I haven't seen very many, Grandpa (:P) - mostly because I haven't heard of any good one's. *mind draws a blank* Is there a site that lists all 80's movies? xDD There was this one about some English King and all his sons . .
Yeah. I can't think of any. But I have watched some. xD

This is a pretty good place to start, although it's not an all-inclusive list. And I disagree with a number of their films they have listed as notable. I mean Tron, the Indiana Jones movies, and the Back to the Future series were all great flicks that make the 80's worth looking for more movies in.

Wow.... that list on Wiki leaves out a TON of great 80's movies. Empire Strikes Back, Krull, Return of the Jedi, Star Trek II-III-IV, Legend, Aliens, Predator, The Mission, Willow, An American Tail, The Last Starfighter, The Princess Bride, etc, etc.

So yeah..... I'm with Shadow on this one.

I don't think too highly of the 70's era of film making (in general) but the 80's had so much good stuff. Many of them have already been named. I'll agree though, that much of the music from the 80's was synthesized pap. In the music world, the 70's win over the 80's - easily.

The 80's also had Connan the Barbarian and Highlander that were impressive films of that day. Not the best movies but had a pretty big following and impact on the movie industry.

My friends and I were discussing Sherlock Holmes last night, and I got to thinking about it. I was wondering why so many NWers disliked the movie; it seems quite unpopular here. Normally I have similar tastes and opinions as the people on here, but in this case my opinion differs. I quite liked the Sherlock Holmes movie. I was wondering what elements in it were such a turn-off to others here. Was it just the fact that there was more action than in the books? Or was there more to it than that?

Aside from the action (which, I agree, does differ from the books, although the books do contain some action -- especially the end of The Sign of Four) I didn't think the adaptation was that unfaithful. Downey's Sherlock was a bit less posh than the character in the book, but all his other characteristics seemed to be there, and well-acted. The premise was interesting. The scale was a good deal larger in the movie than most of the cases in the books (which, at times, never get any farther than Holmes' apartment, with only a visitor telling their account and Holmes giving his opinion), but this was a necessary change, considering it was a cinematic film, and not a book or miniseries.

The biggest deviation from the books that I can see is the character of Watson, since Law's portrayal was much more confident and take-charge than the character Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote. Yet most people here (including myself) see Jude Law's Watson as one of the best parts of the movie.

Anyone want to share their thoughts?

~Riella

Elanor,
Here are some excellent Japanese anime (animations) from the 1980's.

Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind (1984)
Laputa: Castle in the Sky (1986)
My Neighbor Totoro (1988)
Grave of the Fireflies (1988)
Kiki's Delivery Service (1989)

And a great live-action fantasy/adventure with elements of horror:
Return to Oz
(the sequel to The Wizard of Oz - and much more interesting than the original, in my opinion).

Ithilwen,
I'm not sure why I don't like the Sherlock movie. Sure, it has something to do with it seeming to be intensely American. It doesn't feel British. The attention to detail is great and the acting is good but the script was poor and highly-predictable. It seemed to be much more about style than substance (but sometimes that doesn't bother me). Also, I never enjoyed what's his name as Sherlock. He's a quality actor but in my mind, he was mis-cast in the role. That's about it.

I'm not sure why I don't like the Sherlock movie. Sure, it has something to do with it seeming to be intensely American. It doesn't feel British.

Interesting. What about it, exactly, makes it feel American instead of British? (I'm not trying to criticize your opinion or disagree with you. I just like to understand people's opinions on things. Especially since I'm interested in writing and film making and like to apply people's opinions to my own work, in order to make my projects more accurate and well-made.) The atmosphere felt very British to me, what with the sets and the costumes, lighting, etc. But then, I'm an American, so I might see things differently than someone outside America. Was it the sets and atmosphere? Or was it the dialogue or something else?

~Riella

I have no problem with the sets. Yes, the tone and atmosphere of the movie felt more American than British. Also, the characterization was particularly American. I can't put my finger on it but British productions are generally more intimate, more subtle, more 'true'.

I think one of the reasons I don't really care for the Sherlock movie as much as the BBC's Sherlock is the portrayal of Sherlock himself. Sherlock is supposed to be eccentric and such as both versions are, but I feel like Downey's Sherlock does so in a slimy, for lack of a better word, way.

Something else that came to mind, a while back when it first came out my friend and I were discussing why she didn't like the Sherlock movie and just the movie in general. She's read a lot of the books (don't know how many and stuff but I know she grew up reading them) and was telling me that even though there's a lot of Sherlock problem-solving in a cool way, the movie tries to highlight the action more than the thinking...

I'm one of the NWebbers who really liked the new Sherlock Holmes movie, Riella. I've never read the books though so I just enjoyed it as a fun, popcorn flick-type movie.

P.S."Brooklyn!"

Outlier, yes, that's the main issue I have with the movie. It's not the action over the mystery (although that has something to do with it) but Robert Downey Jr.'s portrayal of Sherlock - it's so far removed from Sir Conan Arthur Doyle's character. Sherlock was never one for social graces and didn't like people in general but he was never a slime ball womanizer (he was pretty much asexual). Sherlock was polite in his rudeness (if that makes sense), something severely missing from the movie. And yet, I love Jude Law's take on Dr. Watson. Yes, more problem-solving wouldn't go astray, otherwise the end result is basically an action movie with Sherlock Holmes' trappings.

I wouldn't list the Sherlock Holmes movie as one of my favorites, but i'm also one of those who liked it.

I'll agree (mostly) that the character of Holmes was certainly different than in the books, and the style of the movie was also very different; i just happened to like the movie better. I like some of the stories, too, but mostly for their plots, not for the characters.

I just saw "Seven Days In Utopia". um, wow. the whole time, I kept trying to figure out what was missing about the whole plot and all and then I realized - they jumped into the core part of the story too fast with no real intro. there wasn't enough back story and the whole thing felt too fake. each scene felt like it only existed so that the next one could appear. ugh. it was boring too - nothing epic happened. and the acting was sub par and the feeling I had afterward was not a feeling you want people to feel once they have completed a viewing of a movie - good movies make you feel like "yes! I SO wanna go out and do what the character did" or "wow! play that again!" or something of the like. what I felt after watching this movie was a weird combination of baffling confusion mixed with a million questions that made no sense and a sense of disgust that I'd wasted 2 hours watching rubbish when I could have been watching something much better

just my two cents

I'm surprised you didn't like that movie, if anyone would I was sure it'd be you. I saw Seven Days in Utopia in theaters and rather enjoyed it. Yes, the acting was sub-par, but the same can be said for Sherwood pics, (and don't you enjoy those?).

But I gotta ask, what is your definition for "epic"? You use the word for nearly everything I'm not even sure what you mean with it, to be honest. Seven Days in Utopia isn't the type of movie anyone should expect anything "epic" from, (if one goes by its definition).