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I'm leaving the topic title vague because a number of these lists come out from time to time and I don't want to create a new thread every time I come across one.
Today it's all about the 80s.
Dirty Dancing, Back to the Future and E.T. Voted Best 80s Films: Poll Reveals Top 40 Movies From Big-Hair Days
TOP 40 BEST FILMS FROM THE 80s
1. Dirty Dancing (1987) – Directed by Emile Ardolino Not my cup of tea. It's alright.
2. Back to the Future (1985) – Directed by Robert Zemeckis A personal favorite of mine
3. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982) – Directed by Steven Spielberg One of the most overrated movies from the 80s for me. It was alright.
4. Top Gun (1986) – Directed by Tony Scott Not a big Cruise fan, but this is a classic.
5. Die Hard (1988) – Directed by John McTiernan John is one of the most iconic characters of the 80s. And this may be my favorite Christmas movie.
6. The Terminator (1984) – Directed by James Cameron An absolute classic, but the 2nd one is better.
7. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) – Directed by Steven Spielberg Can't go wrong with Indy.
8. Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (1980) – Directed by Irvin Kershner Absolutely the best Star Wars movie ever made.
9. Ghostbusters (1984) – Directed by Ivan Reitman This movie never gets old. What a cast!
10. Aliens (1986) – Directed by James Cameron Great flick, but not in my top 10.
11. The Goonies (1985) – Directed by Richard Donner A classic I never get tired of watching. Really good cast in hindsight.
12. The Shining (1980) – Directed by Stanley Kubrick Understandable. I don't have an attachment to it, but I get it.
13. Rain Man (1988) – Directed by Barry Levinson Dustin Hoffman was absolutely brilliant. But when isn't he?
14. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989) – Directed by Steven Spielberg Indy again. I'm good with this. I like this one better than Raiders personally.
15. Airplane! (1980) – Directed by Jim Abrahams, David Zucker, Jerry Zucker One of the funniest spoofs ever. I've always wanted to learn Jive.
16. Star Wars: Return of the Jedi (1983) – Directed by George Lucas Is there really anything more iconic than Star Wars from the 80s in the movie world?
17. The Blues Brothers (1980) – Directed by John Landis Not gonna lie, I still haven't seen this one.
18. Blade Runner (1982) – Directed by Ridley Scott This is another one that has slipped through the cracks and I've yet to see.
19. Fatal Attraction (1987) – Directed by Adrian Lyne Haven't seen this is ages. Can't really comment.
20. Gremlins (1984) – Directed by Joe Dante Another one of my favorite Christmas movies.
21. The Karate Kid (1984) – Directed by John G. Avildsen Another true staple of the 80s. Miagi was the man!
22. Batman (1989) – Directed by Tim Burton Not my favorite Batman movie ever, but the best of this grouping.
23. Beetlejuice (1988) – Directed by Tim Burton Surprised to see this here as it seems generally underrated. I love it.
24. The Little Mermaid (1989) – Directed by Ron Clements, John Musker I get it. Quality animation fun. Didn't realize it wasn't a 90s movie.
25. Big (1988) – Directed by Penny Marshall A truly fun movie if you don't overthink the relationship.
26. The Breakfast Club (1985) – Directed by John Hughes Really surprised to see a number of the movies rated higher than this. Absolute staple of the 80s.
27. When Harry Met Sally (1989) – Directed by Rob Reiner I don't think I've seen this one.
28. Stand by Me (1986) – Directed by Rob Reiner Fantastically done movie with good casting. Still enjoy watching this from time to time.
29. Scarface (1983) – Directed by Brian De Palma Good flick. Not on my regular rewatch list though.
30. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986) – Directed by John Hughes How can this not be on here? Such a fun movie.
31. A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) – Directed by Wes Craven First movie to give me nightmares. Why my parents let me see this at six years old I'll never understand.
32. Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988) – Directed by Robert Zemeckis First movie I saw in theaters. Believe it was a birthday party for the twin girls in the kindergarten class. Love it.
