Top Films of the Decade - The 1980s - Voting Thread

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LMP

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Hey all, welcome to the Films of the Decade voting thread. You'll submit your Top 15 picks of what in your opinion were the best movies of said decade, instead of strictly favorites (personally, I do a composite of favorites and best, so a good share of films get listed). You're more than welcome to revise your list as many times as you want as long as you tell me which one you want me to count; you can also put more than 15 movies on your list, I'll only count the Top 15. The films will be assigned a point value according to their placement on the list (15 points for #1, 14 points for #2, etc...). Films have to be on at least 2 lists to be considered for the final list.

The main purpose of this thread is to provoke discussion about these films and each others' tastes... and most importantly for fun. The more lists submitted, the better the overall list becomes, so please submit when you can.

Please submit your list in the format provided below, it makes compiling and adding up votes 100x easier, trust me. No awkward spaces or reverse order lists, please. I cannot stress this enough:

1. Back to the Future
2. Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back
3. Blade Runner
4. Raiders of the Lost Ark
5. Die Hard
6. Aliens
7. The Thing
8. Ghostbusters
9. Big Trouble in Little China
10. The Shining
11. Empire of the Sun
12. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
13. This Is Spinal Tap
14. The Blues Brothers
15. E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial
---
16. Ferris Bueller's Day Off
17. Escape from New York
18. The Mission
19. Caddyshack
20. Rain Man
21. Beetlejuice
22. A Fish Called Wanda
23. Pee-Wee's Big Adventure
24. The Terminator
25. Batman
26. National Lampoon’s Vacation
27. Airplane!
28. The Breakfast Club
29. Dead Poets' Society
30. The Goonies

The deadline for votes will be Saturday, October 20th at 11:59 PM EST, hope you all submit.

The 2000s and 1990s lists will be shown in the final thread.

(This decade was easy to pick movies I liked, but there are very few hardcore dramas I could think and have seen.)
 
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1.Terms Of Endearment
2.E.T.
3.Back To The Future Trilogy
4.Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
5.Fatal Attraction
6.When Harry Met Sally
7.Raiders Of The Lost Ark
8.The Breakfast Club
9.The Shining
10.Dead Poet's Society
11.National Lampoon's Vacation
12.The Neverending Story
13.The Terminator
14.Ferris Bueller's Day Off
15.The Abyss

16.National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation
17.Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade
18.The Karate Kid
19.Die Hard
20.Who Framed Roger Rabbit?
21.Planes, Trains, And Automobiles
22.War Of The Roses
23.Batman
24.The Princess Bride
25.Beetlejuice


NOTES

1.Terms Of Endearment absolutely deserves the spot I gave it. The story is deep and moving. The acting is as good as it gets in cinema. Jack Nicholson. Shirly Mclaine. Jeff Daniels. Debra Winger. Brilliant.

2.I haven't seen Blade Runner or Raging Bull or Scarface, so don't scathe for not including them.

3.Fatal Attraction is classic. This story of an illicit one-night stand turning out much, much worse than a man ever expected when the woman turns out to be pregnant and certifiable is riviting and not to be missed. Douglas and Close are top-notch.

4.How many romantic comedies are there about two people refusing to admit they're more than just friends(or that they even like each other) over a period of ten years before invariably ending up with each other at the end? This is the film they're taking their cue from, and this does it a trillion times better than any other. The fake orgasm scene? "I'll have what she's having?" The scene at the end where Billy Crystal spills his guts to Meg Ryan? "Because when you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with someone, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible"? It's classic.

5.Every teenager on the planet wants to be Ferris Bueller. This comedy has become a legend.

6.LMP, for where I said 'Back To The Future Trilogy'...I couldn't decide which one to include because I love them all so much and I didn't want to waste two spots for the other two, so....when you count the votes all up, just add one vote to whichever BTTF film got the most votes :)
 
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It will most likely be the first one, but thanks for the heads up. :)

And I completely forgot about Ferris, so I re-did my list slightly.
 
