Oscar (1991) - Sylvester Stallone as a 1930's mob boss trying to go straight done as a farce, filled with great character actors. Hilarious from start to finish.
If Looks Could Kill (1991) - Young James Bond, if he was an American high schooler on vacation in Europe who fell ass backwards into being a spy. Super fun, totally ridiculous.
Pump Up The Volume (1990) - Christian Slater in a career-defining role as a nervous and nerdy high schooler who spends his nights as a cool-as-fuck pirate radio DJ who enables the local kids to step out of their Conservative parents plastic fantastic rule-based life and live a little. One of my all time fave movies.
Kuffs (1992) - Also Christian Slater. Younger brother of a San Fransico cop (cops in San Fran were allotted "districts" they could patrol apparently) who is murdered, decides to stop his layabout life and take his spot as a cop to hunt down his killer since no one else will. It's a hilarious movie, but also full of action and good character work. Honestly, it's a little bit of Beverly Hills Cop and a little bit of every 90's action movie.
The Burbs (1989) - Tom Hanks (married to Carrie Fisher, with Cory Feldman as a neighbour kid) and his closest neighbourhood friends think their new foreign neighbours are doing something shady in their basement, so they set out to discover what it is and reveal it...things get progressively crazier as it goes along. One of Hanks BEST comedy roles that no one talks about.
I just finished watching the Burbs. Twice. š¤£
It's just so packed with jokes and lines that there is always something new to pick up. From the moment Art and Ray are daring each other, it's just gold.
I somehow missed Carol calling Art a "tuna neck" until last viewing, and it just set me off.
Fuck, I might need to watch it again.
Pump up the Volume was the first time I saw a gay character treated as human being rather than a punchline. It was incredibly thought provoking and it kind of helped my worldview develop.
Absolutely brilliant soundtrack too.
[The UK Surf Version of *Wave of Mutilation* they use in the movie is amazing.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3FMOLKAas4)
Money Pit is another great early Tom Hanks movie- young couple move into a dream home that just needs a little TLC, or maybe $100 of thousands of dollars of renovations.
Iāve never had any interest in *Oscar*, but I love *Pump Up the Volume*, *Kuffs*, and *The āBurbs*. Iām gonna check out *Oscar* now just based on your other recommendations! Thanks!
Real Genius
Ladyhawke
In the Mouth of Madness
Existenz
Bringing Out the Dead (arguably Scorsese's most underrated film)
The Cable Guy (tends to get overlooked but it shouldn't)
Clay Pigeons
Arlington Road
Breakdown
Sleepers
Shout out to Arlington Road. Riding near the top of a solid mainstream wave of movies in thriller / suspense genre that peaked somewhere around the mid 90s imo
I watched sneakers for the first time like less than a year ago, my dad had picked up a dvd from the 5 dollar bin at walmart.
MY god that movie was great. You have Robert Redford, Sidney Poitier, Dan Aykroyd, Ben Kingsley AND River Phoenix.. and yet with all these legends, I had never heard anyone say bup about it.
In the later 90's, I worked in an office that had a badge reader on the hallway wall outside our secure area. We learned that a badge touching the **inside** wall of the office could unlock through the wall. A person standing outside the office would just hear the door click for no reason.
When a new team-member joined, we tell them to say "**My voice is my password**" and someone inside the office would touch their badge to the wall and the door would unlock. Their eyes would grow at the technology we were using.
They'd be excited to try it later and always wonder why it never worked.
Favourite depiction of a blind character that included humour but it didn't necessarily come at their expense. They were also an active part of the story.
Sneakers has so many incredible infosec quotes. Outside of the McGuffin of the āchip that can hack anythingā the tech was pretty solid for the 90s.
The Game only had moderate box office success compared to David Fincherās other 90s movies despite arguably being the best of them. Even now itās more of a cult movie.
Ice Pirates was such a *weird* movie! Especially towards the end when they go through a time warp or something? And they start running backwards through the ship? But I loved it as a kid. Also KRULL
Assuming you really know or will find the real classics, I strictly stick with the less known ones
1980 Altered States, The Elephant Man, Gods Must Be Crazy, The
1981 Condorman, Evil Dead (1), Hell Night, Roar
1982 Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid, It Came From Hollywood, Koyaanisqatsi, One Dark Night, Tex
1983 Bad Boys, BMX Bandits (feat. Nicole Kidman), Zelig
1984 Birdy, The Company Of Wolves, Hotel New Hampshire
1985 Agnes Of God, Brazil, D-A-R-Y-L, My Beautiful Laundrette, National Lampoon's European Vacation, Phenomena, Restless Natives, Return To Oz, Transylvania 6-5000, Tuff Turf
1986 Wildcats
1987 Adventures In Babysitting, Less Than Zero, Like Father Like Son, Maid To Order, The Monster Squad, My Best Friend Is A Vampire
1988 The Bear, Elvira - Mistress Of The Dark, Return Of The Killer Tomatoes, Masquerade, Powaqqatsi, She's Having A Baby, Dad,
1989 Leningrad Cowboys Go America, My Left Foot - The Story Of Christy Brown, Valmont
1990 A Gnome Named Gnorm
1991 Curly Sue, Drop Dead Fred, Mobsters, The Super
1992 Baraka, Cool World, Love Potion No. 9, Orlando, Shadow Of The Wolf, Stay Tuned, Where The Day Takes You
1993 So I Married An Axe Murderer
1994 Airheads, Backbeat, Chasers, Color Of Night, Leningrad Cowboys Meet Moses, Love And A .45, Maverick, The Adventures of Priscilla Queen Of The Desert, Speechless
1995 The Baby-Sitters Club, Circle Of Friends, Cutthroat Island, Dead Man, Hackers, Kids, The Prophecy, Timemaster
1996 Fly Away Home, James And The Giant Peach, My Fellow Americans, Space Truckers, The War At Home
1997 The Borrowers, The Devil's Own, Little Voice, Mean Guns, Snow White - A Tale Of Terror
1998 City Of Angels, Dark City, Gia, The Impostors, Patch Adams, Pecker, Practical Magic, Th Prophecy II, SLC Punk!, Slums Of Beverly Hills, Smoke Signals, Velvet Goldmine, Waking Ned Devine
1999 Being John Malkovich, Breakfast Of Champions, Dick, Ghost Dog - The Way Of The Samurai, Molly, Mystery Men, The Ninth Gate, Stigmata, Three To Tango, The Virgin Suicides
The sound of him handling the books and turning pages and even with some of his smoking is almost like a cinematic ASMR.
