The Wild Life

The Wild Life is a fantastic teen movie from 1984. I thought of the movie shortly after reviewing Weird Science and remembering Mitchell Smith, who plays the raspy voiced Wyatt. In The Wild Life, Smith portrays Jim Conrad a teen loner who easily identifies with a misunderstood Vietnam Veteran (Randy Quaid). In 1984, I was a teenager myself and remembered how cool Conrad’s character had seemed. He smoked, drank and cussed, all before his 16^th birthday and wasn’t accountable to anyone.

Eric Stolz (Mask, Some Kind of Wonderful) plays Bill Conrad a high school grad on the way to college man. As he transitions to the collegiate life, he breaks of with his girlfriend Anita (Leah Thomson of Back to the Future, Red Dawn), gets a new apartment, and becomes interested in his younger brother Jim’s well being; all in the name of responsibility.

However, he just can’t quit best friend Tom Drake (Chris Penn of Footloose, All the Right Moves). When they rent an apartment together, it’s anything but responsible.

After remembering the movie, I tried hard to find it online, in video stores and among friends. The Wild Life is available in VHS, Laser Disk and Beta from some online sources. I found a copy to review and discovered an enjoyable flick. The reason that it is not widely available on DVD is the similar reason facing many movies being converted to DVD; licensing. So, in the name of awesomeness, Eddie Van Halen, composer of the soundtrack, please release the rights and make this movie available. If not… “it’s casual”.


Great lines include: 


"It's casual"


"As soon as they see you're afraid, you're dead."


Warning: This movie may lead to more headbutting. Many learned to do so the first time it came out.


This movie is rated R for everything.

Sixteen Candles

Classic lines from gnarly movies

Samantha: This is Farmer Fred.
The Geek: Ted.
Samantha: Oh, I'm sorry, Farmer Ted.
The Geek: I'm not really a farmer. I'm a freshman.

Top Gun Trailer

Check out the Top Gun trailer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VN8ze3S0Uj8

To Live and Die in LA

To Live and Die in LA stars William Petersen as Richard Chance, a Secret Service agent on the track of a big counterfeiting bust. John Pankow plays John Vukovich his partner. Willem Defoe (Streets of Fire) plays bad guy Eric Masters.

Chance is a Secret Service agent ready for a big bust. His partner and best friend who has served for 25 years is on his last big case. Unfortunately he is killed just before retirement. Now Chance is totally miffed. He and Vukovich devise a scheme to take Masters down. The deed is so gnarly that they might not make it out alive.

Dirty bad guys and dirtier cops make this a bogus situation.

  Great lines include:

“Why are you chasing me?”
“I don't know, why you running?”
“Cause you're chasing me”

An exclusive Wang Chung soundtrack gives To Live and Die in LA a tailored sound. You might recognize both the theme song “To Live and Die in LA” as well as the more popular “Dance Hall Days”.

I give To Live and Die in LA 3 alligators for script, 80’s wealth, excess and swag.  

Look for appearances by Dean Stockwell and a very young Jane Leeves (Daphne on Frasier).

To Live and Die in LA is rated R

Name this movie

"I swear on my mother's grave."
"Your mother is playing the back 9 at Bellaire."
"I was speaking in the future tense."

Think you got it?

What's Your Favorite 80's Movie?

Tell us your favorite 80's movie and what you liked about it. Share some information about where you lived or other memory about what was happening in your life at the time of the film.

Take Me Home Tonight

Take Me Home Tonight is a 2011 release. Though not a movie made in the 80’s, it is nevertheless is an outstanding 80’s movie. It’s got the setting, background, music, and vernacular that made the 80’s totally tubular. Take Me Home Tonight stars Topher Grace (That 70’s Show, Spider Man 3, Predators) as Matt Fanklin, Ana Faris (House Bunny, Yogi Bear) as Wendy Franklin, Dan Fogler (Kung Fu Panda, Good Luck Chuck) as Barry Nathan, and Teresa Palmer (I am Number Four, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice) as Tori Frederking.

