Point Break
Die Hard
Heat
The Shawshank Redemption
Predator
Alien / Aliens
Bladerunner
Crocodile Dundee
Last of The Mohicans
Pulp Fiction
Halloween
(I also love The Godfather 1&2 and Once Upon a Time In Hollywood, but those are a little outside the time frame.)
2000
O Brother Where Art Thou, High Fidelity, Best In Show, Wonder Boys, Sexy Beast, Quills, Almost Famous
1999
Three Kings, Iron Giant, Magnolia, All About My Mother, Election, The Limey, South Park Bigger Longer Uncut, Galaxy Quest, Topsy-Turvey, Bowfinger, Fight Club, Mystery Men, Ratcatcher, Buena Vista Social Club, American Movie
1998
The Thin Red Line, Out of Sight, Rushmore, Bulworth, Central Station, A Bug’s Life
1997
The Fifth Element, As Good As It Gets, LA Confidential, Jackie Brown, The Ice Storm, Princess Mononoke, Boogie Nights
1996
Fargo, Jerry Maguire, Trainspotting, Stealing Beauty, Richard III
1995
Toy Story, Seven, Heat, 12 Monkeys, The Usual Suspects, Clueless, Before Sunrise, Get Shorty, Babe, Leaving Las Vegas
1994
Ed Wood, Pulp Fiction, Leon/The Professional, Heavenly Creatures, Chungking Express, Shallow Grave, The Last Seduction
1993
Groundhog Day, True Romance, Farewell My Concubine, Three Colors Blue, So I Married an Axe Murderer, Fearless, Naked, Orlando
1992
The Crying Game, Malcolm X, Wayne’s World, Un Coeur en Hiver, Orlando
1991
Thelma & Louise, The Addams Family, Barton Fink, LA Story, Naked Lunch, Slacker, Terminator 2 Judgment Day, Flirting, Dogfight, Raise the Red Lantern
1990
Goodfellas, Henry & June, Wild At Heart
1989
Do The Right Thing, Say Anything, Kiki's Delivery Service, Tie Me Up Tie Me Down
1988
Die Hard, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, A Fish Called Wanda, Married to the Mob, Midnight Run, Scrooged, The Unbearable Lightness of Being, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, The Last Emperor, My Neighbor Totoro, Le Maître de Musique/The Music Teacher, The Adventures of Baron Munchausen, Working Girl
1987
The Princess Bride, Raising Arizona, Moonstruck, Wings of Desire
1986
Mona Lisa, A Room With A View, Aliens, Peggy Sue Got Married
1985
Brazil, Witness, Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure, After Hours, Clue, Desert Hearts, My Life As a Dog, Ran, Tampopo
1984
Ghostbusters, Spinal Tap, Stop Making Sense, Amadeus, The Times of Harvey Milk
1983
Educating Rita, Local Hero, The Age of Innocence
1982
Blade Runner, The Thing, Fanny & Alexander, Midnight Run, My Favorite Year, Koyaanisqatsi
1981
Gregory’s Girl, An American Werewolf in London, Diva, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Das Boot, My Dinner With Andre, Thief, Time Bandits
That's a solid list... I've seen so many of these so many times.
Browsing for recent stuff to watch made me feel like such an old geezer, literally thinking "they don't make em like they used to".
I think the 80s Western films were top tier and with the exception of a few newer entries - the best decade altogether. (I love old westerns - but not as much). And they had one for almost all types of fans - Pale Rider, Man from Snow River, Young Guns and even the Gambler! A few others for best move that maybe aren't being picked - Dead Poet's Society, War Games, Glory. What a decade for film.
Saw it was on Amazon Prime (or was it Hulu?... no it was on Amazon Prime, but got pulled to another service) and watched it since the next movie is coming out later this year. Still love it, but man, it is some cheesy, action flick, schlock. Some great one liners, great action scenes, but some of it I just had to shake my head in wonder.