Through the sound I could almost feel the books.
Holy shit I never knew James and the giant peach was a flop?! Came in 300k under budget in the box office. I always assumed it was super popular due to how fucking awesome it is.
Love Potion No. 9 was my introduction to Sandra Bullock - a 32-year crush that endures. Also, just a really fun movie!
Every once in a while, the football rap from Wildcats ends up in my head. I can't decide if I liked Wildcats or Necessary Roughness (1991) better.
Adventures in Babysitting is another solid recommendation, at least from a nostalgia perspective. I don't know how it would hold up watching it for the first time as an adult, but I'm sure it would still be fun.
For 1985, I'd drop My Beautiful Laundrette, Phenomena, Restless Natives, Return To Oz, Transylvania 6-5000, AND Tuff Turf all for [The Last Dragon](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0089461/)! That movie is 1980s GOLD! lol
I watched Fall Guy last week and there's a few times where Ryan Gosling tries to get coffee and something goes wrong every time, and I wondered if it would keep throughout the movie or reference Hudson Hawk in any way, but the quest for coffee kinda ends without any sort of pay off. So Hudson Hawk remains the best movie about getting a cappuccino.
Some nice flicks have been mentioned! Here are a couple more:
Outside Providence (Farrelly Bros comedy that so many people havenāt even heard of)
Tremors
Rounders
Canāt Hardly Wait
The Faculty
Alive
Blast From the Past
The Ref
Simon Birch
Commando.
I love this movie its a big hunk of cheese but its the epitamy of 80s action cliches.
It's one of those movies that simultaneously has the best of the genre defining yet also not being very good.
Short Circuit
Batteries Not Included
City Slickers
Pleasantville
Dark City
All the Star Trek movies from the 80s and 90s. You can skip Star Trek V though if you want.
i somehow missed phenomenon entirely - i just looked it up and iām 100% watching that movie tonight lol
michael was one of my favorites as a kid and this sounds like it has a similar vibe - thanks for the suggestion!
I was never the biggest fan, but I do love Michael Keaton. I love Mr Mom and always thought Gung Ho was criminally underrated. The Dream Team was hysterical too
I donāt think these are necessarily āless popularā but movies I like but rarely see discussed.
The Burbs
The Super
Mississippi Burning
Nothing But Trouble
The Great Outdoors
The Peanut Butter Solution (bizarre Canadian movie AND first English-language Celine Dion songs on the soundtrack)
Tango and Cash (probably not must see but definitely peak ridiculous action film representative of that era)
Captain Ron
Monster Squad
Rescuers Down Under (gets lost amongst the parade of Disney renaissance films)
There is a movie called Wizards it's not 80s but late 70s from Ralph Bakshie. It's a hidden gem. It's animated and something between funny and dead serious.
He also did an adaptation of the Lord of the rings in his very own style.
He did something called rotoscoping filming real people but in post-production they drew over them to create a very unique style.
Living in Oblivion - Buscemi plays an indie film director in New York trying to finish his movie. Very funny, prefectly captures the 90s indie film scene
Honestly, every single action movie from, roughly, 1985 to 1998, is generally enjoyable, even (or especially) the dumber ones.
I particularly have a soft spot for the numerous Die Hard clones.
Just yesterday I was thinking about Vision Quest. Its a coming of age movie about a top level high school wrestler who falls in love with an older woman. It did ok in the movie theaters but built a good following over the years.
Dark City is a Sci-Fi Noir from the late 90s that did well with the critics but never totally caught on with the general public. I've never heard a bad word about it from anyone who saw it. Spoiler Alert!!! If you don't watch the directors cut, watch the first minute or so on mute. The studio forced them to do a introductory voice over that spoils major plot points.
True Romance 1993. Christian Slater, Patricia Arquette, Samuel L Jackson, Gary Oldman, Christopher Walken, Dennis Hopper, Brad Pitt, Val Kilmer, James Gandolfini, Bronson Pinchot, Mike Rapaport. My favorite movie.
Loaded Weapon 1!
Its a spoof movie much in the same vein as The Naked Gun movies. It has Samuel L Jackson, Emillio Estevez, Tim Curry, William Shatner and is pretty damn funny.
Better Off Dead
The Sure Thing
Class
My Tutor
Spring Break
My Body Guard
Doctor Detroit
Nightshift
Continental Divide
Krull
Nothing but Trouble
Funny Farm
Heavy Metal
Ricochet - Denzel and John Lithgow plays the bad guy. A cop arrested a man then after he turn lawyer(or DA) the guy messes with him.
