The 80 Best Scenes of the '80s

   There are some movie moments that are burned in your brain forever. It doesn't even have to be a stunning action-packed climax(although there are plenty of those). It could just be a line of dialogue or a single frame that just registers for reasons that are hard to explain. That's called movie magic, folks. It's what makes us want to revisit a film again and again. I'm sure I'll be told more than a few times that I left something out(sorry, no Truffle Shuffle) but here is a fairly comprehensive countdown of the 80 best scenes of the '80s.

80(tie). Laura San Giacomo makes a tape- "Sex, Lies, and Videotape"(1989)
Andie MacDowell's trashy little sister opens up to James Spader in Steve Soderbergh's indie breakthrough.

80(tie). "That's not a knife. THAT'S a knife"- "Crocodile Dundee"(1986)
Paul Hogan's Outback hero isn't impressed with the size of this hapless punk's weapon.

79. The 1952 State Championship- "Hoosiers"(1986)
The conclusion of the best basketball movie ever contained all the requisite uplift.

78. Cruise lets loose- "Risky Business"(1983)
A 20 year old Tom slides into the hearts of moviegoers.

77. John Cusack holds up a boombox- "Say Anything"(1989)
One of the reasons that movies are better than life is because over-the-top romantic gestures like this one always seem to work.

76. Depp's death- "A Nightmare on Elm Street"(1984)
Krueger's most memorable kill was probably this future megastar in his very first outing.

74. Phoebe Cates comes out of the pool- "Fast Times At Ridgmont High"(1983)
This is pretty self-explanatory.

73. The helicopter ride- "Predator"(1987)
Arnold and his bad-ass crew head to the jungle with Little Richard blaring in the background.

72. "It would've been a nice coffee shop"- "Midnight Run"(1988)
Robert De Niro's gruff bounty hunter Jack Walsh lets the Duke(Charles Grodin) go.

71. "I hate rednecks..."48 Hrs."(1982)
Eddie Murphy's brash convict Reggie Hammond interrogates some redneck bar patrons. Super-stardom is inevitable.

70. Nursing home visit- "Driving Miss Daisy"(1989)
If you don't get a little choked up when Morgan Freeman's Hoke feeds Miss Daisy(Jessica Tandy) her Thanksgiving dinner in that old-age home, you're made of stone.

69. The Walk- "Rain Man"(1988)
A brief moment that tells us a lot about our two protagonists with no dialogue, as Dustin Hoffman's autistic Raymond Babbitt nervously follows his cocksure younger brother Charlie(Tom Cruise).

68. Dorothy Michaels- "Tootsie"(1982)
Hoffman also scored a huge hit by stepping out in drag, back when that was a comical thing to do.

67. "They're Here"- "Poltergeist"(1982)
Carol Anne Freeling(Heather O'Rourke) announces the arrival of some unwanted visitors.

66. Speeder bike chase- "Return of the Jedi"(1983)
Luke and Leia outrun some Stormtroopers in this still-exciting sequence.

65. Faces Melt- "Raiders of the Lost Ark"(1981)
God takes care of those Nazis for Indy.

64. Meet Jessica Rabbit- "Who Framed Roger Rabbit"(1988)
Robert Zemeckis introduces the sexiest cartoon character ever.

63. 2015 hoverboard chase- "Back to the Future Part II"(1989
A year later, Bob Z also had gullible viewers believing that these cool floating devices actually existed.

62. Outcast- "Dangerous Liasons"(1988)
Further proof that you don't need dialogue to get a point across. Glenn Close's disgraced Marquis de Merteil wipes off her make-up in this haunting closing shot.

61. The lift- "Dirty Dancing"(1987)
Patrick Swayze hoists up Jennifer Grey in their climactic number, women of all ages swoon.

60. Deckard meets Batty- "Blade Runner"(1982)
Harrison Ford finds out that Rutger Hauer's renegade replicant might not be so bad after all.

59. Group therapy- "The Breakfast Club"(1985)
The Brat Pack express themselves in a manner much more insightful than most real high school students could manage.

58. "I like me..."- "Planes Trains, and Automobiles"(1987)
While we're on the subject of Jon Hughes, Del Griffith(John Candy) made me laugh AND cry.

57. Ron's breakdown- "Born on the Fourth of July"(1989)
Tom Cruise proves to his doubters that he's much more than just a cheesy grin.

56. Steel mill fight- "Robocop"(1987)
Clarence Boddiker and his vile crew track down Murphy, things get ugly.

55. "That Terminator is out there..."- "The Terminator"(1984)
Kyle Reese tells us everything we need to know.

54. Indy saves his Dad- "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade"(1989)
As soon as Harrison Ford and Sean Connery are in the same frame, you're in movie heaven.

53. Riggs vs Joshua- "Lethal Weapon"(1987)
This bloody, rain-soaked scrap between Mel Gibson and Gary Busey was just one of the decade's unforgettable showdowns.

52. "Where does he get those wonderful toys?"- "Batman"(1989)
Nicholson's Joker gets penis envy after the Dark Knight crashes his museum party.

51. Room 237- "The Shining"(1980)
You KNOW what happens.

50. Chainsaw scene- "Scarface"(1983)
Speaking of horrific hotel room encounters, this one is right up there.

49. 20 big nose jokes- "Roxanne"(1987)
Steve Martin's C.D. Bales lets this boorish barfly know how unimaginative he is.

48. The whipping scene- "Glory"(1989)
Denzel Washington's runaway slave sheds a single tear and Hollywood had it's next great star.

47. First day of boot camp- "Full Metal Jacket"(1987)
This blistering introduction to R. Lee Ermey's Sgt Hartman is unquestionably the highlight of Kubrick's 'nam movie.

46. The need for speed- "Top Gun"(1986)
In case you haven't figured it out yet, Cruise was THE man.

45. Mine car chase- "Indiana Jones and the Temple Of Doom"(1984)
The ultimate screen roller coaster ride.

44. Twist and Shout- "Ferris Bueller's Day Off"(1986)
Mathew Broderick's high school hero is going to make sure you have fun today.

43. Pinball machine rape- "The Accused"(1988)
A harrowing sequence in a film that may contain Jodie Foster's best performance, and that's no small praise.

42. Shoeless Joe appears- "Field of Dreams"(1989)
Before he was a Goodfella, a ghostly Ray Liotta showed up in Costner's cornfield in the heart-string-tugging classic.

41. Dafoe's death- "Platoon"(1986)
This shot of gunned-down Willem Dafoe's Sgt. Elias with his arms out in Christ-like fashion became an indelible image in Oliver Stone's masterpiece.

40. Bunny boiling- "Fatal Attraction"(1987)
Glenn Close's Alex Forrest takes things entirely too far.

39. Up Where We Belong- "An Officer and a Gentleman"(1982)
Richard Gere carrying Debra Winger out of that factory was a corny ending that shouldn't have worked, but somehow it just does.

38. Wesley vs Inigo Montoya- "The Princess Bride"(1987)
Mandy Patinkin's Spaniard delivers his immortal line and has a pretty cool sword fight with a heroic Cary Elwes in Rob Reiner's much-loved comic fantasy.

37. Axel F arrives in town- "Beverly Hills Cop"(1984)
L.A. gets it's first taste of the pride of the Detroit Police Department in Eddie Murphy's franchise-starting mega-hit.

36. "Greed is Good"- "Wall Street"(1987)
Michael Douglas' duplicitous Gordon Gekko gives a generation of white collar creeps their mission statement.

35. Sophie's choice- "Sophie's Choice"(1982)
Meryl Streep chooses which one of her kids will live and clinches the Best Actress Oscar.

34. Restaurant scene- "Scarface"(1983)
Michelle Pfeiffer shows her acting chops for the first time and Pacino tells us why we need people like him.

33. Train station shootout- "The Untouchables"(1987)
While we're on DePalma, this nail-biter would top most directors' highlight reels.

32. Indy shoots swordsman- "Raiders of the Lost Ark"(1981)
One of the many reasons we love Dr. Jones. When confronted with some fancy swordplay, he does the most logical thing.

31. Rambo's breakdown- "First Blood"(1982)
Sylvester Stallone does some fine acting as his damaged Vietnam vet reveals the pain and torment that had been building up inside. I couldn't tell you what he says, but it's pretty powerful stuff.

30. The audition- "Flashdance"(1983)
Not a great movie, but no cinematic catalog of the 1980s is complete without Jennifer Beals and her male body double.

29. Metropolis battle- "Superman II"(1981)
Christopher Reeve's Man of Steel asks General Zod if he'd care to step outside, and the citizens of Metropolis get to see a fight that could have been on pay-per-view.

28. Piano dance- "Big"(1988)
Tom Hanks wins over his boss and just about everyone else in America in this delightful sequence.

