 Part Two |
As part of 80's week here at MRFH, the staff recklessly faced serious trauma by digging up pictures of themselves from that time period. It's for a good cause, we say, hugging our knees and screaming at the air. Collectively, we hopped into the MRFH Time Machine-Thingie and zoomed back to remember what it was like, watching movies in that era.
 He was much more evil back then |
Like just about everyone else around here, I was 4 years old in 1980 (like, ohmygawd, the Mutants are so OLD!), and in prime position to absorb all the wonderfully cool things the decade would have in store for me. It was, incidentally, probably the last decade that didn't truly try to shelter the young, instead giving us movies that were decidedly non-PC, and therefore roughly 34% more fun. Or so the studies say.
Movies were definitely a treat back then, in the most literal sense. Relatively cheap though they were, going to the movies was the rarest of special occasions, so much so that I don't remember going to more than a mere handful as a kid.
I remember very clearly my first Star Wars experience, though. It would have been about 1983 or so, and I watched Empire Strikes Back at a friend's house. Now, besides the fact that any kid's introduction to the Star Wars universe was usually a pretty special thing, THIS was a wholly new concept. For our younger viewers, it's a strange but true fact that the ability to view movies in your home (via the VCR) was a really new concept. The whole idea of renting videos was even less heard of. But here I was, at a friends house with her new "video cassette recorder" watching Empire Strikes Back. The entire experience was mindblowing, and I'm pretty much certain that was the day that sealed the deal, as far as my being a complete and utter nerd.
 Giddy-up, Canuck! |
There were movies that I really latched onto, though. Ghostbusters, Back to the Future, The Dark Crystal, Indiana Jones... there were so many movies that I just watched over and over and over again. If my fiancée thinks I speak in movie quotations too much these days, she should have seen me when I could recite Ferris Bueller's Day Off entirely from memory (having seen it twice a week on average). I even recall getting yelled at by my mom for using Dr. Venkman's famous line when the Stay Puft Man steps on the church... "Mother Pussbucket" (even though she had no idea what I was talking about... she just didn't like me cursing).
Ah yes. Those were the days.
 Don't you forget about me |
“It was the dawning of a new decade
We got our first microwave
Dad broke down and finally shaved them old sideburns off
I took the stickers off of my Rubik’s cube
Watched MTV all afternoon
My first love was Daisy Duke and them cut off jeans
Space shuttle fell out of the sky, and the whole world cried….”
-19-Something, by Mark Willis
Hey, come on. Starting an essay, article, or whatever with a song quote is a VERY 80’s thing to do. And it doesn’t help that almost every single one of those is true. (We didn’t get cable until the 90s, so the MTV part isn’t, and I wanted to be Daisy Duke, and had a thing for Luke. But aside from them….)
To give you some perspective, I was 5 when the 80’s started and turned 15 in 1989. So a lot of the “good stuff” of the 80s was forbidden to me -- or at least not something I saw much. I didn’t see any John Hughes movies or Top Gun in the theaters. My mom changed the station every time “I Want Your Sex” played on the radio. I wasn’t old enough to wear heels with my jeans or go to the prom in a dress with sleeves the size of basketballs. (We’ll ignore what my prom dress DID eventually look like.) And I was a good kid, so I didn’t do most of these things without my parents’ knowledge, either.
Heck, as I was living it, the 80s were boring.
Muppets and Sesame Street, Smurfs and Thundercats. My brother’s He-Man toys, my sister’s Cabbage Patch Kids, and an ancient tape-recorder on which we recorded plays of our own making. (The Smurfs meet He-Man and friends. It was pretty scary.) Get In Shape Girl, Debbie Gibson braids, The Cosby Show, and watching Mary Lou Retton in the Olympics. Those are some of my biggest memories from the 1980s, and you can definitely tell I wasn’t in high school at the time!
But the clothes… oh yeah. The clothes.
I remember silver loafers, banana yellow high tops, stirrup pants with about eight layers of multicolored socks, two or more polos, and turning the collars up. I had a hot pink fake leather purse (my best friend had one that was purple), we wore jelly shoes and jelly bracelets, and girls wore long plastic beads that they tied in knots. Legwarmers, headbands, off the shoulder shirts… can I just tell you how GLAD I am that a lot of these fashions are dead? UGH!
