1985 Movies
OSCARS Won/Nominated
IMDB Top 250
IMDB Top 250
OSCARS
KEVIN'S PICK
Best Picture
Best Director Best Supporting Actor Best Original Screenplay Best Editing Best Cinematography Best Art Direction Best Visual Effects Best Sound Effects Editing Best Sound Best Original Score Best Original Song |
Back to the Future
Dir: Robert Zemeckis Stars: Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, Crispin Glover, Thomas F. Wilson 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die IMDB #43 This is it. You can look at the thousands of movies across the site...and this is the pinnacle. This is my favorite movie of all time...and I honestly could not imagine another movie surpassing it, objectively and subjectively. This film is the rare, brilliant fusion of sci-fi and comedy to works perfectly in every single respect. The nostalgia factor also goes a long, long way. This is a movie I have loved my entire life..and anything I see as an adult, will never have that special something that made me fall in love with this film. The characters, the DeLorean, the most perfect theme music. Even writing this blurb makes me want to watch it again right now...and it will never get old. A+ Bluray |
The Black Cauldron
Dir: Ted Berman & Richard Rich Voices: John Hurt A forgotten Disney film, but it harkens back to the Disney classics of old. It's halfway decent but there is nothing much to this quest film. None of the characters are memorable enough. The adventure to find a magic cauldron and preventing the horned king from getting his hands on it was fine, but is this ANYONE's favorite Disney fantasy adventure? I seriously doubt it. You can't even find any souvenirs based on this film...and THAT is a Disney rarity. C+ |
OSCARS
Best Original Screenplay
Best Art Direction |
Brazil
Dir: Terry Gilliam Stars: Jonathan Pryce, Kim Greist, Robert DeNiro, Michael Palin, Ian Holm, Bob Hoskins, Jim Broadbent, Katherine Helmond 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die I keep trying to like Terry Gilliam. He was part of Monty Python so he has to be good right? Wrong. Time Bandits, Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas, The Brothers Grimm, and now Brazil...movies that all have great ideas behind it but fail in their execution because Gilliam was a bit too preoccupied in making the movies weird. I really like Jonathan Pryce and Michael Palin in this film...but it is all too weird for the sake of weird, and I hate that. I did like the fact that the computer screens were so small that they needed magnifying glasses to see them. Now that was clever!! D+ DVD |
The Breakfast Club
Dir: John Hughes Stars: Emilio Estevez, Judd Nelson, Molly Ringwald, Ally Sheedy, Anthony Michael Hall 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die I am not and have never been too enamoured with the Brat Pack films. People consider this movie somewhat of a masterpiece...but I just don't see it. The story is a bit too obvious and purposefully full of cliched characters. The acting is a little ham-handed and I just don't quite click with it. These John Hughes movies, (this, Pretty in Pink, St. Elmo's Fire) are just lost on me. C+ |
Brewster's Millions
Dir: Walter Hill Stars: Richard Pryor, John Candy I love the idea where a guy has to spend an ungodly amount of money to inherit an even more ungodly sum, but he can't own anything nor give it away...and Richard Pryor is great as the benefactor. Probably my favorite Pryor outing. But I have a thing about Richard Pryor movies...I don't think he is a good actor. He is one of the funniest comedians of all time, for sure, but he doesn't really translate on the screen. It is as if he is always in on the joke with a sort of aw-shucks attitude. It always rubs me the wrong way...but as I said...this is probably my favorite. B- |
Clue
Dir: Jonathan Lynn Stars: Tim Curry, Lesly Ann Warren, Madeline Khan, Christopher Lloyd, Martin Mull, Michael McKean, Eileen Brennan It is a bit embarrassing to give such a small, ridiculous comedy such a high rating...but I can't help it. Based on the board game...this lighting-fast, quick-witted, one-liner extravaganza is one of the funniest films I have ever seen...and it has more rewatchability that almost any film I can think of. Almost every time I watch this film...and it has to be up to the 30+ range, I catch new jokes, new reactions, and I love it more and more. Tim Curry really is the star here...commanding the screen and pushing the plot forward with a near acrobatic control of the screenplay. Every one of the other 6 supporting players have their own chances to shine as well...but when Madeline Khan starts explaining how much she hated Yvette, only to be cut off by Curry's exposition....GOLD!!! A DVD |
