I smell a Top 10 list coming. I am going to give you my favorite (please note that I did not say "best") 80s sequels and my most disappointing (again note that I did not say "worst") 80s sequels. I decided that I would include any sequels that were released between 1980 and 1989, but also any sequels based on an 80s original no matter what year they ended up getting released.

OLD SCHOOL'S TOP 10 FAVORITE 80s FILM SEQUELS:

10. Back to the Future II (1989) [sequel to 1985's Back to the Future] - The original is one of my all-time favorites. The sequels are well done and entertaining, but not quite as satisfying as I would've hoped. I did enjoy Part II much more than Part III though.

9. Superman II (1980) [sequel to 1978's Superman] - Despite poor special effects, the villain combination of Gene Hackman's Lex Luthor with Terence Stamp's General Zod make this installment the most entertaining.

8. Rocky III (1982) [sequel to 1976's Rocky & 1979's Rocky II] - Mr. T, training in inner-city L.A. and "Eye of the Tiger"; what could possibly beat that? (other than maybe Drago, training in Siberia and "Burning Heart")

7. Die Hard 2 (1990) [sequel to 1988's Die Hard] - Nowhere near the original, but John McClane is never not entertaining. I also enjoyed 1995's Die Hard with a Vengeance and 2007's Live Free or Die Hard, so let's say they are all tied for 7th on this list.

6. Beverly Hills Cop II (1987) [sequel to 1984's Beverly Hills Cop] - Was such a fan of Axel Foley, Taggart and Rosewood in the original and the sequel did not disappoint. I can't necessarily say the thing for 1994's Beverly Hills Cop III. There have been rumors of a Part 4 for many years and I hope that does come to fruition soon.

5. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) [sequel to 1984's The Terminator] - The popular line "I'll be back" from the original turned out to be prophetic. The special effects were revolutionary and allowing Arnold to play the hero role we had become accustomed to seeing him in help make this one of the best action flicks of all time. The 2003 sequel, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines could not live up to that standard.

4. Rocky IV (1985) [sequel to 1976's Rocky, 1979's Rocky II & 1982's Rocky III] - See #8. This guilty pleasure movie ranks on top of my Best 80s Movie Montage Scenes list.

3. Return of the Jedi (1983) [sequel to 1977's Star Wars & 1980's The Empire Strikes Back] - I have been completely sold on the original trilogy since I saw the first one as just a 4-year-old sitting on my parent's lap in the theater. I even like the Ewoks.

2. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989) [sequel to 1981's Raiders of the Lost Ark & 1984's Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom] - After the very dark first sequel, the Last Crusade put an appropriate exclamation point on this terrific trilogy. It gives some additional insight into the Indiana Jones character and most importantly provides (at least temporary) closure. Here's a link to my Preview Review issue on it. In 2008, there would be a fourth installment added with Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.

1. The Empire Strikes Back (1980) [sequel to 1977's Star Wars] - Back in the day, I would've picked the original or Jedi as my favorite parts of the trilogy, but looking back now, it is Empire which rises to the top.

There's that list. Please keep in mind those are my favorites and not necessarily the best. I am sure many would include strong sequels like 1982's Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, 1986's Aliens or the Lethal Weapon franchise. There might be some mixed reviews on sequels like 1989's Ghostbusters II, 1988's Short Circuit 2, 1990's Young Guns II and 1984's Temple of Doom. I just could not bring myself to include 1985's Police Academy 2: Their First Assignment or 1986's Police Academy 3: Back in Training, though I still enjoyed them no matter how bad they are. A lot of it is a result of expectations. That brings me to the next list which are the sequels which just did not come close to the originals. Most of these made my list simply due to missed expectations.

OLD SCHOOL'S TOP 10 MOST DISAPPOINTING 80s FILM SEQUELS (+ Bonus 5):

15. Conan the Destroyer (1984) [sequel to 1982's Conan the Barbarian] - Even by adding Grace Jones and Wilt Chamberlain, this sequel did not come close to the expectations I had after seeing the original dozens of times.

14. Weekend at Bernie's II (1993) [sequel to 1989's Weekend at Bernie's] - I might be one of the few that is actually entertained by the original, but even I knew they were pushing their luck making a sequel.

13. Crocodile Dundee II (1988) [sequel to 1986's Crocodile Dundee] - See #14. They would even push it a little further with one more in 2001 with Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles.

12. Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990) [sequel to 1984's Gremlins] - I think the problem with this sequel is that it was actually lighter and more slap-sticky than the original. It is much funnier than the original, too. I did not realize that until I went back and watched them both later on. Even with the lovely Phoebe Cates returning for the sequel, they would've been better off leaving Gizmo alone.

11. Jaws 3-D (1983) [sequel to 1975's Jaws & 1978's Jaws 2] - Yes, the 3D technology became popular again in the early 80s. This is a disgrace to Steven Spielberg's original with terrible dialogue, weak special effects and even 3D that was not effective. Amazingly, many people feel that 1987's fourth installment Jaws: The Revenge is even worse. The reason it doesn't make this list is because Jaws 3-D lowered the expectations of the franchise by that point.

10. Fletch Lives (1989) [sequel to 1985's Fletch] - I love the original and I love the Irwin R. Fletcher character, but this sequel just fell short for me. Like so many of the films on this list, it just could not live up to the original.

9. Another 48 Hrs. (1990) [sequel to 1982's 48 Hrs.] - We get to see Reggie Hammond and Jack Cates get back together, but this time it feels forced and not nearly as entertaining as the first time around.

8. Grease 2 (1982) [sequel to 1978's Grease] - Despite introducing us to Michelle Pfeiffer and Didi Conn returning as Frenchie, the sequel features none of the chemistry between characters that the original did and the musical numbers are pitiful compared to the original. There really is not an interesting story to be told and this is obvious when you watch this unnecessary sequel.

7. Superman III (1983) [sequel to 1978's Superman & 1980's Superman II] - As good as Superman II was is just about as bad as part III was. I love Richard Pryor as much as anybody, but he really had no business being in this film. 1987's Superman IV: The Quest for Peace was not any better and the Superman franchise was put on hold until a reboot in 2006.

6. Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo (1985) [sequel to 1984's Breakin'] - Despite the campy acting, I loved the original and could not wait to see the sequel. The dancing is still outstanding, but the silly name is what most people remember and I recall leaving the theater disappointed.

5. Revenge of the Nerds II: Nerds in Paradise (1987) [sequel to 1984's Revenge of the Nerds] - Though considered by many to be low brow humor, the original is one of my favorite comedies of all time. The sequel might have a couple funny moments, but can't hold a candle to the original. There were actually two more sequels with 1992's Revenge of the Nerds III: The Next Generation and 1994's Revenge of the Nerds IV: Nerds in Love.

4. Staying Alive (1983) [sequel to 1977's Saturday Night Fever] - We get to catch up again with Travolta's Tony Manero, but only this time there was nothing interesting to see or hear. Many people do not know that this film was directed by Sylvester Stallone.

3. The Karate Kid Part III (1989) [sequel to 1984's The Karate Kid & 1986's The Karate Kid Part II] - The original Karate Kid is one of my favorite 80s movies without a doubt and the first sequel was not too bad, but Part III seemed to have none of the magic despite the return of the Cobra Kais. This story would've been better off stopping after Part II.

2. Teen Wolf Too (1987) [sequel to 1985's Teen Wolf] - The first problem with the sequel is that Michael J. Fox was not in it. They try to rehash the original only with Jason Bateman and moving the setting from high school to college. Though I have become a big fan of Bateman over the years, this is just a terrible movie and definitely an unnecessary sequel.

1. Caddyshack II (1988) [sequel to 1980's Caddyshack] - The original Caddyshack might be my favorite comedy of all time. Why wouldn't I be excited about a sequel? Chevy Chase was back at least in a small way as Ty Webb, but where was Bill Murray's Carl or Rodney Dangerfield's Al Czervik or Ted Knight's Judge Smails? It had Dan Aykroyd whom I normally love, but his character was horribly written and performed. The only redeeming quality that this movie had was a good theme song by Kenny Loggins called "Nobody's Fool." Chevy Chase would later publicly announce that he regretted returning for the sequel. I publicly announce right now that I regret that a sequel was even attempted.

There's my list. A couple that just missed making this list because of how much I liked the originals were 1989's Ghostbusters II, 1990's Back to the Future Part III and 1985's Jewel of the Nile. A couple others that might deserve consideration include 1985's Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome, 1991's Mannequin 2 and 2010, the 1984 sequel to 2001: A Space Odyssey. Another entire genre that I kind of intentionally left alone are all of the horror films that have produced countless sequels (like Halloween, Friday the 13th and A Nightmare on Elm Street among others). Personally, I will never forget sitting through the horrible sequel to 1981's Escape from New York when my friend won tickets to the premiere of 1996's Escape from L.A. That movie ranks in my top 10 worst movies I have ever seen in the theater, but does not make this list because my expectations were not that high going in.

I really want to hear back from you on your favorite 80s sequels, but probably even more interested in the ones you were most disappointed in. Did I miss any on my list that you would have included? From the previews, it looks like the new Wall Street sequel will have a better chance of making my favorite list rather than the disappointing list. The 1987 original is a personal favorite of mine from the 80s. After I see it (hopefully soon), check the comments section below and I will let you know the verdict.

That'll put a wrap on this issue of Kickin' it Old School. Thanks as always for reading. If you are interested in reading any of my other 80s related issues, please click there for a summary of those. If you are interested in reading more of Old School's Top 10 lists, please click there for a summary of those, too. You can also always click on the Archives in the upper left hand column or use the Google Search Box at the top of the right hand column to find any other issues you may have missed. If you are a fan of Kickin' it, PLEASE CLICK ON THE FACEBOOK LOGO in the upper right hand column. This will take you to the Fan Page where I ask you to then click on the "Like" button. Even if you are not a Facebook member yet, please consider joining and registering as a fan at that page. You can also follow Old School on Twitter by clicking on the FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER LOGO also in the upper right hand column. This will take you the page and you can just click on the box that says "Follow". I am sending daily 80s tweets, so sign up to get those. Let other 80s fans know about it as well! Peace and much love.

Check this out: Here are a few funny statements/questions that I have been sent recently, that I felt were worth sharing:

* Do not argue with an idiot. He will drag you down to his level and beat you with experience.

* Going to church doesn't make you a Christian any more than standing in a garage makes you a car.

* If I agreed with you we'd both be wrong.

* To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism. To steal from many is research.

* A bus station is where a bus stops. A train station is where a train stops. On my desk, I have a work station.

* Women will never be equal to men until they can walk down the street with a bald head and a beer gut, and still think they are sexy.

* When tempted to fight fire with fire, remember that the Fire Department usually uses water.

* How important does a person have to be before they are considered assassinated instead of just murdered?

* Why do you have to "put your two cents in"... but it's only a "penny for your thoughts"? Where's that extra penny going to?

* If corn oil is made from corn, and vegetable oil is made from vegetables, what is baby oil made from?

* Did you ever notice that when you blow in a dog's face, he gets mad at you, but when you take him for a car ride, he sticks his head out the window?

Quote of the day: "Every beginning is only a sequel, after all, and the book of events is always open halfway through." -Wislawa Szymborska

Today (September 18, 2010) is the 48^th birthday of Joanne Catherall who is one of the two female vocalists (the brunette) in the British synth pop new wave band The Human League. Her and her best friend, Susan Ann Sulley (the blonde), were discovered back in 1980 at the age of 18 by Philip Oakey who is the lead singer and founding member of The Human League. The three have been together ever since. Catherall and Oakey actually were a couple, dating for the first 10 years, but would split amicably in 1990 remaining friends and colleagues. The band gained major attention with their 1981 single "Don't You Want Me" which was a UK #1 song, but also became a U.S. #1 single after the video received heavy airplay on a new cable channel called MTV.

They also had major success with the 1983 single "(Keep Feeling) Fascination" which would reach #2 on the UK charts and #8 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. It did, however, reach #1 on the U.S. Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart in July of 1983 knocking Men Without Hats' "Safety Dance" out off the top of that chart. This week's Flashback Video is "(Keep Feeling) Fascination" by The Human League...

If that song sounds especially familiar it is probably due to its use in commercials for the new Verizon Samsung Fascinate phone. I'm not crazy about 80s songs being commercialized, but I do get a warm feeling getting to hear snippets of them unexpectedly while watching TV. Here is one of the commercials using The Human League's hit song...

Since forming, The Human League have released nine studio albums, 26 singles (including eight UK Top 10 singles with two #1 singles in the U.S. & UK) and have sold more than 20 million records worldwide. Their last #1 single is probably my favorite song by the group. It was 1986's "Human" which was actually written and produced by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. Though they have not released a new studio album since 2001, The Human League recently signed a new recording contract and continue to record and play live all over the world. For me, they will always have a couple of the best songs of the entire 80s decade.

That's all for another issue of Kickin' it Old School. Thanks for reading. If you are interested in reading any of my other 80s related issues, please click there for a summary of those. If you want to see the past issues of Flashback Videos, just type that into the Google Search Box at the top of the right hand column and it should give you a list of all of them. You can also always click on the Archives in the upper left hand column or use that Google Search Box to find any past issues or topics you may have missed. If you are a fan of Kickin' it, PLEASE CLICK ON THE FACEBOOK LOGO in the upper right hand column. This will take you to the Fan Page where I ask you to then click on the "Like" button. Even if you are not a Facebook member yet, please consider joining and registering as a fan at that page. You can also follow Old School on Twitter by clicking on the FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER LOGO also in the upper right hand column. This will take you the page and you can just click on the box that says "Follow". Even though the blog only updates a couple times a week, I try to send out daily 80s tweets. Let other 80s fans know about it as well! Peace and much love.

Today (September 10, 2010) is the 52^nd birthday of director, producer & screenwriter Chris Columbus. He really rose to fame after directing Home Alone (1990) which was written by the great John Hughes, but he did have some significant contributions to 80s cinema as well. Columbus worked for Steven Spielberg's Amblin Productions and wrote 1984's Gremlins and adapted Spielberg's story into a screenplay for 1985's The Goonies. I have already published a Preview Review issue on The Goonies, so click on that link if you have not read that one yet, and I am sure I will do one on Gremlins at some point.

Columbus made his directorial debut with 1987's Adventures in Babysitting. This film stars the lovely Elisabeth Shue as 17-year-old "Chris Parker". I have been infatuated with Shue since the moment I saw her in The Karate Kid as mentioned in a special issue I did on her and her 80s film roles. The film follows "Chris" who agrees to babysit two kids (played by Keith Coogan & Maia Brewton) after her boyfriend cancels their date. Her best friend (played by Penelope Ann Miller) calls her in a panic needing someone to come to the city to pick her up. With no other options, "Chris" hesitantly agrees to come get her and has to bring the kids along. On the way, a tire blows out on the car and then the "adventures" really begin. Here's an original trailer for Adventures in Babysitting...

The opening sequence of Adventures in Babysitting ranks on my Best Singing Scenes from 80s Movies list (with a link to watch it there). The film also includes a younger Bradley Whitford as the creepy jerk boyfriend, Anthony Rapp as the best friend of Coogan's character and Vincent D'Onofrio as the garage owner. Interestingly, D'Onofrio is best known (now also for Law and Order Criminal Intent) for his role as "Pvt. Pyle" in Stanley Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket which was actually released in the same year (1987). D'Onofrio looks very different in each film since he looks muscular in Adventures, but gained nearly 70 pounds to play the role in Full Metal Jacket.

Adventures in Babysitting was the first PG-13 rated film released by a Disney film division, though I just watched it recently and it is quite tame. A television series pilot was done in 1989, but it was not picked up to run by a network. Now, a sequel is reportedly planned for possible release in 2012 (at least it is a sequel and not a remake!). The film's story is pretty ridiculous based on the dangerous and unreal circumstances the kids find themselves in, but that's not unusual for 80s movies, especially teen comedies. Anybody who has ever babysat can appreciate the craziness for sure. The child actors (Coogan, Brewton and Rapp) all do a nice job and I will watch Elisabeth Shue do anything. Adventures in Babysitting is aimed at young teenagers, but is an enjoyable late-80s teen comedy for most everyone.

Since Home Alone in 1990, Columbus has also directed and/or produced other hit films like Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992), Mrs. Doubtfire (1993), Stepmom (1998), Rent (2005), three of the Harry Potter films, both Fantastic Four films and both Night at the Museum films. He has become one of the most successful filmmakers of this generation and continues writing, directing and producing films today. No matter how many blockbusters he produces now, I will always remember him best for the films he wrote and directed back in the 80s.

That'll do it for another issue of Kickin' it Old School. Thanks as always for reading. If you are interested in reading any of my other 80s related issues, please click there for a summary of those. If you want to see the past issues of Preview Review, just type that into the Google Search Box at the top of the right hand column and it should give you a list of all of them. You can also always click on the Archives in the upper left hand column or use the Google Search Box at the top of the right hand column to find any other issues you may have missed. If you are a fan of Kickin' it, PLEASE CLICK ON THE FACEBOOK LOGO in the upper right hand column. This will take you to the Fan Page where I ask you to then click on the "Like" button. Even if you are not a Facebook member yet, please consider joining and registering as a fan at that page. You can also follow Old School on Twitter by clicking on the FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER LOGO also in the upper right hand column. This will take you the page and you can just click on the box that says "Follow". I am sending daily 80s tweets, so sign up to get those. Let other 80s fans know about it as well! Peace and much love.

Today (September 7, 2010) is the 54^th birthday of songwriter extraordinaire Diane Warren. Her songs have received seven Grammy nominations (including one win) and six Oscar nominations. She has been named the ASCAP Songwriter of the Year six times, Billboard's Songwriter of the Year four times and, in 2001, was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Warren's songs have been featured in over 70 films or television shows over the years. Her first hit was the song "Solitaire" which Laura Branigan took to #7 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1983.

Other 80s hits written by Diane Warren include "Rhythm of the Night" by DeBarge(1984), "I Get Weak" by Belinda Carlisle(1987), "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now" by Starship(1987), "Look Away" by Chicago(1988), "If I Could Turn Back Time" by Cher(1989) and "Blame It On the Rain" by Milli Vanilli(1989). Her list of 90s hits is much more impressive, but her contributions to the 80s are still significant. When the last song on that list, "Blame It On the Rain" reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in November of 1989, it knocked another Diane Warren out of the #1 spot making her the first female songwriter to have back-to-back #1 hits. The other song that was knocked out of the top spot was "When I See You Smile" by Bad English which had held the #1 position for two weeks prior.

Bad English was sort of a super-group that formed in 1988 when former Journey keyboardist Jonathan Cain brought fellow former Journey guitarist Neal Schon to reunite with Cain's former The Babys bandmates singer John Waite and bassist Ricky Phillips. Though Bad English only released two albums before tensions amongst the members led to the band's dissolution by 1992, they did have one major hit in 1989 with Warren's beautiful ballad. This week's Flashback Video is "When I See You Smile" by Bad English...

Some people don't realize that it is John Waite handling lead vocals on that song. His 1984 solo hit "Missing You" is one of my favorite songs of the decade. Bad English drummer Deen Castronovo later went on to join a reformed Journey along with Neal Schon and Jonathan Crain.

Diane Warren's massive success as a songwriter has offered her the opportunity to support a number of charitable causes. She is a Buddy For Life at AIDS Project Los Angeles and an honorary committee member of PETA. She has been a key donor to the Simon Wiesenthal Center Museum of Tolerance and has founded the David S. Warren Weekly Entertainment Series at the Jewish Home for the Aging, a program she established in memory of her father. Because of her success, SCAP and VH1 joined forces as part of VH1's Save the Music campaign to launch the Diane Warren "Music of My Heart"/ASCAP Foundation Music Education Project in 2002. Her publishing company Realsongs, was named one of the top 5 music publishing corporations and is the most successful female-owned and operated business in the music industry. You can find out more about what Diane Warren is up to at the official Realsongs website http://www.realsongs.com/" title="http://www.realsongs.com/" target="_blank"http://www.realsongs.com/.

