40 replies to this topic

[Tarl_Cabot]

http://www.aintitcool.com/node/31765

It's an impressive list:

E.T.
Conan The Barbarian
The Thing
Rocky III
The Road Warrior
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Kahn
Bladerunner
Poltergiest
Tron
First blood
Tootsie
The Wall(Pink Floyd)
48hrs

to name of a few...It does seem like 'They don't make em like they used to' doesn't it? I usually see 2 or 3 truly great films in any given year if I'm lucky but in 1982 we were spoiled rotten with quality.I was also 12 that year and I've felt letdown by Hollywood ever since those early 80s summers... Anyway,what is your favorite from this year?

[bill007]

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Kahn

One of those times that a follow-up movie was better than the first. Although, Star Trek: The Motion Picture was pretty, um...crappy.

[PrinceKamalKhan]

One that failed to make the list:

Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid with Steve Martin at his best and the exquisite Rachel Ward, the best 1980s Bond girl that never was.

Of the ones mentioned that I've seen: Blade Runner. I remember seeing Tron on a huge screen and being highly impressed by it. I saw it again a few months later on a smaller screen and it didn't hold up as well. Haven't seen it in quarter century.

[Tarl_Cabot]

One day I took a bus to the mall by myself(something most 12 year olds didn't do) to see Rocky III and Star Trek II...Now that's a great double feature! I rate Bladerunner as #1 of 1982 with Road Warrior and Conan trailing closely behind...all 3 are true classics.

One that failed to make the list:

Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid with Steve Martin at his best and the exquisite Rachel Ward, the best 1980s Bond girl that never was.

Of the ones mentioned that I've seen: Blade Runner. I remember seeing Tron on a huge screen and being highly impressed by it. I saw it again a few months later on a smaller screen and it didn't hold up as well. Haven't seen it in quarter century.

I never saw 'Dead men don't wear plaid'. I will make that a movie view goal.

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Kahn

One of those times that a follow-up movie was better than the first. Although, Star Trek: The Motion Picture was pretty, um...crappy.

I liked Star Trek 1 but the sequel was a 100 times better. My friend has a shirt that says "Kaaaahhhn!!!!!" on it.

[Mamadou]

Another that didn't make the list:

The Verdict, directed by Sidney Lumet, written by David Mamet, starring Paul Newman, Charlotte Rampling, Jack Warden and James Mason.

"Dead Men" is a good add.

"Blade Runner" tops my list of movies that year, so long as we're discussing the director's cut and not the theatrical release, which was upon by the studios.

[TheREAL008]

Rocky III and First Blood in the same category. Not bad.

[Safari Suit]

My favourite on that list is "First Blood", followed closely by "Tron" and "Wrath of Kahn".

I'm sorry to say I didn't like "Conan", and unlike 99% of people on the internet, I have (gulp) mixed feelings on "Blade Runner".

I also think 1984 was a good year for films. Look at this list of top grossers:
http://www.boxoffice.../...1984&p=.htm
The first 12 movies on that list have all become some kind of Pop Culture classic. A couple of them I'm not so keen on myself, but that's not the point.

[Loomis]

Takes me back. I actually remember seeing TV spots for FIRST BLOOD. The tagline was "This time he's fighting for his life", an obvious reference to the Rocky films.

1987 was another vintage year. To name a few great films and genre classics:

AU REVOIR, LES ENFANTS

BABETTE'S FEAST

THE BIG EASY

THE DEAD

EMPIRE OF THE SUN

FATAL ATTRACTION

FULL METAL JACKET

HOUSE OF GAMES

THE LAST EMPEROR

LETHAL WEAPON

THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS

A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 3: DREAM WARRIORS

PREDATOR

RED SORGHUM

ROBOCOP

ROUGE

SOME KIND OF WONDERFUL

THE UNTOUCHABLES

WALL STREET

[Tarl_Cabot]

Hey, that's a good list for '87 but as time goes on I really esteem The Living Daylights and Predator the most...this is sort of a geek list so as much as I enjoy Wallstreet I don't consider it a popcorn flick.'82 kicks butt over '87

Re: 1984: That may be the first offical year of sequelitus. There sequels to two classic 82 releases that were just weak. Conan 2, Star Trek III and then there's the controversial Indy 2(which I liked alot but it's inferior to Raiders). There was also the aptly named "Friday the 13th: The Final chapter!"

