FAVORITES of 2011

These three reviews are of movies that were originally released in 1985. 1985 was a great year for movies!

THE GOONIES, 1985 (original post: August 13, 2011)

Director: Richard Donner

Stars: Sean Astin, Josh Brolin, Corey Feldman, Kerri Green, Jeff Cohen, Ke Huy Quan, Martha Plimpton

The classic treasure-hunting adventure story!

A group of kids (known as "the Goonies") find a treasure map in an attic, and decide to follow it and see if the local legend is true- that pirate One-Eyed Willy really did leave behind a ship and treasure in a cave. Unfortunately, as they follow the map, it leads them to an abandoned restaurant where a family of criminals, the Fratellis, are hiding a dead body. As witnesses to this crime, the kids flee the Fratellis underground, following the map, as it leads them to a spectacular surprise!

It's absolutely wonderful! This isn't a kid's movie; it's definitely scarier than a kid's movie, and there's swearing too- not too much at all, I just thought I'd mention it. I love the kids' acting and the way they work together. It's very different, and refreshing. Their acting seems to make it more real. I just love it!

BACK TO THE FUTURE, 1985 (original post: November 5, 2011)

Director: Robert Zemeckis (Romancing the Stone, Forrest Gump, Cast Away)

Stars: Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson

My favorite.

In 1985, Marty McFly (Fox) hops in a DeLorean to escape from terrorists, and he accidentally gets sent back in time to November 5, 1955. His friend "Doc"- Dr. Emmet Brown- (Lloyd) had converted the DeLorean into a time machine. Marty finds Doc in 1955, and together they have to repair the broken time machine and get Marty back to the future!

But a wrench is thrown into their plans when Marty bumps into his high school age father and mother, and interferes with their first meeting, which was pivotal in their relationship. Marty has to convince his wimpy father that Lorraine (Thompson) is the girl for him. Extra complications arise when Lorraine apparently has a crush on Marty, her future son!

This movie is brilliant, and I could watch it over and over again. I think my favorite part is when Marty plays Johnny B. Goode at the dance. Michael J Fox didn't actually play it, but wanting to be accurate, he learned all the correct fingerings on the guitar. He probably could have played it!

I have watched these movies (parts 2 and 3, as well) with commentaries a few times. They have so much information and insights for geeks like me! I loved it.

CLUE, 1985 (original post: October 15, 2011)

Director: Jonathan Lynn

Stars: Tim Curry, Christopher Lloyd, Leslie Ann Warren, Eileen Brennan

I swear, 1985 was the best year for movies!

This delightful whodunit was based on the board game, so Miss Scarlet (Warren), Professor Plum (Lloyd), and the rest of the colorful cast join Mr Boddy (Lee Ving) and the butler Wadsworth (Curry) on a crazy, murderous adventure inside a creepy old mansion.

LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE.

I really enjoy this one.

NOTE: This movie is unique in that it has 3 separate endings! I love watching it with all 3 endings right in a row. But apparently when it played in theaters, it showed the different endings at each theater. I mean, if I went to one theater and my friend went to another, we would have seen two different endings! How cool is that? I wish they'd do that again!