Favoritest Movies of 1987
I'm making (probably) the most comprehensive favorite movie list ever! (Why be arbitrary with such a commonly asked question?) Listing every movie I've ever seen, and then using Paired Comparison Analysis, I'm ranking every movie I've ever seen, year by year; the top 80th percentile from each year advance to the decade round, and from there the all time round.
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- DirectorPaul VerhoevenStarsPeter WellerNancy AllenDan O'HerlihyIn a dystopic and crime-ridden Detroit, a terminally wounded cop returns to the force as a powerful cyborg haunted by submerged memories.
- DirectorRob ReinerStarsCary ElwesMandy PatinkinRobin WrightA bedridden boy's grandfather reads him the story of a farmboy-turned-pirate who encounters numerous obstacles, enemies and allies in his quest to be reunited with his true love.
- DirectorRoger DonaldsonStarsKevin CostnerGene HackmanSean YoungA coverup and witchhunt occur after a politician accidentally kills his mistress.
- DirectorJohn McTiernanStarsArnold SchwarzeneggerCarl WeathersKevin Peter HallA team of commandos on a mission in a Central American jungle find themselves hunted by an extraterrestrial warrior.
- DirectorDon JurwichStarsCharlie AdlerShuko AkuneJack AngelThe heroic G.I. Joe action force must oppose the ruthless Cobra organization that has secretly allied with a subterranean reptilian people who were their founders.
- DirectorMel BrooksStarsMel BrooksJohn CandyRick MoranisA star-pilot for hire and his trusty sidekick must come to the rescue of a princess and save Planet Druidia from the clutches of the evil Spaceballs.
- DirectorJohn GlenStarsTimothy DaltonMaryam d'AboJeroen KrabbéJames Bond is sent to investigate a KGB policy to kill all enemy spies, and uncovers an arms deal that potentially has major global ramifications.The first Bond movie I saw in a theater.
- DirectorRichard DonnerStarsMel GibsonDanny GloverGary BuseyTwo newly paired cops who are complete opposites must put aside their differences in order to catch a gang of drug smugglers.
- DirectorJerry ReesStarsJon LovitzTimothy StackTimothy E. DayA group of dated appliances embark on a journey to the city to find their master after being abandoned in a cabin in the woods.
- DirectorTony ScottStarsEddie MurphyJudge ReinholdJürgen ProchnowAxel Foley returns to Beverly Hills to help Taggart and Rosewood investigate Chief Bogomil's near-fatal shooting and the series of "alphabet crimes" associated with it.
- DirectorMatthew RobbinsStarsHume CronynJessica TandyFrank McRaeAliens help a feisty old New York couple in their battle against the ruthless land developer who's out to evict them.
- DirectorSteven SpielbergStarsChristian BaleJohn MalkovichMiranda RichardsonA young English boy struggles to survive under Japanese occupation of China during World War II.
- DirectorBrian De PalmaStarsKevin CostnerSean ConneryRobert De NiroDuring Prohibition, Treasury agent Eliot Ness sets out to stop ruthless Chicago gangster Al Capone, and assembles a small, incorruptible team to help him.
- DirectorBernardo BertolucciStarsJohn LoneJoan ChenPeter O'TooleBernardo Bertolucci's Oscar-winning dramatisation of the life story of China's last emperor, Pu Yi.
- DirectorGary GoddardStarsDolph LundgrenFrank LangellaMeg FosterThe heroic warrior He-Man battles against the evil lord Skeletor and his armies of darkness for control of Castle Grayskull.
- DirectorHiroyuki YamagaStarsLeo MorimotoDavid ThomasMitsuki YayoiIn an alternative Earth, a young astronaut participates in a controversial fledgling space program.
- DirectorFred DekkerStarsAndre GowerRobby KigerStephen MachtA group of young monster fanatics attempts to save their hometown from Count Dracula and his monsters.
- DirectorJames L. BrooksStarsWilliam HurtAlbert BrooksHolly HunterTake two rival television reporters: one handsome, one talented, both male. Add one producer, female. Mix well, and watch the sparks fly.
- DirectorEmile ArdolinoStarsPatrick SwayzeJennifer GreyJerry OrbachSpending the summer at a Catskills resort with her family, Frances "Baby" Houseman falls in love with the camp's dance instructor, Johnny Castle.
- DirectorJoe DanteStarsDennis QuaidMartin ShortMeg RyanA test pilot is miniaturized in a secret experiment, and accidentally injected into a hapless store clerk.
