Nice list! I'm a little sad that Ran didn't go in though haha. I would also recommend Pixote (1980). Pixote is a very raw movie that feels almost like a documentary. It's super popular in Brazil, but less so in the rest of the world. It's on the Criterion Channel too.
Love what you said about Local Hero. My fave flick from the 80s. I got to hang out with Burt Lancaster right before he stared shooting Local Hero. Lancaster was as friendly as possible and a dude who could crack walnuts with his insanely strong handshake. Getting to see him a year or so later in Local Hero made an already perfect film double awesome.
Sometimes, with the state of the modern Star Wars franchise, people forget how incredible The Empire Strikes Back is. Very few movies have as much style and confidence as it does.
To use one of your catchphrases, “Am I nitpicking if I say” most of these are films and not movies? It made me smile when you mentioned a film that you didn’t even like until the second or third viewing. My hat is off to you; you are a true cinephile.😊
Some of my favorites of the 80s: 1. Mishima 2. Brazil 3. Ran 4. Come and See 5. Grave of the Fireflies 6. Kagemusha 7. My Dinner with Andre 8. Full Metal Jacket 9. The Sacrifice 10. The Empire Strikes Back 11. The Shining 12. Nostalgia
Wow! What a great list! So many I’ve not seen and can’t wait to see. I was surprised to not see a movie you’ve discussed as a great film, and you are the reason I watched it very recently - Withnail and I.
I can't remember where I ranked Withnail -- it's over on letterboxd on my top 80s movies list somewhere. Alas, not every great movie can make the top 25. And I'm sure that in 10 years, half of the movies on this list will change out for me. thanks for your comment.
Now I am going to have to go back and revisit "Paris, Texas".... I've put off watching "Come and See", but now I'm going to have to watch it. GREAT list and commentary. Thank-you.
Dekalog is one of the greatest achievements in all of cinema in my opinion. Fantastic series. Also, I mirror your love for the Purple Rose of Cairo, it might be my favorite Woody Allen, the ending is just perfect. For my quick list, in no particular order: Landscape in the Mist A City of Sadness Dekalog Fanny and Alexander Ran Mishima Paris Texas Come and See Brazil On the Silver Globe The Cook, The Thief, His Wife and Her Lover Jean de Florette and Manon The Purple Rose of Cairo Blue Velvet The Thing The Sacrifice Blade Runner Do The Right Thing The Shining Blow Out Angel's Egg Manhunter Tampopo Miss Lonely The Empire Strikes Back
Solid list, Dr. Matthews. Glad to see Kagemusha, Prince of the City, Brazil, and Mishima get mentioned. I would have exchanged Wings of Desire and Crimes and Misdemeanors for Paris, Texas and The Purple Rose of Cairo (though they are my second favorite from those directors). I would add The Unbearable Lightness of Being, The Road Warrior, Blade Runner, and Fitzcarraldo.
Nice list and breakdown! Loving your takes, subscribed! Here's my Top 25 of the 80's. My #1 is a masterpiece that no one here even mentions, sadly, but Kubrick called it "the most terrifying film I have ever seen". If that's not a recommendation, I don't know what is. (Limiting mysef to one film per director) 1) The Vanishing (1988, George Sluizer) 2) Fanny & Alexander (1984, Ingmar Bergman) 3) Amadeus (1984, Milos Forman) 4) Dekalog (1989, Krzysztof Kieślowski) 5) The Shining (1980, Stanley Kubrick) 6) The Sacrifice (1986, Andrei Tarkovsky) 7) Cinema Paradiso (1988, Giuseppe Tornatore) 8) Come And See (1985, Elem Klimov) 9) Once Upon A Time In America (1984, Sergio Leone) 10) Wings Of Desire (1987, Wim Wenders) 11) Grave Of The Fireflies (1988, Isao Takahata) 12) Ran (1985, Akira Kurosawa) 13) The Terminator (1984, James Cameron) 14) The Elephant Man (1980, David Lynch) 15) Possession (1981, Andrzej Zulawski) 16) Scarface (1983, Brian De Palma) 17) Threads (1984. Mick Jackson) 18) Blade Runner (1982, Ridley Scott) 19) Mishima (1985, Paul Schrader) 20) Brazil (1985, Terry Gilliam) 21) Raging Bull (1980, Martin Scorsese) 22) Angel Heart (1987, Alan Parker) 23) Santa Sangre (1989, Alejandro Jodorowsky) 24) Das Boot (1982, Wolfgang Petersen) 25) Videodrome (1983, David Cronenberg)
Hi Josh- just wanted to say thank you for all the awesome videos, this one included. I always appreciate hearing your thoughts even (especially?) if I don’t agree with them. Great list.
