Under Neon Movie Reviews: 'House' (1986)

Movie: House
Year: 1986
Rating: 7/10 stars *******
I remember seeing parts of this movie when I was about 9 years old, was kind of freaky then, but totally chill now, and entertaining. Its one of the haunted house genre movies, very animatronic 80s style too. Some freaky monsters in this one, and reminds me of dreams I've had of old houses I've lived in. Check it out, there was a sequel too, so will probably do a review on it soon.

Under Neon Movie Reviews: 'Night of the Creeps' (1986)

Movie: Night of the Creeps
Year: 1986
Rating: 6/10 Stars ******
Great 80s space parasite zombie movie! If you like cheese-ball 80s horror flicks, you will love Night of the Creeps. Check out the movie poster above to read the hilarious quote that made the movie all worth it. Yet again, this is one of those movies that looks scary, but is really quite silly and humorous. Check it out, you'll never look at leeches the same way again.

Under Neon Movie Reviews: 'Invaders from Mars' (1986)

Movie: Invaders from Mars
Year: 1986
Rating: 5.1/10 Stars *****'
Yes yes, I was on a cheesy 80s sci-fi horror movie binge, but its so addicting. After watching the original 1950s version of this movie I had to sit down with the 80s version once more, and it is essentially the same story with better special effects and alien puppets and what not. It is amazing to me how crap the whole CG industry has made special effects, especially when it comes to monsters, now they are just some digital fake looking cartoonish add-in, whereas when this movie was made they still actually made fully size animatronic monsters which looked way cooler and more real. That aside, the movie doesn't offer much except for cheap thrills and fits the formulaic rural 80s monster/sci-fi movie well, bubblegum, check it out if thats your bag.

Under Neon Movie Reviews: 'Critters' (1986)

Movie: Critters
Year: 1986
Rating: 7/10 Stars ******
This truly is a classically 80s sci-fi/horror flick, it has all the elements...the monsters, the small American town, the inept small town citizens, the kids who discover the horrible truth, the adults who ignore all the warning signs, and the child hero that inevitably play the role of saving the town from the monsters. Very formulaic, but that is what I was programmed to find entertaining... and I find it hard to believe that I ever found these movies scary as a kid, they are sooo not scary, and really more comedy than anything. Be sure to check out the soundtrack too, Che Zuro and Terrance Mann rock the house 80s rock style!

Sneaks' Movie Reviews: 'Howard the Duck' (1986)

Movie: Howard the Duck (1986)

Director: Willard Huyck

Rating: 2.4/5 stars **'

Watched this one again, due to being on Netflix Streaming of course, and it had been about 12 years since I last had seen it. I forgot how un-serious the movie actually is, and still think of it as a kids movie, even though it might be scary for some kids. Watch this if you haven't seen it, its an 80s classic, but don't expect much in any way as there isn't really much there, but it is still a unique 80s flick I suppose.

Brief Movie Review: The Color of Money (1986)

Movie: The Color of Money (1986)

Director: Martin Scorsese

Rating: 3.3/5 Stars ***'

For some reason this 80's classic, and sequel to The Hustler (1961), eluded me until only recently, which is shocking seeing that it was a Scorsese film with Paul Newman and Tom Cruise! The focus is pool, nine-ball specifically, although thankfully there isn't too much of it in the film as it mostly focuses on old-hustler (Newman) and his desire to train and coach the young pool-prodigy (Cruise) to swindle and hustle the best of the best. The film lacked something however, it just never seemed to quite get traction as a film if that makes any sense, sort of leaves you floating in limbo wondering when the formula plot is going to kick in more, however if you saw the first movie you will want to follow it up with this one.

A Brief Movie Review: 'One Crazy Summer' (1986)

Movie: One Crazy Summer (1986)

Director: Savage Steve Holland

Rating: 2/5 Stars **

One Crazy Summer is a classic 80's comedy that falls in line with other goof-ball/jock vs. nerd comedies like Revenge of the Nerds, Caddyshack, and Police Academy. So if you dig those movies you will definitely like this one, as it has all of the same awkwardly acted scenes and humor. I wonder what Demi Moore and John Cusack think now when and if they watch this movie nowadays?

