Best Films Per Decade (Part Two)

The continuation from part one (here) is here.

So without further ado...

1980s

1. Blue Velvet (1986, Dir. David Lynch)

• If you thought all 80s movies from American cinema were light hearted ones that. Think again, this psychological thriller is one so weird, so perverted you won't forget, even if you hate it.

1. Once Upon a Time in America (1984, Dir. Sergio Leone)

• Larger in scope than the Godfather in terms of time but it's more of a personal story in the shape of the friendship between Robert De Niro's 'Noodles' and James Wood's 'Max'.

1. Raising Arizona (1987, Dir. Joen and Ethan Coen; Ethan wasn't credited)

• By far the funniest of the Coen Brother's filmography is also by far their best, even if it is a bit over the top.

1. Paris, Texas (1984, Dir. Wim Wenders)

• After the first portion of the movie is over (where dialogue is sparse) and as you get closer to the end nothing can prepare you for what is to come, one of the best conversations between two people ever.

1. Blow Out (1981, Dir. Brian de Palma)

• By the time the 1980s rolled around, Hitchcock was already considered one of the greatest and here, his most successful copycat/child/successor gives us his best film in the form of Blow-Out.

1. Dead Poets Society (1989, Dir. Peter Weir)

• Known for a great performance from the late Robin Williams, this story about a group of poetry students is like any good poem; moving.

1. Stand By Me (1986, Dir. Rob Reiner)

• Simply one of the best coming of age dramas ever made and one of the greatest Stephen King adaptations.

1. Stranger Than Paradise (1984, Dir, Jim Jarmusch)

• Jim Jarmusch's great career began here with the best American independent movie from the 1980s.

1. Back to the Future (1985, Dir. Robert Zemeckis)

• Basically, Back to the Future is what blockbusters today should be, original, fun, original, great story/characters and did I say original?

1. Mad Max 2 (1981, Dir. George Miller)

• Before there was Mad Max: Fury Road, there was this action classic. Even if Miller didn't get Fury Road made, we could almost forgive him for giving us this.

1970s

1. All That Jazz (1979, Dir. Bob Fosse)

• A forgotten classic that is overshadowed by Fosse's other movies as well as Apocalypse Now but just as unforgettable.

1. Apocalypse Now (1979, Dir. Francis Ford Coppola)

• This is the essential war film. With a production that was troubled so much so that they made a documentary out of it, it's a miracle it's a good film and it's a wonder how it's one of the best.

1. Solaris (1972, Dir. Andrei Tarkovsky)

• If you are like me and Tarkovsky and think that 2001 is "sterile", then this is the space odyssey for you.

1. Taxi Driver (1976, Dir. Martin Scorsese)

• A look into madness like no has ever recaptured.

1. Star Wars IV (1977, Dir. George Lucas)

• Before the Marvel movies, before The Matrix, before Indiana Jones, there was and still is Star Wars.

1. Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977, Dir. Steven Spielberg)

• A science fiction movie that is too often over-shadowed by Star Wars, this was ET before there was ET (without the kids).

1. Jaws (1975, Dir. Steven Spielberg)

• The first and the original blockbuster is one not to be missed.

1. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975, Dir. Milos Forman)

• Featuring the quintessential Jack Nicholson performance, this movie highlights all the problems with mental hospitals.

1. Dog Day Afternoon (1975, Dir. Sidney Lumet)

• Al Pacino's performance here is often forgotten by his other performances such as The Godfather and Scarface is one not to be missed.

1. The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie (1972, Dir. Luis Bunel)

• I'm not going to be discreet here, this is a great movie and one of the greatest surreal movies ever made.

1960s

1. Lawrence of Arabia (1962, Dir. David Lean)

• Featuring my favourite performance of all-time, Lawrence of Arabia is an epic journey for the ages.

1. Psycho (1960, Dir. Alfred Hitchcock)

• In terms of horror movies, there was before Psycho, after Psycho and Psycho. If you like horror or even hate it, this is a movie you MUST watch.

1. Weekend (1967, Dir. Jean-Luc Godard

• Choosing which Godard movies to put here was hard but I choose his last movie before he 'left cinema'.

1. High and Low (1963, Dir, Akira Kurosawa)

• When people think Akira Kurosawa, most people think of Seven Samurai, Rashomon or Ran. High and Low is not only of his greatest, it's his greatest non-samurai movie.

1. The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964, Dir. Jacques Demy)

• One of two musicals that I love (the other being All That Jazz) this musical is riddled with set pieces but a wonderful love story with a hidden political agenda.

1. Le Samourai (1967, Dir. Jean-Pierre Melville)

• Jean-Pierre Melville is the coolest of the cool French directors and this one might just be his best film.

1. Contempt (1963, Dir. Jean-Luc Godard)

• Why today many movies have relationships that are written to make you cry, Contempt's central one is written to make you think.

1. Once Upon a Time in the West (1968, Dir. Sergio Leone)

• My favourite western from Leone also contains some of the best performances not only in his movies but the actors, respective careers.

1. The Graduate (1967, Dir. Mike Nichols)

• I could try and seduce into watching this movie or you could do the sensible thing and just go and watch it.

1. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969, Dir. George Roy Hill)

• I wasn't suppressed when I found out that this was one of David Fincher's favourite films as you probably like films in common with your favourite director.

What films do you think I missed?

Part three will come when ever I write it...