The 80's. It really was a fun time to be a part of growing up. In fact for those who missed it or maybe overlooked the significance of what was happening in the world I actually pity a little, because I don't think a decade of history will ever be as memorable, at least entertainment wise, as the era of big hair, MTV (when it actually played music) and a pop culture explosion the likes of which I don't think we will ever see again. And nowhere was this reflected more so than the film industry. There was a sense of creativity that has all but been lost thanks to big budgets and CGI, and it showed in the final product. All the best films that are definitive of their genres were made in this time period and to this day Hollywood still replicate and adhere to the traits that were established back then. Just look at Die Hard. But with this massive influx of new and exciting ways to entertain the masses via the television screen some were inevitably going to fall through the cracks and be forgotten over time, no matter how memorable. Lucky for all of you out there, thanks to a certain mental condition I have retained an insane (that is a pun for those in the know) amount of knowledge from my experiences with the ol' VHS and/or Betamax. With that in mind I wrote an article featuring nine films that I personally felt should be revisited and remembered for the culture shock that they are (which you can read by clicking
here). Lo and behold it seemed to resonate with a lot of you and I got numerous suggestions both via comments and private correspondence to create a second piece with another six films of forgotten 80's lore (you can read that one by clicking
here). But alas, it seems that it still wasn't enough to satisfy you as I kept getting more and more suggestions from people who remember the 80's with as much fondness as I do. So here I am, with Part 3 to what you may wish to call a trilogy of articles (I know I will) with another 8 examples of movies that have unfortunately been left behind, either due to studio indifference or simply the ravages of time. All of which deserve to be revisited, at least for a one off viewing, by anyone who deems themselves a cinephile or was not lucky enough to partake in the greatest era from last century. And as before, although these are in no particular order, I have left an obscure Australian production to round off the list, for reasons I think will become apparent as you read on.
Special Mention: The Last Starfighter
Now although I have had numerous requests to talk about this iconic 80's sci fi masterpiece, I would like to point out that with a little bit of research you will see that this film is far from forgotten. In fact there are fan clubs, video games, a musical (you heard that right) and even a possible reboot or sequel on the way. But I thought I would mention it just to let you all know that I haven't neglected to showcase this film, it just hasn't been forgotten.