OSCARS
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Coccoon
Dir: Ron Howard Stars: Don Ameche, Wilfred Brimley, Hume Cronyn, Brian Dennehy, Steve Guttenberg, Jessica Tandy Ron Howard moved onto this film after Splash, and he is still showing his promise, but this is a bit slower and more dramatic and a bit far-fetched to the point of corniness. However, it is still a sweet movie. I feel like this film was always a well-done twilight zone episode...but not much more. B |
OSCARS
Best Picture
Best Actress Best Supporting Actress Best Supporting Actress Best Adapted Screenplay Best Cinematography Best Art Direction Best Costume Design Best Makeup Best Original Score Best Original Song KEVIN'S PICK
Best Adapted Screenplay
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The Color Purple
Dir: Steven Spielberg Stars: Whoopi Goldberg, Danny Glover, Oprah Winfrey One of the forgotten Spielberg movies, but it has that authentic Spielberg style, even if there was always the issue that a white, Jewish guy should have been the one to adapt Alice Walker's novel. Still...this is Spielberg...and he surrounded himself and populated his film with very capable people and it is pretty great. It is one of his first "mature" films but once couldn't quite "enjoy the film", since the serious subject matter of incest, racism, and abuse is so heavy. Such a shame that is was one of the worst shutouts in Oscar history, going 0 for 11. A- DVD |
An Ewok Adventure: Battle For Endor
Dir: Jim & Ken Wheat Stars: Wilford Brimley, Warwick Davis, Aubree Miller I love this film so much. It is still made for TV and still incredibly corny and on the cheap...but there is just something about it. I love the villains, I love Wilford Brimley's Noah, and seeing those darn Ewok's in full defense mode is just so much fun. It has great themes of loneliness, of friendship, and of camaraderie. Sure...it is all really silly, and has witchcraft, star cruisers, poker brawls, skeleton creatures, and dragons...but it is also great...because it has witchcraft, star cruisers, poker brawls, skeleton creatures, and dragons. B+ DVD |
Fletch
Dir: Michael Ritchie Stars: Chevy Chase, Joe Don Baker The major problem with this movie is that it is one of those comedies that decided it was funny well before it was released. It always insists on Chase and his cleverness and it comes across as full-of-itself and narcissistic. There are a few good jokes in it but Chase is not nearly as funny as he thinks he is. All this self-assuredness makes what the movie actually is come across as lazy. C- DVD |
Follow that Bird
Dir: Ken Kwapis This is exactly what a Sesame Street movie should be. As a kid...it actually makes Sesame Street feel more real because it brings the characters out into the world. They aren't just on an obviously fake street teaching lessons. They are out there having adventures. As an adult, it is SUPER nostalgic. The songs really stick in your head too. A lot of fun. B- |
The Goonies
Dir: Richard Donner Stars: Sean Astin, Josh Brolin, Corey Feldman, Jeff Cohen, Ke Huy Quan, Kerri Greene, Martha Plimpton, Anne Ramsey, Robert Davi, Joe Pantoliano What can be said about The Goonies that hasn't been said already. It is kind of a jeuvenile Indiana Jones movie, and one off the best group-of-friends hijinks movies ever made. What kid diudn't dream about finding a treasure map and go searching for it. It really taps into that fantasy perfectly and it is a great ride. The John Williams score is superb, the villains are a riot, and all the actors just feel real. A- Bluray |
The Jewel of the Nile
Dir: Lewis Teague Stars: Michael Douglas, Kathleen Turner, Danny DeVito, Avner Eisenberg, Spiros Focas Not quite as great as its predecessor...but would consider this film the Jaws 2 to Romancing the Stone's Jaws. Completely solid entertainment that expands on the previous film and really uses what worked so well before...but because it is almost essentially the same movie...it is by definition lesser. B DVD |
