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Top 101 Movies of the 80s (3 Viewers)

Are practical effects more primitive than CGI? I suppose. But when I watch The Thing or Raiders of the Lost Ark or older movies like Metropolis or The Lost World my appreciation RISES because I know the effort that went into crafting the models by hand and the clever technical solutions that were devised to get the shot. Painting on a computer don't impress me much.
Could. Not. Agree. More.

Give me Star Wars yoda puppets over all this CGI. Im not sure if its because Im in software, but all I see when I look at CGI is "fake". Im fine with cartoons as reality is not what they are going for. Once I see the SW CGI I cringy mcCringerson. Oh, and shoutout to sleestaks!
Hated the CGI on the re-releases
 
I'm not a huge fan of CGI either and still love the effects on the original Star Wars trilogy. Jaws will always be my favorite movie despite Bruce. Jurassic Park was close to perfect. OTOH, even though it terrified me at the time, the giant rolling boulder in Raiders looks kind of ridiculous now. For a kid used to better fx, it takes them right out of it.
 
I wonder if it has something to do with reading books. I'm just speculating about a hypothesis here but I suspect reading has declined the last few generations - and with it the ability to imagine things and fill in gaps. I posit that the greater your imaginative ability the greater the ability to suspend disbelief.

That's not a shot at anyone, seriously. Just a random musing.
 
#48: BULL DURHAM [hbo max]

My #22 pick. I think I took this in a draft as best sports movie. I don't like a ton of sports movies, or Keven Costner movies for that matter, so this it's a rare one that I love like this movie. My wife and I watched it last night and had a blast.
Kevin Costner is way overrated. Bill Durham is way overated.

I doubt Bill Durham would be in my top 20 of sports movies in the 1980s.

:rant:
I am not so sure I categorize it as a sports movie........its is kind of a rom com with a sports movie background.

However, I do like the movie. It is very quotable and the baseball scenes are hilarious.
 
41/42:

FIELD OF DREAMS
SPOORLOS (aka The Vanishing) [criterion]


These are our #17 picks. I watched The Vanishing for the first time in a decade or more last fall and was blown away by how tense I was and how good the movie was. The woman who played Saskia was great.
Field of dreams - arguably the best sports movie of all time, ranked #41 in best movies of the 80s.

Is there a best movies draft? Im so in
there's much better sports movies from the 80s that will likely feature soon. I like Field of Dreams too, but in this case, it seems about right to me.
Field of Dreams, despite it having baseball and baseball players in it, is not a sports movie. It's about reconciling your past and present selves.
:boxing:
Some people will read War and Peace and come away thinking it's a simple adventure novel, while others can unlock the secrets of the universe by reading the ingredients on the back of a chewing gum wrapper.
Introduced in the 80s
Go watch the "Battered Bastards of Baseball" to see who invented Big League Chew. One of the biggest surprises of the doc for me.
 
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I love Temple of Doom and Last Crusade. Definitely not as good as Raiders, but still really good movies. I never really understood the hate. I guess with Temple of Doom, there is no grand adventure to find a really cool lost relic, but then why the hate for Last Crusade which had exactly this?
Short Stuff is an enjoyable character
 
I will start my tally of "Never seen movies from the 80's 🎨 y ⛽ y" labeled with a :poop:

101: BETTER OFF DEAD
:poop: 100: CRIMES AND MISDEMEANORS
:poop: 99: THE STEPFATHER
98: STEEL MAGNOLIAS
:poop: 97: PARIS, TEXAS
96: GOOD MORNING, VIETNAM
:poop: 95: RIVER'S EDGE
:poop: 94: MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO
:poop: 93: COME AND SEE
:poop: 92: MYSTERY TRAIN
91: AN OFFICER AND A GENTLEMAN
90: GREMLINS
89: AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON
88: WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT?
87: THE GOONIES *
86: WITNESS
85: THE SERPENT AND THE RAINBOW
84: BILL AND TED'S EXCELLENT ADVENTURE
83: TERMS OF ENDEARMENT
82: EVIL DEAD
81: THE GREAT OUTDOORS
80: FLETCH
79: TRADING PLACES
78: THE FLY
77: FATAL ATTRACTION
76: AIRPLANE! *
75: THE 'BURBS
:poop: 74: WOMEN ON THE VERGE OF A NERVOUS BREAKDOWN
:poop: 73: MY LEFT FOOT
:poop: 72: BRAZIL
71: PEE WEE'S BIG ADVENTURE
:poop: 70: AFTER HOURS
:poop: 69: POLYESTER
:poop: 68: TO LIVE AND DIE IN L.A.
67: PLANES, TRAINS, AND AUTOMOBILES
66: RETURN OF THE JEDI
65: A FISH CALLED WANDA
64: SEX, LIVES, AND VIDEOTAPE
63: RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK *
62: BIG
61: RISKY BUSINESS
60: THE ABYSS
:poop: 59: ORDINARY PEOPLE
58: PREDATOR
57: FIRST BLOOD
56: SCARFACE
55: THE KARATE KID
:poop: 54: HOUSE OF GAMES
53: GHOSTBUSTERS
52: MIDNIGHT RUN
51: DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS
50: THE LOST BOYS
:poop: 49: SOMETHING WILD
48: BULL DURHAM
47: BATMAN
:poop: 46: AU REVOIR LES ENFANTS
:poop: 45: CINEMA PARADISO
:poop: 44: FITZCARRALDO
43: THE RIGHT STUFF

