The Favourite Childhood Movies of a Guy raised in the 80s
Movies have always been very important to me. Born in 1975 I started watching them as they were broadcast on the big telly (28" square screen) in the early 80's. My favourites were watched time and time again, especially after I had a portable TV and an ex-rental Ferguson Videostar VHS video recorder in my bedroom around '88. I will limit this list up to 1992, after which I was technically an adult but still a child at heart :)
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- DirectorRichard DonnerStarsSean AstinJosh BrolinJeff CohenA group of young misfits called The Goonies discover an ancient map and set out on an adventure to find a legendary pirate's long-lost treasure.Probably the film from my childhood that I have watched the most over the years so therefore #1 by default. I was roughly the same age as those kids when it was released and dreamed of having a similar adventure. Particularly fond of the deleted Octopus scene and still can't understand why Mouth spoke fluent Spanish at the start of the movie but could barely translate 'don't sign the contract' at the end.
- DirectorJames SignorelliStarsCassandra PetersonPhil RubensteinLarry Flash Jenkins"Elvira: Mistress of the Dark" is a 1988 comedy, horror movie - upon arriving in a small town where Elvira has inherited a rundown mansion, the famous horror host must battle an evil uncle, and townspeople who want her burned at the stake.Renting this from the video shop as a 15 year old boy in 1990 started my lifelong love of Elvira. I rewound the videotape so many times to watch the finale that I actually created a patch of interference during her tassel twirl (sorry video shop!). I eventually purchased this on VHS, then DVD, then blu-ray, then the 30th anniversary collector's edition!
- DirectorJim HensonStarsDavid BowieJennifer ConnellyToby FroudSixteen-year-old Sarah must solve a labyrinth to rescue her baby brother when he is taken by the Goblin King.My ultimate kids fantasy film, although I could always happily skip the scene when the fireys take their heads off! I still enjoy it as an adult, and thanks to this film I have always been able to spell the word Labyrinth :)
- DirectorRobert ZemeckisStarsBob HoskinsChristopher LloydJoanna CassidyWhen a cartoon rabbit is accused of murder, he enlists the help of a burnt out private investigator to prove his innocence.One of those films that frequently makes me think 'why don't they make them like this anymore?'. The mix of live action and traditional animation blew me away, and of course my poster-girl Jessica Rabbit :)
- DirectorJohn BadhamStarsMatthew BroderickAlly SheedyJohn WoodA young man finds a back door into a military central computer in which reality is confused with game-playing, possibly starting World War III.How I longed for a computer that could talk, and to be able to hack into the school system and change my grades. After seeing this movie I did once try to make a free call at a payphone by using a ring pull from a drinks can but it didn't work :(
- DirectorJohn BadhamStarsAlly SheedySteve GuttenbergFisher StevensNumber 5 of a group of experimental robots in a lab is electrocuted, suddenly becomes intelligent, and escapes.Momentarily believing that Johnny 5 had been killed at the end nearly destroyed me as a child, but thankfully it was a happy ever after. Still one of my favourite feel-good movies.
- DirectorRandal KleiserStarsJoey CramerPaul ReubensCliff De YoungIn 1978, a boy travels eight years into the future and has an adventure with an intelligent, wisecracking alien ship.The visual effects in this still hold up nearly 40 years later. My Sister and I often called each other Weasel! Dork! Butt-face! Scuzz-bucket!
- DirectorJoe DanteStarsZach GalliganPhoebe CatesHoyt AxtonA young man inadvertently breaks three important rules concerning his new pet and unleashes a horde of malevolently mischievous monsters on a small town.If Die Hard can be a Christmas movie then so can Gremlins :) I think everyone knows the 3 rules for looking after a Mogwai by now.
- DirectorFrank OzStarsRick MoranisEllen GreeneVincent GardeniaA nerdy florist finds his chance for success and romance with the help of a giant man-eating plant who demands to be fed.It was only in recent years that I discovered there is an alternative ending to Little Shop of Horrors and I can totally understand why they changed it. It's definitely better with a 'happy ever after' for Seymour and Audrey!
- DirectorChris ColumbusStarsMacaulay CulkinJoe PesciDaniel SternAn eight-year-old troublemaker, mistakenly left home alone, must defend his home against a pair of burglars on Christmas Eve.
- DirectorSteven SpielbergStarsHarrison FordKaren AllenPaul FreemanIn 1936, archaeologist and adventurer Indiana Jones is hired by the U.S. government to find the Ark of the Covenant before the Nazis can obtain its awesome powers.
- DirectorRichard DonnerStarsChristopher ReeveMargot KidderGene HackmanAn alien orphan is sent from his dying planet to Earth, where he grows up to become his adoptive home's first and greatest superhero.The original and best Superman that I'd still rather watch now than any of its modern day counterparts.
- DirectorSteven SpielbergStarsHarrison FordKate CapshawKe Huy QuanIn 1935, Indiana Jones is tasked by Indian villagers with reclaiming a rock stolen from them by a secret cult beneath the catacombs of an ancient palace.
- DirectorRobert ZemeckisStarsMeryl StreepBruce WillisGoldie HawnWhen a fading actress learns of an immortality treatment, she sees it as a way to outdo her long-time rival.The only disappointing thing about Death Becomes Her is that every major special effect from the entire movie was in the trailer. But a superb cast and imaginative story turned this into a timeless classic that keeps me coming back for more.
