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Post by commond on Mar 27, 2023 17:17:44 GMT -5
A lot of people dislike 80s cinema, but I've always been fond of it. You have to dig a little deeper to find the gems, but they exist. Here's a top 50 I made once upon a time: {1980s films}
The 50 best films of the 80s
1. Grave of the Fireflies, Isao Takahata
2. The Elephant Man, David Lynch
3. Time of the Gypsies, Emir Kusturica
4. Amadeus, Milos Foreman
5. Tampopo, Juzo Itami
6. The Green Ray, Eric Rohmer
7. Do the Right Thing, Spike Lee
8. Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, Hayao Miyazaki
9. Stranger Than Paradise, Jim Jarmusch
10. Boat People, Ann Hui
11. Pixote, Hector Babenco
12. Fanny and Alexander, Ingmar Bergman
13. Sans Soleil, Chris Marker
14. Withnail & I, Bruce Robinson
15. Raging Bull, Martin Scorcese
16. Typhoon Club, Shinji Somai
17. Dust in the Wind, Hou Hsiao-Hsien
18. Story of Women, Claude Chabrol
19. Farewell to the Land, Mitsuo Yanagimachi
20. Blue Velvet, David Lynch
21. Mandala, Im Kwon-taek
22. Au revoir, les enfants, Louis Malle
23. Where is the Friend's Home? Abbas Kiarostami
24. Macho Dancer, Lino Brocka
25. Muddy River, Kohei Oguri
26. Mephisto, Istvan Szabo
27. Hannah and her Sisters, Woody Allen
28. The Ballad of Narayama, Shohei Imamura
29. Coal Miner's Daughter, Michael Apted
30. The Long Good Friday, John Mackenzie
31. The Right Stuff, Philip Kaufman
32. Jean de Florette/Manon des sources, Claude Berri
33. Nostalghia, Andrei Tarkovsky
34. Colonel Redl, Istvan Szabo
35. Sex, Lies, and Videotape, Steven Soderbergh
36. Lola, Rainer Werner Fassbinder
37. Das Boot, Wolfgang Petersen
38. Yeelen, Souleymane Cisse
39. Why Has Bodhi-Dharma Left for the East? Bae Yong-kyun
40. Diva, Jean-Jacques Beineix
41. Black Rain, Shohei Imamura
42. Paris, Texas, Wim Wenders
43. Kiss of the Spider Woman, Hector Babenco
44. Koyaanisqatsi, Godfrey Reggio
45. Melvin and Howard, Jonathan Demme
46. Videodrome, David Cronenberg
47. The Times of Harvey Milk, Rob Epstein
48. Shanghai Blues, Tsui Hark
49. An Autumn's Tale, Mabel Cheung
50. Escape from New York, John Carpenter |
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Post by commond on Mar 27, 2023 17:33:19 GMT -5
The Elephant Man is my favorite film from 1980 even if it leaves me in a mess of tears at the end. I also like Ordinary People and don't care how sappy it is. Breaker Morant, Melvin and Howard, The Long Good Friday, and Coal Miner's Daughter are excellent too.
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Post by Hoosier X on Mar 28, 2023 7:58:45 GMT -5
A lot of people dislike 80s cinema, but I've always been fond of it. You have to dig a little deeper to find the gems, but they exist. Here's a top 50 I made once upon a time: {1980s films}
The 50 best films of the 80s
1. Grave of the Fireflies, Isao Takahata
2. The Elephant Man, David Lynch
3. Time of the Gypsies, Emir Kusturica
4. Amadeus, Milos Foreman
5. Tampopo, Juzo Itami
6. The Green Ray, Eric Rohmer
7. Do the Right Thing, Spike Lee
8. Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, Hayao Miyazaki
9. Stranger Than Paradise, Jim Jarmusch
10. Boat People, Ann Hui
11. Pixote, Hector Babenco
12. Fanny and Alexander, Ingmar Bergman
13. Sans Soleil, Chris Marker
14. Withnail & I, Bruce Robinson
15. Raging Bull, Martin Scorcese
16. Typhoon Club, Shinji Somai
17. Dust in the Wind, Hou Hsiao-Hsien
18. Story of Women, Claude Chabrol
19. Farewell to the Land, Mitsuo Yanagimachi
20. Blue Velvet, David Lynch
21. Mandala, Im Kwon-taek
22. Au revoir, les enfants, Louis Malle
23. Where is the Friend's Home? Abbas Kiarostami
24. Macho Dancer, Lino Brocka
25. Muddy River, Kohei Oguri
26. Mephisto, Istvan Szabo
27. Hannah and her Sisters, Woody Allen
28. The Ballad of Narayama, Shohei Imamura
29. Coal Miner's Daughter, Michael Apted
30. The Long Good Friday, John Mackenzie
31. The Right Stuff, Philip Kaufman
32. Jean de Florette/Manon des sources, Claude Berri
33. Nostalghia, Andrei Tarkovsky
34. Colonel Redl, Istvan Szabo
35. Sex, Lies, and Videotape, Steven Soderbergh
36. Lola, Rainer Werner Fassbinder
37. Das Boot, Wolfgang Petersen
38. Yeelen, Souleymane Cisse
39. Why Has Bodhi-Dharma Left for the East? Bae Yong-kyun
40. Diva, Jean-Jacques Beineix
41. Black Rain, Shohei Imamura