My faves in this order 1-25 Repo Man - Alex Cox Tampopo - Juzo Itami Withnail and I - Bruce Robinson 48 Hours - Walter Hill Blue Velvet - David Lynch Brazil - Terry Gilliam Dune - David Lynch The Purple Rose of Cairo - Woody Allen Lost in America - Albert Brooks The Breakfast Club - John Hughes Stripes - Ivan Reitman Body Heat - Lawrence Kasdan Creepshow - George A. Romero An American Werewolf in London - John Landis Poltergeist - Tobe Hooper Into the Night - John Landis Birdy - Alan Parker Raising Arizona - Joel Coen Neighbors - John G. Avildsen Babette's Feast - Gabriel Axel River's Edge - Tim Hunter Chattahoochee - Mick Jackson The Thin Blue Line - Errol Morris Talk Radio - Oliver Stone Frances - Graeme Clifford
My peculiar list of Top 25 Movies of the 1980s Honorable mentions Aliens *Josh* - Do The Right Thing *Josh* - Evil Dead 2 - The Sacrifice *Josh* - My Neighbor Totoro - After Hours - A Cry in The Dark need to rewatch but highly rate - Fanny and Alexander *Josh* - Come and See *Josh* - Where Is My Friend's House? *Josh* 25. WHEN HARRY MET SALLY (1989, Rob Reiner) 24. A SHORT FILM ABOUT KILLING (1988, Krystof Kieslowski) *Josh* 23. DIVA (1981, Jean Jacques Beineix) 22. MY LIFE AS A DOG (1985, Lasse Hallsttrom) 21. GREGORY'S GIRL (1980, Bill Forsyth) 20. THE KING OF COMEDY (1983, Martin Scorsese) 19. TOOTSIE (1982, Sydney Pollack) 18. TIME OF THE GYPSIES (1988, Emir Kustirica) 17. PARIS TEXAS (1984, Wim Wenders) *Josh* 16. SANS SOLEIL (1983, Chris Marker) 15. HANNAH AND HER SISTERS (1986, Woody Allen) 14. SOMETHING WILD (1986, Jonathan Demme) 13. FIELD OF DREAMS (1989, Phil Alden Robinson) 12. MANON DES SOURCES (1986, Claude Berri) *Josh* 11. RAGING BULL (1980, Martin Scorsese) 10. REPO MAN (1984, Alex Cox) *Josh* 9. THE RIGHT STUFF (1983, Phillip Kaufman) 8. RAN (1985, Akira Kurosawa) 7. DEAD RINGERS (1988, David Cronenberg) 6. ONCE UPON A TIME IN AMERICA (1984, Sergio Leone) 5. PLATOON (1986, Oliver Stone) 4. THE VANISHING (1988, George Sluizer) 3. E.T. THE EXTRA TERRESTRIAL (1982, Steven Spielberg) 2. SEX LIES AND VIDEOTAPE (1989, Steven Soderbergh) NUMBER ONE: BLUE VELVET (1986, David Lynch)
I would have added The Right Stuff, Ran, Vagabond, Hannah and Her Sisters, Wings of Desire, After Hours, and Back to the Future. But to be honest, My Dinner With Andre is my favorite film of the 1980s.
I'm going off my dome here so I'm about to miss a few, but here's my list: Blade Runner First Blood On the Silver Globe The Purple Rose of Cairo (not my favorite Woodie Allen, but you put it better than I could) Paris, Texas Scarface Once Upon a Time in America Do The Right Thing The Shining & Full Metal Jacket Raiders of the Lost Ark The more I think about it, the more I realize how most of my all time favorites are from the 70s and the 90s.
My Top 25 of the 80s: Do the Right Thing (Top 10 All Time for me) Blow Out Thief The Thing Movie Dementia Blade Runner Blue Velvet The Shining Indiana Jones Raiders of the Lost Ark Paris Texas Star Wars V My Neighbour Totoro Raging Bull Dead Zone My Dinner with Andre Akira Once Upon a Time in America The Sacrifice Mystery Train Twenty Years Later Ran The Abyss Back to the Future 1 Die Hard Robocop Radio Days
thank you! Ah, the Goonies. I did rewatch it for this 80s exercise, but it didn't take this time. Had you asked me at 8 years old, I would've included it.
My baker’s dozen plus one (in no order)- Love Streams, Melvin and Howard, To Live and Die in LA, Under the Volcano, The Elephant Man, Thief, That’s Life!, Star 80, Cutters Way, Insignificance, Rumble Fish, Breaker Morant, Lifeforce: plus The Caine Mutiny Court Martial, a TV movie directed by Robert Altman in 1988.
Thank you! I share your love for several of these movies(Andre and Paris, Texas and Do the Right Thing), there are several that are on my list of movies to see and I've got a few new one's to add to my list.
I absolutely love The Last Emperor because of its very David Lean-esq visual style. I would say the film was the last great epic film that was made, and I mean epic in the style of filmmaking that you would see in the late '50s and throughout the '60s, even early '70s.
