Couldn't help myself. 1984's Electric Dreams was one of my favorite films as an awkward teen and it still resonates with that inner geek. Atari-chic? Pixilated-goodness? Who know what the real appeal is but it's buried somewhere deep in this tale of a lovesick PC.
Architect and full-time wuss, Miles, played by Lenny von Dohlen, buys a new computer to sort out his life. After he spills some soda on it the computer short circuits and gains a personality, voiced by Bud Cort. Virginia Madsen is the love interest that both Miles and Edgar - the computer - compete for. This triangle deal is old hat but the film's got so much style and such a quirkly twist that it just feels fresh. Layer on some Culture Club, a Phil Oakey-Giorgio Moroder electro trashsterpeice, Heaven 17 and Bach and you've got '80s nirvana.
Director Steve Barron cut his teeth at MTV and screenwriter Rusty Lemorande (yes, seriously) got his start here before moving on to that 3D Michael Jackson masterpiece , Captain EO. Filled with Steadicam swoops and montages set to electro rock, Electric Dreams is really one of the slickest looking films of the early '80s. And it's exactly what you'd expect from the title - a visual love letter to everything the electric '80s were supposed to be.
Solarstone - bless his heart - has uploaded the entire (now OOP) film onto Youtube. Above is part one of tweleve. Dig the Virgin credit animation.
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