Three of my favourite movies are here: Repo Man, Brazil and Blade Runner. I loved them as they came out, stunning, new, more realistic in their social commentaries than main stream junk. Thanks for celebrating these movies.
Any original story makes a great movie for its time whatever time that is, Rob. It's remakes, spin-offs, sequels, prequels, reboots that make small movies.
@@JZsBFF as good as the first terminator was the second was way better. And some F&f movies outdid the first. And while Mad Max was a minor classic Road Warrior was a breakout hit to the point of being iconic. And the second Alien movie was way better and so on and so on
@@musicman8270 The exception confirms the rule. T2 being better than T1 and Aliens being better than Alien is disputable. Aliens isn't bad though. It's just a different movie altogether, same goes for Mad Max. Anyway I'm mainly referring to the direction of those endless present day franchises, average cash grabs.
My brother and I saw The Hidden in the theaters, not knowing anything about it (we didn't even see its poster) and we loved it. I saw Brazil in the theaters, too, not knowing anything about it, and was blown away by the experience. The most memorable movie experiences I've ever had were the ones I went into the theater totally clueless about what I was about to see.
God. I was driving home from work down the freeway today and as I passed by all the billboards blocking the view I thought of how it’s been decades since I last saw Brazil. Amazing film. And repo man! I watched that movie so many times on vhs the tape burned out. But yeah, Bladerunner tops the list. I saw it in an almost empty cinema when it came out and was blown away. I have honestly watched it hundreds of times since then. It’s probably going to be the movie I watch on my deathbed tbh… an absolute masterpiece
In the 80's I watched in the theater, Road Warrior, RoboCop, and The Hidden and Blade Runner, too. I thought, "here we go! Action movies with some punk!" HOllywood is going to make some great stuff. Weird movies, fun broheim. Little did I know, it was a peak. None others would be better.
As a 20 something in the 80s, these movies were always in our VCR , especially Repo Man. Still a favorite of mine Soundtrack was the bands we all listened to and saw live Ahhhh the 80s
Blade Runner is a masterpiece. A perfect movie. I had this feeling the first time i saw it, back in the early 80's, and i still have it. Alien and Blade Runner are Ridley Scott's best movies. He's a master of complex visuals, fantastic sets and incredible imagery. Funly enough, i read recently that Harrison Ford had a bad time filming it, he argued with Ridley very often in the set. Maybe that's why he looks bored and not having a great time, on many parts of the movie. Rutger Hauer delivered the performance of his lifetime on it. It's a movie that will always be seen and re-seen through time. Masterpiece.
Great video essay...your synopsis is outstanding and your examination lucid and concice Perhaps more than anything your forethought regarding the films significance to film history and culture are expressed very well.
Brazil is the 2nd in Gilliams loose trilogy of movies that deal with Youth (Time Bandits) Adulthood (Brazil) and Old Age (The Adventures of Baron Munchausen).
I like your pre-revisionist take on Blade Runner. It was a fantastic but difficult watch back in 1982; Fantastic because of the incredible world-building and score; Difficult because it was so ambivalent about its characters; are they good or are they terrible, are they just part of the machine or are they transcendent? It's our role as an audience to decide, I guess, and that's what made it perpetually memorable. I dunno, all the latest Blade Runner chatter seems to miss the point. It was very good, and history seems to agree, despite all the arguments. Likewise all the films on your list (although I haven't seen The Hidden), 80's cinema was the best!
The problem with denouncing revisionism is that it’s basically advocating that a work of art should be pinned and mounted to a wall and promptly forgotten. It’s an approach that advocates nostalgia rather than inspection. It ensures that a work will forever belong to a specific generation and will die out with that generation. That’s why revision is importance; it’s the continuation of a discussion.
@@wellesradio Thanks for your comment. As you'll notice from mine, I didn't 'denounce' anything, I merely admired the OP's take on the movie, as released. Whether or not that denies 'inspection' I'll leave for others to comment, but my intention was not to'promptly' forget any aspect of the movie. The revisionist take is as valid as any other, but the movie I watched in 1982 was as profound and compelling as any of the subsequent iterations. Can we at least agree on that?
