1980s Best Movies

The Cannonball Run (1981)

Contestants in a cross-country car race from Connecticut to California include a speed-loving racing driver disguised as an ambulance driver and his dimwitted sidekick, a pair of Ferrari-driving priests, and a James Bond-type character kitted out with secret weapons. Jackie Chan appears in one of his first US film roles.

My Science Project (1985)

Michael (John Stockwell) and his girlfriend Ellie (Danielle von Zerneck) break into a military junkyard to find a science project for Michael’s class. They instead discover a strange glowing orb that absorbs electricity. When the orb begins to blend past, present, and future, it’s up to Michael and Ellie to stop the orb and save mankind.

The Final Countdown (1980)

A Pacific aircraft carrier enters a time warp and finds itself transported from 1980 to 1941 – just before the attack on Pearl Harbor. The captain is forced to decide whether to strike at the approaching Japanese fleet and change the entire course of World War II.

Tequila Sunrise (1988)

In a seaside California town, best friends Mac (Mel Gibson) and Nick (Kurt Russell) are on opposite sides of the law. Mac is a former drug dealer trying to clean up his act, while Nick is a high-profile detective trying to take down a Mexican drug lord named Carlos (Raul Julia). Soon Nick’s loyalties are put to the test when he begins an affair with restaurateur Jo Ann (Michelle Pfeiffer) — a love interest of Mac’s — unwittingly leading his friend into a police-orchestrated trap.

Valley Girl (1983)

Lovely teen Julie Richman (Deborah Foreman) is steeped in the excessive, pink-clad culture of the San Fernando Valley, complete with her narcissistic boyfriend, Tommy (Michael Bowen). At a party, however, Julie falls for an edgy Hollywood punk named Randy (Nicolas Cage), and the two begin an unlikely romance. Torn between fitting in with her superficial friends and embracing a more non-conformist lifestyle, Julie ultimately has to decide to stay with Tommy or take a risk with Randy.

Trading Places (1983)

Upper-crust executive Louis Winthorpe III (Dan Aykroyd) and down-and-out hustler Billy Ray Valentine (Eddie Murphy) are the subjects of a bet by successful brokers Mortimer (Don Ameche) and Randolph Duke (Ralph Bellamy). An employee of the Dukes, Winthorpe is framed by the brothers for a crime he didn’t commit, with the siblings then installing the street-smart Valentine in his position. When Winthorpe and Valentine uncover the scheme, they set out to turn the tables on the Dukes.

The Transformers: The Movie (1986)

The film’s story takes place in 2005, 20 years after the events of the TV series’ second season. After the death of Optimus Prime during a devastating assault on Autobot City, the Autobots are pursued by Galvatron, the regenerated form of Megatron and servant of Unicron, a planet-devouring Transformer who sets out to consume Cybertron. The soundtrack comprises synthesizer music by Vince DiCola and heavy metal by various groups.

Three Amigos (1986)

Three cowboy movie stars from the silent era — Dusty Bottoms (Chevy Chase), Lucky Day (Steve Martin), and Ned Nederlander (Martin Short) — are fired when one of their movies bombs. In what seems to be a career-saving offer, young Mexican woman Carmen (Patrice Martinez) offers them a high-paying gig in her village. The three jump at the opportunity, expecting to do their typical act, but Carmen believes they are really heroes and asks them to rid her village of bad guy El Guapo (Alfonso Arau).