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My Favorites From the 1980'sAug 04 '01 Write an essay on this topic.The Bottom Line The 1980's were blessed with a slew of good movies. Action films and factual movies figure prominently in this list. The decade's top two are from the same year. Here is my top ten, followed by four honorable mentions. 10. Top Gun (1986)- Tom Cruise, Kelly McGillis, Tom Skerritt, Val Kilmer, Anthony Edwards, Meg Ryan, Michael Ironside. Pete Mitchell has the stuff to be the best Navy fighter pilot in his class at Miramar, but his rebel attitude and personal tragedy don't make it easy. This was the perfect movie for the '80's, with its well-filmed aerial combat scenes, good-looking people, Cold War implications, and adrenaline-laced soundtrack. Looking back, it has lost a little of its appeal, but not too much. McGillis delights as civilian instructor Charlotte Blackwood. Berlin's "Take My Breath Away" won an Oscar. 9. Romancing the Stone (1984)- Kathleen Turner, Michael Douglas, Danny DeVito, Zack Norman, Alfonso Arau, Manuel Ojeda. Novelist Joan Wilder travels to Colombia to rescue her kidnapped sister. Once there, she meets loner Jack Colton, and together they search for a famous jewel that will pay the ransom. It is an enjoyable blend of adventure, romance, and comedy. 8. The Last Emperor (1987)- John Lone, Joan Chen, Peter O'Toole, Ying Ruocheng, Victor Wong, Dennis Dun. This film depicts the life of Aisin Gioro Pu Yi, of China. It is told by flashing back to 1908 and following his life up to 1967, the year of his death; from his installment in the Forbidden City as a 3-year-old to his last years as a gardener in Mao's China, and every brutal twist and turn of history in between... Serious stuff, yet quite interesting. The film was awarded nine Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Director Bernardo Bertolucci. 7. Young Guns (1988)- Emilio Estevez, Kiefer Sutherland, Lou Diamond Phillips, Dermot Mulroney, Charlie Sheen. This film portrays William Bonney's beginnings as an outlaw. What begins as a group of friends avenging a good man's murder spins out of control into the legend of Billy the Kid. A Western with a modern edge to it, this is also a good ol' buddy flick. 6. Eight Men Out (1988)- John Cusack, Clifton James, David Strathairn, Christopher Lloyd, D.B. Sweeney, Michael Lerner. This is the true story of the 1919 Black Sox scandal. Several players for the pennant-winning Chicago White Sox accept bribes from gamblers to throw the World Series against the Reds. Unfortunately for them, they were not very subtle. After being cleared in a criminal court, (inaugural commissioner) Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis bans the infamous eight from major league baseball for life. The movie works because it centers on three key players, with varying degrees of guilt- Eddie Cicotte, Shoeless Joe Jackson, and Buck Weaver. It also exposes the hypocrisy of owner Charlie Comiskey and the power criminals had to bribe or even threaten athletes. Cusack shines as Weaver. 5. Broadway Danny Rose (1984)- Woody Allen, Mia Farrow, Nick Forte, Milton Berle, Sandy Baron. This comedy, also directed by Allen, relates the story of talent agent Danny Rose and an unusual episode involving lounge singer Lou Canova and his girlfriend, Tina Vitale. Allen uses laughs and satire to remind us that sometimes the "losers" are more special than the "winners". 4. Return of the Jedi (1983)- Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford, Billy Dee Williams, Anthony Daniels, the voices of James Earl Jones and Frank Oz. The final chapter in the original trilogy from George Lucas, this edition takes us to Endor and introduces us to the Ewoks. The movie opens in Jabba the Hut's palace, with a cast of characters at least as strange as the original's Mos Eisley Cantina. Fisher finally lets her hair down (figuratively and literally) and the Emperor shows us that the face of evil is indeed ugly. 3. Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986)- Matthew Broderick, Mia Sara, Alan Ruck, Jennifer Grey, Jeffrey Jones, Cindy Pickett, Charlie Sheen, and Ben Stein. The ultimate ditch-day for a trio of Illinois suburbanites is a hilarious roller coaster ride through Chicago. This is a comedy that is full of great lines and memorable scenes. But enough about Mia Sara. 2. Chariots of Fire (1981)- Ben Cross, Ian Charleson, Ian Holm, Nigel Havers, Alice Krige, Nicholas Farrell, Daniel Gerroll, John Gielgud. This is the true story of U.K. runners Eric Liddell and Harold Abrahams, and their very different struggles on the road to the 1924 Olympics, where they each won gold. Much more than a sports movie, the film's popularity and wide appeal is commonly credited with saving the industry in England. It won four Oscars, including Best Picture. 1. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)- Harrison Ford, Karen Allen, Wolf Kahler, Denholm Elliott, Paul Freeman, Ronald Lacey. Stephen Spielberg directed this block-buster hit about archaeologist Indiana Jones in the 1930's. Though the opening sequence in a Peruvian jungle sets the tone of the film, the main action takes place in Egypt. Jones is recruited by the U.S. government to prevent the Nazis from obtaining the mythical Ark of the Covenant. Aided by a former flame, a friend, and his trusty whip, Indy is one of the most likeable action heros in movie history. Honorable Mentions Back to the Future (1985)- Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Crispin Glover, Lea Thompson. High school slacker Marty McFly travels back to the 1950's in a plutonium-powered De Lorean. That's the easy part. The hard part is getting his future parents together, as his future mother now has a crush on Marty. This is my choice for the best film of 1985. Die Hard (1988)- Bruce Willis, Alan Rickman, Bonnie Bedelia, Alexander Godurov, Paul Gleason, Reginald Johnson. When a Christmas party at the Nakatomi Building in Los Angeles is rudely interrupted by money-hungry terrorists, New York City cop John McClane cuts his vacation short. An excellent action flick, and Willis is good as McClane, but don't expect much more. The Empire Strikes Back (1980)- Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford, Anthony Daniels, Billy Dee Williams, the voices of James Earl Jones and Frank Oz. The second film from the original trilogy, this one is slightly weaker than the other two. Hoth and Cloud City are relatively mundane settings when compared to other Lucas creations. But the story, characters, action, and special effects are there, so it still deserves the nod for my favorite film of 1980. Stand and Deliver (1988)- Edward James Olmos, Lou Diamond Phillips, Rosanna de Soto, Andy Garcia, Will Gotay. This is the true story of Jaime Escalante and his East L.A. high school math class. Olmos, as Escalante, and Phillips, as the rebellious Angel, are brilliant as the odd couple at the core of the film. It drew comparisons to the best film of the previous decade, Rocky, upon its release.  |
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by Stephen_Murray
