The Movie Journal

  Dirty Dancing (1987) Despite its massive popularity, I never thought that one day I would be watching Dirty Dancing . I try to stay away from these dance films because let’s face it, it is not a fun genre. I knew the music behind the movie. Who doesn’t know the songs “(I’ve Had) The Time of Your Life” and “Hungry Eyes.” They are radio staples from the 1980’s that still receive airplay nowadays…and are very good songs. I finally relented because of my goal to watch every movie on the Empire’s Top 500 list, and you know what? I was pleasantly surprised. Yes, Eleanor Bergstein’s screenplay is hit-or-miss as it far too predictable for my liking. At the end of the day, you cannot deny the power of Patrick Swayze’s and Jennifer Grey’s chemistry and powerful dance moves. Credit to where it belongs, but there is a surprising subplot involving abortion (and more towards the pro side) that you will hardly see in a film from this decade. If I am not mistaken, marketers backed out distributi...

  Good Morning, Vietnam (1987) “Goooooooooooooood Morning, Vietnammmmmmmm.” When you hear Robin Williams and his manic energy bellow those lines for the very first time, you know you are in for a treat. This movie finally proved to the world how gifted of an actor Williams really was. Everyone knew about his comic skills and he proudly displays them here, but you see that his character goes through some bittersweet moments of self-discovery. Here, you realize that this comedian can nail the dramatic bits. Director Barry Levinson used William’s comedian skills against him which allowed him to draw a stronger performance. If you were to grow tired of his schtick, you will be impressed with his dramatic portions. I have only seen him in Moscow on the Hudson prior to this film’s 1987 release, and it is a more impressive performance-one that earned him his first of four Academy Award nominations. Williams’s performance is based off the life of real Vietnam-era DJ, Adrian Cronauer. ...

  Broadcast News (1987) If you watched the trailer for James L. Brooks’s Broadcast News , you would be forgiven if you thought this film is about a romantic love triangle set in a news station. Yes, there are aspects of romance, but it is way more than that. Brooks is a very smart, adept director who makes a living in creating deep, meaningful characterizations. In my eyes, Brooks had ideas about how work can overtake personal lives and any romance for these workaholics is essentially just a front because quite frankly, these people love to work…as we see detailed with our main characters. In addition, this film is quite informative. Even in 1987, news stations were more about entertainment and the looks, rather than delivering the actual news itself. It was a newer trend that eventually took over networks. With all the insanity within the newsroom, this film manages to find humanity within its characters. This is a detailed human portrait that is engaging, emotional, and comedic. ...

  Wall Street (1987) “The point is, ladies and gentlemen, that greed, for the lack of a better word, is good.” (Gordon Gekko) I will be the first one to tell you that I am not an expert at the financial system and probably will never me. If only to see the Michael Douglas performance that everyone raves about, I eventually had to give Oliver Stone’s Wall Street a watch. A complete turnaround from the Oscar-winning Platoon , Stone made a film that is not so much a criticism about capitalism, but how cynical the 1980’s were. The film is very intelligent, so some terms/statements flew over my head, but I got the gist. Despite that strike against me, I still found the film to be reasonably entertaining with a killer performance by Michael Douglas. Coming off the success of the war film Platoon (also starring Charlie Sheen), Stone wanted to make something different. He linked up with a friend of his named Stanley Weiser and asked him to write a screenplay about the quiz show scand...

  Empire of the Sun (1987) My thoughts are complicated regarding Steven Spielberg’s Empire of the Sun . It is one of the director’s most ambitious films and it has a strong narrative pull that displays the notions you would come to expect in a Spielberg film; child separated from his parents, child finding hope and magic, etc.). At times, I was drawn away from the film because the kid, named Jim, is a spoiled brat. I gather that was the intention of Spielberg and writer Tom Stoppard, but holy moly that kid was annoying…especially in the beginning. But through the terrors of war, maybe he will learn a lesson or two. With that in mind, the film is beautifully photographed thanks to Allen Daviau’s camerawork. The production design is excellent as I felt the Japanese POW camp felt authentic. As usual, John Williams crafted another beautiful score which is par for a Spielberg movie. Any narrative shortcomings were made up (to a degree) on the technical side of things. The film was bas...

  Planes, Trains, and Automobiles (1987) John Hughes, the man who changed how teen comedies were perceived in the 1980’s with films like The Breakfast Club and Pretty in Pink , returns with one of his best films- Planes, Trains , and Automobiles . This film proved how versatile the director is. While he previously worked in settings set in high school, he proved he could make films that touch the heart with middle-aged men. And did he ever touch the heart. The film is so full of deft and sweetness. Some people may find that Steve Martin’s character is mean-spirited, but that is not true. Steve Martin and John Candy have such natural chemistry with one another. Their characters, are thankfully, not caricatures but human beings with feelings. I believed in these characters. This movie has a lotta heart but is it ever uproariously funny. So yes, you will be moved by laughter tears and emotional tears. As a rule with John Hughes films, he creates relatable, natural characters. Charac...

