Top 100 80's Films...

[Craig]

A few films I thought would feature higher have gone down so far.

Big Trouble in Little China the first of my nominations to go out.

 

[Spirederman]

Craig, I edited my list if you can remember and put Stripes in 11th place, so surely it must score more than 3pts??

Salty, did it make your list in the end??

Or was it you BigDaveCUFC that was considering it??

 

[Craig]

 

[Spirederman]

Hahaha. That's class.

 

[Craig]

I can fix this, just give me four more hours.

 

[SALTIRE]

Craig, I edited my list if you can remember and put Stripes in 11th place, so surely it must score more than 3pts??

Salty, did it make your list in the end??

Or was it you BigDaveCUFC that was considering it??

No I forgot all about Stripes tbh; good film!

 

[Oaf]

Farce?!

Some good shit out already. Scrooged is great and it's good to see that another has put a Ghibli film on there...

 

[RavenBish]

I had Big Trouble in Little China...I think.

 

[Craig]

Sorted, found one of the missing films an all.

 

[Craig]

Joint 78th - one list with five points.

Blood Simple (1984) - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086979/?ref_=nv_sr_1

Critters (1986) - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0090887/?ref_=nv_sr_1

Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985) - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0089880/?ref_=nv_sr_2


Joint 77th - 6 points, 1 list

Police Academy (1984) - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0087928/?ref_=nv_sr_1

Sunless (1983) - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0084628/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1

Good Morning, Vietnam (1987) - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093105/?ref_=nv_sr_1

Little Shop of Horrors (1986) - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091419/?ref_=nv_sr_1

The Land Before Time (1988) - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0095489/?ref_=nv_sr_1

 

[Craig]

Critters the second of mine to go out.

Fuckin love that film, remember my dad taking us to the Ritz video shop every Saturday in the early 90's and me picking that film every time.

 

[Spirederman]

Blood Simple the second of mine to fall.

Great film that any fan of The Coen Brothers should watch. Their debut film and a cracking one at that, also the acting debut of the ever excellent Frances McDormand.

Watch it.

 

[Spirederman]

Critters the second of mine to go out.

Fuckin love that film, remember my dad taking us to the Ritz video shop every Saturday in the early 90's and me picking that film every time.

THEY BITE!!!

Totally agree, love that film, and watched it countless times as a young un.

 

[Tilbury]

The land before time, had no idea it was as early as that. One of my favourites as a kid. Probably still have the video somewhere.

 

[Craig]

Joint 76th - 7 points - 1 list

Starman (1984) - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088172/

Fright Night (1985) - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0089175/?ref_=fn_al_tt_2

The Great Outdoors (1988) - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0095253/?ref_=nv_sr_1

Platoon (1986) - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091763/?ref_=nv_sr_1

Heaven's Gate (1980) - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080855/?ref_=nv_sr_1

Santa Sangre (1989) - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0098253/?ref_=nv_sr_1

Three Amigos (1986) - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0092086/?ref_=nv_sr_1

Rocky III (1982) - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0084602/?ref_=nv_sr_1


Joint 75th - 7 points from 2 lists.

Uncle Buck (1989) - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0098554/?ref_=nv_sr_1

Manhunter (1986) - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091474/?ref_=nv_sr_1

 

[Spirederman]

Forgot all about 3 Amigos.

Who had that on their list?? Wouldn't have made my top 20, but still a very funny film from my childhood.

 

[Craig]

Platoon is one I'm surprised only made the one list, and Fright Night came very close to my top 20.

 

[Craig]

Joint 74th - 8 points on 1 list.

Red Dawn (1984) - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0087985/?ref_=nv_sr_2

Tetsuo, the Iron Man (1989) - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096251/?ref_=nv_sr_1

National Lampoons Vacation (1983) - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0085995/?ref_=nv_sr_1

Raising Arizona (1987) - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093822/?ref_=nv_sr_2

Beverly Hills Cop II (1987) - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0092644/?ref_=nv_sr_3

Twins (1988) - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096320/?ref_=nv_sr_2


73rd - 8 points on 2 lists.

The Money Pit (1986) - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091541/?ref_=nv_sr_1

 

[Spirederman]

And my 3rd one falls.....Another Coen Brothers classic, in Raising Arizona.

