Masters of the Universe (1987)
[7] If you had to make a movie based on the ham-fisted He-Man toy line and you had no choice but to cast Dolph Lundgren (Rocky IV) in the lead, you could do far worse than first-time director Gary Goddard did with…
Return of the Jedi (1983)
[9] George Lucas wraps up his historic, original Star Wars trilogy with an entry that's widely considered inferior to the first two films -- but that's more a testimony to the unparalleled excellence of those prior films than a knock against it's…
A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child (1989)
[6] Freddy's franchise continues with a fifth worthwhile installment directed by Stephen Hopkins (The Ghost and the Darkness, Predator 2). Freddy (Robert Englund) continues his killing spree by haunting the dreams of an unborn child. The child in question belongs to Alice…
The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
[10] After deciding directing wasn't his favorite thing to do, George Lucas enticed his former film school teacher Irvin Kershner (Eyes of Laura Mars, Return of a Man Called Horse) to helm the dark second act of his historic Star Wars trilogy.…
Rhinestone (1984)
[3] In the Valley of Misfit Movies, there's a monument to Rhinestone, an infamous box office flop that paired Sylvester Stallone and Dolly Parton in a country-western comedy. Stallone plays a rough-and-tumble New York cab driver and Parton plays a singer trying…
A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master (1988)
[6] Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund) returns for more murderous mayhem in this entry directed by Renny Harlin (Die Hard 2, The Long Kiss Goodnight). First, he dispatches of the three remaining characters from The Dream Warriors, including returning character Kristen (Tuesday Knight,…
Light of Day (1987)
[5] Writer/director Paul Schrader (Taxi Driver, Hardcore) casts Michael J. Fox and singer Joan Jett as siblings who juggle blue collar jobs, family problems, and musical ambitions in Cleveland, Ohio. Fox's character is inclined to give up on their band, The Barbusters,…
Gorillas in the Mist (1988)
[7] Sigourney Weaver plays anthropologist Dian Fossey in this biopic from director Michael Apted (Coal Miner's Daughter, Thunderheart). Fossey studied mountain gorillas in Rwanda and the Congo, living among them for nearly 18 years in '60s, '70s, and '80s. Her fervent conservation…
A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987)
[8] Freddy Kruger (Robert Englund) returns for a third film that's just as good as the original. Heather Langenkamp's Nancy also returns, now a psychologist who specializes in dreams, hired on at a hospital where suicidal teens are being terrorized by Freddy.…
Aliens (1986)
[10] Writer/director James Cameron accomplishes a rare feat with a sequel that doesn't shame the original and succeeds on its own merits. Aliens is so different in tone than the original Alien, I think of it as a sequel only in name…