And here we go!

This is the nominations thread for the third portion of The Great Movie Tournament (third of ten) where we'll nominate and second our favorite movies for the decade of the 1980s (from 1980 to 1989). For our purposes, an eligible film must be a feature narrative film (no short films or documentaries) and its first release date must be between January 1, 1980 and December 31, 1989 according to IMDb (sometimes films will premiere at festivals one year but have a wide release the following year; we'll use the IMDb and Wikipedia convention of the year of initial exhibition).

Participation is very much encouraged and extremely welcomed, but please do follow these guidelines for this nomination process (subject to adjustment):
  • You can nominate one film per post, and you can nominate another film after five other members have made their nominations.
  • You can second one film per post, and you can second another film after two other members have made their seconds.
  • If possible, please include a trailer and/or a scene from the film using Spoiler tags (this version and delete the s in https for YouTube links when embedding a video, making sure to use the full URL from the address bar, not the sharing link).
  • Nominations can also be optionally accompanied by year of release and director.

Once 256 nominated films have been seconded, the tournament will begin, following the structure shown below (an overall event overview thread is posted with links to all the polls so members can easily navigate during the tournament). Each poll will be open for 7 days and any tiebreaker polls will be open for 4 days.
  • Round 1: 32 groups of 8 titles - top 6 move on
  • Round 2: 32 groups of 6 titles - top 4 move on
  • Round 3: 32 groups of 4 titles - top 2 move on
  • Round 4: 16 groups of 4 titles - top 2 move on
  • Round 5: 16 groups of 2 titles - top 1 moves on
  • Octofinals: 8 groups of 2 titles - top 1 moves on
  • Quarterfinals: 4 groups of 2 titles - top 1 moves on
  • Semifinals: 2 groups of 2 titles - top 1 moves on
  • Final: 1 group of 2 titles - top 1 is the winner

This post will be updated with the list of nominated and seconded titles as they come in. You can also keep up to date with this handy Google Sheet.

Enjoy and have fun!

List of seconded films:
  1. Grave of the Fireflies (1988), dir. Isao Takahata
  2. The Terminator (1984), dir. James Cameron
  3. Do the Right Thing (1989), dir. Spike Lee
  4. Spaceballs (1987), dir. Mel Brooks
  5. Blade Runner (1982), dir. Ridley Scott
  6. Amadeus (1984), dir. Miloš Forman
  7. Heathers (1988), dir. Michael Lehmann
  8. The Shining (1980), dir. Stanley Kubrick
  9. Ran (1985), dir. Akira Kurosawa
  10. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), dir. Steven Spielberg
  11. The Killer (1989), dir. John Woo
  12. Wings of Desire (1987), dir. Wim Wenders
  13. The Thing (1982), dir. John Carpenter
  14. Aliens (1986), dir. James Cameron
  15. Die Hard (1988), dir. John McTiernan
  16. Full Metal Jacket (1987), dir. Stanley Kubrick
  17. The Empire Strikes Back (1980), dir. Irvin Kershner
  18. Beetlejuice (1988), dir. Tim Burton
  19. Ordinary People (1980), dir. Robert Redford
  20. Ghostbusters (1984), dir. Ivan Reitman
  21. Back to the Future (1985), dir. Robert Zemeckis
  22. Stand by Me (1986), dir. Rob Reiner
  23. The Untouchables (1987), dir. Brian De Palma
  24. Vagabond (1985), dir. Agnès Varda
  25. The Breakfast Club (1985), dir. John Hughes
  26. Raging Bull (1980), dir. Martin Scorsese
  27. Das Boot (1981), dir. Wolfgang Petersen
  28. After Hours (1985), dir. Martin Scorsese