42. Paris, Texas, Wim Wenders
43. Kiss of the Spider Woman, Hector Babenco
44. Koyaanisqatsi, Godfrey Reggio
45. Melvin and Howard, Jonathan Demme
46. Videodrome, David Cronenberg
47. The Times of Harvey Milk, Rob Epstein
48. Shanghai Blues, Tsui Hark
49. An Autumn's Tale, Mabel Cheung
50. Escape from New York, John Carpenter Thanks for the list. I’ve seen 34 of the films. I added the 16 that I haven’t seen to my 1980s list for the future. I recently noticed that I’m kind of weak on Japanese films for the 1980s. (I’ve seen Black Rain. It’s a great movie!) You have three 1980s Japanese films that I haven’t seen. I’ve already got Muddy River on a list. I added Farewell to the Land and Typhoon Club to my Japanese cinema list. Typhoon Club looked interesting, so I watched it last night. Amazing. I watched The Cherry Orchard (1990) over the weekend. I love Japanese movies so much and this was another great one! |
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Post by arfetto on Mar 28, 2023 10:23:16 GMT -5
I watched The Cherry Orchard (1990) over the weekend. I love Japanese movies so much and this was another great one! Captivating movie. |
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Post by commond on Mar 29, 2023 4:37:43 GMT -5
A lot of people dislike 80s cinema, but I've always been fond of it. You have to dig a little deeper to find the gems, but they exist. Here's a top 50 I made once upon a time: {1980s films}
The 50 best films of the 80s
1. Grave of the Fireflies, Isao Takahata
2. The Elephant Man, David Lynch
3. Time of the Gypsies, Emir Kusturica
4. Amadeus, Milos Foreman
5. Tampopo, Juzo Itami
6. The Green Ray, Eric Rohmer
7. Do the Right Thing, Spike Lee
8. Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, Hayao Miyazaki
9. Stranger Than Paradise, Jim Jarmusch
10. Boat People, Ann Hui
11. Pixote, Hector Babenco
12. Fanny and Alexander, Ingmar Bergman
13. Sans Soleil, Chris Marker
14. Withnail & I, Bruce Robinson
15. Raging Bull, Martin Scorcese
16. Typhoon Club, Shinji Somai
17. Dust in the Wind, Hou Hsiao-Hsien
18. Story of Women, Claude Chabrol
19. Farewell to the Land, Mitsuo Yanagimachi
20. Blue Velvet, David Lynch
21. Mandala, Im Kwon-taek
22. Au revoir, les enfants, Louis Malle
23. Where is the Friend's Home? Abbas Kiarostami
24. Macho Dancer, Lino Brocka
25. Muddy River, Kohei Oguri
26. Mephisto, Istvan Szabo
27. Hannah and her Sisters, Woody Allen
28. The Ballad of Narayama, Shohei Imamura
29. Coal Miner's Daughter, Michael Apted
30. The Long Good Friday, John Mackenzie
31. The Right Stuff, Philip Kaufman
32. Jean de Florette/Manon des sources, Claude Berri
33. Nostalghia, Andrei Tarkovsky
34. Colonel Redl, Istvan Szabo
35. Sex, Lies, and Videotape, Steven Soderbergh
36. Lola, Rainer Werner Fassbinder
37. Das Boot, Wolfgang Petersen
38. Yeelen, Souleymane Cisse
39. Why Has Bodhi-Dharma Left for the East? Bae Yong-kyun
40. Diva, Jean-Jacques Beineix
41. Black Rain, Shohei Imamura
42. Paris, Texas, Wim Wenders
43. Kiss of the Spider Woman, Hector Babenco
44. Koyaanisqatsi, Godfrey Reggio
45. Melvin and Howard, Jonathan Demme
46. Videodrome, David Cronenberg
47. The Times of Harvey Milk, Rob Epstein
48. Shanghai Blues, Tsui Hark
49. An Autumn's Tale, Mabel Cheung
50. Escape from New York, John Carpenter Thanks for the list. I’ve seen 34 of the films. I added the 16 that I haven’t seen to my 1980s list for the future. I recently noticed that I’m kind of weak on Japanese films for the 1980s. (I’ve seen Black Rain. It’s a great movie!) You have three 1980s Japanese films that I haven’t seen. I’ve already got Muddy River on a list. I added Farewell to the Land and Typhoon Club to my Japanese cinema list. Typhoon Club looked interesting, so I watched it last night. Amazing. I watched The Cherry Orchard (1990) over the weekend. I love Japanese movies so much and this was another great one! Here's an excellent resource that gives the Kinema Junpo top films by year: link
You can also see the result of a poll they did a few years ago on the Best Japanese films from the 80s: link
I don't know how many of these films are available with subtitles, but you might be able to find some fan subs. |
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Post by Slam_Bradley on Mar 29, 2023 17:04:45 GMT -5
