Best movies from the 80s? (1 Viewer)

[RC94]

A lot of great movies listed already so I'm going to try not to repeat any, but there were some really good spy movies made in the 80s:

Target

White Knights

Hopscotch

The Package

 

[The Z Machine]

Rad

 

[HellToupee]

It’s gets an average rating but a guilty pleasure of mine is The Great Outdoors . Love it

 

[rcam]

Better Off Dead is underrated.

This is how I feel about 16 Candles and Ghostbusters as well. Ghostbusters is probably more well received as a good movie but I consider it one of the GOAT comedies. For me, movies that are both rewatchable *and* quotable rise to the top of my all time lists quickly. Ghostbusters and 16 Candles fit that to a T.

Just at a quick glance it looks like these probably should be on the list:

Weird Science

Last American Virgin

Police Academy

9 to 5

Driving Miss Daisy

--- these are borderline ---

One Crazy Summer

My Science Project

The Running Man

Private Benjamin

 

[dkp993]

Weird Science

How it took til page 2 for Weird Science to get mentioned I’ll never know. It’s like I don’t know any of you any more.  

 

[Man In The Box]

The Running Man 

Glaring omission on my list. Love this movie

 

[KarmaPolice]

How it took til page 2 for Weird Science to get mentioned I’ll never know. It’s like I don’t know any of you any more.  

I've watched it recently and dont think it really holds up.  

Besides Paxton - he ruled in everything. 

 

[dkp993]

I've watched it recently and dont think it really holds up.  

Besides Paxton - he ruled in everything. 

I think it holds up extremely well for what it is.  A campy 80’s movie.   

 

[rcam]

I've watched it recently and dont think it really holds up.  

Besides Paxton - he ruled in everything. 

What? That movie so quotable. Hell, I've easily used a 1/2 dozen quotes from this scene alone not to mention this scene.

 

[KarmaPolice]

I think it holds up extremely well for what it is.  A campy 80’s movie.   

There's better for the genre, IMO.  that's just me.  I am old and with kids, so a lot of my opinions have been reshaped by what has held up watching stuff with my son.  Stuff like BTTF, Ghostbusters, Karate Kid held up the best.   Like others have mentioned, things like Great Outdoors and Better off Dead held up.  Neither of us had much of a desire to watch Weird Science again.  Sixteen Candles is another I thought was meh on our rewatches.  

 

[wikkidpissah]

Body Heat

Butt Pirates 3: Clusterdeck

After Hours

 

[KarmaPolice]

What? That movie so quotable. Hell, I've easily used a 1/2 dozen quotes from this scene alone not to mention this scene.

We dont have to agree.  I could quote Chet lines too, it doesn't mean the whole movie holds up or is as good as others from the era.   

 

[One]

Bachelor Party

 

[KarmaPolice]

Questions to @rcamand others:

- when was the last time you watched the movies you listed.  

- do you have kids and have you watched the movies with them?  What were their reactions? 

 

[pantherclub]

Hardbodies

 

[KarmaPolice]

Also for me there is a distinction between bests "80s" movies, and what the OP asked as "the best movies from the 80s" 

One needs stuff like Blue Velvet,  Raging Bull, Full Metal Jacket, and the like.  One doesn't. 

 

[dkp993]

We dont have to agree.  I could quote Chet lines too, it doesn't mean the whole movie holds up or is as good as others from the era.   

Definitely don’t have to agree. But peak Kelly Lebrock is all I have to say.  

 

[gump]

Questions to @rcamand others:

- when was the last time you watched the movies you listed.  

I watch Chevy 80’s movies regularly...led by Christmas Vacation because it’s on so much. But watched the Eddie marathon last Saturday...Coming to America, Trading Places, BH Cop...they are still hilarious, and always will be to me. I’ll be sharing with my sons when old enough.

 

[Gr00vus]

When Harry Met Sally

Quest For Fire

Heavy Metal

Gung Ho

Johnny Dangerously

Ran

Excalibur

My Left Foot

Barfly

Blue Velvet

The Adventures Of Baron Munchausen

The Untouchables

Ladyhawke

Back To School

The Natural

Rain Man

Platoon

The Best Of Times

Real Genius

Cinema Paradiso

 

[rcam]

Questions to @rcamand others:

- when was the last time you watched the movies you listed.  

