This was like asking me my favorite album! So MANY to choose from. However, if I have to pick one…it’s Fletch.

So quotable. So hilarious. It’s Chevy Chase at his literal peak. In the four years leading up to this, he’d done Caddyshack, Seems Like Old Times, Under The Rainbow, Modern Problems and Vacation. All quality comedies. After this, though, all you have is Spies Like Us and Three Amigos. My high school buddies and I watched this movie again and again and again. And quoted it just as much. I’m 48 now and STILL quote it.

Go read through these quotes and you’ll remember: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0089155/quotes

– Eric Vardeman

Give Eric a follow on Twitter at @Eric_Vardeman, and you can find his retro memories right here on Retro Ramblings!  His new weekly feature here on Retro Ramblings, Music Mondays, is awesome too.  He looks back at the songs gracing the Top 40 list from 35 years ago in 1983!  He’s also a talented singer/songwriter, and you should check out his music at EricVMusic. 

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My favorite movie from the 80’s has to be The Goonies! Not only is it my fave 80’s flick, but possibly my favorite movie of all time! I never actually did see The Goonies when it was released to theaters in 1985, but when it hit the VHS market a few months later it became a staple at sleepovers and parties. The main reason why I love this movie so much was because the story and relatable characters from The Goonies captured mine and my childhood friends imaginations. I mean, we planned entire weekends around attempts to recreate the epic story of Mikey and The Goonies’ quest for treasure to save the Goondocks! I even tried to come up with my own inventions to help us on our crazy adventures just like Data. You know, in case some devious ex-cons tried to stop us. The best Goonie idea I came up with was hiding the netting that held our Christmas Tree to the top of our car, up my coat sleeve. It was supposed to eject out in a flurry of awesomeness and wrap up anyone who stood in our way, but mostly it just caused my arm to get itchy. Nothing we ever did compared to the hunt for One-Eyed Willie’s riches, but we had a whole lot of fun trying. The closest we came was finding my brother’s collection of fools gold in his desk drawer. The Goonies was not just a movie to us, but it became a part of our lives and I will never forget the great memories The Goonies added to my childhood.

– Spyda-Man

You can check out Spyda-Man’s retro home on the web at 20 Years Before 2000.  You can also follow him on twitter @20_Years_Before.

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There are so many movie icons of the 80s to choose from when considering my favorite film of the decade. Heroes like Rambo or Batman, funny fellas like the Ghostbusters or Bill and Ted, but in my heart I know the top spot goes to Phyllis Nefler and her pack of spoiled rich girls in 1989’s Troop Beverly Hills. Oh, how I LOVE this movie, let me count the ways. First off the film features so many familiar 80’s sitcom stars including Shelley Long from Cheers, Craig T Nelson from Coach, Emily Schulman from Small Wonder, Ami Foster from Punky Brewster, Audra Lindley aka Mrs. Roper from Three’s Company and Tori Spelling from Beverly Hills, 90210 to name a few.Then there’s the fact that I grew up in a fairly affluent part of Southern California where I observed this life of privilege firsthand and totally knew ridiculous kids and parents like this. Oh and did you know that the animated opening title sequence was produced by John K, creator of the infamous Nicktoon, Ren and Stimpy? Plus, you gotta love the theatrics of selling girl scout cookies by holding a celebrity fashion show and performing a Tina Turner style pop song. Finally, Shelley Long totally reminds me of my own Mom when she took on the role of Cub Scout Den Mother for me and my friends the year this movie came out. Endlessly sweet, fun, fashionable and a little dingy, my mom IS Phyllis Nefler. I still own the VHS copy of Troop Beverly Hills we bought from our local video store, despite now owning the film on Blu-Ray and treasure it like a family heirloom. Beverly Hills what a thrill!

– Hoju Koolander

You can follow along with all of Hoju’s retro shenanigans on his twitter feed, @hojukoolander, read a lot of his his fine writing on a variety of retro topics at Retro-Daze, keep up with him at PopGeeks, and listen to his awesomely fun pod cast at SequelQuest Podcast where he and his cohorts craft sequels that we never got to movies that we loved!  Be sure to check out his latest piece over at Retro-Daze, Retro Magazine Round-Up: Black Belt!  Oh, and one more thing….stay tuned to Retro Ramblings, as Mr. Koolander has another fun movie review coming up soon as part of our Wrestlemania week.

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So difficult to pick just one as my favorite. However, I will choose one that I’ve passed along to my kids. Ghostbusters was so impactful for my 8-year old brain in 1984. I don’t remember if it was the first movie I saw in the theater but judging the evidence, it was clearly my favorite as a kid. I remember spinning the 45 record single of Ray Parker Jr.’s theme at my birthday party that year as we played musical chairs. I received a light blue sweatshirt for Christmas with the iconic logo and the words “Back Off Man, I’m a Ghostbuster!” I remember eating the cereal with the glow-in-the-dark box and watching The Real Ghostbusters (and Filmation Ghostbusters) cartoon. And when Ghostbusters II came out, it impacted me all over again except this time it was Bobby Brown’s “On Our Own” on cassingle.

Ghostbusters has so many memorable scenes, quotable lines, and just something for everyone. There’s horror, comedy, romance, and adventure all in one film topped off with one of the coolest cars in cinematic history. I’ve seen the original film twice when it was re-released in theaters. On the 30th anniversary, I took my oldest son who was 9 at the time. He loved it. Probably not as much as I did when I was his age but he still saw why I’ve clung to it all these years. And now, the evidence is overwhelming. Just this month the film has come to Netflix and he initiated a viewing on his own. While many can’t get past the technology and fashion in ‘80s films, Ghostbusters is one of a select few that is truly transcendent among generations.

– Jason Gross

Jason is the creative force behind Rediscover the 80’s and is always posting some of the best retro content you’ll find anywhere on the web.  His twitter feed is a heavenly slice of the 80’s, so you should give him a follow there at @rd80s.  He and I collaborated last year to compile out list of our ten favorite episodes of G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero.  Check out his five here, and then give my five favorites a look too!

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I started out thinking this was a very hard topic to narrow down to just one pick, but it didn’t take very long for me to realize that the honor of my favorite movie from the 80’s gets bestowed on The Karate Kid.  I fell in love with the very first time I saw it.  Back in the days before my family had a VCR, my cousin Tim and his family had one.  They lived beside us, and my uncle Ernest would go to the new movie rental store in town and pick up a movie most summer days, and during the hottest part of the afternoon, we would settle down in his living room and watch a flick.

Tim and I weren’t the only two kids who loved The Karate Kid.  When we got back to school that August, all of our friends were imitating the crane kick, and the movie was our main topic of conversation for a long time.  But it was more than just the crane kick.  It was the “wax on, wax off” scene, and all the fights Daniel had with the Cobra Kai gang before the All Valley tournament.  Heck, it even inspired many of my friends to join the local karate class.  The closest I got to that was the set of Karate Kid pajamas I had back then.

– Retro Rambler

Of course you can follow along with me here on Retro Ramblings, but you can follow me on twitter @yesterdayville, and like my Facebook page.