33. Beverly Hills Cop (1984) – Directed by Martin Brest Back when Eddie was fun. Still enjoy this one quite a bit.
34. The Untouchables (1987) – Directed by Brian De Palma Another one I haven't seen.
35. The Color Purple (1985) – Directed by Steven Spielberg Don't recall seeing this one.
36. Flashdance (1983) – Directed by Adrian Lyne I definitely haven't seen this. Not sure what it is.
37. Lethal Weapon (1987) – Directed by Richard Donner A personal favorite. Best buddy cop film ever? Lots of fun and even the sequels are top notch.
38. Full Metal Jacket (1987) – Directed by Stanley Kubrick One of the best first halves to a film ever. The rest is okay. Definitely a classic.
39. Platoon (1986) – Directed by Oliver Stone I haven't seen this since sometime in the 90s. Can't really comment. Should rewatch.
40. The Princess Bride (1987) – Directed by Rob Reiner Way too ****ing low on this list. One of the best movies ever in my opinion. I still watch this movie multiple times a year. Maybe month.
I'm trying to think of other 80s movies that I might consider for top 40.
The Lost Boys
Dead Poets Society
Spaceballs
Field of Dreams
Weird Science
Major League
Stripes
Glory
Better Off Dead
National Lampoons Vacation
Hoosiers
Big Trouble in Little China (Personal favorite)
Revenge of the Nerds
Red Dawn
Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure
Heathers
Caddyshack
Bull Durham
I'm sure there are others that a case may be made for. Some more so than others. That was just a list of personal favorites from the 80s off the top of my head.
Today it's all about the 80s.
Dirty Dancing, Back to the Future and E.T. Voted Best 80s Films: Poll Reveals Top 40 Movies From Big-Hair Days
A poll of 2,000 adults found 43 percent believing that filmmaking has never been as good as it was in the 1980s— the era of big hair and leg warmers.
Dirty Dancing, Back to the Future, and E.T. were named the best 80s movies of the decade, according to the survey.
And there’s some cultural heft behind their top choices. The 1987 classic Dirty Dancing starring Patrick Swayze, for instance, won 12 awards after its release, including an Academy Award for Best Original Song, (I’ve Had) The Time Of My Life.
Top Gun, Die Hard, The Terminator, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back also appeared among the top ten best films named in the survey conducted by OnePoll.
Who were named the most iconic 80s stars? Arnold Schwarzenegger, Tom Hanks, and Tom Cruise.
The most influential directors named in the poll were—drum roll—Steven Spielberg, George Lucas and Ridley Scott.
Dirty Dancing, Back to the Future, and E.T. were named the best 80s movies of the decade, according to the survey.
And there’s some cultural heft behind their top choices. The 1987 classic Dirty Dancing starring Patrick Swayze, for instance, won 12 awards after its release, including an Academy Award for Best Original Song, (I’ve Had) The Time Of My Life.
Top Gun, Die Hard, The Terminator, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back also appeared among the top ten best films named in the survey conducted by OnePoll.
Who were named the most iconic 80s stars? Arnold Schwarzenegger, Tom Hanks, and Tom Cruise.
The most influential directors named in the poll were—drum roll—Steven Spielberg, George Lucas and Ridley Scott.
1. Dirty Dancing (1987) – Directed by Emile Ardolino Not my cup of tea. It's alright.
2. Back to the Future (1985) – Directed by Robert Zemeckis A personal favorite of mine
3. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982) – Directed by Steven Spielberg One of the most overrated movies from the 80s for me. It was alright.
4. Top Gun (1986) – Directed by Tony Scott Not a big Cruise fan, but this is a classic.
5. Die Hard (1988) – Directed by John McTiernan John is one of the most iconic characters of the 80s. And this may be my favorite Christmas movie.
6. The Terminator (1984) – Directed by James Cameron An absolute classic, but the 2nd one is better.
7. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) – Directed by Steven Spielberg Can't go wrong with Indy.
8. Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (1980) – Directed by Irvin Kershner Absolutely the best Star Wars movie ever made.
9. Ghostbusters (1984) – Directed by Ivan Reitman This movie never gets old. What a cast!
10. Aliens (1986) – Directed by James Cameron Great flick, but not in my top 10.
11. The Goonies (1985) – Directed by Richard Donner A classic I never get tired of watching. Really good cast in hindsight.
