I'd argue BttF pointedly doesn't romanticize the 50s. It makes a point to show that seediness existed at the time (George being a peeping Tom, Lorraine being assaulted, teens being horny af)
Minor correction: The score for Thrashin' was written by Barry Goldberg, not Barry Goldwater as Patrick said. Though, it would have been kind of amazing for the 1964 Republican presidential nominee to wind up making the music for a 1986 movie about skateboarding.
The only thing that Rocky IV needed for a perfect 100 would be an unabashedly, undeniably 80s subtitle... Rocky IV: Only Heroes Bleed Red, White & Blue (Return of the Electric Boogaloo)
I don't think that was actually Jennifer Beals body that you saw in most of Flashdance, if I remember correctly it was actually a dancer that they would cut back and forth to that was her body double for a lot of those camera shots... Jennifer Beals was definitely a gorgeous actress but that wasn't her body
Fast Times at Ridgemont High gets my vote for the comedy category. It had everything--surfer culture, mallrats,a photomat reference, fast food with costumes, an explanation of the different cliques, pointless nudity, great soundtrack, and it spawned so many '80s careers--Sean Penn, Judge Reinhold, JJL, Forest Whittaker, etc.
the big one that I think is missing is The Terminator! It has an 80's action star, a super synth-heavy soundtrack, nuclear angst, a "big hair while listening to a walkman" scene and the neon-heavy 'tech noir' vibe.
At first I was surprised Robocop didn't make the cut, but on second thought (especially after seeing all the categories) it makes sense. It's made by Orion and feels like it could have only been made in the 1980s, but it's more a reaction to the decade than an embrace of it. It would also fail miserably in the music-related scoring round.
Being directed by a Dutch filmmaker, Verhoeven's sci-fi films (Robocop, Total Recall, Starship Troopers) are kind of an outsider's observation/critique/satire on what he sees in 80s US society's problems, politics, media, culture, etc. It's a lot more aware of what it's doing formality wise, closer to Scarface than Rocky IV. (Which is why it's great)
The most 90's movie would likely be The Crow. It was grunge, lots of flannel, South by the cure, didn't have a giant star, and features a desire to tear down the face of the 80's.
@@johnnypopstar Wow. Did you come here just to be a grammar Nazi? WTF. However, since you are the one that opened this can of worms, you might want to educate yourself before correcting others (unless you can provide reputable proof of your assertion that this is a hard and fast rule). 1) Both forms are acceptable in every day usage and on an academic level. People use '80s, 80's, and 80s interchangeably. No one cares. It is entirely up to the writer and their style. 2) Neither is "technically" correct. However, both are accepted. 3) '80s - an abbreviation of 1980s 80's - belonging to the 1980s 80s - multiple variations of the 1980s If I were to be pedantic, I would argue that Tally's use of "90's" is acceptable because they are talking about a film belonging to the 1980s. However, their use of "80's" would be incorrect because they are referring to the collection of 1980's dates as a whole and therefore would be the "80s". However, like I said, no one cares. 🙄
Like, your parents are never the low points of your videos, always a decent presence, but today they really stole the show! Your dad's rant had me fucking howling!
The ultimate 80s movie is this. Valley Girl. The reason? As this was the old Romeo and Juliet story, it portrayed it as 2 different sets of 80s groups. The ones that liked rock and punk music vs the New wave. It was a fashion battle between the clean valley types vs the dirty punk rockers. The hair, the clothes, the makeup and all the great music make Valley Girl the movie that personifies the 80s. More so than Fast Times which would rank second, then Breakfast Club.
By the way, 50s nostalgia actually got big in the 70s: Happy Days (and Laverne and Shirley), Grease, Sha Na Na, American Graffiti, The Last Picture Show... all from the 70s.
It makes sense that 50s nostalgia would take hold in the 70s, the same way 80s nostalgia is raging today. In both eras, Americans saw their nation as being in decline and rightly understood that some recent "progress" was - not really progress at all.
