At a glance, this quadrichromatic aesthetic kinda blends all the imagery together but you really only need to study it for a couple seconds to recognize the contrast of styles faithfully depicting a decade's worth of animation. I think it was most notable to me because it's one of the best illustrated examples of an idea that I'm always trying to explain - mostly to myself... I was born in 1983, which sorta makes me an "80s kid" but only awkwardly so; reruns and syndication notwithstanding, my birth year determined I was too young for Scooby-Doo and Danger Mouse, and then ultimately too old for Captain Planet and TaleSpin. Obviously a lotta this has some to do with exposure and time slots and taste and I'm sure it varies from person to person, but to a Millennial this stuff is as crucial as deterring a Noble bloodline; our TV upbringing was our upbringing. But what I'm really trying to point out is that, best evidenced by this t-shirt illustration, early 1980s cartoons were still carrying over a style that feels most indicative of the 1970s, and even the 1960s, which only further exemplifies my ongoing observation that no one asked for: even if it's only by a few years, TV is a time machine to the past.
Once again I'm taking this approach because I'm exploring a time that was before my time, but only by a bit, and a lotta that time still felt like the 70s: M*A*S*H and The Jeffersons were still on top in '81, while popular music continued to embrace the likes of Kool & The Gang and ABBA. So much around us was still avocado-colored. There was nothing passé about polyester. New albums were being released on 8-Track. Most phones still had cords. I always thought the best example of this was the first few Friday the 13th movies; Parts 1-3 were released between 1980 and 1982, and they're mostly empty of any real popular culture, the fashion is confined to camping gear, and the landscape is literally timeless. All we have to go on are some hairstyles and exaggerated acting to give us an idea of roughly when it is, and that answer's always clear: Late 70s/Early 80s.
That's not to say that "The 1980s" that we know and celebrate and idealize wasn't already coming in the air tonight. '81 was the year Donkey Kong and MTV debuted, Microsoft and IBM both released their first home computers, and McDonald's unleashed the McRib on a society whose diet was already rapidly declining. Who knows, maybe that sparked the fitness trend that became synonymous with the decade. Seriously though, between the radio (and now music videos) coming at us with "Tainted Love", "Jessie's Girl", and "Don't You Want Me", it was pretty hard to ignore the dissolution of the mellow 70s and the transition into the digital 80s.
Sure enough, there was a Friday the13th sequel released this year, but in the scope of Scary Movies of 1981 it's hardly notable -- heck it's not even the best Camping Slasher Flick of '81 (that would be The Burning). One of the most prominent pop culture characteristics of The 1980s is its Horror Movies, and now that I've officially scrutinized the lineup of theatrical releases of each year in this entire decade, I can now officially nominate 1980, 1981, and 1982 as the most impressive period of time for the genre. Like the way Peter Fonda describes "The 60s" in The Limey as really only being "1966, and early '67", for me that romanticized concept of "80s Horror" is really only 1980-1982.
Having said all that, apart from the scary movies that stood out to me (which are mostly European) the rest of the mainstream stuff in '81 seems kinda blah; a lotta Adult Dramas that, for better or worse, probably helped to initiate that discernible divide that basically defined the Cinema of the decade to come: a polarized balance of big budget buffoonery and lame literary adaptations. There are obviously tons of variables and exceptions in that assessment, but I feel like it was in the 1980s when the Oscars earned their reputation of rewarding the safe stuff and ignoring the fun stuff. So now, 45 years later, we can make our own choices as to what the greatest achievements of 1981 were - officially, but mostly for fun, because isn't fun the best thing to have?
- Paul
1. Arthur
I'l never know for sure but I always say it's the first movie I ever saw; between HBO and tape rentals this film saturated my early years. Not that there's a ton of highbrow humor in it, but the jokes only got funnier as I was better able to understand them the older I got. As a grownup, the "Rom" side of this "Com" feels that much sweeter, and the double-edged auditory assault of Burt Bacharach and Christopher Cross is gonna be the most "1981" thing on this or any other list.
2. Southern Comfort
The big lesson of this year is Don't go camping! The "Get off m'land!" premise is blissfully simple (and admittedly exhausted even by '81), but what's always sold me most is its mood; this dim brown bayou that always seems to be in perpetual twilight feels better suited to a Fantasy Adventure. Also, the brutality and how casually it occurs makes it scarier than most of the actual Horror Movies from this or any other year.
3. Blow Out
Here's the best example of the 70s no longer prospering: audiences entirely rejected this depressing DePalma masterpiece, stalling Travolta's dramatic stardom indefinitely. It's the only one of Brain's movies where the gimmickry feels less like garnish and more like a storytelling device.
4. An American Werewolf in London
Never as funny as it thinks it is but definitely as scary. Imagine a time when a small, intimate movie could be renowned for its visual effects work. My favorite Werewolf Movie of 1981, and also of all time.
