Best 80's Films

Alright, this is a bit off topic, but I recently made an off-the-cuff comment about Do The Right Thing being one of the best 80's films and a colleague replied, "Are there good 80's films?" This set me off on a less-than-wise use of my time to compile the best 80's films and here is the list. Agree? Disagree? Did I leave any out? The top ten are in order. The top thirty are loosely in order. The rest are random.

Download Morgan's Best 80's Films as a .pdf HERE

Morgan’s Top Ten 80’s Films

Betty Blue (1986)

Wings of Desire (1987)

Blade Runner (1882)

Down By Law (1986)

The Shining (1980)         

Do the Right Thing (1989)

Brazil (1985)

The Blues Brothers (1980)

Scarface (1983)

Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior (1981)

Top Twenty 80’s Films (because I can’t just live with 10)

Ragging Bull (1980)

Pink Floyd: The Wall (1982)

Akira (1988)

Caddyshack (1980)

Excalibur (1981)

Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982)

Raising Arizona (1987)

Stranger Than Paradise (1984)

Fletch (1985)

The Breakfast  Club (1985)

Top Thirty 80’s Films (would include these)

Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986)

Full Metal Jacket (1987)

Gandhi (1982)

Cinema Paradiso (1988)

Dead Poets Society (1989)

Babette's Feast (1987)

Airplane! (1980)

My Neighbor Totoro (1988)

Platoon (1986)

Drugstore Cowboy (1989)

Honorable Mentions 80’s Films

The Princess Bride (1987)

Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)

Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (1983)

Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

Ghost Busters (1984)

An American Werewolf in London (1981)

Broadcast News (1987)

After Hours (1985)

Poltergeist (1982)

Blood Simple (1984)

Aliens (1986)

Coming to America (1988)

Stand By Me (1986)

Back to the Future (1985)

Blue Velvet (1986)

E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (1982)

The Dark Crystal (1981)

Highlander (1986)

Amadeus (1984)

Rain Man (1988)

Once Upon a Time in America (1984)

Clash of the Titans (1981)

Airplane 2: The Sequel (1982)

Mommie Dearest (1981)

Heathers (1989)

Ordinary People (1980)

The Elephant Man (1980)

Fanny and Alexander (1982)

The Killing Fields (1984)

Ran (1985)

Mississippi Burning (1988)

My Left Foot (1989)

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984)

Castle in the Sky (1986)

Dangerous Liaisons (1988)

Chariots of Fire (1981)

Grave of the Fireflies (1988)

Witness (1985)

Field of Dreams (1989)

The Color Purple (1985)

Paris, Texas (1984)

A Christmas Story (1983)

Tootsie (1982)

Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (1988)

The Mission (1986)

A Fish Called Wanda (1988)

Sophie's Choice (1982)

Red Dawn (1984)

Purple Rain (1984)

The Karate Kid (1984)

Desperately Seeking Susan (1985)

Robocop (1987)

Good Morning, Vietnam (1987)

Pee Wee's Big Adventure (1985)

National Lampoons Vacation (1983)

Labyrinth (1986)

Beetlejuice (1988)

No Lost Boys 1987

Neverending Story 1984

Say Anything... (1989)

Police Academy (1984)

The Outsiders (1983)

The Terminator (1984)

The Goonies (1985)

80’s Films I have not seen but are probably really good

Near Dark (1987)

Manhunter (1986)

Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1986)

The King of Comedy (1983)

Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989)

Hannah and Her Sisters (1986)

The Last Emperor (1987)

Das Boot (1981)

Au Revoir Les Enfants (1987)

Terms of Endearment (1983)

The Official Story (1985)

Salaam Bombay! (1988)

Kagemusha (1980)

A Room with a View (1985)

Time of the Gypsies (1988)

A Passage to India (1984)

Reds (1981)

The Running Man (1987)

Some Kind of Wonderful (1987)

Mephisto (1981)

80’s Films that will not make my list but my friends will be unhappy with my choices

Flashdance (1983)

Footloose (1983)

First Blood (1982)

Tron (1982)

The Untouchables (1987)

Big (1988)

Gremlins (1984)

Who Framed Roger Rabbit? (1988)

Mannequin (1987)

The Little Mermaid (1989)

The Right Stuff (1983)

Die Hard (1988)

The Untouchables (1987)
Kiss of the Spider Woman (1985)