Parenthood (1989)

 

Steve Martin stars and is perfectly uptight as Gil Buckman, a family man trying not to freak out on the rollercoaster of parenthood, but there's a veritable Love Actually-sized ensemble here too: a single mother (Dianne Wiest) struggles to raise a teenage boy (a young Joaquin Phoenix) while trying to steer an older daughter (Martha Plimpton) away from no-hopers like Tod (Keanu Reeves playing Ted again), and more (Rick Moranis, Tom Hulce, Mary Steenburgen, and Jason Robards) all in Ron Howard's comedy smash hit about the trials and tribulations of the privileged white raising kids in traditional family units.

★★★☆☆

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Footloose (1984)

A city kid rocks the foundations of a conservative town in America's Midwest by challenging its ban of rock music and dancing, in this 80s classic, a dull, ridiculous melodrama that is not so ridiculous if you believe claims it is based on real events in the township of Elmore City, Oklahoma, and not so dull if you try to find ways in which it is analogous to real situations like, say, the Australian Government's stance on same-sex marriage.

★★☆☆☆

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The Lost Boys (1987)

The world of vampires, pirates and Peter Pan collide in Joel Schumacher's cult classic from the 80s about vampires who dress like Jack Sparrow (or Adam Ant, depending on your age), lounge about like teenagers who'll live forever, and get away with a stupid number of murders in seaside Santa Carla despite the very public altercations they have with all of their victims in the moments just prior to their feeding frenzies - it is all a very daft but hugely enjoyable mix of horror, comedy and fantasy bolstered by a way-cool pre-male pattern baldness Jason Patric, the two Coreys hamming it up as teenaged vampire experts, a bleached-blonde Kiefer, a dizzy Diane Wiest, and - the real star above all else - a killer 80s soundtrack.

★★★★☆

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