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I'm more familiar with the remake, Under Suspicion, which had Gene Hackman and Morgan Freeman in the leads.

I love that every good French movie has a mediocre American remake that erases the memory of the original

The original I don't even think has been available in the States since VHS. And a for a while, you couldn't find the remake as it didn't get a big theatrical release domestically and the rights for that one are a mess.

I had completely forgotten about the existence of this unnecessary US remake !

#20

Boosh: Grave of the Fireflies (1988)
I'm shocked, I still haven't seen Grave of the Fireflies !

JohnErle: Fright Night (1985)
I think I've seen the remake, but never the original.

Ron: Midnight Run (1988)
Only seen it once, and I remember having fun, but I don't remember much of it.

six: Predator (1987)
Strangely, I've never been a fan of Predator. Maybe I should rewatch it since it's so popular, but it used to bore me.

StarLord: Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)
Now that's more in my alley ! I made the choice to only list one Indy film in my countdown, but I could have cited all three from the 80's.

transformers: Heathers (1989)
Never seen this one either.

numbersix wrote: ↑

January 17th, 2024, 2:43 pm

I love that every good French movie has a mediocre American remake that erases the memory of the original

This observation somehow had the reverse effect on me as it suddenly reminded me of the existence of Brick Mansions

Which came first: Brick Mansions of the "parkour" joke from The Office? If the latter came first, then that shows you how unnecessary Brick Mansions was.

Edit: the Office episode came nearly five years before Brick Mansions. That and the Seann William Scott subplot in Cop Out together seemed to kill parkour as a thing completely.

transformers2 wrote: ↑

January 17th, 2024, 6:44 pm

numbersix wrote: ↑

January 17th, 2024, 2:43 pm

I love that every good French movie has a mediocre American remake that erases the memory of the original

This observation somehow had the reverse effect on me as it suddenly reminded me of the existence of Brick Mansions

Six said "good" French films !

Chienfantome wrote: ↑

January 18th, 2024, 5:29 am

transformers2 wrote: ↑

January 17th, 2024, 6:44 pm

numbersix wrote: ↑

January 17th, 2024, 2:43 pm

I love that every good French movie has a mediocre American remake that erases the memory of the original

This observation somehow had the reverse effect on me as it suddenly reminded me of the existence of Brick Mansions

Six said "good" French films !

Booooooooooo. Show some respect for your country's premiere parkour action extravaganza!

19. The Dead Zone (1983)
David Cronenberg adapting Stephen King. You would expect something bizarre, something terrifying, but The Dead Zone is not that. It’s a film as cold as the snow that sets its decorum, and yet a film we would call “romanesque” in French, but I can’t find an equivalent in the English vocabulary. There is emotion that manages to appear in the middle of this icy film in which Cronenberg kind of announces the filmmaker he is to become after his more visceral cinema (although visceral he will be again). The premonition sequences are amazing, and this melancholic feeling, this pessimistic view on the future, makes it a visionary and staggering piece of storytelling and cinema.

Probably my second favourite Cronenberg movie.

18. Dead Poets Society (1989)
There may have been a time when this film would have appeared higher on this list, and another time when it would not have appeared at all. But here it is, because Peter Weir managed to tell his story like a classic Hollywood story, with characters you feel for, with emotions that hold you, and with Robin Williams teaching the beauty of not following conventions.

17. Full Metal Jacket (1987)
A film a lot of you have already cited. I vividly remember watching Full Metal Jacket over and over when I was a teen. Looking back, I wonder what to think of my obsession with the film back then. There was a time when it felt like this was gonna be his last film, what a loss this would have been.

#19

Boosh: Return of the Jedi (1983)
The lesser of the original trilogy, but still fantastic.

JohnErle: Brazil (1985)
Crazy film. Haven't seen it in so long.

Ron: Angel Heart (1987)
I know I've seen it once ages ago, but I have few memories of it.

six: Fanny and Alexander (1982)
I still haven't caught it. I want to see it in theater and haven't had the chance yet. But I love your flight anecdote.

StarLord: The Blues Brothers (1980)
I probably saw it too young, when I was a teen. I didn't really like it then and I never tried again.

transformers: When Harry Met Sally.. (1989)
I really loved it, I really should rewatch it.

#18

Boosh: Paris, Texas (1984)
There are Wenders films I really love, but Paris, Texas bored the hell out of me. I had given it another try 6 or 7 years ago, in theaters, to watch it in the best conditions, but it still bored me to death.

JohnErle: Dragonslayer (1981)
I've honestly never heard about this film.

Ron: Once Upon a Time in America (1984)
A monumental piece of cinema.

six: The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985)
One of Allen's best for sure, yes.

StarLord: Back to the Future: Part II (1989)
An ambitious sequel I love almost as much as the first one.

transformers: Midnight Run (1988)
Still few memories of it, although I remember liking it.