Opinion by Jackie Brook, post arch.ived Oct 29 2017
My blog postings here at AMP3 are on a relative scale, ranging from “Mildly Informative” to “Pure Rant.”
I’ve tried hard to steer clear from the latter because, well, most people who fly off the handle on the internet aren’t worth being read anyway.
However, while looking for my weekly blog stimulation on Digg, I came across an article that boiled my blood: 12 Awesome 80’s Movies That Are Perfect.
Now, I consider myself quite the 80’s aficionado. Not so much that I’d go on “Rock of Love” for a shot a Bret Michael’s, but enough to love the music, adore (and often still wear) the clothes, and swear by the teachings of its movies.
The list of movies, which was clearly written by guys (and I’ll happily be proven wrong if someone from the DoubleViking.com staff wants to correct me), does not list all the 80’s movies that are perfect. In fact, it doesn’t come close. Here’s there list, then I’ll happily fill in the blanks:
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
Repo Man
Top Gun
Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure
The Princess Bride
Coming to America
Die Hard
Transformers: The Movie
GI Joe: The Movie
Conan
The Thing
The Lost Boys
Now, I have to agree with a fair amount of those on the list. I’m not even looking to argue that these aren’t perfect (in one respect of the other). But there are others that I believe—and believe others would agree—should have been included on their list, if not bumping some of these off the list. And they are:
First and foremost, anything from the Brat Pack…
How is it possible that “The Breakfast Club,” “Sixteen Candles,” “Pretty in Pink,” or even (my personal favorite) “St. Elmo’s Fire” left off the list?
Beyond that, there’s:
Back to the Future
Beverly Hills Cop
Big
Batman
Beetlejuice
Big Trouble in Little China
Bladerunner
Bull Durham
Caddyshack
A Christmas Story
Field of Dreams
A Fish Called Wanda
Fletch
Chostbusters
The Goonies
Heathers
Highlander
Little Shop of Horrors
Private Benjamin
Real Genius
Say Anything
Scarface
The Shining
Spaceballs
This is Spinal Tap
Stand By Me
Stripes
Teen Witch
Teen Wolf
Troop Beverly Hills
The Untouchables
Wall Street
War Games
Who Framed Roger Rabbit
And that’s an incomplete list, at best…
What were the criteria that set the above 12 apart from some of the (clearly) better options listed after?
So often, people will rag on the 80’s, but so many advances were made, and so many niches were filled that it’s almost impossible to narrow a list of “perfect” movies down to 12. And if it were to be done, it shouldn’t only be male-driven action-slanted movie since those weren’t the only perfect ones…
Jackie for AMP3pr.com
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