BEST PICTURE OF THE YEAR
YEAR BY YEAR
The 1980s
And continuing with my series of posts on my favorite movies of each year, we are in the 80s and now we come to 1986 through 1988. As per usual, we will have three picks for each year: a personal favorite, a best sequel, and an acclaimed pic (and I might mention a few other movies along the way that I really liked).
So here we go:
1986
Personal Pick - Highlander
My personal pick for this year is Highlander from Russell Mulcahy starring Christopher Lambert and Sean Connery. I always think of this movie as one of the most original ideas for a movie that I have ever heard. Whoever thought of immortals fighting it out until only one survives but the only way they can die is if their head is chopped off so they have to fight with swords is sheer brilliance and makes for one of the most enjoyable movies of the 80s.
Best Sequel of the Year - Aliens
It took seven years for the sequel to Alien to come out but when it did come out it came out with a bang. James Cameron takes over the reins and delivers one of the greatest action movies of all time with Sigourney Weaver back in action and giving one of the greatest female performances on film, this movie is high octane relentless action at its best. Truly one of the great action films of the 80s
Acclaimed Pick - Hoosiers
I've mentioned before that I love a good sports flick and here comes another one. Starring Gene Hackman as the basketball coach of a small town high school team in Indiana, this masterful film is moving, dramatic and almost perfect as a great sports movie should be.
Honorable mentions and other movies:
I can't get away from 1986 without talking about some of the other movies of the year with the main one being the most successful movie of the year Tom Cruise, in a Megastar making roll brings us Top Gun.
And speaking of star-making roles, let's not forget Jeff Goldblum in The Fly. Pretty amazing performance even under a ton of prosthetics and makeup.
They're also a couple of the other sequels I should mention including the second Karate Kid movie and the last movie of the Star Trek trilogy, Star Trek 4: The Voyage Home.
And finally a movie that I just have to mention starring Tom Hanks during his comedy phase of acting called The Money Pit. This movie is hilarious but yet also is done with a lot of pathos. If you haven't seen it do yourself a favor and check it out.
1987
Personal Pick - Predator
And the action movies just keep coming including this flick directed by John Mctiernan and starring that little actor named Arnold Schwarzenegger and a plethora of other huge he-men, Predator is almost a perfect action movie. It begins somewhat unsurprisingly but then the alien shows up and this movie goes to a whole other level.
Action Movie Honorable Mention:
Another action movie that came out in 1986 that I would like to mention is RoboCop. Directed by Paul Verhoeven, this movie is, as his movies are, a bit over-the-top and pretty violent but it's still a great watch with great action.
Best Sequel of the Year - The Living Daylights
Okay so once again I have to cheat a little bit in that James Bond movies aren't strictly sequels but a series of movies but this one just has to go on this list. In his first outing as James Bond, Timothy Dalton brings a rugged ruthlessness to the character in a good Cold War story that in Bondian fashion offer some great set pieces, action and style.
Acclaimed Pick - The Untouchables
And speaking of James Bond, here's a movie starring a former Bond. Sean Connery stars as a policeman helping Eliot Ness hunt down Al Capone starring Kevin Costner and Robert de Niro who actually, is not bad in this movie. Connery won his only Academy Award for this movie and directed by Brian de Palma, this is a good one.
Secondary Personal Pick - Dirty Dancing
I just can't leave 1987 without mentioning this movie so I get a second personal pick. Once again it was a movie that spoke to me as a young man and what I really liked about this movie starring Patrick Swayze was the suave, cool, semi-bad boy falls for the slightly unattractive but cute goody two-shoes girl and he falls really hard for her. Usually it's the other way around which makes this movie so unique and hey, pretty sexy dancing.
1988
I did mention when I started the 80s that this year would be a unique year just because I can't find a lot of really good movies for this year so there will be only one pick for this year and that pick is:
Die Hard
In his absolute star-making role, Bruce Willis and John Mctiernan deliver, perhaps, the single greatest action movie of all time. Along with a barnstorming performance by Alan Rickman, this movie is just pure gold in almost every way and even though this year might not have been very good it did give us one movie that was absolutely great.
1989
And whereas 1988 was not a strong Year for movies, the decade finishes up with an incredible year for movies. 1989 was the best year for movies of the decade and it's going to be really tough for me to pick just three movies so hold on here we go:
Personal Pick - Batman
Who knew that Michael Keaton could play Batman but he certainly pulled it off in this movie to great effect. The 70s gave us Superman and right at the end of the 80s we got Batman directed by a relative newcomer named Tim Burton with a relatively new composer named Danny Elfman, Batman came to the big screen along with Jack Nicholson as the Joker delivering a classic superhero movie.
Best Sequel of the Year - Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
This was an easy one as Indiana Jones returns to the big screen after a five-year absence in classic form. High adventure, great music and riding off into the sunset, it just doesn't get any better.
Honorable Mention - The Little Mermaid
You can't talk about movies in 1989 without mentioning the return to glory for Disney that was The Little Mermaid. During the 80s Disney had been in somewhat of a slump, but along came this magical movie and all that was forgotten. With incredible music by Alan Menken and great traditional animation, this movie ushered in a Renaissance for Disney that would continue into the 1990s and beyond.
Acclaimed Pick - 3 Way tie - Dead Poets Society/Glory/Henry V
I told you that it was going to be hard for me to pick just one movie in each of my categories. For this category I just couldn't pick one so we have three. The first being Dead Poets Society starring Robin Williams in a surprisingly brilliant dramatic role. This movie about young men at a prep school once again came at just the right time for me as I was just finishing high school and was looking toward my future. Powerful, sad and yet incredibly inspiring.
Next we we get one of the greatest civil war movies of all time in Glory starring Matthew Broderick, Morgan Freeman and Denzel Washington in his Academy award-winning role, this movie is just what its title implies. It is glorious.
And to round out this category is Kenneth Branaugh's adaption of Shakespeare's Henry V. Both directing and starring in this movie Branaugh delivered a tour-de-force which has been rarely equalled in the annals of filmmaking. This movie and its depiction of medieval warfare and spot-on Shakespearean interpretation is a must-see for any fan of Shakespeare.
And that will conclude the 1980s. I don't know what format I will use for the 1990s, whether I will continue with the multiple categories or just pick one movie for each year, we'll see, so stay tuned and visit the blog again sometime and hopefully it won't be too long before I can continue this series.
The 1980s
Personal Pick - Highlander
My personal pick for this year is Highlander from Russell Mulcahy starring Christopher Lambert and Sean Connery. I always think of this movie as one of the most original ideas for a movie that I have ever heard. Whoever thought of immortals fighting it out until only one survives but the only way they can die is if their head is chopped off so they have to fight with swords is sheer brilliance and makes for one of the most enjoyable movies of the 80s.
Best Sequel of the Year - Aliens
It took seven years for the sequel to Alien to come out but when it did come out it came out with a bang. James Cameron takes over the reins and delivers one of the greatest action movies of all time with Sigourney Weaver back in action and giving one of the greatest female performances on film, this movie is high octane relentless action at its best. Truly one of the great action films of the 80s
Acclaimed Pick - Hoosiers
I've mentioned before that I love a good sports flick and here comes another one. Starring Gene Hackman as the basketball coach of a small town high school team in Indiana, this masterful film is moving, dramatic and almost perfect as a great sports movie should be.
Honorable mentions and other movies:
I can't get away from 1986 without talking about some of the other movies of the year with the main one being the most successful movie of the year Tom Cruise, in a Megastar making roll brings us Top Gun.
And speaking of star-making roles, let's not forget Jeff Goldblum in The Fly. Pretty amazing performance even under a ton of prosthetics and makeup.
They're also a couple of the other sequels I should mention including the second Karate Kid movie and the last movie of the Star Trek trilogy, Star Trek 4: The Voyage Home.
And finally a movie that I just have to mention starring Tom Hanks during his comedy phase of acting called The Money Pit. This movie is hilarious but yet also is done with a lot of pathos. If you haven't seen it do yourself a favor and check it out.
I did mention when I started the 80s that this year would be a unique year just because I can't find a lot of really good movies for this year so there will be only one pick for this year and that pick is:
Die Hard
In his absolute star-making role, Bruce Willis and John Mctiernan deliver, perhaps, the single greatest action movie of all time. Along with a barnstorming performance by Alan Rickman, this movie is just pure gold in almost every way and even though this year might not have been very good it did give us one movie that was absolutely great.
And whereas 1988 was not a strong Year for movies, the decade finishes up with an incredible year for movies. 1989 was the best year for movies of the decade and it's going to be really tough for me to pick just three movies so hold on here we go:
Personal Pick - Batman
Who knew that Michael Keaton could play Batman but he certainly pulled it off in this movie to great effect. The 70s gave us Superman and right at the end of the 80s we got Batman directed by a relative newcomer named Tim Burton with a relatively new composer named Danny Elfman, Batman came to the big screen along with Jack Nicholson as the Joker delivering a classic superhero movie.
Best Sequel of the Year - Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
This was an easy one as Indiana Jones returns to the big screen after a five-year absence in classic form. High adventure, great music and riding off into the sunset, it just doesn't get any better.
