Recomend a good 80s movie to the millennials or anyone really

Some more to check out sometime...

Time Bandits
Conan The Barbarian
Escape From New York
The Name Of The Rose
Akira

The movies seemed more atmospheric with less cgi.

Movies I haven't seen mentioned yet that we've got in our DVD collection at home... all movies listed are worthy of paying the $5.00 from the bargain bin at Walmart, IMO:




Sci-Fi:

Heavy Metal
Predator
The Abyss
Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome
Enemy Mine
The Running Man
Tron
The Dark Crystal
Highlander
Cocoon

War:

Red Dawn
Platoon
Glory
Born on The Fourth of July
Full Metal Jacket

Drama:

Ghandi
The Color Purple
Dead Poet's Society
Stand By Me
Running On Empty
Mask
The Outsiders
Rain Man
The Color of Money

Horror/Thriller:

Near Dark
Hellraiser
Dead Calm
The Serpent and The Rainbow
Cujo
The Dead Zone
Poltergeist
Children of the Corn

Comedies:

Weekend At Bernie's
Fast Times At Ridgemont High
Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure
Good Morning Vietnam
Stir Crazy
Police Academy
Stripes
Spaceballs
The War of the Roses

Chick Flicks:

Beaches
Terms of Endearment
Steel Magnolias
Mystic Pizza



Yes... we have a gargantuan movie collection in our house.

a reply to: tadaman

Oh, wow, where to start?!?!? There are SO many good movies from the 80's!! so much good music, too, for that matter. Can you tell I am an 80's girl?? Alright, in no particular order, but sort of sorted by genre:

Dramas -
Red Dawn - 1984 - Far and away one of the best movies of all time. The remake isn't even worth the bother (and, yes, I watched it, sadly). For the first time since Pearl Harbor, we are fighting on our own soil, and a small group of teens takes action. Memorable, amazing performances, unforgettable scenes, and a very moving story overall.
War Games - 1983 - A teen trying to hack into a game companies system ends up getting far more than he bargained for. Wonderful acting, excellent story, and a favorite of mine.
Footloose - 1984 - The Kevin Bacon one. The ONLY one. A teen moves with his mom to a small town that has outlawed dancing. Awesome music, moving moments, and amazing dancing.
The Breakfast Club - 1985 - This is a real classic. The little cliques that form in high schools come onto play when five diverse students end up in a Saturday detention.
The Untouchables - 1987 - Elliot Ness story, with Kevin Costner and Sean Connery, which ought to be enough right there. Superbly done, all through. Flawless movie.
Top Gun - 1986 - Exciting story of fighter pilots, through training, personal issues, and more.
Platoon - 1986 - One of the few war movies I can watch again and again, with one of the most memorable scenes EVER in a movie. Those who have seen it know which one I mean. When you watch the first time, you will, too.
Project X - 1987 - Sweet, sad, amazing, and thought provoking movie about a very smart chimp and some government programs. Broderick really delivers, and Helen Hunt adds to the mix.
The Manhattan Project - 1986 - A teen finds out a secret, and wonders what would happen if he acted ion it. The title is a clue. John Lithgow is in this one, in one of my favorite roles for his career. Awesome movie!
Firstborn - 1984 - Same main actor as the above, in a story about a family, mom and two boys, that runs into problems when a new boyfriend for the mom comes into the picture.

Fantasies -
Legend (though I HIGHLY recommend the director's cut) - 1985 - I LOVE this movie. I liked it in the theater, and I like it even more in the Director's Cut, which fixes all those things that annoyed us fans, who liked it in spite of them. Better music, and all of the annoyances gone.
The Dark Crystal - 1982 - Cute little story with Muppets, and a fantasy world. Warm, creepy, with tons of cool scenery and characters.
Highlander - 1986 - Huge favorite of mine, and even though I did enjoy the series, Christopher Lambert is the only one that can BE the only one! If you don't know about it at all, just watch, and don't look anything up. More fun that way!
The Princess Bride - 1987 - Such a FUN movie! This one really does what the tagline implies, and moves you based on how you feel about it. "My name is Inigo Montoya...."
Gremlins - 1984 - Magical, sweet, wonderful little movie! Far and away better than any sequels. I actually have a stuffed Gizmo.
Labyrinth - 1986 - Oh, such fun! I adore mazes, and used to draw pretty elaborate ones, and this tosses in fantasy, dark romance, and danger, with more than a little humor.
The Sword and the Sorcerer - 1982 - I swear, I saw this in the theater more times than I have seen any other movie, ever! I LOVE this movie!!!!! An usurper takes over a kingdom with the help of an evil sorcerer, and the overthrown king's escaped son shows up later, leading a band of mercenaries. Hugely fun, with action, magic, plenty of eye candy, jokes; everything you want in an action/adventure story. The only thing I didn't like is they promised a sequel we never got! SOB!!!!! Really, I am sure we saw this at least thirty times on the big screen; knew every line by heart.