Don't feel bad about how high you put Empire Strikes Back, I would put it up there with you as well. I did my own video on it a while ago, and while I also discussed some information I found in regards to Star Wars (1977), I had about 45 minutes of things to say about Empire. It is absolutely the best Star Wars film out there. Yes, in my video, I tied some things from the film to ET (it's hard not to, considering Yoda's "cameo", and John Williams' equally brilliant and emotional score, also quoting his Yoda's theme), but I still have a lot to say about Empire, and how it is such a genius work; probably the best sci-fi film of the decade (along with ET).
I haven't seen Dekalog, Do the right thing, and Mishima yet, but here is my 25-favourite list: E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial The Purple Rose of Cairo The Ballad of Narayama Elephant Man Being There After Hours Platoon Full Metal Jacket The Shining Paris Texas Wings of Desire Once upon a time in America Fanny and Alexander Raging Bull Nostalghia The Sacrifice Stalker Kagemusha Ran Come and See Amadeus Landscape in the Mist When Father was away on business Time of the Gypsies Cinema Paradiso
Empire Strikes Back is the best film in the entire Star Wars catalog and its not even close. Don't be embarrassed about that selection. Definitely a top 5 80s film.
Great list - no Kubrick, but also no Scorsese, so I can live with that as I'm a fan of the former but not the latter. Very great coverage/balance b/n U.S. and international. The top 3 are great choices; as I've mentioned, Sacrifice is a filming that is bewitching to me - keeps on calling me back for another look/experience. For my pop candy fave of the 80s - Back to the Future.
Scorsese went through a weird period this decade, some of which I really like. Obviously people put Raging Bull at or near the top, so that could go on. Kubrick only had two films this decade, so you've got to like them to put them on a list like this.
French movie Le Bal is a sentimental favourite of mine. It is set in a Parisian dance hall, As the years pass, we see the dances change. Lovely quirky humour, and moments of poignancy.
Amadeus is one of maybe 4 movies about musicians i fully endorse. Do The Right Thing…I think its about the finest American film made outside of the the golden age of Hollywood
@@LearningaboutMovies Byrd is great. Clint gets jazz and it never tries to explain Charlie Parker or his process. The Pianist, althought its primarily thought of as being about the holocaust, it is about a musician abd the lengths he went to to survive and play again both while in hiding and postwar. Round Midnight has to be in there. Dexter Gordon is the man. Aaaaaaand….this one polarizes people but Love and Mercy. Popular bands being portrayed rarely works because its just too self conscious. The actors in this actually talk like musicians. Their poolside conversations dont completely veer off into “We cant compete with Sgt Pepper!” and the creative and recording processes actually look and feel right. The 16mm footage was and incredible touch. I even love the Cusack stuff as Brian in the 80s. Once he gets going, I dont even think about the fact that its Cusack.
Adding Babette’s feast to the list. What’s your birthday , Man? I’ll see Jean de Florette and Manon then. I keep hearing about my dinner with Andre and local hero. Agree that purple rose of Cairo is Allen’s best and I don’t really care for him most of the time as is 😂 Huge fan of Mozart and anything depicting history or classical music so Amadeus is forever one of my top films of the eighties
In no specific order: -Raiders of the Lost Ark - Empire Strikes Back - Karate Kid -Amadeus -Bad Timing -Dead Poets Society -Wall Street -Broadcast News -Brazil -Fabulous Baker Boys -Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown
yes, and it's criminal of me to not put one of my favorite directors on here. Fitz is not all the way to my taste -- some brilliant stuff in it for sure.
I forget if I put it on here! It's in the top tier for sure, esp. in terms of entertainment value, and it does have the magic of cinema to it. Great score!
Interesting that you'd put a film that you consider Bergman's best (or top 3) only as #19 of the 80s, which would mean it would be even lower in an all time list.
For me: 25- The changeling 24- Repo man 23- landscape in the mist 22- the cook, the thief, his wife and her lover 21- Brazil 20- The thing 19- do the right thing 18- Lion of the desert 17- Amadeus 16- Dekalog 15- Akira 14- Videodrome 13- possession 12- blue velvet 11- tampopo 10- au revoir les enfants 9- on the silver globe 8- Paris, Texas 7- the last temptation of christ 6- the ballad of narayama 5- blade runner 4- once upon a time in america 3- Fanny and alexander 2- cinema paradiso 1 Come and see
@tom_abbott Fantastic taste, I see some overlap with my list I just posted. After looking through the comment section to see what I missed, your list is definitely my favorite. Have you seen A City of Sadness?
@tom_abbott Fair enough, some of them can catch me on a day when I'm not focused and I have ti watch at a different time, but when I'm tuned in, I really connect. I'm a giant Ozu fan so Hou Hsiao-hsien, and all of the Taiwanese New Wave directors that follow that similar style really appeal to me.
