Movie History: Journey Back To 1984
Where the blockbusters of today were born
I have been following Aaron Aradillas and Matt Zoller Seitz's video features detailing what they refer to as "A Tale of Two Summers," which re-examines summer movies released in 1984 and 1989 and putting them in context of the politics and popular culture that surrounded their release and tries to show how they eventually led to the entertainment that dominates today.
The series is featured at L Magazine as well as being posted at The House Next Door (keep your eyes on that site, it's a good one) and Parts 1 and 2, covering 1984, are both online. The following parts 3-5 will be looking at the summer of 1989.
With these two parts the boys take a look at Reagan, Ghostbusters, MTV, soundtracks, Risky Business, Sixteen Candles, Purple Rain, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Red Dawn, Gremlins, Steven Spielberg and the advent of the PG-13 rating,
They aren't short, but if you are any kind of fan of the '80s you should enjoy both quite a bit. I am looking forward to the three-part look at the summer of 1989, which involves films such as Batman, Do the Right Thing, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, Ghostbusters II, When Harry Met Sally…, Turner & Hooch, The Abyss, Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, The Karate Kid Part III, License to Kill, Weekend at Bernie's and Dead Poets Society. I have no idea what films they will be focusing on, but I am anxious to give it a watch.
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I'm pretty certain that Risky Business was 83 not 84. At least in the U.S. it was.
@Colin: Did you watch the video? That is part of the conversation. I really wish people would watch/read the content I post before commenting on how wrong it is.
"Ronald Reagan Era optimism"?? Where were they? Most that I knew then were unemployed and/or homeless, or stuck living w/ parents trying to find a job paying over min wage" Very few lower/working class did well if didnt get on the cop/military complex payroll teet.
But some great movies and punk rock music came out of the struggles and rose above the tripe.
And this is how I found out there is no Santa Claus … Thanks A Lot !!!
:)
Seriously though …. what about 1988 with films like Who Framed Roger Rabbit. Willow, Croc Dundee 2. BIG, Beetlejuice, Rainman. Die Hard?
"Purple Rain" remains one of my favorite movies from the 1980s. No shame.
Good essay. Would love a transcript.
I like 1994.
Forrest Gump, Pulp Fiction, The Shawshank Redemption, The Lion King, and Dumb and Dumber.
i'm still waiting for 1984, made in 1984, to get a dvd release/re-release.
Late night, was really tired and just posted without thinking. Sorry about that Brad. Watching part 1 definitley makes me want to re-watch Risky Business again. The ideas of capitalism were certainly there, but not quite in the cynical perspective that he pointed out.
Part 3 is up now. House Next Door link in my name.