The 10 Best Movies of 1981
World War II ended in 1981. Hmm, I've just been told by my editor that this is factually incorrect. Time to do some research.
Okay, there, I'm back. Without further delay here are a few of the bigger news stories from 1981:
- Palau became self-governing.
So as you can see it was a big news year. But it was an even bigger year for fans of action, superheroes, and Burt Reynolds. Behold, the Top 10 movies of 1981!
Directors: Steven Spielberg
Stars: Harrison Ford, Karen Allen, John Rhys-Davies, Alfred Molina
Why a Fave?: They (well, the Ark I guess) set people's heads on fire. And not just any people, bad people. Plus, it was released on my birthday. It made around a billion in adjusted box office and sits at a healthy 16th place on the user rankings over at the internet database. There is no downside to this film, you'd watch it again right now.
Directors: Hugh Hudson
Stars: Ian Charleson, Ben Cross, Nigel Havers, Nicholas Farrell
Why a Fave?: This score still plays in my head. You owe it to yourself to go listen to it so it can haunt you too. Who didn't cry at Chariots of Fire? Dead people. That's who.
Directors: Hal Needham
Stars: Burt Reynolds, Roger Moore, Farrah Fawcett, Dome Deluise, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Jackie Chan
Why a Fave?: First off, the tagline, "The Popcorn is in the Lobby, but the Nuts are on the Screen!" Ahh, those were simpler times, back when you didn't need a marketing degree to compete. Jackie Chan made his English debut in this movie, and in true American style they made the Hong Kong born actor Japanese. This film was about racing across America and evading the law. If they make my life story one day it will look a lot like this.
4. Superman II
Directors: Richard Donner, Richard Lester
Stars: Christopher Reeve, Gene Hackman, Ned Beatty, Margot Kidder
Why a Fave?: Man was Superman II good, especially given the debacle that was Superman Returns. Guys escape from glass prisons and immediately seek to rule Earth. If that doesn't strike you as a reasonable plan then you didn't live through the 80's.
Directors: Jim Henson
Stars: Jim Henson, Frank Oz, Diana Rigg, Charles Grodin, John Cleese
Why a Fave?: The Muppets used to have an "A" game. This was then. Miss Piggy worked over three gals with Karate. Gonzo jumped in front of a taxi, and that's just not a move you see out of many giant stars these days.
Directors: John Carpenter
Stars: Kurt Russell, Ernest Borgnine, Isaac Hayes
Why a Fave?: Well, it's based 16 years into the future, in 1997, and NYC has been turned into a maximum security prison. With apologies to Dre and MaryAnn, it's sort of a shame this plan was never implemented.
7. Body Heat
Directors: Lawrence Kasdan
Stars: Kathleen Turner, William Hurt, Richard Crenna, Ted Danson, Mickey Rourke
Why a Fave?: The thing about Body Heat that was so impressive was that it allowed an entire generation to hit puberty simultaneously. And how about this classic exchange:
Matty: You aren't too smart. I like that in a man.
Ned: What else do you like? Lazy? Ugly? Horny? I got 'em all.
Matty: You don't look lazy.
8. Arthur
Directors: Steve Gordon
Stars: Dudley Moore, Liza Minnelli, John Gielgud, Geraldine Fitzgerald, Jill Eikenberry
Why a Fave?: There was a time when Dudley Moore was giant (in fame if not stature). This was that time, and he played lovable gadfly Arthur Bach here. It was your basic "You'll be filthy rich if you marry a person you don't love" story. This one appeals to me because I too chose poverty.
9. Endless Love
Directors: Franco Zeffirelli
Stars: Brooke Shields, Don Murray, James Spader, Ian Ziering, Martin Hewitt
Why a Fave?: No, this wasn't a good movie. But c'mon. LIONEL RICHIE! The song got an Oscar nomination and it deserved it. And Ian Ziering! If you think about it this movie foretold the entire decade of the 90's and if you count Nicole Richie then the 2000's too. I don't count her, but you might.
Directors: Ted Berman, Richard Rich, Art Stevens
Stars: Mickey Rooney, Kurt Russell Corey Feldman
Why a Fave?: Clearly I was a bit younger then but I dug this because it was a classic story about friendship. Not romance, like every other Disney movie, just two pals growing up together. And when one of those pals is trained to hunt the other one, well, that's even better.
A Few Honorable Mentions
On Golden Pond -- I am going to get hammered for this but it's just too sappy for my liking. Sorry.
Das Boot -- Every submarine warfare movie that came after owes a debt to this film, and in some weird way Letters from Iwo Jima does too because this was from "the other guy's" perspective.
Excalibur -- I consider it the best King Arthur story ever made.
Stripes -- When I say Bill you say Murray. Enough said.
* 1981 historical information courtesy Wikipedia
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