  29. Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982). dir. Amy Heckerling
  30. The Princess Bride (1987), dir. Rob Reiner
  31. The Fly (1986), dir. David Cronenberg
  32. Labyrinth (1986), dir. Jim Henson
  33. Dead Poets Society (1989), dir. Peter Weir
  34. E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial (1982), dir. Steven Spielberg
  35. A Christmas Story (1983), dir. Bob Clark
  36. Blue Velvet (1986), dir. David Lynch
  37. Kiki's Delivery Service (1989), dir. Hayao Miyazaki
  38. Lethal Weapon (1987), dir. Richard Donner
  39. Santa Sangre (1989), dir. Alejandro Jodorowsky
  40. Scarface (1983), dir. Brian De Palma
  41. The Abyss (1989), dir. James Cameron
  42. Wall Street (1987), dir. Oliver Stone
  43. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984), dir. Steven Spielberg
  44. An American Werewolf in London (1981), dir. John Landis
  45. Beverly Hills Cop (1984), dir. Martin Brest
  46. The Goonies (1985), dir. Richard Donner
  47. Superman II (1980), dir. Richard Lester
  48. Au Revoir les Enfants (1987), dir. Louis Malle
  49. A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984), dir. Wes Craven
  50. Return of the Jedi (1983), dir. Richard Marquand
  51. Raising Arizona (1987), dir. Joel Coen
  52. Robocop (1987), dir. Paul Verhoeven
  53. Top Gun (1986), dir. Tony Scott
  54. Field of Dreams (1989), dir. Phil Alden Robinson
  55. Airplane! (1980), dir. David and Jerry Zucker and Jim Abrahams
  56. Koyaanisqatsi (1982), dir. Godfrey Reggio
  57. Dirty Dancing (1987), dir. Emile Ardolino
  58. The Elephant Man (1980), dir. David Lynch
  59. Mad Max 2 (1981), dir. George Miller
  60. Evil Dead II (1987), dir. Sam Raimi
  61. The Lost Boys (1987), dir. Joel Schumacher
  62. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989), dir. Steven Spielberg
  63. This is Spinal Tap (1984), dir. Rob Reiner
  64. Platoon (1986), dir. Oliver Stone
  65. Hannah and Her Sisters (1986), dir. Woody Allen
  66. Batman (1989), dir. Tim Burton
  67. National Lampoon's Vacation (1983), dir. Harold Ramis
  68. Come and See (1985), dir. Elem Klimov
  69. Gremlins (1984), dir. Joe Dante
  70. Rain Man (1988), dir. Barry Levinson
  71. National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989), dir. Jeremiah S. Chechik
  72. The Wall (1982), dir. Alan Parker
  73. Predator (1987), dir. John McTiernan
  74. Opera (1987), dir. Dario Argento
  75. Cinema Paradiso (1988), dir. Giuseppe Tornatore
  76. Child's Play (1988), dir. Tom Holland
  77. Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988), dir. Robert Zemeckis
  78. Commando (1985), dir. Mark L. Lester
  79. The Evil Dead (1981), dir. Sam Raimi
  80. Brazil (1985), dir. Terry Gilliam
  81. Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1987), dir. John Hughes
  82. Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986), dir. John Hughes
  83. The Karate Kid (1984), dir. John G. Avildsen
  84. The Color Purple (1982), dir. Steven Spielberg
  85. Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989), dir. Stephen Herek
  86. Tootsie (1982), dir. Sydney Pollack
  87. Ms .45 (1981), dir. Abel Ferrara
  88. Big (1988), dir. Penny Marshall
  89. The Vanishing (1988), dir. George Sluizer
  90. Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984), dir. Hayao Miyazaki
  91. Some Kind of Wonderful (1987), dir. Howard Deutch
  92. Wargames (1983), dir. John Badham
  93. Legend (1985), dir. Ridley Scott
  94. The Seventh Continent (1989), dir. Michael Haneke
  95. Caddyshack (1980), dir. Harold Ramis
  96. Pale Rider (1985), dir. Clint Eastwood
