# (semi-) Oldies but Goodies: Movies from the 1970s and 1980s that are good to re-watch **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 1, 2010, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/semi-oldies-but-goodies-movies-from-the-1970s-and-1980s-that-are-good-to-re-watch/527249 "2010-02-01T15:49:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2010, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/semi-oldies-but-goodies-movies-from-the-1970s-and-1980s-that-are-good-to-re-watch/527249/1 "2010-02-01T15:49:44Z")
We rented “Amadeus” the other night. I think the last time I saw it was shortly after it came out in 1984, and it’s held up well. A very fun watch, so now I want more recommendations of movies that I’ve probably seen but forgotten about. So what else is worth a re-watch from the mid-1970s through the 1980s? Being a teenager during that era, I’ve seen movies like the stupid comedies and the John Hughes Molly Ringwald over and over and over. I’m looking for something that I may have missed because I was a stupid teenager, or seen and not really enjoyed (once again, because I was young and stupid.) ---
**Author:** ![joyfool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df788c/32.png) [@joyfool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joyfool)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2010, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/semi-oldies-but-goodies-movies-from-the-1970s-and-1980s-that-are-good-to-re-watch/527249/2 "2010-02-01T17:39:59Z")
Since you’re looking for 70s movies too, I highly recommend **The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane** and **Badlands**. Both have Martin Sheen in them and both are amazing, provided you like darker films. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Tooth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c67d28/32.png) [@The\_Tooth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Tooth)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2010, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/semi-oldies-but-goodies-movies-from-the-1970s-and-1980s-that-are-good-to-re-watch/527249/3 "2010-02-01T17:51:12Z")
Oh, lots. The French Connection Gandhi All The President’s Men The Godfather Blade Runner To Live And Die In L.A. (well I liked it) Network All That Jazz The Year of Living Dangerously The Killing Fields And a bunch more that don’t spring to mind right now. ---
**Author:** ![pepperlandgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f17d59/32.png) [@pepperlandgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pepperlandgirl)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2010, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/semi-oldies-but-goodies-movies-from-the-1970s-and-1980s-that-are-good-to-re-watch/527249/4 "2010-02-01T17:55:45Z")
Taxi Driver The King of Comedy Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore Kramer v Kramer Tootsie Once Upon a Time in the West ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Excellent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f19dbf/32.png) [@Mr.Excellent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Excellent)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2010, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/semi-oldies-but-goodies-movies-from-the-1970s-and-1980s-that-are-good-to-re-watch/527249/5 "2010-02-01T18:02:48Z")
Alien Aliens Aliens 3 (but you _must_ get the director’s cut) Terminator Terminator 2: Judgment Day ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2010, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/semi-oldies-but-goodies-movies-from-the-1970s-and-1980s-that-are-good-to-re-watch/527249/6 "2010-02-01T18:10:17Z")
and in 1977 there was an obscure little science-fantasy film called _Star Wars_, directed by the guy who did _American Grafitti_. I think I was the only one who liked it. ---
**Author:** ![Taomist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/53a042/32.png) [@Taomist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Taomist)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2010, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/semi-oldies-but-goodies-movies-from-the-1970s-and-1980s-that-are-good-to-re-watch/527249/7 "2010-02-01T18:13:21Z")
I loved American Grafitti. I just watched Logan’s Run for the first time in at least 20 years. Whoohoo! Wow, we were much more liberal with the body flashing back then! Nowadays that’d be rated R, but then it was considered only PG. ---
**Author:** ![Labdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/439d5e/32.png) [@Labdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labdad)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2010, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/semi-oldies-but-goodies-movies-from-the-1970s-and-1980s-that-are-good-to-re-watch/527249/8 "2010-02-01T18:43:36Z")
**Chinatown** - one of the best _written_ movies ever made. Hell, one of the best movies ever made, period. ---
**Author:** ![WPA-Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a6a055/32.png) [@WPA-Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WPA-Guy)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2010, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/semi-oldies-but-goodies-movies-from-the-1970s-and-1980s-that-are-good-to-re-watch/527249/9 "2010-02-01T18:59:14Z")
Ruthless People with Bette Midler and Danny DeVito. Dirty Rotten Scoundrels with Michael Caine and Steve Martin. I like to watch the older movies and too see which supporting actors “moved up” in their roles. Both these movies are good for that. ---