[Bryce (003)]

The summer of sequelitis was certainly, by far, 1989. LTK, Indy and the Last Crusade, Trek V, Lethal Weapon 2 along with a few gems. Batman showed up finally on the big screen. Also, The Abyss (sadly it would be five years before we finally would see it completely as intended).

A friend of mine worked at a theater and gave us a stack of student passes. Grab a pass, your University ID, have a pint, see a movie, have another pint and talk about the movie. My friends and I (including our own 004) made it a habit seven days a week.

These are interesting lists though and do bring some fond memories.

[DLibrasnow]

I would say that 1983 was the greatest year for movies.

Not must because of two James Bond movies (Octopussy and Never Say Never Again) but also the third STAR WARS movie, WARGAMES, SUPERMAN III, TRADING PLACES and SUDDEN IMPACT to name just a few.

- I also saw E.T. in 1983

[Jim]

So much for 1939, then.

[Loomis]

Hey, that's a good list for '87 but as time goes on I really esteem The Living Daylights and Predator the most...this is sort of a geek list so as much as I enjoy Wallstreet I don't consider it a popcorn flick.'82 kicks butt over '87

Re: 1984: That may be the first offical year of sequelitus. There sequels to two classic 82 releases that were just weak. Conan 2, Star Trek III and then there's the controversial Indy 2(which I liked alot but it's inferior to Raiders). There was also the aptly named "Friday the 13th: The Final chapter!"

No geek list for 1982 would be complete without MEGAFORCE.

http://imdb.com/title/tt0084316/

'82 also boasted FRIDAY THE 13TH PART III (in 3D and with a cheesy disco theme tune), which is one of those geek movies that's actually also quite good (in my book, anyway).

[Judo chop]

I would say that 1983 was the greatest year for movies.

Not must because of two James Bond movies (Octopussy and Never Say Never Again) but also the third STAR WARS movie, WARGAMES, SUPERMAN III, TRADING PLACES and SUDDEN IMPACT to name just a few.

- I also saw E.T. in 1983

NSNA?
the third STAR WARS movie?
WARGAMES?
SUPERMAN III?
SUDDEN IMPACT?

Have mercy on me, man. What was your WORST year for movies?

[00Twelve]

If I may say so myself, 1982 was indeed a very good year.

[Tarl_Cabot]

The summer of sequelitis was certainly, by far, 1989.

By sequelitus, I refer to poor sequel follow ups and I meant '84 was the beginning of the trend-perhaps it was actually 1983 with Superman III as the standard bearer of bad sequels to quality franchises.


Hey, that's a really nice signature Judo. I need a new one...Athena?

[Judo chop]

My own thoughts:

1. Bladerunner. This is my #1 movie on the list of those that seem to get better with each viewing. How does it do it?! It's abnormal too, because I tend to HATE films that try to sell me on machines that feel human emotion.

2. Road Warrior. Wearing my critic's hat, I cannot say it's a good movie. Though, put a beer in my hand, a few good buds to my left and right, and my review of this film usually goes something like "Dude... is this film not AWESOME!?" It is a beautiful blend of adrenaline, nonsense and nostalgia. It

[Tarl_Cabot]

I like the mix of photo and artwork and the colors.Groovy.

Conan has one of my favorite scores by the recently passed Basil Polidouris. Also, the Blue Lagoon maybe cheesy but his score on that flick is excellent work as well. RIP Basil.

[Santa]

Conan, great; ditto ET, The Thing, Poltergeist, Tootsie, 48 Hrs, but I'm afraid I've never understood the fuss about Bladerunner. The first time I saw it I struggled to stay awake, so I watched it again to try and give it the respect most think it deserves and I still thought it was crap. I realise I'm in the minority here, but I think it's e - top of my list of Most Overrated Films, as Queen are by far the top of my list of Most Overrated Bands. There were so many good films in the 80s. I haven't looked at 1986, for example, but it must be one of the best because it had Top Gun.

