So here we are with part two of my Quintessential Kid Films from the 80’s list. I’ve left out some fantasy films that I love, but that’s mainly
because I want to stick with films that are about kids. I’ll cover films like
KRULL and LEGEND in a future post. But
anyways, so here’s the list as promised, enjoy it! And sorry if I use the word “magical”
too much, it’s the 80’s that does that to me. What a magical decade!
Film: Honey I Shrunk the Kids (1989)
Comments: Honey I Shrunk the Kids comes to us from the minds
of Stuart Gordon and Brian Yuzna, two director/producers who are normally not
associated with kids films. Normally the name Stuart Gordon is accompanied by
images of talking decapitated heads, or scientists experimenting with
interdimensional travel. But not this time around. With Honey I Shrunk the Kids
Gordon and Yuzna decided to make a children’s film for Disney and surprisingly,
they nailed it. This movie went on to become one of the biggest money makers
that summer of ’89. Story concerns a scientist who creates a machine that
shrinks things to minuscule sizes, his kids are accidentally zapped by it and
voila! We have a movie! The kids get lost in the backyard and have to do battle
against giant ants, bees and the sprinkler system! Inventive effects make this
one a fun ride, it also helps that Rick Moranis plays the crazy scientist
father, damn, Moranis is sorely missed in movies as far as I’m concerned.
Quote: “I don’t think we’re in the food chain anymore
Dorothy!”
Film: Big (1988)
Comments: Big is a coming of age film about a 12 year old
kid who (like many kids at that age) wishes he was bigger. When he stumbles
upon one of those cheap fortune telling machines in an amusement park, he asks the
machine for his wish. Problem is his wish comes true and so, come next morning,
he finds himself living in the body of a full grown adult! Who looks like Tom
Hanks! This movie has many great things going for it, but the best thing by far
is Tom Hanks playing Josh, the 12 year old kid. Gotta hand it to Hanks, he
really nailed it! I always wondered how Hanks got that 12 year old thing down
so perfectly, I later learned that the young actor who plays Josh at 12 (David
Moscow) acted out every scene after which Hanks copied and mimicked his
performance!
Quote: “I wish I were Big”
Film: E.T. The Extraterrestrial (1982)
Comments: So of
course I couldn’t leave this film out of this list. It’s one of the most famous
kid films of the 80’s and one of the most emotional ones, but of course,
sentimentalism is to be expected from such a sensitive director as Steven
Spielberg. Very few movies manage to retain a magic that spans generations, but
this film has that magic, new generations keep discovering it and making it their
own. I believe it will be one of those movies we never forget.
Quote: “He’s a man from outer space, and we’re taking him to
his spaceship.”
Film: The Muppets Take Manhattan (1984)
Comments: Muppets Take Manhattan is great fun. My personal
favorites are the Muppet movies in which Jim Henson himself was personally
directing and if not Jim Henson, then Frank Oz who as it turns out is a decent
director himself. With very few exceptions (Treasure Island and Christmas
Carol) the Muppet movies in which Henson or Oz were not behind the camera simply
sucked, they failed to have that Muppet magic. But Muppets Take Manhattan was
one of the good ones. Directed by Frank Oz, this one has The Muppets trying to
sell their musical stage show to producers in New York City. You see Kermit
hopes he and his friend can one day make it big on Broadway. Of course, nobody
takes them seriously…they got a Gonzo! And what the hell is a Gonzo? Still, you
gotta hand it to them for not giving up on their dream! Best part about these
movies is seeing all those Muppets up on screen, plus the songs (yup, it’s a
musical!) are fun, “Together Again” is a pretty catchy tune indeed! Bonus, in
this film the Muppet Babies make their debut in a flash back sequence.
Quote: “Me? In love with a pig? Wait till I tell the guys at
marketing!”
Film: Stand by Me (1986)
Comments: Stand By Me
is based on a Stephen King short story called “The Body” and it tells the story
of four friends who set out to find the body of a boy who’s gone missing and is
presumed dead. Along the way they get to know each other better and comfort
each other, each one confronting some sort of trauma that they have to
overcome. The film stars River Phoenix, Will Wheaton, Corey Feldman and Jerry O
Connor as the four friends, a great cast if you ask me. Kiefer Sutherland plays
the leader of a gang of older kids who want to beat them to finding the dead
body. This is the kind of film that touches upon many of the insecurities and
situations one faces at that age. The film takes place during the 50’s, so the
entire film is filled with rock and roll tunes of the time…the soundtrack is a
keeper. Stand by Me is a film that covers all sorts of emotions. It is
touching, funny and truthful, it will more than likely make you think about
your own childhood and going through those years. Highly recommend it.
Quote: “I don’t shut up, I grow up, and when I look at you,
I throw up…ugh!”
Film: Critters (1986)
Comments: Critters is one of those horror films that you can
show your little brothers or nephews if you want to get them started into the
path of horror films. It’s not too scary and not to silly either, the balance
between the two is just right. This film tells the story of “The Crites” a
group of mischievous little creatures who have just stolen a spaceship and
escaped an intergalactic prison. Problem is they are headed for earth! Now
these aren’t ten foot tall alien creatures, they are these tiny little fur
balls that travel by rolling through the floor, like fury bowling balls that
shoot poison darts! They might look like harmless little things, but in fact
they are quite ferocious and deadly! Thankfully, we have two shape shifting
bounty hunters after their tail! So this is a fun little movie that plays a lot
like Gremlins (1984), but with a sci-fi angle. It takes place in a farm house
in small town, hillbilly county, U.S.A. and follows the adventures of kid named
Brad and his drunkard friend Charlie as they try and put a stop to the Crites.
This film was followed by increasingly worthless sequels, of which I think only
the second might be worth your time, it was called Critters 2: The Main Course
(1988).
Quote: “We’re here for the Crites”
Film: Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure (1989)
Comments: Bill and Ted are two of many characters, who kind
of defined my teenage years. This first Bill and Ted adventure is where it all
began, this is where we meet the two who will bring harmony to the universe
through their rock and roll! But first they need to travel through time to
collect real historical figures so they can pass their history report, or they
don’t go on and become saviors of the universe! Strange how I was just
mentioning Critters, and now I’m talking about Bill and Ted’s Excellent
Adventure, two movies that come to us from the same director, Stephen Herek; a
director who I might add had a string of successful films during the 80’s and
90’s. Herek even directed 101 Dalmatians (1996) for Disney. But anyways, even though this director fell
into obscurity, Bill and Ted were my role models/heroes during my early teenage
years, not because they are two complete knuckle heads, but because I admired
their loyalty to each other and their friendship. They also imparted golden
nuggets of wisdom like “be excellent to each other…and….party on dudes!”
Quote: “As you can see, Genghis very much enjoys Twinkies,
because of the excellent sugar rush! ”
Film: Adventures in Babysitting (1987)
Comments: Adventures in Babysitting is one of those movies
where everything and anything happens within the span of one single night. Mom
and dad are going to some fancy party and need a baby sitter to take care of
the kids while they are away, so they call upon Chris (the beautiful Elizabeth
Shue) to get the job done. Chris expects another boring night of t.v. watching and
some extra cash in her pocket, unfortunately her friend Brenda calls from a bus
station, she is stranded and needs for Chris to pick her up! Chris thinks this
will be a quick in and out operation, unfortunately, things get wildly out of
hand! They even end up meeting Thor along the way if you can believe it! So
anyhow, this film was directed by Chris Columbus, who would go on to become a
director/producer extraordinaire, but with Adventures in Babysitting, he was
just getting started. That’s right my friends, this was Chris Columbus’s
directorial debut, before he hit it big with Home Alone (1990). I say, not bad
for a first outing!
Quote: “Chris, I’m begging you, it’s scary here! I’ve just
seen three people shoot up, a bald Chinese lady with no pants and there’s this
old guy outside who wants his bedroom slippers!”
Film: Return to Oz (1985)
Comments: Out of all the Oz films, this is the darkest and
most disturbed one of all. On this one Dorothy is committed to a psycho ward
for talking too much about Oz. Basically, her family thinks she’s gone loony
and so of they send her to receive electro shock therapy! Every Oz film has a
level of darkness to it; they always go into spooky/scary territory. I mean,
MGM’s The Wizard of Oz has witches, haunted forests and flying monkeys! So it
should come as no surprise that Return to Oz has its own share of scary
situations and premises like for example, Queen Mombi’s head collection. You
see, Mombi is so crafty that she chops off the heads of beautiful girls, then
keeps these heads alive by using something called “The Powder of Life”. This
way she is able to switch from beautiful head to beautiful head in the same way
I would change ties. This was actress Fairuza Balk’s acting debut and I must
say they couldn’t have chosen anyone to play a cuter Dorothy. The special effects
on this one are amazing and highly entertaining. Loved seeing a film with
extensive use of well made stop motion animation. Highly recommend this
underrated sequel. It may be darker at spots and more shocking than other Oz
films, but that doesn’t make it a bad movie, it just makes it special.
Quote: “No Bellina, this was the yellow brick road, it leads
to the Emerald City”
Film: Harry and the Hendersons (1987)
Comments: Harry and
the Henderson’s tells the story of the Hendersons’s, a family who’s returning
from their hunting trip in the forest. Along the road home they hit something
which they mistake for an animal at first, but then quickly realize it’s not
some animal; it’s not even a human being, it’s the legendary mythical creature
known as Big Foot! They decide to take the unconscious creature home with them,
they quickly learn that trying to secretly keep a Yeti in your home is no easy
task. Pretty soon Big Foot Hunters and the police are after Harry and it’s up
to The Henderson’s to return Harry to his natural habitat. First up, the makeup
effects work done by Rick Baker and his team is truly excellent! The facial
expressions the achieved with Harry’s face are astounding! Baker had done
extensive work duplicating gorilla’s for Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan Lord
of the Apes (1984) (for which he won an Oscar) so I’m sure all that experience
with hairy primates came in handy at the time of creating Harry. The film was
directed by William Dear, a director that did a couple of films I’ve enjoyed a
whole lot, like the James Bond spoof If Looks Could Kill (1991). Harry and the
Hendersons also benefits from having the excellent John Lithgow play the role
of the head of the Henderson family, I’ve always enjoyed his performances
because he always brings great emotion to his work. A warm hearted family film.
Quote: “Have you ever seen a baby pigeon? Neither have I,
but I have a hunch they exist.”
Film: D.A.R.Y.L. (1985)
Comments: D.A.R.Y.L. is an experimental cyborg made by the
government in an attempt to create a super soldier for military purposes. The
letters stand for Data Analyzing Robot Your Life form. One of DARYL’s creators
decides that the cyborg should not be used for war. While setting DARYL free the
scientist is killed, but DARYL escapes into the real world and ends up living
in the home of a typical American family, The Richardsons. DARYL doesn’t
remember who he is, but he soon starts displaying incredible abilities in
various fields, one of which includes flying an SR-71 military plane! This film
is extremely similar to Short Circuit (1986), another 80’s anti-war classic. D.A.R.Y.L.
sends out an anti-military message by
augmenting warmth, humanity and family values as the things that truly matter
in life. The symbolisms behind the film being that young people are not
mindless robots meat to be used as Cannon Fodder in war, they are real people
who live and breathe and deserve to be happy both mentally and physically. The young
actor who plays DARYL is Barret Oliver, who also played Bastian in The Never
Ending Story (1984).
Quote: “General, a machine becomes a human when you can’t
tell the difference anymore”
Film: The Quest (1986)
Comments: Also known as Frog Dreaming, this Australian film
is a nostalgic curiosity of mine. I remember seeing it when I was about 10 or
11, but I haven’t seen it in more than 25 years! I do remember it starred Henry
Thomas, the kid from E.T. The Extraterrestrial (1982). I also remember it was
about a mysterious creature that emerges from a lake and has everybody spooked.
The film has a strange, sometimes surreal vibe to it; but that’s about all I remember. I wish this one was on DVD, I’d love to
revisit this strange film someday. Doing a bit of research I discovered that it
comes to us from Brian Trenchard Smith, the director behind BMX Bandits (1983) (another 80’s kid
classic!) and Dead End Drive In (1986), the post apocalyptic film that takes
place mostly inside of a drive in. Anybody out there remember seeing The Quest?
Quote: “First you dance with the devil, then you find out
about Donkegin”
Film: Lucas (1986)
Comments: Wow, so Lucas was one of these films I saw at the
right age, at the right time. I felt that this film had been made especially
for me because I was about the same age as Lucas was in the film, so I felt
immediately identified with the character. Lucas is a very touching film;
again, as many films dealing with pre-teens and teens, this is a coming of age
film that follows a nerdy socially inept high school student who falls for a
sweet upper class girl played by Kerri Green whom most of you will remember as
Amy from The Goonies (1985), I’ve always wondered why we didn’t see more of her
in films. Lucas falls for Maggi, one could say he is absolutely blinded by love.
Still, even though Lucas doesn’t really know how to make friends, and yeah, he’s
easy to make fun of, even the bullies learn to appreciate Lucas and his
bravery. The film is truthful and analizes classist differences, and questions
why we like who we like, and why must humans always go for something similar to
themselves? Do opposites really attract? Can a rich girl fall for a nerdy poor
guy? A heart breaking scene has Maggie coldly rejecting a kiss from Lucas, wow,
that scene had me in tears the first time I saw it! This film explores those
firsts, sometimes embarrassing and yes, painful steps one takes when walking
for the first time in the road towards love. A great movie that is not as
schmaltzy as you might think, actually, it comes off as authentic depiction of
high school life. Corey Haim outdoes himself in what could quite possibly be the
best performance of his life. A young Charlie Sheen plays an older brother type
to Lucas and even Wynona Ryder plays a smaller role as the girl who falls for
Lucas, but who Lucas doesn’t even notice.
Quote: “If you’re so depressed, how come you’re eating
pizza?”
FOR PART ONE OF THIS ARTICLE, CLICK HERE!
7 comments:
I always thought ET was one of the most ludicrously over-rated films of all-time, dont get me wrong, i never thought it was garbage, its just that for me it was a good film but certainly not a great one.
I don't know eddie, I've always loved E.T., I went to see it in theaters, and it's one of those films that moved me as a kid and still gets to me as an adult. I really like the performances that Spielberg got out of these kids. The musical score is just superb in my book, it's memorable in deed. But hey, I respect your opinion!
Adventures in Babysitting is all about prime Elisabeth Shue. She was the girl every 80s boy wanted as a girlfriend, and Hollywood knew it, by casting her in such kid/teen-centric films as Karate Kid, Back to the Future 2-3, and this one. I'm sure I'm missing others too.
Yeah, she was also in Cocktail (1988) alongside Tom Cruise and also starred in Paul Veerhoven's Hollow Man, she was a bit older on that one, but not less beautiful!
She's on CSI now, and she's still quite a looker, I must say!
Damn, still got some of these to watch. Lucas has been on my radar for ages. Need to check that out.
Love Return to Oz. Such a twisted kids movie. The wheelers gave me nightmares for months.
Looking forward to your fantasy film list. I just rewatched Willow at the weekend. Still a great film though I forgot that Kilmer doesn't really do much until halfway into the film.
Yeah, Lucas is a very cool little movie, it even has Wynona Ryder in it playing this mousy nerdy girl that falls for Lucas, the cast is a who's who of 80's teen stars.
80's fantasy list coming soon, Willow will no doubt be in it!
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