80's classics

I am a fan of 80's movies and we all know that the 80's was a boom decade for movies. Some of the best films ever made came out in this time including:

The Goonies
Ghostbusters
The Breakfast Club
The Karate Kid
Back To The Future
Stand By Me
Weird Science
Gremlins
The Empire Strikes Back

to name a few.

However, a comment Adam D made in the Music Cup got me thinking about the lesser known films of the 80's. Are there any films you saw that won't be as well known but are, in your eyes, 'classics'? Here are some I would recommend.

Electric Dreams - The one Adam mentioned. This is great film about a love triangle between a man, a woman and a computer. Sounds weird but it is a sweet story and has a good soundtrack.

Summer School - A story of a gym teacher forced to teach a bunch of losers at summer school. Kirstie Alley is in it and it is has a brilliant scene depicting the Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

Walk Like A Man - The story of a man raised by wolves and then reunited with his family. It's a really good family film that stars Christopher Lloyd and will have you singing 'Walk Like A Man' for days.

Surf 2 - A mad scientist creates a drink that turns people into zombies in an attempt to rid the town of surfers. It made regular appearances in my house when my dad used to take us to the video shop.

Over to you guys, are their any forgotten gems out there that need to be seen by the masses?

Don't start me on about the 80's, I get all sentimentally snot-eyed & whimsical.  I remember Summer School, was quite a pleasant surprise as I wasn't expecting much, probably a good twenty-odd years since I saw it though.

My favourites from the decade are River's Edge (which I do go on about), Amadeus, Stand By Me & Christiane F - River's Edge & Christiane F being 2 that not that many have seen but that I'd put in my top 20 films of all time.

I never really got into the whole 80s brat-pack effort though I would have liked to stroke Ally Sheedy's pubis - not sure I've even seen a Molly Ringwald film.

I always rated St. Elmo's Fire above The Breakfast Club
Also :-
Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence
Insignificance
Batman
Runaway Train
Salvador
Indiana Jones
Purple Rain

Rivers Edge is indeed a great film.  Other classics from the 80's would include:

Die Hard
Paris, Texas
The King of Comedy
Midnight Run
Repo Man
The Princess Bride
Big
Caddyshack
Akira

I love Big. Others I like

The Burbs
The Labyrinth
Big Trouble In Little China

The Lost Boys
The Monster Squad
Brewster's Millions
Trading Places
Beverly Hills Cop

The Killing Fields

Ghandi (?)

The Elephant Man

The 80's was a great time to be growing up and into films , after a quick search i could happily watch all of these