- do you have kids and have you watched the movies with them?  What were their reactions? 

I would say most within the last 5 years. The problem is, most of them aren't shown on movie channels any longer. You have to go search for them and I am too lazy for that. That means, I end up watching the edited versions with commercials and whatnot on TV - you lose a ton from 80s movies if you do that. I did go see Raiders of the Lost Ark in the theaters at the 30th anniversary. That was awesome. From movies I posted bolded = I've definitely watched it since turning 40 (I'm 44), * means I watched with my now 7 year old sometime between the ages of 5-7.

Ghostbusters*

Raiders of the Lost Ark

Empire Strikes Back

Return of the Jedi

Predator

Gremlins

Sixteen Candles

Breakfast Club

Ferris Bueller's Day Off

Stripes

Goonies

Top Gun

Caddyshack

Back to the Future

The Shining

Terminator

Blade Runner

A Christmas Story*

ET

Die Hard

Weird Science

Last American Virgin

Police Academy

9 to 5

Driving Miss Daisy

--- these are borderline ---

One Crazy Summer

My Science Project

The Running Man

Private Benjamin

 

[Ministry of Pain]

I smell a March Madness 80s-Film Tournament on the horizon...there are so many and all Gen X'rs are going to have their personal list of favorites. 

 

[Patrick Bateman]

Dead Poets Society

 

[Todem]

When Harry Met Sally

Quest For Fire

Heavy Metal

Gung Ho

Johnny Dangerously

Ran

Excalibur

My Left Foot

Barfly

Blue Velvet

The Adventures Of Baron Munchausen

The Untouchables

Ladyhawke

Back To School

The Natural

Rain Man

Platoon

The Best Of Times

Real Genius

Cinema Paradiso

Love those.

Excalibur is a timeless classic to boot. It never get’s old.

 

[Quint]

A few I did not see mentioned and I have tons as the 80’s is the greatest decade of movies bar none.

Major League

Wall Street

Down and Out In Beverly Hills

Let it Ride

A Fish Called Wanda

Dirt Rotten Scoundrels

Some Kind Of Wonderful

Can’t Buy Me Love

Flash Gordon

Rivers Edge

WAY underrated 

 

[Quint]

When Harry Met Sally

Quest For Fire

Heavy Metal

Gung Ho

Johnny Dangerously

Ran

Excalibur

My Left Foot

Barfly

Blue Velvet

The Adventures Of Baron Munchausen

The Untouchables

Ladyhawke

Back To School

The Natural

Rain Man

Platoon

The Best Of Times

Real Genius

Cinema Paradiso

that's what i came to post. 

classic. 

 

[Quint]

adding: The Flamingo Kid

 

[CGRdrJoe]

WAY underrated 

I’m having a good day

 

[Gr00vus]

adding: The Flamingo Kid

"Dad, how many potatoes do you think you'll eat before you die?"

 

[Quint]

I’m having a good day

i've done nothing to deserve this anguish. 

 

[Todem]

i've done nothing to deserve this anguish. 

I watch Let It Ride at least once a year. One of my all time favorite movies. My dad is a horse owner and also did his fair share of breeding with some of his better horses. He owned some good ones in the 80’s and then the past 5-7 years as well. He actually finally had an ownership stake in a horse that was going to “Run for the Roses” back in 15. Out of the 1 post. And was scratched two days before the race due to an injury on a warm up ride. 

Anyway  I was going to Belmont (NY), Hialeah (where this was filmed), Calder and Gulfstream (South Florida) plenty in my youth with my dad and learned about perfecta’s, and trifecta’s by age 8. I loved going to the stables early in the morning and feeding his horses carrots and apples and sometimes giving them some sugar for a treat. I met all his degenerate friends and trainers and the like.....so many characters in “Let it Ride” remind me of all I saw in those early years of my youth.

Love it.

 

[Dr. Octopus]

Butt Pirates 3: Clusterdeck

Rare instance where a sequel was better than the original: Butt Pirates: Flying Dutch Oven.

