80's movies I can show my kids (quality not necessary)

[menace]

So I've been slowly exposing my kids (boys age 9 and 10) to 80's action adventure flicks that I loved as a kid.  Every friday we try and have a family movie night and I take every opportunity to expose them to cheesy movies 

So far we have done:
Krull (loved it)
Big trouble in little china (loved it)
the explorers (thumbs up)
jaws
Jaws 2 (they thought it was cheesy)
jaws 3 (watched about 5 minutes and even they said it was dumb lol)
Willow (loved it)--the videogame for this one is surprisingly ok..
National treasure movies (not 80's but they still love the treasure hunt shows)
The last starfighter
flight of the navigator
ghostbusters franchise

next on the list:
battle beyond the planets
maybe some king solomon's mines

Any other long forgotten gems you guys can think of in the "space quest" "treasure hunt" vein of movies?  Doesn't have to be 80's...

[harveybirdman]

Flash Gordon (some adult themes)

[harveybirdman]

Enemy Mine

[mrhowell]

The Goonies and Raiders of the Lost Ark.

[harveybirdman]

I think Alan Quartermain had another one besides king Solomons mine that was pretty good.

I always liked Firewalker when I was a lad and if you get them into Chuck Norris there are tons of gems from him in the 80s

[pbj]

Kids grew up a little faster in the 80s.  I'm always surprised at some of the themes in movies from that era...

[harveybirdman]

The muff in Rrevenge of the Nerds is just for you Jim...

[Thenasty]

E.T
Starman
Short Circuit
Ferris Buelers Day Off
Labyrinth
Willow
Big Adventure of Pee-Wee

[shponglefan]

The Dark Crystal

[JDFan]

Since you said they don't need to be 80's ( pretty sure they were still rerunning in the 80's)

The original Planet of the apes series
 or
Tommy

If sticking to the 80's

American werewolf in london
Aliens
Back to the future
Beverly hills cop
Rambo
Little shop of horrors

[Howard_Casto]

Flight of the Navigator
All the Pee Wee Films
Goonies
Indiana Jones
The Rocketeer

[harveybirdman]

Cloak and Dagger
Brain 17
Buckaroo Banzi Across the 8th Dimension
Dark man
Real Genius

[Titchgamer]

What? No Karate Kid miyagi son!?

[Le Chuck]

Better off Dead
Romancing the Stone
Jewel of the Nile
Real Genius
Breakfast Club
Ferris Bueller's Day Off
Weird Science
Flight of Dragons
Last Unicorn

[menace]

Some good suggestions there--thanks!

Others I thought of last night
ice pirates (not sure of the rating of that one)
time bandits
legend
highlander (there can be only one....movie)

We tried the last unicorn but they didn't like the characters that talk to themselves.  I found the first sequence annoying as well--I forgot how much singing was in the old rankin bass cartoons.

I'll probably hold off on rambo and the others along those lines

[Titchgamer]

Cant remember when they came out but the Earnest films were funny.

[harveybirdman]

There is a futuristic retelling of Shane that stars Patrick Swayze that I liked a loy Steel Dawn or something like that..

[Le Chuck]

Ice pirates is fine. One sex scene that doesn't show anything and some lewd castration humor. Space herpes.

Red Sonja was good.

[shponglefan]

Red Sonja was good.

Wut?  First time I saw that movie I was a teenager, and even back then I thought it was bad.

[BadMouth]

The Dark Crystal

+1

3 Ninjas

When they get a little older, you must show them Airplane! and Kentucky Fried Movie.

[harveybirdman]

Yeah Kentucky Fried movie is in the category Jim mentioned.... I do love those Catholic high school girls in trouble though.....

Also I liked Red Sonja too even if it was campy, gotta watch it as well as the Conan movies.

[pbj]

How about Project X?  And if you get the wrong one, the results will be hilarious.

[BadMouth]

The Neverending Story

I just watched the trailer and realized that I don't remember anything about it other than the flying dog/dragon thing.

[harveybirdman]

They look like strong hands.... don't they....

[harveybirdman]

ARTEX bruh.... Artex.

Atreyu was the boy.

[BadMouth]

The Neverending Story

I just watched the trailer and realized that I don't remember anything about it other than the flying dog/dragon thing.

you don't remember the horse Atreyu?

Also the dragon-thinigie was Falkor

Drawing a blank, but I think there is currently a rock band called Atreyu.
I think I don't listen to them because they have the whiney lead vocals that seem to be popular nowadays.