There used to be a nice 20ish year gap in nostalgia, but it seems to have sped up recently -- one thing for sure, the 70s came back HUGE in the late 90s and 2000s
I was expecting the 80's home computer boom, with movies like Electric Dreams or WarGames, to play a much bigger part in your rankings. Not that I think it would have change the results, but I'm a bit surprised by the absence of this quintessential 80s theme.
"Back to the Future" checks a lot of those marks. It is about ambition, it is about sucess, the soundtrack was orchestral, but there were also songs by Huey Lewis that were hits. It is about "a better, simpler America"... Marty literally travels to that era! It stars Michael J. Fox, who was shooting "Family Ties" at the time, a series about a young man who was all about greed, success and Reagan´s America.
90s is easy. Clueless hands down the most 90s movie out there. Covers a LOT of the aesthetics that made the decade, was another in a large series of movies that were thinly veiled adaptations of classic works (this was a loose adaptation of Jace Austen's Emma) Has the skater culture, grunge culture, ska, shows cutting edge emergent 90s technology... Though he might throw it out as being a movie that could be made at any time (even though I disagree, I don't think past the 90s this would be a VERY different movie)
I love how thorough this is, really great. Only pushback I'd offer is for Round 3 on music, in Elvis Mitchell's doc "Is that Black Enough for You", he talks about how the music synergy youre talking about actually started with the boom of blaxploitation films in the 70's. Id definitely check out his doc, super informative, great work as always Patrick
This was great! Using my own rules I would pick "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" (1985). Now please do one about the movies from the 90s! And please include the silly but extremely 90s gem "Hackers" (1995).
I’m surprised that “Better Off Dead” didn’t make the list. Yes, you mentioned that teen comedies could be shot in any era but aesthetics-wise everything about that movie screams that it was made in the 80s, not to mention the tropes and soundtrack. Same goes for “Risky Business”🤓
I'm a little surprised Footloose isn't on this list: it's got Kenny Loggins, cursive opening title, government regulation as the bad guy, MANY montages, small-town simplicity, teen audience, 3 top-10 hits, high concept, inspired by a real-world news story, and has tons of Americana
I really enjoyed the technical breakdown of the Aesthetics and Industry of the time. I hope you do one about the 90s that explains why everything looks beige
The fact that 80s filmmaking turned towards the 50s isn't *to blame* on Spielberg and Lucas -- that's the natural force of the nostalgia cycle, they're just among the most notable and successful to come from it. In the 80s, the current generation of filmmakers (i.e. in their 30s and 40s) were the ones who grew up during the 50s and made movies that throwback to that period (but with more modern technology and points of view), the same way today's current crop of up and coming filmmakers grew up in the 80s and we're seeing a big boom in 80s throwback media.
My girlfriend read the title and immediately said “probably Rocky IV” and…. whaddyaknow! I’d love to see more of these for other decades. Good shit Patrick
I appreciate being told where the essay starts. I never skip, but it's nice to be given the option, shows consideration. Thanks for being awesome and providing options Patrick. You are one of the kings of pop culture video essays imho.
Top Gun definitely deserves a few more points for "Inspired by recent real world events". The dogfight in the finale is basically a retelling of the Gulf of Sidra Incident which happened just a few years earlier.
“The Secret of My Success” was by Night RANGER, the awesome 80’s band that performed hits like “Sister Christian” and “You Can Still Rock in America”. Night THRASHER is a Marvel Comics skateboard themed superhero and leader of The New Warriors the group responsible for the inciting incident in the comics version of Civil War. Also another Music round mistake: The composer for Thrashin’ was Barry Goldberg. Barry Goldwater was a conservative Republican Senator from Arizona and the GOP nominee for President in 1964. I can see how it would be easy to mix up those two.
As one who began the 1980s graduating from high school and ended it being a married man starting a family, you nailed it. Also, we own the same tablecloth as your parents. Kinda proud of that.
