My Five Favorite Films From...1984

Honorable Mention – Beverly Hills Cop: The film that cemented Eddie Murphy as a star. It’s impossible to imagine Stallone in the role of Alex Foley. But that was the original plan before Sly pulled out. His vision? You saw it in Cobra.

5. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom: The darkest of the four films, it’s still a lot of fun. The mine-cars chase was an instant classic. Still, I like Raiders and Last Crusade more.

4. Ghostbusters: An all-time favorite of most people in my age bracket, this is still watchable almost a quarter-century later. Funny with some classic one-liners. And Rick Moranis as Tully makes the film.

3. The Natural: I still think this is the ultimate baseball film, Field of Dreams and Bull Durham included. But wow, is it ever different from the novel.

2. The Terminator: The movie that launched the career of Arnie. And gave us the best killer robot ever.

2. This Is Spinal Tap: Smell the Glove. Stonehenge. Dwarfs. And exploding drummers. This movie still makes me laugh hard enough to hurt myself. The all-time best mockumentary.

Films I Like But Didn't Make The List: 1984, Gremlins, Amadeus, A Nightmare on Elm Street, The Karate Kid, Dune, Red Dawn, Police Academy, Once Upon A Time In America, Repo Man, Star Trek III, Blood Simple, Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, The Pope of Greenwich Village, Romancing The Stone, Revenge of the Nerds

Guilty Pleasure – The Last Starfighter: I don’t know why this average-at-best sci-fi flick has a hold on me, but it does. Likely, it’s the idea that there is more going on in the universe than we realize. And if there is, then I want in.

Insane Film That Must Be Mentioned – Cannibal Holocaust: “But wait!” you say. “Hasn’t this repulsive film already been mentioned on your 1980 list?” Yes, it has. But it wasn’t released in the US until 1984. Suffice it to say, this movie is so over-the-top, so bat-shit insane/horrific/repugnant, that it deserves to be mentioned in two separate years. I’ll say it again; this is a film you see once, on a dare or as part of a group of high-school/college kids who “heard” about it. If you are re-watching this movie, you need a psychiatric examination pronto.