The Most Memorable Movies of All Time – Part 6: The Greatest Movie of All Time

Posted on June 14, 2015 by ralphkoppel

Today I complete my look at memorable movies by selecting the most memorable movie of all time. My last four segments each looked at movies over 20 years and at the end I chose the most memorable movie from each time period. Here are the links to my previous installments:

The Most Memorable Movies of All Times – Part 1

The Most Memorable Movies of All Time – Part 2: the 30s and 40s

The Most Memorable Movies of All Time – Part 3: the 50s and 60s

The Most Memorable Movies of All Time – Part 4: the 70s and 80s

The Most Memorable Movies of All Time – Part 5: the 90s and 00s

To recap, here are the criteria for choosing the most memorable movies:

Memorable movies become part of our culture. They may directly become part of our culture, showcase stars who become part of our culture, or launch a genre that becomes part of our culture.
Sequels of memorable movies are not eligible.

These were my picks for the most memorable movie of each period:

30s and 40s – The Wizard of Oz
50s and 60s – The Sound of Music
70s and 80s – Star Wars
90s and 00s – Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

Which of these is the most memorable?

The Sound of Music was obviously a highly memorable movie, but I don’t think it has had nearly the same impact on our culture as the other three. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone had had an enormous impact on our culture, but it is still fairly recent. If forty years from now it still is as big as it is now, then if I am still around I will reconsider this elimination, but for now I am thinking it just hasn’t been around long enough to be called the most memorable movie of all time.

This leaves us with two movies: The Wizard of Oz and Star Wars. I have gone back and forth in my mind between these two movies. My first inclination was to choose the Wizard of Oz. The Wizard of Oz was released 76 years ago and it would be difficult to find anybody of any age who was raised in America who doesn’t know and love this movie. With that being said, I don’t think any movie has ever had the impact of Star Wars on our culture.

In December 1977, I worked in the toy department of a department store. Christmas was coming and, over six months since the debut of Star Wars, the toys were still not available. We sold gift cards that could be placed under the Christmas tree and could be exchanged for Star Wars toys when they became available. Star Wars, in fact, was the pioneer in merchandising toys based on movies.

Many years later, in the mid nineties, I remember walking through a toy store, more than ten years since the Return of the Jedi and well before the prequels were released. The toy store still had an entire section just devoted to Star Wars toys. I was amazed how the appeal of Star Wars persevered. Now, almost forty years since Star Wars premiered in 1977, the December release of the new Star Wars movie is possibly the most eagerly anticipated film of all time.

The force is strong with Star Wars. Star Wars is the most memorable movie of all time.

The Most Memorable Movies of All Time – Part 5: the 90s and 00s

Posted on April 11, 2015 by ralphkoppel

Today I continue my series on memorable movies by looking at the movies of the 90s and 00s. In particular, I think it is interesting to compare the most memorable movies with the movie selected as the best picture of the year. At the end of this list I pick the most memorable movie of this time period. In my last segment, I will pick the most memorable movie of all time using the finalist from each time period. Of course, any list compilation is made to be disagreed with so I welcome other views on these movies.

To recap, here are the criteria for choosing the most memorable movie from each year:

Memorable movies become part of our culture. They may directly become part of our culture, showcase stars who become part of our culture, or launch a genre that becomes part of our culture.
Sequels of memorable movies are not eligible.

To update my comparison of memorable movies versus Oscar winners, in the nineties and zeroes four of the twenty Oscar winners I named as the most memorable movie of the year. An additional six were on my honorable mention list. In total,of the 80 years I have examined so far, only nine of the Academy Award winners made my list as the most memorable movie of the year. An additional twenty-two made my honorable mention list. So 49 of the 80 Oscar winning movies during this period did not meet my criteria for being memorable.

In my next segment I will look at the most memorable movies of each twenty year time segment and give my choice for the most memorable movie of all time.

1990 – Ghost (Patrick Swayze, Demi Moore, Whoopi Goldberg)

Non-Quotes – Sultry Pottery Scene

Comments – I was wavering back and forth here between Pretty Women, Goodfellas, and Ghost. Then I thought about which quote or scene I would choose from each of the movies. That was the tie breaker.