  97. Coming to America (1988), dir. John Landis
  98. Poltergeist (1982), dir. Tobe Hooper
  99. The Neverending Story (1984), dir. Wolfgang Peterson
  100. Glory (1989), dir. Edward Zwick
  101. The Blues Brothers (1980), dir. John Landis
  102. Teen Wolf (1985), dir. Rod Daniel
  103. Rocky IV (1985), dir. Sylvester Stallone
  104. Clue (1985), dir. Jonathan Lynn
  105. The King of Comedy (1982), dir. Martin Scorsese
  106. Big Trouble in Little China (1986), dir. John Carpenter
  107. Escape from New York (1981), dir. John Carpenter
  108. Once Upon a Time in America (1984), dir. Sergio Leone
  109. My Neighbor Totoro (1988), dir. Hayao Miyazaki
  110. When Harry Met Sally (1989), dir. Rob Reiner
  111. Funny Farm (1988), dir. George Roy Hill
  112. Weird Science (1985), dir. John Hughes
  113. Back to the Future Part II (1989), dir. Robert Zemeckis
  114. Desperately Seeking Susan (1985), dir. Susan Seidelman
  115. They Live (1988), dir. John Carpenter
  116. The Naked Gun (1988), dir. David Zucker
  117. Angel Heart (1987), dir. Alan Parker
  118. Trading Places (1983), dir. John Landis
  119. The 'Burbs (1989), dir. Joe Dante
  120. Pretty in Pink (1986), dir. Howard Deutch
  121. Short Circuit (1986), dir. John Badham
  122. A Fish Called Wanda (1988), dir. Charles Crichton
  123. See No Evil, Hear No Evil (1989), dir. Arthur Hiller
  124. The Running Man (1987), dir. Paul Michael Glaser
  125. The Dead Zone (1983), dir. David Cronenberg
  126. Porky's (1981), dir. Bob Clark
  127. Videodrome (1983), dir. David Cronenberg
  128. Three Amigos (1986), dir. John Landis
  129. Red Dawn (1984), dir. John Milius
  130. Steel Magnolias (1989), dir. Herbert Ross
  131. Creepshow (1982), dir. George A. Romero
  132. Tenebre (1982), dir. Dario Argento
  133. Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean (1982), dir. Robert Altman
  134. Fanny and Alexander (1982), dir. Ingmar Bergman
  135. The Little Mermaid (1989), dir. Ron Clements and John Musker
  136. Lucas (1986), dir. David Seltzer
  137. To Live and Die in LA (1985), dir. William Friedkin
  138. Uncle Buck (1989), dir. John Hughes
  139. Willow (1988), dir. Ron Howard
  140. Akira (1988). dir. Katsuhiro Otomo
  141. Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985), dir. George P. Cosmatos
  142. Possession (1981), dir. Andrzej Żuławski
  143. Risky Business (1983), dir. Paul Brickman
  144. A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987), dir. Chuck Russell
  145. Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989), dir. Woody Allen
  146. Summer School (1987), dir. Carl Reiner
  147. First Blood (1982), dir. Ted Kotcheff
  148. The Last Starfighter (1984), dir. Nick Castle
  149. Midnight Run (1988), dir. Martin Brest
  150. Good Morning, Vietnam (1987), dir. Barry Levinson
  151. Just One of the Guys (1985), dir. Lisa Gottlieb
  152. Conan the Barbarian (1982), dir. John Milius
  153. Terms of Endearment (1986), dir. James L. Brooks
  154. Flashdance (1983), dir. Adrian Lyne
  155. The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover (1989), dir. Peter Greenaway
  156. The Bear (1988), dir. Jean-Jacques Annaud
  157. Born on the Fourth of July (1989), dir. Oliver Stone
  158. Re-Animator (1985), dir. Stuart Gordon
  159. Broadcast News (1987), dir. James L. Brooks
  160. Clash of the Titans (1981), dir. Desmond Davies
  161. St. Elmo's Fire (1985), dir. Joel Schumacher
  162. Rocky III (1982), dir. Sylvester Stallone
  163. Time Bandits (1981), dir. Terry Gilliam
  164. Scrooged (1988), dir. Richard Donner
  165. The Secret of NIMH (1982), dir. Don Bluth
