Temporal Top Ten – 1981

Number of movies seen from this year – 78
Number of movies reviewed – 58 (including 2 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.

My Top Ten

10. Stripes

9. Chariots of Fire

8. Fort Apache: The Bronx

7. History of the World Part I

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