Best Films Of 1980
Every list of this nature is obviously a continuous work in progress...
When it comes to horror and comedy, does any other year beat 1980?
When it comes to horror and comedy, does any other year beat 1980?
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- DirectorStanley KubrickStarsJack NicholsonShelley DuvallDanny LloydA family heads to an isolated hotel for the winter where a sinister presence influences the father into violence, while his psychic son sees horrific forebodings from both past and future.As far as I'm concerned, this is by a good margin the best horror film ever made. The acting and the dialogue are as good as or better than any other horror film out there; And the look and feel of the film is simply mesmerizing. This is truly a masterful piece of storytelling that basically questions everything. Long before films like Dark City and The Matrix questioned reality, Stanley had done it with a much more subtle brilliance for yet the third time in his career, (Also see 2001 and Lolita). Who cares what Mr.King thought of this film. With all due respect, he's never created anything this good. 10/10
- DirectorDavid LynchStarsAnthony HopkinsJohn HurtAnne BancroftA Victorian surgeon rescues a heavily disfigured man who is mistreated while scraping a living as a side-show freak. Behind his monstrous façade, there is revealed a person of kindness, intelligence and sophistication.An unforgettable film. As far as overly sympathetic films go, only The Color Purple(In my view, Spielberg's best) and this one are great enough for me to call them truly awesome films. Lynch directs here with grand style and Hurt is fantastic.
9/10 - DirectorMartin ScorseseStarsRobert De NiroCathy MoriartyJoe PesciThe life of boxer Jake LaMotta, whose violence and temper that led him to the top in the ring destroyed his life outside of it.De Niro, Pesci and Scorsese combine to create a gritty classic. Truly this is the hardest hitting boxing film ever made. 9/10
- DirectorIrvin KershnerStarsMark HamillHarrison FordCarrie FisherAfter the Rebel Alliance are overpowered by the Empire, Luke Skywalker begins his Jedi training with Yoda, while his friends are pursued across the galaxy by Darth Vader and bounty hunter Boba Fett.Possibly the best of all the legendary Star Wars sci-fi epics. 8.5/10
- DirectorHarold RamisStarsChevy ChaseRodney DangerfieldBill MurrayAn exclusive golf course has to deal with a flatulent new member and a destructive dancing gopher.In terms of an ensemble comedy cast, I'm not sure there has ever been better. Ted Knight, Rodney Dangerfield, Bill Murray and Chevy Chase headline one of the best goofball comedy films ever. 8.5/10
- DirectorArt LinsonStarsPeter BoyleBill MurrayBruno KirbySemi-biographical film based on the experiences of gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson.This film is just hilarious. Before Johnny Depp rocked the Gonzo gab, Bill Murray gnawed on its skull. Two Bill Murray films make my top 6 for the year. What a decade the 80's were for him, there were few other comedians/comedic actors who could rival him in those days. 8/10
- DirectorRichard RushStarsPeter O'TooleSteve RailsbackBarbara HersheyA fugitive stumbles onto a movie set just when they need a new stunt man, takes the job as a way to hide out and falls for the leading lady while facing off with his manipulative director.A crazy film about a crazy world. 8/10
- DirectorJohn LandisStarsJohn BelushiDan AykroydCab CallowayJake Blues rejoins with his brother Elwood after being released from prison, but the duo has just days to reunite their old R&B band and save the Catholic home where the two were raised, outrunning the police as they tear through Chicago.The Blues Brothers is just a flat out fun film. 8/10
- DirectorLouis MalleStarsBurt LancasterSusan SarandonKate ReidIn a corrupt city, a small-time gangster and the estranged wife of a pot dealer find themselves thrown together in an escapade of love, money, drugs and danger.A strong in every regard adult crime drama.
- DirectorJim AbrahamsDavid ZuckerJerry ZuckerStarsRobert HaysJulie HagertyLeslie NielsenAfter the crew becomes sick with food poisoning, a neurotic ex-fighter pilot must safely land a commercial airplane full of passengers.Some people love this film a lot more than me, but I do recognize it's brilliance and overall I very much enjoy this farce too. 8/10
- DirectorJamie UysStarsN!xauMarius WeyersSandra PrinslooA comic allegory about a traveling Bushman who encounters modern civilization and its stranger aspects, including a clumsy scientist and a band of revolutionaries.The truth is it took years for this South African film to make it around the world. I believe it actually wasn't released in the USA until 1984. 8/10
- DirectorSidney PoitierStarsGene WilderRichard PryorGeorg Stanford BrownSet up and wrongfully accused, two best friends are sent to prison for a crime they didn't commit. However, no prison cell can keep them locked in a cage.What a year for comedy films 1980 was. 7.5/10
- DirectorSean S. CunninghamStarsBetsy PalmerAdrienne KingJeannine TaylorA group of teenage camp counselors attempt to re-open an abandoned summer camp with a tragic past, but they are stalked by a mysterious, relentless killer.This film is one of the most legendary of all slasher films, and it's funny to boot. At the moment, 13th on the list. 7.5/10
- DirectorTommy ChongStarsCheech MarinTommy ChongEvelyn GuerreroCheech and Chong live in a decrepit old house and drive their neighbour crazy with their loud music, weed smoking and general anarchy and slacker view on life. Then Chong meets Cheech's Texan cousin Red and things kick up a notch.In my view, the best Cheech & Chong film ever made.
