As I mentioned, the past two Top 25 lists have been dedicated to the movies and music from the first full decade I lived through.
For Pt. 2, I will offer up my Top 25 ’80s movies.
I spent more time in the ’80s watching movies than television. And when you look at kids films in the ’80s there was dark undertone to them. Dark Crystal, Labyrinth, the Goonies, The Secret of NIMH and The Monster Squad were pretty scary.
Of course, who wouldn’t love John Hughes productions, Richard Donner action flicks and John Candy comedies. There may be a few on my list that may elicit eye rolls from some, but these are my favourites.
| 25. |  |
What: Raising Arizona Year: 1987 Cast: Nicolas Cage, Holly Hunter, John Goodman, William Forsythe and Frances McDormand Director: Ethan and Joel Coen Best Quote: “Son, you got a panty on your head.” ~Man in pickup |
|---|---|---|
| 24. |  |
What: Runaway Year: 1984 Cast: Tom Selleck, Cynthia Rhodes and Gene Simmons Director: Michael Crichton Best Quote: “Congratulations, guys, you just staked out a roll of toilet paper.” ~Ramsay |
| 23. |  |
What: Die Hard Year: 1988 Cast: Bruce Willis, Alan Rickman, Bonnie Bedelia and Reginald VelJohnson Director: John McTiernan Best Quote: (written) “Now I have a machine gun, Ho-Ho-Ho.” ~John McClane |
| 22. |  |
What: Critters Year: 1986 Cast: Dee Wallace, M. Emmet Walsh and Scott Grimes Director: Stephen Herek Best Quote: “They have weapons” ~Critter |
| 21. |  |
What: Labyrinth Year: 1986 Cast: David Bowie, Jennifer Connolly, Brian Henson and Frank Oz Director: Jim Henson Best Quote: “And Hoggle, if she ever kisses you, I’ll turn you into a prince … Prince of the Land of Stench.” ~Jareth |
| 20. |  |
What: The Untouchables Year: 1987 Cast: Kevin Costner, Sean Connery, Andy Garcia, Charles Martin Smith and Robert De Niro Director: Brian De Palma Best Quote: “I want you to get this fuck where he breathes! I want you to find this nancy-boy Eliot Ness, I want him DEAD! I want his family DEAD! I want his house burned to the GROUND! I wanna go there in the middle of the night and I wanna PISS ON HIS ASHES!” ~Al Capone |
| 19. |  |
What: Ferris Bueller’s Day Off Year: 1986 Cast: Matthew Broderick, Alan Ruck, Mia Sara and Jeffrey Jones Director: John Hughes Best Quote: “Pardon my French, but Cameron is so tight that if you stuck a lump of coal up his ass, in two weeks you’d have a diamond.” ~Bueller |
| 18. |  |
What: This is Spinal Tap Year: 1984 Cast: Rob Reiner, Michael McKean, Harry Shearer and Christopher Guest Director: Rob Reiner Best Quote: “Hello Cleveland!” ~Derek Smalls |
| 17. |  |
What: Weekend at Bernie’s Year: 1989 Cast: Andrew McCarthy, Jonathan Silverman and Terry Kiser Director: Ted Kotcheff Best Quote: “What kind of a host invites you to his house for the weekend and dies on you?” ~Larry Wilson |
| 16. |  |
What: Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade Year: 1989 Cast: Harrison Ford, Sean Connery, Denholm Eliot and Alison Doody Director: Steven Spielberg Best Quote: “Don’t call me junior” ~Indiana Jones |
| 15. |  |
What: The Monster Squad Year: 1987 Cast: Andrew Gower, Robby Kiger, Stephen Macht and Mary Ellen Trainor Director: Fred Dekker Best Quote: “Wolfman’s got nards!” ~Horace |
| 14. |  |
What: Uncle Buck Year: 1989 Cast: John Candy, Jean Louisa Kelly, Gaby Hoffman, Macaulay Culkin and Amy Madigan Director: John Hughes Best Quote: “Take this quarter, go downtown, and have a rat gnaw that thing off your face! Good day to you, madam.” ~Buck Russell |
| 13. |  |
