For Your Consideration: Top Ten Films of the 1980's

Granted: the 1980s was not necessarily the height of the film noir aesthetic as we saw in the Sixties or the thinking-man's film market as we had in the Seventies. We can thank Steven Speilberg and George Lucas, with their watered-down, cotton-candy family action/adventure flicks and John Hughes, with his overly-sentimental, gawdily-stylish high school melodramas for the downgrade in quality that was the rule more than the exception throughout that decade. Nonetheless, there are some true gems to be gleaned from the rubbish pile of 1980's cinema...these specimens being all the more precious considering the dirth of inspiration and imagination that consumed the movie (and music) scene. The following list is about as close to definitive as it's going to get....cause the industry did not really give us alot to work with in the course of that particular decade...but the films that made the cut are truly worth acknowledgement.

10. The Road Warrior (1981): It is rare indeed for a sequal to surpass its predecessor, but the Road Warrior does just that for the Mad Max franchise...and it's not just because of the (somewhat) larger budget the filmmakers have at their disposal. All of the things that made the first Mad Max great, the gritty, tight, briskly paced narrative and relative-newcomer Mel Gibson's bad@$$ portrayal of the title character, are cranked to full volume, but done so very tastefully, in this worthy sequal. And the apocolypse of an ending and the movie's cynical-yet-effective punchline ensure this overlooked film a spot in the top ten of the decade.

9. The Lost Boys (1987): If you can overlook Keifer Sutherland's supermullet and the subpar soundtrack, then you have yourself one of the finest vampire flicks since Salem's Lot way back in '76. Forget the tragic, moody, emo vampires of Interview With the Vampire and Twilight...Sutherland and company want to eat you and make a big mess while they're doing it. They're evil creatures of the night and damned proud of it...just as Bram Stoker, the progenitor of the literary-artistic tradition of the vampire myth, meant for it to be. And the teenage hero motif that was used ad nauseum throughout the 80s actually works, considering the twisted, misanthropic (and interesting) nature of the misfit comic-book twins faced with destroying the hip vampire horde.

8. The Terminator (1984): Even more so than Conan the Barbarian, this film established Arnold Schwarzeneggar as the bad@$$ of the decade. And deservedly so, as it is his one, truly perfect role. Schwarzeneggar brings the undying, inexorable killing machine to murderous, metallic life. And, unlike his usual tasteless action blowout extravaganzas, James Cameron allows the story and the characters time to slowly build, at the same time giving the audience the gradual revelation of the Terminator's true identity, culminating in an unbearably tense climax.

7. Caddyshack (1980): It is hard to determine who was funnier in this flick: Rodney Dangerfield or Bill Murray (and Chevy Chase in a distant third). Either way, the final product is one of the finest comedies of the decade. And of course, let's not forget that adorable groundhog...

6. Return of the Jedi (1983): Out of fairness, we can only allow one of the Star Wars films into the list, and while most everyone else puts their bets on The Empire Strikes Back (1980), my chips are all going on the series finale. Sure, Han Solo is somewhat hamstrung as a character by this point in the series, but this is more than compensated by the new, improved Jedi Luke Skywalker. He whoops @$$ in all the ways we wanted him to in the first two installments, and he has the actions-speak-louder-than-words attitude to back it up. And the final, emotional confrontation between father and son is more than any fan of the franchise could have hoped for from the finale of the series.

5. Videodrome (1983): This is one of the strangest films I have ever seen...and that's REALLY saying something, considering some of the movies I've watched. Nonetheless, considering it is some of the most bizarre, most impressionistic material in David Cronenberg's canon, he handles it without sacrificing narrative or character, something David Lynch has not managed to pull off through his entire career. But this one is definitely not for the kids...or some squemish adults.

4. Time Bandits (1981): Terry Gilliam's stab at a children's film comes off as rather nightmarish...and dense, considering it deals with issues about God, good and evil, textbook-historical accuracy, human nature, and fate. Nonetheless, the kids can still enjoy it and the grown-ups are given enough to chew on, as well.

3. The Evil Dead (1981): I believe this movie STILL holds some records for amount of gore in a single scene. That's not to say that that is all this film has to offer. Sam Raimi gave us one of the most shocking, most enduring, and, at the same time, one of the funniest horror films of all time....and he gave us Bruce Campbell on top of all that.

2. The Wall (1982): Roger Waters and Gerald Scarfe might be two of the most brilliant and disturbed minds involved in popular art. And director Alan Parker brings their haunting themes and images to life like a diabolical puppet master. While it shocks and disturbs, at the same time, it resonates with us all and speaks to the loneliness and isolation at work in each and every one of us. It is just a shame that it is marginalized with vapid drug flicks like Easy Rider and Up in Smoke. Perhaps, someday, it will get its due.

(drumroll, please). And the winner iiiisssss......

1. The Shining (1980): Since Stephen King was unhappy with Kubrick's reinterpretation of his novel, I can only surmise it was because King was jealous of the vast improvement that Kubrick had made of the production. Not enough can be said about this film: The finest, most aesthetic specimen of Stanley Kubrick's career, the performance of a lifetime from Jack Nicholson, and, of course, the "Heeeeerrre's Johnny!" axe scene that has become part of popular culture for all time. So REDRUM, y'all....and if you've not seen this movie yet, then shame on you....you're life is not complete yet!

And that's it for the first installment of the "For Your Consideration" series, which I hope to make an ongoing production here on I Herodotus. If you have any comments or questions, feel free to voice them. And if you have any greivances with the above list, you'd better come with ammo.