Good God, Platoon & ET? That's stuff is manipulative crap that made me tear up when I first saw it but it all looks sucky when seen now. COCKTAIL is indeed better than many mentioned. Yes, the 80's were a poor decade for film. That's what helped spawn the indie movement of the 90's.
16th November 2006 02:30 PM
jb
I enjoyed Scarface.
16th November 2006 02:34 PM
Ten Thousand Motels
Fuck the 80's. I lost interest in all things artsy in the 80's. I'm only now recovering and only a little.
16th November 2006 02:36 PM
TampabayStone
quote:jb wrote:
I enjoyed Scarface.
Love the movie, but the music gets on my nerves. I guess it was the time period. Seem like if they put in a bunch of Stones songs like Marty does, the movie remains timeless.
16th November 2006 02:40 PM
Drewby
quote:Ten Thousand Motels wrote:
Fuck the 80's. I lost interest in all things artsy in the 80's. I'm only now recovering and only a little.
I agree. I barely remember the 80's since i was born in 85, but everything i see and hear from that time period just aint right. There are a lot more negatives than positives
16th November 2006 02:41 PM
Ten Thousand Motels
>I guess it was the time period.<
Yes. The beginning of the End and The Death of Optimism
16th November 2006 02:46 PM
TampabayStone
quote:Ten Thousand Motels wrote:
>I guess it was the time period.<
Yes. The beginning of the End and The Death of Optimism
16th November 2006 02:57 PM
Drewby
quote:TampabayStone wrote:
The grass is always greener on the other side unless chuck norris has been there; The grass will most likey be soaked in blood and tears.
Chuck norris doesnt read, he stares down books until he gets the information he wants
Chuck doesnt hunt, he waits
Chuck Norris doesnt stub his toes, he accidentally destroys curbs
Chuck norris is suing law and order claiming that they used the trademark names of his left and right arms
16th November 2006 04:18 PM
MrPleasant
Heathers
The Empire Strikes Back
Tootsie
The Big Chill
The Thing
Pelle The Conqueror
Babette's Feast
Drugstore Cowboy
The Dead*
The Evil Dead
Blood Simple
sex, lies & videotape
The Road Warrior
Who Framed Roger Rabbit?
Whitnail & I
OK, these aren't exactly masterpieces for the ages, but they're worthwhile and one or two are definitive keepers (*, IMO).
When it comes to Spielberg, one has to discern between manipulative intelligence and manipulative crap. (Just compare E.T. with Hook.) Beginning with The Color Purple (actually, with his contribution to the Twilight Zone movie), Spielberg has opted for forced sentimentality, tarnishing his work constantly (think of the coloured ending for "Schindler's List"). And Stone, well, heavy-handed melodrama has always been his schtick (until he ran out of cocaine or something, and began to make truly horrendous shit, like Alexander). Platoon is a very good movie, IMO, because it's believable in spite of its sentimentality (Kubrick prefered it over Apocalypse Now, actually).
16th November 2006 04:46 PM
lotsajizz
quote:Drewby wrote:
I barely remember the 80's since i was born in 85,
That explains a LOT
16th November 2006 05:28 PM
Joey
" Heathers
The Empire Strikes Back
Tootsie
The Big Chill "
Yeah , I forgot about those movies ---- Pretty Damn good flicks .
Especially THE BIG CHILL !!!
Thanks .
16th November 2006 06:25 PM
time is on my side
Ran (Japanese movie- best movie of the decade)
Raging Bull
Excalibur
Scarface
Empire Strikes Back
The Blues Brothers
Hannah & Her Sisters
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Amadeus
Matador (Spanish Movie)
Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (Spanish movie)
Reds
Missing
Rainman
Raising Arizona
Blue Velvet
Full Metal Jacket
Platoon
Wall St
The Shining
Outsiders
Tootsie
Blade Runner
E.T.
The Terminator
Beetlejuice
Star Trek- The Wrath of Khan (what can I say- I've always been a trekkie)
16th November 2006 07:56 PM
mojoman
live and die in l.a.
