Time for a fun post – once a month, I like to write about something for just pure fun. So here it goes – My favorite movies from the 80s, when my hair was big and the hairspray was all Aquanet, all the time. These are in order of the year they came out, I did not rank from 1 to 10, but feel free to do so in your own mind.
- The Empire Strikes Back (1980)/Return of the Jedi (1983) and, of course Star Wars A New Hope (1977) which missed the cutoff, but I didn’t see it until the 80’s so it counts. – These are the films that started me down the path of fangirl mania. I still love the mythology of a long-ago universe and the power struggles that mirror our own world. The first three prequels may have been tough to watch, but I will always, always love these three films and probably still see the rest multiple times. I grouped them into one, because I can’t imagine seeing only one these.
- Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)/Temple of Doom (1984)/Last Crusade (1989) – These films introduced the concept of action/comedy/drama to me and I love them more each time I watch them. I can’t believe the last one came out over 25 years ago! Again, I grouped them into one, because how do you not watch all three?
- Sneakers (1982) – Robert Redford and Dan Aykroyd– in a techie movie! It was great though – a blind man drives, they hack computers with 1980’s technology, and they give away a bunch of money in the end. I think this may be where I decided to start learning more about “that computer thing.”
- WarGames (1983) – Wow – Matthew Broderick brought the computer world to life for me and I wanted a voice box on my computer so bad. This movie was also one of the first cautionary tales I was exposed to when it came to too much autonomy for a computer – and this was 80’s tech, but it seemed so plausible back then.
- Red Dawn (1984) – So while I was wowed by computers in my younger years, I also thought my future probably was going to look more like this movie. The commies would come and we would all be fighting in hand to hand combat before I got to go to college. Growing up during the Cold War was a strange mix of hope and pessimism.
- The Goonies (1985) – Geeks, gadgets, pirates – what more could anyone ask for in a movie? The goofy kids somehow pull off the greatest treasure hunt in history, save their neighborhood, and manage to stave off an asthma attack with a great speech. What more could you ask?
- Back to the Future (1985) – A DeLorean as a time machine and Michael J. Fox, what a combination. I love the way they portray 2016. I am still waiting for my veggies to pop out of the ceiling garden and where is my self-drying coat?
- Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986) – Every teenager in the 80s wanted their “sick day” to be as cool as Ferris’. It never happened for me, but I can still dream.
- The Lost Boys (1987) – Before vampires were cool, and before we had the multitude of takes on vampires, these were the coolest vampires of the 80’s. Kiefer Sutherland rocks as the leader of the Lost Boys and the Corey’s are completely unhinged when it comes to vampire fighting techniques. But, at the end, the grandfather steals the show.
- Heathers (1988) – This movie exemplified the meaning of a dark comedy. Popular girls being murdered, jocks killed, almost blew up the school, and all the while Christian Slater plays it so cool and creepy at the same time.
Honorable Mentions – these two I just couldn’t leave off, because if they are on TV, you can bet I will be watching them.
- The Breakfast Club (1985) – If you need to tell your kids what the 80’s were like, this movie is the one to show them. It had it all in one stereotypical package, one character for each high school archetype. I still love it; I admit it.
- Young Guns (1988) – This was a cowboy movie I could really like, mostly because it had every one of my favorite guy leads from the 80’s.
Join the conversation – which movie can you NOT BELIEVE I missed? Which ones would you have left out? Why? Leave a comment below and let me know your personal favorites.