**Author:** ![Pray\_for\_peace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Pray\_for\_peace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pray_for_peace)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2010, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/semi-oldies-but-goodies-movies-from-the-1970s-and-1980s-that-are-good-to-re-watch/527249/10 "2010-02-01T19:08:28Z")
**Matewan** , directed by John Sayles, is one of my favorites from the 80s. **Mississippi Burning** ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2010, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/semi-oldies-but-goodies-movies-from-the-1970s-and-1980s-that-are-good-to-re-watch/527249/11 "2010-02-01T19:13:44Z")
_Brazil_ - Terry Gilliam’s 1985 film, a black comedy about a dystopian, bureaucracy-laden future. A man (Jonathan Pryce) daydreams about adventures with a beautiful woman while working in his boring government job under a bumbling boss (Ian Holm). When he’s trying to deal with a problem that led to a regular citizen being misidentified as a terrorist and killed, he sees his actual dream girl in the flesh - she’s the widow of the dead man. He’s got to help her escape being considered an “associate of a terrorist” by correcting the problem (and maybe win her heart if he’s lucky), but bureaucracies/governments don’t like being told they’re wrong. Other great cast members: Katherine Helmond, Michael Palin, Jim Broadbent, Robert DeNiro, Bob Hoskins, and a bunch other I’m forgetting. ---
**Author:** ![ToeJam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dfb087/32.png) [@ToeJam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ToeJam)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2010, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/semi-oldies-but-goodies-movies-from-the-1970s-and-1980s-that-are-good-to-re-watch/527249/12 "2010-02-01T19:48:48Z")
_The Warriors_ - It’s a film that holds up surprisingly well, and it’s got some great lines in it. Takes the idea of an Odessean Journey into a new setting taking place in NYC. Also: _Scarface_ is great too while we’re on gang films. Also, make sure you’ve seen the Mel Brooks films: Blazing Saddles, History of the World Part I, Spaceballs, and Young Frankenstein all come to mind. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Tooth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c67d28/32.png) [@The\_Tooth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Tooth)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2010, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/semi-oldies-but-goodies-movies-from-the-1970s-and-1980s-that-are-good-to-re-watch/527249/13 "2010-02-01T19:51:11Z")
And after you’ve watched the Mel Brooks films, you can relax with a couple of comedies that are actually funny: The Cheap Detective and Murder By Death. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2010, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/semi-oldies-but-goodies-movies-from-the-1970s-and-1980s-that-are-good-to-re-watch/527249/14 "2010-02-01T19:54:39Z")
_Witness_ ---
**Author:** ![woodstockbirdybird](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/woodstockbirdybird/32/7905_2.png) [@woodstockbirdybird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/woodstockbirdybird)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2010, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/semi-oldies-but-goodies-movies-from-the-1970s-and-1980s-that-are-good-to-re-watch/527249/15 "2010-02-01T20:00:14Z")
Seconding _The Killing Fields_. No way would that get made today (the second half, at least). ---
**Author:** ![Satchmo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/satchmo/32/4223_2.png) [@Satchmo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Satchmo)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2010, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/semi-oldies-but-goodies-movies-from-the-1970s-and-1980s-that-are-good-to-re-watch/527249/16 "2010-02-01T20:18:45Z")
_The Man Who Would Be King_ I wish I’d seen it when it came out. ---
**Author:** ![h.sapiens](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e0b2c6/32.png) [@h.sapiens](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/h.sapiens)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2010, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/semi-oldies-but-goodies-movies-from-the-1970s-and-1980s-that-are-good-to-re-watch/527249/17 "2010-02-01T20:19:54Z")
_Local Hero Invasion of the Body Snatchers_ Philip Kaufman version _The Right Stuff_ _Nashville_ _The Long Goodbye_ ---
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2010, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/semi-oldies-but-goodies-movies-from-the-1970s-and-1980s-that-are-good-to-re-watch/527249/18 "2010-02-01T20:28:23Z")
> [@Ferret\_Herder](#): > > _Brazil_ - When he’s trying to deal with a problem that led to a regular citizen being misidentified as a terrorist and killed, he sees his actual dream girl in the flesh - she’s the widow of the dead man. Actually, she’s the upstairs neighbor of the dead man. Just came back to mention that you should be sure to get the version with the directors’ ending. Not the studio ending. ---
**Author:** ![Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/intergalactic_gladiator/32/112_2.png) [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intergalactic_Gladiator)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2010, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/semi-oldies-but-goodies-movies-from-the-1970s-and-1980s-that-are-good-to-re-watch/527249/19 "2010-02-01T20:32:58Z")
I’ve recommended it before, but Spaced Invaders is awesome. I love that stupid movie. The Package is also really good, but it’s very stuck in its time with George Bush I and Mikail Gorbachev signing a nuclear missile treaty being a main plot point. ---
**Author:** ![AWB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bb73d2/32.png) [@AWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AWB)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2010, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/semi-oldies-but-goodies-movies-from-the-1970s-and-1980s-that-are-good-to-re-watch/527249/20 "2010-02-01T20:43:01Z")
Three Val Kilmer movies come to mind: [Willow](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096446/maindetails) [Real Genius](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0089886/) [Top Secret!](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088286/) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/semi-oldies-but-goodies-movies-from-the-1970s-and-1980s-that-are-good-to-re-watch/527249.md?page=2)