Best Movies of the 1980s

[flyerhawk]

Platoon--Kinda overrated in my book. Not my favorite. It'll be on many lists, I grant you, but not mine. Stone's only good movie? Say what? JFK, Wall Street, Born on the Fourth of July.
Golden Child--This is a list of 'BEST' movies of the 80s not...whatever The Golden Child falls under.
Buckaroo Banzai--Never saw it.
Color of Money--I'll give you that one.
Top Gun--Cheesy and overrated. I actually like Tom Cruise's acting very much. I have some films on this list of his--The Outsiders, Rain Man, Born on the Fourth of July (his best performance).
Bachelor Party--Not bad...I'll give you that one.

I'm trying to get my head around someone having a list with Harry and the Hendersons being a favorite but no Platoon.

Your hate of Golden Child is wildly misplaced. Also where is 48 Hours and Beverly Hills Cop? Or Police Academy?

Top Gun was arguably the epitome of 80s cheese. That's what makes it so good. The latent homoerotic relationship between Val Kilmer and Tom Cruise was freaking hilarious because it was intended to be portrayed as a battle of masculinity.

 

[PEOPLESCHICKEN]

I'll highlight truly bizarre choices for any best of list. Unless it is a best of truly bad movies list.

1980
Brubaker - I don't get this at all. Crappy movie that is only notable because Redford was in it.
Any Which Way You Can - A much weaker version Every Which Way But Loose. Except for the fight scene at the end.
Private Benjamin - Did not age well at all.
The Private Eyes - I have no recollection of this movie at all.
Seems Like Old Times - Chevy Chase has about 2 good movies in his entire career. This isn't one of them


1981
Caveman - Seriously?

1983
Easy Money - Rodney was reasonably funny but the movie was pretty weak
Max Dugan Returns - WTF?

1984

Cloak and Dagger - Nope
Greystoke - LOL
Runaway - Thomas Magnum should have stayed in Hawaii

1985
Summer Rental - Oh hell no

1986

Gung Ho - Kinda racist in a very 1980s sort of way


1987
Batteries Not Included - It was bad when I was a teenager.
Blind Date - Stanley Jordan was the best part of this movie.
Harry and the Hendersons - I dare you to watch this movie now.
Summer School - This was about 5th version of the same story in the 80s. Mark Harmon does not improve it.


1988
Hot to Trot - You have a really weird taste in movies

1989

Ghostbusters II - The only movie with "II" in its title that was ever good was The Godfather Part II
Born on the Fourth of July - Fuck Oliver Stone

Brubaker is a good film. Yes, it gets attention because of Robert Redford, but its based on a book written about 10 years earlier and was a social issue spotlight film. I actually think it was pretty well done and a pretty good cast

 

[PEOPLESCHICKEN]

Movies you missed that are far better than the schlock I listed.

Platoon - Stone's only good movie. Maybe The Doors as well
Golden Child
The Adventures of Buckeroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension
Color of Money
Risky Business
Top Gun - Sensing some Tom Cruise hate on your list
Bachelor Party

Eddie Murphy's the Golden Child? Pass

 

[flyerhawk]

Eddie Murphy's the Golden Child? Pass

You people don't appreciate good bad movies.

You people probably don't even like Hudson Hawk.

 

[PEOPLESCHICKEN]

Here is a nomination for underrated 80's movie:

Matewan

Written and directed by John Sayles. I love his work. He also did 8 Men Out

Check out the cast in Matewan:
Chris Cooper
James Earl Jones
David Straithairn
Mary McDonnell
Kevin Tighe
Gordan Clapp

 

[chf]

No Summer Vacation love FH?

That one was always a guilty pleasure of mine. Formulaic and kinda sickly-sweet, but Candy pulled that off.

 

[Golden Spur]

Brazil (OP Missing this is inexplicable)
Blue Velvet
Blade Runner
River's Edge
Repo Man
Raging Bull
Scarface
Full Metal Jacket
Platoon
Crimes and Misdemeanors

Honorary Mention:
Drugstore Cowboy
Angel heart
Breakfast Club
King Of Comedy
Fast Times at Ridgemont High

 

[Racer8825]

Movies you missed that are far better than the schlock I listed.

Platoon - Stone's only good movie. Maybe The Doors as well
Golden Child
The Adventures of Buckeroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension
Color of Money
Risky Business
Top Gun - Sensing some Tom Cruise hate on your list
Bachelor Party

Top Gun is probably my favorite movie out of everything that came out in the 80s. Have you seen Tango&Cash starring Sylvester Stallone and Kurt Russell? That movie is hilarious.

 

[Racer8825]

Brazil (OP Missing this is inexplicable)
Blue Velvet
Blade Runner
River's Edge
Repo Man
Raging Bull
Scarface
Full Metal Jacket
Platoon
Crimes and Misdemeanors

Honorary Mention:
Drugstore Cowboy
Angel heart
Breakfast Club
King Of Comedy
Fast Times at Ridgemont High

The beginning part of FMJ when they're all at boot camp and R. Lee Ermey is laying into them as their drill instructor is comedy gold IMO. The rest of the movie is just meh to me.

 

[flyerhawk]

The beginning part of FMJ when they're all at boot camp and R. Lee Ermey is laying into them as their drill instructor is comedy gold IMO. The rest of the movie is just meh to me.

