CLASS dir Lewis John Carlino
I went to boarding school, two different boarding schools to be exact. This film, and the others, came out when I was 11 years old. Some of the films were seen in the theater…every film but THE HUNGER, STAR 80 and CLASS were seen with my parents. Yes, my parents took me to see R rated films…welcome to Generation X.
CLASS introduced us to Andrew McCarthy, John Cusack and Rob Lowe…who we first see in THE OUTSIDERS. John Cusack lighting a joint in the hallway at light’s out, then hiding the lit spliff in his mouth upon the immediate return of the Dorm Master is …priceless. The scenes with McCarthy and Bissett are crazy. The situation is completely insane…lurid…BUT…
Strange things happen at boarding schools because rich people live interesting, dysfunctional and exceptional lifestyles. CLASS delivers in its portrayal of old money, complete with the commandeering Cliff Robertson patriarch.
BLUE THUNDER dir John Badham
The first of two films on this list from Badham, (the other WARGAMES). Not much to say on this film except how it aligns with the increased theme in Hollywood with respect to the state of security and surveillance (explored as AI driven holocaust in WARGAMES). Malcolm McDowell plays a crispy British prick…and a great role for Daniel Stern as the JAFO. Badham is a master at casting villains.
THE OUTSIDERS dir Francis Ford Coppola
Coppola’s most underrated film…the talent…the score by his father Carmine…the novel brought to life. As a kid who made 2-3 trips to Tulsa yearly from birth, this film is sacred…a key to understanding my father and mother and the world they lived in during the 1950’s and early ‘60’s.
And, Cherry Valance…of course.
TRADING PLACES dir John Landis
One of the all-time great comedies. The writing, characters and themes are sharp and varied… buried beneath is a big middle finger to the excess of the 80’s, if maybe with a wink and a smile.
A CHRISTMAS STORY dir Bob Clark
It felt like a classic upon first viewing…like it was made to be watched every year on a loop on the same channel I grew up watching as my local TV station: WTBS.
VALLEY GIRL dir Martha Coolidge
This was on heavy HBO rotation, late night. Historical soundtrack with multiple gems including the Hollywood ending power ballad “Melt With You” from Modern English.
BRAINSTORM dir Douglas Trumbull
Another look into the future using the oncoming advent of virtual reality. This film explores technology in an accessible manner…Cliff Robertson in the CEO Gucci loafer role. Unfortunately, it’s better known as Natalie Woods last film…
WARGAMES dir John Badham
Great movie and the introduction of one Matthew Broderick, our future Ferris Bueller. Badham delivers great action…casting. Dabney Coleman plays “Kittridge” a software executive government contractor in charge of the W.O.P.R. - an acronym for War Operations Plan Response - if memory serves me. (Side note: Later, at Emerson College, I’d meet Dabney’s daughter Quincy, who lived down the hall, and is a good friend to this day).
RISKY BUSINESS dir Paul Brickman
I bought a pair of Wayfarers…and so did you. I danced in my tighty whitey’s... I did everything but run a brothel out of my parent’s house…yes, I totaled a Porsche…see the substack post titled “23 Car Accidents.”
MR. MOM dir Stan Dragoti
My dad worked in advertising. When Jack loses his job as a car designer, his wife goes back to work at her old job…in advertising. My dad had an office full of the classic characters: the wacky studio artists, tight ass account people, creative and alcoholic creatives. The film was this world brought to life on screen - a tableau of my dad’s professional life. (…a fairly accurate depiction of commercial production, in particular).
STAR 80 dir Bob Fosse
This film is terrifying.
…and has Cliff Robertson as Hugh Hefner.
THE HUNGER dir Tony Scott
This film is delicious. The style - the slow motion, the beautification of violence…the opening scene using “Bela Lugosi’s Dead,” by Bauhaus (creepy Peter Murphy clawing at the cage). This played on heavy rotation in the girls dorm common room at the Colorado Springs School from 1988 to 1991. Another late night HBO special. Say it with me: PROGERIA.
TWILIGHT ZONE: THE MOVIE
dir’s Joe Dante, George Miller, Steven Spielberg and John Landis
The death of Vic Morrow did not prevent this film from being completed or released. They even kept his piece in the film. Morrow’s daughter is Jennifer Jason Leigh. Dan Akroyd has a great cameo. The George Miller vignette (the airplane) is horrifying. Spielberg’s was a bit of a snooze…
