Movies tagged with 80s - 5/5

Valley Girl

Like, oh my god, there was once this faraway place where teenage girls like totally created their own bitchin’ subculture and language. All right, perhaps it wasn’t so far away - a stone’s throw from downtown Los Angeles actually, in the suburban San Fernando Valley. These trendy inhabitants came to be lovingly known as Valley Girls, thanks to a memorable 1981 Frank Zappa song, “Valley Girl” in which he and his daughter Moon Unit openly mocked their lifestyle and their “Valspeak.” Two years later, the romantic comedy Valley Girl was released, paying homage to this little slice of Southern California subculture. And the result was nothing short of gnarly…fer sure.

WarGames

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Home computers were quite the fad in the early 80s but most people didn’t know what exactly could be accomplished with them other than very simple word processing programs and rudimentary games. WarGames, released in 1983, showed the world the advantages (and disadvantages) to be had from computers’ increasingly important role in our lives.

Weird Science

Who Framed Roger Rabbit

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Forget the big-name actors in movies like Grand Hotel, Around the World in 80 Days, Murder on the Orient Express and Mars Attacks! Here's the real all-star cast: Mickey, Bugs, Donald, Daffy, Goofy, Yosemite Sam, Betty Boop, Woody Woodpecker, Droopy and more, along with a long-eared newcomer named Roger. Who Framed Roger Rabbit not only boasted the most impressive cartoon lineup in movie history, it was a groundbreaking achievement in mixing those toon actors with live-action stars like Bob Hoskins and Christopher Lloyd. It also happened to be more fun than you could shake a portable hole at.

Willow

Young Guns

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The extralegal exploits of Henry Carter, a.k.a. "Billy the Kid," received the treatment of a rock star in 1988 with screenwriter John-Fusco's western redux, Young Guns. With a cast of brash young actors and a rock n' roll soundtrack, Christopher Cain created an account of the events surrounding the Lincoln County War in 1877 New Mexico. And while the film was sketchy on some of the facts, it was spot on with wit, humor, and hell-raising gunfire. Breakfast Clubber Emilio Estevez, Stand By Me villain Kiefer Sutherland, La Bamba star Lou Diamond Phillips and Ferris Beuller bad-boy Charlie Sheen comprised the title characters while Superman's Terence Stamp, City Slicker Jack Palance, and Lost star Terry O'Quinn shored up the supporting cast.