Randomness... 1980-1982

by Nathaniel R

NINE TO FIVE

In addition to sojourns into the current Oscar race, we've been feeling some 1980s nostalgia of late. So let's indulge in the "Totally Awesome 80s" this month. We'll pepper in some 80s themed posts in between the current Oscar race coverage. Let's begin with the early 80s because...why not? Since The Film Experience began in 2000, any list shared here about years before that was a strange combination of modern viewings mixed with childhood or teenage or college memories. I always wonder how accurate 'old' top ten lists would be if I actually sat down and watched as many movies from those years as I do now. I recently watched Gremlins (1984), for example, which I loooooved as a kid and was mostly bored. 'When does this get clever? funny? exciting?' Not that you should ever judge a movie from an airplane viewing; it's about the worst possible way to view a motion picture given those tiny screens, cramped quarters, muffled sound, and in-flight interruptions.

Herewith 'top ten lists' (HIGHLY SUBJECT TO CHANGE UPON REWATCHES) about the early 1980s with a note as to when I first or last saw the film...

1980 alphabetically

• 9 to 5 (Colin Higgins) - Probably saw this first on television in the 1980s but have seen it periodically since - last time in 2015. Dolly, Lily, and Jane remain iconic as celebrities; isn't it wonderful that some things (albeit very few things) never change?
• Airplane (Abrahams/Zucker/Abrahams) -Thought this was hilarious in the 1980s. But I only remember about three jokes. Have not seen it since.
• The Empire Strikes Back (Irving Keschner) - I am fully over the Star Wars universe from oversaturation as an adult but as a child I was as obsessed as anyone who grew up during the original releases. This was not the first movie I ever saw in theaters (I wish I could remember the first time) but it is my earliest actually vivid moviegoing memory (summer 1980). Curiously I've seen it less times than the films that sandwiched it even though it's the best of the franchise. Most recent viewing was the 1997 rerelease in theaters.
• Fame (Alan Parker) - Didn't fully 'get' this one when I first saw it in highl school (years after its release) which is funny since it's a high school movie. But as an adult it is quite interesting as a period piece. All contemporary films become period pieces! Saw it last about ten years ago at a screening hosted by a drag queen here in NYC.
• Ordinary People (Robert Redford) VS Raging Bull (Martin Scorsese). Didn't see this Oscar Rival Pair until the 1990s when I was trying to fill in Oscar gaps and curious as to why people were so mad that Bull lost. Happily surprised to prefer Ordinary People as that usually is not the case when you see an older Oscar battle in which modern critics prefer the losing film. Rewatched Raging Bull in the 2013 for a Smackdown and still admire it more than I actually like it.
• The Shining (Stanley Kubrick) I had never seen this all the way through until I watched it on a trip with friends in the Aughts (!!!) when we were staying in a cabin in the cold and pitch-black woods. An ideal viewing experience apart from the tiny TV screen.
• Stardust Memories (Woody Allen) Didn't see this until I was an adult a decade later and remember admiring it. Barely remember it. Have not revisited.
• Superman II (Richard Lester) I was convinced this was the best superhero movie of all time until Spider-Man II in 2004. There have been other capable Superman performances but still no one as deft as Christopher Reeve at toggling between Clark Kent and the Kryptonian. I'm late but eager to see Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story (2024) which arrived in October.
• Tess (Roman Polanski) Have zero recall. Probably a rental in the late 80s or early 90s. Conclusion: I need to see more 1980 pictures.

 

1981

alphabetically

RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK

• Absence of Malice (Sydney Pollack) When I rewatched this for a Smackdown five years ago (can't actually recall if I had ever seen it before then) it was merely good. I need to see more 1981 pictures as an adult.
• Atlantic City (Louis Malle) Did you ever watch a movie as a teenager and think 'I'll like this more when I'm older!' That's the only memory I have of it other than Sarandon and the lemons. 
• Body Heat (Lawrence Kasdan) Saw it again a few years ago at a movie theater. Still brilliant and Kathleen Turner deserved an Oscar (something that would happen a few times though she was only ever nominated once - ARGH!). One of the best films of the 1980s. 
• Dragonslayer (Matthew Robbins) Haven't seen this since I was a kid but the studio sent me the blu-ray when it was remastered. Should rewatch it.
• Excalibur (John Boorman) Tried to watch this recently on streaming somewhere and realized I wasn't in the mood. First saw it in my early teenage years probably since I was really into Camelot stories.
• The French Lieutenant's Woman (Karel Reisz) Had a lot of issues with this one when I rewatched it for some project or another here at TFE. For me it's one of Streep's few 'off' notes in her superlative late 70s to late 80s run.
• On Golden Pond (Mark Rydell) Watched this for a Smackdown and kept thinking 'it'd be so cool if films like this could still be blockbusters'. Audiences had such a broader range of taste in the 1980s and 1990s. 
• Raiders of the Lost Ark (Steven Spielberg) Still perfect. Favourite Spielberg. I was so happy that this topped our Spielberg list when we did a Team Top Ten in 2021
• Reds (Warren Beatty) Still one of a kind. Last rewatched in 2020.
• Time Bandits (Terry Gilliam) I have not a single memory of this one. I saw it theaters as a kid. Conclusion: I need to see more 1981 pictures.

 

1982

alphabetically

THE VERDICT

• Bladerunner (Ridley Scott) - Breathtaking still. Didn't see it in on the big screen until the 1990s with a rerelease but had seen it before and would see it again multiple times. It has the curious distinction of arguably being the only movie ever improved by obsessive director-tinkering after the fact; losing the narration really elevated it. A+
• The Dark Crystal (Jim Henson & Frank Oz) -Was obsessed as a child and wanted to become a puppeteer.
• Diva (Jean-Jacques Beineix) - The first French film I was ever obsessed with. Rented it multiple times as a teenager back when video stores still existed. Haven't seen it in a long time but suspect it would hold up.
• E.T. The Extra Terrestrial (Steven Spielberg) -You were required to love this a kid in the 80s. It's the only movie I ever remember seeing with my grandma (who didn't like it!). Have not seen since the 80s!
• Gandhi (Richard Attenborough) I believe this was the first movie I ever saw because of Oscar buzz. Early 1983 was when I realized what the Oscars were and was intrigued to know more. Loved it at the time but people say it doesn't hold up.
• An Officer and a Gentleman (Taylor Hackford) I can't remember this but I have seen it. Possibly in the early 90s? 
• One From the Heart (Francis Coppola) Same apart from a few indelible images.
• Tootsie (Sydney Pollack) - One of the defining films of the 1980s and deservedly so. Have seen it multiple times. Last time maybe seven years ago?
• The Verdict (Sidney Lumet) - Watched it for the first time last year. Very solid adult drama! 
• Victor/Victoria (Blake Edwards) - And we end with the reason for this post. Discussion of Victor / Victoria coming tomorrow after an October rewatch.