PS - while doing this I looked up these movies on wiki to make sure I hadnt seen them. A bunch of them are labled neo-noir.

Yea, when I think of 80s movies I think of "dark film" which "flourished during the post-World War II era in the United States—roughly from 1940 to 1960"

:sadbanana:
"why does the floor move?" "Give me your torch."
 
I loved Raiders when I was younger but I get KP's point. There's a difference between "amazing in it's time/hugely influential" and "really holds up." When I watched it with my son and one of his friends, they thought the action was hokey and the special effects lame. In fact, I can't remember hearing a teenager today talk about how they love Indiana Jones
You should watch the movies ranked above Raiders with them, and see how well the rest of them hold up. Watch Karate Kid or Dirty Rotten Scoundrels with them, and then ask them, "Hey you guys wanna watch Raiders of the Lost Ark again? Or Dirty Rotten Scoundrels?"
 
James Spader's longtime life partner (don't know that they ever made it official) was a high school classmate of mine. She was nice.
A google brings up some... interesting... sculptures.

each time i try the link from Andy it's dead as Dillinger

lil' help?
That's weird. It's just supposed to go to her IMDB entry. It's not some sort of secret - her name is Leslie Stefanson.
Generals Daughter
 
I will start my tally of "Never seen movies from the 80's 🎨 y ⛽ y" labeled with a :poop:
I haven't seen any of the movies you marked as "unseen" and then add 5 more (Gremlins, Serptent & Rainbow, Evil Dead, The Burbs, and The Right Stuff)
 
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I would love to hear what movies people have watched from the decade that maybe they once loved, but don't quite hold up now, or vise versa - what has grown on you as an adult. That was a huge theme and struggle when I was doing my top 100. I have more coming up, but the examples of Ghostbusters and E.T. are that for me. If we did this 30 years ago, Ghostbusters would probably be in the top 10 minimum, and E.T. might not have shown up.
One I can think of is Romancing the Stone. I really liked it when I was younger for whatever reason, but watched it again recently, and it's just awful.

Also, many of the Friday the 13th movies are just bad. When you're a kid watching them, all you focus on is the next kill and how awesome it will be. Then you go back as an adult and wonder what you were thinking.

Was thinking of that one last night. I probably haven’t seen it in 35 years. Maybe I’ll do a double feature with Jewel of the Nile
Jewel of the Nile is even worse when I revisited it. But man...Kathleen Turner was once a hot babe......talk about not aging well.
 
I love Temple of Doom and Last Crusade. Definitely not as good as Raiders, but still really good movies. I never really understood the hate. I guess with Temple of Doom, there is no grand adventure to find a really cool lost relic, but then why the hate for Last Crusade which had exactly this?
Short Stuff is an enjoyable character

Whenever my wife goes in for some PDA, I still sometimes yell out "HEY DOCTAH JONES, NO TIME FOR LOVE!"
 
there was a cornfield in ET? wow... I don't remember that at all. or are we still talking about Field of Dreams?
Yep, Elliot's first encounter with E.T. is when he goes out looking for him in the field behind their house. That's the screaming scene that freaked out a lot of kids, apparently.
Doesn't he scream when he sees Drew, too? For some reason I have that in my mind. :shudders:

For me me the scariest was him hiding in the closest. The camera pan of the stuffed animals to his face? **** that. I was convinced that ******* was in my closet for months. Lol.
 