[Genrewriter]

1982 was certainly good. I love 1989 too. Just a torrent of good stuff. Year long blocks of cool movies, one of the main reasons the 80's were great.

[Santa]

This thread has started me listening to some excellent cheesy 80s music - now I'm on Nu Shooz - I Can't Wait, and before that it was Krush - House Arrest. Man, the 80s were fantastic!

[doublenoughtspy]

So much for 1939, then.

1939 is pretty amazing - Gone with The Wind, Wizard of Oz, John Wayne's Stagecoach, Juarez (where Terence Young got the idea for Bond's introduction in Dr No...), etc.

[Tarl_Cabot]

Conan, great; ditto ET, The Thing, Poltergeist, Tootsie, 48 Hrs, but I'm afraid I've never understood the fuss about Bladerunner. The first time I saw it I struggled to stay awake, so I watched it again to try and give it the respect most think it deserves and I still thought it was crap. I realise I'm in the minority here, but I think it's e - top of my list of Most Overrated Films, as Queen are by far the top of my list of Most Overrated Bands. There were so many good films in the 80s. I haven't looked at 1986, for example, but it must be one of the best because it had Top Gun.

Top Gun? That was like a two hour beer commercial! Bladerunner isn't popular as many would think. It did flop at the box office. I had huge anticipation for it because of those Starlog articles I read about a year before the film came out; seeing those pics of flying cars...well, it looked fantastic and this was the Harrison Ford that was coming off the two greatest popcorn movies EVER. I also love the score by Vangelis, which I own. I saw Bladerunner 3 times in a theater and I loved it.But not everyone is on board. Harrison Ford doesn't think much of it either. He prefers alot of the crap he's made over it. I had to watch Bladerunner in a film class in college so I knew a few people who felt it was forced on them by their pretentious film professors and learned to loathe it. Leonard Maltin gave it a poor review. Too each his own...

[The Dove]

Agreed with you on Conan the Barbarian, Tarl! I LOVE Basil Polidours' score. Basically my opinion is the greatest movies, and these are NON-Bond movies here, that I grew up with, were between 1982 and 1987. (not all of these did I see in the theater)

1982: E.T., Conan, Tron, Poltergeist, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Kahn

1983: Flashdance (only for the music, yes, I actually saw that in the theater!! lol), Return of the Jedi, Trading Places, Superman III, Wargames (another one I remember seeing in the theater), A Christmas Story

1984: Ghostbusters (saw 3 times in the theater), The Terminator, Beverly Hills Cop, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (saw this in the theater as well, thought its not my favorite of the three Indy films), Sixteen Candles, Gremlins, Police Academy, The Karate Kid, Splash, Revenge of the Nerds, The Muppets Take Manhatten ect..

1985: Back to the Future (saw twice in the theater), Teen Wolf, The Goonies (want to say I saw this 3 times, but not 100% sure),Commando, The Breakfast Club, Weird Science, Clue, Legend of Billie Jean, Pee-Wee's Big Adventure, ect..

1986: Top Gun, Space Camp, Flight of the Navigator, The Three Amigos, Transformers: The Movie (the good old fashioned animated one, not that god awful looking new CGI one that comes out this summer!!), Little Shop of Horrors, and believe it or not I actually used to like Howard the Duck as a kid!! lol, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, The Karate Kid II, Pretty in Pink,

1987: Dirty Dancing, Beverly Hills Cop II, The Lost Boys, Predator, The Running Man, The Secret of My Success,

And I'm sure I'm forgetting many more, but these are a select few of my particular favorites from those years.

Other honorable mentions from 88-89:

1988: Die Hard, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, and I'm one of the few who actually likes Poltergeist III!! lol

1989: Back to the Future II, Batman, Honey I Shrunk the Kids, Heathers, and Driving Miss Daisy.

