How One Movie Killed The 1980s

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______________________________________
CAST & CREW
featuring
Emma Logsdon / msmegalodon
Dave Wiskus / dwiskus
Chloe Holgate www.chloeholgate.com/
narrative writers
Jake Torpey
Mike Curran / mikel_curran
researcher
Raven Thigpen / asynchronistic
music by
Brian Metolius www.brianmetolius.com/
co-editor
Ryan Alva / papajohnmisty_
title sequence by
Madeline Metolius www.madelinemetolius.com/
Nobbles designed and built by
Dominic Hure at CameraSauce Productions / camerasauce
______________________
TWITTER: / patrickhwillems
INSTAGRAM: / patrickhwillems
______________________________________
Additional music by Epidemic Sound
______________________________________
SEND US SOME MAIL:
Patrick Willems
P.O. Box 380333
Brooklyn, NY 11238

[@patrickhwillems]

Over on our second channel, I replied to a bunch of your comments about this video kzbin.info/www/bejne/eHeUZn6LmqqVfbs

[@shitsforrips]

Cool. Could you make a video on Bradley Cooper’s Maestro? I didn’t think it was good, but everyone says it is. I’d like to hear your thoughts.

[@HouseofAmk]

So KZbin and nebula pay the same huh

[@alexmclean760]

This was actually well done for a low monetization definitely subscribed

[@jessiej3991]

In my own opinion The Breakfast Club was the most 80's movie ever

[@gregoryhagen8801]

​@@jessiej3991That's what "most" critics say.

[@el_fucko]

Actually, it's a common misconception that the 1980s were killed by a movie. Most historians agree that it was really New Year's Day 1990 that did them in.

[@chadwi4648]

This guy is cringe.

[@fredwerza3478]

I always thought grunge killed off the 80's --- music used to be fun and festive until Nirvana made it about depression and suicide

[@burtbacarach5034]

Nah.The 80's was too good too last bro.

[@trishaannglynn7728]

Like the music industry, each decade must sound different than the last. Even at the expense of quality.

[@getschwifty9531]

​@@chadwi4648yes, you are cringe, sparky.

[@EpicBeard815]

moral of the story: whether they're directors or producers, if you give some guys that are probably coked out of their minds a couple hundreds of millions of dollars and then look the other way, you're gonna have a bad time

[@Turnoutburndown]

A powerful lesson indeed.

[@stefanforrer2573]

well, it worked a bunch of times before and after..... i mean at least 70s, 80s and early 90s, cocain was the only thing keeping hollywood running

[@matthewhearn9910]

Give those same cokeheads a sub-20 million dollar budget, though, and you force them to be creative. Limitations plus absolute confidence in their weirdest ideas for compromise (usually involving the phrase THIS WAS ALWAYS HOW THE MOVIE HAD TO END) is how we got some of my favorite oddball movies of all time, especially in the 70s and 80s.

[@cejannuzi]

The budget was 60 million dollars.

[@mcg9573]

Oh boys...

[@chrisrobin268]

What makes Rocky such a great movie is that he didn't win the match but, instead, won so much more. The perfect underdog story.

[@fredwerza3478]

I think that's why people love 70's movies so much --- it wasn't about glitz and glamour and always winning --- it was about the simple things

[@rainy7106]

@@fredwerza3478 I think you could really see that sort of sensibilities in storytelling as a product of its time. 70s were a time of economic uncertanity, cities were generally at their worst, and politics were very blatantly tumultuous. It humbled people in a way, and made people appreciate those simple things and the beauty of the journey. The 80s starkly contrasted those values, probably due to the economic boom that was expierenced and the general political domiance of the Republican Party. It was a decade of glitz and glamour, of businessmen and cocaine. Everything must be gaudy, must be at its extremes, must be firing on all cylinders. No more would the simple suffice, and no more did the journey matter, it just mattered where you ended up. And if you ended up anywhere but the top, you failed.

[@LordVader1094]

​@@rainy7106And because of that the 80s had some of the best films ever made.

[@sethx9659]

Regarding your comment on Days of Thunder's constant product placement: As a racing fan, that might be one of the most realistic parts of the movie, because motorsport is absolute chock full of sponsors and advertisements; it is, at its core, what has kept racing going for so many decades.

[@patrickkeenan5603]

They filmed parts Days of Thunder at the first race I attended as kid, I’ll never forget the neon yellow and green City Chevrolet Lumina. Hopefully we get a Top Gun style sequel with Cole in a Jeff Gordon type role….

[@AubriGryphon]

I would argue that the fact that Rocky doesn't win is what makes it such a wonderful movie. It's not a traditional sports movie where the underdogs make a come-from-behind one point victory. It's about a man regaining his self-respect, which hits so much deeper.

[@Redmenace96]

Exactly. He becomes a winner. The boxing match is just a formality.

[@josebrown5961]

Yes and the second one was just a cash grab. When the “Joe Palooka” actually wins it kinda ruins the thing. Now I kinda enjoyed Rocky III but I can’t put it or any other Rocky movie in the same category as the original. You can include the Creed films in that as well.

[@danculbert6349]

@@josebrown5961Balboa is pretty good

[@josebrown5961]

@@danculbert6349 I don’t remember to be honest. I pretty much checked out after Rocky III. In “Balboa” he can’t be fighting anyone can he? I mean Rocky has got to be in his 60s. I guess since George Foreman did it in real life…

[@danculbert6349]

@@josebrown5961 It’s a bit of a silly conceit, a computer simulation predicts that Rocky even at his old age could beat the current world champ. But it’s probably the most somber and realistic since the first one

[@vintagecapgunsatyourmomshouse]

I worked at a home theatre / car audio installers in the 90s. We used DOT and Top Gun exclusively to demo our surround systems. DOT was basically an industry standard for home theatre demos.

[@haleymist09]

That's pretty interesting!

[@ryurc3033]

I still remember my friend set up his first digital surround sound setup. He wired the left to the right, and right to left......so you would see something going right to left on the screen but hear it going left to right .......

[@cory2477]

@@ryurc3033 Appears to be perplexed.

[@wiremuwifebash]

Honestly, 35 years later and the movie STILL holds up on 4K Blu-ray in that aspect.

[@danandkiko]

I remember seeing that as a consumer then!

[@joetrapp9187]

The fact that Don Simpson threw David Miscavige off a set absolves him of all his sins. He's in heaven now with Lassie.

[@nospoon4799]

What did Lassie do to the Scientologists? Did he find Shelley? He's a goood goood boy.

[@WestPictures]

This is like an alternate universe version of Nostalgia Critic where Doug figured out how to light a set

[@zackarysullivan9019]

😭

[@Istuckmyheaddownthetoilet]

And how to edit, and how to write, and how to know when your jokes are appropriate for the situation, and how to not come across as completely creepy in how you speak, look at the camera, carry yourself...

[@VanTheDestroyerer]

@@Istuckmyheaddownthetoilet🤣 I was gonna say Simon Whistler filling in for N.C. myself, lol!​

[@mrbanks456]

But is way less funny. I just found this guy and he's alright. But I came for film history/analysis and every 10 mins or so there's a boring scripted segment.

[@LayneBenofsky]

hehehe.

[@Advent3546]

Nobbles: *exists* Patrick: *intense glaring*

[@Wired4Life2]

Is Nobbles the Don Simpson of this video essay. and Patrick the Tom Cruise?

[@mg6945]

Days of Thunder has one of the all time best Cruise hairstyles. The most recent Mission: Impossible uses that hairstyle for his old ID, cause even Chris McQuarrie understands that.

[@nataliedube1665]

Lol thank god other people realized this

[@jameswatson5807]

Dam right man has that ryu/ken look..