1. Roadhouse
2. Red Dawn
3. Steel Dawn
4. Next of Kin
5. Die Hard
6. Labyrinth
7. Ferris Beuler
8. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (he can steal a mans heart FFS.)
9. Action Jackson
10. Fast Times at Ridgemont High
11. Stand by Me
12. Footloose
13. The Never Ending Story
14. Gleaming the Cube
15. Pump up the Volume



16. The Lost Boys
17. Adventures in Babysitting
18. Abyss
19. Teen Wolf
20. Beverly Hills Cop
21. Breakin' 2
22. Bull Durham
23. Cocktail
24. Pumping Iron
25. Terminator


Honorable Mention:

Legend
The Flamingo Kid
Iron Eagle
D.A.R.Y.L.
Mischief
Gotcha! (I've gotta buy this one soon)
Running Man
The Elephant Man
Stripes
Crocodile Dundee
Young Guns

The 80's really were a high water mark for film
 
1. Raging Bull
2. The Empire Strikes Back
3. Chariots of Fire
4. Broadcast News
5. The Color of Money
6. Hannah and her Sisters
7. Amadeus
8. The Right Stuff
9. This is Spinal Tap
10. Ordinary People
11. Gandhi
12. Tootsie
13. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
14. Raiders of the Lost Ark (Sorry Laz)
15. Bull Durham
 
in no order (and i'd argue that the 80s are a far weaker decade than either the 90s, and especially the 70s, as far as "art" goes, it did, however, produce some of the great mass entertainments):

Raging Bull
Raiders of the Lost Ark
E.T.
Do The Right Thing (possibly #1)
The Thin Blue Line
Akira
The Empire Strikes Back
Witness
Hannah and Her Sisters
Mississippi Burning
Henry V
The Untouchables
Wings of Desire
Bull Durham
Jean de Florette / Manon Des Sources
 
God, the 80's are just such a terrible decade. Worst clothes, worst hair...and with the exception of the college radio/pre-alternative scene, the music is largely awful and dated, except for the stuff that's awesome but dated (like Prince & Madonna).

The movies weren't much better. With the exception of some iconic genre staples, the percentage of films with artistic merit were few and far between. This is before the big independent boom of the 90's, where you had much more to choose from.

Even though I'd like to pretend the decade didn't happen, there were enough masterpieces to make a list from:

1. reds
2. once upon a time in america
3. stardust memories
4. raging bull
5. nostalghia
6. the big red one: the reconstruction
7. nausicaa of the valley of the wind
8. the last emperor
9. the right stuff
10. crimes and misdemeanors
11. the shining
12. the empire strikes back
13. videodrome
14. the last temptation of christ
15. sex lies and videotape


Notes:

1. Reds (Warren Beatty, 1981)

Ask yourself this question: how was Warren Beatty able to convince Paramount to fund an epic about American Communists while the Cold War still raged on, with the ultra-conservative Ronald Reagan in office? Answer: Because he's a fucking genius. This nearly 3.5 hour film is a great look at America in the early part of the 20th century, covers the Russian Revolution through the eyes of an American journalist, features a fantastic love story, and contains Diane Keaton's best performance as well as one of Jack Nicholson's most understated (and underrated) turns. Even though Chariots of Fire won Best Picture, this won every major directing award for Beatty. Just released on DVD last year, this should be required viewing for any cinephile.

2. Once Upon a Time in America (Sergio Leone, 1984)

Personally my favorite gangster film ever. Not as realistic as GoodFellas (though DeNiro and Pesci both are in it too) or fleshed out as The Godfather saga, this is American life and crime as described by a European filmmaker's love for the mythic characters created by old Hollywood films. A beautiful film about memory, loss, and regret, told in flashback and flashforward, and immensely entertaining.

3. Stardust Memories (Woody Allen, 1980)

Coming after Manhattan and an attempt to make a serious Bergman-esque film with Interiors, Woody tries to blend the two in a slight homage to Fellini's 8 1/2. Many critics felt he was giving the finger to his audience, but there's a lot more going on here. Probably the most artistically directed film in his career.

4. Raging Bull (Mr. Scorsese, 1981)
5. Nostalghia (Andrei Tarkovsky, 1983)

If you're not familiar with Tarkovsky's work (a good starting point is 1979's Stalker), you're not going to recognize this. It's hard to find and the style is very slow moving, but it contains some of the most unforgettable images I've ever seen.

6. The Big Red One: The Reconstruction (Samuel Fuller, 1980/2005)

Re-edited and extended in 2005 with the late Fuller's notes, this is one of the all-time great war films, written and directed by someone who was actually there (unlike Senor Spielbergo) and fought on D-Day at Omaha Beach, liberated Concentration Camp survivors, and experienced about as much as a soldier could ever hope or fear to. Unlike most war films, it does not attempt to portray the soldiers as heroes in propaganda-style fashion, but shows how everyone was simply trying to get out alive. Starring the Super BADASS Lee Marvin and a Empire Strikes Back-era Mark Hamill in one of his few serious roles.

7. Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind (Hayao Miyazaki, 1984)

One of Miyazaki's early works, this is very similar to Princess Mononoke in that 3 separate groups come into conflict that adversely affects the environment around them. The difference is that instead of being set in Medieval Japan, this one is in some kind of post-Nuclear Holocaust world. Walt Disney would sell crack to Bambi to make animated films this good. The DVD has the recent American dubbed version, which is quite good and features the voices of Patrick "Make it so" Stewart and Uma Thurman.

8. The Last Emperor (Bernardo Bertolucci, 1987)

A dominating 9 Oscars that were rarely so deserved, including photography by the unparalleled Vittorio Storaro (winning for his third time after statues for Apocalypse Now and Reds) that uses bold color schemes to highlight character and theme in a way you'd be hard to find elsewhere before or since. The permission to film inside China's Forbidden City yields a wealth of jewels. The longer director's cut is hard to find but it's well worth it.

9. The Right Stuff (Philip Kaufman, 1983)

An epic about the Gemini space program that is really great fun to watch and a wonder for the eyes. Talented cast, with a lot of names that went on to become a lot bigger.

10. Crimes and Misdemeanors (Woody Allen, 1989)

This film has two separate story threads that converge at the end and deal moral questions of varying weight--hence the title. Like Woody's recent Match Point, one of the questions raised is if a person ever has a legitimate reason to kill someone, and if one can live with committing such a sin. Also hilarious at times, one of the master's deepest and thought-provoking films.

11. The Shining (Stanley Kubrick, 1980)
12. The Empire Strikes Back (Irvin Kershner, 1980)

13. Videodrome (David Cronenberg, 1983)

This movie is a real mindfuck that makes all the other great sci-fi/horror films of the 80's (including the ones listed below and above) look like child's play. A disturbing look at how media, sex, and fantasy overlap, and not any less insightful about the subject now than when it came out. Cronenberg revisited this material again in the very similar eXistenZ in 1999, one of his most underrated films.

14. The Last Temptation of Christ (Mr. Scorsese, 1988)
15. Sex, Lies, and Videotape (Steven Soderbergh, 1989)
 
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Irvine511 said:
in no order (and i'd argue that the 80s are a far weaker decade than either the 90s, and especially the 70s, as far as "art" goes, it did, however, produce some of the great mass entertainments):

Raging Bull
Raiders of the Lost Ark
E.T.
Do The Right Thing (possibly #1)
The Thin Blue Line
Akira
The Empire Strikes Back
Witness
Hannah and Her Sisters
Mississippi Burning
Henry V
The Untouchables
Wings of Desire
Bull Durham
Jean de Florette / Manon Des Sources


Nice to see the Branagh, Wenders, Erroll Morris, and Mississippi. It almost makes up for the Spielberg 2-fer. :wink:

And although not my top Woody of the 80's, glad Hannah is getting multiple notices.
 
I stare at my list and I know that Star Trek II cannot be the 15th best film of the decade, and yet, there it shall stay, because of this:

"Sir, our shields are being lowered"

"Raise them!!"

"I can't!"

"Where's the override....the override?!?!"
 
namkcuR said:
(When Harry Met Sally) How many romantic comedies are there about two people refusing to admit they're more than just friends(or that they even like each other) over a period of ten years before invariably ending up with each other at the end? This is the film they're taking their cue from, and this does it a trillion times better than any other.

You should watch Frank Capra's It Happened One Night. It was practically remade before When Harry Met Sally as The Sure Thing (Rob Reiner, John Cusack, worth a punt) and pretty much laid all the groundwork right then and there.
 
Well I can't believe I'm submitting a list that doesn't include Arnie, but here goes:

1. Raging Bull
2. Once Upon a Time in America
3. Ran
4. The Shining
5. Cinema Paradiso
6. Ghandi
7. Blade Runner
8. The Elephant Man
9. Jean de Florette / Manon des Sources
10. My Neighbour Totoro
11. Brazil
12. Who Framed Roger Rabbit?
13. Raiders of the Lost Ark
14. This Is Spinal Tap
15. Back to the Future

NOTES:
3. Ran - One of Kurosawa's last films and one of his most unforgettable. Yes it's flawed, but words really can't do some of the visual scenes justice (i.e. the taking of Tower 3) and why hasn't it been on people's lists yet?

