#ellen latzen

[lindamathewblog]

20 Best Thriller Movies Of The 1980s according to their IMDb ratings

Keep scrolling for the ultimate list of the 20 best thriller movies of all time listed according to their IMDb ratings. 

The '80s have been known for their biggest cinematic hits. While there were movie releases of all kinds, thriller was the genre of the year. That is precisely why this time we have curated a list of the top 20 thriller movies released in the 1980s that managed to leave the biggest impact. While it is cinematic hits or underrated gems we have carefully curated a list of best mega-hits like those released in the ‘80s. So what are you waiting for? Scroll on for a list of top ‘80s thrillers listed according to their IMDb ratings that made a  lasting impression. 

The biggest thriller movies in the ‘80s listed according to IMDb ratings:

1. Mississippi Burning (1988)

This 1988 crime drama has just the right blend of mystery and thriller. The movie is directed by Alan Parker and features the best of Gene Hackman, Willem Dafoe, Frances McDormand, and Brad Dourif. It is available on Amazon Prime Video. 

2. Witness (1985)

Another thriller romance released in the ‘80s is Witness. The movie about a young Amish boy is directed by Peter Weir and features Harrison Ford, Kelly McGillis, Lukas Haas, and Josef Sommer.

3. Blow Out (1981)

This 1981 movie is a blend of crime, drama, and mystery. The movie about a sound recordist is directed by Brian De Palma and features the best of John Travolta, Nancy Allen, John Lithgow, and Dennis Franz. 

4. The Salamander (1971)

The comedy-drama titled The Salamander is a story of Pierre and Paul. The movie is helmed by Alain Tanner and features the best of Bulle Ogier, Jean-Luc Bideau, Jacques Denis, and Véronique Alain. 

5. Dead Ringers (1988)

This horror thriller drama released in 1988 features a story of twin gynecologists. The movie is led by David Cronenberg and stars the best of actors including Jeremy Irons, Geneviève Bujold, Heidi von Palleske, and Barbara Gordon. 

6. Runaway Train (1985)

This action-adventure thriller drama features the story of two escaped convicts and a railway worker. The movie is directed by Andrey Konchalovskiy and features the best of Jon Voight, Eric Roberts, Rebecca De Mornay, and Kyle T. Heffner. 

7. No Way Out (1987)

This action, crime, thriller drama features the story of a politician who accidentally kills his mistress. The movie is directed by Roger Donaldson and features the best of  Kevin Costner, Gene Hackman, Sean Young, and Will Patton. 

8. Sword of Gideon (1986 TV Movie)

The action thriller drama features a story of terrorists in the 1972 Munich Olympic massacre. The movie is directed by Michael Anderson and features the best of Steven Bauer, Michael York, Robert Joy, and Laurent Malet. 

9. Deadly Intentions (1985)

This crime drama thriller features the tale of a woman named Katherine and Dr. Charles Raynor who is a tormenting sadist. The movie is directed by Noel Black and features the best of Michael Biehn, Madolyn Smith Osborne, Morgana King, and Jack Kruschen. 

10. White Dog (1982)

This thriller horror drama is the story of a trailer and a dog who has been trained to attack black people. The movie is directed by Samuel Fuller and features the best of Kristy McNichol, Christa Lang, Vernon Weddle, and Jameson Parker. It’s available on Amazon Prime Video to stream. 

11. Fatal Attraction (1987)

This thriller drama features a tale of a married guy’s one-night stand. The movie is directed by Adrian Lyne and features the best of stars including Michael Douglas, Glenn Close, Anne Archer, and Ellen Latzen. 

12. Frantic (1988)

The crime-thriller drama features a tale set in a Paris hotel room. It’s directed by Roman Polanski and features Harrison Ford, Betty Buckley, Emmanuelle Seigner, and Djiby Soumare. 

13. Absence of Malice (1981)

Another ‘80 romantic thriller on our list of top 20 thriller movies of all time. The movie is directed by Sydney Pollack and features the best of Paul Newman, Sally Field, Bob Balaban, and Melinda Dillon. 

14. Bad Timing: A Sensual Obsession (1980)

This thriller mystery drama features a tale of a Vienna-based psychiatrist and his personal life. The movie is directed by Nicolas Roeg and features the best of Art Garfunkel, Theresa Russell, Harvey Keitel, and Denholm Elliott. 

15. Body Double (1984)

This mystery crime drama features the story of a young actor who has been spying on a stunning woman. The movie is directed by Brian De Palma and features the best of Craig Wasson, Melanie Griffith, Gregg Henry, and Deborah Shelton. 

16. Dead Calm (1989) 

This horror thriller features a tale followed by a tragedy. The movie is directed by Phillip Noyce and stars Nicole Kidman, Sam Neill, Billy Zane, and Rod Mullinar. 

17. Sea of Love (1989)

This crime mystery drama features the story of a detective who investigates a series of murders. Directed by Harold Becker the movie features the best of Al Pacino, Ellen Barkin, John Goodman, and Michael Rooker. It’s available on Amazon Prime Video to stream. 

18. The Ninth Configuration (1980)

This horror-thriller drama follows the story of a former marine. The movie is directed by William Peter Blatty and features the best of Stacy Keach, Scott Wilson, Jason Miller, and Ed Flanders. It is available on Plex to stream.

19. The Stepfather (1987)

This horror thriller features the story of a man who murders his family. The movie is directed by  Joseph Ruben and features the best of Terry O'Quinn, Jill Schoelen, Shelley Hack, and Charles Lanyer. 

20. Something Wicked This Way Comes (1983)

This thriller is filled with fantasy and mystery. The story of the movie revolves around a plot where a diabolical circus and a demonic proprietor prey. It’s directed by Jack Clayton and features the best of Jason Robards, Jonathan Pryce, Diane Ladd, and Royal Dano. 

The above list of best thrillers released in the ’80s rightly features the top 20 movies released in the 1980s. The list is a collection of only the great thriller movies that also revolve around different genres like comedy, romance, and horror. 

[saturdaynightmatinee]

CALIFICACIÓN PERSONAL: 6 / 10

Título Original: National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation

Año: 1989

Duración: 97 min

País:  Estados Unidos  

Dirección: Jeremiah Chechik

Guion: John Hughes

Música: Angelo Badalamenti

Fotografía: Thomas E. Ackerman

Reparto: Chevy Chase, Beverly D'Angelo, Juliette Lewis, Johnny Galecki, Diane Ladd, E.G. Marshall, John Randolph, Doris Roberts, Randy Quaid, Miriam Flynn, Cody Burger, Ellen Hamilton Latzen, Mae Questel, William Hickey, Julia Louis-Dreyfus

Productora:   Warner Bros., Hughes Entertainment

Género: Comedy

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097958/

TRAILER:

[genevieveetguy]

- You’re here with a strange girl being a naughty boy. - I don’t think having dinner with anybody’s a crime.

Fatal Attraction, Adrian Lyne (1987)

[lifejustgotawkward]

365 Day Movie Challenge (2017) - #210: Fatal Attraction (1987) - dir. Adrian Lyne

Is it in poor taste to like the movie Fatal Attraction, or is it in even poorer taste to consider it mediocre? I am disappointed to report that I fall into the latter camp; much as I enjoy a good thriller, particularly of the erotic variety, Adrian Lyne’s thirty-year-old treatise on romantic obsession suffers from an underdeveloped set of characters and plot points.

Understand, please, that I am an enormous fan of Glenn Close. After seeing her play Norma Desmond in Sunset Blvd. on Broadway a few months ago – undoubtedly the finest live theater performance I have ever witnessed – my interest in her film career was renewed afresh. (Previously I had liked her best in her comedic turn in Robert Altman’s Cookie’s Fortune.) I also like Michael Douglas, particularly his disturbing performance in Falling Down, while Anne Archer did fine work in Hero at Large, Body of Evidence, Short Cuts (another Altman project) and, of course, as Dennis and Dee’s mom on “It’s Always Sunny on Philadelphia.” So you can imagine my displeasure at how Fatal Attraction misused its actors in characters whose motivations were either silly, confusing or just plain stupid.

The gist of Fatal Attraction is that married lawyer Dan Gallagher (Douglas) has a weekend fling with a book editor he has just me, Alex Forrest (Glenn Close), and right away she forms an attachment to him that appears to be a manifestation of dangerous psychosis. We have no insight into why Alex is prone to this type of behavior, other than the fact that her father died of a heart attack when she was a little girl. Did that incident result in such a massive fear of abandonment that she would risk her own life and threaten the lives of others? I suppose that that’s possible, but a lack of clarity regarding Alex’s background makes her performance less effective than it might have been. Instead I had to push myself to appreciate Glenn Close for trying so hard to make a paper-thin characterization simultaneously terrifying and pitiable.

Similarly, although the film makes it obvious that Dan regrets the moment of weakness that led to his infidelity – I’m sure many viewers have rejoiced in how he suffers for his mistake – there is no point at which we are not ultimately expected to sympathize with his plight as Alex demonizes him and his family. We’re supposed to want Dan to triumph over Alex at the end, but why does he deserve that happy ending? It would have been more satisfying, not to mention daring, for Adrian Lyne to use the ending that was originally envisioned for the film.

Anne Archer, meanwhile, has remarkably little to do as Beth Gallagher in Fatal Attraction, other than beam lovingly at her husband, to scream and cry in frustration after Dan reveals his affair, or to fight for her life when Alex breaks into the Gallagher house for the big showdown at the end. It was kind of the Academy to nominate Archer for Best Supporting Actress, but the film doesn’t give her enough to do to merit receiving the award. The fault lies with Adrian Lyne and screenwriter James Dearden for not providing Archer with better material.

A few other familiar faces appear throughout the film: Stuart Pankin, Ellen Foley, Fred Gwynne in a one-scene cameo, Meg Mundy (as Archer’s mother), Lois Smith (a good, albeit small, role as Douglas’s secretary), Jane Krakowski as a teenage babysitter, Justine Johnston. I guess Fatal Attraction could be enjoyed for the cast as well as anything else (except, perhaps, Ellen Latzen as the Gallaghers’ cute yet mildly annoying daughter). Unfortunately, anyone looking at Fatal Attraction for an complex portrait of a woman with an apparently undiagnosed mental illness will be sadly let down.

[jls1792]

Christmas movie child stars: then and now

Peter Billingsley as Ralphie - A Christmas Story (1983)

Ian Petrella as Randy -  A Christmas Story (1983)

Scott Schwartz as Flick - A Christmas Story (1983)

R.D. Robb as Schwartz - A Christmas Story (1983)

Zack Ward as Scut Farkus - A Christmas Story (1983)

Yano Anaya as Grover Dill - A Christmas Story (1983)

Juliette Lewis as Audrey Griswold - National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989)

Johnny Galecki as Rusty Griswold - National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989)

Ellen Hamilton Latzen as Ruby Sue Johnson - National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989)

Cody Burger as Rocky Johnson - National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989)

[milliondollarbaby87]

Fatal Attraction (1987) Review

Fatal Attraction (1987) Review

Dan Gallagher is a married family man who will quickly regret his one night stand with Alex Forrest when after he tells her that was it, she stalks them with devastating consequences at times.

(more…)

[kokichis-dead-dove-club]

Sorry. I just wanted to send my thoughts to people. i was talking to the mom of '80s child actress Ellen Latzen and she mentioned that Ellen was so not a girly girl but when she did a guest spot on the Christmas ep of Family Ties, the costumer insisted on putting her in a dress. looking at that episode... That green go-see-Santa number - I think the skirt on that is 2x bigger around than Ellen was tall. I can see why Ellen's mom and sister were having a giggle when she came out on set in that.

ur always welcome to put ur thoughts in my inbox!!

[whileiamdying]

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Fatal Attraction

By Hal Hinson Washington Post Staff Writer September 18, 1987

Initially, the circumstances in "Fatal Attraction" are innocent enough: Dan (Michael Douglas), a married attorney with a prestigious New York law firm, meets Alex (Glenn Close), an associate editor for a publishing house. They meet again later at an office conference -- his firm represents hers -- and they're obviously attracted to each other, but at first, they engage only in harmless eyelash-batting, exchanging coy smiles and suggestive glances.

The camera is a sly accomplice in these early scenes, isolating the pair from the people around them, concentrating on their eyes, as subliminal messages pass back and forth between them. When they move beyond the flirting stage to Alex's loft, where they make love in the sink, the sex is explosively erotic, but at the same time, funny. The director, Adrian Lyne, who made "Flashdance" and "9 1/2 Weeks," knows how to give audiences their vicarious kicks; he excites them, then gives them a little release by making them laugh. Dan and Alex spend one night and part of the next day together, listening to music, frolicking in Central Park, and flipping through old memories in the way that one seldom does except in the first flush of a new love affair. Very quickly they establish an easy intimacy and, in her head, Alex is already making plans for the future. After one night, she falls in love. He doesn't.

Congreve said, "Heav'n has no rage, like love to hatred turned, nor Hell a fury like a woman scorn'd" -- and "Fatal Attraction" sets out to prove him right. The movie, which was written by James Dearden, has a rock-solid premise. But, though it's an odd one for a thriller, it works beautifully.

"Fatal Attraction" has an inescapable pull to it; it's suffocatingly exciting. Lyne's direction has a seductive sharpness and precision. What Lyne has learned from his past films, and his work before that making television commercials, is how to look at things. And the things in this movie -- average things like the sharpened pencils on the desk in Dan's office when Alex comes to visit -- are threateningly present.

This is a tactic that Hitchcock made good use of, and there are moments -- like the spectacular bathroom sequence at the end of the film -- when Lyne makes your throat tighten the way Hitchcock did. Also, there are places where the emotions break through. In one scene, Alex sits on the floor of her bedroom switching the light off and on, off and on, and in medium shot it's funny; in close-up it's not.

On the face of it, the story is a female revenge fantasy; it's the expression of every woman's anger on the morning after a one-night stand when the lovemaking is over, and the man has left, and that empty, used-up feeling starts to creep in. But the movie takes the man's point of view, not the woman's; it's about the male fear of women's emotions -- their dread that casual pleasure-taking will turn into messy entanglements.

All this -- which adds up to make the point that there is no such thing as safe sex -- is banked into the subtext, and because it builds on existing sexual fears, the movie may come across as being more serious than it is.

The movie's deep -- but only superficially. Lyne is interested in ideas only to the extent that they buttress the thriller aspect of his story. But he's savvy in his titillating, manipulative way about sexual attitudes. He knows, for example, that Dan's troubles with Alex tighten his bonds to his wife Beth (Anne Archer) and their little girl, Ellen (Ellen Hamilton Latzen). What this enables Lyne to do is create a sense that something is at stake. Lyne is particularly good at conveying the affection between Dan and his wife. But as Beth, Anne Archer makes the job easy for him.

Archer hasn't had much of a career to this point -- she's appeared in a number of less than outstanding features and television shows -- but she's spectacular here. Beth can't believe that she's a beauty, and that may be the most attractive thing about her. The sexiest moment in the movie, in fact, isn't the one in which Close and Douglas first make love, but the one in which Dan watches Beth put on her makeup. Beth is presented as a model, modern wife -- good-spirited, self-deprecating, efficient -- but she doesn't come across as a drudge; she's happy in her life, fulfilled. In other words, she's everything Alex would like to be, but isn't.

Alex is 38, with a career and just about nothing else. Clearly, the filmmakers would like us to see her as the down side of the women's movement -- the woman who bought all the rhetoric and missed out on her chance for happiness in the suburbs with husband and kids. We aren't given much about Alex's background: just that her father died of a heart attack at 42 and she's had a nasty miscarriage that she believes has left her unable to have children. Whatever the history, though, her fling with Dan pushes her over the edge.

The part of Alex is essentially that of a hysteric, and it's not a flattering one, but Close doesn't recoil from this woman or try to soften her. Close plunges deep into this woman's derangement, and her level of involvement gives it a greater validity; you can't just cross her off as a crazy. This is by far the most exposed Close has allowed herself to be in her movie roles; she's never had this kind of forcefulness. The pain and anger in her portrayal are frighteningly potent -- perhaps because they're just an extension of the normal gut-wrenching awfulness everybody experiences when love affairs go sour. There's a touch of Medea in Close's characterization; the rage she expresses is mythically feminine. Still, she's a profoundly unsympathetic figure.

Strangely enough, the film's sympathy goes to Dan, even though he's the one who must suffer for his indiscretion. Dan isn't an exciting man; he's settled and a little complacent. That puts him right within Michael Douglas' range. Douglas is skillful without really engaging you. I think he's wrong for swashbuckling parts -- he's too average -- but he can convey goodness, and he's sexy in a kind of nonthreatening way; he's decent.

There are things wrong with "Fatal Attraction." Once the central situation is laid out, it evolves pretty much the way you thought it might. Also, presenting Douglas as such a nice guy robs the character of some of his vitality; a little darkness in his soul might have added another dimension. Lyne screws things down pretty tight, though. This is a spectacularly well-made thriller. Its being as effective as it is may not, in the long run, be such a plus. It is an odd thing, really -- the movie is sexy and at the same time a warning about the costs of sex. It contributes to the atmosphere of sexual paranoia. And is that something we really need?

Fatal Attraction, at area theaters, is rated R and contains some nudity, violence and suggestive material.

[retropunch]

Fatal Attraction (1987) - trailer

A married man's one-night stand comes back to haunt him when that lover begins to stalk him and his family.

[saturdaynightmatinee]

CALIFICACIÓN PERSONAL: 7 / 10

Título Original: Fatal Attraction

Año: 1987

Duración: 119 min.

País: Estados Unidos

Director: Adrian Lyne

Guion: James Dearden

Música: Maurice Jarre

Fotografía: Howard Atherton

Reparto: Michael Douglas, Glenn Close, Anne Archer, Ellen Hamilton Latzen, Stuart Pankin,Fred Gwynne, Anna Thomson, Ellen Foley

Productora: Paramount Pictures

Género: Drama, Thriller

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093010/

TRAILER: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3oF8Po4qWc

[ironmars]

I downloaded the full version of the Family Ties episode Miracle in Columbus from ITunes. I've only ever seen the version cut for syndication so it was good to see more Ellen Latzen. She really sells that bit when her character Michelle says she doesn't believe in either Santa or Ronald Reagan!

I thought I dreamt this ask omgggg I'm so glad I didn't because I need literally every follower of mine who enjoys Family Ties to hit up my ask box and talk to me about Family Ties right now!!!! alkslaksks and yessss omg that part in that episode is great the look in Alex's eyes when she says she doesn't believe in Reagan is hilarious 😂😂😂

[naijawapaz1]

Ellen Hamilton Latzen Bio, Wiki, Age, Net Worth, Married, Husband, Height & Career

Ellen Hamilton Latzen Bio, Wiki, Age, Net Worth, Married, Husband, Height & Career

Ellen Hamilton Latzen Quick Facts of Ellen Hamilton Latzen Full Name Ellen Hamilton Latzen Date of Birth 1980 /07 /26 Nickname Ellen Latzen Marital Status Married Birthplace USA Ethnicity White Profession Actress Nationality American Eye colour Brown Hair colour Black Build Average Spouse ? Height 5 feet and 2 inches (1.57m) Online Presence Instagram, Twitter

Last…

[theempirestrikesback2thefuture]

i was talking to the mom of '80s child actress Ellen Latzen and she mentioned that Ellen was so not a girly girl but when she did a guest spot on the Christmas ep of Family Ties ("Miracle in Columbus"), the costumer insisted on putting her in a dress. looking at that episode... That green go-see-Santa number - I think the skirt on that is 2x bigger around than Ellen was tall. I can see why Ellen's mom and sister were having a giggle when she came out on set in that.

Yikes, it’s crazy how many young actors were on that show. Thanks for the BTS hot take.