Best Films Of 1987
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- DirectorStanley KubrickStarsMatthew ModineR. Lee ErmeyVincent D'OnofrioA pragmatic U.S. Marine observes the dehumanizing effects the Vietnam War has on his fellow recruits from their brutal boot camp training to the bloody street fighting in Hue."Me so horny, me love you long time." It really didn't matter that Kubrick didn't make all that many films. Nearly every film he made had an astoundingly dramatic impact on pop culture, and the art world in general. Another example besides that opening quote for instance; Coppola has stated that for The Godfather, he tried to use "The Killing's writing style of completely gray characters." when adapting his eventual masterwork to the screen. Stanley was truly an artistic pioneer, and one of history's greatest among an art world that has been continually choked more and more by businesspeople in suits as the years roll by. When Kubrick passed in 1999, he was one of very few well known artists in all of the world who was still doing everything exactly how he wanted to do it. Despite some late groundless rumors to the contrary of unapproved cuts and edits to Eyes Wide Shut. Even though this is the best film of 1987 quite clearly in my view; It really isn't nearly as good as quite a few other Kubrick films. It wasn't like Stanley released a good film and then a decent film and then a great film. The guy was masterpiece after masterpiece after masterpiece for the most part, with a few great films sprinkled in here and there. The guy was ridiculous. Is this a masterpiece? For most director's it certainly would be. For Stanley, it's just one of his great films. 9/10
- DirectorNorman JewisonStarsCherNicolas CageOlympia DukakisLoretta Castorini, a bookkeeper from Brooklyn, New York, finds herself in a difficult situation when she falls for the brother of the man she has agreed to marry."Everything seems like nothing to me now, 'cause I want you in my bed. I don't care if I burn in hell. I don't care if you burn in hell. The past and the future is a joke to me now. I see that they're nothing. I see they ain't here. The only thing that's here is you...and me." 8.5/10
- DirectorJohn HughesStarsSteve MartinJohn CandyLaila RobinsA Chicago advertising man must struggle to travel home from New York for Thanksgiving, with a lovable oaf of a shower-curtain-ring salesman as his only companion.Every few years around Thanksgiving, this is a great watch! 8.5/10
- DirectorDanny DeVitoStarsDanny DeVitoBilly CrystalKim GreistA bitter ex-husband wants his former spouse dead. A put-upon momma's boy wants his mother dead. Who will pull it off?In my view this film is criminally underrated! It's a lot more clever than many have given it credit for. "What are you people, stupid? There's a murderer on the train!". It's also a great idea to watch Hitchcock's Strangers On A Train not long before watching this film. This is a funny crazy Hitchcock tribute/parody with three great performances, including the Oscar nominated Anne Ramsey role. DeVito also directs the film.
The memories I have of this film are honestly about as crazy as the film itself. Some backstory is needed. I use to know these Asian gangsters through a school friend, they were based in a far different part of the city than where I lived. On occasion I would go and hang out and party with these guys. The leader of this group of guys that I knew, his favorite American film just happened to be this one, (He was only 16 at this time when I first met them, I was just about to turn 15. At 16 he was a lower level leader, but he was clearly involved in what was definitely a very organized and elaborate Asian gang I came to find out over time. Though there were also many white members, at least at the lower levels.). When these kids walked around their area of the city, believe me, most other kids just stayed the hell away from them, it was almost as if a sea of kids would part before them like Moses at the Red Sea. At the mall, at transit stations, just walking down the street etc, it was very noticeable. The odd kid would seem timidly friendly to them, but most just completely scurried away. Many girls were fairly friendly with them, but even they often seemed nervous at the same time. One of the reasons the kids would scurry became actually quite obvious to me after hanging out with them a few times. If Joe, the leader saw a kid with a hat or sports jersey he liked, it was a simple his or else kind of deal. They'd give him the shirt right off their backs. Joe wouldn't even do anything but talk, his guys did all the dirty work 100% of the time from all I ever saw. I could tell quite a few crazy stories about hanging with these guys, but only one really relates to this film, so I'll leave it at the one.