  166. 9½ Weeks (1986), dir. Adrian Lyne
  167. The Name of the Rose (1986), dir. Jean-Jacques Annaud
  168. Christine (1983), dir. John Carpenter
  169. Scanners (1981), dir. David Cronenberg
  170. Splash (1984), dir. Ron Howard
  171. Overboard (1987), dir. Garry Marshall
  172. Valley Girl (1983), dir. Martha Coolidge
  173. Nostalghia (1983), dir. Andrei Tarkovsky
  174. Twins (1988), dir. Ivan Reitman
  175. Sixteen Candles (1984), dir. John Hughes
  176. Drugstore Cowboy (1989), dir. Gus Van Sant
  177. The Dark Crystal (1982), dir. Jim Henson and Frank Oz
  178. Excalibur (1981), dir. John Boorman
  179. Little Shop of Horrors (1986), dir. Frank Oz
  180. An Officer and a Gentleman (1982), dir. Taylor Hackford
  181. Fatal Attraction (1987), dir. Adrian Lyne
  182. The Outsiders (1983), dir. Francis Ford Coppola
  183. The Last Unicorn (1982). dir. Arthur Rankin Jr. and Jules Bass
  184. Better Off Dead (1985), dir. Savage Steve Holland
  185. The Big Chill (1983), dir. Lawrence Kasdan
  186. The Verdict (1982), dir. Sidney Lumet
  187. The Blob (1988), dir. Chuck Russell
  188. Bull Durham (1988), dir. Ron Shelton
  189. Sudden Impact (1983), dir. Clint Eastwood
  190. The Unbearable Lightness of Being (1988), dir. Philip Kaufman
  191. The Hunger (1983), dir. Tony Scott
  192. Sex, Lies, and Videotape (1989), dir. Steven Soderbergh
  193. For Your Eyes Only (1981), dir. John Glen
  194. Romancing the Stone (1984), dir. Robert Zemeckis
  195. Body Double (1984), dir. Brian De Palma
  196. Police Academy (1984), dir. Hugh Wilson
  197. Footloose (1984), dir. Herbert Ross
  198. Moonstruck (1987), dir. Norman Jewison
  199. Friday the 13th (1980), dir. Sean S. Cunningham
  200. My Left Foot (1989), dir. Jim Sheridan
  201. The Killing Fields (1984), dir. Roland Joffé
  202. An American Tail (1986), dir. Don Bluth
  203. Bloodsport (1988), dir. Newt Arnold
  204. Fitzcarraldo (1982), dir. Werner Herzog
  205. Innerspace (1987), dir. Joe Dante
  206. Highlander (1986), dir. Russell Mulcahy
  207. Blood Simple (1984), dir. Joel Coen
  208. A Better Tomorrow (1986), dir. John Woo
  209. House of Games (1987), dir. David Mamet
  210. The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985), dir. Woody Allen
  211. Withnail and I (1987), dir. Bruce Robinson
  212. Paris, Texas (1984), dir. Wim Wenders
  213. The Last Temptation of Christ (1988), dir. Martin Scorsese
  214. The Blue Lagoon (1980), dir. Randal Kleiser
  215. Weekend at Bernie's (1989), dir. Ted Kotcheff
  216. Say Anything (1989), dir. Cameron Crowe
  217. Castle in the Sky (1986), dir. Hayao Miyazaki
  218. Pet Sematary (1989), dir. Mary Lambert
  219. Lethal Weapon 2 (1989), dir. Richard Donner
  220. Beverly Hills Cop II (1987), dir. Tony Scott
  221. Honey, I Shrunk the Kids (1989), dir. Joe Johnston
  222. The Hitcher (1986), dir. Robert Harmon
  223. Children of a Lesser God (1986), dir. Randa Haines
  224. Taps (1981), dir. Harold Becker
  225. Monty Python's The Meaning of Life (1983), dir. Terry Jones
  226. The Land Before Time (1988), dir. Don Bluth
  227. Top Secret! (1984), dir. David and Jerry Zucker and Jim Abrahams
  228. Gallipoli (1981), dir. Peter Weir
  229. Major League (1989), dir. David S. Ward
  230. The Witches of Eastwick (1987), dir. George Miller
  231. Blow Out (1981), dir. Brian De Palma
  232. Elvira: Mistress of the Dark (1988), dir. James Signorelli
  233. Xanadu (1980), dir. Robert Greenwald
  234. Dead Ringers (1988), dir. David Cronenberg
  235. 9 to 5 (1980), dir. Colin Higgins
  236. Ladyhawke (1985), dir. Richard Donner