 

[Martino Knockavelli]

LETS DO WRITE UPS

Mines:

Spoiler: spoilered for length

Lolita Vibrator Torture (1987) - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0291317/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1

Doing this confirmed my long held suspicion: the 80s is where the rot sets in as far as most of my favourite sorts of films go. Exhibit A being the once fecund mass produced genre cinemas of Italy, Japan etc being on their respective arses cos of the rise of TV and home video. One can still find flickers of flame amidst the wreckage though, particularly in Japan, where the industry held on a bit better/longer. This is one such example. I wont bore with a disquisition on the de/merits of Japanese sex cinema, so suffice to say this encapsulates a lot of what made the genre what it was: deep unpleasantry, surprisingly subversive gender politics, extreme originality and style to spare. There's a strong undercurrent of body horror (or sex toy horror, anyway) in this one too. Quite Cronenberg-y, Tsukamato-ish, the grotesque fetishism, an ear ache industrial soundtrack, urban dystopia. Of genre and auteur both.

Police (1985) - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0089821/?ref_=fn_al_tt_21

Exhibit B for the case that the 80s were the worst decade yet: the dissipation of the white hot energy of the Nouvelle Vague and other national new waves. But most of the main players where still at it. Perhaps a stretch to put Pialat in that category (tho he hasn't had all the copies of Janine destroyed yet), since he was more of a miserablist lone-wolf, but this film has something of the same spirit. A character piece that functions as a thriller almost by accident. I'm not big on thespy thesps thesping but Depardieu is great in this too. Big bloody ox.

Escape 2000 (1983) - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0089104/?ref_=fn_al_tt_2

Exhibit A again. Italy reduced to churning out cheesy cheese made on ever decreasing budgets, in particular dreck patterned after Conan, Escape from NY, Mad Max and unlikely combinations of thereof. A few of them were great though, particularly 2 of the 3 made by Enzo Castellari (of original Inglorious Bastards fame). A great trashy goulash of all those 80s dystopia sf films. Henry Silva is fucking hilarious as the head baddy. Corporate led social cleansing of a big city too, not that there's anything prescient about that. High Line the Movie, basically.

Videodrome (1983) - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086541/?ref_=nv_sr_1

Bit surprised no-one else voted for this. Not just a great film from the 80s but a great 80s film. Couldn't have been made much before or later. Home video, cable TV etc as a vector for the perverse, the seditious, the ruinous. As a parable it could've been pretty obvious, but it's pushed well beyond any sort of logical conclusion.

Joint 76th - 7 points - 1 list
Heaven's Gate (1980) - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080855/?ref_=nv_sr_1

Exhibit C: The Western was on its arse too. Slim pickings for the entire decade. This is pretty ace though. Flawed certainly, and a poster child for directorial self-indulgence, but hell if the best bits don't make it worthwhile. "Epic", "lavish" etc is probably underselling it, and though there's a sepia toned romance to it it's also year zero for all the latter day oaters that underscore what a unpleasant time and place to live it was. The production was a fiasco, prompting arguably the most insane critical pile-on in cinema history, and the financial disaster that ensued more or less killed Cimino's career, but now that all the dust has settled it's clear that it's a major work.

Whose is Santa Sangre?

 

[RavenBish]

Are you a robot or alien?

 

[Craig]

Red Dawn is another one of mine.

The acting, script and story is ridiculous but it's so damn entertaining. If the Chinese ever invade Yorkshire I imagine myself grabbing the old air rifle and fleeing to the Pennines where I'd set up base and harass the fuckers until cavalry arrived.

 

[Spirederman]

LETS DO WRITE UPS

Mines:

Spoiler: spoilered for length

Doing this confirmed my long held suspicion: the 80s is where the rot sets in as far as most of my favourite sorts of films go. Exhibit A being the once fecund mass produced genre cinemas of Italy, Japan etc being on their respective arses cos of the rise of TV and home video. One can still find flickers of flame amidst the wreckage though, particularly in Japan, where the industry held on a bit better/longer. This is one such example. I wont bore with a disquisition on the de/merits of Japanese sex cinema, so suffice to say this encapsulates a lot of what made the genre what it was: deep unpleasantry, surprisingly subversive gender politics, extreme originality and style to spare. There's a strong undercurrent of body horror (or sex toy horror, anyway) in this one too. Quite Cronenberg-y, Tsukamato-ish, the grotesque fetishism, an ear ache industrial soundtrack, urban dystopia. Of genre and auteur both.



