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Do you kids want to Understand the 80's movies

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C

C4Lukins

Junior Member
So I was born in 80. So it is really difficult to actually say I was an 80's kid. It was not until I was maybe 5, which would be the mid 80's where I even knew what was going on.

Despite that, this is actually a thread about film. And I would argue that the 80's are the worst decade for film.

There are some classics in there. There is a lot of terrible shit as well. When you see the new Transformers film which is garbage, realize that our equivalent was Flight of the Navigator, and we were lucky to get more then one sci-fi film or decent kids film every 6 months.

That being said. Watch these 15 films, and you will get a decent idea of what the 80's were for young kids.

Poltergeist
Gremlins
Goonies
ET
Transformers the Movie
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
Ghostbusters
Star Wars Return of the Jedi
Sixteen Candles
The Breakfast Club
Back to the Future
Romancing the Stone
Top Gun
St Elmos Fire
The Princess Bride

I am aware these are not obscure, but just about anyone who grew up in the 80's watched all of these films. So if you want to know what it was like, watch these films.
 
S

Shaanyboi

Banned
I know a handful of those I'll want to show my kids... uhh.. when I have kids. Ghostbusters, Gremlins, Back to the Future, Breakfast Club, ET, Princess Bride... I'm curious as to how they'll attach to them.

There's a lot of movies I'd want to show them.
 
A

Alphahawk

Member
Granted I haven't seen Poltergeist, but I can't imagine it being appropriate for a kid under 10.

Also I quite liked Flight of the Navigator.
 
V

Venture

Member
Interesting. I was born in the 70's and always felt the 70's was the worst decade for films. Not a bad list but I'd also mention War Games and Time Bandits.
 
C

C4Lukins

Junior Member
Venture said:
Interesting. I was born in the 70's and always felt the 70's was the worst decade for films. Not a bad list but I'd also mention War Games and Time Bandits.
Click to expand...

I love War Games. But the 70's is actually thought of as one of the best decades in film, if not the best. But probably not for kids.
 
C

C4Lukins

Junior Member
Cowlick said:
You want a nightmare, you want Return to Oz. Headless witch with cabinets of screaming heads will fuck you up.
Click to expand...

That was a fucked up movie that I cannot contemplate why it even exists. What market were they going for? Babes in Toyland with Drew Barrymore and Keanu Reeves is another film that I cannot understand its existence. Total nightmare fuel.
 
C

C4Lukins

Junior Member
Green Slime said:
Wait, what's wrong with Labyrinth? I loved that movie as a kid, and still love it now. Probably one of my top ten movies of all time.
Click to expand...

I was just saying it was a scary movie for a kid. I love it as well.

But it is a dark story. A sister wishes her crying baby brother away, and he gets sucked into this crazy world. And then David Bowie really wants to keep the baby, and sings songs about it. It is really messed up when you think about it.
 
Bitanator

Bitanator

Member
C4Lukins said:
It is a PG film.
Click to expand...

It is the 80s PG movies were a bit more loose, hell sixteen candles had titties, Howard the Duck showed a pair of duck tits, and a mini condom. Poltergeist would give a bunch of kids nightmares, that clown... there is a reason nightlights are so commonplace
 
L

Laughing Black

Banned
I'd like to add a few more from that period worth watching...they may not all be from the 80's, but they have 80's vibe. These are more obscure, but very fun too.

Cat People
Xanadu
The Sword and the Sorcerer
Snow Crash (more like 70's but it would have been fun to watch in the 80's).
Red Sonja
Excalibur
Robot Jox
Enter the Dragon
Fist of Fury
Dune
Enemy Mine
The Last Starfighter
Altered States
Mad Max 2
Heavy Metal
Tron
Videodrome
The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension

These aren't all meant to be works of art, but really celebrate the openness towards the industry taking risks in all different directions in a celebration of how easy it was becoming to share ideas through film. I loved these movies as a kid and still get a kick out of them today. More experimentation than you'll find in today's movies, despite all the hype over innovative story telling. These 80's movies were messy, crazy, and fun and mainstream. That was back when there were a lot more different brands.

I won't say you'd like everyone one of these if you started watching, but at least you'd get an idea of how broadly their ideas ranged. Maybe that's present today and I'm just missing it, but I find many modern movies to lack that fun of the early days. So much money is involved these days that Hollywood looks less like its drug addled, devil may care self and more like Wall Street. Am I imagining that difference or what? Maybe people are more focused these days for a good reason. Anyway, it's still fun to see the difference in the two periods.

There's so many more good ones. Thanks for starting this thread!
 
C

C4Lukins

Junior Member
Bitanator said:
It is the 80s PG movies were a bit more loose, hell sixteen candles had titties, Howard the Duck showed a pair of duck tits, and a mini condom. Poltergeist would give a bunch of kids nightmares, that clown... there is a reason nightlights are so commonplace
Click to expand...