#25 of VJ Samsonite's Top 100 80's Dance Hits Countdown: 'You Keep Me Hangin' On' by Kim Wilde (1986)

Here we are already, the final 25! Ranking at #25 of VJ Samsonite's Top 100 80's Dance Hits Countdown and straight out of 1986 and now direct to you is You Keep Me Hangin' On by British singer/author/television presenter Kim Wilde. Kim Wilde was born on November 18th, 1960 in Chiswick, West London, England. She burst out onto the new wave music scene in 1981 with her chart-topping hit Kids In America (which incidentally was #85 on this countdown), but she didn't reach big success in the USA until the release of this song, which was a cover of the 1966 Supremes song You Keep Me Hangin' On. It was the second single released off of her 5th studio album released in 1986 and titled Another Step. After 1998 Kim Wilde continued on in music to some extent but took up an alternative career as a television gardener for 2 British TV programs called Better Gardens and Garden Invaders. She has also written 2 books on gardening for those who are interested. Getting back to the song, You Keep Me Hangin' On would prove to be her biggest hit peaking at #1 on the US, Canadian, Norwegian, and Australian charts. And so there is #25, and there are only 24 more to go before we are on to some other form of 80's countdown/party lists innit!

#26 of VJ Samsonite's Top 100 80's Dance Hits Countdown: 'Shake Your Foundations' by ACDC (1985)

G'day 80's Fans! Its time now to present #26 of Top 100 80's Dance Hits Countdown, and the song is....wait for it.....Shake Your Foundations by Australian hard-rock-legends ACDC. It was about time that ACDC appeared on the list, and none to late either as this song is one of my ACDC favorites of all time. Now, for some background ACDC...They come from Sydney, Australia and it all started there for them in 1973 when brothers Malcolm and Angus Young formed the band. In fact these 2 brothers were actually born in Glasgow, Scotland before their family moved to Sydney in 1963. A 3rd brother (George Young) was the first musician in the family as he learned to play guitar and joined up with The Easybeats, who were a successful Aussie band in the 1960's. According to their Wikipedia page, their sister Margaret Young gave them the idea of naming their band ACDC after noting having seeing the AC/DC symbol on a sewing machine. In 1974 the band was joined by lead vocalist Ronald Belford "Bon" Scott, who would lead the band to super-stardom in Australia and internationally. After Bon Scott died in 1980, he was replaced by Brian Johnson, who is the lead vocalist of the band to this day. As of 2010, ACDC sold more than 200 million records worldwide, and somewhere around 71 million in the USA alone. Back in Black (their most successful album from 1980) is estimated to have sold 49 million units worldwide making it highest-selling album by any band, and making it the second highest selling album in history behind the Michael Jackson's 1982 Thriller album which holds the throne at #1. Shake Your Foundations was released in 1985 on ACDC's 10th studio album titled Fly On the Wall. In 1986 the song was remixed by Harry Vanda and George Young and that version was released on the Who Made Who album, and then featured on the film soundtrack for Stephen King's classic action-horror film Maximum Overdrive (which I would highly recommend watching even just for the ACDC songs). And there was #26!

#43 of VJ Samsonite's Top 100 80's Dance Hits Countdown! "Hypnotize Me" (1986) by Wang Chung

Ok, so #43 of our Countdown is....Hypnotize Me by British 80's new-wave group Wang Chung. According to wikipedia the name of the band came from the Chinese word 'Huang Chung,' which literally means "yellow bell" in Chinese but the band surmised their translation of it as meaning the sound that a guitar made. In fact it wasn't until 1983 that they changed their name from Huang Chung to Wang Chung because apparently english speaking people kept referring to them as Hung Chung.They originally formed in 1979 and consisted of core members Jack Hues (vocals/guitar) (real name is Jeremy Ryder), and bassist Nick Feldman, and like so many other 80's acts they split up in the 90's only to reconvene in the 00's and are still playing concerts to this day. Wang Chung had their greatest musical successes in the US markets, producing 5 top 40 hits there between the years of 1984-87. Hypnotize Me first appeared on the their 1986 Mosaic album, where it peaked at #36 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and at #13 on the U.S. Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. I first encountered this track watching the 1987 movie Innerspace as it was on the soundtrack and featured in a dance club scene in the movie itself. Wang Chung were famous mainly for Dance Hall Days and Everybody Have Fun Tonight but I personally think that Hypnotize Me was their best song, and that there a few others of theirs that were also better than the two most popular ones. Anyways, moving on to #42....

#45 of VJ Samsonite's Top 100 80's Dance Hits Countdown!: "If You Leave" by OMD (1986)

Ahoy! We are at #45 of the Countdown! And the song is...If You Leave, by 80's English synth-pop group Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD). Also commonly abbreviated and known as OMD, this group originated out of the Wirral Peninsula in Merseyside, England back in 1978, which presently consists of members Andy McCluskey, Paul Humphreys, Malcolm Holmes, and Martin Cooper. McCluskey and Humphreys were the founding members of the band and are considered the 'core members' to this very day. If You Leave was a single recorded specifically for the John Hughes classic 80's film soundtrack to his film Pretty in Pink, and it was used mainly for the final scene of the movie. It would be OMD's biggest hit in the USA, peaking at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart that year, at the same time it would only reach #46 on the UK Singles Chart. I don't really have a whole heap more of information on OMD, although I do remember that they did some more soundtrack work for some other 80's John Hughes movies including the iconic Weird Science, and I haven't yet quite decided if I will feature more of their hits on this countdown, maybe, but maybe not, we shall see....