  The Last Emperor (1987) The Last Emperor is one of the final epics of old. It is a tale about the final emperor of China, Pu-Yi, and his descent from emperor to ordinary man. Unlike older epics like Lawrence of Arabia , there are hardly any action scenes or moments of intrigue. Instead, it is a story that tells the life of a government puppet within some major historical events. To me, that is what makes this story worthy of telling. It’s not particularly about the life of an emperor, but about the transition of feudalism to the current state of communism of China’s society. The movie is very long and can be slow at times, but in the end, Bernardo Bertolucci created a worthy epic. Worthy of Best Picture? Who knows. I do know that this is a visually stunning film that takes advantage of the Forbidden Kingdom with dazzling shots. The story can be imperfect at times with its tonal shifts, but it is a good learning device. I learned more about Pu-Yi and his “worthiness” to the powers...

  Cry Freedom (1987) Richard Attenborough, the director behind A Bridge Too Far and Gandhi returns with the fact-based story, Cry Freedom . I had initial reservations because it just seemed like it was one of those “white savior” movies that contemporary audiences came to detest. There are some elements of that here, mainly the story’s POV (from the eyes of white liberal publisher Donald Woods), but the film manages to arrive above that because it tells a simple yet powerful story about apartheid. This story tells how important Steve Biko was to the black folks of Africa struggling to find civil rights. In a way, this movie goes hand-in-hand with the events of today; police brutality or turning a blind eye to basic human rights and how white privilege dominates society. All Steve Biko wanted is for black people to have the same, equal rights as white people. He was seen as radical at the time, but he just wanted his people to be seen the same as everyone else. This is the kind o...

  Someone to Watch Over Me (1987) Someone to Watch Over Me is not the best movie from Ridley Scott’s extensive collection of directorial works. His prior film, the fantasy film Legend , was a box office failure. This too would turn into a box office disappointment. I consider this film a creative disappointment. It has some neat stylish flairs and the wealthy socialite versus middle-class argument is well-intentioned. Rather, the film is borderline aggravating because it is very slow and not enough tension builds to offset that slowness. While the individual performances are fine, I did not feel a sexual connection between man/wife nor man/socialite, although the scenes themselves were made with impeccable craft. Considering the talent behind and in front of the camera, I expected more with this movie. Ridley Scott came up with the idea for the film in 1982 when he discussed the story with screenwriter Howard Franklin. Scott became enamored with the idea because it told a very pe...

  The Princess Bride (1987) “ Inconceivable” As someone who loves fantasy films, I always avoided The Princess Bride . Growing up, I felt more in line with the grandson. “Is there any kissing?” Gross, lol. That and the marketing is shameful. The trailer was so bad that the studio actually removed it from theaters. It confused so many people which maybe why the film was not a major box office success upon release. But me and like so many others, the film’s pure magic transcended over me and I became a firm believer how awesome Rob Reiner’s ( Stand by Me) film is. I was surprised how often I laughed. Reiner approached the film as a satire, and it was very effective. Still, there are some fantasy film elements I loved such as the beautiful romance, the effective characters, and the amazingly-choreographed swordplay. William Goldman wrote the original novel and adapted his bestselling novel into the screenplay. In the process, he created memorable lines that will forever be remember...

  Fatal Attraction (1987) Adrian Lyne’s erotic thriller Fatal Attraction is a fun, horrifying film about a predatory, neurotic woman bent on destroying one man’s life. The first two-thirds of the movie is a fun insight of the psychology behind the damaged woman’s advances. The final third, while still watchable and entertaining at times, turns into Friday the 13 th . The ending has shock value, but perhaps not for the best reasons. Alex Forrest, one of the cinema’s best villains, turned into a psychopathic murderer after some unforgivable actions such as boiling the pet bunny alive and kidnapping the six-year-old daughter and scaring her with a rollercoaster. While entertainment value is top notch for these scenes, the message is unclear. I wanted more of a psychological thriller of the first two-thirds. That said, the movie still rocks. This is one of the few erotic thrillers I did enjoy, so hats off to the team behind the feature. The performances, especially from Glenn Close, ar...

  The Lost Boys (1987) Two decades before Twilight arrived, the vampire genre received a boost with the game-changing The Lost Boys . Prior to this 1987 classic, vampires were seen as deadly creatures of the night a la Nosferatu or Dracula- older men with a neater, more distinct style. Joel Schumacher’s vision, for the first time, allowed teens and tweens to take the spotlight within the vampire community. In addition, this is not a straight-out horror feature. The film walks the tight line within the genres of horror, action, and comedy. Thanks to the delightful Frog Brothers, there are some incredible, laugh-out-loud lines that shows the film does not take itself too seriously. I do not think it ventures far into campy territory as well. Just enough scares, enough comedy to make for an awesome cinematic adventure. I was not expecting much, so I was very pleasantly surprised. Also, the creature design is great. I love what they did to the fangs of the vampires. Really creepy stuff...

