Best 80s Movie Songs

Remember movie theme songs? If you didn't grow up in the 80s, maybe you don't. There actually was a time when a movie would be released simultaneously with a big song written specifically either to be in the film or just named after it, usually featuring clips from the movie in the video, and sometimes even cameos by the stars themselves.  At some point in the 90s, this just stopped, and movies started to use already existing sounds to punctuate their soundtracks. This is all well and good, but it makes me nostalgic for the old days, when a film's song would be just as important as the trailer or any reviews you'd read.

Maybe this all started in the 80s and died in the mid 90s because that when was music videos on MTV started and died as well. Afterall, there's no point in having Matt Damon appear in a music video for El Debarge's "Who's Jason (Bourne)" if not even MTV plays videos anymore. Anyway -- and just for fun -- here is my personal top eleven list of the best movie songs from the 80s. And if you're wondering why it's a top eleven, it's because I honestly couldn't narrow it down to ten!

#11 Say you say me (White Nights)
Awesome song by Lionelt Richie that has stood the test of time even if the movie it's from hasn't. The film was an attempt at a starring vehicle for Mikhail Baryshnikov. Remember him? Anyway, his ballet dancing was supposed to end the Cold War or something. And maybe it did, I dunno. Anyway, I like this song.

"Come with Blade if you want to have a happy birthday!"

More warm birthday wishes to two of the coolest action stars around, Wesley Snipes and Michael Biehn.

Happy Birthday, Governor!

Blessed are the Geeks wishes a happy birthday and warm wishes to Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Bill Cosby -- Chocolate Cake Bit

When I was a kid, I thought this bit was the funniest thing I'd ever seen. And now that I'm an adult, I still think it's the funniest thing I've ever seen:

Sucker Punch Trailer

Here's the trailer for some upcoming film by Zac Snyder (aka, that guy who directed Watchmen and 300). I think it looks cool. And also dumb. As much as I love pretty girls, I've never been a big fan of the whole "pretty girls dressed like sluts killing lots of people" genre. But this one has a dragon, so I'll see it.

Avengers Cast Assembled

The main cast of the new Avengers film was officially announced and assembled at last weekend's Comic Con. And... it's not bad, I guess. Whether I'll see it or not depends on whether or not I'll see the Captain America and Thor movies that are being released first. Hell, I guess the success or those movies will even decide if the Avengers film will get made at all. Maybe they'll be huge flops. They can't all be Iron Man, right? Or maybe they can. Anyway, here are my thoughts, pointless and premature as they may be:

Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man. 

Far be it for me to question this casting choice, since he starred in the two hugely successful Iron Man films. Also, he's a great actor. But I never loved his portrayal of Tony Stark, at least not in the first film since I haven't seen the second yet. He was just too goofy and not enough of a hero in my opinion. But at least he's a great actor who brought a lot of energy to the role. And having gone with Downey Jr  for the solo films, I'm glad he agreed to come on for the main Avengers movie. I'm sure he's getting a boatload of money to do it.

Chris Evans as Captain America

I've already shared my thoughts on this casting choice here, and I still have high hopes. I like Chris Evans and think there's a chance -- a good chance even -- that he could pull it off. He's always good and always a lot of fun, but he has yet to prove that he has the gravitas to pull off a role like Captain America. I just don't know. Then again, I don't know what they plan to do with the character, and maybe the casting of a hot, young, funny pretty boy isn't the most inspiring thing about the film. But I still think he'll pull it off.

Sam Jackson as Nick Fury

As much as I prefer the original version of Nick Fury over the Ultimates version (if you know comics, you'll understand. If you don't, too bad. I'm not going to attempt to explain that one.), this was still a perfectly reasonable, and even fun, way to go. After all, the Ultimates version was based on Sam Jackson, so I love that they just said screw it and cast him in the films. But still... I miss the old Nick Fury something awful. I would've loved to see what somebody like Michael Ironside or even Sam Eilliot could've done with the character. But, again, he was already in the other films, so there you go.

Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow

I don't have an opinion about this either. I haven't seen Iron Man 2, so I can't comment on her character. She's certainly a pretty woman, but I've never really been nuts about her. I don't think she has that much screen presence and I actually find her annoying and off-putting in most things in which I've seen her. But, again, she's pretty. She probably looks good in that jumpsuit. I just hope she isn't the only female Avenger in this film.

Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye

Interesting choice. Renner is an Oscar nominated actor, so I'm not going to question his acting chops, but still... I dunno. I didn't care for the Hurt Locker, partly because it was boring, but also because Jeremy Renner's character was completely unlikable and unengaging in my opinion. I'm glad that they included Hawkeye in the film, since more than any other character except for Captain America, Hawkeye is the Avengers. So I'm a little let down that they didn't cast an actor I love in the role of a character I love. I think they shot themselves in the foot by portraying Iron Man as such huge comic interest in his films (something he most definitely is not in any of the comics I've read, and I've read them all), since that should've been Hawkeye. I would've liked to have seen them go nuts and cast someboy like Dax Sheapard. Think about it.

Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner (The Hulk)

It makes me laugh that they keep recasting the role of Bruce Banner for every Hulk film, considering how ultimately pointless his character is, especially here. Why even have Bruce Banner in the Avengers film? Just have him as the Hulk all the time. I wish they had brought back Eric Bana, since I thought he was great in the admittedly lackluster first film. I even liked Ed Norton in the second film. And I'm sure I'll like Mark Ruffalo in this film. It just seems like a lot of work to cast such a thankless role, but maybe that's exactly why it's so much work. Also, isn't Ruffalo too big for a role like this? I mean, he's a great actor with a lot of cred at this point in his career. He doesn't need to take a role like this in an ensemble action film. Then again, this has the potential to be one of the biggest film franchises of all time, and maybe he finally wants a shot at super stardom. Still, he should've gotten a better role than Bruce Banner.

Chris Hemsworth as Thor


Who? I guess he looks the part in the few pictures that have come out. We'll see. I have no opinion. This film has the potential to be the best thing ever made or a huge piece of shit.

Supergroup Sunday

High Enough by Damn Yankees (Supergroup featuring Tommy Shaw from Styx, Jack Blades from Night Ranger, and Ted Nugent):




Highwayman by the Highwaymen (Supergroup featuring Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Kris Kristofferson, and Johnny Cash):



Handle With Care by Traveling Wilburys (Supergroup featuring Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, Geroge Harrison, Roy Orbison, and, um, Jeff Lyne):





Feel Like Makin' Love by Bad Company (Supergroup featuring some guy from King Crimson, some other guy from Mott the Hoople, and a couple guys from Free):




Some Like it Hot by The Power Station (Supergroup featuing Robert Palmer, John and Andy Taylor from Duran Duran, and some other guys show don't matter):





We Are the World by the ultimate Supergroup USA for Africa (featuring Dan Akroyd and a bunch of backup singers):

Shel Silverstein Saturday

Fleet Foxes Friday

Here's a good one for y'all:

Inception

Well, I thought this film was fantastic.

Let me just say this right now: I hate dream sequences. There are few things more ponderous, pretentious, or down right off-putting to me than a drawn out dream sequence in a film or TV show. They almost always serve no purpose beyond allowing the director to use a fisheye lens and have some weird, trippy effects. One of the reasons I quit watching the Sopranos was how, seemingly every few weeks, the episode would just stop while they shoe-horned in some moronic dream sequence where characters would fly through the screen carrying giant talking fish heads or some other such nonsense.

More than that, I don't even care about dreams. If I even dream, I rarely remember them, maybe one or two a month, if that. I have no interest in talking about dreams. I don't believe in the power of dream theory or dream symbolism. And please, for the love of god, don't tell me about your dreams -- unless you're Martin Luther King Jr., but even then keep it short. I actually used to date a girl who believed in all of that stuff I just said I hate and would call me every morning to tell me every exacting detail about her previous night's dreams. This went on for weeks before I finally had to tell her to stop because I didn't fucking care, though I think I put it in nicer words than those.

Anyway, this movie isn't really about dreams, it just takes place in dreams. Its story deals with the power of the unconscious mind and how some of those things are manifested in dreams, but it uses those things as a macguffin to tell its story and doesn't dwell upon them. That is to say, this is a visually stimulating, brilliantly written, powerfully acted heist film... that takes place in people's dreams. More than that, I don't really care to say, because it would ruin the fun of seeing the film, and because it doesn't really matter. I'm sure there are people who are going to write graduate thesis papers on the ideas put forward by this movie, but I don't care, so long as nobody makes me read them. I just thought it was a really good movie, with an original, exciting story, great set pieces, and an amazing cast.

