Need some help adding to my "Goldilocks Zone" of very specific 80s movies after finding One More Saturday Night streaming online

Submitted by ChicagoMarketer t3_z7ilz2 in movies

I'm an old (47M) GenX'er who grew up with HBO being my babysitter in the 80s. While I would eventually grow into loving foreign films and appreciating the finer details of filmmaking, I cut my teeth on the movies HBO probably thought were filler during the day (and were mostly safe for kids like me) but they ended up being the movies I still carry with me to this day.

The thing is, for every Neverending Story that people more or less remember, there are movies like Krull that completely melted my mind or movies like One More Saturday Night (that I finally found out today was available to stream) which seem like complete throwaways but were *really* fun films.

So, what I'm hoping someone out there can help with is offering some movies that are in this what I would call 80s "Goldilocks Zone" as movies that were fun (comedy, adventure, action) but weren't at all heady, popular, and most likely one of the last things still available to rent on VHS on any given Friday or Saturday night at the video store.

I know there are other gems out there that would be incredible to experience for the first time so if you have any suggestions I would love to give them a run.

BTW, if you're wanting more examples of what I would call these 80s "Goldilocks Zone" movies, here's a short list that I put together:

The Manhattan Project (a 100% perfect example of this type of 80s movie; plus, it stars John Lithgow, Cynthia Nixon, and John Mahoney)

Rad (yeah, people eventually came around on this one but I swear I wore out the videotape that I dubbed this on back in the day and it IS a perfect movie)

BMX Bandits (what an intro to world cinema; starring Nicole Kidman in one of her best roles to date, the movie is all about...walkie-talkies?)

Real Genius (probably on the outer edges of what was not very "popular" as it had an $8M budget and eventually brought in $13M but I rented this movie so many times and am tickled it's now out on 4K)

Kuffs/Heathers/Pump up the Volume (Christian Slater was tops in these, even though Pump up the Volume was released in 1990, but, for my money, Kuffs is flat out great)

The Heavenly Kid (Rotten Tomatoes says it's only 30% but my nostalgia says otherwise)

My Science Project (Fisher Stevens seemed to be everywhere in the 80s, plus Dennis Hopper is in the movie and this came out in 1985 with Blue Velvet coming out in 1986; not saying there's a connection but there couldn't be more of a difference in performances.

Last Starfighter (My intro to Sci-Fi. SIGH.)

Explorers (River Phoenix, Ethan Hawke in a rock-solid kid-friendly movie)

Brewster's Millions and The Toy (I remember Brewster's for the shiny baseball uniforms and the awesome ending when he punches Stephen Collins in the face who, looking at that man's life now, seems about right)

Dirt Bike Kid (Peter Billingsly post-Christmas Story. It literally blew this 10 year-old's mind that an actor could appear in more than one movie)

Summer Rental (John Candy, Rip Torn, and Richard Crenna make an insanely fun trio; plus, no matter how old I get I still find myself saying, for no reason at all, "Your wife's on my WHAM-O.")

Time Bandits (My first taste of Terry Gilliam. I think it melted my consciousness. I love him for this movie alone)

Three O'clock High (Casey Siemaszko, Richard Tyson, and Jeffrey Tambor in a pitch-perfect movie that is directed insanely well, has a great pace, and has a great story; it received its due with a Blu-ray release but I cherish this movie)

Summer School (Mark Harmon and Kirstie Alley at the height of their powers, this movie is a funny ode to youth and the problems that come with being young; back when I had to rent this as a kid I had a tape recorder and *recorded* the movie's best bits so I could listen to them back later)

Hiding Out (Jon Cryer may forever be Duckie to some but this is a great, breezy view)

License to Drive (Back when getting your license was the ONLY thing you obsessed about as a teen, this movie starring the two Coreys, and Heather Graham, still is a lot of fun)

Loverboy/Can't Buy Me Love/Run (Yeah, Run is from 1991 but this triptych represents Patrick Dempsey's BEST work and I only 1/2 wish I was kidding)

Moving Violations (Starring Bill Murray's OTHER brother. No, not Brian Doyle-Murray, the OTHER brother, John Murray. It also stars Jennifer Tilly who is just amazingly funny.)