And we're at 1981 because I have more time today than I will tomorrow. Raiders of the Lost Ark - Let's just go ahead and get it out of the way. Back in 1938 I said that Adventures of Robin Hood would remain the best adventure film for a number of decades. It was until 1981. Because Raiders is the greatest adventure film of all time. This is one of the touchstone films of time and was a huge influence on a number of later creators, including Chris Carter. Harrison Ford's Indiana Jones is simply an iconic character (and I generally hate the use of that word). The story is fun in the most pulpy way. The music is incredible. Paul Freeman, John Rhy-Davies and Denholm Elliot are all great. The movie just kind of defines fun. An American Werewolf in London - As I've said, I'm not really a horror guy. But I do tend to like monster movies and this is just a super fun werewolf movie with outstanding make-up. And having Jenny Agutter in it is just the icing on the cake. The Road Warrior - Sometimes a sequel just outstrips the original in every way. Mad Max was a very good action film. The Road Warrior is a classic piece of science fiction and one of the very best post-apocalypse films ever. The movie was a significant influence on Guillermo del Toro and Robert Rodriguez. Mel Gibson is just great in the movie. The film rolls along despite a very flimsy plot. It's just a propulsive SF film. Escape from New York - Another classic SF action film. The film allowed Kurt Russell to shake his Disney kid reputation and made him a viable action star and Snake Plisken is a classic SF action hero. Another rollicking action SF film of the type that was done so well in the 80s. Yeah, it's a mess at times, but Russell is great, as is Lee Van Cleef. Stripes - I know that a lot of t his hasn't aged super well...but I don't care. This movie is just damn funny. Bill Murray at his anarchic best. A great early performance by John Candy. Warren Oates is a hoot. Yeah, it's a slob comedy. And good for it. Time Bandits - It's actually been long enough since I've seen this that I almost put it in the "Not seen in forever category." But I really do like this movie quite a bit, even if it tends to be uneven and more than a little meandering. There are so many great cameos that it is almost overwhelming at times. But it's always super fun. History of the World -- Part I - This was, in my opinion, Mel Brooks' last good movie (no, I don't like Spaceballs). No, it's not a patch on Young Frankenstein or Blazing Saddles. But I find it solidly funny. Yeah, it meanders. No it doesn't have a sold focal point. But far more of the gags and jokes hit than miss. "It's good to be the King." Heavy Metal - Honestly part of this is nostalgia because there's a lot about this movie that's really weak. But I remember all the hype when it came out (even though I was way too young to watch it) and it was huge on video when I was in high school. I still love the soundtrack even though it's not the kind of music I listen to now. And I will always watch it given the chance. As usual there are many films I've either not seen or not seen in far too long. Including; most of the big foreign language films; Blow Out (haven't seen it in eons); Das Boot (I remember loving it, but it's been so long); Thief (Too Long); Gallipoli (I need to see this again); Excalibur (this too); The Gods Must Be Crazy (I loved this, but feel I need to re-watch and re-evaluate it); So what's my favorite film of 1981? It's Raiders. It's not even a contest. Probably a top ten of all time movie for me. Just a perfect adventure movie. And 1981 in film for those as need a look. |
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Post by Slam_Bradley on Mar 29, 2023 17:08:57 GMT -5
The Elephant Man is my favorite film from 1980 even if it leaves me in a mess of tears at the end. I also like Ordinary People and don't care how sappy it is. Breaker Morant, Melvin and Howard, The Long Good Friday, and Coal Miner's Daughter are excellent too. Different strokes make the world go around. I'd almost rather drink battery acid than have to watch Ordinary People. |
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Post by Hoosier X on Mar 29, 2023 20:49:54 GMT -5
For me, there’s only one choice for 1981 ...