Before I clicked on the video, and therefore having all 80s movies to pick from, I decided my choice was Rocky IV. It was great to see it not only made the short list but actually won! It really does fulfill your criteria of showing to a person out of time to explain a lot about the 80s.
Ok, I’m going to add one more to the 80s movie music discussion at 50:00 - Vangelis. He did work on a lot of non-contemporaneous 80s films (Blade Runner, Chariots of Fire), but when I think of 80s synth soundtracks I think of him first.
How could "Earth Girls Are Easy" not even be mentioned as THE most 80s movie ever? Let alone nominated. I would love to see how Earth Girls are Easy scores because it's a perfect snapshot of 1987-1988 Los Angeles. Not only is it a movie that could ONLY be made in the 80s. But a movie that could ONLY be made in the late 80s. The music being a then MTV style musical vehicle for Julie Brown, the fashion, the consumerism/TV culture, references to 50s sci-fi, the simple love story, and the social cultural commentary, The "High concept" pitch: "3 Aliens (Jeff Goldblum, Then Unknown Jim Carrey, and Then Unknown Damon Wayans) land in The Valley LA 1988 and get mixed up with yuppie Geena Davis hijinks ensue." I could go on but this movie is SO totally 80s that it inspired the Britney Spears Iggy Azalea music video "Pretty Girls"
That's the first movie I thought of too but, by the rules of the video, if it had been made in 1990, or 1991, I don't think it would have been all that different.
@@ShadesMP5 While I won't argue that the film should have been included in this video the film is completely bonkers, there is no way it could have been made in this era of mainstream comic book films.
A fun one to watch if you haven’t: Adventures in Babysitting. I was a teenager then and adored it. Admitting that a couple of months later during college freshman week apparently turned a dude (who, to be fair, did become one of my closest friends) off from me almost completely, because hipsters have been around a LOOONG time.
Actually, there was a lot of real world events in Top Gun. It seemed like every other month there were encounters between US and Soviet fighters, or close allies of the Soviets like Libya. The navies of both nations were often doing events in real life just like were depicted in the movie. And it was just a couple of years after the Gulf of Sidra incident (1981) where 2 Tomcats shot down two Libyan Su-22 fighters. That is the real life incident that was the direct inspiration for the climax of the film.
Total Recall (although released in 1990) to me always felt like this last great primordial death-cry towards the ultra-violent action of the 1980''s. It was like a sign-off.
There were quite a handful in 1990 movies greenlit, shot and produced that carried the flavor of the 80's, it's almost a transitional category in and of itself.
I'd like to give an honorary mention to Repo Man (1984). The soundtrack online I think makes it a contender especially over Breakin 2 and Invasion USA.
I really think it should have been included over Thrashing or that breakdance movie. Soundtrack, montages, teenagers, freeze frame, turning a great goth girl into non-threatening girlfriend material - the works!
You could say the Cold War plays a small role in Scarface as Tony’s coming to America is very much as a result of the Fidel Castro regime in Cuba, which was a major part of the Cold War, but it’s barely an inviting incident.
But the Pacchino version is a remake of an old black and white gangster movie, and the same plot could be made today (Willems' criteria for disqualifying the other movies).
New sub, loved this video essay. And as a fellow RU-vidr, I appreciate you hand-laying out the ad breaks to not interrupt the sections, rather, you manually placed them between the rounds for the perfect “commercial” break 🙇🏼♀️ 👏🏼
They did a "Special Edition" Top Gun soundtrack release in 2006. Which included songs such as The Final Countdown, Can't Fight This Feeling, and The Power of Love. None of which were in the movie at all (or even referenced). I think the people in charge of re-issuing the album just liked them and because they were 80s songs the figured it was close enough.