12. The Shining (1980) – Directed by Stanley Kubrick Understandable. I don't have an attachment to it, but I get it.
13. Rain Man (1988) – Directed by Barry Levinson Dustin Hoffman was absolutely brilliant. But when isn't he?
14. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989) – Directed by Steven Spielberg Indy again. I'm good with this. I like this one better than Raiders personally.
15. Airplane! (1980) – Directed by Jim Abrahams, David Zucker, Jerry Zucker One of the funniest spoofs ever. I've always wanted to learn Jive.
16. Star Wars: Return of the Jedi (1983) – Directed by George Lucas Is there really anything more iconic than Star Wars from the 80s in the movie world?
17. The Blues Brothers (1980) – Directed by John Landis Not gonna lie, I still haven't seen this one.
18. Blade Runner (1982) – Directed by Ridley Scott This is another one that has slipped through the cracks and I've yet to see.
19. Fatal Attraction (1987) – Directed by Adrian Lyne Haven't seen this is ages. Can't really comment.
20. Gremlins (1984) – Directed by Joe Dante Another one of my favorite Christmas movies.
21. The Karate Kid (1984) – Directed by John G. Avildsen Another true staple of the 80s. Miagi was the man!
22. Batman (1989) – Directed by Tim Burton Not my favorite Batman movie ever, but the best of this grouping.
23. Beetlejuice (1988) – Directed by Tim Burton Surprised to see this here as it seems generally underrated. I love it.
24. The Little Mermaid (1989) – Directed by Ron Clements, John Musker I get it. Quality animation fun. Didn't realize it wasn't a 90s movie.
25. Big (1988) – Directed by Penny Marshall A truly fun movie if you don't overthink the relationship.
26. The Breakfast Club (1985) – Directed by John Hughes Really surprised to see a number of the movies rated higher than this. Absolute staple of the 80s.
27. When Harry Met Sally (1989) – Directed by Rob Reiner I don't think I've seen this one.
28. Stand by Me (1986) – Directed by Rob Reiner Fantastically done movie with good casting. Still enjoy watching this from time to time.
29. Scarface (1983) – Directed by Brian De Palma Good flick. Not on my regular rewatch list though.
30. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986) – Directed by John Hughes How can this not be on here? Such a fun movie.
31. A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) – Directed by Wes Craven First movie to give me nightmares. Why my parents let me see this at six years old I'll never understand.
32. Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988) – Directed by Robert Zemeckis First movie I saw in theaters. Believe it was a birthday party for the twin girls in the kindergarten class. Love it.
33. Beverly Hills Cop (1984) – Directed by Martin Brest Back when Eddie was fun. Still enjoy this one quite a bit.
34. The Untouchables (1987) – Directed by Brian De Palma Another one I haven't seen.
35. The Color Purple (1985) – Directed by Steven Spielberg Don't recall seeing this one.
36. Flashdance (1983) – Directed by Adrian Lyne I definitely haven't seen this. Not sure what it is.
37. Lethal Weapon (1987) – Directed by Richard Donner A personal favorite. Best buddy cop film ever? Lots of fun and even the sequels are top notch.
38. Full Metal Jacket (1987) – Directed by Stanley Kubrick One of the best first halves to a film ever. The rest is okay. Definitely a classic.
39. Platoon (1986) – Directed by Oliver Stone I haven't seen this since sometime in the 90s. Can't really comment. Should rewatch.
40. The Princess Bride (1987) – Directed by Rob Reiner Way too ****ing low on this list. One of the best movies ever in my opinion. I still watch this movie multiple times a year. Maybe month.
I'm trying to think of other 80s movies that I might consider for top 40.
The Lost Boys
Dead Poets Society
Spaceballs
Field of Dreams
Weird Science
Major League
Stripes
Glory
Better Off Dead
National Lampoons Vacation
Hoosiers
Big Trouble in Little China (Personal favorite)
Revenge of the Nerds
Red Dawn
Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure
Heathers
Caddyshack
Bull Durham
I'm sure there are others that a case may be made for. Some more so than others. That was just a list of personal favorites from the 80s off the top of my head.
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