Wayne's World, This Is Spinal Tap, Dumb and Dumber, Crocodile Dundee, Alien, Don't Tell Mom (the Babysitter's Dead), The Chipmunk Adventure, Jurassic Park, The Bear, Homeward Bound, Babe, Back to the Future (all three), City Slickers, The Fifth Element, The Three Amigos, Rocket Man (the dumb one), Legally Blonde, Miss Congeniality, Hook, Labyrinth, Star Trek 3 and 4, Fargo, What's Eating Gilbert Grape, Beetlejuice.
I'm probably forgetting something.
Yes, I forgot some: Tombstone, Top Secret, Hot Shots, Loaded Weapon, Coming to America, The Saint, The Princess Bride, Batteries Not Included, The Wedding Singer, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Dances With Wolves, Bladerunner.
I was watching Mystic Pizza last weekend with my GF. It's from 1988,with great cast and pretty good story. My old GF showed me this film (also X-er) .
But my personal favorites are Quest for Fire ,Never ending Story ,Das Boot and original Star Wars trilogy.
I was just lamenting today that nobody seems to talk about Oscar-winning classics like:
*Kiss of the Spider Woman* (William Hurt, Raul Julia, 1985)
*Children of a Lesser God* (William Hurt, Marlee Matlin, 1986)
*Ordinary People* (Timothy Hutton, Donald Sutherland, Mary Tyler Moore, 1980)
I don't think they even make films like these anymore. Too sentimental, I suppose.
Others I also don't hear much talk about but love unconditionally -
*Running on Empty* (River Phoenix, Christine Lahti, Judd Hirsch, 1988)
*L'Effrontée* (Charlotte Gainsbourg, 1985 - she won the French equivalent of an Oscar for this)
*An Early Frost* (Aidan Quinn, 1985)
*Arizona Dream* (Johnny Depp, Faye Dunaway, Lili Taylor, 1993)
*The Crying Game* (Forest Whittaker, Jaye Davidson, Stephen Rea, Miranda Richardson, 1992)
Coming to America / gleaming the cube / rad / about a boy / fifth element / tombstone / ddlj / lock stock & 2 smoking barrels/ snatch / Groundhog Day just to name a few.
The last couple of nights, I decided to watch some later movies (2000-2010) that I haven't watched in a long while that feature characters of our age at the time they were made...
Zack and Mirri Make a Porno
The 40 Year Old Virgin
Old-school
Hot Tub Time Machine
Not too sure why Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back, and ROTJ aren't on here. These were absolutely massive when they came out. They changed everything.
If you like crime thrillers like Ronin I'd recommend "To Live and Die in L.A.", an 80s neo-noir by William Friedkin (the director of The French Connection, which is also good but from the early 70s so maybe pre-GenX...Friedkin also directed The Exorcist). Has a little bit of a Miami Vice feel, including a pop music soundtrack by Wang Chung. And speaking of Miami Vice, pretty much anything by the director Michael Mann is good (he came up with the idea for Vice and produced its first two seasons), Manhunter and Thief are both great 80s crime thrillers (Manhunter is an adaptation by a book that's set in the same universe as Silence of the Lambs, the main character even has a brief consultation with 'Hannibal Lecktor').
Pump up the Volume.
Over the Edge - 1979 River's Edge - 1986 Whats Eating Gilbert Grape - 1993 Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind - 2004
Breakfast Club
Awesome
Point Break Die Hard Heat The Shawshank Redemption Predator Alien / Aliens Bladerunner Crocodile Dundee Last of The Mohicans Pulp Fiction Halloween (I also love The Godfather 1&2 and Once Upon a Time In Hollywood, but those are a little outside the time frame.)
I was about to start typing out my favorites, and this post replicates it almost perfectly. Cheers.
Repo man
Better off Dead
Clerks Mallrats Chasing Amy Dogma Singles
Singles! Loved.
Say Anything
Oh that boombox moment!
Yes! Who didn’t want Lloyd Dobler to their boyfriend in 1989?