Matt just graduated from MIT, but has not idea of what to do with his life. As such he fills his time working at the mall chain Sun Coast video store, much to the chagrin of his father and friends. One day Tori, his secret crush walks in, turning his life upside down.

He’s got one chance to make an impression and change his destiny. He and his buddy Barry intercept her and follow her from party to party totally convincing her he is a high level banker.

Take Me Home Tonight has the formula for a great 80’s movie. Swimming pools, parties, drug use, exotic cars, beautiful women, young adult angst and a soundtrack of the most righteous songs from the decade. But wait, one last ingredient; the speech of all speeches Matt gives similar to those found at the end of great 80’s hits like Revenge of the Nerds.

Among the many in the awesome soundtrack, great songs include:

Video Killed The Radio Star-The Buggles

Hungry Like The Wolf-Duran Duran

Situation-Yaz

Der Kommisar-After the Fire

There’s even the one hit wonder Opus with Live is Life, a top hit in Europe.

I give Take Me Home Tonight 3.5 alligators for script, clothes and teen angst. The only reason it didn’t get four stars because it wasn’t filmed in the 80’s.

Take Me Home Tonight is rated R

Teen Wolf

Teen Wolf stars Michael J. Fox Family Ties, Back to the Future) as highschool spaz Scott Howard. Scott plays on the losing basketball team, is in love with super popular Pamela Wells (Lorie Griffin of Cheerleader Camp), and hangs out with ultra cool Rupert ‘Stiles’ Stilinski (Jerry Levine of Iron Eagle). Scott is slow to learn that his best friend Lisa ‘Boof’ Marconi (Susan Ursitti of Defense Play) has a crush on him.

Scott wants Pamela, the most popular girl in school. However, he has a problem; she doesn’t notice him. She has a totally jock boyfriend and knows that she is the bomb. What Scott needs is a way to stand out. How convenient that he is an heir to the family curse; turning into werewolves. Armed with a life changing transition, he finds himself big man on campus. He gets the girl, the basketball championship, and tons of respect.

Soon Scott learns that success, the girl and life as a top dog isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.  

Great lines include:

“I was hoping it (the werewolf curse) would pass you by”

“Well dad it didn’t pass me by. It landed on my face”

“Listen son. You're going to be able to do a lot of things the other guys aren't.”
“Oh yeah, like chase cars, and bite the mailman?”

Awesome sunglasses, 80’s jackets, vests and parachute pants bring Teen Wolf back to the best of times.

I give Teen Wolf 3.5 alligators for script, clothes and teen angst. The bogus soundtrack is a drawback.

Teen Wolf is rated PG

The Lost Boys

The Lost Boys stars Corey Haim (Lucas, Silver Bullet, License to Drive), Dianne Wiest (Footloose, Parenthood, Bright Lights Big City), Jason Patric (Solar Babies), Keefer Sutherland (Stand By Me, Bright Lights Big City, Young Guns), Corey Feldman (Gremlins, Goonies, License to Drive, Stand By Me) and Jaime Gurtz (Solar Babies, Less Than Zero). Wiest is a recent divorcee named Lucy Emerson who moves to Santa Carla, California with her children Michael (Patric) and Sam (Haim) to live with her dad.

It’s hard enough to be the new kid in town, and Sam’s (Haim) got his share of troubles. Almost immediately he meets the Frog brothers (Feldman and Jamison Newlander) the self proclaimed vampire killers who tell him, “We've been aware there's some very serious vampire activity in this town for some time." Now the vampire activity touches close to the Emerson home.

Big brother Michael (Patric) is being groomed by the vampire gang. The boys led by David (Sutherland), terrorize the coastal town, taking victims at will. They set their fangs on making Michael a fellow blood sucker. Lured by Star (Gertz), Michael slowly begins the transformation.

The David’s gang and Michael’s transformation is being threatened by the team of Frog, Frog and Emerson. See the totally awesome battle between good and evil as Michael’s fate is played out.

