1980

[10] After deciding directing wasn’t his favorite thing to do, George Lucas enticed his former professor Irvin Kershner (Eyes of Laura Mars, Return of a Man Called Horse) to helm the dark second act of the famous trilogy. The Empire Strikes Back is essentially one long chase movie, as Darth Vader pursues Luke (Mark Hamill), Han (Harrison Ford), Leia (Carrie Fisher) and the rest of …

[10] Robert Redford directs this adaptation of Judith Guest’s novel, about a family reeling from the accidental death of the eldest child. Unlike so many dramas, it’s what you don’t see and what isn’t said that makes Ordinary People such a gut-wrenching, powerfully moving film. Timothy Hutton, Donald Sutherland, and Mary Tyler Moore give superb performances as family members struggling to reconnect with one another …

[9] Stanley Kubrick takes on Stephen King, and while it may not be the most faithful adaptation, The Shining is a gorgeously crafted plunge into fear and insanity. Jack Nicholson and Shelly Duvall play a husband and wife who take their young son with them to the remote Overlook Hotel, where they’ll be all alone for several months working as caretakers during the winter down …

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