- DirectorYûji MoriyamaStarsMiki ItôMichie TomizawaEmi ShinoharaIt's summer in Graviton City, and the girls all have a break from school! A-Ko decides to lose a few inches, C-Ko makes a list of all the cool things that she'll buy, and B-Ko vows to get A-Ko out of the way once and for all so that she can have C-Ko to herself. To this end, she designs a new giant mecha, better than all the others. But her father steals her designs and uses them to attack the crashed alien spacecraft (now high-class restaurant) in an attempt to steal the advanced technology of the aliens.
- DirectorJonathan DemmeStarsSpalding GraySam WaterstonIra WheelerSpalding Gray discusses his participation in the film The Killing Fields (1984) and the background story about the troubles of Cambodia.
- DirectorFritz KierschStarsUrbano BarberiniRebecca FerrattiJack PalanceAmerican professor Tarl Cabot is transported via a magical ring to planet Gor, where he must help an oppressed country overthrow its evil king and his barbarian henchmen.
- DirectorJohn MackenzieStarsMichael CainePierce BrosnanNed BeattyJohn Preston is a British Agent with the task of preventing the Russians detonating a nuclear explosion next to an American base in the UK. The Russians are hoping this will shatter the "special relationship" between the two countries.
- DirectorPaul Michael GlaserStarsArnold SchwarzeneggerMaria Conchita AlonsoYaphet KottoIn a dystopian America, a falsely convicted policeman gets his shot at freedom when he must forcibly participate in a TV game show where convicts, runners, must battle killers for their freedom.
- DirectorSam RaimiStarsBruce CampbellSarah BerryDan HicksAsh Williams, the lone survivor of an earlier onslaught of flesh-possessing spirits, holes up in a cabin with a group of strangers while the demons continue their attack.
- DirectorWilliam DearStarsJohn LithgowMelinda DillonMargaret LangrickThe Henderson family adopt a friendly Sasquatch but have a hard time trying to keep the legend of 'Bigfoot' a secret.
- DirectorWim WendersStarsBruno GanzSolveig DommartinOtto SanderAn angel tires of his purely ethereal life of merely overseeing the human activity of Berlin's residents, and longs for the tangible joys of physical existence when he falls in love with a mortal.
- DirectorJanice KarmanStarsRoss Bagdasarian Jr.Janice KarmanDody GoodmanThe Chipmunks compete with the Chipettes in a round-the-world race.So my grandma takes me to see this movie. I'm one of the oldest kids in the theater, but I'm not going to complain about an afternoon at the movies. Anyway, the movie starts, but it's a C-130 cargo plane on a dusty tarmac. The title comes on the screen (you've probably guess by this point) and all these mothers go running to tell someone that instead of The Chipmunk Adventure, they're showing to a theater packed full of little kids... PLATOON!!!
- DirectorMichael GottliebStarsAndrew McCarthyKim CattrallEstelle GettyA young artist, searching for his vocation, makes a mannequin so perfect he falls in love with it. Finding the mannequin in a store window, he gets a job there and his creation comes to life.
- DirectorJoel SchumacherStarsJason PatricCorey HaimDianne WiestAfter moving to a new town, two brothers discover that the area is a haven for vampires.
- DirectorRobert TownsendStarsEddie MurphyTatyana AliBillie AllenEddie Murphy in a stand-up performance recorded live. For an hour and a half he talks about his favourite subjects: sex and women.
- DirectorStanley KubrickStarsMatthew ModineR. Lee ErmeyVincent D'OnofrioA pragmatic U.S. Marine observes the dehumanizing effects the Vietnam War has on his fellow recruits from their brutal boot camp training to the bloody street fighting in Hue.
- DirectorOliver StoneStarsCharlie SheenMichael DouglasTamara TunieAn impatient young stockbroker is willing to do anything to get to the top, including trading on illegal inside information taken through a ruthless, greedy corporate raider who takes the youth under his wing.
- DirectorJonathan KaplanStarsMatthew BroderickHelen HuntWillieAn Air Force pilot joins a top secret military experiment involving chimps, but begins to suspect there might be something more to the mysterious "Project X".
- DirectorJim McBrideStarsDennis QuaidEllen BarkinNed BeattyA corrupt lieutenant in the homicide division is threatened by the righteous DA while trying to solve a string of mysterious murders.
- DirectorArnold LeibovitStarsPaul FreesDal McKennonArt ClokeySalute to the revolutionary Oscar winning stop motion animated Puppetoons created by sci-fi fantasy film legend George Pal. Gumby, Pokey and Arnie the Dinosaur host 12 of Pal's milestone shorts from 1934-1947 that have inspired animation and special effects filmmakers ever since.
