I couldn’t believe the news that writer/director/producer/actor Rob Reiner was found dead in his house on Sunday Nov 14. He’s not very known for movies these days, but in the 80s he had a string of movies that were all hits. On my list of Blu-ray DVDs – he is in the top 5 of directors. I have 12 movies directed by Alfred Hitchcock (because I have a box set of his movies), 10 Spielberg movies, and 5 Scorsese movies. After that there’s a 3-way tie for 4 movies. Rob Reiner, John Landis, and Francis Ford Coppola.
If you’re too young have seen some of Rob Reiner’s best movies from the 80s, here’s a list of movies I HIGHLY RECOMMEND.
This is Spinal Tap (1984)
“This is Spinal Tap” was the very first “mockumentary” and it’s still the best. If there was an example for “mockumentary” listed in the dictionary it would be this movie. (However, I’ve heard the recent sequel isn’t that good).
The Sure Thing (1985)
A “road trip” movie and a “teenage comedy” rolled into one. Plus, it stars John Cusack in his first starring roles (he also had a string of movies in the 80s). It’s not as raunchy as the modern teenage comedy, but it’s much funnier.
Stand By Me (1986) & Misery (1990)
Two of the best movies based on Stephen King books were both directed by Rob Reiner. “Stand by Me” doesn’t have much violence and is only a little bit scary, “Misery” HAS violence and Kathy Bates is VERY SCARY (she won an Academy Award for the role). (Just discovered I don’t have “Misery” in my Blu-ray collection, but I will order it now).
The Princess Bride (1987)
It’s “INCONCIEVABLE” if you don’t know the end of the line “Hello! My name is Indigo Montoya….”. If you don’t, you should watch one of the best comedy movies EVER.
When Harry Met Sally… (1989)
These days, romantic comedies are usually with younger people. In the 80s, they had twenty-somethings acting as teenagers (John Travolta and Olivia Newton John were in their mid-20s when they filmed “Grease” and 3 of the 5 high school students in “The Breakfast Club” were in their 20s) and romantic comedies like this movie and “You’ve Got Mail” often starred people in their 30s. This was probably the biggest romantic comedies of the 80s (although I don’t have this one on Blu-ray).
(HONORABLE MENTIONS)
A FEW GOOD MEN (1992)
The very first movie from writer (and now director) Aaron Sorkin. Most people know the famous “You Can’t Handle the Truth” line from Jack Nicholson.
ALBERT BROOKS: DEFENDING MY LIFE (2023)
This one is NOT a mockumentary but it’s a very interesting documentary about Albert Brooks career. He’s been good friends with Rob Reiner since they were young. This movie came out a couple years ago but isn’t on Blu-ray yet. I will be adding it to my collection when/if it comes out.
RIP TO THE GREAT ROB REINER
LOS ANGELES FILM REVIEW 