25 From 81: My Favorite Films Of 1981
In an age where we now have film series like Lord Of The Rings and Harry Potter, Excalibur may seem, by today's cinema standards, as incredibly small (not to mention, kinda mashed) potatoes.
But still,
for a kid like me, who was craving for any film with a fantasy flare, despite the time-period's lack of CGI technology,
Excalibur tried it's best to approach the belief-suspending subject matter with an epic sense of integrity.
I'm not sure it holds as well as other works of the early to mid 80's (Ladyhawke, Legend, etc.),
but still, there's enough of gleaming knighthood and swordsmanship in this flick for me to appreciate it's appropriate place in the genre.
While I'm not usually a big fan of movie remakes,
for me, the original Clash, is an excellent example of a classic that would greatly benefit from today's special effects technology.
I'd really like to see alot of these old stop-motion flicks of yesteryear get the updated treatment that many of us as children could only dream of back when these films were first released.
But even with that said,
it doesn't change the fact that, as cheeseball as they were,
most of these ultra-fantasy originals will always hold a special place in my heart, basically just because they were a part of my childhood.
:o)
Particularly when the cabin contains a tome of demonology.
Heck, I coulda told them that.
1983's The Evil Dead is the first chapter in what would become the colossus of cult scare fare and the most definitive when it comes to the cabin in the woods theme that made it a subgenre to begin with. So frightening was the success of Sam Raimi's low-budget directoral debut, that it became a formula which was able provide enough fuel for this new franchise to shamble much farther and much longer than he could've ever fore"saw".
Try writing a based-on-my-life book that's ends up becoming a movie.
And yeah, I'm fully aware that Mommie Dearest is generally considered as a pretty bad film, especially amoung those movie fans who have bestowed upon themselves the title of "connoisseur". But, it's one of those few flicks on my lists that qualifies as an honest-to-goodness guilty pleasure. And to be honest, it seems to fit in quite snuggly in the midst of other camp-teetering films on this list, like Escape From New York, Nighthawks and Clash Of The Titans.
So the government turns to soldier-turned criminal Snake Plisskon for help. They promised him a full presidential pardon, but only if he can save the Prez and save the day. Thus begins the quest to get out of New York and into the annals of cult movie history.
With each film he made after that, even though he continued to produce cartoon cinema aimed towards a much more matured audience, he had begun moving towards a more mainstream type of animated flick.
And even though I felt that he never really fully achieved the ultimate potential of where he was headed with his work, American Pop seemed to be the result of his accumulated efforts.
A mini-epic that follows the musical family tree of one family through the ages, it's cohesive storytelling and down-to-earth, gritty portrayal of decades long struggles, along with it's tight animation makes this my favorite of Bakshi's films.
And sure, maybe the plot of Nighthawks never seems to give a solid explanation as to why the terrorist has decided to go berserk in the one of the most popular cities in the world, thereby making him easy to find. But that doesn't matter. The point is, his is the kind of villainy that can only be dealt with the kind of super-sinewy justice that only the Slyster can serve.
One of the most important moments growing up for me as a huge comicbook nerd was the discovery of Heavy Metal, an anthology comic-magazine full of fantasy, futuristic and/or the emergin cyber-punkologic stories that were not restricted by those imposed upon more immature superheroic fare.
When the movie came out, even though it lacked the technical strength of more general-audience targeted animated features, in it I saw the potential for the kind of creative diversity & no-holds barred story telling that I had experienced in the magazine. It is definitely flawed, & even more definitely not for everybody, but it is, a vehicle for anyone interested in looking for something that is not the same ol' same ol' & with an interesting anthology theme whose rock'roll/sci-fi/animated integrated format is bound by neither PC restrictions or by rules that result from the more kid-targeted genre.
he followed it up with the Cannonball Ball series.
While I personally don't feel that CB is as good as S&tB, for it's time, these cross-country-race films were the standard fare of the summer season back in the late 70's and early 80's.
So maybe, having this movie on the list is due to a case of childhood nostalgia more than anything else,
but if you kids wanna see what we old-timers watched back in the day in order to get our "fast and furious" fix, you might wanna give these early Burt Reynolds vehicles a looksee.
And remember,
the Cannonball Run is a ride that requires alot of popcorn and a need for speed fun-focused state of mind.
And while there have been plenty of neo-noir titles to come along and continue the tradition,
rarely do the new ones capture the essence of dark atmosphere, traitorous seduction and sense of masterminded mystery that are central to this particular brand of crime caper.
Body Heat is a movie that not only succeeds in this, but even manages to exceed that balancing act by modernizing the genre with it's sultry script, color-dripping backdrop, and with the sweltering acting debut of modern femme fatale, Kathleen Turner.
We follow the exploits of a ten year old homeless criminal named Pixote as he endures the unscrupulous savagery within the prison walls and the harsh hoodlum lifestyle without.
