... The Forgettable ... Of The 1980s
First of all, most movies on this list are not really bad. But they are not good either. In order not to bore you with every average movie I have seen I will restrain myself only to those of interest. That means you will find movies here that were successful at the box office but did not deserve that undue success or movies that did not stand the test of time. Other entries concern movies that are acclaimed by critics but to me are nothing short of being pretentious. Other titles could include films that were much talked about for whatever reason upon their initial release and therefore hold some kind of reputation that, however, do not qualify them for quality movies. You may also find movies here to which famous actors or directors contributed to but which are a let-down in the end nevertheless.
So, have fun browsing through my selection of the odds and sods of the movie world and let me know what you think.
PS: This list is by no means complete as I will add new worthwhile films as I stumble across them.
So, have fun browsing through my selection of the odds and sods of the movie world and let me know what you think.
PS: This list is by no means complete as I will add new worthwhile films as I stumble across them.
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- DirectorJeannot SzwarcStarsChristopher ReeveJane SeymourChristopher PlummerA Chicago playwright uses self-hypnosis to travel back in time and meet the actress whose vintage portrait hangs in a grand hotel.
- 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.
- 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.
- DirectorJerry JamesonStarsJason RobardsRichard JordanDavid SelbyOnce they said God himself couldn't sink her. Then they said no man on Earth could reach her. But an underwater research agency, headed by Admiral James Sandecker, is assigned the job of finding the doomed ship in her North Atlantic grave.
- DirectorJames GoldstoneStarsPaul NewmanJacqueline BissetWilliam HoldenAn active volcano threatens a south Pacific island resort and its guests as a power struggle ensues between the property's developer and a drilling foreman.
- DirectorPeter CarterStarsJeff EastRod SteigerAngie DickinsonThis movie chronicled Jack London's epic journey from San Francisco to the Klondike gold fields in 1898.
- DirectorWilliam WiardStarsSteve McQueenLinda EvansRichard FarnsworthAn ex-army scout is hired by ranchers to kill cattle rustlers but he gets into trouble with the corrupt local officials when he's suspected of killing a boy.
- DirectorCliff RobertsonStarsCliff RobertsonDiane BakerFrank ConverseMike Hagan is a pilot in passenger service and candidate for the honor "Best Pilot of the Year". Nobody knows that he's got private sorrows - he's an alcoholic. A stewardess notices his regular visits of the toilet and reports it.
- DirectorBuzz KulikStarsSteve McQueenEli WallachKathryn HarroldBounty hunter Ralph "Papa" Thorson is receiving death threats from a criminal he helped put away. This while his girlfriend is about to give birth, an event he isn't looking forward to.
- DirectorAndrew V. McLaglenStarsRoger MooreJames MasonAnthony PerkinsWhen terrorists take over two oil rigs, and threaten to blow them up if their demands are not met, an eccentric anti-terrorism expert volunteers his unique commando unit to stop them.
- DirectorJohn IrvinStarsChristopher WalkenTom BerengerColin BlakelyMercenary James Shannon, on a reconnaissance job to the African nation of Zangaro, is tortured and deported. He returns to lead a coup.
- DirectorJacques DerayStarsAlain DelonDalila Di LazzaroMichel AuclairA man is pursued by killers after helping someone at a car crash.
- DirectorJohn G. AvildsenStarsGeorge C. ScottMarlon BrandoMarthe KellerThe synthetic fuel production formula, invented by the Nazis at the end of World War II, is sought after by some who aim to sell it, and by others who wish to destroy it.
- DirectorBrian G. HuttonStarsFrank SinatraFaye DunawayDavid DukesA police inspector, nearing retirement, tracks a serial killer who is terrorizing New York.
- DirectorGuy HamiltonStarsAngela LansburyTony CurtisRock HudsonMiss Jane Marple comes to solve the mystery when a local woman is poisoned and a visiting movie star seems to have been the intended victim.