Honorable Mention – Home Alone | Pretty Woman | Misery |Goodfellas | Dances with Wolves

Best Picture – Dances with Wolves

1991 – The Silence of the Lambs (Jodie Foster, Anthony Hopkins)

Quotes– I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice Chianti.”

Comments – There are some movies that I just assumed would unquestionably be the most memorable movie of whatever year they came out in. I assumed that Beauty and the Beast, arguably the best movie ever made using conventional animation, would definitely be the most memorable movie of its year. That was before I realized it debuted in the same year as The Silence of the Lambs. Anthony Hopkins’ Hannibal Lecter was a character for the ages. Recently Silence! The Musical appeared Off Broadway and the prequel television show Hannibal is still on the air.

Honorable Mention – Beauty and the Beast | City Slickers

Best Picture – Silence of the Lambs

1992 – Basic Instinct (Michael Douglas, Sharon Stone)

Non-Quote– Sharon Stone Crossing Her Legs during Interrogation

Comments – Sharon Stone’s performance as a sultry suspect made Basic Instinct a sexy thriller for the ages.

Best Picture – Unforgiven

1993 – Schindler’s List (Liam Neeson)

Non-Quote– Whoever save’s one life, saves the world entire.

Comments – In 1993 we had a fascinating face-off for most memorable movie. You can still ride the Jurassic Park theme ride at Universal Studios. Jurassic Park was not only an action adventure movie that nobody forgets, it also the trailblazer in realistic computer animation. Schindler’s List, however, is an incredibly powerful movie. Many people will say it had more impact on them than any other movie in their life. As a side note, I would not have thought to put The Sandlot on this list, but I have heard younger people tell me that this is the most quoted movie they know,

Best Picture – Schindler’s List

1994 – Forrest Gump (Tom Hanks)

Non-Quote– Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you are going to get.

Comments – Forrest Gump is one of my favorite movies ever. I liked the movie so much that afterwards I read the book it was based on. The book was one of the worst books I ever read in my life. For example, in the book Forrest becomes an astronaut who goes into space with an ape. The spaceship crashes and he is on an island with cannibals. Although Forrest is an idiot, he is also a chess genius. Every day he has to play the cannibal king in chess and if he loses the game the king will eat him. From this mess they sifted out a great idea to make one of the most memorable movies ever.

Best Picture – Forrest Gump

1995 – Toy Story (Tom Hanks, Tim Allen)

Quote– To Infinity and Beyond

Comments – Toy Story would be the most memorable movie in almost any year, both in its own right as a beloved and delightful move and by its historical, groundbreaking technical achievements as the first fully computer animated movie.

Honorable Mention – Apollo 13 | Braveheart | Clueless | Babe

Best Picture – Braveheart

1996 – Jerry Maguire (Tom Cruise)

Quote– You had me at Hello.

Comments – In a light year for memorable movies, Jerry Maguire edges out Fargo. It is both a classic love story and a biting commentary on sports and sports agents.

Honorable Mention – Twister | Scream | Fargo | Mission: Impossible

Best Picture – The English Patient

1997 – Titanic (Kate Winslet, Leonardo DiCaprio)

Quote– I’m the King of the World

Comments – Prior to Titanic’s release. I had decided that I had no desire to see it, that it would be too depressing. After its release, with all of the buzz, I changed my mind and saw it, then saw it again, and saw it again, along with everybody else in the world. Titanic became at the time the biggest hit ever by excelling both as a big budget disaster spectacular and a classic romance.

Honorable Mention – Men in Black | The Full Monty | Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery

Best Picture – Titanic

1998 – Saving Private Ryan (Kate Winslet, Tom Hanks)

Non Quote– Omaha Beach Scene

Comments – In my opinion, Saving private Ryan is memorable not for the heart of the movie itself but for the opening sequence showing the D-Day invasion of Omaha Beach that is the greatest war sequence ever depicted in a movie.

