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Top 101 Movies of the 80s (2 Viewers)

#17: THE TERMINATOR [hbo max]

80s' #19, and my #39. More Bill Paxton!! This is probably as close as we are going to get to an 80s slasher, which is how this one feels (with a sci-fi twist). Love it, just personally I didn't think it held up quite as much as a couple sci-fi or action movies I had above it like Aliens, The Abyss, and Robocop. [and maybe a couple still to come]
 
#17: THE TERMINATOR [hbo max]

80s' #19, and my #39. More Bill Paxton!! This is probably as close as we are going to get to an 80s slasher, which is how this one feels (with a sci-fi twist). Love it, just personally I didn't think it held up quite as much as a couple sci-fi or action movies I had above it like Aliens, The Abyss, and Robocop. [and maybe a couple still to come]
Probably unpopular but I prefer T1 to T2
 
#17: THE TERMINATOR [hbo max]

80s' #19, and my #39. More Bill Paxton!! This is probably as close as we are going to get to an 80s slasher, which is how this one feels (with a sci-fi twist). Love it, just personally I didn't think it held up quite as much as a couple sci-fi or action movies I had above it like Aliens, The Abyss, and Robocop. [and maybe a couple still to come]
Probably unpopular but I prefer T1 to T2
I can see that. They are like Alien/Aliens in that they have different tones to them.
 
It occurs to me that I have never seen Stand by Me, but I fear it would be one of those 80s movies I need to have seen at the time, similar to The Lost Boys, which I somehow never saw until like 10 years ago and thought was pretty stupid.
I wouldn’t put it into that group. It’s not very “80s”. It could have easily been made in the 70s or 90s. Maybe being a period piece set in the 50s (or is it 60s) helps that. It’s just an excellent movie about friendship, growing up with dysfunction and the adventures we have as kids.
This is about what I was going to post. Not quite the same type of movie, and would imagine it holds up way better than something like Lost Boys for a first timer. Or Raiders for that matter. ;)

I think anybody who posted in this thread should watch at least 1 movie they haven't seen before from the list. :popcorn:

So far these get some consideration for me.

Paris Texas
Rivers Edge
After Hours
House of Games
The Vanishing
Thief


However, My wife likes to play this game where she says “find something for us to watch” and then I name stuff I want to watch and then we end up watching some ****ty Netflix series while we both stare at our phones and pay limited attention to the show
 
It occurs to me that I have never seen Stand by Me, but I fear it would be one of those 80s movies I need to have seen at the time, similar to The Lost Boys, which I somehow never saw until like 10 years ago and thought was pretty stupid.
I wouldn’t put it into that group. It’s not very “80s”. It could have easily been made in the 70s or 90s. Maybe being a period piece set in the 50s (or is it 60s) helps that. It’s just an excellent movie about friendship, growing up with dysfunction and the adventures we have as kids.
This is about what I was going to post. Not quite the same type of movie, and would imagine it holds up way better than something like Lost Boys for a first timer. Or Raiders for that matter. ;)

I think anybody who posted in this thread should watch at least 1 movie they haven't seen before from the list. :popcorn:

So far these get some consideration for me.

Paris Texas
Rivers Edge
After Hours
House of Games
The Vanishing
Thief


However, My wife likes to play this game where she says “find something for us to watch” and then I name stuff I want to watch and then we end up watching some ****ty Netflix series while we both stare at our phones and pay limited attention to the show
:lol:

Most of the time our game is she says she won't pay much attention, I pick something, pass out in 15mins, then she stays awake watching it. That's what started us watching so many 80s movies or things like that. I gravitate to darker movies, but she would start watching and get worked up before having to try to go to sleep. Who knew A Clockwork Orange would be troubling for a normal person right before bed?
 
It occurs to me that I have never seen Stand by Me, but I fear it would be one of those 80s movies I need to have seen at the time, similar to The Lost Boys, which I somehow never saw until like 10 years ago and thought was pretty stupid.
I wouldn’t put it into that group. It’s not very “80s”. It could have easily been made in the 70s or 90s. Maybe being a period piece set in the 50s (or is it 60s) helps that. It’s just an excellent movie about friendship, growing up with dysfunction and the adventures we have as kids.
This is about what I was going to post. Not quite the same type of movie, and would imagine it holds up way better than something like Lost Boys for a first timer. Or Raiders for that matter. ;)

I think anybody who posted in this thread should watch at least 1 movie they haven't seen before from the list. :popcorn:
Planning on River's Edge tonight
 
Wife and I watched Bull Durham today. She has never seen it and I honestly don't think I've seen it since I was maybe 13. Too young to fully get it. Really good but I will say my diminished interest in baseball and it's lore hurt it a bit. When I was a kid and saw it, baseball was magical to me. I would watch baseball all summer, even if it wasn't the Tigers. I would just watch any game on. I played baseball on a summer team and then neighborhood kids would get baseball games going in the park, in the street, anywhere. For several years, I probably played some form of baseball 2/3 of days in the summer. Now, I could probably name less than 10 current MLB players. I wonder if I rewatched Field of Dreams if I would find a similar result or if my nostalgia for that movie (which I've seen many many times) would just hit so many feelings that I couldn't help but be wrapped up in it.
 
Wife and I watched Bull Durham today. She has never seen it and I honestly don't think I've seen it since I was maybe 13. Too young to fully get it. Really good but I will say my diminished interest in baseball and it's lore hurt it a bit. When I was a kid and saw it, baseball was magical to me. I would watch baseball all summer, even if it wasn't the Tigers. I would just watch any game on. I played baseball on a summer team and then neighborhood kids would get baseball games going in the park, in the street, anywhere. For several years, I probably played some form of baseball 2/3 of days in the summer. Now, I could probably name less than 10 current MLB players. I wonder if I rewatched Field of Dreams if I would find a similar result or if my nostalgia for that movie (which I've seen many many times) would just hit so many feelings that I couldn't help but be wrapped up in it.
Are you a nazi cow?
 
It occurs to me that I have never seen Stand by Me, but I fear it would be one of those 80s movies I need to have seen at the time, similar to The Lost Boys, which I somehow never saw until like 10 years ago and thought was pretty stupid.
No. It holds up. You should watch it.
It’s a great movie that came out in the 80’s that has nothing…I mean nothing to do with 80’s in any way.

A timeless classic.
 
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Wife and I watched Bull Durham today. She has never seen it and I honestly don't think I've seen it since I was maybe 13. Too young to fully get it. Really good but I will say my diminished interest in baseball and it's lore hurt it a bit. When I was a kid and saw it, baseball was magical to me. I would watch baseball all summer, even if it wasn't the Tigers. I would just watch any game on. I played baseball on a summer team and then neighborhood kids would get baseball games going in the park, in the street, anywhere. For several years, I probably played some form of baseball 2/3 of days in the summer. Now, I could probably name less than 10 current MLB players. I wonder if I rewatched Field of Dreams if I would find a similar result or if my nostalgia for that movie (which I've seen many many times) would just hit so many feelings that I couldn't help but be wrapped up in it.
Just one guy talking, but I know Bull Durham holds up much better for me. It was basically a love letter to minor league baseball, and there were a bunch of characters they could have made look bad, but they gave them all grace, even the young groupie. It’s a very sweet movie, without being corny, and Hollywood does not pull that off very often.

Meantime, Field of Dreams is the liberal city couple and the Iowa hayseeds that can’t see the invisible men. Good movie, clever concept, but no rush to see it again.
 
Wife and I watched Bull Durham today. She has never seen it and I honestly don't think I've seen it since I was maybe 13. Too young to fully get it. Really good but I will say my diminished interest in baseball and it's lore hurt it a bit. When I was a kid and saw it, baseball was magical to me. I would watch baseball all summer, even if it wasn't the Tigers. I would just watch any game on. I played baseball on a summer team and then neighborhood kids would get baseball games going in the park, in the street, anywhere. For several years, I probably played some form of baseball 2/3 of days in the summer. Now, I could probably name less than 10 current MLB players. I wonder if I rewatched Field of Dreams if I would find a similar result or if my nostalgia for that movie (which I've seen many many times) would just hit so many feelings that I couldn't help but be wrapped up in it.
Just one guy talking, but I know Bull Durham holds up much better for me. It was basically a love letter to minor league baseball, and there were a bunch of characters they could have made look bad, but they gave them all grace, even the young groupie. It’s a very sweet movie, without being corny, and Hollywood does not pull that off very often.

Meantime, Field of Dreams is the liberal city couple and the Iowa hayseeds that can’t see the invisible men. Good movie, clever concept, but no rush to see it again.
I think you're spot on with both takes. Fortunately for me, I developed my own nostalgia over Field of Dreams; I wasn't a child of the 60's, so the pivotal PTA meeting scene only drew comparisons to The Big Chill, and what I did latch onto was Doc Graham. His willingness to forego his chance to live his dream of being a ballplayer in favor of staying true to his life's calling was a great show of old school integrity. ;)
 
there were a bunch of characters they could have made look bad, but they gave them all grace, even the young groupie. It’s a very sweet movie, without being corny, and Hollywood does not pull that off very often.

Yes! I never understood exactly what about this movie I loved on the philosophical level in the treatment of its characters, and you summarized it succinctly and beautifully. There's an element of grace in it, up to and including the young groupie's wedding.

"Everybody deserves to wear white on their wedding day"

Just a perfect sentiment for a bunch of journeymen and women trying to retain their humanity in an innocent child's game turned into what is often a cold, cynical entertainment business. The script's humanity gave them all grace. Nice.
 
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#17: THE TERMINATOR [hbo max]

80s' #19, and my #39. More Bill Paxton!! This is probably as close as we are going to get to an 80s slasher, which is how this one feels (with a sci-fi twist). Love it, just personally I didn't think it held up quite as much as a couple sci-fi or action movies I had above it like Aliens, The Abyss, and Robocop. [and maybe a couple still to come]
Probably unpopular but I prefer T1 to T2

We agree!!!! :wink:
 
Stand By Me had incredible luck/casting with those 4 kids. Despite how good they all were, River (RIP) was just light years ahead of what almost any young actor has ever done. We lost one of the potential greats with him.
You're not kidding. Phoenix just had it.

I had read the story when King released the book it came from. When I heard a movie was being made based on it, I remember thinking "boy, Reiner better nail casting those kids because this thing could go sideways in a hurry if he doesn't". He nailed it. As great as Phoenix was (he was the best of a loaded cast), if Reiner doesn't get Gordie right the movie doesn't work.

This film would have been Top 5 for the decade for me. And it's not like I was a kid when I first saw it - I was 24 or 25 upon its release.
 
5 more today then the maybe the top 10 tomorrow? I haven't decided, as I like the 5/day pace, but I also will be gone most of the day on Tuesday for a Michigan run. Anyway, today we have more Academy/drama/foreign/artsy movies than yesterday - 3 of the 5 will be like this including my #4 and one of 80s' top 10s. Along the way we will have a couple laughs the 2 other movies along with them are quite funny even if they might not be categorized as straight comedy.
 
Huh, actually this is the pattern for the next 10 movies now that I look at it. If I extend it out to the 6-10 picks as well, of the next 10 we have 7 drama/foreign/artsy + 3 comedy/"80s" movies. I guess that makes sense seeing who was doing the rankings and our discussions about how some of these typical 80s movies like Ghostbusters might have been pushed down a little on one or the other of our lists.

I guess that's me sort of saying if you have a list of 10-15 that you are hoping show up that are more "80s movies" and less "great movies that came out in the 80s", start getting squirrely. I think we are down to 8 of 15 that I would say are in that category, and even a couple of those probably are still going to be grumbles, because well - they ain't Raiders.
 
And though I'm no Olivier / If he fought Sugar Ray / He would say / That the thing ain't the ring, it's the play. / So give me a... stage / Where this bull here can rage / And though I could fight / I'd much rather recite /... that's entertainment.
 
When Harry Met Sally is still just a great watch. Very funny, and it has a lot of heart. The chemistry between Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan was electric. Carrie Fisher probably got in the best line of the film, though..."I just want you to know, I will never want that wagon wheel coffee table." :lmao:

Raging Bull is great cinema, but not always an easy watch.
 
#15: RAGING BULL [hbo max]

My #13 and 80s' #39. Just like us - we have all the boxing movies with robots, arm wrestling, throats getting ripped out, and Kumite fighting movies to choose from in the 80s, and we land on the black and white boxing movie that is a master class in acting and directing. :rolleyes:

Never seen it probably should at some point
I have seen raging bullwinkle though so I have the gist
 
#15: RAGING BULL [hbo max]

My #13 and 80s' #39. Just like us - we have all the boxing movies with robots, arm wrestling, throats getting ripped out, and Kumite fighting movies to choose from in the 80s, and we land on the black and white boxing movie that is a master class in acting and directing. :rolleyes:
This is my #1 with a bullet. I figured it would get dinged a bit by being in no way an 80s movie, just the best movie released in the 1980s, so I'm not upset with the #15 placement
 
#15: RAGING BULL [hbo max]

My #13 and 80s' #39. Just like us - we have all the boxing movies with robots, arm wrestling, throats getting ripped out, and Kumite fighting movies to choose from in the 80s, and we land on the black and white boxing movie that is a master class in acting and directing. :rolleyes:
This is my #1 with a bullet. I figured it would get dinged a bit by being in no way an 80s movie, just the best movie released in the 1980s, so I'm not upset with the #15 placement
In ethos and execution, it's a '70s movie that happened to be released in the first year of the '80s.
 
Ferris is what he is. Maybe you love him, maybe you hate him. The supporting cast is just dynamite though. Jennifer Grey, Alan Ruck, Charlie Sheen, Ben Stein, Edie McClurg, Jeffrey Jones. It’s a blast.
I guess I don't view it any different than a movie such as There Will be Blood that has an a-hole at the center, and they largely come out ahead. I don't think loving Ferris is required to love the movie, and I have found rewatches more interesting thinking he's a bit of an ***.

DDL's character in TWBB is a pretty terrible human. and the film reflects him as a pretty terrible human, with the world reacting accordingly- success or failure aside. Ferriss is beloved and celebrated. so for me, not that apt a comparison.

I personally am okay with Ferris because the 80s idea of friendship was a little bit cruel around the edges in real life, why not so in the movies?

It was accurate. And Ferris is supposed to be a bit hateable, but not fully despised. He's got that certain something, don't you know?

I think the hate-watching Ferris is a new critical phenomenon located in the Lower East Side. Heh.
fwiw- I liked the move ok as a teenager when it came out. Hughes is good at what he does/did and got the zeitgeist down. I just didn't love it like so many of my peers, and never liked ferris in it. there was never any hate-watching... something I don't get. I even mentioned I wouldn't rewatch to gain any sense of greater clarity.

but OTB is definitely a hate-watching mofo, so I'll let him respond. ;)

I just wish that Brad Fiedel's score wasn't so bad. The main theme? Great. The rest is flat awful.
Main score is great but yet it would have really benefited from a Tangerine Dream score.
don't you mean Vangelis?

#16: WHEN HARRY MET SALLY

My #20 and 80s' #35. Another one that kept climbing my rankings over the years on rewatches.
This is how you do a romcom. It's actually funny, and the director's mother's line produced the most uproarious laughter I have ever heard in a theater.
that scene filmed in Katz's deli- I'm looking at it across the street as I type.

feel like Harry met Sally and Princess Bride both ride the gender fence really well and have what it takes to appeal to both.
#15: RAGING BULL [hbo max]

My #13 and 80s' #39. Just like us - we have all the boxing movies with robots, arm wrestling, throats getting ripped out, and Kumite fighting movies to choose from in the 80s, and we land on the black and white boxing movie that is a master class in acting and directing. :rolleyes:
This is my #1 with a bullet. I figured it would get dinged a bit by being in no way an 80s movie, just the best movie released in the 1980s, so I'm not upset with the #15 placement
it is SO good. probably top 4 or 5 for me in the decade, but only because I have 4 personal favorites ahead of it... Raising Arizona one of them and the one that would probably slip behind it. hoping to see the other 3 make it onto this list. would be VERY surprised if at least 1 of them didn't.
 
We need more mash-ups like Raging Bullwinkle.

The Princess Society

Dead Poet's Bride

That sounds like a good start

Not based on an 80's movie but I always loved this one:

I saw this as a preview to some movie in the theaters with my family as a kid. the audience was in hysterics... don't think I ever remember my dad laughing that hard.
 
there was never any hate-watching... something I don't get.

Yeah, I don't think otb does, either. I ****ed up when I used that particular expression. That wasn't the central part of what I was saying, but I said it, so there it is, wrongly.

eta* I can type very rapidly. It's faster than my brain almost. That's where that comes from sometimes.
 
When Harry Met Sally is still just a great watch. Very funny, and it has a lot of heart. The chemistry between Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan was electric. Carrie Fisher probably got in the best line of the film, though..."I just want you to know, I will never want that wagon wheel coffee table." :lmao:

Raging Bull is great cinema, but not always an easy watch.
100%, and we will get to another one of these soon.
 
Before I go, I just want you two to know something, alright? The supercop story... was working. Okay? It was working, and you guys just messed it up. Okay? I'm trying to figure you guys out, but I haven't yet. But it's cool. You **** up a perfectly good lie.
 
Before I go, I just want you two to know something, alright? The supercop story... was working. Okay? It was working, and you guys just messed it up. Okay? I'm trying to figure you guys out, but I haven't yet. But it's cool. You **** up a perfectly good lie.

Can you put this in a good spot? 'Cause all of this **** happened the last time I parked here.
 
We need more mash-ups like Raging Bullwinkle.

The Princess Society

Dead Poet's Bride

That sounds like a good start

Not based on an 80's movie but I always loved this one:

This one always gets me in the holiday mood.

 

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