5. Batman (1967)
Before the recent Christopher Nolan trilogy, the original Adam West and Burt Ward film, almost always left out of the discussion of Batman movies, was easily the best. It's true that the original 60's run of Batman was campy, even for its time, but I maintain that that is why it is amazing.
The movie centers around Feldman's character Bobby
Keller, a high school troublemaker with a sub-par life. In Bobby's neighborhood
lives an elderly man Coleman (Jason Robards) who is very philosophical and
attempts to learn things from his dreams and attempts experiments in order to
influence this. He also despises Bobby and the other neighborhood riff-raff.
Meanwhile, Bobby has a crush on his friend Joel's girlfriend Lainie. The only
problem is Joel is a tough guy and not entirely stable.
3. They Live (1988)
Before the recent Christopher Nolan trilogy, the original Adam West and Burt Ward film, almost always left out of the discussion of Batman movies, was easily the best. It's true that the original 60's run of Batman was campy, even for its time, but I maintain that that is why it is amazing.
This movie is truly the epitome of what
a movie is supposed to be: escapism. If you need to be entertained for two
hours, watch this film, you won't regret it. The over-the-top-ness and
overall satire that was present in the 60's TV show simply ooze off the screen in
this film and sarcasm of the era, whether intentional or not, is thick and
hilarious.
Let's not forget the sheer amount of talent involved in this movie
too. Not only do Adam West and Burt Ward put on their always stellar personas
of Batman and Robin, but Frank Gorshin is the best Riddler to ever live and
Burgess Meredith is basically a shoe in for the acting "Hall of Fame"
if there were such a thing. Ultimately, no matter how good Batman films continue to be, none will ever truly eclipse this one
in my mind.
4. Dream a Little Dream (1989)
I watched this
movie knowing that it starred Corey Feldman and Corey Haim and I never expected
it to be anything more than a silly comedy and a way to kill time. Instead I
was completely surprised to find a movie that had a genuine message and some
moments of tense drama.
One night while running
away from home for separate reasons Bobby and Lainie collide in Coleman's yard
and are both knocked unconscious, when Bobby awakes, we find that Coleman has
somehow become trapped in Bobby's body and the real Bobby only exists in his
dreams. In order for Coleman to return to reality, and to get his wife Gena
back, Coleman must live in Bobby's shoes and fix his messed up life, and he has
a limited amount of time to do this.
For one, this premise really surprised me,
because, as I said earlier, I thought this movie was going to be a comedy, but it
really was more of a drama than anything else, and even though Feldman is not
really renowned for his acting, I felt he did a great job portraying a
frustrated old man trapped in a teenager's body who desperately wants his life
to return to normal. The movie is great because it emphasizes the power of love
as well as a message about understanding. It may very easily be the
best movie "the Coreys" ever made.3. They Live (1988)
They Live is the best example of a terrible movie with an awesome
plot that I have ever seen. All this movie needs is a half-decent remake and it
would blow everyone away. The acting is awful, chiefly because
it's protagonist is played by former wrestling star Rowdy Roddy Piper whose
performance makes you question whether wrestling really is fake
because the man has no acting ability whatsoever. But as I mentioned earlier,
it's not the acting that makes this movie good, it's the overall concept.
Aside from Rocky, this film is Stallone's best in my opinion. It centers
around Stallone and his partner as cops on the "zombie squad"--the
team of cops who work the night-shift, in a city that's been recently ravaged
by a series of axe-murders. The cops are left largely clueless until they get a
witness, Brigitte Nielsen, but something goes wrong and Cobretti (Stallone) and
his partner soon find themselves in a huge shootout against an entire gang of
murderers and hell-raisers intent on killing Nielsen before she can testify.
What makes this movie awesome is partly the machismo, but mostly the
atmosphere. This movie is probably one of the most "80's" time
capsule movies of all time. It even includes a shakedown-montage when Cobra and
his partner are looking for information about the murders by running down the
shadier elements, this is inter-spliced with model Ingrid (Nielsen) at a
photo-shoot with some robots and all set to the song "Angel of the
City" by Robert Tepper, which happens to be one of the most epic songs
ever, and perfectly married to the visuals being presented. This montage is
also the first time you see Nielson in the film at all, and probably the last
time you'll see a musical montage of any kind in a movie ever. One thing is for
sure, if it is the last one, it's the best sendoff the plot device could possibly
ask for.
Add this to the action in the film including but not limited to; chase
scenes between the bad guys and Stallone in a 1950 Mercury hot rod, and a
shootout scene in which the cops actually appear competent and hit the
people/things they're shooting at instead of emptying clips into nothing.
Additionally, whoever cast Brian Thompson as the villain in this film should
get an award as he is easily one of the the most intimidating villains in any
film, with dialogue to match. We even have an infamous "car won't
start" scene, which I'm quite partial to. This movie is the perfect blend
of suspense, action, and slight moments of horror all dipped in an 80's candy
coating and that makes it one of the most entertaining films ever made.1. Dark City (1998)
Dark City is a movie that I feel got it's rightful due years late.
Having come out only a year before the similarly themed and paradigm-shifting The Matrix, and owing partly to the use
of some of the same sets, Dark City
unjustly lived in The Matrix's
shadow. Only recently have I seen it get
mentioned in the echelon of movies in which it belongs, usually in lists
similar to this one.
A school of thought which I detest in movies that most
movies take is the thought that the audience should never be left asking
questions, so unnatural explanations are often given as to what is going on,
even if the characters within the movie are unaware of what is presented to the
audience. Dark City doesn't do this;
it leaves the viewers as metaphorically in the dark as it's inhabitants
literally are. This movie captivates, and is full of suspense and twists, and
it's throwback nighttime noir atmosphere is much appreciated amidst a newer
school of filmmaking that dominated much of the films around the turn of the millennium. The ending particularly is a wonderful surprise, and I'd find it
hard to believe anyone who watches this movie would leave unimpressed.
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