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[Willco]

Those two years or one full year or however you want to view it, came out with some of the best flicks Hollywood has ever churned out. If you want to turn the clock back one more year, you could include Star Wars, but - hey! - fuck Star Wars.

I often imagine how awesome it would be to get in a time machine, preferably a DeLorean, and see all the great films of that era during their initial theatrical run.

I also think that span marked a real turning point for cinema in general, with new talent and technology being used in new, interesting ways that culminated into what I can only call The Silver Age of cinema in the 1980s.

I always thought we'd never see quality output from movie industry like we got during the 80s, which pretty much died out by 1992, but there's been a resurgence in quality flicks in the past several years thanks to younger guys using technology overused by the older guys to good use to create new cinematic experiences.

 

[sprsk]

Its hard to argue against the 70s being one of the greatest decades for cinema in terms of originality and just good shit. Hollywood has since become a super capitalist machine and that makes me

 

[AniHawk]

I demand a list.

 

[Teddman]

Nah, there's always good movies coming out if you look for them. I don't know if you can point to just one narrow range of time.

For example, the recent Lord of the Rings trilogy will be remembered as one of the pinnacles of filmmaking.

 

[swoon]

Nah, there's always good movies coming out if you look for them. I don't know if you can point to just one narrow range of time.

For example, the recent Lord of the Rings trilogy will be remembered as one of the pinnacles of filmmaking.

that's not true, though.

anyway. the 50's were pretty big. but the late 70s are pretty hott, too.

 

[radioheadrule83]

Nah, there's always good movies coming out if you look for them. I don't know if you can point to just one narrow range of time.

For example, the recent Lord of the Rings trilogy will be remembered as one of the pinnacles of filmmaking.

Not a big LOTR fan, but I'm in the minority. I don't think it does anything particularly stunning cinematically, and I think the liscence was a bit of a blank cheque.. but it couldn't have been in better hands than Peter Jackson's.

I agree that you can find great, awesome films at any point in recent history if you look hard enough. The pre-80s stuff is the focus of Easy Riders, Raging Bulls (about Lucas, Spielberg, Coppola, Scorcese and their influence).. it truely was a great time before everyone decided cashing in on Lucas/Spielberg-esque blockbusters was a jolly good smashing idea. I can think of plenty of recent films though that I love... and who are we to tell people they're not to like flambouyant action flicks or any form of entertainment?

 

[sprsk]

Nah, there's always good movies coming out if you look for them. I don't know if you can point to just one narrow range of time.

For example, the recent Lord of the Rings trilogy will be remembered as one of the pinnacles of filmmaking.

if lotr is one of the pinnacles then film is a pretty low medium.

 

[Prospero]

Peter Biskind's Easy Riders, Raging Bulls is an excellent book.

LOTR will most likely have a cult following for a while (if New Line does a good job of continuing to market the property with DVD double-dips and theatrical re-releases), and will be remembered for reasons that primarily have to do with its box office take. But I don't think there's anything particularly memorable about the movies that's unique to them alone--in future decades they'll look just as dated to audiences as many 1980s fantasy films do to us now.

I agree that the late 1970s rocked--if you buy the premise of Biskind's book (which is convincing), it was the last time in Hollywood history that directors had true control over their final product. He argues that Spielberg and Lucas pretty much ruined it for everyone, which seems a little harsh (I think that Spielberg is probably the best director working in America right now). But there has been a clear shift over the past few years from director control to producer control--maybe in a while the pendulum will swing back again.

 

[Teddman]

if lotr is one of the pinnacles then film is a pretty low medium.

I said it would be remembered that way. Do you doubt that?

 

[Bregor]

LOTR will most likely have a cult following for a while (if New Line does a good job of continuing to market the property with DVD double-dips and theatrical re-releases), and will be remembered for reasons that primarily have to do with its box office take.

LotR will not be remembered because of it's BO take. Though it has been very successful, other movies have done better, and as time goes by ~ $350mil for a movie won't seem as impressive.

