The early 80s are when movie years can go off the rails. This year is one of the weaker ones so far, with one all timer, but a weak one at that. The saving grace of the year is the new talent on display: Tom Cruise became a star this year, John Hughes began his movie studies on middle America, and the greatest Christmas classic was born.
I knew it growing up as the crying movie. James L. Brooks’s first movie is a tearjerker for sure, and pretty darn manipulative too. But it won a ton of Oscars because it’s cast makes the story work, especially Shirley MacLaine, Jack Nicholson, and Huckleberry Fox.
Following up the greatest sci-fi and adventure movies of all time, Lawrence Kasdan made this little gem. It’s about that time about a decade after college, when the world has thrust responsibility and reality upon you. Set at a funeral of all their mutual friends, a group of some of the best actors in the business meet up and talk about who they were and who they are now. It could stand to go a little deeper, but it nails the perfect tone of serious but jovial. And it boasts one of the best movie soundtracks ever.
The Python’s were losing some of their steam from the stellar 70s run. Doesn’t matter though, because the good vignettes are as good as anything else they’ve done. The satire is much more mean and targeted this time, like a father selling his children because he can’t afford that many kids (thanks Catholic Church!), a live sex education session for teenagers, and aggressive pursuit of an organ donor. It’s crass, it’s vile, it’s also funny as hell.
Yes this movie is about the Cold War era, but it’s still relevant today, as a computer based program runs the defense grid of the United States and threatens to start World War III because it was left unchecked. WarGames could be the inspiration for SkyNet, Ultron, or any malfunctioning Artifical Intelligence system and how dangerous that power could be if left to its own “thought” process.
This movie really goes for it. Al Pacino and Brian De Palma turn the story of Miami drug kingpin Tony Montana into a crime epic/tragedy. Yes we parody and celebrate it out of context, but De Palma’s film is an effective look at the rise and fall of someone’s attempt to seize and maintain power in a world of excess.
As the trailer shows, most people know this as the movie where Tom Cruise dances around in his underwear. Paul Brickman’s movie is way more interesting and sinister than that though, as the story devolves into prostitution, train hook ups, and violence, all while Joel Goodson (Cruise) is trying to apply to get into college.
Philip Kaufman and William Goldman’s screenplay studies the Mercury astronauts and what life is like for astronauts as the prepare for/celebrate missions into space. This movie became THE cinematic showcase for what America’s early space program was like.
John Hughes showed his understanding of American life with this humorous take on the family vacation. Chevy Chase is the patriarch of a family determined to get to Wally World on the West Coast. So determined, in fact, that he descends into madness as he continually gets sidetracked from his goal, scary for his family, funny as hell for the audience.
Even though it’s not as good as its predecessors (you know, 2 of the greatest films in cinematic history), George Lucas ends his franchise with a wildly entertaining blockbuster, giving loving send offs for Luke, Han, Leia, Chewie, and even Darth Vader. And there’s a chase in the middle of this film that’s as breathtaking as any Lucas has shot before.
Supplanted It’s a Wonderful Life as the seminal Christmas movie. No easy feat! But such is the brilliance of Bob Clark’s story of an Indiana kid hoping to get a BB Gun for Christmas. It’s little story build up to Christmas morning is genius in how it captures the season and makes it easy to jump in and out of the movie and still have a great time.
