2. My Left Foot - [blind spot] I know, I know - how could it be that I haven't seen what is widely considered one of the best acting performances of all time??? I JUST HAVEN'T OKAY?! Geez! Anyway, obviously the accolades are well-deserved. If I didn't know that Daniel Day-Lewis did not have cerebral palsy, I would assume he did. It's not just the twitching and body contortions either - it's all in the eyes. The way he stares intently when there's something he's trying to convey. I know someone who suffers from brain damage from a car accident and it impedes his speech ability. And sometimes he gets this look in his eyes because he's trying to say something but he just can't get it out. It must be so frustrating. As far as the movie goes, though....it's fine? The performances definitely elevate it - I had no idea that Brenda Fricker also won an Oscar for this. I always thought of her as the pigeon lady from Home Alone 2: Lost in New York. Haha! Also, there's a young Fiona Shaw! It's very typical biopic style, though, and I'm not always the biggest fan of those. It feels like it could have been a made-for-television picture. And I don't need to see a close-up of his hairy-ass foot. EWWW.
3. The War of the Worlds (1953) - [blind spot] I've seen the Spielberg version and I liked it (I think? I don't really remember, but I'm pretty sure). Well, I loved this! It's beautiful and some of the shots are SO good. I love all of the practical effects like the bomb exploding in the mountains. It won the Oscar for special effects and I can definitely see why. It's interesting to see how much technology has changed, but for the 50s this is just incredible. It's obviously based on the HG Wells story, but it feels a little Twilight Zone-ish, especially in the beginning. It's touted as "the original alien invasion" film, so it's interesting to see how it influenced so many sci-fi blockbusters (everything from Independence Day to Arrival). It's cool that it actually shows the aliens attacking the whole world. It's just really entertaining and suspenseful. It definitely makes me want to watch the remake again.
4. 48 Hrs. - [blind spot] I was instantly intrigued when I realized that Walter Hill directed this! It's just one of those films that passed me by, but definitely considered a classic 80s film. It's also interesting that this has two actors from two of my favorite tv shows ever (James Remar aka Papa Morgan on Dexter and Jonathon Banks aka Mike on Breaking Bad). I also love old school Eddie Murphy - he used to be funny! He is absolutely charming and hilarious in this - when he laughs at the black Russian joke LOL. Also, his "I don't like white people, but I hate rednecks". I wish I could say that I enjoyed the rest of this, but I found it a little dull. The concept has been done to death (yes, I realize that this is an earlier take on the buddy cop movie), and I don't feel like it's as funny as it needs to be in order to hold my interest. I like how at the end, there's an apology for the racism ("it's part of the job"), but nobody apologizes for the misogyny. *rolls eyes*
5. The Karate Kid - [rewatch] I'll be honest, I've never held The Karate Kid in high regards. I probably watched it once when I was like 10ish, and I thought it was boring and have never had any interest in rewatching or even watching the sequels (sequel? I'm not sure if there is more than just the one sequel). However, I know a lot of people (especially my age) really love it, so I figured I would give it another go. And...wow, I'm glad I did. It's FAR better than I remember. It's such a sweet movie! If you asked me to rate it from what I remember at 10, I would say it was a 2.5 star movie, but it's a solid 4 stars! And I definitely wasn't expecting that. Not only do I love the story of him being raised by a single working mom and finding this father figure in Mr. Miyagi, it's also an incredibly well-made film! I was struck by the beginning tracking shot with him walking through the apartment building - super cool! But there are actually a lot of stunning shots throughout, and the soundtrack is straight 80s FIRE. And it has a very brutal ending (HE FUCKING CHEATED! No wonder everyone gets so heated!). Also, obviously I love Elisabeth Shue. This was only 3 years before Adventures in Babysitting, but she looks so much younger here - she actually passes for a teenager. And Ralph Macchio looks like a BABY (and he was like 23 when this was filmed. LOL). They are both so good in this! I just absolutely fell in love with this...LOL...it only took me 40 years!