Honorable Mention - The Little Mermaid
You can't talk about movies in 1989 without mentioning the return to glory for Disney that was The Little Mermaid. During the 80s Disney had been in somewhat of a slump, but along came this magical movie and all that was forgotten. With incredible music by Alan Menken and great traditional animation, this movie ushered in a Renaissance for Disney that would continue into the 1990s and beyond.
Acclaimed Pick - 3 Way tie - Dead Poets Society/Glory/Henry V
I told you that it was going to be hard for me to pick just one movie in each of my categories. For this category I just couldn't pick one so we have three. The first being Dead Poets Society starring Robin Williams in a surprisingly brilliant dramatic role. This movie about young men at a prep school once again came at just the right time for me as I was just finishing high school and was looking toward my future. Powerful, sad and yet incredibly inspiring.
Next we we get one of the greatest civil war movies of all time in Glory starring Matthew Broderick, Morgan Freeman and Denzel Washington in his Academy award-winning role, this movie is just what its title implies. It is glorious.
And to round out this category is Kenneth Branaugh's adaption of Shakespeare's Henry V. Both directing and starring in this movie Branaugh delivered a tour-de-force which has been rarely equalled in the annals of filmmaking. This movie and its depiction of medieval warfare and spot-on Shakespearean interpretation is a must-see for any fan of Shakespeare.
And that will conclude the 1980s. I don't know what format I will use for the 1990s, whether I will continue with the multiple categories or just pick one movie for each year, we'll see, so stay tuned and visit the blog again sometime and hopefully it won't be too long before I can continue this series.
And continuing with my series of posts on my favorite movies of each year, we are in the 80s and now we come to 1986 through 1988. As per usual, we will have three picks for each year: a personal favorite, a best sequel, and an acclaimed pic (and I might mention a few other movies along the way that I really liked).
So here we go:
1986
So here we go:
1986
Personal Pick - Highlander
My personal pick for this year is Highlander from Russell Mulcahy starring Christopher Lambert and Sean Connery. I always think of this movie as one of the most original ideas for a movie that I have ever heard. Whoever thought of immortals fighting it out until only one survives but the only way they can die is if their head is chopped off so they have to fight with swords is sheer brilliance and makes for one of the most enjoyable movies of the 80s.
Best Sequel of the Year - Aliens
It took seven years for the sequel to Alien to come out but when it did come out it came out with a bang. James Cameron takes over the reins and delivers one of the greatest action movies of all time with Sigourney Weaver back in action and giving one of the greatest female performances on film, this movie is high octane relentless action at its best. Truly one of the great action films of the 80s
Acclaimed Pick - Hoosiers
I've mentioned before that I love a good sports flick and here comes another one. Starring Gene Hackman as the basketball coach of a small town high school team in Indiana, this masterful film is moving, dramatic and almost perfect as a great sports movie should be.
Honorable mentions and other movies:
I can't get away from 1986 without talking about some of the other movies of the year with the main one being the most successful movie of the year Tom Cruise, in a Megastar making roll brings us Top Gun.
And speaking of star-making roles, let's not forget Jeff Goldblum in The Fly. Pretty amazing performance even under a ton of prosthetics and makeup.
They're also a couple of the other sequels I should mention including the second Karate Kid movie and the last movie of the Star Trek trilogy, Star Trek 4: The Voyage Home.
And finally a movie that I just have to mention starring Tom Hanks during his comedy phase of acting called The Money Pit. This movie is hilarious but yet also is done with a lot of pathos. If you haven't seen it do yourself a favor and check it out.
1987
Personal Pick - Predator
And the action movies just keep coming including this flick directed by John Mctiernan and starring that little actor named Arnold Schwarzenegger and a plethora of other huge he-men, Predator is almost a perfect action movie. It begins somewhat unsurprisingly but then the alien shows up and this movie goes to a whole other level.
Action Movie Honorable Mention:
Another action movie that came out in 1986 that I would like to mention is RoboCop. Directed by Paul Verhoeven, this movie is, as his movies are, a bit over-the-top and pretty violent but it's still a great watch with great action.
Best Sequel of the Year - The Living Daylights
Okay so once again I have to cheat a little bit in that James Bond movies aren't strictly sequels but a series of movies but this one just has to go on this list. In his first outing as James Bond, Timothy Dalton brings a rugged ruthlessness to the character in a good Cold War story that in Bondian fashion offer some great set pieces, action and style.
Acclaimed Pick - The Untouchables
And speaking of James Bond, here's a movie starring a former Bond. Sean Connery stars as a policeman helping Eliot Ness hunt down Al Capone starring Kevin Costner and Robert de Niro who actually, is not bad in this movie. Connery won his only Academy Award for this movie and directed by Brian de Palma, this is a good one.
