Best Films Of 1984
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- DirectorWim WendersStarsHarry Dean StantonNastassja KinskiDean StockwellTravis Henderson, an aimless drifter who has been missing for four years, wanders out of the desert and must reconnect with society, himself, his life, and his family.
- DirectorMichael RadfordStarsJohn HurtRichard BurtonSuzanna HamiltonIn a totalitarian future society, a man, whose daily work is re-writing history, tries to rebel by falling in love.8/10
- DirectorIvan ReitmanStarsBill MurrayDan AykroydSigourney WeaverThree parapsychologists forced out of their university funding set up shop as a unique ghost removal service in New York City, attracting frightened yet skeptical customers.
- DirectorAlan ParkerStarsMatthew ModineNicolas CageJohn HarkinsAfter two friends return home from the Vietnam War one becomes mentally unstable and obsesses with becoming a bird.
- DirectorWolfgang PetersenStarsNoah HathawayBarret OliverTami StronachA troubled boy dives into a wondrous fantasy world through the pages of a mysterious book.
- DirectorMartin BrestStarsEddie MurphyJudge ReinholdJohn AshtonA freewheeling Detroit cop pursuing a murder investigation finds himself dealing with the very different culture of Beverly Hills.
- DirectorNorman JewisonStarsHoward E. Rollins Jr.Adolph CaesarArt EvansAn African-American officer investigates a murder in a racially charged situation in World War II.
- DirectorStanley DonenStarsMichael CaineMichelle JohnsonDemi MooreBest friends and their daughters vacation in Rio de Janeiro only for one to fall for the other's daughter.Personally I think a lot of critics & viewers in general take this film too seriously. It's a comedy! Many Americans seem to be overly sensitive around anything to do with even the slightest notion of underage sex. A lot of people judge things with their emotional baggage rather than with a truly open unbiased mind. Not that I claim to be completely unbiased or anything. I'm not sure such a human exists. Nonetheless I do strive for such. Anyway, I find this movie to be quite hilarious actually.
- DirectorAlex CoxStarsHarry Dean StantonEmilio EstevezTracey WalterA young punk, recruited by a car repo agency, finds himself in pursuit of a Chevrolet Malibu with a huge, $20,000 bounty--and something otherworldly stashed in its trunk.
- DirectorWes CravenStarsHeather LangenkampJohnny DeppRobert EnglundTeenager Nancy Thompson must uncover the dark truth concealed by her parents after she and her friends become targets of the spirit of a serial killer with a bladed glove in their dreams, in which if they die, it kills them in real life.7.5/10
- DirectorSergio LeoneStarsRobert De NiroJames WoodsElizabeth McGovernA former Prohibition-era Jewish gangster returns to the Lower East Side of Manhattan 35 years later, where he must once again confront the ghosts and regrets of his old life.
- DirectorMilos FormanStarsF. Murray AbrahamTom HulceElizabeth BerridgeThe life, success and troubles of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, as told by Antonio Salieri, the contemporaneous composer who was deeply jealous of Mozart's talent and claimed to have murdered him.
- DirectorRob ReinerStarsRob ReinerMichael McKeanChristopher GuestSpinal Tap, one of England's loudest bands, is chronicled by film director Marty DiBergi on what proves to be a fateful tour.
- DirectorBarry LevinsonStarsRobert RedfordRobert DuvallGlenn CloseA middle-aged unknown comes seemingly out of nowhere to become a legendary baseball player with almost supernatural talent.
- DirectorSteven SpielbergStarsHarrison FordKate CapshawKe Huy QuanIn 1935, Indiana Jones is tasked by Indian villagers with reclaiming a rock stolen from them by a secret cult beneath the catacombs of an ancient palace.
- DirectorAbel FerraraStarsTom BerengerBilly Dee WilliamsJack ScaliaStrippers in Manhattan are being stalked and maimed by a psycho-killer. A conflicted ex-boxer-turned-talent-manager and his business partner and friend, who represent some of the girls, set out to find him before he strikes again.
- DirectorJohn HughesStarsMolly RingwaldAnthony Michael HallJustin HenryA girl's "sweet" sixteenth birthday is anything but special: her family forgets about it, and she suffers from every embarrassment possible.Umm sixteenth on my list??? It wasn't a planned thing. 7.0/10
Update: 16th, well that didn't exactly last too long. - DirectorRichard BenjaminStarsSean PennElizabeth McGovernNicolas CageIn 1942 California, two young men await induction into the U.S. Marines and say goodbye to their girlfriends.7/10
- DirectorJoel CoenEthan CoenStarsJohn GetzFrances McDormandDan HedayaThe owner of a seedy small-town Texas bar discovers that one of his employees is having an affair with his wife. A chaotic chain of misunderstandings, lies, and mischief ensues after he devises a plot to have them murdered.