- DirectorRon MaxwellStarsTatum O'NealKristy McNicholArmand AssanteTwo fifteen year-old girls from different sides of the tracks compete to see who will be the first to lose their virginity while at a summer camp.7.5/10
- DirectorBrian De PalmaStarsMichael CaineAngie DickinsonNancy AllenA mysterious blonde woman kills one of a psychiatrist's patients, and then goes after the high-class call girl who witnessed the murder.A bizarre but interesting tale. 7/10
- DirectorJulien TempleStarsMalcolm McLarenSid ViciousSteve JonesFilmmaker Julien Temple chronicles the Sex Pistols' tumultuous rise to fame, as told by their manager, Malcolm McLaren.You basically have to be a Sex Pistols fan before you even consider watching this. I actually rated the film an 8/10 but have listed it here in the 7's simply because it's no standard feature film, and it will not appeal to the majority of people.
- DirectorJohn CassavetesStarsGena RowlandsBuck HenryJulie CarmenWhen a young boy's family is killed by the mob, their tough neighbor Gloria becomes his reluctant guardian. In possession of a book that the gangsters want, the pair go on the run in New York.
- DirectorWilliam Peter BlattyStarsStacy KeachScott WilsonJason MillerAn ex-marine psychiatrist attempts to rehabilitate his patients by indulging their fantasies, and seeks to prove the existence of a loving God to one especially troubled inmate.
- DirectorDon TaylorStarsKirk DouglasMartin SheenKatharine RossA modern aircraft carrier is thrown back in time to 1941 near Hawaii, just hours before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.7/10
- DirectorSamuel FullerStarsLee MarvinMark HamillRobert CarradineA hardened sergeant and the four core members of his infantry unit try to survive World War II as they move from battle to battle throughout Europe.
- DirectorRobert AltmanStarsRobin WilliamsShelley DuvallRay WalstonThe adventures of the famous sailor man and his friends in the seaside town of Sweethaven.7/10
- DirectorColin HigginsStarsJane FondaLily TomlinDolly PartonThree female employees of a sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical bigot find a way to turn the tables on him.
- DirectorKen RussellStarsWilliam HurtBlair BrownBob BalabanA psycho-physiologist experiments with drugs and a sensory-deprivation tank and has visions he believes are genetic memories.6.5/10
- DirectorHoward ZieffStarsGoldie HawnEileen BrennanArmand AssanteA sheltered young high-society woman joins the United States Army on a whim and finds herself in a trickier situation than she ever expected.
- DirectorTony BillStarsChris MakepeaceAdam BaldwinMatt DillonWhen a boy comes to a new school and gets harassed by a bully, he acquires the services of the school's most feared kid as a bodyguard.
- DirectorRichard LesterStarsGene HackmanChristopher ReeveMargot KidderSuperman agrees to sacrifice his powers to start a relationship with Lois Lane, unaware that three Kryptonian criminals he inadvertently released are conquering Earth.I thought this film was pretty awesome as a kid. I no longer think it's quite so awesome, but it's still a pretty good superhero film for its time. 6.5/10
- DirectorRobert Downey Sr.StarsRon LeibmanWendell BrownRalph MacchioFour boys are sent, for different reasons, to a Military Academy. The life of discipline asks a lot of the four geeks. Of course these boys know how to make a party out of the hard times. Will they be "real men" after one year.
- DirectorKevin ConnorStarsRory CalhounPaul LinkeNancy ParsonsA seemingly friendly farmer and his sister kidnap unsuspecting travelers and bury them alive, using them to create the "special meat" they are famous for.
- DirectorFloyd MutruxStarsTony DanzaMichelle PfeifferJulius AverittLed by their comedic leader, Turk, the Hollywood Knights car club raise hell throughout Beverly Hills on Halloween Night, 1965.
- DirectorJohn GuillerminStarsJames CoburnKate NelliganFionnula FlanaganA male nurse working the night shift at a psychiatric hospital begins to lose his own grip on reality.