What do you remember about 1987?
Ok, that's not a very fair question. How about from when you were 4 years old - any milestones or trauma that stand tall in your memory? What about the small stuff - how many times did you scrape your knee or paint a picture? How many Happy Meals did you consume? These years - the first few years - may be "formative" or "psychologically impressionable" or whatever, but they're so dark & fuzzy that it makes it difficult to reminisce. And you know we gots to reminisce. Fortunately, there are photographs.
January 1987 - 35 years ago. Several feet of snow smother the landscape, throwing divine light through my window into my little boy bedroom accented by primary colors and some weird 70s wooden plaques from Woolworth's. What was to be expected of me that day, or any other day? School was a year and a half away, my own Nintendo was 2 years away, and I never felt any sense of accomplishment in the construction of a snow angel. Through math & science, I've concluded that there was, as there'd always been, television. In between whatever toys & picture books there were, the TV - hooked up to a cable box and a VCR - was the thing.
Married... With Children, DuckTales, and Ninja Turtles debuted that year, but I didn't settle into those grooves immediately. I was deep in the sultry glebe of Cheers, Night Court, and Moonlighting, and their respective theme songs of anthemic companionship and after-hours Soul Rock became my soundtrack of domestic wellbeing. I also shared a home with a teenage girl, and MTV and its audio/visual parade of "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now," "(I've Had) The Time of My Life," and "Wanna Dance With Somebody" created an ever-present ambience of almost-clichéd timeliness - as though there were a constant reminder that "Hey! It's the 1980s!"
I can comb textbooks to find out what was new & what the rest of the world was into in any given year -- but at that age I really didn't care how much a gallon of gas cost. I indulged in my fair share of Double Dare and roller rinks that year, but the decade didn't necessarily dictate or define every activity I did... Having said that, birthday and holiday photos are very telling when it comes to calculating where my interests laid (or lied?).
It's not that I was specifically into the armed forces - not in any real world sense anyway. But as I turned 4, my movie of the moment was Stripes - and predictably so: Venkman and Egon turned me on to hand grenades, army fatigues, and topless mud wrestling. Because of this, '87 had an incidental theme; much like 1989 was my Tim Burton Christmas (almost as much as 1990 was) this year was, somehow, my Ivan Reitman year.
February
October
December
If there's one great thing that came outta The Real Ghostbusters cartoon, it was that we finally got some licensed toys (as I detailed thoroughly when I covered the entire '87 Christmas haul). And much like some of the more recent installments in this ever-growing franchise, despite the quality of the continual output, it's an excuse for them to sell us more merch. And so, regardless of our collective '80s nostalgia' fatigue, bustin' continues to make us feel good.
But outside my world of animated series and HBO, new movies were populating the theaters - big, commercial, 80s nostalgia movies. More than enough to define the year and maybe the decade. Take a look at this lineup:
Major Motion Pictures all of them. Not one of these made my Top 20. This isn't me being crass or obstinate - my choices are all mainstream, popular flagship flicks just the same. That is to say, there's a lotta great stuff from which to choose. That is also to say that these pinnacle pictures are of such great import to me that I've spent years polluting this site with in-depth love letters to most of them. So, official ranking aside, a lot of these will be brief with the bouquets. After all, when it comes to Kubrick, Carpenter, and the Coens, what more is there for me to say? (Though when it comes to Elm Street, there's still that same desire to feel the fire.)
- Paul
1. Planes, Trains, and Automobiles
The best movie by the master of the '80s Teen Comedy' is a timeless, grownup Dramedy. It's also the best movie of the year - which, as I've pointed out, is no easy accomplishment. Apart from packing the biggest emotional punch, it's truly a marvel of moviemaking; how Hughes manages to deliver raw sentiment without slipping into schmaltz is a trick I'll never figure out.
2. Beverly Hills Cop II
A 100-minute Tony Scott music video is the only way to approach it (as redundant as that sounds). Actually, to keep the theme going, it's my favorite Tony movie. It's probably my favorite Eddie movie. And what the hell, I'll finally officiate it: it's my favorite soundtrack. Take a moment to appreciate the weight of that...
3. Three O'Clock High
I've sung enough praises for this picture that I'm just about outta lyrics. Though I could add that, in this context, this Action/Drama/Horror/Teen Comedy is a compact potpourri of every genre on this list. If you've seen it I'm sure you'll agree. And if you haven't, hopefully my waining credibility in amateur film criticism has enough gas left to get you on board finally.
4. Throw Momma From the Train
Murder. Blackmail. Motives and alibis. It taught me about Hitchcock before I knew Hitchcock. There's a lot to be said about the slapstick and sight gags and one-liners, but the actual premise is so inexplicably outrageous that the descriptive title almost doesn't do it justice. Although, Momma, Owen, and Owen's Friend Larry wouldn't be a very sultry improvement.
5. Raising Arizona
Hillbilly humor from two of the most talented troubadours of the Western World - it was an unexpected departure because of their talents, and as a followup to much darker material. And so, an indefinable style began to emerge: one that would always be moody, funny, provocative, and wildly original. It's hard to imagine something of this caliber being released nowadays by anyone.
