Zach’s Favorite Films of the 1980s

1989

  1. DO THE RIGHT THING (Spike Lee, USA)
  2. ELEPHANT (Alan Clarke, UK)
  3. PEDICAB DRIVER (Sammo Hung Kam-Bo, Hong Kong)
  4. THE UNBELIEVABLE TRUTH (Hal Hartley, USA)
  5. TONGUES UNTIED (Marlon Riggs, USA)
  6. SWEETIE (Jane Campion, Australia)
  7. KIKI’S DELIVERY SERVICE (Hayao Miyazaki, Japan)
  8. HISTOIRE(S) DU CINÉMA (Jean-Luc Godard, Switzerland/France)
  9. CHAMELEON STREET (Wendell B. Harris Jr., USA)
  10. WATER AND POWER (Pat O'Neill, USA)
  11. HOMEWORK (Abbas Kiarostami, Iran)
  12. BACK TO THE FUTURE PART II (Robert Zemeckis, USA)
  13. THE FIRM (Alan Clarke, UK)
  14. IMAGES OF THE WORLD AND THE INSCRIPTION OF WAR (Harun Farocki, Germany)
  15. BACK TO THE FUTURE PART II (Robert Zemeckis, USA)
  16. A GRAND DAY OUT (Nick Park, UK)
  17. BEGOTTEN (E. Elias Merhige, USA)
  18. SEX, LIES, AND VIDEOTAPE (Steven Soderbergh, USA)
  19. SOCIETY (Brian Yuzna, USA)
  20. WHEN HARRY MET SALLY... (Rob Reiner, USA)

1988

  1. THE PLEASURE GARDEN (Phil Solomon, USA)
  2. DISTANT VOICES, STILL LIVES (Terence Davies, UK)
  3. MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO (Hayao Miyazaki, Japan)
  4. THE THIN BLUE LINE (Errol Morris, USA)
  5. THE NAKED GUN: FROM THE FILES OF POLICE SQUAD! (David Zucker, USA)
  6. ALICE (Jan Švankmajer, Czechoslovakia)
  7. DAMNATION (Béla Tarr, Hungary)
  8. JANE B. PAR AGNÈS V. (Agnès Varda, France)
  9. WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT (Robert Zemeckis, USA)
  10. THE BLOB (Chuck Russell, USA)
  11. POLICE STORY 2 (Jackie Chan, Hong Kong)
  12. SUPERSTAR: THE KAREN CARPENTER STORY (Todd Haynes, USA)
  13. A DAY ON THE GRAND CANAL (Philip Haas, USA)
  14. WOMEN ON THE VERGE OF A NERVOUS BREAKDOWN (Pedro Almodóvar, Spain)
  15. CROSSING DELANCEY (Joan Micklin Silver, USA)
  16. DAWN OF AN EVIL MILLENNIUM (Damon Packard, USA)
  17. PUMPKINHEAD (Stan Winston, USA)
  18. THE LAST TEMPTATION OF CHRIST (Martin Scorsese, Canada/USA)
  19. DIE HARD (John McTiernan, USA)
  20. HAIRSPRAY (John Waters, USA)
  21. THE VANISHING (George Sluizer, Netherlands/France)
  22. COMING TO AMERICA (John Landis, USA)
  23. MARRIED TO THE MOB (Jonathan Demme, USA)
  • DEAD RINGERS (David Cronenberg, Canada/USA)
  • TIGER ON THE BEAT (Lau Kar-leung, Hong Kong)

