One question people always ask is what are the greatest films of all-time. There is a lot of different criteria that goes into coming up with a list and it all depends on your taste mainly due to all film being subjective and everyone liking or disliking the same/different things. I've decided to do a new series in which I try to decide what I think are the greatest films of all-time. One way to help do that is by deciding what the best films of each decade are. Each month until October I will choose what I think are the best films from each decade and in November I will take the number one films in each decade and put them into a top 10 greatest films of all-time list. Now the list will bot be based on scores or my own personal lists, but based off the popularity of each film and how much of an effect it has had or is having on film today. For example my favorite film of all-time is The Dark Knight, but that doesn't necessarily mean that I think it is the greatest film of its decade. For this month I'm going to bring you the top 10 films of the 1980's. So without further ado...
10. The Breakfast Club
This film belongs on the list for so many reasons. It reached a genreation of kids who wanted their voice to be heard because they have beeen overshadowed by their parents. It deals with so many issues kids faced at this time and it just preaches a great message. The acting by the main five is just absolutley phenomenal and the late great John Hughes wrote and directed this timeless masterpiece that will inspire and cry out to every generation moving forward.
9. The Princess Bride
We all wish for a happily ever after and there's no film that gives us that wish like The Princess Bride. It's easily one of the greatest romantic comedies of all-time and it's subtle humor told over a love story is just the perfect balance. The editing done to switch back and forth between the story itself and the story being told to a little boy is remarkable and crisp that it makes the film flow together. There are some iconic lines in the film and just marvelous persomances that can give everyone a ray of hope.
8. The Terminator
I honestly don't know how much I can say about this film that hasn't already been said before. The film is just amazing in every sense of the word and it really changed the landscape of the action-thriller genre. It proved Arnold Schwareneggar can help form a great character and making it menacing without hardly any dialogue. It also launched the career of James Cameron and it virtually allowed him to make any film he wants to make. It started a great franchise (aside from the last two films) that has lasted for 30 yeards and it will continue to grow in the future.
7. Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
Just like its predecessor, this film is one of the greatest films of its respective decade. It's a film where we don't get a happy ending and we don't see a bright future in store for the characters of this universe going forward. It's a dark film that introduced a lot of new characters and new planets that help expand the universe into what it has become today. Also it has the greatest twist in film history and honestly I don't think it'll ever be topped by another twist.
6. The Shining
This film is just honeslty one of the creepiest films I have ever seen. It's directed by one of the top 5 greatest directors of all-time in Stanley Kubrick and it might be his best work which is a bold statement considering all of the work he has done. It has a lot of different images that will stick with you long after you've stopped watching the film. It also presents a lot of different themes that people have theorized and often found to be true which make you see the film in such a different context.
5. Raiders of the Lost Ark
How often do you have a film that creates a beloved franchise that has lasted for so long. The film creates the adventorus character of Indiana Jones that we've all wanted to be at one and it really gives a great history lesson while being fun at the same time. The action scenes are ove the top, but they are lasting images that will always be shown in film montages for years to come. Also it proved that Stephen Spielberg was a multi-talented director by giving us his first true action film.
4. Who Framed Roger Rabbit
Mixing live-action and animation is something that hadn't been done much before and this film was really one of the first ones to mix the two for the entire film. It showed us a different side to various toons and it even gave the one and only time Mickey (the face of Disney) and Bugs Bunny (the face of Warner Bros. Animation) were ever on the big screen together and that automatically lets this film be on the list. The performances are timeless and the story while simple is heart-warming and it's even very mysterious.
3. Back to the Future
The story behind the making of this film is one of the greater stories in that no studio wanted to take a chance on it and thankfully Universal did so that we could have this visually stunning masterpiece. While the story is fairly simple and somewhat predictable, the visual effects are what truly make this film. Also the makeup done in the film showing us characters as their future selves and then showing those same characters again as their younger selves is one of the best makeup transistions in film. The characters are ones that we can all relate to in some way and we've also probably seen all of these characters in our lives somewhere before. While the rest of the franchise isn't as strong, it still is a great job of storytelling that makes every film in the franchise matter to a certain degree making it all come full circle.
2. Raging Bull
Virtually every boxing film is great mainly because it is usually an underdog story that everyone can relate too and it's someone you want to cheer for. In this film however, the main character is someone you want to hate based on his choices and it's not someone you would ever want to like. Robert De Niro does a brilliant job of bringing this boxer to life and really capturing him in a way that is easily the best performance of his career. Martin Scorsese directed the film and it's also his best film as well. He makes a lot of different choices that really effect the storytelling for the better such as, making the film in entirely black and white and the camera movements used within the boxing matches which give you a sense of depth and it makes you feel like you are actually there watching the fight and it even lets you capture the emotion of La Motta in every fight whether he won or lost.
1. E.T.: The Extra Terrestrial
While Raiders of the Lost Ark proved Stephen Spielberg could do any genre, this film proved it even more and it resulted in this timeless classic. Yes, E.T. himself may look a little weird, but he is just a fun character that we can all get attached to because of his heart, ambitions and willingness to become Elliott's friend while being stuck on an unknown planet. The film is the gold standard of coming of age films we're able to relate to the characters in some way due to actions that they commit. The film has a lot of iconic scenes and dialogue that have used so many times in pop culture, that it helps make the film relevant today. It's a heartwarming film and it's just a film that everyone can connect to.