 

[sprsk]

I said it would be remembered that way. Do you doubt that?

Alot of people remember things in different ways. What exactly is your point?

 

[Deku Tree]

I demand a list.

IAWTP

 

[karasu]

No. The 70's were a GREAT for films, but 78-79. That's the birth of the blockbuster, that's when things started to go downhill. Movies are in hell right now, mainstream that is. The market is flooded with remakes and superficial bullshit. There's too much of a reliance on technology, and not enough on craft. Mainstream releases are probably phonier now than they were when the studio system was at it's peak.

 

[way more]

That just barely leaves out Blade Runner.

 

[karasu]

Also leaves out The Godfather, Mean Streets, Taxi Driver, The Conversation, Annie Hall, etc etc

 

[8bit]

Highest rated movies according to imdb dated 78 or 79.

5. 8.4 Apocalypse Now (1979) 55,353
10. 8.3 Alien (1979) 54,177
15. 8.1 Manhattan (1979) 10,636
16. 8.1 Deer Hunter, The (1978) 23,776
21. 8.0 Life of Brian (1979) 28,358
28. 7.9 Being There (1979) 9,009
38. 7.7 Days of Heaven (1978) 2,730
49. 7.6 Breaking Away (1979) 3,792

So, the answer to your question is no.

 

[Error Macro]

Alien was great. Breaking Away was superb. Ok, 1978 and 79 weren't that great.

 

[8bit]

Here's 80/81 just to compare.

1. 8.7 Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980) 89,958
2. 8.6 Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) 81,607
5. 8.3 Raging Bull (1980) 22,054
8. 8.2 Shining, The (1980) 42,570
16. 8.1 Elephant Man, The (1980) 13,813
44. 7.8 Ordinary People (1980) 5,926
50. 7.7 Airplane! (1980) 20,515

Now, 79/80 would be a good bet.

 

[karasu]

bahh wtf. That's popcorn. The 70's were so important because they were about things that actually mattered. No longer was every character a millionaire with a huge mansion on a hill and all of that other bunk. Screwwwwwww Star Wars and Indy.

 

[sprsk]

Screwwwwwww Star Wars and Indy.

i like the indy jones movies, but i agree, the 70s were great forother reasons

 

[jett]

Sorry, but no.

 

[Warm Machine]

1982...the year critics lost the plot. I'd LOVE to see a tomatometer from that year...

The Thing - 20% "A gross slimy alien horror movie that made me want to puke"
Blade Runner - 12% "A depressing futuristic hell hole with too much violence"
Conan The Barbarian - 15% "The lead is austrian, can't act, and has no future."
Tron - 10% "Video games are a fad and the theaters are going to be as empty as arcades"
First Blood - 25% "Action has a new name and it is dumb"
E.T. - 100% "E.T. is cute!"

All above numbers and quotes are made up.

 

[Willco]

Man, people left out Mad Max, Halloween, Dawn of the Dead, etc.

 

[Guzim]

Superman and Animal House came out in 1978

 

[Fatalah]

"Escape From Alcatraz", Clint Eastwood circa 1979. Amazing movie.

 

[Error Macro]

Probably my least favorite decade for movies, but the 70's in general still had some kick ass films:

http://www.imdb.com/chart/1970s

 

[Dan]

1982...the year critics lost the plot.

Critics didn't drop the ball. What most people call "critics" nowadays simply aren't that at all. They're consumer guides. There are still real critics out there writing interesting criticism, but you won't find it in mainstream periodicals. Once again, capitalism happened, and out came people whose jobs were to tell general audiences whether a movie was entertaining or not, not dissect it in any form.