I get the people upset about Raiders. It was in my top 30. Those complaint about Jedi? Come on. I’m glad KP liked it but that was such a letdown after Empire. It did it’s job in wrapping up the trilogy and selling lots of toys but it’s just an ok movie.
I will be fully honest - I think a bit of my being surprised by Jedi on the rewatch could be the disappointment most of the others since then have been. Jedi ranking about 4th or 5th in the Star Wars universe sounds about right to me, and since SW was such a huge part of mine and my kid's youth I had to include is. #36 might have been a little high, but probably so was I.
 
So - if Im ranking "worst pick of the draft" up to this point Im prolly ranking it this way for my top 3:
  1. Raiders of the Lost Arc
  2. Ghostbusters
  3. Goonies
I could be positioned to say Goonies borders on a "cult classic" and less mainstream. I mean, lots of people love it but it probably falls more to my exact age (born in 75).

I have Ghostbusters and Raiders very close. I think a case could be made Ghostbusters is the better movie due to actors, script, and novel plot. However, Raiders is a BLOCKBUSTER. So many sequels, roller coaster rides, personas, scene's, and meme's. I have Raiders #1 as it appeals to the masses, all ages (sans face melting), all the time. Was there a prior movie which had a female beating a male in a drinking contest? And how did all those snakes survive in the tomb?
Batman, Last Crusade, and Return of the Jedi made more money in the 80s. ;)
 
I will start my tally of "Never seen movies from the 80's 🎨 y ⛽ y" labeled with a :poop:

101: BETTER OFF DEAD
:poop: 100: CRIMES AND MISDEMEANORS
:poop: 99: THE STEPFATHER
98: STEEL MAGNOLIAS
:poop: 97: PARIS, TEXAS
96: GOOD MORNING, VIETNAM
:poop: 95: RIVER'S EDGE
:poop: 94: MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO
:poop: 93: COME AND SEE
:poop: 92: MYSTERY TRAIN
91: AN OFFICER AND A GENTLEMAN
90: GREMLINS
89: AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON
88: WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT?
87: THE GOONIES *
86: WITNESS
85: THE SERPENT AND THE RAINBOW
84: BILL AND TED'S EXCELLENT ADVENTURE
83: TERMS OF ENDEARMENT
82: EVIL DEAD
81: THE GREAT OUTDOORS
80: FLETCH
79: TRADING PLACES
78: THE FLY
77: FATAL ATTRACTION
76: AIRPLANE! *
75: THE 'BURBS
:poop: 74: WOMEN ON THE VERGE OF A NERVOUS BREAKDOWN
:poop: 73: MY LEFT FOOT
:poop: 72: BRAZIL
71: PEE WEE'S BIG ADVENTURE
:poop: 70: AFTER HOURS
:poop: 69: POLYESTER
:poop: 68: TO LIVE AND DIE IN L.A.
67: PLANES, TRAINS, AND AUTOMOBILES
66: RETURN OF THE JEDI
65: A FISH CALLED WANDA
64: SEX, LIVES, AND VIDEOTAPE
63: RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK *
62: BIG
61: RISKY BUSINESS
60: THE ABYSS
:poop: 59: ORDINARY PEOPLE
58: PREDATOR
57: FIRST BLOOD
56: SCARFACE
55: THE KARATE KID
:poop: 54: HOUSE OF GAMES
53: GHOSTBUSTERS
52: MIDNIGHT RUN
51: DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS
50: THE LOST BOYS
:poop: 49: SOMETHING WILD
48: BULL DURHAM
47: BATMAN
:poop: 46: AU REVOIR LES ENFANTS
:poop: 45: CINEMA PARADISO
:poop: 44: FITZCARRALDO
43: THE RIGHT STUFF

PS - while doing this I looked up these movies on wiki to make sure I hadnt seen them. A bunch of them are labled neo-noir.

Yea, when I think of 80s movies I think of "dark film" which "flourished during the post-World War II era in the United States—roughly from 1940 to 1960"

:sadbanana:
"why does the floor move?" "Give me your torch."
Neo noirs were huge in the 80s. You were just a kid and weren’t seeing them.
 
I love Temple of Doom and Last Crusade. Definitely not as good as Raiders, but still really good movies. I never really understood the hate. I guess with Temple of Doom, there is no grand adventure to find a really cool lost relic, but then why the hate for Last Crusade which had exactly this?
Love all three....watch them every year.

