Baumer's Top 100 films you have probably heard of but more than likely haven't seen. #1: Cute Clever Mischievous, but don't feed them after midnight!

[baumer]

Well....you're still wrong Numbers lol. But there's really only one left.

[baumer]

What do you say JACK? how's the NEW truck?

[4815162342]

31 minutes ago, Baumer said:

Well....you're still wrong Numbers lol. But there's really only one left.

 

Ok, you win. Demolish me.

[baumer]

Siiiigh......it's way before Demolition time.

 

I guess no one has seen this movie.

[The Stingray]

21 minutes ago, Baumer said:

Siiiigh......it's way before Demolition time.

 

I guess no one has seen this movie.

 

NJC?

[ProtoMan]

I'm loving this list so far, below are my thoughts:

 

Cadillac Man: Very underrated film that I still love to this day. Became a Lori Petty fan from it.

 

Action Jackson:  Being African American,  Action Jackson was sort of a superhero movie for me when I was a kid. lol. The commercials made him such a bad ass. Also, there wasn't many African Americans leading action films at that time. One of my favorite 80's action films outside of Sly and Arnold.

 

My Bloody Valentine: I caught this movie a couple of years prior to the remake and loved it. Easily one of the best slasher films of that era.

 

 

Edited July 16, 2016 by ProtoMan

[baumer]

That's an awesome post @ProtoMan. Yes Action Jackson is loads of fun and it's too bad Weathers only got one chance to go solo. 

[ProtoMan]

49 minutes ago, Baumer said:

That's an awesome post @ProtoMan. Yes Action Jackson is loads of fun and it's too bad Weathers only got one chance to go solo. 

 

Thanks man. 

 

The movie industry was different in the 80's. Outside of a few actors, you only had only a few chances to hit it big as the lead. 

 

I saw a post you made in the weekend thread about Zac Efron. It's much easier to attach yourself to tentpoles or drama ensembles to keep the train going.

 

I think Weathers would of been a bigger star in the current environment. Dude would of been an awesome presence in today's movies.

 

 

Edited July 16, 2016 by ProtoMan

[75Live]

5 hours ago, Baumer said:

Siiiigh......it's way before Demolition time.

 

I guess no one has seen this movie.

 

Obviously, I know the movie and saw it but I should just say when I haven't seen a movie

 

I also love Action Jackson.  I love in the credits it has Invisible Man and then a blank space as the actor

[baumer]

Have u seen Sleep With Me @75live

[75Live]

6 minutes ago, Baumer said:

Have u seen Sleep With Me @75live

 

I am pretty sure I have, but it's not ringing every bell in my head right now, so maybe I haven't  

[baumer]

I'm going to go ahead and say that you have not seen sleep with me. If you had I think you would remember Quentin Tarantino's Top Gun analysis about it being about a guy on the cusp of being gay LOL

[baumer]

Number 93

New Jack City (1991)

Directed by Mario Van Peebles

Starring Wesley Snipes, Chris Rock, Ice T, Mario Van Peebles, Judd Nelson

Box office:  47.6 million

 

This is the film that made Wesley Snipes a star and it also got Mario Van Peebles noticed.   Van Peebles directs a great cast in this detached-from-reality film about a truly evil drug-lord with a head for business and murder (Snipes), and a tough, street-wise pair of cops (Ice-T and Judd Nelson) hell-bent on bringing him down. The message is an important one - slogans are not going to win the war on drugs, and the way the message is carried in the film is more subtle than you might expect. The end of the film makes the point very clear, and I won't discuss it because I do not write spoilers. Like many of the more intelligent films made in the early 1990s, New Jack City is also an indictment of the euphoria of the Reagan years - telling the true story of what that time was like for those living from paycheck to paycheck, or trying to live without one, and dealing with the invisible "war on drugs" which had little to no effect on anybody in our inner-city neighborhoods.

Snipes, Ice-T, Allen Payne and Chris Rock give stand-out performances, and the rest of the cast provide excellent support. The film also stars New York City, and definitely has an NYC flavor (seasoned with more than a pinch of Hollywood). The cinematography is a little breathless - not unusual for the genre but in this case a bit extreme. The script is good, but perhaps too dense with rich plot details. And the editing provides a few pacing problems toward the middle of the film which, combined with the over-abundance of subplots, detract from the development of the main themes. The soundtrack is excellent - including a nice mix of hip-hop, rap, contemporary soul, and dance music - all blended nicely with the imagery of the film. 
Overall, this is a good film. Entertaining and thoughtful, but definitely not for everybody.

 

Interesting stuff:  On Inside the Actors Studio (1994), Chris Rock claimed that for several years following his acclaimed performance as a crack addict, drug dealers would approach him and put crack and cocaine in his pocket; joking that "they thought it was a documentary." He stated that, although he knew people who used crack at the time, he never did and, in his 1997 memoir "Rock This" had only smoked marijuana twice.