- DirectorLeonard NimoyStarsTom SelleckSteve GuttenbergTed DansonJack Holden and his friends, Peter and Michael, spend most of their time having flings with several women in their apartment. Their life changes when a mysterious baby appears at their doorstep.
- DirectorChris ColumbusStarsElisabeth ShueMaia BrewtonKeith CooganA babysitter must battle her way through the big city after being stranded there with the kids she's looking after.
- DirectorBarry LevinsonStarsRobin WilliamsForest WhitakerTom T. TranIn 1965, an unorthodox and irreverent DJ named Adrian Cronauer begins to shake up things when he is assigned to the U.S. Armed Services radio station in Vietnam.
- DirectorSidney J. FurieStarsChristopher ReeveGene HackmanMargot KidderThe Man of Steel crusades for nuclear disarmament and meets Lex Luthor's latest creation, Nuclear Man.
- DirectorGeorge MillerStarsJack NicholsonCherSusan SarandonThree single women in a picturesque village have their wishes granted, at a cost, when a mysterious and flamboyant man arrives in their lives.
- DirectorKiyosumi FukazawaAtsuo OkunakaStarsReiko TokunagaHiroko SaitoMasaaki KajiA woman and her two children are accidentally cryopreserved and awaken at a time when apes dominate the planet.
- DirectorTom MankiewiczStarsDan AykroydTom HanksChristopher PlummerThe equally strait-laced and "by-the-book" nephew of Joe Friday must work with his more laid-back partner to solve a mystery.
- DirectorElaine MayStarsWarren BeattyDustin HoffmanIsabelle AdjaniTwo terrible lounge singers get booked to play a gig in a Moroccan hotel but somehow become pawns in an international power play between the C.I.A., the Emir of Ishtar, and the rebels trying to overthrow his regime.
- DirectorHoward DeutchStarsEric StoltzMary Stuart MastersonLea ThompsonWhen Keith goes out with Amanda, the girl of his dreams, Amanda's ex-boyfriend plans to get back at Keith. Meanwhile, Keith's best friend, tomboy Watts, realizes she has feelings for Keith.
- DirectorJohn BadhamStarsRichard DreyfussEmilio EstevezMadeleine StoweTwo detectives observe an escaped convict's ex-girlfriend, but complications set in when one of them falls for her.
- DirectorCarl ReinerStarsMark HarmonKirstie AlleyRobin ThomasFreddy the gym teacher has to teach remedial English in summer (high) school, if he wants tenure. As he can only teach gym and his students want fun, emphasis is on "field trips" - until he's fired unless all his students pass the test.
- DirectorAdrian LyneStarsMichael DouglasGlenn CloseAnne ArcherA married man's one-night stand comes back to haunt him when that lover begins to stalk him and his family.
- DirectorClive BarkerStarsAndrew RobinsonClare HigginsAshley LaurenceA woman discovers the newly resurrected, partially formed, body of her brother-in-law and lover. She starts killing for him to revitalize his body and escape the demonic beings that are pursuing him after he escaped their underworld.
- DirectorHerbert RossStarsMichael J. FoxHelen SlaterRichard JordanA talented young man can't get an executive position without rising through the ranks, so he comes up with a shortcut, which also benefits his love life.
- DirectorJoel CoenEthan CoenStarsNicolas CageHolly HunterTrey WilsonWhen a childless couple--an ex-con and an ex-cop--decide to help themselves to one of another family's quintuplets, their lives become more complicated than they anticipated.
- DirectorChuck RussellStarsHeather LangenkampRobert EnglundCraig WassonA psychiatrist familiar with knife-wielding dream demon Freddy Krueger helps teens at a mental hospital battle the killer who is invading their dreams.
- DirectorJoe CampStarsRed SteagallFrank InnBenjeanBenji is left in the wilderness after an accident. Can he survive?
- DirectorBlake EdwardsStarsKim BasingerBruce WillisJohn LarroquetteA workaholic needs a date for a dinner with new important clientele, but who his brother sets him up with could lead to disaster.
- DirectorArthur HillerStarsShelley LongBette MidlerPeter CoyoteTwo women unknowingly share the same man, but when he disappears, both go out looking for him and enter his surprisingly dangerous life.
- DirectorSteve De JarnattStarsMelanie GriffithDavid AndrewsPamela GidleyIn 2017, a successful businessman travels to the ends of the earth to find that the perfect woman is always under his nose. He hires a sexy renegade tracker to find an exact duplicate of his android wife.
- DirectorGarry MarshallStarsGoldie HawnKurt RussellEdward HerrmannA cruel but beautiful heiress mocks and cheats a hired carpenter. When she gets amnesia after an accident, he decides to introduce her to regular life by convincing her that they're husband and wife.
