Flash Gordon, Xanadu, Buckaroo Banzai: Name the campiest movies of the '80s
Is Flash Gordon, that masterpiece featuring Sam Jones, Max von Sydow and Timothy Dalton, the campiest movie of the '80s?
It might not even be the campiest movie of 1980. Consider the competition that year: Xanadu, Smokey and the Bandit II, The Blue Lagoon, Popeye.
But with Flash Gordon and its killer Queen soundtrack playing this Saturday at the Beach Theatre in St. Pete Beach -- for free -- I'm leaning toward giving it a secured top 5 status.
Of course, what we need to do now is simple: Name the campiest movies of the '80s. I'll give you broad authority to define "campy" any way you want. But to me, it's a movie that's incredibly fun to watch because it's unintentionally comic, ironic but yet sentimental.
Name as many movies as you want, but here are five that would make my list, which I'll publish later this week once your suggestions are in:
THE ADVENTURES OF BUCKAROO BANZAI ACROSS THE 8TH DIMENSION (1984): Longest title for a movie I'd really never want to see again, though I'm told by half the English-speaking world that I'm just missing the campy qualities. It better be campy, because with lines like this -- "Don't be mean; we don't have to be mean, cuz, remember, no matter where you go, there you are" -- it's sure not clever.
ZAPPED (1982): It has Scott Baio, Willie Aames and Scatman Crothers. Need I say more? If memory serves, I think Baio's model of the Starship Enterprise takes flight (strings clearly attached) and attacks his dog. Sad thing is that I know for certain I once owned the soundtrack, including the very romantic (to a 13-year-old anyway) tune Got To Believe in Magic by the velvet-singing David Pomeranz.
IRON EAGLE (1986): Hard to believe Louis Gossett Jr. won an Oscar for Officer and a Gentleman just four years before putting out this stinker. Oh sure, we love it. Mainly for Queen's signature tune One Vision ("Fried chicken!") and for lines like this: "Looks like they'll be importing oil this year, Chappy."
GIRLS JUST WANT TO HAVE FUN (1985): Sarah Jessica Parker and Helen Hunt before they were truly famous! But it violates the most important rule of serious movie-making: Never name your movie after a hit song. (I'm looking at you Patrick Dempsey ... Can't Buy Me Love? Great movie, lousy title.)
THE EXPERTS (1989): Remember when John Travolta made really strange movie choices? Yep, the '80s. But there's something about this tale of two suckers brought to the Soviet Union to open a nightclub that still is appealing. Must be co-star Deborah Foreman!
So what other campy movies of the '80s belong on the list?
Relive the music, movies and culture of the greatest decade ever with Times online editor Steve Spears. A teen during the decade, Steve is obsessed with everything from Duran Duran to Journey, John Hughes to John Cusack, and parachute pants to Reaganomics.
E-mail Steve Spears:
The Pirate Movie starring Kristy McNichol and Christopher Atkins. It's one of my favorite campy movies.
Posted by: Shell | July 19, 2009 at 12:57 PM
Speaking of Flash Gordon, the free showing is tomorrow morning at the Beach Theatre. Anyone going? I'm on the fence. I hate going alone.
It's either find someone to go with me, or come to work on my day off and produce the podcast.
Posted by: Spears | July 17, 2009 at 04:27 PM
ok, i wasnt going to get involved but now i must. thanks alot spearsy! every time i get rid of that awful xanadu earworm, i look at this site and there it is. you are so paying for my hospital bills when i am taken away to the funny farm.
Posted by: renee | July 17, 2009 at 04:16 PM
Wow, take a few days off and miss a good topic! I am so glad that Big Trouble In Little China is getting a lot of love as well as Buckaroo Banzai! Great flicks, both! I just watched Big Trouble this last weekend and it was still just as funny and exciting to watch 23 years later! I went to see it 3 times in a week in the theater when it came out.
Another that bears mention is Hudson Hawk, but I can't recall if that was '89 or '90, and am too lazy to look it up. Anyway, Big Trouble is infinitely quotable, which I think makes it number one!
Posted by: Douglas Arthur | July 17, 2009 at 01:12 PM
Satisfaction with Justine Bateman and Julia Roberts!
