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

[Bob Cashill]

Lest we forget but the summer 84 release version of Once Upon a Time in America was the cut-down disaster that had me shaking my head in disbelief. No one really saw it until the (mostly) complete version made its way into art houses and home video in 1985.

 

[Race Bannon]

Memorable classics (to me) that hold up today are as follows:

Sixteen Candles (May 4)
The Natural (May 11)
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (May 23)
Gremlins (June 8)
The Karate Kid (June 22)
Red Dawn (August 10)

 

[Oliver Ravencrest]

I think 1981 and 82 were both really strong years for summer movies. 1981 gave us Clash of the Titans, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Superman II, For Your Eyes Only, Stripes, Escape From New York, Fox and the Hound, Arthur and An American Werewolf In London among others.

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom - Arguably the weakest of the first three films, it still has some great action sequences. (Unfortunately it also has one of the worst scenes in the franchise with the miraculous inflatable raft out of the crashing plane.) On the plus side, it has one of my favorite jokes from the franchise. (Indy's shoe is smoldering and he is screaming Water!, Water! and then the scream for water changes when he (sorta) gets what he was requesting.)
- Walter.

I can see why people hate that scene but it doesn't bother me. I see it as a homage to the cliffhanger escapes from the Serials on which the Indiana Jones movies were based.

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

Lest we forget but the summer 84 release version of Once Upon a Time in America was the cut-down disaster that had me shaking my head in disbelief. No one really saw it until the (mostly) complete version made its way into art houses and home video in 1985.

That's true and Leone went into a deep, some say suicidal, depression after seeing the way they chopped up his film. At the time though I did not know that and was just thrilled to see a Sergio Leone film coming to cinemas and thought it was very cool he was tackling the gangster genre. Watching the blu-ray of Once Upon a Time in America is a fantastic way to see the film and I always really love revisiting this one.

 

[Worth]

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom - Arguably the weakest of the first three films, it still has some great action sequences. (Unfortunately it also has one of the worst scenes in the franchise with the miraculous inflatable raft out of the crashing plane.).

I posted this in the Temple of Doom thread, as well, but Mythbusters recreated the life raft gag and amazingly found that it could actually be survivable:

http://www.discovery.com/tv-shows/mythbusters/videos/the-buster-awards-falling-life-raft/

Pity they never checked to see if a fridge could survive a nuclear explsion.

 

[Walter Kittel]

Well, a nuclear explosion might be more difficult to recreate. Although I suppose one could calculate the forces involved and come up with a simulation.

I believe I've heard, or read, about Mythbusters and the raft and I find it a bit incredulous. Which is not to say impossible. Just one of those scenes that really pushed the boundaries for me. Of course, I had no problems with a mine cart rocketing off of one set of rails and landing on another segment in the same film.

- Walter.

 

[Ruz-El]

I was a 10 year old movie fiend in '84, so many of those films I'm fond of, and many (like "Electric Dreams") I've not seen but loom larger than life since I wasn't allowed to watch them at the time due to being "dirty" haha.

One completely escapes me though: "Sword of the Valiant: The Legend of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight "

I have zero memory of this movie, and the trailer didn't trigger anything. Has anyone actually seen it? I was big into Conan and all that stuff, so I have no idea how this one missed me completely! It's kind of sticking in my craw!

 

[Bob Cashill]

I saw SWORD OF THE VALIANT on HBO in 1985 or so. It got scant commercial release here in the US. It's OK.

 

[Will Krupp]

Wow, what a great idea! I turned 17 in the summer of 84 and my God we went to see a LOT of those June and July releases! Strangely, I think 1984 is when the movies, for the most part, really started to bottom out and I have to say I don't LOVE a lot of 80's films from then on out as a rule. People often pick the 1970's as the greatest decade for American movies and, while I would agree as long as we were lining up with the actual decades, I'd have to pick the best PERIOD as being 1972-1982 (although that's technically 11 years) because there was, IMO, some really great stuff released up until about 1983.

 

[KeithDA]

Not quite 1984 but - Oh, the summer of 1981 and Raiders!
I was working on a summer camp in New Jersey and we somehow managed to get some staff time off one evening to go and see this film (which I'd heard nothing about) in Trenton. Amazing, as a Brit, to see this film with a young american audience - an experience and a film I will always remember fondly...

 

[TravisR]

People often pick the 1970's as the greatest decade for American movies and, while I would agree as long as we were lining up with the actual decades, I'd have to pick the best PERIOD as being 1972-1982 (although that's technically 11 years) because there was, IMO, some really great stuff released up until about 1983.

When people look back on decades, I doubt many of them think strictly from, say, January 1, 1970 to December 31, 1979. It seems like it takes a year or two to get to the points that end up defining the decade (whether its movies or TV or music or real world events) and then the early years of the next decade feel more a part of the previous one.

I'm not sure how well I articulated that but what the hell.

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

You're right on, Travis, because the films that came out 1980-82 or even later were films that were being prepped and put into production in the late 1970s. Which is why Will's point makes sense because the films that came out the first couple years of the 1970s were films that were essentially put together at the end of the 1960s. It's just that going 1970-1979 is nice and neat.

Then you know a lot of people felt 1970s style filmmaking really began in the late 1960s with films like Blow-Up (1966) and Bonnie and Clyde (1967). So, the decades are not as clear cut as the numbers they do sort of blend together. Plus I think Leone's 1960s Westerns with Clint really influenced the way films were made in the 1970s.

Just like a film like Halloween (1978) was really influential in terms of films that would come out in the 1980s.

 

[Will Krupp]

I'm not sure how well I articulated that but what the hell.

You did GREAT!!!

 

[Ruz-El]

I was thinking you could make the case with 84 being the start of 80's films with "Breakin'" being on the list, but then I checked and the cartoon "Rocky III" came out in 82. Don't get me wrong, I love me some Rocky III, but it's a far different beast than Rocky and Rocky II which feel more 70's.

 

[Tony J Case]

Sorry, 1985 brought us Invasion USA and is clearly the best year ever and all of your opinions are invalid.

 

[Tino]

Sorry, 1985 brought us Invasion USA and is clearly the best year ever and all of your opinions are invalid.

Yeah but have you actually SEEN Invasion USA Tony?[emoji13]

 

[skylark68]

Sorry, 1985 brought us Invasion USA and is clearly the best year ever and all of your opinions are invalid.

This is probably the most awesome post I've ever read on this forum. Bravo!

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

Now I have to look up what Invasion USA is...

 

[Tino]

No you don't. [emoji12]

 

[Mike2001]

My favorite summer for films in the 1980s had to be 1982; more specifically June of 1982. Highlights, for me, include:

May
Conan the Barbarian (May 14)
Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid (May 21)
Rocky III (May 28)

Look at June '82. Five classic genre films in one month! Count' em. Five!

June
Poltergeist (June 4)
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (June 4)
E.T. The Extraterrestrial (June 11)
Blade Runner (June 25)
The Thing (June 25)

July
Tron (July 9)
The World According to Garp (July 23)
Night Shift (July 30)

August
Fast Times at Ridgemont High (Aug 13)
An Officer and a Gentleman (Aug 13)

- Walter.

I remember going to see Poltergeist at the Village Theater in Westwood after finishing finals at UCLA, finding it sold out, then going to see Road Warrior across the street at the Bruin instead. A film of which I had heard nothing. Talk about being blown away. Best consolation prize ever.