Movies by year: 1990

(Be warned: spoilers ahead)

In 1990 I moved away from home and off to school - and there were some notable movies that year too. Kevin Costner finally became a big deal in Dances With Wolves. Ron Silver made us wonder whether Claus von Bülow was really innocent or guilty in Reversal Of Fortune. Sean Connery was Scottish again as a Russian in The Hunt For Red October. Johnny Depp made all the girls cry (and a little boy sitting behind us in the theatre exclaimed, 'but he didn't do anything!') in Edward Scissorhands. Quade had a really bad day in Total Recall. And David Lynch gave us Wild At Heart, which is definitely not a date movie. And one more really interesting piece of film:

Movies by year: 1989

(No fooling, there are definitely spoilers ahead)

In 1989 there were some great movies. Heathers was a fantastic black comedy, introducing most of us to the sideshow that was Christian Slater. When Harry Met Sally had us all ordering "what she's having." Harrison Ford and Sean Connery brought us Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade, wherein we learn the origin of Indy's name. Kevin Kline hunted The January Man while trying to get an espresso. Dead Calm gave me the heebie jeebies about being out on the ocean. Kenneth Branagh was outstanding in Henry V. Leningrad Cowboys Go America had the Russian brothers with the big hair and pointy shoes touring the midwest. And Shirley Valentine discovered that "boat is boat, fuck is fuck." I could have written about any of these really, but I chose:

Movies by year: 1988

(Don't call me stupid - I'm warning you now about spoilers!)

1988 was a pretty good year, I have a lot of good memories from that time of my life. Including movies!

Dangerous Liaisons was a tightly-woven tapestry of sexual intrigue and one-upmanship in the 1700s - John Malkovich was hypnotic. Beetlejuice warned us that, when you die but you don't go away, you really should just read the manual and not turn to shysters in stripey pants. The Navigator: A Medieval Odyssey was out of left field - The Black Death is coming to a 14th century Cumbrian village, and their only hope is to install a new cross on the biggest church in the world - which they find by digging downward and ending up in 20th century New Zealand. Terry Gilliam brought us The Adventures Of Baron Munchausen, a weird (of course) tale of a distracted hero who may or may not be just a senile actor. Willow was tasked with protecting Elora Dennan from the evils of the world, with the help of some great stop-motion animation. And Young Einstein proffered the theory that Albert Einstein was, in fact, from Tasmania (amazing soundtrack).

My choice?

Movies by year: 1987

(Telling the truth can be dangerous business - look out for spoilers!)

The pickings were a little slimmer in 1987, but there were a few standouts. Let's be clear though, Overboard was not one of them - I just love it anyway, it's goofy and stupid. But there were better movies that year - The Hidden, for example, was a cop movie with an interstellar twist. Less Than Zero was a lesson in the dangers of excess. The Princess Bride taught us that not even death can stand in the way of true love. The Untouchables was a fantastic star-studded gangster flick of epic proportions. And Withnail And I told the simple story of two out-of-work actors going on holiday by mistake - and introduced me to both Richard E. Grant and Paul McGann, the latter of whom set up shop in my heart and has never left.

I was pretty sure I was going to write about W&I actually, but then I realized I had to make sure one very important one was not forgotten:

Movies by year: 1986

(Look out for spoilers!)

Okay, we're really cooking now - 1986 was an awesome year for movies, lots of adventure and excitement. Jim Henson brought us David Bowie in tights in Labyrinth, and hearts were set aflutter. Kurt Russell did a comic/action turn in Big Trouble In Little China (makes for a good double-bill with Buckaroo Banzai, by the way). Ferris Bueller's Day Off gave us a day in the life of the coolest high schooler ever. Stand By Me introduced us to a few stars before their time and made us swear to never walk through a swamp. The Name Of The Rose was a compelling mediaeval murder mystery with a fantastic solution. Our Federation heroes came to visit in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home. Musicals were fun again with Little Shop Of Horrors ("You'll Be A Dentist" was all over the radio as I recall). Ripley returned for a more action-oriented Aliens. And David Cronenberg took Hollywood tall couple Geena Davis and Jeff Goldblum and ruined their lives in The Fly.

I did say adventure, right? Here's my choice for 1986:

Movies by year: 1985

(Hey you, yes you! Spoilers!)

