This
Friday on the Needless Things Podcast I’ll be talking with Beth,
Rad Ranger, and Chris DePetrillo about the pop culture of 1987. We
recorded a
similar episode last year about 1986
(and will do another one next year about 1988 – see the pattern?)
and I accompanied
it with posts
about the toys,
music,
television,
and movies
of the year.
It
all started out as one post, but as I poked around my memory (and the
internet) I realized that there was simply too much great stuff to
include it all in one post. At first glance 1987 seems a bit leaner
in terms of pop culture awesomeness, so I’m going to start this
post with the same intent that I did the first one last year – to
write a single post.
We’ll
see how it goes.
The
movies of 1987.
Seven
of my all-time favorite movies came out in 1987. That is bonkers.
And I’m talking probably Top Twenty material. At least two are Top
Five. This list obviously isn’t every
film that was released back then, but it’s every one that has any
sort of pop culture significance to me.
Side
Note: I used Wikipedia
for this, so it’s possible there are omissions or even
inaccuracies. Just as an example of how Wikipedia can be a
know-nothing bowl of turds, The
Garbage Pail Kids
movie wasn’t even on the list. Chris
will be outraged.
Three
Men and a Baby
– I loved this movie back in the day and watched it plenty of
times. Then, the whole thing with the dead kid in the window came out
and I watched it more. I don’t care how debunked the dead kid is or
how many members of the cast and crew explain it away, every time I
see it, it freaks me out. Dead Kid is the star of the movie now.
Beverly
Hills Cop II
– I love this sequel as much as the original. Not everyone does,
but to me they doubled down on everything in just the right way. Is
the premise ridiculous? Sure. But who cares? Eddie Murphy was a
juggernaut back then, and deservedly so.
Lethal
Weapon
– Speaking of juggernauts, Mel Gibson had been around for a decade
at this point, but his career was about to explode (in a good way, as
opposed to nineteen years later). Written by Shane Black and directed
by Richard Donner, this is still one of the great action/comedy/buddy
cop movies. There’s definitely some nostalgia attached, but I still
think it has held up remarkably well.
Side
Note: If you haven’t checked out the current Lethal
Weapon
TV series, you should. It’s far better than I expected.
Amazon
Women on the Moon
– You would not even believe how notorious this movie was back in
the day. In the schoolyard it was spoken of in the same hushed tones
normally reserved for discussions of Playboy
and curse words. While it earned its “R” rating, once I finally
saw the movie it wasn’t nearly as shocking as I was expecting. In
hindsight it’s funny, but Kentucky
Fried Movie
is far superior.
Back
to the Beach
– I didn’t really have any knowledge of what this movie was
parodying the first time I saw it. I just thought it was a fun, goofy
movie. Highlights include Pee-Wee Herman’s performance of “Surfin’
Bird”, Fishbone and Annette Funicello’s “Jamaican Ska”, Bob
Denver, and Frankie Avalon’s hilarious delivery of the line,
“Why-o, why-o, why-o did I ever leave Ohio?”
I
really want to watch this movie now.
Blind
Date
– While Bruce Willis hadn’t yet played his career-defining
character, Eddie “Hudson Hawk” Hawkins, but he was definitely on
the rise in 1987. I’ve seen this a couple of times and gotten some
laughs out of it. Phil Hartman and John Larroquette also appear, so
I’d give it another watch if it hit Netflix.
Body
Slam
– Despite starring Dirk Benedict and Rowdy Roddy Piper and being
directed by Hal Needham (Cannonball
Run,
Stroker
Ace,
Smokey
and the Bandit),
this is a terrible, terrible movie. Like, probably not even worth a
Needless Commentary terrible. And that’s saying something.
The
Chipmunk Adventure
– I saw this in a theater and I loved
it. The animation is beautiful and it’s a classic globetrotting
adventure story. Hugely underrated.
Creepshow
2 –
“The one with The
Raft”.