Just One of the Guys
Dir: Lisa Gottlieb Stars: Joyce Hyser Joyce Hyser pulls of the girl-as-a-guy hijinx a bit better than other movies, but there really is nothing special to this one. Popular girl is convinced of sexism, so she poses as a boy to get her journal article accepted? Whatever. Completely forgettable. C+ |
Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome
Dir: George Miller Stars: Mel Gibson, Tina Turner Outrageously ridiculous...but not like 2015's Mad Max Fury Road was. This ridiculousness causes smirking and eye-rolling. I really don't think George Miller really knew what he was doing behind the camera back then...but he still had this post-apocalyptic vision that was impressive. Using Tina Turner was strange stunt-casting, even if she provided a decent theme song. D+ |
National Lampoon's European Vacation
Dir: Amy Heckerling Stars: Chevy Chase, Beverly D'Angelo, Dana Hill, Jason Lively It was never going to be as classically hilarious as Vacation, but somehow this is even more offensive and subversive than the first film, in a good way. A lot of the jokes and stereotypes are obvious, overly polite Brits, overly sexed Italians, overly snooty French...while funny....is not groundbreaking. I still really enjoy it though...especially those times when Clark Griswold finally loses it. B DVD |
A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge
Dir: Jack Sholder Stars: Robert Englund After such a great inaugural film, it is a shame that it because almost a parody of itself soon thereafter. There are still some good kills here and there, and Robert Englund is still fun...but the scares arent really there any more. This franchise, very quickly, wore out it's welcome and wouldn't have anything clever until New Nightmare. C |
Once Bitten
Dir: Howard Storm Stars: Jim Carrey, Lauren Hutton, Cleavon Little A decent vampire comedy, which are a dime a dozen these days. Nothing TOO special, but it really does show that we are going to see great things from Jim Carrey. When he models clothes in the department store...you see that classic Carrey glimmer. And...this movie has that great 80s audacity with the dance battle in the gym. So absurdly silly but it is always fun. B- DVD |
OSCARS
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Out of Africa
Dir: Sydney Pollack Stars: Robert Redford, Meryl Streep 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die I think pedigree and beauty can really drag a movie out of mediocrity and into the awards limelight. Out of Africa is gorgeous and well acted...but this simple story about a Danish Baroness and her affair with a big game hunter in Colonial Kenya is just DULL. I don't see the overwhelming praise this one gets. B- DVD |
Police Academy
Dir: Hugh Wilson Stars: Steve Guttenberg, Kim Cattrall, G.W. Bailey, Michael Winslow, David Graf, Bubba Smith, Leslie Easterbrook This movie is SOOOOOO strange, but Tim Burton really injects a lot of charm to this oddball film and makes it a riot. Without an imaginative oddball at the helm, Pee-Wee Herman could come across as obnoxious and creepy. As it is...he is vulnerable, kooky, and actually easy to empathize with. Quotable, breaks the 4th wall, self-aware. It has every strange trope but it all sort of works. B DVD |
Police Academy 2: Their First Assignment
Dir: Jerry Paris Stars: Steve Guttenberg, Bubba Smith, David Graf, Michael Winslow, Bobcat Goldthwait, Marion Ramsey And so begins the slow and steady decline of the Police Academy movies. I am not even a fan of the original film and the only thing that is ever any good is GW Bailey's Capt Harris. Not until #5 will the so bad it's good label make sense. Bobcat is fun to watch though...but it doesn't make any sense. D+ |
OSCARS
Best Original Screenplay
KEVIN'S PICK
Best Actress
|
The Purple Rose of Cairo
