For this week's Ranked!, we compiled the twenty-five greatest movies from twenty-five years ago, 1987. Tell us what you think when you get down to #1. And let us know if you would've ordered them differently.
Here are numbers 11-15:
15. Robocop
When I first saw the movie poster for Robocop I couldn't help but think, "Man, that looks cheesy." In an era where Schwarzenegger and Stallone were kicking serious ass with shear brawn and unlimited ammo, a dude in a metal suit looked like something that should be going straight-to-video. But part of what makes Robocop so awesome is that it doesn't rely on the charisma of a gun-toting meathead. It's a parable for man's struggle to maintain his humanity in the face of ever-growing technology. It's a social commentary on the rise of corporate power and the outsourcing of our responsibility for justice. And... oh, let's face it, it's an ultra-violent awesomefest where dudes are blown the hell up with giant guns and, in one memorable instance, a combination of radioactive waste and a high-speed impact. Robocop was responsible for more cheering from the basement couch at my best friend's house than any other movie, largely because it knew its audience (17 year-old boys) and what they wanted. They don't make 'em like they used to.--CroutonBoy
14. Full Metal Jacket
Full Metal Jacket is really two movies. The latter half is a Vietnam movie through and through, sharing its motifs, action, and politics with movies like Platoon and Hamburger Hill. But it's first half--the half which to me makes this the greatest Vietnam movie, and probably army movie, of all time--is set in boot camp before any shots are fired. The story of the training of America's young men in preparation for a horrific war, and the toll that training can take, is so heart-wrenching and chilling that it haunts you long after the final frame. It's utterly riveting film making, and probably kept more than a few kids away from the local recruiter's office. And best of all, it introduced the world to R. Lee Ermey, the prototype for every cinematic drill sergeant and the source of some of the greatest verbal abuse ever committed to film. All the best quotes are all virtually unprintable, so for your enjoyment and a little motivation, I've linked to them here. But just remember, the Marine Corps lives forever, which means YOU will live for ever. Sir, yes sir!--CroutonBoy
13. Adventures In Babysitting
I've always found it difficult to judge movies out of context. When someone asks me, "What's your favorite movie?" I always have to qualify the answer by saying, "It depends on my mood." I like a wide variety of movies. Some of my favorites are universally considered great cinema (like The Godfather) and some are considered pure crap (like Friday The 13th), but I like them all for different reasons. And there are some that I consider my guilty pleasures: movies in a genre that I normally wouldn't like but, for some reason, appeal to me all the same. Tops on that list is Adventures In Babysitting.Part of it is that I had a crush on Elizabeth Shue from the first moment I saw her in The Karate Kid; that's what initially drew me in. From that point on, it was just the pure fun of the movie that made me a lifelong fan. I love a good "I'm just trying to get home but the whole world is working against me" movie, and I don't think that any movie pulls off that plot device in quite as fun a way. (After Hours was another '80s movie that did it very well, but that movie is a little dark and twisted at times.) Everything about Adventures In Babysitting just clicks for me. It's a movie I can watch any time and enjoy it just as much as I did the first time I saw it in the theater.--Dave
12. Evil Dead II
Bloodiest episode of The Three Stooges EVER.--Chris