Posted by: Jan S | July 17, 2009 at 11:42 AM
One more...Fire with Fire starring a very young Virginia Madsen. Anyone remember that one? And the song actually was great, by Wild Blue, of course the song was called Fire With Fire.
Posted by: Jan S | July 17, 2009 at 11:28 AM
Oh how about HOWARD THE DUCK? Lea Thompson gets a boy..er..duckfriend!
:)
Posted by: Jan S | July 17, 2009 at 11:25 AM
TimeBandits
Big Trouble in Little China
Posted by: ChessMess | July 17, 2009 at 08:25 AM
Toxic Avenger
Posted by: Jermo | July 16, 2009 at 08:00 PM
Yeah Red Sonja and the second Conan Movie both sucked. Not as bad as Highlander 2, but they both blew. The first Conan wasn't too bad though.
Posted by: DerekT | July 16, 2009 at 05:00 PM
What about "The Wall"?
Every generation of teenagers knows this movie.
Posted by: jake | July 16, 2009 at 03:05 PM
"Doomed is-a your soul and-a damned is-a your life!"
Gotta give it up for Buckaroo Banzai! Big time shout out to "Pasco" (aka Jeff in Cuba) for being a Blue Blaze Irregular. I haven't gone that far... yet.
Double shout to Marissa for not only giving much love to BB, but for showing the proper respect to "Streets of Fire". I own the DVD and the soundtrack to that movie. And, like Spearsy, I'm hoping to find me a pair of those bitchin' rubber overalls.
Posted by: Brother Ron in Dallas | July 16, 2009 at 02:50 PM
The Conan movies."Conan The Barbarian" and "Conan The Destroyer".Also "Red Sonja".
Posted by: Miguel | July 16, 2009 at 12:19 PM
Three Words- Howard the Duck.
Posted by: Nate | July 16, 2009 at 09:41 AM
I remember being given guff for having purchased BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA for a cool $5.00. My son loves it. While we haven't bought BUCKAROO we have viewed it numerous times via Netflix or On Demand. John Lithgow plays an ideal whack-nut. Plus! BEST.ENDING.CREDITS.EVER!!
Posted by: Marissa | July 16, 2009 at 09:22 AM
Cloak and Dagger.
Posted by: Matthew Cox | July 16, 2009 at 12:20 AM
Love, love, love Buckaroo Banzai. I am a full-fledged memebr of the BB Fan Club, the Blue Blaze Irregulars. (My Blue Blaze name is "Pasco")
And I also loved Big Trouble in Little China, which featured an excellent script adapted by W. D. Richter, who also directed...
...wait for it...
Buckaroo Banzai.
Posted by: Jeff in Cuba | July 15, 2009 at 11:54 PM
Without there is no campier movie in the 80s then Big Trouble in Little China. Game over. Good night. Drive home safely. They should name the trophy after that movie.
Time Bandits may have been a close second though.
Now I'm wondering if some others qualify like ...
Real Men (Ritter and Belushi)
Midnight Madness (cliches and stereotypes may have been too much. Not to mention Michael J.'s first movie as a teenager.)
Tron (so much for being the first CG movie)
Posted by: Wise Traveler | July 15, 2009 at 10:35 PM
"Streets of Fire" needs a second nod. Derek got here before I did. It's so ridiculous that it's awesome.
"Earth Girls Are Easy" is one of my favorite cheese-a-rific flicks. After that, "Buckaroo Bonzai."
Posted by: Marissa | July 15, 2009 at 08:09 PM
Kevy -- good question. I'd say they're intentionally campy, so that almost disqualifies them. I'm open to other opinions.
As for Streets of Fire, yeah, a little campy. And you don't like Dafoe's rubber overalls? I was hoping to get a pair for christmas.
Posted by: Spears | July 15, 2009 at 07:59 PM
My girlfriend and I just watched Streets of Fire. That movie was so campy and William Dafoe looked so gay it it. One decent song at the end was the only thing that saved it from total ruin.
Posted by: DerekT | July 15, 2009 at 07:55 PM
Would any John Waters movie be just too obvious for consideration? Are Polyester and Hairspray so campy they transcend the category? Hors catégorie?
Posted by: Kevy Metal | July 15, 2009 at 05:31 PM
Blaine -- I can't believe you remember that detail about Asia in Asia. Actually, my friend just bought the concert on DVD and we watched it again. Zapped was better.