Aside from the middle chapter, this sequel did nothing for me. The
other two stories just don’t feel big enough.
Disorderlies
– Yes, back in 1987 it totally made sense that The Fat Boys got a
movie. I thought it was hilarious at the time, but I bet I haven’t
seen it since it first hit HBO or whatever movie channel carried it
back then. I’d give it another shot.
Dragnet
– I only recently found out that people don’t like this movie,
some going so far as to consider it the beginning of the “remake
old dramas as comedies” thing that Hollywood does now. I suppose I
can’t argue the latter, but I watched this a few times in the
decade following its release. Maybe not since then, though. Another
one that I’d watch on Netflix.
Side
Note: It’s shocking how few 80s movies are actually on the
streaming services I have – Amazon Prime and Netflix. I often have
the urge to watch films from the era and there’s rarely anything
available.
Eddie
Murphy: Raw
– I didn’t see this until later in life because obviously Eddie
Murphy’s stand-up is not appropriate for an eleven-year-old. It
remains an excellent example of a feature-length special, but I
prefer Delirious
(though that wasn’t a theatrical release).
Ernest
Goes to Camp
– One of the most endearing and hilarious family comedies of all
time. I can’t honestly say that it’s still a favorite,
but I look on it with great fondness. I wonder how it holds up to
those that didn’t live through the magical era of Ernest P.
Worrell. My son enjoyed Ernest
Scared Stupid,
but didn’t quite seem to get Jim Varney’s shtick.
Evil
Dead II
– And now we have come to one of the films that made my decision so
tough. For years I claimed this as my favorite movie, to the point
where some friends tacked “Evil Dead” onto my name. I couldn’t
even begin to guess how many times I have watched this one. It
literally changed my life as far as my views of entertainment,
filmmaking, and acting. I have tattoos because of this franchise and
this movie, specifically. Tune in to the Needless Things Podcast on
Friday to see if this was one of my picks!
Full
Metal Jacket
– I find Kubrick’s Vietnam-era masterpiece equal parts
fascinating and hard to watch. Every scene that Vincent D’Onofrio
is in makes my stomach churn because they all hit a little too close
to home. My dad was in the military and as much as I loved GI Joe, I
grew up terrified at the idea of being enlisted. His stories combined
with the media of the day made service seem like indentured servitude
in Hell. And I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that I’d be Private
Lawrence.
The
Garbage Pail Kids Movie
– I saw this in a theater with my mom. She aksed if we could please
leave. I sort of wanted to because quite frankly the characters were
horrifying to look at, but there was no way I was missing a movie
about the freaking Garbage
Pail Kids.
I’m honestly not sure if I’ve seen it since. Mrs. Troublemaker
claims to love it. I just ordered a copy from Amazon to put that to
the test:
The
Gate
– This was one of those sort-of-off-the-grid horror flicks that
wasn’t so much scary as just overwhelmingly weird. I’ve got a
copy on the shelf, but I’m not sure I’ve watched it in the last
decade. It might be worth bringing it out for a Needless Commentary.
Good
Morning Vietnam
– Robin Williams’ “Gooooooood
Morning Vietnam!”
was inescapable for years. My dad adopted it as a morning greeting,
radio stations used variations of it for their morning shows, heck,
even Wu-Tang opened one of their tracks with it years later. It’s a
good movie, but not one I necessarily need to see again. I much
preferred 1990’s Air
America.
Hard
Ticket to Hawaii
– Granted, I only recently
discovered this gem
thanks to Attack
of the Show
and Ryan Cadaver, but it is one of the greatest action movies of all
time.
Hell
Comes to Frogtown
– A fixture of USA
Up All Night,
I watched this movie a ton back in the day. It’s not the best and I
wouldn’t buy it, but it might be time to watch it again.
Hellraiser
– One of my top five favorite horror movies. It remains, in my
mind, one of the scariest movies ever made.
