ShrykeVerse Top Movies of the 80's Countdown

[transformers2]

StarLord: The Empire Strikes Back was nearly my #1 as well, so obviously I love it. It's the pinnacle of blockbuster filmmaking to me and the high watermark that Star Wars has been trying (and failing) to replicate ever since.

Since your list was full of so many iconic films, I've seen 22 of them (13 of which appeared on my list-which is the most crossovers I had with anyone). The buddy action comedy trio of Midnight Run, Lethal Weapon and Lethal Weapon 2 were especially welcome inclusions. The Dalton Bond movies and Full Metal Jacket are the titles from your list that I aim to check out next.

Ron: Another classic #1 that placed highly on my own list. All of the Die Hard mentions here over the past month has me clamoring for an overdue rewatch.

I've seen 16 films from your list (the underrated See No Evil, Hear No Evil appearing was a really pleasant surprise) and we had 10 crossovers+the bonus of one of my honorable mentions (Hoosiers). The Thing, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and Videodrome top the list of titles I've yet to see that I'm eager to check out.

[transformers2]

Shryke's #1:
The Breakfast Club (1985)
Here's what Patrick had to say about the film back in 2011:
I had the incredible good fortune to be a teenager when The Breakfast Club came out. Never had any movie before (or since) no perfectly capture the essence of being a teenager or a high-schooler like this film did. When five students, each with a very different upbringing, each belonging to a different pre-determined high-school clique, are confined for detention purposes in their school’s library by their overbearing principal for an entire Saturday, something incredible happens. With all barriers between them removed, these five completely different individuals begin to bond, discovering things about not only each other but themselves as well. John Hughes, one of the maestros of crafting memorable films featuring young actors and actresses, has made some incredible movies, but not as markedly poignant and subtly soul-stirring as this. Though now more than 25 years old, The Breakfast Club deals with timeless issues such as peer pressure, parental pressure, and the high and low points of the societal structure that every school has. I maintain that this should be required viewing for every teenager as well as anyone who is the parent of a teenager. Brilliantly shot and edited and with a terrific soundtrack (“Don’t You Forget About Me” will always be connected to this movie, and justly so, it’s a perfect fit), The Breakfast Club is the greatest teen movie of all time.

[transformers2]

Shryke's Top 31 (this countdown was for him, so he gets the honor of having a bonus pick)
31.Trading Places (1983)
30.Short Circuit (1986)
29.The Terminator (1984)
28.Angel Heart (1987)
27.Better Off Dead... (1985)
26.Bloodsport (1988)
25.Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
24.Back to the Future (1985)
23.A Fish Called Wanda (1988)
22.The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1988)
21.Enemy Mine (1986)
20.Ladyhawke (1985)
19.Beverly Hills Cop (1984)
18.Aliens (1986)
17.The Thing (1982)
16.The Princess Bride (1987)
15.The Abyss (1989)
14.True Believer (1989)
13.Clash of the Titans (1981)
12.Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1987)
11.Weird Science (1985)
10.Return of the Jedi (1983)
9.Die Hard (1988)
8.Real Genius (1985)
7.Big Trouble in Little China (1986)
6.Ghostbusters (1984)
5.UHF (1989)
4.The Secret of NIMH (1982)
3.Fletch (1985)
2.Predator (1987)
1.The Breakfast Club (1985)

[JohnErle]

Shryke, if you're listening, as the only other member of this group old enough to remember coming of age in the 80s, it's no surprise that you'd have The Breakfast Club as your #1. It's also no surprise that you'd have lesser-known picks like Real Genius, The Secret Of UHF, and NIMH.

Of all your picks, the only one I didn't like during the 80s was Bloodsport, and the only one I have no real memory of is True Believer. When I saw the title I thought it was that one where Tom Berenger played a horny priest who tangles with the mob. After watching the trailer I still don't really remember the film, but it does seem like everyone's doing a lot of melodramatic acting with their hands.

Doing these countdowns doesn't feel the same without you, but hopefully we'll keep the tradition alive for as long as the ancient coding in this forum lets us. I'll be rooting for the Arizona Diamondbacks in game 7 tonight in your honour.

[Buscemi2]

That was Last Rites (1988) you were thinking of, John. The only film ever directed by Magnum P.I./Quantum Leap/NCIS creator Donald Bellisario.

[numbersix]

Considering the ol Shrykester and myself had very different tastes, quite the opposite in face, it's heartwarming to see that we had plenty of crossover when it comes to 80s movies. 7 (if you include my top 33, at least), and plenty others I'm fond of, either as a film snob or as a child of the 80s. And good to see someone pick Beverley Hills Cop, a film all the boys in my primary school loved.

It's only a shame he's not here to update his list, tell us about his experience of the movies, and to tell me how unrewarding David Lynch's films are. In hour I will ensure to watch UHF as soon as I can. Since our Top 100 list I actually saw Weird Al live (his first ever European gig, apparently), so it seems appropriate.

Ron, your list was surprising, a mix of the usual 80s stalwarts, and then a few surprises like The Thin Blue Line, and great to see the hilarious Dirty Rotten Scoundrels make an appearance.

