The 80's Draft: The After Party

I'm not saying pick "Winners" of the draft, but who had your favorite picks?

For easy reference, although a few people haven't finished their updating...
80's Draft: Lists

Matchstick, Strax, Molt, Raspberry Leper, Goldberg and Savage all had very watchable lists, but Henry Hill had the one closest to my own tastes.

We're all "winners" in this (!), but Dickson, Matchstick, Blunt, Savage and Henry Hill had the most consistent lists that aligned with my tastes.

As a bonus, VH1 Classic is doing "80 Hours of the 80's" this whole weekend. Just saw Dokken's "Dream Warriors!"

Dickson's list was the most re-watchable-- I run each of those films at least once a year. Yando's draft was the most consistently classy. I'm very happy with my own list.

Thirteen foreign films or thirteen all-around?

Dickson has a list of solid A's, but Martin Savage's, Kabong's and Hudler's were my favorites. Sorry to have missed this one. What struck me is how much more this draft was nostalgia driven than rep (of the film) driven. And the idea of drafting sequels (with a notable exception or 2) wasn't an issue in the 70s draft. Interesting stuff.

I led off with Two-Lane because I wasn't paying attention to draft strategy, hadn't done one before. But MY film from the 80s would have been Patti Rocks, star-making vehicle for the incomparable Chris Mulkey. Escape From NY, Day of the Dead and The Thing were probably my darlings. Here was my list culled from non-picks, and I'd still take it over many of the others posted:


Patti Rocks - 1987 - David Burton Morris

Broadway Danny Rose or Zelig - Woody Allen

From Beyond - Stuart Gordon - 1986

Day of the Dead - George Romero - 1985

Southern Comfort - Walter Hill - 1981

I still wish my hard on for Extreme Prejudice wouldn't have clouded my judgment, because I still feel sore for not grabbing Stop Making Sense. I was foolish to think that would slip to round three.

It's sometimes on IFC. Otherwise, find a VCR.

I was struck by how Kirby's draft started off with Robocop and A Fish Called Wanda and then veered very far off the beaten path with his last three picks.

Favorite drafts that aren't mine: Arjen, Goldberg, Tati

Personally, I like Jan and Dre's lists best. It seems like every single person has four terrific choices and one I cannot abide.

Y’all left some good picks lying there. I was really surprised to see a plethora of my choices still left after the bonus round. My strategy was handicapped heavily by the lack of connection to my apartment and an unprecedented work week- next time if I draft closer to noon, I’ll frustrate less people. My slate was pretty good, I think, but my failure to grab Robocop in the first round seriously hurt me.

FIRST ROUND- Best picks

-Blue Velvet, Dellamorte… a definitive eighties film, picked far too low. It serendipitously fell to a Chewer who, more than most, deserves it. Perfectly crystallizes cinema of the decade. A great film and an epochal one, the type of pick that you HAVE to start off with.
-Once Upon A Time In America, Straxboy… Possibly questioned because of eligibility, but one that could have easily gone number one. Confident selection.
-Ran, EvilTwin… Did you all forget that Kurosawa still made movies during this period? As a King Lear adaptation, maybe the best Shakespeare work on the board.
-Robocop, Kirby… Another definitive eighties selection that perfectly encapsulates the era. Fell undeservingly below an inferior action classic (Die Hard) and was prime bait afterwards, which Kirby was smart enough to snatch. Fuck you, Kirby.

Worst picks
-Raiders Of The Lost Ark, Dickson… See above. Far more challenging, interesting eighties-era films could have been picked. Hell, for high adventure, it would have been better to go with Big Trouble In Little China. Telling sign that the last two drafts have began with Beard selections.
-Empire Of The Sun, Eileen… Not a terrible movie, but an oft-forgotten one, and a selection that could have waited two more rounds.
-Tootsie, Jonathan Banks… A portrait of storytelling economy, but its dated messages of sexuality and workplace tension dictates an aging that hasn’t gone well. Would be deserving of its draft position if we were drafting in 1992.

SECOND ROUND- Best picks…

-Diva, Anthony Sollecito… An excellent film more fondly remembered thanks to a recent high profile theater-run. Dated, but for the draft, ideal.
-Withnail And I, Raspberry Leper… Most quotable pick of the draft? No debate.
-Down By Law, Rex Hudler… Not the best Jarmusch of that era, but considering one of the cut-off dates signifies the birth of the New Independent Movement, this really should have gone earlier.

Worst picks
Big Trouble In Little China, Jan… In an era that might as well have belonged to him, there are far superior Carpenter vehicles still on the board. As a pick meant to kickstart the day’s drafting, it landed with a THUD.
War Games, Rath… At this point, the clear front-runner for worst pick. A lightweight, often retardedly simple Cold War story. Might as well have gone with Red Dawn. The second round was dire, but only one person used it as a nostalgia round.
Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan, Dickson… I see what the Dickson strategy is here, but isn’t it a little early to go Star Trekkin’?
Real Genius, Matt Goldberg/When Harry Met Sally, Sackley… Both evidence of popular bottom-feeder movies that strike some sort of humanistic core, but more likely continue the trend of TV-ing the movies to the quick-cut era of the nineties.
The Color Purple, Justin Clark… The first bad Spielberg film off the board!