9. Jean de Florette / Manon des Sources - Can these be counted as one film, please? If not then remove Manon des Sources.

10. My Neighbour Totoro - This film makes me happier than any other on this list. Who can't fail to be moved or delighted during the scene at the bus stop in the rain?
 
1.The Blues Brothers - 3 hours of music heaven

2. Das Boot - it's all about submarines

3.La Chevre - best comedy of all time , from france anyways

4.Blade Runner - not really a movie , but an interactive game + puzzle , hidden objects , ideas and all that

5. The Thing - jack london mixed with alien

6.Trading Places - another great comedy , eddie murphy 's best work , till bowfinger that is

7. The Terminator - great start for cameron

8. Subway - music band , underground , highlander speaks french

9.the Fly - achtung baby starts here !

10. The Great mouse detective - cartoons are good for yer

11. Kin Dza Dza - russian cyber punk mixed with blade runner

12. Predator - best sci/fi thriller of all time

13.Robocop - see the above , murphy's law

14.Angel Heart - Mickey Rourke's tour de force ,

15.Beetle juice - that's how joker should look like in new batman movie


+
Naked gun scrooged
The Adventures of Baron Munchausen
Batman
The Abyss - the dvd cut with all deleted scenes in it , is horrible , it;s too long , just like in the aliens , those scenes are cut for a very good reason
 
1. Pump Up The Volume
2. Mask
3. Driving Miss Daisy
4. My Left Foot
5. Goonies
6.Witness
7.Fortress
8.The Empire Strikes Back
9. The Neverending Story
10. Dirty Dancing
11. ET
12. Ghostbusters
13. Jaws: The Revenge
14. A View To A Kill
15. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
 
No spoken words said:
1. Raging Bull
2. The Empire Strikes Back
3. Chariots of Fire
4. Broadcast News
5. The Color of Money
6. Hannah and her Sisters
7. Amadeus
8. The Right Stuff
9. This is Spinal Tap
10. Ordinary People
11. Gandhi
12. Tootsie
13. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
14. Raiders of the Lost Ark (Sorry Laz)
15. Bull Durham

No Blade Runner either? :ohmy:
 
No spoken words said:
1. Raging Bull
2. The Empire Strikes Back
3. Chariots of Fire
4. Broadcast News
5. The Color of Money
6. Hannah and her Sisters
7. Amadeus
8. The Right Stuff
9. This is Spinal Tap
10. Ordinary People
11. Gandhi
12. Tootsie
13. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
14. Raiders of the Lost Ark (Sorry Laz)
15. Bull Durham

Nice list NSW. Forgot about Tootsie :lol:

Gotta get my list in tonight.
 
lazarus said:
LMP, please note my list edit in bold.

Can't believe I forgot that one.

No prob, have you seen Joffé's The Mission, perchance?

I watched it in English a few years back and absolutely loved it. This is probably DeNiro's equivalent to Nicholson's performance in Reds.
 
Yeah, that's a great film. Morricone's score for this film is so amazing it's hard to understand how it failed to win the Oscar that year, which went to jazz legend Herbie Hancock instead. Not only are the main themes superlative in the typical Morricone fashion, but he really seemed to be trying new things here with the native percussion. One of those soundtracks that's worth owning.

The film itself often gets overlooked, and perhaps the subject matter drives many people away. I know many who don't want to look at the negative effect that Christian missionary work has had in certain areas. The DVD has a great documentary about the making of the film, which enlisted many native people to work on in, most of them never having seen a film before let alone been on a crew.

DeNiro does something much more understated than usual, and while at first he appears to be slightly miscast, over the course of the story he really brings a lot to the character's evolution. Jeremy Irons is great as well.

If I had made my list on another day this easily could have made it in.
 
boy this is tough!

I can't keep re-arranging my list, so here it is. Just like everyone else, I could keep arranging & re-ordering the list....