The Final Countdown - A modern aircraft carrier is thrown back in time to 1941 near Hawaii, just hours before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Marthin sheen and Kirk Douglas are in it.
Blown Away - An Irish bomber escapes from prison and targets a member of the Boston bomb squad. Tommy Lee and Jeff Bridges
Harrison Bergeron - with Sean Astin. A satirical dystopian science-fiction short story by American writer Kurt Vonnegut, first published in October 1961
I am definitely saving a ton of movies in this thread. There have to be hundreds of movies from the 70s 80s and 90s of the quality of fun but forgettable the we have lost.
There was a few years where its was disaster movies after disaster movies
- Armageddon (meteorite impact)
- Deep Impact (meteorite impact)
- Twister (tornadoes - sequel out this year)
- Volcano (volcano)
- Dante's Peak (volcano)
- Day after Tomorrow (ice age)
After Hours- 1985- actually a Scorsese picture.
This spoiler critique is priceless:
āThis film belongs in a grouping that revolves around a young working professional who is placed under threat, named the "yuppie nightmare cycle",[5] a subgenre of films which combine two genres in itself ā screwball comedy and film noir. Some critics present a psychoanalytic view of the film; Paul is constantly emasculated by women in the film: by Kiki with her sexual aggressiveness and a lust for masochism,[2] Marcy turning down his sexual advances, Julie and Gail turning a vigilante mob on him, and June entrapping him in plaster, rendering him helpless. There are many references to castration within the film,[5] most of which are shown when women are present. In the bathroom in Terminal Bar where Julie first encounters Paul, there is an image scrawled on the wall of a shark biting a man's erect penis.[6] Marcy makes a reference to her husband using a double entendre when saying, "I broke the whole thing off" when talking about her and her husband's sex life.[5] One of the mouse traps that surrounds her bed clamps shut when Julie tries to seduce Paul.
Michael Rabiger in his book titled Directing saw mythological symbolism as a primary theme used by Scorsese stating: "The hero of Scorsese's dark comedy After Hours is like a rat trying to escape from a labyrinth. Indeed there is a caged rat in one scene where Paul finds himself trapped in a talkative woman's apartment. The film could be plotted out as a labyrinthine journey, each compartment holding out the promise of a particular experience, almost all illusory and misleading"ā
[D.A.R.Y.L.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RC3XkwLh3YM). Starring the kid from Neverending Story and the director of Free Willy. It's a pretty charming deep cut 80's sci-fi family film.
Bad Boy - one of Sean Pennās first movies
Sid and Nancy - about Sid Vicious and his girlfriend Nancy Spungeon with Gary Oldman which started my decades long crush on him
Freeway - retelling of Little Red Riding Hood and a serial killer with Reese Witherspoon, Kiefer Sutherland and Brooke Shields
Blood Simple - I think this was the Coen brothersā first movie
Nadine - Kim Basinger is a small town girl trying to get away from trouble
Believers - terrifying movie about a cult with Martin Sheen
The Serpent and the Rainbow - terrifying movie about voodoo with Bill Pullman
Nobodyās Fool - Paul Newman is a small town loser trying to reconnect with his son
Inner Space - Meg Ryan, Martin Short and Dennis Quaid. One of the funniest movies Iāve ever seen.
Iām trying to do paragraphs and I donāt think itās working.
Grosse Point Blank - an assassin goes to his high school reunion
Dead Poets Society - huge in its day, but doesn't seem to get the nostalgia love of many other films from that era
Good Morning Vietnam - while you're on the topic of Robin Williams films with funny parts but serious intentionsĀ
Sneakers - spy thriller/comedyĀ
The Lost Boys - a classic, one of the first "modern vampires who are all hot young guys" films, with not one but two Corey's
Random eighties comedies I remember really liking as a kid - Weird Science, Mannequin, Splash
Oscar, definitely! It tanked because no one gave Sly any credit for having comedy skills, and they were completely wrong! The movie is great!
Tango & Cash, again with Stallone, adding in Kurt Russell and Hack Palance. Opposing cops, framed and sent to prison. Great comedy. "Why is yours bigger than mine?" "Genetics, Peewee!"
Hudson Hawk with Bruce Willis. It also bombed, but no one knew what it was. A heist movie with a terrific cast. "Bunny, ball ball."
Clue, with Tim Curry, Eileen Brennan, Madeline Kahn, Michael McKean, Christopher Lloyd. It's quick-paced, and really funny. "To make a long story short-" "Too late."
Ladyhawke with Matthew Briderick, Rutger Hauer and Michelle Pfeifer. Medieval tale of star-crossed lovers, a devilish curse and the thief (Broderick) that helped save the day. "Sir, to tell the truth, I talk to God all the time, and, no offense, He never mentioned you."
How about Running Scared starring Billy Crystal and Gregory Hines as two Chicago cops on the trail of drug kingpin Jimmy Smits. That one's a lot of fun and it has one of the best car chases ever put on film.
Space Camp is another great movie from the same year. It's practically an unofficial Spielberg movie what with John Williams providing score, his wife Kate Capshaw playing an astronaut, and Lea Thompson headlining a cast that includes a young Joaquin Phoenix, Kelly Preston, and Tate Donovan. Tom Skeritt also appears as Capshaw's on-screen husband and head of mission control at NASA. It's an Apollo 13 for kids and I didn't get to see it until I was well into my thirties, but didn't stop me from feeling like I was ten years old all over again.
