Footloose – (1984)
“Teenager” Kevin Bacon moves from Chicago to a Rocky Mountain Mormon town and gets stifled by their crazy rules. He goes head-to-head with town preacher John Lithgow which ultimately results in the local kids putting on a dance! Bacon (who I usually like) looks too old to play a teenager and his dance moves (and obvious dance/gymnast doubles) are laughable. As Lithgow’s rebelling daughter, Lori Singer is pretty good, dying for feminism to reach her town. Dianne Wiest shows much more depth and talent than the movie deserves as Lithgow’s wife. Her voice of reason and smart compromises make the last third of the movie sorta work. The movie’s soundtrack sold millions and millions, but there’s not one song that resonates today. Still, the music is better than the dancing. And the dancing is better than The Mist. C
The Breakfast Club – (1985)
5 “teenagers” – (Judd Nelson, Emilio Estevez, Molly Ringwald, Ally Sheedy, and Anthony Michael Hall) – have to spend a Saturday at their high school in detention for various acts of malfeasance. The film’s going OK for awhile but completely derails when everyone inexplicably decides to smoke pot and tell their life stories. That’s a great solution for kids looking for answers. I can see why some viewers like Nelson’s smarty-pants mouth, but I find it obnoxious and it’s shameless the way he drags everyone else down to his level. Sheedy probably fares the best in terms of acting but she isn’t required to show any range. Estevez and Hall struggle in their cathartic crying scenes, but Ringwald doesn’t embarrass herself too much. The great Simple Minds song was written for the film and won’t be forgotten. The film, woefully overrated, should be. C
Top Gun – (1986) 
There’s at least one great scene where Maverick (Tom Cruise) describes his “inverted” encounter with the MIG to Kelly McGillis and the other fighter pilots. Val Kilmer coughs “Bullsh!t” and Cruise ends the scene standing up with that million watt smile. The rest of the film is super-slick, well-photographed, and riddled with clichés. The actors (especially Tom Skerritt) are all likable enough – even Tim Robbins and Meg Ryan in bit roles. The music actually holds up pretty well, at least better than Footloose. There are some nice edits with the music, especially near the end right before Cruise throws the dog tags. The film is overly jingoistic and simplistic but it’s never dull and there’s great framing of the characters and action in the 2.35:1 widescreen format by director Tony Scott. And way to slip that homoerotic subtext past an unsuspecting public, guys. B-
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
3 Recent Re-viewings - 80s Edition
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
I just watched the first half of Footloose a couple of weeks ago. The teen angst and overbearing father begets rebellion stuff is all done pretty well. But the dancing is so ridiculous. The scene from your photo made me convulse I was laughing so hard. Oddly enough, I actually like the soundtrack. Flight of the Conchords have, of course, semi- parodied the 'angry dance' here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMjgSkfQPSY
I've never seen more than 10 minutes of BC.
You're bagging on Top Gun? Come on! I still love it enough to watch every year - I am too close to it to watch it as a critic. The perfect story, director and actor come together to launch Tom Cruise.
So we've found at least one 80s soundtrack and one Tom Cruise movie that you like better than me.
I didn't criticize Top Gun too much, and I do watch parts of it every 1-2 years. But the Righteous Brothers serenade is painful. And the sudden shift in tone after Goose dies never sits or settles well.
Post a Comment