For the next few weeks I will be looking at one year at a time from 1986-1999, one post for every year of my life prior to the new century. But because there are so many good movies, each year will have multiple categories. These categories are as follows:
OTHER - These are other notable films of the year that don't meet the other categories, but which I felt worth mentioning (hence... notable).
MOVIES I HAVEN'T SEEN IN YEARS - These are ones I have seen, but I haven't seen for a very long time, so I don't remember all that much about them other than a few things here and there.
NOSTALGIC FACTOR - These are the films I have an attachment to due to my youth but they might not necessarily be good (or bad, either, depending).
MOVIES I HAVE YET TO SEE (For Shame) - Popular films of the year that I haven't seen yet... and that probably makes me a really bad movie lover. I won't really commentate on these films... just a list as I duck my head in shame.
RUNNER-UP - My second favorite movie of said year.
FAVORITE - My favorite movie of said year.
All this being said, let's get to the first year... 1986!
MY LIFE IN FILM: 1986
OTHER
- Aliens: Not much to say... some say even better than the original, though it's almost comparing apples and oranges.
- Highlander: One I haven't seen in years, but it spawned its own mythology (and TV series). So, yeah.
- Pretty in Pink: It's a John Hughes classic... nuff said.
MOVIES I HAVEN'T SEEN IN YEARS
- Crocodile Dundee: The bane of every Aussie's existence. Don't remember much about it except a pretty big knife.
- Ferris Bueller's Day Off: Classic film in every regard, and I'm probably gonna get quite a bit of flak for not having seen it in years. But I still quote it in class when nobody will give me an answer (Bueller... Bueller...).
- The Fly - I'm actually gonna be seeing this in the relatively near future. This classic remake is on my Netflix queue and should be coming up sometime soon.
- Short Circuit: Johnny 5!
- Stand By Me: Leeches! (Seriously, that's pretty much all I remember)
- Top Gun: The guy snaps his neck when he tries to eject... yup.
NOSTALGIC FACTOR
- Howard the Duck: Considered one of the worst films ever made, this George Lucas classic (?) has everything from Lea Thompson to alien duck boobies. I actually used to watch this movie all the time when I was really little, which probably explains my capability to withstand and/or enjoy even the crappiest of films these days. Though I actually watched this movie again a couple years ago and... Good God, was it terrible. Not to mention I had a friend who liked to rewind the movie at the infamous duck-boobs scene... like I said, we were young and so, so naive (and/or immature).
MOVIES I HAVE YET TO SEE (For Shame)
- Big Trouble in Little China
- Platoon
RUNNER-UP
- Labyrinth: Could have fallen under Nostalgic Factor, but I felt it was more suited for this category. Granted, I saw this movie again recently for the first time in... forever... and I realized how strange it really is. But how can you not love David Bowie in this movie? And singing puppets? And Jennifer Connelly in her break-out role? Good stuff... strange stuff... but good stuff.
For the record, this spot almost went to Aliens. In fact, it probably should have. The reason it didn't? I haven't seen it in years, so I didn't think it was fair to put it as my Runner-Up, despite it being the better film.
FAVORITE
- Little Shop of Horrors: I grew up with this movie... which probably explains a lot about me. You know how everybody has that one movie that transcends their favorite movie? The one where, even if your favorite movie continually changes, this one stays the one you can quote endlessly and watch it over and over without getting sick of it? This is that movie for me. A singing, blood-thirsty plant from outer space manipulates a nerdy Rick Moranis (redundant?) into killing people to feed to it so to win over the ditzy blonde girl who is dating a sadistic dentist played by Steve Martin (who then has an amazingly hilarious--and improv'd--scene with a pain-loving Bill Murray). Really... that's about all that needs to be said.
OTHER
- Aliens: Not much to say... some say even better than the original, though it's almost comparing apples and oranges.
- Highlander: One I haven't seen in years, but it spawned its own mythology (and TV series). So, yeah.
- Pretty in Pink: It's a John Hughes classic... nuff said.
MOVIES I HAVEN'T SEEN IN YEARS
- Crocodile Dundee: The bane of every Aussie's existence. Don't remember much about it except a pretty big knife.
- Ferris Bueller's Day Off: Classic film in every regard, and I'm probably gonna get quite a bit of flak for not having seen it in years. But I still quote it in class when nobody will give me an answer (Bueller... Bueller...).
- The Fly - I'm actually gonna be seeing this in the relatively near future. This classic remake is on my Netflix queue and should be coming up sometime soon.
- Short Circuit: Johnny 5!
- Stand By Me: Leeches! (Seriously, that's pretty much all I remember)
- Top Gun: The guy snaps his neck when he tries to eject... yup.
NOSTALGIC FACTOR
- Howard the Duck: Considered one of the worst films ever made, this George Lucas classic (?) has everything from Lea Thompson to alien duck boobies. I actually used to watch this movie all the time when I was really little, which probably explains my capability to withstand and/or enjoy even the crappiest of films these days. Though I actually watched this movie again a couple years ago and... Good God, was it terrible. Not to mention I had a friend who liked to rewind the movie at the infamous duck-boobs scene... like I said, we were young and so, so naive (and/or immature).
MOVIES I HAVE YET TO SEE (For Shame)
- Big Trouble in Little China
- Platoon
RUNNER-UP
- Labyrinth: Could have fallen under Nostalgic Factor, but I felt it was more suited for this category. Granted, I saw this movie again recently for the first time in... forever... and I realized how strange it really is. But how can you not love David Bowie in this movie? And singing puppets? And Jennifer Connelly in her break-out role? Good stuff... strange stuff... but good stuff.
For the record, this spot almost went to Aliens. In fact, it probably should have. The reason it didn't? I haven't seen it in years, so I didn't think it was fair to put it as my Runner-Up, despite it being the better film.
FAVORITE
- Little Shop of Horrors: I grew up with this movie... which probably explains a lot about me. You know how everybody has that one movie that transcends their favorite movie? The one where, even if your favorite movie continually changes, this one stays the one you can quote endlessly and watch it over and over without getting sick of it? This is that movie for me. A singing, blood-thirsty plant from outer space manipulates a nerdy Rick Moranis (redundant?) into killing people to feed to it so to win over the ditzy blonde girl who is dating a sadistic dentist played by Steve Martin (who then has an amazingly hilarious--and improv'd--scene with a pain-loving Bill Murray). Really... that's about all that needs to be said.