 

The highest grossing independent feature of 1991

 

Mario Van Peebles had formed a friendship with Clint Eastwood when the pair madeHeartbreak Ridge (1986). When Van Peebles took the "New Jack City" screenplay to Warner Bros., the studio was interested in the material, but weren't keen on having an unknown as the director/lead actor. Eastwood personally vouched for Van Peebles and told the Warner brass to "give the kid a shot". The success of the film launched Van Peebles's directing career.

 

 

 

 

[The Futurist]

4 minutes ago, Baumer said:

Number 93

New Jack City (1991)

Directed by Mario Van Peebles

Starring Wesley Snipes, Chris Rock, Ice T, Mario Van Peebles, Judd Nelson

Box office:  47.6 million

 

This is the film that made Wesley Snipes a star and it also got Mario Van Peebles noticed.   Van Peebles directs a great cast in this detached-from-reality film about a truly evil drug-lord with a head for business and murder (Snipes), and a tough, street-wise pair of cops (Ice-T and Judd Nelson) hell-bent on bringing him down. The message is an important one - slogans are not going to win the war on drugs, and the way the message is carried in the film is more subtle than you might expect. The end of the film makes the point very clear, and I won't discuss it because I do not write spoilers. Like many of the more intelligent films made in the early 1990s, New Jack City is also an indictment of the euphoria of the Reagan years - telling the true story of what that time was like for those living from paycheck to paycheck, or trying to live without one, and dealing with the invisible "war on drugs" which had little to no effect on anybody in our inner-city neighborhoods.

Snipes, Ice-T, Allen Payne and Chris Rock give stand-out performances, and the rest of the cast provide excellent support. The film also stars New York City, and definitely has an NYC flavor (seasoned with more than a pinch of Hollywood). The cinematography is a little breathless - not unusual for the genre but in this case a bit extreme. The script is good, but perhaps too dense with rich plot details. And the editing provides a few pacing problems toward the middle of the film which, combined with the over-abundance of subplots, detract from the development of the main themes. The soundtrack is excellent - including a nice mix of hip-hop, rap, contemporary soul, and dance music - all blended nicely with the imagery of the film. 
Overall, this is a good film. Entertaining and thoughtful, but definitely not for everybody.

 

Interesting stuff:  On Inside the Actors Studio (1994), Chris Rock claimed that for several years following his acclaimed performance as a crack addict, drug dealers would approach him and put crack and cocaine in his pocket; joking that "they thought it was a documentary." He stated that, although he knew people who used crack at the time, he never did and, in his 1997 memoir "Rock This" had only smoked marijuana twice.

 

The highest grossing independent feature of 1991

 

Mario Van Peebles had formed a friendship with Clint Eastwood when the pair madeHeartbreak Ridge (1986). When Van Peebles took the "New Jack City" screenplay to Warner Bros., the studio was interested in the material, but weren't keen on having an unknown as the director/lead actor. Eastwood personally vouched for Van Peebles and told the Warner brass to "give the kid a shot". The success of the film launched Van Peebles's directing career.

 

 

 

 

 

Baumer, have you read what happened on the Blade 3 set ?

 

Wesley Snipes was gone off the deep end like, bad ...

[baumer]

Number 92

State of Grace (1990)

Directed by Phil Joanou and Michael Lee Baron

Starring:  Sean Penn, Ed Harris, Gary Oldman, Robin Wright, Jon Turturro

Box office:  1.9 million

 

"State Of Grace" is a film loosely based on the story of the "Westies", the New York Hells Kitchen Irish mob that thrived during the 70s and early 80s. This gang of hoods was extremely violent and unpredictable, and even gave most of the Italian Mafioso (who far outnumbered them) the jitters. Gary Oldman is phenomenal in this film, as he is in any film he stars in. The one thing about this movie that stands out more than anything is the acting.  I'm not sure why this film was ignored so much in 1990, perhaps it got overshadowed by Goodfellas, but one viewing of this and you might be inclined to say this is almost on part with Goodfellas.  This is a small movie with huge actors. Ed Harris is the head of his Irish gang and is willing to do anything to stay there including killing family and lifelong friends. Gary Oldman is amazing as the lowlife brother. He plays a true Thug. Robin Wright always plays a good low class woman who wants more but can't escape. She plays these so well because she is not Hollywood gorgeous, she looks like an everday good looking woman and it helps her with these parts. Sean Penn as always plays the man with the secret. His character works the different personalities perfectly. Shows loyalty to Gary Oldman, brains to Ed Harris and love to Robin Wright. The violence is very graphic and adds greatly to the movie.  It's a movie long since forgotten by most, but should be seen by all.  For the record, I fucking love this movie.

 

Interesting stuff:  Bill Pullman was originally cast in the part eventually played by Ed Harris. Harris had trouble accepting the role because he was still recovering from the injuries he suffered on the set of The Abyss.

