There are several things about the 1980s most of us would happily forget. Take, for example, shoulder pads, T-shirt clips and the New Kids on the Block.
However, there was an upside to that decade. After all, it was also the time period that brought the world pop-culture heroes like Ronald Reagan, Molly Ringwald and those adorable, fuzzy little Care Bears.
While I’m all for ’80s nostalgia in the form of Cabbage Patch Dolls and Strawberry Shortcake cartoons, some forms of entertainment should rest in peace where we left them two decades ago. Included in that assessment are recent attempts at ’80s throwbacks like “Miami Vice” and “Alvin and the Chipmunks.”
Sylvester Stallone found critical success recently with the release of his sixth “Rocky” flick, “Rocky Balboa,” which featured the actor as an aging version of the boxer he made famous long ago. But how will the writer-actor-director measure up while presently filling his other iconic role, that of disgruntled Vietnam War veteran John Rambo?
Believe it or not, Stallone is nearing his 62nd birthday, and in spite of the fact that he’s nearing a widely recognized retirement age, Sly is still going strong at the box office. Plus, he’s got the washboard abs to prove he’s no slouch when it comes to being a modern-day action star.
So, hoping that ’80s nostalgia will fuel more box-office success for Stallone, movie execs gave “Rambo,” a fourth film about America’s favorite renegade soldier, the go-ahead.
This film marks the machine gun-wielding macho man’s first appearance on the big screen in 20 years. Audiences were first introduced to Rambo in the 1982 film “First Blood.” The series’ new installment finds the retired soldier lured back into action when some peace-loving aid workers are kidnapped in the midst of war-torn Thailand.
More ’80s nostalgia flicks slated for release in the next few years include “G.I. Joe” and “The A-Team,” with rapper-actor Ice Cube potentially filling the role made famous by Mr. T.
Like Stallone, actress Diane Lane is no spring chicken, yet she leads this week’s other major opener at the box office. “Untraceable” finds Lane as an investigator tracking down a killer who airs his victims’ deaths live on the Internet.
The film comes from “Fracture” director Gregory Hoblit, who appears to have a morbid obsession with murder as of late. This flick seems like a “CSI” for the big screen with the bonus of using the Web as a horror device.
Those idiot spoof-movie creators love to keep Carmen Electra working. This week, audiences will find the talentless beauty in “Meet the Spartans,” a cheap spoof of last summer’s hit action flick “300.”Adding even more cheese factor to this movie is actor Kevin Sorbo, who audiences may recognize from the now-defunct television series “Hercules.”
The same viewers who paid to see “Stomp the Yard” a year ago will probably shell out their cash for another step-dancing movie this week. “How She Move” is surely not the most grammatically correct title the movie world has ever seen. Luckily, music and dance are the focus here, so just watch the moves and ignore everything you learned in English class.