16th November 2006 07:59 PM
glencar
quote:MrPleasant wrote:
Heathers
The Empire Strikes Back
Tootsie
The Big Chill
The Thing
Pelle The Conqueror
Babette's Feast
Drugstore Cowboy
The Dead*
The Evil Dead
Blood Simple
sex, lies & videotape
The Road Warrior
Who Framed Roger Rabbit?
Whitnail & I
OK, these aren't exactly masterpieces for the ages, but they're worthwhile and one or two are definitive keepers (*, IMO).
When it comes to Spielberg, one has to discern between manipulative intelligence and manipulative crap. (Just compare E.T. with Hook.) Beginning with The Color Purple (actually, with his contribution to the Twilight Zone movie), Spielberg has opted for forced sentimentality, tarnishing his work constantly (think of the coloured ending for "Schindler's List"). And Stone, well, heavy-handed melodrama has always been his schtick (until he ran out of cocaine or something, and began to make truly horrendous shit, like Alexander). Platoon is a very good movie, IMO, because it's believable in spite of its sentimentality (Kubrick prefered it over Apocalypse Now, actually).
Weren't some on yer list from the early 90's? I agree with most of your post but I still say that of all decades since the beginning of the sound era, the 80's were the worst. Still, even in a drought there are some oases.
16th November 2006 08:07 PM
Egbert
Spinal Tap
16th November 2006 09:00 PM
Egbert
quote:TampabayStone wrote:
Here you go. Oops.
That's postin'
16th November 2006 09:07 PM
mrhipfl
howard the duck!
17th November 2006 08:13 AM
Homercles
quote:Gazza wrote:
her only 'legal' movie, I believe?
hehe i loved that movie, I wish i still had it.
but seriously now:
Stand by me and The Lost Boys are great 80's movies - both movies have excellent soundtracks - Daltrey singing Don't Let the sun go down on me etc, in fact TLB's is my fave vampire flick.
18th November 2006 11:55 AM
Highwire Rob
The Christie Brinkley scenes (Hell, Yeah!):
And the video for the song (which has nothing visually to do w/ the film) will put you back in the 80s mood.
Remember when they made videos for about $3.75?!
Hey, does anyone else think that this video's producer shared some theme and visuals with Chiat/Day advertising and Ridley Scott on that Super Bowl "1984" Macintosh ad?
[Edited by Highwire Rob]
18th November 2006 12:08 PM
MrPleasant
quote:glencar wrote:
Weren't some on yer list from the early 90's?
I don't think so.
18th November 2006 12:10 PM
MrPleasant
quote:Highwire Rob wrote:
And the video for the song (which has nothing visually to do w/ the film) will put you back in the 80s mood.
Perfect for a saturday morning.
18th November 2006 12:26 PM
MrPleasant
quote:Joey wrote:
" Heathers
The Empire Strikes Back
Tootsie
The Big Chill "
Yeah , I forgot about those movies ---- Pretty Damn good flicks .
Especially THE BIG CHILL !!!
Thanks .
The Chill's script is great. And you've got Glenn Close and William Hurt in career constructional roles. Plus, it was the second time that I've ever heard Procol Harum (in a movie) ever.