Big budget, lot’s of action and bodacious aerial vampire flight and fight make this movie a definite must see. It’s also great to see some of the vampires get what they deserve.

The Lost Boys is a very funny comedy. Great lines include, “I think I should warn you all, when a vampire bites it, it's never a pretty sight. No two bloodsuckers go the same way. Some yell and scream, some go quietly, some explode, some implode, but all will try to take you with them .”

My favorite scenes include the “Lonely Frog” song, the comic store where the Frogs meet Sam and about any scene with the vampire hunters. I think you’ll agree.

The Lost Boys has a totally awesome soundtrack “Cry Little Sister” gave this movie its music identity. Hey, that’s what it’s known for.

The Lost Boys is rated R

The Experts

1989’s The Experts is fun movie starring John Travolta (Grease, Perfect, Staying Alive, Two of a Kind) as Travis and Ayre Gross (House II, Tequila Sunrise)as Wendell. Travis and Wendell know how to party. In fact, they are certified night club experts. That’s exactly why KGB Agent Cameron Smith, played by Charles Martin Smith (Starman, Untouchables) kidnaps them and brings them to Russia.

Smith is in trouble. His bosses with the KGB are totally boaged that their plan to bring down the USA has gotten nowhere. Sure they’ve made progress by replicating a Midwestern small town; that’s righteous. However, the Russians citizens have never developed the community beyond the 1950’s, the only reference the closed country has to American life. In fact, many don’t even know they aren’t American; bogus. Smith is ordered to make changes or else.

Travis and Wendell are on their way to open a new nightclub. On the way Smith hires them and brings them to what they think is small town Nebraska. Unknown to the experts, they’ve been drugged and shipped across the world to a small Russian town. Their mission, to open a club and make the poodle skirt and rolled up jeans Teeny Boppers into totally awesome 80’s New Wavers .

Except for blockbuster John Travolta, it’s awesome that The Experts offers a great cast of moderately known actors.  Even Travolta’s future wife Kelly Preston (Secret Admirer, Space Camp) gets into the act.

No particularly 80’s music you would recognize in the movie, but they are definitely of the awesome decade. KGB and cold war references remind you that this is indeed of the times. Hair styles and clothing will bring you back to the carefree time of posing 80’s style.

This movie is rated PG for adult situations.

Quick, Name the Movie

Here are some quotes from an awesome 80's movie. Think you can name it?

"That was number two...Do not let there be a third."

"You're right, I'm on drugs. I'm a junkie, you know, I mainline, I freebase, I put cocaine on my cornflakes..."

" No. Make that a double Whopper. With American cheese, and large American fries. And a great big American chocolate shake."

Think you know the movie? Click here and see if you guessed right

St. Elmo's Fire

1985’s St. Elmo’s Fire is a timeless hit. Rocking theme song, awesome cast, and a radical plot makes this movie a great 80’s classic. I saw it in a movie theater while I was a private in the Army and remember my friend saying, “It’s the Breakfast Club all grown up”. That’s it in a nutshell. Most of the friends return (minus Molly Ringwald and the addition of  more super stars).

Brat pack returns include Judd Nelson as Alex Newbary, Emelio Estevez as Kirby Keegar and Ally Sheedy as Leslie Hunter. Defining actors include Rob Lowe (Class, Youngblood) as Billy Hicks, Andrew McCarthy (Class, Pretty In Pink, Mannequin, Weekend at Bernies, Less than Zero) as Kevin Dolenz, Demi Moore (One Crazy Summer) as Jules, Mare Winningham (Turner and Hooch) as Wendy Beamish, and Andy MacDowell (Sex, Lies and Videotape) as Dale Biberman.

Newbary, Keegar, Hunter, Hicks, Dolenz, Jules and Beamish are inseparable friends from Georgetown University. They’ve been tight for years and as realize their futures are right before them. All they have to do is seize the day. But there’s a problem, they refuse to grow up. They go to the same bar, (St. Elmo’s Fire) insist on sitting at their table, refuse to get jobs and those who do work, can’t seem to give up their drug habits they developed in college.

