Tag: 80s Revisited

August 17th, 2026

Trainspotting: Set in Edinburgh Scotland, this 1996 movie directed by Danny Boyle and starring Ewan McGregor, Robert Carlyle (known for many British films like The Full Monty) deals with mates in the city with little direction. The entire movie can be viewed as a Public Service Announcement on the perils of heroin addiction. McGregor plays Mark Renton who is addicted to heroin. One of the things that this movie doesn’t shy away from is the reason why people get addicted in the first place. Those who don’t use drugs would think “why would you inject something into your body which is so bad for you?” The answer comes from the description of “Take the best orgasm you’ve ever had… multiply it by a thousand, and you’re still nowhere near it…”

There are funny moments, but some dark and sad moments too. The interview scene with Spud is just excellent. In the movie there is the spectrum of emotion with Mark looking to get straight, through the perilous journey that this can become with its ups and downs. If the beginning of heroin can be this euphoria, observing the detox and the horrific images that come with it are the counter-balance. While Mark can look to change his ways and habits, he still has his mates that aren’t looking to do anything of a sort. There’s the rub. This is a journey. I wonder whether many Scots feel the same way as Mark in that “It’s SHITE being Scottish” and where he goes on to state that Scots are “the scum of the fucking Earth! The most wretched, miserable, servile, pathetic trash that was ever shat into civilization.” That’s a pretty dark place. I may have Scottish heritage and I have visited for a vacation, but I don’t live there everyday. Certainly this attitude is sad coming from someone who lives there. The lives of Mark and his mates isn’t something to aspire to. The make up for each of the actors and their general appearance as well as the setting are appropriate in conveying the feelings. This is a movie to get a glimpse into a world you are (hopefully) glad that you don’t any part of. But it is still worthwhile and the performances are solid. Carlyle plays the unhinged and angry buddy Begbie well. For me, I’ll stick with a pint of beer or a glass of wine from time to time. I don’t like the idea of anything controlling me as tightly as this addiction does to these people.

80s Revisited First Blood (Rambo): First Blood (1982) was the beginning of the Rambo franchise from Sylvester Stallone. He already had a hit with his Rocky franchise and this movie struck a chord with people as well. Directed by Ted Kotcheff this is a simple story of a loner wandering into a small town in Washington State looking to mind his own business. The local sherriff has a bad feeling about this stranger and looks to escort him out of the town entirely to avoid any issues. We learn that John Rambo was an elite Vietnam green beret solidier, and that the Sherriff and his men who take law and order to an unnecessary level learn quickly who they are dealing with. He has elite skills and training and was highly decorated and regarded as the best of the best of his team. Fun fact: this film was actually filmed in Hope, British Columbia Canada.

Stallone as Rambo has intense eyes, and he says very little until a speech at the end where his journey all seems to come together. Rambo doesn’t fit in, unable to reintegrate into mainstream American society. He has travelled to this area for a reason and was disappointed in what he found. The interaction with the Sheriff, played by Brian Dennehy exacerbates his feelings of isolation. Dennehy wants law and order, not knowing that he has power-hungry jerks working for him, who certainly in this time don’t recognize the effects of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. The violence escalates quickly, and while Rambo isn’t looking to be lethal, he certainly is prepared to protect himself. He utilizes his training well. Much like the Back to the Future franchise, which I wrote about last week, this was the strongest of the franchise’s installments. I doubt that Stallone had any idea that this movie become the series that it did. There was plenty of action heroes at this time with Arnold Schwarznegger, Jean-Claude Van Damme and others. This was a memorable addition. The film was made with a modest $15M budget which makes sense since there aren’t many elaborate sets with most of it set in the forested areas around the small town. It grossed approximately $125M and that kind of success will breed sequels. In the 80s, America was still coming to terms with Vietnam, and this movie helped. Note too that Stallone was not the first choice from the studio to play Rambo. He was more like the 11th choice with actors such as Dustin Hoffman, Clint Eastwood, Al Pacino, Paul Newman, and Robert De Niro turning it down.

August 10th, 2026

The Death of Robin Hood: This 2026 release is a very different type of film regarding the life of Robin Hood. If you immediately think of men in tights and frollicking around the Nottingham Forest, then you would share this with me. Errol Flynn (1938), Sean Connery (1976), Kevin Costner (1991) struggling to keep his English accent and a movie stolen by Alan Rickman, Cary Elwes (1993) Men in Tights, and Taron Egerton (2018). Generally Robin is a principled man who is stealing from the rich and giving to the poor. You are forgiven if you thought this, as I did, and were surprised to see Hugh Jackman as the lead in this in this interpretation.

Set in the 1200s, Hugh plays an elderly Robin Hood who is struggling. He is alone and making his way. The loner. He comes across a young girl who wishes to do him harm. The myth of Robin Hood being “a good man” is dispelled rather quickly. It is a common main premise where a man reflects back on his life (in this case his myth) all the while making his way forward seeking some form of redemption. Early on, there is a battle where Robin Hood is wounded and he manages to get himself with assistance of Little John to a priory where he can be hidden away. He is at the Priory of St Clements, where a kind nurse played by Jodie Comer, as Sister Brigid, heals him taking care of his wounds. She has no idea who this man is that she has helped. There is a leper at the priory who tells Robin Hood that he should keep his identity hidden from the good Sister, and he gives a good reason for it. Things continue.