[pbj]

Dude, Atreyu was modestly popular in like 2005.

Anyway, the book and movie are weird as hell, and the movie attempts to tone it down.

[harveybirdman]

ARTEX bruh.... Artex.

Atreyu was the boy.

I thought I typed "the horse & Atreyu"

I thought you were administering a secret Geek test.... Anyways... I passed.

[Howard_Casto]

The Neverending Story

I just watched the trailer and realized that I don't remember anything about it other than the flying dog/dragon thing.

Something that bothered me about those films was the fact that it was obviously some kind of magical dog and not a dragon, yet nobody in the entire film ever addresses it.  Also he's named Falcor and isn't a falcon. 

[pbj]

And they name the princess Moon Child even though she isn't from the moon.

[Howard_Casto]

And they name the princess Moon Child even though she isn't from the moon.

Dude you can nit-pick all you want but in a movie where a thing that bites rocks is named "the rock biter" it makes no sense to have a dragon that looks like a dog and is named after a falcon. 

[harveybirdman]

It always creeped me out that the warrior was beheaded and Artax died.... but whatevz.

As long as we're talking 80's movies that rock add:

Gleaming the Cube
RAD

[pbj]

Stand By Me was a pretty good, one, too.

[BadMouth]

Original 1986 animated The Transformers: The Movie

Complete with awesome 80's movie soundtrack...

! No longer available

[pbj]

I actually bought the Canadian VHS version of that just to get Spike's line.  :-P

[markc74]

No Princess Bride?

Inconceivable!

[BadMouth]

I actually bought the Canadian VHS version of that just to get Spike's line.  :-P

Had to google it.  Was worth it.

[menace]

Ah yes princess bride--they really liked that one--they even liked the neverending story which clearly had an ending unlike its name would suggest...

I was so mad at the transformer's movie--they basically wiped out all my favs within the first 10 minutes then spent the rest of the movie on no-names--damn toy companies...

[knave]

What about?:

Tron
War Games
Above the Law, Hard to kill, Marked for Death, Out For Justice, and Under Siege. (feel free to add more Segal Movies but Earlier is better IMO)
Commando, Predator, Raw Deal, Running Man (Most of the Arnold movies are at least fun.)
Bloodsport, Cyborg, Kickboxer, Lionheart. (Jean Claude has a few more that are fun)
Red Dawn (the original)
Back to the Future

Honorable mention to some non action movies that I still liked:

16 Candles
Breakfast club
Fast times at Ridgemont High
Stand and deliver
Licensed to Drive
Stand By Me
Lucas
The Lost Boys
Can't Buy Me Love

[BadMouth]

the explorers (thumbs up)

I'd forgotten about that movie until this thread.
Absolutely loved it as a kid.
I typed the plot into google trying to figure out the name, then saw you'd already watched it.

EDIT: It's available to watch free on Vudu with ads.  Also on Netflix.

[shponglefan]

Original 1986 animated The Transformers: The Movie

Complete with awesome 80's movie soundtrack...

! No longer available

Oh hells yes!  Greatest 80's movie ever made in the history of everything.

[popsicle]

The Monster Squad
Dragonslayer
The Adventures of Baron Munchausen
Beetlejuice
Superman II
UHF

[yotsuya]

the explorers (thumbs up)

I'd forgotten about that movie until this thread.
Absolutely loved it as a kid.
I typed the plot into google trying to figure out the name, then saw you'd already watched it.

EDIT: It's available to watch free on Vudu with ads.  Also on Netflix.

I'm sorry, Explorers is an awesome movie until you actually meet the aliens, then it quickly develops into a studio mandated suckfest.

[Howard_Casto]

Original 1986 animated The Transformers: The Movie

Complete with awesome 80's movie soundtrack...

! No longer available

Oh hells yes!  Greatest 80's movie ever made in the history of everything.

On paper it's the greatest film ever made.  You like actors?  It has the best actor, Orson Wells in a starring role.  Like music?  Well Stan Busch, Spectre General and Lion do the soundtrack.  Like parody music?  It has the best parody musician, Weird Al, doing a track.  How about SciFi?  The best scifi actor, Leonard Nimoy, is also in a starring role.  Like people who talk fast?  Well the guy in Guinness, for the fastest speech also does a voice.  How about popular actors?  Well Judd Nelson is in it.  Voice actors?  Well the best voice actor, Frank Welker, does several roles. 