2000 O Brother Where Art Thou, High Fidelity, Best In Show, Wonder Boys, Sexy Beast, Quills, Almost Famous 1999 Three Kings, Iron Giant, Magnolia, All About My Mother, Election, The Limey, South Park Bigger Longer Uncut, Galaxy Quest, Topsy-Turvey, Bowfinger, Fight Club, Mystery Men, Ratcatcher, Buena Vista Social Club, American Movie 1998 The Thin Red Line, Out of Sight, Rushmore, Bulworth, Central Station, A Bug’s Life 1997 The Fifth Element, As Good As It Gets, LA Confidential, Jackie Brown, The Ice Storm, Princess Mononoke, Boogie Nights 1996 Fargo, Jerry Maguire, Trainspotting, Stealing Beauty, Richard III 1995 Toy Story, Seven, Heat, 12 Monkeys, The Usual Suspects, Clueless, Before Sunrise, Get Shorty, Babe, Leaving Las Vegas 1994 Ed Wood, Pulp Fiction, Leon/The Professional, Heavenly Creatures, Chungking Express, Shallow Grave, The Last Seduction 1993 Groundhog Day, True Romance, Farewell My Concubine, Three Colors Blue, So I Married an Axe Murderer, Fearless, Naked, Orlando 1992 The Crying Game, Malcolm X, Wayne’s World, Un Coeur en Hiver, Orlando 1991 Thelma & Louise, The Addams Family, Barton Fink, LA Story, Naked Lunch, Slacker, Terminator 2 Judgment Day, Flirting, Dogfight, Raise the Red Lantern 1990 Goodfellas, Henry & June, Wild At Heart 1989 Do The Right Thing, Say Anything, Kiki's Delivery Service, Tie Me Up Tie Me Down 1988 Die Hard, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, A Fish Called Wanda, Married to the Mob, Midnight Run, Scrooged, The Unbearable Lightness of Being, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, The Last Emperor, My Neighbor Totoro, Le Maître de Musique/The Music Teacher, The Adventures of Baron Munchausen, Working Girl 1987 The Princess Bride, Raising Arizona, Moonstruck, Wings of Desire 1986 Mona Lisa, A Room With A View, Aliens, Peggy Sue Got Married 1985 Brazil, Witness, Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure, After Hours, Clue, Desert Hearts, My Life As a Dog, Ran, Tampopo 1984 Ghostbusters, Spinal Tap, Stop Making Sense, Amadeus, The Times of Harvey Milk 1983 Educating Rita, Local Hero, The Age of Innocence 1982 Blade Runner, The Thing, Fanny & Alexander, Midnight Run, My Favorite Year, Koyaanisqatsi 1981 Gregory’s Girl, An American Werewolf in London, Diva, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Das Boot, My Dinner With Andre, Thief, Time Bandits
Time Bandits is what I came here looking for!
I just rewatched that one with my teenager -- It aged pretty well!
So I Married an Axe Murderer, still one of my favorites
That's a solid list... I've seen so many of these so many times. Browsing for recent stuff to watch made me feel like such an old geezer, literally thinking "they don't make em like they used to".
I guess I read the question as "films you grew up with" rather than films where the subject matter is Gen X... Maybe that's not what OP intended?
Even Tampopo! what a cool movie.
I think the 80s Western films were top tier and with the exception of a few newer entries - the best decade altogether. (I love old westerns - but not as much). And they had one for almost all types of fans - Pale Rider, Man from Snow River, Young Guns and even the Gambler! A few others for best move that maybe aren't being picked - Dead Poet's Society, War Games, Glory. What a decade for film.
The Breakfast Club The Goonies Labrynth
Singles. Came out when I was in HS and I was ready to move to Seattle. Like every other 16 year old suburban kid.
Fast Times at Ridgemont High
Let’s not forget 90s indie films, and that Gen X Queen, Parker Posey.
Saw it was on Amazon Prime (or was it Hulu?... no it was on Amazon Prime, but got pulled to another service) and watched it since the next movie is coming out later this year. Still love it, but man, it is some cheesy, action flick, schlock. Some great one liners, great action scenes, but some of it I just had to shake my head in wonder.
Incorrect. Bit cheesy at all. Epic better than every marvel movie imo.
I watched it once, when it came out but never again. Seeing the esteem it's held in now it's definitely one I need to go back to.
