1980s
Gremlins, an ’80s holiday classic, comes mainly from two influences: old-fashioned sci-fi/horror and the Looney Tunes.
Now streaming on Sundance Now is Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s final film, Kamikaze 1989. While mostly nonsensical, it’s a joy to watch.
Evil Dead 2 succeeds in finding the twisted humor within the horror genre and makes the film a memorable exercise of cartoonish entertainment.
Nostalgia is fine when it comes to the entertainment we love, but it can also have unseen dangers, especially in our current digital age.
Premiering back in 1984, Buckaroo Banzai has long been a prized cult classic, though perhaps one that is lesser-known in the wider world.
Sure, it’s a terrible film, yet Silent Night, Deadly Night 2 has elements to make it an entertaining cult classic in the making.
Albert Brooks’s cult classic Lost in America is not just one of the funniest films of the 1980s, but a subtle examination of perspective, too.
Old Enough is an affectionately accurate depiction of how it feels to grow into an age when the opinions of friends are all that matters.
Thirty years on, Alan Clarke’s fitfully funny film, Rita, Sue and Bob Too, still holds up as a first-rate character study and resonant critique of the Thatcher era.
Willow has a special place in many film lovers’ hearts. Many of those who love the 1988 fantasy epic saw it as children, and at that young age, the film was possibly the greatest cinematic achievement they had ever seen. There were unlikely heroes, wondrous creatures and imaginative magic filling nearly every frame.
There’s a strange dichotomy surrounding the films of John Hughes, both written and directed. In one sense, there have been few directors that have so understood the angst of the teenage experience. Yet, conversely, Hughes’ depiction of both race and gender are entirely at odds with his apparent insight into the teen condition.
In recent years, the gangster film seems to be a stale genre, with a majority of the films lacking any distinctive qualities. Last year’s Black Mass is a prime example, with the only really memorable aspect of the film being Johnny Depp’s performance. Viewed against this backdrop, then, The Infiltrator just manages to stand out amongst modern films.
Over at our official Facebook page, we are currently posting daily film recommendations, with each week being a different theme. This is a collection of those recommendations! This week’s theme is underrated horror films from the 1980’s.
Over at our official Facebook page, we are currently posting daily film recommendations, with each week being a different theme. This is a collection of those recommendations! This week’s theme is the year of 1986.
With Batman v Superman getting ready to take over the world, the previous incarnations of The Caped Crusader and The Man of Steel are trending once again. Some of the finest actors and directors in Hollywood have had dealings with these two superheroes over the years, but one such luminary, it seems, has never been forgiven for the way he treated the Son of Krypton 36 years ago. However, it really does need pointing out to some ardent Superfans that far from a being a hack director-for-hire, Superman II director Richard Lester is actually one of the most important names from the New Hollywood era.