 

When Frankie goes for a sit down with Borelli, the restaurant they are in is the same restaurant that was used several times in the hit T.V. show the Sopranos.

 

 

 

 

[baumer]

I just finished reading some of the stuff about the Blade 3 set.  Sounds like Snipes went all diva like.

[baumer]

Number 91

Pretty In Pink (1986)

Directed by Howard Deutch

Starring:  Molly Ringwald, Jon Cryer, James Spader, Harry Dean Stanton and Andrew McCarthy, with Annie Potts and Andrew Dice Clay

Box office:  40.4 million

 

This is another film that is very famous and for that reason @4815162342 might think it has no business being on here.  I disagree.  When we were doing @chasmmi top 100 songs countdown, and If You Leave placed, many posters said they had never heard to song or seen the movie.  This is a travesty.  John Hughes could write high school characters like nobodies business.  He had a way of understanding the social paradigms and fragmented loyalties that existed when I was growing up.  Rich, poor, jock, nerd, basket case, shop guy, geek, he knew how to write them all.  Pretty in Pink is so honest and so real that the end of the movie still gets me emotional.  "I just wanted them to know they didn't break me."  Molly Ringwald plays a poor girl in a school full of trust fund babies.  She is ridiculed by most of the populace but she doesn't care all that much.  Her best friend is Ducky, played by Jon Cryer and he has loved her all his life.  She doesn't know this of course and he hides his insecurities under funky clothes, a brash but false personality and a laize faire attitude towards school.  Jon Cryer should have won best supporting actor in 1986 and his performance would make my list of 100 best performances of all time.  Andrew McCarthy plays the rich kid she falls in love with and James Spader is the ultimate sleeze bag, in some ways he's more of a sleeze bag in this movie than he is in another movie coming up.  If you have heard of John Hughes, it's probably because of Home Alone or The Breakfast Club.  Breakfast Club is a fantastic film and one of the best films ever made imo.  Pretty in Pink is almost as good and at the very least just as honest.  John Hughes spoke to me as a teen.  He understood what it was like from my perspective growing up.  Pretty in Pink is almost his best film and one that should be seen.

 

Interesting stuff:  This is Molly Ringwald's favorite among her own films.

 

Anthony Michael Hall turned down the role of Duckie because he didn't want to be typecast. He also felt that the film was rehashing Sixteen Candles (1984).

 

Anthony Michael Hall turned down the role of Duckie because he didn't want to be typecast. He also felt that the film was rehashing Sixteen Candles (1984).

 

 

 

 

 

 

[baumer]

Number 90

Pumpkinhead (1988)

Directed by Stan Winston

Starring Lance Henriksen and Mayim Bialik

Box Office:  4.4 million

 

Ed Harley lives with his young son in the country, where they live a simple life and run a small store. Some city teens stop by at the store and get on their bikes for some fun. While this is happening Ed leaves his son to look after the shop as he delivers a item to a customer. When Ed arrives back he finds out his boy has been accidentally killed by one the careless riders. In fist of anger he seeks out an old lady who can summon up a demon which shall exact revenge on those involved in the death of his son. However, Ed starts to realise it was a bad idea and he eventually finds out that conjuring up this demon comes at a price. 

Oh hail, B-legend Lance Henriksen! It's Henriksen's burning conviction and special effects whiz Stan Winston's masterful monster design that lifts this B-grade monster feature out of the very ordinary mould. I can see why those factors get highly praised. Pretty much it's typical 80s horror fodder, but on that point I found this minor piece be an enthralling backwoods shocker that's effectively creepy and ominous in its set-up. The atmospheric air just has that feel of the old style monster flicks. I found it to be a vivid treasure in that department with the empty woodlands being so chillingly, foreboding in presence. The dread of it all just swallows you up! Especially the glum conclusion. The night scenes are sensationally staged with very classy touches with the moon's rays shinning through, swirling mists and the shades of blues flood the screen with great impact. Director Stan Winston (making his debut) utilizes the scenery with skillful execution by giving the film such an organic feel and producing some blinding images within some eerie and thrilling set-pieces (the transformation scene being one). Chiming in also is that of the score which creaks an unsteady terror with it's alienating chords. I thought the dark feel and slick look of the film is perfect and that's rightfully so. 

And it contains one of the coolest lines in film history:

 

God damn you!

He already has!

A solid and creative effort overall that relishes from it's visually brooding direction, superior lead performance and convincing monster design.

 

Interesting stuff:  Directorial debut of Stan Winston.

 

This film, orphaned by the bankruptcy of De Laurentiis Entertainment Group, eventually garnered a spotty release when acquired by United Artists, which tested the film under the alternate title Vengeance - The Demon.

 

 

 

[SchumacherFTW]

I really should have seen Pretty in Pink by now. 

[baumer]

If you can find PiP on Netflix, do it.