1987

  1. THE DANTE QUARTET (Stan Brakhage, USA)
  2. WHERE IS THE FRIEND’S HOUSE? (Abbas Kiarostami, Iran)
  3. LANDSCAPE SUICIDE (James Benning, USA)
  4. MOONSTRUCK (Norman Jewison, USA)
  5. CHRISTINE (Alan Clarke, UK)
  6. ROBOCOP (Paul Verhoeven, USA)
  7. BROADCAST NEWS (James L. Brooks, USA)
  8. MNEMOSYNE MOTHER OF MUSES (Larry Gottheim, USA)
  9. LAW OF DESIRE (Pedro Almodóvar, Spain)
  10. ISHTAR (Elaine May, USA)
  11. FOUR ADVENTURES OF REINETTE AND MIRABELLE (Eric Rohmer, France)
  12. THE DEATH OF EMPEDOCLES (Jean-Marie Straub and Danièle Huillet, France/Germany)
  13. DAUGHTER OF THE NILE (Hou Hsiao-hsien, Taiwan)
  14. A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 3: DREAM WARRIORS (Chuck Russell, USA)
  15. MAYHEM (Abigail Child, USA)
  16. EASTERN CONDORS (Hong Kong, Sammo Hung)
  17. MATEWAN (John Sayles, USA)
  18. EVIL DEAD II (Sam Raimi, USA)
  19. EMPIRE OF THE SUN (Steven Spielberg, USA)
  • UNDER THE SUN OF SATAN (Maurice Pialat, France)
  • RAISING ARIZONA (Joel and Ethan Coen, USA)
  • WINGS OF DESIRE (Wim Wenders, West Germany/France)
  • THE DEAD (John Huston, Ireland/UK/USA)

1986

  1. BLUE VELVET (David Lynch, USA)
  2. THE GREEN RAY (Eric Rohmer, France)
  3. WORKING GIRLS (Lizzie Borden, USA)
  4. MANHUNTER (Michael Mann, USA)
  5. DUST IN THE WIND (Hou Hsiao-hsien, Taiwan)
  6. SLEEPWALK (Sara Driver, USA)
  7. PICCOLO FILM DECOMPOSTO (Paolo Gioli, Italy)
  8. THE FLY (David Cronenberg, Canada/UK/USA)
  9. TWO FRIENDS (Jane Campion, Australia)
  10. RISE AND FALL OF A SMALL FILM COMPANY (Jean-Luc Godard, France/Switzerland)
  11. SOMETHING WILD (Jonathan Demme, USA)
  12. GOLDEN EIGHTIES (Chantal Akerman, Belgium/France/Switzerland)
  13. ROSE LA ROSE, FILLE PUBLIQUE (Paul Vecchiali, France)
  14. THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE 2 (Tobe Hooper, USA)
  15. FAKE FRUIT FACTORY (Chick Strand, USA)
  16. CASTLE IN THE SKY (Hayao Miyazaki, Japan)
  17. DEMONS 2 (Lamberto Bava, Italy)
  18. PEKING OPERA BLUES (Tsui Hark, Hong Kong)
  19. ETHNIC NOTIONS (Marlon Riggs, USA)
  20. I DO NOT KNOW WHAT IT IS I AM LIKE (Bill Viola, USA)
  21. FROM BEYOND (Stuart Gordon, USA)
  22. HANNAH AND HER SISTERS (Woody Allen, USA)
  23. BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA (John Carpenter, USA)
  • JO JO DANCER, YOUR LIFE IS CALLING (Richard Pryor, USA)
  • DOWN BY LAW (Jim Jarmusch, USA)
  • STAR TREK IV: THE VOYAGE HOME (Leonard Nimoy, USA)

1985

  1. SHOAH (Claude Lanzmann, France)
  2. HAIL MARY (Jean-Luc Godard, France)
  3. DAY OF THE DEAD (George A. Romero, USA)
  4. DEMONS (Lamberto Bava, Italy)
  5. THE BOOK OF MARY (Anne-Marie Miéville, France)
  6. RAN (Akira Kurosawa, Japan/France)
  7. PEE-WEE’S BIG ADVENTURE (Tim Burton, USA)
  8. DIM SUM: A LITTLE BIT OF HEART (Wayne Wang, USA)
  9. CONTACT (Alan Clarke, UK)
  10. THE RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD (Dan O’Bannon, USA)
  11. ORNETTE: MADE IN AMERICA (Shirley Clarke, USA)
  12. COME AND SEE (Elem Klimov, USSR)
  13. POLICE STORY (Jackie Chan, Hong Kong)
  14. THE KISS (Raphael Montañez Ortíz, USA)
  15. ABOUT TAP (George T. Nierenberg, USA)
  16. POLICE (Maurice Pialat, France)
  17. DESERT HEARTS (Donna Dietch, USA)
  18. OPTIC NERVE (Barbara Hammer, USA)
  19. THE PURPLE ROSE OF CAIRO (Woody Allen, USA)
  20. BACK TO THE FUTURE (Robert Zemeckis, USA)
  21. A GENTLE SPIRIT (Piotr Dumała, Poland)
  22. MY BEAUTIFUL LAUNDRETTE (Stephen Frears, UK)
  23. THE COLOR PURPLE (Steven Spielberg, USA)
  24. TO LIVE AND DIE IN L.A. (William Friedkin, USA)
  25. RE-ANIMATOR (Stuart Gordon, USA)
  • BUDDIES (Arthur J. Bressan, Jr., USA)
  • TAMPOPO (Juzo Itami, Japan)