Innerspace
– This is one of those movies that I loved at the time and watched
over and over again on cable, but had completely forgotten existed.
Martin Short and Dennis Quaid are both fantastic in it, but something
about it just doesn’t stick. I think it had a shitty poster. I’d
watch this on Netflix right now, though.
The
Lost Boys
– I get that it’s a legendary vampire movie and I don’t dispute
its place in pop culture history, but I just never loved The
Lost Boys.
At the time it just seemed like kind of a pussy movie to me. I keep
telling myself I need to revisit it to see if maybe I’ve softened
in my old age, but I haven’t yet.
The
Monster Squad
– This, on the other hand, is exactly what I wanted the
Lost Boys
to be. At first glance it looks like it might be Nickelodeon
material, but in reality The
Monster Squad
is much harder and edgier than things like The
Goonies
or Gremlins.
Near
Dark
– I didn’t see this movie until years later. This, too, is far
superior to the
Lost Boys.
It’s still about love and vampires, but it’s hardcore as fuck.
Huge thanks to my pal Richard Davis for turning me on to this one
when the Anchor Bay DVD came put. I expect a Scream Factory Blu-ray
treatment sooner than later.
A
Nightmare on Elm Street 3: The Dream Warriors
– Another movie that contributed to an extremely frustrating
selection process. This is my favorite Freddy movie and one of my
favorite movies overall.
Overboard
– Is it okay that I love this movie? I mean, the premise is
completely deranged and would never fly in today’s climate –
Goldie Hawn’s snobby rich lady character gets hit on the head and
loses her memory and Kurt Russell’s working class, overwhelmed
widower basically kidnaps her and forces her into slavery. But it is
HI-LAR-I-OUS.
Slightly shady Kurt Russell is the best Kurt Russell.
Planes,
Trains and Automobiles
– I was going to talk about how much I love this movie and how
incredible Steve Martin and John Candy are as an onscreen duo, but I
just noticed they left out the Oxford comma, so never mind.
Police
Academy 4: Citizens on Patrol
– I think I liked this one a lot. By this time the raunch had been
toned down and they were much goofier, broader movies. I’m pretty
sure this is the one where Bobcat Goldthwait becomes a cop.
Predator
– Yet another addition to my tough decision! This classic is on my
list of nearly perfect movies. Every performance is awesome and the
testosterone levels are through the roof. Even though we all know
every beat of this thing, it still delivers every single time. Like a
goshdarn sexual Tyrannosaurus.
Prince
of Darkness
– Not my favorite of Carpenter’s films, but still very, very
good. I like it more now than I did back when I first saw it.
The
Princess Bride
– While this is on my short list of “perfect” movies, I don’t
honestly know that it’s even my top twenty favorites. It’s
phenomenal, but maybe I’ve seen it too many times now. I still love
it, but there’s something slightly stale about it now. Probably
everyone quotes it too damn much.
Raising
Arizona
– I didn’t see this until after I discovered who the Coen
brothers were because prior to that I didn’t want to watch some
movie about white trash. I live in Georgia. I get enough of that.
It’s clever and funny and one of Nicolas Cage’s best roles that
isn’t Terence McDonagh or John Milton, but it’s not my favorite
work from the Coens.
Redneck
Zombies
– Absolute drek. I never saw the appeal, not even from a camp or
schlock standpoint.
Revenge
of the Nerds II: Nerds in Paradise
– I prefer this to the original. Or at least I did the last time I
saw it, which might have been fifteen years ago. Maybe it’s time
for a Nerds
marathon. The first two, anyway. I have no idea how many more they
made, but I think this was the last to feature most of the original
cast.
RoboCop
– This is the other big one. RoboCop
is a HUGE movie for me and one that’s on my “perfect” list.
Everything about it is outstanding. Tune in Friday to see if this is
my pick!