18th November 2006 10:09 PM
Play With Fire
Full Metal Jacket
The Mission
18th November 2006 10:38 PM
lotsajizz
Caddyshack
Babette's Feast
Neighbors
Blue Velvet
The Hitcher
Hail Hail Rock n' Roll
The Meaning Of Life
Blade Runner
Rasing Arizona
The Falcon And The Snowman
Stop Making Sense
Scarface
Fast Times At Ridgmont High
The Blues Brothers
Brazil
18th November 2006 11:53 PM
Mahatma Kane Jeeves
Raging Bull
The Right Stuff
Blue Velvet
Hoosiers
Used Cars
Easy Money
all 3 Back To The Future movies
19th November 2006 03:28 AM
Dan
2nd best ever decade for movies
ReAnimator
Toxic Avenger
Blade Runner
Return Of The Living Dead
Raiders Of The Lost Ark
Trading Places
Friday The 13th The Final Chapter
Summer Camp Nightmare
The Empire Strikes Back
Lets Spend The Night Together
Platoon
Fast Times At Ridgemont High
Ruthless People
Blue Velvet
Scarface
Halloween 2
Fright Night
Red Dawn
Romancing The Stone
Aliens
Police Academy
Used Cars
Eating Raoul
Road Warrior
Day Of The Dead
The Shining
Dead Zone
This Is Spinal Tap
Friday The 13th Part 6
Stand By Me
Halloween 2
The Hitcher
1984
Running On Empty
Maximum Overdrive
48 Hours
Rocky IV
They Live
Commando
Terminator
Escape From New York
The Elephant Man
Raging Bull
Christine
Altered States
Witness
Gremlins
Beach Girls
First Blood
Funeral Home
Prom Night
Terror Train
American Gothic
Runaway Train
Silent Night Deadly Night
Uncommon Valor
Dark Night Of The Scarecrow
Until Terry Zwigoff’s Bad Santa, the 1984 slasher pic Silent Night, Deadly Night was the most controversial movie ever made about Christmas, bringing calls from the moral scolds of the day to have it banned from theaters. While Zwigoff’s film is a hilarious, mean-spirited romp through drunkenness and coarse language, Silent Night, Deadly Night showed not one, but two Santas as cold-blooded killers, as well as numerous exposed breasts, evil nuns, and frightened children, all without a trace of intentional humor. While it’s nowhere near as good a film, of course, it has its moments of rare charm, and is arguably the most radical movie ever made about the holiday season. That said, the production values are atrocious, the acting even worse, and the effects somewhere just south of a student production. Nevertheless, what we have here is a cinematic treat that makes a direct link between religious fundamentalism and murder, though the era’s conservatism sneaks through a bit whenever the clothes come off. Still, it’s undeniably entertaining as a period piece, and who on earth could judge a brutally ugly death march set in Utah, of all places?
The movie opens in 1971, as young Billy travels to grandpa’s house with his younger brother and beaming, wholesome parents. Little do they know, an escaped lunatic from the Utah Mental Facility is on the loose, and has just shot a clerk to death in a botched robbery. To make matters worse, the killer is dressed like Santa Claus. Billy’s parents notice Santa by the side of the road with his hood popped, assuming that he needs a bit of help. And hell, they can introduce Billy to the man himself! But instead of Christmas cheer and a twinkle in his eye, Santa is armed to the teeth, and blows the father away, getting blood all over his new sweater. He then marches over to the passenger’s side, and tears the mom from her seat. He beats her up, throws her down, and rips open her shirt, revealing a nice set of tits without a bra in sight (foreshadowing: not a single woman in this movie wears a bra). Before actually raping her, though, he gets frustrated and slashes her throat. Billy witnesses the entire episode and though he survives, is sent to St. Mary’s Home for Orphaned Children, which just happens to have the exact same sign as the mental ward. I guess grandpa didn’t want the poor boy.
Cut to December, 1974. Billy is now among dozens of wee ones celebrating Christmas in a bleak, Dickensian warehouse. A few of the nuns look out for him, but Mother Superior is a nasty bitch, and she beats the snot out of a copulating couple to prove it. Billy also witnesses this attack, which forces him to forever associate sex and punishment, which of course is not at all the Catholic way. Billy continues to be haunted by dreams of the gruesome murders three years earlier, and now can’t stand the sight of Santa (or sex) without flipping out. Mother Superior, wonderful lady that she is, commands Billy to sit in Santa's lap when he pays a visit, which prompts Billy to scream and shake, and eventually unfurl a right hook that could drop Ali in his prime. Santa flies through the air and crumples on the ground, while Billy is punished again for his crimes. The tension builds and we know the little boy is but a few years from boiling over.
