Yearly Consensus 1981 (Deadline Oct. 13th)

[Thirdmango]

Submit your five favorite films and five favorite performances from this year and in a week someone will give you a top ten in both categories. IMDb dates will be used.

The point system is as follows

1st Place-5 points
2nd Place-4 points
3rd Place-3.5 points
4th Place-3 points
5th Place-2.5 points

10.5 pts will be required to make either list.

There will be no restrictions on short films.

There will be no distinction made between male and female performances.
There will be no distinction made between lead and supporting performances.
Voice acting can be considered a performance.

We would like to be able to count votes as they come in. This means that if you change your vote, you need to make a new post. Please quote your old list and then add your new list so that we can easily track the changes. We will not be looking for edits. Once you make a post, consider your vote cast.

You may begin now.

[Melville]

1. Possession
2. Raiders of the Lost Ark
3. Ms. 45
4. Crac
5. The French Lieutenant's Woman

HM: Das Boot

1. Sam Neill, Possession
2. Isabelle Adjani, Possession
3. Harrison Ford, Raiders of the Lost Ark
4. Meryl Streep, The French Lieutenant's Woman
5. Jeremy Irons, The French Lieutenant's Woman

HM: Jürgen Prochnow, Das Boot

[Spinal]

1. Raiders of the Lost Ark
2. Das Boot
3. The French Lieutenant's Woman
4. An American Werewolf in London
5. Mommie Dearest

1. Faye Dunaway - Mommie Dearest
2. Meryl Streep - The French Lieutenant's Woman
3. Kathleen Turner - Body Heat
4. Griffin Dunne - An American Werewolf in London
5. Nicol Williamson - Excalibur

[Boner M]

1. Modern Romance
2. Ms. 45
3. Blow Out
4. Possession
5. Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior

HM: Southern Comfort, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Cutter's Way, The Aviator's Wife, Vernon Florida, Prince of the City

1. Isabelle Adjani, Possession
2. John Heard, Cutter's Way
3. Albert Brooks, Modern Romance
4. Treat Williams, Prince of the City
5. John Travolta, Blow Out

Need to see: Pixote, Ladies & Gentlemen... The Fabulous Stains, Reds

[Yxklyx]

1. Raiders of the Lost Ark (Steven Spielberg)
2. Das Boot (Wolfgang Petersen)
3. Southern Comfort (Walter Hill)
4. My Dinner with Andre (Louis Malle)
5. Diva (Jean-Jacques Beineix)

1. Harrison Ford - Raiders of the Lost Ark
2. Jürgen Prochnow - Das Boot
3. Philippe Noiret - Coup de Torchon
4. David Naughton - An American Werewolf in London
5. Steve Martin - Pennies from Heaven

[Spinal]

Adjani's performance is just not fresh enough in my mind to vote for it. I really should see it again.

[Pop Trash]

For the record, I'm going to say Faye Dunaway in Mommie Dearest is just as great of a batshit go-for-broke performance as Isabelle Adjani in Possession, but probably won't get nearly the votes here.

[Spinal]

For the record, I'm going to say Faye Dunaway in Mommie Dearest is just as great of a batshit go-for-broke performance as Isabelle Adjani in Possession, but probably won't get nearly the votes here.

Yeah, there is no irony intended in my vote for Dunaway.

[Pop Trash]

1. The Road Warrior
2. Raiders of the Lost Ark
3. Polyester
4. Modern Romance
5. An American Werewolf in London

6. The Evil Dead
7. Escape from New York
8. Mommie Dearest
9. My Dinner With Andre
10. Clash of the Titans

Perfs:
1. Faye Dunaway, Mommie Dearest
2. Andre Gregory, MDWA
3. Wallace Shawn, MDWA
4. Harrison Ford, Raiders
5. Isabelle Adjani, Possession

The Fab Stains is IMDB '82, otherwise it would make my list.

[Rowland]

1. Ms. 45
2. Raiders of the Lost Ark
3. Blow Out
4. Possession
5. Thief

HM: Pennies From Heaven, Cutter's Way, The Evil Dead, Modern Romance, The Road Warrior, Polyester, Escape From New York, Scanners, An American Werewolf in London, The Funhouse

[Russ]

1. Gallipoli
2. Possession
3. Vernon, Florida
4. Polyester
5. Fehérlófia

1. Faye Dunaway, Mommie Dearest
2. Isabelle Adjani, Possession
3. Vasili Livanov, The Hound of the Baskervilles
4. Elizabeth McGovern, Ragtime
5. Christopher Walken, Pennies From Heaven

[baby doll]

