Goat Boy wrote:Some 80s films I enjoy...
Cheers Dougie, here's what I think (and apologies for any errors, I didn't fact check, relied on memory, always a dangerous game at my age).
The shining - Never seen, because it's a horror movie (see below) and JN is a pathetic ham
The Elephant Man - Seen on TV. Not keen. Thought John Hurt was a bit mannered, but basically the same problem with this as with Eraserhead - direction was alienating
Airplane! - Seen on TV several times. One of the really great comedy films, brilliant
Fanny and Alexander - only seen once on TV. I know that Bergman considers it his best film, but nothing comes close to Cries and Whispers for me – which is not to say F&A is not a very fine movie, it's just a bit quiet sand contemplative and muted rainbows after the sex and religion blood storm of C&W
Raging Bull - Never seen
King of Comedy - Never seen
Raiders of the Lost Ark - enjoyable pop trash with a huge hole in the story line, viz that Indy actually does nothing to advance the plot. Without him the Nazis still find the Ark, open it and die (this insight courtesy of A F Fowler)
Das Boot - saw the TV miniseries, which I enjoyed, in a masochistic way (I'm claustrophobic)
The Thing (in fact lots of great and occasionally funny horror films: Evil Dead 1 and 2, Reanimator, Videodrome, The Fly, The Entity, Henry Portrait of a Serial Killer etc) - I heartily dislike horror movies and have not intentionally seen one since the 1960s. I did see Henry, which I would not class as a horror movie, on TV, and liked it. Come to think of it, the preponderance of horror and slasher movies is one reason I went off cinema in the 1980s
Akira - never seen whole movie, odd bits look great, will watch if it ever comes on TV
Bladerunner - seemed to me like a police procedural with twiddly bits. Wasn't overly impressed. And Harrison Ford always strikes me as a bit wooden. A fine mahogany perhaps, but definitely ligneous
Fitzcarraldo – Never seen, by choice. Not keen on German cinema
Once Upon A Time In America - seen a couple of times on TV. A great, immersive sprawl of a movie. Really very fine in my view
Withnail and I - seen on TV. I don't find it as amusing as some. It's got a faint air of Carry On Resting about it. REG is at least mildly annoying in everything
Amadeus - a biopic of Mozart in a Ken Russell stylee. I should fucking coco. Never seen
Paris, texas - saw once on TV. Can't remember a thing about it except HDS looking mournful
Spinal Tap - seen on TV, more than once. Pretty funny, but ultimately a bit short and in-jokeish
Ran - Never seen
Come and See - never heard of it
Blue Velvet - saw on TV. First Lynch film I actually enjoyed, and not just for the Orbison, but his best work was yet to come. On TV
Manhunter - saw this on TV, I think. This is the Lecter film with Gus Grissom as the FBI guy? It's all right. Enjoyed it more than Silence of the Lambs, anyway
The Vanishing - Never seen
Do The Right Thing - Never seen
Aliens - Never seen any of the franchise. Horror films. Just say no
Local Hero - Yeah, that's a goodie. I like Forsyth's stuff. Gregory's Girl I enjoyed a little bit more, mind.
So, yeah, some great films there and a few clunkers (IMO). Thanks for the list, seriously – I'd forgotten some of those, or put them in another decade.
But it still stands that Cheers (275 episodes) and Hill Street Blues alone, every episode watched at least half a dozen times, never mind MOTD, Gardener's World and all those US sitcoms I listed, gave me much more viewing pleasure in the decade than all the good ones put together. That's all I'm saying.
Oh, and Airplane reminds me that Police Squad was an ’80s thing, and that contains more belly laughs just about than Airplane, because it's long form and the continuing gags get to develop.
And Dallas was a great piece of TV.