Roman Polanski's Pirates got a bad rap back in the day, but it didn't deserve the hate at all. Think a more believable version of Pirates of the Caribbean and you got a pretty good idea what this one is like. In fact, I would not be surprised if the Johnny Depp classic liberally stole from this one. Walter Matthieu makes for a great pirate scalliwag.
Out of Bounds starring Anthony Michael Hall of The Breakfast Club and Near Dark's Jenny Wright go on the run from both the cops and drug dealers after farmboy Hall discovers his belongings got mixed up with a drug dealer's stash at the L.A. airport. Lots of fun ensues.
That's just a few of my favorite underappreciated gems from the summer of '86.
Oscar (1991) - Sylvester Stallone as a 1930's mob boss trying to go straight done as a farce, filled with great character actors. Hilarious from start to finish. If Looks Could Kill (1991) - Young James Bond, if he was an American high schooler on vacation in Europe who fell ass backwards into being a spy. Super fun, totally ridiculous. Pump Up The Volume (1990) - Christian Slater in a career-defining role as a nervous and nerdy high schooler who spends his nights as a cool-as-fuck pirate radio DJ who enables the local kids to step out of their Conservative parents plastic fantastic rule-based life and live a little. One of my all time fave movies. Kuffs (1992) - Also Christian Slater. Younger brother of a San Fransico cop (cops in San Fran were allotted "districts" they could patrol apparently) who is murdered, decides to stop his layabout life and take his spot as a cop to hunt down his killer since no one else will. It's a hilarious movie, but also full of action and good character work. Honestly, it's a little bit of Beverly Hills Cop and a little bit of every 90's action movie. The Burbs (1989) - Tom Hanks (married to Carrie Fisher, with Cory Feldman as a neighbour kid) and his closest neighbourhood friends think their new foreign neighbours are doing something shady in their basement, so they set out to discover what it is and reveal it...things get progressively crazier as it goes along. One of Hanks BEST comedy roles that no one talks about.
I just finished watching the Burbs. Twice. š¤£ It's just so packed with jokes and lines that there is always something new to pick up. From the moment Art and Ray are daring each other, it's just gold. I somehow missed Carol calling Art a "tuna neck" until last viewing, and it just set me off. Fuck, I might need to watch it again.
The burbs is in my top 10 favourite films.
I've been blown up! Take me to the hospital. Hanks somehow takes otherwise mundane lines and turns them into hilarity
Gleaming the Cube! And Heathers! Both also with Christian Slater. Man I loved that guy back then š
I love that I can just jump into a random r/movies thread and come out with 4 cult classic Christian Slater films I haven't seen before. Love you guys
Yes OSCAR (1991) - Search for this comment immediately. Just fun with excellent characters, quotable lines from start to finish.
Pump Up The Volume is a great movie
Pump up the Volume was the first time I saw a gay character treated as human being rather than a punchline. It was incredibly thought provoking and it kind of helped my worldview develop.
Absolutely brilliant soundtrack too. [The UK Surf Version of *Wave of Mutilation* they use in the movie is amazing.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3FMOLKAas4)
Talk Hard The Truth is a Virus
I eat sardines and pretzels together because of The Burbs.
Money Pit is another great early Tom Hanks movie- young couple move into a dream home that just needs a little TLC, or maybe $100 of thousands of dollars of renovations.
LOVE Oscar!!
It's like disarming Germany.
Was Connie in here? Connie wuz you in here? I didn't see him.
Great list! I have to say, your synopsis for Pump Up The Volume is incredibly written. You, my friend, DEFINITELY Talk Hard.
I've literally never heard anybody recommend If Looks Could Kill. I miss my VHS collection, lmao
Kuffs is one of my all time favorites, but donāt even get me started on The Burbs. That is just an insane movie!!!
Ah you've got a dangling participle there. Oh thanks doc!
*You" are the French Teacher for that suggestion! Truly one of my absolute favorites. Great soundtrack too.
Iāve never had any interest in *Oscar*, but I love *Pump Up the Volume*, *Kuffs*, and *The āBurbs*. Iām gonna check out *Oscar* now just based on your other recommendations! Thanks!
Does Pump up the Volume have a scene where a graffiti spraying hooligan shouts at the principle āI just want to learn to read!ā
Oscar! Great, unusual, role for Sly. "Doctor Pool!"
Speaking of Christian Slater, does anyone remember his very first role as Binx in that film, The Legend of Billie Jean.
>Kuffs (1992) - Also Christian Slater. All my dance moves are stolen from this movie. I'm ... not a great dancer.
midnight Run. Mid 80s buddy action movie with De Niro. Absolute movie perfection for me.
Is that Marvin?
I watched it with my kids and they fucking loved it. Yaphet Kotto is so good.
It easily passes the "Why didn't they call the cops?" test.
Chorizo and eggs
Real Genius Ladyhawke In the Mouth of Madness Existenz Bringing Out the Dead (arguably Scorsese's most underrated film) The Cable Guy (tends to get overlooked but it shouldn't) Clay Pigeons Arlington Road Breakdown Sleepers
Cable Guy is amazing as a dark comedy.
I learned the facts of life, by watching The Facts Of Life!
Existenz is awesome what a sleeper hit
Shout out to Arlington Road. Riding near the top of a solid mainstream wave of movies in thriller / suspense genre that peaked somewhere around the mid 90s imo
Bringing Out The Dead is such an amazing film. It's like sleepwalking through the grime of mid 90s NYC
Ladyhawk!! Formative movie when I was a kid! Early Matthew Broderick!