Although not sci-fi, one of my favorite cult movies of the '80's is a French movie called Diva (1981). It's basically an action thriller that follows a young man who makes an illegal high quality recording of an opera diva who refuses to have her voice recorded. The criminal underworld want the recording and pursue him to get it. Amazing movie.
In a way, Videodrome kind of predicted the future. In the movie, Videodrome is presented as a TV broadcast showing people being tortured and killed. At the time the idea was shocking and Max even asks "Who'd watch that?" Today, there are sites on the internet where you can watch recorded and even live BDSM shows. Granted, they're all consensual and don't go as far as the scenes portrayed in the movie, but still, who would have thought such things would ever exist? And for those who want more, there are even sites offering fake snuff videos. They don't hide the fact that the videos are fake, but that doesn't change the fact that they're sites devoted to videos depicting people dying in various ways.
Not just fictional either. It used to be that you would never see people actually dying. News wouldn't think of showing videos like that. I remember the first time there was a video that actually showed someone's death posted online. It was absolutely shocking.
Fantastic list. As a teenager in the 80's I can remember when Videodrome was strictly an under the counter rental from my local rental shop. Thanks for the upload.
Except for The Hidden, I was lucky enough to see all these, first run in the Cinema, back in the days of wide screed and surround sound. All remain in my top ten and lucky enough to have all on DVD as well. Great choices and well done.
I haven't seen Repo man, but every other film on this list I would definitely fall into my, highly recommended list. The hidden in particular, a lot of fun, and aged like a fine wine.
4 out of 5 of these were already on my favorite list. So I really need to check out "the Hidden!" Don't forget that Brazil was part of a trilogy by Terry Gilliam!
I was at that notorious first screening of Brazil, or as it became "Non-screening" of Terry Gilliam arguing with Universal. It was quite an experience. Gilliam's POV was, "I am going to show my film!" and then Universal called the theater, and Gilliam would run up into the projection booth, talk to Universal, and then come back into the theater and tell us what happened. He was going to show us his cut. Universal won that first round - we didn't get to see it at that screening, but later that evening Gilliam showed it at another theater.
@@EchoesofAnalog You are welcome. Blade Runner is my favourite movie and your description of the core of the movie is one of the best I have every seen.
I have not seen any of these particular films, but your writing is exceptional and your insights are thoughtful. I would love to hear your opinions on other movies, too, whether through TH-cam or another source.
It also has one of the saddest most beautiful lines ever uttered by a villain. On contemplating his end, the baddy Batty wonders if all of his memories will just disappear like tears in the rain.
Outstanding commentary provides legitimacy to what are often ignored works of serious art, which also inform and entertain. Picasso is wonderful, but can't do that.
5 for 5. Saw all of these in the theater, and have since kept VHS/DVD/BluRay copies of these. Shared them with my son (when age appropriate) Was hoping you'd point me to something I'd missed, but no. Good job.
Interesting list. I remember as a young man having trouble with some of these movies. The Hidden was campy fun and I liked that one a lot. But Repo Man, which I saw in the theaters and Brazil, kind of depressed me. I've gained more respect for them since.
Excellent selection of films! I watched The Hidden many years ago and seem to recall its open ending made it feel like a pilot episode for a tv series that never followed?
I really liked this video. I remember watching Videodrome on a TV like the one in the movie. Try falling asleep on the sofa with a TV like that waiting to jump you! Feedback: the summaries are a little too long. You could crisp up and edit them down. There are too many words and with video also playing, it’s a lot to take in. I want to walk away with your key observations but not get lost in language if that makes sense. Subscribed!
@@EchoesofAnalog it was excellent and I couldn’t have produced something this good. It’s impressive for a new content creator. You’ve got the juice to do this!
I loved Blade Runner from the first time I saw it, but nobody else seemed to much appreciate it. Of course this was before the internet, so everybody's opinions weren't instantly on-tap, so I don't really know what the general view of it was. But for years I thought it was just some quirk about me...that nobody else cared about it.
Quite intelligent commentary on five boffo films, though I've not yet seen The Hidden. Far better than all those other "ten forgotten films of the eighties" videos where the narrator sounds like an AI hired by a film company to promote films to a disengaged public. If your order means anything, I would rate Blade Runner first, as you do, but Videodrome second, both for their complex and interesting plots and for their influence on later cinema.
But of course Brazil. Genius Also, how the studios repressed a movie about bureaucratic repression remains one of the most obvious forms of Art fiction becoming reality. The system works
That's an interesting perspective. Scanners might be the least body horror-focused of Cronenberg's films from that era. However, multiple respected sources like Criterion, Wikipedia, and CBR classify it as body horror. So what do you think leads them to that conclusion?
The Hidden is a “Hidden Gem”, and VideoDrome is Dope Meta Matrix shit before the Matrix! 🙄😳🤯 Blade Runner is practically 2/3 to 3/4 responsible for the CyberPunk genre but there is another “Cult Classic” that is responsible for almost 20% of the Genre and that is Disney’s “Tron”! 😎
I really think that Robocop should be in that list. And despite me enjoying a lot Brazil I do think its influence isn't that great compared to Robocop which really capture the cyberpunk genre perfectly. The movie emphasizes so much on important topics like masculinity, gentrification, corruption, death... that almost any cyberpunk movie coming after it is influenced by Robocop.
The Hidden has one of the best 80's soundtracks as well. Great movie!
Great list. I remember seeing most of these films in almost empty theatres. I'm so glad that they still live on. :)
Centre, middle. Three other people also watching.
I first watched Videodrome on TV in the middle of the night by myself as a stoned teenager, with no idea what I was in for. Those were the days.
DUDE?!? Same
It makes me both happy and terrified the world has caught up with Cronenberg's genius.
Very disturbing stuff.
Videodrome was my introduction to Cronenberg. (saw it at a test audience screening) He has ever since been one of my fav writers/directors.
Three of my favourite movies are here: Repo Man, Brazil and Blade Runner. I loved them as they came out, stunning, new, more realistic in their social commentaries than main stream junk. Thanks for celebrating these movies.
More violence, more pleasure, more everything. Love the 80s.
I watched the Hidden on VHS. Rewatching it multiple times. Such a great movie for its time.
Claudia looks good on bluray
I saw it in a theater opening night. on Halloween. Crazy rowdy wild crowd, same as the movie.
Any original story makes a great movie for its time whatever time that is, Rob. It's remakes, spin-offs, sequels, prequels, reboots that make small movies.
@@JZsBFF as good as the first terminator was the second was way better. And some F&f movies outdid the first.
And while Mad Max was a minor classic Road Warrior was a breakout hit to the point of being iconic.
And the second Alien movie was way better and so on and so on
@@musicman8270 The exception confirms the rule. T2 being better than T1 and Aliens being better than Alien is disputable. Aliens isn't bad though. It's just a different movie altogether, same goes for Mad Max. Anyway I'm mainly referring to the direction of those endless present day franchises, average cash grabs.
My brother and I saw The Hidden in the theaters, not knowing anything about it (we didn't even see its poster) and we loved it.
I saw Brazil in the theaters, too, not knowing anything about it, and was blown away by the experience.
The most memorable movie experiences I've ever had were the ones I went into the theater totally clueless about what I was about to see.
God. I was driving home from work down the freeway today and as I passed by all the billboards blocking the view I thought of how it’s been decades since I last saw Brazil. Amazing film. And repo man! I watched that movie so many times on vhs the tape burned out. But yeah, Bladerunner tops the list. I saw it in an almost empty cinema when it came out and was blown away. I have honestly watched it hundreds of times since then. It’s probably going to be the movie I watch on my deathbed tbh… an absolute masterpiece
All good films but Brazil is one of my all time favourites.
A pretty list well put together by someone who understands the artistic struggle behind great art.
If only it hadn't been an AI voice that mispronounced half the names.
In the 80's I watched in the theater, Road Warrior, RoboCop, and The Hidden and Blade Runner, too.
I thought, "here we go! Action movies with some punk!" HOllywood is going to make some great stuff. Weird movies, fun broheim.
Little did I know, it was a peak. None others would be better.
Nah
Don't forget repo man
As a 20 something in the 80s, these movies were always in our VCR , especially Repo Man. Still a favorite of mine
Soundtrack was the bands we all listened to and saw live
Ahhhh the 80s
Long live the new flesh
Michael Manns' "The Keep" is another hidden gem
Blade Runner is a masterpiece. A perfect movie.
I had this feeling the first time i saw it, back in the early 80's, and i still have it.
Alien and Blade Runner are Ridley Scott's best movies. He's a master of complex visuals, fantastic sets and incredible imagery.
Funly enough, i read recently that Harrison Ford had a bad time filming it, he argued with Ridley very often in the set. Maybe that's why he looks bored and not having a great time, on many parts of the movie. Rutger Hauer delivered the performance of his lifetime on it.
It's a movie that will always be seen and re-seen through time. Masterpiece.
No list of these type of movies is ever complete without Blade Runner.
Blade Runner is no cult classic or hidden gem, but a real classic
Great video essay...your synopsis is outstanding and your examination lucid and concice Perhaps more than anything your forethought regarding the films significance to film history and culture are expressed very well.
Had seen all of these except Videodrome. Loved The Hidden and Blade Runner when I saw them, and was pleasantly bewildered by Brazil. Good list!
Brazil is the 2nd in Gilliams loose trilogy of movies that deal with Youth (Time Bandits) Adulthood (Brazil) and Old Age (The Adventures of Baron Munchausen).
@@ozgott1415 I did not know that, but I have seem them all. Thanks!
Blade runner is a movie that leaves you thinking about life and mortality long after it’s finished
I like your pre-revisionist take on Blade Runner. It was a fantastic but difficult watch back in 1982; Fantastic because of the incredible world-building and score; Difficult because it was so ambivalent about its characters; are they good or are they terrible, are they just part of the machine or are they transcendent? It's our role as an audience to decide, I guess, and that's what made it perpetually memorable. I dunno, all the latest Blade Runner chatter seems to miss the point. It was very good, and history seems to agree, despite all the arguments. Likewise all the films on your list (although I haven't seen The Hidden), 80's cinema was the best!
The problem with denouncing revisionism is that it’s basically advocating that a work of art should be pinned and mounted to a wall and promptly forgotten. It’s an approach that advocates nostalgia rather than inspection. It ensures that a work will forever belong to a specific generation and will die out with that generation. That’s why revision is importance; it’s the continuation of a discussion.
@@wellesradio Thanks for your comment. As you'll notice from mine, I didn't 'denounce' anything, I merely admired the OP's take on the movie, as released. Whether or not that denies 'inspection' I'll leave for others to comment, but my intention was not to'promptly' forget any aspect of the movie. The revisionist take is as valid as any other, but the movie I watched in 1982 was as profound and compelling as any of the subsequent iterations. Can we at least agree on that?
Top-notch list! Each a classic in it's own right.
Damn straight!
Great video. Love Brazil.
Although not sci-fi, one of my favorite cult movies of the '80's is a French movie called Diva (1981). It's basically an action thriller that follows a young man who makes an illegal high quality recording of an opera diva who refuses to have her voice recorded. The criminal underworld want the recording and pursue him to get it. Amazing movie.
I remember diva. That was fun.
Great job. Thank you.
Escape From New York.
Just discovered your channel and really enjoying your videos!
Keep 'em coming...thank you!
Thank you! Will do!
In a way, Videodrome kind of predicted the future. In the movie, Videodrome is presented as a TV broadcast showing people being tortured and killed. At the time the idea was shocking and Max even asks "Who'd watch that?" Today, there are sites on the internet where you can watch recorded and even live BDSM shows. Granted, they're all consensual and don't go as far as the scenes portrayed in the movie, but still, who would have thought such things would ever exist? And for those who want more, there are even sites offering fake snuff videos. They don't hide the fact that the videos are fake, but that doesn't change the fact that they're sites devoted to videos depicting people dying in various ways.
Not just fictional either. It used to be that you would never see people actually dying. News wouldn't think of showing videos like that. I remember the first time there was a video that actually showed someone's death posted online. It was absolutely shocking.
Fantastic list. As a teenager in the 80's I can remember when Videodrome was strictly an under the counter rental from my local rental shop. Thanks for the upload.
Just stumbled over you - great content, I’m in. Thanks you. 🎉🎉
I'm surprised They Live wasn't on this list.
True.
I agree
"Liquid Sky" and, "Diva" I think could fit in.
Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension
I have the British quad poster for this gem of a movie (Videodrome)
And let's never forget how AMAZING the soundtrack for Repoman. Or the best line in a movie EVER.
"Driving makes you stupid."
The line is “the more you drive, the less intelligent you are.”
Except for The Hidden, I was lucky enough to see all these, first run in the Cinema, back in the days of wide screed and surround sound. All remain in my top ten and lucky enough to have all on DVD as well. Great choices and well done.
I haven't seen Repo man, but every other film on this list I would definitely fall into my, highly recommended list.
The hidden in particular, a lot of fun, and aged like a fine wine.
4 out of 5 of these were already on my favorite list. So I really need to check out "the Hidden!"
Don't forget that Brazil was part of a trilogy by Terry Gilliam!
a new favorite channel
I was at that notorious first screening of Brazil, or as it became "Non-screening" of Terry Gilliam arguing with Universal. It was quite an experience. Gilliam's POV was, "I am going to show my film!" and then Universal called the theater, and Gilliam would run up into the projection booth, talk to Universal, and then come back into the theater and tell us what happened. He was going to show us his cut. Universal won that first round - we didn't get to see it at that screening, but later that evening Gilliam showed it at another theater.
I find the commentary for this video extremely well written and thoughtful. Subscribed!
Wow, thank you!
@@EchoesofAnalog You are welcome. Blade Runner is my favourite movie and your description of the core of the movie is one of the best I have every seen.
Repo Man, magnificant movie.
I have not seen any of these particular films, but your writing is exceptional and your insights are thoughtful. I would love to hear your opinions on other movies, too, whether through TH-cam or another source.
Watch them. Start with Blade Runner.
The hidden Michael Nuri and kyle Mclachlan were both outstanding in it .
Excellent analysis
I own all these films . I knew they were amazing when they came out. GREAT List !!
I'll never forget tripping ballz when I got home and watching videodrome
Cool channel. I have never seen The Hidden.
I have not seen 'The Hidden' yet. Thanks for the heads up on that one.
Excellent work. Sub'd!
It also has one of the saddest most beautiful lines ever uttered by a villain. On contemplating his end, the baddy Batty wonders if all of his memories will just disappear like tears in the rain.
Outstanding commentary provides legitimacy to what are often ignored works of serious art, which also inform and entertain. Picasso is wonderful, but can't do that.
Fantastic episode
5 for 5. Saw all of these in the theater, and have since kept VHS/DVD/BluRay copies of these. Shared them with my son (when age appropriate) Was hoping you'd point me to something I'd missed, but no. Good job.
I saw Brazil on the BIG screen, it was (is) awesome!
Man oh man, Videodrome scared the hell out of me when I saw it as kid in the mid 80s
Blade Runner is awesome, Blade Runner 2049 even better. Watch the three mini prequels as well. Waiting for Blade Runner 2099 next.
Back when movies were movies. The Hidden is one of the greatest movies never seen.
Jimmy Woods has a ..uh...certain reputation for difficulty but dams if that guy isn't a live wire on the screen!
He’s great on Family Guy, but….yeah.
Great video although I was hoping to see "Brother From Another Planet"
So that would make a list of 6 .
It's crazy how right they are about the future
Videodrome is a movie that impacted me Blade Runner A great classic music by Vangelis Harrison Ford as Deckkard and the villain Nexus 6 impressed me
The hidden is a great movie. Good list.
Interesting list. I remember as a young man having trouble with some of these movies. The Hidden was campy fun and I liked that one a lot. But Repo Man, which I saw in the theaters and Brazil, kind of depressed me. I've gained more respect for them since.
all brilliant movies
Excellent selection of films!
I watched The Hidden many years ago and seem to recall its open ending made it feel like a pilot episode for a tv series that never followed?
The SciFi Channel made a TV movie sequel, but it sucked.
I did not know that, but I don’t appear to have missed much then 😂
I would add 'Mosquito Coast', 'King of New York' and 'Adventures of Baron Munchousen'.
I really liked this video. I remember watching Videodrome on a TV like the one in the movie. Try falling asleep on the sofa with a TV like that waiting to jump you! Feedback: the summaries are a little too long. You could crisp up and edit them down. There are too many words and with video also playing, it’s a lot to take in. I want to walk away with your key observations but not get lost in language if that makes sense. Subscribed!
Thank you for the kind words and feedback. :) This was my first video, and I'm overwhelmed by all the attention its getting.
@@EchoesofAnalog it was excellent and I couldn’t have produced something this good. It’s impressive for a new content creator. You’ve got the juice to do this!
Deberah Harry, you mean Blondie?
@@glennsammon4465 que?
@@ruby3040 Debrorah Harry, punk rock star BLONDIE.
Circuitry Man part 1 was also an interesting film along with Enemy Mine and The Last Starfighter.
I loved Blade Runner from the first time I saw it, but nobody else seemed to much appreciate it. Of course this was before the internet, so everybody's opinions weren't instantly on-tap, so I don't really know what the general view of it was. But for years I thought it was just some quirk about me...that nobody else cared about it.
It was considered a cult classic before the internet.
Only one i haven't seen is The Hidden. Looks good will give it a watch.
Logan's run and 1984 should be on this list too. And let's not forget about Soylent green and time machine
I liked Scanners! The Hidden was a good too.
Need to check out The Hidden (and perhaps give Repo Man another chance) given the classics that fill out this list.
Quite intelligent commentary on five boffo films, though I've not yet seen The Hidden. Far better than all those other "ten forgotten films of the eighties" videos where the narrator sounds like an AI hired by a film company to promote films to a disengaged public. If your order means anything, I would rate Blade Runner first, as you do, but Videodrome second, both for their complex and interesting plots and for their influence on later cinema.
My favorite part of _The Hidden_ was Claudia Christian boffing the guy to death.
Life as a repo man is always intense
DAY OF THE DEAD (George Romero, 1985)
RE-ANIMATOR (Brian Yuzna, also 1985)
LIQUID SKY (Slava Tzuckerman, 1992)
Oh great. You just listed five of my favorite movies. You could have made it seven, and included Buckaroo Banzai and Big Trouble in Little China.
Saw Videodrome when it came out. It was creepy. I liked it but never watched it again. Creepy.
Great choices. "Altered States" would have been a nice number 6.
I'm a huge fan of all the films you mentioned here but what about Robocop, Aliens, The Terminator?
Instead of showing the same scenes over and over. Slow them down so they take longer. People will just think it's a stylistic choice.
BLADE RUNNER IS THE SECOND BEST FILM OF ALL TIME IMO BEHIND CLOCKWORK ORANGE 🍊
But of course Brazil. Genius
Also, how the studios repressed a movie about bureaucratic repression remains one of the most obvious forms of Art fiction becoming reality.
The system works
Brasil is a part of a trilogy - with "Zero Theorem" and "12 Monkeys".
Scanners was not a "Body Horror", as said in the talk about Videdrome. Scanners is all about the power of an enhanced mind.
That's an interesting perspective. Scanners might be the least body horror-focused of Cronenberg's films from that era. However, multiple respected sources like Criterion, Wikipedia, and CBR classify it as body horror. So what do you think leads them to that conclusion?
The Hidden is a “Hidden Gem”, and VideoDrome is Dope Meta Matrix shit before the Matrix! 🙄😳🤯
Blade Runner is practically 2/3 to 3/4 responsible for the CyberPunk genre but there is another “Cult Classic” that is responsible for almost 20% of the Genre and that is Disney’s “Tron”! 😎
Long live the new flesh!
All great choices. I suppose THX1138 would be appropriate here.
ヒドゥンのラストの優しさ
What‘s with 1986‘s Dune?
Watching the video I came to realize something interesting: "cult classic" is another term for "proving film studios wrong".
Nice to see The Hidden again, loved it. Thanks for remember.
I did enjoy scanners.
cool video. Echpes of. analog. have a. good. weekend
I really think that Robocop should be in that list. And despite me enjoying a lot Brazil I do think its influence isn't that great compared to Robocop which really capture the cyberpunk genre perfectly. The movie emphasizes so much on important topics like masculinity, gentrification, corruption, death... that almost any cyberpunk movie coming after it is influenced by Robocop.
I have to wonder if Jupiter Ascending might end up on a list like this in 20 years. Never have understood why it gets so much flack.
Except for Blade Runner, how did they "Change Cinema Forever"?
😁👍