Films:
1. Modern Romance (Albert Brooks)
2. Cutter's Way (Ivan Passer)
3. Diva (Jean-Jacques Beineix)
4. Blind Chance (Krzyzstof Kieślowski)
5. Lola (Rainer Werner Fassbinder)

Performances:
1. Albert Brooks, Modern Romance
2. Jeff Bridges, Cutter's Way
3. John Heard, Cutter's Way
4. Marie Rivière, La Femme de l'aviateur
5. Barbara Sukowa, Lola

1981 movies I haven't seen but want to:

The Arabic Numerals Series (Stan Brakhage)
Freak Orlando (Ulrike Ottinger)
Ms. 45 (Abel Ferrara)
Pennies From Heaven (Herbert Ross)
Possession (Andrzej Żuławski)
Reds (Warren Beatty)
Thief (Michael Mann)
The Tragedy of a Ridiculous Man (Bernardo Bertolucci)
Trop tôt, trop tard (Danièle Huillet / Jean-Marie Straub)
You Are Not I (Sara Driver)

[Watashi]

1. Raiders of the Lost Ark
2. The Road Warrior
3. My Dinner with Andre
4. Gallipoli
5. Escape from New York

[Weeping_Guitar]

1. Raiders of the Lost Ark
2. Blow Out
3. The Woman Next Door
4. Das Boot
5. The Great Muppet Caper

[Mr. McGibblets]

One of my top years:


They All Laughed
Raiders of the Lost Ark
La Chevre
Blow Out
Reds

[Derek]

1. The Road Warrior (George Miller)
2. Southern Comfort (Walter Hill)
3. Raiders of the Lost Ark (Steven Spielberg)
4. Excalibur (John Boorman)
5. Blow Out (Brian De Palma)

HM: America is Waiting (Bruce Conner), Modern Romance (Albert Brooks), Scanners (David Cronenberg), Ms. 45 (Abel Ferrara), Possession (Andrzej Zulawski)

Will add perfs later.

[Derek]

One of my top years

Really?? You're the first person I've seen ever say this. There are certainly a few great films, but top to bottom, it's one of the weakest years ever IMO.

[Pop Trash]

Really?? You're the first person I've seen ever say this. There are certainly a few great films, but top to bottom, it's one of the weakest years ever IMO.

Yeah, '82 and even '80 are much better.

[elixir]

Can Rivette get some love, folks?

1. Le Pont du Nord (Jacques Rivette)
2. Merry-Go-Round (Jacques Rivette)
3. The Aviator's Wife (Eric Rohmer)
4. Possession (Andrzej Zulawski)
5. Lola (Rainer Werner Fassbinder)
----------
6. Hôtel des Amériques (André Téchiné)
7. The Territory (Raúl Ruiz)
8. Blow Out (Brian De Palma)
9. Raiders of the Lost Ark (Steven Spielberg)
10. Do You Remember Dolly Bell? (Emir Kusturica)


1. Isabelle Adjani, Possession
2. Joe Dallesandro, Merry-Go-Round
3. Bulle Ogier, Le Pont du Nord
4. Catherine Deneuve, Hôtel des Amériques
5. Anne-Laure Meury, The Aviator's Wife

[Mysterious Dude]

1. Reds
2. Pixote
3. Raiders of the Lost Ark
4. Time Bandits
5. Quest for Fire

1. Harrison Ford, Raiders of the Lost Ark
2. Karen Allen, Raiders of the Lost Ark
3. Klaus Maria Brandauer, Mephisto
4. Philippe Noiret, Coup de Torchon
5. Howard Rollins, Ragtime

[Boner M]

Can Rivette get some love, folks?

1. Le Pont du Nord (Jacques Rivette)
I had this as '82 in my film log... anyway, edited my top 5 accordingly.

EDIT: Nahhh, actually my top 5's fine.

[kopello]

1. Raiders of the Lost Ark
2. An American Werewolf in London
3. Vernon, Florida
4. Blow Out
5. Southern Comfort

[Derek]

EDIT: Nahhh, actually my top 5's fine.

Cold.

[elixir]

Especially 'cause it's, like, a bajillion times better than the massively overrated Brooks film...

[Boner M]

Especially 'cause it's, like, a bajillion times better than the massively overrated Brooks film...
Get off the ludes.

[Lazlo]

1. Raiders of the Lost Ark
2. Das Boot
3. Gallipoli
4. The Evil Dead
5. Escape From New York

[B-side]

[...] the massively overrated Brooks film...

Yeah.

[B-side]

1. Ms. 45 (Abel Ferrara)
2. The Territory (Raoul Ruiz)
3. Possession (Andrzej Zulawski)
4. Blow Out (Brian De Palma)
5. Raiders of the Lost Ark (Steven Spielberg)

1. Isabelle Adjani - Possession
2. John Travolta - Blow Out
3. Zoë Lund - Ms. 45
4. Albert Brooks - Modern Romance
5. James Caan - Thief

[Mr. McGibblets]

Really?? You're the first person I've seen ever say this. There are certainly a few great films, but top to bottom, it's one of the weakest years ever IMO.

Yeah, but that's with a qualification. Several years ago, when I first made lists of all the movies I'd seen, 1981 had by far the fewest films of any year on the list (I think it was 2 movies). So, to try to balance that, I've watched a comparatively large number of films that were supposed to be good from 1981 just because of the year they were released.

[Gamblor]

Is it okay for a new poster to participate in this immediately? If so:

1. Gregory's Girl (Bill Forsyth)
2. Sailor Suit and Machine Gun (Shinji Somai)
3. Possession (Andrzej Zulawski)
4. An American Werewolf in London (John Landis)
5. Raiders of the Lost Ark (Steven Spielberg)

1. Isabelle Adjani - Posession
2. Ian Charleson - Chariots of Fire
3. John Gordon Sinclair - Gregory's Girl
4. Claire Grogan - Gregory's Girl
5. Harrison Ford - Raiders of the Lost Ark

[Watashi]

Spengo?

[Gamblor]

Yeah.

[Watashi]

The Simpsons reference sealed it for me.

[Pop Trash]

Bout time we got some new blood up in this mother.

[Yum-Yum]

1. Mommie Dearest
2. Possession
3. Nightdreams (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qs5TSpW_Iho)
4. Polyester
5. Shock Treatment

1. Faye Dunaway, Mommie Dearest
2. Isabelle Adjani, Possession
3. Dorothy LeMay, Nightdreams
4. Divine, Polyester
5. Peter Bark (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-mqkpdB99VQ), Burial Ground: The Nights of Terror

[Llopin]

1. Muddy River
2. Man of Iron
3. Do You Remember Dolly Bell?
4. The Aviator's Wife
5. Cutting it Short


1. Hanna Schygulla, Lili Marleen
2. Boguslaw Linda, Blind Chance
3. Yuko Tanaka, Eijanaika
4. Yuen Biao, The Prodigal Son
5. Michael ironside, Scanners

[Dukefrukem]

1. Indiana Jones Raiders of the Lost Ark
2. Evil Dead
3. Mad Max 2: Road Warrior
4. Escape from New York
5. The Beyond

[StanleyK]

Films:

1. Raiders of the Lost Ark (Steven Spielberg)
2. Vernon, Florida (Errol Morris)
3. Possession (Andrzej Zulawski)
4. Escape from New York (John Carpenter)

Performances:

1. Isabelle Adjani (Possession)
2. Sam Neill (Possession)
3. Harrison Ford (Raiders of the Lost Ark)

[soitgoes...]

1. Raiders of the Lost Ark (Spielberg)
2. Muddy River (Oguri)
3. Das Boot (Petersen)
4. Reds (Beatty)
5. Blow Out (De Palma)

[B-side]

update your fucking sig, asshole

[Rowland]

I'm surprised to be the only person listing Thief, outside of a performance nod for Caan. Has it not been seen by many, or is simply not very well liked?

[Raiders]

1. Blow Out
2. Ms. 45
3. Possession
4. Southern Comfort
5. Pennies from Heaven

6. Raiders of the Lost Ark
7. The Aviator's Wife
8. Gallipoli
9. Excalibur
10. The Road Warrior
11. Pixote
12. Do You Remember Dolly Bell?

Performances:
1. Isabelle Adjani, Possession
2. Marie Riviere, The Aviator's Wife
3. Zoe Lund, Ms. 45
4. Wallace Shawn, My Dinner with Andre
5. Sam Neill, Possession

[Thirdmango]

Don't think I'll get another 81 movie in before this is over.

1. The Great Muppet Caper
2. Escape From New York
3. Time Bandits
4. Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior
5. Raiders of the Lost Ark

[B-side]

I'm surprised to be the only person listing Thief, outside of a performance nod for Caan. Has it not been seen by many, or is simply not very well liked?

I considered listing it, but it's been a while since I've seen it and I'm unsure how strongly I'd feel about it now.

[Boner M]

I considered listing it, but it's been a while since I've seen it and I'm unsure how strongly I'd feel about it now.
Me too. The only thing I remember is the infamous Robert Prosky monologue.

btw, B-Side/elixir, you should watch Modern Romance again. I thought it was OK upon first viewing a few years ago, but a recent rewatch confirmed its brilliance.

[Pop Trash]

btw, B-Side/elixir, you should watch Modern Romance again. I thought it was OK upon first viewing a few years ago, but a recent rewatch confirmed its brilliance.

Along with Sarah Marshall/Eternal Sunshine, it forms the sad-sack dumpee trifecta for the ages.

[B-side]

Sarah Marshall's pretty mediocre, too. Eternal Sunshine is still great, though.

[baby doll]

Along with Sarah Marshall/Eternal Sunshine, it forms the sad-sack dumpee trifecta for the ages.Except that here the dumpee is borderline psychotic. Also, it has Super Dave Osbourne ("You're gonna run broke?").

[EyesWideOpen]

1. An American Werewolf in London
2. My Dinner with Andre
3. Clash of the Titans
4. Samurai Reincarnation
5. The Evil Dead

Pretty lame year.

[Thirdmango]

9 (Tie). Southern Comfort

http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d185/thirdmango/Match-Cut/9southern-comfort-boothe.jpg


I found the first half or so of this pretty grating, but it picks up considerably once the focus shifts from the badly written assholes walking circles in a thicket to the brilliantly orchestrated set pieces of the second half.

-- Rowland


Southern Comfort's final ten minutes are some of the most nerve-wrecking I've ever seen.

What a great film.

-- EvilShoe

[Thirdmango]

9 (Tie). Modern Romance

http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d185/thirdmango/Match-Cut/9ModernRomance1981.jpg


The first 45 minutes of Modern Romance are amazing since that's basically the early 80s version of my life a few months ago. Holy smokes did Albert Brooks nail a break-up. The rest of the movie is very good too but I mostly like that first half.

Pop Trash


you should watch Modern Romance again. I thought it was OK upon first viewing a few years ago, but a recent rewatch confirmed its brilliance.

Boner M

[Thirdmango]

8. Escape From New York

http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d185/thirdmango/Match-Cut/8escape-from-new-york1.jpg


Similarly in the post-apocalyptic spectrum Escape from New York is cheesy (although a hell of a lot of fun)

Qrazy


Also this week I watched for the first time Escape From New York and it was way better then Terminator.

Thirdmango

[Thirdmango]

7. An American Werewolf in London

http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d185/thirdmango/Match-Cut/7americanwerewolfjack.jpg


An American Werewolf in London is surprising for not being the straight-up yuk-fest I was anticipating from a John Landis flick, instead playing relatively straight compared to the campy satire of Joe Dante's only marginally effective and largely inferior The Howling. It's shot and edited with some real vigor, the horror set pieces in particular being notably punchy, and the whole of it is infused with an affecting melancholy that enhances its understated playfulness. The werewolf effects are sometimes a letdown however, and the ending feels oddly tossed off, or perhaps unearned in its nihilistic sentimentality, though I'm not sure how else it could have ended.

Rowland


It's (American Werewolf) one of the most creatively constructed and orchestrated mainstream horror films ever made. The narrative structure is odd, the tone is bizarre, and it's just damn weird movie - and yet everything works. When people say "they don't make them like they used to" they're talking about films like this. The entire opening sequence with the main characters walking across the moors is fantastic; I love how the horror is a slow build.

D_Davis

[Thirdmango]

6. Das Boot

http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d185/thirdmango/Match-Cut/6das-boot-tv-tipps-kw-111.jpg


Das Boot(1981) is utterly fantastic. Despite its immense running time, the movie simply flies by. Highly engaging, and I noted that it makes you sympathize with the characters, even though they are sailors on a German U-Boat during WW II. I'm still collecting my thoughts on it, but I like this a great deal.

MadMan

[Thirdmango]

5. Ms. 45

http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d185/thirdmango/Match-Cut/5ms45.jpg




Another bullet fired directly into the heart of the long-dead-but-somehow-still-living debate over whether exploitation movies can be art. This is as sleazy as movies outside of the Sleaze Decade get, and it even gives some 70s movies a run for their money in the sleaze dept.

And yet, it's also a resonant picture of the struggles every woman faces just by leaving the house - it reminded me a lot of Roman Polanski's Repulsion, actually. The lead performance from Zoë Tamerlis is a master class in silent acting, and the ending is a truly hilarious quasi-non-sequitur.

Barring a couple jarring broad comedy elements that belong in a much lighter movie and not this dark revenge thriller, Ms. 45 may be a masterpiece.