FMJ is fantastic from back to front. The 2nd half is a brilliant commentary on war.

 

[PhilSimms11]

Also where is 48 Hours and Beverly Hills Cop? Or Police Academy?

1984
The Terminator
Ghostbusters
The Karate Kid
Gremlins
Police Academy
Romancing the Stone
Splash
Cloak and Dagger
Greystoke
Johnny Dangerously
The NeverEnding Story
The Lonely Guy
Red Dawn
Top Secret!
Sixteen Candles
Runaway
The Last Starfighter

48 Hrs. and Beverly Hills Cop are worthy, but they're not among my favorites.

 

[flyerhawk]

1984
The Terminator
Ghostbusters
The Karate Kid
Gremlins
Police Academy
Romancing the Stone
Splash
Cloak and Dagger
Greystoke
Johnny Dangerously
The NeverEnding Story
The Lonely Guy
Red Dawn
Top Secret!
Sixteen Candles
Runaway
The Last Starfighter

48 Hrs. and Beverly Hills Cop are worthy, but they're not among my favorites.

Gotcha on Police Academy. A few others you missed.

Das Boot
This is Spinal Tap
Once Upon A Time in America
Do the Right Thing
Blue Velvet
Robocop
The Lost Boys

 

[PhilSimms11]

Gotcha on Police Academy. A few others you missed.

Das Boot
This is Spinal Tap
Once Upon A Time in America
Do the Right Thing
Blue Velvet
Robocop
The Lost Boys

I have actually never seen This is Spinal Tap. I know...hard to believe, but some get by me.

 

[Racer8825]

I have actually never seen This is Spinal Tap. I know...hard to believe, but some get by me.

I was born in the late 80s and thanks to my dad I've seen alot of those movies in the OP.

 

[Droopdog51]

Ah...this takes me back.

1980
The Empire Strikes Back
Airplane!
Brubaker
Coal Miner's Daughter
My Bodyguard
Caddyshack
Stir Crazy
Used Cars
Ordinary People
The Blues Brothers
Superman II
Any Which Way You Can
The Elephant Man
The Fog
Midnight Madness
Private Benjamin
The Private Eyes
Seems Like Old Times
Tom Horn

1981
Raiders of the Lost Ark
On Golden Pond
Stripes
Escape From New York
Nighthawks
Bustin' Loose
Caveman
The Great Muppet Caper
Hardly Working
Neighbors
Raggedy Man
Under the Rainbow

1982
Fast Times at Ridgemont High
Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid
An Officer and a Gentleman
The Secret of NIMH
First Blood
Airplane II: The Sequel
Night Shift
E.T.
The Beastmaster
Conan the Barbarian
Porky's

1983
Return of the Jedi
Scarface
A Christmas Story
WarGames
Trading Places
Mr Mom
Easy Money
The Outsiders
Vacation
Strange Brew
Terms of Endearment
Sudden Impact
Bad Boys
Christine
D.C. Cab
Max Dugan Returns

1984
The Terminator
Ghostbusters
The Karate Kid
Gremlins
Police Academy
Romancing the Stone
Splash
Cloak and Dagger
Greystoke
Johnny Dangerously
The NeverEnding Story
The Lonely Guy
Red Dawn
Top Secret!
Sixteen Candles
Runaway
The Last Starfighter

1985
Back to the Future
Witness
Spies Like Us
The Breakfast Club
Pale Rider
Better Off Dead
Fletch
Enemy Mine
Real Genius
Heaven Help Us
Mask
Murphy's Romance
European Vacation
Pee-wee's Big Adventure
Remo Williams
Summer Rental
Weird Science

1986
Aliens
Crocodile Dundee
Back to School
Ferris Bueller's Day Off
Gung Ho
Stand By Me
Hoosiers
At Close Range
The Money Pit
Club Paradise
Nothing in Common
One Crazy Summer
Armed and Dangerous
The Best of Times

1987
The Princess Bride
Fatal Attraction
The Untouchables
Lethal Weapon
Batteries Not Included
Blind Date
Full Metal Jacket
Wall Street
Dirty Dancing
Predator
Planes, Trains, and Automobiles
Nuts
Harry and the Hendersons
Hiding Out
Innerspace
Overboard
Project X
Someone to Watch Over Me
Spaceballs
Summer School
Three O'Clock High

1988
Rain Man
Coming to America
Big
Twins
Die Hard
The Naked Gun
Biloxi Blues
Eight Men Out
Funny Farm
The Great Outdoors
Hot to Trot
Midnight Run
Mississippi Burning
Moving
Scrooged
Working Girl
Who Framed Roger Rabbit
Young Guns

1989
Batman
Dead Poets Society
Ghostbusters II
Born on the Fourth of July
Driving Miss Daisy
Fat Man and Little Boy
Glory
Lean on Me
Major League
Christmas Vacation
Steel Magnolias
Uncle Buck
When Harry Met Sally...

How if the hell did this not make the list

 

[Racer8825]

How if the hell did this not make the list

Another great movie starring Kurt Russell

 

[Droopdog51]

Another great movie starring Kurt Russell

 

[Racer8825]

He's got some great lines in Tango&Cash as well LOL

 

[Droopdog51]

He's got some great lines in Tango&Cash as well LOL

Isn't that where FUBAR comes from?

 

[Racer8825]

Isn't that where FUBAR comes from?

Yes it is LOL