I wish that there was more to do for Jodie Comer. She has played these supporting roles where she doesn’t get to show off her spectrum of talents (like The Bikeriders, or Free Guy). Hugh Jackman too in this is left working with very little. The basic story structure is predictable and provides no real mystery. Not sure how this would be sold to these A-list stars since it seems to be little more than a pay cheque. The priory is clearly a place for people to meditate on their past and their current thoughts without much challenge from others. So in the end I cannot recommend this, as there are more interesting stories involving Robin Hood and his merry men, including (at times) the Sherriff of Nottingham. Those stories are those to seek out before this. As well there are other better stories about flawed men looking to seeking redemption (a movie like Unforgiven comes to mind off hand) but there are so many others .

80s Revisit: I began talking movies in the 1990s with Alison, and a result there is a whole decade of movies that I didn’t really write about from my youth. I have spent some time this past week re-watching some films that I watched back in the day. I will do some quick reviews of them, since many are familiar with those closer to my age, and many are available on streaming services like Netflix or Crave. Both of which I have. Some of these movies are familiar friends, who I revisit from time to time. But others I haven’t watched in a long time.

Stripes: This movie directed by Ivan Reitman released in 1981 had everything that a young teenage guy would want. It was funny, it involved the army and it had bare breasts! Who could ask for more?! Starring Bill Murray who was just establishing himself as a force in Saturday Night Live. This movie was released after Meatballs and Caddyshack but before Ghost Busters. It has an excellent supporting cast, notably Harold Ramis, the very funny John Candy, John Larroquette and newcomers Sean Young and PJ Soles.

The story is that screw up, and directionless Bill Murray playing John Winger and his buddy Ramis (Russell Zisky) join the Army on a whim after finding life in NYC disappointing. They join a band of new recruits who have a crusty Sargeant Hulka leading them. They need to complete basic training, but are challenged with adjusting to the military discipline. They unexpectedly impress a general and are ordered to head to Europe. The comedy of course is situational with the smart ass Murray dealing with his comrades. There are other SCTV alumni involved like Dave Thomas as MC in the bar they attend and Joe Flaherty. I laughed out loud a few times as once again the situations and comedic timing is good for the duration. Is it believable? Hell no. But it is interesting with how Czechloslovakia is treated. It’s good fun!

Poltergeist: This 1982 film is a classic horror movie, with a story from Steven Spielberg and directed by Tobe Hooper. It stars JoBeth Williams and Craig T Nelson as a loving couple with three children. There is teenage Dana, young Robbie and little Carol Anne. Oh, and the dog! They have moved into a new housing development where Nelson (Steve Freeling) is a top sales person. The actors all look so young. The family goes through everyday life with jobs and school, but then there are a series of strange events that occur within the house. What starts as bizarre but a little bit funny turns pretty quickly more dark. The story proceeds as the family deals with the crisis with increasing intensity in frequency and danger.

This is the movie where the phrase “They’re here!” was first used addressing pending doom, as used by little blond Carol Ann. There were definitely a couple memorable scenes within this movie. For me, there is one with young Robbie which was simply outstanding. You’ll know it when you see it, starting with a parent’s simple rationalization that is meant to clear a young child’s worries. I won’t give away more than that. A fun fact that I just caught upon rewatching was when Steve is introducing his family and we here that wife Diane is 32yo, and then Dana 16yo, Robbie is 8yo and Carol Anne is 5yo. Doing the math, this couple had Dana when Diane was 16yo, so a teen Mom. What works throughout this movie is the love and commitment shown within this family group. From Mom’s devotion to her children, to Steve’s love for his wife and family. Of course this family has the eternal issue for white people, that they choose to live in a house that clearly has many supernatural issues within it, like Amityville Horror. Just leave! But then there isn’t much of a movie. The movie has some startling moments and the special effects are all done very well. Even now they hold up quite well. Absolutely this is worth your time.

Back to the Future: This Robert Zemekis film from 1985 was a massive hit, and starred Canadian Michael J Fox. An interesting fact is some background that Fox was not the first actor to portray Marty McFly, as he was busy and committed to doing his TV series Family Ties. The first actor who was on set for five weeks was Eric Stoltz, from Mask, Fast Times at Ridgemont High and Some Kind of Wonderful fame. The producers found him a little too intense with his method acting as he brought a darker interpretation to the role. Fox was brought in to make it lighter and feel more fun. The results speak for themselves as this movie kicked off a franchise which for me faded with each iteration. The first one remains the classic with Marty driving a DeLorean back to 1955 and meeting up with his parents.

There are terrific comedic moments while Marty learns to live back in the 1950s. Like meeting his Dad for the first time, or relaizing the truth about how his Mom and Dad actually met. For me, it is amazing now to think that in 1985, going to back thirty years to 1955 had such a dramatic turn for the town, from fashion, to attitudes, to high school In the present day, Back to the Future is over 40 years ago! Doc Brown returns from 2015 (!!) where Marty needs to deal with his kids. The DeLorean is then a flying car, and it powered by garbage. It doesn’t seem from my side now that things are so dramatically different from 1985 now now (even while of course there are phones, social media, and hyper-increased technology). I laugh too with Marty’s parents because Lea Thompson for the movie is aged thirty years to 1985 and is around 47yo. They turned the very hot Thompson for the day from 1955 into a very frumpy 47yo in 1985.

So this is all good fun and well worth seeing. The time travel aspects of course are interesting especially when Marty returns back from 1955. I do think that the more interesting sequel would have been following Doc Brown and Marty back to 2015 and addressing the kids, specifically his son for the primary focus. That story became a sidelight to the larger Biff story and he using a Sports Almanac to be a betting king pin and ruining the town. This wasn’t as good and the movie loses its momentum. Part III heading to the wild wild west was even weaker for me. But this first edition was fun for the time and a massive hit. Enjoy.