to watch - otherwise it's like saying <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B000ERVG6G?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B000ERVG6G">Ferris Bueller's Day Off</a> is about him 'not going to school'. It just doesn't quite encapsulate the full story, does it?<br /><br />Also, just the briefest of mentions here for Bill Paxton - a muchly undervalued actor who pops up in quite a few of my favourite movies (<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00004D307?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00004D307">Twister</a>, in particular) but is often given fairly one-dimensional characters. As Chet in <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B000BMUVFQ?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B000BMUVFQ">Weird Science</a>, he doesn't exactly buck that trend, but it's still fun to see him playing that numbskull role for which he's become so well known.<br /><br /><a name='more'></a><div style="clear:both;"><b>The Plot</b><br /><br />This is definitely a movie for the boys. I can't really think of a good girl comparison... I mean, it would be like using magic glitter to create a limitless supply of nice shoes or something. What <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B000BMUVFQ?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B000BMUVFQ">Weird Science</a> actually does is uses a weird storm to make a superhot chick (Kelly LeBrock as Lisa) using some crocodile clips and a Barbie doll. It's not entirely clear how that works (sadly) but by the looks of things, it does a pretty good job.<br /><br />Unfortunately for Gary (Anthony Michael Hall) and Wyatt (Ilan Mitchell-Smith), Lisa turns out to be a bit of a sociopath. Most of <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B000BMUVFQ?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B000BMUVFQ">Weird Science</a> revolves around her basically ruining the boys' lives, Cat in the Hat style. In fact, this is basically The Cat in the Hat for adolescents - complete with last-minute redemption and reparation of the trashed house. I suppose that's not so bad, but it does make it feel a little like 'it was all a dream'.</div><br /><b>The Music</b><br /><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B000BMUVFQ?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B000BMUVFQ">Weird Science</a> is a pretty great movie, but its theme song is even greater. <a href="http://clk.tradedoubler.com/click?p=23708&a=1838569&url=http%3A%2F%2Fitunes.apple.com%2Fgb%2Fartist%2Foingo-boingo%2Fid93615%3Fuo%3D4%26partnerId%3D2003">Oingo Boingo</a> (fronted by Danny Elfman, who went on to compose soundtracks including the original music for 1989's <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B002L7O7YK?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B002L7O7YK">Batman</a>) deliver a genius six minutes of balanced vocals and instrumentals, with one of my favourite lines from any theme song ever: "My creation! Is it reeeeeeal?"<br /><br />Other great tracks to make it into the movie include <a href="http://clk.tradedoubler.com/click?p=23708&a=1838569&url=http%3A%2F%2Fitunes.apple.com%2Fgb%2Fartist%2Fmike-oldfield%2Fid259271%3Fuo%3D4%26partnerId%3D2003">Mike Oldfield</a>'s <a href="http://clk.tradedoubler.com/click?p=23708&a=1838569&url=http%3A%2F%2Fitunes.apple.com%2Fgb%2Falbum%2Ftubular-bells-from-the-exorcist%2Fid319494158%3Fi%3D319494326%26uo%3D4%26partnerId%3D2003">Tubular Bells</a>, <a href="http://clk.tradedoubler.com/click?p=23708&a=1838569&url=http%3A%2F%2Fitunes.apple.com%2Fgb%2Falbum%2Foh-pretty-woman%2Fid253298638%3Fi%3D253300343%26uo%3D4%26partnerId%3D2003">(Oh) Pretty Woman</a> (the <a href="http://clk.tradedoubler.com/click?p=23708&a=1838569&url=http%3A%2F%2Fitunes.apple.com%2Fgb%2Fartist%2Fvan-halen%2Fid166529%3Fuo%3D4%26partnerId%3D2003">Van Halen</a> version) and <a href="http://clk.tradedoubler.com/click?p=23708&a=1838569&url=http%3A%2F%2Fitunes.apple.com%2Fgb%2Fartist%2Fkim-wilde%2Fid60925%3Fuo%3D4%26partnerId%3D2003">Kim Wilde</a>'s Turn It On. OK, that last one might not have gone down in history as a truly great composition, but I love <a href="http://clk.tradedoubler.com/click?p=23708&a=1838569&url=http%3A%2F%2Fitunes.apple.com%2Fgb%2Fartist%2Fkim-wilde%2Fid60925%3Fuo%3D4%26partnerId%3D2003">Kim Wilde</a>. It's good to see her on the soundtrack of one of the 80s' most ingenious movies - she played a huge part in making that decade what it was.<br /><br /><b>Trivia</b><br /><br />OK, so <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B003AQCV08?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B003AQCV08">Back to the Future</a> won the battle back in 1985, but Telltale Games gave <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B000BMUVFQ?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B000BMUVFQ">Weird Science</a> a nod in their videogame <a href="http://popsiculturereviews.blogspot.com/2010/12/advent-calendar-dec-8th-back-to-future.html">Back to the Future Episode One</a>: check out the made-over cartoony poster over Marty's right shoulder...<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1of4dykswHsd7SRGI0zzOMZkWRJSH3d_nY5RxBpm5UM-1tqcdpAjBJsSYb3QnyCVcuPM4rC8DYzXxaFPMWWXT4WoArjj7M3Fn2ZTVfLtXG-HMFkckgBRcr-V0CffRZaKDkHql4f0Z7S_R/s1600/weird-science-poster-back-to-the-future-episode-one.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 180px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1of4dykswHsd7SRGI0zzOMZkWRJSH3d_nY5RxBpm5UM-1tqcdpAjBJsSYb3QnyCVcuPM4rC8DYzXxaFPMWWXT4WoArjj7M3Fn2ZTVfLtXG-HMFkckgBRcr-V0CffRZaKDkHql4f0Z7S_R/s320/weird-science-poster-back-to-the-future-episode-one.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5577969193697429634" title="Weird Science movie poster in Telltale Games' Back to the Future Episode One" /></a><br /><i><b>80s Movies</b><br /><br />In February, POPSICULTURE are dedicating the month to a look back at the iconic films of the 1980s - a decade whose films continue to draw massive audiences when they are shown on TV. To follow posts in this series, check the <a href="http://popsiculturereviews.blogspot.com/search/label/80s%20Movies" title="More 80s Movies reviews from POPSICULTURE">80s Movies</a> label or sign up to the <a href="http://popsiculturereviews.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default/-/80s%20Movies" title="POPSICULTURE 80s Movies RSS feed">dedicated RSS feed</a>.</i>Bobble Bardsleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02763858890686010543noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3303258694960475886.post-65462705455235041902011-02-25T15:01:00.003+00:002011-02-25T16:23:30.570+00:0080s Movies: Aliens (1986)<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRpbX-1vJZk9m3wSr2anTAL6oFyW37KPmNF3bsmZx-KtcCvhbO2ADMuQmys3EYvnRaG0Z2Fi7Uy5ZgKExCvOY9t_CD8BMid87DOxvBTuZ3Go4bXv10tyG9UKVxZmOXnK9yWiDM4RmTCDam/s1600/aliens-movie-poster.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRpbX-1vJZk9m3wSr2anTAL6oFyW37KPmNF3bsmZx-KtcCvhbO2ADMuQmys3EYvnRaG0Z2Fi7Uy5ZgKExCvOY9t_CD8BMid87DOxvBTuZ3Go4bXv10tyG9UKVxZmOXnK9yWiDM4RmTCDam/s320/aliens-movie-poster.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5577660155643937874" title="Aliens (1986)" /></a><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00433SNF4?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00433SNF4">Aliens</a>, if you didn't already know, is the 1986 sequel to 1979's <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00433SNF4?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00433SNF4">Alien</a>. We've largely avoided sequels - and even the first films of franchises - during 80s movies month, with a couple of exceptions. But this one deserves including for a number of very good reasons.<br /><br />Firstly, it's almost unilaterally agreed that this is the best of the <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00433SNF4?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00433SNF4">Alien</a> films. Start the old "sequels that were better than the first film" conversation in the pub and <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00433SNF4?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00433SNF4">Aliens</a> is usually one of the first films to get a mention.<br /><br />Secondly, it's got some great people in it, most of whom I associate specifically with that decade. Sigourney Weaver has come to be defined by her role as Ellen Ripley (and, of course, also starred in 1984's <a href="http://popsiculturereviews.blogspot.com/2011/02/80s-movies-ghostbusters-1984.html">Ghostbusters</a>). Lance Henriksen delivers a star performance as Bishop. Bill Paxton is... well, Bill Paxton, in that same meathead character he always plays - here it's Pvt Hudson, but it could easily be bonehead Chet from <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B000BMUVFQ?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B000BMUVFQ">Weird Science</a> or the slightly more well-meaning Bill Harding from <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00004D307?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00004D307">Twister</a>.<br /><br />There's also Paul Reiser - the comedian I know best from My Two Dads and Mad About You. Here he's playing a slightly dubious, whose-side-is-he-on company suit. It's an odd casting choice but, like each of the others in <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00433SNF4?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00433SNF4">Aliens</a>, it works well.<br /><br /><a name='more'></a><div style="clear:both;"><b>The Plot</b><br /><br />It's 57 years after the events of <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00433SNF4?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00433SNF4">Alien</a> - and it was seven actual years between the release of the two films - but to Ellen Ripley it's been no time at all. She wakes up from hypersleep on her escape craft, with no concept of the time that has passed since her first encounter with the eponymous acid-blooded, double-jawed alien lifeform.<br /><br /><iframe src="http://rcm-uk.amazon.co.uk/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&nou=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=888888&t=p033-21&o=2&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&asins=B00433SNF4" style="width:120px;height:240px;float:right;margin:0 0 0 10px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe>The planet LV-426, where the first film was set, is now colonised by human families - which means men, women AND children are out there - and Ripley returns with a troop of marines to investigate and destroy the threat.<br /><br />From there on in, it's the classic humans versus aliens storyline - some stuff happens, some people die, and it's all really about surviving, escaping, and killing every alien on the planet. This time around, though, there's Newt (Carrie Henn), the daughter of the couple who were the first from the colony to encounter the aliens. Like most movie kids, she's a bit of a hindrance, but she does her fair share of ass-kicking for a little person.</div><br /><b>The Design</b><br /><br />It's impossible to talk about any of the <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00433SNF4?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00433SNF4">Alien</a> movies without mentioning the look of them. This instalment has an industrial, grimey feel to it - it's a terraforming colony, so the planet is far from hospitable. Most of the characters are marines, so it's all body armour, guns and hoo-hah. Amongst all of this is Ripley, a sympathetic, feminine character in the early films - and not the harder cynic that she becomes later in the series.<br /><br />The aliens, of course, are H R Giger-inspired. Giger did not work on <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00433SNF4?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00433SNF4">Aliens</a> (his website carries <a href="http://www.hrgiger.com/james_cameron.htm" target="_blank">a letter from James Cameron</a> offering some excuses as to why...) but his original character concept that made the first film so successful is still visible in this instalment - and still plays a huge role in creating the world that <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00433SNF4?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00433SNF4">Aliens</a> inhabits.<br /><br />I'm watching the DVD special edition as I write this, and the exterior shots of the Sulaco, the ship on which Ripley and the marines travel to LV-426, are great. It's hard to tell whether it's a miniature against a spacey background (which is what it looks like to me...) or something else, but it's a beautiful image either way and testament to the care and attention that went into making <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00433SNF4?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00433SNF4">Aliens</a>.<br /><br />There are, in fact, a million different design elements that could be picked out - but it's perhaps not about the individual aspects of <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00433SNF4?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00433SNF4">Aliens</a>, after all. It's about the brilliantly conceived and put together whole, which made this movie a landmark in its franchise, in the decade and probably in the latter part of the 20th century as a whole.<br /><br /><i><b>80s Movies</b><br /><br />In February, POPSICULTURE are dedicating the month to a look back at the iconic films of the 1980s - a decade whose films continue to draw massive audiences when they are shown on TV. To follow posts in this series, check the <a href="http://popsiculturereviews.blogspot.com/search/label/80s%20Movies" title="More 80s Movies reviews from POPSICULTURE">80s Movies</a> label or sign up to the <a href="http://popsiculturereviews.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default/-/80s%20Movies" title="POPSICULTURE 80s Movies RSS feed">dedicated RSS feed</a>.</i>Bobble Bardsleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02763858890686010543noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3303258694960475886.post-7800458140969204102011-02-24T14:15:00.003+00:002011-02-24T14:53:47.247+00:0080s Movies: Fatal Attraction (1987)<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg13TunrenacuJISTX4msiiNdZNlAXjV41pbdLDW0KBHNU9GXVEcdCi2BfZ6sM3QLgOPoTiONiS0Ounk1X3BCuYGhN2pp0dhskY7t1N3M00JGmxGnWRNWxIDzIxRtokrQnS3IJSl1SGtQKk/s1600/fatal-attraction-1987.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg13TunrenacuJISTX4msiiNdZNlAXjV41pbdLDW0KBHNU9GXVEcdCi2BfZ6sM3QLgOPoTiONiS0Ounk1X3BCuYGhN2pp0dhskY7t1N3M00JGmxGnWRNWxIDzIxRtokrQnS3IJSl1SGtQKk/s320/fatal-attraction-1987.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5577268270316104450" title="Fatal Attraction (1987)" /></a><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00005UPNS?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00005UPNS">Fatal Attraction</a> wins its place in our 80s movies run-down not by being good (although it's not all that bad...) but for one very good reason. We might not all go around saying "Great Scott!" when we're surprised, or dropping "I ain't lost ma heed!" and "Them's ma rightful propertah!" into conversation, but everybody - <i>everybody</i> - knows what a bunny boiler is.<br /><br />Admittedly, not everyone may have seen the movie or really know the derivation of the phrase, but that doesn't detract from the fact that this film was a history-maker. It looks a little dated now, but the performances are as strong as they ever were, and it has that kind of harrowing nature that seems to be sorely lacking from most modern-day movies.<br /><br />It's interesting to think that this gritty psychodrama was released in the same year as <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00006JI11?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00006JI11">Mannequin</a> (see <a href="http://popsiculturereviews.blogspot.com/2011/02/80s-movies-mannequin-1987.html">yesterday's review</a>) - all too often the 80s gets 'flattened' into one genre or other, but people seem to neglect the fact that this was an entire decade of movie-making, music, fashion and culture, with all the complexity you might expect to come from that.<br /><br /><a name='more'></a><div style="clear:both;"><b>The Plot</b><br /><br />It's probably fair to say that Michael Douglas and Glenn Close are hugely responsible for the success of <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00005UPNS?