1984: Best Year for Movies (besides 1939)? If not, what year?

Discussion in 'Visual Arts' started by The Doctor, Oct 13, 2017.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. The Doctor

    The Doctor Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Philidelphia, PA
    Anyone here agree with me that, besides 1939, 1984 was probably the best year for movies? If not, what year?

    I pick 1984 because:
    Beverly Hills Cop
    Ghostbusters
    Temple of Doom
    Terminator
    Gremlins
    The Karate Kid
    Police Academy
    Footloose
    Once Upon a Time in America
    Romancing the Stone
    Star Trek III: The Search for Spock
    Splash
    Purple Rain
    Children of the Corn
    The Company of Wolves
    This is Spinal Tap
    Revenge of the Nerds
    Dune
    The NeverEnding Story
    A Nightmare on Elm Street
    Sixteen Candles

    I mean, seriously, what a hell of a lineup.
     
  2. audiomixer

    audiomixer As Bald As The Beatles

    "Once Upon a Time in America" is the only one I care for out of the whole list, so 1939 is way ahead, in my opinion!
     
    Simon A and Siegmund like this.
  3. Oatsdad

    Oatsdad Oat, Biscuits, Abbie & Mitzi: Best Dogs Ever

    Location:
    Alexandria VA
    Just looking at the 80s, 1982 might be best. From top of my head:

    -ET
    -Star Trek II
    -Blade Runner
    -The Thing
    -The Verdict

    I'm sure there are plenty more I can't recall!

    I do really enjoy some of the films in the OP - "Ghostbusters", "BHC", "Amadeus", "Gremlins" and "Spinal Tap" mainly - but IMO, there's some crap on that list, too! :)
     
    hi_watt likes this.
  4. DrewHarris

    DrewHarris Forum Resident

    Location:
    Good ol' Alaska
    Ghostbusters, Terminator, and NeverEnding Story are great but a lot of others are rather dated as heck. I think of the years of the 1980s, '82 had more films that strike my fancy:
    E.T.
    Blade Runner
    The Thing
    Tron
    The Secret of NIMH
    Wrath of Khan
    Poltergeist
    The Wall
    Mad Max 2

    In a way, '82 was a prime year for cult classics as well has highly regarded films.
     
    SandAndGlass, ando here and hi_watt like this.
  5. Monosterio

    Monosterio Forum Resident

    Location:
    South Florida
    Even though the '70s is my favorite decade, my favorite movie year ever may be 1982:

    E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial
    Tootsie
    Diner
    Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
    Fast Times at Ridgemont High
    The Road Warrior
    Shoot the Moon
    The Border
    Blade Runner
    48 Hours

    I see two others love that year too. :righton:
     
    Last edited: Oct 13, 2017
    driverdrummer and Al Kuenster like this.
  6. Oatsdad

    Oatsdad Oat, Biscuits, Abbie & Mitzi: Best Dogs Ever

    Location:
    Alexandria VA
    1982 was an especially good year for "popcorn fare", mainly.

    Not sure it was a good for "serious movies", but then again, I'm not sure any year in the 80s was especially strong in that regard.

    While there certainly were plenty of good "serious films" in the 80s, it's more of a "popcorn" decade, IMO. The 70s and 90s were better for "serious" films...
     
    MagicAlex likes this.
  7. peopleareleaving

    peopleareleaving Forum Resident

    Location:
    California
    10 from 1972~

    The Godfather
    Deliverance
    The Poseidon adventure
    The Getaway
    Frenzy
    Jeremiah Johnson
    Man of La Mancha
    Play It Again Sam
    The Heartbreak Kid
    Sounder
     
    Al Kuenster likes this.
  8. Monosterio

    Monosterio Forum Resident

    Location:
    South Florida
    The National Society of Film Critics picked Tootsie as that year's best film. That says it all. (And that's not a put down -- I love that film.)
     
  9. Siegmund

    Siegmund Vinyl Sceptic

    Location:
    Britain, Europe
    A walkover for 1939, but I don't like 80s mainstream cinema, anyway.

    I doubt if the 70s will ever be topped for mainstream American cinema.
     
  10. Siegmund

    Siegmund Vinyl Sceptic

    Location:
    Britain, Europe

    Widely considered to be a bad film (but not by me). The rest of that list is excellent, though.
     
  11. Monosterio

    Monosterio Forum Resident

    Location:
    South Florida
    That probably would be my #2. I also like Cabaret.
     
  12. Oatsdad

    Oatsdad Oat, Biscuits, Abbie & Mitzi: Best Dogs Ever

    Location:
    Alexandria VA
    It's really hard to come up with a lot of genuinely great "serious movies" from the 80s, IMO. Like I said, they exist, but when we think of the decade's best, it veers heavily toward "popular fare", unlike the 70s, where - with a few exceptions such as "Star Wars" and "Jaws" - most of the best-remembered movies were "serious" ones...
     
  13. Michael

    Michael I LOVE WIDE S-T-E-R-E-O!

    Yes! I like all of them! own most if not all on DVD, BR...love the early 1980's...
     
    Jrr likes this.
  14. Michael

    Michael I LOVE WIDE S-T-E-R-E-O!

