Think of some of the most beloved movies of the 1980s and chances are Corey Feldman made an appearance in them. From Gremlins and Stand By Me to The Goonies and The Lost Boys, the young actor notched up a succession of classics before those heady days of teen idolatry — the so-called “Two Coreys,” named for his movies with fellow pin-up Corey Haim — would go on to enshrine him on the adolescent bedroom walls of an era. Though his well-publicized period since has been erratic — and marred by tragedy, with Haim’s unfortunate death earlier this year — Feldman has proved that he’s a survivor, returning to the role of vampire hunter Edgar Frog that he made famous in The Lost Boys. With this week’s latest installment, Lost Boys: The Thirst, reuniting him with fellow ’87 Frog brother Jamison Newlander, Feldman has come full circle — complete with signature head band and copy of Batman No. 14. We spoke to the actor recently and asked him to name his Five Favorite Films. He politely declined to include Gremlins, despite RT’s insistence.
The Star Wars trilogy (1977-1983;
97%, 94%, 78% Tomatometer)
Star Wars, the first trilogy. Obviously Star Wars is one of the landmark films of all time, being ahead of its time with special effects — the overall scope and perspective of that film being what it was at that time; not to mention the ingenuity of the story line and the character development of all of those films. I really like the fact that not only are we dealing with great characters, great storylines, great special effects, and all of those things, there’s the extra added element of spirituality, which a lot of people seem to either not recognize or ignore. But the fact is you’re talking about the dark side of the Force and the light side and what’s good and evil, and the Emperor, and the politics; there’s a lot of politics involved. I think it’s a great reflection on life as a whole.
The Godfather trilogy (1972-1990;
100%, 98%, 66% Tomatometer)
Obviously the Godfather films are what they are — some of the best written and directed films in history, you know; the best performances I’ve ever seen by the greatest ensemble cast probably ever in the history of cinema. Some of the best art direction, best lighting, best cinematography, I mean — all of it.
Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971,
90% Tomatometer)
I’m a big kid, I’m a kid at heart, so I still love the classic family films, such as the great Warner Bros film Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory — not the remake, but the original. It’s still one of the best movies, hands down, ever made, and of course that goes back to the ingenuity of the characters and the storyline. [Producer] David Wolper did such an amazing job bringing it to life, and Gene Wilder gave such an amazing performance. The songs, the music, the colors, the scope — it was just brilliant and really lead you to a fantasy world that didn’t exist, but that we could all imagine was real.
The Wizard of Oz (1939,
100% Tomatometer)
Same thing, The Wizard of Oz — that will always be one of my all-time favorites. The transition from black-and-white into color, you know, that idea of merging the two worlds using cinematic magic, to meld those worlds for the first time ever. I mean, you look back at the movie and obviously you can see now that there were backdrops and cheap sets and all of that kind of stuff, where today we would probably laugh at it and brush it off as a B-movie. But in those days it was magic. And it’s still magic.
The Color Purple (1985,
88% Tomatometer)
I would say five would probably have to go The Color Purple, Steven Spielberg’s film, which obviously deals with racism but also deals with a lot of human emotions. Everything from abuse, controlling husbands, abusive parents to family life. Just so much emotion. The music is incredible — Quincy Jones did an incredible job on the soundtrack. The vocalists on the soundtrack were staggering. And the performances by Whoopi Goldberg, Oprah Winfrey and Danny Glover, I mean just some of the best performances ever put on screen. Eloquently and beautifully directed by Steven Spielberg — I think, actually, his best work.
Lost Boys: The Thirst is out now on DVD and Blu-ray.