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00005UPNS">Fatal Attraction</a>. Douglas, as Dan Gallagher, embarks on a short-lived affair with Alex Forrest (Close), which she's unwilling to let go.<br /><br /><iframe src="http://rcm-uk.amazon.co.uk/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&nou=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=888888&t=p033-21&o=2&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&asins=B00005UPNS" style="width:120px;height:240px;float:right;margin:0 0 0 10px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe>The storyline that follows is fairly one-dimensional - it's purely about Gallagher and his wife Beth (Anne Archer) trying to get Forrest back out of their lives - but that one-dimensional nature works well for a movie that is all about how one person can cause so much trouble for others.<br /><br />Forrest's defining moment comes when she kills the Gallaghers' family pet, a rabbit, and leaves it in a simmering pan on their stove - the source of the phrase 'bunny boiler' for anyone who's... well, a bit too clingy.</div><br /><b>Oh, the insanity...</b><br /><br />It's easy to think that <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00005UPNS?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00005UPNS">Fatal Attraction</a> is over the top - that nobody in real life would ever be so crazy. But Close did her research before beginning filming, and her portrayal of the script as written is filtered through what she learned from real-life cases.<br /><br />The next time somebody pays a healthy interest in you and you call it 'stalking', it's probably worth putting things in context - this movie is stalking at its most terrifying and intrusive. It's a modern classic, and its lesson becomes no less relevant as the years go by.<br /><br /><i><b>80s Movies</b><br /><br />In February, POPSICULTURE are dedicating the month to a look back at the iconic films of the 1980s - a decade whose films continue to draw massive audiences when they are shown on TV. To follow posts in this series, check the <a href="http://popsiculturereviews.blogspot.com/search/label/80s%20Movies" title="More 80s Movies reviews from POPSICULTURE">80s Movies</a> label or sign up to the <a href="http://popsiculturereviews.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default/-/80s%20Movies" title="POPSICULTURE 80s Movies RSS feed">dedicated RSS feed</a>.</i>Bobble Bardsleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02763858890686010543noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3303258694960475886.post-81640641586630169622011-02-23T15:56:00.003+00:002011-02-23T17:04:54.190+00:0080s Movies: Mannequin (1987)<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsJhtG_yEnQOjrWzatJuOKiKRivuqYF-18oYEJzvtCf-7FbBcG-hqtERhwrICfEtXhGuSWjQEJP5lCj9GxstLB3X1t6y6hPov5TPfGSbaiGH1Dga_4Af9mLpWpQtzxAITF6vWlrgc033TS/s1600/mannequin-1987.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsJhtG_yEnQOjrWzatJuOKiKRivuqYF-18oYEJzvtCf-7FbBcG-hqtERhwrICfEtXhGuSWjQEJP5lCj9GxstLB3X1t6y6hPov5TPfGSbaiGH1Dga_4Af9mLpWpQtzxAITF6vWlrgc033TS/s320/mannequin-1987.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5576929296354099298" title="Mannequin (1987)" /></a><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00006JI11?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00006JI11">Mannequin</a> stars Andrew McCarthy as Jonathan Switcher - and Kim Cattrall as Emmy, the eponymous mannequin. She can only come alive in the presence of Switcher, meaning her more outlandish behaviours get blamed on him.<br /><br />In a sense this movie is like having the highest-maintenance girlfriend of your life - you feel like you're going crazy, nobody else can see what it's like, and you get blamed for all the weird things she decides to do when nobody's looking.<br /><br />There are plenty of montages, the most brilliantly dated 80s soundtrack of them all, and of course Starship's <a href="http://clk.tradedoubler.com/click?p=23708&a=1838569&url=http%3A%2F%2Fitunes.apple.com%2Fgb%2Falbum%2Fnothings-gonna-stop-us-now%2Fid335614360%3Fi%3D335615723%26uo%3D4%26partnerId%3D2003">Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now</a> to tie it all together in the end. For that song alone it deserves its place in history.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00006JI11?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00006JI11">Mannequin</a> is one of my favourite movies of all time, even though I know it's fundamentally terrible. That doesn't really matter - it's like expecting <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0000505GY?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B0000505GY">Clueless</a> to be <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B000PY527C?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B000PY527C">Pan's Labyrinth</a> or something. However bad <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00006JI11?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00006JI11">Mannequin</a> may be, it's impossible to hate it - it's just too upbeat.<br /><br /><a name='more'></a><div style="clear:both;"><b>The Plot</b><br /><br />We get introduced to Emmy and Switcher right from the opener - Emmy back in Ancient Egypt, where she is some kind of princess. After appealing to the gods to save her from an unwanted marriage, she vanishes. Cue the very 80s animated opening credits, and then we're into Switcher's background story. He's an aspiring sculptor, working as a mannequin-builder, but his standards are too high - he gets fired for being too slow.<br /><br /><iframe src="http://rcm-uk.amazon.co.uk/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&npa=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=888888&t=p033-21&o=2&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&asins=B00006JI11" style="width:120px;height:240px;float:right;margin:0 0 0 10px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe>The fun really begins when he saves Clair Prince Timpkin (Estelle Getty) from being crushed by a falling sign outside the store she owns. She gives him a job in the store - where he befriends Hollywood Montrose (Meshach Taylor) and encounters Emmy in her animated state for the first time.</div><br />All kinds of well-meaning hilarity ensue, but the fundamental premise is this: Emmy is cursed and can only stop being a mannequin, and become a real live girl, if she finds true love. Whether Switcher's feelings for her really amount to true love, or are as shallow as the rest of the characterisation, it doesn't really matter - by that point you should have bought into this movie and just be hoping for the happy ending.<br /><br /><b>The Staging</b><br /><br />This always seems to me like one of the most 80s movies out there. It has bad one-liners (such as the opening caption "Dfu, Egypt. A Really Long Time Ago. Right Before Lunch."). It's... well, a bit far-fetched. Its characters are two-dimensional - and that's not just Emmy. Hollywood is so far out of the closet, even his GPS couldn't find the way to Narnia. The performances are very over the top, and not particularly politically correct.<br /><br />Yet, like most of the 80s, it's all well-meaning. Even the villains are caricatures, so it's hard to really dislike any of the characters. <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00006JI11?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00006JI11">Mannequin</a> is fast-paced and fun and unashamedly over the top, much like the 80s as a whole was. It's the perfect way to capture the upbeat mood of the decade, rather than all the doom and gloom - and perhaps a little poignant to think that it came in 1987, just before the bubble really burst.<br /><br /><i><b>80s Movies</b><br /><br />In February, POPSICULTURE are dedicating the month to a look back at the iconic films of the 1980s - a decade whose films continue to draw massive audiences when they are shown on TV. To follow posts in this series, check the <a href="http://popsiculturereviews.blogspot.com/search/label/80s%20Movies" title="More 80s Movies reviews from POPSICULTURE">80s Movies</a> label or sign up to the <a href="http://popsiculturereviews.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default/-/80s%20Movies" title="POPSICULTURE 80s Movies RSS feed">dedicated RSS feed</a>.</i>Bobble Bardsleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02763858890686010543noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3303258694960475886.post-54529275173735818192011-02-22T20:58:00.005+00:002011-02-22T21:57:37.878+00:0080s Movies: Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitpVzIhd6Ozf03YCHco6XoiFyp_c4a8lqLx4g_JnZB88XCWR1BgkqNIud70y0Xdjf6L3DVdVcqQ9rpdIhyphenhyphenfkKTLbz57xbs7jTqofS_l4pxh3T6UAVShZakdHBN5SlXExYAjMItyGoJr4cP/s1600/raiders-of-the-lost-ark-poster-1981.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitpVzIhd6Ozf03YCHco6XoiFyp_c4a8lqLx4g_JnZB88XCWR1BgkqNIud70y0Xdjf6L3DVdVcqQ9rpdIhyphenhyphenfkKTLbz57xbs7jTqofS_l4pxh3T6UAVShZakdHBN5SlXExYAjMItyGoJr4cP/s320/raiders-of-the-lost-ark-poster-1981.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5576633352198172322" /></a>The fact that <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B001EI9YJK?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B001EI9YJK">Raiders of the Lost Ark</a> doesn't begin with the words "Indiana Jones and the..." is the first sign that yes, this was the first one. Never one to start slowly, Indy ploughed straight into treasure-hunting by looking for the Ark of the Covenant, in which the Ten Commandments were reputedly stored. Not only that, but he actually finds it and it's surrounded by Nazis - and it's not even time for World War II yet. It's a strangely fun adventurous romp through classic treasure-hunting scenery, given the slightly sinister undertones that are hard to escape when your main villains are pre-war Nazis.<br /><br />Harrison Ford is Indiana Jones, in the role that will probably define his career for a long, long time to come. And he's great, let's be honest. He's mild-mannered enough to be believable as an archaeology professor, but square-jawed enough to become an all-action hero with relative ease. The fact that he can switch effortlessly from one persona to the other - even halfway through a scene - is testament to the strength of the character, to Ford's acting credentials, and to the quality of the film as a whole.<br /><br /><a name='more'></a><div style="clear:both;"><b>The Plot</b><br /><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B001EI9YJK?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B001EI9YJK">Raiders of the Lost Ark</a> is about as good as adventure films get. In a change from most 80s films, it's Indy versus the Nazis, rather than Indy versus the Russians (although, slightly ironically, the 2008 sequel <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B001EI9YJK?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B001EI9YJK">Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull</a> does pit Indy against the Soviets). This is the first film in the series, and it's 1936. Indy must battle the greatest threat of the 20th century in order to beat them to the Ark of the Covenant. In principle that's just a fancy box from the bible, but in practice it turns out to be a bit more dramatic than that.<br /><br /><iframe src="http://rcm-uk.amazon.co.uk/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&npa=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=888888&t=p033-21&o=2&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&asins=B001EI9YJK" style="width:120px;height:240px;float:right;margin:0 0 0 10px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe>More importantly though, this is the blueprint for so many other movies - not just the sequels, but modern-day versions like the brilliant <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0017QMXFG?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B0017QMXFG">National Treasure</a>. There's always a treasure, which I guess you could say is essential. There's always some dodgy villain, too - with henchmen, of course. But on top of that, there's always sidekicks. You rarely get a lone treasure-seeker - even Lara Croft has help in the movies. Indy might not have been the absolute first movie in its genre, but it gave a damn good go to redefining its niche for a new era, and personally I think it did a pretty good job.</div><br /><b>The Legacy</b><br /><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B001EI9YJK?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B001EI9YJK">Raiders of the Lost Ark</a> launched a legacy that endures to this day. Indy is one of cinema's strongest role models - akin to James Bond and, from the 80s to the present, probably even stronger than James T Kirk or any <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B004HYH94K?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B004HYH94K">Star Wars</a> character. The music ranks as one of the greatest film themes of all time - again, comparable with Bond, <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B004HYH94K?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B004HYH94K">Star Wars</a> or <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B000JJS57M?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B000JJS57M">Superman</a>. Or <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0041G67VA?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B0041G67VA">Back to the Future</a>, for that matter.<br /><br />Given the mishaps that have happened during the history of the franchise, it's a small miracle that it continues to endure. The most tragic event in the history of Indiana Jones has to be the death of River Phoenix. In 1989, he appeared as the young Indy in <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B001EI9YJK?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B001EI9YJK">The Last Crusade</a>. Four years later, he was dead. It's probably one of the widest held assumptions among cinematic trivia fans that Phoenix would have starred in at least one Indy sequel in his own right, had he lived long enough.<br /><br />As it is, we had to wait until 2008 for <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B001EI9YJK?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B001EI9YJK">Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull</a>. I'm gonna give a moment's defence to this - given that Indy had already found the Ark of the Covenant, the Holy Grail and... well, some weird stones... I don't really know what people expected from <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B001EI9YJK?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B001EI9YJK">Kingdom of the Crystal Skull</a>. Personally, I think it delivered everything that could be expected. But that's not what we're here to discuss, so I'll let it slide... let's hope there's another Indy film somewhere down the line, eh?<br /><br /><i><b>80s Movies</b><br /><br />In February, POPSICULTURE are dedicating the month to a look back at the iconic films of the 1980s - a decade whose films continue to draw massive audiences when they are shown on TV. To follow posts in this series, check the <a href="http://popsiculturereviews.blogspot.com/search/label/80s%20Movies" title="More 80s Movies reviews from POPSICULTURE">80s Movies</a> label or sign up to the <a href="http://popsiculturereviews.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default/-/80s%20Movies" title="POPSICULTURE 80s Movies RSS feed">dedicated RSS feed</a>.</i>Bobble Bardsleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02763858890686010543noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3303258694960475886.post-71313656362062159862011-02-21T11:20:00.003+00:002011-02-23T22:47:37.166+00:0080s Movies: Week 3We've had another great week here on Popsiculture recalling some fond childhood memories, and rediscovering a few old classics for our 80s movies month. Here's the round up from week three, and again they are all available on DVD for under a fiver at Amazon.