My favorite 80s most representative movie of the decade is Ghostbusters: the EPA is the bad guy, scientists (between intelligent and frivolous) go into bussiness, great one hit wonder theme, protagonists save the world from an invading outsider, and despite all this, it's just a comedy... Also American Psycho if we talk about the most commenting movie on the 80s... Thanx, Patrick and crew!!!
You missed a point for Top Gun. The official soundtrack includes "Top Gun Anthem" by Harold Faltermeyer. It wasn't released as a single like "Axel F" was, but it's arguably the third-most recognizable song on the entire soundtrack (after "Danger Zone" and "Take My Breath Away", obviously).
Amazing video, Patrick! Karate Kid is so 80s that it deserved an honorable mention. It would be awesome if this becomes a series with the sequels: what's the most 90s movie? what's the most 2000s movie? what's the most 2010s movie?
As someone who was 10 years old in 1983, I'd like to point out that only one of your candidate films had a song spoofed by Weird Al Yankovic. And that would be . . . Rocky IV ("Living in America" by James Brown, spoofed as "Living with a Hernia" by Weird Al). In addition, am I the only one who thought that when Patrick said he was going to celebrate near the end, he'd be headed to Tony Montana's mountain of cocaine?
I know it’s a really unheard of movie but what I consider a quintessential 80s movie is Alex Cox’s Repo Man. The movie centres on a punk protagonist who is disillusioned after losing his job, girlfriend and friends all over the course of one night. He’s offered a chance to become a Repo Man, someone who steals cars from the privileged and earns by commission. Soon, our protagonist bursts into the profession, getting inside the minds of his co-workers and learning all sorts of different perspectives on greed, society and politics… and time travel but that’s a different story. The object of the entire film that pushes both the protagonists and antagonists is a old, beat up 64 Chevy Malibu. No one knows why there is a $20,000 bounty for it but it soon becomes an obsession. The Malibu contains a supernatural component in its trunk that is theorized but never properly explained… is it alien or is it radioactive? The point is that it eventually glows a sickly fluorescent green… it becomes an object of desire for all of these characters which culminates in a pretty rad ending. The soundtrack is universally hailed as one of the greatest collections of bands that were just about to gain prominence in the L.A. punk scene: Black Flag, Fear, Circle Jerks, Suicidal Tendencies, ect. The soundtrack was such a big deal that after the movie was pulled after only two weeks by Universal, the sales of the soundtrack skyrocketed and everyone wanted to see the film it was based on, bringing Repo Man back into theatres to finish it’s expected run. Repo Man is many things; a statement of Reagan Era America, the rise of generic brand items, the angst of many youth and the pursuit of earning a quick buck. It even has a very early joke that satirizes Scientology before it was mainstream. I highly recommend people to watch it because I know it’s relatively obscure. It does have a Criterion release which perfectly encapsulates it’s punk rock aesthetic.
Yeah, no movies that are set in 80s thrift stores…no Alex Cox. No movies with a bunch of 80s punks in them. So sad. Or really any new wave or New Romantic type films.
I've often had this discussion with my friends, One Crazy Summer wins every time. It's got big stars at early points in their career, class struggle of poor people versus the nasty rich, Bobcat Goldthwait as the nutbar sidekick, 80's music and voiceover, the best 'gettin-it-done' montage, and the hero overcomes his shortcomings and gets the girl in the end...a close second is BattleTruck
The fact that this channel drops an hour and a half analysis and has bonus footage elsewhere is mind blowing. Thanks for this delightful breakdown. If someone had asked me what I thought before I saw this, I'd have likely said Rocky IV but not quite known why. Thanks for giving me the data to back it up!
In the ‘80s masterpieces bit, people always forget Sergio Leone’s epic crime drama Once Upon A Time In America, starring Robert De Niro and also starring James Woods, Elizabeth McGovern, Joe Pesci, Burt Young, Tuesday Weld and Treat Williams. The film is told in a series of flashbacks set between 1918 and 1968. Seriously, absolutely awesome film, people need to see it more, don’t let the 3h 49m run time scare you.
