Article on the rise of the 80s in 2010

Check out the article here on 2010 as the year of the 80s.

" I always tell the truth... even when I lie"

This film is about Tony Montana (Al Pacino), who arrives in Miami, FL as a Cuban immigrant. It follows him in his rise to power as a gangster and the role that cocaine plays in his life and relationships.
I found this movie did not live up to its standards as a must-see epic movie. It felt as though it dragged on and the only highlight was the end when Tony says “Say hello to my little friend”. The plot did not capture me as an audience member because the script was not engaging and although the acting was well-done, many of the characters were one-dimensional. It felt as though all of the effort of the plot and large special effects went into the ending of the movie.
Michelle Pfeiffer’s acting as a cocaine addict bitch that is purely in a relationship with Tony for materialistic reasons is spot on. She does a good job in putting Tony’s ego in check and having no problem saying what is on her mind. As for Al Pacino, his acting was incredible. From his accent to his ability to make audience members love and hate his character he did a brilliant job in creating Tony’s character. That is where we see Tony’s cocaine addiction skyrocket, the main gun fight that leads to a blood bath, and Tony’s struggle with his love for his sister. The one constant in this movie is Tony’s rejection of love. He is rejected by his mother, his sister and his wife, which eventually leads to his ignorance followed by his death.
Without Al Pacino, the movie would have been a total flop. The rest of the characters are mostly one-dimensional. He is the only complicated character with an odd twist to his title as ‘hero’. There is no black or white when it comes to his character as he constantly switches back and forth from villain to hero. We feel remorse for him at the end when his sister is killed even though their relationship ended off on an incestuous note. He dies being a man who had all the power and then lost everything at once.

"Say Hello to My Little Friend!" - Scarface

I’m not sure exactly how I feel about Scarface but can say that it did not live up to its reputation until the very end of the film. Although the movie was rather realistic and showed Tony’s growth from Cuban refugee to millionaire powerful drug dealer, the movie moved a lot slower than I expected. Some of the scenes with the money and the drug deals got a little boring while the relationships between the characters and the fight scenes were what got my attention. Tony is a strange main character in that throughout the movie, I couldn’t decide whether I liked him or not. He seemed to encompass the hero and the villain together and wasn’t really the usual likeable leading man. Most of what Tony did was for his own selfish interests and his yelling and anger got rather excessively annoying which seemed to be intentional so Al Pacino did a great job playing him. The filmmakers didn’t make Tony completely inhuman in that they showed him not wanting to kill a mother and children, how he cared about his sister (weird at the end, sweet at first) and how he considered himself a political prisoner. Yet, whether deep down Tony was a good guy or not, he was a complete money obsessed, coke head mess. As for his love interest that wasn’t the typical girl role either for both his wife and sister. Michelle Pfeiffer was impressive as a cold, snobby, coked up bitch. At the beginning, there was hope that there banter was flirting but throughout the movie it was clear that they were in a loveless relationship. Even though Tony was a complete ass it’s hard to feel bad for her character Elvira because she was clearly just in it for the money and consistent drug supply. His relationship with his sister was even weirder in that at first it was sweet that he cared for her so much and wanted to keep her innocence but to hurt every guy she’s with and to even kill his own best friend for being with her was ridiculous. The ending makes it unclear on whether or not there was a sick incestuous factor in their relationship because he did seem to be weirdly obsessed with her but mostly it could just be how far he led to her complete downfall in the world he created where she wanted to teach him a lesson. The ending scene with her walking toward him and with the house being raided with the gunfight that led to the famous quote “say hello to my little friend” was the best scene in the movie by far. The way he symbolically shoved his face in all the cocaine and then how it was mostly him against a ton of men and that he didn’t go down with a fight just concluded the movie perfectly. He had to go down eventually because it wasn’t going to be the drug dealer lived happily ever after and the director DePalma made sure he went down in a big way, as did every other main character which is rare. It’s clear that the movie was a representation of the violence in 1980’s Miami and the major cocaine boom of the decade that took the country on it’s own crazy drug adventure. Even though the music was super cheesy and it did drag on a little slow, Scarface is definitely a movie you have to see once for Al Pacino’s performance of Tony Montana or even just to quote the famous lines in the film.

80s rule with a passion at the box office

Check out this story from msnbc.com on films of the 80s.

