1999: The Best Year for Movies

[Barrister]

I'm going to pitch another year for the best year for movies:

1984

Okay, okay, so maybe it's not the best year for high cinema.  It's movies weren't groundbreaking.  But in terms of the ongoing pop-culture appeal and influence, how can you beat:

Ghostbusters
The Terminator
A Nightmare on Elm Street
The Karate Kid
This is Spinal Tap
Beverly Hills Cop
Police Academy
Revenge of the Nerds
Footloose
Sixteen Candles
1984

Now many of these are not great movies - but they're influential movies.  How long has Revenge of the Nerds stayed with us?  They're still trying to remake Ghostbusters again.  The Karate Kid has been remade endlessly.

[frunk]

I'm going to pitch another year for the best year for movies:

1984

Okay, okay, so maybe it's not the best year for high cinema.  It's movies weren't groundbreaking.  But in terms of the ongoing pop-culture appeal and influence, how can you beat:

Ghostbusters
The Terminator
A Nightmare on Elm Street
The Karate Kid
This is Spinal Tap
Beverly Hills Cop
Police Academy
Revenge of the Nerds
Footloose
Sixteen Candles
1984

Now many of these are not great movies - but they're influential movies.  How long has Revenge of the Nerds stayed with us?  They're still trying to remake Ghostbusters again.  The Karate Kid has been remade endlessly.

You also have:

Repo Man
Buckaroo Banzai
Blood Simple
Dune
Amadeus
Romancing the Stone
The Last Starfighter
Ice Pirates
Muppets Take Manhattan
All of Me
Breakin 2: Electric Boogaloo!!!!!!!!

I guess you win.

[celedhring]

You lot make a hugeass 1984 movies list and leave out Temple of Doom? 

Say what you will about it being the weakest link in the Indy trilogy (because there's only 3 films), and I particularly love it to pieces, but it has boatloads of iconic moments.

[frunk]

You lot make a hugeass 1984 movies list and leave out Temple of Doom? 

Say what you will about it being the weakest link in the Indy trilogy (because there's only 3 films), and I particularly love it to pieces, but it has boatloads of iconic moments.

Still an awful movie.

[Barrister]

You lot make a hugeass 1984 movies list and leave out Temple of Doom? 

Say what you will about it being the weakest link in the Indy trilogy (because there's only 3 films), and I particularly love it to pieces, but it has boatloads of iconic moments.

I left out sequels, since my argument was basically look how many of these movies they keep making sequels of.  I left out Star Trek 3 as well.

[celedhring]

You lot make a hugeass 1984 movies list and leave out Temple of Doom? 

Say what you will about it being the weakest link in the Indy trilogy (because there's only 3 films), and I particularly love it to pieces, but it has boatloads of iconic moments.

I left out sequels, since my argument was basically look how many of these movies they keep making sequels of.  I left out Star Trek 3 as well.

A lot of it has to do with the generation that grew up with those films now being in their 40s and having children of their own+midlife crisis. There's a reason why there's an 1980s fever going through pop culture right now. In a few years it will move on to the 1990s as that generation ages up.

Of course, there's been a continuous trickle of Terminator sequels (sadly I'll add) so that particular one has been ever-present.

[Barrister]

A lot of it has to do with the generation that grew up with those films now being in their 40s and having children of their own+midlife crisis. There's a reason why there's an 1980s fever going through pop culture right now. In a few years it will move on to the 1990s as that generation ages up.

Of course, there's been a continuous trickle of Terminator sequels (sadly I'll add) so that particular one has been ever-present.

There's an element of that sure, but the argument is specific to 1984.

Looking at 1985, it doesn't have near the same heft.  There's Goonies, Back to the Future, and The Breakfast Club, but that's about it.

[Duque de Bragança]

1994 in HK, years later in the West (2000 in the US?), as with HK movies back then, so arguably not 1994.

Fair enough.  I think I saw it in 2000.

It's of course a great movie, and one of the best of the genre. No question about that. Deserves to be in best movies of the year list. The year being the problem. 

[Duque de Bragança]

You lot make a hugeass 1984 movies list and leave out Temple of Doom? 

Say what you will about it being the weakest link in the Indy trilogy (because there's only 3 films), and I particularly love it to pieces, but it has boatloads of iconic moments.

Still an awful movie.

And Breakin'2: Electric Bugaloos is?  It even gave birth to a meme https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/electric-boogaloo
One of Cannon's worst, only Superman IV being worse, though I am not sure which one is more entertaining.

[celedhring]

A lot of it has to do with the generation that grew up with those films now being in their 40s and having children of their own+midlife crisis. There's a reason why there's an 1980s fever going through pop culture right now. In a few years it will move on to the 1990s as that generation ages up.

Of course, there's been a continuous trickle of Terminator sequels (sadly I'll add) so that particular one has been ever-present.

There's an element of that sure, but the argument is specific to 1984.

Looking at 1985, it doesn't have near the same heft.  There's Goonies, Back to the Future, and The Breakfast Club, but that's about it.

Following that train of thought, James Bond is the only saga that has managed to be ever-present across many generations. They've been churning them out since the 1950s!

Star Wars also has had a very notable shelf life, too, and the success of the 1990s and 2010s films will ensure we'll get more of them in the future as they remain culturally relevant.

[frunk]

And Breakin'2: Electric Bugaloos is?  It even gave birth to a meme https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/electric-boogaloo
One of Cannon's worst, only Superman IV being worse, though I am not sure which one is more entertaining.

Should I have added more exclamation marks so that I'm obviously sarcastic?  !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Duque de Bragança]

And Breakin'2: Electric Bugaloos is?  It even gave birth to a meme https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/electric-boogaloo
One of Cannon's worst, only Superman IV being worse, though I am not sure which one is more entertaining.

Should I have added more exclamation marks so that I'm obviously sarcastic?  !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yet you forgot the once-much maligned Indy sequel. Would have been funnier if you had put them on the same level. 

PS: Breakin' was actually a bona fide hit for Cannon, and somewhat influential.    Maybe it's Van Damme short appearance.

[frunk]

Yet you forgot the once-much maligned Indy sequel. Would have been funnier if you had put them on the same level. 

PS: Breakin' was actually a bona fide hit for Cannon, and somewhat influential.    Maybe it's Van Damme short appearance.

I didn't forget it, I purposely left it off.  I know which one I would rather watch but I wouldn't consider either one of them good.

[Duque de Bragança]

Yet you forgot the once-much maligned Indy sequel. Would have been funnier if you had put them on the same level. 

PS: Breakin' was actually a bona fide hit for Cannon, and somewhat influential.    Maybe it's Van Damme short appearance.

I didn't forget it, I purposely left it off.  I know which one I would rather watch but I wouldn't consider either one of them good.

All of that, due to an obnoxious kid character.   

[frunk]

All of that, due to an obnoxious kid character.   

And an obnoxious female lead.  And terrible cartoony action sequences (with one or two exceptions).  And terrible pseudo gross out scenes.  And generally cheeseball acting with very little charm.  And tonal problems that leave it unable to succeed as either a kids movie or more adult fare.