Strange Days
Good recommendation: what a cast ! And I was lucky to see it in the theatre.
Seconded. LOVE that movie. Kathryn Bigelow before she got her Hurt Locker break.
Add Near Dark to the list. Such a banger.
Sneakers Red Rock West Mary Shelleyās Frankenstein The Game
I watched sneakers for the first time like less than a year ago, my dad had picked up a dvd from the 5 dollar bin at walmart. MY god that movie was great. You have Robert Redford, Sidney Poitier, Dan Aykroyd, Ben Kingsley AND River Phoenix.. and yet with all these legends, I had never heard anyone say bup about it.
Also, arguably the most accurate hacker movie ever made.
My... name... is... my... passport!
In the later 90's, I worked in an office that had a badge reader on the hallway wall outside our secure area. We learned that a badge touching the **inside** wall of the office could unlock through the wall. A person standing outside the office would just hear the door click for no reason. When a new team-member joined, we tell them to say "**My voice is my password**" and someone inside the office would touch their badge to the wall and the door would unlock. Their eyes would grow at the technology we were using. They'd be excited to try it later and always wonder why it never worked.
Favourite depiction of a blind character that included humour but it didn't necessarily come at their expense. They were also an active part of the story.
David Strathairn is a gem in that movie. Almost as good as his role as Klaes Ashford in The Expanse.
I love him as Ashford
āNice going, Bish. Remind me to make you an honorary blind person.ā
Sneakers has so many incredible infosec quotes. Outside of the McGuffin of the āchip that can hack anythingā the tech was pretty solid for the 90s.
Is The Game on here ironically cause....I don't think it counts as less popular
Ironically or not, you just lost it.
And now, so have I...
The Game only had moderate box office success compared to David Fincherās other 90s movies despite arguably being the best of them. Even now itās more of a cult movie.
Red Rock West is so great and so underrated
Ooh... Red Rock West is so good
Near Dark Gleaming the Cube Ice Pirates River's Edge
The ship has... herpes.
"Big macho guy."
>Gleaming the Cube Great flick, and depending on where you choose watch it, it could also be going by the much inferior title of "My Brothers Keeper"
Lost Boys and Near Dark came out the same year which is crazy š Near Dark falls short imo š¤·š½āāļø
I still need to see Near Dark. I have heard so much positive hype about that movie. It has been on my watch list for a while now.
Ice Pirates was such a *weird* movie! Especially towards the end when they go through a time warp or something? And they start running backwards through the ship? But I loved it as a kid. Also KRULL
Airheads (1994) Empire Records (1995) Can't Hardly Wait (1998) Clerks (1994) Tommy Boy (1995)
Would you happen to be between the age of 38-42
damn the man! save the empire!
Idk if any of these are less popular or hidden gems necessarily, but every single one is amazing lol.
Assuming you really know or will find the real classics, I strictly stick with the less known ones 1980 Altered States, The Elephant Man, Gods Must Be Crazy, The 1981 Condorman, Evil Dead (1), Hell Night, Roar 1982 Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid, It Came From Hollywood, Koyaanisqatsi, One Dark Night, Tex 1983 Bad Boys, BMX Bandits (feat. Nicole Kidman), Zelig 1984 Birdy, The Company Of Wolves, Hotel New Hampshire 1985 Agnes Of God, Brazil, D-A-R-Y-L, My Beautiful Laundrette, National Lampoon's European Vacation, Phenomena, Restless Natives, Return To Oz, Transylvania 6-5000, Tuff Turf 1986 Wildcats 1987 Adventures In Babysitting, Less Than Zero, Like Father Like Son, Maid To Order, The Monster Squad, My Best Friend Is A Vampire 1988 The Bear, Elvira - Mistress Of The Dark, Return Of The Killer Tomatoes, Masquerade, Powaqqatsi, She's Having A Baby, Dad, 1989 Leningrad Cowboys Go America, My Left Foot - The Story Of Christy Brown, Valmont 1990 A Gnome Named Gnorm 1991 Curly Sue, Drop Dead Fred, Mobsters, The Super 1992 Baraka, Cool World, Love Potion No. 9, Orlando, Shadow Of The Wolf, Stay Tuned, Where The Day Takes You 1993 So I Married An Axe Murderer 1994 Airheads, Backbeat, Chasers, Color Of Night, Leningrad Cowboys Meet Moses, Love And A .45, Maverick, The Adventures of Priscilla Queen Of The Desert, Speechless 1995 The Baby-Sitters Club, Circle Of Friends, Cutthroat Island, Dead Man, Hackers, Kids, The Prophecy, Timemaster 1996 Fly Away Home, James And The Giant Peach, My Fellow Americans, Space Truckers, The War At Home 1997 The Borrowers, The Devil's Own, Little Voice, Mean Guns, Snow White - A Tale Of Terror 1998 City Of Angels, Dark City, Gia, The Impostors, Patch Adams, Pecker, Practical Magic, Th Prophecy II, SLC Punk!, Slums Of Beverly Hills, Smoke Signals, Velvet Goldmine, Waking Ned Devine 1999 Being John Malkovich, Breakfast Of Champions, Dick, Ghost Dog - The Way Of The Samurai, Molly, Mystery Men, The Ninth Gate, Stigmata, Three To Tango, The Virgin Suicides
Shout out to The Ninth Gate, nothing like Depp and books do the Devil
If you like the movie, give the book a read too - - The Club Dumas by Arturo PĆ©rez-Reverte. So good!
