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 The first half of the 1980s saw many "feel good"
movies and everyone felt very secure. The second half of the
decade spawned many films about despair and difficulty. . . Bogus!
Things changed up to the crash of 1987, eventually leading the
way to the nihilism of grunge in the 1990s . . . But if the 80s
are remembered for any particular movie genre, it would have to be
'Teen Movies'. The ones which inevitably start with the
hero/heroine waking up in their bedroom and scanning the mess
contained therein.
There is invariably an annoying younger sibling,
uncomprehending parents and a High School. Our hero or heroine
will arrive at said school via a decrepit and/or embarrassing mode
of transport and meet up with some equally low-status buddies.
They will then walk the halls on the way to class, and see the
unattainable object of their desire (who is probably hanging out
with cool friends and who usually has an improbably expensive
car). Our hero/heroine will attempt to interact but be humiliated.
There will follow some classroom hilarity (with sexual innuendo)
and a cafeteria scene.
After school, our hero/heroine will go to an embarrassing part
time job, and once again be humiliated.
Usually there will be a chance to date the object of their
desire but this will go horribly wrong and remain unresolved until
the prom/big game/big dance/big competition offers our
hero/heroine the opportunity to prove themselves - to the object
of their affection, and everyone else who ever looked down on
them.
Eighties teens drew instruction and inspiration from these
films. And if this was the genre of the 80s, then John Hughes was
THE writer/director/producer of the 80s, for nobody penned,
directed and produced so many fine examples of 'Teen Movies'.
Hughes was responsible for Sixteen Candles, Weird
Science, The Breakfast Club, Pretty In Pink, Ferris
Bueller's Day Off, Some Kind Of Wonderful, Mr Mom
and National Lampoon's Vacation.
Movies in the eighties had some of the best soundtracks, and
the most memorable and popular songs at the time seem to have
sometimes outshone the movies themselves.
This is by no means an attempt at an exhaustive listing of
movies from the 80s. It is a recollection of some of the movies
which are either personal favourites, or which are particularly
representative of the era (without necessarily being critically
acclaimed).
¤
Dangerous Liaisons (1988)
¤ The Dark Crystal (1982)
¤ Das Boot (The Boat) (1982)
¤
The Day After
¤
Dead Man Walking
¤
Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid
¤
Dead Poets Society (1989)
¤ Dead Ringers
¤
The Dead Zone (1983)
¤ Death On The Nile
¤
Deathtrap
¤ The Delinquents
¤
Desperate Living
¤ Desperately Seeking Susan
¤
Didn't You Kill My Brother?
¤
Die Hard (1988)
¤
Diner (1982) |
¤
Dirty Dancing (1987)
¤
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
¤
Disorderlies
¤
Distant Voices, Still Lives
¤
Doctor Detroit
¤
Dogs In Space
¤ Down And Out In Beverly Hills (1986)
¤
Down By Law (1986)
¤
Dragnet
¤
The Draughtsman's Contract
¤
The Dream Team
¤
Dressed To Kill (1980)
¤ Driving Miss Daisy (1989)
¤
Drowning By Numbers
¤
Drugstore Cowboy (1989)
¤
Dune (1984)
¤
The Dunera Boys
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¤
The Falcon and The Snowman (1985)
¤ Fame (1980)
¤ Fast Times At Ridgemont High (1981)
¤ Fatal Attraction (1987)
¤
Fatty Finn
¤ Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986)
¤
Field Of Dreams (1989)
¤
The Final Countdown
¤
Firefox
¤
First Blood (1982)
¤
A Fish Called Wanda (1988)
¤
Flashdance
¤ Flash Gordon (1980)
¤
Fletch (1985)
¤
Flight of the Navigator
¤ The
Fly (1986)
|
¤
The Fog (1980)
¤
Footloose
¤
Fort Apache, The Bronx
¤
For Your Eyes Only (1981)
¤
The Fox & The Hound
¤ Foxes
¤
Frances
¤
The French Lieutenants Woman
¤
Friday The 13th (1980)
¤
Friday the 13th, Part 2
¤
Friday the 13th, Part 3
¤
Friday the 13th, Part 4: The Final Chapter
¤
Friday the 13th, Part 5: A New Beginning
¤
Friday the 13th, Part 6: Jason Lives
¤
Friday the 13th, Part 7: The New Blood
¤
Friday the 13th, Part 8: Jason Takes Manhattan
¤
Full Metal Jacket (1987) |
¤
The Jazz Singer
¤
The Jewel Of The Nile (1985)
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¤
The Karate Kid (1984)
¤
The Karate Kid Part II
¤
The Karate Kid Part III
¤
Kickboxer
¤