THIRD ROUND- Best picks

Heathers, Diva… The funniest high school movie in an era where this genre was somehow embraced, and it’s the only one that isn’t remembered too fondly.
Manhunter, Ratty… First Mann off the boards? And not too soon. Just a creeping, chilling film, and the best of the Lecter adaptations.
The Long Good Friday, Bailey… Definitive sleeper, and excellent “value” at this point in the draft. Probably confused people due to eligibility.

Worst picks
Scanners, Sackley… The only misfire on Cronenberg’s filmography, and it’s on Sackley’s roster.
Labyrinth, Tati… A well-constructed Muppet movie, but still… a Muppet movie.
UHF, EdHocken… Undeserving of its slaughter in the summer of ’89, but also undeserving of this slot- strictly for gags, and of that breed, bottom top-ten material in this era.

FOURTH ROUND- Best picks

-Stalker, Kirby… Picked after ENEMY MINE. Which is hysterical.
-Walker, Rath... The War Games pick redeemed. Well, not really, but good under-the-radar pick. Ed Harris did a lot of strange stuff in the eighties begging for a revival, and this is tops on the list.
-Stranger Than Paradise, Bailey… Still as fresh and funny as it once was, and the beginning of the indie bell curve.
-Escape From New York, Savage… You’d think the recent passing of Isaac Hayes would put this one back on the map for drafters. Not as dated as they presume, a real definition of a kickass action era.

Worst picks
-Enemy Mine, Tati… As far as sci-fi films, it’s a culty joke, which makes it no surprise it probably prompted the most curious chatter in the discussion thread. A ludicrous film from start to finish, saved by the conviction of its performances, but a real junky artifact of the era.
-Bad Taste, Chris Allen… Really falls far from the rest of the Peter Jackson oeuvre. Simplistic and bloody, it’s a stylistic mess, buoyed only by the curiosity factor of being such a shoestring production.
-The Breakfast Club, thejvay… A guaranteed pick, likely, so some asshole had to take it. A shallow, facile product of the times, in a round where Wall Street was already picked.
-The Serpent And The Rainbow, Arjen… A cool idea, treated with an unusual amount of sincerity and Zakes Mokae, but it delves into a very nineties-ish laser battle in one of the genre’s most disheartening third acts. An interesting genre exploration, but not a good movie.

FIFTH ROUND- Best picks

-Ms. 45, Kirby… At this point, a lot of the picks should be odd-counterculture stuff, since you’d think the prestige stuff would be gone. Kirby gets this.
-The Evil Dead, Me… In every draft, when a sequel goes high, the original tends to get forgotten because no one wants to be second in line. But it would have been folly to ignore the Ultimate Experience In Grueling Terror, so here it is.
-Koyaanisquatsi, Henry Hill… A tasteful, classy pick to end the entire draft. A wonderful film all its own, but for thematic closure, it’s a nice note to go out on.

Worst picks
-No Retreat, No Surrender, Bobclark… Seriously?
-Dead Poets’ Society, Starving Dog… Peter Weir’s weakest hour. A jumbled collection of clichés too tired to inspire. In my younger days, I had a hard time remembering if this was a television movie or not, which speaks highly of the craftsmanship, I’m sure.
-Friday The 13th: The Final Chapter… It makes it into the five best of the series. Maybe top three.

BONUS ROUND- Best picks…

-Rocky IV, Jan… Crystallizes the era perfectly, and with its jingoism and ridiculous plot turns, it’s the ideal bonus round selection.
-The Killing Fields, Savage… One of the only deserving Best Picture winners of the decade, so it really shouldn’t have fallen.
-Pieces, Me… I’ll go ahead and declare it easily the most enjoyable slasher of the era. It’s impossible to not have fun during Pieces.

Worst picks
-Dirty Dancing, Diva… Even for this type of draft, just indefensible. Completely.

Kabong, that was great. Really great. I enjoyed reading it quite a bit, and I'd be interested in more breakdowns along those lines. But what's your picks for best and worst overall?

I get the criticism of Serpent and the Rainbow (though I like it myself), but I think I deserved credit for Excalibur in the 5th.

I'm used to getting more accolades in these drafts. My ego, she is fragile.

I'm big on Matchstick, Sollecito, Dellamorte, Ratty, Eileen, Moltisanti, Blunt, Henry Hill, Kabong, Rex.

No out and out terrible drafts, I guess. I'm down with Diva until the later rounds. Sackley's, if I sneak out during the Reiner, I'm there. Fat Elvis, same thing, a few choices that I would have to miss out on, or catch up on some sleep.