[@lightningmcdweeb]

What a gorgeous mam

[@maplejames6992]

@@nataliedube1665 HAHAHA

[@akeleven]

The Young man, The Young man, The Young man! Someday women will get their own stories! ( Flashdance, Alien). Maybe I'll start going to the movies again.

[@ChaseDorman]

its always a bald dude with glasses and a turtleneck

[@krisoko]

Steve Jobs lives on

[@stephenmcdonagh2795]

Pumpkin Latte looking... And sounding.

[@gregoryhagen8801]

The pseudo- intellectual look.

[@Mr-__-Sy]

Dude this is the guy from the mindblown meme

[@d.1.a_mayby18]

I apologize ahead of time. "Did anyone think to give him a sock in a book?"

[@Lights_Camera_Facts]

It's crazy that Days of Thunder had a budget of $60 million dollars when Jurassic Park cost $63 million just three years later.

[@moappleseider1699]

It's not crazy at all when you understand how much those cars cost, how much it costs to maintain them, track fees, helicopters used to film etc. I mean it isn't Top Gun, but its not cheap either.

[@srujan00]

Total Recall had a budget of around $80 million, also from 1990.

[@RogueBoyScout]

I imagine the insurance premiums for the actors probably ate up. A fair bit of the budget. Then there are the cars themselves. It's not like The Blues Brothers where they just buy a bunch of sh1tboxes and add some livery... Add in actors pay, the crew basically being out of a stage and on an outdoor set, which happens to be a working racetrack, for most of the film. Then Craft services, security, trailer rentals... We haven't hit list production yet.... Then you have the marketing.. And THEN you have the Cocaine! Yeah, I believe it. Well I think I.made my point.

[@devilmikey00]

​@@moappleseider1699 Not sure if this was a thing in the 80's but the US military will let you use their equipment in a movie as long as the movie is suitably pro-military. So, given how masturbatory Top Gun is those jets and aircraft carriers probably cost nothing.

[@Istuckmyheaddownthetoilet]

In fairness, Rambo III also had an admitted budget of sixty million, but with the amount of complex stunt shots, squibs, pyrotechnics, and locations, you can see where the money went. Stallone was also much more of a no-bullshit guy on his sets. His work to get his vision of Rocky onto the screen made him that way.

[@MrReese]

I feel like Tony Scott was the real reason why these films were so good. They looked incredible, the shots and the scenes were astonishing and beautiful, it was really high quality action cinema. And, of course, the music was usually extremely well chosen, which also helped a lot.

[@adblue8955]

People always sleep on Tony Scott. His stuff was always really solid. Unstoppable is super underrated as well

[@Fredrik-iz4ou]

I wonder why he committed suicide.

[@wildmarks]

one of the most stylish directors to ever do it

[@rickdeckardbladerunner2049]

I loved Days of Thunder! That Hans Zimmer score was epic! Tony Scott is legend. A true artist.

[@fredericmigneret4211]

He had cancer apparently @@Fredrik-iz4ou

[@Nightstalker314]

Everytime people talk about Hans Zimmer's popular scores they leave out this movie. For the most part his work here is really solid.

[@ladolcevita6645]

Black Rain is another forgotten Hans Zimmer score. There's a piece of the score in Black Rain that Zimmer recycled for Nolan's Batman films.

[@v-trigger6137]

​@@ladolcevita6645 both Black Rain and Days of Thunder are Scott brothers most underrated films

[@rickdeckardbladerunner2049]

I think the Days of Thunder score is one of his best. The scene when Cole goes to see Claire at her car...wow! The little things in movie scores make films rewatchable over and over.

[@ragnarsrevenge3248]

There is an interview with Zimmer around the time he did Inception where he talks about how bad he thought his DOT score was. Go figure.

[@rickdeckardbladerunner2049]

​@@ragnarsrevenge3248 Yea, I remember that one. I dont always like my early work. I get that. If the fans love it, you have to dig that.

[@rhanemann9100]

I worked at an exclusive health resort in the 1980s and Don Simpson was a regular. He visited often to dry out. I liked him and he seemed to like teenaged me. Most people feared him. I actually talked to him about this film because he came to stay just after re-shoots and I couldn't comprehend how they would make the premiere date given how tight the timing was. He took the time to explain to me how films are duplicated and then shipped by "Federal Express". The book about Don (High Concept) made a lot of sense when I read it 25 years later. Live fast, die hard - and he did. I wish they would make a film about his life because it would probably make "Wolf of Wall Street" look tame, but word is that Jerry Bruckheimer will use his power to quash any effort.

[@Wired4Life2]

I bet Bruckheimer might hesitate to quash a pro-Bruckheimer biopic proposal, in which he's the one who tries and ultimately fails to rein in Don Simpson, akin to how the surviving members of Queen influenced _Bohemian Rhapsody's_ production to have their younger selves try to rein in the late Freddie Mercury's rockstar excesses.

[@thedevilinthecircuit1414]

This video perfectly captures the 2020s world of You Tube Retrospectives: dramatic lighting of the set, added stock video clips, slick transitions with music and sound effects, and a presenter that looks and speaks exactly like Michael Stevens and Simon Whistler.

[@TheMelonbros123]

Yeah, really annoying

[@Zooropa_Station]

Putting it out there just in case, but he's playing a character. The turtleneck, the fake set/"show" and PA, etc. It's pretty tongue in cheek.

[@x5pyke]

Was originally interested in the video as Days of Thunder is definitely a film I enjoy, but the moment they threw in the skit and made a comment about the presenter hating Star Wars, I stopped watching. Joking or not, they're directly trying to profit off of the "character" of Simon Whistler and it's a bit... scummy. If you have to play a character to appeal to your audience, then you're not appealing to YOUR audience.

[@CopiousDoinksLLC]

@@Zooropa_Station Putting it out there just in case, but imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Even if he is being "tongue in cheek", a stylistic choice is still a choice nonetheless and in this case, it's not one I have to respect or appreciate in the name of 'satire'.

[@scorpioassmodeusgtx1811]

And somehow manages to spend a lot of time saying absolutely fucking nothing.

[@kyleissuperdupercool]

Don Simpson is the physical embodiment of the "coke-sniffing executive" people like to allude to when talking about hare-brained Hollywood decisions. Case in point, at some point during the pre-production of this movie, the main characters were almost certainly named Dick Trickle and Harry Hogg.

[@NickMichalak]

As Cosmo Kramer would say, "Here's to feeling good all the time!"

[@jop4833]

Nick Mullen beautifully described Don Simpson on cumtown

[@ShirDeutch]

Was he the inspiration for Tom Cruise's character in Tropic Thunder?

[@kyleissuperdupercool]

​@@ShirDeutch I think that was Weinstein

[@randyd7836]

Robert Altman had this to say about Simpson: "A true fraud…a pompous, pretentious a-hole…a f-ing drunken disaster. I’m only sorry that he didn’t live longer and suffer more.”

[@mattsherlock9636]

People keep saying certain things are dead, but I have another view. Everything go through cycles, people get tired of a thing it gets replaced by another thing which they get tired of and someone introduces something new that more often than not is just the old thing they got tired of that they had forgotten. Everything comes back eventually, Westerns are "dead", yet I see them on TV with the immensely popular Yellowstone and in movies with countless low budget dramas you can find in any dollar store. After this cycle of Streaming Content crashes and burns through their money, studios will return to old tricks (mid-budget pictures, thoughtful cinema) and if/when that is successful they will do it until they get a new get rich quick idea that work for a bit until they ruin it though over exposed. That is not a value judgment, I love me some Blockbuster Cheese but we have to take a break from it once in a while. It always come back, art usually does.