Seriously I know the Transformers were big back in the day, but I still don't know how they pulled that off.  I'm guessing bag after bag of money.   

[Xiaou2]

 Besides the greats already listed...
 I started sifting through my brain...  and then moved on to some lists to help me remember some titles.
No time to really sort them...  and some are not for 'kids'... depending on the age of the kid.

 Anything with a  " * "   Is something special, IMO.    Not always widely popular... but really good, and should be watched.
 Anything with a  " ? "   Means I cant remember how good it was... or if its not kid related.

 - Big Trouble In Little China
 * Remo Williams the Adventure Begins  (Great comedy and action combo)
 - The Last Dragon
 * 36th Chamber of Shaolin  (not from 80s...  but is a must watch.   Watch the english dub version on this one)

 * Drive (Dacascos - 1987)   (Marks moves in this film are pretty damn fly.  Starts a little cheesy.. but by the end, one should really enjoy it)
 - Red Scorpion?
 - Red Heat?
 - Kickboxer
 - Tiger Claws?
 - Highlander
 - Bloodsport
 - Roadhouse


 - Flash Gordon
 - Conan The Barbarian  / Destroyer
 - Back to the Future
 - Tron
 - Cannonball Run
 - Beverly Hills cop

 - Ferris Beulers Day Off
 * Mannequin
 - One Crazy Summer
 - Say Anything
 - Beetlejuice
 - Weird Science

 - Vacation Movies (Chevy Chase)
 - Police Academy Series
 - The Three Amigos
 - Trading Places
 - Airplane
 - Caddy Shack
 - Stir Crazy?
 - Coming to America
 - A Christmas Story
 - Scrooged
 - Overboard

 - Red Dawn
 - 48 Hours
 - Gleaming the Cube?
 * Stand and Deliver  (Powerful real life tale,  that inspires)
 - Pretty in Pink
 - The Witches of Eastwick
 - Footloose
 - Fletch / Fletch Lives
 - Romancing the Stone

 
* They Live   (great classic,   that in many ways mirrors our leaderships inner workings!    )
 - War Games
 - The Wraith?
 - Iron Eagle
 - Top Gun
 - Labyrinth
 - Indiana Jones (all)
 - Big
 - The Blues Brothers
 - Crocodile Dundee(s)
 - The Great Outdoors
 - Batman
 - Lethal Weapon
 - The Golden Child
 - Cocoon
 - Amadeus?
 
 - A view to a Kill
 - Back to School
 - Bill and Teds Excellent Adventure
 * Black Rain  (Great action / drama  - of an American cop,  working in Japan)
 
 * Crossroads (Ralf Macchio of Karate Kid fame.   Has an EPIC guitar battle at the end - against Steve Vai)
 - The Goonies
 - Jumpin Jack Flash
 - Just one of the Guys?
 - My Stepmother is an Alien

 - Running Scared?
 - Summer Rental (John Candy)
 - Tango and Cash
 - Major League
 - Clash of the Titans
 - Ghandi ?

 * Gotcha!    (A lesser known title, that is really great.  A lighter-hearted action - spy  thriller  )
 - Spies Like Us
 - The Jewel of the Nile
 - Cloak and Dagger

 - The Manhattan Project
 - The Philidelphia Experiment ?
 - All of Me ?

 - Gung Ho?
 - Volunteers?
 - Porkys?

 - Brewsters Millions?
 - Cocktail
 - The Color Purple
 - Great Balls of Fire
 - Alien Nation?

 - Breakin  /  Breakin II  ?
 - Mom and Dad save the world?

 - Night of the Comet
 - The Shining!
 - The Lost Boys
 - Once Bitten

 * Tucker:  The man and his dreams   (Great drama about the creator of the great Tucker Automobile,  ...destroyed by outside corruption)
 * Fright Night
 * warlock  (Not sure if this is as well known as I suspect.  Very cool film. Not as scary as witchboard, but has a great feel to it)
 * witchboard  (scary flick last I remember.  A great ride)

[harveybirdman]

Uh I hate that you thought of Remo Williams the Adventure Begins before I did...

[Howard_Casto]

I thought of one that's a rather deep cut and I'm not sure if children are supposed to watch it, but for whatever reason me and my grandma watched it when I was a kid and we about died laughing. 

Lightning Jack. 

It's Paul Hogan's other movie besides the Dundee films.  He's in the old west with a mute Cuba Gooding Jr.  Really under-rated. 

