Top Gun (1986)

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Directed by Tony Scott.

Starring Anthony Edwards, Val Kilmer, Kelly McGillis, Tom Skerritt, Tom Cruise.

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Devil-may-care navy pilot Pete Mitchell (Tom Cruise) is sent to Miramar Naval Air Station for advanced training. Here he vies with Tom Kasansky (Val Kilmer) for the coveted "Top Gun" award. When not so occupied, Mitchell carries on a romance with civilian consultant Charlotte Blackwood (Kelly McGillis). Shaken up by the death of a friend, Mitchell loses the Top Gun honor to Kasansky. Worried that he may have lost his nerve, Mitchell is given a chance to redeem himself during a tense international crisis involving a crippled US vessel and a flock of predatory enemy planes. The story wasn't new in 1986, but Top Gun scored with audiences on the strength of its visuals, especially the vertigo-inducing aerial sequences. The film made more money than any other film in 1986 and even spawned a 1989 takeoff, Hot Shots. An Academy Award went to the Giogio Moroder-Tom Whitlock song "Take My Breath Away." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

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Reviews and discussions

Latvian Ghostbusters. Clip of t ...
by SpoutBlog in SpoutBlog on spout.com

hasn't rated it.

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"Sorry, no, this is not a clip from or trailer for a Latvian remake of the 1984 classic. Instead it is merely a Latvian cover of Ray Parker Jr.’s classic theme song, performed by Intars Busulis and the cello trio Melo-M. And it now accompanies my other favorite movie theme covers, which include GNR’s version of “Live and Let Die,” the ska cover of The Godfather theme (by The Mudsharks), my brother’s snail-paced cover of Kenny Loggins’ “Danger Zone” (from Top Gun) and pretty much any cover of “The Neverending Story” (including Homestar Runner’s “The Neverending Soda.”) The reason I bring you this Ghostbusters theme cover (aside from my having just today discovered it, thanks to Fark.com) is because it (very) loosely ties in with the new movie Wanted. See, both the song and the movie involve the intersection of Hollywood and Eastern European artists (specifically of former Soviet republics). Because Wanted director Timur Bekmambetov is originally from Kazakhstan (yes, home of Borat), ... " [More]

#86
by eagle795 in eagle795 Blog

hasn't rated it.

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"“I feel the need…the need for speed”. A cool soundtrack adds some bonus points to this one for me. The quintessential 80’s time capsule movie. " [More]

FilmCouch 30
by SpoutBlog in SpoutBlog on spout.com

hasn't rated it.

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"FilmCouch 30 On this week’s FilmCouch we have a leisurely conversation with new SpoutBlog writer Karina Longworth. We talk about the mainstream media’s suspicion of bloggers, and gender politics in pop Hollywood hits like Knocked Up, Top Gun, Risky Business, Miami Vice, and the nearly-female-free sensation, The Shawshank Redemption. Download FilmCouch #30 or subscribe in the iTunes store (search for “filmcouch” or click here to launch iTunes) and a new free episode will download every Friday. Join the FilmCouch group Originally posted on:Spoutblog " [More]

Bad 80's Boyfriends
by marymcilwain in Dollar Video Curator

lost interest.

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"Ah romance. Every good video watcher is acutely aware of the down-on-love, romantic teenage flicks that played out with so many star-struck Romeos and Juliets in the idealistic 80’s. We cheered for our plucky, beautiful, yet misunderstood Andie Walshes, Diane Courts, and Wattes in the face of so much love adversity, whether what they lacked was money, an understanding father, or girl’s underwear, and rested easy at the end when they got their men. But should we have? For every one of these “ideal” movie boyfriends, sure signs of loser-dom each display. Here’s just a few reasons why you should’ve run for the hills ladies! Ferris Bueller(Matthew Broderick) –He of the Day OffMajor Flaw: Too eager Yes, he’s charming, cute, fun-loving, inventive and obviously coveted by every other girl in your school, but sheesh. The dude’s talking marriage and he hasn’t even graduated from high school. Sloane, you are way too hot to hitch your star to that wagon. Advice: go to college first and ... " [More]

Bad 80's Boyfriends
by marymcilwain in Dollar Video Curator

lost interest.

Summer of 86: A Tribute
by lbenschwartz in lbenschwartz Blog

liked it.

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"What’s the date? May 18th. The summer blockbuster season must be upon us. As an avid moviegoer from the age of 5, I have almost a biohoroscopic feel in my well worn behind that tells me I should be sitting in a movie theater seat, shoving popcorn and cherry coke into my face. Each year, that rush of anticipation and ultimate disappointment rushes through me like the sun rays telling my body to start perspiring like a pig. But, having just been the least useful partner in the birth of a child, I know that those trips to the multiplex will be fleeting this season. Already weeks into this, and I’ve yet to see Spiderman 3 and Shrek 3 – although I hear I’m not missing much.In my contemplative state I turn to the one summer, where that pang of excitment that comes every May first started. I’m talking about the summer of 1986. If summer means anything, it means action, and 1986 delivered more action frame by frame than any other summer before or since. Taken ... " [More]

Re: Guess The Movie Quote
by Kami in Best movie quotes

hasn't rated it.

"*Sigh* You know Paul, you could make this more challenging Top Gun Let's move on, shall we? " [More]

Re: Top five favorite Soundtracks
by daryn in Best Movie Soundtracks

loved it.

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"Top Gun Top Gun might be one of the best sound tracks ever. Although you might not want to admit it. I think everyone has caught themselves hearing a song from the movie and instantly being able to place the scene in the movie it is from. For instance "Danger Zone" and you see Maverick (Tom Cruise) trying to race a jet on his motorcycle. How about "You've Lost the Love and Feeling" yeah see you know what I am talking about. Maverick signing to Charlie (Kelly McGillis) and then he follows her into the ladies room and offers to save her from making a mistake with the old man she was with. (I don't think that is on the sound track however.) A close second would have to be Rocky. If you ever played sports in high school at one point you had a tape you made up that had "Eye of a Tiger" on it and you know who you are! I think my tape wore out from me rewinding it so many times to hear the first 45 seconds of that song. So what other movies have sounds tracks like thi ... " [More]

Re: Top five favorite Soundtracks
by PammyK in Best Movie Soundtracks

liked it.

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"Sometimes I find single songs that I really like in movies. I love the song "Mondo Bongo" by Joe Strummer & the Mescaleros from Mr. and Mrs. Smith. There are probably more, but I can't think of them right now.Here are some soundtracks that I did like enough to buy...Titanic - And not just the one song, all of the other songs are just instrumental and they are deep and sad and pretty.Forest Gump - It really is a good mix of a lot of good songs.Oh Brother, Where Art Thou? - This is so unique and all of the songs are catchy and go together. Empire Records - This was a favorite of mine when I was in highschool. I can't say I listen to it much anymore, but it was an interesting mix of songs and brings back memories of highschool.Top Gun - "Take My Breath Away" was my favorite song for a long time, but all of them are so eighties and classic that the soundtrack has a very distinct feel to it. " [More]

Review by All Movie Guide

All Movie Guide

is neutral about it.

The quintessential 1980s blockbuster, Top Gun (1986) may be a slick exercise in macho flyboy ethics, but the kinetic aerial sequences and Tom Cruise's cocky superstar presence make it a perennial crowd-pleaser. Featuring a pre-E.R. Anthony Edwards as the best pal and a bristling Val Kilmer as the nemesis, the story of how Cruise's unsubtly monikered Maverick learns what it takes to truly be a Navy "top gun," with the assistance of Kelly McGillis' fishnet stocking-clad instructor, hits all of the predictable notes. Former television commercial director Tony Scott gave the proceedings a stylish sheen, however, which reached its apex in the flight scenes involving actual Navy hardware zooming, diving, and spinning through energetic MTV-ready dogfights against hostile Soviets. Another hit for flashy action producers Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer, Top Gun became the top-grossing film of 1986, rocketing Cruise and his grin into the action pantheon and earning several Oscar nominations, including Best Editing. The erotic subtext of Top Gun's male posturing and bonding was memorably deconstructed by Quentin Tarantino in the minor indie film Sleep With Me (1994). ~ Lucia Bozzola, All Movie Guide

Tags: fighterpilot , navy , 80s-classic , romance , cruise
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