1984

  1. VENGEANCE IS MINE (Michael Roemer, USA)
  2. STOP MAKING SENSE (Jonathan Demme, USA)
  3. CLASS RELATIONS (Jean-Marie Straub and Danièle Huillet, France/Germany)
  4. 28 UP (Michael Apted, UK)
  5. THE TIMES OF HARVEY MILK (Rob Epstein, USA)
  6. CHOOSE ME (Alan Rudolph, USA)
  7. SHANGHAI BLUES (Tsui Hark, Hong Kong)
  8. A GIRL’S OWN STORY (Jane Campion, Australia)
  9. BLOOD SIMPLE (Joel and Ethan Coen, USA)
  10. WHAT HAVE I DONE TO DESERVE THIS? (Pedro Almodóvar, Spain)
  11. THE ADVENTURES OF BUCKAROO BANZAI ACROSS THE 8TH DIMENSION (W.D. Richter, USA)
  12. THE 8 DIAGRAM POLE FIGHTER (Liu Chia-Liang, Hong Kong)
  13. STRANGER THAN PARADISE (Jim Jarmusch, USA)
  14. REPO MAN (Alex Cox, USA)
  15. THE MUPPETS TAKE MANHATTAN (Frank Oz, USA)
  16. THIS IS SPINAL TAP (Rob Reiner, USA)
  17. FULL MOON IN PARIS (Éric Rohmer, France)
  18. DUNE (David Lynch, USA)
  19. “SORRY/HEAR US” (Larry Gottheim, USA)
  • INDIANA JONES AND THE TEMPLE OF DOOM (Steven Spielberg, USA)
  • BODY DOUBLE (Brian De Palma, USA)
  • ANOTHER COUNTRY (Marek Kanievska, UK)
  • THE KILLING FLOOR (Bill Duke, USA)
  • WHEN THE TENTH MONTH COMES (Đặng Nhật Minh, Vietnam)
  • NAUSICAÄ OF THE VALLEY OF THE WIND (Hayao Miyazaki, Japan)

1983

  1. BLESS THEIR LITTLE HEARTS (Billy Woodberry, USA)
  2. THE BALLAD OF NARAYAMA (Shohei Imamura, Japan)
  3. THE STORE (Frederick Wiseman, USA)
  4. L’ARGENT (Robert Bresson, France/Switzerland)
  5. BORN IN FLAMES (Lizzie Borden, USA)
  6. THE MEANING OF LIFE (Terry Jones and Terry Gilliam, UK)
  7. BREATHLESS (Jim McBride, USA)
  8. SEEING RED: STORIES OF AMERICAN COMMUNISTS (Julia Reichert and Jim Klein, USA)
  9. STYLE WARS (Tony Silver, USA)
  10. MEANWHILE (Mike Leigh, UK)
  11. ZELIG (Woody Allen, USA)
  12. VARIETY (Bette Gordon, USA)
  13. SANS SOLEIL (Chris Marker, France)
  14. CHRISTINE (John Carpenter, USA)
  15. PSYCHO II (Richard Franklin, USA)
  16. PAULINE AT THE BEACH (Éric Rohmer, France)
  • NOSTALGIA (Anrei Tarkovsky, Italy)
  • EYES OF FIRE (Avery Crounse, USA)
  • ONE DAY PINA ASKED... (Chantal Akerman, Germany)
  • VIDEODROME (David Cronenberg, Canada)

