OT: under-rated 80s movies
So my wife is an immigrant and (until recently) did not understand the concept of an "80's movie". Overall, she loves these types of movies, especially because a good amount of them were filmed/set right in our back yard in Chicago. With that, there is a certain "feel" about 80s movies that can make them very unique and time-stamped that cannot be duplicated. For example, Licorice Pizza and Stranger Things tries really hard to capture the 80s aesthetic, but I can see right through it.
So, what are your under-rated 80s movies we all should watch. Mine are:
- To Live and Die in LA
- 3 O'Clock High
- 52 Pick-up
- Class
- Black Rain
- The Return of the Living Dead
- UHF
- Legend
- Angel Heart
- Big Trouble in Little China
- My Bloody Valentine
- Repo Man
Anything to add MgoBlogeratti?
March 31st, 2022 at 11:31 PM ^
Sonny Landham was in 48 Hrs. He played a Native American...named...Billy.
+1 for Predator. "Time to take Ol' Painless out the bag..."
My first ever crush was on Lori Loughlin in Rad. Man she was smokin' in that. Who knew she'd grow up to lead a life of fake admissions.
CHUD
Just watched that about a month ago. There’s even a sequel. CHUD 2: Bud the CHUD
Cannibalistic Humanoid Underground Dwellers...hell yeah. A +1 for you...
"They Live" with Roddy Piper
This doesn't qualify because it came out in 1976 but "Killing of a Chinese Bookie" is the best movie that most people haven't seen.
Bloodsport
Oh and Hollywood Knights.
Honestly, this is one of your better posts. I'm considering framing it and putting it in MGoLouvre.
:)
No Way Out
great call!
March 31st, 2022 at 11:56 PM ^
So good. Plot wouldn't work today because the whole thing depended on super slow-ass mainframe computers and literally the world's slowest dot-matrix printer.
La Bamba
Does Color of Money qualify as underrated?
No. It has an Oscar winner
Good call, WCB.
Fandango. Loved the sky diving scenes.
another great one!!
I think that was Costners first major film. And it has Judd Nelson pre-brat pack
For underrated I say Basketcase or Thrashin'
Basketcase. Good lord--yeah, I've seen that too. The premise is just insane...but brilliant...but also insane. +1.
Saw Basketcase at Ford Wyoming Drive-in. Think it played after Who Framed Roger Rabbit iirc. Anyways, mom drove me to watch the 1st movie, and Basketcase was the 2nd…and mom never drove away until both movies ended. Think I was 10.
The North Shore
License to Drive (you need a Corey and Corey)
Mannequin
Weekend at Bernies
Adventures in Babysitting
Ferris Bueller's Day Off
North Shore is a good add. Matt Adler was the lead, which reminds me to add Flight of the Navigator to my list as well.
Didn't know it at the time but the blues song in Adventures in Babysitting more then likely got me into the blues. This is that song
Amazing enough, the actor who plays Kingpin in the Daredevil/Hawkeye TV series (and character committed suicide at the beginning of Full Metal Jacket) was the guy who looked like Thor at the impound in Adventures in Babysitting.
I like the assignment, trying to think of especially underrated 80s films, not just my overall favorites. Here's a few:
The Abyss
Alien Nation
The In-Laws (the original with Peter Falk & Alan Arkin - zany fun, criminally underseen)
Jacob's Ladder
Roger & Me
Trespass (Ice Cube & Ice T)
Pump Up The Volume
Dudes (Jon Cryer)
2nd'ing Blue Velvet and The Last Starfighter
I fucking LOVE Trespass, but it came out in 1992. I hate to be a mensch again, but The In-Laws is 1979. Love that one too: "SERPENTINE!" +1 for Jacob's Ladder and Roger & Me.
Haha yes! SERPENTINE!
Happy to hear some of my picks were resonating CB!
Funny Trespass story... Bought a bootlegged VHS in Chinatown when my friends and I road-tripped from A2 to NYC. Awful quality, looked like someone had legit brought a Camcorder into the theater. For some reason, every time there was a gunshot, it overloaded the mainframe and the whole screen went bright blue for a moment. That was fine early in the movie, when it was just a couple seconds every 10 minutes. But during the 15-minute shootout at the end of the movie, the screen was basically blue nonstop. My college pals and I still don't know exactly how that plot unfolded...
AT Close Range
Not a bad one to add to the list. Madonna’s Live to Tell was made popular because of that movie.
The Last Starfighter
The Last Unicorn
Flight of the Navigator
The Neverending Story
Krull
This was basically my childhood playlist, along with The Hobbit (70s), when I visited my Dad on weekends.
KRULL 🤘🏻
KRULL FTW!
you guys already mentioned most of them....
But I think you missed these:
The Fly
The Beast Master
The Outsiders
Edit:
might have missed it on the list
does Platoon belong?
(I think it had a lot of acclaim)
Beast Master yup
I'd say a no on Platoon since it won 4 Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director.
2nd'ing Beastmaster. Which for some reason makes me remember... I don't think anyone mentioned LADYHAWKE yet!
Has Tremors been mentioned yet?
That’s 90s, so just missed the cut
Awesome film. Not an award winner but I wouldn't call it underrated.
Breaker Morant
No thanks padre, I'm a pagan
What's a pagan.
A pagan is someone who doesn't believe there's a divine being dispensing justice
I'm a pagan too.
March 31st, 2022 at 10:31 PM ^
Breaker Morant is an outstanding movie.
"Shoot straight ya' bastards and don't make a bloody mess!"
Great list and additions. I might just add Teen Wolf to the list.
Coach Finstock’s lessons alone is worth the watch.
Also, I used to have the shirt “what are you looking at dick nose?” a la Styles
Strange Brew. Take off, eh!
Great pull!
The Wraith (1986): stars Charlie Sheen; In a small town in Arizona, a mysterious man/spirit descends from the sky and manifests in a sports car and targets a local violent road-racing gang of motor heads, headed by a ruthless bully who'll do anything to get what he wants.
Holy fuck--I'd forgotten all about that one. I wish I could give you a +100 for this. We'll have to settle for +1.