Sci-Fi -
Short Circuit - 1986 - "Number Five is alive!"
Tron - 1982 - A man is sucked into an arcade game. Awesome effects for the day, and very novel idea for the time as well.
They Live! - 1988 - You simply cannot call yourself a conspiracy theorist, and NOT have watched this movie!! Contains the BEST ad lib line ever.
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial - 1982 - Has anyone NOT heard of this one? Always makes me sniffle, and I have sseen it so many times! A little lost E.T. finds his way to a family.
The Terminator - 1984 - Oh, WOW! That's just how we all felt watching this one. Amazingly novel concept, awesome acting, non-stop excitement, with characters that have become icons.
D.A.R.Y.L. - 1985 - A heartwarming tale of a boy looking for a place to belong, with a twist. Just watch. Bring tissue. The theme song can still make me cry! Definitely in the list of my top movies of all time.

Comedies -
Adventures in Babysitting - 1987 - A girl's date cancels, so she accepts a babysitting job. Anything that can go wrong, well.....
Ferris Bueller's Day Off - 1986 - Another amazing 80's comedy, wherein a guy decides to take a day off, and he doens't just skip school.
Ghostbusters - 1984 - "Who you gonna call!?" The title gives enough description. Non-stop laughs, totally slapstick fun. Bill Murray rocks!!!!!
Back to the Future - 1985 - A wild ride when a teen ends up in the past, by way of a special Delorian. Iconic movie of the 80's!
The Goonies - 1985 - Fun memories here, with a group of kids on an adventure.
Big - 1988 - Tom Hanks as a kid that wants to be grown up, and gets his wish. Funny and heartwarming at the same time.
Clue - 1985 - Based on the board game, and utterly hilarious. In the theater, there were three endings, so you never knew who did it. The DVD has the option to randomize, or play all three.
Splash - 1984 - A man and a mermaid fall in love. Cute, funny, sweet. Guys will appreciate Daryl Hannah.

Action -
Lethal Weapon - 1987 - Awesome action, and Mel Gibson at his best. A cop is on the edge, due to his wife's death, and this adds a layer of trouble to the cops as they pursue a case.
Die Hard - 1988 - One of my favorite Christmas movies, lol! Action from the start, and a lot of fun! The little comments from Willis's character are a huge part of the fun in this movie.
First Blood - 1982 - Incredible action from one of the best action actors ever. Stallone is awesome, as always, playing a guy who gets on the wrong side of a small town lawman. Brian Dennehy also stars, and is excellent, of course. This film is one of the earliest of the modern action genre. A real classic. And, yes, I really am a huge Stallone fan!
Raiders of the Lost Ark - 1981 - Hands down, the start of super action/adventure movies! When this came out, a friend saw it before me, and was telling me a little about it. I stopped her, saying, "Don't tell me the whole movie!", and she said, "That's just the first five minutes!!" Action all the way, never a dull moment, and the start of an era.

Horror -
Fright Night - 1985 - Wildly funny story about a teenager who he is sure is a vampire.
An American Werewolf in London - 1981 - Groundbreaking special effects, and tons of laughs
Poltergeist - 1982 - What scares you? It's in here.
Near Dark - 1987 - A key word is never used in this film.

originally posted by: mavra81
Ladyhawk
Gremlins
Labyrinth
The NeverEnding Story
Lethal Weapon
Raiders of the Lost Ark or any Indiana Jones
E.T.
Batteries Not Included
Short Circuit
Poltergeist

How did I forget Batteries Not Included??? I LOVE that movie!!!!!

a reply to: LadyGreenEyes

You win. LOL

That is EVERY movie I liked from the 80s. I dont think you missed a single one. You didnt.

I wish I could give you a prize or something. Your post, all of them.

originally posted by: tadaman
a reply to: LadyGreenEyes

You win. LOL

That is EVERY movie I liked from the 80s. I dont think you missed a single one. You didnt.

I wish I could give you a prize or something. Your post, all of them.

Well, I forgot a couple, I am sure, but that is a long list! Nice to see other 80's people here!! The cool thing is, I can show the kids any movie I loved from then, and they love them, too! Heck, my teenage daughter has more 80's music on the discs we burned for her than more recent stuff. Her choices, too! The clubs around here, for the college-age kids, play it as well.

Now I wanna watch some Bill Murray! No....no....must sleep.......

No prize needed - finding another fan of the best era is enough! Always figured you were.

The elephant man.
One film that never fails to make me cry.

The ones i remember most due to my age at the time would be the following:

Ferris Beullers day off
Goonies
Karate kid
Labyrinth
Dune
Alien (was not ready/prepared at all for this one, still loved it, popped my horror cherry)
Short Circuit
Flight of the navigator
star wars
Batteries not included
Superman
Ghost busters
Beetlejuice
EDIT: Naked Gun

Im sure theres a few more, but these movies, even though ive probably seen them all only a few times each, these would be the ones that if i visited a friend or get free reign at blockbuster would always be a solid choice.