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I have been thinking about doing this for awhile.  

Given that we are heavily Gen X (b. 1965-1980) on this board, I think this is the perfect venue for this.  

OFFICIAL 1980's MOVIE TOURNAMENT
I'm putting together a 64-movie NCAA-style tournament to determine:
This is not necessarily a tournament to determine the best movie.
It isn't about Oscars, critics, box-office totals, or which film was the greatest work of cinema.
The question is:
The movies were selected using things like:

• How strongly the movie feels like the 80's
• Staying power
• Cultural recognition
• Quotability
• Soundtrack
• HBO, cable, and VHS replay value
• Memorable characters and scenes
• Whether hearing the title instantly takes you back to the decade

Movies actually set in the 1980's received a major advantage. Movies set in another historical period generally did not make the field, even if they were released during the decade.
Franchises are generally limited to one representative so the bracket isn't overloaded with sequels.
The tournament will include:

• 64 movies
• Four regions
• Seeds from 1 through 16
• Head-to-head voting
• Sweet 16
• Elite Eight
• Final Four
• Championship

Some of the movies in the field include:

• Ghostbusters
• Back to the Future
• The Karate Kid
• Top Gun
• Ferris Bueller's Day Off
• Die Hard
• Batman
• Beetlejuice
• Predator
• Lethal Weapon
• The Lost Boys
• Planes, Trains and Automobiles
• Christmas Vacation
• Road House
• Big
• The Terminator
• Beverly Hills Cop
• Gremlins
• Police Academy
• WarGames
• Trading Places
• Mr. Mom
• Fast Times at Ridgemont High
• Revenge of the Nerds
• Weird Science
• Short Circuit
• Coming to America
• Spaceballs
• The Princess Bride
• Scrooged
• Weekend at Bernie's
• Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure

The complete bracket and first-round matchups will be posted next.
Once voting begins, choose the movie that is more 80's—not simply the movie you think is better.

I will be posting up the full 64 field of teams in the next post.  Please refrain from making suggestions until I have the whole field up.  And if there is an unforgettable movie that I somehow missed, let me know and we'll see what we can do.  I just made this list from my own experiences, being born smack dab in the middle of Gen X (1975).  

When voting begins, don't vote for the movie you think is better.
Vote for the movie that is MORE 80's.
Game on.

First Up:  

🕹️ Atari Region
(1) Ghostbusters (1984)
vs.
(16) Better Off Dead (1985)

---

(8) Trading Places (1983)
vs.
(9) Major League (1989)

---

(5) Gremlins (1984)
vs.
(12) Short Circuit (1986)

---

(4) Beverly Hills Cop (1984)
vs.
(13) Real Genius (1985)

---

(6) Police Academy (1984)
vs.
(11) Innerspace (1987)

---

(3) WarGames (1983)
vs.
(14) One Crazy Summer (1986)

---

(7) Revenge of the Nerds (1984)
vs.
(10) Mr. Mom (1983)

---

(2) Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986)
vs.
(15) Look Who's Talking (1989)

🚘 DeLorean Region
(1) Back to the Future (1985)
vs.
(16) Monster Squad (1987)

---

(8) The Princess Bride (1987)
vs.
(9) Weekend at Bernie's (1989)

---

(5) Beetlejuice (1988)
vs.
(12) Stripes (1981)

---

(4) Predator (1987)
vs.
(13) Honey, I Shrunk the Kids (1989)

---

(6) Spaceballs (1987)
vs.
(11) Cocktail (1988)

---

(3) The Terminator (1984)
vs.
(14) Turner & Hooch (1989)

---

(7) Scrooged (1988)
vs.
(10) Flight of the Navigator (1986)

---

(2) Die Hard (1988)
vs.
(15) Adventures in Babysitting (1987)

Before you ask, I know w have some Notable Omissions.  

A few people are probably going to ask why some all-time classic movies aren't in the tournament.
The answer is simple:
This isn't a tournament to determine the greatest movies of the 1980's.
It's a tournament to determine the movie that is the MOST 80's.
A couple of examples...
Star Wars
Yes, The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi were released during the 1980's.
However, Star Wars belongs to a galaxy far, far away. The movies aren't rooted in 1980's culture, fashion, music, technology, or everyday life. They're timeless science-fiction adventures that could exist outside of any decade.
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Another incredible film, but it takes place primarily in the 1930's.
The same logic applies to movies like Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. They're fantastic adventure movies, but they don't really capture what it was like to live in the 1980's.
The Rule
Whenever possible, movies that were actually set in the 1980's received a significant advantage.
High schools. Shopping malls. Arcades. Boom boxes. MTV. Walkmans. Big hair. Neon. Station wagons.
Those things are part of what this tournament is celebrating.
That doesn't necessarily make those movies better than Star Wars or Raiders.
It just makes them more 80's.

Movies actually set in the 1980's received a major advantage. Movies set in another historical period generally did not make the field, even if they were released during the decade.
Franchises are generally limited to one representative so the bracket isn't overloaded with sequels.
Some of the movies in the field include:

• Ghostbusters
• Back to the Future
• The Karate Kid
• Top Gun
• Ferris Bueller's Day Off
• Die Hard
• Batman
• Beetlejuice
• Predator
• Lethal Weapon
• The Lost Boys
• Planes, Trains and Automobiles
• Christmas Vacation
• Road House
• Big
• The Terminator
• Beverly Hills Cop
• Gremlins
• Police Academy
• WarGames
• Trading Places
• Mr. Mom
• Fast Times at Ridgemont High
• Revenge of the Nerds
• Weird Science
• Short Circuit
• Coming to America
• Spaceballs
• The Princess Bride
• Scrooged
• Weekend at Bernie's
• Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure

The complete bracket and first-round matchups will be posted next.
Once voting begins, choose the movie that is more 80's—not simply the movie you think is better.

I will be posting up the full 64 field of teams in the next post.  Please refrain from making suggestions until I have the whole field up.  And if there is an unforgettable movie that I somehow missed, let me know and we'll see what we can do.  I just made this list from my own experiences, being born smack dab in the middle of Gen X (1975). 

When voting begins, don't vote for the movie you think is better.
Vote for the movie that is MORE 80's.
Game on.

Heavy on the comedies and the dude movies up there, but a few more for your consideration...

(bold for it would be a crime to leave it off):
ET
The Empire Strikes Back
When Harry Met Sally
Heathers
Rocky IV
Moonstruck
Say Anything
Friday the 13th
Nightmare on Elm Street
Poltergeist
Goonies
The Breakfast Club (or Pretty in Pink--probably can't have both)
Dirty Dancing
Do the Right Thing
Adventures in Babysitting
Steel Magnolias
St. Elmo's Fire
Terms of Endearment
Desperately Seeking Susan
Sudden Impact (Dirty Harry's entry for the decade)
Firefox
Raising Arizona
The Big Chill
Rain Man
Bull Durham
Field of Dreams
A View to a Kill (James Bond with Duran Duran in the Silicon Valley!?!)

Historical, but soooo 80s (I don't know how you can do a list of quintessentially 80s movies without these, like Batman, Spaceballs, and the Princess Bride):
Raiders of the Lost Arc
Dead Poet's Society
The Color Purple
Platoon
Stand By Me
Young Guns

Christmas Vacation over the original is a bold call.

If you're including Spaceballs, how can you omit its source material, including Empire?
If you're including the Princess Bride, how can you exclude Raiders of the Lost Arc?
If you're including Batman, how can you exclude...well, that one is a little more alt history, but...ok, the rest of my historical ones can fall off.

I haven't perused your entire brackets to be sure, but my bolded choices are pretty big omissions. 


Also, I love this, and the work you put into it.

Also, I love this, and the work you put into it.

Seconded.  It will be tomorrow before I can really dig into this, but I love this idea and will try to vote.