I saw my first concert in 1982; it was Kenny Rogers. I bought my first tape in the late 80s -- I’m pretty sure it was Tiffany. I had my first co-ed party in 1989 -- my sister thoroughly embarrassed me by coming in and demanding to know which of the two guys that actually showed up was Bob, my crush at the time. I had my first date in 1989, and wore a red dress that was surprisingly tasteful for the time period. I saw my first R-rated movie as my friend and I snuck a peek at a video of Excalibur, which really wasn’t all that good anyway (although we were quite shocked at the sex scene, especially after reading Mists of Avalon, which didn’t depict Uther that way at all).
 No band camp jokes, now |
Ghostbusters: I remember getting Skittles and eating them from the palm of my hand. Naturally, this left my hand streaked in lovely colors. I was convinced I’d been slimed.
Star Wars Trilogy: Hubby and I were debating if I could have seen A New Hope in the theaters. I seem to remember it. My dad, like just about every other guy in that period, was SO into Star Wars. However, I’m positive I saw Empire Strikes Back (I got nightmares from Luke having his hand cut off), and of course I saw Return of the Jedi. Does any more REALLY need to be said?
Howard the Duck: One of the stupidest movies I’ve ever seen in my life. However, my brother was quoting it for WEEKS. My mom seriously regretted taking us to see that one.
Dirty Dancing: The ultimate chick flick. Of all time. (I was very, very shocked to find out that this is my stepfather’s favorite movie. It’s like finding out Sly Stallone’s favorite book is Gone With the Wind or something.)
Field of Dreams: The first movie I ever saw on a date. That date spent some time in jail for impersonating an officer. Amazingly, I still like the movie.
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom: Saw it in the drive-in. Again, Dad’s choice. Another one where I had nightmares for weeks.
The Muppets Take Manhattan: Of course, I loved the wedding at the end, especially when all of the Sesame Street characters showed up. Obviously, I find the movie much funnier now.
Dead Poets Society: This one has a special place in my heart. It was the first movie my dad and I saw together, just the two of us, and the first “thinking” movie I can really remember seeing in theaters. Looking back now, this was probably my introduction to drama, as opposed to comedy or action. But without a doubt, this is my favorite movie memory of the 80s.
For all that we look back on the 80s fondly, I’m not sure I’d want to relive them. Not if I had to dress like that again, or had my limited movie experiences. But I certainly don’t mind visiting!
 Did you eat a lot of paint chips as a kid? |
In truth, I don’t remember a great deal about the early part of the 80’s. After all, I was only 4 when the whole decade kicked off, and I think it’s unfair of you all to expect me to remember incidents from back then. Really, I don’t handle that kind of pressure well. STOP LOOKING AT ME!!
Anyway.
Like many of my mutant colleagues, one of my earliest memories, film-wise, was going to see Return of the Jedi at the cinema. In fact, my Dad took me to see it for my 7th birthday, and I remember laughing uncontrollably at the Ewok on the speederbike sequence, which no doubt highlights the roots of my current sophisticated sense of humour. I assume that I must have already seen Star Wars, and I have vague recollections of watching a grainy pirate VHS copy of Empire Strikes Back, but Jedi was the real eye-opener for me.
And while we’re talking about Lucas films, Raiders of the Lost Ark is another film I remember well from the 80’s; specifically for how it, and sequel Temple of Doom, were both responsible for mentally scarring me for the remainder of my life. I remember hiding behind my Aunt Kath’s sofa from to avoid the melting Nazi’s, and spending many a sleepless night after watching the infamous heart extraction from Temple of Doom. To this day, the sight of a bullwhip and dusty hat is enough to make my flesh creep.