27. "Oh, Captain, my Captain"- "Dead Poet's Society"(1989)
Ethan Hawke leads a touching show of support for Robin Williams' inspirational Mr. Keating.

26. The Crane kick- "The Karate Kid"(1984)
Ralph Macchio's teen hero Daniel LaRusso had every idiot in the world thinking this was a legitimate move.

25. "Serious shit"- "Back to the Future"(1985)
The Delorean- the coolest movie car EVER vanishes before a stunned Marty McFly and Doc Brown.

24. Fake orgasm- "When Harry Met Sally..."(1989)
The most famous deli scene in movie history and we'll all have what Meg Ryan's having.

23. Rocky vs Drago- "Rocky IV"(1985)
Best fight scene of all time?

22. The tank- "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade"(1989)
The biggest franchise of the decade had no shortage of highlights and this thrilling set-piece was no exception.

21. "Baby wants to fuck"- "Blue Velvet"(1986)
Leave it to David Lynch and Dennis Hopper to disrupt the '80s happy-go-lucky landscape with this unsettling sequence.

20. Frozen in carbonite- "Empire Strikes Back"(1980)
Leia loves Han. He knows.

19. Knocking on heaven's door- "Lethal Weapon 2"(1989)
Riggs didn't die on Murtaugh's toilet and he's not gonna die in his arms.

18. Tanker chase- "The Road Warrior"(1981)
This dazzling demolition derby was Mel Gibson's finest hour as post-apocalyptic hard-ass Mad Max Rockatansky.

17. Rooftop rumble- "Ghostbusters"(1984)
Gozer, the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man, crossing the streams. The closing moments of Ivan Reitman's classic blockbuster were memorable to say the least.

16. Makin' Whoopee- "The Fabulous Baker Boys"(1989)
This scorching number inspired famed critic Roger Ebert to compare a 30 year old Michelle Pfeiffer to Marilyn Monroe.

15. Jog on the beach- "Chariots of Fire"(1981)
There are some scenes everyone is familiar with even if they've never seen the movie. This is one of them.

14. "I'm Batman"- "Batman"(1989)
Michael Keaton's Caped Crusader doesn't mess around, as this sorry punk and the rest of Gotham's underworld would soon find out.

13. Biff gets knocked out- "Back to the Future"(1985)
A life-altering punch from George McFly to the ultimate big screen bully in one of cinema's most satisfying payoffs.

12. Rope bridge- "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom"(1984)
You won't find too many endings more pulse-pounding than this one in the '80s or any other celluloid era.

11. Truck chase- "Raiders of the Lost Ark"(1981)
 Steven Spielberg sets the template for the modern action movie with this kinetic, breathless sequence.

10. Luke, Darth Vader, and the Emperor- "Return of the Jedi"(1983)
You can bitch about Ewoks if you want. I'd rather focus on this masterful final showdown.

9. Terminator kills cops- "The Terminator"(1984)
The T-800 lays waste to an entire police station, insuring that Ahh-nold was here to stay.

8. Last fight with Sugar Ray- "Raging Bull"(1980)
Robert De Niro's masochistic Jake LaMotta wants to look as bad on the outside as he feels on the inside.

7. Lightning strikes the tower- "Back to the Future"(1985)
Doc's plans never seem to go exactly AS planned, but what fun would that be?

6. "Get away from her, you bitch"- "Aliens"(1986)
Ellen Ripley(Sigourney Weaver) gets all maternal and cements her status as pop culture's greatest heroine.

5. Skyscaper leap- "Die Hard"(1988)
John McClane jumping off the exploding rooftop of the Nakatomi building with a fire hose tied around his waist was just about the coolest thing my eight-year-old self had ever seen.

4. Tony Montana's blaze of glory- "Scarface"(1983)
Pacino's Cuban kingpin goes down swinging.

4. All work and no play...- "The Shining"(1980)
'Here's Johnny!' is just too easy. I like it when Shelly Duvall finds out what Jack's been writing.

3. Indy runs from boulder- "Raiders of the Lost Ark"(1981)
The whole first ten minutes is a mini-masterpiece with this legendary moment ranking the highest in a series that was full of them.

2. Bike ride- "E.T: The Extra Terrestrial"(1982)
Speaking of Spielberg and legendary moments, this one became the logo for Amblin Entertainment.

1. "I AM your father"- "The Empire Strikes Back"(1980)
This shocker not only changed the entire complexion of George Lucas' space saga, it laid the groundwork for a prequel trilogy and nobody holds that against it.