Posted by: Spears | July 15, 2009 at 05:03 PM
Touche', Ian from Baltimore, touche', sir.
Posted by: Alyfox/Dan Vhay | July 15, 2009 at 04:55 PM
"Gymkata"
Sadly "Meatballs" misses the cutoff at 1979. Campy. Ha.
Posted by: Brad | July 15, 2009 at 04:10 PM
I would have to say that "campy" refers to something that doesn't quite realize that it is playing into cliches, stereotypes, obvious humor, etc., but it is NOT a spoof. - Alyfox/Dan Vhay
This describes 80% of all 80's movies.
Posted by: Ian from Baltimore | July 15, 2009 at 04:07 PM
I'm still mad about hearing, in the Asia podcast, that you taped over MTV's "Asia in Asia" with "Zapped."
Posted by: Blaine | July 15, 2009 at 03:33 PM
"American Ninja" with a ninja shooting lasers screams campy. I also would have to put "They Live" the campy category.
Not sure if these would qualify as campy, though they have elements of camp: "Commando," "Raw Deal," "Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins," "Night of the Comet."
Posted by: TD | July 15, 2009 at 02:40 PM
I would have to say that "campy" refers to something that doesn't quite realize that it is playing into cliches, stereotypes, obvious humor, etc., but it is NOT a spoof. I also think that campy is usually used when movie is trying to be one thing, but crosses a line somewhere and BECOMES campy. So most comedies, in my opinion, aren't campy because they are TRYING to be just that. I wonder if FLASH GORDON was trying to be a serious action flick, but then why cast Sam Jones? So my picks for take-me-seriously-but-I-turn-out-to-be-campy are: DUNE ("the spice . .. THE SPICE!!!!"), VAMPIRE'S KISS (the plot could have been an intersting character study about a guy who wonders if he's a vampire, but Nicolas Cage is just too, well, you know), and KRULL, which I think was trying to be STAR WARS-type fantasy, but once the cast takes flight on horses with flaming hooves, well . . .
Posted by: Alyfox/Dan Vhay | July 15, 2009 at 01:54 PM
Clash of the Titans
Posted by: OJ | July 15, 2009 at 12:41 PM
Can you define the word Campy?
Posted by: Ian from Baltimore | July 15, 2009 at 12:31 PM
"The Witches of Eastwick" is pretty campy too.
Posted by: Michelle | July 15, 2009 at 12:23 PM
Repo Man = not camp
Posted by: Kevy Metal | July 15, 2009 at 12:05 PM
Since Michelle stole my first pick, I had to dig deep into the vault to find the ultimate in campiness - Swamp Thing.
Posted by: dc | July 15, 2009 at 11:57 AM
"Killer Klowns from Outer Space" isn't up to the level of some of these but I think it's worth mentioning.
"Strange Brew"
A question for the group: "Repo Man" - campy or not? I'm inclined to put it on the list.
Posted by: Brad | July 15, 2009 at 11:39 AM
What about Ice Pirates?
Posted by: ARod | July 15, 2009 at 11:36 AM
"Can't Stop The Music." The Village People, Steve Gutenberg, Bruce Jenner. Camp, camp, camp.
It's so camp Boy Scouts rent it our for the summer.
Posted by: Dominic | July 15, 2009 at 11:30 AM
Big Trouble in Little China is a camp classic.
Posted by: Blakyce | July 15, 2009 at 11:28 AM
The Beastmaster
Posted by: Kevy Metal | July 15, 2009 at 11:09 AM
Michelle, 'Attack of the Killer Tomatoes' may not be eligible, but 'Return of the Killer Tomatoes!' certainly is. It was released in 1988 and stars a young unknown fellow named George Clooney.
Let's put that on the list.
Posted by: Dr. Dim | July 15, 2009 at 11:01 AM
"Earth Girls Are Easy" with Jeff Goldblum, Geena Davis and your friend Michael McKean. I wish "Attack of the Killer Tomatoes" hadn't been in '78 because it's a perfect fit.
Posted by: Michelle | July 15, 2009 at 10:28 AM
Cannonball Run and Cannonball Run II, both movies were nothing but camp.
Posted by: Bassnote | July 15, 2009 at 10:26 AM