My Life in Film: Part 2
1983 - National Lampoons Vacation
The early 80s was a time when half of the movies produced were teen sex comedies...and since I was 11 in 1983, they were the movies I wanted to see the most because I wasn't supposed to. Sure I could have picked a number of movies from 1983...Eddie and the Cruisers, War Games, I recall going on a date of sorts to see Two of a Kind (remember, I was only 11 so that stands out in my mind, even if it was a girl movie)...and oh geez...Return of the Jedi came out that year. But it was a National Lampoons movie that wins the prize for this particular year (although I probably didn't see it until a couple of years later. I probably still shouldn't have seen it as early as I did. What teenager could ever forget the Christie Brinkley swimming pool scene. I would learn later that there were so many funny moments in that movie.
The list gets more difficult as I go through the 80s. There was Ghostbusters, Gremlins, The Karate Kid, the beginning of the Police Academy series, and another Star Trek movie…The Search for Spock…and a plot. But it was Eddie Murphy in Beverly Hills Cop that wins…funniest movie I had ever seen at the time with action to top the cake. The original BHC is still a favorite…others have tried and failed.
1985 Back to the Future
Sure, when most people think 1985, they think Brat Pack…Breakfast Club, St Elmo’s Fire, and Weird Science…there was also Rocky IV (the US vs the Soviet Union was an obvious shadow over that movie), and Rambo: First Blood Part II (doesn’t it seem like Stallone is always releasing Rocky and Rambo in the same year? Must be easier to only get in shape once for bothor those franchises). And Fletch could easily have won this year, but the original Back to the Future (now pretty much a classic) was THE movie that got me interested in time travel stories.
1986 Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
Stallone was making Cobra, Eddie Murphy was the Golden Child, Star Trek took The Voyage Home, I remember going on another “kid” date to see Platoon of all movies (how did I get tickets to THAT at 14)…but Ferris Bueller took the day off. And because my brother was in high school with me for that one year…I took the day off too. Sometimes. But not too often. OK…maybe more often than I should have.
1987 Lethal Weapon
At the time, I think The Pick Up Artist with Robert Downey Jr was one of my favorite movies. I was trying to learn…I was 15. Superman IV had just disappointed me…Rocky had beat the Russians two years earlier so we didn’t need Superman for that. Although Mel Gibson is apparently an ass in real life, the original Lethal Weapon defined the buddy cop action comedy movie to me, and that genre would continue to interest me for years.
I’d like to give some credit here to Rain Man and Who Framed Roger Rabbit, each which could have won if it weren’t for the introduction of John McClane in the original Die Hard. The was my action movie phase…when action movies were allowed to receive an R rating…when society wasn’t so sensitive and everything had to be “kid friendly”. It’s an action movie…with killing and swearing and explosions. It’s not supposed to be “kid friendly”. Stop ruining my favorite genre movie studios…take chances like 2008’s Rambo did.
1989 See No Evil, Hear No Evil
A lot of sequels came out this year. Back to the Future II was good, but not quite as good as the original. Batman came to the big screen that year as well, but it’s been done better now so it doesn’t get credit. I choose See No Evil, Hear No Evil because out of the list I’m using of movies from 1989, it was just funny. Richard Pryor and Gene Wilder, neither of which I had enjoyed in movies before, cracked me up as a “blind guy” and a “deaf guy” caught up in a wacky caper. If you’ve never seen it, it’s worth a rental.
1990 Back to the Future III and Die Hard 2
Sorry…I’m picking two for this year. It’s my prerogative…and I’ll do what I want to do. I loved Ghost…who didn’t in 1990? Another 48 hours reunited Murphy and Nolte, which was awesome, but much like the original 48 hours. The 5th Rocky movie doesn’t even exist. And sure…Arnold made Total Recall, which was pretty awesome, but at 18, I was sticking by my favorite franchises and loving them.
1991 Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
I was going to give this to Terminator 2, but I probably enjoyed the Star Trek movie more at that age. Trek VI also was the end of the original series Trek movies and a new beginning for the movie franchise would soon begin. That kind of gives it something of a win in a category of memorables. I also moved away from home and joined the military at the end of 1991 making it the end of a chapter of my life and the beginning of a new chapter would follow….the “Undiscovered Country” indeed.
Sure, I was officially an adult off on his own for the first time; I was in the military, but spent 2 months of this year in Basic Training and another 8 months in tech school. Sure, I was studying a lot during the week (they say the amount of material covered is equivalent to 4 years of college in 8 months), but the weekends are a bit of a blur. If you were there…you know why.
So that's the second decade for me. Comments anyone?