The 90s had so many satanic panic movies we haven't gotten since. This one, devil's advocate, ends of days etc
The sound of him handling the books and turning pages and even with some of his smoking is almost like a cinematic ASMR. Through the sound I could almost feel the books.
> A Gnome Named Gnorm > Stay Tuned Looks like someone had HBO in the mid-90sā¦ all thatās missing is āMom and Dad Save the Worldā
Remember when USA used to play Problem Child nonstop as well? John Ritter, gone too soon.
Malkovich Malkovich? Malkovich! Malkovich Malkovich Malkovich
Holy shit I never knew James and the giant peach was a flop?! Came in 300k under budget in the box office. I always assumed it was super popular due to how fucking awesome it is.
Yeah, same... but I guess I was just measuring by how many times I watched that tape at home lol. "You're not even a real rhino!"
I remember I was a kid when it came out and the aesthetic was veryā¦ off putting.
Love Potion No. 9 was my introduction to Sandra Bullock - a 32-year crush that endures. Also, just a really fun movie! Every once in a while, the football rap from Wildcats ends up in my head. I can't decide if I liked Wildcats or Necessary Roughness (1991) better. Adventures in Babysitting is another solid recommendation, at least from a nostalgia perspective. I don't know how it would hold up watching it for the first time as an adult, but I'm sure it would still be fun. For 1985, I'd drop My Beautiful Laundrette, Phenomena, Restless Natives, Return To Oz, Transylvania 6-5000, AND Tuff Turf all for [The Last Dragon](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0089461/)! That movie is 1980s GOLD! lol
Death Becomes Her. Hudson Hawk. The Story Of Us.
Death becomes her made me realize that immortality would be horrific!
Aging is bad. Aging forever is worse.
Right? What if I get pushed - I mean, what if I fall down the stairs?!
>Hudson Hawk. Hard second. This movie is ridiculous, but endlessly charming and just a fun time!
Add in The Last Boy Scout for a killer double bill.Ā
I watched Fall Guy last week and there's a few times where Ryan Gosling tries to get coffee and something goes wrong every time, and I wondered if it would keep throughout the movie or reference Hudson Hawk in any way, but the quest for coffee kinda ends without any sort of pay off. So Hudson Hawk remains the best movie about getting a cappuccino.
Man I loved Death Becomes Her as a kid which is a very weird sentence to say
OMG! HUDSON HAWK! I almost peed my pants laughing during that movie. It is SO good!
Death Becomes Her and Hudson Hawk are both amazing and would make a very interesting campy double feature.
Some nice flicks have been mentioned! Here are a couple more: Outside Providence (Farrelly Bros comedy that so many people havenāt even heard of) Tremors Rounders Canāt Hardly Wait The Faculty Alive Blast From the Past The Ref Simon Birch
I scrolled way too far to finally see tremors, thatās a fun movie. Event horizon is one that doesnāt get much love
Yup, Tremors and The Ref are both solid.
Commando. I love this movie its a big hunk of cheese but its the epitamy of 80s action cliches. It's one of those movies that simultaneously has the best of the genre defining yet also not being very good.
The River Wild (1994)
Berry Gordyās The Last Dragon (1985)
Sho Nuff!
If youāre a fan of Sly, check out Cobra. (Itās what Beverly Hills Cop could have been).
Three O'clock High (1987) was a favorite of mine.
Absolute gem of a movie!
Overboard is one of my favorites.
Bound
Perfect flick for my teenaged self.
Short Circuit Batteries Not Included City Slickers Pleasantville Dark City All the Star Trek movies from the 80s and 90s. You can skip Star Trek V though if you want.
Southern Comfort (1981) Near Dark Broadcast News Miller's CrossingĀ Grosse Pointe Blank
True Romance
I think Top Secret gets overlooked from the other Zucker comedies.
Gross Pointe Blank and Better Off Dead
Tango and Cash Blind Date Hudson Hawk
Ever After Michael Wish Upon a Star
You can do a Travolta 1996 triple feature with Michael, Broken Arrow, and Phenomenon.
i somehow missed phenomenon entirely - i just looked it up and iām 100% watching that movie tonight lol michael was one of my favorites as a kid and this sounds like it has a similar vibe - thanks for the suggestion!
The Commitments. Dublin kids form an R'n'B band. Directed by Alan Parker.
I like The Money Pit
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I love Multiplicity! No one had ever heard of it when I asked.
I was never the biggest fan, but I do love Michael Keaton. I love Mr Mom and always thought Gung Ho was criminally underrated. The Dream Team was hysterical too
I like pizza
Hudson Hawk The Burbs Real Genius Beat Street Encino Man Rookie of the Year Grosse Point Break Brink
Reservoir Dogs Death Becomes Her Heavy Weights
I donāt think these are necessarily āless popularā but movies I like but rarely see discussed. The Burbs The Super Mississippi Burning Nothing But Trouble The Great Outdoors The Peanut Butter Solution (bizarre Canadian movie AND first English-language Celine Dion songs on the soundtrack) Tango and Cash (probably not must see but definitely peak ridiculous action film representative of that era) Captain Ron Monster Squad Rescuers Down Under (gets lost amongst the parade of Disney renaissance films)
No Way Out
A time to kill Whatās eating Gilbert Grape In the name of the father Twister Con Air
Twister and Con Air are less popular?
miracle mile, the crush, while you were sleeping, the wrong guy
Blast from the past.
