Top 100 80's Films...

[mistermagic]

This really should be pinned after I'm done with books.

 

[Gladders]

Another two of mine down in Turner and Hooch and Wall Street.

 

[Spirederman]

Considered both Pretty In Pink (The Molly Ringwold factor) and the excellent Do The Right Thing, but neither quite made it.

4th one of mine goes with Fast Times At Ridgemont High.

Who else's list did that make??

I used to have a right schoolboy crush on Phoebe Cates when in this and Gremlins.

Last time I saw a photo of her she was gargantuan. I was sad.

 

[Martino Knockavelli]

MORE:

Spoiler: SPOILZ

Joint 74th - 8 points on 1 list.
Tetsuo, the Iron Man (1989) - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096251/?ref_=nv_sr_1

As suggested above you could cobble together something of a thematic triptych out of this, Lolita Vibrator Torture and Videodrome. A peculiarly 80s take on the corruption of the flesh, body-loathing, sexual dread, cyberpunk machine/techno fetishism and so on. Made for about 75p and in someone's spare bedroom, but entirely apposite for that and brilliantly realised.

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

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

Racial forment in Bed-Stuy. Provocative but nuanced, not some stupid Crash fairytale. My favourite thing about this film is that it's made with colour and flamboyance. I'm not sure when and where it started (it wasn't always like that) but at some point somebody decided that if you were making a film about SERIOUS ISSUES then a GRITTY aesthetic was obligatory too. An inane, unthinking cul de sac that this thoroughly exposes.

I suspect a lot of peep's lists will skew towards 80s US action movie-dom. Hong Kong was the place though. Hard Boiled is my favourite, but that's 90s, so here we are. Woo speaks of Melville as an inspiration, and I suppose you can see it in the abstraction of the hero and the tale, but the means by which it's realised are completely opposed. This is maximalism turned up to 111, colour co-ordinated sets and costumes, complexly choreographed shoot outs, doves taking off in the background. And like Escape 2000 upthread also warrants a medal for services to slow motion, the most 80s of all cinematic devices. You have to admire the chutzpah, it's all in. Peckinpah is an obvious point of comparison, and some are inclined to ascribe to Woo a similar sort of jaundiced sociopolitical compass. I'm not so sure, I suspect he just enjoys the spectacle. But it's a blummin good spectacle.

 

[SALTIRE]

The Killer was better than Hard Boiled imo. I still have both on VHS and had a Hard Boiled t-shirt too!

 

[Ginola14]

Get outta here, Hard Boiled pissed all over The Killer!

 

[SALTIRE]

Get outta here, Hard Boiled pissed all over The Killer!

I'm not backing down on it, The Killer was the superior film though Hard Boiled had the better set-pieces.

 

[Spirederman]

I'm gonna throw a slight spanner in here.

I think A Better Tomorrow is a superior movie to either of those 2. City on Fire was also a belting film.

 

[SALTIRE]

I'm gonna throw a slight spanner in here.

I think A Better Tomorrow is a superior movie to either of those 2. City on Fire was also a belting film.

Seen both of them as well; I was a huge Chow-Yun Fat and John Woo fan in the mid-Nineties when a mate introduced me to their work.

 

[Spirederman]

Seen both of them as well; I was a huge Chow-Yun Fat and John Woo fan in the mid-Nineties when a mate introduced me to their work.

Yeah, I've seen all four of that genre that have been mentioned on this page. I gave none of them any consideration for my top 20, or even top 100. All 4 of them decent films, with A Better Tomorrow being the stand out for me. Not really my bag though if I'm being honest.

Edit: Your new Avatar Salty?? A clue to what your number 1 is??

 

[SALTIRE]

Yeah, I've seen all four of that genre that have been mentioned on this page. I gave none of them any consideration for my top 20, or even top 100. All 4 of them decent films, with A Better Tomorrow being the stand out for me. Not really my bag though if I'm being honest.

Edit: Your new Avatar Salty?? A clue to what your number 1 is??

Very possibly mate

 

[This Charming Mike]

Considered both Pretty In Pink (The Molly Ringwold factor) and the excellent Do The Right Thing, but neither quite made it.

4th one of mine goes with Fast Times At Ridgemont High.

