drahkon's movie madness

[drahkon]

Stupid @Happenstance came up with the idea, so here it is.

I'm gonna watch some classic movies from the 80s and 90s (or from a different era) and post my not so eloquent thoughts on them.
Gonna need a few recommendations eventually, but the first movie is going to be:

Back to the Future

I may have watched it or parts of it when I was a kid, but I can't remember much - if any - of it. So I'm pretty much going in blind, which is not a great thing for a movie if you take it literally.

Have a short day at work ahead of me, so I might actually give it a watch early afternoon  

Edited August 26, 2022 by drahkon

[Glen-i]

I've never watched the Back to the Future movies.

If you want a recommendation for the future, might I suggest Dragonheart? One of my favourite movies, that. And while I know full well that it's quite by-the-books as far as plot goes, I don't care, because Sean Connery is a Dragon in it, and that's awesome!

I believe that film is one of the first instances of a "CG actor". The studio that did Jurassic Park worked on it, so the CG holds up surprisingly well.

[Fierce_LiNk]

Yesssss, Back to the Future is a classic.

One of my favourite things ever was seeing the trilogy as a Triple Bill in the cinema.

Spoiler

We saw it on 21st October 2015, which is the date Marty arrives in the future in Part II.

Brilliant, brilliant trilogy. Enjoy!

[Hero-of-Time]

Biff Tannen is one of the greatest villains in cinema history. Thomas F. Wilson hams it up to perfection.

[Fierce_LiNk]

51 minutes ago, Glen-i said:

I've never watched the Back to the Future movies.

 

 

[Happenstance]

Back to the Future really should be made part of a worldwide school curriculum as required watching. It's so good.

[Julius]

The Back to the Future films fall into a strange category of films for me where I genuinely can't remember if I've sat down and watched them all the way through: if I did, it was at a young enough age where I don't remember doing so, but I've seen enough bits and pieces of them growing up where I feel like they've been pieced together for me  so I might need to see where they're streaming...

Anyways, @drahkon I have some recommendations! You mentioned being open to eras outside of the 80s and 90s, so while I'll recommend a film or two for those, I'm going to be cheeky and throw some 70s films in. We could roll back to the 50s and 60s, but...there's just too much to recommend from those decades, and a lot of the time they aren't as easily available as films from later decades. 

My 70s recommendations: The Godfather and The Godfather Part II

I think there's a genuine argument to be made that The Godfather and Part II are some of the earliest examples of timeless classics in cinema – plenty of excellent films came before this which I would consider classics, but many of them show their age in one way or another, whether it's the framing, occasional clunky cinematography, or just the general pacing. If you told me The Godfather was made in the 50s or the 80s before I saw it, I'd believe you. 

Just to give a general gist of things, these two films follow the Corleone family through a decade and a half of turmoil through their mafia family endeavours. Plenty of twists and turns along the way, but above all else the acting takes centre stage backed by a wonderful score. You know me, I don't like to say too much or hype up things I enjoy too much, but I think you'll enjoy these a lot (they're directed by Francis Ford Coppola, who also directed Apocalypse Now, which I know you enjoyed!). 

Now, whether or not you watch Part III after is a bridge to cross if and when you finish these two 

My 80s recommendations: The Karate Kid (alt: Ferris Bueller's Day Off) and Stand By Me

Okay, so until about a year ago I kind of just assumed that The Karate Kid was a film everyone watched growing up. And then I learned that one of my closest friends hadn't watched it (and he still hasn't). He's no longer my friend (I'm kidding, I'm kidding...or am I?), and now I'm on a life mission to ensure everyone I cross paths with watches it so that I can go back to my assumption that everyone has watched The Karate Kid. 

Don't be like my (potentially former) friend. Watch The Karate Kid if you haven't already (and no, the Jaden Smith remake - as much as I loved it growing up - is not a substitute). The Karate Kid is about as quintessentially 80s as Aliens, The Terminator, or Ferris Bueller's Day Off (my alternative recommendation if you've already seen The Karate Kid) – it's an excellent coming-of-age film mixed in with fun KA-RAH-TAY and innately 80s songs which just makes you want to learn a martial art from a complete stranger and start cleaning cars. 

