Temporal Top Ten – 1981

Number of movies seen from this year – 80
Number of movies reviewed – 67 (including 5 Encore Reviews)

 

My list for 1981 includes a very eclectic group of movies which range from comedy cult classics to Blockbuster action/adventure to strong dramas to a bunch of movies that I’d be surprised if most of you have heard of or even seen.

My #1 and #2 were easy choices because of the fact that they are both unbelievable movies in their respective genres and both would gave been worthy enough to win that year.

#3, #5-#6 are the movies I mentioned earlier about being amazing but quite obscure. I am actually trying to find copies of them in order to rewatch and review them properly. I suspect #6 will be very difficult to find, but I haven’t given up hope yet.

#4 is a powerful movie that shows the amazing talent of 3 young up and coming actors who would help change Hollywood elitism, 1 won an Oscar the previous year, another would go on to win 2 Oscars and the 3rd is still seeking his first win despite numerous nominations and being known as a superstar

#7 and #10 are both cult classic comedies that continue to be funny no matter how many times one views them.

#8 is a great police thriller with an all-star cast

And finally #9 is the eventual Oscar Best Picture Winner of the year. It does have a great epic feel to it, but I’m still a bit baffled as to how it won being that there were much stronger candidates that year.

Update 1 Feb 2021 – S.O.B. is now #7, pushing all subsequent films down one slot.

My Top Ten

Honorable Mention – Stripes

10. Chariots of Fire

9. Fort Apache: The Bronx

8. History of the World Part I
7. S.O.B.

6. Skokie

5. Masada

4. Taps

3. The Wave

2. On Golden Pond

1. Raiders of the Lost Ark

Here’s a complete list of movies that I’ve seen from 1981

 

1. Absence of Malice
2. American Werewolf in London, An
3. Arthur
4. Berlin Tunnel 21
5. Bill
6. Blow Out
7. Body Heat
8. Brady Girls Get Married, The
9. Buddy Buddy
10. Bustin’ Loose
11. Cannonball Run, The
12. Carbon Copy
13. Chariots of Fire  Encore Review
14. Chosen, The
15. Clash of the Titans
16. Condorman
17. Continental Divide
18. Cutter’s Way
19. Das Boot
20. Death Hunt
21. Devil and Max Devlin, The
22. Dragonslayer
23. Escape from New York
24. Escape to Victory (aka Victory)
25. Evil Dead, The
26. Excalibur
27. Eye for an Eye, An
28. Eye of the Needle
29. Eyewitness
30. First Monday in October
31. For Your Eyes Only
32. Fort Apache, The Bronx
33. Four Seasons, The
34. Fox and the Hound, The
35. French Lieutenant’s Woman, The
36. Going Ape!
37. Great Muppet Caper, The
38. Hard Country
39. Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan’s Island, The
40. Harry’s War
41. History of the World, Part I
42. Honky Tonk Freeway
43. Howling, The
44. Inchon
45. Incredible Shrinking Woman, The
46. Just Before Dawn
47. Legend of the Lone Ranger, The
48. Loveless, The
49. Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior
50. Man Who Saw Tomorrow, The
51. Masada
52. Modern Romance
53. Mommie Dearest
54. Neighbors
55. Nighthawks
56. Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia, The
57. On Golden Pond      Encore Review
58. Only When I Laugh
59. Outland
60. Pennies from Heaven
61. Piranha II: The Spawning
62. Prince of the City
63. Pursuit of D. B. Cooper, The
64. Raggedy Man
65. Ragtime
66. Raiders of the Lost Ark   Encore Review Encore Review 2  Encore Review 3
67. Reds
68. S.O.B.
69. Saturday the 14th
70. Sharky’s Machine
71. Skokie
72. Southern Comfort
73. Stripes
74. Taps
75. Thief
76. Threshold
77. Time Bandits
78. Under the Rainbow
79. Wave, The
80. Whose Life Is It Anyway?