Through a series of ordeals that include arrests, suicide attempts, bad breakups, broken trust and fighting, the group realizes that not only do they need each other, they need to make the plunge into adulthood.

Great lines include, “The only way to lose weight in the thighs is amputation”, “Men, can’t live without ‘em, can’t shoot ‘em”, “I enjoy being afraid of Russia. It's a harmless fear, but it makes America feel better..” and much more.

St. Elmo’s Fire has a totally awesome soundtrack that helped define the 80’s. Love Theme From St. Elmo’s Fire and Man in Motion are awesome contributions to 80’s pop culture.  

St. Elmo’s Fire is rated R

Dangerous Curves

Dangerous Curves stars Tate Donovan (Love Potion #9, Magnum, P.I.) as Chuck Upton, a square dude who is given a chance to demonstrate responsibility by driving a super tubular 1988 Porsche cross country. The only problem is, his irresponsible buddy Wally Wilder (Grant Heslov-License to Drive) is distracted by beautiful women and they lose the car. Later, they find out it is stolen, only to be a cherry prize at a righteous beach beauty pageant.   

This low budget comedy is slow at times. However, if you are in for a late 80’s movie that tries to hold onto the mid decade summer hi jinks genre you might try it.

Dangerous Curves has an 80’s movie soundtrack, but no songs that are familiar. Just the synthesizer and some toe tapping beats.  Look for small appearances by Robert Stack, Leslie Nielsen and Robert Romanus (Mike Damone-Fast Times and Ridgemont High).  

Dangerous Curves is rated PG for adult situations and language.

Plain Clothes

1988’s Plain Clothes is an undercover cop comedy starring Howard Arliss (Full Metal Jacket) as Nick Dunbar. Dunbar is a police officer whose brother is framed for murdering a teacher. After the brother is arrested, Dunbar enrolls in school posing as the son of his sidekick Ed Malmburg (Seymour Cassel of Johnny B. Good, Colors).

Dunbar has a hard time adapting to school. He never fit in as a high school student and came across as too mature. On is first day of school he dresses as a punk rocker but is polite and out of character. His brother gives him some serious high school student perpetrating tips from jail. These excellent pointers transform Dunbar from bogus wannabe to big man on campus. Soon his gnarly company is choice for jocks, princesses, preppies and teachers. He deftly negotiates the relationships around the numerous statutes and bogus policies and laws while on the pursuit of the killer?

Like the movie Clue this chuckle filled mystery has the entire school staff under suspicion. As more murders occur, the suspect list dwindles, but the final twist leaves you with the feeling of “I didn’t see that coming”.

It’s awesome that Plain Clothes offers a great cast of relatively normal actors. 

There are no super popular actors and that makes the movie all the more enjoyable. However, look for tubular performances from George Wendt (Cheers, House), Diane Ladd (Christmas Vacation, Father Dowling’s Mysteries), Suzy Amis, and Max Perlich (Ferris Bueller’s Day Off).

There are no particular songs you might recognize, but the music is definitely of the awesome decade. Catchy songs and accompanying music interact well with the clothing and setting of 1988. Even Dunbar wears the porkpie hat made bodacious by the lead singer of Scritti Politti (Perfect Way).

This movie is rated PG for adult situations. 

Top Gun

1986's Top Gun stars Tom Cruise (Legend, Risky Business, Color of Money, Cocktail) as hot shot pilot, Maverick who gets his chance to go the Navy’s gnarly and super tubular Top Gun school. Only best attend Top Gun and Maverick brings his best weapon's guy, Goose (Anthony Edwards of Gotcha, Revenge of the Nerds) along for the ride.

Maverick and Goose get noticed after chasing off a seriously bogus commie dink bogie. Their commander is totally bummed, but the stoked duo heads to Miramar AFB in California for the next stage in their career. However things aren’t going to be easy. The testosterone filled atmosphere only gets more difficult as two rivals Iceman (Val Kilmer of Real Genius, Top Secret) and Maverick square off for recognition and the affection of instructor Charlie (Kelly McGillis of Witness, The Accused). Add to that Maverick’s reputation as a loner who only cares about himself and the similar reputation of his father and the mystery behind his father’s death.

Big budget, lot’s of action and bodacious dogfights make this movie a definite must see. One guest star is the Kawasaki Ninja 900 / GPz90R, the motorcycle Maverick screams down the highway in. Other actors include, Meg Ryan, Michael Ironside, Tim Robbins and Tom Skerritt.

Great lines include, “I think she lost that loving feeling”, “You can be my wingman anytime”, “The Department of Defense regrets to inform you that your sons died because they were stupid” and the ever re-quoted, “I feel the need, the need for speed.”

Top Gun has a totally awesome soundtrack that helped define the 80’s. Kenny Loggins’ Danger Zone, Berlin’s Take My Breath Away, and the Top Gun Anthem.

Top Gun is rated PG

My Chauffeur

My Chauffeur is a hilarious feel good movie starring Deborah Foreman (3:15, Wax Works, Valley Girl) as Casey Meadows. Casey is offered a job as a chauffeur for a snooty Brentwood Limousin company. The service is mostly staffed by stodgy old men who want to do anything else but work with a woman, especially not with the free spirited and unconventional Casey.

Undaunted, the impulsive Casey quips and wise-cracks her way through the crass gentlemen's objections. She is given a hard time when she arrives dressed like Madonna. When given a man's formal suit, she alters it to a rad uniform. She does have an ally who helps her during her "probation". However, Howard Hesseman (WKRP in Cincinnati) is McBride, a major obstacle and pain who tries to run her out of the business.

Throughout the movie, Casey is challenged with difficult and entertaining clients including a wild rock star, over worked and insulting executive, Penn and Teller, and a few others. Each adventure is funnier than the last. Watch for the scene where she consoles a client who is dumped by his fiance, you won't regret it.The creative Casey also has a warm heart. She extends her service impromptu to a struggling young man trying to impress his complaining girlfriend.

Witherspoon, played by E.G. Marshall  (12 Angry Men, Christmas Vacation) is keeping a close eye on Casey. Sam J. Jones (Buck Rogers) plays Battle, his son. Battle and Witherspoon have a strained relationship and Casey puts a hilarious and new spin on it.

My Chauffeur has a great soundtrack. You might not recognize the songs, but they make for totally awesome background music.

This movie is rated R for nudity and language.

3:15-Showdown at Lincoln High

3:15 stars Adam Baldwin as Jeff Hanna is a member of the gang Cobras. Once a member, always a brother until a nasty fight ensues with a rival gang and Jeff walks off and never looks back. However, the Cobras can never forget. Jeff had betrayed them.

Meanwhile, Jeff moves on, becoming a basketball star and all around hero. He has a better girlfriend (Debra Foreman of Valley Girl, My Chauffeur and April Fool's Day and things are going well in spite of the dark high school atmosphere. At Lincoln High, drugs and violence run rampant. The principle is helpless and teachers are for the most part unconcerned with the student underworld. The Cobras run the school, but other gangs are there including the M-16's a fatigue wearing gang run by Mario Van Peeble's character Whisperer.


During a drug bust the Cobra leader Cinco and five members are busted. Cinco is torqued and turns his rage on Jeff. Soon Jeff's friends are harassed and girlfriend is beaten. Jeff forgets his promise to stay out of gang violence and makes a stand at 3:15.


80's style music dominates the sound track. Don't expect to recognize the songs unless you are a fan of Gary Chung, who provided original music for over 70 movies. The music is still good and puts you into the awesomeness of the early decade. 


Look for awesome supporting backup roles by Wings Hauser and Gina Gershon (Red Heat, Pretty in Pink and Cocktail).

