“I am serious… and don’t call me Shirley.”
— Airplane! (1980)
From razor-sharp comedies and prestige dramas to peak horror and era-defining sci-fi, 1980 came out swinging. Browse the lineup—then drop your top three in the comments! ⬇️
- Caddyshack — Country-club chaos: gophers, golf balls, and glorious goofballs.
- Heaven’s Gate — A sweeping, tragic western about class and conflict on the frontier.
- Raging Bull — Scorsese’s blistering portrait of boxer Jake LaMotta’s rise and self-destruction.
- Somewhere in Time — A time-crossed romance that turns destiny into devotion.
- Little Darlings — Camp-summer coming-of-age with laughs and heart.
- Hopscotch — Retired spy outwits the CIA with wry, world-hopping mischief.
- The Blues Brothers — On a mission from God, with car chases and soul to spare.
- Brubaker — A reform-minded warden exposes a prison’s brutal secrets.
- The Big Red One — Sam Fuller’s WWII memoir as a lean, boots-on-the-ground epic.
- The Long Riders — The James-Younger gang portrayed by real acting brothers—stylish, fatalistic western.
- Cruising — A cop descends into a shadowy subculture to catch a killer.
- Altered States — Mind-bending science pushes one researcher past human limits.
- Stir Crazy — Wilder & Pryor turn a wrongful rap into prison-yard pandemonium.
- Superman II — Supes vs. Zod, Ursa, and Non—kneel before blockbuster.
- The Shining — Isolated hotel, haunted halls, and an axe through the door.
- Ordinary People — A family drama of grief, guilt, and fragile reconciliation.
- The Empire Strikes Back — Star Wars grows up: walkers, Yoda, and that revelation.
- Shogun Assassin — Lone Wolf and Cub carve a balletic path of vengeance.
- The Elephant Man — Dignity and cruelty collide in Lynch’s luminous period drama.
- Dressed to Kill — De Palma’s sleek, shocking Hitchcockian thriller.
- The Stunt Man — A fugitive hides on a movie set where fantasy blurs with danger.
- Airplane! — Disaster-movie spoof that fires off a joke every second.
- The Final Countdown — A modern carrier slips back to 1941—history on the line.
- The Fog — Ghostly mariners bring a seaside town’s sins back to shore.
- Coal Miner’s Daughter — Loretta Lynn’s rags-to-royalty country-music odyssey.
- Gloria — Gena Rowlands weaponizes grit to protect a hunted child.
🙏 Your turn: which three 1980 picks are you cueing up tonight? 🍿✨