- DirectorJerrold FreedmanStarsCharles BronsonBruno KirbyBert RemsenOn the U.S.-Mexican border, border cop Jeb Maynard is hunting for a human smuggler responsible for Jeb's partner's murder.
- DirectorTed PostStarsRobert MitchumJaclyn SmithMike ConnorsA woman's lover poisons her cruel husband, a rich businessman, in front of her. She becomes more terrified when she finds the lover dead as well. A police detective suddenly shows up at her door.
- DirectorRobert ButlerSidney J. FurieStarsJames BrolinCliff GormanRichard S. CastellanoA tough, New York City ex-cop relentlessly searches for his kidnapped teenage daughter whom is held by a twisted psycho after mistaking her for the daughter of a wealthy businessman.
- DirectorAndrew V. McLaglenStarsGregory PeckRoger MooreDavid NivenDuring World War II, British Intelligence brings a crew of ex-soldiers out of retirement, using their age as cover, to take to the seas and pull off an unlikely undercover mission in neutral Goa.
- DirectorRichard LangStarsCharlton HestonBrian KeithVictoria RacimoA pair of grizzled frontiersmen fight Indians, guzzle liquor and steal squaws in their search for a legendary valley 'so full of beaver that they jump right into your traps' in this fanciful adventure.
- DirectorDavid LelandStarsJeff DanielsMelanie MayronMichael TuckerA successful family man who works for an airline becomes consumed by fear of death after his colleague and best friend dies in front of him from a heart attack while telling the setup for the joke: "Why don't Italians like barbecues?"
- DirectorRobert ClouseStarsJackie ChanKristine DeBellJosé FerrerA young Asian-American martial artist is forced to participate in a brutal formal street-fighting competition.
- DirectorAlan RudolphStarsMeat LoafKaki HunterArt CarneyA young Texas good ol' boy has a knack with electronic equipment, and that talent gets him a job as a roadie with a raucous travelling rock-and-roll show.
- DirectorJames CaanStarsJames CaanJill EikenberryRobert ViharoA divorced factory worker in 1967 Buffalo fights for custody of his children after his ex-wife marries a low-level mobster who enters the witness protection program, battling with government officials who seem to have little sympathy.
- DirectorAdrian LyneStarsJodie FosterCherie CurrieMarilyn KaganA group of four teenage girls come of age in the asphalt desert of Los Angeles' San Fernando Valley arranged with a blazing soundtrack and endless drinking, drugs and sex.
- DirectorGeorge KaczenderStarsRobert MitchumLee MajorsValerie PerrineA millionaire is suspected of buying an ad agency to use it as a way of brainwashing the public for his political ends.
- DirectorGeorge BloomfieldStarsMichael SarrazinSusan ClarkAnthony PerkinsMentally tortured photojournalist attempts to track down his wife's murderer.
- DirectorRobert GreenwaldStarsOlivia Newton-JohnGene KellyMichael BeckA struggling artist living in Los Angeles meets a girl who may hold the key to his happiness.
- DirectorClint EastwoodStarsClint EastwoodSondra LockeGeoffrey LewisAn idealistic, modern-day cowboy struggles to keep his Wild West show afloat in the face of hard luck and waning interest.
- DirectorDon SiegelPeter R. HuntRobert Ellis MillerStarsBurt ReynoldsLesley-Anne DownDavid NivenTwo sophisticated jewel thieves join forces to steal $30 million in uncut jewels. Despite a continuous exchange of quips they eventually become romantically involved.
- DirectorGeorges LautnerStarsJean-Paul BelmondoGeorges GéretCarla RomanelliAlexandre Dupré is a con artist, accidentally involved in a hunt for microfilm, containing a valuable invention of a recently murdered French scientist.
- DirectorBoris SzulzingerStarsLouise FletcherMaria SchneiderMarc-Henri WajnbergA female vampire must bathe in the blood of virgins in order to stay alive. The trouble is that virgins are in short supply nowadays, and she is running into major problems in finding one.