Honorable Mention – Shakespeare in Love | There’s Something About Mary | The Truman Show | The Big Lebowski

Best Picture – Shakespeare in Love

1999 – The Sixth Sense (Bruce Willis, Haley Joel Osment)

Quote– I see dead people.

Comments – The Sixth Sense is remembered both for Haley Joel Osment’s classic line and for what I would deem as the best surprise ending in movie history. Star Wars: The Phantom Menace is not eligible as sequel (well prequel) but Jar Jar Binks deserves special distinction as the most ridiculed movie character in history.

Honorable Mention – The Matrix | American Pie | The Blair Witch Project

Best Picture – American Beauty

2000 – Cast Away (Tom Hanks)

Quote– Wilson!

Comments – Cast Away gained eternal fame for its searing portrayal of the friendship between a man and a volleyball.

Best Picture – Gladiator

2001 – Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (Daniel Radcliffe)

Quote– Wingardium Leviosa

Comments –This was another great year for memorable movies. The Lord of the Rings or Shrek would have been the most memorable movie in almost any other year. Both of them however fall short of the impact made by the boy wizard with the lightning shaped scar. When a memorable movie is an adaptation of a highly memorable book or play, it can be difficult to separate how much of the memory stems from the original source and how much stems from the movie. I think that the movie is memorable if when people think of the book, they visualize the movie. For example, Gone With the Wind was one of the best selling books of all time, but when people think of Scarlett and Rhett they think of Vivien Leigh and Clark Gable. In contrast, there was a 1970’s animated adaptation of Lord of The Rings that nobody remembers, at least not fondly. Now when we think of Gollum, we think of the CGI-Andy Serkis Gollum from the 2001 movie and its sequels. Likewise, Harry Potter will always look like Daniel Radcliffe.

Best Picture – A Beautiful Mind

2002 – Spider-Man (Tobey Maguire)

Quote– With great power comes great responsibility.

Comments – Tobey Maguire perfectly captured the angst of a normal person who gains extraordinary abilities. Spider-man’s extraordinary success was the true catapult for the wave of Marvel super hero movies to follow.

Honorable Mention – My Big Fat Greek Wedding | Chicago

Best Picture – Chicago

2003 – Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (Johnny Depp)

Quote– The code is more what you’d call “guidelines” than actual rules.

Comments – Johny Depp’s creation of Captain Jack Sparrow turned an ordinary movie into a memorable movie. In my opinion, Depp has tried since this movie to make more memorable quirky characters such as Willy Wonka and the Mad Hatter but he has never come close to repeating his magic from the original Pirates of the Caribbean movie. As a side note, the Academy Awardsd got it right this year by giving the best picture to The Return of The King. Unfortunately by my rules this movie is ineligible as a sequel for the title of most memorable movie. Fortunately, from his perspective, I don’t think Peter Jackson cares.

Also, I talked in the 2001 section about how a memorable movie based upon a memorable book makes people think of the movie whenever they picture the book. The 2003 dud Cat in the Hat is a good example showing the contrary. Everybody knows about the Cat in the Hat. Nobody envisions Mike Myers as Cat in the Hat.

Honorable Mention – Finding Nemo | Bruce Almighty | Seabiscuit | Kill Bill Vol. 1

Best Picture – The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

2004 – Mean Girls (Lindsay Lohan)

Quote– She made out with a hot dog.

Comments – The year 2004 was the year of the sequel with Shrek 2, Harry Potter 3, Spider-Man 2, Meet the Parents 2, and Oceans 11 2 (some actual names slightly different) ruling the box office. Of the original movies, Mean Girls stood out. It took a cliche and became the cliche. Now when people think of vicious high school girls, they think of this movie. It was funny and original. It was grool.

Personally, The Incredibles is one of my favorite all-time movies and one that I think should rank with the most memorable movies. The fact, however, that it seems that nobody but me ever talks about it unfortunately makes it not make this list.

Honorable Mention – Napoleon Dynamite | The Passion of the Christ

Best Picture – Million Dollar Baby

2005 – Batman Begins (Christian Bale)

Quote– It’s not who I am underneath, but what I do that defines me.

Comments –Batman Begins is eligible. It is a reboot, not a sequel. Christian Bale’s powerful performance at Batman made the character relevant to a new generation.

Honorable Mention – Madagascar | Brokeback Mountain | The 40-Year Old Virgin

Best Picture – Crash

2006 – The Devil Wears Prada (Anne Hathaway, Meryl Streep)

Quote– You have no style or sense of fashion.

Comments – Conspicuously absent from this list is Casino Royale, the Daniel Craig reboot of James Bond. As a reboot and not a sequel, it is technically eligible and my first inclination was to rank it as a memorable movie. After contemplation, I decided it just wasn’t that memorable. Even though it was technically a reboot, actually it was just another James Bond movie that wasn’t that distinguishable from the other James Bond movies. This contrasts to the 2005 movie Batman Begins which I believe was memorable in its own right.

In The Devil Wears Prada, Meryl Streep’s performance as Miranda Priestly forever defines the boss from hell. All future bosses from hell will be forever compared to Miranda.

On the continuing theme of memorable book vs. memorable movie, although The Da Vinci Code did very well at the box office, I think that it was quite forgettable. The book will be remembered; the movie will not.

Honorable Mention – (none)

Best Picture – The Departed

2007 – 300 (Gerald Butler)

Quote– This is Sparta

Comments – This truly was a miserable year for memorable movies as once again sequels ruled the box office. One movie that did stand out was 300, a stylized comic book retelling of the historical battle between Sparta and Persia. It has become a symbol of heroism against impossible odds.

Honorable Mention – Transformers

Best Picture – No Country for Old Men

2008 – Twilight (Kristin Stewart, Robert Pattinson)

Quote– I’m on a special diet.

Comments – It seemed that the biggest debate in 2008 was not Obama vs. McCain; it was Team Edward vs. Team Jacob.

Honorable Mention – Iron Man | WALL-E

Best Picture – Slumdog Millionaire

2009 – Avatar (Sam Worthington)

Quote– (absolutely none)

Comments – I hated Avatar. The plot was Dances With Wolves in space. The characters were unappealing. So why then did I see it twice? This otherwise terrible movie had the greatest special effects in any movie ever. It provided a breakthrough in 3D technology that is still being felt today. For special effects alone, it became the top grossing movie of all time. For every other most memorable movie in this list I provided either a famous quote or a famous scene. Showing the special effects from Avatar on a small computer screen would not do it justice, and nothing else is worth showing.

Honorable Mention – Star Trek | The Hangover | The Blind Side

Best Picture – The Hurt Locker

1990-2009 – Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

Post 2009

In baseball, a person is not eligible for the hall of fame until five years after their retirement. I believe the same rule should hold for memorable movies. I have had favorite movies (The Incredibles) that I would have been sure at the time would be memorable that weren’t. There have been other movies (The Rocky Horror Picture Show) that I could not have imagined anybody would remember that became part of our culture. With this in mind, these are my quick picks for the most memorable movies from 2010-2014. In five years we can see if anybody remembers them:

2010 – Despicable Me

2011 – The Help

2012 – The Hunger Games

2013 – Frozen

2014 – Guardians of the Galaxy

The Most Memorable Movies of All Time – Part 4: the 70s and 80s

Posted on March 25, 2015 by ralphkoppel

Today I continue my series on memorable movies by looking at the movies of the 70s and 80s. In particular, I think it is interesting to compare the most memorable movies with the movie selected as the best picture of the year. At the end of this list I pick the most memorable movie of this time period. In my last segment, I will pick the most memorable movie of all time using the finalist from each time period. Of course, any list compilation is made to be disagreed with so I welcome other views on these movies.

To recap, here are the criteria for choosing the most memorable movie from each year:

Memorable movies become part of our culture. They may directly become part of our culture, showcase stars who become part of our culture, or launch a genre that becomes part of our culture.
Sequels of memorable movies are not eligible.

