Films of the 1980s: 1988 (2025 Edition)

[BleuPanda]

You can post a list of anywhere between 5 and 20 films (or more, but only 20 will be counted) from the period we're covering. The deciding factor in terms of release dates is the IMDb list and the top 15 of each year will go on to the final top 150 (plus a few bonus films). New rounds will be posted on the 16th and first day of each month. The deadline for this poll is March 31st.

The points scheme is as follows:
1. 50
2. 45
3. 40
4. 36
5. 32
6. 28
7. 25
8. 22
9. 19
10. 16
11. 14
12. 13
13. 12
14. 11
15. 10
16. 9
17. 8
18. 7
19. 6
20. 5

However, these are the maximum amounts of points. If you want to put certain films on your list but don't want to give them too many points, you can choose to give these less points than in this scheme (but never more) to decrease the impact on the overall results. If you don't specifically state that you want to give (some of) your films fewer points, I will assume the standard scheme.

Previous 1988 results:
1. (4.) Die Hard (John McTiernan/USA/Action), 305 points, 11 votes , 3 #1 votes
2. (5.) Nuovo Cinema Paradiso [Cinema Paradiso] [Giuseppe Tornatore/Italy/Drama], 259 points, 8 votes , 2 #1 votes
3. (1.) 火垂るの墓 [Grave of the Fireflies] (Isao Takahata), 250 points, 9 votes , 0 #1 votes
4. (2.) となりのトトロ [My Neighbor Totoro] (Hayao Miyazaki), 241 points, 8 votes , 2 #1 votes
5. (7.) Krótki film o zabijaniu [A Short Film About Killing] (Krzysztof Kieslowski), 215 points, 7 votes , 2 #1 votes
6. (3.) Rain Man (Barry Levinson/USA/Drama), 211 points, 11 votes , 1 #1 vote
7. (15.) Akira (Katsuhiro Otomo/Japan/Science Fiction), 209 points, 7 votes , 2 #1 votes
8. (11.) The Thin Blue Line (Errol Morris/USA/Culture & Society), 202 points, 8 votes , 0 #1 votes
9. (8.) A Fish Called Wanda (Charles Crichton/UK-USA/Comedy), 160 points, 11 votes , 0 #1 votes
10. (23.) Spoorloos [The Vanishing] [George Sluizer/Netherlands/Thriller], 142 points, 8 votes , 0 #1 votes
11. (26.) Big (Penny Marshall/USA/Fantasy Comedy), 132 points, 6 votes , 1 #1 vote
12. (22.) Mississippi Burning (Alan Parker), 126 points, 7 votes , 0 #1 votes
13. (12.) Who Framed Roger Rabbit (Robert Zemeckis/USA/Comedy), 124 points, 9 votes , 0 #1 votes
14. (25.) Dom Za Vesanje (Time of the Gypsies) [Emir Kusturica/Yugoslavia/Comedy Drama], 118 points, 6 votes , 0 #1 votes
15. (6.) Mujeres al borde de unataque de nervios [Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown], 98 points, 7 votes , 0 #1 votes

Personal favorite recommendations:
BleuPanda and The Humphreys: Distant Voices, Still Lives (Terence Davies)
acroamor: High Hopes (Mike Leigh)
Michel: Dead Ringers (David Cronenberg)
Greg: Médea (Lars von Trier)
bonnielaurel: Working Girl (Mike Nichols)
Petri: Ariel (Aki Kaurismäki)

[BleuPanda]

I'll get the 1986 results soon - just been a bit busy this weekend

[Michel]

1. Krótki film o zabijaniu [A Short Film About Killing] (Krzysztof Kieslowski)
2. Dead Ringers (David Cronenberg)
3. Dom za vešanje [Time of the Gypsies] (Emir Kusturica)
4. Krótki film o milosci [A Short Film About Love] (Krzysztof Kieslowski)
5. Mujeres al borde de un ataque de "nervios" [Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown] (Pedro Almodóvar)
6. A Fish Called Wanda (Charles Crichton)
7. Another Woman (Woody Allen)
8. Urgences (Raymond Depardon)
9. Grave of the Fireflies (Isao Takahata)
10. The Thin Blue Line (Errol Morris)
11. High Hopes (Mike Leigh)
12. The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (Terry Gilliam)
13. Une affaire de femmes [Story of Women] (Claude Chabrol)
14. Bird (Clint Eastwood)
15. Quelques jours avec moi [A Few Days With Me] (Claude Sautet)
16. My Neighbor Totoro (Hayao Miyazaki)
17. The Accidental Tourist (Lawrence Kasdan)
18. La vie est un long fleuve tranquille [Life Is a Long Quiet River] (Étienne Chatiliez)
19. Who Framed Roger Rabbit (Robert Zemeckis)
20. Rain Man (Barry Levinson)

[acroamor]

1. Distant Voices, Still Lives (Terence Davies)
2. High Hopes (Mike Leigh)
3. The Vanishing (Georges Sluzier)
4. Die Hard (John McTiernan)
5. Big (Penny Marshall)
6. Grave of the Fireflies (Isao Takahata)
7. Who Framed Roger Rabbit (Robert Zemeckis)
8. They Live (John Carpenter)
9. My Neighbor Totoro (Hayao Miyazaki)
10. Dead Ringers (David Cronenberg)
11. Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (Pedro Almodovar)
12. The Thin Blue Line (Errol Morris)
13. Time of the Gypsies (Emir Kusturica)
14. Landscape in the Mist (Theo Angelopolous)
15. Story of Women (Claude Chabrol)
16. Camp de Thiaroye (Ousmane Sembène and Thierno Faty Sow)
17. Running on Empty (Sidney Lumet)
18. The Discarnates (Nobuhiko Obayashi)
19. Let's Get Lost (Bruce Weber)
20. Akira (Katsuhiro Otomo)

