CaptainD's Top Ten Movies of the Eighties Jan 27 '09    Write an essay on this topic. Tweet Popular Products in Blu-ray and DVD Players Panasonic DMP-BDT210 Blu-Ray Player From $150 Sony BDP-S580 Blu-Ray Player From $111 The Bottom Line Ten movies that, to me, epitomise the eighties... When choosing my top ten movies of the eighties, I've chosen ten films that I love which to me epitomise the mood of the decade.  Being a child of the eighties I've always viewed it through somewhat rose-coloured glasses I guess, but there are two phrases I would tend to use in describing the eighties; "cheesiness" and "joyous abandonment".  The two go together - it didn't matter how cheesy it was, as long as it was enjoyable.  Therefore the movies I've chosen are not, perhaps, the best movies made in the eighties - there are some great films I've not mentioned and doubtless a plethora of fantastic movies that I've not even seen - but to me, these ten movies capture the zeitgeist of the 1980s. Which was, really, just an excuse to use the phrase "zeitgeist" to prove that I'm cool and well wicked.  The previous sentence proves that I actually am a child of the eighties... I was going to try to pick one film from each year, but in the end I've got several from 1980... oh well, the decade must have started how it meant to continue! 1980 - Airplane! - probably the finest spoof ever made, Robert Hays, Julie Hegarty and Leslie Neilson star in this disaster movie to end all disaster movies.  Jim Abrams and David Zucker team up for their first film as co-writers and directors, and they've never matched it (though The Naked Gun did nearly get included in this Top Ten). 1980 - The Blues Brothers - Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi and a host of music stars combine to make one of the funniest, most enjoyable musicals of all-time.  A joy to watch from start to finish, and home to some truly great songs (and Rawhide).  It features a number of spectacularly violent intentions without anyone actually getting hurt - the rocket-launcher near the beginning which destroys a building while leaving the blues brothers completely unharmed was typical of how Carrie Fisher's character appeared throughout the movie. 1980 - Superman 2 - by far my favourite Superman film thanks mostly to its three excellent villains.  These escaped criminals from Krypton can match Superman's powers, but aren't encumbered by his scruples... what's more Superman wants to be more Clerk Kent than... super.  Even the ever-annoying Lois Lane can't ruin this one! 1984 - Gremlins - a lot darker than any other movie in this list, but this deserves to be here for the scene with a gang of gremlins singing along to the "Hi-Ho" song from Snow White - oh, and the rest of the film's very good too.  I often find myself searching in vain for the humour in many films described as black comedy, but this one mixes horror and hilarity perfectly.  Zach Galligan and Phoebe Coates star. 1984 - Ghostbusters - Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis and Ernie Hudson get together to blast some slime.  With Rick Moranis and Sigourney Weaver being taken over by ancient forces, the world in danger and a giant marshmallow man on the horizon, you just know you're in for one hell of a ride... 1985 - Jewel of the Nile -  I loved  the first film, Romancing the Stone, but I slightly give this one the edge (though opinions differ, of course).  Michael Douglas' rough and ready hero unites and spars with authoress Kathleen Turner in equal measure.  With crook Danny DeVito determined to get in on the act, a plot involving a holy man and a nation in tumult, there are plenty of laughs and great action sequences to be enjoyed. 1985 - Back to the Future- comedy sci-fi can be a tricky thing to get right, but Roger Zemeckis certainly managed it here.  Michael J. Fox stars as Marty, a time-travelling youth who is in danger of destroying his own past; Christopher Lloyd is hilarious as the scientist who has converted his car into the time machine.  Lea Thomson, Crispin Glover lend superb support as Marty's parents and Thomas F. Wilson threatens to steal the show as Marty's nemesis, school bully "Biff".  Followed by two enjoyable but inferior sequels. 1986 - Top Gun - just pure cheese.  Tom Cruise is therefore perfectly suited to the lead role, Val Kilmer is a great anti-hero, Anthony Edwards and Meg Ryan are wonderful, and the aerial sequences are still among the best ever seen in the movies.  It's full of cheesy moments and completely unashamed of it. 1987 - The Princess Bride - Cary Elwes and Mandy Patinkin in particular are marvellous in this utterly silly, utterly enjoyable movie from director Rob Reiner.  It's a traditional fantasy story that's utterly ludicrous and very, very funny.  It tends to be a movie that people either love or can't see what all the fuss is about, but if you enjoy its often ironic humour, you're sure to be in the "love it" camp.  1989 - Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade - ending the decade on a high note, I chose this one over the also excellent Raiders of the Lost Ark partly because it had more humour (Denhom Elliot was particularly funny in this film) and partly because it linked up Sean Connery and Harrison Ford as a father-son team to such wonderful effect.

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