TOTALLY AWESOME 3: MORE FILMS OF THE 80s

Date: Thu, July 2nd 2009 - Thu, September 3rd 2009
External Link: Event Website
Event Tags: The Movies
Location: AFI Silver Theatre & Cultural Center

Now in its third year, the summer retrospective of 1980s films has become one of AFI Silver's most successful series ever...and there's plenty more where that came from! Here's another season of '80s-era summer fun--some of the enduring and influential cultural phenomena that helped make us what we are today--including big hits, cult classics and quite a few of today's stars, back when they were just starting out.

 

GHOSTBUSTERS
25th Anniversary!
NEW 35mm Print!

"When there's something strange in the neighborhood, who you gonna call?" Released in 1984, GHOSTBUSTERS became a record-setting box office smash hit, a summer movie benchmark, and established the template for how to blend special effects with comedy to create imaginatively escapist adventure. In a fortuitous convergence of then red-hot comic talent, director/producer Ivan Reitman sure-handedly guides actors/authors Harold Ramis and Dan Aykroyd's script, a winning vehicle for top-billed Bill Murray, while supporting players Ernie Hudson, Sigourney Weaver, Annie Potts and Rick Moranis all contribute memorable moments of hilarity.

DIR/PROD Ivan Reitman; SCR Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis. US, 1984, color, 105 min. RATED PG

Thursday, July 2, 7:00; Friday, July 3, 1:20, 11:30; Saturday, July 4, 9:45; Monday, July 6, 1:20; Tuesday, July 7, 9:05; Thursday, July 9, 9:05

 

GREMLINS
25th Anniversary!

Horror and fantasy auteur Joe Dante enjoyed his single biggest success 25 years ago with GREMLINS, a deft and knowing blend of genre elements, movie history in-jokes, and high-quality teenage antics. Teen Zach Galligan receives a unique gift his father picked up in a mysterious shop in Chinatown: a cuddly little mogwai. But there are strict rules about the care and feeding of a mogwai--don't get it wet, keep it away from bright light, and never, ever feed it after midnight. Of course, these very things happen, and soon Galligan, girlfriend Phoebe Cates, and the entire town are enduring a full-on siege by the mogwai's unwelcome transformation into hundreds of demonic gremlins--threatening to ruin Christmas! Released the same day as GHOSTBUSTERS--unthinkable in today's climate of cautious scheduling--the film was a box office hit and remains a cult classic.

DIR Joe Dante; SCR Chris Columbus; PROD Michael Finnell. US, 1984, color, 106 min. RATED PG

Thursday, July 2, 9:15; Friday, July 3, 9:15; Saturday, July 4, 12:00 midnight; Monday, July 6, 9:05; Wednesday, July 8, 10:20

 

 

BREAKIN'
25th Anniversary!

Poppin', lockin', cross-cultural love a la WEST SIDE STORY, and Ice-T! Classically trained dancer Kelly (Lucinda Dickey) befriends Ozone and Turbo (legendary breakdancers Adolfo Quinones and Michael Chambers), and these misfits take the establishment by storm when they join forces to enter a dance contest.

DIR Joel Silberg; SCR/PROD Allen DeBevoise; SCR Charles Parker, Gerald Scaife; PROD David Zito. US, 1984, color, 90 min. RATED PG

Friday, July 10, 9:30; Monday, July 13, 9:45

 

 

BREAKIN' 2: ELECTRIC BOOGALOO
25th Anniversary!

You know the title--now see the movie! This time, Kelly is torn between Paris, Princeton and the streets, while Ozone and Turbo have their own problems: their community center has been threatened with demolition, their love lives are in turmoil, and a new gang--the Electro Rockers--has challenged their turf. The catchall solution for the gang's problems? Put on a show, of course. Filled with exuberant, near-surreal dance sequences, BREAKIN' 2 is BREAKIN' times ten.

DIR Sam Firstenberg; SCR Jan Ventura, Julie Reichert; PROD Yoram Globus, Menahem Golan. US, 1984, color, 94 min. RATED PG

Saturday, July 11, 9:45*; Wednesday, July 15, 10:30

*July 11, 9:45 screening ticketholders are invited to attend an afterparty in the lobby, featuring a DJ set by Beautiful Swimmers.

 

 

A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET
25th Anniversary!