 

[Matlock]

1993:

Army of Darkness
Schindler's List
Wallace & Gromit: The Wrong Trousers
Groundhog Day
The Nightmare Before Christmas
The Fugitive
Jurassic Park
True Romance
Gettysburg
A Bronx Tale
Carlito's Way


1994:

The Shawshank Redemption
Pulp Fiction
Léon
Forrest Gump
Ed Wood
Clerks.
The Lion King
Quiz Show


1995:

The Usual Suspects
Braveheart
Se7en
Twelve Monkeys
Toy Story
Heat
Mallrats
Casino
Leaving Las Vegas
Apollo 13

93-95 wants to have a word with you.

 

[FortNinety]

The entire 70's fucking rocked. It was the last great era of true filmmaking before Hollywood went down the route of the blockbuster. This is when many of our esteemed directors were in top form and not to sound like a film snob (even though I totally am) but most people who disagree either haven't seen enough films from that period or think stuff like LOTR is a "truly good movie". Hey I love LOTR and all, but take out the special effects and what do you have?

I think 90's had a bit or resurgence of quality films, from the independent side, starting with Reservoir Dogs, which in mind has culminated with stuff like Being John Malkovich and Eternal Sunshine, but it's still pales in comparison to the 70's.

How about...

Jaws, Godfather (I & II), Mean Streets, Apocalypse Now, Serpico, French Connection, Clockwork Ornage, Taxi Driver, Annie Hall, Dog Day Afternoon, Alien, Chinatown, Dear Hunter, Star Wars... I know I'm forgetting a ton more

... just see all these movie, and if you still don't agree, then I don't know what to say other than... sorry man.

 

[Matlock]

Dog Day Afternoon

The best movie of that era, bar none.

 

[Dreamfixx]

Hey I love LOTR and all, but take out the special effects and what do you have?

You still have a great story. Didn't you all feel anything towards the emotional aspect of the films? Especially Sam and Frodo's relationship in ROTK? Sure it's a fantasy film, and SFX only get better, but the writers and directors obviously spent alot of time making sure viewers care about what happens to the heroes.

 

[FortNinety]

You still have a great story. Didn't you all feel anything towards the emotional aspect of the films? Especially Sam and Frodo's relationship in ROTK? Sure it's a fantasy film, and SFX only get better, but the writers and directors obviously spent alot of time making sure viewers care about what happens to the heroes.

Perhaps LOTR was a bad example, but it just seems nowadays, people love spectacles for it to be a good movie, and they seem to think you need special effects to have one.

That being said, I'm still not a fan of the pacing and other things, but hey, I DO like LOTR. Maybe I should have stuck with my original exmaple, Terminator 2.

 

[Warm Machine]

Critics didn't drop the ball. What most people call "critics" nowadays simply aren't that at all. They're consumer guides. There are still real critics out there writing interesting criticism, but you won't find it in mainstream periodicals. Once again, capitalism happened, and out came people whose jobs were to tell general audiences whether a movie was entertaining or not, not dissect it in any form.

Yes but most people still use these guides to slam or support the film of their choosing. A film such as Blade Runner was hammered in the reviews when it was released.

 

[Warm Machine]

Perhaps LOTR was a bad example, but it just seems nowadays, people love spectacles for it to be a good movie, and they seem to think you need special effects to have one.

That being said, I'm still not a fan of the pacing and other things, but hey, I DO like LOTR. Maybe I should have stuck with my original exmaple, Terminator 2.

This isn't an attack on you or your quote but it is very easy to label anything imaginative, fantastic, or science fiction based as having no real value because it doesn't deal with the every day reality around us. If a person cannot see the art and craft that it takes to make a movie such as Terminator 2 or Spiderman or anything else for that matter they frankly shouldn't be watching movies because they have become blinded by their own pretension.

 

[FortNinety]

This isn't an attack on you or your quote but it is very easy to label anything imaginative, fantastic, or science fiction based as having no real value because it doesn't deal with the every day reality around us. If a person cannot see the art and craft that it takes to make a movie such as Terminator 2 or Spiderman or anything else for that matter they frankly shouldn't be watching movies because they have become blinded by their own pretension.

