Posts Tagged ‘80s movies’
CONFESS, FLETCH’s Annie Mumolo Spills Secrets from the Set
In Confess, Fletch, Annie Mumolo elevates a character trope into a character for the ages. One-upping the Gladys Kravitz and Stanley Roper nosy neighbors of yore, Mumolo’s “Eve” is the busybody next-door neighbor, hyper observant about the lives of others while oblivious to her own. The actress, best known for co-writing Bridesmaids, keeps ’80s Movie…
Read MorePodcast: Racism, rape culture & Jake Ryan: How SIXTEEN CANDLES influenced a generation
Humorously showing the emotional pain of teenagers aching for true love amid the social expectations of high school, Sixteen Candles turned a teen sex comedy into an pop cultural phenomenon that was watched by every ’80s kid. Mentored by National Lampoon, known for its intentionally offensive humor, John Hughes imbued relatable and aspirational three-dimensional characters with racist and misogynistic attitudes. The depiction of a Chinese foreign exchange…
Read MorePodcast: ST. ELMO’S FIRE reflects how life in the ’80s truly was “out of hand.”
St. Elmo’s Fire was a response to the teen films of the 1980s, examining what happens after college. Joel Schumacher crafted an authentic and progressive story about the emotional lives and professional challenges of seven recent Georgetown grads, reflecting young women focused on career rather than marriage and introducing the idea of a gay lead character (a baby step, but…
Read MorePodcast: RISKY BUSINESS Declared Women are Products and Money is all that Matters.
When you’re looking to explain the 1980s, look to Risky Business. Teens were attracted to the Paul Brickman comedy by the music video featuring Tom Cruise dancing in his underpants. Running constantly on MTV, teens watched and rewatched the “Old Time Rock n’ Roll” music video and its resonant clips of a line of beautiful prostitutes walking into Joel’s house,…
Read MorePodcast: 9 TO 5 is a snapshot of 1980
Pour yourself a cup of ambition, it’s the 40th Anniversary of 9 to 5! Wonderfully executed as a broad office buddy comedy, 9 to 5 made a definitive impact in creating empathy and understanding for women in the workplace. Film authorities Tara McNamara, Gen X, and Riley Roberts, Gen Z, look back at the 1980…
Read MorePodcast: Why STIR CRAZY’s black-white buddy comedy holds up 40 years later.
In 1980, Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor’s follow-up to their 1976 hit Silver Streak was highly anticipated. Despite critic’s panning the film, Stir Crazy did double the business, was the 3rd highest grossing film of the year, and broke box office records. The prison buddy comedy holds up 40 years later, largely because two of Hollywood’s most powerful black figures (Pryor and…
Read MorePodcast: BEVERLY HILLS COP blazed a new path of positive portrayals while encouraging corruption
Beverly Hills Cop was the No. 1 movie in 1984, a year that many consider one of cinema’s best. As Detroit police detective Axel Foley (a role originally written for white actors Mickey Rouke and then Sylvester Stallone), Eddie Murphy made headway for black authority figures as lead characters — a huge step toward positive…
Read MorePodcast: TOP GUN taught ’80s kids that rules were for losers.
Listen and subscribe on iTunes and Stitcher. Top Gun is an iconic ’80s action classic, a blockbuster that’s beloved, and a Tony Scott treasure that has been selected for preservation by the the National Film Registry becomes of its significance. And while it’s a great film, the hypermasculinity sent some suffocating messages to ’80s boys.…
Read MorePodcast: A 19-Year-Old Argues that AIRPLANE! Isn’t Funny Anymore — Here’s Why She’s Right.
American Film Institute lists Airplane! (1980) as one of the Top 10 Funniest Movies of All Time, and any Gen X’r would agree with that. Gen Z, not so much. In this episode, 19-year-old Riley Roberts explains why the David and Jerry Zucker and Jim Abrahams classic comedy isn’t funny to her generation, and explains…
Read MoreFREEBIES! We’re giving away THE GOONIES & BEETLEJUICE in 4K Ultra HD Blu-Ray!
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