[@katherinealvarez9216]

So at some point, I will get my Fairy movies?

[@Renegade-kf8fp]

there were no such thing as originate at any point

[@mattsherlock9636]

@@katherinealvarez9216 Depends on what you mean by fairy movie, but probably.

[@terrylandess6072]

One man's dead is another man's love interest. Getting tired of these videos making statements about thing I lived through and the creators did not - they just see part of the picture through someone else's viewpoint.

[@Noodlyk18]

Exactly right, trends in art tend to cycle. Things get popular, radically different things start popping up as an answer to the popular thing, which then becomes popular, and so on. You only need to look at the rise of Superhero movies and their recent decrease in popularity, which was followed by the massive success of Top Gun Maverick, which is at the core just a simple but well made action movie, audiences get fed up and starve for something different, but the different thing is rarely something completely unique and never done before, it's usually something that used to be popular, and the cycle continues.

[@brigidwell]

Two movies that come to mind as ending the 80's were Batman and Heathers (both released in 1989). They introduced the kind of darker characters, visuals, and aesthetics and the non-idealistic worldview that were coming into fashion.

[@zimriel]

Heathers, certainly. Inasmuch as Jack Nicholson was the star of the 1970s, Christian Slater delivered Nicholson's revenge against John Hughes.

[@Istuckmyheaddownthetoilet]

If you watch RoboCop and absorb all of its warnings about media, the police, corporatocracy, etc, you can see the 1980s have never really ended.

[@Mario_N64]

And Sex, Lies and Videotape.

[@Lwydius]

Less Than Zero - a film about the darker side of the eighties.

[@xChristine77]

I might be biased because I'm a NASCAR fan (and driver), but I love Days of Thunder. It's actually a pretty iconic film in American racing culture (not just NASCAR). I was 9 when it came out, and I was so hype for it. In 1990, NASCAR was still seen as a pretty "fringe" sport. So, it was exciting for NASCAR fans to get such a big spotlight on the series. When DoT came out, I had all the toy cars and everything else (I still have them)... and I remember watching NASCAR races with the cars from the film out there getting b-roll for the movie. I mean, it isn't a *masterpiece,* and I really don't think it tries to be. It's obviously Top Gun in Race Cars. But, before Days of Thunder, the best NASCAR movie (imo) was Stroker Ace, which is awesome, but is kinda goofy and doesn't really portray stock car racing in a serious light. And, though Talladega Nights kind of refreshed NASCAR's presence in Hollywood in more recent years, Days of Thunder is still seen as a pretty important part of NASCAR racing culture... for better or worse. There are a LOT of one-liners from the movie that still get referenced in NASCAR broadcasts and among race crews like, "loose is fast," "rubbin' is racing," or "nothing stock about a stock car" - three phrases that resonate with people who are into stock car racing. Just a couple weeks ago, my car builder told me he's going to "shape [my car] like a bullet" xD

[@ig8083]

Right? They made NASCAR look incredibly cool and you could understand why people love the sport.

[@Surannhealz]

Don’t doubt your instincts. The movie was incredible.

[@tnt201123]

Only car guys will understand "days of thunder" an he is SOOOOOOOO not🤷🏿‍♂️. Love DoT 1 of my favorite car movies of the 80s. Not to mention vanishing point,2 lane black top, American graffiti, gone in 60secs, an all the fast an furious's tho people think they over did it🤷🏿‍♂️

[@NiederDrifts]

Thank you for this. I clicked on the video like how is such a good movie so destructive like whaaat

[@majorpwner241]

This isn't even a slightly controversial opinion. It's a good movie.

[@squidcaps4308]

What is understated is how big of a deal the first Batman was. The symbol was everywhere. It was like a week when Batman went from camp to cool and all it took really was that one pre-release poster.

[@camerongage1237]

Stallone once said that Batman marked the end of the muscle man type action hero. He may have not been totally correct but he was on to something.

[@justaman9724]

Stallone was right about these fake muscle superheroes taking over.

[@MightyAvengingLeo]

@@camerongage1237 I'd say the action hero replaced the Western hero, while the superhero replaced the action hero. All three have something in common -- a single hero or small group of heroes confront an injustice, corruption, or evil of some sort. They have the skill, power, or courage to face impossible odds and win. The heroes and villains follow different tropes but the plot dynamics are the same. All three genres are wish fulfillment for people who'd like to change the world or save the world but can't.

[@rocketrockstar8171]

I remember queueing up for ages to see Ghosrbusters and Gremlins!

[@Porkleaker]

Only understated if you didn't live through it lol.

[@KayButtonJay]

Beverly Hills Cop is such a fucking good time. I miss movies that didn’t look like it was the most expensive movie ever made, had a killer lead star, was funny in a laid back way, and did the basics well.

[@thegardenofeatin5965]

Beverly Hills Cop might be a better example, I often cite Benny & Joon as a "show up to a location and point cameras at actors" movie. I'm struggling to remember the last time I've heard of such a thing; movies have to be crammed full of sets and costumes and special effects...A lot of Benny & Joon and indeed a lot of Beverly Hills Cop is they showed up at a location and pointed a camera at some actors. And they made good films.

[@gabbar51ngh]

Cheap movies still get made but they get no attention.

[@SvdSinner]

It kills me that you repeatedly say Top Gun started with a montage to Danger Zone. The starting montage was done to the Top Gun Anthem.

[@Wired4Life2]

Technically true, but the anthem doesn't arrive at its main melody until Maverick and Goose are informed that they're going to Top Gun. More _"Top Gun_ Anthem (Overture)", if we're being honest.

[@user-ny6et1fp5e]

I like how light shines from his bald head.

[@hendo337]

That Tony Scott/Simpson/Bruckheimer narrative style lived on in and died in The Rock (1995) which carried the formula with Cage/Connery perfectly.

[@NoidoDev]

Yeah, but other movies in the 90s felt similar. Maybe not the old formula, but still similar and very good.

[@user-hx3ko7vj4y]

Enemy of the State? Last Boy Scout?@@NoidoDev

[@ikecarr5989]

Con Air. Armageddon. Deja Vu.

[@user-hx3ko7vj4y]

No Deja Vu for me but yep I think these films were really the tail end of Hollywood action cinema before Comic Book movies took over and the rot set in inside Hollywood. While not very 80s or bruckheimer, we had a little John Woo doing some of HK stuff, then action movies mostly died a death with fast cut crap@@ikecarr5989

[@alanguages]

It continued on with guys like Michael Bay and Stephen Sommers.

[@TheMokeleMbembe]

Wow those shots of Patrick on the street at the end are legitimately gorgeous. The lens, the color, the composition...

[@kutz206]

"Look at that subtle off-white coloring. The tasteful thickness of it. Oh, my God. It even has a watermark"

[@LaKbiz]

There is actually a 80's montage sequence in Day of Thunder, playing Gimme Some Lovin's by The Spencer Davis Group. It's not technically a real 80's montage sequence as you can hear the characters talking to eachother but they establish how the relationship between Cruise, Rooker and Duval get tense over multiple races. There is even Don Simpson throwing a middle finger to Cruise in this sequence, very short but it's there.

[@waltersobchak8080]

And this song was later used in the opening credits of Rush as a cameo to Days of Thunder

[@mrbadguy5040]

As someone who loves this movie to death, im really glad you went in depth and gave this movie more than a review. Also im glad you guys like the score as much as I do too lol

[@nickfield1569]

1. Jerry Bruckheimer spent decades away from Paramount, but finally returned in 2019 with the Will Smith flop Gemini Man. In 2022, he produced Top Gun: Maverick for them and the far, far, far less successful Secret Headquarters for Paramount+. So next year, with the Beverly Hills Cop legacy sequel, Bruckheimer will finally fulfill that 5th Paramount movie 2. Days of Thunder may very well be why Tom Cruise doesn't have an Oscar. In 1989, he was gathering a ton of momentum off "Rain Man" (where he wasn't nominated) and then earned the best plaudits of his career in Oliver Stone's "Born on the Fourth of July". Cruise was on the cover of TIME Magazine, and the Oscar front-runner. Yet he spent so much time on the set of Days of Thunder, and sparked so many rumors with Nicole Kidman (Cruise was still married to Mimi Rogers at the time) that Daniel Day-Lewis won instead. To date, Cruise still hasn't got that Oscar 3. I don't trust that Nobbles

[@Istuckmyheaddownthetoilet]

Cruise will never win an Oscar. Even back in 1989, Scientology had a reputation for creepiness and potential bad PR around Hollywood. That, and Cruise is neither a good actor nor willing to take risks. Some of the winners for best actor during my lifetime have won them for roles that in the hands of lesser actors could end careers. Joaquin Phoenix as the Joker was a great actor in an otherwise mostly noticeably above average film. Rami Malek was a give it all you got performance in one of the worst Oscar winners for editing in history. Anthony Hopkins had to walk a very fine line between being the most terrifying man in the film and being a master actor doing another Freddy Krueger, a line he always got on the right side of. Forest Whitaker accurately portrayed a dictator who was like the Kray Twins of dictators, a constant self-parody, and aced it. Tom Cruise has never walked tightropes or taken risks like that, and I doubt that he ever will.

[@jth_printed_designs]

Oscars have bee about politics for a VERY long time, it has little to do with acting acumen.

[@Istuckmyheaddownthetoilet]

@@jth_printed_designs The Oscars have never been about honoring excellence or rewarding merit. They were an advertising tool to begin with. It is just that as we have gained ever greater ability to communicate and share information, we have also seen the man behind the curtain more and more. Giving Bohemian Rhapsody Oscars was all about trying to look socially conscious by way of tribute to the memory of Freddie Mercury. They took it way too far by giving that piece of shit an Oscar for editing.

[@majorpwner241]

The Oscars, all movie awards, and professional critics are all trash. Too much politics, as stated above, too little talent or passion for anything involved.

[@Istuckmyheaddownthetoilet]

@@majorpwner241 Again, totally true, but sometimes they want to restore the credibility they have with those who do not know better. That is when they give awards to films that genuinely deserve it, such as Everything Everywhere All At Once.

[@psychlops924]

One thing you didn’t talk about, that many videos on the NASCAR corner of KZbin have, is the impact this film had on NASCAR itself. NASCAR was riding a wave of growth at the time, becoming less of a regional sport in the South, into a national one, and this film really kicked that off. Heck, growing up (I was born in 92) I thought that Cole Trickle was supposed to be Tom Cruise playing Jeff Gordon. Jeff didn’t start racing full time in the Winston Cup series until 93 though, but his career looks like what you’d imagine Cole Trickle would have gone in to become. Throughout the entirety of the 90’s and the first half of the 2000’s, NASCAR grew so much that it became the second most watched sport in America, only behind the NFL. You can actually see a ratings spike start after the release of Days of Thunder, and the spike starts to drop, curiously enough, around the release of Talladega Nights, and ratings have been in a free fall ever since. I’d recommend “Why Days of Thunder Was Awesome (And Always Will Be)” on Brock Beard’s channel to get a full take on it, but I’d say this movie is unique in that it had more impact on the sport it portrayed than any other sports movie in history. I’d appreciated hearing more of the behind the scenes, thanks for sharing!

[@nightflyer3242]

Holy moly, you've just jot a memory of mine. Jeff Gordon was what got me into NASCAR when I was a little kid in the late 90's, so when I saw Days of Thunder on HBO, I totally believed that Tom Cruise was portraying Jeff Gordon.

[@JDEdwards2331]

Great post

[@TMC1982Part2]

I always heard that "officially", Tom Cruise's character in Days of Thunder was loosely modeled after Tim Richmond and Geoff Bodine.

[@DoctorJammer]

NASCAR was absolutely NOT the "second most watched sport" at any time. That statistic came from a nascar marketing firm. Also, nascar has one event per week while MLB, NBA, and NHL have over 10 per day. Ratings only looked at per event so yeah that one event per week might be higher than particular mlb game, but overall millions watch the other sports over NASCAR.

[@6Haunted-Days]

Christ then this movie should be reviled for spreading that cancer 😮‍💨🤡

[@votekyle3000]

Patrick, I’m really glad you made this episode. KZbin recognized this is NASCAR related and showed it to me. Now I’ve watched about four years of your videos on Nebula this week

[@JoseMorales-lw5nt]

Funny enough, the Simpson/Bruckheimer formula of movie making during the 80's had a television counterpart. I give you Michael Mann and his NBC gem known as MIAMI VICE. Entertainment for the MTV Generation!😂❤

[@cartilagehead6326]

that "VISIONARY ALLIANCE" presser. Jesus, they were on *that* much cocaine

[@Bluelink13]

And that was before the second Cocaine assistant!

[@MariaVosa]

It's hilarious that after that hype they got to produce 1 movie for Paramount, which made the deal crash and burn worse than race cars in the movie

[@LonkinPork]

I don't really have a question (Hi Emma!), but I *_NEED_* the details of how Nobbles came about. Whose idea, whose design, who built him, WHY DOES HIS NOSE HAVE ARTICULATION, I love him so much and I'm excited for this year to - potentially - usher in the Nobbles Era, I just need the behind-the-scenes nitty gritty

[@awl23]

You are not alone. I put Nobbles on my family's Christmas card this year.

[@averyhinks1799]

THIS

[@cory2477]

A wel, mannered white family?

[@jordandokolas2374]

Check out Camerasauce. He posted detailed videos of Nobbles' creation!!

[@benmillward7765]

Is Charl hidden inside Nobbles' head!?

[@aspacelex]

I dunno if this is an appropriate topic submission form, but I would love to see a Pat vid on great filmmakers spending decades past their peak putting out experimentally and incompentantly weird work like Brian de Palma or Michael Mann.

[@TastierBackInThe80s]

Say what you will about the Simpson/Bruckheimer formula, but the one thing that Top Gun Maverick missed the mark completely was the OST. The soundtrack for both TG and DoT are dopamine thrill rides.

[@Wired4Life2]

Probably because...it didn't have to depend on the iconic shot-calls of its songs like the 1st film did? As hilariously-iconic as the "Playing With the Boys" volleyball scene is, pretty much everyone grasps that the "I Ain't Worried" dogfight football scene has more story purpose.

[@geimzz]

Days of Thunder makes me feel proud of being American despite not being an American

[@andyscott5277]

I think the movie that was really emblematic of the transition point from the dark and gritty 70’s to the stylish and flashy 80’s was the underrated "American Gigolo." The film had one foot in the 70’s and the other in the 80’s. Combining the steely cinematic auteur vision of writer/director Paul Shrader (Taxi Driver) with the production of Jerry Bruckheimer, complete with driving montages powered by Blondie/Giorgio Moroder’s pop hit "Call Me."

[@notmarealnameboi]

Good example. Mann's Theif is similiar imo.

[@jonaseggen2230]

For me, and I guess most non americans, Bladerunner is more importaint and more 80's than Rocky. Rocky is a 70's film made in the 80's. Pure nostalgia.

[@kimberlyvespa]

@@jonaseggen2230Blade Runner is the best movie of all time!!! Still beautiful!

[@mummyjohn]

@@notmarealnameboi Thief nails that straddle, total seventies "gritty" crime saga but all the lighting and music of Miami Vice that was yet to come

[@mikesteelheart]

"The Driver" from 1978 also is similar in that regard from a stylistic standpoint.

[@somethinburnin]

"Dick" Trickle hailed from Wisconsin. Was actually a damn good driver. Especially short track. He also raced snow sleds for Yamaha Factory team in 1970s. He was also infamous for having a cigarette lighter and ash tray in his cars. Sadly he would be diagnosed with lung cancer. In his grief, which also was connected to the death of his daughter prior, he called 911, told them who he was, and where he would be found, and he ended his life by his daughter's grave.

[@TweezersUnlimited]

The thousand time winner, for real

[@extragoogleaccount6061]

He also famously won so much in lower series he had no desire to go to the higher-paying NASCAR Cup series for some time.

[@maxwaller2055]

*i had the model race car driven by Tom Cruise's character* - 5:06 pm Pacific Standard Time on Monday, 26 February 2024

[@SweatyOracle]

This was filmed about fifteen minutes from where I grew up and my aunt (who owned a horse farm) took Tom out riding multiple times and said he was very kind but wore huge lifts on his shoes hahahha

[@vaclav4435]

Thinking it over, the first JJ Abrams _Star Trek_ movie from 2009 is essentially a throwback to the era of high concept/Cruise pictures. It doesn't quite use everything in the rubric Ebert outlined, but at the end of the day Pine's Kirk is the Tom Cruise figure, Quinto's Spock is the initial rival-turned-friend, Pike and Nimoy's Spock are the mentor figures, and so on. Looking at the movie with this lens...well, it doesn't make me like the movie, but it explains what Abrams was trying to do.

[@webheadwonder9597]

Beastie Boys Sabotage on the soundtrack. Definitely agree that it was calling back in style

[@therexbellator]

Great analysis!

[@brandaohimself]

Both top gun and that star trek movie are some of my favorite movies to watch.

[@foxtayle446]

Ah Jar Jar Abrams, one of the nails in the cinema coffin.

[@needsLITHIUM]

I had 4 favorite movies as a kid: Teenage Mutant Nunja Turtles, The Karate Kid, Demolition Man, and Days of Thunder. I still love all of these movies to this day. I caught Days of Thunder on cable TV around the same time I was discovering a budding love of motorsports, which I had inherited from my father, who got it from his father, who was one of the bootleggers turned street racers who was part of the pioneering of NASCAR. My grandfather got caught, and joined the USAF, serving in WWII in lieu of doing time. My grandfather was one of very few non-pilot, non-combatants (he was a mechanic on an air craft carrier in the Pacific theater) who got confirmed kills, shooting down strafe funs with his side arm instead of goin into the hanger. My dad, my grandfather, and I used to watch those movies over and over. My grandfather passed in 2006, and his wife joined him last night. I'm a little nostalgic and caught up today. I may cry for an hour or two, js.

[@Boomtendo4tw]

The freeze frame is capturing a moment in time. Creates a memory

[@FrankieProkop]

"Tom Cruise drives cars good" is ABSOLUTELY a harbinger of doom, what are you talking about. (Lol.)

[@obrothernotagain4668]

I enjoy that you borrowed Nicole Kidmens backlit hair for your own shoot, even if your hair is just a touch less big

[@derreckpressley1165]

Here are two reasons Days of Thunder cost 3x what Top Gun cost, Reason #1 Tom Cruise's salary, an upfront payment, plus writer credit. Reason #2 the crashed real cars in Days of Thunder; they aren't cheap...no jets were harmed in the making of Top Gun.

[@sombraarthur]

IDC about Tony Scott, Jerry Bruckheimer or Don Simpson, but those in the KNOW, know that Days of Thunder is not far off from the 80's - 90's professional racing scene, and this is why it is THE MOST REPRODUCED MOVIE in racing tracks, ever. So, Days of Thunder is not only a classic, it is absolutely FANTASTIC as a movie and plot. Thank you, Tom Cruise and all the other actors, you made us, racing fans and racing drivers very, very happy for the past deaces.

[@digitaljanus]

I mean, it's not like Top Gun had to pay for all those fighter jets and aircraft carrier crews... Great video Patrick & team!

[@MrPiccoloku]

I love Hollywood's long-ish-standing financial relationship to the American military and police *Sucks in air through teeth*

[@Skabanis]

….someone has to blow tax payers miney6

[@cbspock1701]

They did pay

[@srujan00]

didn't a stunt/test pilot get killed making TOP GUN?@@cbspock1701

[@tunamelts7875]

This is *far and away* the best Days of Thunder deep dive I've ever seen!

[@osmanyousif7849]

One that you shouldn’t keep your “eyes wide shut”….

[@jp3813]

How many are there?

[@joefeeney5497]

I saw it was 53 minutes and was both thrilled and confused at the same time, haha.

[@captaindishman9126]

"How one movie killed the 1980s" Days of Thunder was made in 1990...

[@jimandersen3003]

If Days of Thunder ruined anyones day, they need to get a life.

[@gruwidge]

Something about this video looks especially gorgeous. Maybe its the lighting or colour grading but only a few minutes in and this seems like one of your best looking videos!

[@loganbfilms]

The lighting is literally perfect

[@juliadandy6019]

Was thinking the same! Looks specially beautiful

[@GeomancerHT]

Maybe it's 90% of it are stolen scenes from an actual movie?

[@TheGreatestCornholio]

The lighting is ass when it's him. I think they were going for an 80s look but the overhead light is making the speakers face go in and out of focus over and over and over. It actually gave me a headache watching on my TV.

[@TheGreatestCornholio]

I legit laughed out loud at this.

[@tacla]

As a layman i love that i found your channel bc you articulate all of the loosely formed theories i think about of movie and cinema culture

[@MisterDad9000]

Hear me out: Do a limited run of T-Shirts for Patrick Willems, but call them.....Nobble-Ts, hmmmm? HMMMM!?

[@jeffcarlin5866]

Days of Thunder is one of my favorite movies. The music is great; Cruise and Duvall are cool; the energy is palpable; the story works on all levels; and, yes, every frame is a masterpiece.

[@bensneb360]

If they had a t-shirt of Patrick & Emma’s freeze frame… I would totally buy it

[@goodial]

either that or the Chloe and Patrick freeze frame in the end of the video! :D

[@yurikana]

That is an interesting idea… To make t-shirts out of every freeze frame in films ever. Would be rather silly.

[@vincentbatten4686]

"Death of the movie star. You know, feel good topics the entire family appreciates" I agree without sarcasm.

[@pennyfarting]

I _kind of_ agree, but the new breed of adver-content brand-celebrity that's replacing them, which Patrick talked about in his recent video on Dwayne Johnson and Ryan Reynolds, is _so much worse._

[@SIPEROTH]

In the end the fact that this movie that seemed like average at the time is still like a masterpiece of something good to watch for the night in-frond of any new movie thrown up by Hollywood today just tells you the miserable situation we currently are at. I was a cinephile from young age and yet they made me lose interest. I actually stopped watching movies now.

[@rasmus274]

The most insane thing i’ve learned from this video is that Ridley and Tony are brothers

[@vaportrails7943]

The thing is, those 80s movies hold up better than most other eras, and definitely better than any since. And it really started with Star Wars. As it turns out, those archetypal hero stories where the good guys win are archetypal and “overdone” or “cliched” because that’s what people really want to see. It’s easy to do poorly, but very hard to do well. And for a brief time in the 80s, it was done well. But there were other great types of movies, like the original Terminator, which is (perhaps a controversial view) one of the best movies ever made. The skillful combination of genres (sci fi, horror, action) was another good trend in the 80s. The sci fi premise also nailed the issues of the future like few others have. But that’s a different subject. Things that become “formulaic” do so because they begin as something that works. It’s only when they’re handled poorly and the focus is lost that they fail, as Days Of Thunder demonstrates. I think a lot of it was that people felt like they had seen the movie before, and NASCAR wasn’t as interesting (or high stakes) as fighter pilots. Instead of merely copying the core elements that actually make stories work, while giving them a new context, they copied the superficial elements and just tried to copy and paste it.