- DirectorRobert AltmanStarsRobin WilliamsShelley DuvallRay WalstonThe adventures of the famous sailor man and his friends in the seaside town of Sweethaven.
- DirectorHal NeedhamStarsBurt ReynoldsJackie GleasonJerry ReedThe Bandit goes on another cross-country run, transporting an elephant from Florida to Texas. And, once again, Sheriff Buford T. Justice is on his tail.
- DirectorMax KlevenStarsDirk BenedictLinda BlairRichard FarnsworthA Vietnam veteran passing through a small town is harassed by local bullies but he fights back, using his wartime skills, and triggers a full-scale police manhunt.
- DirectorStenoStarsBud SpencerEnzo CannavaleAngelo InfantiPolice Commissioner Rizzo, Bigfoot (Piedone by nickname) and Marshal Caputo go to Egypt and look for Professor Cerullo, who is missing. The professor has discovered an insect that can smell where oil is and lots of criminals are interested in it.
- DirectorJerry LewisStarsJerry LewisSusan OliverRoger C. CarmelIn Jerry Lewis's first film in a decade, he plays Bo Hooper, an unemployed circus clown who can't seem to hold down a job. The film opens with a brief montage of clips from past Lewis movies. He then moves into a succession of jobs that he gets himself fired from including a gas station attendant and a mailman - all with disastrous results.
- DirectorHarold RamisStarsChevy ChaseRodney DangerfieldBill MurrayAn exclusive golf course has to deal with a flatulent new member and a destructive dancing gopher.
- DirectorBuddy Van HornStarsClint EastwoodSondra LockeGeoffrey LewisA trucker turned prize fighter, his brother and their pet orangutan have a series of misadventures involving the mob, corrupt cops, motorcycle gangs and pretty dames.
- DirectorJerry SchatzbergStarsWillie NelsonDyan CannonAmy IrvingBuck is a country singer on the road caught in a romantic triangle with Viv and Lily, the daughter of his longtime musical sidekick.
- DirectorWalter BernsteinStarsWalter MatthauJulie AndrewsTony CurtisA gruff bookie's life is turned upside-down when he gets a 6-year-old kid as collateral for a bet.
- 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.
- DirectorJack SmightStarsShirley MacLaineJames CoburnSusan SarandonWife is cheating her husband and the husband is cheating her back with her lover's girlfriend. The two cheating couples decide to go to a resort but they unintentionally pick the same one. Hilarity ensues.
- DirectorPaul MazurskyStarsMichael OntkeanMargot KidderRay SharkeyRemake of Jules et Jim following the experiences over a decade of two friends who fall in love with the same woman, enjoyably satirising the 70's through the search by the three protagonists for their identities and making sharp attacks on cultural signposts of the decade along the way. The film also studies relationships, what its director calls "wanting something permanent yet wanting to be free".
- DirectorJay SandrichStarsGoldie HawnChevy ChaseCharles GrodinWrongfully accused of a bank robbery, a writer seeks the help of his ex-wife, who is now married to the soon-to-be Attorney General of California.
- DirectorRobert AltmanStarsCarol BurnettGlenda JacksonJames GarnerA parody and satire of the U.S. political scene of the time, "HealtH" is set at a health-food convention at a Florida luxury hotel, where a powerful political organization is deciding on a new president.
- DirectorWilliam RichertStarsJeff BridgesBelinda BauerNed BeattyA husband is humiliated at home and at work. He decides he has had enough of it and hires a prostitute to help him get back at his boss, wife and friends and get a lot richer in the process.
- DirectorBrian De PalmaStarsNancy AllenMary DavenportKirk DouglasKeith Gordon is a creative young man who films the oddball doings of his family and peers. "The Maestro" appears frequently to give him pointers on his techniques. It's almost a film about a young man making the film.