    48 Hrs.
    9½ Weeks
    18 Again!
    About Last Night
    Above the Law
    The Abyss
    The Accidental Tourist
    The Accused
    Action Jackson
    Adventures in Babysitting
    The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension
    Against All Odds
    Airplane!
    Airplane II: The Sequel
    Alien Nation
    Aliens
    Amadeus
    An American Tail
    An American Werewolf in London
    Android
    Angel Heart
    Annie
    Back to School
    Back to the Future
    Back to the Future Part II
    Bad Boys
    La Bamba
    Batman
    *batteries not included
    Beaches
    Beetlejuice
    Below the Belt
    The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas
    Betty Blue
    Beverly Hills Cop
    Beverly Hills Cop II
    Big
    The Big Chill
    Big Top Pee-wee
    Big Trouble in Little China
    Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure
    The Black Cauldron
    Blade Runner
    Blind Date
    The Blob
    The Blue Lagoon
    Blue Velvet
    The Blues Brothers
    Body Double
    Body Heat
    Born on the Fourth of July
    The Bounty
    Braddock: Missing in Action III
    Brazil
    The Breakfast Club
    Breaking All The Rules
    Brewster's Millions
    Bright Lights, Big City
    Brimstone and Treacle
    Broadcast News
    Bull Durham
    The 'Burbs
    Buster
    Caddyshack
    Caddyshack II
    Casual Sex?
    The Cannonball Run
    Cannonball Run II
    Can't Buy Me Love
    Cat's Eye
    Cat People
    Caveman
    Chariots of Fire
    Cheech & Chong's The Corsican Brothers
    Cheech & Chong's Next Movie
    Children of a Lesser God
    Children of the Corn
    Child's Play
    A Chorus Line
    Christine
    City Heat
    Clash of the Titans
    Class of Nuke 'Em High
    Clue
    Coal Miner's Daughter
    Cobra
    Cocktail
    Cocoon
    Cocoon: The Return
    The Color of Money
    The Color Purple
    Colors
    Coming to America
    Commando
    The Company of Wolves
    Conan the Barbarian
    Conan the Destroyer
    Condorman
    The Cotton Club
    Crimes and Misdemeanors
    Critters
    Critters 2
    Crocodile Dundee
    Crocodile Dundee II
    Crossroads
    Dangerous Liaisons
    The Dark Crystal
    Dead Poets Society
    Dead Ringers
    The Dead Zone
    Delta Force, The
    Die Hard
    Dirty Dancing
    Do the Right Thing
    Down and Out in Beverly Hills
    Dragnet
    Dragonslayer
    Dreamscape
    Driving Miss Daisy
    Dune
    E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
    Earth Girls Are Easy
    Eight Men Out
    Electric Blue 28
    The Elephant Man
    Emmanuelle 5
    Empire of the Sun
    Enemy Mine
    Escape from New York
    Everybody's All-American
    The Evil That Men Do
    Excalibur
    Evil Dead
    Evil Dead II
    The Fabulous Baker Boys
    Fame
    Fast Times at Ridgemont High
    Fatal Attraction
    Ferris Bueller's Day Off
    Field of Dreams
    Firestarter
    A Fish Called Wanda
    Flashdance
    Flash Gordon
    Flesh and Blood
    Flight of the Navigator
    The Fly
    The Fly II
    The Fog
    Footloose
    Fortress
    For Your Eyes Only
    Friday the 13th
    Friday the 13th Part 2
    Friday the 13th Part III
    Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter
    Friday the 13th: A New Beginning
    Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives
    Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood
    Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan
    Fright Night
    Full Metal Jacket
    Gandhi
    The Gate
    Ghostbusters
    Ghostbusters II
    Glory
    The Goonies
    Gorillas in the Mist
    Gregory's Girl
    Gremlins
    Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes
    Hairspray
    Hamburger Hill
    Hannah and Her Sisters
    Hardbodies
    Harry and the Hendersons
    Haunted Honeymoon
    Heathers
    Hellraiser
    Hellbound: Hellraiser II
    Her Alibi
    Highlander
    The Hills Have Eyes Part II
    The Hitcher
    Honey, I Shrunk the Kids
    Hoosiers
    Howard the Duck
    The Howling
    Raiders of the Lost Ark
    Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
    Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
    I'm Gonna Git You Sucka
    Innerspace
    Invasion U.S.A.
    Iron Eagle
    I was a Teenage Zombie
    Jagged Edge
    Jaws 3-D
    Jaws: The Revenge
    The Jazz Singer
    The Jewel of the Nile
    Johnny Be Good
    Johnny Dangerously
    Jumpin' Jack Flash
    The Karate Kid (
    The Karate Kid Part II
    The Karate Kid Part III
    Killer Klowns from Outer Space
    The Killing Fields
    The King of Comedy
    Krull
    Labyrinth
    Ladyhawke
    The Lair of the White Worm
    The Land Before Time
    The Last Dragon
    The Last Emperor
    The Last Starfighter
    Lean on Me
    Legal Eagles
    Legend
    The Legend of Billie Jean
    Lethal Weapon
    Lethal Weapon 2
    Licence to Kill
    License to Drive
    Little Shop of Horrors
    The Living Daylights
    Local Hero
    Lone Wolf McQuade
    The Long Good Friday
    Look Who's Talking
    The Lost Boys
    Lucas
    Mad Max 2
    Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome
    The Man with One Red Shoe
    Mannequin
    Married to the Mob
    Mask
    Masters of the Universe
    Maximum Overdrive
    Midnight Run
    Missing in Action
    Missing in Action 2: The Beginning
    Mississippi Burning
    Monty Python's The Meaning of Life
    Moonstruck
    The Money Pit
    My Left Foot
    Mystic Pizza
    Naked Gun, The: From the Files of Police Squad!
    The Natural
    Near Dark
    The Nest
    Never Say Never Again
    The Neverending Story
    Night of the Creeps
    Night Shift
    A Nightmare on Elm Street
    A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge
    A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors
    A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master
    A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child
    Nine to Five
    No Way Out
    Octopussy
    An Officer and a Gentleman
    On Golden Pond
    Once Upon a Time in America
    Ordinary People
    Out of Africa
    The Outsiders
    Overboard
    Pale Rider
    Parenthood
    A Passage to India
    Pee-wee's Big Adventure
    Peggy Sue Got Married
    The Pick-Up Artist
    Planes, Trains and Automobiles
    Platoon
    Police Academy
    Police Academy 2: Their First Assignment
    Police Academy 3: Back in Training
    Police Academy 4: Citizens on Patrol
    Police Academy 5: Assignment Miami Beach
    Police Academy 6: City Under Siege
    Poltergeist
    The Pope of Greenwich Village
    Popeye
    Porky's
    Porky's II: The Next Day
    Porky's Revenge
    The Postman Always Rings Twice
    Predator
    Pretty in Pink
    The Princess Bride
    Private Lessons
    Prizzi's Honor
    Raging Bull
    Raiders of the Lost Ark
    Rain Man
    Raising Arizona
    First Blood
    Rambo: First Blood Part II
    Rambo III
    Raw Deal
    Re-Animator
    Red Dawn
    Red Sonja
    Reds
    Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins
    The Return of the Living Dead
    Revenge of the Nerds
    Risky Business
    The River
    River's Edge
    Road House
    RoboCop
    Rocky III
    Rocky IV
    Romancing the Stone
    A Room with a View
    Roxanne
    Rumble Fish
    Runaway
    The Running Man
    Ruthless People
    Scanners
    Scarface
    Scrooged
    Sea of Love
    See No Evil, Hear No Evil
    The Secret of My Success
    Sex, Lies, and Videotape
    The Shining
    Shirley Valentine
    Short Circuit
    Short Circuit 2
    Silverado
    Sixteen Candles
    Smokey and the Bandit II
    Some Kind of Wonderful
    Soul Man
    Spaceballs
    Space Camp
    Splash
    St. Elmo's Fire
    Stakeout
    Stand By Me
    Starman
    Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
    Star Trek III: The Search for Spock
    Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
    Star Trek V: The Final Frontier
    Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
    Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi
    Stir Crazy
    Stripes
    Stroker Ace
    Tango and Cash
    Teen Wolf
    The Terminator
    They Live
    The Thing
    This Is Spinal Tap
    Time Bandits
    Tootsie
    Top Gun
    To Live and Die in L.A.
    Top Secret!
    The Toxic Avenger
    Trading Places
    Trancers
    Tron
    Twilight Zone: The Movie
    Twins
    The Untouchables
    Vice Versa
    Vision Quest
    Wall Street
    WarGames
    The War of the Roses
    Weekend at Bernie's
    Weird Science
    Wildcats
    Willow
    The Witches of Eastwick
    Withnail and I
    Witness
    Year of the Dragon
    Young Guns
    Youngblood