1982

  1. E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL (Steven Spielberg, USA)
  2. FANNY AND ALEXANDER (Ingmar Bergman, Sweden)
  3. TOO EARLY/TOO LATE (Jean-Marie Straub and Danièle Huillet, France/Egypt)
  4. THE THING (John Carpenter, USA)
  5. TRON (Steven Lisberger, USA)
  6. HALLOWEEN III: SEASON OF THE WITCH (Tommy Lee Wallace, USA)
  7. CHAN IS MISSING (Wayne Wang, USA)
  8. SAY AMEN, SOMEBODY (George T. Nierenberg, USA)
  9. LOSING GROUND (Kathleen Collins, USA)
  10. CANE RIVER (Horace B. Jenkins, USA)
  11. BLADE RUNNER (Ridley Scott, Hong Kong/UK/USA)
  • THE SLUMBER PARTY MASSACRE (Amy Holden Jones, USA)
  • THE KING OF COMEDY (Martin Scorsese, USA)
  • STAR TREK II: THE WRATH OF KHAN (Nicholas Meyer, USA)

1981

  1. RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK (Steven Spielberg, USA)
  2. SPACY (Takashi Ito, Japan)
  3. THE AVIATOR’S WIFE (Éric Rohmer, France)
  4. LOLA (Rainer Werner Fassbinder, West Germany)
  5. TREE OF KNOWLEDGE (Larry Gottheim, USA)
  6. TANGO (Zbigniew Rybczyński, Poland)
  7. POLYESTER (John Waters, USA)
  8. MUR MURS (Agnès Varda, France)
  9. ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK (John Carpenter, USA)
  10. ROADGAMES (Richard Franklin, Australia)
  11. THE FUNHOUSE (Tobe Hooper, USA)
  12. DEEP WATER (Michel Deville, France)
  13. MAD MAX 2: THE ROAD WARRIOR (George Miller, Australia)
  14. THE DAY AFTER TRINITY (Jon Else, USA)
  15. AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON (John Landis, UK/USA)
  16. KISAPMATA (Mike de Leon, Philippines)
  17. L’ENVERS DU DÉCOR (Paulin Soumanou Vieyra, Senegal)
  18. THE GARDEN OF EARTHLY DELIGHTS (Stan Brakhage, USA)
  19. CUTTER’S WAY (Ivan Passer, USA)
  20. THIEF (Michael Mann, USA)
  21. MODERN ROMANCE (Albert Brooks, USA)
  22. JUST BEFORE DAWN (Jeff Lieberman, USA)
  23. DEAD & BURIED (Gary Sherman, USA)
  24. THE BURNING (Tony Maylam, USA)
  • FRIDAY THE 13TH PART 2 (Steve Miner, USA)
  • THE GREAT MUPPET CAPER (Jim Henson, UK/USA)

1980

  1. BONA (Lino Brocka, Philippines)
  2. MELVIN AND HOWARD (Jonathan Demme, USA)
  3. CRUISING (William Friedkin, Germany/USA)
  4. THE SHINING (Stanley Kubrick, USA/UK)
  5. THE FOG (John Carpenter, USA)
  6. THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK (Irvin Kershner, USA)
  7. ORDINARY PEOPLE (Robert Redford, USA)
  8. THE POCKETBOOK (Billy Woodberry, USA)
  9. OUT OF THE BLUE (Dennis Hopper, USA)
  10. EVERY MAN FOR HIMSELF (Jean-Luc Godard, Austria/France/Germany/Switzerland)
  11. THE ELEPHANT MAN (David Lynch, UK/USA)
  12. AIRPLANE! (Jim Abrahams, David Zucker, and Jerry Zucker, USA)
  13. A HIGHLY COMMITTED FILM (Julian Józef Antonisz, Poland)
  14. HEAVEN’S GATE (Michael Cimino, USA)
  15. POPEYE (Robert Altman, USA)
  • DRESSED TO KILL (Brian De Palma, USA)