"The 80's was one of the worst decades for movies" - Quentin Tarantino

[Phoenix]

In my personal viewing experience the 70's/80's/90's are the GOAT era for movies. Some years are better than others, some genres are done better in one decade over another, and personal taste always come into play.

[TheMan]

I donno.. a lot of 80's movies are my absolute favorites.

I don't dig Star Wars that much like I used to but Episode 5/6 are definitely top 50 of all time. As is Scarface, no explanation needed. As is Police Academy which is IMO maybe the GOAT comedy. As is Rambo Trilogy which is maybe my favorite action movie series. And from the 70's I wouldn't have Taxi Driver and Apocalypse Now in the top 50. Those are good movies but not that great. Just IMO.

Agree that 90's are the GOAT decade for movies. Forget top 50. Pulp Fiction, Goodfellas, Shawshank Redemption. Terminator 2 and Titanic are all arguably top 10 movies ever.

wut?

[dankok8]

You're underrating the 70's. That was an era where Pacino, DeNiro, & Jack Nicholson hit their prime. Brando was still making great movies as an older actor. Scorsese & Francis Ford Coppola rose and made some great movies.

I guess it's a matter of preference, 80's had better comedies & sci-fi films, but the very best movies are always in the "drama" category, that's where you get the best story telling and performances from actors and the 70's blow the 80's away in that category. It's no coincidence great actors like Pacino, DeNiro, & Nicholson made more great movies in the 70's than they did in the 80's.

I thought Tarantino nailed it in the vid I posted, in the 80's films became more corporate & less artistic. But I made a thread about 80's movies being overrated on this site years ago and got some push back, so I expect people to disagree with me.

https://www.ranker.com/list/best-dec...king/anncasano

Drama is one category of movie. Yes those are usually what people consider "masterpieces" but movies are also about entertainment. That fact that the 80's has awesome sci-fi, action and comedy films, much better than the 70's, pretty much destroys the argument in the OP.

For instance would you really say Godfather is a better movie than The Terminator? I wouldn't even compare them to be honest. Different genres and both are at the absolute apex.

[ShawkFactory]

I donno.. a lot of 80's movies are my absolute favorites.

I don't dig Star Wars that much like I used to but Episode 5/6 are definitely top 50 of all time. As is Scarface, no explanation needed. As is Police Academy which is IMO maybe the GOAT comedy. As is Rambo Trilogy which is maybe my favorite action movie series. And from the 70's I wouldn't have Taxi Driver and Apocalypse Now in the top 50. Those are good movies but not that great. Just IMO.

Agree that 90's are the GOAT decade for movies. Forget top 50. Pulp Fiction, Goodfellas, Shawshank Redemption. Terminator 2 and Titanic are all arguably top 10 movies ever.

You're throwing in shit like Gremlins and The Goonies for the 80s but Apocalypse Now and Taxi Driver are out?

Apocalypse now is legit one of the greatest movies of all time.

[eliteballer]

Star Wars Episode 5 and 6 came out in the 80's..

Scarface
Terminator
Rambo I, II and III
Die Hard
Lethal Weapon
The Karate Kid
Predator
Commando
Police Academy
Ghostbusters
E.T.
Back to the Future
Raging Bull
Indiana Jones (a few of them...)
Blade Runner
The Goonies
Gremlins
The Breakfast Club
Ferris Bueller's Day Off
A Nightmare on Elm Street
Robocop
Poltergeist
Full Metal Jacket
Mad Max 2
Aliens
Spaceballs
Labyrinth
Footloose

That's a lot of amazing films from the 80's!

Watch "Casualties of War".

[1987_Lakers]

Drama is one category of movie. Yes those are usually what people consider "masterpieces" but movies are also about entertainment. That fact that the 80's has awesome sci-fi, action and comedy films, much better than the 70's, pretty much destroys the argument in the OP.

For instance would you really say Godfather is a better movie than The Terminator? I wouldn't even compare them to be honest. Different genres and both are at the absolute apex.

Of course The Godfather is better than The Terminator, it's a better movie. Who cares if they are different genres.

I've always felt movies & music should be more about art rather than entertainment, entertaining movies/songs will eventually be forgotten by history, great movies with substance that get Oscar nods will always be remembered.

I mean shit, look at the best movies year by year from the 70's & 80's & compare.