And speaking of coming-of-age, my other 80s recommendation has to be Stand By Me. I think most people in this world are either Breakfast Club people or Stand By Me people, and well, me, I'm a Stand By Me person. It's a film which just hits all the right notes for early teens nostalgia mixed in with the sprinkling of reality that, well, you're growing up, and the world is a tougher place than you think it is. It's a film which always makes me think about not knowing that you're in the Good Old Days until you've left them. 

My 90s recommendations: Princess Mononoke (alt: Whisper of the Heart) and The Prince of Egypt

There are a lot of films which can be argued to be Ghibli's best, or more specifically Hayao Miyazaki's best, but for me, my favourite Ghibli film is Princess Mononoke. I feel like I mention this film in every other post I make, so to keep it short, it's probably the most mature Ghibli film, it might have my favourite Ghibli score (I mean, the same can be said for almost all of Joe Hisaishi's Ghibli scores ), and it definitely has my favourite Ghibli story. It's a thorough exploration of mankind's relationship with outsiders and nature which I find always leaves me feeling empty but complete. 

Alternatively, if you've already seen Princess Mononoke (and if you have, I want to hear your thoughts!), I'd recommend Whisper of the Heart, which I think is probably one of Ghibli's most underrated works. It's directed by Yoshifumi Kondō, who worked as an animation director and on key animation for many other Ghibli projects, and it was sadly the only film he directed: he passed away a few years after Whisper of the Heart released at the age of 48, having been positioned as effectively Miyazaki's protégé and was seemingly destined to become Ghibli's next great director.

So what's so magical about Whisper of the Heart? I think it's the balance it strikes: many of Hayao Miyazaki's films are fantastical and occasionally dip into a moment or two of slice-of-life, whereas Isao Takahata (the other great Ghibli director alongside Miyazaki) focused mainly on slice-of-life interactions, occasionally dipping into more fantastical or imaginative elements (not necessarily in terms of story, but how the film is presented); Whisper of the Heart feels as fantastical as it feels slice-of-life, it's just a joyous watch. 

My other 90s recommendation is The Prince of Egypt, for me hands down DreamWorks' best film. It covers the story of Moses from a very objective place - it doesn't try to sell you on Christianity, or Judaism, or Islam, but simply focuses on telling you a damn powerful story - with an excellent voice cast, a stunning score by Hans Zimmer and is visually one of the more striking and relevant retellings of a religious story that I've ever experienced. Heartily recommend it, regardless of your religion (or lack of one). 

And that's me tapping out for now on the recommendations front  

[Happenstance]

My must watch list from the 80s and 90s:

Spoiler

• Airplane
• Police Story
• Ghostbusters
• Back to the Future
• Akira
• Big
• Terminator
• ET
• Robocop
• Die Hard
• The Thing
• Raiders of the Lost Ark
• Blade Runner
• Ferris Bueller's Day Off
• The Goonies
• Stand By Me
• Princess Bride
• Predator
• Lethal Weapon
• Batman
• Lethal Weapon 2
• Superman 2
• The Running Man
• Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
•  

Spoiler

• Wayne's World
• The Fifth Element
• The Truman Show
• Jurassic Park
• Men in Black
• Scream
• Speed
• The Matrix
• Groundhog Day
• Terminator 2
• Shawshank Redemption
• Home Alone
• Total Recall
• Die Hard with a Vengeance
• The Rock
• Independence Day
• Con Air

 

I'm going to have missed a load of amazing movies from those lists. Had to use best of lists to compile them so I'm betting some of my smaller favourites slipped through the cracks.

[drahkon]

Yooo, you guys need to chill. I've just finished Back to the Future.  

I'm no movie critic, so don't expect anything profound here  

I enjoyed it. Can't say that I loved it, but it sure was fun. Humor was hit and miss, the plot was quite predictable, characters where...let's say era appropriate  But overall, definitely an enjoyable ride  
I very much appreciate the occasional political incorrectness (not in a mean spirited way, of course) which made some jokes/lines hilarious. You probably won't get lines like "Look, I don't want to mess with no reefer addicts, okay?" thrown at black actors today. 