Who else's list did that make??

I used to have a right schoolboy crush on Phoebe Cates when in this and Gremlins.

Last time I saw a photo of her she was gargantuan. I was sad.

That would be moi. I know, I'm a legend.

 

[Spirederman]

That would be moi. I know, I'm a legend.

You are mate. What is it they say about Great minds?? Remind me again??

Great film, and glad somebody else feels it's worthy of a top 20 place in an 80's film list.

 

[Craig]

The only pre-Hollywood Woo film I've seen is Bullet in the Head, which I really enjoyed, judging from the comments in here I ought to check out his other stuff.

 

[Craig]

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

It's a film I considered, but I didn't want to fill my list with Arnie vehicles so went for a couple others of his that I hold in higher regard.

 

[Cas]

It's a film I considered, but I didn't want to fill my list with Arnie vehicles so went for a couple others of his that I hold in higher regard.

Same reasoning as to why it didn't make my list.

 

[Craig]

Joint 68th - 11 points on one list.

Brazil (1985) - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088846/?ref_=nv_sr_1

Crocodile Dundee (1986) - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0090555/?ref_=nv_sr_1

Phantasm II (1988) - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0095863/?ref_=nv_sr_2

Joint 67th - 12 points, 1 list.

Kagemusha (1980) - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080979/?ref_=nv_sr_1

Dirty Dancing (1987) - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0092890/?ref_=nv_sr_1

Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior (1981) - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082694/?ref_=nv_sr_4

Legend (1985) - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0089469/?ref_=nv_sr_1

Joint 66th - 12 points on 2 lists.

Heathers (1988) - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097493/?ref_=nv_sr_1

The Karate Kid (1984) - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0087538/?ref_=nv_sr_1

Coming to America (1988) - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0094898/?ref_=nv_sr_1

 

[Ginola14]

WHAT??? Legend on only 1 list?? Heathers only made 2 lists????!! The travesty of it all!

 

[Cas]

Phantasm 2 is my first one out, I think. My favourite of the Phantasm series and definitely a film I'd recommend to horror fans.

 

[Spirederman]

My 5th one to fall relatively early on, with Coming To America.

Who else is owning up to that one?

 

[Spirederman]

WHAT??? Legend on only 1 list?? Heathers only made 2 lists????!! The travesty of it all!

Yeah, forgot all about Legend. That would have been a serious contender for my Top 20 had I remembered it existed.

 

[Craig]

I really should have included Dirty Dancing, Swayze, Grey and a banging soundtrack.

 

[Craig]

Joint 65th - 13 points on 1 list.

Shoah (1985) - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0090015/?ref_=nv_sr_1

St. Elmo's Fire (1985) - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0090060/?ref_=nv_sr_1

Burden of Dreams (1982) - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083702/?ref_=nv_sr_1

The King of Comedy (1982) - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0085794/?ref_=nv_sr_1

Joint 64th - 13 points on 2 lists.

Stripes (1981) - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083131/?ref_=nv_sr_1

Short Circuit (1986) - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091949/?ref_=nv_sr_1

 

[Gladders]

Another two of Mine down with Crocodile Dundee and Short Circuit.

At least someone else went for Short Circuit

 

[Stagat]

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.

 

[Spirederman]

Stripes is my 6th horse to fall. Again I'm interested to know who else had it? Craig, are you gonna put everybody's individual lists up after we reach the #1 spot, so we know who's votes went where?? Think that would be a nice touch at the end of proceedings.

The King Of Comedy and St. Elmos Fire also out already. I trimmed both of those out between 20 and 40.

 

[Craig]

I'm happy to post the lists once the countdown is finished.

Been reading up on Shoah and even though I can gather it'll leave me in pieces I'm going to have to watch it.

Others I'm yet to watch but plan on doing so are Kagemusha, the Phantasm series (I know as a massive horror fan I really should have seen them already) and The Killer along with the rest of Woo's Hong Kong films.

 

[Spirederman]

Whoah, Shoah!! 9 and a half hours???

Jesus. Who is admitting to having sat through that?

 

[Craig]

People sat through LotR.

 

[Spirederman]

Ummm. Yeah, I suppose. I never watched it in one sitting, although I know folk who have.