The early 80s was a time when half of the movies produced were teen sex comedies...and since I was 11 in 1983, they were the movies I wanted to see the most because I wasn't supposed to. Sure I could have picked a number of movies from 1983...Eddie and the Cruisers, War Games, I recall going on a date of sorts to see Two of a Kind (remember, I was only 11 so that stands out in my mind, even if it was a girl movie)...and oh geez...Return of the Jedi came out that year. But it was a National Lampoons movie that wins the prize for this particular year (although I probably didn't see it until a couple of years later. I probably still shouldn't have seen it as early as I did. What teenager could ever forget the Christie Brinkley swimming pool scene. I would learn later that there were so many funny moments in that movie.
The list gets more difficult as I go through the 80s. There was Ghostbusters, Gremlins, The Karate Kid, the beginning of the Police Academy series, and another Star Trek movie…The Search for Spock…and a plot. But it was Eddie Murphy in Beverly Hills Cop that wins…funniest movie I had ever seen at the time with action to top the cake. The original BHC is still a favorite…others have tried and failed.
1985 Back to the Future
Sure, when most people think 1985, they think Brat Pack…Breakfast Club, St Elmo’s Fire, and Weird Science…there was also Rocky IV (the US vs the Soviet Union was an obvious shadow over that movie), and Rambo: First Blood Part II (doesn’t it seem like Stallone is always releasing Rocky and Rambo in the same year? Must be easier to only get in shape once for bothor those franchises). And Fletch could easily have won this year, but the original Back to the Future (now pretty much a classic) was THE movie that got me interested in time travel stories.
1986 Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
Stallone was making Cobra, Eddie Murphy was the Golden Child, Star Trek took The Voyage Home, I remember going on another “kid” date to see Platoon of all movies (how did I get tickets to THAT at 14)…but Ferris Bueller took the day off. And because my brother was in high school with me for that one year…I took the day off too. Sometimes. But not too often. OK…maybe more often than I should have.
1987 Lethal Weapon
At the time, I think The Pick Up Artist with Robert Downey Jr was one of my favorite movies. I was trying to learn…I was 15. Superman IV had just disappointed me…Rocky had beat the Russians two years earlier so we didn’t need Superman for that. Although Mel Gibson is apparently an ass in real life, the original Lethal Weapon defined the buddy cop action comedy movie to me, and that genre would continue to interest me for years.
I’d like to give some credit here to Rain Man and Who Framed Roger Rabbit, each which could have won if it weren’t for the introduction of John McClane in the original Die Hard. The was my action movie phase…when action movies were allowed to receive an R rating…when society wasn’t so sensitive and everything had to be “kid friendly”. It’s an action movie…with killing and swearing and explosions. It’s not supposed to be “kid friendly”. Stop ruining my favorite genre movie studios…take chances like 2008’s Rambo did.
1989 See No Evil, Hear No Evil
A lot of sequels came out this year. Back to the Future II was good, but not quite as good as the original. Batman came to the big screen that year as well, but it’s been done better now so it doesn’t get credit. I choose See No Evil, Hear No Evil because out of the list I’m using of movies from 1989, it was just funny. Richard Pryor and Gene Wilder, neither of which I had enjoyed in movies before, cracked me up as a “blind guy” and a “deaf guy” caught up in a wacky caper. If you’ve never seen it, it’s worth a rental.
1990 Back to the Future III and Die Hard 2
Sorry…I’m picking two for this year. It’s my prerogative…and I’ll do what I want to do. I loved Ghost…who didn’t in 1990? Another 48 hours reunited Murphy and Nolte, which was awesome, but much like the original 48 hours. The 5th Rocky movie doesn’t even exist. And sure…Arnold made Total Recall, which was pretty awesome, but at 18, I was sticking by my favorite franchises and loving them.
1991 Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
I was going to give this to Terminator 2, but I probably enjoyed the Star Trek movie more at that age. Trek VI also was the end of the original series Trek movies and a new beginning for the movie franchise would soon begin. That kind of gives it something of a win in a category of memorables. I also moved away from home and joined the military at the end of 1991 making it the end of a chapter of my life and the beginning of a new chapter would follow….the “Undiscovered Country” indeed.
Sure, I was officially an adult off on his own for the first time; I was in the military, but spent 2 months of this year in Basic Training and another 8 months in tech school. Sure, I was studying a lot during the week (they say the amount of material covered is equivalent to 4 years of college in 8 months), but the weekends are a bit of a blur. If you were there…you know why.
So that's the second decade for me. Comments anyone?
posted by Jeff - WeinerToons at 9:28 AM
2 Comments:
I agree with most of your choices. Beverly Hills Cop is still one of my all time favs! Of course, not being a huge Star Trek fan, I disagree with your choice for '89. I remember going to the theater to see it and I fell asleep. Wayne's World (at the Welch Theater in Keesler) is a good choice. Ah, memories...
I hate Chevy Chase with a passion - and hated all the vacation movies. ;-)
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