So ladies and gentlemen what do you think of the list, what films should be added or deleted and what do you think is the greatest film of the 1980's? Let me know in the comments section below and let your voice be heard.
Jonah Sparks
10. The Breakfast Club
This film belongs on the list for so many reasons. It reached a genreation of kids who wanted their voice to be heard because they have beeen overshadowed by their parents. It deals with so many issues kids faced at this time and it just preaches a great message. The acting by the main five is just absolutley phenomenal and the late great John Hughes wrote and directed this timeless masterpiece that will inspire and cry out to every generation moving forward.
9. The Princess Bride
We all wish for a happily ever after and there's no film that gives us that wish like The Princess Bride. It's easily one of the greatest romantic comedies of all-time and it's subtle humor told over a love story is just the perfect balance. The editing done to switch back and forth between the story itself and the story being told to a little boy is remarkable and crisp that it makes the film flow together. There are some iconic lines in the film and just marvelous persomances that can give everyone a ray of hope.
8. The Terminator
I honestly don't know how much I can say about this film that hasn't already been said before. The film is just amazing in every sense of the word and it really changed the landscape of the action-thriller genre. It proved Arnold Schwareneggar can help form a great character and making it menacing without hardly any dialogue. It also launched the career of James Cameron and it virtually allowed him to make any film he wants to make. It started a great franchise (aside from the last two films) that has lasted for 30 yeards and it will continue to grow in the future.
7. Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
Just like its predecessor, this film is one of the greatest films of its respective decade. It's a film where we don't get a happy ending and we don't see a bright future in store for the characters of this universe going forward. It's a dark film that introduced a lot of new characters and new planets that help expand the universe into what it has become today. Also it has the greatest twist in film history and honestly I don't think it'll ever be topped by another twist.
6. The Shining
This film is just honeslty one of the creepiest films I have ever seen. It's directed by one of the top 5 greatest directors of all-time in Stanley Kubrick and it might be his best work which is a bold statement considering all of the work he has done. It has a lot of different images that will stick with you long after you've stopped watching the film. It also presents a lot of different themes that people have theorized and often found to be true which make you see the film in such a different context.
5. Raiders of the Lost Ark
How often do you have a film that creates a beloved franchise that has lasted for so long. The film creates the adventorus character of Indiana Jones that we've all wanted to be at one and it really gives a great history lesson while being fun at the same time. The action scenes are ove the top, but they are lasting images that will always be shown in film montages for years to come. Also it proved that Stephen Spielberg was a multi-talented director by giving us his first true action film.
4. Who Framed Roger Rabbit
Mixing live-action and animation is something that hadn't been done much before and this film was really one of the first ones to mix the two for the entire film. It showed us a different side to various toons and it even gave the one and only time Mickey (the face of Disney) and Bugs Bunny (the face of Warner Bros. Animation) were ever on the big screen together and that automatically lets this film be on the list. The performances are timeless and the story while simple is heart-warming and it's even very mysterious.
3. Back to the Future
The story behind the making of this film is one of the greater stories in that no studio wanted to take a chance on it and thankfully Universal did so that we could have this visually stunning masterpiece. While the story is fairly simple and somewhat predictable, the visual effects are what truly make this film. Also the makeup done in the film showing us characters as their future selves and then showing those same characters again as their younger selves is one of the best makeup transistions in film. The characters are ones that we can all relate to in some way and we've also probably seen all of these characters in our lives somewhere before. While the rest of the franchise isn't as strong, it still is a great job of storytelling that makes every film in the franchise matter to a certain degree making it all come full circle.
2. Raging Bull
Virtually every boxing film is great mainly because it is usually an underdog story that everyone can relate too and it's someone you want to cheer for. In this film however, the main character is someone you want to hate based on his choices and it's not someone you would ever want to like. Robert De Niro does a brilliant job of bringing this boxer to life and really capturing him in a way that is easily the best performance of his career. Martin Scorsese directed the film and it's also his best film as well. He makes a lot of different choices that really effect the storytelling for the better such as, making the film in entirely black and white and the camera movements used within the boxing matches which give you a sense of depth and it makes you feel like you are actually there watching the fight and it even lets you capture the emotion of La Motta in every fight whether he won or lost.
1. E.T.: The Extra Terrestrial
While Raiders of the Lost Ark proved Stephen Spielberg could do any genre, this film proved it even more and it resulted in this timeless classic. Yes, E.T. himself may look a little weird, but he is just a fun character that we can all get attached to because of his heart, ambitions and willingness to become Elliott's friend while being stuck on an unknown planet. The film is the gold standard of coming of age films we're able to relate to the characters in some way due to actions that they commit. The film has a lot of iconic scenes and dialogue that have used so many times in pop culture, that it helps make the film relevant today. It's a heartwarming film and it's just a film that everyone can connect to.
So ladies and gentlemen what do you think of the list, what films should be added or deleted and what do you think is the greatest film of the 1980's? Let me know in the comments section below and let your voice be heard.
Jonah Sparks
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