Critics Club III: Film of the Year 1984

[Neon Ignition]

Okay, so this years line up is an improvement...


1984




Share your thoughts and memories of the films of 1984

[Atticus]

There are films I feel really nostalgic about in that year (Ghostbusters, Gremlins, etc) but my number one is a film I came to late. I remember sitting down expecting merely the sights, the sounds ... the smells of a hard working rock band on the road ... and I got that, but I got more ... a lot more ...

This Is Spinal Tap for me is the funniest film ever made. It's the most quotable film ever made. And whenever I discover a fellow fan I always know I'm in good company.

[Dogg Thang]

Holy moly, what a year. I had to go through it a second time to reduce my choices to ONLY those I consider true classics... and ended up ticking 10 movies. Very hard to pick a clear favourite.

On what might be the lower end for other people, we have some now-classic horror movies in Nightmare on Elm Street and Friday the 13th The Final Chapter, which some argue is the best Friday movie.

In comedies, we're spoiled. We can't discount how big Police Academy was and how funny it is. And we also have Beverly Hills Cop and Romancing the Stone.

The one weird oddity that is The Neverending Story. I have it on blu-ray and rewatched it recently and it really is an odd movie and strangely structured but it's a great watch and so iconic all these years later.

And then we have the solid gold collection: Gremlins, Spinal Tap, Karate Kid, Ghostbusters, The Terminator. All those in a single year! It might be one of the best years for movies ever.

But how to pick a single favourite? I think for me it's between Ghostbusters and The Terminator. If my rewatch count is an indicator, the top spot goes to The Terminator but it feels weird to not have Ghostbusters as the best in its year... I'm conflicted! But I think I'm giving it to The Terminator.

[vanpeebles]

Police Academy and Cannonball Run II, two top hand pickers there. I miss those times when films could just be fun without even a hint of pretentiousness.

[Neon Ignition]

Like DT I could have ticked over half the list, it's easily the best year we've covered to date in terms of broadness of good quality films. I ended up limiting my choices down for the sake of effectiveness of vote. I do really enjoy Temple of Doom but it's unquestionably the weakest of the original three films and I hold a higher appreciation for one other film on this list - Ghostbusters

I think that the older I get the more I come to appreciate just how well made and thought out the film is especially considering the point in film history it was made. It's also still easily to soak up as things stand because the brand has been so underutilised and the 2016 version showcased just how easily done it is to completely misread why the film works and how they should be made (i.e it's not a goofball SNL comedy!).

Elsewhere it's a mix of films I like or have strong childhood nostalgia for like Gremlins, Police Academy etc. I think the only one I agonised a little over was Terminator. In the end I do like the film but I'm not on the same page with it as those who think it's amazing, for me its significantly weaker than T2. I think I appreciate it more for what it accomplished than I do for its entertainment level for which it's aged a lot.

[MartyG]

This Is Spinal Tap for me is the funniest film ever made. It's the most quotable film ever made. And whenever I discover a fellow fan I always know I'm in good company.

This film is required watching - if you haven't seen this classic movie yet, you should be setting it to your highest priority level of 11.

In fact you should get the DVD and watch it twice, once with the original soundtrack and again with the commentary.

[QualityChimp]

In fact you should get the DVD and watch it twice, once with the original soundtrack and again with the commentary.

"He's dead, now."
"Stop saying everybody is dead."
"Okay, but he really is dead."
"Yeah, I think you're right, fair enough"