"One, two, Freddy's coming for you!" Johnny Depp (in his screen debut) and his friends face off against the finger-knives of dreamland boogeyman Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund, here avoiding the camp characterization that would mark his performances in the sequels). This terrifying film launched one of the most successful horror franchises in history with seven installments. Director Wes Craven creatively stages the dream sequences and expertly ratchets up the tension leading to a breakneck finale.

DIR/SCR Wes Craven; PROD Robert Shaye. US, 1984, color, 91 min. RATED R

Friday, July 24, 11:30; Saturday, July 25, 11:30; Tuesday, July 28, 9:20; Wednesday, July 29, 10:30; Thursday, July 30, 9:20

 

 

RIVER'S EDGE

Veteran TV director Tim Hunter directed this remarkable, nervy morality play that plumbs the dark and angsty depths of teenage experience. When disaffected high schooler Daniel Roebuck kills his girlfriend down by the river in a fit of barely motivated pique, then confesses it to his clique of fellow outsiders, their reaction is to help him keep it a secret, a cause championed by paranoid speed freak ringleader Crispin Glover, tween enforcer Joshua Miller, and the gang's mentor/drug dealer Dennis Hopper, in one of his trademark unsettling performances. Fellow burnouts Keanu Reeves and Ione Skye begin to have reservations and the tenuous bonds of teenage solidarity begin to fray, with frightening results.

DIR Tim Hunter; SCR Neal Jimenez; PROD Sarah Pillsbury, Midge Sanford. US, 1986, color, 99 min. RATED R

Friday, July 31, 9:30; Saturday, August 1, 9:45; Monday, August 3, 9:20

 

 

STAR TREK II: THE WRATH OF KHAN

"Revenge is a dish best served cold!" The second part of the venerable film series is simply one of the greatest action adventure films ever made. Fifteen years after being marooned on a dead planetoid, the formidable Khan hijacks a Federation Starship and sets across the galaxy after his arch-nemesis, Admiral James T. Kirk. Ricardo Montalban impresses as Khan, and the performances by the entire cast of Enterprise regulars are raised a notch because of it. One of the first films to feature CGI, this film is every bit as thrilling now as when it was first released in the summer of 1982.

DIR Nicholas Meyer; SCR Jack B. Sowards, based on the television series by Gene Roddenberry; PROD Robert Sallin. US, 1982, color, 116 min. RATED PG

Saturday, July 11, 7:20; Tuesday, July 14, 9:30; Thursday, July 16, 9:00

 

 

ANGEL HEART

Before he was the wrestler, Mickey Rourke was seen-it-all New York gumshoe Mickey Angel in this underrated cult classic which deftly blends the best of the supernatural, horror and film noir genres. Robert DeNiro is at his most wicked and mysterious as Louis Cyphre, a man who hires Angel to find a singer named Johnny Favorite who's skipped out on a contract. Landing in New Orleans, Rourke meets the beautiful Lisa Bonet, daughter of a voodoo priestess. Infamous for the sex scene between Rourke and Bonet, the film was extremely controversial upon release.

DIR/SCR Alan Parker, based on Falling Angel by William Hjortsberg; PROD Elliott Kastner, Alan Marshall. US/Canada/UK, 1987, color, 113 min. In English and French with English subtitles. RATED R

Friday, July 17, 9:10; Saturday, July 18, 9:35; Tuesday, July 21, 9:30

 

 

PINK FLOYD THE WALL

In Alan Parker's adaptation of Pink Floyd's hit concept album, Bob Geldof stars as "Pink," a rock star driven to self-imposed isolation by a traumatic childhood, a failed marriage and the ravages of fame. A longtime late-night screening favorite, this film is an outrageous mix of wild visuals, surreal animation and, of course, great music.

DIR Alan Parker; SCR Roger Waters based on his album; PROD Alan Marshall. UK, 1982, color, 95 min. RATED R

Friday, July 17, 11:30; Saturday, July 18, 12:00 midnight; Wednesday, July 22, 10:30; Thursday, July 23, 9:15

 

 

EDWARD SCISSORHANDS

Tim Burton, following the red hot box office success of PEE-WEE'S BIG ADVENTURE, BEETLEJUICE, and BATMAN, crafted this delicate gothic fairy tale about an artificial man, soulfully played by Johnny Depp. His loving if daft inventor, Vincent Price (in his final screen role), died before finishing poor Edward, and left him with scissors for hands. When fortune comes calling in the form of Avon lady Dianne Wiest, Edward is adopted into a new world of pastel suburbia, a place where someone like Edward might have difficulty fitting in, but the love and understanding shown by Wiest, even-keeled husband Alan Arkin, and daughter Winona Ryder help Edward try to find his way in the world.