<br /><br /><center><OBJECT classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://fpdownload.macromedia.com/get/flashplayer/current/swflash.cab" id="Player_ceed3354-a21d-442d-bfef-4e128007c037" WIDTH="600px" HEIGHT="200px"> <PARAM NAME="movie" VALUE="http://ws.amazon.co.uk/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&MarketPlace=GB&ID=V20070822%2FGB%2Fp033-21%2F8010%2Fceed3354-a21d-442d-bfef-4e128007c037&Operation=GetDisplayTemplate"><PARAM NAME="quality" VALUE="high"><PARAM NAME="bgcolor" VALUE="#FFFFFF"><PARAM NAME="allowscriptaccess" VALUE="always"><embed src="http://ws.amazon.co.uk/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&MarketPlace=GB&ID=V20070822%2FGB%2Fp033-21%2F8010%2Fceed3354-a21d-442d-bfef-4e128007c037&Operation=GetDisplayTemplate" id="Player_ceed3354-a21d-442d-bfef-4e128007c037" quality="high" bgcolor="#ffffff" name="Player_ceed3354-a21d-442d-bfef-4e128007c037" allowscriptaccess="always" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" align="middle" height="200px" width="600px"></embed></OBJECT> <NOSCRIPT><A HREF="http://ws.amazon.co.uk/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&MarketPlace=GB&ID=V20070822%2FGB%2Fp033-21%2F8010%2Fceed3354-a21d-442d-bfef-4e128007c037&Operation=NoScript">Amazon.co.uk Widgets</A></NOSCRIPT></center>dansquadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04533704207741164584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3303258694960475886.post-5557832481739148232011-02-21T10:21:00.003+00:002011-02-21T12:25:40.185+00:0080s Movies: Highlander (1986)<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDmOTejCBR7C4guvrvmHVHSj3yhxK1UsKWqXY-XX_1-rNPSli-FLZR1baKSCXWT25H4YuILFG_kI5Y-UlfqBEdSNqd9DGaJpN-dl6SUBecbMiyV5Wzvu4kpozVVB7VYwTO3XpEk90S-HEr/s1600/highlander-movie-poster-1986.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDmOTejCBR7C4guvrvmHVHSj3yhxK1UsKWqXY-XX_1-rNPSli-FLZR1baKSCXWT25H4YuILFG_kI5Y-UlfqBEdSNqd9DGaJpN-dl6SUBecbMiyV5Wzvu4kpozVVB7VYwTO3XpEk90S-HEr/s320/highlander-movie-poster-1986.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5576114424840980962" title="Highlander (1986)" /></a><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B000HEVTCC?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B000HEVTCC">Highlander</a> is a fine example of not just film-making, but legend-making. In a single movie it created a world that has become easily recognisable from a single image (Sean Connery atop a ruined castle; Christopher Lambert surrounded by lightning) or line ("There can be only one."). As a story, it spawned a franchise including the greatest number of straight-to-TV movies that I can easily bring to mind. There always seems to be a MacLeod running around decapitating immortals on one satellite channel or another.<br /><br />Christopher Lambert is great in this movie. I think it's fair to call it a career-defining role for him. Sean Connery plays a pretty important part, given that his actual appearances throughout the film are relatively few in the grander scale of the storyline. The two of them easily dominate the film, in the best possible way, with the kind of friendship that only a shared burden - that of the immortals - and an off-screen camaraderie could produce.<br /><br />In fact, friendship plays a recurring theme throughout the film - given the seemingly solitary nature of being immortal, MacLeod manages to befriend a number of his counterparts, which leaves me wondering how the plot might have unfolded if they were the only ones left (given that "there can be only one"...).<br /><br /><a name='more'></a><div style="clear:both;"><b>The Plot</b><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRGFroHAhBqvbPBMWYGPoHXxlLvzvE8XbMeSFdEF7qqtNz94jy1aVUvb4qf-gJJn4FUpHd_jXnHbVf9hqaaEWs2ukB97KooediZvhKog3Vla2-rLDk4bY01M-2wDmTW3X2a0a63oPRCHVe/s1600/highlander-christopher-lambert-sean-connery.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 209px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRGFroHAhBqvbPBMWYGPoHXxlLvzvE8XbMeSFdEF7qqtNz94jy1aVUvb4qf-gJJn4FUpHd_jXnHbVf9hqaaEWs2ukB97KooediZvhKog3Vla2-rLDk4bY01M-2wDmTW3X2a0a63oPRCHVe/s320/highlander-christopher-lambert-sean-connery.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5576114933017161250" /></a>As I may have mentioned above, this is the story of the immortals. Born to human parents at different times throughout history, they cannot die by ordinary means; they must be decapitated. As they come together, a process called the Quickening takes hold - unleashing abilities bordering on telepathy and superhuman strength. Ultimately, the immortals must meet at the Gathering, where they will fall one by one until the 'prize' goes to the last man standing.<br /><br />It would be easy for <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B000HEVTCC?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B000HEVTCC">Highlander</a> to look like a <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0001XQDZC?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B0001XQDZC">Mortal Kombat</a> film - or even to resemble <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B000KGGP4E?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B000KGGP4E">DOA: Dead or Alive</a> - given that its storyline demands a sequence of bigger and bigger fight scenes. But it's not really shot like that - the fights aren't from that side-on video game perspective, instead opting for over-the-shoulder angles that put the viewer into the action. They're also written into the story pretty well, rather than serving as combat cut scenes.<br /><br />For those reasons - and the two or three truly great scenes (such as the montage of MacLeod living a lifetime as a young man with his ageing lover Heather, to the backing track of Queen's <a href="http://clk.tradedoubler.com/click?p=23708&a=1838569&url=http%3A%2F%2Fitunes.apple.com%2Fgb%2Falbum%2Fwho-wants-to-live-forever%2Fid407644466%3Fi%3D407644528%26uo%3D4%26partnerId%3D2003">Who Wants to Live Forever</a>) put the star after this movie's A-grade.</div><br /><b>The Queen Songs</b><br /><br /><iframe src="http://rcm-uk.amazon.co.uk/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS1=1&npa=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=888888&t=p033-21&o=2&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&asins=B00002507N" style="width:120px;height:240px;float:right;margin:0 0 0 10px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B000HEVTCC?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B000HEVTCC">Highlander</a> is, for me, synonymous with Queen's contributions to the soundtrack. None is more directly associated with the movie than <a href="http://clk.tradedoubler.com/click?p=23708&a=1838569&url=http%3A%2F%2Fitunes.apple.com%2Fgb%2Falbum%2Fwho-wants-to-live-forever%2Fid407644466%3Fi%3D407644528%26uo%3D4%26partnerId%3D2003">Who Wants to Live Forever</a>, at least in my mind - it's a truly haunting, moving song intended to portray the tragedy of living and loving as an immortal, watching the people you love grow old and die. I may not be immortal, but for me it's become something of an anthem anyway - a reminder to live each day and make it count.<br /><br />The track <a href="http://clk.tradedoubler.com/click?p=23708&a=1838569&url=http%3A%2F%2Fitunes.apple.com%2Fgb%2Falbum%2Fprinces-of-the-universe%2Fid407644466%3Fi%3D407644535%26uo%3D4%26partnerId%3D2003">Princes of the Universe</a> seems to resonate strongly with many of the film's die-hard fans, and it's easy to see why. It has an epic and fairly uplifting tone to it, as opposed to the melancholy <a href="http://clk.tradedoubler.com/click?p=23708&a=1838569&url=http%3A%2F%2Fitunes.apple.com%2Fgb%2Falbum%2Fwho-wants-to-live-forever%2Fid407644466%3Fi%3D407644528%26uo%3D4%26partnerId%3D2003">Who Wants to Live Forever</a> - making this the anthem for fans of the film's wider story, rather than its more introspective elements.<br /><br />Finally, one I didn't realise was written for <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B000HEVTCC?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B000HEVTCC">Highlander</a> - <a href="http://clk.tradedoubler.com/click?p=23708&a=1838569&url=http%3A%2F%2Fitunes.apple.com%2Fgb%2Falbum%2Fa-kind-of-magic%2Fid407644466%3Fi%3D407644521%26uo%3D4%26partnerId%3D2003">A Kind of Magic</a>. Again, like many Queen songs, this is an epic anthem which, on reflection, does reference the film over and over again - notably with the lyric "there can be only one". As is pointed out elsewhere, the album <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00002507N?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00002507N">A Kind of Magic</a> is actually about as close as there is to a <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B000HEVTCC?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B000HEVTCC">Highlander</a> soundtrack.<br /><br /><i><b>80s Movies</b><br /><br />In February, POPSICULTURE are dedicating the month to a look back at the iconic films of the 1980s - a decade whose films continue to draw massive audiences when they are shown on TV. To follow posts in this series, check the <a href="http://popsiculturereviews.blogspot.com/search/label/80s%20Movies" title="More 80s Movies reviews from POPSICULTURE">80s Movies</a> label or sign up to the <a href="http://popsiculturereviews.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default/-/80s%20Movies" title="POPSICULTURE 80s Movies RSS feed">dedicated RSS feed</a>.</i>Bobble Bardsleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02763858890686010543noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3303258694960475886.post-60565047979939672272011-02-20T10:55:00.003+00:002011-02-20T11:33:08.029+00:0080s Movies: Airplane! (1980)<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7XhCzpJ0h-5Nky0S2SLb1eoSSZWy2xifPFGUn3DAON16wgp3K_ESx28EPOY0qTWVaHbw8uuX72bjBC-cAjtZgJp2xrdluBy4bCzB9YAzXpSHbCJfm252RX3bnYf5SuBDBVe0C-arvTy3A/s1600/airplane-1980.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7XhCzpJ0h-5Nky0S2SLb1eoSSZWy2xifPFGUn3DAON16wgp3K_ESx28EPOY0qTWVaHbw8uuX72bjBC-cAjtZgJp2xrdluBy4bCzB9YAzXpSHbCJfm252RX3bnYf5SuBDBVe0C-arvTy3A/s320/airplane-1980.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5575731591119125458" /></a>It's possibly the single greatest compliment to <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B000NJLQI8?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B000NJLQI8">Airplane!</a> that I actually almost began writing about 1983's <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00004CYR9?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00004CYR9">National Lampoon's Vacation</a>, then realised there was a much better, much sillier movie to mention instead. Then again, depending on your opinion of Chevy Chase et al, you might not see that as much of a compliment at all.<br /><br />In its own right, though, <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B000NJLQI8?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B000NJLQI8">Airplane!</a> is a pastiche of old disaster movies that has stood the test of time. The vast majority of its jokes are good proper silliness, rather than political or social commentaries tied too closely to the early 1980s, making it, if not 'fresh', then at least as enjoyable to watch now as it ever was.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B000NJLQI8?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B000NJLQI8">Airplane!</a> is probably the first place many people around my age saw Leslie Nielsen - and I think you can tell if that's the case. Older people will happily bring out that nugget of trivia that he used to be a 'straight' actor before he did the rubber-faced comedy, while younger film fans will probably know him more as Lieutenant Frank Drebin in <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0029OMEY0?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B0029OMEY0">The Naked Gun</a>.<br /><br /><a name='more'></a><div style="clear:both;"><b>The Plot</b><br /><br />It's a simple enough plot. An assortment of ages, ethnic minorities and varying levels of lunacy are on a plane together, when the pilot is taken ill. In fact, anyone who had the fish is basically doomed. For everyone else, it's a battle simply to land the plane and survive.<br /><br /><iframe src="http://rcm-uk.amazon.co.uk/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&nou=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=888888&t=p033-21&o=2&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&asins=B000NJLQI8" style="width:120px;height:240px;float:right;margin: 0 0 0 10px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe>Robert Hays is Ted Striker, former ace combat pilot who now suffers from what you would probably call post-traumatic stress disorder, along with a drinking problem. His former flame Elaine Dickinson (Julie Hagerty) is a stewardess on the flight and serves as the lead female role in the movie.<br /><br />Nielsen, meanwhile, is Dr Rumack. The character's IMDb profile claims "I am serious, and don't call me Shirley!" is "possibly the funniest line ever in a film". It's telling analysis of <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B000NJLQI8?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B000NJLQI8">Airplane!</a> to think that, if you were to argue against that praise, you'd probably do it with another line from the same movie.<br /><br />Going back to the plot, though - there's really not much relevance to what actually happens in terms of the story. It's just a common thread holding everything together (think the exact opposite of 1977's <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00004SPFR?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00004SPFR">Kentucky Fried Movie</a>). However, it does serve to make the viewer actually care about the characters, making a happy ending desirable.</div><br /><b>The Classic Quotes</b><br /><br />One of the most widely and easily quoted movies ever made, <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B000NJLQI8?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B000NJLQI8">Airplane!</a> delivered some real classics. Here's just a few:<br /><br /><i>Elaine:</i> Ladies and gentlemen, this is your stewardess speaking. We regret any inconvenience the sudden cabin movement might have caused. This is due to periodic air pockets we encountered. There's no reason to be alarmed and we hope you enjoy the rest of your flight. By the way, is there anyone on board who knows how to fly a plane?<br /><br /><i>Randy:</i> Excuse me sir, there's been a little problem in the cockpit.<br /><i>Striker:</i> The cockpit... what is it?<br /><i>Randy:</i> It's the little room in the front of the plane where the pilots sit, but that's not important right now.<br /><br /><i>Striker:</i> Surely you can't be serious?<br /><i>Dr Rumack:</i> I am serious. And don't call me Shirley.<br /><br /><i>Dr Rumack:</i> Captain, these passengers don't have much time. How soon can we land?<br /><i>Captain Oveur:</i> I can't tell.<br /><i>Rumack:</i> You can tell me, I'm a doctor.<br /><i>Oveur:</i> What I mean is, I don't know.<br /><i>Rumack:</i> Well can't you take a guess?<br /><i>Oveur:</i> Not for another two hours.<br /><i>Rumack:</i> You can't take a guess for another two hours?<br /><i>Oveur:</i> No, what I'm saying is we can't <i>land</i> for another two hours.<br /><br /><i><b>80s Movies</b><br /><br />In February, POPSICULTURE are dedicating the month to a look back at the iconic films of the 1980s - a decade whose films continue to draw massive audiences when they are shown on TV. To follow posts in this series, check the <a href="http://popsiculturereviews.blogspot.com/search/label/80s%20Movies" title="More 80s Movies reviews from POPSICULTURE">80s Movies</a> label or sign up to the <a href="http://popsiculturereviews.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default/-/80s%20Movies" title="POPSICULTURE 80s Movies RSS feed">dedicated RSS feed</a>.</i>Bobble Bardsleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02763858890686010543noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3303258694960475886.post-77327871801193715282011-02-19T11:35:00.004+00:002011-02-19T12:25:42.127+00:0080s Movies: Flight of the Navigator (1986)<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT8s724XODTFkIKAZ9pvw-y065p3bkLmS0dxu1LXhg0jeSeX0kyq3yd8xO9cjHQjv_p9hz3-YZtWpxa1r91wD-SRKbI54GRG581JOXaG2R5-hPLD-I7Ce_nMvXbRvYXyaj0mBQPpDitdbb/s1600/flight-of-the-navigator-movie-poster-1986.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT8s724XODTFkIKAZ9pvw-y065p3bkLmS0dxu1LXhg0jeSeX0kyq3yd8xO9cjHQjv_p9hz3-YZtWpxa1r91wD-SRKbI54GRG581JOXaG2R5-hPLD-I7Ce_nMvXbRvYXyaj0mBQPpDitdbb/s320/flight-of-the-navigator-movie-poster-1986.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5575374592779139010" title="Flight of the Navigator (1986)"/></a>Today's 80s movie is genuinely one of my all-time favourites, despite the fact that I still don't think I fully understand what happens in it. Joey Cramer stars as 12-year-old David Scott Freeman in one of the most believable alien abduction storylines ever made. I mean, of course it doesn't have you thinking they actually hired some aliens to come make the film with them - but it's very easy to suspend disbelief and go along with this one, which makes for a smooth ride.