 

[wikkidpissah]

Rare instance where a sequel was better than the original: Butt Pirates: Flying Dutch Oven.

and the poopdeck scene in BP2: Cannonades was no slouch neither

 

[Jules Winnfield]

Midnight Run

 

[pantherclub]

Hardbodies

 

[Jules Winnfield]

Taboo

The Brat

Little Shop of Whores

Dickman and Throbbin

Insatiable

Blame it on Ginger

 

[Brony]

I think it holds up extremely well for what it is.  A campy 80’s movie.   

Just watched Weird Science yesterday for first time in a while.  Lots of quotable moments esp. with Paxton and sometimes Anthony Michael Hall.  I still cracked up everytime Paxton is on the screen. 

But that casting of Wyatt and the two high school girls... ooof.  Those characters are terrible.  Kelly LeBrock is still awesome though. 

I enjoyed it, but I don't know if it's must see esp considering the other movies of the era. 

 

[JamesonSkittles]

Raising Arizona

 

[nirad3]

Didn't see Red Dawn listed.

Probably one of my favorite movies and maybe one of the more underrated flicks of all time, IMO.

 

[Jules Winnfield]

Say Anything

 

[Moonlight]

I watch Let It Ride at least once a year. One of my all time favorite movies. My dad is a horse owner and also did his fair share of breeding with some of his better horses. He owned some good ones in the 80’s and then the past 5-7 years as well. He actually finally had an ownership stake in a horse that was going to “Run for the Roses” back in 15. Out of the 1 post. And was scratched two days before the race due to an injury on a warm up ride. 

Anyway  I was going to Belmont (NY), Hialeah (where this was filmed), Calder and Gulfstream (South Florida) plenty in my youth with my dad and learned about perfecta’s, and trifecta’s by age 8. I loved going to the stables early in the morning and feeding his horses carrots and apples and sometimes giving them some sugar for a treat. I met all his degenerate friends and trainers and the like.....so many characters in “Let it Ride” remind me of all I saw in those early years of my youth.

Love it.

I love it too. Have it on VHS only. Trotter reminds me so much of my best friend in college. Hard to find the DVD.

 

[Gally]

Didn't see Red Dawn listed.

Probably one of my favorite movies and maybe one of the more underrated flicks of all time, IMO.

I watched it within the last month and it held up a lot better than I expected.

 

[Todem]

I love it too. Have it on VHS only. Trotter reminds me so much of my best friend in college. Hard to find the DVD.

I snagged it on DVD at least over 15 years ago. Crazy how some out of print DVD’s get jacked up in price. 

I see it used on EBAY for under 20 bucks all in. And you know what? It is worth it. The movie is a classic.

 

[dkp993]

Running Man was on last night.  Haven’t watched it in a decade plus.  While certainly cheesy in spots it was a fun rewatch.  

 

[nirad3]

I watched it within the last month and it held up a lot better than I expected.

I haven't seen it in years but I could see how this would be the case.   I'm gonna put it on my list of flicks to download/watch once I start traveling for work again.

 

[proteus126]

Not my favorite by any means, but definitely iconic:

Risky Business

Wargames

Romancing the Stone

 

[Brony]

I watched it within the last month and it held up a lot better than I expected.

If you can ignore the stupid premise, then yeah, it's still a pretty good watch.  There is a lot of overacting, which I think leads to the charm of watching this multiple times. 

WOLVERINES!!

 

[pantherclub]

Hardbodies?

 

[Stompin' Tom Connors]

Written by Bruce.

He performed it a bit in concert during the 80s forward but rarely plays it, if ever, anymore. Was originally slated for the Born in the USA album, I believe.

adding: The Flamingo Kid

Midnight Run

Both of these are massively underrated films. Matt Dillon was phenomenal in this (and you get a gander at The Great One's wife in her prime), and who knew that the duo of DeNiro and Grodin would be truly iconic. I still randomly ask my wife "Why aren't you popular with the Chicago police department?" out of the blue.

Risky Business

Wargames

Romancing the Stone

Never was a fan of Wargames, even when I was a kid -- Broderick and Ally Sheedy were annoying to watch even though I like them both as actors in other films (e.g. Ferris and Breakfast Club). Risky Business got my pre-teen hormones racing in the fantasy but that's about it.

But Romancing the Stone? That was a pretty solid movie.