#47 of VJ Samsonite's Top 100 80's Dance Hits Countdown! Madonna: Open Your Heart (1986)

#47 of the Top 100 80's Dance Hits Countdown is....Open Your Heart by none other than the undisputed Queen of Pop Madonna. Now, this is the second single by Madonna to yet appear on this countdown, and be forewarned, there may be more to come. Madonna was born on August 16, 1958 in Bay City, Michigan, and it was back in 1977 when she moved to the Big Apple to pursue a career in modern dance, which inevitably led her to the music business and the amazingly prolific success she has had there over the past 31 years or so. Word on the street is that Lady Gaga is looking to usurp the throne, which I wouldn't say is impossible, however to even contend with Madonna, Gaga would have to put out a minimum of 5 more top 10 albums (over the course of the next 3 decades), star in movies and perhaps win an Oscar or two, and that would be just to come even close to matching the Queen of Pop's prowess. Here is a directly quoted paragraph from wikipedia:

"Madonna has sold more than 300 million records worldwide and is recognized as the world's top-selling female recording artist of all time by the Guinness World Records. According to the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), she is the best-selling female rock artist of the 20th century and the second top-selling female artist in the United States, behind Barbra Streisand, with 64 million certified albums. In 2008, Billboard magazine ranked Madonna at number two, behind only The Beatles, on the Billboard Hot 100 All-Time Top Artists, making her the most successful solo artist in the history of the chart. She was also inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the same year. Considered to be one of the most influential figures in contemporary music, Madonna is known for continuously reinventing both her music and image, and for retaining a standard of autonomy within the recording industry. She is recognized as an inspiration among numerous music artists." (from Madonna's wikipedia page)

Open Your Heart was the 4th single release from her 1986 album release (which was her 3rd studio album) titled True Blue. It was Madonna's 5th #1 'Billboard Hot 100' hit! One other interesting fact before we move onwards is that Open Your Heart was originally written as a rock 'n roll song titled Follow Your Heart and the song-writers (Gardner Cole and Peter Rafelson) had intended it for Cyndi Lauper despite the fact that it was never introduced to her in the end. Well, onwards to #46!

#48 of VJ Samsonite's Top 100 80's Dance Hits Countdown! Beastie Boys: Fight For Your Right (1986)

Hello again, straight to it, #48 is...."Fight For Your Right" by American hip-hop group Beastie Boys. It would be surprising if you didn't know who the Beastie Boys are, they have practically become a household name over the years, and have produced prolific and solid repertoire. They came out of Brooklyn, New York in 1979 and comprised of members Michael "Mike D" Diamond, Adam "MCA" Yauch, and Adam "Ad-Rock" Horovitz. You might not know this (I didn't before doing a little research for this) but they started out as a hardcore punk group, and didn't make the full transition to hip-hop until 1984. They are said to be one of the longest living hip-hop acts in the world and continue to enjoy success 20 years onwards. According to wikipedia they have been nominated for induction into the 'Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.' "Fight For Your Right" was the first single release from their major breakthrough album "Licensed to Ill" which was released in 1986. It peaked at #7 on the Billboard Hot 100, and it was also named as one of 'The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll.' Well, there is #48, on to 47!

#79 of VJ Samsonite's Top 100 80's Dance Hits Countdown!

Oh my F6$#^ing Gawd, its the Fu&#$g 80's!!! Welcome back to the countdown, it has been a few days, but we are officially into the 70's now! And yes number 80 had to be an MJ hit, seeing it as the #80 of the 80's. And now, for #79...Will I Ever Understand You, by American new-wave synth pop band Berlin. I bet you thought they were German didn't you??? Was it the name or the blonde lead singer? Berlin actually formed in the late 1970's and originated in Orange County, California.  As with my previous post of them, this is their second song appearing on the Top 100 and according to wikipedia there are 4 current members (Teri Nunn is the blond lead singer), and it lists about 10 former band members who were in and out of the band over the years. The core band members of the band are considered to be Teri Nunn, John Crawford , and David Diamond. Nunn left the band temporarily to pursue an acting career at one point and actually auditioned for the part of Princess Leia in the Star Wars films.  Wikipedia also lists Berlin as having an inactive period between 1987 and 1998. Berlin are obviously a better known band from the 80's, and have had many hits over the years. Will I Ever Understand You was the first track appearing on their October 1986 release album titled Count Three & Pray. The song also appeared on the Inner Space soundtrack and a club scene from the movie, back when Meg Ryan was young and hot, those were the days. Enough data and repeating facts from the previous Berlin post and on with da music mahn!