December 25, 2012

Top 10 Films of the 1980s


1) Hannah and Her Sisters ¹ (1986, dir. Woody Allen)
2) The Empire Strikes Back (1980, dir. Irvin Kershner)
3) Do the Right Thing (1989, dir. Spike Lee)
4) Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981, dir. Steven Spielberg)
5) Raging Bull (1980, dir. Martin Scorsese)
6) Blade Runner (1982, dir. Ridley Scott)
7) The Shining (1980, dir. Stanley Kubrick)
8) My Life As A Dog (1985, dir. Lasse Hallström)
9) Back to the Future (1985, dir. Robert Zemeckis)
10) Say Anything... (1989, dir. Cameron Crowe)

I'm continuing my top films of the decade series moving into the 1980s. Cinema of the eighties, set after the New Hollywood movement, feels very transitional with a lingering recklessness from the seventies. You can feel the continuance and rise of Hollywood blockbusters with a focus on adventure and style. Despite this, it was still a decent decade for adult dramas as society slowly moved away from its counter culture focus and towards more appealing material.

¹ Like many, I love classic Woody Allen films. In particular, Hannah and Her Sisters shows his penchant for irreverent musings on life, interesting relationship dynamics, and strong female characters. Its mosaic structure shows Allen at his best with the usual bouts of wry, existential comedy.

Following the interconnecting stories of three very different sisters through their family and friends, Allen explores every element of human interactions brilliantly. At its best, it highlights everything we love and hate about women, balancing comedy and tragedy deftly. It's a classic, full of wonderful performances and just the right amount of '80s charm.

You can read all my film reviews here.


Top 10 | All-time / 1990s2000s / 2007 / 2008 / 2009 / 2010 / 2011 / More | Paste

1 reactions:

Rick Chung said...

You can't have a top '80s films list without John Hughes. That's pretty much sacrilegious.

Post a Comment