I just realized something, and I'll make it brief. The year 1986 may very well have been the best year for movies in the last 25 years, if not longer. To support my argument, I offer the following list of films from that year. Please note, these are not Oscar-winning tours de force in film making (some are), they were primarily just fun, sharp and/or poignant movies that culminated in one hell of a summer viewing season, especially for a 12-year old boy (which I happened to be at the time):
-Ferris Bueller's Day Off (one of my all-time top 10, saw it six times that summer)
-Aliens (already a classic - "Game over, man!")
-Platoon (where we learned how awesome, and how weird, Willem Defoe really is)
-Crocodile Dundee (admit it, you liked it, and at least once have said "that's not a knife...")
-Stand By Me ("Stephen King wrote this??")
-The Color of Money (Newman finally gets an Oscar)
-Ruthless People/Down and Out in Beverly Hills (It was a big year for Bette Midler, and I actually thought these were pretty funny)
-Hoosiers (Some argue it's the best sports movie ever made)
-Top Gun (you may remember this one)
-Tough Guys (respect your elders)
-Karate Kid II (come on...)
Anyone care to tell me why 1986 was NOT one of the best years for movies in recent history? The only counter to this that I can think of is, of course, 1993:
-In the Line of Fire (one of the best suspense films of modern times)
-Jurassic Park (changed the game)
-The Fugitive ("I didn't kill my wife." "I don't care!")
-True Romance (At one point I had memorized the dialog between Walken and Hopper)
-Groundhog Day (One of Murray's best until the Rushmore/Lost In Translation run)
Hmm...great line up, but not as strong as 1986. I welcome any and all comments, suggestions and arguments.