Secondary Personal Pick - Dirty Dancing
I just can't leave 1987 without mentioning this movie so I get a second personal pick. Once again it was a movie that spoke to me as a young man and what I really liked about this movie starring Patrick Swayze was the suave, cool, semi-bad boy falls for the slightly unattractive but cute goody two-shoes girl and he falls really hard for her. Usually it's the other way around which makes this movie so unique and hey, pretty sexy dancing.
1988
Personal Pick - Predator
And the action movies just keep coming including this flick directed by John Mctiernan and starring that little actor named Arnold Schwarzenegger and a plethora of other huge he-men, Predator is almost a perfect action movie. It begins somewhat unsurprisingly but then the alien shows up and this movie goes to a whole other level.
Action Movie Honorable Mention:
Another action movie that came out in 1986 that I would like to mention is RoboCop. Directed by Paul Verhoeven, this movie is, as his movies are, a bit over-the-top and pretty violent but it's still a great watch with great action.
Best Sequel of the Year - The Living Daylights
Okay so once again I have to cheat a little bit in that James Bond movies aren't strictly sequels but a series of movies but this one just has to go on this list. In his first outing as James Bond, Timothy Dalton brings a rugged ruthlessness to the character in a good Cold War story that in Bondian fashion offer some great set pieces, action and style.
Acclaimed Pick - The Untouchables
And speaking of James Bond, here's a movie starring a former Bond. Sean Connery stars as a policeman helping Eliot Ness hunt down Al Capone starring Kevin Costner and Robert de Niro who actually, is not bad in this movie. Connery won his only Academy Award for this movie and directed by Brian de Palma, this is a good one.
Secondary Personal Pick - Dirty Dancing
I just can't leave 1987 without mentioning this movie so I get a second personal pick. Once again it was a movie that spoke to me as a young man and what I really liked about this movie starring Patrick Swayze was the suave, cool, semi-bad boy falls for the slightly unattractive but cute goody two-shoes girl and he falls really hard for her. Usually it's the other way around which makes this movie so unique and hey, pretty sexy dancing.
1988
I did mention when I started the 80s that this year would be a unique year just because I can't find a lot of really good movies for this year so there will be only one pick for this year and that pick is:
Die Hard
In his absolute star-making role, Bruce Willis and John Mctiernan deliver, perhaps, the single greatest action movie of all time. Along with a barnstorming performance by Alan Rickman, this movie is just pure gold in almost every way and even though this year might not have been very good it did give us one movie that was absolutely great.
1989
And whereas 1988 was not a strong Year for movies, the decade finishes up with an incredible year for movies. 1989 was the best year for movies of the decade and it's going to be really tough for me to pick just three movies so hold on here we go:
Personal Pick - Batman
Who knew that Michael Keaton could play Batman but he certainly pulled it off in this movie to great effect. The 70s gave us Superman and right at the end of the 80s we got Batman directed by a relative newcomer named Tim Burton with a relatively new composer named Danny Elfman, Batman came to the big screen along with Jack Nicholson as the Joker delivering a classic superhero movie.
Best Sequel of the Year - Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
This was an easy one as Indiana Jones returns to the big screen after a five-year absence in classic form. High adventure, great music and riding off into the sunset, it just doesn't get any better.
Honorable Mention - The Little Mermaid
You can't talk about movies in 1989 without mentioning the return to glory for Disney that was The Little Mermaid. During the 80s Disney had been in somewhat of a slump, but along came this magical movie and all that was forgotten. With incredible music by Alan Menken and great traditional animation, this movie ushered in a Renaissance for Disney that would continue into the 1990s and beyond.
Acclaimed Pick - 3 Way tie - Dead Poets Society/Glory/Henry V
I told you that it was going to be hard for me to pick just one movie in each of my categories. For this category I just couldn't pick one so we have three. The first being Dead Poets Society starring Robin Williams in a surprisingly brilliant dramatic role. This movie about young men at a prep school once again came at just the right time for me as I was just finishing high school and was looking toward my future. Powerful, sad and yet incredibly inspiring.
Next we we get one of the greatest civil war movies of all time in Glory starring Matthew Broderick, Morgan Freeman and Denzel Washington in his Academy award-winning role, this movie is just what its title implies. It is glorious.
And to round out this category is Kenneth Branaugh's adaption of Shakespeare's Henry V. Both directing and starring in this movie Branaugh delivered a tour-de-force which has been rarely equalled in the annals of filmmaking. This movie and its depiction of medieval warfare and spot-on Shakespearean interpretation is a must-see for any fan of Shakespeare.
And that will conclude the 1980s. I don't know what format I will use for the 1990s, whether I will continue with the multiple categories or just pick one movie for each year, we'll see, so stay tuned and visit the blog again sometime and hopefully it won't be too long before I can continue this series.