Anyways, some more specific thoughts:

Who the fuck sleeps like that?

It's a recipe for disaster  

And yeah...incest porn started with this movie, right?  
Also gotta point out that in this story, attempted rape results in true love. That's eh...yeeeaaah...

Absolutely loved the doc's answer about the repercussions of messing with the space time continuum. Pretty much "Who gives a shit, Marty"  

So tell me, you old farts: Was that final scene of the movie as impressive for you back then as I imagine it was?

[Happenstance]

Yes the final scene was impressive but I think when I watched Back to the Future for the first time it was already a trilogy so I knew more was coming.

How about the music, did you enjoy that? Back to the Future has some of my favourite music and the score at the end when they are trying to get the lightning plan to work gets me hyped every single time I watch it.

[drahkon]

21 minutes ago, Happenstance said:

How about the music, did you enjoy that?

Didn't really notice the music, I guess. I was too absorbed the visuals mostly  

[Happenstance]

11 minutes ago, drahkon said:

Didn't really notice the music, I guess. I was too absorbed the visuals mostly  

Interesting choice to watch the movie on mute....that's the only way what you just said makes sense 😭

[Fierce_LiNk]

Yeah, the music is superb. If you ever get the chance to see it in the cinema, do it. It's worth it for the sound alone.

Now you've got to see the others @drahkon, if you haven't done so already. My mind changes regarding which one I like the most. I've got a huge soft spot for the third one.

[Hero-of-Time]

2 minutes ago, Fierce_LiNk said:

My mind changes regarding which one I like the most. I've got a huge soft spot for the third one.

My favourite is the second. I just love how crazy it gets. 

The third was always the weakest for me. The antagonist in the third movie does a lot of the carrying.

Edited August 26, 2022 by Hero-of-Time

[Happenstance]

I think release order is my preference but I can definitely see an argument for 2 being better. I've grown to appreciate 3 a lot more over the years but I'd still say that's the weakest.

[Hero-of-Time]

3 minutes ago, Hero-of-Time said:

The antagonist in the third movie does a lot of the carrying.

 

Spoiler

 

Legend.  

[Fierce_LiNk]

3 is a bit underrated, in my opinion. It's got some incredibly memorable moments, some of the lines are just gold, and the ending is very satisfying. I love it. Number 2 was my favourite growing up and it might just about be my favourite now. But it's close. It's such a great trilogy.

[Jonnas]

I really like the BttF trilogy. I have some nostalgia for the first one, and I'm super fond of the third one. The second one I only watched as an adult somehow, so that might explain why I like that one the least (it also has the more needlessly complicated plot). Regardless, they're all really good at being "complete" comedy films, always up for the occasional watch.

And in case you're interested, there's a videogame sequel of sorts made by Telltale that's also pretty fun and...

*rereads thread title*

Oh wait, this thread is actually about drahkon... Is he even watching other films!?

[Happenstance]

I think I might have to pick out some 80s movies myself to watch this weekend. I'm in the mood for a good old fashioned good guy beats the odds pick me up movie and I don't think you get better than the 80s for that. 

[Happenstance]

Starting off 90s instead and watching The Mighty Ducks.

[Hero-of-Time]

29 minutes ago, Happenstance said:

Starting off 90s instead and watching The Mighty Ducks.

FLYING V!!!

Great choice. The second is the better film but the first is also a cracking movie. 

[Happenstance]

4 minutes ago, Hero-of-Time said:

FLYING V!!!

Great choice. The second is the better film but the first is also a cracking movie. 

Yeah I think I'd agree with that but it's been quite a while since I watched the first two. Seen the third one the most for some reason, guess it was just on TV more. Definitely not as good as the first two.

[Hero-of-Time]

Yeah, the third is a massive step down from the previous two. Felt more like a spinoff rather than a sequel.

[Happenstance]

1 minute ago, Hero-of-Time said:

Yeah, the third is a massive step down from the previous two. Felt more like a spinoff rather than a sequel.

The third one really suffered from Emilio Estevez basically having a cameo role

[Ashley]

The 80s and 90s are overrated so here's one from the 50s: Some Like It Hot. 

It's a fun comedy that still holds up well and the ending is a classic.