I watched Once Upon a time in America a year ago. It's a really good movie but it's flawed. There were some elements of the "present timeline" that didn't go along with the things shown in the past, particularly the final twist with James Woods character which I didn't buy at all. Also, the length is just way too excessive. I've watched a fair amount of 3h movies and they all have a tough task of keeping your interest alive throughout. I was kinda bored at certain points though ironically enough it was in first part of the movie as opposed to most movies that get boring in the middle or at the end. Still, a solid movie and I can definitely see why some people put it at the top of the rankings for crime dramas. It's a bit flawed for me though.
@@cloudtx it's an opium dream, the only reality is the beginning when he walks in the opium den, and the past, but all future elements are in his mind, hence when there are 40s cars in the 60s in the end. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-QdYdLAksrzQ.html
@@Lord_englishgent That's an interesting theory. It does make me see the movie in a different light. Though honestly? It doesn't help with my perceived issues with the film. Still, thank you for bringing that up.
"I think if you want to truly understand 80s America, all you have to do is watch Rocky, then watch Rocky 4, and see what changed" -If I can change and you can change, everybody can change.
I think the 1986 movie "Rad" would have fared well on this scoring system. The production company ONLY made movies in the 80's, it's targeted at teens, it is all about BMX bikes, it is an underdog story, the outfits are all 80's, and I'd have to watch it again to catch more. Regardless of the score I recommend the movie to anyone who wants to see a hidden gem. And I would love you forever if you used Patrick's system and worked up a full score!
How was John Carpenter's They Live not a contender!? It's the most 80's movie to ever 80's!! Big guns, Bigger biceps, synth music, fighting the government, Iconic one liners, explosions! If you've ever seen it you'll surely agree!
As one follow-up to this excellent video, you should do a retrospective on just the year 1984 in cinema, and reflect on the very long lasting influence that one year of movies has had on American pop culture and Hollywood filmmaking, even up to 2023... just remember that in 1984 was (besides Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom) Gremlins, Ghostbusters, The Karate Kid, the Terminator, A Nightmare on Elm Street... and a number of other very influential original films that literally either had a huge influence on the rest of the 80s, or in some cases, like the Karate Kid and the Terminator, are still literally influencing filmmaking with continuing, recent Terminator sequels, and also are the blueprint for the highly successful Netflix series Cobra Kai... just looking at the huge number of sequels and reboots and just general long lasting influence, of just the movies of the one year of 1984 would be a very interesting mini retrospective
Thanks for the question... I have not actually seen the entire movie 1984 starring John Hurt as Winston... I need to sit down and watch that entire film at some point... but I do also think the famous Apple Macintosh "1984" commercial directed by Ridley Scott which also was released in 1984 is still pretty awesome and I guess iconic in its own right
An ambitious effort, I stand-up applaud you! Especially like a Nebula and Lindsay Ellis shout out! As an extremely old man child, this really got me. Loved the review and criticism of multiple 80s movies, and would actually love to pick your brain about those forgotten 80s gems like you mentioned. Cheers!
Always enjoy your ability to blend film history with a clever way to give your own personal thoughts and observations about a variety of films; while also being able to create original material as well! Hope you have a happy holiday season, and I always look forward to what you have to offer next!
The most 80's movie ever was the 1990 film The Adventures of Ford Fairlane (Rock and Roll Detective). This movie closed the book on the 80's and embodied the zeitgeist of the entire decade. The cast alone should make it the front runner. I could go in depth about how this movie check off every box but I haven't the time. It was the most eighties eighties movie that ever eightiesed.
False; the most '90s movie is either _True Romance, Die Hard With a Vengeance,_ or _The Fugitive._ Detached irony, inventive action, a weird sort of indulgence of squareness, and authority figures who are always depicted respectfully even if they're the antagonists. _That's_ '90s cinema in a nutshell.
