1980's Best Movies: 40 Years Later

voting Airplane!

accidentally voted for something other than Airplane!, guess im retiring this account now

A big year for revisionism (Cruising, Heaven's Gate), horror, and French movies.

The Blues Brothers in the top 1,000 is flagrant crap.

1. Raging Bull, 2. Berlin Alexanderplatz, 3. Dressed to Kill.

I've worn out #1, so I could reverse the top two. The Changeling is now considered a good film? It was bottom of the barrel when I was working at a local theatre in 1980.

Missed The Shining...I'd put that ahead of De Palma.

RE: revisionism and horror, I don't think The Fog got particularly nice reviews back then either. Neither did The Shining. And I'm pretty sure Inferno was seen as a letdown after Suspiria.

Horror is, granted, often judged via adjusted metrics but I'd say The Changeling is def good.

Surprised to realize that I might go with The Elephant Man here.

The only movie from my top 10 not represented here is Hardly Working.

OMG

I have probably seen that as many times if not more than any film actually on this list. I was not well-monitored as a child.

I know that many (maybe most) of the greatest horror films ever take years to solidify their reputation, and I know Peter Medak made a couple of other acclaimed films, but all I can remember about The Changeling is George C. Scott during his late scenery-chewing phase.

As much as I love Fassbinder, whose films I've rewatched since their easier availability in the mid 2000s, I can't get into Berlin Alexanderplatz.

No idea what I'd vote for.

1. The Shining
2. Raging Bull
3. The Elephant Man
4. Dressed to Kill
5. Airplane!

I don’t know what The Changeling is doing here, either.

Berlin Alexanderplatz
Mon Oncle d'Amerique
Raging Bull
Bad Timing

One of these days I'll watch Bad Timing.

Also, I got major Heaven's Gate vibes from this one-sheet:

https://d13ezvd6yrslxm.cloudfront.net/wp/wp-content/images/6_TheIrishman-700x1034.jpg

(Excepting the part about the Academy Award nominations.)

The Changeling is a great slow-burn creepfest and one of Marty's faves:

https://www.theguardian.com/film/2013/nov/12/martin-scorsese-scariest-films-the-haunting-shining

I don't think its bad, but it ain't even the second best horror movie on this list.

As usual, I have a number of foreign films to catch up on: Mon Oncle d'Amerique and Berlin Alexanderplatz most notably. Kagembusha is good second-tier Kurosawa, but The Last Metro is basically a well-made snooze.

(don't know where that b came from in Kagemusha)

It’s the porn parody title

I'm mildly intrigued by the votes for Bad Timing but my further exploration of Roeg's '80s filmography has been thus far hindered (perhaps unfairly) by the fact that Track 29 is one of the worst movies I've ever seen in my life.

he ran the gamut on the quality scale

I actually agree with clemenza on Berlin, The Shining and Dressed to Kill.

Raging Bull, however, can die in a fire.

like the hotel in The Shining did in the book? (or the original sets)

what're your objections to RB? if you say "toxic masculinity" i have my sock o' manure ready.

To the extent that I got out of it almost the inverse of what its hype suggested I might get out of it, I'm comfortable calling Raging Bull one of the more overly-celebrated films of all time.

Bring on the sock, Morbsy.

Dressed to Kill, The Empire Strikes Back, Airplane!, one of these.

Basically what Pauline Kael said, Morbs.

The Blues Brothers in the top 1,000 is flagrant crap.

― temporarily embarrassed thousandaire (Eric H.), Tuesday, January 21, 2020 7:42 AM (yesterday) bookmarkflaglink

to say nothing of the empire strikes back

to say nothing of a Hitchcock ripoff

Dressed to Kill, The Empire Strikes Back, Airplane!, one of these.

all juvenilia, though two are good

If you're going to steal, etc. etc.

xp Yeah, The Empire Strikes Back is a bit short of "good."

I have a soft spot for THE BIG RED ONE because it was the first Sam Fuller movie I ever saw (lol HBO) but if I had to pick from this list it would be the same top 3 as DJPs.

Empire, The Shining, Airplane </basic>

Who are we kidding, Airplane! is winning this round.

i am voting airplane!

i am a huge star wars fan but like... what is empire even doing here

It's the only SW entry that even approaches greatness if you care about this sort of thing for a SW chapter.

^^^

I'm not much of a Star Wars fan anymore, but Empire is still dazzling.

I mean, visually Kershner knew what he was doing.

I do laugh my ass off at Airplane!, but even ZAZ admit it's barely directed

and I can't get u ppl to discuss WC Fields

Hilar Big Red One trivia:

During the UK clampdown on video nasties in the 1980s the film was briefly seized by Manchester police, who believed it to be a sex film.

