Temporal Top Ten – 1981

Number of movies seen from this year – 83
Number of movies reviewed – 71 (including 6 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. Cagney & Lacey: Pilot
12. Cannonball Run, The
13. Carbon Copy
14. Chariots of Fire  Encore Review
15. Chosen, The
16. Clash of the Titans
17. Condorman
18. Continental Divide
19. Cutter’s Way
20. Das Boot
21. Death Hunt
22. Devil and Max Devlin, The
23. Dragonslayer
24. Endless Love
25. Escape from New York
26. Escape to Victory (aka Victory)
27. Evil Dead, The
28. Excalibur
29. Eye for an Eye, An
30. Eye of the Needle
31. Eyewitness
32. First Monday in October
33. For Your Eyes Only
34. Fort Apache, The Bronx
35. Four Seasons, The
36. Fox and the Hound, The
37. French Lieutenant’s Woman, The
38. Friday the 13th Part II
39. Going Ape!
40. Great Muppet Caper, The
41. Hard Country
42. Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan’s Island, The
43. Harry’s War
44. History of the World, Part I
45. Honky Tonk Freeway
46. Howling, The
47. Inchon
48. Incredible Shrinking Woman, The
49. Just Before Dawn
50. Legend of the Lone Ranger, The
51. Loveless, The
52. Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior
53. Man Who Saw Tomorrow, The
54. Masada
55. Modern Romance
56. Mommie Dearest
57. Neighbors
58. Nighthawks
59. Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia, The
60. On Golden Pond      Encore Review
61. Only When I Laugh
62. Outland
63. Pennies from Heaven
64. Piranha II: The Spawning
65. Prince of the City
66. Pursuit of D. B. Cooper, The
67. Raggedy Man
68. Ragtime
69. Raiders of the Lost Ark   Encore Review Encore Review 2  Encore Review 3
70. Reds
71. S.O.B.
72. Saturday the 14th
73. Sharky’s Machine
74. Skokie
75. Southern Comfort
76. Stripes
77. Taps
78. Thief
79. Threshold
80. Time Bandits       Encore Review
81. Under the Rainbow
82. Wave, The
83. Whose Life Is It Anyway?