I don't see Blood Simple or Christiane F on there Kenny, a bit more diligence would be appreciated by other forum users.

must of forgot those ..........................sorry

You did include Top Secret! though so forgiveness may be forthcoming at some stage of the weekend.

There are a couple on that list that i watched over and over as a teenage boy

Does anybody remember the film Mac and Me? A complete rip off of E.T but I thoroughly enjoying it as a child.

The last time I looked it had one of the lowest aggregates ever on Rotten tomatoes! 

Galted wrote:You did include Top Secret! though so forgiveness may be forthcoming at some stage of the weekend.

Classic film. Still Kilmer's best work!

yes i remember that Freek , it had one of the weirdest looking aliens ever

Kenny wrote:yes i remember that Freek , it had one of the weirdest looking aliens ever

Yeah and it drank Cola! Just see that it has a 0% score on Tomatoes!

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/mac_and_me/

I dare not watch it again in case it really is that bad. Which it probably is!

here you go Freek heres a little taste
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5le9sYdYkM

Kenny wrote:here you go Freek heres a little taste
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5le9sYdYkM

Wow! Mac is da man!

Bloodsport -van damme at his best

Im pretty sure Bad Boys is a 90s film Kenny. Unless it is another film of the same name.

Shot 21 LCFC wrote:Im pretty sure Bad Boys is a 90s film Kenny. Unless it is another film of the same name.

Yes different film , it starred Sean Penn ...... not bad if you get chance to watch it

Anyone remember that cheesy surfing film called Back to The Beach?

i always assumed the warriors was a 80's film just had a quick look and its 79. rocky being another that surprised me how early it was

goonies, labyrinth and never ending story were my childhood favorites

The Back to the Future trilogy, great films. Every time I've watched it my now divorced parents inform me that their first date was a trip to the cinema to see the first movie... The 80's was THE ERA for action films, so include every action movie starting Stallone, Schwarzenegger, Norris, Lungdren, Willis... Big shout out to Rocky!

Nice thread 

Some of my favourites are:

Working Girl
Rocky III
Raiders Of The Lost Arc
Stand By Me
Lethal Weapons 1 and 2
Die Hard
Empire Strikes Back
Back to The Future
Planes Trains And Automobiles
The Untouchables
Big
Top Gun
Trading Places
Black Rain
Cocktail
Batman
Predator

I used to love the John Hughes films , and dare i say it ....................................the 2 Cory's