1970: Patton
1971: The French Connection/A Clockwork Orange
1972: The Godfather
1973: The Sting
1974: The Godfather Part II
1975: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1976: Taxi Driver
1977: Annie Hall/Star Wars
1978: The Deer Hunter
1979: Apocalypse Now

1980: Raging Bull
1981: Chariots of Fire/Raiders of the Lost Ark
1982: Gandhi
1983: Scarface
1984: Amadeus
1985: Out of Africa/The Color Purple
1986: Platoon
1987: The Last Emperor
1988: Rain Man
1989: Driving Miss Daisy/Field of Dreams

Tell me? Which decade had greater and/or more memorable films? The 70's blow the 80's away in terms of top tier films which was my original statement to being with.

[dankok8]

Of course The Godfather is better than The Terminator, it's a better movie. Who cares if they are different genres.

I've always felt movies & music should be more about art rather than entertainment, entertaining movies/songs will eventually be forgotten by history, great movies with substance that get Oscar nods will always be remembered.

I mean shit, look at the best movies year by year from the 70's & 80's & compare.

1970: Patton
1971: The French Connection/A Clockwork Orange
1972: The Godfather
1973: The Sting
1974: The Godfather Part II
1975: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1976: Taxi Driver
1977: Annie Hall/Star Wars
1978: The Deer Hunter
1979: Apocalypse Now

1980: Raging Bull
1981: Chariots of Fire/Raiders of the Lost Ark
1982: Gandhi
1983: Scarface
1984: Amadeus
1985: Out of Africa/The Color Purple
1986: Platoon
1987: The Last Emperor
1988: Rain Man
1989: Driving Miss Daisy/Field of Dreams

Tell me? Which decade had greater and/or more memorable films? The 70's blow the 80's away in terms of top tier films which was my original statement to being with.

No the Godfather is not a better movie than the Terminator. By what metric exactly? Even by memorability and cultural impact they are close.

That's 80's year-by-year list you put up is bullshit. And the 70's list is much weaker than it looks to you. But I'm tired of repeating myself.

[1987_Lakers]

No the Godfather is not a better movie than the Terminator. By what metric exactly? Even by memorability and cultural impact they are close.

Are you seriously asking this? lol.

The Godfather is routinely ranked as a top 3 movie ever. You will be lucky to see The Terminator in a top 100 list.

[Bawkish]

No the Godfather is not a better movie than the Terminator. By what metric exactly? Even by memorability and cultural impact they are close.

That's 80's year-by-year list you put up is bullshit. And the 70's list is much weaker than it looks to you. But I'm tired of repeating myself.

There's no way Terminator is greater than Godfather, are you kidding me?

Acting, directing, musical score, cinematography, artistry, impact etc.

And 2001 Space Odyssey or Blade Runner are the best Sci-Fi films of all time

[Charlie Sheen]

I liked 80's movies better... but I also named myself after Charlie Sheen

[JohnnySic]

Tarantino is full of shit. The 80's were great; the movies were fun and full of positive energy.

[JohnnySic]

Side note: Its been years since I've watched The Godfather, so maybe I need to rewatch it, but as I remember, I didn't get the hype. Good movie and all, but basically a by-the-numbers mafia movie. Was it Brando's acting that wowed everyone? I dont know, but I found it mostly forgetable.

[iamgine]

There's no way Terminator is greater than Godfather, are you kidding me?

Acting, directing, musical score, cinematography, artistry, impact etc.

And 2001 Space Odyssey or Blade Runner are the best Sci-Fi films of all time

Have people actually watched 2001 Space Odyssey? I thought it was one of the worst most boring movie I ever watched. 1/10.

[dankok8]

There's no way Terminator is greater than Godfather, are you kidding me?

Acting, directing, musical score, cinematography, artistry, impact etc.

And 2001 Space Odyssey or Blade Runner are the best Sci-Fi films of all time

Acting? Arnold was unbelievable in playing the cyborg. I don't think they could have found a better actor. Linda Hamilton playing Sarah Connor and whoever was the actor playing Kyle Reese were also superb. Even actors playing with minor roles like the police chief and Dr. Silverman were fantastic.

Directing? Terminator has perhaps unsurpassed directing. James freaking Cameron are you serious?

Musical score? The theme music of Terminator is one of the most recognizable of any movie ever.

Cinematography? Again top notch...

Artistry? Hmm... the concept model of the Terminator under the skin, the futuristic machines in Reese's stories and all the other sci-fi elements were amazing.

Impact? Seriously... I don't think I need to say anything here.

RottenTomatoes gave Terminator a 100% Score. Imagine thinking Terminator is not a legendary movie. You have to live under a rock or something...

Again different genres. You can compare Godfather to Scarface or Goodfellas. Comparing movies from different genres is dumb. It's like comparing Lebron and Ronaldo.

[1987_Lakers]

Arnold is now an Oscar worthy actor, better than the likes of Pacino and Brando.