ShrykeVerse Top Movies of the 80's Countdown

[transformers2]

If some eager beaver wanted to do a weighted, cumulative list after we're done, The Shining would be very near the top. as it should be, though I suspect the only decent Star Wars sequel will make a strong comeback after the #1s are revealed.

Maybe next October we should do a horror countdown to see how well The Shining fares.

That's an excellent idea. My blind guess is that it would end up being the collective #1 and finish no lower than #5 on any list it appeared it on.

[transformers2]

#2
Boosh: The Empire Strikes Back (1980)


John: The Breakfast Club (1985)
This movie hit theatres in the spring of 1985 and I started high school in the fall of '86, and as a suburban, white, lower middle class kid with a lot of bottled up anxieties, no movie had ever come closer to showing the world as I understood it on screen.

Ferris Bueller, Sixteen Candles, and Pretty In Pink all offered keen insight into the way suburban teens of the 80s looked at life, felt about their parents, and related with each other, but none of those films comes close to John Hughes' masterpiece. Everyone I grew up with could identify with one of these characters, or some combination of them. I dressed like Bender and wanted people to see me that way, but the truth is I was much closer to Brian. And as an adult, I can look at the film and understand that even the principal and the janitor are relatable and sympathetic, in their own ways.

Ferris Bueller had that amazing scene where Alan Ruck reveals his true feelings about his father, destroying Dad's precious car in the process, but The Breakfast Club had numerous scenes like that, full of raw, powerful, honest emotion, and it's those scenes that make it so much more than a teen comedy.


Ron: Predator (1987)


six: Aliens (1986)
I’ve placed this film much higher on my list than expected. But that’s because I’ve probably watched this more than any other film on the list, from a young teen to a middle-aged fool. And the film always lands, always enthrals. Taking the horror of the original and multiplying the monster to create something even more terrifying was genius, even when pitting them against a merry band of soldiers, who fail miserably in the face of what they don’t understand. It’s almost a perfect metaphor for Vietnam. And central to the film is the first of Cameron’s female heroes, as the survivor-Ripley of the original becomes the warrior-mom in this incredible, if not superior sequel.


StarLord: Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)


transformers: The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
Awe-inspiring. Electrifying. The single most shocking, effective plot twist I've ever seen in a movie. The Empire Strikes Back is not only the apex of the Star Wars franchise, but of blockbuster filmmaking as a whole.

[StarLord123]

So, here we are.

The 1st and 3rd Indy films are two of my favorite movies of all time, and the pinnacle of adventure filmmaking. Spielberg in top form delivering some of the greatest and most exciting set pieces ever put to the screen. The chemistry between Ford and Connery is unmatched and it's why I ever-so-slightly prefer Crusade over Raiders.

Though if the Dial of Destiny macguffin existed in real life, I'd use it go back in time to ensure that garbage film was never made.

[numbersix]

This must be the least diverse list we've ever done.

If we do a horror one next year, I'm going to make sure I dive deep into Guatamalian folk horror before compiling my list

[Buscemi2]

La Llorona? I found that one pretty boring, to be honest.

[transformers2]

This must be the least diverse list we've ever done.

If we do a horror one next year, I'm going to make sure I dive deep into Guatamalian folk horror before compiling my list

John said it earlier and he was spot-on: The rest of the participants were either born during or after the 80's, so we were all doomed to the fate of playing catchup on the period to varying degrees, making repeats of popular classic titles inevitable. I'd be pretty surprised if something like this ever happened again on one of our countdowns, especially with something as broad as horror movies.

[JohnErle]

This must be the least diverse list we've ever done.

If we do a horror one next year, I'm going to make sure I dive deep into Guatamalian folk horror before compiling my list

A Guatemalan would probably look at your list and think the choices were pretty obvious.

This 80s countdown has the narrowest focus of any list we've ever done, so a lot of overlap was probably inevitable, but if we do a horror countdown I suspect the top 5 would still be fairly predictable, but there'd probably be more variety in the earlier rounds.

[numbersix]

What's interesting is that if we did a 70s or 90s list, I bet there would be way less crossover.

What is it about the 80s? Was it the king of tentpole movies? Or perhaps the best era of sweaty muscular action films that appealed to gangly preteen boys?

[Buscemi2]

I think it's the combination of several factors. There was the fall of New Hollywood and the rise of every studio wanting to chase money. There was the Cold War. There was cable television and home video becoming affordable, so you needed to have movies that could sell in post-theatrical markets. And though this came later, there were the large number of people who could never get over the 80's ending and decided to resurrect every single thing about the 80's in hopes of trying to make an endless version of the decade.

At least they haven't tried to turn Inchon into a cult classic.

[JohnErle]

I think a 70s list would be nearly as predictable, especially at the top. I'd wager that our collective top 10 would include most, if not all of these films:

The Godfather 1 & 2
Star Wars
Jaws
Chinatown
The French Connection
The Exorcist
Rocky
Close Encounters
A Clockwork Orange
Alien
Taxi Driver

The farther you go back into the past, the more likely it is that younger audiences will seek out films from the canon, and we're all by-products of the fanboy culture that started with Spielberg and Lucas, so those are the types of films that would inevitably rise to the top.

I'm sure Six would have some outlier picks like Nashville and Eraserhead, while I might have some Giallo and cult picks that no one else has ever seen, but I'd be shocked if the films above weren't picked over and over again.

