80s videos in Drama DVDs & Videos

Description:

In Adrian Lyne's FLASHDANCE, a young woman, Alex (Jennifer Beals), strives to achieve success as a classical dancer, but economic forces require her to work as a welder by day and an exotic dancer by night. Standing in her way is an abundance of profound social obstacles, not the least of which is her boss at the welding factory, Nick (Michael Nouri), who is also her boyfriend. Alex strives to be accepted into a prestigious ballet academy, and she is furious when she realizes that her boyfriend might be pulling strings for her behind the scenes. Along the road to self-discovery and independence, Alex also struggles to accept love, come to terms with her own stubbornness, and find the inner strength to turn her lofty dreams into reality. Edited for maximum rhythmic impact, FLASHDANCE is full of glistening bodies and metallic surfaces, powered by Giorgio Moroder's throbbing music and one hit song after another: Michael Sembello's "Maniac," Karen Karmen's "Manhunt," and, notably, Irene Cara's Oscar-winning theme song, "Flashdance...What a Feeling." FLASHDANCE marks the first coproduction between Jerry Bruckheimer and Don Simpson, who geared the film toward the MTV generation.

Description:

EDDIE AND THE CRUISERS: Back in the early 1960s, Eddie and the Cruisers, a (fictitious) rock band, was the hottest act around. However, in 1964 the group broke up, following the apparent suicide of the band's charismatic lead singer Eddie Wilson, who drove off a bridge. His body was never found. After 20 years, TV reporter Maggie Foley decides to do an investigative story on the band. At the same time, she searches for the missing tapes of the group's last recording, which could provide clues to Eddie's disappearance. The more Maggie researches her story, however, the more she suspects that Eddie Wilson may still be alive... EDDIE AND THE CRUISERS 2: EDDIE LIVES!: The rock star who disappeared when his car ran off the road years ago is living in Canada with a new identity. As the president of Eddie's old record company plans to make millions from the "Lost Tapes" of Eddie and the Cruisers, Eddie is starting up a new band which is soon discovered...and so is Eddie, who must come to terms with himself and his music.

Description:

John Travolta and Debra Winger star in this cowboy version of SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER, in which all the action takes place at Gilley's country-western bar, a rough-and-tumble honky-tonk in the heart of Houston. Travolta plays Bud, a young country farmer who moves to the city to find work at an oil refinery and finds love with Sissy (Winger), a cowgirl of easy virtue and spirit. The two country-western singles fall in love on the dance floor of Gilley's and quickly marry only to discover that their workaday life is harder to cope with than they imagined, lightened only by hard-drinking weekends of glory at Gilley's, where they're both local heroes, line-dancin' and struttin' their stuff until dawn. In between crowd-pleasing rides on the club's mechanical bull, Bud and Sissy struggle to keep their new romance alive despite the competitive attentions of a new cowboy in town, a bull-riding ex-convict (Scott Glenn) who has his eye on Sissy. James Bridges's hard-driving drama glimmers with the intensity of the super saloon, capturing the wild and rough life of the modern cowboy. The soundtrack features musical performances from such greats as Bonnie Raitt, Mickey Gilley, Boz Scaggs, Kenny Rogers, and the Charlie Daniels Band.

Description:

This classic tale of teen rebellion features a delightful combination of dance choreography and realistic, touching performances. When teenager Ren (Kevin Bacon) and his family move from big-city Chicago to a small midwestern town, he's in for a real case of culture shock. Though he tries hard to fit in, the streetwise Ren can't quite believe he's living in a place where rock music and dancing are illegal. There is one small pleasure, however: Ariel (Lori Singer), a troubled but lovely blonde--who also has a jealous boyfriend. In fact, it is Ariel's dad (John Lithgow), a Bible-thumping minister, who is responsible for keeping the town dance-free. Ren and his classmates want to do away with this ordinance--especially since the senior prom is around the corner--but only Ren has the courage to initiate a battle. Ren's pent-up frustrations cause a confrontation with Rev. Shaw Moore and the local town council as he takes on the small-town establishment struggling to abolish the outmoded ban and revitalize the spirit of the repressed townspeople. Herb Ross's fast-paced drama is filled with such hit songs as the title track and "Let's Hear It for the Boy" and is a classic of 1980s Brat Pack cinema.