- DirectorPhilip J. CookStarsTracy DavisHans BachmannMichael MackAn alien spaceship is being sought by various factions on Earth. A female cyborg and a rogue trader team up to stop evil forces from taking over the ship.
- DirectorJames FoleyStarsMadonnaGriffin DunneHaviland MorrisThe life of an uptight tax lawyer turns chaotic when he is asked to escort a young woman newly released from prison, who persuades him to help prove her innocence.
- DirectorFred SchepisiStarsSteve MartinDaryl HannahRick RossovichThe large-nosed C.D. Bales is in love with the beautiful Roxanne; she falls for his personality but another man's looks.
- DirectorPaul SchraderStarsMichael J. FoxGena RowlandsJoan JettA pair of siblings must choose whether to pursue their dream of touring with their rock band or support their family and stay in Cleveland, Ohio.
- DirectorPeter YatesStarsCherDennis QuaidLiam NeesonWhen a homeless man is accused of murdering a Justice Department file clerk, a public defender is tasked with mounting his legal defense.
- DirectorPaul WeilandStarsBill CosbyTom CourtenayJoe Don BakerSecret Agent Leonard Parker (Bill Cosby) is called out of retirement to save the world from evil genius Medusa Johnson (Gloria Foster).
- DirectorLuis ValdezStarsLou Diamond PhillipsEsai MoralesRosanna DeSotoBiographical story of the rise from nowhere of early rock and roll singer Ritchie Valens who died at age 17 in a plane crash with Buddy Holly and The Big Bopper.
- DirectorChristopher LeitchStarsJason BatemanKim DarbyJohn AstinTodd Howard is a struggling college student. Nothing seems to be going very well for him, until he turns into a wolf.
- DirectorCharles ShyerStarsDiane KeatonSam ShepardHarold RamisThe life of super-yuppie J.C. is thrown into turmoil when she inherits a baby from a distant relative.
- DirectorDanny DeVitoStarsDanny DeVitoBilly CrystalKim GreistA bitter ex-husband wants his former spouse dead. A put-upon momma's boy wants his mother dead. Who will pull it off?
- DirectorJohn R. Cherry IIIStarsJim VarneyVictoria RacimoJohn VernonErnest, a lovable loser who works as a summer camp handyman and dreams of becoming a guidance councilor, must find a way to inspire a group of juvenile delinquents as well as stop a shady strip mining company from closing the camp.
- DirectorFrank PerryStarsShelley LongJudith IveyGabriel ByrneA suburban housewife chokes to death and is brought back to life by a spell cast by her wacky sister.
- DirectorNorman JewisonStarsCherNicolas CageOlympia DukakisLoretta Castorini, a bookkeeper from Brooklyn, New York, finds herself in a difficult situation when she falls for the brother of the man she has agreed to marry.
- DirectorJohn CarpenterStarsDonald PleasenceLisa BlountJameson ParkerA group of graduate students and scientists uncover an ancient canister in an abandoned church, but when they open the container, they inadvertently unleash a strange liquid and an evil force on all humanity.
- DirectorMenahem GolanStarsSylvester StalloneRobert LoggiaSusan BlakelyTough trucker Lincoln Hawk is determined to win back his son and triumph at the world arm wrestling championships.
- DirectorJoe RothStarsRobert CarradineCurtis ArmstrongLarry B. ScottThe rising college nerds set out to a convention in Florida, but are not welcomed by the Alpha Beta representatives.
- DirectorHugh WilsonStarsWhoopi GoldbergBobcat GoldthwaitG.W. BaileyA corrupt cop blackmails former burglar Bernice, forcing her into her most ambitious job yet: a dentist hires her to break into her ex-husband's house and steal back her jewelry. But when the ex is murdered, Bernice is the only suspect.
- DirectorBarry LevinsonStarsRichard DreyfussDanny DeVitoBarbara HersheyA minor car accident drives two rival aluminum-siding salesmen to the ridiculous extremes of man versus man in 1963 Baltimore.
- DirectorRod DanielStarsDudley MooreKirk CameronMargaret ColinA mysterious potion switches the personalities of a buttoned-up doctor and his laid-back son.
- DirectorChristopher CainStarsJim BelushiLouis Gossett Jr.Rae Dawn ChongA teacher is assigned to be the principal of a violent, crime-ridden high school.
- DirectorJoseph SargentStarsLorraine GaryLance GuestMario Van PeeblesChief Brody's widow believes that her family is deliberately being targeted by another shark in search of revenge.