[Titchgamer]

Ooo and The Gremlins 1&2!
Even more so they are releasing 3 soon!

Porkys was funny but not really kid friendly lol

The scene in the principals office cracked me up!!

[Le Chuck]

I thought of one that's a rather deep cut and I'm not sure if children are supposed to watch it, but for whatever reason me and my grandma watched it when I was a kid and we about died laughing. 

Lightning Jack. 

It's Paul Hogan's other movie besides the Dundee films.  He's in the old west with a mute Cuba Gooding Jr.  Really under-rated.

Or the reverse movie, Quigley Down Under, with Tom Hanks Selleck in the outback during the late 1800s

Alan Rickman is the villain, because of course he would be.

Edit:  Thanks Scott!  Yeah, no idea what I was thinking when I wrote that lol

[PL1]

Quigley Down Under, with Tom Hanks Selleck

FTFY   


Scott

[dkersten]

Reliving 80's movies is like having a threesome - sometimes fun but never as good as you imagined it in your head...

Bloodsport came on a couple months ago and I insisted the GF and I watch it, since it was "like, the best movie ever" in my head.  Well, I ruined that fond memory.  Sadly I will never get to say "OMG, Bloodsport was so awesome!" again.

Granted, some classics will always be great, and sometimes the quality of the movie was in how cheesy it was.  But use caution when trying to show your kids how cool the 80's were..

There are a few worth waiting until your kids are in high school to show them.. 16 Candles and Breakfast Club are two of the greats, and if you want to make an 80's fan out of a teenager, show them movies they will relate to.

[lilshawn]

I watched "My Neighbor Totoro" with my cousin back in the 80's and I watch it with my 3 kids today. (11, 6, and 3yrs) It's a great fantasy adventure type of movie that also has a bit of scary drama in it. It's hilarious when in one part of the movie he roars and the kids roar in concert back.

i recommend watching the Fox version though, not the re-redubbed Disney version. Dakota Fannings voice grates ---my bottom--- and makes my ears bleed. (actually I would recommend watching the original japanese voiced and subtitled version but that's just me)


if you like the film, i'd honestly recommend any of the Studio Ghibli collection mainline. (Howl's Moving Castle, Ponyo, Kiki's Delivery Service, Spirited Away.) They are all great and my kids love them.

[otsep]

My kids like Castle in Sky as well


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[fallacy]

Back To The Future
The Goonies
Total Recall
HONEY I SHRUNK THE KIDS
Short Circuit
Army of Darkness
Office Space
Predator
Terminator 2

[popsicle]

1/2 of the ppl here either a) don't know when the 80's were or b) don't know what kids are.

[dgame]

WarGames

[menace]

Tried time bandits last night--we only got about 20 minutes in and they lost interest--The accents were pretty heavy for them I guess--and I don't think they got subtle british humour.  We just settled on a marathon of gravity falls--great cartoon!

[Ginsu Victim]

We just settled on a marathon of gravity falls--great cartoon!

---fudgesicle--- yes! It has one of the best storylines I've seen on television in some time (yes, even up against some live action series). It features a lot of great voice talent, plus it's only two seasons, so it doesn't take long to finish either.

[yotsuya]

1/2 of the ppl here either a) don't know when the 80's were or b) don't know what kids are.

[Le Chuck]

1/2 of the ppl here either a) don't know when the 80's were or b) don't know what kids are.

The '80s started in 1973 and continued on until roughly 1998.  Kids are baby goats and they are ---smurfing--- adorable.  Have you seem them in little jackets?  Oh. My. Gawd. 

[shponglefan]

Bloodsport came on a couple months ago and I insisted the GF and I watch it, since it was "like, the best movie ever" in my head.  Well, I ruined that fond memory.  Sadly I will never get to say "OMG, Bloodsport was so awesome!" again.

On the flipside, sometimes movies are even better than I remember.  Road House being a prime example.  Gets better every time I watch it.

[pbj]

This thread inspired me to finally read The Neverending Story.  The movie is actually a reasonably faithful adaptation that stops abruptly halfway through the book.

 

[Howard_Casto]

This thread inspired me to finally read The Neverending Story.  The movie is actually a reasonably faithful adaptation that stops abruptly halfway through the book.

 

So is the sequel the other half, or does it totally go off script?