  237. 48 Hrs. (1982), dir. Walter Hill
  238. Real Genius (1985), dir. Martha Coolidge
  239. Hairspray (1988), dir. John Waters
  240. Revenge of the Nerds (1984), dir. Jeff Kanew
  241. Police Story (1985); dir. Jackie Chan
  242. Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (1988), dir. Frank Oz
  243. Witness (1985), dir. Peter Weir
  244. Driving Miss Daisy (1989), dir. Bruce Beresford
  245. Working Girl (1988), dir. Mike Nichols
  246. Stripes (1981), dir. Ivan Reitman
  247. The Last Emperor (1987), dir. Bernardo Bertolucci
  248. Near Dark (1987), dir. Kathryn Bigelow
  249. Tron (1982), dir. Steven Lisberger
  250. Manhunter (1986), dir. Michael Mann
  251. Night Shift (1982), dir. Ron Howard
  252. Kickboxer (1989), dir. Mark di Salle and David Worth
  253. Cocoon (1985), dir. Ron Howard
  254. Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1986), dir. John McNaughton
  255. The Toxic Avenger (1984), dir. Michael Herz and Lloyd Kaufman
  256. Turner & Hooch (1989), dir. Roger Spottiswoode

List of films not seconded:
  1. The Fourth Man (1983), dir. Paul Verhoeven
  2. Local Hero (1983), dir. Bill Forsyth
  3. The Fox and the Hound (1981), dir. Ted Berman, Richard Rich and Art Stevens
  4. The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension (1984), dir. W. D. Richter
  5. Desert Hearts (1985), dir. Donna Deitch
  6. UHF (1989), dir. Jay Levey
  7. Suburbia (1983), dir. Penelope Spheeris
  8. Something Wild (1986), dir. Jonathan Demme
  9. Kiss of the Spider Woman (1985), dir. Héctor Babenco
  10. No Holds Barred (1989), dir. Thomas J. Wright
  11. Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (1988), dir. Pedro Almodóvar
  12. Atlantic City (1980), dir. Louis Malle
  13. The Muppets Take Manhattan (1984), dir. Frank Oz
  14. Down by Law (1986), dir. Jim Jarmusch
  15. A Passage to India (1984), dir. David Lean
  16. Yentl (1983), dir. Barbra Streisand
  17. The Secret of My Success (1987), dir. Herbert Ross
  18. Cat People (1982), dir. Paul Schrader
  19. Diner (1982), dir. Barry Levinson
  20. American Gigolo (1980), dir. Paul Schrader
  21. Bad Timing (1980), dir. Nicolas Roeg
  22. Summer Rental (1985), dir. Carl Reiner
  23. Pee-wee's Big Adventure (1985), dir. Tim Burton
  24. Dragonslayer (1981), dir. Matthew Robbins
  25. Quest for Fire (1981), dir. Jean-Jacques Annaud
  26. Threads (1984), dir. Mick Jackson
  27. Victor/Victoria (1982), dir. Blake Edwards
  28. Fame (1980), dir. Alan Parker
  29. The Quiet Earth (1985), dir. Geoff Murphy
  30. Blue Thunder (1983), dir. John Badham
  31. Three Men and a Baby (1987), dir. Leonard Nimoy
  32. Diva (1981), dir. Jean-Jacques Beineix
  33. Moscow on the Hudson (1984), dir. Paul Mazursky
  34. Tetsuo: The Iron Man (1989), dir. Shinya Tsukamoto
  35. Alien Nation (1988), dir. Graham Baker
  36. Ragtime (1981), dir. Miloš Forman
  37. The Big Blue (1988), dir. Luc Besson
  38. Savage Streets (1984), dir. Danny Steinmann
  39. Mask (1985), dir. Peter Bogdanovich
  40. Monster Squad (1987), dir. Fred Dekker
  41. The Transformers: The Movie (1986), dir. Nelson Shin
  42. Pixote (1980), dir. Héctor Babenco
  43. The Year of Living Dangerously (1982), dir. Peter Weir
  44. Purple Rain (1984), dir. Albert Magnoli
  45. Short Circuit 2 (1988), dir. Kenneth Johnson
  46. Mystic Pizza (1988), dir. Donald Petrie
  47. Barefoot Gen (1983), dir. Mori Masaki
  48. A Room with a View (1985), dir. James Ivory
  49. Maximum Overdrive (1986), dir. Stephen King


Quote Originally Posted by mae View Post
I've done this before, but here are some nice links just as food for thought kinda thing: