The Eighties Online

Chances are, if you’re between the ages of 28 and 35 you love 80s movies. From “Top Gun” to “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun”, movies of the 80s stood out.

Sure, they were over the top and as corny as movies get. However, they still managed to keep their entertainment value.

Drama

Molly Ringwald was without a doubt the drama queen of the 80s, at least on the big screen. It seemed she starred in every memorable 80s dramatic flick. Starting with the dramatically humorous “Sixteen Candles”, she made a big impression.

She also played large roles in “The Breakfast Club”, “Pretty in Pink”, “The Pickup Artist” and “For Keeps”. Teen girls wanted to be her and teen boys wanted to date her, making her a super star!

Romance

Teens may not know this but McDreamy was a star long before Grey’s Anatomy was created. Patrick Dempsey was one of the most popular actors in 80s romantic comedies.

Starring in the famous “Can’t Buy Me Love” and “Loverboy”, this actor swept teen girls off their feet just as he continues to do so with women today. Known for his boyish charm and handsome looks, Dempsey was a raging star of the 80s.

Comedy

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I was quite happy after first reading about the plan to remake the classic 80s movie “Valley Girl,” a project that is being led by film makers Matt Smith and Sean Bailey.

It did not hit me at the time that they were looking to make it a musical.

A musical featuring the great new wave tunes of the time might sound intriguing, but most of those types of movies (like plays) feature the actors attempting to sing the tunes instead of the original artists.

The music is the reason that the movie was so great in the first place; otherwise it would have been a run-of-the-mill “chick flick” in 1983 with the same old “boy from poor background falls in love with rich girl” story.

While it is true that Nicholas Cage was brilliant in that role, the soundtrack is arguably remembered more as classic than the movie.

“Valley Girl” — The Musical?

80s Hits

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1981 was another banner year at the movies. Many favorite stars from the past were making movies and many great new actors were appearing on the scene.

Some of the little known actors of 1981, such as Denzel Washington, have gone to become “Mega Stars”

Here’s a list of the top 25 box office stars of 1981, some of the top movies of 1981, and promising new actors from that year.

“On Golden Pond” and “Raiders of the Lost Ark” are the two movies from 1981 that should be most remembered 27 years later.

So if you’re looking for a movie to rent or download, the movies and stars listed below can be a good place to find one you might have missed or would like to see again.

Top 25 Box Office Stars of 1981

1. Burt Reynolds

“The Cannonball Run”

“Sharkey’s Machine”

2. Clint Eastwood

3. Dudley Moore

“Arthur”

4. Dolly Parton

5. Jane Fonda

“Rollover” Co-Starring Kris Kristofferson

Co Starred in “On Golden Pond” with Henry Fonda and Katherine Hepburn

6. Harrison Ford

“Raiders of the Lost Ark”

7. Alan Alda

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The 80s decade started off with some movies that have really stood the test of time.

The first year of the 80s, 1980, saw several promising actors that are still going strong well into the 21st century.

The Star Wars franchise was going strong in 1980. And with the release of Empire Strike Back in 1980, Star Wars and the action figures and other merchandise were officially pop-culture.

1980 was a pretty good year at the box office.

The 1980 Academy for Best Film went to “Ordinary People” starring Donald Sutherland, Mary Tyler Moore and a very young Timothy Hutton.

Robert DeNiro won the Academy Award for Best Actor in the 1980 boxing drama, “Raging Bull”

The Academy Award for Best Actress went to Sissy Spacek for “Coal Miner’s Daughter”

And the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor was awarded to Timothy Hutton for “Ordinary People”

Mary Steenburgen won the Best Supporting Actress award for “Melvin and Howard”

The Top 25 Box Office Stars of 1980 - As Ranked by John Willis Screen World 1981

1. Burt Reynolds

“Smokey and the Bandit II”

“Rough Cut”

2. Robert Redford

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The movies of the 1980s decade were very often a way to “lighten up” at the movies. An 80s movie will have great 80s music and a happy ending. John Hughes movies, for example always leave you feeling good at the end.

Many of the most loved movies of the 80s such as Ground Hog Day or National Lampoon’s Vacation are just awesome movies to watch if you’re having an off day.

There were many classic dramas in the 80s like Scarface or The Godfather Part, no doubt. But many of the most memorable are eighties films like Back to the Future and Peggy Sue Got Married were light and happy affairs.

The 1980s decade was a colorful time and it showed in the movies, with sometimes outlandish outfits and 80s character costumes stealing the scene. The movies and television shows of the 1980s are loaded with examples of eighties fashions.

Recommended Eighties Movies and Films

1. Sixteen Candles

2. The Breakfast Club

3. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986) Total gross in the United States was approximately $70 million. It subsequently became the 10th highest grossing film of 1986. Compared to the lean budget of $6 million, it was viewed as a big success.

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