[BadMouth]

I woke up earlier than usual on Saturday morning and Remo Williams was just coming on TV.
Normally I wouldn't have acknowledged it, but thanks to this thread I half watched it while making breakfast and cleaning the living room.
Good stuff.  I have a feeling I'm going to catch a lot of these movies on the oddball non-network antenna channels that I get.
Of course they'll be in standard definition 4:3 format, but that just adds to the nostalgia. 

[pbj]

Yeah, that's what the ZOOM button on your remote is for.

[popsicle]

1/2 of the ppl here either a) don't know when the 80's were or b) don't know what kids are.

The '80s started in 1973 and continued on until roughly 1998.  Kids are baby goats and they are ---smurfing--- adorable.  Have you seem them in little jackets?  Oh. My. Gawd.

No, but I've seen them in Full Metal Jackets. Great kid movie, by the way.

[lilshawn]

1/2 of the ppl here either a) don't know when the 80's were or b) don't know what kids are.

The '80s started in 1973 and continued on until roughly 1998.  Kids are baby goats and they are ---smurfing--- adorable.  Have you seem them in little jackets?  Oh. My. Gawd.

No, but I've seen them in Full Metal Jackets. Great kid movie, by the way.

Gunnery Sergeant Hartman is such a relatable character and was adored by everyone.  Even Private Pyle had to give him a present by the end of the first half of the movie..

[leapinlew]

Leave it to a bunch of dudes to forget about classics like:

Grease
Grease II
Xanadu

[Ian]

I watched The Last Dragon a couple of nights ago... Now that is a classic kick ass movie.




Sho'nuff

[popsicle]

I watched The Last Dragon a couple of nights ago... Now that is a classic kick ass movie.




Sho'nuff

Am I the meanest?
Am I the prettiest?
Am I the baddest low down mofo around this town?
Well, who am I?
WHO AM I?
SHO'NUFF!!!

[Howard_Casto]

When I was in high school I would walk into art class and ask who the baddest man in the land was....  Sho nuff!

A nerd at everything else, but I kick Art's ass. 

[KLRinstinct]

We I was a kid I used to watch Teen Wolf a lot lol.
Also +1 for The Princess Bride epic movie.

[yotsuya]

The wife and I are watching Valley Girl right now

[pbj]

Queue up The Elephant Man next....

[Howard_Casto]

"I am not an animal!" is my go to catch phrase... right up there with "can't we all just get along". 

[Slotman2012]

Sand lot. Ur killing me smalls.


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[RayB]

The guy asks for movies suitable for 9 and 10 year olds and you're all mostly listing movies aimed at teenagers or above.

Breakfast Club? Seriously? Do you want his kids to fear entering High School?

[dkersten]

The guy asks for movies suitable for 9 and 10 year olds and you're all mostly listing movies aimed at teenagers or above.

Breakfast Club? Seriously? Do you want his kids to fear entering High School?

Quote from my post.  It helps to read the whole thing and not skim it for titles:

There are a few worth waiting until your kids are in high school to show them.. 16 Candles and Breakfast Club are two of the greats, and if you want to make an 80's fan out of a teenager, show them movies they will relate to.

The 80's for me was from age 11-20.  My favorite movies from the era are probably not all going to be suitable for a 9 year old.  There was a lot of cheese in the 80's, and only a handful of titles that hold up to the nostalgia.  I'm finding that out as I am building my media collection up.  Better Off Dead, 16 Candles, Breakfast Club, Vacation... All great movies even after 30 years, but I wouldn't show them to a youngster..  Then again, you get worse stuff on Disney channel these days.

[Slotman2012]

Sand lot. Ur killing me smalls.

Yes, the Sandlot that came out in 1993 is my favorite movie from the 1980s! 

Hey there were other 90's movie on other lists. Still a great movie for kids. My 9 year old daughter loves it.




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[yotsuya]

Becoming a teacher ruined The Breakfast Club for me for a while there.

[BadMouth]

Not appropriate for kids, but seems appropriate for this thread:

I watched The Running Man last night (got a free rental on Vudu for it).
It takes place in the year 2017.

The biggest thing they got wrong was the length of actual show time between commercial breaks.
I'd mention the relevancy of the basic themes of the movie, but that would land us in PnR.

Aside from the dancer's outfits, I think it has held up well.

Lots of great sound samples in that movie:

[dkersten]

I used to laugh at the price of a Coke in Running Man.  Then I started seeing $3.00 Coke machines in airports... The only thing missing there is they were still trying to use quarters to pay for it, lol.