July 15, 2014 Tuesday 10: Movies of 1986
The farther back I go, the fewer movies I’ve seen. I anticipate a point where I won’t have seen enough movies from a particular year to be able to make a list, and I’m kind of curious what year will be the first in which that happens.
It turns out that my list (again) majors in comedy and sci-fi with a minor in action. This shouldn’t surprise any of us by this point.
10. Stand by Me – Honestly, I’m so put off by the vomiting scene in this movie that I barely remember any of the rest of it.
9. The Karate Kid, Part II – I remember three things from this movie: Mr. Miyagi’s “Don’t know, never been attacked by tree” line; the goofy drum rattles that inspire the winning move; and the ubiquitous Peter Cetera song.
8. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off – I think I’ve come to the place in my life where the idea and memories of this movie are better than the actual movie is to me. I was talking to Lyn about it, and we came to the conclusion that when you’re young, Ferris is a hero, but when you’re older, you realize what a jerk he is to everyone else.
7. Platoon – I dated a girl in high school whose dad was a Vietnam vet. He sad this movie and Full Metal Jacket were the closest to portraying the actual experience. Me, I have memories of playing a Platoon game on the Commodore 64 where you had to frag your commanding officer.
6. Aliens – This and its predecessor are, to this day, two of the scariest movies I’ve ever seen. I know this one trades the moody feel of the first for all-out action, but it still spooks me.
5. Big Trouble in Little China – This is the movie on this list I have rewatched most recently. It is a ridiculous hoot.
4. Short Circuit – I kind of feel like I missed an opportunity to put this one at Number Five.
3. ¡Three Amigos! – About seven years ago, I chose this for a movie night with a bunch of friends who were in general 7-10 years younger than me. They did not enjoy the film. I don’t hang out with most of them any more.
2. Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home – It’s the silliest of the films, but “the one with the whales” is probably the Star Trek film that the most non-Trek fans have seen.
1. Little Shop of Horrors – I wonder how many of my lists this movie can top?
The Adventures of Milo & Otis barely missed the cut. Like, it was down to it or Stand By Me. In the end, I was reminded of all of the animal endangerment on the set and I guess The Body in Stand By Me wasn’t real, so it wins this round.
Written by: Mark
- 3 comments
- Posted under Movies
Permalink # Bishma said
Yeah, Cameron is the hero of Ferris Bueller’s Day Off at least in the Joseph Campbell / Hero’s journey sense. He’s the one that comes out the other end changed and a better person (willing to stand up to his dad and not make himself sick all the time). Ferris would be the “supernatural aid.”
Permalink # Mark said
See, this is why we have comments enabled around here.
Permalink # Mike said
Oh man, I almost feel sory for you about Stand By Me. I love that movie so much. Also Three Amigos is totally underrated.