Roxanne
– I’m not generally a fan of romantic comedies, but I’ll watch
just about anything with Steve Martin in it. I even love the Father
of the Bride
remakes. This one is fun and also stars Daryl Hannah, who is Top Ten
80s Ladies material for
sure.
As a matter of fact, I liked this so much that I tried other versions
of Cyrano de Bergerac, but none had the charm of this modern day
retelling.
The scene with Martin rolling off nose insults is one of the greatest ever.
The
Running Man
– “Who loves you and who do you love?” While plenty of people
acknowledge this movie, I think it was slightly hurt by coming out in
the shadow of Predator.
1987 was different from now – Predator
preceded The
Running Man
by five months, which meant that not only was it still perceived as a
new release when this one hit, it was still in
some theaters.
People were still marveling over Arnie’s bombastic jungle adventure
when this slightly (very
slightly) headier sci-fi dystopia pic came out.
The
Secret of My Success
– I don’t even remember this movie all that well, but I know I
loved everything with Michael J. Fox in it. We all
did. He’s great. Whatever this was about, it’s worth noting that
it made more money than Predator,
Lethal
Weapon,
and RoboCop!
And Dirty
Dancing,
which I haven’t mentioned because it’s a stupid old people movie.
Some
Kind of Wonderful
– I was in
love
with Mary Stuart Masterson in this movie. She and Elias Koteas should
have been the stars as far as I was concerned. Yeah, I know it’s
another rom-com, I said I didn’t generally like them, not that I
didn’t watch them. Sparingly.
Side
Note: I hate the song that shares the film’s name.
Other
Side Note: Boone from Nightbreed
is also in this.
Spaceballs
– Man, apparently talking shit about Spaceballs
has become a thing. Fuck that noise – this movie is fantastic. It
was on my long list of possible picks for Friday, but didn’t quite
make the cut thanks to the tough competition.
Stakeout
– This might have been the movie where I decided I was a fan of
Emilio Estevez. I’m not sure. What I am sure of is that Rosie
O’Donnell ruined the sequel. And everything she was ever in.
Okay,
no – she was pretty funny in Exit
to Eden.
But nobody but me likes that movie.
Steel
Dawn
– As far as I am concerned this is the sequel to Red
Dawn
and Nomad is Jed Eckert. Don’t try to tell me different.
The
Stepfather
– A truly creepy and possibly underrated thriller starring future
LOST
weirdo Terry O’Quinn. I like both of the sequels, too, but the 2009
remake was shit.
Summer
School
– Dave and Chainsaw 4 life. This movie deserves an entire post. I
watched it every single time it was on cable back in the day and
still do. Oddly enough I have never owned it.
Superman
IV: The Quest for Peace
– Even when I was a kid and still fairly accepting of crap I hated
this movie. I hadn’t recognized that Superman
III was
bad, but I knew this one stank on ice.
Throw
Momma from the Train
– When I was younger the bulk of this movie was a little too
mean-spirited for me, despite the happy ending. Now I like it a lot
more. Billy Crystal and Danny DeVito are amazing together.
The
Untouchables
– I mention this only because of Sean Connery, who was the only
reason I watched it. Otherwise I would have avoided that stale loaf
of bread masquerading as a human, Kevin Costner, like the plague.
If
you enjoy movies,
the 80s, or Needless Things, you might enjoy SupportPhantom.com.
Huge thanks to our killer Patrons Zack, Gary, Lucas, and Beau!
Wow, this is a comprehensive list. I have seen most of these films and love them all to varying degrees. I must have watched Summer School at least a hundred times when it aired on HBO or The Movie Channel. This makes me want to see it again. ("It's just like you said, Gills. We're psychopaths!") Some Kind of Wonderful is a great reversal of Pretty in Pink with the proper ending. Good stuff as always, Phantom.
ReplyDeleteThanks, man - I had a lot of fun doing this one. Tune in tomorrow for 1987 - The TV!
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