Exhibit B for the case that the 80s were the worst decade yet: the dissipation of the white hot energy of the Nouvelle Vague and other national new waves. But most of the main players where still at it. Perhaps a stretch to put Pialat in that category (tho he hasn't had all the copies of Janine destroyed yet), since he was more of a miserablist lone-wolf, but this film has something of the same spirit. A character piece that functions as a thriller almost by accident. I'm not big on thespy thesps thesping but Depardieu is great in this too. Big bloody ox.



Exhibit A again. Italy reduced to churning out cheesy cheese made on ever decreasing budgets, in particular dreck patterned after Conan, Escape from NY, Mad Max and unlikely combinations of thereof. A few of them were great though, particularly 2 of the 3 made by Enzo Castellari (of original Inglorious Bastards fame). A great trashy goulash of all those 80s dystopia sf films. Henry Silva is fucking hilarious as the head baddy. Corporate led social cleansing of a big city too, not that there's anything prescient about that. High Line the Movie, basically.



Bit surprised no-one else voted for this. Not just a great film from the 80s but a great 80s film. Couldn't have been made much before or later. Home video, cable TV etc as a vector for the perverse, the seditious, the ruinous. As a parable it could've been pretty obvious, but it's pushed well beyond any sort of logical conclusion.



Exhibit C: The Western was on its arse too. Slim pickings for the entire decade. This is pretty ace though. Flawed certainly, and a poster child for directorial self-indulgence, but hell if the best bits don't make it worthwhile. "Epic", "lavish" etc is probably underselling it, and though there's a sepia toned romance to it it's also year zero for all the latter day oaters that underscore what a unpleasant time and place to live it was. The production was a fiasco, prompting arguably the most insane critical pile-on in cinema history, and the financial disaster that ensued more or less killed Cimino's career, but now that all the dust has settled it's clear that it's a major work.

Whose is Santa Sangre?

If it's any consolation Videodrome and Heavens Gate were 2 films that I gave consideration to. I had over 100 movies initially shortlisted, and cut 10 films at each juncture of me shortening my list. They both made the top 50, but fell somewhere between there and 40.

The others you've written up. Literally no idea about them.

 

[SALTIRE]

Forgot also about Videodrome, The Fly, Fatal Attraction and Wall Street, ffs, I should be shot!

 

[Gladders]

5 of mine gone already, when I first looked I thought it was more but then realised I didn't have TRON or Big trouble in little China in my final 20.

Anyway K-9, The Philadelphia Experiment, Teen Wolf, Starman and Twins were all on mine, all films I loved watching growing up as a kid and would still happily watch them now.

 

[Ginola14]

The Thing and Tron were two of mine. Why didn't more people vote for The Thing?!! Thought it was a shoe in to be on perhaps half a dozen lists!

 

[iesty wfc]

only two of mine down so far, Shogun Assassin and the Money Pit, but then i expect most of mine to be quite high up

 

[BigDaveCUFC]

Tron was one of mine, I really should have put big trouble in its place but that was a case of picking the better film to the more I enjoy film and went with the better film, I like either but I'd watch Big Trouble more.

Big Trouble is very unlucky as I can see it just missing out on afew, its one of them very enjoyable films, but more a Cult Classic than a great film.............but anyone here who has not seen Big Trouble in Little China must get it watched.

Nice to see a Police Academy in, I was tempted and didn't because they have really badly dated and are not that good to watch, but when I was 8-14 they were one of them set of films you'd constantly watch time and time again......I think I enjoy PA 3 best.,

 

[Craig]

Agreed on The Thing, very surprised it only appeared on the one list. Another one that narrowly missed out on mine.

Joint 72nd - 9 points from 1 list.

Pretty in Pink (1986) - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091790/?ref_=nv_sr_1

Turner & Hooch (1989) - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0098536/?ref_=nv_sr_1

Amadeus (1984) - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086879/?ref_=nv_sr_1

71st - 9 points on 2 lists.

Weird Science (1985) - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0090305/?ref_=nv_sr_1

Joint 70th - 10 points from 1 list.

My Dinner with Andre (1981) - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082783/?ref_=nv_sr_1

Do the Right Thing (1989) - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097216/?ref_=nv_sr_1

The Running Man (1987) - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093894/?ref_=nv_sr_1

Wall Street (1987) - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093894/?ref_=nv_sr_1

Joint 69th - 10 points on 2 lists.

The Killer (1989) - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097202/?ref_=nv_sr_3

Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982) - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083929/?ref_=nv_sr_1

 

[BigDaveCUFC]

tut tut only me voting the Running man......ah well.

It is the top film I hope is remade so maybe a 2010's film list will do.