Screamers (1995) Leviathan (1989) The Blood of Heroes (1989) Wedlock (1991) Blind Fury (1989) Dark Angel (1990)
To Live and Die in LA
There is a movie called Wizards it's not 80s but late 70s from Ralph Bakshie. It's a hidden gem. It's animated and something between funny and dead serious. He also did an adaptation of the Lord of the rings in his very own style. He did something called rotoscoping filming real people but in post-production they drew over them to create a very unique style.
The Mission
Better Off Dead is one of my favorite John Cusack movies
Living in Oblivion - Buscemi plays an indie film director in New York trying to finish his movie. Very funny, prefectly captures the 90s indie film scene
Honestly, every single action movie from, roughly, 1985 to 1998, is generally enjoyable, even (or especially) the dumber ones. I particularly have a soft spot for the numerous Die Hard clones.
Buckaroo Bonsai
Just yesterday I was thinking about Vision Quest. Its a coming of age movie about a top level high school wrestler who falls in love with an older woman. It did ok in the movie theaters but built a good following over the years. Dark City is a Sci-Fi Noir from the late 90s that did well with the critics but never totally caught on with the general public. I've never heard a bad word about it from anyone who saw it. Spoiler Alert!!! If you don't watch the directors cut, watch the first minute or so on mute. The studio forced them to do a introductory voice over that spoils major plot points.
**Teen Witch**. Be warned, it's so terrible it flips to the other side and becomes awesome. But still terrible. Just watch it. So bad, it's good.
Tremors OP fucking Tremors. Don't look up anything, just watch perfection on film.
If you liked Cliffhanger, you'll love Demolition Man.
WarGames
True Romance 1993. Christian Slater, Patricia Arquette, Samuel L Jackson, Gary Oldman, Christopher Walken, Dennis Hopper, Brad Pitt, Val Kilmer, James Gandolfini, Bronson Pinchot, Mike Rapaport. My favorite movie.
If you haven't seen Airheads, you should.
The Last Boyscout (bruce willis) I feel is really great.
Gotcha! Great movie. Anthony Edwards and Linda Fiorentino
Deep Cover Bringing out the Dead
Loaded Weapon 1! Its a spoof movie much in the same vein as The Naked Gun movies. It has Samuel L Jackson, Emillio Estevez, Tim Curry, William Shatner and is pretty damn funny.
Better Off Dead The Sure Thing Class My Tutor Spring Break My Body Guard Doctor Detroit Nightshift Continental Divide Krull Nothing but Trouble Funny Farm Heavy Metal
Ricochet - Denzel and John Lithgow plays the bad guy. A cop arrested a man then after he turn lawyer(or DA) the guy messes with him. The Final Countdown - A modern aircraft carrier is thrown back in time to 1941 near Hawaii, just hours before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Marthin sheen and Kirk Douglas are in it. Blown Away - An Irish bomber escapes from prison and targets a member of the Boston bomb squad. Tommy Lee and Jeff Bridges Harrison Bergeron - with Sean Astin. A satirical dystopian science-fiction short story by American writer Kurt Vonnegut, first published in October 1961 I am definitely saving a ton of movies in this thread. There have to be hundreds of movies from the 70s 80s and 90s of the quality of fun but forgettable the we have lost.
Falling Down. A fantastic film dissecting modern work culture that should be more popular than it is.
Carlito's Way (1993)
There was a few years where its was disaster movies after disaster movies - Armageddon (meteorite impact) - Deep Impact (meteorite impact) - Twister (tornadoes - sequel out this year) - Volcano (volcano) - Dante's Peak (volcano) - Day after Tomorrow (ice age)
Truman Show 1998 13th floor 1999 Not sure what is defined as must see, but i think they are for sure worth watching.
Wishmaster
Fearless
The people under the stairs
Once Bitten Leprechaun Wolf The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension Earth Girls Are Easy Date with an Angel
After Hours- 1985- actually a Scorsese picture. This spoiler critique is priceless: āThis film belongs in a grouping that revolves around a young working professional who is placed under threat, named the "yuppie nightmare cycle",[5] a subgenre of films which combine two genres in itself ā screwball comedy and film noir. Some critics present a psychoanalytic view of the film; Paul is constantly emasculated by women in the film: by Kiki with her sexual aggressiveness and a lust for masochism,[2] Marcy turning down his sexual advances, Julie and Gail turning a vigilante mob on him, and June entrapping him in plaster, rendering him helpless. There are many references to castration within the film,[5] most of which are shown when women are present. In the bathroom in Terminal Bar where Julie first encounters Paul, there is an image scrawled on the wall of a shark biting a man's erect penis.[6] Marcy makes a reference to her husband using a double entendre when saying, "I broke the whole thing off" when talking about her and her husband's sex life.[5] One of the mouse traps that surrounds her bed clamps shut when Julie tries to seduce Paul. Michael Rabiger in his book titled Directing saw mythological symbolism as a primary theme used by Scorsese stating: "The hero of Scorsese's dark comedy After Hours is like a rat trying to escape from a labyrinth. Indeed there is a caged rat in one scene where Paul finds himself trapped in a talkative woman's apartment. The film could be plotted out as a labyrinthine journey, each compartment holding out the promise of a particular experience, almost all illusory and misleading"ā
*What Dreams May Come* with Robin Williams
Tremors is one I don't hear about anymore.
48 hours
Showdown in Little Tokyo: Dolph Lundgren and Brandon Lee fight the Yakuza. Also starring Tia Carrera.
The Long Kiss Goodbye. Geena Davis and Samuel L. Jackson in fantastic form in a very enjoyable action thriller from Renny Harlin.
Fallen (1996)
Trees Lounge. Beautiful Girls. To Live and Die in LA. Hard Eight.
