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This topic has been inspired by the fact I just saw Ruthless People. The most 80's film I've ever seen.
It has Judge Reinhold in it !!!! That's how 80's it is. There are pastal colours everywhere :thumbup: The whole film has synthi-pop, the soundtrack is available on cassette, not CD. More 80's points to it. :teddyr:
One character has goldfish call Crockett and Tubbs... :smile:  The furniture that Danny DeVito has in his house has to be seen to be believed...
This flick is up there with Flashdance for 80's ness. No, it's better than Flashdance. It has Helen Slater!!!!!!

I love this film...

What are your 80's films

Masters Of The Universe, Back To The Future II, The Breakfast Club, Pretty In Pink, Blind Date, Adventures In Babysitting (yeah  :lookingup:) and St. Elmo's Fire spring to my mind immediately! All totally embody the decade in one way or another, be it by fashion sense, music, popular styles and designs of the times (hey that rhymes)[hey "that ryhmes" rhymes!] or for plain cheesiness!  :teddyr:

I think dead giveaways for the pure, overtly 80s films are;

Feathered hair, coloured lightning effects, random acts of saxophone playing, John Hughes as director, an people who are so shallow or so depressed they must sleep with all their friends. Man, I love it all...  :teddyr:

The Breakfast Club is an 80's masterpiece. :teddyr:
Detention was never that much fun.
The thing is, I liked Alley Sheedy when she was weird, not when they make her more "normal" at the end.

I strongly agree with all 3 of those statements.

I must also mention Fright Night. Vampires stealing teenage dudes' girlfriends seemed quite a popualr sport back then. Plus that film posseses the most awesome Autograph song ever: "You Can't Hide (From The Beast Inside)". It's like musical cheesecake.  :thumbup:

Utter genius. :smile:
Don't forget the 80's montage sequence. :thumbup:

Back to the Beach  :thumbup:

Films with top loading VCRs that cost over £200...very 80's :thumbup:

Floresent colours :wink:

The Wraith  :wink:

The 80's films when nearly all women looked like her...



(http://art.allayers.com/images/large/morgan_fairchild.jpg)

...And guys looked like this  :teddyr:

(http://www.miami-vice.org/pictures/donjohnson/05.jpg)

If that's the Charlie Sheen film then totally !!!!! :teddyr:

Classic 80's movie moment....



http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=0GDba7KzqTQ&feature=related

* Anything starring Sho Kosugi

* DIRTY DANCING

* 9 1/2 WEEKS

* WALL STREET

* FATAL ATTRACTION

* VALLEY GIRL

* FAST TIMES AT RIDGEMONT HIGH

* PORKY'S

Don't forget STREETS OF FIRE

and BACK TO THE FUTURE.

Epic 80's ness.  :wink:

Remote Control, a lesser known 80s-tastic film, pretty much sums up the 80s.  This film needs more popularity for that reason alone. 

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093843/

-"The Hidden"
-"Masters Of The Universe"

I'll add in the following...Scarface and Commando. 

Fast Times at Ridgemont High. 

It may have come early in the decade, but to me, it's still the quintessential 80's movie.  It established all the common 80's characters, including the Jock, the greaseball, the valley girl with big hair, the nerd, the awkward virgin, and the beach bum (Played by a young Sean Penn!)

I also have to chuckle when I think of Splash, when Daryl Hannah's mermaid is walking around, taking in the height of 80's fashion and culture.  Imagine if the character returned today not knowing how much life on land has changed.   :bouncegiggle:

Caddyshack
Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure
Ferris Bueller's Day Off
Hairspray
Pee Wee's Big Adventure
UHF
Weird Science
Weekend at Berney's

Lots of 80's films are SO 80's. But what sticks out is when i watch an old 80's film and say "oh my god, I SO remember that".

One scene is in "Once bitten" when jim carrey goes to the store his girlfriend works at. EVERYTHING in the store is bright neon colors. And god i remember going to places like Millers Outpost and the entire store was practically divided in color sections. Bright pinks, yellows, greens, even on the guys side. Not a black shirt to be seen.

How about BREAKIN'?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nNJN8r1YamY

...everyone is dressed like some funky super hero...!  :bouncegiggle:

I just saw Neon Maniacs.  VERY 80s.  Tons of big hair, one of those stupid super 80s battle of the bands, lots of red and green lighting, slasher scenes in the old school way, etc.

Valet Girls

Seriously, if you haven't seen it, and you wanna see a movie that's more 80's than any single human being could possibly handle... track down a copy of Valet Girls and watch it. Immediately!





Also, Savage Streets is deliciously 80's. And, hey, Linda Blair AND Linnea Quigley together? Awesome.

The 80s had some moments despite itself, but hopefully it'll be the last era where anyone laments how much better things used to be...except maybe Michael Jackson.

It's funny, even though bands still make music videos, in 50 years it's conceivable that Mtv will be remembered as an 80s phenomenon.

because back then there was only one station that played music videos 24 hours a day. Then in the 90's at some point, it turned into 'shows' and pretty soon you hardly saw videos on them anymore. Plus making videos was relatively new outside of concert footage so the randomness and cliche scenes made it 80's. Not likely you're goign to turn on the tv now and see The Killers standing in an empty room with the curtains blowing and doves flying away as a girl is running in the foggy woods and glass breaks  in slow-mo

One I forgot, Return Of The Living dead.  It totally captured the new wave scene. 