[@therantingboy]

We wouldn't have got Duvall talking to cars in Gone In 60 Seconds without Days Of Thunder

[@nataliedube1665]

I will, without shame, say I absolutely love this movie. It’s hilarious, the music is great, and the cast is iconic. Also I love the chemistry between the characters

[@timberwolf27]

Yeah I loved this film, and my country bumpkin middle of nowhere butt even noticed it was basically Top Gun with cars In like 1992 and I was 9 (pre internet youtube breakdown). Some things helped save the movie that arent technically good movie making, like brilliant actors- the way Duvall handles every scene and creates quotable lines out of the script at every cut and turn is brilliant, wonder how much sway he had to change lines...? I guess Nicole and Tom had palpable chemistry seeing as they got married? John C Reilly with barely 10 lines showing he's still cool to watch on screen in his early days. Randy Quaid being mental and Tom responding with great acting too to make you still believe Quaid? I am blabbing on now, loved it, great 1990 action flick, even today, just understand the film, you have to suspend disbelief for almost all films eventually

[@Kevin_Street]

@@timberwolf27 Since they were still writing the script during filming, they probably had to change lines a lot. Maybe Duvall had input into his lines.

[@Replicaate]

Ditto - personally I think its one of Tony Scott's best, alongside The Hunger, True Romance and of course, Top Gun. Its pretty, its loud, its got gorgeous sky and sunset colours, Tom Cruise's height is wildly inconsistent throughout, and that's what I came here for.

[@timberwolf27]

@@Replicaate Hehaha

[@StsFiveOneLima]

#MeToo

[@costanzafaust]

I remember in the late 80's me and my friends thought of Tom Cruise as the guy who always plays "the best guy at doing the thing" - the best pilot, the best bartender, the best hustler - I think the first time I saw him play sort of a loser was the War of the Worlds remake.

[@Mario_N64]

He was also a loser in Born on the Fourth of July. And narcissistic hustler loser on Rainman.

[@HaeTaBlayMooSoe]

Man makes a joke about orange man bad from 30 years ago while dressed identical to Steve Jobs from 20 years ago

[@keithquirk9823]

No offense Patrick but when I think Top Gun I don’t think of any of the things you listed. I think of two things and that’s Mav and Goose singing along to 1950s love songs like “You’ve lost that loving feeling” and “Great balls of Fire”. The second is the death of Goose and me crying. Anthony Edwards and Meg Ryan absolutely ground Top Gun with a look at true love and being incredibly charming. Goose is the message to Maverick that being the best isn’t always what’s most important. And that’s why Top Gun 2 is so damn good too. Goose is MY wingman. Also, Val Kilmer is the best!

[@lewisanderton8062]

So for the Patrick Replies video, how do you think Top Gun: Maverick compares to all of this? For all of its references to the first film, and generally being praised as a nostalgic throw back to 80s cinema and films of that sort (which I think it definitely was in a lot of ways), something about it just felt different to the first film and 80s cinema as a whole. Of course both Tony Scott and Don Simpson weren't involved, and it was made in a very different time period, but I was never able to put my finger on exactly how those differences impacted the final film. Any thoughts?

[@Flashfm3000]

One key difference - Top Gun: Maverick actually IS the kind of character-focused movie that Simpson and Bruckheimer claimed they were making with Days of Thunder.

[@rickdeckardbladerunner2049]

Top Gun Maverick respected the older characters, which is rare these days. The film look is more modern too. They could have used the old contrasty Kodak film stock orange and blue look, but took a more modern look. I think the happy and hopeful ending is very much an 80s thing too. There is a formula for the 80s scripts too. If you are into writing scripts, the film Die Hard is one of the best to study.

[@chrismartin3197]

I don’t get all the love for TG:M. It was nothing but callbacks. I’d take the original over it all day (even if it doesn’t have real in-flight cockpit shots)

[@PDXpackrat]

@@chrismartin3197 I think it is more complex than just comparing it to the original Top Gun. You probably were unaware of this at the time TG:M came out. Cinema was actually at risk of dying out completely due to Covid. There was very little content coming through the release pipeline because the studios were convinced that nobody would go to a theater during a pandemic (they were somewhat right about that). A number of overzealous governors imposed rules specific to the theatrical presentation industry that made it almost impossible to show a movie even if you wanted to. At the movie theater that I worked with, the screens went from a seating capacity of 50 down to an allowed seating capacity of 6 thanks to our governor's rules specific to the industry. It meant that even if we had the content, and even if we "filled" the screen with 6 guests, we couldn't make enough money to even justify being open for business. It took MONTHS for the governor to relax her restrictions where we could seat 12 in a screening where once we could seat 50. By that point, most movie-goers had been conditioned to just watch content on the streaming services (and why wouldn't they at that point). Then along came Top Gun Maverick, a movie where FINALLY we had some content that was worth seeing in a movie theater, and it came at a time when the restrictions were finally loosening up. Top Gun Maverick was the first real HIT of that year, and I say with all seriousness - I think it rebooted the cinematic industry. That's why the movie gets my love. It was a decently good movie (with a lot of callback/nostalgia and a plot eerily reminiscent of the Star Wars attack on the death star), but its timing was so important. I think a lot of people love it for this reason.

[@unnf9971]

Great set lighting Patrick, really brings out the positive features of having a bald scalp. A 5 star production, Lightbulbhead.

[@PopeBrak]

Hello Patrick & Team! Loved this video and have now gone back to watch a good amount of your back catalogue. You've got a great thing going, here, and I'm very glad to have discovered it. You give the appearance of having had a great time doing it, but many thanks for all the hard work. (Also, I'll now be forcibly removing 'because you seem to like NASCAR' videos from my KZbin feed for a few weeks, but it's 100% worth it.) All the best to you and yours!

[@BrendanJSmith]

I would actually LOVE to see you make a video on Heaven's Gate. It's been a subject that's just fascinated me the past few months. The biggest failure in Hollywood history.

[@therexbellator]

I've also heard Ishtar was one of the biggest Hollywood flops ever as well. I wonder if it factors into the overall trend in Hollywood?

[@sargonsblackgrandfather2072]

I remember seeing this as a kid in the cinema, it wasn’t very good but it looked beautiful. I was too young to understand it but I somehow knew it was supposed to be Top Gun in cars.

[@cmc5394oparva]

There really was this odd fascination with "hazy sunset backlighting" shots in entertainment from about Top Gun-onwards as late as the mid-90s, especially in the Simpson/Bruckheimer collection. You even see the style pop up in music videos.

[@blah8934]

Great history. Never knew about this movie or the fact that this was their downfall point. The moment you mentioned that there were too many cooks in the kitchen, I knew where this was going. Only to be fueled by further ego and inflated by drugs. Honestly they should make a movie about this whole fiesta a la Once Upon A Time in Hollywood. I think it would be like watching Wolf of Wall Street about the 80s peak ego drive about some crazy film makers and their crash and burn with Tom Cruise trying to damage control.

[@nathanvassar3795]

Hi Patrick H Willems! Absolute banger video. I would love to see more racing content IE Speed Racer or Rush maybe even Ford V Ferrari. I loved the soundtrack from Days of Thunder and how visceral and raw the overall sound of the movie is. So sad that the ost isn’t on Hans Zimmer’s spotify. Anyways, thanks for the video on one of my favorites! Happy holidays!