The City Of God of the 80's (actually, since this movie came out first, City Of God should be referred to as the Pixote of the new millenium), this is a film that provides an unwavering window view into the world of ruined rural orphans whose numbers in that part of the globe have gotten grotesquely out of control.
The first one, called Gallipoli, recounts the story of a pair of runners who enlist into the Australian military and assigned to a campaign set on the peninsula Gallipoli (which back then was a part of the Ottoman Empire but today is a part of Turkey.... just so you know...).
As the campaign moves on, the men start to realize the true reality of war and it's futility when the commands from the military intelligence from above are made more from military than intelligence.
A film that concentrates more on two men's journey through war than on the battle itself, yet still shows enough of the battlefront action to get it's message through.
there was Michael Mann's 1981 heist film Thief, starring another of The Godfather alumni, James Caan.
Here in the U.S., we all share the same goal of achieving the American Dream; a nice house, a beautiful wife, 2.3 kids and a nice bank account to sustain it all.
And while most people try to achieve that dream through a solid education and an honest paycheck, there are a few who choose a different route. Like cracking safes.
Frank is a seasoned master thief who has made the decision to finally settle down. But he soon finds that the road to an honest life via a crooked shortcut can often lead down a more dangerous path.
these backwoods cabin-dwellin' redneck types are enough to scare off even an entire squad of National Guardsmen.
To be honest, the quality of Walter Hills' movies, for me, have a tendency to waiver from film to film. Though he will probably be more remembered for other works like 48 hrs & The Warriors,
my personal fave of his will always be Southern Comfort.
The book may have based more on the "Ten Days That Shook the World",
but this movie is based more on the two people who changed each other's lives. Two people whose relationship was complex, passionate, & strong enough to allow then both the ability to journey from one world of upheaval to the next & to get them not just through it all, but also through each other.
Emotional evolution set up against the backdrops of political revolution.
A group of ready for action and battle-hungry military schools cadets find out that the school responsible for their hard-noses is being shut down. Permanently.
Nothing almost nothin' but the military life, they decide to take matters in their own fully-holstered hands.
And to think,
most kids usually can't wait to get outta school.
And I guess she must have liked it because afterwards, she let me feel her up.
Right between the moon and New York City.
And when you think about that, I'm sure you'll agree that that's all the reason I really need to like this flick.
And the topic of discussion?
Everything that 99% of movie-viewers would find to be either way over their heads,
or just plain boring.
In short,
this movie rocks.
Philosophically speaking, that is.
y'know what...?
.....forget the old people in this film. Take a look how hot Jane Fonda looks in this film. I mean damn.....at the time of this movie, that woman was built like a brickhouse. The kind that makes any old man wish for younger days.
Considered a watershed moment in German cinema, its a war film of epic proportions with a down to ocean approach to it's characters. Das Boot depicts the manner in which a U-boat crew maintains its underwater ship in calm waters and during battle and also how it maintains its honor even under the orders of governmental fascism and their assigned missions of impossibility.
Following in the footsteps of fellow SNL alumni Jim Belushi, Murray made a break from late weekend nite sketches to matinee idol lead roles, to begin a streak of early 80's movie hits that culminated with the massive success of Ghostbusters.
IMO, the sly and humbled manner in which he approaches his fame always made me feel like he is that rare type of celebrity who actually deserved the kind of success he had because he is the kind of professional who has earned his Stripes.
(Sorry kids. I know that the majority of you most likely won't understand that comment, b'cuz it's before your time. If you wanna know what it means, just look it up on youtube. That is, if you don't wanna be left in the dark.
And believe me, you don't wanna be left in the dark.
Because, keeping in theme with this list, the dark is where werewolves like dwell.)
IMO,
the An American Werewolf In London is the best ever when it comes to films dealing with the subject of lycanthropy.
The world has ended, and now in the vastness of empty sand, dirt and rubble, gasoline has become the most precious of commodities. A gang of spiked, leather-clad riders of the storm are threatening to overcome a small tribe of survivors living within an oasis of petrol. And if these survivors want to continue to survive, they must a find a way to get themselves and their treasured fuel passed the murderous rogues. Then out from the wastelands, hope of comes riding in the form of a road warrior. Or is he?
The epitome of the ultimate thrill-ride, the second chapter of the Mad Max series is a tale of the atomic aftermath that features one of the most bad-ass lead characters of in of all filmdom, along with a feral wolf-boy and his finger slicing boomerang, a "junk-yard" flame-throwing fortress, an ayatollah of rock-n-rolla, a kick-ass car-chase, thick Australian accents, and more S&M costumes than you will find in a German hardcore porn video (or so I heard...).
Everything you need to make a solid thrill-ride of an action movie that takes place out in the distant, dust covered wasteland remains of a post-apocalyptic outback, "mayt".
One of my favorite memories ever of watching a movie at the cinema involves this one, the first installment of the Indiana Jones franchise.
It was a weekend afternoon back when I was still in high school. My best friend's brother offered to drop us off at the local mall and pick us up later, whenever we wanted (we would call him when we were ready to come home). As soon as we arrived, we noticed that the theater next door was still showing the second Superman movie which had been playing for the better part of the year. So we crossed over the parking lot that separated the mall from the cinema, and watched the movie. After it was done, we went to a pay phone in the lobby to call the older brother. However, as soon as my best friend picked up the receiver, he noticed that there was a theater door very close by. He signaled me to "sneak" in and then quickly followed in after me. We went in blind in with no idea what was playing in that particular theater room. As it turned out, it was Raiders of the Lost Ark, a film we had heard about via their ad campaigns, but since it was the film's opening weekend, we hadn't the slightest clue what the flick was all about.
We had walked in during the scene when Harrison Ford was hanging onto the front of a moving truck, just before he would end up being dragged by it on a very dusty dirt road.
When the movie was done and the room lights came on, me and my best friend looked at each other, completely in awe. We couldn't believe what we had just watched. We sat there discussing just how cool it was. As we chatted, a couple of theater employees came in and started cleaning up the aisles, preparing for the next showing. They ignored us as they finished up their business and left the room. Since they didn't say anything to us, my friend suggested that we just stay in our chairs and see if they kick us out when the movie began showing anew. Soon, the theater was filled with the next group of movie goers, the room went dark, and the next showing began to run. So now, we got to watch the whole movie, instead.
That was the second longest time I spent in a movie theater (the longest time was when I went to watch a Planet of the Apes marathon in a second run theater in our downtown area) since we went in to see am afternoon showing of Superman 2 and by the time our second viewing of Raiders was done, it was dark outside.
But it was well worth it (especially since it was, well... free). As a comic book geek, I found the Man of Steel s second cinematic outing to be pretty awesome, but truth be told, Indy's premiere adventure was even better. What we had witnessed that day wasn't just the emergence of one of the most iconic cinematic protagonists ever, but also, a film chock full old edge of your seat style action, world spanning thrills, and popcorn flavored satisfaction Raiders of the Lost Ark is a collaboration between the Steven Spielberg and George Lucas which resulted in anall-out action adventure film that all others were to be measured by.
It's the second year of the decade of MTv & Gerri-curls, and oh, what a good year in movies it has been. Not because there were an extra amount of quality movies released, but because this was a year that produced a film that showed us Adrienne Barbeau's cleavage (Escape From New York).
And, as any serious film buff/connoisseur knows (and appreciates), any year that gives us a peak at Barbeau's titulating tata's is always a good year.
Updated Entries:
- Sharky's Machine
- Possession
Other Fave Movies Lists By Year:
1970
www.listal.com/list/10-70-my-fave-films
1971
www.listal.com/list/15-71-my-favorite-movies
1972
www.listal.com/list/15-72-my-favorite-films
1973
www.listal.com/list/20-73-my-favorite-films
1974
www.listal.com/list/films-of-1974
1975
www.listal.com/list/20-75-my-favorite-films
1976
www.listal.com/list/20-76-my-favorite-films
1977
www.listal.com/list/20-77-my-favorite-films
1978
www.listal.com/list/20-1978-my-favorite-films
1979
www.listal.com/list/20-79-my-favorite-films
1980
www.listal.com/list/25-from-80-my-favorite
1982
www.listal.com/list/25-82-my-favorite-films
1983
www.listal.com/list/25-83-my-favorite-films
1984
www.listal.com/list/25-84-my-favorite-films
1985
www.listal.com/list/25-85-my-favorite-films
1986
www.listal.com/list/25-86-my-favorite-films
1987
www.listal.com/list/25-87-my-favorite-films
1988
www.listal.com/list/25-88-my-favorite-films
1989
www.listal.com/list/25-89-my-favorite-films
1990
www.listal.com/list/30-90-my-favorite-films
1991
www.listal.com/list/30-91-my-favorite-films
1992
www.listal.com/list/30-92-my-favorite-films
1993
www.listal.com/list/30-93-my-favorite-films
1994
www.listal.com/list/30-94-my-favorite-films
1995
www.listal.com/list/30-95-my-favorite-films
1996
www.listal.com/list/30-96-my-favorite-films
1997
www.listal.com/list/30-97-my-favorite-films
1998
www.listal.com/list/30-98-my-favorite-films
1999
www.listal.com/list/30-99-my-favorite-films
2000
www.listal.com/list/35-00-my-favorite-films
2001
www.listal.com/list/35-1-my-favorite-films
2002
www.listal.com/list/35-2-my-favorite-films
2003
www.listal.com/list/35-3-my-favorite-films
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