  15. driverdrummer

    driverdrummer Forum Resident

    Location:
    Irmo, SC
  16. John54

    John54 Senior Member

    Location:
    Burlington, ON
    I saw seven movies in 1984:

    Local Hero
    This is Spinal Tap
    Ghostbusters
    Top Secret
    Reuben Reuben
    Choose Me
    The Gods Must Be Crazy

    They were all pretty good, although Choose Me was definitely the least of them.

    I don't know that I've seen seven movies at the movies since, although I've seen a number on TV.
     
    hi_watt likes this.
  17. bferr1

    bferr1 Forum Resident

    Location:
    MA
    Didn't Supergirl and Oh God You Devil come out in '84? Can't win 'em all, I suppose...
     
    S. P. Honeybunch and hi_watt like this.
  18. Mr. Grieves

    Mr. Grieves Forum Resident

    Great year, but 1980 might be my favorite of the decade:

    The Shining
    Raging Bull(my favorite of the decade)
    Empire Strikes Back (favorite Star Wars film)
    Airplane
    The Elephant Man
    Superman II

    I couldn't possibly pick a favorite year of all time as all my favorite movies are all spread out. I'm not sure I could honestly even pick a favorite decade
     
  19. Oatsdad

    Oatsdad Oat, Biscuits, Abbie & Mitzi: Best Dogs Ever

    Location:
    Alexandria VA
    "Superman II" is a 1981 movie for much of the world! :D
     
    Mr. Grieves likes this.
  20. Mr. Grieves

    Mr. Grieves Forum Resident

    Yes that may be true but...

     
    Oatsdad likes this.
  21. ando here

    ando here Forum Resident

    Location:
    North Pole
    Good topic, but far from my favorite year for films though Purple Rain and Once Upon A Time in America are two of my favorites.

    My favorite year for film releases remains 1962. These, imo, are very good to great films by directors in their prime that everyone should see at least once.

    An Autumn Afternoon
    , Yasujirō Ozu
    Billy Budd, Peter Ustinov
    Cape Fear, J. Lee Thompson
    Eclipse, Michelangelo Antonioni
    Exterminating Angel, Luis Buñuel
    Harakiri, Masaki Kobayashi
    Ivan's Childhood, Andrei Tarkovsky
    La Jetée, Chris Marker
    Jules and Jim, Francois Truffaut
    Knife in the Water, Roman Polanski
    Lawrence of Arabia, David Lean
    Lolita, Stanley Kubrick
    Long Day's Journey Into Night, Sidney Lumet
    The Longest Day, Annakin/Marton/Wicki
    Mamma Roma, Pablo Pier Pasolini
    Manchurian Candidate, John Frankenheimer
    Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, John Ford
    Miracle Worker, Arthur Penn
    Music Man, Morton DaCosta
    Mutiny on the Bounty, Lewis Milestone
    Pitfall, Hiroshi Teshigahara
    Ride The High Country, Sam Peckinpah
    Sanjuro, Akira Kurosawa
    Sweet Bird of Youth, Richard Brooks
    Tale of Zatoichi, Kenji Misumi
    To Kill A Mockingbird, Robert Mulligan
    Winter Light, Ingmar Bergman

    To me these are must see films. And the variety of subject matter certainly makes it one of the most interesting years in major film releases. Ranker's complete list
     
    Last edited: Oct 14, 2017
  22. alexpop

    alexpop Power pop + other bad habits....

    The 1980s?
    Big blockbuster type movies only Blade Runner ( then ) and Predator ( then&know ) thrilled me.Not my decade prefer the seventies
     
  23. alexpop

    alexpop Power pop + other bad habits....

    Only a couple on the poll list i like ..Spinal Tap &Blade Runner.
     
  24. ando here

    ando here Forum Resident

    Location:
    North Pole
    There were a few titles not mentioned that I do admire from 1984 -

    El Norte, Gregory Nava
    Heartbreaking story about a Guatemalan brother and sister who flee dire circumstances at home and head north to America.

    Amadeus, Milos Forman
    Huh? Milestone bio about one of the most famous composers. A bit grand initially but gets better as the characters of Mozart and Salieri are explored.

    Another Country
    , Marek Kanievska
    British Prep school blues featuring the maturation of a gay, Marxist spy. Not what you think. Or maybe it is. Very well done, in any case.

    Birdy, Alan Parker
    Great buddy flick where Vietnam influences their destinies.

    Broadway Danny Rose, Woody Allen
    The usual Allen neurotic but funny take featuring a dopey theatrical agent who gets into hot water with two lovers and the mob spliced with memories of Allen's own childhood.

    more faves:

    Karate Kid
    John G. Avildsen
    Muppets Take Manhattan, Frank Oz
    The Natural, Barry Levinson
    Oh God! You Devil, Paul Bogart
    Paris Texas, Wim Wenders
    A Passage To India, David Lean
    Places in the Heart - Robert Benton
    The Pope of Greenwich Village, Stuart Rosenberg
    A Soldiers' Story - Norman Jewison
    Splash, Ron Howard
    Starman, John Carpenter
    Yellow Earth, Chen Kaige

    Hmm. Not a bad year after all. ;)
     
    benjaminhuf and S. P. Honeybunch like this.
  25. Miriam

    Miriam Forum Resident

    Location:
    -
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.

Share This Page

molar-endocrine