50 80S MOVIE GEMS
The 80s was a very rich time for movies, and some movies are overshadowed by the big hitters from this incredible decade.
So, I want to share with you 50 movies that deserve a little more love.
A THREAD - PART 1 #5080sGems
1⃣
Flash Gordon (1980)
Flash and his friends travel to planet Mongo and find themselves fighting Ming the Merciless to save Earth. It just about made its money back and was probably overshadowed by The Empire Strikes Back. It's also the sexiest kids' film ever made #5080sGems
2⃣
The Hunter (1980)
This was Steve McQueen's final film. It became apparent while filming that his condition was worsening, which adds a level of sadness to it all. The King of Cool definitely went out with a bang. #5080sGems
3⃣
Excalibur (1981)
It's a lush retelling of the legend of King Arthur. Director John Boorman wanted the visuals to be star, so he hired relatively unknown actors, who happened to be Dame Helen Mirren, Sir Patrick Stewart, Liam Neeson and Gabriel Byrne, amongst others #5080sGems
4⃣
Outland (1981)
A federal marshal (Sean Connery) at a mining colony on the Jupiter moon of Io uncovers a drug-smuggling conspiracy. Then finds himself marked for murder. It's basically High Noon in space. #5080sGems
5⃣
Thief (1981)
An ace safe cracker (James Caan) wants to do one last big heist for the mob before going straight.
Written and Directed by Michael Mann with a stunning score by Tangerine Dream, this should get miles more attention #5080sGems
6⃣
Missing (1982)
When an idealistic American writer disappears during the Chilean coup d'état in 1973, his wife (Sissy Spacek) and father (Jack Lemmon) try to find him. This film won the Palme d'Or at Canne. But I don't know a single person who talks about it #5080sGems
7⃣
The King of Comedy (1982)
Rupert Pupkin (Robert DeNiro) is an unsuccessful comic who craves fame, so he stalks and kidnaps his idol to steal the spotlight
It's one of the best Scorsese/DeNiro films. Imagine Taxi Driver as a comedy and you're half way there #5080sGems
8⃣
Firefox (1982)
Clint Eastwood plays a pilot hired to steal a Russian hi-tech plane. It's a cold war spy thriller in the same vein as Tom Clancy. It was a hit at the time, it's just not a film that pops into your head when you think of Eastwood, but it should do #5080sGems
9⃣
The Verdict (1982)
An alcoholic lawyer sees the chance to salvage his career and self-respect by taking a medical malpractice case to trial rather than settling.
Sidney Lumet directs Paul Newman in one of the darkest performances of his career #5080sGems
🔟
The Right Stuff (1983)
The story of the U.S Space Program with some of the finest young actors of their generation, with blistering performances by Sam Shepard and Barbara Hershey. It only made $20 million at the box office but was nominated for 8 Oscars. #5080sGems
1⃣1⃣
Local Hero (1983)
An American oil company has plans for a new refinery and sends someone to Scotland to buy an entire village, but things don't go as expected.
I love Bill Forsyth films, his comedy is always unexpected. More people should love this film #5080sGems
1⃣2⃣
Bachelor Party (1984)
Yes it's silly and immature. But when I was 13 years old it seemed like Citizen Kane to me. I'm sure Tom Hanks doesn't look back at this one fondly, but I love it. #5080sGems
1⃣3⃣
The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension (1984)
Adventurer, brain surgeon, rock musician Buckaroo Banzai must stop alien invaders from the 8th dimension who are planning to conquer Earth.
Hands down one of the best final title sequences ever #5080sGems
1⃣4⃣
Streets of Fire (1984)
A mercenary is hired to rescue his ex-girlfriend, a singer who has been kidnapped by a motorcycle gang.
It's very big, daft and silly but it's directed by Walter Hill (The Warriors),it's got a great cast and Diane Lane looks stunning in it #5080sGems
1⃣5⃣
The Last Starfighter (1984)
A kid beats the Starfighter video game and is transported to another planet to join a team of real starfighters to defend their world from attack.
Again, this one lives in the shadows of Star Wars, it's also quite dark for a kids' film #5080sGems
1⃣6⃣
The Woman in Red (1984)
Gene Wilder and Kelly LeBrock were a comedy match made in heaven. Only Gene Wilder can make a comedy about a man contemplating having an affair seem as sweet as this. #5080sGems
1⃣7⃣
Top Secret (1984)
It's no secret that I love Top Secret. It's often seen as the poor relation to Airplane, but in a lot of ways, it's much better. Especially the songs #5080sGems
1⃣8⃣
After Hours (1985)
An ordinary word processor has the worst night of his life after he agrees to visit a girl in Soho he met that evening at a coffee shop.