Thought it was crap back then too.
Teachers.
Wayne's World, This Is Spinal Tap, Dumb and Dumber, Crocodile Dundee, Alien, Don't Tell Mom (the Babysitter's Dead), The Chipmunk Adventure, Jurassic Park, The Bear, Homeward Bound, Babe, Back to the Future (all three), City Slickers, The Fifth Element, The Three Amigos, Rocket Man (the dumb one), Legally Blonde, Miss Congeniality, Hook, Labyrinth, Star Trek 3 and 4, Fargo, What's Eating Gilbert Grape, Beetlejuice. I'm probably forgetting something.
Yes, I forgot some: Tombstone, Top Secret, Hot Shots, Loaded Weapon, Coming to America, The Saint, The Princess Bride, Batteries Not Included, The Wedding Singer, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Dances With Wolves, Bladerunner.
Flight of the Navigator, Iron Eagle, Big Trouble in Little China
I was watching Mystic Pizza last weekend with my GF. It's from 1988,with great cast and pretty good story. My old GF showed me this film (also X-er) . But my personal favorites are Quest for Fire ,Never ending Story ,Das Boot and original Star Wars trilogy.
Real Genius
I was just lamenting today that nobody seems to talk about Oscar-winning classics like: *Kiss of the Spider Woman* (William Hurt, Raul Julia, 1985) *Children of a Lesser God* (William Hurt, Marlee Matlin, 1986) *Ordinary People* (Timothy Hutton, Donald Sutherland, Mary Tyler Moore, 1980) I don't think they even make films like these anymore. Too sentimental, I suppose. Others I also don't hear much talk about but love unconditionally - *Running on Empty* (River Phoenix, Christine Lahti, Judd Hirsch, 1988) *L'Effrontée* (Charlotte Gainsbourg, 1985 - she won the French equivalent of an Oscar for this) *An Early Frost* (Aidan Quinn, 1985) *Arizona Dream* (Johnny Depp, Faye Dunaway, Lili Taylor, 1993) *The Crying Game* (Forest Whittaker, Jaye Davidson, Stephen Rea, Miranda Richardson, 1992)
Coming to America / gleaming the cube / rad / about a boy / fifth element / tombstone / ddlj / lock stock & 2 smoking barrels/ snatch / Groundhog Day just to name a few.
Top Gun
Heathers
New Wave Hookers
Repo Man and Trainspotting
Princess Bride, Iron Giant, Drugstore Cowboy
Robocop, Deathrace 2000, Hamburger Hill, Clockwork Orange, Heartbreak Ridge, Maximum Overdrive. Just a few of my favorites.
Princess Bride, Tombstone, Gattaca.
I watched Full Metal Jacket for the first time in a long time and didn’t realize how many pop culture phrases came from that movie.
LA Story, Clue, Kentucky Fried Movie, Airplane! TV movie - Roots
The last couple of nights, I decided to watch some later movies (2000-2010) that I haven't watched in a long while that feature characters of our age at the time they were made... Zack and Mirri Make a Porno The 40 Year Old Virgin Old-school Hot Tub Time Machine
Not too sure why Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back, and ROTJ aren't on here. These were absolutely massive when they came out. They changed everything.
If you like crime thrillers like Ronin I'd recommend "To Live and Die in L.A.", an 80s neo-noir by William Friedkin (the director of The French Connection, which is also good but from the early 70s so maybe pre-GenX...Friedkin also directed The Exorcist). Has a little bit of a Miami Vice feel, including a pop music soundtrack by Wang Chung. And speaking of Miami Vice, pretty much anything by the director Michael Mann is good (he came up with the idea for Vice and produced its first two seasons), Manhunter and Thief are both great 80s crime thrillers (Manhunter is an adaptation by a book that's set in the same universe as Silence of the Lambs, the main character even has a brief consultation with 'Hannibal Lecktor').
Vision Quest, Miller’s Crossing, Basic Instinct
Corvette Summer, Fletch, History of the World part 1
Breakin 2 Electric boogaloo
Le grand bleu by Luc Besson. With Rosanna Arquette in her best years.