I recall one time being with some of them by a mall mid-evening and Joe said to one of his guys, "Go get us a copy of Throw Momma From The Train.". So this kid went into a store and stole a copy, (It's not as if he had much choice of course, that's the way they were. None of these kids said no to Joe without severe consequences, so honestly, I never noticed even one of them not do exactly as he said, and he often had demands for them.). Joe said he had lent his last copy to someone else, and they had not yet returned it. We all, about 8 or 9 of us that night went back to Joe's house, started smoking some bowls of hash while Joe had someone put the film on. The hash we had actually scored earlier in the day when Joe traded in some goods at one of his regular fences. At any point in the film, if one of the guys started to pass out, Joe would hairspray their pants and set their legs on fire. Which of course got about as many laughs as the movie was getting. Watching a kid wake up out of a stoned stupor and frantically pat his legs out was pretty hilarious. Anyway, this is just one of my many memories of watching this film in the late 1980's. I actually ended up watching this film probably at least 3 different times at Joe's place.
For whatever reason and I'm really not sure why, but right away Joe seemed to like me and the guy never once tried to pressure me into anything. He treated me entirely different than any of his gang members. I worked a lot of construction with my father as a kid, so I was quite strong as well as always one of the bigger kids my age, so perhaps he liked the look of a stranger like me in his area of the city just walking around with his gang, but really that's just a total guess. I really have no idea why we got on so well exactly, but I also noticed that he had many sides and strategies going on in his mind and in his actions. For instance in the vicinity of where Joe actually lived, he was super polite and respectful to everyone in the neighborhood. The common people there would likely tell the police he was a very respectful boy, lol. He would even tip the clerk at the corner store down the street from his place when buying smokes or whatever. However you get a few blocks away from his house, and he seemed like a totally different animal. In these areas he demanded respect or else, and he seemed to have respect for very few people out of his own neighborhood, but in his general area of the city. Joe, for all his criminal faults, (And believe me he had a ton of them.) was a pretty sharp guy for sure, and he just loved this film. I too had a great appreciation for this film before I had even met them, and I still do to this day.
"Wanna see my coin collection?"
8/10 - DirectorOliver StoneStarsCharlie SheenMichael DouglasTamara TunieAn impatient young stockbroker is willing to do anything to get to the top, including trading on illegal inside information taken through a ruthless, greedy corporate raider who takes the youth under his wing.Take it Bud Fox!
- DirectorRichard DonnerStarsMel GibsonDanny GloverGary BuseyTwo newly paired cops who are complete opposites must put aside their differences in order to catch a gang of drug smugglers.One of the more interesting and best action films of the 80's. 8/10
- DirectorJohn McTiernanStarsArnold SchwarzeneggerCarl WeathersKevin Peter HallA team of commandos on a mission in a Central American jungle find themselves hunted by an extraterrestrial warrior.Another of the better 80's action films.
- DirectorAlan ParkerStarsMickey RourkeRobert De NiroLisa BonetA private investigator is hired by a man who calls himself Louis Cyphre to track down a singer named Johnny Favorite. But the investigation takes an unexpected and somber turn.In my view, Alan Parker is definitely an underappreciated director. 8/10
- DirectorBarry LevinsonStarsRobin WilliamsForest WhitakerTom T. TranIn 1965, an unorthodox and irreverent DJ named Adrian Cronauer begins to shake up things when he is assigned to the U.S. Armed Services radio station in Vietnam.
- DirectorBruce PittmanStarsLisa SchrageMichael IronsideWendy LyonThirty years after her accidental death at her 1957 senior prom, the tortured spirit of prom queen Mary Lou Maloney returns to seek revenge.Another criminally underrated 80's film. If you love campy horror films. Don't miss this one! Some of the voters on here probably should be locked up. Away from computers most preferably. This is such a fun 80's horror film. The original film is quite boring, but this sequel is kind of a riot. A lot of fun! 8/10
- DirectorJoel CoenEthan CoenStarsNicolas CageHolly HunterTrey WilsonWhen a childless couple--an ex-con and an ex-cop--decide to help themselves to one of another family's quintuplets, their lives become more complicated than they anticipated.Crazy wacky fun!
- DirectorJohn IrvinStarsAnthony BarrileMichael BoatmanDon CheadleA very realistic interpretation of one of the bloodiest battles of the Vietnam War.Better than much of it's general reputation. If you like war films, watch it.