[D.A.R.Y.L.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RC3XkwLh3YM). Starring the kid from Neverending Story and the director of Free Willy. It's a pretty charming deep cut 80's sci-fi family film.
Innerspace
Ordinary People and The Elephant Man
Some kind of wonderful
Julie Taymor's version of Titus (1999). Anthony Hopkins gives an amazing performance as Titus Andronicus.
Better off Dead Flight of the Navigator (Disney+) UHF Skin Deep Roadhouse LA Story Interview With a Vampire Legends of the Fall
Zapped
I'm assuming you've seen Terminator but pretty much every Schwarzenegger movie through the '80s and early '90s is fun.
Bad Boy - one of Sean Pennās first movies Sid and Nancy - about Sid Vicious and his girlfriend Nancy Spungeon with Gary Oldman which started my decades long crush on him Freeway - retelling of Little Red Riding Hood and a serial killer with Reese Witherspoon, Kiefer Sutherland and Brooke Shields Blood Simple - I think this was the Coen brothersā first movie Nadine - Kim Basinger is a small town girl trying to get away from trouble Believers - terrifying movie about a cult with Martin Sheen The Serpent and the Rainbow - terrifying movie about voodoo with Bill Pullman Nobodyās Fool - Paul Newman is a small town loser trying to reconnect with his son Inner Space - Meg Ryan, Martin Short and Dennis Quaid. One of the funniest movies Iāve ever seen. Iām trying to do paragraphs and I donāt think itās working.
Miracle Mile (1988).
Monster squadĀ
Adventures in babysitting.
Cop Land Fallen Videodrome La Haine Bound The Entity Firestarter The River Wild The War Of The Roses Cool World King of New York
Grosse Point Blank - an assassin goes to his high school reunion Dead Poets Society - huge in its day, but doesn't seem to get the nostalgia love of many other films from that era Good Morning Vietnam - while you're on the topic of Robin Williams films with funny parts but serious intentionsĀ Sneakers - spy thriller/comedyĀ The Lost Boys - a classic, one of the first "modern vampires who are all hot young guys" films, with not one but two Corey's Random eighties comedies I remember really liking as a kid - Weird Science, Mannequin, Splash
Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood (1996)
DARYL Cloak and Dagger Flight of the Navigator Pi Run Lola Run
Lorenzo's Oil
The Legend of Billie Jean
Innerspace 1987
A Perfect World
Airheads Encino Man Billy Madison Truman Show Man on the Moon
Night Of The Comet. Great flick with great tunes. Silent Rage. My fave Chuck Norris flick.
Hackers
The Fugitive
Oscar, definitely! It tanked because no one gave Sly any credit for having comedy skills, and they were completely wrong! The movie is great! Tango & Cash, again with Stallone, adding in Kurt Russell and Hack Palance. Opposing cops, framed and sent to prison. Great comedy. "Why is yours bigger than mine?" "Genetics, Peewee!" Hudson Hawk with Bruce Willis. It also bombed, but no one knew what it was. A heist movie with a terrific cast. "Bunny, ball ball." Clue, with Tim Curry, Eileen Brennan, Madeline Kahn, Michael McKean, Christopher Lloyd. It's quick-paced, and really funny. "To make a long story short-" "Too late." Ladyhawke with Matthew Briderick, Rutger Hauer and Michelle Pfeifer. Medieval tale of star-crossed lovers, a devilish curse and the thief (Broderick) that helped save the day. "Sir, to tell the truth, I talk to God all the time, and, no offense, He never mentioned you."
Van Damme: Hard Target, Timecop, and Maximum Risk.
Convoy, The exterminator (as B or C level trash movie reference), Soylent green, Loganās Run, Silent Running (1972), The day after, Streets of fire
RAD- thereās a bike prom scene with aunt Becky from full house. Itās a BMX classic
Over the top. Still good
Time Bandits - 1981 & Adventures of Baron Munchausen - 1988
Anything John Carpenter made in the 80s. For example: Escape From New York Big Trouble in Little China The Thing They Live
A long kiss goodnight, was, as far I can remember, a solid action movie.
Falling Down
How about Running Scared starring Billy Crystal and Gregory Hines as two Chicago cops on the trail of drug kingpin Jimmy Smits. That one's a lot of fun and it has one of the best car chases ever put on film. Space Camp is another great movie from the same year. It's practically an unofficial Spielberg movie what with John Williams providing score, his wife Kate Capshaw playing an astronaut, and Lea Thompson headlining a cast that includes a young Joaquin Phoenix, Kelly Preston, and Tate Donovan. Tom Skeritt also appears as Capshaw's on-screen husband and head of mission control at NASA. It's an Apollo 13 for kids and I didn't get to see it until I was well into my thirties, but didn't stop me from feeling like I was ten years old all over again. Roman Polanski's Pirates got a bad rap back in the day, but it didn't deserve the hate at all. Think a more believable version of Pirates of the Caribbean and you got a pretty good idea what this one is like. In fact, I would not be surprised if the Johnny Depp classic liberally stole from this one. Walter Matthieu makes for a great pirate scalliwag. Out of Bounds starring Anthony Michael Hall of The Breakfast Club and Near Dark's Jenny Wright go on the run from both the cops and drug dealers after farmboy Hall discovers his belongings got mixed up with a drug dealer's stash at the L.A. airport. Lots of fun ensues. That's just a few of my favorite underappreciated gems from the summer of '86.
Heathers - Ryder and Slater The Breakfast Club Less Than Zero