<br /><br />As for understanding <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00009PBYB?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00009PBYB">Flight of the Navigator</a>: it's set in 1978. But the first thing that happens is that David travels eight years into the future, to 1986 (which is actually the present, in terms of when the film was made). Only he hasn't travelled into the future really - he's just forgotten the eight years in between, which he lived through. But they wouldn't have seemed like eight years to him anyway; they'd have seemed like only a few minutes, perhaps, as he spent the time travelling faster than light speed to the planet of Phaelon and back.<br /><br />For a kids' film, it's a pretty convoluted plotline involving aliens, time travel, relativity, genetics, astrometric starcharts, spacecraft with the morphing abilities of the T-1000, and Sarah Jessica Parker. It's not easy to grasp - and it's the 80s, so the military show up in force - but it's a lot of fun and the peril is low even on the zero-to-mild scale.<br /><br /><a name='more'></a><div style="clear:both;"><b>The Plot</b><br /><br />I probably didn't do the best job of explaining the plot up there. Here it is put a little more simply:<br /><br />In 1978, David is sent into the woods to collect his little brother. He has a bit of a fall, bangs his head, wakes up, returns home and everyone's eight years older.<br /><br />It's now 1986 and David's returned just as an alien spaceship has crashed into some power lines. While trying to find his eight years of apparently missing memories, doctors discover David knows all about the craft and the star systems it has visited.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguFmQV9NX6PZ-MfSgnURn4NhiFQzzxiXLN8gTS5dzoihs7SqVfz6NSsXGSrneEYVHay-DaWkoXmrQcMzKkUZzVXipwYfkHaqfch5L2ouB_Rr_Wm9Fku5aWP4PMZbbfKVO_uMu4Mg6Y9Ory/s1600/sarah-jessica-parker-flight-of-the-navigator.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 193px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguFmQV9NX6PZ-MfSgnURn4NhiFQzzxiXLN8gTS5dzoihs7SqVfz6NSsXGSrneEYVHay-DaWkoXmrQcMzKkUZzVXipwYfkHaqfch5L2ouB_Rr_Wm9Fku5aWP4PMZbbfKVO_uMu4Mg6Y9Ory/s320/sarah-jessica-parker-flight-of-the-navigator.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5575370581903185954" /></a>Perhaps their biggest mistake, then, is to put him in a room basically next door to the spaceship. There's a bit of chat with Carolyn McAdams (Sarah Jessica Parker, pictured right) and he escapes. Inside a robot, because this is the 80s, after all.<br /><br />Just a note on Sarah Jessica Parker - I was three when this film came out, there wasn't satellite telly back then, so I was probably 6-7 the first time it was on TV. On reflection, I'd have to say SJP strikes a perfect balance between being cute enough to count as a love interest, but nice enough to be a big-sister kind of character for any viewers who are a bit too young to really get the point of girls.<br /><br />So David makes it to the spaceship and meets Max, the robot that flies it. Max tries to retrieve the starcharts from David's memory, as his own were scrambled when he hit the power lines. In doing so, he takes on the persona of a 12-year-old boy.<br /><br />There's a bit of flying around, a very cute alien, some mild peril and, finally, a bit of time travel to get David home. Where, let's face it, he's probably gonna spend the next eight years trying to bump into Sarah Jessica Parker, who thinks he's cute. I know that's what I'd do.<br /><br />By any measure, that's a lot of plot. This movie has phases, it shifts and turns like the spaceship itself and if I had to say without thinking about it, I'd swear every time that he ends the movie eight years into the future. But none of that seems to matter, there's just something inherently great about it. SJP's the perfect 80s girl, Max is the perfect alien robot thing, the military are involved, the kids come out on top and the music... well, just check below.</div><br /><b>The Music</b><br /><br />Ah yes, the music. In particular the closing credits score. It goes a little something like this:<br /><br /><center><iframe title="YouTube video player" width="500" height="405" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Gvk_-geDzp4?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></center><br />I'm pretty much speechless on this one, to be honest. It's just so brilliantly perfect. For the film, for the time, and for my own slightly skewed personal tastes. Usually I'd be hoping for one of those epic duets like in <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00006JI11?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00006JI11">Mannequin</a> or <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00009PBYC?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00009PBYC">Short Circuit</a>, but <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00009PBYB?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00009PBYB">Flight of the Navigator</a> was never going to have one of those. Instead it has this crazy, fantastic, hyperactive theme that deserves its place among the great compositions of the decade.<br /><br /><b>To cut a long story short <i>(too late...)</i></b><br /><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00009PBYB?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00009PBYB">Flight of the Navigator</a> hints that writers Mark H Baker and Michael Burton sat down and started with the premise of "how much sci-fi can we get on screen at once?". The visual effects on the spaceship are pretty incredible even now. The acting - particularly from Cramer during lengthy scenes effectively by himself - is strong. The storyline is complex but well thought out. All in all, this is truly one of the great films of the decade. If you haven't seen it yet, do.<br /><br /><i><b>80s Movies</b><br /><br />In February, POPSICULTURE are dedicating the month to a look back at the iconic films of the 1980s - a decade whose films continue to draw massive audiences when they are shown on TV. To follow posts in this series, check the <a href="http://popsiculturereviews.blogspot.com/search/label/80s%20Movies" title="More 80s Movies reviews from POPSICULTURE">80s Movies</a> label or sign up to the <a href="http://popsiculturereviews.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default/-/80s%20Movies" title="POPSICULTURE 80s Movies RSS feed">dedicated RSS feed</a>.</i>Bobble Bardsleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02763858890686010543noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3303258694960475886.post-54047096251991232682011-02-18T10:41:00.004+00:002011-02-19T15:03:32.249+00:0080s Movies: Ghostbusters (1984)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEZTY0bxvkDl11mpPveCWsUxFn9zzsXIFJ1fxUKcX6l-QJ98MM2BheIeO8AC-JjYhus1OjLq7yr43dKzIZ9wYShEYT9wK_ccQxnZGUjL1A7nOvy6TF_eHDcmePiNNwDaU9K6nsruH7tgw/s1600/ghostbusters.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 20px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEZTY0bxvkDl11mpPveCWsUxFn9zzsXIFJ1fxUKcX6l-QJ98MM2BheIeO8AC-JjYhus1OjLq7yr43dKzIZ9wYShEYT9wK_ccQxnZGUjL1A7nOvy6TF_eHDcmePiNNwDaU9K6nsruH7tgw/s400/ghostbusters.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574783734711610962" /></a><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B001G0MSYO?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B001G0MSYO">Ghostbusters</a> was a real 80s franchise, originating in the mind of Dan Aykroyd around 1982 it spawned two live action films, an animated series, a number one single, numerous video games and all manner of other merchandise which bestrode the decade. I'm sure I had a Slimer lunchbox, which doesn't sound very sanitary or appetizing when you think about it. The franchise declined somewhat in the 90s but looks to be coming back soon with a third movie currently in pre-production.<br /><br />We're looking at the 1984 original today though, the one that kicked it all off. Allied to the great concept (basically a supernatural 4th emergency service), the movie benefits from a brilliantly funny script from Akroyd and co-star Harold Ramis, and a stand-out performance by the always hilarious Bill Murray.<br /><br /><a name='more'></a><b>The Plot</b><br /><br />Peter Venkman (Murray), Raymond Stantz (Aykroyd) and the wonderfully named Egon Spengler (Ramis) begin the movie by losing their jobs as parapsychologists at New York's Columbia University due to their unconventional research. But the trio think they're on to something big with their experimental method of trapping and keeping ghosts contained, and set up in business as the Ghostbusters.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwxma7h-0Bq63IyfhC15CbVqkeZuErmcheIoIikqEfGpaAPGUpGV8hnidABu8cEqEpj5zk-ICtNZwUPGO7-TfOPjI8wEEZ4tZsxhOlugnZpA1jW6OyysuuxQqcunu0hlyl3qxmPXW8zZ4/s1600/ghostbusters-ecto-1.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 275px; " src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwxma7h-0Bq63IyfhC15CbVqkeZuErmcheIoIikqEfGpaAPGUpGV8hnidABu8cEqEpj5zk-ICtNZwUPGO7-TfOPjI8wEEZ4tZsxhOlugnZpA1jW6OyysuuxQqcunu0hlyl3qxmPXW8zZ4/s320/ghostbusters-ecto-1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574960589231645458" /></a>So they've got the tech, they set up base in a disused fire station, and they get themselves a ride in the form of the retro Ecto-1 (right), but to begin with they don't have any customers. That all changes after an assignement comes in to combat an unruly spirit haunting the posh Sedgewick Hotel. <br /><br />Despite some misadventures they succeed in containing a mischievous little green ghost called Slimer (voiced by director Ivan Reitman), and word of their service spreads. A nice montage shows business booming, and the Ghostbusters hire a fourth hand, Winston Zeddemore (Ernie Hudson) to cope with demand.<br /><br />The real plot gets going when Dana Barrett (Sigourney Weaver) hires the group to investigate her haunted apartment, Dana becomes possessed by the demonic Zuul "The Gatekeeper", while a neighbour Louis Tully (Rick Moranis, hey it's another double bill with yesterday's <a href="http://popsiculturereviews.blogspot.com/2011/02/80s-movies-honey-i-shrunk-kids-1989.html">Honey, I Shrunk The Kids</a>) is possessed by "The Keymaster". Together they will unleash the ancient god Gozer to wreak havoc and destruction on the city of New York and the world...unless our heroes can prevent it, of course.<br /><br /><b>Theme Tune</b><br /><br />The <a href="http://clk.tradedoubler.com/click?p=23708&a=1838569&url=http%3A%2F%2Fitunes.apple.com%2Fgb%2Fartist%2Fray-parker-jr%2Fid158593983%3Fuo%3D4%26partnerId%3D2003" target="itunes_store">Ray Parker, Jr.</a>. theme tune will be many people's overriding memory of Ghostbusters. Audiences flocked out of packed screenings with the catchy little ditty buzzing in their ears, it went to #1 in the US and #2 in the UK (held off top spot by Stevie Wonder's I Just Called To Say I Love You), it was even nominated for an Oscar (but lost out again to the same song).<br /><br />Its success caused the phrases "Who ya gonna call?" and "I ain't afraid of no ghost" to become permanently imprinted on the brains of anyone who lived through the 80s, and led to repeated parodies and appropriations of the tune, and more recently endless remixes and mash-ups posted on YouTube. If you have the time, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZ7XOpBHyoI">check out</a> Michael Jackson's Bad vs Ghostbusters, one of the best of the bunch.<br /><br /><b>The Other Stuff</b><br /><br />Right, I've bumbled on for too long already, but can't finish without mentioning the cool ghost-catching kit, proton guns and proton packs. Oh, how I wanted one! And the terrifying, mortifying, petrifying, stupifying Stay Puft Marshmallow man. Tremble, ye mortals!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRDrJoXgOk3k3Mowf5rEJZle3q3YtHdBbAGPcz1hsJOVkkdOxU8DlYkviPqN_8Zon_jASu0d0YJUG8zaayqpuZfGXeKim51NHJBy__PjRLDX57HaRDoU6KCno22Q9iWktMQlP3lt-tVMo/s1600/ghostbusters-stay-puft.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 500px; " src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRDrJoXgOk3k3Mowf5rEJZle3q3YtHdBbAGPcz1hsJOVkkdOxU8DlYkviPqN_8Zon_jASu0d0YJUG8zaayqpuZfGXeKim51NHJBy__PjRLDX57HaRDoU6KCno22Q9iWktMQlP3lt-tVMo/s400/ghostbusters-stay-puft.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574975517451006018" /></a><br /><i><b>80s Movies</b><br /><br />In February, POPSICULTURE are dedicating the month to a look back at the iconic films of the 1980s - a decade whose films continue to draw massive audiences when they are shown on TV. To follow posts in this series, check the <a href="http://popsiculturereviews.blogspot.com/search/label/80s%20Movies" title="More 80s Movies reviews from POPSICULTURE">80s Movies</a> label or sign up to the <a href="http://popsiculturereviews.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default/-/80s%20Movies" title="POPSICULTURE 80s Movies RSS feed">dedicated RSS feed</a>.</i>dansquadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04533704207741164584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3303258694960475886.post-4736431108936547412011-02-17T11:45:00.003+00:002011-02-17T12:07:43.099+00:0080s Movies: Honey, I Shrunk The Kids (1989)<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAw8PQsGD14ES5yi84sGIL8sS65lE7X0UDt2ONAd6r2E1VxLrmRKjNk5RwyhtyYU6Kbpn4NOhXPVk8hr0Q4iEXZ035qiVMrwK1OZCOE34_kovix7IWjcdCuebAYTqhR7EwWDQkEAhyphenhyphenaEhc/s1600/honey-i-shrunk-the-kids-movie-poster-1989.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAw8PQsGD14ES5yi84sGIL8sS65lE7X0UDt2ONAd6r2E1VxLrmRKjNk5RwyhtyYU6Kbpn4NOhXPVk8hr0Q4iEXZ035qiVMrwK1OZCOE34_kovix7IWjcdCuebAYTqhR7EwWDQkEAhyphenhyphenaEhc/s320/honey-i-shrunk-the-kids-movie-poster-1989.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574628877469235554" title="Honey, I Shrunk The Kids (1989)" /></a>I won't lie - the end of the 80s was a tragic event in my life. I was 7, and just starting a bigger school, which was really the start of feeling like a social pariah. Harsh times for a little person. Luckily for me, I hadn't been shrunk to a microscopic size and hurled into the jungle of my own back yard, like the young cast of <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B002LL16HC?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B002LL16HC">Honey, I Shrunk The Kids</a>.<br /><br />Parents Rick Moranis and Marcia Strassman as Wayne and Diane Szalinski play a central role, holding things together in the big world, but the real action is with the little people in what is, at its core, a fairly epic adventure movie. Let's take a moment to appreciate the four child stars: Robert Oliveri (Nick Szalinski), Amy O'Neill (Amy Szalinski), Jared Rushton (Ron Thompson) and Thomas Wilson Brown (Russ Thompson).<br /><br /><a name='more'></a><div style="clear:both;"><b>The Plot</b><br /><br />It's an affectionate spin on a familiar tale - Moranis plays a hapless inventor who's really not very good. None of his machines quite work - and tend to go catastrophically wrong when he tests them. There's a certain irony to be found in the fact that his shrinking ray 'goes wrong' by accidentally working, when a misfired baseball blocks part of its laser and results in just the right amount of shrinking energy hitting the kids, as opposed to there being enough to explode them.<br /><br />As I said, this is basically an adventure movie, so much of the storyline is irrelevant to the wider plot, and simply involves a sequence of events the kids have to endure in their trek across the garden and back to the house. There's some pretty decent massive-set work and special effects, in part thanks to the fact that this was the end of the 80s and FX had progressed pretty nicely over the course of the decade. The story isn't 100% happy, either, but overall it's a generally uplifting family film that should be suitable for youngsters.</div><br /><b>The Sequels</b><br /><br />I haven't focused too much on sequels in earlier 80s movies posts, but I'd like to mention the follow-ups to <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B002LL16HC?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B002LL16HC">Honey, I Shrunk The Kids</a>. <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B002LL16HC?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B002LL16HC">Honey, I Blew Up The Kid</a> came along in 1992 - not so long after the first film, to be fair. I remember disliking it the first time I saw it, but I have no idea why. It's different enough not to feel like a rehash of <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B002LL16HC?