1. "The Empire Strikes Back"(1980)
There's a reason that "Empire" has the least amount of changes and alterations in George Lucas' seemingly endless re-releases of the OT. It's because there's only one thing that hardcore fans, casual observers and critics seem to be in total agreement on- this is the darkest and best of all six "Star Wars" movies. After a blistering opening on the ice planet Hoth, Han and Leia's budding romance is handled in an adroit manner(thanks to Harrison Ford and screenwriter Lawrence Kasdan) that would be absent from the prequels, while Luke Skywalker is introduced to his marvelous puppet mentor Yoda. But it was Vader's mind-blowing climactic revelation that sealed the legacy of Irvin Kershner's superior sequel. Audiences were left reeling and the entire complexion of the saga was changed forever. Whether or not the Disney brain trust, or more specifically J.J. Abrams, can produce anything to rival this beloved benchmark in their aggressive expansion efforts(the first of MANY more SW films is slated for release in 2015) will surely be one of the industry's most tantalizing questions for years to come.
2. "Raging Bull"(1980)
Just when it seemed impossible for De Niro and Scorsese to match their unforgettable collaboration known as "Taxi Driver", the greatest actor-director combo ever reunited for a mesmerizing biopic of volatile 1940s middleweight boxing champion Jake LaMotta. The subject of their second masterpiece, shot almost entirely in black-and-white, is the anti-"Rocky", and to say that De Niro played LaMotta isn't really doing his Best Actor Oscar-winning performance justice. He BECAME Jake LaMotta and this literal transformation, complete with a forty-pound weight gain for the post-pugilistic scenes that bookend the film, cemented the De Niro legend and forever raised the bar for big screen acting. Scorsese reportedly had no interest in boxing going into the project, not that you'd know it from the visceral fight footage. Joe Pesci, after a decade of struggle that led him to nearly quit showbiz, got his big break as Jake's long-suffering brother and lord knows this wouldn't be the last time this trio made magic on a film set. Over three decades later, "RB" still hits like one of the Bronx bully's body blows.
3. "The Shining"(1980)
Bobby and Marty weren't the only dynamic duo to make history in 1980. Jack Nicholson and Stanley Kubrick got together as well, and I shouldn't have to tell anyone with even an elementary school knowledge of cinema what went down. Former alcoholic/axe-wielding/hack writer and just all-around bad husband and father Jack Torrance may be Nicholson's most iconic role, and that's really saying something. On top of his leading man's famous freak-outs, Kubrick had enough terrifying tricks up his sleeve to rival "The Exorcist" and even the normally non-plussed viewers were covering their eyes faster than telepathic son Danny. Stephen King wasn't happy about some of the liberties Stanley took in the Overlook hotel. Have you EVER heard ANYONE talk about his more-faithful-to-the-book 1997 TV movie version?
4. "Coal Miner's Daughter"(1980)
Sissy Spacek's vibrant, astonishing turn as country music star Loretta Lynn was also one of the year's unquestionable highlights. The actress, who'd previously come into prominence for her roles in "Badlands" and "Carrie", added a well-deserved Best Actress Oscar to her resume for playing Lynn from backwoods 14 year old all the way up to her days as a thirty-something chart-topping crooner and the journey is totally convincing(she does all her own singing, too). Director Michael Apted keeps this biographical tale humming along and a young(er) Tommy Lee Jones got an early, plum role as Loretta's thick-headed hubby that hinted at future greatness.
5. "The Elephant Man"(1980)
David Lynch is unquestionably a polarizing filmmaker. Many cinephiles bow before his warped genius, but more casual observers tend to react to his work in much the same way that 19th Century London reacted to this severely deformed title character. I'm here to assure the latter group that this is Lynch's most straightforward and accessible film and also his best. John Hurt is strangely moving under heavy prosthetic make-up as our tragic protagonist John Merrick and a pre-Hannibal Anthony Hopkins is the kindly doctor looking after him.
This well-acted family drama marked the directorial debut of matinee idol Robert Redford. The Sundance Kid got impressive performances from his entire cast with Mary Tyler Moore receiving special praise for breaking out of her likable sitcom persona as the cold matriarch of a suburban trauma-filled household. She received a Best Actress nomination, and her suicidal son Timothy Hutton became the youngest recipient of the Best Supporting Actor Oscar at age 20. The only problem is that it also took Best Picture and Director and I'm pretty sure I'm the only person I know that has seen or even heard of this movie. It definitely wasn't the best cinematic offering of 1980, and it wasn't the first or last time the Academy did this, but the film certainly has it's merits and we're all glad that Scorsese didn't sit contentedly and rest on his laurels, aren't we?
7. "The Big Red One"(1980)
Director Samuel Fuller had to wait over twenty years to bring his wartime experiences to the big screen after shooting down the studio's insistence on casting John Wayne in the lead role. Instead, he enlisted venerable tough guy actor and fellow real life WWII vet Lee Marvin to lead a young squad(yes, that's Mark Hamill!) through battles in North Africa and Europe, and the result was a stunning swan song for both men. Fuller's depiction of heavy combat may not be enough to thrill a younger generation first exposed to "Platoon" and "Saving Private Ryan", but in a historical context, this group earns it's stripes.
8. "Caddyshack"(1980)
What more needs to be said about this much-loved golf comedy? I don't know that I can call it a great movie or even a really good one to be perfectly honest, but some movies just take on a life of their own and enter the public lexicon to a degree that is impossible to predict. Revisionist history tends to give Bill Murray's iconic groundskeeper much of the credit(his largely improvised role only took six days to film), but Chevy Chase and Rodney Dangerfield put the ball in the hole, too. An animatronic gopher and 1980s soundtrack king Kenny Loggins also helped make Harold Ramis' directorial debut a classic even if the whole isn't greater than the sum of it's parts.
9. "Airplane!"(1980)
Here we have another comedic landmark, coincidentally released the same year(and the same month!) as it's golf-course counterpart. Both films consistently rank high on every single list of greatest comedies to this day. The never-ending "Scary Movie" franchise and it's ilk have given spoofs a bad name in the 21st Century, which might make it difficult to fully appreciate how fresh and funny the Zucker-Abrahams-Zucker's fast-paced parody of disaster flicks truly was back in 1980. Leslie Nielsen hijacks this plane from leads Robert Hays and Julie Hagerty with one immortal line, which led to further deadpan antics with the ZAZ team in the "Naked Gun" series.
10. Melvin and Howard"(1980)
This pleasant comedy doesn't have nearly the same level of remembrance with the general public as the abovementioned two, but is notable for placing two significant talents on the Hollywood radar. Director Jonathan Demme made a stylish breakthrough in this true story of service station owner Melvin Dummar(Paul Le Mat) and his chance encounter with reclusive, ailing billionaire Howard Hughes, played by the late, great Jason Robards. Now I'd like to call your attention to Mary Steenburgen. She's one of the finest character actresses of the last thirty-plus years with the rare ability to shine in both comedy and drama, and was rewarded the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her scene-stealing turn as Melvin's feisty young wife.
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