The 100 Project: The Top 10 Movies of 1980

Until now, The 100 Project has been taking things whole decades at a time. Now that we've reached the 1980s, it's time to slow things down. We will take things one year at a time. The reason for this is it helps with paring things down for the full decade list that I will still make after finishing up 1989. I need that help because this is the first decade where I saw a large enough amount of movies to make a decent top 10 each year. This particular year, the total was kind of low, but by far the lowest of the decade. All told, I've watched in the neighborhood of 500 movies from this decade, nearly twice what I've seen from the 70s. The 80s also houses my teenage years, so there's a battle brewing between what I loved as a hormonal pimply-faced kid and what I've come to appreciate more as the years have rolled by. Let's see which side gets the early advantage.

My Top 10 Movies of 1980

• As mentioned, this year has my lowest film count of any in the 80s. as of this writing, I have seen 28 movies released during 1980.
• I was still only 9 at this point, so unsurprisingly, I only saw 2 of these 10 movies in a theater. To the best of my recollection, those are the only 2 movies I saw in theaters all year.
• Continuing a theme from the 70s, kiddie flicks don't show up here. I just didn't watch many when I was a kid. That said, the two movies I saw in theaters certainly qualify as family friendly.

10. Superman II

If I'd embarked on this project a few years back, this would be nearer the top of the list. This was one of the two theater experiences for me in 1980 and I loved every bit of it. Viewing this movie recently revealed its flaws to me. A troubled production led to a terribly uneven tone with some bad slapstick randomly inserted. However, it still has Terrence Stamp's iconic Zod, Christopher Reeve being the greatest Superman of all-time, and the magical showdown between our hero and the three evil Kryptonians. That's enough.

9. The Elephant Man

I'm not one of these film buffs who bows at the altar of David Lynch. I don't much like his work. It generally confuses the hell out of me and isn't enjoyable enough for me to give it the required re-watches needed to understand it. Somewhat contained within the boundaries of a biopic, I find this film highly effective and revelatory. It proved to me that Lynch can actually make a coherent film. (Full Review)

8. Caddyshack

Regardless of what else is going on in this movie, in my eyes, it will always be about Bill Murray vs. a gopher on a golf course. And it's hilarious. Now, I realize that's selling it quite a bit short because just about every facet of this movie works, but c'mon, that's the first thing you think of, too, right?

7. Fame

This is one of the first dance movies I ever saw. And despite all the absurd places where fully choreographed routines break out (in the lunchroom, the streets of Manhattan, etc.) it remains one of the most realistic. That's because it's a story with heart about people I can relate to. I'm no song-and-dance man, but these kids could've grown up in my neighborhood. It's far superior to its 21st century remake which is a bit too glossy. This one feels much more raw and gritty. And THAT theme song. (Full Review)

6. The Shining

I first saw this on network television in the mid-80s. Even with all the hacks and cuts to the language and visuals, I still got really into it. When I finally saw it in all its glory, I was even more into it. The strange thing is, I don't know if it ever scared me or just intrigued me. It was one of my first experiences with "horror by proxy." What that means is even though I personally was never frightened of the movie, I could really feel the fear of characters on the screen. That's thanks mostly to the masterful performance of Shelley Duvall. And that's what drew me in. This isn't to say I wasn't disturbed on some level because I was. Mr. Nicholson made sure of that.

5. The Blues Brothers

The plot is the same as I don't know how many musicals. A building is in trouble, an orphanage in this case, and to save it our heroes need to raise a bunch of money. To raise the money, they're going to put on a show. What they do with that premise is pure movie magic. With a who's who style roster of music greats like Aretha Franklin, Cab Calloway, and Ray Charles, too name a few, we're taken on a whirlwind ride filled with great tunes and loads of laughs. Jake and Elroy telling us they're "getting the band back together" is a sweet song if I ever heard one.

4. Friday the 13th

This is another of those films that aren't technically better than any of the ones behind it, or most of the films I left off the list altogether. But none of them stick with me like this one. It started my life-long love affair with slasher flicks when I saw it in '82 or '83. I wouldn't see Halloween or Texas Chainsaw Massacre until years later. I've remained loyal to the franchise, having seen all of them. However, it's this one in particular I return to over and over again. I lost count long ago of the number of times I've watched this one. And I had a blast every time.

3. Raging Bull

Like much of this list, and the one for the 70s, I was probably too young to have first seen it when I did. At that time it was the boxing, masterfully captured by director Martin Scorsese, that drew me in. I watched it a few more times as the years passed. It became the acting that got me. Robert DeNiro, Joe Pesci, and Cathy Moriarty are all magnificent. More years went by. I viewed it a few more times still, and I noticed the mode of storytelling Scorsese uses to pull it all together. (My Favorite Boxing Movies)

2. Airplane!

My love for the spoof shows up again. Full disclosure, the fact that basketball legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is in this movie is what got me to sit in front of it. Everything that happens, whether he's involved or not, is what got me to love it. All the jokes land. The ones that don't only miss because you don't get them. And there are tons of jokes. In other words, I spend just about the entire movie laughing whenever I watch it. Shirley you can understand why I love it.

1. The Empire Strikes Back

Going to see this movie is my other theater-going experience from 1980. Yes, it gets here because I prefer the darker, more uncertain ending to the cut and dry good guy victory of its predecessor. But that experience in 1980 is what I'm most thankful for. I was sitting in a seat, in a movie theater, without warning, when the biggest twist in cinematic history occurred. For that, I'm forever grateful to George Lucas.


Honorable Mentions: Stir Crazy, Prom Night, 9 to 5, Private Benjamin, Smokey and the Bandit II

Click here for the rest of The 100 Project