5. Raiders of the Lost Ark
Spielberg had done big, but never this big - George Lucas big! But better. Following in the footsteps of Ford and Huston, I find the greatest joy of watching this is witnessing someone conduct such an immense extravaganza with what appears to be very little effort; he makes it look easy because he was born to do it.
6. The Beyond
The supposed second movie in the "Gates of Hell" Trilogy (after City of the Living Dead) it unfolds as only the best Fulci films do: I'm never too sure of what's going on, but I am sure someone's about to lose an eye. Though more than anything the final shot stays with me most - it's horrifying and tragic.
7. Bloody Birthday
Three kids who share the same birthday decide to do murders, and so every day is a new Home Alone stunt to attempt to off members of the community: friends, family, amorous couples, etc. Two things: I watch it every year on my own birthday, and it contains roughly 30 seconds of Julie Brown dancing topless. (Those two facts are only partially related.)
8. Stripes
A sprawling cast of varied comic performances (even from tough guy Warren Oates) but mostly it's the first star vehicle for Bill Murray -- and maybe the last great Military Comedy of the 20th Century. One of my earliest favorites, and it's quite possible that I still quote it once a day.
9. Nighthawks
Crime Thriller, Buddy Cop, Cat & Mouse, Sly Terrorist, Twist Ending. So many movies want to embody just one of these traits, but this film just goes ahead and nails them all with force and determination. It's always at the top of my ballot to nominate Stallone as a competent dramatic actor.
10. Burial Ground
In most Zombie Movies, the walking dead tend to be the most interesting characters, but this plays out like a Gothic Soap Opera with its exaggerated subplots and twisted relationships and spooky mansion. Its harrowing final moments are perhaps the best (and most logical) way for a Zombie Flick to end.
11. Graduation Day
A Slasher Movie that doesn't completely rely on creative kills (or even a cool slasher) but instead unfolds as energetic, funny, and just all around engrossing. Two things: I watch it every Spring around graduation time, and it contains roughly 30 seconds of Linnea Quigley running around topless. (Those two facts are entirely related.)
12. House by the Cemetery
Wasting no time in concluding his "Gates of Hell" Trilogy, Fulci gets a little less gory and lot more perplexing, but what really remains consistent (and stunning) is the atmosphere; a few set pieces of shock & awe stand out but mostly it's just an abstract nightmare. Fun fact: the "House" that's central to this film is also the titular Ghosthouse from the 1988 Umberto Lenzi film.
13. Urgh! A Music War
It still feels like the 70s because Punk's Not Dead! Actually this fast paced Concert Film (featuring over 30 acts as varied as Dead Kennedys, Oingo Boingo, and The Cramps) doesn't feel indicative of any tangible time or place in history - other than in your own bedroom with a pair of headphones and a tape player.
14. The Funhouse
I saw this for the first time in the best way possible: on some rainy weekend midday time slot on TV with my mom, neither of us knowing what it was or where it was going, with the mounting depravity clearly indicating it was going somewhere. If you've seen it you know what I mean, and if you haven't, try to recreate that environment for your viewing pleasure.
15. Possession
Alongside the maniacs and werewolves, '81 had some Highbrow Horror - which roughly translates into mutant squid sex. But, y'know, metaphorical(?). Actually the movie needs no creature effects to be as scary and claustrophobic and demented as it is; if you've ever been through divorce, or heartache, or been in love, then you can appreciate the savage dread.
16. Bloody Moon
One of the extremely few Jess Franco movies that doesn't feel like an erotic student film; a bigger budget forced him to pull in the reigns and produce an otherwise straightforward Giallo/Slasher flick. The result is my favorite film of his; it's a wild exploration of hyperbolic European youth culture, saturated in grotesque murders and Disco Music, packaged as the best English language Spanish/German exploitation movie of 1981.
17. Thief
One of my least favorite under the "Michael Mann" header, but still an enthralling achievement for its innovative cinematography, music score, and cast; it may be a narrow-minded assessment, but I take it as the Sonny Corleone spinoff I always wanted.
18. Halloween II
It's hard to imagine some of these old franchise sequels not being buried under the landfill of ten more movies. This film gave us the sibling twist (which was fine) and a goofy surplus of gore (which was less fine). Let's just continue appreciating it for the Donald Pleasance one-man-show it always was.
19. Continental Divide
As a kid, my favorite elements of this Romantic Comedy was the wilderness/nature stuff and also seeing John Belushi in a dramatic role. As a grownup... actually those are still the best parts - but a script by Lawrence Kasdan and Allen Garfield in a supporting role definitely shine brighter for adult me.
20. History of the World Part I
The last truly creative endeavor from Mel Brooks, and even still it packs its biggest punches in its shorter vignettes like "The Old Testament" and "Jews in Space". Full disclosure: It was through this movie that I first learned about stuff like Moses, Roman philosophers, and The Spanish Inquisition. And Jews.
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