It's easily Reality Bites. No comparison. Faux-intellectual college students navigating a complex world unprepared and scorning yuppies, plus all the aesthetic stuff in spades.
Patrick, your 80s scoring metodology is amazing--I grew up in the 80s and feel I have an even better understanding of how I felt when I watched those movies. Thanks to you, I didn't just learn about cinema--I learned about myself.
I'm throwing in a bonus film as an honorable mention for an ultimate 80's movie. 1986's Rad. You've got BMX racing, fantastically absurd 80's fashion, small town guy working to defeat the corporate overlords by defying all of the odds to win the big race, pre Full House and white color criminal Lori Loughlin, a BMX dance off to the tune of Send Me an Angel, an epic 80's soundtrack and a sassy foul-mouthed, younger tomboy sister. It's the complete 80's package.
I feel like having innovative special & practical effects is kind of a big 80s staple that should also maybe have been a category. It fits nicely in the high concept and franchise categories, and was something that was hyper focused in that decade. The 70s had a ton of big effects movies for sure, but the 80s doubled down. And by the 90s, things were moving towards CGI, which is where we still are now.
Of course, the 80s was different depending on where you lived. Pop culture in many countries outside of the U.S. were also peaking during that decade. Jackie Chan & John Woo from Hong Kong, as well as Dragon Ball & Super Sentai from Japan, didn't become well-known in America until the 90s. Just like how the NBA became way more global after The Dream Team showcased it to the world in 1992.
There should have also been a category for total amount of sweat in ounces. I know that's related to hard bodies, but these clips really made the sweat feel like a distinct character. (Though practically this just would have given the winner even more of a lead.)
I would really like to know how They Live, starring Roddy Piper, and directed by John Carpenter would stack up, against the 10 contenders selected. For me personally, this is in my personal top 3 of the most 80's of 80's movies, with Flashdance, and Return of the Jedi being the other 2 contenders. While also curious about how Return of the Jedi would stack up, I don't feel that Star Wars can be pigeonholed as quintessentially 80s. Definitely enjoyed the analysis so far, up through the 301:54 minute mark, when the urge to share my comment struck me, on my first viewing of this video
There could been a two categories for cocaine. 1. Does it appear on screen? (Obviously Scarface would dominate) 2. How apparent is it that people making the movie were on it? (Maximum Overdrive or Lifeforce might set the standard. But of the nominees, both films by Cannon would get some points. Flashdance could do well. Perhaps, still more points for Rocky IV on account of James Brown)
I hate to do the "I can't believe you forgot (movie)" but how in the world did WarGames not make this list????!!! It was a fabulous example of cold war tension, technology/music/clothes of the time. It was absolutely a movie that could only exist at a very specific point in history. Not to mention, it was stared by Matthew Broderick and Alley Sheedy, with a cast including 80s greats like Eddie Deezen, the PROLIFIC Barry Corbin, and a young Michael Madsen!
The Woman In Red, Splash, Some Kind of Wonderful, The Lost Boys, The Witches of Eastwick, The Colour of Money, Desperately Seeking Susan, About Last Night, Down and Out in Beverley Hills, Big, Ruthless People, Heartburn, Moonstruck, Mask, Throw Momma from the Train, Wildcats, Overboard, Something Wild, Sixteen Candles, Roxanne, Ferris Bueller's Day Off and The Breakfast Club. All very popular. I was there in the 1980s and I have never even heard of Thrashin' and Invasion USA.
Thrashin' holds a special place in my heart for being renamed "the skateboard massacre" in Sweden, also featuring the first time I ever heard Swedish in an American movie. Helt otroligt man... Also, shout out to the Patricks parents. Never change.
There should have been points for sweat - how sparkly it is, and 1 point for every 5 minutes of sweaty face or upper body on the screen. But besides that - great stuff!
Full Metal Jacket and The Shining are two of the best movies from the 80s. But not "80s" movies at all. They could have been made in any decade. My quintessential 80s movie is probably Back to the Future.