To update my comparison of memorable movies versus Oscar winners, in the seventies and eighties two of the twenty Oscar winners I named as the most memorable movie of the year. An additional seven were on my honorable mention list. This is a higher percentage than we had in the previous four decades. In total,of the 60 years I have examined so far, only five of the Academy Award winners made my list as the most memorable movie of the year. An additional sixteen made my honorable mention list. So 39 of the 60 Oscar winning movies during this period did not meet my criteria for being memorable.

1970 – MASH (Donald Sutherland, Elliott Gould)

Quotes – Oh Frank, My lips are hot. Kiss my hot lips.

Comments – This was a difficult year to pick the most memorable movie. Airport is mostly memorable for spawning a series of disaster films, but Airport itself is less memorable. Love Story has the top quote with “Love means never having to say you’re sorry.” Patton begins with the highly memorable speech in front of the American flag. MASH won out though for providing the most impact on our culture. While it can certainly be argued that the TV show was more memorable than the movie, the movie is what started it all. As an aside, it was an incredibly funny movie.

Honorable Mention – Love Story | Airport | Patton

Best Picture – Patton

1971 – Dirty Harry (Clint Eastwood)

Quotes – Do I feel lucky, well do you punk?

Comments – Dirty Harry’s great line, frequently misquoted as “Do you feel lucky, punk?” catapulted this movie to become possibly the most memorable cop movie of all time. Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory was a very strong contender for the most memorable honor. Gene Wilder’s classic performance as Willy Wonka far outshone Johnny Depp’s performance in the recent remake.

Honorable Mention – Fiddler on the Roof | The French Connection | A Clockwork Orange | Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory

Best Picture – The French Connection

1972 – The Godfather (Marlon Brando)

Quotes – I’m gonna make him an offer he can’t refuse.

Comments – The Godfather is unquestionably one of the most memorable movies of all time. If you don’t agree, I’ll have to make you an offer you can’t refuse. In most other years Deep Throat would be the most memorable movie both as the most memorable pornographic movie of all time and for its title being the namesake of the secret informant in the Watergate scandal. Fortunately since The Godfather was the most memorable, I did not have to try to find an acceptable film clip from Deep Throat.

Best Picture – The Godfather

1973 – The Exorcist (Linda Blair)

Quotes – Your mother sucks c**** in hell.

Comments – With green projectile vomit, Linda Blair’s head turning 360 degrees, and a sweet girl turning into a demon, The Excorcist may be the most talked about horror movie of all time. As a side note, I loved the Sting in 1973. It won best picture and it was the top grossing movie of the year. At the time, I would have bet just about anything that The Sting would become a classic memorable movie. Instead, it has virtually disappeared.

Honorable Mention – American Graffitti | The Way We Were | Soylent Green

Best Picture – The Sting

1974 – Blazing Saddles (Cleavon Little, Gene Wilder)

Non-Quote – The Campfire Scene

Comments – In 1974 Mel Brooks produced two of the most memorable comedies of all time in Blazing Saddles and Young Frankenstein. Between the two, however, the competition of most memorable isn’t even close. Blazing Saddles is ingrained in our culture as one of the funniest movies of all time. Note that The Godfather II is not eligible as a sequel to a memorable movie.

Honorable Mention – Young Frankenstein | Benji | Earthquake

Best Picture – The Godfather Part II

1975 – Jaws (Roy Scheider, Richard Dreyfuss, Robert Shaw)

Non-Quote – The Opening Swim

Comments – It is still hard to go to the beach without Jaws somewhere in your mind. Jaws is highly memorable in its own right as one of the greatest suspense movies of all time. I think that the score by John Williams is the best ever at having music heighten the emotional experience. Moreover, it was the breakout movie that made Stephen Spielberg one of the most famous directors of all time.

Honorable Mention – The Rocky Horror Picture Show | One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest | Monty Python and the Holy Grail

Best Picture – One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest

1976 – Rocky (Sylvester Stallone)

Non-Quote – Rocky Running Up The Steps

Comments –Rocky is the most famous boxing movie of all time and is the classic underdog story. It introduced Stallone as one of the top action movie stars ever. The stirring movie theme still makes the blood rush.

Best Picture – Rocky

1977 – Star Wars (Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher)

Non-Quote – Use the force, Luke. | A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away.

Comments –Of all the years and all the memorable movies, this is by far the easiest choice. The Christmas after Star Wars was released, I worked in the toy department of a department store. The Star Wars action figures were not yet available so we sold gift cards that could later be exchanged for the figures but could be placed under the tree right away. In addition to being one of the most memorable movies of all time, Star Wars pioneered the tie in of toys and other merchandise to movies. A long long time later, Star Wars toys are still among the most popular. Star Wars has not left the forefront of our culture since its release and the new movie due later this year may be the most highly anticipated movie of all time.

Honorable Mention – Close Encounters of the Third Kind | Saturday Night Fever | Oh, God! |Annie Hall

Best Picture – Annie Hall

1978 – National Lampoon’s Animal House (John Belushi)

Quote – Toga! Toga! | Double Secret Probation

Comments –In 1977 it was easy to pick the most memorable movie. In 1978, it was much more difficult. Animal House, Grease, and Superman are all strongly a part of our culture, but I believe Animal House was slightly above the rest. It ranks as one of the funniest comedies of all time and spawned countless toga parties.

Honorable Mention – Grease | Superman | La Cage aux Folles | Halloween

Best Picture – The Deer Hunter

1979 – Alien (Sigourney Weaver)

Non-Quote – Alien bursting out of stomach

Comments –In my opinion, Alien is the scariest movie ever made. The constant suspense of knowing the alien was somewhere in the ship and never knowing when it was going to strike kept me constantly at the edge of my seat.

Best Picture – Kramer vs. Kramer

1980 – Airplane! (Robert Hays, Julie Hagerty)

Quote – And don’t call me Shirley

Comments –We go from 1979 from the scariest movie ever made to 1980 and the funniest movie ever made. Airplane was the first in a long series of movies with quick silly gags piled one after the other. It was the first and the best. As a note, 1980 also marked the year for two great sequels: The Empire Strikes Back and Superman II. They are not listed because of my rule that sequels of memorable movies aren’t eligible. This is probably a good moment to comment on why I set up that rule. I actually had Harry Potter primarily in mind. For eight years we had a Harry Potter movie almost every year. Clearly the Harry Potter franchise is highly memorable. It is the franchise as a whole that becomes part of our culture, however, more than the individual films. I did not want to debate which of the films was most memorable. I therefore set the rule that the after the first memorable movie, the sequels are not eligible. Therefore, while The Empire Strikes Back is the best of the Star Wars franchise, it is not eligible this year.

Best Picture – Ordinary People

1981 – Raiders of the Lost Ark

Quote – I hate Snakes! | Indiana Jones’ non Sword Fight

Comments – The year 1979 had the greatest horror/suspense film ever, 1980 had the greatest comedy, and 1981 had the greatest action adventure. Harrison Ford was perfect as Indiana Jones, and the movie provided more thrills per minute than any movie ever. Add the deft touch of humor and the magnificent soundtrack and you have an action adventure movie for the ages.

Honorable Mention – Arthur | Body Heat | Escape from New York | The Road Warrior

Best Picture – Chariots of Fire

1982 – E.T., the Extra Terrestrial (directed by Stephen Spielberg)

Quote – E.T. phone home.

Comments – Although 1982 had many memorable movies, I never had any doubt that E.T. would be my pick as most memorable movie of the year. This Stephen Spielberg classic is still loved over forty years later. For an example of how a movie effects the culture, in 1982 the St. Louis Cardinals had a rookie sensation named Willie McGee. McGee was a bit unusual looking and got the nickname E.T. McGee, a nickname he was not particularly fund of. In a playoff game against Atlanta, which I attended, McGee hit a long shot to right field. By the time McGee reached third base, the outfielder hadn’t even retrieved the ball. He could have crawled home. He just dusted himself off though and stayed on third base, oblivious of the shouts from his coach and the crowd to go home. After the game, the joke in St. Louis was “What is the difference between E.T. and Willie McGee?” E.T. went home. Willie McGee stayed at third.

