Next of Kin (1989)

Next of Kin (1989)

[4] Patrick Swayze (Dirty Dancing, Ghost) stars as a hillbilly-turned-Chicago cop who holds his Kentucky relatives at bay after the youngest sibling (Bill Paxton) is killed by a mobster (Adam Baldwin). When one of the brothers (Liam Neeson) sets out…
Under Fire (1983)

Under Fire (1983)

[6] Nick Nolte and Joanna Cassidy star as journalists in Nicaragua in the late 1970s when the Sandinista Liberation Front overthrew the brutal Somoza dictatorship. They cover both sides of the civil war, interviewing and photographing both the sitting president…
Excalibur (1981)

Excalibur (1981)

[9] Director John Boorman (Deliverance, Zardoz) mounts an ambitious pastiche of the entire Arthurian legend with Excalibur. Nigel Terry plays King Arthur from his naïve youth to his death and departure for Avalon, guided nearly every step of the way…
The Stunt Man (1980)

The Stunt Man (1980)

[9] Steve Railsback (Lifeforce, The X-Files) stars as a fugitive who stumbles onto a motion picture set and gets hired as a stunt performer. As long as he's working, the film's director agrees to hide him from the law. The…
Tender Mercies (1983)

Tender Mercies (1983)

[7] Robert Duvall earned the Best Actor Oscar for his subtle but moving performance in Tender Mercies, the story of a divorced, alcoholic country singer who hits rock bottom before slowly rebuilding his life. A single mother (Tess Harper) hires…
Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (1984)

Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (1984)

[7] Jason Voorhees escapes the morgue and returns to Crystal Lake where he preys on a fresh batch of victims in the fourth Friday the 13th movie. Among the fresh meat this time around are Crispin Glover (Back to the…
Distant Thunder (1988)

Distant Thunder (1988)

[4] John Lithgow gives a commendable performance in this stillborn drama about a Vietnam vet suffering from intense post-traumatic stress living in the remote wilderness with a few other troubled vets. After one vet 'kisses the train' (steps into the…
Come Back to the 5 and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean (1982)

Come Back to the 5 and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean (1982)

[6] After his career began to wane in the late '70s, director Robert Altman (M*A*S*H, Nashville) directed a handful of stage play adaptations throughout the '80s before having a successful 'comeback' with 1992's The Player. Ed Graczyk's Come Back to…
King of the Mountain (1981)

King of the Mountain (1981)

[5] Harry Hamlin (Clash of the Titans), Joseph Bottoms (The Black Hole), and Richard Cox (Cruising) star as three friends who engage in illegal car racing along a twenty-three mile, hilltop stretch of Mulholland Drive in Los Angeles... while also…
The Thing (1982)

The Thing (1982)

[10] This movie does two things extraordinarily well. It transports me and it terrifies me. Before anything scary even happens, director John Carpenter (Assault on Precinct 13, Starman) succeeds in creating an atmosphere of mystery and suspense that locks me…