Description:

Riding high after the box office success of SHAMPOO and HEAVEN CAN WAIT, Warren Beatty used his seemingly limitless power to write, produce, direct, and star in this epic historical romance. The film recounts a particularly eventful period in the life of notorious American communist John Reed (Beatty), who journeyed to Russia to witness the Bolshevik Revolution firsthand. Before that, he met the already wed Louise Bryant (Diane Keaton) in Portland in 1915. However, they shared such a mutual attraction for words, and each other, that soon Bryant was living with Reed in New York City. It was here where they befriended some of the early 20th Century's most recognizable faces: Eugene O'Neill (Jack Nicholson), Emma Goldman (Maureen Stapleton), Max Eastman (Richard Herrmann), and Horace Whigham (George Plimpton). Yet Reed's commitment to his craft caused an endless friction in the relationship, until Louise found her own journalistic voice, leading the couple to Russia at a crucial moment in history. But just when they appeared to have come to a perfect place in their relationship, tragedy struck. REDS is one of the last vestiges of early Hollywood, a broad, sweeping spectacle that is simultaneously thought provoking and unabashedly entertaining. Beatty inserts fascinating interviews with actual participants from that earlier era throughout the film to provide even more context and insight. At a time when Ronald Reagan had just become the president of the United States, Beatty's sympathetic portrait of notorious American communist John Reed seemed even more daring. Yet, as it continues to age, the film only continues to grow in relevance, assuring its rightful place at the top of the Hollywood canon.

Description:

Jodie Foster won deserved acclaim for her performance as Sarah Tobias, a hard-living, fiercely independent woman is gang raped in the back of a local bar. She finds herself battling the legal system not once but twice, as she and her attorney Kathryn Murphy (Kelly McGillis) go after her attackers and the onlookers whose cheering fueled and encouraged the assault. Based on a true story which occurred in New Bedford, Massachusetts. Academy Awards: Best Actress--Jodie Foster.

Description:

Australian Peter Weir's first Hollywood film tells the story of John Book (Harrison Ford), a Philadelphia cop whose life is altered while trying to help Rachel (Kelly McGillis), an Amish woman, and her son Samuel (Lukas Haas), who witnesses a murder in a Philadelphia train station bathroom. After discovering that the murder was committed by a member of his force, Book travels to Lancaster County with Rachel and Samuel and poses as a member of the Amish community to hide from his murderous police peers. While there, love blooms between Rachel and Book, and he finds himself drawn in by the honesty and simplicity of the old-world Amish lifestyle. Fine performances and beautiful cinematography are prevalent throughout.

Description:

Richard Gere is Julian Kay, a slick emotionally and spiritually deprived L.A. hustler in AMERICAN GIGOLO. While servicing an upscale clientele in the Hollywood area, he becomes involved with a rich senator's wife (Lauren Hutton), their relationship extending beyond Julian's normal encounters. Little does he know he is about to be framed for murder, forcing him to rely on alibis from Madame Anne (Nina Van Pallandt), a crooked pimp (Bill Duke), or the senator's wife herself. A stylishly sleazy look at moral decay and redemption, director Paul Schrader combines a European cinematic sensibility with his usual themes of moral drift and emotional alienation in this vivid portrait of early 1980s chic Hollywood decadence.

Description:

Keith (Eric Stoltz) is finishing up with high school. A sensitive loner, he prefers to work on his art over going to sporting events and hanging with the cool crowd. Instead, he platonically whiles away the hours with Watts (Mary Stuart Masterson), the pixieish drummer girl he's known since grade school. But Keith does have one popular obsession: Amanda Jones (Lea Thompson), the most desired girl in school--and girlfriend of obnoxious rich guy Hardy Jens (Craig Scheffer). When Hardy and Amanda part ways, Keith finally has his chance---and true blue Watts will do all that she can, even it that means biting her tongue and suppressing her true feelings for her longtime friend. John Hughes' follow-up to the classic PRETTY IN PINK takes essentially the same story and flips the gender roles, with another positive "follow-your-heart" message and a great soundtrack featuring the Jesus & Mary Chain, Flesh For Lulu, and the March Violets.