As a side note, after my earlier siting of my rules against sequels, someone might notice that Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan is on my honorable mention list. To explain, my rule wasn’t against sequels, it was against the sequels of memorable movies. While 1979’s Star Trek: The Motion Picture might be considered memorable in the sense that it was the first Star Trek movie, the movie itself was so plodding, boring, and unmemorable that when they wrote Star Trek II and all other Star Trek sequels, the producers decided to act as if the first movie never existed, basically to create a time warp and wink it out of existence. If the Star Trek people themselves deemed that movie to be unmemorable, who am I to argue. Star Trek II therefore makes the list.

Best Picture – Gandhi

1983 – National Lampoon’s Vacation (Chevy Chase)

Quote – I don’t know why they call this stuff Hamburger Helper. It does fine by itself,

Comments – This year was a major drop off in terms of memorable movies following a string of great years. National Lampoon’s Vacation is a classic comedy that anybody who has made a cross country trek can identify with. As a sequel, Return of the Jedi is not eligible.

Honorable Mention – Flashdance | Risky Business | The Big Chill | Scarface

Best Picture – Terms of Endearment

1984 – The Terminator (Arnold Schwarzenegger)

Quote – I’ll be back.

Comments – The Terminator is classic both as science fiction and as action adventure. It made Schwarzenegger a mega-star. The underlying premise, which I won’t mention as it would spoil the movie if you haven’t seen it, is brilliant. This was of course followed by Terminator II which did tremendous box office and destroyed the brilliant premise of the first movie.

Best Picture – Amadeus

1985 – Back to the Future (Michael J. Fox)

Quote – Are you telling me that you built a time machine out of a DeLorean?

Comments – The DeLorean car would have long been forgotten if not for this movie. Michael J. Fox made this time travel movie a movie for all time. As a fun note, Back to the Future II went forward to 2015. Did you fly your car to work today?

Honorable Mention – The Color Purple | Cocoon | The Goonies | The Breakfast Club

Best Picture – Out of Africa

1986 – Top Gun (Tom Cruise)

Quote – I feel the need, the need for speed.

Comments – I love most of the memorable movies I discuss here. I didn’t particularly like Top Gun. Still, I have heard it referenced countless times over the years and I think it has had a bigger impact on American culture then two movies I liked much better, Crocodile Dundee and Little Shop of Horrors. Overall, 1986 was a very forgettable year when it comes to memorable movies.

Honorable Mention – Crocodile Dundee | Little Shop of Horror

Best Picture – Platoon

1987 – The Princess Bride (Cary Elwes, Robin Wright)

Quote – As you wish | Hello, my name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.

Comments – My first thought was that Fatal Attraction would be the most memorable movie of 1987. That was before I realized that The Princess Bride came out in 1987. I will confess that The Princess Bride is my favorite movie of all time. It is a great action movie, a great comedy, and a great romance. I personally must have quoted from this movie at least ten thousand times. Could somebody else have quoted it more? Inconceivable.

Honorable Mention – Fatal Attraction |Good Morning, Vietnam |Lethal Weapon |Dirty Dancing | Wall Street

Best Picture – The Last Emperor

1988 – Big (Tom Hanks)

Non-Quote – Chopsticks on big piano at FAO Schwartz

Comments – One could make a good argument for any of the honorable mention films to be called the most memorable movie of 1988, but in my opinion, Big with Tom Hanks stands out just a bit from the others. This was not Tom Hanks first movie, but it is the movie that made him a major star.

Best Picture – Rain Man

1989 – When Harry Met Sally (Billy Crystal, Meg Ryan)

Non-Quote – I’ll have what she’s having.

Comments – This was a great year for memorable movies starting new trends. The Little Mermaid led Disney’s second golden age of animation. Batman started the trend of blockbuster, gritty superhero movies. When Harry Met Sally led a wave of modern romantic comedies. Any of these would be the most memorable movie in most years, but they all came out in 1989. When Harry Met Sally wins by a nose.

Best Picture – Driving Miss Daisy

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