- DirectorBrian De PalmaStarsKevin CostnerSean ConneryRobert De NiroDuring Prohibition, Treasury agent Eliot Ness sets out to stop ruthless Chicago gangster Al Capone, and assembles a small, incorruptible team to help him.Definitely a very good film. Generally though a touch overrated I'd say. For a mafia film, it's a little too much on the cartoonish side to be called great in my view. 7.5/10
- DirectorRoger DonaldsonStarsKevin CostnerGene HackmanSean YoungA coverup and witchhunt occur after a politician accidentally kills his mistress.Long underrated by many. It's not a masterpiece or anything, but it definitely is quite good. 7.5/10
- DirectorHector BabencoStarsJack NicholsonMeryl StreepCarroll BakerAn alcoholic drifter spends Halloween in his hometown of Albany, New York after returning there for the first time in decades.
- DirectorJoel SchumacherStarsJason PatricCorey HaimDianne WiestAfter moving to a new town, two brothers discover that the area is a haven for vampires.
- DirectorJohn BadhamStarsRichard DreyfussEmilio EstevezMadeleine StoweTwo detectives observe an escaped convict's ex-girlfriend, but complications set in when one of them falls for her.This was a pretty big comedy in its day, which seems to have gone a little underappreciated as the years have rolled on. Even the sequel is pretty good. This one is definitely well worth watching in my view if you don't mind silly comedies. 7/10
- DirectorLuis ValdezStarsLou Diamond PhillipsEsai MoralesRosanna DeSotoBiographical story of the rise from nowhere of early rock and roll singer Ritchie Valens who died at age 17 in a plane crash with Buddy Holly and The Big Bopper.
- DirectorRobert TownsendStarsEddie MurphyTatyana AliBillie AllenEddie Murphy in a stand-up performance recorded live. For an hour and a half he talks about his favourite subjects: sex and women.
- DirectorMel BrooksStarsMel BrooksJohn CandyRick MoranisA star-pilot for hire and his trusty sidekick must come to the rescue of a princess and save Planet Druidia from the clutches of the evil Spaceballs.
- DirectorHoward DeutchStarsEric StoltzMary Stuart MastersonLea ThompsonWhen Keith goes out with Amanda, the girl of his dreams, Amanda's ex-boyfriend plans to get back at Keith. Meanwhile, Keith's best friend, tomboy Watts, realizes she has feelings for Keith.
- DirectorClive BarkerStarsAndrew RobinsonClare HigginsAshley LaurenceA woman discovers the newly resurrected, partially formed, body of her brother-in-law and lover. She starts killing for him to revitalize his body and escape the demonic beings that are pursuing him after he escaped their underworld.7/10
- DirectorRob ReinerStarsCary ElwesMandy PatinkinRobin WrightA bedridden boy's grandfather reads him the story of a farmboy-turned-pirate who encounters numerous obstacles, enemies and allies in his quest to be reunited with his true love.
- DirectorRichard AttenboroughStarsDenzel WashingtonKevin KlineJosette SimonSouth African journalist Donald Woods is forced to flee the country after attempting to investigate the death in custody of his friend, the Black anti-Apartheid activist Steve Biko.
- DirectorKathryn BigelowStarsAdrian PasdarJenny WrightLance HenriksenA small-town farmer's son reluctantly joins a traveling group of vampires after he is bitten by a beautiful drifter.
- DirectorWalter HillStarsNick NoltePowers BootheMichael IronsideA Texas Ranger and a ruthless narcotics kingpin - they were childhood friends, now they are adversaries...7/10
- DirectorAlan RudolphStarsTimothy HuttonKelly McGillisMaureen StapletonAfter being dumped by his girlfriend, a boy runs away to California. But he ends up in heaven because he dies after trying to help a family from drowning in a river. In heaven he'll meet a beautiful girl, who has never reincarnated before.
- DirectorJohn FlynnStarsJames WoodsBrian DennehyVictoria TennantA hitman approaches a writer to help him create his next best seller, but the violent world he was a part of has other plans.
- DirectorCarl ReinerStarsMark HarmonKirstie AlleyRobin ThomasFreddy the gym teacher has to teach remedial English in summer (high) school, if he wants tenure. As he can only teach gym and his students want fun, emphasis is on "field trips" - until he's fired unless all his students pass the test.
- DirectorPhil Alden RobinsonStarsPatrick DempseyTalia BalsamBeverly D'AngeloA 14-year-old nicknamed the 'Woo Woo Kid', is a teenage casanova who has affairs and runs away to marry two older women, mothers themselves, fascinating the public and the media with his romantic prowess.7/10
- DirectorGeorge MillerStarsJack NicholsonCherSusan SarandonThree single women in a picturesque village have their wishes granted, at a cost, when a mysterious and flamboyant man arrives in their lives.