@that1guy375 Yeah exactly you just connect with some directors more than others. It'd be boring if everybody liked all the same films. I personally cant stand anything by john cassavetes for example, but love anything by kubrik. I'd like to try more hsien movies, I've only seen city of sadness and the flowers of shanghai (which i liked more). I might try three times next
@tom_abbott That's the fun of these kinds of list too, seeing everyone's picks. I kinda liked A Woman Under the Influence, and Gena Rowlands is great, but for the most part I'm more lukewarm on the Cassavetes films I've seen. So I agree. If you thought A City of Sadness was slow, I would not recommend Three Times lol. There is even less dialogue. My favorite films of his are all very slow so I can't even really recommend anything else lol.
A good list, some of my favorites not on the list Das Boot Ran The Shinning Evil Dead II Airplane! Blue Velvet The Breakfast Club Ferris Bueller's Day Off Crimes and Misdemeanors
nah, empire strikes back is absolutely an all timer. maybe on paper it stands out amongst your amadeuses or your fanny and alexanders but i honestly wouldnt bat an eye. i def prefer empire of those
One final comment - how is My Dinner with Andre on any of these lists ? Is there a form of hypnosis involved ? Even Roger Ebert like it !! I know this is not a legitimate pick or even a good movie - because no one here would ever ask a friend, wife, girlfriend, family member to watch the movie with them cause you'd get a shoe thrown at your head 5 minutes into the movie.. it is a clandestine watch, solo viewing, like in a dark times square theater in the 70s.
It's far worse compared to the 70s, which had both writers and directors invested in literary humanism and the studios being more open to creativity, and to the 90s, when a ton of capital went into post-Cold War moviemaking along with some of the artistic spirit of the 70s. The top of the 80s to me is great, but you get down to movie #150 in the decade, however you would rank them, and it pails compared to either decade's depth. A lot of artists dislike the 80s because of increasing studio dominance and corporatism there. I think the zeitgeist favored schmaltzy nostalgia and melodrama.
this decade has been crushed by COVID and then the industry strikes, plus the politicization of everything, plus the industry falling in love with IP and thinking that art is just a commodity.
@@LearningaboutMovies - That's a good assessment. Interesting you should mention the Cold War - it's true that a new cultural optimism seemed to emerge in the '90s (and thus more filmmaking opportunities) when the '80s felt more oppressive. I think, also, that both the '70s and '90s were dominated by new artistic visions from new filmmakers whereas in the '80s, most of the best work was from established filmmakers with a few exceptions. Every era needs a Breathless or Bonnie and Clyde or Pulp Fiction to blow everything apart. And you may be right in singling out Do The Right Thing as that film for the '80s. I, though, would like to give a shoutout for Sex Lies And Videotape as that film. Both of these films felt forward looking at the time.
Great list. One i think that is often written off as simply kids entertainment but I think is a little underrated from an artistic perspective is Back to the Future. I find it more fun than Empire Strikes Back and might have more depth artistically!
Nice list! I'm a little sad that Ran didn't go in though haha. I would also recommend Pixote (1980). Pixote is a very raw movie that feels almost like a documentary. It's super popular in Brazil, but less so in the rest of the world. It's on the Criterion Channel too.
Love what you said about Local Hero. My fave flick from the 80s. I got to hang out with Burt Lancaster right before he stared shooting Local Hero. Lancaster was as friendly as possible and a dude who could crack walnuts with his insanely strong handshake. Getting to see him a year or so later in Local Hero made an already perfect film double awesome.
Sometimes, with the state of the modern Star Wars franchise, people forget how incredible The Empire Strikes Back is. Very few movies have as much style and confidence as it does.
Plus one on Local Hero. It’s such a gently brilliant film. Love Amadeus as well.
To use one of your catchphrases, “Am I nitpicking if I say” most of these are films and not movies? It made me smile when you mentioned a film that you didn’t even like until the second or third viewing. My hat is off to you; you are a true cinephile.😊
Some of my favorites of the 80s:
1. Mishima
2. Brazil
3. Ran
4. Come and See
5. Grave of the Fireflies
6. Kagemusha
7. My Dinner with Andre
8. Full Metal Jacket
9. The Sacrifice
10. The Empire Strikes Back
11. The Shining
12. Nostalgia
thank you
@@spacelion4763 I’ve seen it twice. My favorite movies are the ones that make me feel and think the most
@@spacelion4763 That’s part of why I love it. It’s a powerful anti war film that doesn’t pull any punches
Wow! What a great list! So many I’ve not seen and can’t wait to see. I was surprised to not see a movie you’ve discussed as a great film, and you are the reason I watched it very recently - Withnail and I.
I can't remember where I ranked Withnail -- it's over on letterboxd on my top 80s movies list somewhere. Alas, not every great movie can make the top 25. And I'm sure that in 10 years, half of the movies on this list will change out for me. thanks for your comment.