6. Animal House - [rewatch, I assume?] I had to have seen this, but I don't remember much of it. Again, it's another beloved 80s classic that I just didn't get. But I'm always willing to give things another shot - maybe I'll love it as much as I loved The Karate Kid?! But...nah...it's...fine. For some reason, I thought this was stacked with 80s actors but I only recognize a handful of them (obviously Belushi, Tim Matheson, Karen Allen, Donald Sutherland, and a baby Kevin Bacon). I giggled a few times, but none of the jokes really land for me. It's obviously dated, but I'm usually fine with dated humor. It's just a bunch of loser, narcissistic frat bros thinking that they are hilarious, and that's what doesn't work for me. I think the best part is obviously the end with the text that tells you what happens to each character. It's the only time during the whole runtime that I actually laughed out loud. And there's an outstanding soundtrack.
7. The Land Before Time - [rewatch] I'm pretty sure this was the first movie I saw in the movie theater. I remember seeing The Little Mermaid more clearly so I usually think of that as my first, but I vaguely remember my mom taking me and my cousin to this. I was 7 years old and I LOVED IT. I even got a very large stuffed Littlefoot plush toy that I carried around with me everywhere for, like, two years. I was OBSESSED. I watched it a lot as a kid, but I haven't seen it in probably 30 years. It's still great. Littlefoot is just about the cutest thing in the world and I love the way he curls up like a cat to take a nap. I love the little baby Pteradactyls. I love Ducky - the little "yep, yep, yep" and "nope, nope, nope" are the best (on a sidenote - while going down a google/wikipedia hole, I discovered that the child actress that voices Ducky was killed by her own father 4 months before this movie was released! How terrible!). I love that this was a really lovely story about creating your own family, while also teaching young children about racism and prejudices that exist in the world. It's also just a really gorgeous animated movie - the type of animation that just isn't done today, which is such a shame. I didn't realize that this was produced by Spielberg and Lucas! No wonder it's so good! I think my only criticism is that Cera is SO annoying and kind of an asshole. I don't think I thought that as a kid, but it's hard to root for her survival as an adult (haha!). I
8. How to Steal a Million - [rewatch] I know I've seen this, but it's, once again, not a film I remember well. Audrey is so good in this - and her wardrobe is spectacular. My favorite is the Givenchy lace face mask with matching dress (I want it! Can I pull that off on a regular day or can I only wear it on Halloween?). She has amazing chemistry with Peter O'Toole. And yes, she wears FULL eye makeup while sleeping, but I'll allow it because it's Audrey. I enjoyed this rewatch a lot - definitely top tier Audrey Hepburn film, but I do wish it were about 30 minutes shorter. It takes a whole hour to even get to the big heist! But, the heist is so great so it's worth it, but it just could have been a quicker, lighter, funnier movie if it picked up the pace and cut the parts that drag.
9. Jaws 2 - [blind spot] Honestly, I've never had any interest in watching the sequels (I think there's another two more?). I've heard mixed things about this so I went into it with a fairly positive attitude and I liked it! Is it a 5 star perfect film like it's predecessor??? Well, obviously not. But it's still a good time and has some really fun shark carnage. I always see the meme about how "remember that the mayor from Jaws is still the mayor in Jaws 2" and that is kind of hilarious and a perfect metaphor for the Trump era. I was surprised at how good all the younger actors are - I genuinely could feel their terror out on the ocean being attacked by a shark. Especially the one that's with her boyfriend and she watches him die. What a fantastic performance. Like, it's not cheesy at all, and I was definitely expecting cheesy for this sequel. I also loved the scene with the shark attacking the helicopter LOL. I just love that animatronic shark. The scene when they're pulling Mark up on the boat and the shark swims by with his teeth showing brought back a flashback of Universal Studios. They used to do that scene during the tram tour (I think the helicopter scene too, maybe?). I wonder if they still do the tram tour?? It was THE BEST. Anyway, I also loved the ending - I was not expecting that! Haha! Oh and Brody's short shorts. LOL.
10. Caddyshack - [rewatch] God, the way people go on about this movie - definitely one of those cult classic 80s comedies and I never liked it. It's another one that I thought I would give a shot as an adult and hope for the best, and once again, I think it's fine. I definitely laughed more at this than Animal House, but mostly the Rodney Dangerfield scenes. I'm a big fan, though. Remember Ladybugs? Yeah, I used to LOVE that movie (might have to add that to next year's retrospective when I add 90s movies! My favorite film decade!). The scene with him doing a whole stand-up special at the fancy dinner is hilarious. Unfortunately, I don't really like Bill Murray (never have, and probably never will!). And golf is SO boring. I was obviously rooting for the animatronic gopher the whole time.
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