- DirectorStephen FrearsStarsFreddie StuartRalph BrownA.J. ClarkeTen years after ratting on his old mobster friends in exchange for personal immunity, two hit men drive a hardened criminal to Paris for his execution. However, while on the way, whatever can go wrong, does go wrong.
- DirectorRichard TuggleClint EastwoodStarsClint EastwoodGeneviève BujoldDan HedayaNew Orleans single dad and cop Wes Block goes after a serial rapist-killer, but when he gets too close the hunter suddenly becomes the hunted.
- DirectorJohn CarpenterStarsJeff BridgesKaren AllenCharles Martin SmithAn alien takes the form of a young Wisconsin widow's husband and makes her drive him to his departure point in Arizona. Distrustful government agents, along with a more ambivalent scientist, give pursuit in hopes of intercepting them.
- DirectorRon HowardStarsTom HanksDaryl HannahEugene LevyA young man is reunited with a mermaid he briefly encountered as a boy and falls in love with her without knowing her secret.Underappreciated at this point. The film is fun. 7/10
- DirectorJohn G. AvildsenStarsRalph MacchioPat MoritaElisabeth ShueA martial arts master agrees to teach karate to a bullied teenager.
- DirectorHerbert RossStarsKevin BaconLori SingerJohn LithgowA city teenager moves to a small town where rock music and dancing have been banned, and his rebellious spirit shakes up the populace.
- CreatorKenneth JohnsonStarsJane BadlerMichael DurrellRobert EnglundA small group of human resistance fighters fight a desperate guerilla war against the genocidal extra-terrestrials who dominate Earth.
- DirectorAlan RudolphStarsGeneviève BujoldKeith CarradineLesley Ann WarrenLove doctor radio host Nancy, bar owner Eve, Pearl, drifter Mickey et al meet in LA.
- DirectorArt LinsonStarsChris PennIlan Mitchell-SmithEric StoltzA high-school wrestler parties with his buddy at a swinging-singles apartment complex.
- DirectorPaul ShapiroStarsMegan FollowsRick MoranisGail YoungsA female goalie player faces prejudiced opposition when she joins a boys hockey team in Parry Sound, Ontario.
- DirectorHugh WilsonStarsSteve GuttenbergG.W. BaileyKim CattrallThe mayor declares that anyone can enroll in the police academy irrespective of their physical condition or education level, and many misfits descend on the academy, including a young troublemaker who's forced to apply or go to jail.Crazy stupid funny. 6.5/10
- DirectorJeff KanewStarsRobert CarradineAnthony EdwardsTimothy BusfieldAt Adams College, a group of bullied outcasts and misfits resolve to fight back for their peace and self-respect.There have been what seems like a million imitators.
- DirectorJonathan DemmeStarsGoldie HawnKurt RussellChristine LahtiA woman finds romance when she takes a job at an aircraft plant to help make ends meet after her husband goes off to war.Underappreciated. This is no easy subject to make a film out of and all in all, this is quite good. I think it's also fair to say that this is among the very best performances of Goldie Hawn's career. 6.5/10
- DirectorPaul MazurskyStarsRobin WilliamsMaria Conchita AlonsoCleavant DerricksA Russian saxophonist visiting New York City with a USSR circus troupe suddenly decides to defect in Bloomingdale's.
- DirectorJames CameronStarsArnold SchwarzeneggerLinda HamiltonMichael BiehnA human soldier is sent from 2029 to 1984 to stop an almost indestructible cyborg killing machine, sent from the same year, which has been programmed to execute a young woman whose unborn son is the key to humanity's future salvation.
- DirectorHugh HudsonStarsChristopher LambertAndie MacDowellRalph RichardsonA missing heir of respected Scottish family, raised in African jungles by animals, finally returns to his estate only to realize that difference between the two worlds is really significant.
- DirectorW.D. RichterStarsPeter WellerJohn LithgowEllen BarkinAdventurer, brain surgeon, rock musician Buckaroo Banzai and his crime-fighting team, the Hong Kong Cavaliers, must stop evil alien invaders from the eighth dimension who are planning to conquer Earth.
- DirectorPeter HyamsStarsRoy ScheiderJohn LithgowHelen MirrenA joint USA-Soviet expedition is sent to Jupiter to learn exactly what happened to the "Discovery" and its H.A.L. 9000 computer.
- DirectorJoe DanteStarsZach GalliganPhoebe CatesHoyt AxtonA young man inadvertently breaks three important rules concerning his new pet and unleashes a horde of malevolently mischievous monsters on a small town.