Quite a mixed bag in terms of movies in 1985. On the lighter side there was The Breakfast Club (no detention was ever this fun, I'm sure) and Real Genius (I was so disappointed that this bore no relation to actual University) and Young Sherlock Holmes had really cool effects and a fun story. Silverado was a bit more serious, with a great cast including a very young Kevin Costner. Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome was a massive hit, I loved the way the kids' language had devolved. And then there was The Color Purple, which even made my Mum cry.

I'm more for the light-hearted though, so my choice is:

Movies by year: 1984

(Sined, Seeled, Delivered (sic) Spoilers ahead.)

We've finally hit that year, 1984, where we get to pretend Orwell's predictions haven't come true. :)

Good year for movies! 2010 took us back to Europa to find out what happened with Hal. David Lynch brought Dune to the big screen in a huge, opulent, weird way. Timothy Hutton and John Lone sang by the fire in Iceman. Eddie Murphy was Axel Foley in Beverly Hills Cop and we all loved him. Ghostbusters told us who to call when there's something strange in the neighbourhood. The Terminator gave us the bleakest of futures and some kick-ass explosions. Starman was an alien just trying to learn about us while The Brother From Another Planet wanted to escape slavery. And This Is Spinal Tap introduced us to an awesome band, with unfortunate drummers, who always took everything to eleven.

But there's one that stands out for me, and if you know me well it will come as no surprise...

Movies by year: 1983

(Beware, spoilers ahead)

Another good year for the cinema, 1983 brought us Catherine Deneuve and David Bowie as two very stylish vampires in The Hunger; William Hurt donned a big furry hat and a glum expression for the Russian murder mystery Gorky Park and joined his college friends for a cottage weekend in The Big Chill; Build Me Up, Buttercup was put to good use in the caveman comedy Luggage Of The Gods (a personal stupid favourite); the trilogy of six (?) ended with Star Wars VI: Return Of The Jedi; Ralphie got his Red Rider BB Gun in A Christmas Story; Christopher Walken warned that the ICE was gonna BREAK in The Dead Zone; and space race heroes were born in The Right Stuff.

But I've got a gloomier one for you this time:

Movies by year: 1982

(Look out for spoilers, they're already among us!)

Wow, we're already up to 1982! This year we got another great Ustinov Poirot film, Evil Under The Sun; the visually impressive anti-corporateTron; the hilarious Victor Victoria (my favourite Julie Andrews role); Jim Henson's magic fable of a race divided and the Gelfling who must bring them together before it's too late, The Dark Crystal; and Ricardo Montalban's impressive chest coupled with Johnny Cool as Kirk's offspring in Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan, a mostly-perfect film.

I'm afraid I'm actually torn on this one, so I'm going to have to tell you about TWO movies...

Movies by year: 1981

(Look out for falling mild spoilers!)

Now firmly into the 80s, we've reached the era of the blockbuster. Kurt Russell threw off the Disney stereotype as Snake Plissken in Escape From New York. Ron Perlman probably didn't need much makeup for his role as a caveman in Quest For Fire. Harrison Ford introduced us to everyone's favourite archaeologist in Raiders Of The Lost Ark (and, since we're being honest here, was more than a bit responsible for my Classical Studies and Anthropology choices at university). Terry Gilliam bent our wee little minds with Time Bandits. Mel Gibson was back in the infinitely superior Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior and hardly said a thing through the whole movie. And a little animated movie called Grendel Grendel Grendel gave us the Beowulf story from the other side. But I'm going to talk about...

Movies by year: 1980

(Watch out, mild spoilers)

There was a real mixed bag again in 1980 - a bit of comedy (The Blues Brothers on a mission from God), a bit of terror (The Shining – All atmosphere, instead of supernatural (and there's really only one thing in the entire movie that can't be explained away), it becomes a tale of cabin fever taken to the extreme), a touch of romance (the ridiculously beautiful Somewhere In Time with lovers separated by the ages), a slice of adventure (Star Wars V: The Empire Strikes Back, my favourite of the Star Wars films), wartime exploits (Das Boot was claustrophobic and tense, the experiences of a u-boat crew over the course of WWII condensed down to one really, really bad mission) and a smidgen of musical (Popeye - perfectly cast, amazing soundtrack and the most expressive baby ever).

With such a variety, what did I choose?

Movies by year: 1979

(Oh, did I mention there may be spoilers ahead?)

