Amadeus (1984)
     Tom Hulces's giggling Mozart--a punk genius superstar before we knew what such a thing was. Told superbly thru
     the tormented recollences of F. Murray Abraham's brillantly acted Soliari. 



     Broadcast News (1987)
     A terrific film about the television news business, with memorable performances by William Hurt, Holly Hunter,
     Albert Brooks, Joan Cusack, Peter Haskas and (in brief cameo) Jack Nicholson.



     The Long Riders (1980)
     The dialogue in this film is sometimes pretty weird. Nonetheless, it is a fairly entertaining account of the
     James-Younger gang. Pamela Reed's Belle Starr gives and gets great one-liners. The stagecoach robbery is my
     special favorite!! Great soundtrack by Ry Cooder.



     The Dead Zone (1983)
     Christopher Walken's portrayal of a man who acquires the power to see into the future is a must-see. Martin Sheen
     as the crooked politician is also noteworthy. 



     Fantasy Film Worlds of George Pal (1985)
     Documentary about the creator of classic Puppetoons short films such as "Tubby the Tuba" and "Tulips Shall Grow".
     Pal also produced and/or directed such classic feature films as "War of the Worlds", "When Worlds Collide", "The
     Time Machine", "Destination Moon" and "7 Faces of Dr. Lao". "Fantasy Film Worlds" is wonderfully narrated by the
     late Paul Frees.



     Airplane (1980)
     A rib-tickling spoof of those serious, melodramatic airplane disaster films. "Airplane" was made even funnier
     with the inclusion of several dramatic actors uttering the wildest and wackiest of lines. To borrow from George
     Carlin - Fasten your safety belts, we are now on our "final approach".

     Looks like I picked the wrong week to quit driving 10-inch nails into my head.



     The Right Stuff (1983)
     Well-done story on the birth of America's manned space program. Donald Moffat's portrayal of Lyndon Johnson richly
     deserved--but did not get--an Oscar nomination. Good job on the wives' stories--Trudy Cooper (Pamela Reed), Betty
     Grissom (Veronica Cartwright) and Annie Glenn (Mary Jo Deschanel). The film's final Chuck Yeager scene is dynamite--
     God Bless America! And, of course, there is all that great music.



     Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
     Praise the Lord, Crack the Whip and Pass the Idol - Indiana Jones Forever! Of course, this movie's legacy
     might have been quite different if the early casting choice of Tom Selleck (WT!!) had been available.

     As it was, we got Harrison Ford - THE definitive Dr. Jones. Along with Karen Allen, John Rhys-Davis, Paul
     Freeman, NO Illinois Nazis (joke imported from the Blue Brothers) and that glorious Ark, this grand adventure
     continues to shine. Oh, has anyone been back to the U.S. Government Storage Archives lately?



     The Empire Strikes Back (Star Wars Episode V, 1980)
     Darth Vader keeps his head on as he pursues our heroes across the Cosmos. A scoundrel and a Princess
     find love, dirty hands and all. And the farm boy who would quickly grow into manhood learns that his
     destiny is not at all what he first thought! The odds are good that you will get out of that cave before
     the walls come a-tumblin' down, and you'll be back in that asteroid field from a long, long time ago and
     so far, far away.



     The Big Chill (1983)
     A wonderful gathering of old college friends played superbly by an ensemble of great actors.




     Other 80's Movies of Personal Note -- Good, Bad, Otherwise or WT!

     1980                                           1981
     The Blues Brothers                              An American Werewolf in London
     Raise The Titanic                               Altered States
     Caddyshack                                      Superman II - Oh God, It's Zod
     Ruckus                                          Stripes
     Flash Gordon
     Somewhere in Time
     The Final Countdown


     1982                                           1983
     Star Trek II - The Wrath of Khan                Risky Business
     An Officer and a Gentleman                      War Games
     Fast Times at Ridgemount High                   The Year of Living Dangerously
     The Compleat Beatles                            Star Wars VI: The Return of the Jedi
     Conan the Barbarian                             Sudden Impact
     The Sword and The Sorcerer                      Flashdance
     Porky's                                         Octopussy


     1984                                           1985
     Star Trek III - The Search for Spock            Witness
     Ghostbusters                                    Agnes of God
     The Terminator                                  Desert Hearts
     Footloose                                       Commando
     2010           
     The Times of Harvey Milk


     1986                                           1987
     Star Trek IV - The Voyage Home                  The Last Emperor
     Sherman's March                                 The Living Daylights
     Top Gun                                         Hoxsey: Quacks Who Cure Cancer?
     Aliens                                          Predator
     The Fly                                         Dragnet
     Delta Force


     1988                                           1989
     Die Hard                                        Skin Deep
                                                     Batman
                                                     License to Kill
                                                     Born on the 4th of July