That's all for another issue of Kickin' it Old School. Thanks for reading. If you are interested in reading any of my other 80s related issues, please click there for a summary of those. If you want to see the past issues of Flashback Videos, just type that into the Google Search Box at the top of the right hand column and it should give you a list of all of them. You can also always click on the Archives in the upper left hand column or use that Google Search Box to find any past issues or topics you may have missed. If you are a fan of Kickin' it, PLEASE CLICK ON THE FACEBOOK LOGO in the upper right hand column. This will take you to the Fan Page where I ask you to then click on the "Like" button. Even if you are not a Facebook member yet, please consider joining and registering as a fan at that page. You can also follow Old School on Twitter by clicking on the FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER LOGO also in the upper right hand column. This will take you the page and you can just click on the box that says "Follow". Even though the blog only updates a couple times a week, I try to send out daily 80s tweets. Let other 80s fans know about it as well! Peace and much love.

Many people know, but many people also do not know that between 1981 and 1983 Freddie Mercury recorded several tracks with none other than Michael Jackson. None of these collaborations were ever officially released, although bootleg recordings luckily do exist. One of these duets that I like quite a bit is called "There Must Be More To Life Than This" and you can listen to the demo recording from 1983 right here...

Mercury would later include a solo version of that song on his Mr. Bad Guy album (1985). Another song that Mercury and Jackson collaborated on was "State of Shock." The song was written by Michael Jackson and guitarist Randy Hansen. The song would eventually be recorded by The Jacksons with Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger (instead of Mercurcy) and released on the Victory album in 1984. No explanation was ever given to why Mercury was replaced. There is a demo recording version of the original "State of Shock" with Jackson and Mercury and you can listen to it right here...

As I said, the song was released with Jackson singing with Jagger and the song was a big success reaching #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the U.S. and #14 on the UK Singles Chart. Whether it was with Mercury or with Jagger, it is pretty incredible to see these music icons collaborate on a song. I don't remember loving this song when it first came out, but it has grown on me more over the years. It does rank on my Top 80s Duets list (which coincidentally is topped by "Under Pressure"). There is not an official video for the song that I could find, but you can hear the Jackson/Jagger final version of "State of Shock" right here...

One more interesting note on the song "State of Shock" is that Mick Jagger performed a version of it at 1985's Live Aid with another music icon, Tina Turner. You can watch this legendary performance of "State of Shock" from Live Aid right here...

With both Freddie Mercury and, more recently, Michael Jackson gone, I find it more intriguing to hear these demo recordings from the early 80s. Michael Jackson was just about to become the King of Pop and Mercury was already "one of the most dynamic and charismatic frontmen in rock history." It is incredible that these legendary icons performed together even if the results were never officially released. They certainly don't make them like that anymore and, yep, you guessed it, it happened back in the 80s.

That's all for this issue of Kickin' it Old School. Thanks as always for reading. If you are interested in reading any of my other 80s related issues, please click there for a summary of those. You can also always click on the Archives in the upper left hand column or use the Google Search Box at the top of the right hand column to find any other issues you may have missed. If you are a fan of Kickin' it, PLEASE CLICK ON THE FACEBOOK LOGO in the upper right hand column. This will take you to the Fan Page where I ask you to then click on the "Like" button. Even if you are not a Facebook member yet, please consider joining and registering as a fan at that page. You can also follow Old School on Twitter by clicking on the FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER LOGO also in the upper right hand column. This will take you the page and you can just click on the box that says "Follow". I am sending daily 80s tweets, so sign up to get those. Let other 80s fans know about it as well! Peace and much love.

Check this out: One of my most popular issues here at Kickin' it Old School is my Top Dancing Scenes from 80s Movies list. I just came across this video which includes a few of those scenes (though it does include a lot of scenes from non-80s movies too). It is appropriately set to "Footloose" by Kenny Loggins. Enjoy...

Quote of the day: "If you don't risk anything, you risk even more." - Erica Jong, Novelist and poet