Of the movies that Hollywood offered up in the 1980's, one thing can be said: Most of them were shit. The 1980's are years which Hollywood learned three basic formulas and stuck religiously to them. They were: War Movies, Teenage Movies, and Working Movies. While this seems like a sweeping over-generalization, think about it. A film like Salvador dealt with basically the same issues a movie like Working Girl did. So with this in mind, here are the ten (or so) movies that truly personify the decade we call the 80's.

And the winners are:

• Wall Street. The lines "...greed is good, because greed works." -- Need I say more?

• War Games. Matthew Broderick averts nuclear disaster. First great 80's war movie. Also noticeable, the now-archaic computer systems.

  

• Top Gun. Continuing from War Games, in the idea of "clean" war. So clichéd, it's not even funny.

• Platoon. Oliver Stone's gritty, "real" portrayal of war, and sexy William Dafoe to boot, alone make this movie great. Reminded Americans that "War is Hell".

• Revenge of the Nerds. Robots, jocks, cheerleaders, and nerds. All of the stereotypes in only 1/2 the time! Wow! The best part? The nerds win in the end.

  

• Fast Times at Ridgemont High/The Breakfast Club. The Brat Pack. All others, from Weird Science to Ferris Bueller, are only pale imitations of these great classics.

• Mr. Mom/Baby Boom. Same story, two nice angles. The corporate rat race and how mundane things like children get in the way.

• Purple Rain. The last great musical Hollywood has made. Oh, and Vanity...

Honorable Mentions:

Other key films include: Gung-Ho, Broadcast News, Stripes, Ghostbusters, Real Genius, E.T., Raiders of the Lost Ark, Blade Runner, Brazil, and The Wall.

Kyle aspires to be the next Marlon Brando.