Killer Klowns From Outer Space
¤
The Killing Fields (1984) |
¤
The King Of Comedy (1983)
¤
Kiss Of The Spider Woman (1985)
¤
Koyaanisqatsi (1983)
¤
The Krays
¤
Krull |
¤
La Bamba
¤
Labyrinth (1986)
¤
Lady Chatterley's Lover
¤
Ladyhawke
¤
The Lair Of The White Worm
¤
The Last Emperor (1987)
¤
The Last Temptation Of Christ (1988)
¤
Legend
¤ Less Than Zero
¤
Lethal Weapon (1987)
¤
Lethal Weapon 2 (1989)
¤
Licence To Kill |
¤
The Lighthorsemen
¤
Light Of Day
¤
Liquid Sky
¤
Little Darlings
¤
The Little Mermaid (1989)
¤
Little Shop Of Horrors (1986)
¤
The Living Daylights
¤
Local Hero
¤
The Long Riders
¤
The Lost Boys (1987) |
¤
Mad Max 2 (1981)
¤
Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome (1985)
¤
Made In Heaven
¤
Maid To Order
¤
Malcolm
¤
The Man From Snowy River
¤
The Man With Two Brains
¤
Married To The Mob (1988)
¤
Mask
¤ Maximum Overdrive
¤
McVicar
¤
The Meaning Of Life (1983)
¤ Melvin: Son of Alvin
¤
Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence
¤
Micki + Maude
¤
A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy
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¤
Minder On The Orient Express
¤
Missing In Action
¤
The Mission (1986)
¤
Mississippi Burning (1988)
¤
Mommie Dearest
¤
Mona Lisa (1986)
¤
Monkey Shines
¤
Moonstruck (1987)
¤
Moonwalker
¤
Moscow On The Hudson
¤
Motel Hell
¤ Mr Mom
¤
My Beautiful Laundrette
¤
My Bodyguard
¤
My Left Foot (1989)
¤ My Stepmother Is An Alien
¤
Mystery Train
¤
Mystic Pizza |
¤
Octopussy (1983)
¤ An Officer and a Gentleman (1982)
¤
Once Upon A Time In America (1983)
¤
On Golden Pond (1981)
|
¤
The Osterman Weekend
¤
Out Of Africa (1985)
¤
The Outsiders (1983)
¤ Over The Top |
¤
Pacific Banana
¤
Paris, Texas (1984)
¤
Party Party
¤
A Passage To India (1984)
¤ Pee-Wee's Big Adventure
¤
Peggy Sue Got Married (1986)
¤
Pennies From Heaven
¤
Personal Services
¤
Pet Sematary
¤
The Phantom Empire
¤
Pink Flamingos
¤
Planes, Trains & Automobiles (1987)
¤
Platoon (1986)
¤ Police Academy (1984)
¤
Police Academy 2: Their First Assignment
¤
Police Academy 3: Back In Training
¤
Police Academy 4: Citizens On Patrol
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¤
Police Academy 5: Assignment: Miami Beach
¤
Police Academy 6: City Under Siege
¤ Poltergeist (1982)
¤
Poltergeist II: The Other Side
¤
Poltergeist III
¤
Polyester
¤
Popeye (1980)
¤
Porky's (1982)
¤
Porky's II: The Next Day
¤
A Prayer For The Dying
¤ Predator (1987)
¤ Pretty In Pink
¤
Prick Up Your Ears (1987)
¤
The Princess Bride (1987)
¤
Private Benjamin (1980)
¤
Prizzi's Honor (1985)
¤
Prom Night
¤
Puberty Blues
¤
Purple Rain (1984) |
¤ Raging Bull (1980)
¤ Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
¤
Rain Man (1988)
¤
Raising Arizona (1987)
¤
Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985)
¤
Rambo III
¤
Ran (1985)
¤
Re-Animator
¤
Red Dawn
¤ Red Heat
¤
Reds (1981)
¤
Repo Man
¤ Return Of The Jedi (1983)
¤
The Return Of The Living Dead
¤ Revenge Of The Nerds
¤
Rhinestone |
¤
The Right Stuff (1983)
¤ Risky Business (1983)
¤
Rita, Sue & Bob Too
¤
River's Edge
¤
Robocop (1987)
¤
Rocky III (1982)
¤
Rocky IV (1985)
¤
Romancing The Stone (1984)
¤
A Room With A View (1985)
¤
'Round Midnight (1986)
¤ Roxanne
¤
Rude Boy
¤
Rumble Fish
¤
The Running Man (1987)
¤
Running On Empty (1988) |
¤
The Salute Of The Jugger
¤
Salvador (1986)
¤
Say Anything (1989)
¤
Scanners
¤
Scarface (1983)
¤
The Secret Policeman's Ball
¤ The Seventh Sign (1988)
¤
Sex, Lies & Videotape (1989)
¤
Sharky's Machine
¤
She's Gotta Have It (1986)
¤
She's Having A Baby
¤
The Shining (1980)
¤
Shirley Valentine (1989)
¤
Sid & Nancy (1986)
¤
Silent Night, Deadly Night
¤
Silkwood (1983)
¤ Silverado
¤ Silver Dream Racer
¤ Sixteen Candles (1984)
¤ Skatetown, USA
¤
Skirmish
¤ S.O.B.
¤ Some Kind Of Wonderful
¤ Sophie's Choice (1982) |
¤
Spaceballs (1987)
¤
Space Camp
¤
Sphinx
¤ Splash (1984)
¤ Stand By Me (1986)
¤
Starstruck
¤
Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan
¤
Star Trek III: The Search For Spock (1984)
¤
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986)
¤
Star Trek V: The Final Frontier
¤
Staying Alive
¤
Steel Magnolias (1989)
¤
St Elmo's Fire
¤
Stir Crazy
¤
Straight To Hell
¤ Stripes (1981)
¤
Sudden Impact
¤
Super Fuzz
¤
The Supergrass
¤
Superman II (1980)
¤
Superman III (1983)
¤
Surf Nazis Must Die
¤ Suspect |
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