1986

About Last Night...: family and friendship, and why this 1986 movie still matters.

Motherhood, marines and monsters: why Ripley still makes Aliens sing.

An American Tail: family and freedom, and why this 1986 movie still matters.

April Fool's Day: friendship and mortality, and why this 1986 movie still matters.

Armed and Dangerous: parents protecting their children and loss, and why this 1986 movie still matters.

At Close Range: family and authority, and why this 1986 movie still matters.

Back to School: family and corporate power, and why this 1986 movie still matters.

A swaggering trucker, ancient sorcery and a Chinatown that hides a very odd basement — this is John Carpenter being playful and dangerous at the same time.

A severed ear, a curious student and a town that isn’t what it seems.

Children of a Lesser God: family and love, and why this 1986 movie still matters.

Chopping Mall: our relationship with technology and freedom, and why this 1986 movie still matters.

Club Paradise: corporate power, and why this 1986 movie still matters.

Cobra: courage and authority, and why this 1986 movie still matters.

Critters: freedom and family, and why this 1986 movie still matters.

A bushman's grin in Manhattan — watch Crocodile Dundee and you remember why that mismatch still makes you laugh.

A tramp in a pool, a wealthy family with holes in their living room — and satire that still has teeth.

Ferris Bueller's Day Off: family and the safety of home, and why this 1986 movie still matters.

A boy, eight missing years and a chrome spaceship that needs him as much as he needs home.

Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives: parents protecting their children and family, and why this 1986 movie still matters.

From Beyond: freedom and our relationship with technology, and why this 1986 movie still matters.

Hannah and Her Sisters: love and greed, and why this 1986 movie still matters.

Heartbreak Ridge: parents protecting their children and mortality and lifespan, and why this 1986 movie still matters.

Immortality, loneliness and very sharp swords.

Hoosiers: family, and why this 1986 movie still matters.

Howard the Duck: courage and heroism, and why this 1986 movie still matters.

Iron Eagle: parents protecting their children and heroism, and why this 1986 movie still matters.

Jumpin' Jack Flash: our relationship with technology and freedom, and why this 1986 movie still matters.

A teenager, a goblin king and a maze that asks you to grow up.

Legal Eagles: loss and family, and why this 1986 movie still matters.

A doo‑wop musical about bad decisions, worse plants and one man’s awkward climb out of obscurity.

Lucas: friendship and family, and why this 1986 movie still matters.

Profiling, loneliness and the thin line between hunter and hunted.

Maximum Overdrive: humanity and freedom, and why this 1986 movie still matters.

Mona Lisa: friendship and authority, and why this 1986 movie still matters.

Murphy's Law: parents protecting their children and mortality, and why this 1986 movie still matters.

Night of the Creeps: the safety of home and mortality, and why this 1986 movie still matters.

Peggy Sue Got Married: family and growing up, and why this 1986 movie still matters.

A soldier’s education in moral compromise — and why Chris Taylor still matters.

Police Academy 3: Back in Training: authority, and why this 1986 movie still matters.

A working‑class girl, a prom dress and a triangle that still stirs up arguments.

Rad: greed and family, and why this 1986 movie still matters.

Raw Deal: authority and family, and why this 1986 movie still matters.

Running Scared: heroism and freedom, and why this 1986 movie still matters.

Ruthless People: authority and family, and why this 1986 movie still matters.

Salvador: family and parents protecting their children, and why this 1986 movie still matters.

Nola Darling: not needy, just complicated — and still brilliant company.

A lightning-struck robot, a handful of humans who care, and an argument about what counts as being alive.

Sid and Nancy: love and friendship, and why this 1986 movie still matters.

Something Wild: authority and love, and why this 1986 movie still matters.

A small-town road trip that quietly teaches you how to become an adult.

Humpback whales, a stranded starship crew and Admiral Kirk’s habit of ignoring the rulebook — in other words, proper Star Trek business.

Fast Eddie returns, and the lesson is not just about pool.

The Delta Force: parents protecting their children and heroism, and why this 1986 movie still matters.

The Fly: humanity and our relationship with technology, and why this 1986 movie still matters.

The Golden Child: parents protecting their children and mortality, and why this 1986 movie still matters.

A lift you regret for the rest of your life.

A seaside sequel about duty, dancing and learning when not to fight.

A soldier who drags his armour to the altar — and a priest who answers with music.

The Money Pit: the safety of home and love, and why this 1986 movie still matters.

The Mosquito Coast: family and our relationship with technology, and why this 1986 movie still matters.

A murder mystery where books are as fragile — and dangerous — as secrets.

A chainsaw, a grieving ex‑ranger and a very loud 1986 satire — bloody ridiculous and oddly stubborn.

A loud, fast, slightly brutal toy advert that somehow turns a brash kid into a leader.

A vaudeville-sized comedy about showmen who must learn to be something more than a good performance.

A roaring, macho thrill ride — but it’s Maverick that keeps the heart beating.

Youngblood: family and courage, and why this 1986 movie still matters.