Yay, another list! The Ten Best Movies From the Eighties

Webster's dictionary online defines 'eighties movies' as: "There are no dictionary entries for eighties movies, but eighties, movies are spelled correctly". Truer words have never been said. Now, on to my list.

10. Return of the Jedi

The eightiesest of the Star Wars movies and the first movie I ever remember seeing in the theater. Call me what you will but I think this is still my favorite of the episodes.

9. E.T.

It's magical and it does everything it can to force you to cry about a talking turd with an extendable neck, but I think it precisely captured what it was like to be a suburban kid in the eighties.

8. Robocop

I love the dark, bleak, violent vision of the future that so many eighties sci-fi movies had and this movie is a perfect example. Ronny Cox owns me like my uncle owns his lawnmower.

7. Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure

I absolutely love this show from Missy (“she’s your mom, dude”) to Abraham Lincoln encouraging me to “party on!” Who could have predicted that this movie would showcase Keanu’s best acting performance?

6. Die Hard

The best non James Cameron action movie ever made?

5. Beverly Hills Cop

Eddie Murphy doesn’t wear a fat lady suit in this film at all. Balki should have gotten an Oscar for best supporting actor.

4. Aliens

One of my favorites of all time and an awesome showcase of eighties sci-fi. Like Robocop it shows us a bleak, dirty future and like Blade Runner the world is very well realized. The fact that it was made in the eighties attributes greatly to its charm.

3. The Terminator

Overall, I like Aliens better, but as an eighties movie, The Terminator delivers. From the score, to the outfits, to the punk feel, to the bleak future –- this movie is 80’s sci-fi at it’s pinnacle.

2. Ghostbusters

I learned everything I ever needed to know about anything from watching this film.

1. Back to the Future

Best. Eighties. Movie. It’s so good that it made me forget, for a while, that saxaphones should not be used in rock music. Thanks for nothing, Huey Lewis.

Runners up: Better Off Dead, Full Metal Jacket, Raiders of the Lost Ark, The Empire Strikes Back, Weird Science, Evil Dead, Evil Dead II, The Fly, Predator, Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure, Spaceballs, UHF, Blood Simple.