M-16 is rated R for violence, adult situations, and nudity.

10 to Midnight

10 to Midnight stars Charles Bronson as Leo Kessler, a hard as nails detective. Kessler is on a one man hunt for a man who is killing women. He will stop at nothing to get his man, including planting evidence.

Warran Stacey (Gene Davis) is the naked man. He has a unique signature style for his murders. Naked and with a handy knife, he dispatches beautiful women who have resisted his charms.

This movie has a few tricky moments. I thought for sure Stacey was going to kill a beautiful movie patron who he hits on incessantly. However, he is just establishing an obnoxious aliby so he can kill the woman of his obsession. While his movie plays, he sneaks out of the bathroom and takes care of business.

Leo's daughter is the beautiful Nurse Laurie Kessler played by Lisa Eilbacher of Beverly Hills Cop fame. By chance, she is acquainted with one of the murder victims and helps daddy identify Stacey. Stacy is now after revenge and begins to stalk Laurie.

Uh oh! Now Kessler is totally miffed and is stalking Stacy to the point of harassment and evidence planting. this cat and mouse game continues until the bloody climax.

A symphony of psycho synthesizer music tracks this film. Though filmed in 1983, Bronson drags in the 70's kicking and screaming to give this a totally un 80's feel. Look for appearances by Wilford Brimley (the oatmeal guy), Kelly Preston, and Andrew Stevens.

10 to Midnight is rated R for violence, gore, and nudity.

Moving Violations

Moving Violations is a rip tickling slapstick movie; the kind that's not really made anymore. We saw a lot of these types of movies in the 60's and 70's with Going Bananas, the Canon Ball Run, Airplane, and others, but not too of them lately. For the new generation of movie goers, you might be familiar with Not Another Teen Movie. They are close, but not quite the same.

Moving Violations stars John Murray, the wise cracking brother of Bill Murray. He does a great job of playing the wise cracking Dana Cannon. He's a mild mannered landscaper by day and the laid back hero we all dreamed we'd one day be before becoming part of the system. The alluring NASA rocket scientist Amy Hopkins played by Jennifer Tilly is his traffic school love interest.

James Keach plays Deputy Halik, a tough nose cop with an equally tough sidekick Deputy Morris. Halik just wants to write tickets and be "the man". The duo are primarily responsible for pulling over the many colorful characters who commit traffic violations. Once pulled over, the offenders' cars are impounded pending graduation of a nearly impossible to pass traffic school. Add to that Halik's unrelenting harassment of the ever cool Dana.

Though Halik and Morris are a love interest, Halik has another lover; Judge Hendersen played by Sally Kellerman. Not only do they sneak romance behind Morris' back, Halik and Henderson also hatch a nasty scheme aimed at the already suffering lot of students. It's ironic and funny to see a Frank Burns style character having a secret romance with a former "Hot Lips Hulahan".

Some of the funny scenes include a romance in a NASA anti-gravity chamber, Halik's destruction of a car he thinks belongs to Dana, two "where's the beef" ladies trying to drive with their exaggerated old age maladies, a misunderstanding about what a certain doctor is actually a doctor of and more make this film knee slapping hilarious.

Other great and funny characters include a puppeteer played by Brian Bake of Fast Times at Ridgemont High, the late Wendie Jo Sperber of Bosom Buddies and 8 Simple Rules, Red Willard, a very young Don Cheadle of Hotel Rwanda, Traitor and Iron Man 2 and many actors of the time.

Great and cheesy songs track this classic with guitar solo, drum machine, and synthesizer laced rhythms. Believable extras sport awesomely coiffed punk and new wave hairdos. Suede Members Only jackets, a few Ford Pintos, a VW Cabriolet, some defunct airlines like PanAm, TWA and other brands of the time co-star to make this hilarious movie successful.

Though there is no nudity, adult situations definitely give this movie a mature theme. Definitely requires adult supervision