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B002LL16HC">Shrunk</a>, and has the iconic moment of Las Vegas' casino lights being switched off all along the Strip - the first time it had ever been done.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B002LL16HC?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B002LL16HC">Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves</a> went straight to video in 1997, with Rick Moranis back as Wayne but otherwise new characters. I haven't seen it so I can't really judge, but I may well check it out having heard it stars Mila Kunis and Allison Mack, who are both as lovely as they are talented.<br /><br /><i><b>80s Movies</b><br /><br />In February, POPSICULTURE are dedicating the month to a look back at the iconic films of the 1980s - a decade whose films continue to draw massive audiences when they are shown on TV. To follow posts in this series, check the <a href="http://popsiculturereviews.blogspot.com/search/label/80s%20Movies" title="More 80s Movies reviews from POPSICULTURE">80s Movies</a> label or sign up to the <a href="http://popsiculturereviews.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default/-/80s%20Movies" title="POPSICULTURE 80s Movies RSS feed">dedicated RSS feed</a>.</i>Bobble Bardsleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02763858890686010543noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3303258694960475886.post-54297212622624164572011-02-16T19:27:00.002+00:002011-02-16T20:13:05.525+00:0080s Movies: D.A.R.Y.L. (1985)<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo8dU9XwcXLirgWq2wwnozJrLR7fcEOyeQ2t7e9tkPeUOXHLyT_QjuSQ8ItuSI3LsFg8lrwMYCEd4RwiYxxZIJ0OzJqlwtd0rOYYtHdpk3Y5hxs6T__3SHQCV4MxEMZhS7_ZaL2ODij2wH/s1600/daryl-movie-poster-1985.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo8dU9XwcXLirgWq2wwnozJrLR7fcEOyeQ2t7e9tkPeUOXHLyT_QjuSQ8ItuSI3LsFg8lrwMYCEd4RwiYxxZIJ0OzJqlwtd0rOYYtHdpk3Y5hxs6T__3SHQCV4MxEMZhS7_ZaL2ODij2wH/s320/daryl-movie-poster-1985.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574382765707249666" title="D.A.R.Y.L. (1985)" /></a>Of all the 80s movies we've covered so far, I'm gonna guess this is the one you're most likely to have never heard of. <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B000RJEIH0?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B000RJEIH0">D.A.R.Y.L.</a> is one of those that somehow slips under the radar, but it fits into the pattern of other classics from the decade, by being basically about family relationships, but with the added bonus that one of the characters is a robot.<br /><br />Apart from that slightly fantastical premise, it's another heartwarming family film and not an especially predictable storyline, so if you've never seen it - or even heard of it - it's worth looking out for.<br /><br />Special mention goes to Mary Beth Hurt for being as adorable an 80s movie mum as you could ever hope to find - there was definitely a trend for slightly angular-featured, generally nice-seeming female co-stars back then (think Sarah Jessica Parker in <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00009PBYB?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00009PBYB">Flight of the Navigator</a>) and to be honest, it's a golden age I miss dearly.<br /><br /><a name='more'></a><div style="clear:both;"><b>The Plot</b><br /><br />Ostensibly the plot of <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B000RJEIH0?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B000RJEIH0">D.A.R.Y.L.</a> is the eponymous Data-Analysing Robot Youth Lifeform, the ten-year-old robotic boy played well by Barret Oliver (who also appeared in both <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0001Z65BC?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B0001Z65BC">Cocoon</a> films). Foster parents Joyce (Hurt) and Andy Richardson (Michael McKean) face the enviable task of working out why he has certain superhuman characteristics - which, generally speaking, are what you'd expect from an adolescent <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00005B75U?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00005B75U">Superman</a>.<br /><br />From there it's the classic 80s little-people-versus-the-military storyline as a variety of friends try to prevent <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B000RJEIH0?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B000RJEIH0">D.A.R.Y.L.</a>'s destruction by the Armed Forces, following their conclusion that his ability to defy logic in preference of human-like decisions is an error in his programming. We're into <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00009PBYC?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00009PBYC">Short Circuit</a> territory here, but it doesn't last for long before we reach a precursor of 1999's <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B000EBOZTW?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B000EBOZTW">Bicentennial Man</a>.<br /><br />The question of what really makes something 'human' is beyond the scope of this blog, and no mistake, but in terms of <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B000RJEIH0?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B000RJEIH0">D.A.R.Y.L.</a> it's simply a case of whether you can tell the difference. And in a sense, that changes the stakes - it's no longer a need to 'destroy' the boy, just a need to 'kill' him. You can probably guess the resurrection-style conclusion to the film.</div><br /><b>The Legacy</b><br /><br />I'm gonna come out in defence of <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B000RJEIH0?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B000RJEIH0">D.A.R.Y.L.</a> here, because I can't really recall the last time I met anyone who had ever heard of it. <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B000RJEIH0?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B000RJEIH0">D.A.R.Y.L.</a> fans, if you're out there, please comment below. Let me and the rest of the world know who you are. I'm convinced there are plenty of people whose lives were changed - or at least shaped - by this film. It still gets shown on TV from time to time and it meant quite a lot to me, even though I only saw it once or twice in my formative years.<br /><br />Sadly the truth is that I'm not sure there really is much of a legacy out there. It physically pains me to say that - and I really hope I'm proved wrong. But here we have the rare example of a perfectly good film, as carefully balanced and well written as many of its 80s counterparts - <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00009PBYC?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00009PBYC">Short Circuit</a>, <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00009PBYB?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00009PBYB">Flight of the Navigator</a> are probably the most directly comparable - yet massively, massively underrated.<br /><br /><i><b>80s Movies</b><br /><br />In February, POPSICULTURE are dedicating the month to a look back at the iconic films of the 1980s - a decade whose films continue to draw massive audiences when they are shown on TV. To follow posts in this series, check the <a href="http://popsiculturereviews.blogspot.com/search/label/80s%20Movies" title="More 80s Movies reviews from POPSICULTURE">80s Movies</a> label or sign up to the <a href="http://popsiculturereviews.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default/-/80s%20Movies" title="POPSICULTURE 80s Movies RSS feed">dedicated RSS feed</a>.</i>Bobble Bardsleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02763858890686010543noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3303258694960475886.post-30608679268570619922011-02-15T07:22:00.006+00:002011-02-15T09:18:23.798+00:0080s Movies: Dirty Dancing (1987)<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH2WglydfqmQWlqJDSlN3_qxAMRGbypDNmQnez3odcxZRuPuwQfYI53wJjcO-YCtmrQLlT3dM1YL-x6lqYRKHc9WxGHe9en76oCRzMNj2kcZvnW8kAYvDo2OKHdPwHJN0B3zcUCiufSRNt/s1600/dirty-dancing-movie-poster-1987.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH2WglydfqmQWlqJDSlN3_qxAMRGbypDNmQnez3odcxZRuPuwQfYI53wJjcO-YCtmrQLlT3dM1YL-x6lqYRKHc9WxGHe9en76oCRzMNj2kcZvnW8kAYvDo2OKHdPwHJN0B3zcUCiufSRNt/s320/dirty-dancing-movie-poster-1987.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5573820634578462642" /></a>For a movie built so strongly around the concept of "the time of your life", <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B000UC37DU?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B000UC37DU">Dirty Dancing</a> doesn't really make so much of either its holiday park setting, or any particularly enjoyable experiences for the cast. Jennifer Grey as Frances 'Baby' Houseman goes through the kind of adolescent traumas you might expect wherever you were - and at 17, there's a bit of a question mark hanging over the whole friendship with Patrick Swayze's character, dance teacher Johnny Castle.<br /><br />That aside though, I think any of us could empathise with at least part of the movie - whether you're a girl (or boy) wishing for that swept-off-your-feet first romance, a concerned parent who actually sympathises with the adults in the film, or someone who can relate to the bit-parts and the seemingly futile nature of their existence, going through the motions of this holiday park hell.<br /><br /><a name='more'></a><div style="clear:both;"><b>The Plot</b><br /><br />As I said above, this is the same coming-of-age kind of story you might find in any setting in the 80s - a holiday park, a high school, space - with the slightly seedy and very lower-class Johnny Castle taking quite an interest in Frances Houseman (it doesn't seem like a particularly subtle coincidence that the character's nickname is 'Baby').<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjVHhDN0a8df2doCAOAOUijOjpK1mftwcckxIZkkJtqenkTP9AmN2nQZhz_9MN8ps_OuEetBhrcv3KEXq9_y8-GLeWjXk_LBpk8QCeP4J-YsuRnSiCZRBUTPN6ACZNXSPTq9Yl5pk4cbj7/s1600/dirty-dancing-patrick-swayze-jennifer-grey.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 211px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjVHhDN0a8df2doCAOAOUijOjpK1mftwcckxIZkkJtqenkTP9AmN2nQZhz_9MN8ps_OuEetBhrcv3KEXq9_y8-GLeWjXk_LBpk8QCeP4J-YsuRnSiCZRBUTPN6ACZNXSPTq9Yl5pk4cbj7/s320/dirty-dancing-patrick-swayze-jennifer-grey.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5573821098257318834" /></a>The thing is, when she's with the dancers, Baby's life is pretty good. There's a lot of fun, and a lot of hip-thrusting and grinding and generally enjoyable looking times to be had. As much as any modern film glorifies violence or swearing, <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B000UC37DU?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B000UC37DU">Dirty Dancing</a> glorifies this devil-may-care approach to life - even in the face of harrowing scenes like Penny Johnson (played by a much under-valued Cynthia Rodes) in agonising pain after an abortion gone wrong.<br /><br />Granted, her pain is the result of society's neglect and a partner who doesn't care about her, but even this displacement seems like over-simplification of the dancers' world into one where, while you're within it with no outside contact, nothing bad can really happen.<br /><br />Ultimately that's what we're all looking for in life - sanctuary, a place to hole up and hide out from the stresses and the strains. If there's synth, sax and Swayze to be found there, I'm in.</div><br /><b>The Music</b><br /><br /><a href="http://clk.tradedoubler.com/click?p=23708&a=1838569&url=http%3A%2F%2Fitunes.apple.com%2Fgb%2Falbum%2Five-had-the-time-of-my-life%2Fid194254365%3Fi%3D194254432%26uo%3D4%26partnerId%3D2003">(I've Had) The Time of My Life</a> is one of the greatest movie anthems of all time. It's also one of the few really, really great 80s movie theme duets - along with <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00009PBYC?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00009PBYC">Short Circuit</a>'s Come and Follow Me, <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00006JI11?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00006JI11">Mannequin</a>'s <a href="http://clk.tradedoubler.com/click?p=23708&a=1838569&url=http%3A%2F%2Fitunes.apple.com%2Fgb%2Falbum%2Fnothings-gonna-stop-us-now%2Fid335614360%3Fi%3D335615723%26uo%3D4%26partnerId%3D2003">Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now</a>, and <a href="http://clk.tradedoubler.com/click?p=23708&a=1838569&url=http%3A%2F%2Fitunes.apple.com%2Fgb%2Falbum%2Fup-where-we-belong%2Fid383407782%3Fi%3D383413655%26uo%3D4%26partnerId%3D2003">Up Where We Belong</a> from <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B000058E3F?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B000058E3F">An Officer and a Gentleman</a>. The synth-and-sax 80s sound might make them fall into the cheese basket (so to speak) these days, but they're incredible songs, so carefully written and yet so simple in their own unique messages.<br /><br />Flash forward to 2010, and the song's still hitting the charts. Admittedly Dan wasn't too praising of <a href="http://clk.tradedoubler.com/click?p=23708&a=1838569&url=http%3A%2F%2Fitunes.apple.com%2Fgb%2Falbum%2Fthe-time-dirty-bit%2Fid401003151%3Fi%3D401003153%26uo%3D4%26partnerId%3D2003">The Time (Dirty Bit)</a> in his <a href="http://popsiculturereviews.blogspot.com/2010/12/black-eyed-peas-beginning-deluxe.html">review of the Black Eyed Peas' The Beginning</a>, but that's because it's a terrible, terrible album. As for the song - well, it's like painting a moustache on the Mona Lisa and calling it 'modern'. But it shows the durability of the original, and how much it means to people even now - I can't imagine any other reason to buy the <a href="http://clk.tradedoubler.com/click?p=23708&a=1838569&url=http%3A%2F%2Fitunes.apple.com%2Fgb%2Fartist%2Fthe-black-eyed-peas%2Fid360391%3Fuo%3D4%26partnerId%3D2003">Black Eyed Peas</a>' hash-up other than sentimentality.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7QYN97pvDgDCVFbDN2KfkS_0dSb-EvZlJwOVIvlla9qXuh-l_Js9xBEWVc38GzClXl4w9sBTndMFZpRJ3N8zcbQnzuTJ7iftW9NjHWYtIFr8Yi4ajqBocoHmANMPwBOzmRgGVcGA95TLo/s1600/dirty-dancing-the-lift.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7QYN97pvDgDCVFbDN2KfkS_0dSb-EvZlJwOVIvlla9qXuh-l_Js9xBEWVc38GzClXl4w9sBTndMFZpRJ3N8zcbQnzuTJ7iftW9NjHWYtIFr8Yi4ajqBocoHmANMPwBOzmRgGVcGA95TLo/s320/dirty-dancing-the-lift.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5573820821180323842" /></a><br />Rant over, because I want to talk about <a href="http://clk.tradedoubler.com/click?p=23708&a=1838569&url=http%3A%2F%2Fitunes.apple.com%2Fgb%2Fartist%2Fpatrick-swayze%2Fid77737610%3Fuo%3D4%26partnerId%3D2003">Patrick Swayze</a>. <a href="http://clk.tradedoubler.com/click?p=23708&a=1838569&url=http%3A%2F%2Fitunes.apple.com%2Fgb%2Falbum%2Fshes-like-the-wind%2Fid194254365%3Fi%3D194254513%26uo%3D4%26partnerId%3D2003">She's Like the Wind</a> is simple, steady and powerful. It's nice to see a song built around a single simile, with measured repetition of the best lyrics and more wonderful 80s sax. I'm not sure love songs will ever be this good again.<br /><br />I always think <a href="http://clk.tradedoubler.com/click?p=23708&a=1838569&url=http%3A%2F%2Fitunes.apple.com%2Fgb%2Falbum%2Fhungry-eyes%2Fid194254365%3Fi%3D194254533%26uo%3D4%26partnerId%3D2003">Hungry Eyes</a> is Swayze, too, but that one's <a href="http://clk.tradedoubler.com/click?p=23708&a=1838569&url=http%3A%2F%2Fitunes.apple.com%2Fgb%2Fartist%2Feric-carmen%2Fid20534%3Fuo%3D4%26partnerId%3D2003">Eric Carmen</a>. It was written by two of the three who co-wrote <a href="http://clk.tradedoubler.com/click?p=23708&a=1838569&url=http%3A%2F%2Fitunes.apple.com%2Fgb%2Falbum%2Five-had-the-time-of-my-life%2Fid194254365%3Fi%3D194254432%26uo%3D4%26partnerId%3D2003">(I've Had) The Time of My Life</a>, John DeNicola and Franke Previte (Donald Markowitz was the third) and lacks a little of the raw emotion of <a href="http://clk.tradedoubler.com/click?p=23708&a=1838569&url=http%3A%2F%2Fitunes.apple.com%2Fgb%2Falbum%2Fshes-like-the-wind%2Fid194254365%3Fi%3D194254513%26uo%3D4%26partnerId%3D2003">She's Like the Wind</a>, but is still a pretty great song.