Cartoons were also a big deal, and if there was a cartoon movie that involved things which shot other things, I’d seen it; most notably the GI Joe (called Action Force in the UK) Movie which I watched with my friend Jamie one summer, and the modern classic that is Transformers: The Movie, which I was strongly convinced was the greatest example of pure brilliance that I would ever see on the movie screen. I also have a feeling that I dragged my Ma to the cinema in order for me to see that, though I’m not sure. If I did, sorry Ma. Unless you enjoyed it, though I think the odds aren’t high there.
In the latter part of the 80’s was when my real film-going memories begin. We were living outside the UK at the time, in a place which has no English Language TV channels, and so borrowing films in English from the video library was a pretty standard form of entertainment for the entire family. In fact, the very first adult film I ever saw was either Top Gun or Aliens; they were certainly the first two, but I can’t remember which order I saw them in.
Both of them I was recommended to watch by my parents, who obviously had a great deal of faith either in my ability to cope with adult ideas despite being 12, or in the knowledge that I would be completely ignorant of them. When I watched Top Gun, I remember being allowed to watch it except for the Kelly McGillis/Tom Cruise love scene, which my Dad fast forwarded through. From what I saw, I couldn’t understand what the big deal was anyway -- it was just two people kissing in a blue backlit room, so it wasn’t that interesting to me. Of course, since then I’ve discovered the joys to be had in blue backlit rooms, but that was a younger and more innocent age.
Aliens was a huge deal for me. The day I saw it is actually burned into my memory. I remember it was a weekend, and my dad telling me that I should watch this film because I would like it, but if I got scared by it then I should come and tell him. So I sat, alone in our front room, and watched Ripley et al in a combination of fascination and terror. Ripley’s nightmare at the beginning had me pretty much on edge, and by the time we got to the chestburster scene, I was absolutely terrified. However, applying a logic that to this day amazes me, I resolved to continue to watch the film even though the Aliens were scaring the willies out of me because I guessed that if I watched it to the end, all the Aliens would be defeated and I would be able to sleep safe in the knowledge that they were gone and not able to creep into my bedroom in the middle of the night and suck out my brains.
It was also during this late 80’s period that I manage to work my way through every Ahnald film I could get my hands on. Terminator, Predator, Raw Deal, Commando, and The Running Man all paraded their Austrian ass kicking goodness in front of me, much to my delight. This was also the era of Die Hard, and while I didn’t think much of Bruce Willis (obviously, Arnie would have been better) I was still discerning enough of 80’s movies to realise it kicked serious bottom.
But, as with many of us, I know more about 80’s films now than I did then. Back then, I wasn’t interested in a film unless it involved a lone cop/commando on a mission to save his daughter/wife/famous dog from the clutches of the villains while inflicting as much carnage as possible; so I missed out on films like Blade Runner, Poltergeist, and Ghostbusters which are now all firm favourites.
I only want to mention 3 more films then I promise to stop rambling. Big Trouble In Little China is still one of my favourite films, and until recently was the only film I had seen in a foreign cinema, when I went to see it with my friend (who was the son of the Australian ambassador to Poland) Chris who also, along with my Swedish friend Rasmus was responsible for the second film I want to talk about, when the three of us scared ourselves to death watching the first Nightmare on Elm Street at Rasmus’ house, age 12. We’d heard all about it, and Chris had managed to get a copy from somewhere. None of us were willing to chicken out from watching it, so we sat through it together then spent the rest of the night desperately staying away for fear of crazy men with razor claws.
The final film memory I have of the 80’s was Tim Burton’s Batman. It was the first time I’d ever really seen movie hype, certainly on such a massive scale. I mean, there were Batman branded products everywhere; keyrings, note paper, official ‘Making of’ book (that I still have somewhere), toilet roll and contraceptives for all I know. I, in turn, was firmly convinced that because of the hype, this film was going to be the best thing I’d ever seen - and while I certainly enjoyed it (I mean, what’s not to like?), I still felt somewhat let down…
And that was that. The 80’s passed seamlessly into the 90’s and I continued to watch trashy movies without really noticing the decade that had passed by. But when modern movies fail to move me like those I remember from my childhood, I can still go back and watch Aliens, or Top Gun, or Commando, and be instantly 13 again. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Written By:
PoolMan, Lissa and Rich
Posted On:
4.29.04
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