18 THE LIST a 1/ Dec l998
It was the era of the Brat Pack, Vietnam guilt-trips and My Beautiful Laundrette. But which five 805 movies were really a sign of their times?
Words: Ellie Carr
Nine And A Half Weeks
Plot Commodrtres broker and obsessrve character Mrckey Rourke meets sweet-natured sexpot Krm Basmger. They have krnky sex Lots of rt. In varrous places. And that's about rt How we remember it Grcmndbreakrng erotrca that shocked mrllrons and changed the nature of sex rn marnstream crnerna forever.
How it really was Tacky soft porn among 80s desrgner furnrshrngs (and alleys and hotel rooms) wrth lrttle or no substance.
Mantra 'They broke every rule.’ How 805 was it? Enough Rubrk’s cubes to frll a warehouse apartment.
Top Gun
Plot Tom Crurse stars as a frghter prlot desperate to make rt to the top at the US Navy's elrte avratron school In between lengthy bouts of flyrng, he frnds trme to make out wrth hrs aeronautrcs rnstructor (Kelly McGrllrsr and dump on hrs best frrend.
How we remember it Devrlrshly excrtrng boy’s own adventure
How it really was Trresorrre boy’s own adventure wrth cardboard actrng and low-vrsrbrlty plot Great flyrng scenes though.
Mantra 'She's lost that Iovrng feelrng. I hate rt when she does that.’
How 805 was it? Wrth Tom Crurse, the full Rubrk's Cube Wrthout hrm, three srdes complete.
Flashdance
Plot Alex (Jennrfer Bealsl rs a welder by day and dancer rn a workrng men's club by nrght. Her dream of drtchrng the tools and the tassles and makrng rt to the posh ballet school becomes an obsessron, culmrnatrng rn an all-or-nothrng audrtron scene that rs the frlm’s endurrng rmage
How we remember it Heart-rendrng tale of an ordrnary grrl’s brd for fame, complete wrth stunnrng dance routrnes and up-to-the-mrnute fashrons.
How it really was Corny pap padded out wrth cheesy dance routrnes, graturtoos thong leotar'd shots and the worst parr of red strllettos rn rnovre hrstory. We'd never watch rt now Honest
Mantra ’Take your passron and make rt happenl'
How 805 was it? The full Rubrk's Cube.
Wall Street
Plot Olrver Stone's vrc rous portrart of rnsrder tr‘adrng on 80s Wall Street sees Charlre Sheen as the rookre broker corrupted by thorougth nasty bent company trader Gordon Gekko. How we remember it Brrllrant, rf thorougth brased expose of the krnd of greed that reached rts peak on the 80s stock market, wrth power-hungry Gordon Gekko representrng everythrng bad about the tier acle Sadly for some he was a role model
How it really was Brrllrant, rf thoroughly brased
Mantra ’Careed rs good ' .
How 805 was it? Frve srdes of a Rubrk’s cube, the exec utrve edrtron tGekko would have moved the strckersl
Cocktail
Plot More Tom Crurse, as the oh-so-80s ac tor steps rnto the slrp-on shoes of a bad boy rn search of a resr_)ectable career. Thrs comes rn the shape of a coc'ktarl bar, where he frnds hrs charm and fancy bottle-Jugglrng skrlls have a wrnnrng way wrth the ladres and eventually falls rn lurve.
How we remember it Neon-soaked glamour-fest wrth a hunky star and fancy dr'rnks to boot
How it really was Por'sc he-shaped Tom Cr'urse vehrcle wrth about as much sophrstrcatron as
a nrght down the th/y Wrth chrps on the way home But then we thought that was glam
then too ! Mantra ‘When he pours, he rergns '
How 805 was it? lor‘get Rubrk's cubes, thrs was the full cocktarl cabrnet