What: Poltergeist Year: 1982 Cast: Craig T. Nelson, JoBeth Williams, Heather O’Rourke, Dominique Dunne and Zelda Rubinstein Director: Tobe Hooper Best Quote: “Now clear your minds. It knows what scares you. It has from the very beginning. Don’t give it any help, it knows too much already.” ~Tangina |
| 12. |  |
What: Lethal Weapon Year: 1987 Cast: Mel Gibson, Danny Glover and Gary Busey Director: Richard Donner Best Quote: Roger Murtaugh: “God hates me. That’s what it is.” Martin Riggs: “Hate him back; it works for me.” |
| 11. |  |
What: The ‘Burbs Year: 1989 Cast: Tom Hanks, Bruce Dern, Carrie Fisher, Rick Ducommun, Corey Feldman and Henry Gibson Director: Joe Dante Best Quote: “I think the message to, uh, psychos, fanatics, murderers, nutcases all over the world is, uh, “do not mess with suburbanites”. Because, uh, frankly we’re just not gonna take it any more.” ~Art Weingartner |
| 10. |  |
What: Batman Year: 1989 Cast: Michael Keaton, Jack Nicholson and Kim Basinger Director: Tim Burton Best Quote: “Never rub another man’s rhubarb.” ~The Joker |
| 9. |  |
What: The Great Outdoors Year: 1988 Cast: John Candy, Dan Aykroyd, Stephanie Faracy and Annette Benning Director: Howard Deutch Best Quote: “I don’t want to hear any more about anyone blowing anything out of their ass.” ~Connie Ripley |
| 8. |  |
What: Romancing the Stone Year: 1984 Cast: Michael Douglas, Kathleen Turner, Danny DeVito, Zack Norman and Alfonso Arau Director: Robert Zemeckis Best Quote: “Dammit man, the Doobie Brothers broke up! Shit! When did that happen?” ~Jack Colton |
| 7. |  |
What: Police Academy Year: 1984 Cast: Steve Guttenberg, Kim Cattrall, G.W. Bailey, Bubba Smith and George Gaynes Director: Hugh Wilson Best Quote: “Don’t move, dirtbag!” ~Cadet Laverne Hooks |
| 6. |  |
What: Ghost Busters Year: 1984 Cast: Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Sigourney Weaver, Harold Ramis, Rick Moranis, Annie Potts and Ernie Hudson Director: Ivan Reitman Best Quote: “She’s not my girlfriend. I find her interesting because she’s a client and because she sleeps above her covers … four feet above her covers. She barks, she drools, she claws!” ~Dr. Peter Venkman |
| 5. |  |
What: Big Trouble in Little China Year: 1986 Cast: Kurt Russell, Kim Cattrall, Dennis Dun, James Hong and Victor Wong Director: John Carpenter Best Quote: “It’s all in the reflexes.” ~Jack Burton |
| 4. |  |
What: Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid Year: 1982 Cast: Steve Martin, Rachel Ward, Carl Reiner and Reni Santoni Director: Carl Reiner Best Quote: “It’s all right. It’s just a bullet. My wife Carmelita will suck it out. Go ahead. And don’t worry about your pajamas. I’ll take care of them!” ~Carlos Rodriguez |
| 3. |  |
What: High Spirits Year: 1988 Cast: Steve Gutenberg, Peter O’Toole, Daryl Hannah and Beverly D’Angelo. Director: Neil Jordan Best Quote: “Sir, once again I must remind you that my first name is not ‘dick’. Nor is my surname ‘face’. It is simply ‘Peter’. ‘Peter Plunkett’. No, I was not given a middle name but I’m sure if I had, my mother would not have chosen ‘shit-for-brains peckerhead’.”~Peter Plunkett |
| 2. |  |
What: The Goonies Year: 1985 Cast: Sean Astin, Josh Brolin, Jeff Cohen, Corey Feldman, Kerri Green, Martha Plimpton and Ke Huy Quan. Director: Richard Donner Best Quote: “The marijuana goes in the top drawer. The cocaine and speed go in the second drawer. And the heroin goes in the bottom drawer. Always separate the drugs.” ~Mouth (in Spanish) |
| 1. |  |
What: Empire of the Sun Year: 1987 Cast: Christian Bale, John Malkovich, Miranda Richardson, Nigel Havers and Joe Pantoliano Director: Steven Spielberg Best Quote: “I can’t remember what my parents look like.” ~Jim Graham |