Description:

This Oscar-winning film is both eccentrically funny and an old-fashioned tearjerker. The story centers around the volatile relationship between a mother and daughter spanning 30 years. The various permutations of their lives are examined, including the daughter's bout with terminal cancer. TERMS OF ENDEARMENT is a deeply observed drama about the intimate relationship between a mother and daughter, based on the novel by Larry McMurtry. Shirley MacLaine and Debra Winger are at their absolute best, with terrific support from Jack Nicholson, Jeff Daniels, and John Lithgow. Academy Award Nominations: 11, including Best Actress--Debra Winger and Best Supporting Actor--John Lithgow. Academy Awards: 5, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress--Shirley MacLaine, Best (Adapted) Screenplay, Best Supporting Actor--Jack Nicholson.

Description:

Pretty but poor, Andie's (Molly Ringwald) a good student who develops a crush on Blane (Andrew McCarthy), the sensitive, well-born preppie. But Blane runs with a fast crowd of haughty rich kids, the kind of clique Andie and her new wavy best friend Duckie (Jon Cryer) can't stand. Going against her fretting father (Harry Dean Stanton), peer pressure and social expectations, she decides to date him. But their big plans for the senior prom ultimately fall apart when Blane heeds his friend Steff's (James Spader) warning to "quit slumming." Will Blane find the courage to claim what he really wants and give up the so-called friends he doesn't need? This classic 1980s teen film from the master of the genre, writer-producer John Hughes features plenty of great '80s pop tunes from the Psychedelic Furs, The Smiths, Echo and The Bunnymen, New Order, and more. The continued success of Hughes' films and actors ushered in the era of the "brat pack" and teen films as pop culture.

Description:

While his wife (Anne Archer) and daughter are out of town, successful attorney Dan Gallagher (Michael Douglas) has a one-night stand with Alex Forrest (Glenn Close), the publishing executive he has just met. He has no idea what he's getting into. Immediately after the encounter, Dan wants to put the experience behind him, but Alex refuses to let go of their relationship. Driven to madness by his rejection, she turns to violently harassing both Dan and his family. This terrifying morality play, which takes the consequences of infidelity to new heights of horror, became one of 1987's biggest box-office successes. Academy Award Nominations: 6, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress--Glenn Close, Best Supporting Actress--Anne Archer, Best (Adapted) Screenplay.

Description:

Devastated by the loss of their older son, well-to-do suburban couple Calvin (Donald Sutherland) and Beth (Mary Tyler Moore) are trying to rebuild their lives after their younger son, Conrad (Timothy Hutton), attempts suicide. While Beth, who always favored the elder son, retreats into an icy, emotionless shell, Calvin tries to draw Conrad back into the family and into life as a teenager. Conrad sings in the choir and returns to the swim team, but both his brother's death and his own experiences traumatize him. Conrad reluctantly begins therapy sessions with Berger (Judd Hirsch), which allow him some respite from the unbearable grief and guilt he carries with him. As Conrad makes strides, Calvin realizes that he no longer knows his wife and is both saddened and angered by how seemingly emotionless she has become. A classic portrait of family life in the face of tragedy, Robert Redford's award-winning directorial debut is moving and thought provoking. Based on the novel by Judith Guest, the film features the debuts of Timothy Hutton and Elizabeth McGovern as well as breakthrough performances from Mary Tyler Moore and Donald Sutherland.

Description:

Two young men enjoy the last days of their boyhood before enlisting in the military during the time of the Second World War. A tender, bittersweet tale of lost innocence and the horrible trauma of social violence.

