The start of the 1980s brought with it a changing of the guard, as the “New Hollywood” era came to a halt, as films such as William Friedkin’s Cruising and especially Michael Cimino’s Heaven’s Gate, promptly saw movie studios cater towards high concept films from “Movie Brats” such as George Lucas and Steven Spielberg.
1980 in turn saw the likes of Lucas’ space opera saga Star Wars especially affirm its dominance with The Empire Strikes Back, the darker, world expanding sequel to the colossal cultural phenomenon Star Wars. So to did 1980 bring the emergence of high-concept comedies such as The Blues Brothers, Caddyshack, and Flying High (also known as Airplane).
Not to be outdone was the return of one Martin Scorsese, who after the disappointing 1977 film New York New York, along with his struggles with cocaine addiction, elevated him craft with the gritty operatic boxing drama Raging Bull. Then there was Stanley Kubrick, who shifted his perfectionist gaze to the horror genre and delivered The Shining, no doubt the scariest film to be unleashed upon the masses since The Exorcist.
Here are the Top Ten Films of 1980!