Last Crusade I have right there with Raiders.....really it is that good. Temple of Doom is a fun fun movie.....but a notch below Raiders and Crusade. I am really excited for Indy’s final adventure this summer? Crystal Skull was a bit of a let down.....although I will watch it if it’s on TV.
 
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#48: BULL DURHAM [hbo max]

My #22 pick. I think I took this in a draft as best sports movie. I don't like a ton of sports movies, or Keven Costner movies for that matter, so this it's a rare one that I love like this movie. My wife and I watched it last night and had a blast.
Kevin Costner is way overrated. Bill Durham is way overated.

I doubt Bill Durham would be in my top 20 of sports movies in the 1980s.

:rant:
I am not so sure I categorize it as a sports movie........its is kind of a rom com with a sports movie background.

However, I do like the movie. It is very quotable and the baseball scenes are hilarious.
Oh....it’s all that and more. This is the best baseball movie in my book.....and there are some other fantastic ones too.....but Bull Durham is simply perfect.
 
I get the people upset about Raiders. It was in my top 30. Those complaint about Jedi? Come on. I’m glad KP liked it but that was such a letdown after Empire. It did it’s job in wrapping up the trilogy and selling lots of toys but it’s just an ok movie.
I will be fully honest - I think a bit of my being surprised by Jedi on the rewatch could be the disappointment most of the others since then have been. Jedi ranking about 4th or 5th in the Star Wars universe sounds about right to me, and since SW was such a huge part of mine and my kid's youth I had to include is. #36 might have been a little high, but probably so was I.
Like we both agreed the middle of the pack was really tough to rank. How does one separate their 36th movie from their 38th movie? Or their 50th from their 55th? It’s razor thin and a different month would produce a slightly different order. My rankings were influenced by how recently I saw it.
Movies I recently watched or rewatched and enjoyed got a boost.
 
Before going on to more ****ty movies, I was thinking about the f/x discussions that were popping up. One thing I did with both kids is show them some "making" of stuff of movies they liked. I think that really helped my son get over the hump of the older Star Wars movies. I think we can also have discussions about the f/x that hold up and don't look cheesy vs. movies that might have more warts. One that stood out was Predator. I love the movie, and rated it on my list, but compared to some of the movies coming up? The cloak effects and Predator POV stuff is rough. A lot of the "action" at the beginning is just explosions and dudes flying off platforms, things like that. My son came in to ask about something and chuckled about them too. I watched couple action movies coming up in the top 20 recently as well and didn't have nearly those issues.
 
I was right about 2 coming up, but I would have missed my Black and White artsty fartsy movie.

Scanning the list, I only saw 2 more ties, so most of the movies will be coming out one at a time. I guess that's good for more views, discussion, and ridicule.
 
#38: THE ELEPHANT MAN [showtime, kanopy]

My #15 pick. I love all forms of Lynch, and still get moved watching his movie about Joseph Merrick. One of the most surprising things was it was a just a normal, great movie by the director I knew from Mulholland Drive and Eraserhead. :lol:
 
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#38: THE ELEPHANT MAN

My #15 pick. I love all forms of Lynch, and still get moved watching his movie about Joseph Merrick. One of the most surprising things was it was a just a normal, great movie by the director I knew from Mulholland Drive and Eraserhead. :lol:

EPIC stuff here ... Lynch did toss a coupla dream sequences in here that did take ya right back to Eraserhead, tho - anyway, inspired choice 👍

BYTES! ... NO!!!1!1!!
 
#37: THE BREAKFAST CLUB [prime]

My #14. Couple dumb parts (glass breaking), but it's still one of my wife's an my favorites. Other Hughes don't hold up for me like this one, and there are still enough here for me to warrant this rank on my list. I will admit that I did start putting stuff into tiers had some mild thoughts like I need a teen movie, etc.. and then started thinking about which of the teen movies held up the best for me. Hint: not Pretty in Pink
 
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#38: THE ELEPHANT MAN

My #15 pick. I love all forms of Lynch, and still get moved watching his movie about Joseph Merrick. One of the most surprising things was it was a just a normal, great movie by the director I knew from Mulholland Drive and Eraserhead. :lol:
Haven’t seen that one. Another to add to my list.
 
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#38: THE ELEPHANT MAN

My #15 pick. I love all forms of Lynch, and still get moved watching his movie about Joseph Merrick. One of the most surprising things was it was a just a normal, great movie by the director I knew from Mulholland Drive and Eraserhead. :lol:

EPIC stuff here ... Lynch did toss a coupla dream sequences in here that did take ya right back to Eraserhead, tho - anyway, inspired choice 👍

BYTES! ... NO!!!1!1!!
Very fair point.
 
#37: THE BREAKFAST CLUB

My #14. Couple dumb parts (glass breaking), but it's still one of my wife's an my favorites. Other Hughes don't hold up for me like this one, and there are still enough here for me to warrant this rank on my list. I will admit that I did start putting stuff into tiers had some mild thoughts like I need a teen movie, etc.. and then started thinking about which of the teen movies held up the best for me. Hint: not Pretty in Pink
Right up there with the most quotable ‘80s movies. A bit dated but was very meaningful among those of us that were in HS when this came out.
 
The next 2 are from @Ilov80s, and in his top 12, so I will let him talk about them. I will post the next five. I have decided to include the #30 pick tonight because that would be the last of the movies that aren't on both of our lists. Then it will be 9 tomorrow, 11-20 on Saturday and the top 10 on Sunday. :popcorn:
 
#43: THE RIGHT STUFF

80s' #18 pick. This was an oversight by me, as I for some reason think of it as a 70s movie. Great one, and it would have made my list and overall been higher up overall.
Solid pick, prolly a little high. My gut tells me too many other sports movies will be left off :cry:
My #2 of the decade is technically a sports movie
Is the sport Lamar's limp wristed javelin toss?
 
#37: THE BREAKFAST CLUB

My #14. Couple dumb parts (glass breaking), but it's still one of my wife's an my favorites. Other Hughes don't hold up for me like this one, and there are still enough here for me to warrant this rank on my list. I will admit that I did start putting stuff into tiers had some mild thoughts like I need a teen movie, etc.. and then started thinking about which of the teen movies held up the best for me. Hint: not Pretty in Pink

q: why did Alison (Sheedy) have to "doll up" for Andrew (Estevez), yet Claire (Molly) didn't have to "rocker grrrl out" for Bender (Nelson)

... i mean, wouldn't Hughes' message here have been better served if they either a) left her alone, or b) went my route

:shrug:



tl;dr - WHY DID ALISON NEED TO CONFORM AFTER ALL THAT COTDAMN ANGST AND BULLCHIT?
 
#37: THE BREAKFAST CLUB

My #14. Couple dumb parts (glass breaking), but it's still one of my wife's an my favorites. Other Hughes don't hold up for me like this one, and there are still enough here for me to warrant this rank on my list. I will admit that I did start putting stuff into tiers had some mild thoughts like I need a teen movie, etc.. and then started thinking about which of the teen movies held up the best for me. Hint: not Pretty in Pink

q: why did Alison (Sheedy) have to "doll up" for Andrew (Estevez), yet Claire (Molly) didn't have to "rocker grrrl out" for Bender (Nelson)

... i mean, wouldn't Hughes' message here have been better served if they either a) left her alone, or b) went my route

:shrug:



tl;dr - WHY DID ALISON NEED TO CONFORM AFTER ALL THAT COTDAMN ANGST AND BULLCHIT?
I've had this discussion and for me it comes down to: did it "have" to be that way for Andrew? is that just how the popular girls like Claire interact with other girls?

But yes, I agree it's a knock on the movie that they had her do that.
 
#37: THE BREAKFAST CLUB

My #14. Couple dumb parts (glass breaking), but it's still one of my wife's an my favorites. Other Hughes don't hold up for me like this one, and there are still enough here for me to warrant this rank on my list. I will admit that I did start putting stuff into tiers had some mild thoughts like I need a teen movie, etc.. and then started thinking about which of the teen movies held up the best for me. Hint: not Pretty in Pink

q: why did Alison (Sheedy) have to "doll up" for Andrew (Estevez), yet Claire (Molly) didn't have to "rocker grrrl out" for Bender (Nelson)

... i mean, wouldn't Hughes' message here have been better served if they either a) left her alone, or b) went my route

:shrug:



tl;dr - WHY DID ALISON NEED TO CONFORM AFTER ALL THAT COTDAMN ANGST AND BULLCHIT?
You either accept Captain Crunch sandwiches or you don’t.
 

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