1980 Continued: Movies July 27, 2010
Posted by Matt in movies, top ten.Tags: 1980 movies, airplane, Blues Brothers, Caddyshack, Raging Bull, The Empire Strikes Back, The Shining, top 5
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We continue our journey back to the dawn of the 1980’s with this look at some great films released that year. Granted, there are probably several great movies I haven’t seen from that year since I was only three at the time and have had to catch up over the ensuing 30 years, but these are the six that I consider to be favorites.
5. (tie) Airplane! and Blues Brothers
Truth be told, I haven’t seen either one of these in years so I’m not sure how they have held up, but I still feel pretty confident about including them. One is a classic spoof and the other stars the late, great John Belushi – I can think of few characteristics that would be better.
4. Caddyshack
When I was a kid my favorite part of the movie was the gopher, but as an adult, I can recognize that there are few movies with better comedic dialogue than this one. Chevy Chase (as Ty Webb) and Bill Murray (as Carl Spackler), in particular, crack me up every time they open their mouths. Spackler’s story about meeting the Dali Lama is priceless.
3. Raging Bull
This biographical film about boxer Jake LaMotta (played by the great Robert De Niro) is without a doubt one of Martin Scorsese’s masterpieces. It’s an affecting and sometimes even painful picture to watch, but one that everyone should see.
2. The Shining
I love Stanley Kubrick and in this retelling of Stephen King’s great novel, he proves that his books can actually be made into great films. There are few horror films that are as psychologically gripping as this one and most of that is due to Jack Nicholson’s incredible performance and Kubrick’s spooky camera shots. This one still scares me every time I think about it.
1. The Empire Strikes Back
I’m a huge fan of the original Star Wars trilogy and Empire is probably my favorite of the three films. It’s darker than the first chapter and doesn’t have the kiddie marketing campaign of the last one, and both of those things suit it well. From the Icy world of Hoth to the Dagobah swamp to the Cloud City, this film takes viewers on an incredible ride – and they get to learn that the innards of a Tauntaun are ideal to keep one from freezing to death.