Going Ape (Come for the Tony Danza and stay for the orangutans and a silly Danny DeVito; I don't know if these primates were treated well but they add a metric ton to the humor of this movie)

How I Got Into College/One Crazy Summer/Better Off Dead (Savage Steve Holland forever)

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drgoatlord t1_iy6slrx wrote

Gleaming the cube and Beastmaster?

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ChicagoMarketer OP t1_iy6xnfk wrote

Gleaming the Cube! Always have heard of it, never have watched it. Now on the list. Beastmaster, man, I have a cousin who swears by this movie and I've *never* watched it. I think I've caught snippets of it here and there. But, still, I'll add this to the list.

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AAAFate t1_iy6rp0v wrote

Came to say Summmer School yet you have that one already. What a great choice!

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ChicagoMarketer OP t1_iy6rxi9 wrote

Ha...One of my favorites of all time. ;D

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AAAFate t1_iy6scti wrote

What you think of Worth Winning? Same leading actor.

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ChicagoMarketer OP t1_iy6vaq0 wrote

I just saw it also stars Denny from 1987's Blind Date! (Man, another core memory unlocked)

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ChicagoMarketer OP t1_iy6v0th wrote

Never heard of it! But as an 80s Mark Harmon fan, I'll absolutely check that out.

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mi_go_miskatonic t1_iy6sgq0 wrote

“The Ice Pirates” (1984). The one with the space herpe.

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Character-Bid-5089 t1_iy6wl14 wrote

Was going to suggest this. Some great films listed, watched Summer School so many times back then, great film.

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ChicagoMarketer OP t1_iy6vskf wrote

Ehrmegerd...YES, I remember this VHS box art so vividly but never rented it.

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Hot_Investment_7596 t1_iy6sr7t wrote

CANONBALL RUN, which is actually on youtube right now for free

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ChicagoMarketer OP t1_iy6xwae wrote

Cannonball Run...I mentioned Cannonball Run part 2 and, seriously, I don't think I know the difference between the two movies because of how often they both played on HBO. Hahaha... And RIP to Jack Elam (the crazy doctor) who, although he didn't know it at the time, taught me how much I love great character actors.

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ownneighbourhood t1_iy6svz3 wrote

Is Big trouble in Little China too mainstream?

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ChicagoMarketer OP t1_iy6vyql wrote

Great question and yes. I deeply love this movie (it genuinely started me on my Kurt Russell stan-dom) but I removed it from my list because of how well-known it is.

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banana_question t1_iy6sick wrote

repo man, maybe?

pee-wee's big adventure

how about a british one called gregory's girl?

tremors is an ace horror-comedy with kevin bacon in it

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ChicagoMarketer OP t1_iy6xcbo wrote

Repo Man! I had a list of movies I've heard of but never watched and that was on the top of the list. Is it a good movie? I would imagine it is because you recommended it.

Also, and you can tell me if you've seen these, how do these rate:

After Hours?

Miracle Mile?

Valley Girl?

Buckaroo Banzai?

Repo Man?

A Night in the Life of Jimmy Reardon?

Pee-Wee's Big Adventure I saw in the theater as a little guy (and I still remember the theater experience it was that transcendent) but, for sure, that's an amazingly popular movie and for good reason.

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banana_question t1_iy6zenv wrote

i don't usually like 'cult' movies, but i like repo man A LOT. it's a strange mix of sci-fi, punk, and oddball characters, but it all works well! quite cheaply made, i guess, but it just adds to the charm of it!

after hours is very good

i've seen miracle mile and remember liking it, but i can't remember the details

never seen valley girl

buckaroo is one i didn't like, but maybe worth seeing once if you get the chance?

yeah - pee-wee is just wonderful from beginning to end!

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laurasimo t1_iy6um29 wrote

Just One of the Guys

Mystic Pizza

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ChicagoMarketer OP t1_iy6y610 wrote

Just One of the Guys I would put right up there with Once Bitten (even though, sheesh, that *one* scene has not aged well), but that and Mystic Pizza are solid suggestions.

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missmediajunkie t1_iy6zz44 wrote

The Boy Who Could Fly, Twilight Zone: the Movie, Stakeout (and Another Stakeout), Little Nikita, Toy Soldiers, The Secret of My Success.