[Tarl_Cabot]

Agreed with you on Conan the Barbarian, Tarl! I LOVE Basil Polidours' score. Basically my opinion is the greatest movies, that I grew up with, were between 1982 and 1987. (not all of these did I see in the theater)

1982: E.T., Conan, Tron, Poltergeist, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Kahn

1983: Flashdance (only for the music, yes, I actually saw that in the theater!! lol), Return of the Jedi, Trading Places, Superman III, Wargames (another one I remember seeing in the theater), A Christmas Story

1984: Ghostbusters (saw 3 times in the theater), The Terminator, Beverly Hills Cop, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (saw this in the theater as well, thought its not my favorite of the three Indy films), Sixteen Candles, Gremlins, Police Academy, The Karate Kid, Splash, Revenge of the Nerds, The Muppets Take Manhatten ect..

1985: Back to the Future (saw twice in the theater), Teen Wolf, The Goonies (want to say I saw this 3 times, but not 100% sure),Commando, The Breakfast Club, Weird Science, Clue, Legend of Billie Jean, Pee-Wee's Big Adventure, ect..

1986: Top Gun, Space Camp, Flight of the Navigator, The Three Amigos, Transformers: The Movie (the good old fashioned animated one, not that god awful looking new CGI one that comes out this summer!!), Little Shop of Horrors, and believe it or not I actually used to like Howard the Duck as a kid!! lol, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, The Karate Kid II, Pretty in Pink,

1987: Dirty Dancing, Beverly Hills Cop II, The Lost Boys, Predator, The Running Man, The Secret of My Success,

And I'm sure I'm forgetting many more, but these are a select few of my particular favorites from those years.

Other honorable mentions from 88-89:

1988: Die Hard, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, and I'm one of the few who actually likes Poltergeist III!! lol

1989: Back to the Future II, Batman, Honey I Shrunk the Kids, Heathers, and Driving Miss Daisy.

No 007 films?

[Santa]

1983: Flashdance (only for the music, yes, I actually saw that in the theater!! lol), Return of the Jedi, Trading Places, Superman III, Wargames (another one I remember seeing in the theater), A Christmas Story

1984: Ghostbusters (saw 3 times in the theater), The Terminator, Beverly Hills Cop, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (saw this in the theater as well, thought its not my favorite of the three Indy films), Sixteen Candles, Gremlins, Police Academy, The Karate Kid, Splash, Revenge of the Nerds, The Muppets Take Manhatten ect..

1985: Back to the Future (saw twice in the theater), Teen Wolf, The Goonies (want to say I saw this 3 times, but not 100% sure),Commando, The Breakfast Club, Weird Science, Clue, Legend of Billie Jean, Pee-Wee's Big Adventure, ect..

1986: Top Gun, Space Camp, Flight of the Navigator, The Three Amigos, Transformers: The Movie (the good old fashioned animated one, not that god awful looking new CGI one that comes out this summer!!), Little Shop of Horrors, and believe it or not I actually used to like Howard the Duck as a kid!! lol, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, The Karate Kid II, Pretty in Pink,

1987: Dirty Dancing, Beverly Hills Cop II, The Lost Boys, Predator, The Running Man, The Secret of My Success,

All so good I want to cry!

[The Dove]

No 007 films?

Of course the Bond films of those years were favorites of mine as well, that was a given! This was just a list of my favorite non-Bond movies from 1982-1989..

[Loomis]

So much for 1939, then.

1939 is pretty amazing - Gone with The Wind, Wizard of Oz, John Wayne's Stagecoach, Juarez (where Terence Young got the idea for Bond's introduction in Dr No...), etc.

No STAR TREK film, though.

[DLibrasnow]

So much for 1939, then.

1939 is pretty amazing - Gone with The Wind, Wizard of Oz, John Wayne's Stagecoach, Juarez (where Terence Young got the idea for Bond's introduction in Dr No...), etc.

No STAR TREK film, though.

Wasn't THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD a 1939 film also?

[Judo chop]

'38 I believe.