The Breakfast Club

I had heard a lot about the famed Breakfast Club movie. Especially when I told people I had never seen it before and they proceeded to flip out on me as if I had insulted their mama. Well, don’t tell them this because I don’t want to cause any physical harm to myself, but I really wasn’t that impressed with the movie. The characters were all very stereotypical: the jock, the preppy popular girl, the nerd, the badass, and the freak. I did like how they all hated each other and were fighting right up until the principal came in. then they had a common enemy and suddenly they were united against him and were all defending one another. Even the weirdo girl who hadn’t talked yet. Another thing I thought was funny was that the sunglasses they’re all using in the film are back in style now, I have two pairs like that. Besides the characters being a stereotypical, the plot line behind them was too. The jock was pushed to excellence so he was stressed and hated his father. The badass was mean and rude because his dad was mean and rude to him. Aside from this, I did like how they all started to understand each other and help each other with their problems. One of my favorite scenes is when the jock persuades the weirdo to share her feelings. The shots in this movie were pretty cool too, like when the badass climbed up the stairs and the camera was angled through the staircase to show him resting on his arms. I also liked how the nerd asked everyone if they would still be friends tomorrow, and how it turned out that only him and the weirdo girl were good enough people to stay friends. Everyone else, even though they looked like better candidates, admitted they wouldn’t be able to be because of the friends they have now.

Watching an “Officer and a Gentlemen”, I was faced with a ton of emotions. At the beginning, I was ready to watch some super cheesy Top Gun like movie but with the Navy and townie girls. Even though this was partially true, getting more and more into the film, I really got invested in the stories and the characters which I guess with Richard Gere, is rather easy. The training sequences weren’t boring like a thought but had you excited and worried while noticing Zach’s (Richard Gere) progress. The beginning when you learn Zach’s troubled past with a neglectful father and a mother who killed herself, you immediately want to root for him to do well in training. However, he is not the typical hero because Zach does a lot of things wrong and makes mistakes. After the cheesy lovey newly dating phase ended, you see Zach just ditch a great woman, played lovely and honestly by Debra Winger, for no reason. While it’s understandable that Zach doesn’t want to settle down with a townie he is hooking up with, the way they interacted and the way Debra Winger played Paula made you so angry at Zach (maybe even yell a little at the TV) for not seeing that he loved her and just walking away. While Paula and Lynette were somewhat of hussies, more Lynette than Paula, it’s hard not to feel bad for these girls who work in a factory with no future and doing the only thing they know, which may happen to be making pilots fall in love with them. Additionally, the relationship between Zach and the sergeant was very interesting in that as much as Zach fought it, the sergeant was there pushing him and giving him tough love which he needed. Even though it’s kind of cheesy, it was nice to see the Mr. Miyagi aspect in the film because troubled young men usually could use a mentor. Moreover, there wouldn’t be a military movie, or any kind of man-themed movie, without the bromance. However, this bromance broke my heart in that Zach helped Sid and both had their love affairs yet Sid couldn’t make it. It wasn’t bad enough that the nicest, hometown boy DORed because he couldn’t do it or that is brother died or that his heart was broken by Lynette but when he killed himself, it was a little much and overly sad. Especially since Zach had already lost his mother that way, I feel like the movie wants you to be a complete emotional mess if you can look past the Lifetime movie aspect. And of course, I’m a sucker for a happy but unrealistic ending, especially one that includes Richard Gere stepping in to save the woman. This one was extra fun because it had Richard Gere in a sergeant white uniform swoop in to kiss and save Paula from her boring small town life which is safe to say is most girl’s dream.

Space Camp

Space Camp offers one of the most dated 80s pictures of technology, almost relic-like with its "state of the art" robot and machinery. Set in Nasa in the 1980s, the story follows a group of kids enrolled in space camp who are accidentally launched into space with only the help of a seasoned pilot, Andie Bergstrom (Kate Capshaw), as their supervisor.

They are all at space camp for different reasons, but placed on the same team and become friends accordingly. Their drills at Nasa, however, leave something to be desired, as each team member fails at a task and is chewed out by Andie at some point in time or another. She isn't great with kids or thrilled to be at camp, as she was passed over as the next astronaut to go up in space and thus stuck doing camp.

They face many obstacles which force the kids to learn to work together as a team. Everyone brings unique qualities to the floor-- whether it's Kathryn Fairly's (Lea Thompson)knowledge of piloting, Tish Ambrosei's (Kelly Preston) photographic memory, Rudy Tyler's (Larry B. Scott) science knowledge, or youthful Max Graham's (Joaquin Phoenix) size. Notably, they have to figure out how to obtain more oxygen, as their level is too short to allow them to land back on earth.