- DirectorRobert ZemeckisStarsKurt RussellJack WardenGerrit GrahamWhen the owner of a struggling used car lot is killed, it's up to the lot's hot-shot salesman to save the property from falling into the hands of the owner's ruthless brother and used-car rival.
- DirectorBryan ForbesÉdouard MolinaroDino RisiStarsRoger MooreLino VenturaUgo TognazziA sex comedy anthology containing four stories, each from a different country (England, France, the U.S., and Italy).
- DirectorMartin DavidsonStarsJohn RitterAnne ArcherBert ConvyA struggling actor buying milk stops a robbery while wearing a superhero uniform, promoting a movie. The unknown hero decides to try again. Can he impress his cute neighbor?
- DirectorClaude PinoteauStarsClaude BrasseurBrigitte FosseySophie MarceauThis is the story about a teenage girl's first love experiences.
- DirectorSidney LumetStarsAli MacGrawAlan KingMyrna LoyA married, egotistical, middle-aged head of a corporate empire man and his mistress and protegee, who wants a more serious commitment and ends up dating a younger man, are in a casual love/hate relationship and engage in a battle of wits.
- DirectorJames IvoryStarsDavid ReddenMichael WagerRobert PowellTwo teachers vie for the right to stage a play written by Jane Austen when she was twelve years old.
- DirectorJules DassinStarsTatum O'NealNorma Dell'AgneseDonann CavinThe story of the impossible love between a schoolgirl and a sixty-year-old painter.
- DirectorRandal KleiserStarsBrooke ShieldsChristopher AtkinsLeo McKernIn the Victorian period, two children are shipwrecked on a tropical island in the South Pacific. With no adults to guide them, the two make a simple life together, unaware that sexual maturity will eventually intervene.
- DirectorRichard DonnerStarsJohn SavageDavid MorseDiana ScarwidHandicapped after an unsuccessful suicide attempt, a man finds common ground in the troubled souls at a local dive bar.
- DirectorRichard LangNoel BlackStarsShirley MacLaineAnthony HopkinsBo DerekMarriage takes a sour turn when a middle-aged husband falls for a young and sexy woman. Things get even more complicated when his wife starts a hot affair with a young lover of her own.
- DirectorRobert KaylorStarsGary BuseyJodie FosterRobbie RobertsonTired of her dull job as a waitress, Donna decides to join two carnival hustlers and see what life in their field is like.
- DirectorJames BridgesStarsJohn TravoltaDebra WingerScott GlennBud is a young man from the country who learns about life and love in a Houston bar.
- DirectorJoel OlianskyStarsRichard DreyfussAmy IrvingLee RemickPaul Dietrich, at almost 30 years old, is a fading piano prodigy. Heidi Schoonover is a talented young pianist with a promising future. When Paul hears of an upcoming competition that could make his career, he dedicates himself to winning.
- DirectorPaul VerhoevenStarsHans van TongerenRenée SoutendijkToon AgterbergSeveral Dutch teenagers realize the cruel difference between dreams and reality.
- DirectorBruce BeresfordStarsEdward WoodwardJack ThompsonJohn WatersThree Australian lieutenants are court martialed for executing prisoners as a way of deflecting attention from war crimes committed by their superior officers.
- DirectorArt LinsonStarsPeter BoyleBill MurrayBruno KirbySemi-biographical film based on the experiences of gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson.
- DirectorMarcus ReichertStarsDennis LipscombDebbie HarrySam McMurrayA man is so obsessed with finding the person responsible for stealing his milk bottles that he ignores his beautiful young wife, who has other ideas on her mind.
- DirectorFederico FelliniStarsMarcello MastroianniAnna PrucnalBernice StegersA businessman finds himself trapped at a hotel and threatened by women en masse.
- DirectorMichelangelo AntonioniStarsMonica VittiPaolo BonacelliFranco BranciaroliOne long decade after the assassination of her husband, a reclusive queen comes face-to-face with the deceased's doppelgänger and anarchist poet, and strikes a three-day pact; however, fate has other plans. What is the mystery of Oberwald?