Weird Science!

The Oingo Boingo soundtrack seals the deal  :thumbup:

okay, no one mentioning mannequin, and the secret to my success yet is a little disturbing, but... purple rain, anyone?! that movie DRIPS 80's.

some afterthoughts: adventures in babysitting and howard the duck.

Oh yeah... Nice one. Awful movie, except for the soundtrack, and the bit where Prince teases that girl by driving away on the motorcycle.

Prince was a bit d*ckish in that film wasn't he...Morris Day made that movie happen though.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KgirOQ-Ll1M

Susan, Have you mentioned Fright Night yet ?
 :teddyr:

bad 80's horror yes, but it doesn't feel so 80's it hurts. Some films just make you want to cry they are so 80's feeling in music, dress and cliche movie moments.


it's stuff like this...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDn8gBZikoM

I don't know what that's from but I want to buy it!!!!!

Might be too painful to watch. After awhile you identify what is 80's cliche. There's always sexual tension, a scene where people are changing clothes in a department store to an entire 80's song nobody's ever heard of, and a dance scene. Let's also not forget some ridiculously nerdy teacher/adult of some kind.


For instance this scene dragged on too long so they could play the entire 'nasty girl' song. Back then I think movies made a lot of money from their soundtracks
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbOLvIG2cP4

I've always felt that 'A Clockwork Orange' felt like it was from the 80's with the decor and fashion, despite the fact it was made in teh early 70s.

How's about Foot Loose!? Sorry for the 10 second opening commercial :thumbdown:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZAv_gZZR5E

Actually, Susan, I think there was another reason this scene went on for so long.  There's a very subtle sexual subtext there that you may have missed.   :wink:

Valley Girl. It doesn't get more 80s than that. Runner up would be the little seen Crystal Heart:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDt7MeIrLdc

Youngblood  :thumbup:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6rWJqeCMNC8

"Runaway"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCZY9Z6WvSY

"Blue Thunder"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sd3lDhyM21M

MANNEQUIN (1987)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ns6N2lAC2xo&feature=related

Brought to you by Cannon Films, the cinematic beat of the pasteled colored 80's heart.

http://www.cannonfilms.com/films2.html (http://www.cannonfilms.com/films2.html)

Over the Top

And of course,
Cobra
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_LO1w_tXr_0

I know someone mentioned Fast Times at Ridgemont High, but what about the other film

"Just One of the Guys"

This was a staple of the 80's cable networks and a fun romp in 80's culture.


Or for that matter:

"Bachelor Party"

The scenes in the strip club where the bachelors play a trick on the bachelorettes (remember Nick the Dick?) still bring back a chuckle.

Bachelorette's Mother: "Is that a foot long?"

Nick the Dick: "And then some....."

Robocop

Funny you mention that, I was just watching part 2 today. 

I'd have to say the film itself doesn't strike me as 80s per se. However,  I think Robocop captured a certain cinematic point in the 80s where one simply couldn't have had enough violence in a film.  This still is one of the most graphically violent films in cinematic history IMHO. 

*The living room has just been invaded by female dogs...*

b***hes leave.

I suppose Robocop is no more 80s than many other action movies of the time, in terms of hairstyles, clothes, rich people doing cocaine, etc. Then again, maybe action movies of the 80s are as distinctive as the teen comedies of the same decade. Robocop, with its cyberpunk themes, hungry young corporate executives, cocaine and parody of what was very much the culture of the 80s, just epitomizes the action movies of the decade. The references to the Star Wars program, nuclear warfare and world politics (such as the white minority government in South Africa still existing) are all pure 80s. And as Darksider mentioned, it was part of the trend toward ever more violent action movies in the mid to late 80s.

There are actually quite a few action movies that are very 80s. The Running Man, the first couple of Lethal Weapons, Cobra (already mentioned here), Die Hard, They Live.

Yea, those were absolutely PLASTERED all over cable back then. Also, TONS of cheap T&A flicks.

Not sure if these have been mentioned yet...

Weird Science
Can't Buy Me Love
Beverly Hill Cop
Teen Wolf
Splash

The Wild Side
Band Of The Hand

Ghostbusters

In terms of 80isms per second, I'd go with the "Miami vice" series and William Friedkin's "To live and die in L.A.". They're packed with weird hairdos, horrendous clothes and pastel colors everywhere. And their editing tricks are stuff you only see in MTV videoclips. Retro ones.

The vampire films "Vamp" and "The Hunger" (see the thread I just made for that one) also score very high, specially the second.

If I had to choose a few 80s things I'm constantly missing these days, those would be the synth scores, the non-entirely sensical editing and the pitch black shadows. Nowadays even the shadows are transparent and look less shadowy than they should. At least they could throw in some grain to the night scenes, just for nostalgia's sake.

How about anything with Swayze... Red Dawn... RoadHouse...

Rocky 4...if not anything for the commentary on our relationship with Russia at the time. 

I didn't know there was a political element to that film.

It's just so subtle... :wink:

Rocky 4 isn't a film it's just a montage... :wink: