1981 (2009)

The misadventures of Ricardo Trogi

Written and directed by the adult Trogi, 1981 recounts young Ricardo's move to a new neighbourhood.  I love, I repeat, absolutely love movies about childhood.  The Goonies and Stand By Me are the standards followed closely by The Sandlot.  1981 holds its own against those classics.  This film is really funny and very poignant.  It is also a French Canadian film and is heavy on the dialect.  Ricardo's mom has such a thick accent that I could hardly catch a word she said.  To me that makes her even funnier.

1981 is one of those rare, near perfect films and earns its 5 out of 5 Poblanos!

Director: Ricardo Trogi
Writer: Ricardo Trogi
Starring: Jean-Carl Boucher, Claudio Colangelo and Sandrine Bisson
Rotten Tomatoes: 68%
Metacritic: Not Reviewed

Childhood movie goodness - The Goonies

I was 11 when The Goonies came out. At the time, it may have been the greatest movie I had ever seen. The kids in the movie had adventures that I dreamed I could have.  Plus most of the kids were my age.

Seeing it as an adult, from a filmmaking standpoint, it is a genius film. The dialogue is sharp and witty and has some of the most quotable lines of all time.  Also, few films have such memorable characters - Data and his gadgets, Mikey and his inability to use the right words, Mouth and his mouth, Chunk and the truffle shuffle.  And who could ever forget Sloth? 

The kids' performances are great. The sets are great, the tone of the film, the pacing, everything about it is great. And apart from some editing and continuity issues, it is still a very well made film.  

At some point in my childhood, I recorded it from TV and would watch it a couple of times a week. I pretty much wore out that VHS tape.  At one time in my life I could recite nearly the entire movie.

 I've grown up with the actors from The Goonies and several have been in some of my favorite films - Corey Feldman in Stand By Me and The Lost Boys, Sean Astin in The Lord of the Rings, Josh Brolin in No Country for Old Men.

The Goonies is one of the greatest films from my childhood.   Goonies never say die!

Next time: Star Wars