1985 in movies: Back to the Future is still so very nearly perfect and Out of Africa impresses

Given another boost from the movie gods, Back to the Future was in in just the right week when I needed to see it. 

Now, it hasn't been all that long since I watched it, but since this may well be the movie I saw the most times in the theatre, what does it really matter?

I know I'm not going way out on a limb here, but everything just clicks. It does so well in laying foundations for so many pay-offs, has such strong players in so many roles, and dances rather beautifully around a mirrored Oedipus story construct (I enjoyed the story from the Netflix show about the making of the movie that told of a Disney exec reading the script and declining by saying something like "Are you crazy? We're Disney, and this is about incest.")

Now, speaking of dancing ... my only gripe about the movie, and though it's glaringly unnecessary to me it's still far from ruinous because of the quality of the movie on the whole, is this:

Why, after besting the bully beast, did George have one more obstacle? And why was it this maniacally laughing guy who cuts in on the dance? It's just a weird bit.

Out of Africa is a movie I knew only by name, and not even really by reputation or by any details. 

The movie was beautiful and I loved the pace. I also appreciated how Redford was granted first credit before the movie but, because this was Streep's film (quite legitimately, as it was based on her character's (auto?)biography, she got top billing by the time the final credits rolled around.

It's capping off the remarkable run by Meryl Streep in the Oscar-winning movies I've watched (narrowly taking first place in appearances over Vincent Schiavelli and Jahn Cazale, although I think Schiavelli might take top prize for overall showings by the time I'm done, but I'll tally that up later).