The movie's dialogue is laughable:

Kathryn: Why are you so hard on me?
Andie: Because someday, you're goin' up. But the only way that will happen is if you have every drill here down better than everyone else. There's no room for mistakes. Every 'i' dotted, every 't' crossed. That's the way I learned it. That's the way you'll learn it. You copy?
Kathryn: I copy.


Andie: Hideo Takamini... HIDEO TAKAMINI?
Kevin: Right here!
[holding up a stolen nametag]
Andie: Hideo Takamini?
Kevin: Well actually it's pronounced "Kevin Donaldson."
Andie: I don't have a "Donaldson."
Kevin: Well, you have one now.

Andie: So what brings you to space camp?
Tish: Well I did this audit at GPL on Radio Astronomy; it was unbelieveable! I mean can you imagine an extra terrestrial disc jockey? I mean like listening to radio waves from space? I mean like waiting for signs of intelligence?
Andie: ...Like I know the feeling.


The movie's plot is laughable, the movie's dialogue is laughable, and the movie itself? should be avoided.

Top 40 Films Right Here

Check out this list of greatest 80s films.

Platoon

Caution: This film is not for the faint of heart.

Oliver Stone's, Platoon (1986), transports the viewer into the jungle of the Vietnam war in the year 1967. The film focuses on the experience of Chris Taylor, an intelligent young man who, despite his parents wishes, dropped out of college to serve his country. However, what he found in Vietnam was far from what he had imagined. Stone does a fantastic job of depicting the horrors of the Vietnam War and the reality that sometimes the toughest enemies are your own men.

The film is obviously not set in the 80's, however it stars some big 80's actors, such as the young Charlie Sheen, Willem Dafoe, Tom Berenger, and Forest Whitaker. The subject of the Vietnam War, which was considered to be taboo in the 1970's, came to prevalence in the 1980's with films like Platoon, Full Metal Jacket, and the Missing in Action trilogy. The film purposefully focuses on the negative aspects of the war, such as war crimes and the deplorable conditions in which the soldiers lived, in order to convey a disdainful message regarding war. Despite the bleak nature of the film, it remains to be one of the most influential war films of all time.

I would not recommend the film to anyone with a weak stomach or sensitivity to violence, however for advocates of films such as Saving Private Ryan and The Patriot, this film is for you.

Going into “Overboard”, I didn’t think it looked like that good of a movie but I was curious to see a film with Goldie Hawn especially the one where she supposedly fell in love with Kurt Russell. Yet, right from the beginning I found myself really enjoying this funny and amusing love story between two opposites. Goldie Hawn was great as Joanna/Annie, starting off as an obnoxious, spoiled yet highly amusing bitch Joanna. Yet by the end of the film, you were convincingly able to see how Joanna became the lovable and good-hearted Annie after falling overboard a boat and suffering amnesia. The idea is a little far fetched but so was the other 80’s Gary Marshall film “Pretty Woman” where a wealthy man fell for a hooker. It between the classic mean girl turned good transformation, the film kept things light and interesting as Kurt Russell’s character Dean, her carpenter who despised her, and his four mischievous sons tricked and harassed Joanna/Annie, while convincing her she’s their wife/mother, into doing stuff that her old self, would never be caught dead doing. Some funny examples were her sawing wood and almost burning the kitchen down making dinner. It’s hard at first to decide who to root for as Joanna was first a huge bitch but you can’t help feel bad for her while Dean puts her through hell. Yet, of course she adapts and not only obviously falls in love with Dean but his motherless children as well. The love story was believable because it took a while for the sparks to fly with Joanna/Annie and Dean because clearly they had to search for the good in each other which of course they brought out. The film even made the audience love the, at first really annoying, four kids and I’ll admit had me in tears in the scene when chasing Joanna/Annie’s leaving limo at the end calling for her as their mom. The legend with jumping into the ocean and swimming to ones true love was also a cute touch and made for a cheesy yet needed romantic ending which no audience can resist. Even though I could probably not pass up the opportunity to live on a yacht, I would easily and surprisingly choose the poor but charming Dean over the rich but slimy Grant, who was played by the grandfather from “Gilmore Girls” who always plays rich so well. Yet, in the ultimate happy ending, Joanna/Annie doesn’t have to settle at all because she remembers that all the money belongs to her. All in all, this was a pretty good romantic comedy because it made you laugh, cry and fall in love with the characters too, even if it was a little cheesy but all the best ones usually are.