Griffin Dunne and Rosanna Arquette are both delightful in this mental Scorsese comedy #5080sGems
1⃣9⃣
Better Off Dead (1985)
After his girlfriend ditches him for a ski jock, Lane decides that suicide is the only answer. His increasingly inept attempts bring him only more agony and embarrassment. When I was younger, I wanted to be John Cusack. I kinda still do #5080sGems
2⃣0⃣
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#10 Shakespeare in Love - $279,500,000
Joseph Fiennes, Gwyneth Paltrow
Director - John Madden
An incredibly smart rom-com, which somehow walked away with the Best Picture Oscar
#1998Top10
1/16
#9 Lethal Weapon 4 - $285,400,000
Mel Gibson, Danny Glover, Jet Li
Director - Richard Donner
Riggs and Murtaugh are back... again. This time attempting to break a Chinese immigrant-smuggling ring.
#1998Top10
2/16
#8 Doctor Dolittle - $294,156,605
Eddie Murphy, Kristen Wilson
Director - Betty Thomas
After a car crash, Doctor Dolittle finds he can understand and talk to animals.
#1998Top10
3/16
A Thread
Was '96 the BIGGEST year for movies ever?
#10 Space Jam - $250,180,384
Michael Jordan, Bugs Bunny
Director - Joe Pytka
The Looney Tunes employ Michael Jordan to beat aliens in a basketball game, obviously.
#1996Top10
1/16
#9 Jerry Maguire - $273,552,592
Tom Cruise, Renee Zellweger, Cuba Gooding Jr
Director - Cameron Crowe
After committing career suicide Jerry Maguire salvages a single client, footballer Rod Tilbrook, and assistant Dorothy Boyd.
#1996Top10
2/16
#8 The Nutty Professor - $273,814,019
Eddie Murphy, Jada Pinkett Smith
Director - Tom Shadyac
Obese biochemist Sherman Klump, manages to come up with a concoction that enables him to shed 300 pounds and all his inhibitions to become Buddy Love.
#1996Top10
3/16
#10 Wayne's World - $183,097,323
Mike Myers, Dana Carvey, Tia Carrere
Director - Penelope Spheeris
A comedy classic that changed the English language for a while.
#1992Top10
1/14
#9 Bram Stoker's Dracula - $215,862,666
Gary Oldman, Winona Ryder, Anthony Hopkins
Director - Francis Ford Coppola
Coppola got his teeth into this arty adaptation of the mother of all vampire tales. It's possibly the sexiest retelling of this gothic masterpiece.
#1992Top10
2/14
#8 Sister Act - $231,600,000
Whoopi Goldberg, Maggie Smith, Kathy Najimy
Director - Emile Ardolino
A nightclub singer accidentally witnesses a murder and is disguised as a nun so she can hide in a nunnery until the time comes to testify.
#1992Top10
3/14
#10 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - $202,000,000
Elias Koteas, Judith Hoag
Director - Steve Barron
The Heros In Halfshells' leader is kidnapped, and they make it their ninja mission to rescue him
#1990Top10
1/10
#9 Kindergarten Cop - $202,000,000
Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hunt
Director - Ivan Reitman
Arnie goes undercover as a primary teacher to track down the wife of a drug lord in this very large fish-out-of-water comedy.
#1990Top10
2/10
#8 Presumed Innocent - $221,300,000
Harrison Ford, Bonnie Bedelia
Director - Alan J. Pakula
Deputy D.A Rusty Sabich (Ford) finds himself a murder suspect when his lover is found with her head stoved in by a hammer. But, is he innocent?
#1990Top10
3/10
The Thing was released OTD in 1982, so here are 10 reasons why I love The Thing
A Thread
#1 The Opening Titles
I've always been fascinated by this burning opening title sequence. It was created by Peter Kuran with the help of a fish tank, a trash bag and a match. Simples.
#2 'Norweigian, Mac'
John Carpenter gave you the entire plot in the first scene, if you happen to speak Norwegian.
The man shooting at the dog says, 'Get the hell outta there. That’s not a dog, it’s some sort of thing! It’s imitating a dog, it isn’t real! Get away, you idiots!'
#3 Morricone
Ennio Morricone's score delivers a musical version of building dread. From the opening couple of chords to the very end, it's a musical score that suggests this isn't gonna end well, and it won't get any better than this.
The opening truck chase combines action and comedy set to a great soundtrack. It's literally the film you're about to watch in one scene.
1/10
10 Reasons Why I Love Beverly Hills Cop (1984)
2. Casual Swearing
I was 13 when I saw BHC and I'd never heard casual swearing before. Listening to Eddie Murphy and Gil Hill (Inspector Todd) throwing F-bombs around was like hearing Shakespeare for the first time.
2/10
10 Reasons Why I Love Beverly Hills Cop (1984)
3. The Soundtrack
Patti LaBelle's Stir It Up makes this sequence iconic. And Harold Faltermeyer's electronic score is instantly recognisable. It all works. The music in BHC is one of the characters.
3/10