Now I am going to have to go back and revisit "Paris, Texas".... I've put off watching "Come and See", but now I'm going to have to watch it. GREAT list and commentary. Thank-you.
Thank you for the Paris, Texas description. An impossible beauty, and I share your experience!
Dekalog is one of the greatest achievements in all of cinema in my opinion. Fantastic series. Also, I mirror your love for the Purple Rose of Cairo, it might be my favorite Woody Allen, the ending is just perfect.
For my quick list, in no particular order:
Landscape in the Mist
A City of Sadness
Dekalog
Fanny and Alexander
Ran
Mishima
Paris Texas
Come and See
Brazil
On the Silver Globe
The Cook, The Thief, His Wife and Her Lover
Jean de Florette and Manon
The Purple Rose of Cairo
Blue Velvet
The Thing
The Sacrifice
Blade Runner
Do The Right Thing
The Shining
Blow Out
Angel's Egg
Manhunter
Tampopo
Miss Lonely
The Empire Strikes Back
thank you!
Great films on that list - City of Sadness!
@rossacrowe6197 Thanks! I'm huge fan of the Taiwanese New Wave, so many fantastic films.
Solid list, Dr. Matthews. Glad to see Kagemusha, Prince of the City, Brazil, and Mishima get mentioned. I would have exchanged Wings of Desire and Crimes and Misdemeanors for Paris, Texas and The Purple Rose of Cairo (though they are my second favorite from those directors). I would add The Unbearable Lightness of Being, The Road Warrior, Blade Runner, and Fitzcarraldo.
Wings of desire is one of my absolute favorites
thank you
Great list. I would have included the Mission, Crimes and Misdemeanors, Empire of the Sun . Ran, Raging Bull, Wings of Desire, Full Metal Jacket
Nice list and breakdown! Loving your takes, subscribed!
Here's my Top 25 of the 80's. My #1 is a masterpiece that no one here even mentions, sadly, but Kubrick called it "the most terrifying film I have ever seen". If that's not a recommendation, I don't know what is.
(Limiting mysef to one film per director)
1) The Vanishing (1988, George Sluizer)
2) Fanny & Alexander (1984, Ingmar Bergman)
3) Amadeus (1984, Milos Forman)
4) Dekalog (1989, Krzysztof Kieślowski)
5) The Shining (1980, Stanley Kubrick)
6) The Sacrifice (1986, Andrei Tarkovsky)
7) Cinema Paradiso (1988, Giuseppe Tornatore)
8) Come And See (1985, Elem Klimov)
9) Once Upon A Time In America (1984, Sergio Leone)
10) Wings Of Desire (1987, Wim Wenders)
11) Grave Of The Fireflies (1988, Isao Takahata)
12) Ran (1985, Akira Kurosawa)
13) The Terminator (1984, James Cameron)
14) The Elephant Man (1980, David Lynch)
15) Possession (1981, Andrzej Zulawski)
16) Scarface (1983, Brian De Palma)
17) Threads (1984. Mick Jackson)
18) Blade Runner (1982, Ridley Scott)
19) Mishima (1985, Paul Schrader)
20) Brazil (1985, Terry Gilliam)
21) Raging Bull (1980, Martin Scorsese)
22) Angel Heart (1987, Alan Parker)
23) Santa Sangre (1989, Alejandro Jodorowsky)
24) Das Boot (1982, Wolfgang Petersen)
25) Videodrome (1983, David Cronenberg)
Hi Josh- just wanted to say thank you for all the awesome videos, this one included. I always appreciate hearing your thoughts even (especially?) if I don’t agree with them. Great list.
thank you!
