NEWS AND NOTES

THAT WAS THE DECADE THAT...
... John Belushi died of a drug overdose, Ronald Reagan was elected US President then suffered an assassination attempt at the hands of a deranged Jodie Foster fan, Jane Fonda launched her workout tapes, Rob Lowe made a tape of a different kind, Batman launched the blockbuster hype machine, Richard Pryor set himself on fire and much more...

FEATURES

HIGH CONCEPT
How the High Concept movie formula and the über-producing team of Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer took the Hollywood film industry by storm... fast, loud and hard.

BACK TO THE FUTURE
Great Scott! The story of how the time-travelling adventure beat the clock to become one of the biggest hits of the ’80s.

VIDEO NASTIES
Before DVD, there used to be these things called videotapes. They were clunky and cumbersome, but if you knew the right people to ask, you could watch really grotty horror films on them. The sensational story of the video nasty.

PLATOON
With only $6.5 million and a bedraggled cast and crew in the jungles of the Philippines, Oliver Stone changed the way the world viewed the Vietnam War.

MIGHTY MOMENTS
The greatest/funniest/weirdest moments to flash across the cinema screen throughout the decade. (Does not include that ad for the Indian restaurant just around the corner from your local Odeon.)

STALLONE VS SCHWARZENEGGER
In the ’80s they were seen fighting fiercely on screen. But behind the scenes, Sly and Arnie fought even harder against one another to be seen as the decade’s No1 all-action hero.

SCARFACE
They took an old black-and-white gangster film from the ’30s, threw in Shouty Al, a script from Oliver Stone and whisked it all up for the tale of a crazy Cuban craftily creating a cocaine cartel. (Warning: contains multiple uses of the word “fuck”.)

OFF THE WALL: MOVIE POSTERS
The greatest (and worst) posters of the era. Interestingly, two feature prominent boxers, three sport characters in shades, two showcase Harrison Ford, but just one has Mr T in leggings. Shame.

DISASTER MOVIES
The stinkiest, flabbiest, scabbiest turkeys to stagger out of Hollywood film lots in the ’80s. Remember Heaven’s Gate? Or better yet, don’t.

THE RISE OF JAMES CAMERON
From the depths of Piranha II The Spawning to aliens beneath the ocean in The Abyss. How James Cameron made a massive splash with The Terminator and Aliens.

AND THE OSCAR GOES TO...
A complete rundown of the highs, the lows, the winners, the quips, the gaffs, the venue, the hosts and everything else you need to know about each of the Oscars ceremonies without being there.

THE KINGS OF COMEDY
After starting life as a new-style comedy show in a TV graveyard slot, Saturday Night Live supplied Hollywood with a slew of jesters ready to joke Hollywood into submission.

TEENAGE KICKS
In the ’80s, you weren’t a proper screen-teen unless you were crashing your parents’ car or moping about how no one understood the real you.

FACES OF THE '80S

TOM CRUISE
Y’know. That toothy fella who’s married to the actress from out of Batman Begins. The fledging years of one Mr Tom Cruise, from dancing in his socks, shades and pants in Risky Business to flying by the seat of them in that decade-defining, flyboy classic Top Gun.

MICHAEL J FOX
How a popular, pint-sized sitcom star made the giant leap to ’80s movie startdom with Teen Wolf, The Secret Of My Success and the massive Back To The Future franchise.

HARRISON FORD
From Han Solo’s laser blaster to Indiana Jones’ leather bullwhip and back again: the story behind the decade’s most bankable star, including how he survived the troubled making of Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner.

KEVIN COSTNER
He began the decade by being cut out of The Big Chill, but the California native went on to launch an ’80s hit streak that was the envy of his Hollywood peers, making some fine movies on the way.

MEL GIBSON
People sat up and took notice after he went mad as Max and then really got excited when he played crazy cop in Lethal Weapon. How Mad Mel became a superstar.

SIGOURNEY WEAVER
She took on acid-blooded aliens and Bill Murray’s sarcastic wit. In a decade dominated by bulky action men and angry teens, she was a woman to be reckoned with.

THE BEST FILMS OF...

1980
The ’80s began with axe-wielding horror (The Shining), sci-fi sequels (The Empire Strikes Back) and monochrome punch-ups (Raging Bull).

1981
The year of the reckless adventurer, with (anti) heroes kicking ass in Escape From New York, Mad Max 2 and Raiders Of The Lost Ark.

1982
From the hope-filled ET: The Extra-Terrestrial to the downcast Blade Runner, this was the year that sci-fi went huge (and not a Skywalker in sight).

1983
It was all about belly laughs this year, with Chevy Chase starring in National Lampoon’s Vacation and Steve Martin as The Man With Two Brains.

1984
Arnie rampaged through LA in The Terminator, the Ghostbusters cleaned up in New York and Eddie Murphy and his laugh invaded Beverly Hills.

1985
Thanks to The Goonies and Back To The Future, the Truffle Shuffle and Flux Capacitor become instant-grin phrases. The kids are alright...

1986
Hannibal Lektor [sic] chewed up the screen in Manhunter, Cruise went supersonic in Top Gun and James Cameron embarked on a bug hunt in Aliens.

1987
Greed is good (Wall Street), extra-marital affairs are bad (Fatal Attraction) and Mel Gibson with a mullet is funny (Lethal Weapon).

1988
Bruce Willis saves the day in a dirty vest (Die Hard), Tom Hanks grows up too soon (Big) and Kevin Kline eats a fish called Wanda.

1989
The decade ends with a race riot (Do The Right Thing), a caped crusader (Batman) and ghostly sportsmen (Field Of Dreams).

TOP TENS

No 1: Lousy Sequels
No 2: Cameos
No 3: Gross-Out