[@melissaharris3389]

Thing I always remember about the best 80s films is the gorgeous cinematography with emotive music playing over long takes and quite scenes. These movies have mood.

[@seventhkeyomegasghost8233]

I'll tell you this, I rewatched this way more than top gun. This is more rewatchable.

[@lizb7271]

13:26 The song and video being played on MTV to promote the film worked for me. Growing up long after Top Gun came out, my first real awareness of the film came from seeing the video for Take My Breath Away. I have fond memories of my mum pointing out the Kawasaki GPz900r Ninja.

[@jo7a_edits]

Great video Pat! I've been loving the more post-mortem analysis-style videos. I have a question especially for the 'Patrick replies' section: Do you think video essays get a bad reputation in comparison to written essays? Have you ever thought about publishing a book or something that compiles the scripts for all your videos?

[@EddieHenderson92]

Days of Thunder was a hit, kids were trying to collect the cars from Hardee's, NASCAR saw a bump in the ratings at the time and it was very much in the pop culture talk. I don't see how it killed an era or the 1980s. The culture started to change in 1991 and 1992 especially with music. I don't know if you can blame any movie for killing the 1980s.

[@Largentina.]

Did you make this comment before watching the video?

[@RogueBoyScout]

​​@@Largentina. Yes. Yes he did. Dopamine is a helluva neurotransmitter...

[@TheAkeem11688]

Thank you your videos are amazing you could’ve been so condescending so many people make fun of the formula but it’s profitable. Your videos are crazy informative and I love that.

[@libertyprime7911]

How one video killed the KZbin career of Patrick Willems.

[@Mistapetey67]

For most NASCAR fans this film is either hated or loved. The story of Cole Trickle was loosely based on real life driver Tim Richmond and car owner Rick Hendrick and crew chief Harry Hyde. You have more understanding of the characters if you knew the Richmond story.

[@indianajim]

I owned and listened to the Days of Thunder soundtrack years before I ever saw the movie, and it remains one of my favorite compilations ever.

[@MrSteadiman]

So brilliant and funny, Patrick RULES! I'm so grateful Patrick has been offering us such a-m-a-z-i-n-g videos for years this is just incredible work, honestly I'm stunned everytime single time. Thank you so much. I'm French and it seems many of my filmmaking friends don't know you for some reason. I'm always pitching them your work so they can finally enjoy the very best cinema essayist there is. Oh and those opening credits, man, I'm getting chills everytime they're epic!

[@subraxas]

I would just like to add that Days of Thunder still managed to make 158 MIL US Dollars at the worldwide box office. After inflation, that is circa $372,000,000 in today's money, which is definitely a very decent performance. The problem was the film's massive budget; between $140 MIL to $165 MIL in today's money. The film probably needed to reach 400 MIL Dollars (2024 money) at the box office in order to break even.

[@killerdad9260]

Just found this channel, excellent commentary, facts, nostalgia. Great Great video man. Merry Christmas. You have a new subscriber.

[@adrianarmy39]

First off, this is a highly interesting piece and I was not aware of the Don Simpson BTS drama. Always cool to see this movie highlighted. However, some keys aspects of the story were left out. So much of the movie is based on events that actually happened in real life, just altered by location or timing (the highway patrol officer scene occurred in a race shop IRL) to help fit the movie. Cole Trickle is a hybrid of Rick Hendrick’s first two drivers Geoff Bodine and Tim Richmond. The movie itself depicts loosely how Rick Hendrick (Randy Quaid’s character) formed his team. Winning at Darlington to save the team in the movie was what Hendrick needed in 1984 at Martinsville and is now the winningest team in NASCAR history because of it. Mr. Hendrick also helped supply all the cars needed to create/wreck them which added heavily to the expenses. In order to get some footage they actually had to enter the cars as official NASCAR entries, meaning they actually had to qualify for the legit races which with film equipment attached was a really difficult task. If you go watch the 1990 Daytona 500 you can see them highlight the cars a few times prior to lap 100 where they had to peel off and not interfere with the competition for the outcome. The reason the tone and structure is different than Top Gun is largely because Cruise wanted to fit as many scenes he and Hendrick had talked about into the piece as they have a close relationship to this day. They actually reunited in 2009 for the 25th anniversary of Hendrick Motorsports to drive the 46 car around Daytona. Cruise also surprised Jeff Gordon at his final NASCAR banquet when he retired from racing in 2015. The film is much more focused on adapting a real life story rather than trying to be “Top Car” because of how influential Mr. Hendrick was to it and how much Cruise admired him hence the writing credit to fit it all in.

[@fredlabosch5164]

Thanks man, that is some really interesting and unusual background information to one of my all time favorite movies. Love it! 💯👍

[@hendo337]

You completely ignored Red Dawn in that 1980s showcase. Obviously it was much better that Invasion USA. It was the first PG-13 film of all time and was an ultra violent lead in for Dirty Dancing and Ferris Bueller post The Outsiders.

[@csp103]

Dude, your RADIOACTIVE GLOWING HEAD has more lens flare than a JJ Abrams movie...

[@markzajac9993]

Happy New Year! More Emma please! That is all!

[@bobcobb3654]

Except Days of Thunder didn’t really kill anything. It was a modest hit at the box office and made even more on video and tv licensing. While the excesses led to a backlash against Don Simpson, other high concept producers like Joel Silver and Mario Kassar’s movies got bigger and bigger (it was the era of “Die Hard on a….”). If anything, big budget action movies were done in during the late 90s after Jim Carrey got $20 million for Cable Guy and suddenly every A-lister demanded the same and what had been $50 million movies were suddenly $120 million.

[@gordoncutter9241]

The perennial problem when you set out to make the facts fit a preset narrative. Bruckheimer kept making the exact same type of films even after Simpson's death, and was scoring big until the early oughts.

[@EddieHenderson92]

Agreed, Days of Thunder is the wrong movie to blame for killing the 1980s.

[@isud2000]

"Days of Thunder is the Be Here Now of movies." Brilliant!

[@ogre77414]

@29:34 "Gimme some lovin"' montage was very memorable. "Oh this is gonna hurt", "Rubbin is racin", "Hit the pace car", "Eating ice cream" 🤣🤣

[@migmigjohnson9351]

Video starts @05:22 - You're welcome. Nevermind. There was still some rambling to go. Video starts @06:09 - You're welcome. Nevermind. You know what, I don't care anymore.

[@xBINARYGODx]

When I was a kid, this was a great summertime HBO flick.

[@-Evil-Genius-]