- DirectorTim BurtonStarsMichael KeatonDanny DeVitoMichelle PfeifferWhile Batman deals with a deformed man calling himself the Penguin wreaking havoc across Gotham with the help of a cruel businessman, a female employee of the latter becomes the Catwoman with her own vendetta.Possibly the only film where I've put the sequel higher than the original, simply because I love catwoman in this :)
- DirectorChris ColumbusStarsMacaulay CulkinJoe PesciDaniel SternOne year after Kevin McCallister was left home alone and had to defeat a pair of bumbling burglars, he accidentally finds himself stranded in New York City - and the same criminals are not far behind.
- DirectorIvan ReitmanStarsBill MurrayDan AykroydSigourney WeaverThree parapsychologists forced out of their university funding set up shop as a unique ghost removal service in New York City, attracting frightened yet skeptical customers.
- DirectorRobert ZemeckisStarsMichael J. FoxChristopher LloydLea ThompsonMarty McFly, a 17-year-old high school student, is accidentally sent 30 years into the past in a time-traveling DeLorean invented by his close friend, the maverick scientist Doc Brown.
- DirectorRobert ZemeckisStarsMichael J. FoxChristopher LloydLea ThompsonAfter visiting 2015, Marty McFly must repeat his visit to 1955 to prevent disastrous changes to 1985...without interfering with his first trip.
- DirectorRichard LesterStarsGene HackmanChristopher ReeveMargot KidderSuperman agrees to sacrifice his powers to start a relationship with Lois Lane, unaware that three Kryptonian criminals he inadvertently released are conquering Earth.Sarah Douglas was born to play the villain and her portrayal of Ursa was magnificent. However, the later release of the Richard Donner cut made my whole life feel like a lie.
- DirectorSteven SpielbergStarsHarrison FordSean ConneryAlison DoodyIn 1938, after his father goes missing while pursuing the Holy Grail, Indiana Jones finds himself up against the Nazis again to stop them from obtaining its powers.
- DirectorWalter MurchStarsFairuza BalkNicol WilliamsonJean MarshDorothy, saved from a psychiatric experiment by a mysterious girl, is somehow called back to Oz when a vain witch and the Nome King destroy everything that makes the magical land beautiful.One of the fist movies I was taken to see at the cinema around the age of 10, so it will always have a special place in my heart for that. But there is no denying the film was a little darker than we expected, especially Mombi and her collection of heads!
- DirectorRobert ZemeckisStarsMichael DouglasKathleen TurnerDanny DeVitoA mousy romance novelist sets off for Colombia to ransom her kidnapped sister, and soon finds herself in the middle of a dangerous adventure hunting for treasure with a mercenary rogue.
- DirectorKenneth JohnsonStarsFisher StevensMichael McKeanTim BlaneyRobot Johnny Five comes to the city and gets manipulated by criminals who want him for their own purposes.Sadly missing the wonderful Ally Sheedy but never-the-less I sill love the sequel to one of my childhood favourites.
- DirectorJoe DanteChuck JonesStarsZach GalliganPhoebe CatesHowie MandelThe Gremlins are back, and this time, they've taken control of a New York City media mogul's high-tech skyscraper.The thing I loved the most about Gremlins 2 is that it REALLY didn't take itself too seriously. And of course if you watched this then you immediately recognised the Stanton twins in Terminator 2.
- DirectorIvan ReitmanStarsBill MurrayDan AykroydSigourney WeaverThe discovery of a massive river of ectoplasm and a resurgence of spectral activity allows the staff of Ghostbusters to revive the business.
- DirectorTim BurtonStarsMichael KeatonJack NicholsonKim BasingerThe Dark Knight of Gotham City begins his war on crime with his first major enemy being Jack Napier, a criminal who becomes the clownishly homicidal Joker.
- DirectorRobert ZemeckisStarsMichael J. FoxChristopher LloydMary SteenburgenStranded in 1955, Marty McFly learns about the death of Doc Brown in 1885 and must travel back in time to save him. With no fuel readily available for the DeLorean, the two must figure how to escape the Old West before Emmett is murdered.
- DirectorHarry WinerStarsKate CapshawLea ThompsonKelly PrestonThe young attendees of a space camp find themselves in space for real when their shuttle is accidentally launched into orbit.
- DirectorMatthew RobbinsStarsHume CronynJessica TandyFrank McRaeAliens help a feisty old New York couple in their battle against the ruthless land developer who's out to evict them.
- DirectorJeannot SzwarcStarsHelen SlaterFaye DunawayPeter O'TooleAfter losing a powerful orb, Kara Zor-El, Superman's cousin, comes to Earth to retrieve it and instead finds herself up against a wicked witch.I think I definitely benefited from watching Supergirl at the age of 10 because as a kid I loved it and as an adult I can still love it for the nostalgia. Back then I was too young to understand what a box office flop was, so it was much later in life that I discovered how much everyone else disliked it and hence there was no sequel.
- DirectorLewis TeagueStarsMichael DouglasKathleen TurnerDanny DeVitoWhen Joan Wilder is abducted while on a trip along the Nile, her boyfriend, Jack Colton, and pal Ralph rush to rescue her and retrieve a fabled jewel.
- DirectorJoe JohnstonStarsRick MoranisMatt FrewerMarcia StrassmanThe scientist father of a teenage girl and boy accidentally shrinks his and two other neighborhood teens to the size of insects. Now the teens must fight diminutive dangers as the father searches for them.
- DirectorMichael RitchieStarsEddie MurphyJ.L. ReateCharles DanceA private detective specializing in missing children is charged with the task of finding a special child whom dark forces want to eliminate.