Make My Day: American Movies in the Age of Reagan
Tickets
The presidency of Ronald Reagan was marked by such eighties movie events as First Blood, Conan the Barbarian, The King of Comedy, Gremlins, and The Terminator. These films, plus the birth of MTV, helped form the pop-cultural backdrop for the Cold War and the delirious 1984 presidential campaign that led to Reagan’s re-election. In his latest book, Make My Day: Movie Culture in the Age of Reagan—the culmination of a trilogy he began with The Dream Life and An Army of Phantoms—critic/historian J. Hoberman contextualizes and examines Reagan as historical figure and symbolic totem, placing the key American films released during his presidency within a narrative bookended by the bicentennial celebrations (coinciding with the beginning of Reagan’s national ascendency) and the Iran-Contra Affair. On the occasion of this essential new book’s publication, Film at Lincoln Center will present a series of special double features selected by Hoberman from the films he discusses.
Listen to our Spotify playlist for Make My Day, embedded below or here.
Goodbye Sixties
Cutter’s Way
Introduction by J. Hoberman on August 23
An alleyway breakdown triggers a labyrinthine murder mystery in Ivan Passer’s atmospheric neonoir, a film maudit that Hoberman describes as a “premature critique of Reaganism.”Blow Out
Introduction by J. Hoberman on August 23
One of Brian De Palma’s greatest films and one of the great American films of the 1980s, Blow Out finds De Palma mixing a variety of political and genre elements into a hallucinatory thriller that builds to a shattering conclusion.Hello Eighties
The King of Comedy
Introduction by J. Hoberman on August 24
In Martin Scorsese’s iconic cringe comedy, Robert De Niro stars as Rupert Pupkin, a cheerful but deranged comic who aspires to get his big break on the late-night talk show hosted by Jerry Langford (Jerry Lewis).Videodrome
New Heroes
Conan the Barbarian
First Blood
New 4K restoration
Sylvester Stallone stars in this franchise-launching action thriller as Vietnam vet John Rambo, who travels to Washington state to visit an old war buddy. The trip takes a turn for the ultraviolent when the sadistic local authorities decide to make an example of him.Beyond the Law
Risky Business
Sudden Impact
"1984"
Gremlins
The Terminator
Yuppie Angst
Back to the Future
Desperately Seeking Susan
Avant Pop
True Stories
Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure
Return of the Repressed
Near Dark
River’s Edge
Interventions
Salvador
Walker
Rewired Genre
RoboCop
The Running Man
Towards the Nineties
The Last Temptation of Christ
They Live
Film at Lincoln Center Talk: J. Hoberman & Dennis Lim
Free and open to the public! · Presented by HBO®
Join Film at Lincoln Center’s Director of Programming Dennis Lim and writer J. Hoberman for an expansive discussion about his latest book, Make My Day: Movie Culture in the Age of Reagan, the film series it inspired, the relationship between politics and pop culture in the 1980s, and more.Tickets now on sale! To begin the purchase process, log in to your account. Don’t have an account? Sign up for one today. To see member and patron pricing, you must be logged into your account.
Special 2-for-1 pricing! The 2-for-1 double feature discount will automatically be reflected in the check-out process once both screenings have been added to your cart. As a reminder, this special pricing is only valid for double feature pairings on the same day.
Note: Film at Lincoln Center Members at eligible levels can redeem their complimentary ticket vouchers for this series in person at the box office. Patrons can reserve in advance by emailing [email protected].
Not a member? Take advantage of discounted tickets, early access periods, complimentary offers year-round, and more by becoming one today! Join here.