By The Decade: Your Favourite Films Of The 1980s

Well I thought last week’s look at the cinema of the 1970s featured some great (and difficult) choices, but this week’s By The Decade turned out to be just as tricky.

Whether it’s something to do with the demographics on social media, or just certain films being cultural touchstones, I don’t know. More to the point, I don’t really care, because there are some tremendous films on here, including some I had simply never heard of but would love to seek out.

You can catch up on all the previous By The Decade entries here, but right now, let’s look at your choices from the 1980s!

• Blade Runner: Directors Cut (1982)
• Full Metal Jacket (1987)
• The Lost Boys (1987)
• Aliens (1986)
• The Thing (1982)
• Beetlejuice (1988)
• Bad Timing (1980)
• Withnail & I (1987)
• The Quiet Earth (1985)
• Blood Simple (1984)
• On The Silver Globe (1988)
• Brazil (1985)
• Zelig (1983)
• Threads (1984)
• Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
• Repo Man (1984)
• The Terminator (1984)
• Commando (1985)
• Blue Velvet (1986)
• The Fly (1986)
• Die Hard (1988)
• Road House (1989)
• Willow (1988)
• Star Wars: Return Of The Jedi (1983)
• The Untouchables (1987)
• Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade (1989)
• The Elephant Man (1980)
• Airplane! (1980)
• Das Boot (1981)
• Rocky III (1982)
• Witness (1985)
• Biggles: Adventures In Time (1986)
• No Way Out (1987)
• When Harry Met Sally (1989)
• Berlin Alexanderplatz (1980)
• The Shining (1980)
• Do the Right Thing (1989)
• Fanny & Alexander (1982)
• Fitzcarraldo (1982)
• Once Upon a Time in America (1984)
• Wings of Desire (1987)
• Insignificance (1985)
• The Dead Zone (1983)
• Midnight Run (1988)
• Ran (1985)
• Restless Natives (1985)
• Tampopo (1985)
• Cinema Paradiso: Director’s Cut (1988)
• The Dead (1987)
• Broadcast News (1987)
• Paris, Texas (1984)
• The Snowman (1982)
• Tootsie (1982)
• Return to Oz (1985)
• Pixote (1981)
• The Fog (1980)
• Kagemusha (1980)
• The Blues Brothers (1980)
• Bill And Ted’s Excellent Adventure (1989)
• Time Bandits (1981)
• Predator (1987)
• Evil Dead 2 (1987)
• Some Kind of Wonderful (1987)
• An American Werewolf in London (1981)
• The Long Good Friday (1980)
• Drowning by Numbers (1988)
• Dead Ringers (1988)
• Distant Voices, Still Lives (1988)
• Ran (1985)
• To Live and Die in L.A. (1985)
• Cruising (1980)
• Raging Bull (1980)
• Chariots Of Fire (1981)
• Thief (1981)
• Gregory’s Girl (1981)
• The King Of Comedy (1982)
• Salvador (1986)
• Near Dark (1987)
• Jean De Florette (1986)
• Manon De Sources (1986)
• Something Wild (1986)
• She’s Gotta Have It (1986)
• The Unbelievable Truth (1989)
• After Hours (1985)
• The Draughtsman’s Contract (1982)
• The Company Of Wolves (1984)
• Gandhi (1982)
• Clockwise (1986)
• The Name of the Rose (1986)
• Defence of the Realm (1986)
• A Month in the Country (1987)
• Field of Dreams (1989)
• Dead Poets Society (1989)
• Bull Durham (1988)
• The Ninth Configuration (1980)
• Top Secret! (1984)
• Excalibur (1981)
• Local Hero (1983)
• Night of the Comet (1984)
• Miracle Mile (1988)
• Hellraiser (1987)
• The Never Ending Story (1984)
• Little Shop Of Horrors (1986)
• The Best Little Whorehouse In Texas (1982)
• Labyrinth (1986)
• Who Framed Roger Rabbit? (1988)
• Teen Wolf (1985)
• The Karate Kid (1984)
• The Breakfast Club (1985)
• The Princess Bride (1987)
• The Wizard (1989)
• Stand By Me (1986)
• Weird Science (1985)
• Young Guns (1988)
• Highlander (1986)
• Trading Places (1983)
• Bachelor Party (1984)
• The Monster Squad (1987)
• Grease 2 (1982)
• Big (1988)
• The Great Outdoors (1988)
• Short Circuit (1986)
• Scrooged (1988)
• Cocoon (1985)
• Flight Of The Navigator (1986)
• Harry And The Hendersons (1987)
• Batteries Not Included (1987)
• Little Monsters (1989)
• Flash Gordon (1980)
• Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure (1985)
• WarGames (1983)
• Clue (1985)
• Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986)
• Spaceballs (1987)
• Uncle Buck (1989)
• Superman II (1980)
• The Naked Gun: From The Files Of Police Squad (1988)
• This Is Spinal Tap (1984)
• Restless Natives (1985)
• Out Of Africa (1985)
• Gremlins (1984)
• Platoon (1986)
• Poltergeist (1982)
• Amadeus (1984)
• Beverly Hills Cop (1984)
• Lethal Weapon (1989)
• Rain Man (1988)
• The Verdict (1982)
• The Killing Fields (1984)
• Good Morning Vietnam (1987)
• Mississippi Burning (1988)
• Dead Poets Society (1989)
• E.T. The Extra Terrestrial (1982)
• Heathers (1988)
• Working Girl (1988)
• The Year Of Living Dangerously (1982)
• Gorky Park (1983)
• Greystoke: The Legend Of Tarzan, Lord Of The Apes (1984)
• The Bounty (1984)
• A Room With A View (1985)
• Manhunter (1986)
• The Mission (1986)
• The Accidental Tourist (1988)

Now that’s a healthy list, right? The general consensus seemed to be it was cruel to ask for just eight from the eighties – again, whether that’s to do with the age of readers or the number of fun films from the eighties is up for debate, but this was the week with the highest amount of overlap between recommendations.

I don’t know if people were trying to avoid some of the obvious suggestions, but I was amazed that it took more than 12 hours for The Goonies, The Princess Bride and E.T. to show up, and thanks to a retweet and some suggestions from Nick Helm, the recommendations were coming in a lot later than they usually do.

Predictably, there are a LOT of films on here I’m very familiar with, but also a few that I don’t know and will definitely try to check out. Surprising number of Fred Savage films too, in fairness.

That’s it for the week’s By The Decade then, I’ll see you in the 90s!

• You can read By The Decade: 3 From The 30s here, and the reader suggestions here.
• You can read By The Decade: 4 From The 40s here, and the reader suggestions here.
• You can read By The Decade: 5 From The 50s here, and the reader suggestions here.
• You can read By The Decade: 6 From The 60s here, and the reader suggestions here.
• You can read By The Decade: 7 From The 70s here, and the reader suggestions here.