- DirectorChris ColumbusStarsElisabeth ShueMaia BrewtonKeith CooganA babysitter must battle her way through the big city after being stranded there with the kids she's looking after.
- DirectorEmile ArdolinoStarsPatrick SwayzeJennifer GreyJerry OrbachSpending the summer at a Catskills resort with her family, Frances "Baby" Houseman falls in love with the camp's dance instructor, Johnny Castle.
- DirectorCurtis HansonStarsSteve GuttenbergElizabeth McGovernIsabelle HuppertA young executive starts an affair with his boss's wife which then escalates into a nightmare after he lies to the police in order to protect her.
- StarsJudd NelsonFredric LehneBrian McNamaraRon Levin, a wealthy businessman, has disappeared. No body is found, but there was a list with instructions in his house - a recipe for murder. Its author Joe Hunt is the defendant. The successful young business man had formed a team of prestigious former fellow students for a risky project which should make them all rich. His partners claim they didn't know about the means.
- DirectorTony ScottStarsEddie MurphyJudge ReinholdJürgen ProchnowAxel Foley returns to Beverly Hills to help Taggart and Rosewood investigate Chief Bogomil's near-fatal shooting and the series of "alphabet crimes" associated with it.6.5/10
- DirectorPaul VerhoevenStarsPeter WellerNancy AllenDan O'HerlihyIn a dystopic and crime-ridden Detroit, a terminally wounded cop returns to the force as a powerful cyborg haunted by submerged memories.
- DirectorBarry LevinsonStarsRichard DreyfussDanny DeVitoBarbara HersheyA minor car accident drives two rival aluminum-siding salesmen to the ridiculous extremes of man versus man in 1963 Baltimore.
- DirectorJeffrey BloomStarsLouise FletcherVictoria TennantKristy SwansonChildren are hidden away under an attic by their conspiring mother and grandmother.
- DirectorSteve RashStarsPatrick DempseyAmanda PetersonCourtney GainsAn outcast secretly pays the most popular girl in school one thousand dollars to pretend to be his girlfriend for a month.
- DirectorJohn GlenStarsTimothy DaltonMaryam d'AboJeroen KrabbéJames Bond is sent to investigate a KGB policy to kill all enemy spies, and uncovers an arms deal that potentially has major global ramifications.
- DirectorFred SchepisiStarsSteve MartinDaryl HannahRick RossovichThe large-nosed C.D. Bales is in love with the beautiful Roxanne; she falls for his personality but another man's looks.
- DirectorBob ClarkStarsJudd NelsonElizabeth PerkinsJohn HurtRobin, one year out of law school with one trial, gets set up with an unwinnable murder case for having forced his law firm to make him partner with unethical behavior, tarnishing the firm.
- DirectorJack SholderStarsKyle MacLachlanMichael NouriClaudia ChristianA cop and an FBI agent race for answers after law abiding people suddenly become violent criminals.6.5/10
- DirectorJonathan KaplanStarsMatthew BroderickHelen HuntWillieAn Air Force pilot joins a top secret military experiment involving chimps, but begins to suspect there might be something more to the mysterious "Project X".
- DirectorMichael GornickStarsGeorge KennedyLois ChilesDomenick JohnThree macabre tales from the latest issue of a boy's favorite comic book, dealing with a vengeful wooden Native American, a monstrous blob in a lake, and an undying hitchhiker.
- DirectorMichael GottliebStarsAndrew McCarthyKim CattrallEstelle GettyA young artist, searching for his vocation, makes a mannequin so perfect he falls in love with it. Finding the mannequin in a store window, he gets a job there and his creation comes to life.6/10
- DirectorPeter YatesStarsCherDennis QuaidLiam NeesonWhen a homeless man is accused of murdering a Justice Department file clerk, a public defender is tasked with mounting his legal defense.
- DirectorBob RafelsonStarsDebra WingerTheresa RussellSami FreyA federal investigator tracks down a gold-digging woman who moves from husband to husband to kill them and collect the inheritance.
- DirectorPeter Ily HuemerStarsUma ThurmanPaul DillonPaul RichardsA popular woman who enjoys her nights on the town gets more than she bargained for when a stalker murders a loved one and begins hunting her down.Uma Thurman's debut film. Not as bad as the rating suggests in my view, but certainly far from great.