Swayze's a chump, but Burt takes today's title: Worst movies of the 80s (Nos. 31-40)

I'm still taking lumps for adding Dirty Dancing yesterday to our list of Worst 80 movies of the 80s. But I will not retreat! It's awful. Swayze's manic character alternates randomly between dancing stud and insecure, wimpy boyfriend. And he does the best acting of the movie! OK, I'll chill.

Today's biggest loser: Burt Reyonds -- boy, you didn't that coming, did ya? -- has two dogs today. Though I'm thinking he could have more flicks on this list -- if we could even remember any of the titles.

(Click here to see lists for 41-50, 51-60, 61-70, 71-80)

40. A View to a Kill (1985): Roger Moore, Christopher Walken. Tagline: "Adventure Above And Beyond All Other Bonds." One critic said: "This 007 is more in need of Geritol than Q's high tech gadgetry."

39. Tango & Cash (1989): Sylvester Stallone, Kurt Russell. Tagline: "Two of L.A.'s top rival cops are going to have to work together... Even if it kills them." One critic said: "All the suppressed homosexuality of the buddy movie genre ... A pathetically juvenile screenplay."

38. Rent-A-Cop (1987): Burt Reynolds, Liza Minnelli. Tagline: "Deadlier than Dirty Harry, faster than Cobra." One critic said: "A collision between a relationship and a cliche, and the cliche wins."

37. Give My Regards to Broad Street (1984): Paul McCartney, Bryan Brown. Tagline: "The Movie, The Musical, The McCartney Magic." One critic said: "You never believe that a movie like Broad Street is as bad as everyone says until you sit through the thing yourself."

36. Revolution (1985): Al Pacino, Donald Sutherland. Tagline: "A Nation Forged In Blood." One critic said: "Who on Earth thought Al Pacino could possibly be an appropriate choice to play a supposedly Scottish fur trader in colonial New York?"

35. Harlem Nights (1989): Eddie Murphy, Richard Pryor. Tagline: "They're up to something big." One critic said: "A vanity production if ever there was one, launched on behalf of a star with vast amounts of vanity to soothe."

34. Vice Versa (1988): Judge Reinhold, Fred Savage. Tagline: "The comedy about not acting your age." One critic said: "A plot that's becoming as regular as the spokeswoman for California prunes."

33. Shanghai Surprise (1986): Sean Penn, Madonna. Tagline: "A romantic adventure for the dangerous at heart." One critic said: "There have been so many bad Madonna movies by now that Shanghai Surprise is simply another one to contribute to the pile."

32. Youngblood (1986): Rob Lowe, Patrick Swayze. Tagline: "To Youngblood, winning wasn't everything - proving himself was." One critic said: "A slow, low-energy movie with a cliché-ridden script."

31. Switching Channels (1988): Kathleen Turner, Burt Reynolds. Tagline: "Tonight's News. Romance. Scandal. Intrigue. And that's just behind the camera!" One critic said: "When the source material is as funny as The Front Page, it is unusually difficult in an adaptation to eradicate all of the laughs, but Switching Channels comes pretty close."

Comments

[Marissa]

spewww to Moore and Dalton. In fact, I'll throw in ICKY spewwwww

[geej]

View to a Kill is high on the list for worst bond ever. Now I know I'm not alone as a Dalton fan.

[Ren Fisk]

Once in a while the title track to "A View To A Kill" runs through my head. It's a nice alternitive to the voices that usually tell me to kill those who cheese me off.

[Bryan Chalker]

I actually really enjoyed Switching Channels...not as much as the original His Girl Friday...but it was funny.

[Amy Mormino]

I doubt you're going to get many complaints about today's choices, a real batch of losers. I have a sentimental attachment to A View to a Kill as an 80s Bond film and as a fan of Moore's. But I can't defend it on any rational grounds. It does have a great Duran Duran opening song, though.

By the way, this subject would make for a fine podcast. Hint, hint.

[Steve Spears]

I hadn't considered the Grace Jones angle to it. Good point.

Here's my argument: Aside from Bond being about 20 years too old for the part, any time a Bond film uses the UNITED STATES for a dazzling locale, you're in trouble.

To keep things in perspective: I'm probably one of the only fans of Timothy Dalton as 007.

[Ed]

Veiw to a Kill was a bold but necessary choice. I, too, consider Bond films to be sacred cows; some need to be milked and some slaughtered. Moore jumping in bed with Grace Jones was crossing over into some serious William Shatner territory.
If anyone is uncomfortable with 'View' being here, you don't have to continue, Mayday will show you to the waiting room.

Now, does anyone else want to drop out?

[Steve Spears]

Chase -- I feel like Jeff Bebe in Stillwater. "And there's one thing that I'll say that no one else is saying, Sean: Your laughs are becoming a problem!"

Greg -- I consider Bond movies to be sacred, like a farmer looks at the earth and considers it sacred. (Name the movie reference there.) But View To A Kill is just blasphemy. Not even a song by Duran Duran can save it.

[chase]

Hey guys, the second half of the '82 podcast was awesome, listened to it running today and had to stop a couple times because I was laughing too much ... dudes, there's something about adding Sean to the mix that makes it just right, he's like the Curley to y'all's Larry and Moe ...

--chase

[Greg Williams]

I'm about to put my fingers in my ears and start screaming "LALALALALA" to this list. Youngblood? Tango & Cash? A View to a Kill?!?!?! You did NOT just diss the Bond or the Walken.

I'm starting to agree with Six on the overall view of this list. Yeah it's the listeners but cmoooooon...I know you gotta take some of the credit...

Shanghai Surprise shoulda been in the top 20, but that's another story.

[Bassnote]

There are a few here that I would rank higher on the list, but other than that no controversy today.