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ChicagoMarketer OP t1_iyaynkj wrote

Not going to lie, Dan Aykroyd in Twilight Zone messed me up for a long time. ;D That movie is so good. Solid stories, not one clunker in there. Never have seen Stakeout but know it's a Dreyfuss/Estevez movie and I can't believe I never watched it because I am a HUGE Men at Work fan (coming to Blu in January...). Little Nikita I heard of but never saw (and it's a River Phoenix film!) but these are going on the list.

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PeterLopan t1_iy7acdr wrote

Enemy Mine

Romancing the Stone

Steel Dawn

Red Dawn

Robot Jox

Arena

Chopping Mall

Airborne (to scratch that RAD!! Itch)

The Wraith

Zardoz

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ChicagoMarketer OP t1_iyaw0w3 wrote

All solid suggestions here! I have not seen a single one of these films. BUT, I can see so many of the box art for the VHS'. Zardoz looked demented (in a good way), Robot Jox looked like a hoot (fun fact: when License to Drive came out, it was prohibitively too expensive to buy or I just couldn't get it, but this was the dawn of Pay-Per-View and I remember ordering it just so I could have a copy of it and Robot Jox was also one of the other movies available for PPV; all I remember is some dude yelling he was going to kick his (explosion) and a wildly fake robot doing a cracking of the knuckles motion).

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PleaseNinja t1_iy99hzn wrote

Whenever i think of 80's movies from my childhood: Solarbabies, The Golden Child, The Gate, The Monster Squad

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ChicagoMarketer OP t1_iyau90e wrote

Never heard of Solarbabies before (Jami Gertz?? And Andy the weird boyfriend from Singles???) but that's now on the list. Monster Squad is such a classic and so glad it received the documentary treatment. Golden Child is great too. I just looked because I wanted to see how much it made, did you know it generated $148M on a budget of about $20M? I did not know that until right now. It absolutely gets disqualified from this ranking for how much it crushed at the box office. ;D

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Character-Bid-5089 t1_iy9orx6 wrote

Some kind of wonderful. Great teen movie woth Eric Stoltz, I had a massive crush on Mary Stewart Mastersons character.

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ChicagoMarketer OP t1_iyatq92 wrote

Solid, solid movie. No joke, I remember watching Mask on HBO and I remember absolutely loving it and being equally devastated by the ending. Eric Stoltz doesn't get enough credit as an actor. I know he was "this close" to being Marty McFly.

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ConjeturaUna t1_iy6w2hl wrote

Streets of Fire

Under the Boardwalk

Shag

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ChicagoMarketer OP t1_iy6ymqa wrote

Three bangers in a row...EXACTLY what I'm talking about. Streets of Fire always seemed a little too out there but I've always heard how great that movie is.

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ConjeturaUna t1_iy70is5 wrote

I love those all so much. Can't Buy Me Love is something I watched at least 50 times.

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Character-Bid-5089 t1_iy6wq7g wrote

Better off dead. Think it was John Cussacks first film. Not sure how it holds up but it was funny back then.

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ChicagoMarketer OP t1_iy6zdtm wrote

It holds up perfectly. Amazing movie from beginning to end. And, fun fact, to this day whenever I have to give a fake name for something I *always* use Charles De Mar. Not only is that "De" in there for no good reason, and he wears a top hat, but whenever I hear that name in my head I always hear Roy Stalin right behind it with his pitch-perfect "Shut up, geek" rejoinder. Charles looks so happy to share his name only to have Roy steal that man's sunshine. Hilarious every single time. (It's the little things, right?)

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pinpoint321 t1_iy7k9ik wrote

“It’s a damn shame when folk be throwing away a perfectly good white boy like that”. Is possibly the funniest single line I have ever heard.

God I love this film so much.

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Character-Bid-5089 t1_iy9o1mw wrote

"I want my 2 dollars" from the paperboy chasing him everywhere. My friends and I were always saying that too each other.

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throwitallaway t1_iy72ir3 wrote

The Last American Virgin. An 80s teen sex comedy with an ultra realistic ending that is unexpected.

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ChicagoMarketer OP t1_iyaxmtv wrote

I absolutely remember this box art in the video store. I never saw it, don't think I've ever seen a trailer for it, but after pulling it up and seeing it was a Cannon release I am all the way in. I cannot believe I've lived this long and not heard more about this one.