Finally, one last thanks to you all for participating. It's a dwindling group, but it's one I treasure in a strange, anti-social way. And I look forward to the next one, whether it's the Best songs of 2023 (which I'll run) or a horror film list next year. Whatever it is, count me in.

[transformers2]

When I complied Shryke's list, it brought me a lot of joy. So many of the picks just caught me completely off guard. Weird Science! Bloodsport! Enemy Mine! Ladyhawke! Short Circuit! There were surprises around nearly every corner! The only thing that I didn't like about it was knowing that he wasn't around to update it. We love and miss you dearly pal.

I've seen 17 of his films and we shared 9 crossovers including my honorable mention selection of Big Trouble in Little China. I'm especially delighted to know that we shared a love of Better Off Dead... given that you were on the ground floor of the era's coming-of-age boom and that ended up being among your favorites.

Final note is that UHF fucking rules and I retroactively wish I'd considered it for my #30 selection.

[transformers2]

Thanks again to everybody for participating. The collective Top 30 will be up sometime early tomorrow afternoon EST (in an actual separate thread this time!). As we bid ado on this countdown, let's do one final exercise that we briefly touched on earlier: What snubs surprised you the most? Excluding the aforementioned Stand by Me, Fast Times at Ridgemont High and Who Framed Rodger Rabbit?, here are mine:
My Neighbor Totoro
Kiki's Delivery Service
Come and See
The Fly
Dead Poets Society
Ferris Buller's Day Off
Thief
Blow Out
The NeverEnding Story
Possession
A Nightmare on Elm Street
Wings of Desire

[JohnErle]

Now that you mention it, the fact that no one picked Dead Poets Society is a bit surprising, even though it was a very guy-friendly list. Throw a few women into the mix and Dead Poets Society probably would have appeared, and The Princess Bride would have ranked much higher.

I'm a bit surprised Six didn't pick Wings Of Desire, especially after he rushed to the defence of Paris, Texas. Isn't that the one where Nick Cave appears in a Berlin club for like twenty minutes?

[numbersix]

I like Wings of Desire, but when it comes to New German Cinema I much prefer Fassbinder and Herzog.

As for omissions, I'm surprised by the lack of The Lost Boys, Poltergeist, Top Gun, and Big.

[Chienfantome]

Okay, it is time for me to catch that countdown back. I wish I could have done it with you, but bad timing. So it took me longer than I thought to come up with those 30 films. And I’m afraid I’m probably forgetting a few, but “c’est le jeu”, as we say in french.
Out of the 30, many, you will see, have already been listed by some/most of you, and probably only a third are films that haven't been cited by any of you, and most of them are French.

So, here we go.

30. Quelques jours avec moi / A Few Days With Me (1988)
I’ll start with one of the very last films of one of the very best French directors of the sixties and seventies, Claude Sautet. He is known for heavy, noir and yet poetic dramas, but he directed a surprising dramedy in 1988, starring Daniel Auteuil, Sandrine Bonnaire and Jean-Pierre Marielle (one of the greatest French actors ever). It tells the story of the son of a great bourgeois French family, who owns big supermarkets. So the son, played by Auteuil, just got out of the hospital for mental health issues, but his mom decides to send him on an inspection tour in the French province.
It’s very 80’s, but Sautet’s cinema is full of lively characters and delicious dialogues and situations. One of my favourite films ever is his “Cesar & Rosalie”, from the early 70’s. If you’ve never seen it, you have to.
Unfortunately I could find any footage with English subtitles, not even a trailer without subtitles, so here’s an unsubtitled clip for you !

[Chienfantome]

And I'll catch up your lists as well. So here's my take on your #30s

Boosh: Koyaaniqatsi (1982)
Been meaning to watch it for years but actually never have !

JohnErle: Conan the Barbarian (1982)
I probably saw it once when I was a kid but can't really remember it.

six: After Hours (1985)
Haven't seen it in so long, I considered it but it was too far in my memory.

StarLord: The Living Daylights (1987)
I like a 007 once in a while. I know I've seen this one and remember bits, but not enough.

transformers: Over the Top (1987)
I remember seeing this one when I was a kid and being a bit scared, I think. But I haven't seen it in over 30 years.

[numbersix]

I've yet to meet a Frenchman who is on time, so you're excused, Chien

[Chienfantome]

The French hate being early, can sometimes be on time, but mostly prefer to be just a little late. Otherwise you're not really French.
We say that being 15 minutes late to a meeting, reunion or date is a sign of politeness

[Chienfantome]

29. No Way Out (1987)
A good chunk of the films I’m gonna list are films I grew up watching, obviously, but some are less obvious than others. Roger Donaldson can’t really be considered an important filmmaker, and yet he has directed a few very solid films. No Way Out is one of my favorite “espionage” films, if you can call it that, and I watched it a lot when I was a teen. It comes from the lineage of films like Three Days of the Condor, but it has a surprisingly light tone and sexy atmosphere that never gets in the way of how ridiculously entertaining and captivating it is, no matter how confusing it can be, with characters in a fascinating grey area.