<br /><br /><a href="http://clk.tradedoubler.com/click?p=23708&a=1838569&url=http%3A%2F%2Fitunes.apple.com%2Fgb%2Falbum%2Fdirty-dancing-original-soundtrack%2Fid194254365%3Fuo%3D4%26partnerId%3D2003" target="itunes_store"><img src="http://ax.phobos.apple.com.edgesuite.net/images/web/linkmaker/badge_itunes-lrg.gif" alt="Dirty Dancing (Original Soundtrack from the Vestron Motion Picture) - Various Artists" style="border: 0;" /></a><br /><br /><i><b>80s Movies</b><br /><br />In February, POPSICULTURE are dedicating the month to a look back at the iconic films of the 1980s - a decade whose films continue to draw massive audiences when they are shown on TV. To follow posts in this series, check the <a href="http://popsiculturereviews.blogspot.com/search/label/80s%20Movies" title="More 80s Movies reviews from POPSICULTURE">80s Movies</a> label or sign up to the <a href="http://popsiculturereviews.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default/-/80s%20Movies" title="POPSICULTURE 80s Movies RSS feed">dedicated RSS feed</a>.</i>Bobble Bardsleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02763858890686010543noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3303258694960475886.post-40176578655650941082011-02-14T15:19:00.002+00:002011-02-15T22:34:21.158+00:0080s Movies: Week 2We're through Week 2 of our 80s movies series now, so here's the second of our round-ups, giving you a spinny, visual representation of some of the greatest movies ever made (in the 80s). Go on, give it a spin - you know you want to. It'll feel good, I promise.<br /><br /><center><OBJECT classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://fpdownload.macromedia.com/get/flashplayer/current/swflash.cab" id="Player_26744cec-cf19-4c33-96ac-9123950dbc27" WIDTH="600px" HEIGHT="200px"> <PARAM NAME="movie" VALUE="http://ws.amazon.co.uk/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&MarketPlace=GB&ID=V20070822%2FGB%2Fp033-21%2F8010%2F26744cec-cf19-4c33-96ac-9123950dbc27&Operation=GetDisplayTemplate"><PARAM NAME="quality" VALUE="high"><PARAM NAME="bgcolor" VALUE="#FFFFFF"><PARAM NAME="allowscriptaccess" VALUE="always"><embed src="http://ws.amazon.co.uk/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&MarketPlace=GB&ID=V20070822%2FGB%2Fp033-21%2F8010%2F26744cec-cf19-4c33-96ac-9123950dbc27&Operation=GetDisplayTemplate" id="Player_26744cec-cf19-4c33-96ac-9123950dbc27" quality="high" bgcolor="#ffffff" name="Player_26744cec-cf19-4c33-96ac-9123950dbc27" allowscriptaccess="always" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" align="middle" height="200px" width="600px"></embed></OBJECT> <NOSCRIPT><A HREF="http://ws.amazon.co.uk/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&MarketPlace=GB&ID=V20070822%2FGB%2Fp033-21%2F8010%2F26744cec-cf19-4c33-96ac-9123950dbc27&Operation=NoScript">Amazon.co.uk Widgets</A></NOSCRIPT></center>Bobble Bardsleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02763858890686010543noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3303258694960475886.post-66359982712556503912011-02-14T12:00:00.003+00:002011-02-14T12:29:12.789+00:0080s Movies: Clue (1985)<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqrUDKfBBuDkOgIxAOJyLyZ-NnPsn-lE_3ETINbe9lqhmk_zNJkpVv1Rv-BjgBDGMJDW7bFOoRvbVdeeS7pMxhFl06vAN9SsPuRhi9vSAmwlpVZaSrmhyphenhyphen4FHoCbL4fWBRf7YjxX8pVs7dS/s1600/clue-1985-movie-poster.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqrUDKfBBuDkOgIxAOJyLyZ-NnPsn-lE_3ETINbe9lqhmk_zNJkpVv1Rv-BjgBDGMJDW7bFOoRvbVdeeS7pMxhFl06vAN9SsPuRhi9vSAmwlpVZaSrmhyphenhyphen4FHoCbL4fWBRf7YjxX8pVs7dS/s320/clue-1985-movie-poster.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5573520459188084770" title="Clue (1985)" /></a>If you haven't seen <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0000A5BST?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B0000A5BST">Clue</a>, buy it now and watch it three times. You'll need to if you're hoping to catch up with the quick-talking, double-dealing and backwards logic of a film that lives entirely within the world of the board game of the same name (or, for us Brits, Cluedo).<br /><br />The film apparently didn't do so well with the critics - but then, it is very silly, and critics tend to prefer the beautifully shot stuff over the well-written, finely acted humour. With a remake apparently in the works for 2013, it's obviously weathered the test of time well so far.<br /><br />I only just found out why the game's called Cluedo in the UK - it's based on Ludo, which I probably should have realised - but the name was changed to Clue for the US release as Ludo's not so well known there (unlike the very similar game Parcheesi).<br /><br /><a name='more'></a><div style="clear:both;"><b>The Plot</b><br /><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0000A5BST?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B0000A5BST">Clue</a> is, more or less, the cinematic play-out of a game of Cluedo. There's a body - which, thankfully, is none of the main characters who become the suspects. I've always felt it would have been easy to make, say, Mrs Peacock the victim and ruin the whole thing from the start. There are the usual suspects as appear in the game. There's a butler (Tim Curry) who helps to drive things along. And there are clues - not to mention a few more murders - along the way, for anyone playing along at home.<br /><br />This is a long way from being a true detective story, so don't strain your little grey cells trying to work it out. It's also a stone's throw short of a full game of Cluedo, as there are not really enough clues for a definitive solution. But it's a lot of fun and very, very watchable - over, and over, and over again.</div><br /><b>The Game</b><br /><br />Most people will have played Cluedo at least once in their life, I'd say. I remember being very little, playing it, and not really understanding what was going on - although later in life I got pretty good at logic problems, which might have something to do with all the Cluedo and Risk we played growing up.<br /><br />The ending of <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0000A5BST?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B0000A5BST">Clue</a> pays the truest of homages to the game, I think - anyone who's played the game will probably have made an accusation that they know must be correct, only to discover they've got their logic wrong somewhere along the way. In the case of <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0000A5BST?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B0000A5BST">Clue</a>, the film has three possible endings, each of which is explained in full and stands up pretty well to the analysis.<br /><br />In the original cinema release, only one of the three endings was shown - and that was a random decision based on which of three different final reels had been sent to the cinema you chose. Thankfully, the DVD gives us all three, separated by flash cards that have become one of my favourite ever (yes, really) cinematic devices. I just love those "That's how it could have happened" moments - always have, always will.<br /><br /><b>In Summary</b><br /><br />All of the modern-day game-turned-movie films based on console games can look to <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0000A5BST?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B0000A5BST">Clue</a> for how it should be done. It epitomises the game on which it is based - as does 2005's <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B000EMI5MY?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B000EMI5MY">Doom</a>, to be fair - and shows the true power of cinema to bring alive a world previously inhabited by little wooden pegs on a gridlined board.<br /><br /><i><b>80s Movies</b><br /><br />In February, POPSICULTURE are dedicating the month to a look back at the iconic films of the 1980s - a decade whose films continue to draw massive audiences when they are shown on TV. To follow posts in this series, check the <a href="http://popsiculturereviews.blogspot.com/search/label/80s%20Movies" title="More 80s Movies reviews from POPSICULTURE">80s Movies</a> label or sign up to the <a href="http://popsiculturereviews.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default/-/80s%20Movies" title="POPSICULTURE 80s Movies RSS feed">dedicated RSS feed</a>.</i>Bobble Bardsleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02763858890686010543noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3303258694960475886.post-73411030725814575022011-02-13T13:52:00.004+00:002011-02-13T14:36:42.714+00:0080s Movies: The Terminator (1984)<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPfHhvDIWVU4q37zYyuRfpzbNB-GSI8CffHIN8WxY-IjLOWZ3XlOBz90SQpxwBjK2ul8ZQJ0wBhVpfbU9wU81U5PJDOib6MryHCQwDNzWs9SH84hTtM0wS-5aPIGsH04P8pfDU9VxUVqid/s1600/the-terminator-1984-poster.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPfHhvDIWVU4q37zYyuRfpzbNB-GSI8CffHIN8WxY-IjLOWZ3XlOBz90SQpxwBjK2ul8ZQJ0wBhVpfbU9wU81U5PJDOib6MryHCQwDNzWs9SH84hTtM0wS-5aPIGsH04P8pfDU9VxUVqid/s320/the-terminator-1984-poster.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5573182851169321506" title="The Terminator movie poster (1984)"/></a><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B002H9WHHG?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B002H9WHHG">The Terminator</a> is yet another great 80s sci-fi movie - this time it's not aliens or computer-generated worlds, but psychotic androids from the future. The <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B002H9WHHG?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B002H9WHHG">Terminator</a> franchise has proved to be something of a roadmap for cutting-edge special effects since 1984, with the first movie making use of stop motion, 1991's <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B002H9WHHG?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B002H9WHHG">Terminator 2: Judgment Day</a> being all about the CGI morphing of Robert Patrick's T-1000, <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B002H9WHHG?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B002H9WHHG">Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines</a> (2003) featuring 'digital actors' including a fully computer-generated Arnold Schwarzenegger, and finally the 2009 back-to-basics <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B002H9WHHG?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B002H9WHHG">Terminator Salvation</a>, which still found time to copy and paste a young Arnie from the 1984 film directly into a scene or two.<br /><br />However, it is the earlier films in this franchise that remain easily the best - <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B002H9WHHG?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B002H9WHHG">The Terminator</a> does look a bit old in parts, I'll admit that, but it's really not doing so bad. While it seems like such an iconic storyline, I can't help but be amused at Wikipedia's suggestion that Kyle "come with me if you want to live" Reese was almost given a robotic dog as a companion. Maybe it's just me, but I can't help but think of K9 from Doctor Who. "Are we at the brink of the nuclear apocalypse?" <i>"Affirmative, master."</i><br /><br /><a name='more'></a><div style="clear:both;"><b>The Plot</b><br /><br />Like the <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B003JSRSR8?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B003JSRSR8">Predator</a> franchise, <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B002H9WHHG?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B002H9WHHG">Terminator</a> films follow the same basic principle - robots have become self-aware, and are trying to destroy humanity. It's our own fault - we told them to eliminate any threats to their own continued existence. There's probably some kind of cyclical logic about the threat of war, or the value of pre-emptive strikes, but there's none of the <a href="http://popsiculturereviews.blogspot.com/2011/02/80s-movies-wargames-1983.html">WarGames</a> style of pacifistic reasoning. These films are basically a bloodbath from start to finish, with a protagonist who may or may not make it to the final scene.<br /><br />In <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B002H9WHHG?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B002H9WHHG">The Terminator</a>, that protagonist is Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton) in what has proved to be her defining role - she continues to contribute to the films as a narrator and, with the possible exception of <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0041G67VU?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B0041G67VU">Dante's Peak</a>, has done little else in her career that's really grabbed an international audience. It's a shame, because she really is good. So we see her and human-from-the-future Kyle Reese (Michael Biehn) attempting to survive the fascinations and machinations of the eponymous Terminator - a career-defining role also for Arnold Schwarzenegger - by basically outrunning it.</div><br /><b>The Philosophy</b><br /><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B002H9WHHG?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B002H9WHHG">The Terminator</a> is one of those harbinger-of-doom storylines that suggests we're guaranteed to screw up our planet one way or the other. Interestingly, it's not pollution that causes the problem here, but our global connectedness. Think 1992's <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0041G67V0?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B0041G67V0">The Lawnmower Man</a>, but done much, much better. Judgment Day has always been described as inevitable, which makes the events of each of the earlier films very much a tale of one human's survival, rather than trying to save the race as a whole.<br /><br />There's also an interesting ability in <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B002H9WHHG?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B002H9WHHG">The Terminator</a> for the future to be foretold - and while the characters may try to alter the course of events, the most they ever seem able to do is shift things slightly through time. The humans are as unable to prevent the rise of the machines as the Terminators are to kill humanity's most important figures. A fine balance is struck throughout, between telling a story the viewer can really buy into, and simply showing events that are doomed to play out in a predetermined way, regardless of who wins or loses.<br /><br /><i><b>80s Movies</b><br /><br />In February, POPSICULTURE are dedicating the month to a look back at the iconic films of the 1980s - a decade whose films continue to draw massive audiences when they are shown on TV. To follow posts in this series, check the <a href="http://popsiculturereviews.blogspot.com/search/label/80s%20Movies" title="More 80s Movies reviews from POPSICULTURE">80s Movies</a> label or sign up to the <a href="http://popsiculturereviews.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default/-/80s%20Movies" title="POPSICULTURE 80s Movies RSS feed">dedicated RSS feed</a>.</i>Bobble Bardsleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02763858890686010543noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3303258694960475886.post-26823924245042856092011-02-12T11:47:00.005+00:002011-02-12T19:55:29.519+00:0080s Movies: TRON (1982)<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLQXbPSFoaH99_a73lSEZZ4hSD_1eGH0rMpEFL-xNU5dzZjztxrt-Q0lhd-6k61Jgksm9UVsc17x3lkEbuspPP3Xo_giS0xSq0ysuuWVyV-1kDweGi1QEG77Ev5ddGhpX6qp4QRfLL0VRE/s1600/tron-1982-movie-poster.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLQXbPSFoaH99_a73lSEZZ4hSD_1eGH0rMpEFL-xNU5dzZjztxrt-Q0lhd-6k61Jgksm9UVsc17x3lkEbuspPP3Xo_giS0xSq0ysuuWVyV-1kDweGi1QEG77Ev5ddGhpX6qp4QRfLL0VRE/s320/tron-1982-movie-poster.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5572892463898107730" /></a><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B004IEBRSI?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B004IEBRSI">TRON</a> didn't really need a sequel - the first film was so iconic that it still stands the test of time. A blend of live action, CGI and Disney animation gives it a look all of its own and has helped to make sure that, although it looks very 1980s, <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B004IEBRSI?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B004IEBRSI">TRON</a> doesn't look dated - it just looks like that's when it was set.<br /><br />Having mentioned the sequel, though, it's probably worth pointing out that <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B004IEBRSI?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B004IEBRSI">TRON: Legacy</a> has a fairly similar storyline, look, sound and feel to the original, yet that's just fine. Any Jeff Bridges is good, and any return to the <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B004IEBRSI?