DIR/SCR/PROD Tim Burton; SCR Caroline Thompson; PROD Denise Di Novi. US, 1990, color, 105 min. RATED PG-13

Friday, July 24, 9:20; Saturday, July 25, 7:00

 

 

HEATHERS

The film that dares ask the question, "Did you have a brain tumor for breakfast?" This infinitely quotable cult classic features Winona Ryder as Veronica Sawyer, a girl who hates her friends, the most popular girls in school who rule with an iron fist--Heathers Chandler, McNamara and Duke. When dark horse JD (Christian Slater) rides into town on his Harley, the body count of the school's most popular and ruthless students begins to rise. Suddenly, teenage suicide becomes the newest fad in this wickedly dark comedy that set the bar for the teen genre.

DIR Michael Lehmann; SCR Daniel Walters; PROD Denise Di Novi. US, 1988, color, 103 min. RATED R

Friday, July 31, 11:45; Saturday, August 1, 7:35, 11:45; Tuesday, August 4, 9:20; Wednesday, August 5, 10:20; Thursay, August 6, 9:20

 

 

ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK

New York, 1997: Manhattan is an island prison with no way out, where criminals live in borderline anarchy. After Air Force One is hijacked near the World Trade Center, Snake Plissken (Kurt Russell sporting the iconic eyepatch) is given the task of rescuing the President from kidnappers in exchange for his freedom. The catch: Snake is a literal time bomb with explosives wired into his body that are set to go off if he doesn't do his job within 24 hours. Now that's pressure!

DIR/SCR John Carpenter; SCR Nick Castle; PROD Larry J. Franco, Debra Hill. US/UK, 1981, color, 99 min. RATED R

Friday, August 7, 11:45; Saturday, August 8, 7:40, 11:45; Tuesday, August 11, 9:45; Wednesday, August 12, 10:20; Thursday, August 13, 9:45

 

 

WEEKEND AT BERNIE'S
25th Anniversary!

After reporting an embezzlement scheme to their boss Bernie (Terry Kiser), company drones Jonathan Silverman and Andrew McCarthy find themselves invited to his Hamptons estate, unaware that Bernie himself is the mobbed-up man behind the missing money. Bernie's fellow gangsters decide to send him to sleep with the fishes, and worried they might be blamed for it, Silverman and McCarthy show questionable judgment when they decide to take the corpse out for dinner, drinks, and even a trip to the beach. Shhh...no one will ever know.

DIR Ted Kotcheff; SCR Robert Klane; PROD Victor Drai, Bruce McNall. US, 1989, color, 97 min. RATED PG-13

Saturday, August 8, 9:45; Sunday, August 9, 12:30

 

 

FOOTLOOSE
25th Anniversary!

When big city transplant Kevin Bacon arrives in his podunk new town, he discovers that local minister John Lithgow has banned everything that makes life worth living for a skinny tie-wearing teenager in the 80's--dancing, rock and roll, and even Slaughterhouse-Five. He sets out to dance, dance, dance with the help of minister's daughter Lori Singer, her best friend Sarah Jessica Parker, and his new best friend (the underrated) Chris Penn. This film made Kevin Bacon a star (and gave Kenny Loggins yet another soundtrack hit), and it remains a heartfelt and joyous look at the generation gap, '80s style.

DIR Herbert Ross; SCR Dean Pitchford; PROD Lewis J. Rachmil, Craig Zadan. US, 1984, color, 107 min. RATED PG

Friday, August 14, 7:00; Sunday, August 16, 5:15

 

 

ROBOCOP

"Part Man, Part Machine, All Cop." In the not-too-distant future, cop Peter Weller is ruthlessly murdered at the hands of criminals and reborn as a cyborg programmed to protect and serve--just as long as he doesn't interfere with his corporate masters. Director Paul Verhoeven expertly blends visceral action, social satire, stomach-churning gore and legitimately touching drama into a masterpiece of pop filmmaking. See the original before next year's remake to be directed by AFI alum Darren (THE WRESTLER) Aronofsky!

DIR Paul Verhoeven; SCR Edward Neumeier, Michael Miner; PROD Arne Schmidt. US, 1987, color, 103 min. RATED R

Friday, August 14, 9:15; Saturday, August 15, 9:45; Thursday, August 20, 9:00

 

 

THE ADVENTURES OF BUCKAROO BANZAI ACROSS THE 8TH DIMENSION
25th Anniversary!

"Hard to top for pure, nutty fun." --Vincent Canby, The New York Times

"No matter where you go, there you are." One of the ultimate cult movie experiences, a pastiche of vintage 1930s serials, science fiction and comic book sensibilities. Peter Weller portrays the titular scientist adventurer/race car driver/rock star, who, having discovered a covered-up alien invasion dating back to 1938 (Orson Welles's War of the Worlds broadcast was real!), must do battle with the evil Red Lectroids from Planet 10, led by a deliriously over-the-top John Lithgow and his doofus henchman Christopher Lloyd ("BIG-BOO-TAY!"). Jeff Goldblum and Ellen Barkin round out the fine comic cast.

DIR/PROD W.D. Richter; SCR Earl Mac Rauch; PROD Neil Canton. US, 1984, color, 103 min. RATED PG

Friday, August 14, 11:30; Saturday, August 15, 11:45; Monday, August 17, 9:20

 

 

SID AND NANCY

Director Alex Cox (REPO MAN), rightly or wrongly, wrings a surprisingly romantic story from the dissolute lives of Sex Pistols bassist Sid Vicious and girlfriend Nancy Spungen, through a hell of drugs and ultimately murder and suicide at the Chelsea Hotel in New York. Gary Oldman as Sid and Chloe Webb as Nancy give galvanizing performances in this enduring cult item.

DIR/SCR Alex Cox; SCR Abbe Wool; PROD Eric Fellner. UK, 1986, color, 112 min. RATED R

Saturday, August 15, 7:30; Tuesday, August 18, 9:00

 

 

SOME KIND OF WONDERFUL

The underrated John Hughes masterpiece. Dreamy-eyed high school artist Eric Stoltz is not part of the in-crowd. He's from the wrong side of the tracks. His best friend Mary Stuart Masterson is a percussion-playing tomboy. So, when he falls for "it" girl Lea Thompson he seemingly hasn't got a prayer, especially with her boyfriend snotty rich kid Craig Sheffer standing in the way. Oblivious to the romantic feelings of the sensitive and down-to-earth Masterson, he sets about (with her help) to win the heart of Thompson.

DIR Howard Deutch; SCR/PROD John Hughes. US, 1987, color, 95 min. RATED PG-13

Friday, August 21, 7:00; Saturday, August 22, 5:15; Tuesday, August 25, 7:00

 

 

GLEAMING THE CUBE
20th Anniversary!

THE defining skateboarding movie of the 80's. Rarely seen on the big screen! Christian Slater is a skateboarding misfit who would rather spin ollies with his friends than sit around in cardigans with his straight-laced parents or equally square adopted Vietnamese brother. However, when his brother mysteriously dies and his death is labeled a suicide, Slater suspects foul play. Along with his buddies (played by pro skaters Tony Hawk, Mike McGill and Tommy Guerrero, to name just a few), he decides to set things straight... and "gleam the cube" in the process.

DIR Graeme Clifford; SCR Michael Tolkin; PROD David Foster, Bruce McNall, Lawrence Turman. US, 1989, color, 105 min. RATED PG-13

Friday, August 21, 9:00; Wednesday, August 26, 9:15

 

 

BODY DOUBLE
25th Anniversary!

Brian De Palma works a wicked variation on Hitchcockian elements from REAR WINDOW and VERTIGO (among others), when Hollywood hanger-on Craig Wasson witnesses by telescope the brutal murder of gorgeous dancer/exhibitionist Melanie Griffith in the apartment across the way. As ever in Hollywood, appearances can be deceiving, and Wasson soon discovers he's the patsy in an even more complicated murder case involving players from both of LA's major film industries: Hollywood and porn.

DIR/SCR/PROD Brian De Palma; SCR Robert J. Avrech. US, 1984, color, 114 min. RATED R

Friday, August 21, 11:15; Saturday, August 22, 11:45; Thursday, August 27, 9:15

 

 

BLOW OUT

While recording in the field, movie soundman John Travolta becomes a witness to (and participant in) an accident--but as his tapes later reveal, the "accident" may have been something more sinister. A brilliant, riveting extension of Antonioni, Hitchcock and the American paranoid thriller, this is one of De Palma's best films.