  Spaceballs (1987) “ May the Schwartz be with you! ” In 1977, there was a certain sci-fi movie named Star Wars that was released and would go on to change how movies were made and distributed. To honor the juggernaut’s release, Mel Brooks would release a spoof of the movies, ten years later and with George Lucas’s blessing. Believe it or not, this is my first actually foray into the zany and crazy mind of Mr. Brooks. I mostly liked what I saw, although pundits do not favorably compare this movie to his earlier ones. As spoofs go, this is a masterpiece compared to the drivel that is released today. Through the potty humor and physical comedy, at least Brooks incorporates a story unlike people today (looking at you, Aaron Seltzer). Yeah, the movie is dumb and silly, but its memorable and will make you laugh a few times at least. It is an honorable spoof, and it has a very nice cast. My favorite character is Pizza the Hutt. The pieces of cheese or the sliding pepperoni on his body ...

  Full Metal Jacket (1987) Movies about Vietnam have been commonplace in the late 70’s-1980’s. More often that not, masterpieces were created about this topic. Of course, we all know about The Deer Hunter , Apocalypse Now , and Platoon . Let’s add another one to the list: Stanley Kubrick’s Full Metal Jacket . This may actually be my favorite out of all the movies I listed. Kubrick’s story is told in two sections; the boot camp sequences at Parris Island and the actual fighting in Vietnam. While the Vietnam scenes are harrowing, nailbiting, and features excellent sound/visual choices, the first half of the film is sheer perfection. R. Lee Ermey as the colorful squad leader and Vincent D’Onofrio as Private Gomer Pyle deliver exemplary performances. Watching Ermey turn D’Onofrio into an instrument of death is nothing short of terrifying. Kubrick does not have an extensive filmography so when he directs something, you know its something that needs to be seen. After all, Kubrick created...

  Roxanne (1987) If you are a romantic soul and in search of sweet, romantic fluff, look no further than 1987’s Roxanne . Written by and starring Steve Martin, this romantic comedy is one of Martin’s underrated films. In fact, I found it strange I never heard of the movie until I randomly saw a DVD at a yard sale and the plot appealed to me. This movie is Martin’s take on the age-old 1890 play Cyrano de Bergerac . The themes are universal and certainly applied to me. Everyone, including adults, are afraid of being laughed at due to some body appendage or appearance issue. Myself, not the most handsome man in the world, can easily relate to this theme of being afraid to find love because of how one looks. I think Martin does a wonderful job applying those themes to his comedy. That said, this is also an 80’s romantic comedy so it does border on the sappy side. And that prosthetic nose! I could not stop staring at that thing…but perhaps that is the point. Steve Martin said it took 90...

  Predator (1987) If Alien and Rambo decided to have a baby together, Predator would be their child. It begins like Rambo but ends in the horrifying style of Alien . In essence, this film is a product of the 1980’s. It is a B-film creature feature that dials it up from scene one and does not relent until the credits. There are hammy one-liners that we come to love from Arnold Schwarzenegger. The script dares you to defy logic, which you shall need to do if you are going to give the film a passing grade. Once I put all my smartness aside, the film is plenty of fun! It is certainly a macho movie, but any film that combats an alien against humans is fine by me. The action is well-choreographed and I loved the fight sequences. The visual effects are ahead of its time. The movie really wanted to show off Stan Winston’s creature design. This is one of those heavy action movies designed to take you on an escapade. Too bad none of the sequels (mostly) were able to take suit. Oh…and the jun...

  The Untouchables (1987) Without a doubt, Brian De Palma’s The Untouchables is one of the favorite movies to come from this decade. As someone who intensively studied the Prohibition era and the legend that is Al Capone, I knew this film would be up my alley. Add in Brian De Palma as director and Kevin Costner, Sean Connery, and Robert De Niro as the film’s leads, you cannot go wrong right? In my own humble opinion, that is correct. I really loved the film so much, I was surprised to see how many lukewarm reviews it received (although it still received generally high marks from critics and regular folks alike). Why does this film speak to me so much? Firstly, the film has an authentic look and feel. The streets of Chicago were perfectly embroidered with 1930’s era cars, clothes, buildings, etc. The costume design from Marilyn Vance is impeccable, along with the production design of the sets which was put together by Hai Gausman. I loved the shiny, sleek feel of everything. Secon...

Beverly Hills Cop II (1987) In 1984, the world was treated to Beverly Hills Cop , a highly-energized action film that put Eddie Murphy on the map and it remains a classic to this day. Plus, it made a boatload of money. So, in the eyes of producers Jerry Bruckheimer and Don Simpson, it made sense to make a sequel. While the film was financially successful despite making less than the first film (was the third highest-grossing film of 1987), Beverly Hills Cop II fails to live up to its predecessor’s reputation. While there are some genuinely charming and amusing moments, the action is a bit brainless and Eddie Murphy comes across as more grating than funny. And some things within the plot does not make much sense. Like after the animosity shown between them in the first film, how are Axel Foley and Andrew Bogomil like best friends now? Not much of an explanation was given. If you were to draw comparisons to the original film, this film is driven on its action sequences rather than plot...