- DirectorVladimir MenshovStarsVera AlentovaAleksey BatalovIrina MuravyovaThree young provincial women come to Moscow in search of what people in all the capitals of the world are looking for - love, happiness and prosperity. Their destinies develop exactly as the character of each of the girls suggests.
- DirectorValeri RubinchikStarsBoris PlotnikovElena DimitrovaAlbert FilozovA mystical drama based on a story by V. Korotkevich. The film is set in out-of-the-way Belarusian woodlands at the end of the 19th century. A young ethnographer, Andrej Bielarecki, comes here to research local folk legends.
- DirectorNicolas RoegStarsArt GarfunkelTheresa RussellHarvey KeitelA psychiatrist, living in Vienna, enters a torrid relationship with a married woman. When she ends up in the hospital from an overdose, an inspector becomes set on discovering the demise of their affair.
- DirectorKen LoachStarsPhil AskhamRita MayAndrew GrubbA simple tale of a year in the life of a Gamekeeper. From the troubles involved in rearing the pheasants and dealing with predators (poachers and foxes). The gamekeeper shows us all the good things about living so close to nature. The end of his year comes with the organised shoot.
- DirectorBob ClarkStarsJack LemmonRobby BensonLee RemickA shallow Broadway press agent learns he is dying just as his son by his ex-wife arrives for a visit.
- DirectorJonathan DemmeStarsPaul Le MatJason RobardsElizabeth CheshireThe story of hard-luck Melvin E. Dummar, who claimed to have received a will naming him an heir to the fortune of Howard Hughes.
- DirectorAlain ResnaisStarsGérard DepardieuNicole GarciaRoger PierreThe intersecting stories of three people who face difficult choices in life-changing situations are used to illustrate the theories espoused by Henri Laborit about human behavior and the relationship between the self and society.
- DirectorKieth MerrillStarsTrevor HowardNick RamusJames RemarIn 1797 Utah, an aged Cheyenne patriarch helps his kin to fight off a raiding party of rival Crow warriors and he tells his grandchildren the story of their family.
- DirectorGeorge BloomfieldStarsDonald SutherlandSuzanne SomersLawrence DaneSuzanne Somers, an environmentally concerned lawyer, was hired by Donald Sutherland to halt the construction on a breeding ground of endangered species of seals. In HD.
- DirectorDaniel PetrieStarsEllen BurstynSam ShepardRichard FarnsworthA woman enters the afterlife briefly after a car crash that kills her husband. But she survives - and finds herself possessing strange powers.
- DirectorPeter GreenawayStarsPeter WestleyAad WirtzMichael Murray92 BBC documentary-style shorts that record the lives of 92 victims of the VUE (Violent Unexplained Event), each with last names beginning with "Fall."
- DirectorJim JarmuschStarsChris ParkerLeila GastilJohn LurieA young man wanders New York City searching for some meaning in life and encounters many idiosyncratic characters.
- DirectorPedro AlmodóvarStarsCarmen MauraFélix RotaetaAlaskaPepi is raped by the policeman who catches her growing marijuana in her apartment. She seeks revenge by getting his masochist wife to leave him.
- DirectorAlejandro JodorowskyStarsCyrielle ClairAnton DiffringSerge MerlinAn English girl and an Indian elephant born on the same day share a common destiny.
- DirectorJean-Luc GodardStarsIsabelle HuppertJacques DutroncNathalie BayeAn examination of sexual relationships, in which three protagonists interact in different combinations.
- DirectorAlfredo GiannettiStarsFranco NeroDalila Di LazzaroCarlos de CarvalhoAn office employee, pretending to be weak and crippled, reveals himself as a ruthless criminal.
- DirectorRaphaële BilletdouxStarsKlaus KinskiPénélope PalmerMichel RobinElisabeth, a 11 year old girl, visits Marcel, a mute gardener every morning with whom she shares a very particular friendship. During three years, their bond grows stronger, as Marcel seems to be the only person she can connect to.