6. Like Father, Like Son
Big year for Comedy here. In between Freaky Friday and Vice Versa, this was received as the 'lowbrow' body-swapping fable. I'm not sure I see it that way, but if that's the case, it's certainly the one with the best script, the best vibe, and by god the best soundtrack (Autograph, Crüe, Ramones). I dunno, I think if you try to intellectualize this kinda story, you're doing it wrong.
7. The Monster Squad
While we're talking 'best-ofs,' here's the best Horror of the year (which, as this list proceeds, may seem like an audacious choice). It's a vampire movie, it's a werewolf movie, it's a goddamn mummy movie for chrissake -- what a refreshing departure at this point in the decade. It's a film about kids for kids, but in mood, plot, and sprawling parade of antagonists, it's a pitch perfect (though unlicensed) homage to the old Universal movies. Just accept it & don't be chickenshit.
8. Lethal Weapon
It will forever be thought of as the explosive, buddy-cop Action Comedy that it is. Upon each viewing, one experiences the bleak, violent Melodrama that it is. The fact that it is indisputably all of these things at all times is a miracle of hardboiled fiction.
9. Innerspace
Audrey Hepburn said, "Everything I learned I learned from the movies." We shop at the same store; and amongst all that Cinema has taught me is human anatomy - thanks to Joe Dante's SciFi Comedy with the mindless plot and the magnificent chemistry. (Not to mention the strongest visual effects that are as gorgeous as they are gruesome.)
10. Overboard
Critics weren't particularly kind to this twisted RomCom upon its release. Personally I could never get past my unconditional love for Kurt & Goldie, and this movie is a Greatest Hits Box Set of their charm and talents. And despite its far-fetched (and sometimes mean-spirited) premise, it's the second best kids' movie of the year.
11. Predator
Action SciFi Horror - I don't know if it started in the 80s, and it certainly didn't end with the 80s, but this platter had the most pu pu in the era of Aliens and Critters. It's amazing: it's got virtuoso suspense, lurid gore, and one of the best monsters ever put on film, but what will always stay with us are the characters and the dialogue. (And that Alan Silvestri theme is a sexual tyrannosaurus.)
12. Full Metal Jacket
In the Kubrick rank, it's probably in my lower third (which is still enough to be one of the best of any given year). I completely love the structure of it and how the movie has two separate pant legs -- it's just that the second half couldn't live up to the pace and performances and the compositions of the basic training sequence. But for that first act as a standalone achievement, it's the darkest corner of Stanley's sense of humor.
13. Hellraiser
It was to be "the future of Horror." And then it wasn't - it couldn't, it was that unprecedented; there was no way to follow in its footsteps. It introduced new fears, new mythologies, new sights to show us. You couldn't even say it was indicative of the time - some hair & wardrobe aside, it's unnervingly timeless and still packs a punch as the gothic vision of terror that it is.
14. Stakeout
I recently watched this alongside its 1993 sequel, and no lie, it was one of the greatest movie experiences I've had in recent memory. I don't know if I was just in the right mood or what, but I felt a level of comfort and joy that had been absent from movie viewing for some time. All Double Features aside, I'll yet again advocate this movie largely for its soundtrack.
15. The Stepfather
A Thriller though the eyes of the killer - that's hard to pull off; hard for the screenwriter, and hard for the actor. Combine Crime novelist Donald E. Westlake and greatest-actor-ever Terry O'Quinn and they make it look pretty easy. I'm always impressed when movies trick me into sympathizing with savages.
16. Opera
Remarkable - a decade of slashers scurrying around trying to pull off the most elaborate kills, the most sickening slaughters, the most memorable mutilations. Along comes The Master to show us how it's done. There are effects and stunts and twists and camera moves and locations throughout that elevate the whole show to 'Action Giallo!' (which is exactly what I always needed it to be).
17. A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors
I've poured my heart out over each entry in this franchise... except for this one. Statistically it's the "fan favorite" I guess, and I think that's because it's got a lotta plot; it's very linear and satisfying and populated with lotsa fun characters and free from a lotta the usual abstractions. And that's why it's the one I return to the least: it's so fucking button-down that I tend to get bored by its lack of "weirdness." Still though, the introduction to "MTV Freddy" and his very first theme song holds a great deal of importance to me.
18. The Untouchables
I'm never able to say I'm a DePalma fan but I know when he makes a fun movie. I also can't credit him for making a flawless period piece - this movie is so aggressively 1987 that Boy George shoulda cameoed as Pretty Boy Floyd. But the cast as is - from Jack Kehoe to Billy Drago - is a smarmy, pulpy pastiche of violent Americana. (And Ennio's score is practically its own movie.)
19. Harry and the Hendersons
The Bigfoot subgenre almost entirely sucks - save for this one sweet Family film that had enough heart (and money) to redeem the very idea of the entire folklore. The movie is basically a feature-length ALF episode (which is absolutely fine with me) but with slightly better makeup/animatronic effects; any time I take a look at it I'm awed by Rick Baker's now-iconic Sasquatch and I give in to that tired lament: "Man, I miss practical effects."
20. Prince of Darkness
It's hard for me to talk about this movie, because it's a hard movie to talk about. The film is a pristine John Carpenter mood and not much else. In fact, the movie wastes a lotta time insisting that it has a plot, which you would think intrudes on the bizarre atmosphere, but this obtuse, convoluted "story" only adds to the bizarre atmosphere. So to reiterate, it's a hard movie to talk about.
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