Who you gonna call? The 80s!
Let the screen take you back to a time when you didn’t have a care in the world says CONSTANTINOS PSILLIDES
Nostalgia sells. It makes the viewer forget all about the problems of adult life and magically transports them back to a time when their biggest concern was whether there would be a pop-quiz on Monday. Hollywood is quite aware of this goldmine, which is why 80s movies are making a comeback.
Road House (Prime Video)
The original Road House with Patrick Swayze is a cult classic, beloved by fans despite not doing so well when it first came out. Over the years the film has gained a significant following because, let’s be honest, who doesn’t want to see sexy Swayze rip a guy’s tongue from his throat? Just me?
Released in 1989, Road House tells the story of famous bouncer James Dalton. We are going to skip over the fact that the film posits a world where ‘celebrity bouncer’ is a thing because we do not have the time to get into that.
Dalton leaves his New York job to take a job as head of security at a roadhouse bar in rural Missouri. Where everyone recognises him by the way, because he is THAT famous.
The usual shenanigans happen, a corrupt businessman comes in, wants to shut the roadhouse down, Swayze and his luscious mane have a problem with it, fists fly, round-house kicks in impossibly tight jeans are passed around, throats ripped, all and all a regular Saturday night.
2024 Road House is more of a reimaging than a remake. Jake Gyllenhaal plays the role of Elwood Dalton, a former UFC fighter who is, of course, down on his luck and spiralling out of control. He is hired by Frankie (the always-welcome, Jessica Williams) who owns a roadhouse in Florida and is in desperate need of someone to make local troublemakers intimate with a hospital bed.
The fight scenes in this movie are gory, brutal and ferocious. This might have something to do with Gyllenhaal’s co-star, UFC fighter Conor McGregor who plays a mafia fixer. McGregor turns out to be a good actor and his explosive, violent temperament is the perfect antithesis to the calm and collected Dalton.
Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F (Netflix)
When it comes to crafting cheesy, instantly recognisable earworms that serve as soundtracks in films, German musician Harold Faltermeyer is the Shai–Hulud. I’ll give you a couple of seconds to google the reference.
Faltermeyer famously composed the ‘Top Gun Anthem’ and of course ‘Axel F’, the synth-pop music from 1984’s smash-hit Beverly Hills Cop. The film stars a young Eddie Murphy as Detective Axel Foley and it was his ticket out of the stand-up comedy scene to international stardom. It tells the story of a Detroit cop who ends up in Beverly Hills to investigate his best friend’s murder. Part buddy cop, part fish out of water, Beverly Hills Cop was a huge success and spun a trilogy, with the last one shot in 1994.
In 2013 a pilot was shot for a spin-off series but was never picked up although the studio gave the green light for a fourth film. In 2019 Netflix bought the rights to the film and contracted Eddie Murphy (part of a multi-project deal) to reprise the role.
Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F picks up years after the last one, with Axel Foley forced to return once more to Beverly Hills to protect his daughter. All the original cast members return or have a cameo, with Joseph Gordon Levitt co-starring as Axel’s new partner.
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire
Proton packs rule eternal. We will just never give up the dream of ditching our 9-5 to become professional ghostbusters and we flock to the cinemas whenever there’s a new movie. Frozen Empire is the sequel to the 2021 reboot, with Paul Rudd returning to lead a team of young ghostbusters. Finn Wolfhard returns as well, with Kumal Nanjiani and the always hilarious Patton Oswalt.
In Frozen Empire the world is under attack (again) but this time the new ghostbusters must work with the old timers to prevent a cold Apocalypse. I haven’t seen the movie yet but if there isn’t a ‘When Hell freezes over’ joke, this whole thing has been a wasted opportunity.
Beetlejuice
“Come Mr Tally Man, tally me banana”! Catherine O’Hara’s now famous dinner scene in the horror comedy Beetlejuice (1988) is a pop-culture touchstone! It was only a matter of time before Beetlejuice got a sequel. Michael Keaton returns as the havoc-wreaking spirit Beetlegeuse in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, along with Catherine O’Hara and Winona Ryder. Jenny Ortega (Wednesday) joins the cast as Beetlegeuse’s newest unsuspecting victim, unleashing him upon the world by saying his name three times.
The movie comes out in September! Don’t miss it!