1. "Back to the Future"(1985)
If future generations only hold onto ONE movie made during Ronald Reagan's presidency, my money is on Robert Zemeckis' beloved time travel classic. No film defines it's respective era quite like Marty McFly's first spin in the Delorean. Michael J. Fox will always be best remembered as Hill Valley's skateboarding teen hero, which is really saying something given his wealth of superlative work on television. Fellow sitcom standout Christopher Lloyd is a manic delight as mad scientist Doc Brown, and the magical chemistry on display here insured that neither would ever have to worry about where their next paycheck was coming from. Bob Gale's consistently compelling and imaginative script is still the envy of every would-be screenwriter, and it can only be described as divine intervention that it made it's way into the nurturing hands of producer Steven Spielberg. A premise this potent made sequels a foregone conclusion, in which the Bobs were incredibly able to maintain the same level of energy and creativity. The popularity of "BTTF" is such that it's one of the few old-school properties that remains untouched by the belated sequel/reboot craze. Even Hollywood knows better than that.
2. "Come and See"(1985)
I would normally consider placing a foreign film above homegrown Hollywood hits to be the height of snobbery and pretentiousness. However, an exception must be made in the case of director Elem Klimov's powerful and brutal Russian WWII drama. After a slow start, the patience of adventurous viewers is richly rewarded during the disturbing third act which paints an unflinching portrait of human savagery as the Nazis set out to scorch 628 villages in Byelorussia in 1943. "The Deer Hunter" and "Apocalypse Now" are feel-good family films compared to watching these horrors unfold through the bug eyes of our 14 year old protagonist(Aleksei Kravchenko) minus the relative comfort of recognizable stars and pat patriotism. This should be mandatory junior high school viewing.
3. "Witness"(1985)
Harrison Ford was unquestionably the biggest leading man of the 1980s. His name had become synonymous with fantasy blockbusters, but he had director Peter Weir to thank for showing him that there was life after Steven Spielberg and George Lucas. The Amish community, previously shrouded in mystery, became common knowledge and a perennial tourist attraction after Ford's tough yet tender cop John Book rejected modern conveniences to hide out from his murderously corrupt colleagues. He found time to romance comely widow Kelly McGillis while Lucas Haas was the most adorable '80s child star this side of Drew Barrymore. This film works wonderfully on many levels- it's a thriller, a love story, and a study in culture clash that allowed Ford to begin a new chapter and score his only Academy Award nomination to date.
4. "The Breakfast Club"(1985)
Emilio Estevez, Molly Ringwald, Judd Nelson, Ally Sheedy, Anthony Michael Hall. These names wouldn't exactly be selling points as the years passed, but we're talking about 1985 and more importantly, writer-director John Hughes. The "Sixteen Candles" helmer was an unstoppable creative force for more than half the decade, ratcheting up one hit comedy after another which included the birth of the 'Brat Pack' in the quintessential high school movie. The expert tutelage of Hughes allowed this wildly-dissimilar group to express themselves in a manner much more insightful than real teenagers could manage. The claustrophobic plight of this youthful library-bound ensemble definitely struck a chord that lasted MUCH longer than their individual careers in front of the camera.
5. "Rocky IV"(1985)
Sylvester Stallone churns out another wildly successful chapter in the saga of the dauntless heavyweight champ. After a rocky start(no pun intended) with Paulie's robot, we're swiftly introduced to the series' greatest villain- the fearsome, Creed-killing Soviet machine Ivan Drago, played with the perfect amount of stoic menace by Dolph Lundgren. Sly spends the next 90 minutes pressing all the right emotional buttons(patriotism, revenge!) as the epic training montage builds to a brutal showdown in Moscow. Is it the best fight scene ever? Stallone put himself in the hospital for four days after encouraging too much realism in Lundren's body blows. You can moan about predictability all you want, but the bottom line is that Balboa is one of the most durable characters in ANY medium. Rocky VII? Don't doubt it.