Can't see myself attending Starving Dog's festival, really.

Best theme I would give to Arjen. Pretty consistent, man.

I have such a blind spot when it comes to European cinema. I need to rectify that.

EDIT: Shit, forgot to mention Anderson's draft. Never been too big on Garp as a whole, but solid draft.

I missed Arjen's theme. What was it?

I assumed he was going for the death/resurrection Christ metaphor. Pretty obvious, but it was consistent.

I couldn't remember what he picked to save the life of me. He was the one that grabbed ET, right?

No, that was Leper, I think.

ET would have worked, but Robocop would have been the tits.

Then I should recommend Man Facing Southeast as an unpicked 80s gem from South America.

Kabong your list is a fail. How is Critters not the worst film of round 5 too???

I wanted to go 3 for 3 in the last rounds!

Also, Dickson... my list as one of the bests? Wtf? I guess the theme is cool but the last 2 or 3 films are pretty weak. Still love them though.

Didn't say it was "best", just one of my favorites. You went with what you wanted and didn't feel the need to try to impress anybody with it.

Woo, I made one of the worse pics. Although in my view UHF is certainly up there with Naked Gun as being one of the best gag/spoof movies. And most certainly the last best spoof movie.

That i can understand. Thanks.

Kabong sorta redeemed his shit drafting (not what, but how) with that draft breakdown. Good read.

Did someone say Amazon Women on the Moon wasn't picked? It gave us Ed Begley's classic Universal Monster jam, and David Alan Grier & BB King made me laugh. That might be tied with Hollywood Shuffle (which was MUCH clunkier) for my favorite 80s "spoof" movie.

Dre's list is the most my taste. Matchstick, Henry Hill, and Blunt have really strong lists. Everyone else has one or two flicks I really enjoy, but the entirety of their lists don't move me.


Let's see... it won an Oscar, has grossed over $200,000,000 worldwide (for comparison, The Breakfast Club has made just over $50,000,000), and has possibly the most recognizable line in the history of movies (not just 80's movies). I'd say there's many reasons for picking this flick besides the fact that the 13 year old girl inside of me still tears up when Baby reunites with her man and they have the time of their lives.

Given that, I'll maybe concede its the worst of the round. But its not even close to be the worst of the draft. There were some questionable films drafted in the second and third rounds, let alone the bonus.

No way. It's the Titanic of that decade, for sure, but I think the line's only come up via Conan O'Brien or some shit. Did it get on that AFI list? The site wants me to register to see the list.

Edit: Yeah! #98.

I can't believe no one picked Tender Mercies. Or Heartbeeps.

We get it, Phil, we suck. Epic Fail or some such shit.

Regarding Southern Comfort again, and I watched it again today because I wanted to, I kept waiting for somebody to pick it, and I didn't want to because for some reason I didn't think I needed to represent Hill any more. Fuck it, should've picked it.

I was kidding. About Heartbeeps.

I'm not sure who the AFI polls, but it seems like the people they would poll would skew older. All About Eve? The Maltese Falcon? Other than knowing they are movies, I couldn't tell you what their quotes were. Coming in 98 out of 100 is still pretty recognizable considering the sheer amount of movies out there, and more so impressive in light of the movies in this draft. I still think its fair to say its one of the most recognizable quotes of all time.

I doubted you and then agreed with you in my edit when I saw that list. I wasn't picking on its placement in the list. I was just surprised to see it on there.

Gotcha.

Yeah, I killed it.

Man, I hope so. I tried to like that movie, it was on cable all the time when I was a kid... I don't know, I'm sure somebody is going to come in here and talk about how fucking great and misunderstood Heartbeeps is.

I would never begrudge a girly girl picking Dirty Dancing. It's just one of those things, you have tits, you're going to like that movie. I know I'm repeating myself, but I do find it extremely amusing that a botched back alley abortion is a major plot point in what is supposed to be such a light, romantic affair.

I must have overlooked "Critters" for some reason. I remember seeing Critters during a less-than-optimal time, through a block of cheesy 80's horror movies where I grew really sick of the tropes. Might have been a double feature with Pumpkinhead. Definitely a questionable pick- especially considering Tender Mercies was still on the board, forgot about that one. That was at least a fourth rounder, I completely forgot about it. Also, I must have not paid attention- I thought Cinema Paradiso was ineligible. How was that not a first round pick? No movie makes me cry harder.

My draft handicapping also has to do with the fact that, let's face it, I haven't seen a lot of the movies. I'm sure I'd have a lot to say about "Reds" but that's one I'm in no immediate rush to see it.

Is Dirty Dancing the worst pick of the draft? Probably not, since it's a bonus rounder. But it very well might be the worst film picked. Worst pick overall? I'll go with a tie of War Games and Real Genius. Fifth or bonus rounders, sure. Second round? Uh...