Posted on 06/11/2012 8:43:04 AM PDT by DemforBush
IMHO, 1939 was the year for movies.
GWTW
Young Mr. Lincoln
Wizard of Oz
Stagecoach
Drums Along the Mohawk
I could go on...
I have seen all of them and I agree - Garp was crap.
"Why do they call you Lassie?" "I-I-I-I-don't-don't-kno-O-O-O-O-OW-W-W-W-W!"
Blade Runner is still high on my list of favourite films for so many reasons. Syd Mead did an excellent job creating much of the film’s visual appeal.
Porky’s....silly but funny.....I loved Balbricker....and who can not like Damone in Fast Times.....
I had to read the book for a modern literature class in college.
The book was better than the movie.
I was thinking the same thing as I was reading the responses.
An absolutely perfect horror flick. The acting is great, the plot is frightening and credible, the pacing of the movie is perfect, the special effects were revolutionary.
Two that stand the test of time...
The Road Warrior
Blade Runner
You, sir, are a heathen and no fan of popular cinema.
Actually I’m a woman. But my hubby also read it so that makes 3 of us.
-—1982 movies not on the list:
Porky’s
48 Hrs.
The Year of Living Dangerously
The Verdict
Diner (How could they leave this out?)-—
Diner is my second-favorite all-time movie. It launched a bunch of careers.
Verdict was excellent.
The Thing is one of the all-time great horror/suspense movies. Holds up remarkably well.
What a year for movies!
Not by much.
Not only that but the isolated "cut-off" environment of being all alone out in the middle of the Artic and the claustophobia of being confined in that tiny little research station created a very spooky mood and atmosphere. John Carpenter really did an outstanding job with that movie.
To Spielberg's credit, although he did "improve" the movie (most notoriously, poorly replacing federal agents' guns with walkie-talkies, amongst other small changes), when the DVD came out for the first time, it had both the new version and the original theatrical release in the box.
Compare that to George Lucas, who only reluctantly released the theatrical cuts of the Star Wars original trilogy to DVD, only for a limited time, and at a poor resolution to boot.
Not a nice game of chess.
Yes, and Penn got to speak an all-time classic movie line...
“You dick!”
geeze those are the only 2 I would recommend also
The Road Warrior
Catapaulted Mel Gibson to stardom. I liked his contemporaneous roles in Gallipoli and The Year of Living Dangerously far better, but this sequel to Mad Max was the quirky movie that caught Hollywood's attention. Other than that, this film has little to offer 30 years later. Not a classic.
Rocky III
Rocky was a classic film. Rocky II plodded along, but had the feel-good ending Rocky should have had. Rocky III was just pure cotten candy entertainment and a gold mine for Sylvester Stallone and Mr. T. Classic? Not so much. I pity the fool who thinks so.
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
After the failure of the original Star Trek movie, this very good film rescued the Star Trek franchise for further sequels and helped launch the creation of 4 new Star Trek televsion series. The movie is well-written and fun, but not quite a classic.
E.T.
The film's commercial success cemented Spielberg's status as an A-list director. I remember liking the story at the time. While at a less plodding pace than Spielberg's Close Encounters, the ET storyline now seems slow, wooden, schmaltzy and formulaic. Not a classic.
Poltergeist
Juxtaposed with ET, this Spielberg written and produced film has actually stood the test of time and remains one of my favorite films. It is still scary and relevant today.
Blade Runner
Quirky, dark and interesting. Ridley Scott's film remains so today. A classic.
The Thing
This John Carpenter remake is a classic. Like Carpenter's other classic film, 1978's Halloween, The Thing still keeps viewers on the edge of their seats.
Secret of NIMH
Still a great story. This film's true importance lies in the fact that a Disney exile, Don Bluth, was able to create an intelligent animated film for the entire family. Animated films had become a dying breed of infantile and boring films. NIMH changed how Disney and other animated film makers would make future films. An under-appreciated, but absolute classic film on many levels.
Tron
While not a commerical success, this Disney film had tremendous special effects and a good story. Still the best symbolic depiction of computer terms and programs. But a film classic? Not really.
The World According to Garp
Good performances from Robin Williams (playing Robin Williams) and John Lithgow. Lousy story from a lousy book. Surely there were other films from 1982 that merited classic consideration.
An Officer and a Gentleman
A good story and great supporting performances from Louis Gossett, Jr. and David Keith. Unfortunately, the lead roles were filled by Debra Winger and Richard Gere(bil). For that reason alone, this film should never appear on ANY list of classics.
Night Shift
Wow, this film is a pleasant surprise on a list of classics. This film cemented future film partnerships between director Ron (Opie Talyor/Richie Cunningham) Howard and the writing team of Lowell Ganz & Babaloo Mandel. Night Shift launched the film career of Michael Keaton who turned in a fantastic, lunatic supporting performance. To this day, I remain surprised that Henry Winkler didn't receive offers in future romantic comedies after an against-type (Fonzie) strong performance. A very, very good and fun film, but not a classic.
Pink Floyd’s The Wall
Sorry, I need at least a six-pack (probably more) or some other intoxicant to watch this film with any sense of appreciation. This film was and is disturbing, disjointed, dark and plodding.
Fast Times and Ridgemont High
The film has a disjointed storyline and promotes abortion, teen sex, masturbation and drug use. Yet, I would absolutely identify this flim as a classic. Despite its debauchery, it actually had a morality tale and a happy ending. The film launched the careers of Judge Reinhold, Forest Whitaker and Sean Penn and featured iconic performances by Penn and veteran actor Ray Walston. And the swimming pool scene of Phoebe Cates has been happily burned into my memory forever (admit it, men!). Fast Times was a pioneer in using a music soundtrack (later perfected by John Hughes) as an important and prominent feature in "teen" films.
Final Score:
5 Classics - Poltergeist, Blade Runner, The Thing, NIMH and Fast Times
1 Near Miss - Khan
4 Good Films - Road Warrior, Rocky III, ET and Night Shift
3 Bad Films - Conan, Officer & Gentleman and Tron
2 Awful Films - Garp and The Wall
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