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B004IEBRSI">TRON</a> universe is welcome here. I just really hope some people who've never seen <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B004IEBRSI?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B004IEBRSI">TRON</a> are inspired to give it a go, having seen the 2010 version.<br /><br /><a name='more'></a><div style="clear:both;"><b>The Plot</b><br /><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B004IEBRSI?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B004IEBRSI">TRON</a> is a triumph of live action merged into a virtual world, where computer programs take on human-like personas. Into this universe is thrust Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges), creator of The Grid - the world in which the programs live.<br /><br />However, all is not well in his supposed-to-be perfect world. After (somehow) arriving in digital form on The Grid, Flynn finds his programs engaged in a series of death games which he, in turn, is forced to take part in. There's a bit of time-killing while we watch him play some games, but it's all building storyline.<br /><br />The real bread and butter of the movie comes when Flynn teams up with the eponymous hero, Tron - a security program tasked with protecting The Grid - in order to bring down the dictator-like Master Control Program. It's a nice visualisation of how the inside of a computer might work, if it only had the power to come alive - and a truly unique movie, really.</div><br /><b>The Music</b><br /><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B004IEBRSI?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B004IEBRSI">TRON</a>'s soundtrack is as fresh today as it ever was - because this isn't a film that's set in any one time, or any one place. It's a virtual, effectively timeless place once you're out of Flynn's Arcade, and the music - although decidedly 80s in terms of its use of synthesisers - belongs to that virtual world and not to our own 1980s Earth.<br /><br />The 2010 release of <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B004IEBRSI?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B004IEBRSI">TRON: Legacy</a> really picked up on that fact, as Daft Punk's music was true to the first film, yet some of the most original instrumental compositions there's been in years. With another movie rumoured in the pipeline to 'complete' what has apparently now become a trilogy, there's still life in the <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B004IEBRSI?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B004IEBRSI">TRON</a> universe three decades later.<br /><br /><b>Footnotes</b><br /><br />Just a couple more things I wanted to say but didn't know where else to put them - first of all, while I've said <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B004IEBRSI?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B004IEBRSI">TRON</a> is pretty timeless - and it is - it's still very much inspired by the era in which it was produced. The fascination with computers, which were entirely new to most people in the early 1980s. A better awareness of the insides of computers that came from the fact that, well, there weren't so many graphical user interfaces making things look pretty. But also that us-versus-them mentality coming from the Cold War that fed into films like this and <a href="http://popsiculturereviews.blogspot.com/2011/02/80s-movies-wargames-1983.html">WarGames</a>.<br /><br />On a separate note - light cycles. Without a doubt, my single favourite thing from the <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B004IEBRSI?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B004IEBRSI">TRON</a> universe. They're just so cool - they look incredible, and they leave a deadly trail of energy behind them. Sure, it's a bit of a boy thing, but they're basically <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B004IEBRSI?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B004IEBRSI">TRON</a>'s Batmobile. Awesome.<br /><br /><i><b>80s Movies</b><br /><br />In February, POPSICULTURE are dedicating the month to a look back at the iconic films of the 1980s - a decade whose films continue to draw massive audiences when they are shown on TV. To follow posts in this series, check the <a href="http://popsiculturereviews.blogspot.com/search/label/80s%20Movies" title="More 80s Movies reviews from POPSICULTURE">80s Movies</a> label or sign up to the <a href="http://popsiculturereviews.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default/-/80s%20Movies" title="POPSICULTURE 80s Movies RSS feed">dedicated RSS feed</a>.</i>Bobble Bardsleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02763858890686010543noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3303258694960475886.post-40930553493247642372011-02-11T10:37:00.003+00:002011-02-11T10:43:02.232+00:0080s Movies: Back To The Future (1985)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQP-Jv5qc1g0sy-RANt0Rb7q7xzbpIBPZnLezz4Ym4wFg0NDy9KK8K4umgaOtYWq0JUvtvdF7z52xMWGRzUXOPRnsUH3mvuQVOFqIklQPaqf6KT6OiKTbTGuBR99fQ-wNDw4Ox27ZbrQc/s1600/back-to-the-future-poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" width="350" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQP-Jv5qc1g0sy-RANt0Rb7q7xzbpIBPZnLezz4Ym4wFg0NDy9KK8K4umgaOtYWq0JUvtvdF7z52xMWGRzUXOPRnsUH3mvuQVOFqIklQPaqf6KT6OiKTbTGuBR99fQ-wNDw4Ox27ZbrQc/s400/back-to-the-future-poster.jpg" title="Back To The Future Poster" /></a></div>Wonderful characters, endearing performances, super-cool technology, and a highly quotable script. A gripping storyline, nail-biting action sequences, a touch of romance, and some genuinely funny comic moments. Awesome soundtrack, good special effects, Libyan terrorists, and a dog called Einstein.<br />
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Okay, I ran out of stuff a bit at the end there, but <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B000BVK82I?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B000BVK82I">Back To The Future</a> has just about everything that you could want from a big Hollywood blockbuster. It isn't just one of the best movies of the 80s, it's one of the greatest movies ever made. I won't brook any argument on that fact.<br />
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<a name='more'></a><b>Casting</b><br />
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Despite being an such obvious fit for the role, and director Robert Zemeckis' first choice, Michael J Fox almost never played Marty McFly. Filming was underway with Eric Stoltz (Mask) as the protagonist before Zemeckis decided he had been miscast. At the second approach Fox decided he could fit the filming around his TV commitments on Family Ties and finally took up the role which he will be forever associated with. <br />
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Meanwhile Christopher Lloyd (<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00004CX8I?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00004CX8I">One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest</a>), who steals every scene he appears in as the archetypal mad professor 'Doc' Emmet Brown, was unbeleivably only the second choice for the part behind John Lithgow (Third Rock From The Sun). Fortunately Lithgow was unavailable and we got the Doc Brown that we deserved.<br />
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<b>The Plot</b><br />
<br />
The beauty of the movie is in making a complex and outlandish plot seem like the most natural and straightforward thing in the world. It's like this 17 year old Marty is sent from 'modern day' 1985 back to 1955 in the Doc's plutonium-powered Delorean/time-machine (yes, this sucker's nuclear). While in 1955 he inadvertently diverts the course of history by displacing his father as the object of his own mother's teenage affections (yes, your mother has the hots for you).<br />
<br />
So Marty's job is to play matchmaker to his own parents, to ensure his continued existence, while also trying to return to 1985 in the Delorean, by harnessing the 1.21 jigowatts(!) of energy needed from a convenient lightning strike. See, what could be simpler?<br />
<br />
<b>Music</b><br />
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Huey Lewis and the News provided two songs for the Back To The Future soundtrack, both classic 1980s uptempo rock ballads. <a href="http://clk.tradedoubler.com/click?p=23708&a=1838569&url=http%3A%2F%2Fitunes.apple.com%2Fgb%2Falbum%2Fthe-power-of-love%2Fid153926396%3Fi%3D153926437%26uo%3D4%26partnerId%3D2003" target="itunes_store">The Power of Love</a> is the lead song which recurs throughout the 1985 scenes, (including Marty's talent show audition, where Huey cameos, telling the band they are "too darn loud") and <a href="http://clk.tradedoubler.com/click?p=23708&a=1838569&url=http%3A%2F%2Fitunes.apple.com%2Fgb%2Falbum%2Fback-in-time%2Fid153926396%3Fi%3D153926504%26uo%3D4%26partnerId%3D2003" target="itunes_store">Back In Time</a> which plays over the end credits.<br />
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Back in 1955 there's a selection of 50s pop hits, notably <a href="http://clk.tradedoubler.com/click?p=23708&a=1838569&url=http%3A%2F%2Fitunes.apple.com%2Fgb%2Falbum%2Fmr-sandman%2Fid305892050%3Fi%3D305892072%26uo%3D4%26partnerId%3D2003" target="itunes_store">Mr Sandman</a> by the Four Aces, a version of <a href="http://clk.tradedoubler.com/click?p=23708&a=1838569&url=http%3A%2F%2Fitunes.apple.com%2Fgb%2Falbum%2Fearth-angel%2Fid288943401%3Fi%3D288943478%26uo%3D4%26partnerId%3D2003" target="itunes_store">Earth Angel</a> played on screen by 'Marvin Berry' and band, and <a href="http://clk.tradedoubler.com/click?p=23708&a=1838569&url=http%3A%2F%2Fitunes.apple.com%2Fgb%2Falbum%2Fjohnny-b-goode%2Fid14284478%3Fi%3D14284480%26uo%3D4%26partnerId%3D2003" target="itunes_store">Johnny B. Goode</a> played by Marty.<br />
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Top billing though should go to Alan Silvestri's brilliant score, available on CD as part of this <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00002DDYQ?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00002DDYQ">Trilogy set</a>. The iconic title track, <a href="http://clk.tradedoubler.com/click?p=23708&a=1838569&url=http%3A%2F%2Fitunes.apple.com%2Fgb%2Falbum%2Fback-to-the-future%2Fid61948428%3Fi%3D61948439%26uo%3D4%26partnerId%3D2003" target="itunes_store">Back to the Future</a>, sums it up nicely though, and is a must in any collection.<br />
<br />
<i><b>80s Movies</b><br />
<br />
In February, POPSICULTURE are dedicating the month to a look back at the iconic films of the 1980s - a decade whose films continue to draw massive audiences when they are shown on TV. To follow posts in this series, check the <a href="http://popsiculturereviews.blogspot.com/search/label/80s%20Movies" title="More 80s Movies reviews from POPSICULTURE">80s Movies</a> label or sign up to the <a href="http://popsiculturereviews.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default/-/80s%20Movies" title="POPSICULTURE 80s Movies RSS feed">dedicated RSS feed</a>.</i>dansquadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04533704207741164584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3303258694960475886.post-45917946898034698492011-02-10T13:35:00.005+00:002011-02-10T14:14:50.654+00:0080s Movies: Short Circuit (1986)<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXNN4Ltb8fDrZtaEZQ-Ut3nuTchhfm5iS382pdl4W6Ts2MwnBOB26VrtZ5yRpC_hodakWDOY-_uVam3aFlzlgkyCw-eRIZpPmiC6LjId1XvFzIWfsaNZXvM52FbedjQkGi1Xlq0uCauS0o/s1600/short-circuit.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXNN4Ltb8fDrZtaEZQ-Ut3nuTchhfm5iS382pdl4W6Ts2MwnBOB26VrtZ5yRpC_hodakWDOY-_uVam3aFlzlgkyCw-eRIZpPmiC6LjId1XvFzIWfsaNZXvM52FbedjQkGi1Xlq0uCauS0o/s320/short-circuit.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5572060464532632962" /></a>"No disassemble, Stephanie!" - because to be disassembled is to be dead. That one premise pretty much sums up the plot of <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00009PBYC?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00009PBYC">Short Circuit</a>. Weirdly, the actual central theme of the movie is of outsiders - Ally Sheedy (<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00004TT7C?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00004TT7C">WarGames</a>, <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B000AMSSAW?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B000AMSSAW">The Breakfast Club</a>) is stuck in what seems like a dead-end relationship and a fairly unfulfilling career, while Fisher Stevens (<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00004CTXQ?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00004CTXQ">Hackers</a>, <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B000TCTH30?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B000TCTH30">Super Mario Bros.</a>) as Ben Jabituya is an ethnic stereotype that would be unlikely to make it past the first script meeting these days. Along with Number 5 (who also appears in <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00005UBHZ?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00005UBHZ">Short Circuit 2</a>) and Steve Guttenberg (<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B000065UHB?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B000065UHB">Cocoon</a>, <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00005U1Y0?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00005U1Y0">Three Men and a Baby</a>) as Newton Crosby, the main protagonists of this film are all either out of place or downright outcasts.<br /><br />Despite that fact, they are never portrayed as anti-heroes - instead, we're with them from the very beginning, which in itself paints Number 5 as something of a coward when, newly enlivened by being struck by lightning, he runs away from the military training field and begins the wild goose chase that forms the storyline for the rest of the film.<br /><br /><a name='more'></a><div style="clear:both;"><b>The Plot</b><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5ExMNso1FJisXUhIMk-JUt-aIKbhxFL7JqpPhEGI96Zt99qK0VL0OrvwA79PVgRsniH-xWiTjajFmHoH7t84iDn2bpTcwnJpCfr8k458gG802dcTlD2ELAbWS7HQthpPSYoktn6fteBqH/s1600/short-circuit-ally-sheedy-number-5.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 222px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5ExMNso1FJisXUhIMk-JUt-aIKbhxFL7JqpPhEGI96Zt99qK0VL0OrvwA79PVgRsniH-xWiTjajFmHoH7t84iDn2bpTcwnJpCfr8k458gG802dcTlD2ELAbWS7HQthpPSYoktn6fteBqH/s320/short-circuit-ally-sheedy-number-5.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5572060994603214738" /></a>As I've mentioned above, the central plot is about Number 5 becoming alive - and promptly running away. The fact that he becomes alive with an utterly harmless personality - albeit a somewhat clumsy one - despite being a military-grade killing machine is what makes the rest of the film work. When he is forced to retaliate by the ever-growing horde of US Army officials who hunt him down, he does so either through fairly harmless slapstick, or by outwitting them.<br /><br />Meanwhile, Number 5's inner turmoil is his attempt to understand what being alive really means - and to avoid becoming dead in the meantime. It's a personal journey that affects those around him, in particular Sheedy's Stephanie Speck whose life is transformed through meeting this unlikeliest of allies.</div><br /><div style="clear:both"><b>Music and Legacy</b><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbNhSqqn6SElIldhyphenhyphenfQpJwHEkIMlFXB8Hm5TVHZ8ZYiMB3xwgEVhXjXBPwhyphenhyphenGCKES-7qmNni3CGqzxwnN34K9OAqhrhpUSe-9WQ61V0z_8l-n4GJb07fTgJXdpUoOJSYfIx-jFq0lH9SD7/s1600/short-circuit-number-5.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 231px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbNhSqqn6SElIldhyphenhyphenfQpJwHEkIMlFXB8Hm5TVHZ8ZYiMB3xwgEVhXjXBPwhyphenhyphenGCKES-7qmNni3CGqzxwnN34K9OAqhrhpUSe-9WQ61V0z_8l-n4GJb07fTgJXdpUoOJSYfIx-jFq0lH9SD7/s320/short-circuit-number-5.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5572060657971443378" /></a>I'm delighted that I managed to find a copy of the full soundtrack to <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00009PBYC?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00009PBYC">Short Circuit</a>, despite it never officially being released as an album. One of the best tracks on the soundtrack, Come and Follow Me - which plays over the closing credits - made it on to a limited vinyl release, I think, but that's about it.