Dir: Woody Allen Stars: Mia Farrow, Jeff Daniels, Danny Aiello 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die This film is one of Woody Allen's most magical fables. It is a love-letter to the movies...and that is something right up my alley. Mia Farrow is the gentle woman who finds her only solace from the Depression and her abusive husband at the theater, and "The Purple Rose of Cairo" is her favorite movie. Things get a bit crazy when the film's star (Jeff Daniels) walks right off the screen because he is in love with Farrow and has noticed her in the audience several times. I loved the comedy surrounding the cast left up on the screen and how Hollywood is going haywire since one of its characters has walked into the real world. It is amazing I had never seen this Allen flick, since now it is up on the top of my favorites of Allen's. A- DVD |
Re-Animator
Dir: Stuart Gordon Stars: Jeffrey Combs, Bruce Abbott, Barbara Crampton This one I do not get. I have been hearing about the campy, grotesque fun that is Re-Animator for years...but it is just awful. Its not so bad its good...its just bad. Jeffrey Combs is very fun to watch, but there was nothing scary, exciting, or even funny about this film. The entire film was just BORING. Ugh, what a waste of time. D |
OSCARS
Best Visual Effects
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Return to Oz
Dir: Walter Murch Stars: Fairuza Balk Just as Pee-Wee's movie is very strange...so is this one. Some people really dig this one's strangeness, but I don't quite buy it. Oz is a whimsical place, full of adventure, songs, and beautiful, vibrant color. This return is darker, washed out, and odd. There is money and imagination on the screen, but it just isn't great. C- |
KEVIN'S PICK
Best Costume Design
Best Makeup |
Santa Claus: The Movie
Dir: Jeannot Szwarc Stars: Dudley Moore, John Lithgow, David Huddleston Quite possibly my favorite Christmas movie. As classic the Santa story as you can get...with the mythology behind the big, red suit, the reindeer, and the presents treated respectfully and seriously. But it is also like a superhero origin story. We see his adventures becoming and living as Santa. Then we get the B story with the Elf and the supervillain. I can't get enough of it. A- DVD |
OSCARS
Best Sound
Best Original Score |
Silverado
Dir: Lawrence Kasdan Stars: Scott Glenn, Kevin Kline, Kevin Costner, Danny Glover, John Cleese, Brian Dennehy, Jeff Goldblum, Rosanna Arquette, Linda Hunt After the Golden Age of cinematic Westerns, the genre usually included fresh takes, satires, or re-imaginings. What Silverado is is a perfect throwback to those westerns. It is exactly one of them. It has the joyfulness, archetypes, and PG violence of the best of the classics. Look at that cast!! It's pretty crazy. The story is nothing to really write home about. It is essentially a bunch of threads that wind up in the town of Silverado with Brian Dennehy's corrupt sheriff. Still...it is a lot of fun and Lawrence Kasdan makes the pleasure of the experience almost effortless! B+ |
Teen Wolf
Dir: Rod Daniel Stars: Michael J. Fox Yet ANOTHER dumb 80s comedy, but Michael J. Fox was at the height of his stardom and can carry a movie like no other. Even this werewolf movie. It has a lot of allegory for puberty, his best friend Stiles is a classic 80s sidekick. His girlfriend Boof is as cute as a button, and it all culminates in a Basketball game. It is just all so 80s. Look close at the end. A guy in the stands has his penis out. B- |
Weird Science
Dir: John Hughes Stars: Kelly LeBrock, Anthony Michael Hall, Bill Paxton, Robert Downey Jr. I don't know if this is considered a Brat Pack movie...but I feel the same way. I don't think this movie is as clever or as funny as history seems to think it is. Kelly LeBrock is also not as hot as film history thinks she is. Just Meh. Maybe I just don't like John Hughes very much? C- |
OSCARS
KEVIN'S PICK
Best Actor
Best Supporting Actress |
Witness
Dir: Peter Weir Stars: Harrison Ford, Kelly McGillis, Lukas Haas This film begins as a run-of-the-mill police procedural...but it turns into an almost meditation on life, protection, forbidden love, and respect for the different. Watching Peter Weir navigate Harrison Ford around the Amish life could have played for corniness or laughs...but he achieves respect, awe, and almost jealousy about these people, their peaceful community, and their sense of altruism. Add on top of that the intensity of the cop drama embedded under the surface and you have quite an experience. I don't think Ford has ever done a better acting job then he did here. Great stuff!! B+ |