6. "Pale Rider"(1985)
With all due respect to John Wayne, Clint Eastwood and Westerns go together like peanut butter and jelly. Nine years after "The Outlaw Josie Wales", Clint made a most welcome return to the genre that he practically patented in the '60s with Sergio Leone. After spending the intervening years pioneering the cop movie(are you GETTING how BIG a deal this guy was?!), we were all happy to have him back in the saddle as the enigmatic gunslinger known only as "Preacher". Eastwood directs with his trademark minimalist style and grace as he defends struggling miners and their families from thugs like Chris Penn(Sean's brother) in 1880s California. The taciturn tough guy's second-to-last Western is an elegiac, beautifully-filmed throwback to a bygone era that may be his most satisfying output of the '80s.
Pee Wee Herman, that '80s oddity and unlikely icon, made the most of his big screen close-up in this quirky cult comedy. The bizarre man-child's nationwide search for his missing bike wouldn't have been half as fun or memorable if not for his creator's kinship with first time director Tim Burton. The 27 year old former animator was laying the groundwork for three decades of offbeat brilliance which included Beetlejuice, Batman and at least half the career of Johnny Depp. The proof is in the sequel "Big Top Pee Wee" which fizzled in '88, and it was probably for the best that Paul Reubens' much-publicized indiscretions forced him to retire that ill-fitting grey suit and red bow tie in 1991. Loyal fans remain fond of the character however and rumors of a revival persist to this day.
8. "Out of Africa"(1985)
Meryl Streep continued her mastery of accents in this lush romantic drama that ticks all the boxes in every category that Oscar voters look for in determining Best Picture. Period setting? Check. Long length? Check. Based on a book? Check. Hollywood royalty in the lead roles? Check. It know it sounds like I'm picking on Sydney Pollack's gold-grabber, but it's all a little too neat and perfect like Robert Redford's supposedly rugged big-game hunter. "Africa" is a well-made film that ruled over a relatively weak field of nominees, and let's be honest. Streep and Redford could have added enough prestige to "Police Academy" to get the Academy to sit up and take notice.
9. "Kiss of the Spider Woman"(1985)
Twenty years before "Brokeback Mountain", William Hurt and Raul Julia spent more time together than the average, un-evolved 1985 viewer was comfortable with, in this stagy but impressively-acted character study. Hurt is one of those great actors that never gets talked about, because of his strong artsy leanings, but his homosexual inmate resulted in the Best Actor Oscar, while Julia's political prisoner is the solidest piece of work we have from his too-short life. This wildly dissimilar duo wowed critics in a dark, cramped South American jail cell with their slow-building bond. Walk in with an open heart and mind and thank me later.
10(tie). "The Color Purple"(1985)
Steven Spielberg left his commercial comfort zone and got 'serious' for the first time in this ambitious adaptation of Alice Walker's novel. Racism and sexism in the early 1900s was quite a departure from "E.T." and Indiana Jones, but the legendary director clearly had more on his mind than box office records. Danny Glover's role as an abusive husband(along with a villainous turn in "Witness") put him squarely on the map, while Whoopi Goldberg, Margaret Avery, and Oprah Winfrey are all quietly affecting as downtrodden women slowly finding their self-worth. "Purple" famously went home empty-handed on Oscar night but if nothing else, you can credit it as a sobering set-up for "Schindler's List" and "Saving Private Ryan".
10(tie). "Rambo: First Blood Part II"(1985)
The '80s were tailor-made for Sylvester Stallone(or perhaps it's the other way around). Sequels became the norm, bigger was better, and Sly was more than willing to fashion himself into the sculpted poster boy for manly excess. It turned out that "First Blood" was a mere warm-up, as his bandanna-wearing bad-ass returned to Vietnam and gave the country a cathartic release in the form of pure summer escapism. Rambo became a pop culture phenomenon that epitomized the oft-repeated one-man-army motif(sorry, "Commando" fans) and was even referenced by Reagan. It was a surreal acknowledgment of Stallone's god-like status in 1985. There was nowhere to go but down.
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