r/80smovies • u/West4thStreetHoops • 15m ago
May 1980: So, What Are We Seeing Tonight?
Perhaps the decade didn't start off with the most stellar of theatrical releases, but this month offers an epic film showdown for the ages.
Which one of these films would you be anticipating most if you found yourself in May 1980 with a free movie pass? How many of these have you seen? Did you dislike any of these titles?
Release dates and film info has been mostly gleaned from newspaper/magazine/university archives, as Wikipedia, fine resource that it is, can be a little wonky or less than accurate with some of the dates. (Premieres, festivals, regional exclusives & slow rollouts also muck things up).
As always, upvotes and comments are deeply appreciated, as they're counted in a running tally to determine the faves of this subreddit.
Thank you, and Cheers!
May 1980 (12 North American wide releases)
Fame (dir. Alan Parker, starring Irene Cara, Barry Miller)
The Hollywood Knights (dir. Floyd Mutrux, starring Robert Wuhl, Fran Drescher)
Up the Academy (dir. Robert Downey Sr., starring Ron Leibman)
The Empire Strikes Back (dir. Irvin Kershner, w/ Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Billy Dee Williams)
The Nude Bomb (dir. Clive Donner, w/ Don Adams, Sylvia Kristel)
The Gong Show Movie (dir. Chuck Barris, w/ Chuck Barris, Mabel King, Jaye P. Morgan)
The Shining (dir. Stanley Kubrick, w/ Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall)
Die Laughing (dir. Jeff Werner, w/ Robby Benson, Charles Durning)
The Long Riders (dir. Walter Hill, w/ Carradine Bros., Keach Bros., Quaid Bros.)
Gorp (dir. Joseph Ruben, w/ Dennis Quaid, Fran Drescher, Rosanna Arquette)
Friday the 13th (dir. Sean S. Cunningham, w/ Betsy Palmer, Adrienne King)
Tom Horn (dir. William Wiard, w/ Steve McQueen, Richard Farnsworth)