Go back and siddowna

and I can't get u ppl to discuss WC Fields

― a Mets fan who gave up on everything in the mid '80s (Dr Morbius), Wednesday, January 22, 2020 9:03 AM (one minute ago) bookmarkflaglink

https://i.imgur.com/9355Eu6.png

the cinematography in empire is tight but it's a movie that doesn't function without its previous chapter and the acting is STILL terrible

Away, put your gripin'

for its centennial

Footlight Parade robbed yet again. Typical.

The problem with TSPDT is they seem to accept legitimately every list.

Tho horror did, in fact, rule in 1980 and no getting around that.

The Shining was rather boring to me on opening night and ever since

(and i believe i'm the only one on the board who saw the initial US cut w/ the hospital scene)

Wait who on ILX doesn't like the Marx Brothers?

Haters who are jealous of a family talented enough to produce both Das Kapital and 'Children of the Night' presumably.

didnt say anything about that

(but y'know, Eric)

xp

The Stunt Man not on this list. Or Tess.

Belated justice. Seriously, in all the later hubbub about Polanski, people forget how incredibly fast he went from admitting to raping a 13-year old, escaping from justice, to making his next film and getting awards and nominations at the Cesars and Golden Globes. He flees in february 78, the film starts shooting that summer.

true enough

has nothing to do with whether Tess is good

Stardust Memories is a better hommage to Fellini than All That Jazz is

I have nothing against the Marx brothers?

I just don't see you turning cartwheels over any pre-1960 comedy. I could be wrong.

One doesn't turn cartwheels beyond 40.

(And count Looney Tunes shorts and we'd be talking.)

Stardust Memories is a better fromage to Fellini than All That Jazz is

I love cheese!

The Falls is such a weird weird and hilarious movie -- it always reminds me of the Python sketch about identifying trees that keeps getting stuck on "The Larch" (fuck I could totally be misremembering this) ... Airplane is also a fave. ... I think I've started watching Bad Timing a half dozen times but always fell asleep in the middle and have no idea if it was the movie or me.

just trying to figure out why Airplane! is so much more loved around here than great laugh riots made by a real filmmaker (eg Duck Soup

it sure is a head-scratcher huh. Might have something to do with none of us being alive in 19fucking33.

(I did watch Duck Soup during Marx Bros kick in high school. I laughed! Riotously!)

lots of the ZAZ fans were zygotes or diaper wearers in 1980

there's definitely something to be said for imprinted memories and age w/r/t movies -- I was probably 6 or 7 when I saw Airplane and thought it was hilarious at the time, and still do ... how much of that is related to the childhood viewing, idk. Guessing a lot of the shared love here on ilx is because a bunch of us are in our mid-late 40s and saw it as kids around the time it came out.

(xps)

Tess is listed on IMDb as '79 (though nominated for the '80 Oscars).

airplane is one of a short shortlist of comedy movies i'd vote over the marx bros in an ilx poll

well, we won't have that one then

Too late.

Tess is listed on IMDb as '79 (though nominated for the '80 Oscars).

― Maria Edgelord (cryptosicko),

See Morbs' comment about Atlantic City.

https://i.imgur.com/YmSVGMm.jpg?fb
I guess I picked the wrong week to realise that 1980 was 40 years ago!

AC got Euro and Canadian releases in '80

lots of the ZAZ fans were zygotes or diaper wearers in 1980

I was 2. I saw it first on VHS or TV. Despite being a zygote or in diapers, I'm much more familiar with 70s/early 80s films & music than Depression era shit. It's not hard to figure out why.

check out this Emily Dickinson sometime

have we ever done a screwball comedy poll or the like?

S/D, POX: Screwball comedies

Agree that Melvin and Howard is an unfortunate omission--that'd be in my top three.

Morbs do you ever hang out w 100 yr old who look down on you for not being into penny farthings and Sandra Bernhardt

or Sarah lol

Since we're doing omissions, I'll mention one of my most beloved movies of this/any year that I knew wouldn't show up here: My Bodyguard. I'm curious how many of the "canonical" teen movies (of which MB is not) will show up on these lists.

Matt Dillon in the early Reagan years *dies from sexual heat*

Woulda hung this on my wall were I a teen in the 80s

https://66.media.tumblr.com/3285e9785a4fb072bf2878d0f2f51ea3/tumblr_mfhanzoshP1s0lz26o1_640.jpg

a helluva album sleeve

I've Got My Own Body To Guard

there's definitely something to be said for imprinted memories and age w/r/t movies...

― sarahell, Wednesday, January 22, 2020

really the truth

https://thegirlwhoknewtoomuch46.files.wordpress.com/2016/08/let-me-feel-bad.gif

Timothy = me watching Raging Bull

I've Got My Own Body To Guard

lol

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

I think of Gregory’s Girl as contemporary to Sixteen Candles and such. Surprised it’s ‘80.

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

Figuring Kubrick didn't need my help, I went for De Palma, who clearly did.

Time for the showdown: The Best Movies Of Years Celebrating An Anniversary Divisible By 10 (1920-2010)