- DirectorRobert ZemeckisStarsMichael DouglasKathleen TurnerDanny DeVitoA mousy romance novelist sets off for Colombia to ransom her kidnapped sister, and soon finds herself in the middle of a dangerous adventure hunting for treasure with a mercenary rogue.
- DirectorFrancis Ford CoppolaStarsRichard GereGregory HinesDiane LaneMeet the jazz musicians, dancers, owner, and guests (like gangster Dutch Schultz) of The Cotton Club in 1928-1930s Harlem.
- DirectorJohn MiliusStarsPatrick SwayzeC. Thomas HowellLea ThompsonIt is the dawn of World War III. In the west mountains of America, a group of teenagers band together to defend their town, and their country, from invading Soviet forces.
- DirectorGarry MarshallStarsMatt DillonHector ElizondoMolly McCarthyA recent high-school graduate unsure of his future gets a summer job at the Flamingo beach club, and meets the charismatic Phil Brody.
- DirectorGene WilderStarsGene WilderKelly LeBrockCharles GrodinOn his way to work, Teddy spots Charlotte, an incredibly beautiful Woman in Red. He really wants to meet her, but what would his wife say?6.5/10
- DirectorThomas RickmanStarsTommy Lee JonesMartha PlimptonBrian DennehyAfter serving time for a murder he didn't commit, all Billy wants to do is to reconnect with his daughter. However, some loose ends, like the whereabouts of the stolen loot, just won't let him go.
- DirectorLeonard NimoyStarsWilliam ShatnerLeonard NimoyDeForest KelleyAdmiral Kirk and his bridge crew risk their careers stealing the decommissioned U.S.S. Enterprise to return to the restricted Genesis Planet to recover Spock's body.
- DirectorRoger DonaldsonStarsMel GibsonAnthony HopkinsLaurence OlivierFed up with their Captain's harsh discipline, a sailing ship's crew decides to take action.
- DirectorMark L. LesterStarsDrew BarrymoreDavid KeithFreddie JonesA couple who participated in a potent medical experiment gain telepathic ability and then have a child who is pyrokinetic.6/10
- DirectorDavid LynchStarsKyle MacLachlanVirginia MadsenFrancesca AnnisA Duke's son leads desert warriors against the galactic emperor and his father's evil nemesis to free their desert world from the emperor's rule.
- DirectorBrian De PalmaStarsCraig WassonMelanie GriffithGregg HenryA young actor's obsession with spying on a beautiful woman who lives nearby leads to a baffling series of events with drastic consequences.
- DirectorKen RussellStarsKathleen TurnerAnthony PerkinsBruce DavisonA mysterious woman, fashion designer by day and prostitute by night, is hounded by two men: a married father of two children and a sexually repressed preacher.
- DirectorDanny SteinmannTom DeSimoneStarsLinda BlairJohn VernonRobert DryerA teenage vigilante seeks revenge on a group of violent thugs who raped her handicapped sister and killed her best friend.
- DirectorRoger YoungStarsTom SelleckJane SeymourLauren HuttonA handsome jewel thief is arrested and in order to avoid prison, must break into the heavily guarded German Embassy to steal millions in gems.
- DirectorFrank OzStarsJim HensonFrank OzDave GoelzKermit and his friends go to New York City to get their musical on Broadway only to find it's a more difficult task than they anticipated.
- DirectorMichael CrichtonStarsTom SelleckCynthia RhodesGene SimmonsIn the near future, a police officer specializes in malfunctioning robots. When a robot turns out to have been programmed to kill, he begins to uncover a homicidal plot to create killer robots... and his son becomes a target.
- DirectorDorian WalkerStarsJudd NelsonJonna LeeGordon JumpA spoiled rich young man hires a young hustler, who lives in a broken car and owes money to a dicey loan shark, to take his place in his elite prep school and graduate for him.
- DirectorLarry CohenStarsZoë LundEric BogosianBrad RijnA director makes a movie based on a murder he committed.
- DirectorTaylor HackfordStarsRachel WardJeff BridgesJames WoodsA gangster hires an ex-football player to find his girlfriend. When he finds her, they fall in love, and the twists start to appear.
- DirectorMarvin J. ChomskyStarsJames GarnerShirley JonesC. Thomas HowellSergeant Major Zack arrives at a new army base with his wife, son and Sherman tank. One night at a bar he "stops" a pimp/deputy from beating a girl. The corrupt sheriff uses Zack's son for revenge and Zack uses his tank.
- DirectorNeal IsraelStarsTom HanksTawny KitaenAdrian ZmedA soon-to-be-married man's friends throw him the ultimate bachelor party.
- DirectorArthur HillerStarsNick NolteJoBeth WilliamsJudd HirschA well meaning but burned-out high school teacher tries to maintain order against the backdrop of a pending lawsuit against his school district when it comes to light they gave a diploma to an illiterate student.