The Breakfast Club (1985)

The Breakfast Club (1985)

[10]

Writer/director John Hughes had more box office hits than you can shake a stick at, and while many of them were fun and irreverent fare (like Ferris Bueller’s Day Off or Weird Science), one sticks out above the crowd — his crowning achievement: The Breakfast Club.  It’s a low-concept, small-scale production — practically a filmed stage play — about five disparate teenagers who suffer Saturday detention together. There’s the jock (Emilio Estevez), the princess (Molly Ringwald), the nerd (Anthony Michael Hall), the bad boy (Judd Nelson), and the weirdo (Ally Sheedy) — all kids who would never spend one minute of time together under any other circumstances. But tossed together in their school library under the watch of their vindictive principal (Paul Gleason), they are forced to get to know one another.

Clue (1985)

Clue (1985)

[9] Six guests are summoned to a mansion on a stormy night where they discover each is being blackmailed by their mysterious host. Not even before dinner is over, the host is murdered and mystery is afoot. But who did…
Gremlins (1984)

Gremlins (1984)

[10] Does it mean anything that Gremlins is my favorite Christmas movie?  Am I bad person because I eschew the sentimentality of It's A Wonderful Life for the malevolent rampage of little green monsters? Actually, sentimentality plays a big part…
Top Secret! (1984)

Top Secret! (1984)

[9] With double entendre's out the wazoo and sight gags out the yin-yang, not to mention a shiny young Val Kilmer dancing and singing his heart out, Top Secret! wins me over. The film is from the makers of Airplane!,…
Ghostbusters (1984)

Ghostbusters (1984)

[9] When New York City becomes increasingly afflicted with ghost-sightings and demonic possessions, it's up to a rag-tag team of self-proclaimed 'Ghostbusters' to save the world from the imminent arrival of a destructive, ancient god. Ghostbusters succeeds as both a…
An American Werewolf in London (1981)

An American Werewolf in London (1981)

[10] With the success of Animal House and The Blues Brothers behind him, director John Landis was able to take a chance on a horror-comedy about two American college students who have a close encounter of the hirsute kind while backpacking through the English…
The Muppet Movie (1979)

The Muppet Movie (1979)

[9] Jim Henson's Muppets make the leap from television to the silver screen in this comedy-musical road trip across America that shows us how the foam and felt vaudeville troupe found each other and entered show business. We meet Kermit…
Network (1976)

Network (1976)

[10] A suicidal TV news anchorman strikes a nerve with the public, prompting his network to bastardize their news hour with his crackpot proselytizing. Before long, the network embraces pure tabloid sensationalism -- live assassinations and all. Network is now…
Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore (1974)

Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore (1974)

[8] Ellen Burstyn stars as a widowed mother who suddenly finds herself having to start a new life in this engaging comedy/drama from Martin Scorsese. Burstyn plays Alice Hyatt, and if that name sounds familiar it's because the TV show "Alice"…
Paper Moon (1973)

Paper Moon (1973)

[10] In the Depression-era Dust Bowl, a traveling con man strikes up an unlikely relationship with an orphan girl who may or may not be his daughter. Director Peter Bogdanovich (The Last Picture Show) coaxes magnificent performances from real-life father…