Great 80's movies to get on Blu-ray?

[Penglynns]

No love yet for The Last Starfighter?

Classic!

[tilallr1]

Originally Posted by Penglynns

No love yet for The Last Starfighter?

Classic!

True ... but isn't the PQ horrid on the blu-ray? I've read its not even worth the upgrade.

[BrandonJF]

Originally Posted by EricJ

- Batman (Burton version, and one of THE ends of an era)

Man, I hate it if this ends up derailing the thread, but this reminds me of something else.... childhood movies revisited on Blu-Ray after not seeing them in awhile that completely do not live up to your memory of them. It's great when movies hold up. I breathe a sigh of relief when I still love a movie I loved as a kid.

The 1989 Batman movie was like watching history change around me. What had once been a dream come true for me was now a jaw dropping mess. From the horrible dialogue (well, I remember having to just block out the "You wanna get nuts?! Come on! Let's get nuts!" scene, even when I was younger), to Robert Wuhl, to Kim Basinger's "performance", to the Prince videos stuck in there, to the cramped sets.... Gotham City very much looked like a backlot, much the way that any scene on Smallville does today as well. For a big budget movie, it just had a very small sense of scale. It was like a bunch of scenes that just didn't fit together into a cohesive movie. I didn't hate the movie - it's Batman and I love Keaton. But, my Blu-Ray experience did not match what that movie had been in my memory.

There are plenty of 80s movies that do hold up, though. That was just my most glaring disappointment. I've been almost nervous to revisit Batman Returns.

[guicao]

Big Trouble In Little China

[EricJ]

Originally Posted by BrandonJF

The 1989 Batman movie was like watching history change around me. What had once been a dream come true for me was now a jaw dropping mess. From the horrible dialogue (well, I remember having to just block out the "You wanna get nuts?! Come on! Let's get nuts!" scene, even when I was younger), to Robert Wuhl, to Kim Basinger's "performance", to the Prince videos stuck in there, to the cramped sets.... Gotham City very much looked like a backlot, much the way that any scene on Smallville does today as well. For a big budget movie, it just had a very small sense of scale. It was like a bunch of scenes that just didn't fit together into a cohesive movie. I didn't hate the movie - it's Batman and I love Keaton. But, my Blu-Ray experience did not match what that movie had been in my memory.

There are plenty of 80s movies that do hold up, though. That was just my most glaring disappointment. I've been almost nervous to revisit Batman Returns.

(As well you should be.
For those who found Tim Burton's immature misogyny on Alice hard to take, Michelle Pfeiffer's "What high-school boys think 'feminism' is" performance is nails on chalkboard.
And for those who already gave up on Burton Making Edward Scissorhands Over and Over, you wish that someone could have staged a mutiny, made Tim walk the plank, and let Danny DeVito play the Penguin the way HE wanted to, without being forced to mouth last-minute Burton "Why am I misunderstood?" dialogue inserted into every other scene...Fortunately, Returns was '92, and doesn't count.)

Thing about the original Burt-man is, it's the turning point--
Watching it next to the bloated pretentious fireworks show of Nolan's Dark Knight, the original is still a completely different animal: It IS on a backlot, and it's the first Big 90's Studio Blockbuster still trying to tell its story the naive old-fashioned way with real stars and effects. (As well as the stumbling 80's reawakening of interest in old pop-culture lore.) As for the Prince soundtrack, though, think Shaun of the Dead already said it best.
There are better movies, but like Total Recall (considered THE last "real" sci-fi of the 80's before Jurassic Park), you can see the last bit of transition...When Batman announced it was coming to VHS in "only" six months, it was considered a novelty.

[jeffroinc]

Ghostbusters!

[Wings80]

Any John Hughes film.

[FRAK]

NIGHT OF THE CREEPS!!! After never being released on DVD, this movie was finally shown some love, given a great transfer, given the original ending it was supposed to have, and there are some great features on it.

[Chordata]

Originally Posted by EricJ

As for DVDFreaker, he seems to have canvassed the entire list of good theatrical 80's classics, but forgot:
- The Last Starfighter
- The Untouchables
- Romancing the Stone
- The Natural
- The Hunt for Red October
- Broadcast News
- Blue Thunder
- Red Dawn (technically not a good movie, but just included because we all made the stupid joke back then, too: )
- Purple Rain
- Excalibur (in March)
- Clash of the Titans
- Flash Gordon
- Star Trek II + IV
- The Dark Crystal (nnnot so much for Labyrinth)
- Heavy Metal
- Short Circuit 2
- Funny Farm/Spies Like Us
- An American Werewolf in London
- Dune (again, by no means a "good" movie, but gets back to that decade-iconic "Big, big set" thing I was talking about)
- Santa Claus: the Movie (last Alexander Salkind of the 80's, and the end of an era)
- Batman (Burton version, and one of THE ends of an era)

[tilallr1]

How about:

Transformers: The Movie (1986)

[toddly6666]

Did anyone say Goonies yet?

[EricJ]

Originally Posted by O_V_N

(Oops--Why did I keep thinking that came out in '88?--Oh, well, wondered why nobody mentioned it.
And guess '90 doesn't count for the "ten year" rule if you're including '80 on the list.

...Never mind, just put "Arthur" up there instead. )

[goodstuff]

Heathers

[Wizard-of-Wars]

What's your guys opinions about the Gremilns transfer? I've already read the review from here and Hi Def both says it's barely an upgrade from the dvd. Makes me sad.

Also I love the Neverending Story(first film I saw in the theater) but we never get any extras for the film! I know Germany has a 2 disc edition. Yet the US gets Jack! The US BD release was a joke on extras, NOTHING! I'd pay for atleast a commentary from Peterson.

[TheZoof]

Blade Runner is the one to get:

Top is DVD, bottom is blu.

[Beta Man]

I would say "Dune" but you said Bladerunner was boring.......

How about "Broadcast News" James Brooks.... hysterical.

[paul_66]

Paris, Texas

[EricJ]

Originally Posted by TheZoof

Blade Runner is the one to get:
Top is DVD, bottom is blu.

...Wow, you can't even see Pan Am's off-world flights in the DVD!

[BigLuvJason]

First Blood
Top Gun
The Lost Boys

[MarkWM]

Not available on blu-ray but probably never will so you might as well get
Doc Hollywood and Family ties---for your MJ Fox fix.