John Cox

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Tagged 1980s · everything

Apple Music - Web Player

The Magic Number by De La Soul on Apple Music

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De La Soul's 1989 debut *3 Feet High and Rising* revolutionized hip-hop by embracing eccentric, genre-agnostic production that drew samples from Schoolhouse Rock, Steely Dan, Johnny Cash, and obscure sources rather than the standard James Brown and Funkadelic fare, creating a playful, boundary-pushing sound that established them as alternative-nation thought leaders. The album's stream of consciousness lyrics, loopy slang, and whimsical skits wrapped in cultural commentary about self-expression and individuality became a blueprint for decades of alternative rap, influencing everyone from Arrested Development to Gorillaz. The group's catalog was kept off streaming services for years due to copyright clearance issues stemming from their aggressive sampling, making the recent release particularly bittersweet following member Trugoy's death in 2023.

Permalink music1980sclassics

www.worldofreel.com

The Most Underrated Films of the 1980s

A curated list of thirty overlooked 1980s films argues that the decade's real richness lies outside its blockbuster-and-sequel reputation, in mid-budget, adult-oriented work that resisted mainstream form. Titles like Thief, Cutter's Way, The Stunt Man, Star 80, and Secret Honor are highlighted for their tonal instability, moral ambiguity, and formal experimentation—qualities the piece frames as a shared undercurrent of stylistic rebellion rather than a unified movement. It's essentially a viewing list paired with a critical case for revisiting the decade's neglected margins rather than its canonized classics.

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movieweb.com

The 20 Most Underrated Movies of the 1980s

A ranked rundown of 1980s films the writer thinks deserve more love than they got, spanning ten entries from Weir's "The Mosquito Coast" through De Palma's "Body Double" and Parker's "Angel Heart," each judged against its box-office haul, critical reception, and star power (Ford, Cruise, Rourke, De Niro, Bigelow's directing debut era, etc.). The throughline is that quality filmmaking and strong casts often didn't translate into ticket sales or contemporary acclaim, leaving these titles as cult favorites rather than recognized classics. Worth keeping as a watchlist of genre-spanning deep cuts—horror-Western, neo-noir, sci-fi, gangster drama—from a stacked decade.

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eddieonfilm.blogspot.com

Edward Copeland on Film...and more: Comic Training, Sir!

This retrospective essay celebrates *Stripes* as a quintessential early-1980s comedy that channels the anarchistic spirit of SNL-era comedies through Bill Murray's deadpan performance and his chemistry with Harold Ramis as two directionless men who enlist in the Army to get their lives together. The piece traces the film's development from its origins as a Cheech and Chong concept, analyzes the brilliance of Murray's comedic choices and subtle physical humor, and credits director Ivan Reitman with casting Warren Oates as the perfect authoritarian foil and allowing improvisation on set to enhance the comedy. While acknowledging the weak final act set in an Eastern Bloc country, the author argues that the film's strong first two-thirds, witty dialogue, and ensemble cast make it one of Murray's finest comedies, though its premise feels dated in contemporary times when military service lacks the whimsical appeal it had during the Cold War.

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