All Hail The Masterful Awkwardness of The King of Comedy

The King of Comedy is another great example of a movie made in a specific era of history that still resonates as relevant today. This 1983 Martin Scorsese directorial effort hinges on the idea of a comic being obsessed with garnering fame through the aid of a late-night talk show host he's obsessed with, and admittedly, it's hard to imagine modern-day people looking for their big break being this exclusively fixated on a broadcast television late-night host as their ticket to glory. But that obsessive drive to be famous at all costs, a creepy sense of entitlement to stardom, all of that is still relevant to today. Though the pursuit of fame may manifest in different ways in 2019, The King of Comedy is about a guy whose primary motivation is disturbingly timeless.

Born in Flames Proves To Be All Too Relevant In 2019

CW: Discussions of sexual assault 

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter talking with a number of individuals about the 30th anniversary of Do the Right Thing, editor Barry Alexander Brown noted how, in the summer of 2014, he and Spike Lee had cut together a short film that cut between footage of Eric Garner being killed by police officers and footage from Do The Right Thing showing Radio Raheem also being killed by cops. Watching how reality had echoed a movie released 25 years prior, Brown noted "It's like this shit is still happening". Born in Flames, a 1983 directorial effort from Lizzie Borden, is similarly a film from the 1980s that only feels all the more relevant in the modern-day world as a tale of women of color trying to make sure their voices are heard in a society that will do anything to crush them.

I Laughed, I Cried, Terms of Endearment Moved Me Bob

Isn't it such a glorious experience when a movie that's garnered all kinds of hype manages to still take you by surprise with just how good it is? Terms of Endearment, the directorial debut of James L. Brooks, has generated no shortage of praise since its initial theatrical release in 1983, including winning the Academy Award for Best Picture, it's clear a beloved feature even if it isn't quite as widely talked about in modern cinematic conversations as other classic Best Picture winners. Maybe the fact that it isn't so rampantly discussed in the present day world is why Terms of Endearment took me by surprise or perhaps the fact that I was more restrained in my praise of fellow beloved James L. Brooks movie from 1980's Broadcast News is why I was so surprised that I fell head over heels for Terms of Endearment.