If it seems like Leo has become the go-to actor to play tortured souls who have lost loved ones and are forced to deal with psychological torture (like in Shutter Island), that's only because Leo has become the go-to guy to play everything. He's just that freaking good. Since Titanic, I'm not sure if this guy has been in a bad film, and he's certainly never been bad in a film. That's a streak that may be unparalleled in film history. This guy knows how to pick films and he is always amazing to watch. I know there are a lot of Leo haters out there, but when you actually talk to them, they will almost all finally admit they haven't seen him in anything since Titanic. 

And the rest of the cast is just as good. This is, seriously, one of the coolest casts I've ever seen, since maybe Usual Suspects or JFK. Shinzon from Star Trek Nemesis, that guy from 28 Days Later, the kid from Third Rock, that Japanese guy who always plays the Japanese guy in everything, Juno, and Michael Caine. And they were all great. Who knew that kid from Third Rock grew up to be such a dapper heartthrob? He was probably my favorite character, though Tom Hardy (Shinzon from Nemesis), pretty much stole every scene he was in. And while Ken Watanabe is an astoundingly good actor, I think I prefer him in roles where he speaks Japanese and I get to read subtitles. I just couldn't make out a lot of what he was saying, I'm sorry to say.

And as much as I hated Juno, I didn't mind Ellen Page, even though I don't understand what purpose her character really served. From a storytelling point of view, I guess they needed an audience proxy that could travel with Leo and learn his secrets, but it felt a bit clunky and unnecessary all things considered. But at least she's likable and very, very pretty, all though she does look a bit too polished and perfect, like a porcelain doll or a mannequin.

Oh, and if the trailer had simply said: Tom Berenger is in this movie, that would've been enough for me.

Actionwise, this film was off the hook, in my opinion, although don't go in thinking this is going to be a nonstop thrill ride. It's actually light on action, it's just that the set pieces are so incredible they almost steal the show. Gordon-Levitt's fight scene in the zero-gravity hallway has rightly been described as a show-stopper by most reviewers, and you won't get any argument from me. This is one of those films that looked so cool in the trailer, I looked forward to seeing it through the whole movie and kept getting scared that it wouldn't live up... and it did. That fight scene was amazing, with flawless special effects and a determined performance by the actors. I loved it. And I also loved the chase sequences, skiing sequences, and everything else. If I have any criticism at all of Christopher Nolan's ability to direct amazing action set pieces, it's just to question why he didn't do that in either of his Batman movies? The man can direct action, so why was every Batman fight scene just intercut closeups of Christian Bale's face and hands? But don't get me started on those movies again...

Anyway, Inception. I loved it. Honestly, this was probably the best move I've seen all year, and it has been a pretty good year so far. Chris Nolan has always been an intelligent, thoughtful filmmaker who has yet to really impress me with one of his films. Prestige came close, but it ultimately fell apart because every character was a moral cockroach and because the entire film made no sense and had no purpose. Memento was clever, but boring. Insomnia put me to sleep. And the Batman films were brilliantly written, meticulously directed films that completely shoe-horned in Nolan's idea of what Batman should be, instead of what he actually was in the comics. But Inception is the real deal. No, it isn't going to change cinema as we know it, but it is going to entertain, enthrall, and capture your imagination.

But if you want to read another opinion, check out my friend Justin's Blog. He didn't like it so much.

Three Dog Thursday Night

Yeah, I'm not really happy with this one either.

Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World

I hate to post something just so I can say something negative. In fact, I'm not even sure if that's what I'm going to do. I'm simply going to post something to say that I don't get it. Maybe it's because I'm officially getting old and no longer understand what those kids are into anymore. But after hearing so much hype and enthusiasm for this upcoming film Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World (based upon a comic book I've never heard of), I finally saw the trailer yesterday before Predators. And boy does it look awful. It certainly looks like a well done intention to make whatever that movie is suppose to be, but to me, well, I don't get it. But here is the trailer so you can tell me what I'm missing:



At least it looks original and different, so I hope it makes a lot of money and attracts a lot of people, but I sure won't be one of them, because I think it looks terrible.