Description:

Acting fireworks are on display as Robert DeNiro and Meryl Streep play Frank Raftis and Molly Gilmore, two everyday people who meet by chance on a commuter train bound for New York and fall desperately in love--despite the fact that they are both married. The stellar supporting cast includes Diane Wiest (HANNAH AND HER SISTERS) and Jane Kaczmarek (TV's MALCOLM IN THE MIDDLE). De Niro and Streep previously starred together in THE DEER HUNTER (1978).

Description:

Zack Mayo (Richard Gere) has nothing--the son of an alcoholic, indifferent military father, he's grown up in the Philippines living on top of a brothel. But after college he decides he wants more and, despite his father's mockery, enrolls in the navy's Officer Candidate School to become a jet pilot. His sergeant, brilliantly played by Louis Gossett Jr., makes his life a living hell from day one, but Zack won't quit. The candidates are warned to stay away from the local girls looking for naval husbands, but Zack and his bunkmate, Sid (David Keith), find themselves falling for two friends, Paula (Debra Winger) and Lynette (Lisa Blount), who work at the local paper mill. Zack fights his feelings for Paula, determined to let nothing sway him from his goals. But as the hellish weeks of training go by, Zack begins to see that maybe he can't do it alone--and that what's getting him through are his friends in the ranks, and the girl he's been pushing away. Widely acclaimed at the time of its release, director Taylor Hackford's inspiring film is a romance for the ages.

Description:

Francis Ford Coppola directed this truly American story based on the real-life struggles of one man and his fight against big government and large corporations. In 1945 Michigan, Preston Tucker (Jeff Bridges) created a car for the future equipped with fuel injection, a center headlight, seat belts, a rear engine, disc brakes, shatterproof glass, and a pop-out windshield. With the support of his wife (Joan Allen), his son (Christian Slater), and his business manager (Martin Landau in an Academy Award-nominated performance), Tucker produced fifty of his dream cars. However, Detroit's Big Three, with the help of a Washington senator (played by Jeff Bridges's father, Lloyd, in an uncredited role), set up significant roadblocks. Tucker is investigated for fraud and his plant is closed. Coppola had been planning to make a film based on the life of Preston Tucker since 1974. His own struggle to retain independence from the Hollywood studios mirrors the auto maverick's story. Of the 50 cars Tucker made, 46 are still roadworthy (Coppola and Executive Producer George Lucas each own one). Pop musician Joe Jackson composed the music for the film.

Description:

Based on the acclaimed and popular E.L. Doctorow novel, RAGTIME tells the intricate story of four New York families--three of which are fictional--at the turn of the 20th century, each indicative of that time in American history, and highlighting some of the downsides of following the American Dream. Starving immigrant artist Tateh (Mandy Patinkin) will eventually set off to make his fortune in Hollywood, but not without a chance encounter with Evelyn Nesbit (Elizabeth McGovern in the role of the real-life showgirl). Nesbit was the center of the infamous (and, in the film, the very compelling) Thaw-White murder case, in which her mentally unstable millionare husband Harry K. Thaw (Robert Joy) murdered her lover, the famed architect Stanford White (Norman Mailer). Another storyline follows the disintegration of an upper-class American family headed by Mary Steenburgen (simply named Mother) and James Olson (Father). Their seemingly perfect existence is shattered when black ragtime pianist Coalhouse Walker (Howard E. Rollins), loosely modeled on Scott Joplin, begins to romance a pregnant young woman living in their home (Debbie Allen). Walker, a dignified man, turns to rage when he is tormented by local racists. One of the most impressive moments in this ambitious film is the appearance of veteran actor James Cagney who, at 81, plays feisty Police Commissioner Waldo.