[Ron Burgundy]

Phew, we made it to the no 1s, im a bit sad i couldnt comment on everything (working too much) also wish Chien could have joined us. But anyways, heres a boatload of comments before No.1. And for what its worth, yes we should absolutely do a cumulative count.

14+13+12+11+10+9

Boosh
Die Hard
Is it the perfect action movies? Id say yes. 10/10
Once Upon a Time in America
Its in my list too, epic movie, and yes ive seen the extended cut, apparently there were a 4+ hour long cut which got lost. 8.5/10
Blade Runner
Epic Sci-fi, just doesnt age. 9/10
Cinema Paradiso
I tried to watch this once, getting to halfway, i dont understand the super high imdb rating tbh. N/A
The Shining
No TV and no beer maker Homer go crazy...10/10
The Last Temptation of Chirst
Its not an easy watch, but ultimately somewhat rewarding. 6/10

John
An American Werwolf in London
Seen it once, and really enjoyed it. Been a while though, could def rewatch. 7/10
The Falcon and the Snowman
Its been on my watchlist for about 10 years. Ill see it soon. N/A
The Changeling
Ive tried to see it once, but never revisted. N/A
Full Metal Jacket
Epic war movie, first half is my favourite. 9/10
Airplane
Good to see it appear again, i like it but to be honest i like the Naked Gun series more. Did you know which old 50s airplane movie alot of the script is based on? 6.5/10
Eight Men Out
I liked this quite a bit, these are my type of movies. 7/10

Six
The Empire Strikes Back
The best Star Wars movie for sure, endlessly entertaining, masterful film making. 9.5/10
Raging Bull
I pondered whether or not i should have it on my list. At first i disliked this movie, but having seen it a few years ago, i loved it. The mid movie ring fight is excellent, almost better than any Rocky. 7.5/10
Die Hard
Has there ever been a better villain then Hans Gruber? 10/10
Brazil
Such a different film to watch, so much going on it takes a couple of viewing to get it. 7.5/10
The Terminator
I wanted to include this, i did. But Judgement day was the first i watched and sticks with me more. 7.5/10
The King of comedy
Refreshingly brilliant, i like that you highlighted Joker ripping this off. 7.5/10

Starlord
Scarface
De Palma has a neat doco where he recites his movies, has anyone seen it? I love this movie. 9/10
The Shining
Lotta people picking this, me included. Its wonderful. 10/10
Predator
See my avatar? Dylan, you sonnof a bitch! 10/10
Ghostbusters
Shryke would have almost definitely had this on his list. For me its a solid one and done movie. 6/10
The Terminator
Arnie's launchpad was epic. 7.5/10
Lethal Weapon
Its a good action flick, Mel Gibson at his finest. 7/10

Tranny
Return of the Jedi
Has anyone not seen this? When i first caught Star Wars at 6 i didnt care much for it. When i saw all 3 originals at age 10 i saw them all in one go. Top notch trilogy ender. 9/10
The Shining
Have you seen Room 237? Nice little doco on theories on the movie. 10/10
Better off Dead
Its somewhat over rated in my opinion, i didnt think so highly of it. 6/10
Robocop
Almost gets better with each viewing, Verhoeven was a great. 7.5/10
The Terminator
Michael Biehn's role is sometimes shunned, where as i thought he was the 3rd wheel in this fine action flick. 7.5/10
The Killer
A late cut from my top 30, its extremely slick, i loved this. 7.5/10

[Buscemi2]

The Blu-ray release of Once Upon a Time in America is over four hours. It doesn't have every scene Leone intended to include but it's supposedly the closest to his original vision.

[transformers2]

I think a 70s list would be nearly as predictable, especially at the top. I'd wager that our collective top 10 would include most, if not all of these films:

The Godfather 1 & 2
Star Wars
Jaws
Chinatown
The French Connection
The Exorcist
Rocky
Close Encounters
A Clockwork Orange
Alien
Taxi Driver

The farther you go back into the past, the more likely it is that younger audiences will seek out films from the canon, and we're all by-products of the fanboy culture that started with Spielberg and Lucas, so those are the types of films that would inevitably rise to the top.

I'm sure Six would have some outlier picks like Nashville and Eraserhead, while I might have some Giallo and cult picks that no one else has ever seen, but I'd be shocked if the films above weren't picked over and over again.

Completely agree on all points. Apocalypse Now, Network, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Dog Day Afternoon, Barry Lyndon, Halloween, Dawn of the Dead, The Deer Hunter, The Holy Grail and Life of Brian would also likely be prominently featured.

[numbersix]

Gotta disagree, here.

The 70s was an exceptional time for cinema, where arthouse and mainstream crossed over in fascinating ways. There are going to be more "classics" to choose from, both in terms of awards contenders and the more obscure films

Every decade is going to have its obvious choices (Pulp Fiction and Jurassic Park in the 90s, for example), but the 80s seems strangely limited compared to others.

[JohnErle]

If we were doing a Sight & Sound poll of filmmakers and critics from all over the world, I would agree with you, but in this small group of mostly young people who are interested in predicting which films will dominate at the domestic box office, I suspect that most of the people who would take part in a theoretical 70s countdown look to the IMDb 250 or Letterboxed when deciding which films are classics worth watching, and then those lists become self-fulfilling prophecies.