Polyester
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Post by arfetto on Mar 30, 2023 8:40:25 GMT -5
I liked...My Young Auntie, Escape from New York, Possession, Blow Out, Southern Comfort, The Road Warrior and The Prodigal Son (the Sammo Hung one). Maybe some more I am forgetting.
I will choose Blow Out, I think.
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Post by Hoosier X on Mar 30, 2023 11:00:17 GMT -5
Thanks for the list. I’ve seen 34 of the films. I added the 16 that I haven’t seen to my 1980s list for the future. I recently noticed that I’m kind of weak on Japanese films for the 1980s. (I’ve seen Black Rain. It’s a great movie!) You have three 1980s Japanese films that I haven’t seen. I’ve already got Muddy River on a list. I added Farewell to the Land and Typhoon Club to my Japanese cinema list. Typhoon Club looked interesting, so I watched it last night. Amazing. I watched The Cherry Orchard (1990) over the weekend. I love Japanese movies so much and this was another great one! Here's an excellent resource that gives the Kinema Junpo top films by year: link
You can also see the result of a poll they did a few years ago on the Best Japanese films from the 80s: link
I don't know how many of these films are available with subtitles, but you might be able to find some fan subs. I already watched half of Tokyo Trial, the 1983 documentary about the war crimes tribunal in Tokyo after World War II. It’s 4 1/2 hours, so it’s divided into four segments at the Internet Archive. |
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Post by badwolf on Mar 30, 2023 17:39:38 GMT -5
I feel like I really liked The Warriors when I watched it, but it's been so long that I only have these very vague feelings about it. I consider Star Trek: The Motion Picture to be one of the most boring movies ever made. Haha, well, I certainly can understand that perspective about The Motion Picture. I liked TMP but there is also a new director's cut out on video. |
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Post by badwolf on Mar 30, 2023 17:47:10 GMT -5
Stardust Memories is my favorite from 1980. There wasn't much I liked from that year. I agree that Empire was the best Star Wars film, though I didn't think so as a kid.
1981 was rather better, and my favorite was Dragonslayer (which I just rewatched on the new 4K release.)
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Post by commond on Apr 1, 2023 18:22:35 GMT -5
Pixote is my favorite film from 1981. It's a film about Brazilian street kids that has a similar tone to Bunuel's classic Los Olvidados. I also liked Mephisto, Diva, Das Boot, and Escape From New York, and let's not forget My Dinner With Andre. It's interesting how much appeal that film had back in the day. I even read a strip about it in American Splendor a few months back. Body Heat was a film I studied about during screenwriting classes and is a decent neo-noir, if you're into that sort of thing. Possession looks... interesting... if I can find the full cut.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 2, 2023 18:11:30 GMT -5
An American Werewolf in London is a classic (a word I don’t use unless I mean it). I never quite understood why David ended up in a London hospital given that he was savaged in Yorkshire, but I tend to ignore that. I do believe this movie has no doubt been influential in many ways, and even the terrible sequel can’t taint it.
It’s interesting how many faces one spots in the film, some of who might be more familiar to those of us in the UK (not meant arrogantly, I’m just not sure how well some names are known outside these shores). For instance, the constable who admonishes David near the end is played by Peter Ellis. A few years after this, he played Chief Superintendent Brownlow in UK cop drama The Bill. Rik Mayall, who I know everyone here is aware of, is one of the guys drinking in the pub.
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Post by commond on Apr 5, 2023 16:48:04 GMT -5
In honor of Ryuichi Sakamoto's passing, I watched 1983's Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence. Man, you cannot go wrong with this one -- Ryuichi Sakamoto, Beat Takeshi, and David Bowie in the same film, plus it has a score by Sakamoto with David Sylvian collaborating on one of the songs. I'm not a huge fan of Nagisa Oshima, or any of the Japanese New Wave directors for that matter (outside of Shohei Imamura, whom I adore), however it was a relatively straightforward film by Oshima's standards and barely avant-garde at all outside of maybe a few shot selections. A very good companion piece to films like Bridge Over the River Kwai and other POW films. About halfway through I started noticing all these Kiwi accents, but it wasn't until the credits that I realised it was a New Zealand co-production and that parts of it were shot in NZ.
Thanks to Hoosier, I've actually been on a bit of Japanese film kick. This week I watched The Family Game, I Are You, You Am Me, and P. P. Rider, which gave me this strange nostalgia for a Japan I never knew but am aware of through city pop and professional wrestling. I really enjoyed Obayashi's I Are You, You Am Me, which is a coming-of-age flick about two teens who swap bodies. Really charming film, and I thought the leads' acting was superb. The Family Game and P.P. Rider were more like theater than cinema but both were excellent.
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