The Nervous Breakdown’s Arts and Culture Associate Editor Simon Smithson and I recently discussed Smithson’s favorite genre, ’80s action films, for a new TNB post you can find right here.

Here’s a little of what I have to say about what makes this era of action film unique:

“’80s action flicks were equal parts mullet, saxophone, slip-on shoes, and kicking ass. But more importantly, I think what seems to set the ’80s action flicks apart as a golden era is that they departed from the gritty realism of the ’70s action flicks and took action movies over the top. Everything was bigger and flashier — the actors, their personalities, the explosions. The same thing was happening in music as well, if you think about it. It’s like going from Boston to Motley Crue.”

Stay tuned for a part II on The Expendables.