9. Miracle Mile (1988)
Miracle Mile features Anthony 'ER' Edwards and Mare Winningham. An absolute flop at the box office, it has gathered a hard core cult following over the years. Called Miracle Mile because the bulk of the action occurs on Los Angeles' Miracle Mile, the film takes place over a day and a night. Harry is trying to find his girlfriend Julie. He tries phoning her from a call phone but gets a mixed line - hearing some guy tell his dad that a nuclear war is about to start in less than 70 minutes. Harry goes into a diner and relates this news. A business woman phones some Washington politicians but they all seem to be in South America - so the news is probably true. She charters several jets to a rain free US zone in Antarctica. Everyone follows her except Harry who has to find Julie. He manages to find her in the ensuing chaos and they have to find a helicopter to take them to LAX where the Antarctica-bound jets are waiting. Los Angeles descends into a total mess but they see a missile go over them so the war is true. After they get into a helicopter, they take a critical hit and it's Goodnight Vienna. Midnight Mile is fabulously scored by Tangerine Dream and it has a brash and bold 1980s look to it in the colours, hair dos and costumes. It doesn't have much to say about the politics of nuclear war but it is fascinating and gripping as a study in terror of what is happening in realtime 70 minutes before the doomsday. It is also a tale of love. I guarantee you that Miracle Mile will have you sat on the edge of your seat, rooted in enthralment.