1. Field of Dreams (1989), 107 minutes, D: Phil Alden Robinson
2. Dead Poets Society (1989), 128 minutes, D: Peter Weir
3. When Harry Met Sally... (1989), 96 minutes, D: Rob Reiner
4. Hannah and Her Sisters (1986), 106 minutes, D: Woody Allen
5. Good Morning, Vietnam
6. Back to the Future (1985), 116 minutes, D: Robert Zemeckis
7. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), 115 minutes, D: Steven Spielberg
8. Terms of Endearment (1983), 130 minutes, D: James L. Brooks
9. A Fish Called Wanda (1988), 108 minutes, D: Charles Crichton
10. Airplane
11. Bull Durham (1988), 108 minutes, D: Ron Shelton
12. Rain Man (1988), 134 minutes, D: Barry Levinson
13. Parenthood (1989), 110 minutes, D: Ron Howard
14. Tootsie (1982), 116 minutes, D: Sydney Pollack
15. Missing (1982), 122 minutes, D: Constantin Costa-Gavras

Honorable mentions:
Fast Times at Ridgemont High, On Golden Pond, The Shining, Witness, The Color of Money, Dirty Dancing, The Accused, Big, All of Me, Caddyshack, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Stripes, Broadcast News, Empire Strikes Back, Ordinary People, Chariots Of Fire, Broadway Danny Rose, Crimes & Misdemeanors,...

It's been so long since I've seen Raging Bull, so I couldn't honestly include it here, though I know it's high up on everyone's list. :up:
 
lazarus said:
Yeah, that's a great film. Morricone's score for this film is so amazing it's hard to understand how it failed to win the Oscar that year, which went to jazz legend Herbie Hancock instead. Not only are the main themes superlative in the typical Morricone fashion, but he really seemed to be trying new things here with the native percussion. One of those soundtracks that's worth owning.

The film itself often gets overlooked, and perhaps the subject matter drives many people away. I know many who don't want to look at the negative effect that Christian missionary work has had in certain areas. The DVD has a great documentary about the making of the film, which enlisted many native people to work on in, most of them never having seen a film before let alone been on a crew.

DeNiro does something much more understated than usual, and while at first he appears to be slightly miscast, over the course of the story he really brings a lot to the character's evolution. Jeremy Irons is great as well.

If I had made my list on another day this easily could have made it in.

Funny seeing Liam Neeson in there, too.
 
my god, on golden pond! how could i forget it?? can we have 16 in our list, lmp? if so, it's my #1. how the hell could i forgret it...
:rolleyes:

and thanks, dalton! your list was inspiring, too!
:D
 
LemonMacPhisto said:


Funny seeing Liam Neeson in there, too.


No, what's funny is seeing Liam Neeson, Gabriel Byrne, and Patrick Stewart in Excalibur, 1981, all before their heydays.

An awesome film, esp. for King Arthur/Camelot fans.


:engage:
 
Weren't Patrick Stewart and the midget principal from Kindergarten Cop in Dune?
 
My guesstimate (it's been a long time since I've seen most of these -- wonder if my ratings would change if I had a movie marathon and watched these all again now):

1. Gandhi
2. The Color Purple
3. Amadeus
4. Children of a Lesser God
5. Mississippi Burning
6. The Shining
7. Witness
8. The Killing Fields
9. Do The Right Thing
10. Platoon
11. The Princess Bride
12. The Last Temptation of Christ
13. The Empire Strikes Back
14. Raiders of the Lost Ark
15. When Harry Met Sally

Also considered:
Dead Poets Society
Ordinary People
The Last Emperor
Wall Street
Dangerous Liaisons
The Elephant Man
My Left Foot
The Gods Must Be Crazy
Born On The Fourth of July
Ferris Bueller's Day Off
Empire of the Sun
 
Ok, basically a list of my favorites. The order would probably change daily :huh:

Broadway Danny Rose
Raging Bull
Das Boot (subtitles)
Empire Strikes Back
Fast Times at Ridgemont High
Crimes & Misdemeanors
Reds
Valley Girl
Missing
After Hours
Airplane
The Right Stuff
The Emerald Forest
A Fish Called Wanda
Babette's Feast

Also:Witness,The Shining,Amadeus,Tootsie(Thx NSW),Raiders of the lost Ark, Field of Dreams, Back to the Future, Parenthood,Missing,9-5,The Gods Must be Crazy(thanks SeattleVertigo), Born on the 4th of July, Vacation, Spinal Tap, Full Metal Jacket, Trading Places, Wolfen, Excalibur, Airplane,Videodrome(thanks Lazarus)& so many more belong here, many from everyone elses lists and probably a lot I can't remember. :wink:

Think I got 60's and 70's also. Do we list them here or wait for the specific thread?

:)
 
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