DIR/SCR Brian De Palma; PROD George Litto. US, 1981, color, 108 min. RATED R

Saturday, August 22, 9:35; Sunday, August 23, 3:15; Thursday, August 27, 7:00

 

 

THE LEGEND OF BILLIE JEAN

"Fair is fair!" Truer words were never spoken than by teenager from "the trailers" Billie Jean Davy (Helen Slater). When spoiled brat Hubie Pyatt humiliates and harasses her, then trashes her brother's (Christian Slater) beloved scooter, she appeals to Hubie's father for repayment. When the senior sleazebag tries to take advantage of the situation for personal pleasure, and her brother happens to get wind of what's happening, as well as a firearm, things quickly spin out of control-- all to the tune of Pat Benatar.

DIR Matthew Robbins; SCR Lawrence Konner, Mark Rosenthal; PROD Rob Cohen. US, 1985, color, 96 min. RATED PG-13

Sunday, August 23, 5:25; Monday, August 24, 9:30

 

 

WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT

"A movie of such pure, dizzy enchantment that one watches it from start to finish with a smile so wide that the facial muscles ache when it's over." -- Vincent Canby, The New York Times

Robert Zemeckis's ambitious blending of live action and animation represents both an homage to classic cartoons of Hollywood's studio era (the film is chock-a-block with classic cartoon character cameos) and a special effects-driven entertainment extravaganza. Private eye Bob Hoskins reluctantly takes the case of Roger Rabbit, a hapless Toon contract player at Maroon Cartoons who's been on a losing streak since separating from his voluptuous Toon wife, Jessica Rabbit (seductively voiced by Kathleen Turner: "I'm not bad. I'm just drawn that way"), and finds himself a suspect in a murder case. Winner of three Oscars for effects and editing, plus a special Oscar recognizing Richard Williams's achievement in animation.

DIR Robert Zemeckis; SCR Jeffrey Price, Peter S. Seaman, based on the novel by Gary K. Wolf; PROD Frank Marshall, Robert Watts. US, 1988, color, 104 min. RATED PG

Friday, August 28, 4:45; Sunday, August 30, 5:15; Tuesday, September 1, 9:10; Thursday, September 3, 5:00

 

 

THE TRANSFORMERS: THE MOVIE (1986)
 

Optimus Prime's Autobots and Megatron's Deceptacons wage their ultimate battle, a cosmic cartoon battle royal that provided a satisfying end to their long-running war on syndicated TV (at least until Michael Bay's wildly successful live-action reboot came along). Orson Welles's voicing of "Unicron" represents one of the great man's final roles.

DIR Nelson Shin; SCR Ron Friedman; PROD Joe Bacal, Tom Griffin. US/Japan, 1986, color, 84 min. RATED PG

Friday, August 28, 9:10; Saturday, August 29, 10:30; Tuesday, September 1, 5:00; Thursday, September 3, 7:10

 

 

HEAVY METAL
 

This animated screen adaptation of the cult comic book, specializing in fantasy and science fiction with a high quotient of adult content for juvenile tastes, was clearly made with the fan base in mind. A mysterious green orb--the Loc-Nar--appears, with ominous results, in six different stories, ranging in settings from ancient times sword 'n' sorcery to big city noir to futuristic space fantasy. The rocking soundtrack includes Black Sabbath, Blue Öyster Cult, Nazareth, Cheap Trick, Devo and Grand Funk Railroad, while the voice talent includes a bevy of SCTV alums, including John Candy, Harold Ramis, Eugene Levy and Joe Flaherty.

DIR Gerald Potterton, SCR Daniel Goldberg, Len Blum; PROD Ivan Reitman. Canada, 1981, color, 90 min. RATED R

Friday, August 28, 11:00; Saturday, August 29, 12:00 midnight

 

 

LUCAS
 

It's hard being 14-year-old nerd Lucas (Corey Haim). Bullied by the jocks at school, he spends his summer taking refuge in collecting specimens for his bug collection, listening to classical music and spending time with pretty new girl in town Maggie (Kerri Green).With the start of the school year comes change as Maggie not only becomes a cheerleader, but also starts dating handsome football hero Charlie Sheen. Heartbroken, he sets out to win her heart in a misguided stab at athletic glory as his best friend, shy Winona Ryder (in her first role), looks on.

DIR/SCR David Seltzer; PROD David Nicksay. US, 1986, color, 100 min. RATED PG-13

Saturday, August 29, 5:25; Monday, August 31, 9:45; Wednesday, September