My faves in this order 1-25
Repo Man - Alex Cox
Tampopo - Juzo Itami
Withnail and I - Bruce Robinson
48 Hours - Walter Hill
Blue Velvet - David Lynch
Brazil - Terry Gilliam
Dune - David Lynch
The Purple Rose of Cairo - Woody Allen
Lost in America - Albert Brooks
The Breakfast Club - John Hughes
Stripes - Ivan Reitman
Body Heat - Lawrence Kasdan
Creepshow - George A. Romero
An American Werewolf in London - John Landis
Poltergeist - Tobe Hooper
Into the Night - John Landis
Birdy - Alan Parker
Raising Arizona - Joel Coen
Neighbors - John G. Avildsen
Babette's Feast - Gabriel Axel
River's Edge - Tim Hunter
Chattahoochee - Mick Jackson
The Thin Blue Line - Errol Morris
Talk Radio - Oliver Stone
Frances - Graeme Clifford
thank you
My peculiar list of Top 25 Movies of the 1980s
Honorable mentions
Aliens *Josh* - Do The Right Thing *Josh* - Evil Dead 2 - The Sacrifice *Josh* - My Neighbor Totoro - After Hours -
A Cry in The Dark
need to rewatch but highly rate - Fanny and Alexander *Josh* - Come and See *Josh* - Where Is My Friend's House? *Josh*
25. WHEN HARRY MET SALLY (1989, Rob Reiner)
24. A SHORT FILM ABOUT KILLING (1988, Krystof Kieslowski) *Josh*
23. DIVA (1981, Jean Jacques Beineix)
22. MY LIFE AS A DOG (1985, Lasse Hallsttrom)
21. GREGORY'S GIRL (1980, Bill Forsyth)
20. THE KING OF COMEDY (1983, Martin Scorsese)
19. TOOTSIE (1982, Sydney Pollack)
18. TIME OF THE GYPSIES (1988, Emir Kustirica)
17. PARIS TEXAS (1984, Wim Wenders) *Josh*
16. SANS SOLEIL (1983, Chris Marker)
15. HANNAH AND HER SISTERS (1986, Woody Allen)
14. SOMETHING WILD (1986, Jonathan Demme)
13. FIELD OF DREAMS (1989, Phil Alden Robinson)
12. MANON DES SOURCES (1986, Claude Berri) *Josh*
11. RAGING BULL (1980, Martin Scorsese)
10. REPO MAN (1984, Alex Cox) *Josh*
9. THE RIGHT STUFF (1983, Phillip Kaufman)
8. RAN (1985, Akira Kurosawa)
7. DEAD RINGERS (1988, David Cronenberg)
6. ONCE UPON A TIME IN AMERICA (1984, Sergio Leone)
5. PLATOON (1986, Oliver Stone)
4. THE VANISHING (1988, George Sluizer)
3. E.T. THE EXTRA TERRESTRIAL (1982, Steven Spielberg)
2. SEX LIES AND VIDEOTAPE (1989, Steven Soderbergh)
NUMBER ONE: BLUE VELVET (1986, David Lynch)
I would have added The Right Stuff, Ran, Vagabond, Hannah and Her Sisters, Wings of Desire, After Hours, and Back to the Future. But to be honest, My Dinner With Andre is my favorite film of the 1980s.
Good ones! Thank you.
And Dekalog is the greatest mini-series of all time!
I'm going off my dome here so I'm about to miss a few, but here's my list:
Blade Runner
First Blood
On the Silver Globe
The Purple Rose of Cairo (not my favorite Woodie Allen, but you put it better than I could)
Paris, Texas
Scarface
Once Upon a Time in America
Do The Right Thing
The Shining & Full Metal Jacket
Raiders of the Lost Ark
The more I think about it, the more I realize how most of my all time favorites are from the 70s and the 90s.
thank you
My Top 25 of the 80s:
Do the Right Thing (Top 10 All Time for me)
Blow Out
Thief
The Thing
Movie Dementia
Blade Runner
Blue Velvet
The Shining
Indiana Jones Raiders of the Lost Ark
Paris Texas
Star Wars V
My Neighbour Totoro
Raging Bull
Dead Zone
My Dinner with Andre
Akira
Once Upon a Time in America
The Sacrifice
Mystery Train
Twenty Years Later
Ran
The Abyss
Back to the Future 1
Die Hard
Robocop
Radio Days
great list !
Interesting list and well done for not having The Goonies on it :) Pleased to see Jean de Florette/Manon des Sources, I adore those films
thank you! Ah, the Goonies. I did rewatch it for this 80s exercise, but it didn't take this time. Had you asked me at 8 years old, I would've included it.
My baker’s dozen plus one (in no order)- Love Streams, Melvin and Howard, To Live and Die in LA, Under the Volcano, The Elephant Man, Thief, That’s Life!, Star 80, Cutters Way, Insignificance, Rumble Fish, Breaker Morant, Lifeforce: plus The Caine Mutiny Court Martial, a TV movie directed by Robert Altman in 1988.
thank you.
Thank you! I share your love for several of these movies(Andre and Paris, Texas and Do the Right Thing), there are several that are on my list of movies to see and I've got a few new one's to add to my list.
you're welcome, and thank you.
Wow, I have maybe heard like 3 of these movies! I got so many new good movie recommendations from this list it's insane. Thank you sir!
enjoy! you're welcome.