- DirectorJoseph RubenStarsMichael LembeckDennis QuaidPhilip CasnoffA slapstick comedy about the wacky antics of a group of waiters at a Jewish summer camp in upstate New York.
- DirectorLouis de FunèsJean GiraultStarsLouis de FunèsFranck Cabot-DavidHervé BellonAn incredible miser fights against the whole world to multiply his wealth.
- DirectorPeter YatesStarsWilliam HurtSigourney WeaverChristopher PlummerA janitor who claims he's seen a murder becomes romantically involved with the glamorous TV reporter covering the story.
- DirectorJohn QuestedStarsAlbert FinneyMartin SheenSusannah YorkWhen architect Stephen Booker loses his partnership, he finds jobs hard to come by, and with money in short supply, he unwittingly becomes involved in a daring scheme to rob one of London's biggest bank vaults.
- DirectorBurt ReynoldsStarsBurt ReynoldsRachel WardVittorio GassmanTom Sharky is demoted to vice after a bust goes terribly wrong. He and his team stumble across a mob murder tied to prostitution and government.
- DirectorRoger SpottiswoodeBuzz KulikStarsRobert DuvallTreat WilliamsKathryn HarroldD.B. Cooper parachutes with his stolen money and proceeds to contact his wife. Meanwhile, his former army sergeant, who now works as an insurance investigator, manages to identify him and decides to track him down.
- DirectorRalph L. ThomasStarsNick MancusoSaul RubinekMeg FosterDavid is a young man seduced by a religious cult that uses starvation, exhaustion, and brainwashing to mold recruits into money hustling disciples of a messiah-like leader. Chronicles David's chilling transformation into a gaunt, mindless shadow of his former self...and his ultimate salvation when friends and family launch a plan to kidnap and deprogram him.
- DirectorAlbert BrooksStarsAlbert BrooksKathryn HarroldTyann MeansAlbert Brooks directs himself as a successful film editor with far too many issues that affects the relationship between him and his remarkably patient girlfriend.
- DirectorEd BianchiStarsLauren BacallJames GarnerMichael BiehnDouglas, a record salesman, is an obsessive fan of actress Sally Ross. When his letters are rejected, he strikes out at her and her loved ones.
- DirectorUlu GrosbardStarsRobert De NiroRobert DuvallCharles DurningA worldly ambitious monsignor clashes with his older brother, a cynical Los Angeles homicide detective who is investigating the brutal murder of a young prostitute.
- DirectorNoel NosseckStarsHarry HamlinJoseph BottomsDeborah Van ValkenburghA group of friends race their high-powered cars up and down a dangerous and deadly mountain road known as Mulholland Drive to see who can claim the title of "King of the Mountain."
- DirectorBigas LunaStarsDennis HopperMichael MoriartyAntonella MurgiaA man discovers that his girlfriend is a "stigmata" (someone whose hands and feet mysteriously bleed in the same places where Jesus Christ was crucified) and tries to keep her out of the hands of a greedy TV preacher who plans to exploit her to make money for himself.
- DirectorRobert GuenetteStarsOrson WellesPhilip L. ClarkeRay LaskaThe story of Nostradamus and his predictions about the future.
- DirectorHerbert RossStarsSteve MartinBernadette PetersJessica HarperDuring the Great Depression, a sheet-music salesman seeks to escape his dreary life through popular music and a love affair with an innocent schoolteacher.
- DirectorPeter MedakStarsGeorge HamiltonLauren HuttonBrenda VaccaroZorro, the legendary swordsman, has passed on his weapon and his sense of duty to his noble son, Diego, a dashing swashbuckler like his father. But after an injury sidelines Diego, he is forced to hand the mask over to his twin, Ramon.
- DirectorErnest DayAnthony SimmonsStarsRyan O'NealAnne ArcherOmar SharifA down on his luck engineer gets involved in an adventure with a mysterious woman and an emerald magnate.