Description:

James Leeds (William Hurt), a handsome and dedicated teacher, just started his new assignment at an elite school for the deaf. Immediately, James begins using unconventional teaching methods to reach his students. Sure enough, he manages to inspire the most introverted pupils to participate in class. But there's one person James hasn't been able to reach: the deaf custodian, Sarah Norman (Marlee Matlin). Sarah, also an alumni of the school, has chosen to remain in the safe ecosystem of the hearing impaired. James, aroused by her beauty but put off by her cynical, cold manner, vows to know her more closely and tries to reach the sensitive woman hiding behind the tough exterior. Based on Mark Medoff's Tony Award-winning play, CHILDREN OF A LESSER GOD is a refreshing and original film. Matlin is both endearing and sensuous as the bitter Sarah. One feels warm and fuzzy inside as Leeds (Hurt) tries to coax the begrudging Sarah out of her shell. The directorial debut for T.V. veteran (HILL STREET BLUES, FAMILY) Randa Haines, CHILDREN OF A LESSER GOD is a key film from the 1980s, it landmarks the growth of women directors in the industry and remains an inspiration for a generation of diverse filmmakers to come.

Description:

Based on the book by her adopted daughter Christina, MOMMIE DEAREST is the now-legendary tale of Hollywood superstar Joan Crawford (Faye Dunaway) and the lengths that she went to in order to maintain her public image. After several screen successes, Crawford's plan to stay on top in Tinseltown includes adopting two children, Christina and Christopher, whom she plans on spoiling with love and gifts. As her career flags and her lack of success in her relationships with men chip away at her constitution, Crawford's treatment of her children becomes more and more brutal. Though this domestic horror tale is so over-the-top it that it is often celebrated as high camp, Dunaway's performance remains nothing short of astounding.

Description:

An adaptation of the legendary biblical tale, director Bruce Beresford's film stars Richard Gere as King David, favorite of the God of Israel. Although only a shepherd boy, David is anointed as heir to the throne of Israel by Samuel (Dennis Quilley), who is disgusted with the weakness of Saul (Edward Woodward). When David brings the protracted war with the Philistines to an end by defeating their champion Goliath (George Eastman) in battle, he is celebrated by his people but must flee the country to avoid being killed by Saul, whose jealousy he has aroused. When Saul and his sons finally die in battle, David assumes the throne--but not without a sense that it is covered in blood. As time passes, he finds himself in vicious battles with neighboring tribes to ensure the survival of the Israelites. Despite David's many achievements, the exercise of power has a corrupting influence on the patriarch, and ultimately, even he is no longer favored by his God. Donald McAlpine's photography is superb, as is Beresford's direction.

Description:

John Travolta returns as a pumped-up Tony Manero in this sequel to the 1977 hit movie, SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER. Tony is now a struggling dancer/instructor, looking for his big break in a Broadway show. When he finally lands a small role, personal problems come to the fore as he finds himself torn between two women: Jackie (Cynthia Rhodes, DIRTY DANCING), his loyal girlfriend, and Laura (Finola Hughes), the musical's attractive and flirtatious star. Sylvester Stallone directed and co-wrote the screenplay.

Description:

After the death of King Henry and his young son and heir Edward VI, Henry's 15-year-old great-niece, Lady Jane Grey (Helena Bonham Carter), is chosen to rule by a group of palace conspirators who vow to keep the country Protestant and out of the hands of the Church of Rome. She is crowned, against her will, and her reign lasts only nine days, until Henry's legitimate daughter Princes Mary, by first wife, the Catholic Catherine of Aragon, and her supporters rally around and crown her Queen. Jane is imprisoned in the Tower of London and eventually beheaded, along with her husband, Guilford Dudley (Cary Elwes), for what is presumed to be their part in the conspiracy. The film chronicles, fairly accurately, Jane's growth, during her extremely short reign, from a bookish intellectual to a confident, and politically progressive young woman who refuses to conform to the religious hypocrisies of 16th Century England.

Description:

Steve McQueen's last movie is a fitting tribute to his memorable talent. He portrays real-life bounty hunter Ralph "Papa" Thorson, who made a long career out of apprehending more than 5,000 criminals and bail jumpers. Thorson's tough antics (featuring a few memorable car chases) are tempered by his touching relationship with his pregnant wife Dotty (Kathryn Harrold)--and his love of antique toys and Tchaikovsky. During the course of the film, Thorson chases down fugitives in Illinois, Texas, and Nebraska, as he himself is pursued by a psychotic killer.