I absolutely love The Last Emperor because of its very David Lean-esq visual style. I would say the film was the last great epic film that was made, and I mean epic in the style of filmmaking that you would see in the late '50s and throughout the '60s, even early '70s.
thank you
Don't feel bad about how high you put Empire Strikes Back, I would put it up there with you as well. I did my own video on it a while ago, and while I also discussed some information I found in regards to Star Wars (1977), I had about 45 minutes of things to say about Empire. It is absolutely the best Star Wars film out there. Yes, in my video, I tied some things from the film to ET (it's hard not to, considering Yoda's "cameo", and John Williams' equally brilliant and emotional score, also quoting his Yoda's theme), but I still have a lot to say about Empire, and how it is such a genius work; probably the best sci-fi film of the decade (along with ET).
thank you
I haven't seen Dekalog, Do the right thing, and Mishima yet, but here is my 25-favourite list:
E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial
The Purple Rose of Cairo
The Ballad of Narayama
Elephant Man
Being There
After Hours
Platoon
Full Metal Jacket
The Shining
Paris Texas
Wings of Desire
Once upon a time in America
Fanny and Alexander
Raging Bull
Nostalghia
The Sacrifice
Stalker
Kagemusha
Ran
Come and See
Amadeus
Landscape in the Mist
When Father was away on business
Time of the Gypsies
Cinema Paradiso
thank you
great, my pick among your list is Paris Texas
thank you
Jarmusch in the 80s was pretty great imo:
Permanent Vacation
1984 Stranger Than Paradise
1986 Down by Law
1989 Mystery Train
Down by Law definitely has a place in my Top 10 of the 80s!
yes!
Empire Strikes Back is the best film in the entire Star Wars catalog and its not even close. Don't be embarrassed about that selection. Definitely a top 5 80s film.
thank you.
Great list - no Kubrick, but also no Scorsese, so I can live with that as I'm a fan of the former but not the latter. Very great coverage/balance b/n U.S. and international. The top 3 are great choices; as I've mentioned, Sacrifice is a filming that is bewitching to me - keeps on calling me back for another look/experience. For my pop candy fave of the 80s - Back to the Future.
Scorsese went through a weird period this decade, some of which I really like. Obviously people put Raging Bull at or near the top, so that could go on. Kubrick only had two films this decade, so you've got to like them to put them on a list like this.
@@LearningaboutMovies I did not connect at all with Raging Bull and found it dull/monotonous. The Shining would be the one for me.
French movie Le Bal is a sentimental favourite of mine. It is set in a Parisian dance hall, As the years pass, we see the dances change. Lovely quirky humour, and moments of poignancy.
thank you
Amadeus is one of maybe 4 movies about musicians i fully endorse. Do The Right Thing…I think its about the finest American film made outside of the the golden age of Hollywood
what other musician movies do you like?
@@LearningaboutMovies Byrd is great. Clint gets jazz and it never tries to explain Charlie Parker or his process. The Pianist, althought its primarily thought of as being about the holocaust, it is about a musician abd the lengths he went to to survive and play again both while in hiding and postwar. Round Midnight has to be in there. Dexter Gordon is the man. Aaaaaaand….this one polarizes people but Love and Mercy. Popular bands being portrayed rarely works because its just too self conscious. The actors in this actually talk like musicians. Their poolside conversations dont completely veer off into “We cant compete with Sgt Pepper!” and the creative and recording processes actually look and feel right. The 16mm footage was and incredible touch. I even love the Cusack stuff as Brian in the 80s. Once he gets going, I dont even think about the fact that its Cusack.
Das Boot and Blade Runner would make my top 25 for sure.
hard to leave those off! thanks.
One odd movie that would definitely be on my list is The Pointsman. I'd like to know your brief thoughts if you've seen it.
never heard of it, so I'm checking it out now. Thank you.
Adding Babette’s feast to the list.
What’s your birthday , Man? I’ll see Jean de Florette and Manon then.
I keep hearing about my dinner with Andre and local hero.
Agree that purple rose of Cairo is Allen’s best and I don’t really care for him most of the time as is 😂
Huge fan of Mozart and anything depicting history or classical music so Amadeus is forever one of my top films of the eighties
thank you. November 19 -- and I hope someone is not stealing my identity as I reveal that!
In no specific order: -Raiders of the Lost Ark - Empire Strikes Back - Karate Kid -Amadeus -Bad Timing -Dead Poets Society -Wall Street -Broadcast News -Brazil -Fabulous Baker Boys -Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown
thank you
can I add Fitzcarraldo to your list, like place 26?
yes, and it's criminal of me to not put one of my favorite directors on here. Fitz is not all the way to my taste -- some brilliant stuff in it for sure.
great list but i didnt like dekalog and sacrifice is my list favorite from tarkofski
The absolute best movie of the 80s is back to the future
I forget if I put it on here! It's in the top tier for sure, esp. in terms of entertainment value, and it does have the magic of cinema to it. Great score!
Interesting that you'd put a film that you consider Bergman's best (or top 3) only as #19 of the 80s, which would mean it would be even lower in an all time list.
I think "Scarface" and "The Elephant Man" are missing from this list.
Sad to not see Ernest Goes to Camp on the list.
Ernest Saves Christmas was in strong contention!