Okay, now things are heating up. 1979 was a pretty exciting year for movies – Monty Python's The Life Of Brian caused a huge ruckus, with people who had never seen it telling everyone exactly what was wrong with it. In fact, I went with my parents to see it and we weren't allowed in. 'It's PG,' they said. 'We're the parents and we'll give the guidance,' my parents said. They still wouldn't let us in. That theatre closed not long afterwards, serves them right. Malcolm McDowell was HG Wells to David Warner's Jack The Ripper in Time After Time, a wonderful time-travelling fish-out-of-water tale. Peter Sellers gave us the role of a lifetime in Being There. Steve Martin was born a poor black child in The Jerk. And Bill Murray was everyone's favourite camp counsellor in Meatballs (remember when they were trying to make Christopher Makepeace a thing?). But there's one hands-down fave for me from this year.

Movies by year: 1978

(Don't fall asleep, there are spoilers)

Pretty mixed bag in 1978. My Dad took me to see Grease, which I still love despite its message of 'conform and everyone will love you.' Peter Ustinov played Poirot in Death On The Nile and used his little grey cells. Watership Down first gave children lifelong issues. And then there was...

Movies by year: 1977

(Watch your step, mild spoilers ahead)

Life was simple when I was seven. Movies were mostly simple that year too. Demon Seed had the nightmarish scenario of a teched-up house taking on a life of its own and deciding reproduction was the way to go. Why Shoot The Teacher? had Bud Cort in the worst school district ever during the depression. Superman had the caped crusader being generally charming, handsome and funny, but then ruining it by TIME TRAVELLING BY FLYING AROUND THE EARTH. That still stings a bit. Slap Shot proved what we already know about hockey: it's not fun until there's blood. And, of course, Star Wars came out. No, I'm not going to write about that one. In the end, there's one that really stands out for me:

Movies by year: 1976

(Run, runner - there be spoilers!)

Things were moving at a pretty good clip in Hollywood in 1976. Close Encounters Of The Third Kind was my first 'grown-up' movie I saw in the theatre, with just my Mum and Dad and not the Boys, and it was really visually stunning. The Man Who Fell To Earth (otherwise known as David Bowie's autobiography) gave us a sideways view of the dangers of distraction. And Murder By Death paid a wonderful homage to film noir whodunnits with a fantastic cast (Clue would later send up this send-up). But my choice for this year would be:

TTC: good on paper

Ridin' the Rail. (Mine)

The recent transit study that everyone’s talking about — the one that ranks Toronto as having the best transit in Canada — was compiled by Walk Score, which helps people find places to live based on ‘walkability.’ The study ranked city transit on ‘how well a location is served by public transit’ — how many kinds there was, the number of stops on routes and the frequency of the scheduled routes.

Of course Toronto ranks high in these areas — the Toronto Transit Commission is vast, I would never argue with that — on paper, we’ve got an amazing system, covering the entire city and connecting with the surrounding cities. You can get basically anywhere in the city on the TTC.

The problem is this: the study doesn’t in any way take into account travel time, ability to actually board vehicles, comfort, cost or customer frustration. In other words, the actual usability of the system.

Cranium bouncers

No, not bouncers that keep unwanted guests out of your head (although I must use that sometime) - no, these are just random thoughts that have been careening around my noggin today.

Movies by year: 1975

(Duck, spoilers!)

We're mid-way through the 70s now – everyone makes music when they walk with their corduroys and bell-bottoms, David Bowie's starting to get freaky and there are some pretty good movie choices out there. A generation learns to fear the water because of Jaws and The Rocky Horror Picture Show had us all taking a jump to the left. But there's one clear frontrunner for 1975, for me:

Movies by year: 1974

(Avast: here be spoilers, be ye warned!)

We're up to 1974 now, and I had to ponder a bit before deciding what film to share with you. Albert Finney starred as Hercule Poirot in Murder On The Orient Express, which was delightful, and The Taking Of Pelham One Two Three answered the question 'is it possible to take the passengers of a subway car hostage?’ (hint: YES) – but in the end I decided on:

Movies by year: 1973

(Warning: here be spoilers, but seriously come on, this movie's 41 years old now!)

How has the weekend been for you guys? Did you, by any chance, watch any of my 'life movies' yet? No pressure :) Okay, now we're up to 1973, which was an interesting year for movies. Leonard Nimoy was a psychic race car driver (yes) in Baffled!, which never turned into a series; Linda Blair puked up pea soup in The Exorcist (and I became a lover of the soundtrack); and Yul Brenner planted the seeds for The Terminator as the unstoppable black-hatted cowboy in Westworld. But my choice is based on a sort of true story: