MovieChat Forums > Cold in July (2014) Discussion > Why so many 80s retro crime b-movies now...

Why so many 80s retro crime b-movies now?


I recently watched Bad County(also about Dixie mafia) and Blue Ruin. They are very similar in some ways to this movie.

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Generational is my guess

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I have pretty much the same answer as the other guy. The current generation of young filmmakers (mid-20s to late-30s) grew up with these types of movies, and so they tend to (usually very successfully) emulate and repackage these ideas. Hell, given the opportunity it's one of the first places my mind would go for a decent-budgeted flick.

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when i was growing up there were a lot of movies set in the 50s and 60s. As the other two guys said, its a generational thing.

What I lack in talent, I make up for in my pants!

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But when I say now, I mean this year, these past six months. If it was a generational thing there would be a continuous stream.

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Its the start of the stream perhaps?

I grew up in the 80s and there were a ot of writers that drew inspiration from their childhoods in the 50s, 60s and 70s. Your starting to see the 80s, 90s, trickle in as a "period" for movies and tv. The goldbergs, Surviving jack, red oaks, take me out tonight, etc etc.

We've also been seeing a revival of stuff that was popular in the 80s. Transformers, gi joe, turtles, hell they even made *beep* sequels to lost boys, an 80s classic. Theres talk of a "jem" movie and a revisit to the goonies and now we have a ghostbusters reboot on the horizon. To a lesser extent the influence could also said to be responsible for star trek coming back in a big way and star wars will be getting the same treatment. As big as star wars is now its nothing to how big it was in the 80s.

So really that 80s influence has been simmering for a number of years, it just seems that now its coming to the boil.

What I lack in talent, I make up for in my pants!

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It has been going on for years and years at this point. These just happen to be popular movies.

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i loved drive and this... what others have u seen? id like to watch them too. especially if they have awesome sound tracks like this.

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Try "The Guest"

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Trend started by Drive I guess.

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Because the 80s rocked



In a world where a carpenter can be resurrected, anything is possible.





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Was this movie 80s? I thought it was late 70s-----I guess the mullet gave it away----

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I thought either late 70s or early eighties. Maybe someone who knows the car makes can answer this. I thought it did the best job of depicting this time period I had seen. So many movies and TV shows overdo the hairdos etc.

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1989. - also, did you notice that big "mobile" phone don johnson had, the big clunky one, that would tie in with that before-mentioned date.

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I would like to put my pacifier in Adeles binky box!

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The last kid innocent & "trendy" decade....even the music was lighter & fun. The decade sure didn't take itself so serious & it was awesome.

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just generally speaking there are a lot of 80's movies right now because that is how far one has to go back to avoid social media and cell phones. the 80's is really convenient era right now for writers to focus on characters, plot, and story - as opposed to fighting the interrupting nature of life from the mid 90's until now, with cell phones and social media. people now are also sympathetic to 80's culture: fashion, culture, etc. my whole point is, this isn't just aesthetic choices, there is some pragmatism as well

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It's because in today's millennials world a gritty crime drama would consist of someone in skinny jeans needing therapy after seeing Trump 2016 written in chalk! You gotta go back to the 80's for a show about real gritty tough men.

The validity of my answers is highly dependent on the intelligence of the question..or lack thereof.

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