Yeah but my list, and what I am hoping from other people who comment in this thread, includes Poltergeist. I saw it when I was 6 or 7, and yeah it fucked me up a bit. But I still loved it between the nightmares. That was my 80's childhood. And I would not change a thing. It is good to fear clowns. Lessons were learned.
 
Bitanator

Bitanator

Member
C4Lukins said:
Yeah but my list, and what I am hoping from other people who comment in this thread, includes Poltergeist. I saw it when I was 6 or 7, and yeah it fucked me up a bit. But I still loved it between the nightmares. That was my 80's childhood. And I would not change a thing. It is good to fear clowns. Lessons were learned.
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Oh I understand man, every kid watched that movie, I know my brother made me stay up late with his buddies and scarred me to death with that movie haha. It just seemed with your comment on it being PG made less shocking or something.
 
Wolfe

Wolfe

Member
Big Trouble in Little China
Krull
Beast Master

Trying to keep these in the category of watched as a kid. I was born in 82 and I definitely consider myself a child/youth of the 80's+90's. I think it's fair to count the years you were very young, specifically kindergarten and beyond although I still remember plenty of stuff from preschool as well.
 
C

C4Lukins

Junior Member
Wolfe said:
Big Trouble in Little China
Krull
Beast Master

Trying to keep these in the category of watched as a kid. I was born in 82 and I definitely consider myself a child/youth of the 80's+90's. I think it's fair to count the years you were very young, specifically kindergarten and beyond although I still remember plenty of stuff from preschool as well.
Click to expand...

All three of those are great. Krull and Beastmaster especially were big for me. They are also both super fucked up movies. There was some weird shit going around back then.
 
H

halfbeast

Banned
C4Lukins said:
But you should still watch it because it is a very strange 20 something 80's film that would never exist today.
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was it the one where demi moore plays a spoiled brat? I can't imagine kids actually want to watch it. that's more for teens who dream of moving out of their parents' home.

as a kid from the 80s I remember watching a lot of teen movies where some super popular person dies and has to help a nerdy kid to get laid, so he/she can go to heaven. that and john cusack being in everything.
 
K

kamorra

Fuck Cancer
I was born in 77. So I'm a true 80s kid. In my opinion the 80s were one of the greatest decades for movies. I'll refrain from posting another list, it would be too long anyway.
 
S

SCULLIBUNDO

Banned
You seriously complaining about there being no 80s sci-fi for kids? Blame your parents.

The Terminator, Aliens, The Abyss, Predator are just movies your parents thought your mind wasn't evolved enough to sample.
 
J

JasonUresti

Member
Better Off Dead and One Crazy Summer were big movies for young me in the 80's. Those films influence far out reaches the box office success they had.

And John Cusack can get the fuck out with him getting all pretentious and whining about how the movies made him look stupid. Dude's a one note actor with middling success, and his pouting is one of the main reasons the above mentioned films director, Savage Steve Holland, stopped directing for a while.
 
A

Always-honest

Banned
Well yeah, you'd have to be born in the 70's to really experience those films in the right feels, don't you?
There were good things in the 80's. But even at that time i thought everything was poor taste in the 80's. Now i can appreciate it a bit more.
 
Z

Zeus Molecules

illegal immigrants are stealing our air
Green Slime said:
Transformers: The Movie was a glorified toy commercial that will be / is meaningless to kids today.
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.... Optimus prime dying was the 80 ' version of Mufasa dying. Also on a side note story wise it's still the best transformer movie.

Also movies aimed at teenagers define that decade better than anything that was made for kids.
 
D

Discotheque

Banned
Scullibundo said:
You seriously complaining about there being no 80s sci-fi for kids? Blame your parents.

The Terminator, Aliens, The Abyss, Predator are just movies your parents thought your mind wasn't evolved enough to sample.
Click to expand...

yeah i thought every kid in the world had at least seen aliens and predator.
 
T

teruterubozu

Member
Kids watched comedies too, like National Lampoon's Vacation, Airplane!, Planes Trains and Automobiles, Uncle Buck, etc., etc.

And Ferris Bueller.
 
H

Herne

Member
C4Lukins said:
I was just saying it was a scary movie for a kid. I love it as well.

But it is a dark story. A sister wishes her crying baby brother away, and he gets sucked into this crazy world. And then David Bowie really wants to keep the baby, and sings songs about it. It is really messed up when you think about it.
Click to expand...

It's that Jareth wants to turn the baby into a goblin, not that David Bowie wants to keep the baby and sing to/about it. My sisters and I adored that film when we were younger, we used to watch our worn VHS copy - recorded from the tv version - every day for years.

frankie_baby said:
Watership down is definitely not a film for kids but it's a film every kid should watch
Click to expand...

Agreed. That film still gives me the heebie-jeebies. Fuck the Black Rabbit of Inlé.
 
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