I wasn't singling out science fiction or fantasy at all (hell, it's my favorite genre of films). I'm talking about the over use of technology to make a film, regardless of the subject matter. If you noticed, I listed both Star Wars and Clockwork Orange in my list of top films of the 70's and both are fantasies.

Why do I like the original Star Wars so much? It's was about a crazy guy running around desert who was making a "space opera". All the special effects were done via hand or ingenious use of film trickery. It's took sweat and blood, but Lucas got it done. You can tell from every frame (from the original print mind you) of all the hard work that was done to create this make believe world, which is the case for any movie really; I consider Star Wars just as much a fantasy as Godfather since none of it truly real (perhaps that's a bit obvious, but I still feel the need to point it out). Today, it's all just computers, something which is supposed to "free" the filmmakers, but has only made them lazy. Case in point, Episode 1 and 2.

Hell, as much as I like LOTR, I love T2 about a thousand times better, but I can give you about a hundred reasons why Clockwork Orange is a better film, and none as to do with the film's genre.

And lastly, if your going to call anyone blind, don't try to preface it with a "this isn't an attack" statement, cuz you just end up really insulting the other person's intelligence. Case in point, read what I have said thus far before making some grand assumption of where I'm coming from.

 

[Warm Machine]

And lastly, if your going to call anyone blind, don't try to preface it with a "this isn't an attack" statement, cuz you just end up really insulting the other person's intelligence. Case in point, read what I have said thus far before making some grand assumption of where I'm coming from.

Hence why I said it isn't an attack on you because I did read your above post where you listed both Star Wars and Jaws. It was a covering statement as there are movie nuts out there who can't or won't see the value of a film unless it has a real life human drama element which is why the 70's is regarded as a golden age of pre block buster Hollywood. Sorry if you felt singled out as no offense to you was meant by the quoted reply.

Around the time The Phantom Menace was coming out I once heard a film critic yapping about how Star Wars killed movie making. If anything I felt that it forced films to tighten up their narratives, improve their pacing, and tell better more interesting stories. No longer were we forced to meander through sub plots that didn't go anywhere.

 

[maharg]

It's easy to look back now and say "wow look at all the great stuff that came out then, I don't remember any shit!" and then turn around and say "I waded through 5 shitty movies THIS YEAR ALONE. Movies suck now, except when they don't."

Fact is, it's all a matter of perspective.

 

[Mandark]

I think US film in the 1970's may be the most overrated period this side of the French New Wave or Italian Neorealism, and it's the residual hubris that stuck us with Jar-Jar Binks.

Love Breaking Away though.

 

[ourumov]

if lotr is one of the pinnacles then film is a pretty low medium.

I agree...Overrated films. There have been tons of better films this year.

 

[Culex]

It's hard to pick a certain year for great movies. The old James Cameron was at his pinnacle around 89-91. The Abyss was such an awesome movie for it's time, and Terminator 2 is one helluva movie, still.

 

[karasu]

I think US film in the 1970's may be the most overrated period this side of the French New Wave or Italian Neorealism, and it's the residual hubris that stuck us with Jar-Jar Binks.

Love Breaking Away though.

Wake up! and kill the cynicism

 

[Warm Machine]

Each decade has its own flavor, style, and great films.

Some of the most important films from...

the 80s...

Empire
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Aliens
Platoon
Full Metal Jacket
Blade Runner
The Shining
E.T.
The Elephant Man
Ran
The Last Emperor

And the 90s...

Pulp Fiction
Braveheart
Dances with Wolves
Good Fellas
Forrest Gump
Fargo
Beauty and the Beast
Jurassic Park
Terminator 2
Titanic
Boyz in the Hood
American Beauty
Fight Club
The Matrix
Toy Story

We are in 2000 now and we already have a fair share of great work

City of God
Gladiator
LOTR Trilogy
The Last Samurai
Fiding Nemo
Master and Commander
Minority Report
Ghost World
Memento

etc.

 

[karasu]

haha Gladiator and The MAtrix.