Inspired by the 80's All Over podcast I'm catching up on some huge films I still haven't seen:
Broadcast News (1987)
Other than an ending I found quite stilted, I really loved everything else about this. Holly Hunter is a national treasure and is perfect here. The love triangle with Albert Brooks and William Hurt is terrific. The theme of the news slipping into pandering entertainment seems, sadly, very quaint these days. James L. Brooks comedic sensibility is so all-encompassing. It can be incredibly heartfelt, ruthlessly satirical, and super idiosyncratic. I laughed so hard at the two young guys pitching their take on a new nightly news theme song. I want to make that my ring tone. This basically feels like the story and comedy template The Simpsons would follow so successfully for decades to come.
Raising Arizona (1987)
So, Holly Hunter had an all-time great year in 1987. If I have any problem with this movie is that she could be in more of it. One of the few Coen Brothers films I still hadn't seen, and it's thrilling to watch their take on a screwball comedy. The energy and inventiveness of the camera work is incredible. John Goodman crawling out of the mud is one of the greatest things I've ever seen on screen. No one has ever used an actor better.
The Blues Brothers (1980)
I went in to this one with the most trepidation. I'm not a big John Belushi fan and Animal House is an iconic comedy that really didn't work for me at all. Luckily, this was a blast from start to finish. Such a cinematic experience, which so many comedies fail to even attempt. Belushi silhouetted as the prison gates open. The nun at the top of her crooked stairs. Best of all, is the tribute to a host of outstanding musicians, and particularly, giving them the spotlight because Akroyd and Belushi understand they would just be getting in the way of James Brown, Aretha Franklin, and Cab Calloway. The amount of vehicular mayhem is staggering. Landis really pushes the limits on these set pieces (and it's all too easy to see how this went too far on The Twilight Zone).
All great films that struck a chord and I'm sure I'll revisit often.