[BleuPanda]

5 stars (top 250):
1. Akira
2. Distant Voices, Still Lives
3. My Neighbor Totoro
4. Grave of the Fireflies
5. Landscape in the Mist

4.5 stars (top 1000):
6. Alice
7. Cinema Pardiso
8. Die Hard
9. Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown
10. Dead Ringers
11. The Thin Blue Line
12. Red Sorghum
13. The Last Temptation of Christ
14. The Vanishing

4 stars (great):
15. Miracle Mile
16. A Short Film About Killing
17. Heathers
18. Who Framed Roger Rabbit?
19. They Live
20. Damnation
21. Beetlejuice
22. A Fish Called Wanda
23. Hairspray
24. The Naked Gun
25. A Short Film About Love
26. The Bear

3.5 stars (good):
27. Big
28. The Blob
29. Paperhouse
30. As Tears Go By
31. Elvira, Mistress of the Dark

3 stars (above average):
32. Child's Play
33. Brain Damage
34. The Land Before Time
35. Rain Man
36. Puissance de la parole
37. Lady in White
38. Night of the Demons

2.5 stars (average):
39. Oliver & Company

1.5 stars (bad):
40. Ernest Saves Christmas

0.5 stars (atrocious):
41. Mac and Me
42. Space Mutiny

[stone37]

I have seen 92 films from 1988.

1. Die Hard (1988, John McTiernan)
2. Big (1988, Penny Marshall)
3. The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (1988, David Zucker)
4. Coming to America (1988, John Landis)
5. Mississippi Burning (1988, Alan Parker)
6. Scrooged (1988, Richard Donner)
7. Dangerous Liaisons (1988, Stephen Frears)
8. The Vanishing (1988, George Sluizer)
9. Beetlejuice (1988, Tim Burton)
10. Bull Durham (1988, Ron Shelton)

11. Heathers (1988, Michael Lehmann)
12. Rain Man (1988, Barry Levinson)
13. The Last Temptation of Christ (1988, Martin Scorsese)
14. Cinema Paradiso (1988, Giuseppe Tornatore)
15. Running on Empty (1988, Sidney Lumet)
16. Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (1988, Frank Oz)
17. Stand and Deliver (1988, Ramón Menéndez)
18. Tucker: A Man and His Dream (1988, Francis Ford Coppola)
19. Thin Blue Line (1988, Errol Morris)
20. Eight Men Out (1988, John Sayles)

21. Dominick and Eugene (1988, Robert M. Young)
22. They Live (1988, John Carpenter)
23. The Accused (1988, Jonathan Kaplan)
24. Everybody’s All-American (1988, Taylor Hackford)
25. Gorillas in the Mist (1988, Michael Apted)
26. Twins (1988, Ivan Reitman)
27. Bat*21 (1988, Peter Markle)
28. Who Framed Roger Rabbit? (1988, Robert Zemeckis)
29. Midnight Run (1988, Martin Brest)
30. I’m Gonna Git You Sucka (1988, Keenan Ivory Wayans)

[Humphrey4]

All the 1988 films we've seen. Count the entire top 20:

Awesome

1. 火垂るの墓 [Grave of the Fireflies] - Isao Takahata
2. となりのトトロ [My Neighbor Totoro] - Hayao Miyazaki
3. Distant Voices, Still Lives - Terence Davies

Very good

4. 红高粱 [Red Sorghum] - Zhang Yimou
5. A Fish Called Wanda - Charles Crichton
6. Mujeres al borde de un ataque de "nervios" [Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown] - Pedro Almodóvar
7. L'ours [The Bear] - Jean-Jacques Annaud
8. Gorillas in the Mist - Michael Apted
9. The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! - David Zucker
10. Rage Net - Stan Brakhage

Good

11. Who Framed Roger Rabbit - Robert Zemeckis
12. Dirty Rotten Scoundrels - Frank Oz
13. Beetlejuice - Tim Burton
14. Without a Clue - Thom Eberhardt
15. The Land Before Time - Don Bluth
16. Hanussen - István Szabó
17. Rain Man - Barry Levinson
18. I... Dreaming - Stan Brakhage

OK

19. Kárhozat [Damnation] - Béla Tarr
20. Coming to America - John Landis
21. Ödipussi - Loriot
22. Big - Penny Marshall

[whuntva]

1) AKIRA
2) The Thin Blue Line
3) Die Hard
4) Who Framed Roger Rabbit
5) A Fish Called Wanda
7) Cinema Paradiso
8) Grave of the Fireflies
9) Coming to America
10) My Neighbor Totoro

[bonnielaurel]

1. Red Sorghum [Hong gao liang]
2. Cinema Paradiso [Nuovo Cinema Paradiso]
3. Working Girl
4. Rain Man
5. Mississippi Burning
6. The Accused
7. Coming to America
8. A Fish Called Wanda
9. Cocktail
10. Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown [Mujeres al borde de un ataque de "nervios"]
11. Frantic
12. The Unbearable Lightness of Being
13. Another Woman
14. Dangerous Liaisons
15. Heathers
16. Story of Women [Une affaire de femmes]
17. Grave of the Fireflies [Hotaru no haka]
18. Hanussen
19. Camille Claudel
20. Dirty Rotten Scoundrels