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TasticTong t1_iy79wmi wrote

Brazil Princess Bride Legend Breakfast Club Transformers (animated movie.) Flight of Dragons Black Cauldron

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ChicagoMarketer OP t1_iyawyd2 wrote

>Brazil Princess Bride Legend Breakfast Club Transformers (animated movie.) Flight of Dragons Black Cauldron

I own Brazil but haven't ever watched it (I have dozens of movies I've bought but haven't yet unwrapped), Legend is absolutely one of those blind spots (Cruise, Ferris' girlfriend, Ridley Scott directed??), and Flight of Dragons is a Rankin and Bass joint?? As well, Black Cauldron, never saw it, and my mind is blown that it was a Disney production.

And so MUCH YES for the Transformers movie and I would put GI Joe on that list as well.

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Hebshesh t1_iy9p3xv wrote

I will definitely come back to this thread in the middle of the night when I think of more but "Making The Grade", "Easy Money", and "Big Man On Campus".

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ChicagoMarketer OP t1_iyatf8i wrote

Yes! This is exactly what I'm talking about. I've heard of Easy Money but never watched it and I cannot believe I've never heard of Making The Grade (Judd Nelson!) or Big Man on Campus (which stars the guy from How I Got Into College??).

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Ferrous_Oxide203 t1_iy9tvnu wrote

Where is Gleaming the Cube?

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ChicagoMarketer OP t1_iyaszxj wrote

Looks like it's on Amazon Video OR if you don't have that you can find the full movie on YouTube. :)

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Hot_Investment_7596 t1_iy6rzli wrote

HOT STUFF with Dom DeLuise, Suzanne Pleshette, and Jerry Reed

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ChicagoMarketer OP t1_iy6wczf wrote

>HOT STUFF

It's 1979 BUT I remember being warped after seeing Cannonball Run 2 (between that and Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome hitting HBO, it was a great time) and I would love to watch a new Dom DeLuise banger.

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andoesq t1_iy6wg9l wrote

Is Lover boy the one where he's a pizza delivering gigolo?

Also if you find Explorers streaming anywhere, lmk!

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ChicagoMarketer OP t1_iy6yy6e wrote

Yes! That's the one (the extra anchovies bit is exactly my low-brow sensibility)!

As far as Explorers, I just confirmed you can stream it free on Pluto TV. (I may be watching this later tonight, haha...)

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andoesq t1_iy8y1o4 wrote

That's the movie I always wanted to see as a kid, but the TV stations only ever played flight of the navigator like every week lol

For low brow, would Bachelor Party qualify? I'm also on a quest to watch Volunteers again for the first time in decades

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ChicagoMarketer OP t1_iyav4t4 wrote

Bachelor Party was an absolute NO GO around my house but, of course, I would wait to set the VCR to tape it and then hide the cassette until I could watch it later. I mean, there was a whole PROCESS into recording something (you had to make sure the cable box was on, that it was on the right channel, that you had enough tape, and don't even get me started on SLP, EP or SP). It's an amazingly funny move and I never saw Volunteers so I would be interested to hear how it holds up. I was absolutely in the bag for Tom Hanks (Splash, Big) but I think my favorite HBO memory of his is watching The Money Pit. To this day I'll always remember the delivery of the line "I'll not like you anymore" as Peak Hanks.

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Competitive-Finger26 t1_iy700gd wrote

Ah. Real Genius. Have to say I had a real thing for Jordan. Nerdy girl, right up my alley back then. It's a shame Michelle Meyrink quit acting.

Anyone mention Highlander yet? Pure 80s.

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ChicagoMarketer OP t1_iyay3d1 wrote

DUDE. Jordan. I'm telling you, it was a sign then that I found women like her to be so awesome. Smart, quirky, funny, a little on the weird side, you can have all the Caroline's from Sixteen Candles you want, I wish there were more like Jordan.

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[deleted] t1_iy785eu wrote

[deleted]

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ChicagoMarketer OP t1_iyaxcv5 wrote

Friend, I don't know who downvoted this but this looks extra cheesy and right in my wheelhouse. A young Stacey Dash and an over the top premise is my jam.

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[deleted] t1_iyb28z1 wrote

[deleted]

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ChicagoMarketer OP t1_iyb8hsc wrote

I really tried hard not to be vague but even if there's a solid 150-movie list that would be amazing because films that don't include blockbusters and hover in that weird strata of being good, if not great, movies but aren't recognized in most lists. Believe me when I say that I'm always looking at 80s lists and I see all the usual big-time films. Bring on the cheese!

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