Correcting People Who Are Older Than Me: Part 1

I've been an 80s fan for as long as I can remember...As such, I've done a lot of research into the pop culture of the decade and I think I have a pretty decent knowledge of it. I'm also a fan of VH1's "I Love The 80s" programs. It's interesting to see their panelists do takes on the culture of the 80s. The people at VH1 did make two errors, though, when "I Love The 80s 3-D" aired.

First off, they talked about "Predator" in the 1987 episode. I have nothing against the movie. It's a sterling piece of sci-fi action with funny one-liners delivered by Schwarzenegger, Ventura and Carl Weathers. It's a fun movie to watch when it airs on one of the Starz/Encore channels. There's just one catch: They already discussed it in the 1987 episode of "I Love The 80s Strikes Back". It was talked about in a piece about 80s action movies alongside "RoboCop" (Note to self: Caps, see this movie...Why the Hell haven't you yet?) and "Over The Top" (which I would classify as more of a "power drama" than an action movie).

Here are 5 random items they could've talked about in the 1987 episode instead:

1.) "Spaceballs". Many people in my age bracket (early to mid-20s) have viewed this movie multiple times. I'm a tremendous fan of it (I did the page for it over at the 80s Movies Rewind...Look up that site. It's a great resource for 80s flicks). I love it to the point that if I see an actor from the movie in another role, I'll quote "Spaceballs". A few weeks ago, I watched a bit of the movie "Newsies", which co-starred Bill Pullman (who played Lone Starr). The first words that came out of my mouth when I saw him were "We're not just doing this for money...WE'RE DOING IT FOR A SHITLOAD OF MONEY!". That's the kind of quotability this movie has. Side note: They could've talked about this Mel Brooks movie from '87 instead of "History Of The World: Part 1" in the 1981 episode of "...3-D" and replaced "History..." with "The Howling" and "Wolfen" to complement the discussion of "An American Werewolf In London".

2.) "Evil Dead 2". I haven't seen this movie either, but I do know that this film carries great meaning to cult film fans. All I know is that this is a remake of "The Evil Dead" and that Ash (Bruce Campbell's character) has his hand cut off and he replaces it with a chainsaw. That's comedy gold right there, both in the movie and for the commentators. Campbell is quite a funny person based on the interviews I've seen with him. He sure as Hell would've been better than The Modern Humorist.

3.) "DuckTales". While not the first cartoon Disney did for TV (having been preceded by "The Wuzzles" and "The Gummi Bears"), this was one of the most notable of their 80s efforts. This was a very funny show and quite exciting for younger audiences. The theme song was also enjoyable, having been compared in some circles to Phil Collins' work around the time of "No Jacket Required".

4.) "Full Metal Jacket". Another quotable movie, this was one of the best war films of the 80s. The best character was easily Gunnery Sgt. Hartman (R. Lee Ermey). If you mention this around some guys, they can launch into a pitch-perfect take on Hartman's riffs on the soldiers. ("Texas? Holy dogshit! Only steers and queers come from Texas..."). The second half of the movie is great with lines like "If I'm gonna die for a word, my word is poontang." and the immortal "Me so horny. Me love you long time". Great stuff.

5.) New Order. Their compilation "Substance" came out in 1987 and any 80s fan worth their salt knows of songs like "True Faith" and "Touched By The Hand Of God. Their electro songs had a danceable yet melancholy sense to them with lyrics that are open to interpretation. For example, they say that "True Faith" is about heroin addiction. Maybe it's about a man wondering whether to commit suicide or not. It exercises your body and mind at the same time.

This list is by no means complete. I'm sure that you can come up with at least 10 subjects of your own after having read this piece. Still, I have a sense that the readers of this website know more about the 80s than the people at VH1 do.

Coming soon: 1989 will get the same treatment. Stay tuned and keep your minds moving.