The Best Films of the '80s
- Episode aired Nov 11, 1989
- TV-PG
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- Alternate versionsRe-aired on March 31, 1990 with a new "next episode" teaser.
Featured review
A look back at a look back
Film critics Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert present and defend their top 10 lists for the entire decade.
Roger's choices:
10. House of Games
9. Platoon
8. Mississippi Burning
7. Ran
6. Raiders of the Lost Ark
5. My Dinner With Andre
4. Do The Right Thing
3. ET
2. The Right Stuff
1. Raging Bull
Gene's choices:
10. Kagemusha
9. Sid And Nancy
8. Moonlighting
7. Once Upon a Time In America
6. Do The RIght Thing
5. Who Framed Roger Rabbit
4. My Dinner with Andre
3. The Right Stuff
2. Shoah
1. Raging Bull
The show discusses the top 5 picks of both, and because of shared selections, this is a discussion of only six films. Looking back on what these two generally liked, there were some surprises, such as Roger Ebert picking ET. Usually Roger would roll his eyes when he confronts such blatant emotional manipulation, but for some reason, not this time. From what I remember about both, I would have thought that ET would be on Siskel's list and Shoah, a nine plus hour documentary on the Holocaust, would be on Ebert's, but it is actually vice versa. It is interesting that both had Raging Bull as the best film of the 1980's if just because it was made at the very beginning of the decade. In fact, it looks much more like 1970's filmmaking than it does 80s filmmaking. Thus it is no surprise that both remark that 80s filmmaking seemed like a step down in film making from the 1970s, so their choice would make sense from that standpoint.
Roger's choices:
10. House of Games
9. Platoon
8. Mississippi Burning
7. Ran
6. Raiders of the Lost Ark
5. My Dinner With Andre
4. Do The Right Thing
3. ET
2. The Right Stuff
1. Raging Bull
Gene's choices:
10. Kagemusha
9. Sid And Nancy
8. Moonlighting
7. Once Upon a Time In America
6. Do The RIght Thing
5. Who Framed Roger Rabbit
4. My Dinner with Andre
3. The Right Stuff
2. Shoah
1. Raging Bull
The show discusses the top 5 picks of both, and because of shared selections, this is a discussion of only six films. Looking back on what these two generally liked, there were some surprises, such as Roger Ebert picking ET. Usually Roger would roll his eyes when he confronts such blatant emotional manipulation, but for some reason, not this time. From what I remember about both, I would have thought that ET would be on Siskel's list and Shoah, a nine plus hour documentary on the Holocaust, would be on Ebert's, but it is actually vice versa. It is interesting that both had Raging Bull as the best film of the 1980's if just because it was made at the very beginning of the decade. In fact, it looks much more like 1970's filmmaking than it does 80s filmmaking. Thus it is no surprise that both remark that 80s filmmaking seemed like a step down in film making from the 1970s, so their choice would make sense from that standpoint.
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- AlsExGal
- Feb 19, 2022
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