A trip back to the Summer of 1984 at the movies... (1 Viewer)

[Winston T. Boogie]

As this summer winds down (and influenced by a comment by Tino) here are what would seem to be the major films released in the summer of 1984 in the US...

(Let me know if I missed anything)

Rank 'em, Rate 'em, Discuss 'em, check off the ones you have seen, or have your own Summer of 84 film fest!

May

The Bounty (May 4)
Sixteen Candles (May 4)
Alphabet City (May 4)
Breakin' (May 4)
Hardbodies (May 4)
Firestarter (May 11)
The Natural (May 11)
Finders Keepers (May 18)
Making the Grade (May 18)
Trancers (May 22)
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (May 23)

June

Once Upon a Time in America (June 1)
Star Trek 3: The Search for Spock (June 1)
Streets of Fire (June 1)
The Naked Face (June)
A Breed Apart (June)
Ghostbusters (June 8)
Gremlins (June 8)
Beat Street (June 8)
C.H.U.D. (June 10)
Under the Volcano (June 15)
The Pope of Greenwich Village (June 22)
Top Secret! (June 22)
The Karate Kid (June 22)
Rhinestone (June 22)
Another Country (June 29)
Cannonball Run 2 (June 29)
Conan the Destroyer (June 29)
Bachelor Party (June 29)

July

The Muppets Take Manhattan (July 13)
The Last Starfighter (July 13)
Splatter University (July 13)
Hollywood Hot Tubs (July)
Electric Dreams (July 20)
Best Defense (July 20)
Revenge of the Nerds (July 20)
Meatballs Part 2 (July 27)
Cheech & Chong's The Corsican Brothers (July 27)
Purple Rain (July 27)

(Disney's The Jungle Book was rereleased into theaters in July of 1984)

August

The Bostonians (August 2)
Joy of Sex (August 3)
Grandview U.S.A. (August 3)
The Philadelphia Experiment (August 3)
Dreams Come True (August)
Red Dawn (August 10)
Cloak & Dagger (August 10)
The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension (August 15)
Dreamscape (August 15)
The Woman in Red (August 15)
Tightrope (August 17)
Sword of the Valiant: The Legend of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (August 17)
Sheena (August 17)
Sam's Son (August 17)
Love Streams (August 24)
Oxford Blues (August 24)
Cal (August 24)
Old Enough (August 24)
Choose Me (August 29)
Flashpoint (August 31)
Bolero (August 31)

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

 

[Steve Christou]

Interesting. With very few exceptions that's a pretty awful bunch of movies. We tend to look at the 1980s with rose-tinted glasses but there were fewer genuinely great movies released that decade than any other. On the other hand there were a heck of a lot of guilty pleasure movies released during those 10 years.

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

 

[TravisR]

Despite having been a kid in the 80's, I don't really romanticize the time like alot of people my age. Out of that list, Gremlins is far and away my favorite followed by Sixteen Candles. Ghostbusters is overrated but still a very good movie, Indiana Jones And The Temple Of Doom doesn't live up to the first one but it has positive aspects and Revenge Of The Nerds is silly fun.

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

Interesting. With very few exceptions that's a pretty awful bunch of movies. We tend to look at the 1980s with rose-tinted glasses but there were fewer genuinely great movies released that decade than any other. On the other hand there were a heck of a lot of guilty pleasure movies released during those 10 years.

How do you think it stacks up next to this summer's slate of films?

Honestly, I was no fan of the 1980s.

 

[atfree]

The 80's encompassed my own 17-26 age years, and I can honestly say in hindsight the 80's are my LEAST favorite decade of films. And I saw most if not all of those films listed either in the theater and/or HBO/Cinemax/TMC within a year of their release as I voraciously watched just about everything during that decade. Looking back, I wasted a lot of time

I know there's a ton on fans of the decade (especially the slasher, horror, teen-age sex comedy genres), but I can't count myself as one. Out of my 788 films on disc (BD and DVD), less than 50 are from the 80's. Only the 2000/2010 decades are represented less.

As an aside, I've always felt, looking back, that 80's movies feel more "dated" than films from older decades.

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

 

[TravisR]

How do you think it stacks up next to this summer's slate of films?

Honestly, I was no fan of the 1980s.

You're not asking me but I'll put in my two cents anyway. There's been nothing on the level of Gremlins for me but this summer had good stuff like Star Trek: Beyond, Finding Dory, The Nice Guys and The Neon Demon (which is definitely not for all tastes). I think The BFG and especially Pete's Dragon will age well too. And while I'm getting more and more bored with superhero movies, I think the latest Captain America will be remembered in the same way that Ghostbusters or Gremlins or Temple Of Doom is today.

 

[TravisR]

I know there's a ton on fans of the decade (especially the slasher, horror, teen-age sex comedy genres), but I can't count myself as one.

I'm definitely a fan of those disreputable genres. Off the top of my head, my three favorite movies from 1984 are (alphabetically) Friday The 13th: The Final Chapter, Gremlins and A Nightmare On Elm Street.

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

I also enjoyed Star Trek: Beyond, The Nice Guys and The Neon Demon this summer.

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

 

[Steve Christou]

How do you think it stacks up next to this summer's slate of films?

Honestly, I was no fan of the 1980s.

I've enjoyed the movies I've seen at the cinema this year and this summer, but I've only seen a few. Right now at home I'd much rather watch Star Trek Beyond than Star Trek Search for Spock, but probably because I've watched the older film so many times I'm bored with it.

And as Alex said in his post above movies of the 80s seem to date faster than previous decades. And the previous decade the 1970s was according to some film historians the best decade ever for movies. So the 'fun 80s' was a bit of a let down in historic terms.

If I had to pick 2 summer movies of 1984 for that metaphorical desert island it would be Temple of Doom and Ghostbusters.

 

[Worth]

There are a few titles missing from the list, though some were limited releases:

The Buddy System
Gabriela
Careful, He Might Hear You
The Gods Must Be Crazy
The Neverending Story
Old Enough

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

So, is it just me or did Wes Anderson sort of lift this for the ending of The Life Aquatic?

 

[Tony J Case]

Wow, only 7 sequels. Imagine that!