Withnail & I jumps out to me
For me:
25- The changeling
24- Repo man
23- landscape in the mist
22- the cook, the thief, his wife and her lover
21- Brazil
20- The thing
19- do the right thing
18- Lion of the desert
17- Amadeus
16- Dekalog
15- Akira
14- Videodrome
13- possession
12- blue velvet
11- tampopo
10- au revoir les enfants
9- on the silver globe
8- Paris, Texas
7- the last temptation of christ
6- the ballad of narayama
5- blade runner
4- once upon a time in america
3- Fanny and alexander
2- cinema paradiso
1 Come and see
@tom_abbott Fantastic taste, I see some overlap with my list I just posted. After looking through the comment section to see what I missed, your list is definitely my favorite. Have you seen A City of Sadness?
@that1guy375 I have. I tried watching it twice and it couldn't get through it, I felt too disengaged. I typically struggle with a lot of slow cinema
@tom_abbott Fair enough, some of them can catch me on a day when I'm not focused and I have ti watch at a different time, but when I'm tuned in, I really connect. I'm a giant Ozu fan so Hou Hsiao-hsien, and all of the Taiwanese New Wave directors that follow that similar style really appeal to me.
@that1guy375 Yeah exactly you just connect with some directors more than others. It'd be boring if everybody liked all the same films. I personally cant stand anything by john cassavetes for example, but love anything by kubrik. I'd like to try more hsien movies, I've only seen city of sadness and the flowers of shanghai (which i liked more). I might try three times next
@tom_abbott That's the fun of these kinds of list too, seeing everyone's picks.
I kinda liked A Woman Under the Influence, and Gena Rowlands is great, but for the most part I'm more lukewarm on the Cassavetes films I've seen. So I agree.
If you thought A City of Sadness was slow, I would not recommend Three Times lol. There is even less dialogue. My favorite films of his are all very slow so I can't even really recommend anything else lol.
A good list, some of my favorites not on the list
Das Boot
Ran
The Shinning
Evil Dead II
Airplane!
Blue Velvet
The Breakfast Club
Ferris Bueller's Day Off
Crimes and Misdemeanors
Easily one of the worst decades for hollywood, but an undeniably great decade for foreign cinema
many other national cinemas did well or got going, including those in East Asia.
nah, empire strikes back is absolutely an all timer. maybe on paper it stands out amongst your amadeuses or your fanny and alexanders but i honestly wouldnt bat an eye. i def prefer empire of those
One final comment - how is My Dinner with Andre on any of these lists ? Is there a form of hypnosis involved ? Even Roger Ebert like it !! I know this is not a legitimate pick or even a good movie - because no one here would ever ask a friend, wife, girlfriend, family member to watch the movie with them cause you'd get a shoe thrown at your head 5 minutes into the movie.. it is a clandestine watch, solo viewing, like in a dark times square theater in the 70s.
Numerous testimonies, easily found in a five second search, say that this is not the case.
Bad timing by Nicolas Roeg
Das Boot
Escape From New York
Mad Max 2
Big Trouble in Little China
Die Hard
Predator
Platoon
thank you
David Lynch movies make me nausea
Unpopular opinion: not a great decade for cinema. At least not for Hollywood.
I totally agree. Along with the 2010s, the worst decade in cinema history, at least in the sound era.
@@Don-mp6pq Yes. Plenty of good movies but not many great ones. I have only seen 3 5* movies this decade so far. I only had 13 for the 2010s.
It's far worse compared to the 70s, which had both writers and directors invested in literary humanism and the studios being more open to creativity, and to the 90s, when a ton of capital went into post-Cold War moviemaking along with some of the artistic spirit of the 70s.
The top of the 80s to me is great, but you get down to movie #150 in the decade, however you would rank them, and it pails compared to either decade's depth.
A lot of artists dislike the 80s because of increasing studio dominance and corporatism there. I think the zeitgeist favored schmaltzy nostalgia and melodrama.
this decade has been crushed by COVID and then the industry strikes, plus the politicization of everything, plus the industry falling in love with IP and thinking that art is just a commodity.
@@LearningaboutMovies - That's a good assessment. Interesting you should mention the Cold War - it's true that a new cultural optimism seemed to emerge in the '90s (and thus more filmmaking opportunities) when the '80s felt more oppressive. I think, also, that both the '70s and '90s were dominated by new artistic visions from new filmmakers whereas in the '80s, most of the best work was from established filmmakers with a few exceptions. Every era needs a Breathless or Bonnie and Clyde or Pulp Fiction to blow everything apart. And you may be right in singling out Do The Right Thing as that film for the '80s. I, though, would like to give a shoutout for Sex Lies And Videotape as that film. Both of these films felt forward looking at the time.
Great list. One i think that is often written off as simply kids entertainment but I think is a little underrated from an artistic perspective is Back to the Future. I find it more fun than Empire Strikes Back and might have more depth artistically!
thank you
Do the right thing is horibel
ouch!