<br /><br />Come and Follow Me itself is a brilliant 80s theme, with all the synth and electric guitar you'd expect. Think Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now, from the end of <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00006JI11?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00006JI11">Mannequin</a>, and you're halfway there.<br /><br />It remains to be seen where the <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00009PBYC?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00009PBYC">Short Circuit</a> story will end. There was, of course, 1988's <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00005UBHZ?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00005UBHZ">Short Circuit 2</a>. However, there are also continual rumours of a third film (a bit like there are always hints at a <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B000SLR0BS?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B000SLR0BS">Quantum Leap</a> film). Whether it will ever hit the screens is probably a truth that only time is able to tell.</div><br /><div style="clear:both;"><i><b>80s Movies</b><br /><br />In February, POPSICULTURE are dedicating the month to a look back at the iconic films of the 1980s - a decade whose films continue to draw massive audiences when they are shown on TV. To follow posts in this series, check the <a href="http://popsiculturereviews.blogspot.com/search/label/80s%20Movies" title="More 80s Movies reviews from POPSICULTURE">80s Movies</a> label or sign up to the <a href="http://popsiculturereviews.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default/-/80s%20Movies" title="POPSICULTURE 80s Movies RSS feed">dedicated RSS feed</a>.</i></div>Bobble Bardsleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02763858890686010543noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3303258694960475886.post-52761747825250276922011-02-09T20:50:00.002+00:002011-02-09T21:12:59.411+00:0080s Movies: WarGames (1983)<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimN8Iz4DAGf8Wn7QERWqNyp5qHVoHRMlW7xRgxR3YMZzRzcT7QM55JIhQuxf6MBX7yozLVDY_Eqqvll5QD-A8lwzh3h3rNakVOwe0GdMLf8y0OUWOk1Ly-CP8aQOpGTr3rDw5jBjCzdFr5/s1600/wargames-movie-poster.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimN8Iz4DAGf8Wn7QERWqNyp5qHVoHRMlW7xRgxR3YMZzRzcT7QM55JIhQuxf6MBX7yozLVDY_Eqqvll5QD-A8lwzh3h3rNakVOwe0GdMLf8y0OUWOk1Ly-CP8aQOpGTr3rDw5jBjCzdFr5/s320/wargames-movie-poster.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5571792461099855538" /></a>The second in a Matthew Broderick (<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00004CYAV?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00004CYAV">Godzilla</a>, <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0006GCZZ6?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B0006GCZZ6">The Stepford Wives</a>) double bill - but actually the first of the films to be released - <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00004TT7C?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00004TT7C">WarGames</a> is a very different kind of 80s movie from <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B000ERVG6G?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B000ERVG6G">Ferris Bueller's Day Off</a>. It's always strange writing about a film released in the year I was born. In fact, <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00004TT7C?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00004TT7C">WarGames</a> was in cinemas just two weeks before I arrived, which gives it a personal relevance as a snapshot of the world into which I was born.<br /><br />What it portrays is the remnants of the Cold War, which was entering its final stages in the early 80s. Told through the eyes of Broderick's David Lightman, what seems like two hours of fairly disposable drama actually highlights some of the key aspects of the stalemate between the US and Russia in the post-war era - including the futility of nuclear war.<br /><br /><a name='more'></a><div style="clear:both;"><b>The Plot</b><br /><br />Considering all of the Cold War dogma that goes into <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00004TT7C?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00004TT7C">WarGames</a>, it's actually quite an intriguing plot. For a start, there's not a great deal of genuine Soviet Union action involved. Instead, there's all manner of mistrust among Americans, including Lightman, the military, and their artificial intelligence computer intended to protect the security of the nation.<br /><br />At its most basic level, the entire movie boils down to an AI machine gone a bit wrong, as the logic programmed into the WOPR supercomputer leads it to pretend the Russians have fired nuclear missiles, when they actually have not. Ultimately it is the computer's own ability to learn - and to draw reasonable conclusions that might escape many humans - that lead it to stand down its (real) retaliatory US strike that would trigger World War III and, no doubt, the apocalypse.<br /><br />Special mention here has to go to a true 80s legend, Ally Sheedy (<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00009PBYC?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00009PBYC">Short Circuit</a>, <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B000AMSSAW?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B000AMSSAW">The Breakfast Club</a>) who plays love interest Jennifer. OK, it's no Stephanie in terms of significance to the film, but any Sheedy appearance adds a little extra bonus to an 80s film.</div><br /><b>The Tech</b><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEtquhcguAJzS1Nm0DiFiibF_vriqoacW2qkajl2oo2PpJTato3zouy-GdMNy_eLrNpQj_68gqj3J4D6XDL3er16TE3kzdS_e_8gTQ4zUUsdzLRg5UpIXDXdiZXS-zO6t76xwrZxt5Itby/s1600/wargames-modem.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 215px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEtquhcguAJzS1Nm0DiFiibF_vriqoacW2qkajl2oo2PpJTato3zouy-GdMNy_eLrNpQj_68gqj3J4D6XDL3er16TE3kzdS_e_8gTQ4zUUsdzLRg5UpIXDXdiZXS-zO6t76xwrZxt5Itby/s320/wargames-modem.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5571800566472814050" /></a>This is one of those 'terrifying future' kinds of films, looking ahead to an overly connected world in which hackers can gain access to all manner of personal data if they can just find an open port. Actually, that's not so far from the truth. But <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00004TT7C?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00004TT7C">WarGames</a> spins the argument on its head, ignoring the Big Brother scare story that usually gets told and focusing instead on one boy and his really, really 80s-looking modem.<br /><br />While the technology may have come a long way since 1983, not that much has really changed. We now have sophisticated versions of the modem that can use the telephone line while voice calls are in progress, and can transfer data much faster. But beyond that, things haven't changed massively.<br /><br />As one commentator pointed out recently, in light of the political upheavals in Egypt - if everyone still used dial-up, the protestors would only need a landline in order to tell the world what they are going through. Instead they face being totally cut off from the rest of the world, simply because the government can flick a switch and turn off the broadband. Those kinds of observations make films like <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00004TT7C?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00004TT7C">WarGames</a> bizarrely relevant as historical studies, in a very strange kind of way.<br /><br /><i><b>80s Movies</b><br /><br />In February, POPSICULTURE are dedicating the month to a look back at the iconic films of the 1980s - a decade whose films continue to draw massive audiences when they are shown on TV. To follow posts in this series, check the <a href="http://popsiculturereviews.blogspot.com/search/label/80s%20Movies" title="More 80s Movies reviews from POPSICULTURE">80s Movies</a> label or sign up to the <a href="http://popsiculturereviews.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default/-/80s%20Movies" title="POPSICULTURE 80s Movies RSS feed">dedicated RSS feed</a>.</i>Bobble Bardsleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02763858890686010543noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3303258694960475886.post-39348841218191660422011-02-08T09:32:00.034+00:002011-02-08T10:19:18.761+00:0080s Movies: Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNriXobg559UU8wT7TtrXsxsE3p3mDEebPVWUKmXHC2MX7NyNMA_NlNPRDi3fmgSKEMPnZdIgF9iNpBxH7wN07b8KLJlfYjknz-K86K0MPjDN2YUmgXsvDEInPizIfGjud8IWZUst6gRc/s1600/ferris-buellers-day-off-dvd-cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" width="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNriXobg559UU8wT7TtrXsxsE3p3mDEebPVWUKmXHC2MX7NyNMA_NlNPRDi3fmgSKEMPnZdIgF9iNpBxH7wN07b8KLJlfYjknz-K86K0MPjDN2YUmgXsvDEInPizIfGjud8IWZUst6gRc/s400/ferris-buellers-day-off-dvd-cover.jpg" /></a></div>Ah <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B000ERVG6G?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B000ERVG6G">Ferris Bueller's Day Off</a>, now here's a classic 80s movie if ever there was one. The story of one man's struggle to take it easy, to quote the tagline on the posters, was a massive success in 1986, and has gone on to become a cultural touchstone for an entire generation of fun-loving, anti-authoritarian slackers everywhere. <br /><br />Strangely I don't think I saw this movie until atleast 2003 when was at university, so I can't really blame it for my own lazy, work-shy approach to life, the seeds of which were certainly already in place by the age of 18 (don't you just hate when you can't pin all your personal shortcomings on popular culture). Anyway, when I did see it I had high expectations, and I was absolutely not disappointed.<br /><br />Writer and director John Hughes made this movie coming off the back of successes with <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B000AMSSAW?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B000AMSSAW">The Breakfast Club</a> and <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B000BMUVFQ?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B000BMUVFQ">Weird Science</a> in 1985, and was already a hot property in Hollywood. He wrote Ferris Bueller as a tribute to his native Chicago, and with Matthew Broderick (<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00004TT7C?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00004TT7C">Wargames</a>) already in mind for the title character. Broderick was 23 at the time of filming, but had the young looks and innocent boyish smile to pull off the role of charming high-school truant with aplomb.<br /><br /><a name='more'></a><b>The Plot</b><br /><br />Okay, I'll try to do this in brief. Broderick plays Ferris who decides one day that he could have much more fun if he just skipped school for a day. He convinces his doting parents, but not his siter (Jennifer Grey, <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B000UC37DU?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B000UC37DU">Dirty Dancing</a>) that he is sick, before rounding up girlfriend Sloane (Mia Sara) and best friend Cameron (the brilliant Alan Ruck, <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00004D307?ie=UTF8&tag=p033-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00004D307">Twister</a>) and hitting the Windy City in Cameron's dad's Ferrari.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLTx3tLpVn0j6q99H_ij_-drN2i-Cu2xJ8ym7HnbWfiozUiXOFoQ-ml9DM9BmjO3TlCjhMrAumUhyphenhyphenH56J2QyWgMtoTAU4Iw2jzTL0V-afgWQxy8QdRnBCoj1cx3DYzLOKX8cPUDlB_EJQ/s1600/ferris-bueller-parade.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right; float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="214" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLTx3tLpVn0j6q99H_ij_-drN2i-Cu2xJ8ym7HnbWfiozUiXOFoQ-ml9DM9BmjO3TlCjhMrAumUhyphenhyphenH56J2QyWgMtoTAU4Iw2jzTL0V-afgWQxy8QdRnBCoj1cx3DYzLOKX8cPUDlB_EJQ/s320/ferris-bueller-parade.jpg" /></a></div>Amongst other things the group take in a baseball game, visit an art gallery and blag a slap-up meal, all while evading the Dean of Students, Mr Rooney (another great performance by Jeffrey Jones), who provides the slapstick with his hapless pursuit of our heroes.<br /><br />The iconic scene of the film is undoubtedly the parade though, where Ferris takes part in Chicago's Von Steuben Day celebrations, jumping on a float and lip-syncing to the Beatles' Twist & Shout.<br /><br /><b>Soundtrack</b><br /><br />Surprisingly, despite music playing such a big role in the film, no official soundtrack was ever released. Hughes didn't feel that the eclectic selection of songs he had chosen would work as an album, and in a rare victory for artistic integrity over corporate desire to cash in on a popular brand, Hughes won that argument.<br /><br />If you just have to make your own Ferris Bueller playlist though, you'll need to include the aforementioned <a href="http://clk.tradedoubler.com/click?p=23708&a=1838569&url=http%3A%2F%2Fitunes.apple.com%2Fgb%2Falbum%2Ftwist-and-shout%2Fid402060584%3Fi%3D402060767%26uo%3D4%26partnerId%3D2003" target="itunes_store">Twist & Shout</a>, <a href="http://clk.tradedoubler.com/click?p=23708&a=1838569&url=http%3A%2F%2Fitunes.apple.com%2Fgb%2Falbum%2Fdanke-schoen%2Fid55483902%3Fi%3D55483793%26uo%3D4%26partnerId%3D2003" target="itunes_store">Danke Schoen</a> which Ferris sings in the shower (and again on the float), the inimitable <a href="http://clk.tradedoubler.com/click?p=23708&a=1838569&url=http%3A%2F%2Fitunes.apple.com%2Fgb%2Falbum%2Foh-yeah%2Fid14169733%3Fi%3D14169735%26uo%3D4%26partnerId%3D2003" target="itunes_store">Oh Yeah</a> by Yello, and finally <a href="http://clk.tradedoubler.com/click?p=23708&a=1838569&url=http%3A%2F%2Fitunes.apple.com%2Fgb%2Falbum%2Fbad%2Fid312046776%3Fi%3D312046946%26uo%3D4%26partnerId%3D2003" target="itunes_store">BAD</a> by one of my favourite 80s bands Big Audio Dynamite.<br /><br /><i><b>80s Movies</b><br /><br />In February, POPSICULTURE are dedicating the month to a look back at the iconic films of the 1980s - a decade whose films continue to draw massive audiences when they are shown on TV. To follow posts in this series, check the <a href="http://popsiculturereviews.blogspot.com/search/label/80s%20Movies" title="More 80s Movies reviews from POPSICULTURE">80s Movies</a> label or sign up to the <a href="http://popsiculturereviews.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default/-/80s%20Movies" title="POPSICULTURE 80s Movies RSS feed">dedicated RSS feed</a>.</i>dansquadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04533704207741164584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3303258694960475886.post-18358833067999498532011-02-07T18:59:00.004+00:002011-02-15T22:33:36.671+00:0080s Movies: Week 1If you've been enjoying reminiscencing with us for the past week, or if you've somehow missed out on any of these great films then here's an opportunity too good to miss. All of our picks from the first week of 80s Movies month are available on DVD for £5 or less from Amazon.<br /><br /><center><OBJECT classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://fpdownload.macromedia.com/get/flashplayer/current/swflash.cab" id="Player_f90d5ec3-f187-4f55-a1aa-d4057b5daa3d" WIDTH="600px" HEIGHT="200px"> <PARAM NAME="movie" VALUE="http://ws.amazon.co.uk/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&MarketPlace=GB&ID=V20070822%2FGB%2Fp033-21%2F8010%2Ff90d5ec3-f187-4f55-a1aa-d4057b5daa3d&Operation=GetDisplayTemplate"><PARAM NAME="quality" VALUE="high"><PARAM NAME="bgcolor" VALUE="#FFFFFF"><PARAM NAME="allowscriptaccess" VALUE="always"><embed src="http://ws.amazon.co.uk/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&MarketPlace=GB&ID=V20070822%2FGB%2Fp033-21%2F8010%2Ff90d5ec3-f187-4f55-a1aa-d4057b5daa3d&Operation=GetDisplayTemplate" id="Player_f90d5ec3-f187-4f55-a1aa-d4057b5daa3d" quality="high" bgcolor="#ffffff" name="Player_f90d5ec3-f187-4f55-a1aa-d4057b5daa3d" allowscriptaccess="always" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" align="middle" height="200px" width="600px"></embed></OBJECT> <NOSCRIPT><A HREF="http://ws.amazon.co.uk/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&MarketPlace=GB&ID=V20070822%2FGB%2Fp033-21%2F8010%2Ff90d5ec3-f187-4f55-a1aa-d4057b5daa3d&Operation=NoScript">Amazon.co.uk Widgets</A></NOSCRIPT></center>dansquadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04533704207741164584noreply@blogger.com0