🎯 Key Takeaways for quick navigation: 00:00 🎥 *Introduction and Setup: Days of Thunder* - Introduction to the impact of the movie "Days of Thunder", - Days of Thunder as an unexpected disaster in the world of filmmaking, - Setting the stage for exploring the movie's production chaos and its consequences. 05:25 🎬 *Defining 80s Cinema and Don Simpson's Influence* - Characteristics of 80s movies: aesthetics, themes, music, and cinematic trends, - Don Simpson's role in defining the high-concept formula for 80s cinema, - Discussion on Simpson's impact on Hollywood and the shift in filmmaking. 09:46 🌐 *Changing Landscape in Hollywood* - Transition from the New Hollywood era to the 80s era, - Influence of Star Wars and Rocky in providing catharsis to audiences, - Paramount's new regime and the shift towards high-concept, commercially viable films. 14:46 🌟 *Don Simpson: A Larger-Than-Life Figure* - Overview of Don Simpson's colorful and controversial personality, - Simpson's impact on Hollywood and his collaboration with Jerry Bruckheimer, - The rigid adherence to specific rules in Simpson and Bruckheimer's movies. 19:15 💰 *Days of Thunder's Unprecedented Production Deal* - Announcement of Simpson and Bruckheimer's 5-year alliance with Paramount, - Total creative control, no script or budget approval required, - Selection of "Days of Thunder" as the first movie under this groundbreaking deal. 23:53 🚁 *Days of Thunder: Chaotic Production and Excessive Lifestyle* - Overview of the chaotic Days of Thunder production, - Don Simpson's extravagant and debauched lifestyle during filming, - The excessive spending, continuous partying, and Simpson's desire for a role in the movie. 24:20 🎬 *Simpson's Cameo and Meta Commentary* - Don Simpson's attempt to be a star in the movie, - The reduction of Simpson's role in the final cut, - Meta commentary on Simpson's character's fate in the movie reflecting real-life situations. 26:03 🏎️ *Days of Thunder Structure Analysis* - Days of Thunder follows the high-concept formula seen in Top Gun but deviates in odd ways. - Top Gun establishes Maverick as a skilled pilot and sets up the narrative cleanly, while Days of Thunder has a convoluted setup in the racing season. - Days of Thunder narrative structure involves a racing season, a retired car builder, a skilled but arrogant driver, and a romance subplot, making it less narratively elegant than Top Gun. 28:58 🎶 *Days of Thunder Soundtrack and Tone* - While Days of Thunder has a killer score by Hans Zimmer, it deviates from the Top Gun formula by not heavily featuring original pop needle drops. - Unlike Top Gun, Days of Thunder focuses on the narrative, discarding music video-like montages, giving it a more serious tone. - The movie maintains visual energy and powerful visuals, but its soundtrack is not as memorable, with fewer catchy songs and montages. 31:19 📉 *Days of Thunder: A Hyper-Capitalist 80s Cinema Peak* - Days of Thunder is loaded with product placement and brand partnerships, embodying hyper-capitalist '80s cinema. - Despite its original intentions, the movie failed to replicate the success of Top Gun and marked the end of the Simpson-Bruckheimer era. - The film, though deeply cynical in its existence, is now seen as a unique work of art within the context of hyper-capitalist cinema. 32:42 🎬 *Tony Scott's Mentor-Student Theme* - Days of Thunder introduces Tony Scott's recurring theme of mentors and students, a relationship between Cole Trickle and Harry Hog. - This theme would become a defining element in Tony Scott's later films, exploring relationships between people from different generations around powerful machinery. - The mentor-student dynamic in Days of Thunder foreshadows Scott's future works like Unstoppable and Crimson Tide. 35:28 💸 *Days of Thunder's Box Office Failure and Industry Impact* - Days of Thunder, with a budget three and a half times more than Top Gun, failed to replicate its success, leading to financial losses for Paramount. - The film's troubled production, with script changes and multiple delays, became a cautionary tale, yet a pattern that continues in modern blockbusters. - Its underperformance signaled the decline of hyper-capitalist '80s cinema, making way for a shift toward more collective and regular people-centered films in the '90s. 39:44 🎬 *Days of Thunder's Impact on the Film Industry* - Days of Thunder is identified as the peak of hyper-capitalist '80s cinema, embodying product placement and visual glamour. - The movie, despite its failure, influenced future works like The Simpsons episode "Saturdays of Thunder" and Christopher Nolan's favorite movie, "Talladega Nights." - Days of Thunder marked the end of an era and paved the way for a shift in the film industry, with '90s blockbusters focusing more on collective humanity than hyper-individualistic protagonists. 42:53 🎸 *Days of Thunder as the "Be Here Now" of Movies* - Days of Thunder is likened to Oasis's album "Be Here Now," both representing a moment of astonishing excess in their respective mediums. - The film, while not a critical success, is appreciated for its visual energy, powerful frames, and fascinating strangeness. - Both Days of Thunder and "Be Here Now" marked the end of their eras, reflecting on excess and influencing the subsequent creative landscape. 47:18 🚀 *Announcement of Patrick H. Willems Star Wars Holiday Special on Nebula* - Patrick H. Willems announces the season finale, a Star Wars holiday special, combining elements of a 1960s-style TV Christmas special with a video essay on Star Wars. - The special, made possible by Nebula, showcases the platform's support for big, ambitious projects beyond what is possible on KZbin. - Patrick encourages viewers to join Nebula, emphasizing its annual and lifetime plans for the best value and direct support toward future original projects. Made with HARPA AI

[@hogganknowsbest]

26 years into the video he finally talks about the movie

[@darwincity]

Even if it probably destroyed a whole Hollywood era, Days of Thunder is still a fun watch, much helped by an absolutely flawless soundtrack.

[@christopherulichney]

I have two takeaways from this video. First, Emma is a badass who uses a circular saw. Second, you mentioned Roger Ebert in passing and I would like to know your thoughts on Ebert and Siskel "At the Movies" and how the celebrity movie reviewers affected the movie industry. I can't count the amount of movies that I went to see because of their showcasing the movie for me. They were my gateway into cinema as an art form. Now I'm off to watch the HOLIDAY SPECIAL.

[@mandi8345]

The problem with any critique is when people take it as gospel instead of treating a given critic as one should....as a person, with their own likes and dislikes, sharing their opinion, not as written in stone fact but merely for your consideration. You're not supposed to agree with a critic off the bat, thats silly. You should get to know their tastes and styles and preferences. For example, Siskel wasnt particularly fond of CG animated movies and usually gave them a thumbs down, I however loved them. Ergo, if he didnt like them, I knew I had to see it. And not simply take his word for it that they were terrible. Otherwise I would have missed out on a number of my favorite movies when I was younger. Of course, that all falls down at people too afraid to have their own opinion or be seen as not having the good ideas because they did the wrong thing, as such they're just looking to be told what is good which they will parrot back to sound like the good idea having person. Then you have critics for hire, studio sycophants, and hangers on which just paint by number their reviews (strange lack of negative reviews in the past years.....probably because negative reviews mean a bad feeling and having the bad feels is illegal to youngins, allegedly). I mean, how many of the MCU ventures have been 'the next block buster thing!!!' uh lets see.....every single one of them. And what was the big hit movie 4 years ago that wasnt an MCU property? Yeah, I dont remember either. Or which MCU thing was in vogue for the week. Heres an exercise that will illustrate my point: go to IMDB do a filtered search limited only by a release being a "Movie" and the time frame of Jan 1st, 1995 thru Dec 31, 1996. Now, think of a line or scene from any of those movies. Now do the same thing for Jan 1st, 2015 thru Dec 31st, 2015.....and TRY to think of a memorable line or scene from any of those movies you could reasonably explain a synopsis of said scene to another person, that is not an MCU or Star Wars movie....and even then.... Ill bet one whole dollar that the first one will be difficult to choose just one, and the last one will be difficult to even remember one..... Movies were better back when the zeitgeist wasnt just sitting around regurgitating rally chants (while ultimately doing nothing except undoing history by asserting and inferring events didnt happen because of how terrible time before they were born was) waiting to be brain hacked or virtue signaled what the latest outrage is this month...... Anyhoo, looping back around to the original point, "The average piece of junk has more value than our critique declaring it so" - Anton Ego, allegedly. But also, "The person is smart. People are dumb, stupid, panicky animals. And you know it!" - Agent K, probably. Finally, "People = shit" - Corey Taylor, definitely.

[@lamarfordjr]

Now that you mentioned it. Les Grossman from Tropic Thunder is Don Simpson. Love your work!👍

[@DanJackson1977]

Hes a bit more like Joel Silver.

[@theobuniel9643]

​@@DanJackson1977Actually, he was based off of Scott Rudin.

[@ag8325]

Maybe the fact that it came out in 1990 means the 80's were over