Top Ten Films of the 1980s

Started by life_boy, May 27, 2005, 05:00:08 PM

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socketlevel

Quote from: Reelist on October 16, 2012, 10:15:23 AM
Yeah, you're right. Especially this:

Quote from: socketlevel on October 15, 2012, 10:11:36 PM
Even when the films were cheesy back then they had a certain earnestness to them. Part of the charm was also how these films didn't have the means to fully articulate the imagination behind them, and in some ways end up being superior because of it.

Good stuff  :yabbse-thumbup:


Sleepaway Camp 2 instead of 1, why?

The original Sleepaway Camp is all about the final frame, M. night shamalamadingdong-esque. Which is fine, works well, and not to mention one of the most disturbing shots I'd ever seen at that point of my life. It has that same save it for post slo-mo style to it that the first Friday the 13th had in the final frames. You know, that choppiness where you can tell it was filmed in 24 and then they slowed it down. Think of the group shot from Reservoir Dogs during the opening credits.

However, part 2 had great humour, disturbing parts, awesome and memorable death scenes, great one liners, fucking fantastic ending "Just taking care of business" and for the 13 year old in me (I saw it a bit later on video) enough hot and naked 80s chicks. this was before porn was one click away, so it satisfied my raging boners.

It also had some pretty great writing. One scene that sticks out is after the bitchy blonde girl has sex with one of the other camp councilors she bluntly asks him, "You don't have AIDS or something, do you?" and he replies "No." and she says "Great. That was fun.", gets up and walks away. That might seem like nothing now, but in '88 you didn't do that kind of thing. The late 80s was when people were finally starting to understand the disease. So they were addressing it in a really messed up kinda way by including that, and played on the paranoia of the time. while at the same time she's not using protection, she's just asking him after the fact so the obvious irony is funny/disturbing. I guess the paranoia at the time made it a really dark scene, and took away from the sexy by making it dirty, and self indulgent.

The most important distinction this film has is how Pamela Springsteen (yep that's Bruce's sister, just in case the thought crossed your mind) delivers one of the all time, and undersung, best horror villain performances. Everyone else is kinda shit, but she really sells every scene, from the insanity, to seeming stupidity, and sadness to the character from the major plot twist of the first film. But most importantly she sells how much she loves camp, and being a camp councillor. You know that gleeful culty kind of personality that everyone is taught by corporate instructional videos. it's a "retreat" type personality you see from Amway, or if you walk in a scientology or southern church. Even when she's all fucked up at the end of the movie, she still loves camp oh-so-much. THen think about how the premise is kind of stupid, she's "sending home" kids as they misbehave. Her character is searching for purity, it's down right creepy. She kills it...

It's sad people remember the first Sleepaway Camp so much. It deserves recognition for basically one great reveal/plot device, whereas Sleepaway Camp 2 does so much more in my opinion.

I'm not saying it's a masterpiece, and I'm sure so many points could be made about why it's a shit film, but for 80s horror it's got everything I want from a shoestring budget. How often do you get to see someone killed in an outhouse?
the one last hit that spent you...

Tictacbk

I feel like everyone is overlooking the obvious choice here...


Reel

#47
Quote from: Tictacbk on October 16, 2012, 02:43:30 PM
I feel like everyone is overlooking the obvious choice here...

not everyone. 3 people mentioned it on the 1st page. I just made a list of ones that hadn't been mentioned and most of 'em were horror and we spun off into some shit about sleepaway camp, lol.

ADMIN WARNING: HUGE SPOILER FOR SLEEPAWAY CAMP

but I wanna say to socketlevel.. WOW  :bravo: what a great sell on Sleepaway Camp 2, I wish I still had it on itunes.. Idk, I think I'll always like the first one more because it deals with such young kids and the killer is..what is that. Is it a hermaphrodite? I don't get it.  Total WTF moment. I've only seen it once and the next time around I'll see all the clues to hint me on it WTF that is, even though I was pretty much aware of it all the first time, but knowing that reveal makes it all clearer. And I've seen the second one more than a couple times and it hasn't grown on me like in any sense. That movie rubs me the wrong way, kinda. I know thats what horror should do when it's succesful, but something about this I feel is in bad taste? I can't explain it. I need to see BOTH of them again, and also give the third one a shot. How about that one?

socketlevel

the second and third were shot back to back, even though staggered releases. If i remember right it takes place the following summer while Angela is on the run. She pretends to be an inner city kid going on a camping retreat. The whole cast are these big city kids, all from the wrong side of the tracks, given a city funded summer camp. It's ok, Pamela is once again pretty good in it, though i just think the fact she's no longer the councilor works against it. We see her trying to fit in, so she's just gritty, rather than having that Amway smile and demeanour; which is really what makes her shine in the 2nd one. I still find it kinda fun, but ultimately not memorable.

I think your reaction to it is what made me love it so much. Pamela Springsteen is so good in it, I like how it rubs me the wrong way. Though my guess would be if you felt that way about the 2nd one, you'll only feel that moreso with the 3rd. It's much dirtier.

here is a quote from the director of the sequels:

"For me, the 'Sleepaway Camp' sequels are where horror and comedy meet in a dark alley."
the one last hit that spent you...

samsong

#49
because i enjoy lists...

1. the ballad of narayama
2. l'argent
3. e.t. the extra terrestrial
4. mystery train
5. possession
6. blue velvet
7. paris, texas
8. the fly
9. raging bull
10. where is the friend's home?


superstar: the karen carpenter story would make the top 10, maybe even 5, but i don't know that it counts.  possession is hands down the best horror movie of the 80s.


Reel

Possession :yabbse-thumbup: Still gotta see all of that one. Sooooo good!



Hey Socketlevel, Sleepaway Camp 1 & 3 are on youtube, but not 2!! What a crock of shit!!











Reel

Sleepaway Camp discussed on How Did This Get Made?



yeah, Halloween's over. I know

socketlevel

Aww man that is too bad, gotta be a torrent out there somewhere. I bought the Anchor bay box set many moons ago. I'm actually gonna watch 2 again after our conversation.
the one last hit that spent you...

jenkins

Thinking --

Wings of Desire
À nos amours
Wheels on Meals
Taxi Zum Klo
Shadows in Paradise
After Hours
Risky Business
Night of the Creeps
Stop Making Sense
Modern Girls
+ Every Man for Himself

I like this list, I think it expresses things about my tastes.

jenkins

Quote from: jenkins<3 on December 24, 2012, 05:49:53 PM
Thinking --

Wings of Desire
À nos amours
Wheels on Meals
Taxi Zum Klo
Shadows in Paradise
After Hours
Risky Business
Night of the Creeps
Stop Making Sense
Modern Girls
+ Every Man for Himself

I like this list, I think it expresses things about my tastes.
^oh man. yeah. same

will hunt down the 70s now

ono

I can't name 25 really great movies from this decade (as said before, a bad decade for "great cinema", a great one for comedies).  But here's 25 okay ones, in a somewhat particular order:

Drowning by Numbers
My Dinner With Andre
Back to the Future
Stand By Me
The Princess Bride
Full Metal Jacket
When Harry Met Sally...
Blue Velvet
Blood Simple.
The Shining
Who Framed Roger Rabbit
Batman
Rain Man
Sex, Lies, and Videotape
Do the Right Thing
Christmas Vacation
A Christmas Story
Major League
Caddyshack
Oliver and Company
She's Gotta Have It
Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid
Brewster's Millions
Ghostbusters
Ferris Bueller's Day Off

I tried to refrain from listing movies that I've seen, admired, but would never watch again.  So yeah, Ordinary People, Gandhi, Ran, and Grave of the Fireflies, I'm lookin' atcha (honorable mentions, to be sure).  Dishonorable mentions: The Breakfast Club and Dead Poets Society.  These are both iconic movies whose endings really just suck, and not in a good, life affirming, depressing yet inspiring way, but in a are you effin' kidding me? way.  BC's message, much like Grease's, is conformity is good.  DPS is emo suicide is the answer.  Meh.  Lots of these other movies here are fine.  It's nice to see the more obscure ones sticking out.

wilder

The Abyss
After Hours
A nos amours
Another Woman
Betty Blue
Blade Runner
Come and See
Dead Ringers
The Decalogue
Fanny and Alexander
The Fly
Full Metal Jacket
Hannah and Her Sisters
Love Streams
Manhunter
Police
Poltergeist
Possession
Raging Bull
Robocop
The Shining
The Thing
The Vanishing
Under the Sun of Satan
Videodrome

The rest

Aliens
An American Werewolf in London
Angst
Au revoir les enfants
Back to the Future
Bad Timing
The Color of Money
Das Boot
The Dead Zone
Frantic
The King of Comedy
Loulou
Matador
Mystery Train
On the Silver Globe
One from the Heart
Ordinary People
Paris, Texas
Prince of the City
Risky Business
The Sacrifice
Scanners
The Seventh Continent
Sex, Lies, & Videotape
Shoot the Moon
Something Wild
Stardust Memories
The Terminator
The Terrorizers
Thief
True Stories
Wall Street

Robyn

the shining
breakfeast club
we children from bahnhof zoo
rumble fish
paris, texas
wings of desire
grave of the fireflies
stand by me 
totoro
the cook, the thief, his wife and her lover