We then flash forward ten years to Ira’s Toy Store, where Billy asks for a job in the stock room and is nearly turned down until he flashes his trunk-like arms and golden boy smile. Billy’s all grown up, and how! Mr. Sims, owner of the shop, looks him up and down like a slab of beef, so we know there will be after hours activity. More to the point, since it’s clear that Mr. Sims is gay, and that this is the Reagan era, he’ll be dead within the hour. Billy’s first week or so on the job is productive, and accompanied by the cheesiest song ever featured in a film about killing the innocent during the holidays. Titled, “It’s Always Christmas on the Warm Side of the Door”, none of the lyrics match the on-screen action, and further, make us wonder how something so upbeat made it into a film featuring insanity and bloodshed. Billy seems fine, though, that is until he’s asked to play Santa by Mr. Sims, which prompts more flashbacks and sweaty, shake-filled stares into space. Billy threatens the kids, demands that they not be naughty, and during breaks, falls asleep and dreams about fucking big-titted women, only to slice them to ribbons. The madness has begun.
At the Christmas party, when two co-workers sneak away to the store room for a romp, Billy follows, and when the guy gets a bit rough, Billy steps in and strangles the bastard with Christmas lights. Sure, he saved the woman from rape, but she’s still upset, so he guts her like a fish. Throughout, he sounds like Frankenstein’s monster, chanting, “Punish! Punish!” And because they were partially naked and near orgasm, their deaths were sanctioned by Santa, Jesus, and the President himself. And then the fireworks begin. Billy slams a hammer into Mr. Sims’ head, leaving him to die in a pile of boxes, and then shoots the last co-worker with a bow and arrow. She drops for the last time in a pile of fake snow. Somehow, the good nun from Billy’s childhood shows up after the killings, screams, and calls the police to be on the lookout for a murderous Santa.
Next, we visit a semi-nude pair of teenagers getting in on while sprawled out on a pool table. Tits come out, his shirt comes off, and he utters the classic line, “Two ball in the corner pocket.” But his girlfriend has to let the cat in, so she runs upstairs, fake tits stiff in the wind, and yells out the door. Billy appears out of nowhere with his righteous axe, once again bellowing, “Punish! Punish!” There’s a brief struggle, but the topless tramp is eventually slammed onto a large set of antlers hanging on the wall. The boyfriend runs up and is briefly strangled with a phone cord, only to be thrown out the window. Again, we hear “Punish!” filling the night air. Billy does run into a little girl before he leaves, and while he’s tempted to kill her, he thinks twice and instead hands over his box cutter as a gift. Billy then runs into the forest and decapitates a kid who stole someone’s sled.
Anticipating Billy’s next move, the good nun and a sheriff drive to the orphanage, hoping to save the day. Another officer arrives first and, having been told to shoot to kill, assassinates Santa in front of a dozen terrified children. Only this Santa wasn’t Billy; it was Father O’Brien, and he didn’t respond to the cop’s calls because he’s old and deaf. The kids are pushed inside, the building locked down, and Mother Superior leads everyone in cheerful Christmas carols. Billy arrives, slams the axe into the cop’s chest, decapitates a snowman for good measure, and is let in the orphanage by a trusting child. Just as he’s about to bring the axe down on the vile Mother, he’s shot dead by the other sheriff on the case (you know, only two officers in the entire state hunting down a serial killer). Still, I’d like to think that Mother Superior’s chant, “There is no Santa Claus! There is no Santa Claus!” saved her life more than the heroic officer. As Billy dies, the axe falls at the feet of his younger brother, who is clearly marked as the heir apparent.
So it’s an interesting mix of the reactionary and the rebellious; a film that aims to scare the shit out of kids by making them think Santa is after your life, not just your milk and cookies, but one that also kills everyone who even thinks about fornication. Religion is clearly a source of evil, but as it’s Catholicism that’s targeted, one could think that that’s well within the all-American tradition. Women are loose and easy, but men are weak and limp, unable to protect their womenfolk from harm. Being a good Samaritan will get you shot between the eyes, but so will having a gun under the counter in your convenience store. And what kind of movie set in the Beehive State doesn’t feature a single Mormon? And what sort of parents let their kids go sledding on Christmas Eve when it’s nearly midnight? The kind that refuses to settle in as a typical horror film, friends, and one that has no other motivation save the massacre of seasonal cheer, innocence, and good taste. In other words, a film worth revisiting during the holidays. I’m expecting to make it an annual event myself.
19th November 2006 02:23 PM
MikeyC613
Goodfellas
Caddyshack
Ghostbusters
Wall Street
E.T.
Risky Business
Rain Man
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