- some guy named Joe on letterboxd

(I couldn't find anyone saying anything on this site about this movie)

[Thirdmango]

4. Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior

http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d185/thirdmango/Match-Cut/4rwmax1.jpg


The Road Warrior feels a bit more typically post-apocalytpic - that its sense of lawlessness hit me harder. If I was living in that world, I'd probably be on edge the entire time of my existence, looking over my shoulder.

Morris Schaeffer

[Thirdmango]

3. Blow Out

http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d185/thirdmango/Match-Cut/3blowout.jpg


Blow Out - Another brilliant pastiche from De Palma, always entertaining.

Grouchy


Now watch Blow Out and witness the playful ingenuity of De Palma's variations.

Sven


I never said I disliked Blow Out.

Qrazy

[Thirdmango]

2. Possession

http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d185/thirdmango/Match-Cut/2possession-1981.jpg


Possession (1981) breaks the "Completely fucked up meter" and then some. I will admit I'm not sure what the ending even means, but most of the film was greatly disturbing and quite powerful emotionally.

MadMan

[Thirdmango]

1. Raiders of the Lost Ark

http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d185/thirdmango/Match-Cut/1raiders-of-the-lost-ark-imax.jpg


Rewatched Raiders of the Lost Ark today. Still holds up beautifully, but my God, the editing during that truck sequence is just jaw-dropping.

Watashi


I actually just watched Raiders of the Lost Ark. I admit I'm not the biggest adventure/action person in the world, but I was totally thrilled by it. The set-pieces are so masterful and the storytelling was so well done that I couldn't help but enjoy it. And I didn't mind knowing some of the iconic scenes beforehand, though to be honest I didn't even know how it ended before I started.

Please tell me I'm not the only one who laughed when that guy in Cairo gets ready to fight Indy, and then he just pulls out a gun and shoots him.

elixer

[Thirdmango]

Stats:

26 People participated
49 movies were voted for
24 movies received more then one vote

Movies which got two or more votes:

1. Raiders of the Lost Ark - 75.5
2. Possession - 36
3. Blow Out - 30
4. Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior - 23
5. Ms. 45 - 21.5
6. Das Boot - 18.5
7. An American Werewolf in London - 17.5
8. Escape from New York - 15
9. Modern Romance - 13
9. Southern Comfort - 13
Gallipoli - 11.5
Vernon, Florida - 11
My Dinner with Andre - 10.5
Reds - 10.5
Polyester - 9.5
The Evil Dead - 9.5
Muddy River - 9
The Great Muppet Caper - 7.5
Mommie Dearest - 7.5
The Aviator's Wife - 6.5
Time Bandits - 6.5
The French Lieutenant's Woman - 6
Diva - 6
Lola - 5

4 Years ago:

1. Raiders of the Lost Ark 91
2. Das Boot 33
3. Blow Out 30.5
4. The Road Warrior 29
5. Escape from New York 22
6. Time Bandits 21.5
7t. An American Werewolf in London 17.5
7t. Gallipoli 17.5
9. The Evil Dead 15.5
10. Diva 14

Near misses:
The French Lieutenant’s Woman 11.5
Reds 11
Modern Romance 10.5

If someone wants to do performances they are welcome.

[Boner M]

(I couldn't find anyone saying anything on this site about this movie)
*cough* (http://match-cut.org/showpost.php?p=134362&postcount=23825)

Prolly cos the title doesn't work in the search engine.

[Thirdmango]

Prolly cos the title doesn't work in the search engine.

That is exactly why, it wouldn't show up in the search.

[Mysterious Dude]

How did Possession go from not-even-placing to number 2? Did you all download it at the same time?

[Derek]

How did Possession go from not-even-placing to number 2? Did you all download it at the same time?

New print toured plus, I believe, a new DVD release.

But I'm pretty sure most people here KG'd it.

[Melville]

*cough* (http://match-cut.org/showpost.php?p=134362&postcount=23825)
Here's another. (http://www.match-cut.org/showthread.php?p=195096#post19 5096)

Cool list. I didn't realize Possession had become so well loved on here.

[Pop Trash]

Possession is probably one of the biggest "old film/new cult" movies of the past few years. I worked in a video store between '04 and '07 and it specialized in foreign/cult/indie films and I barely remember hearing about it at all at that time.

[Russ]

First time I ever heard of Possession was when Winston offered it up to me in one of the old film swap threads. I couldn't find it at the time, and he had to substitute Silent Hill in its place, but I kept Possession on my "must acquire" list. It quickly paid off. And I've raved about it in this forum ever since.

So, thanks to Winston!

[Thirdmango]

This week I had been considering looking it up, I should have checked karagara.