Last year, I gave my top ten films from each decade, spanning back to the 1970s. Well, I’m doing it again this year. I’ve seen probably 300-400 new movies in that time frame and I expect my lists to look a lot different than they had around twelve months ago.
Honorable Mention
Serpico (1973), The Conversation (1974), Rocky (1976)
(Site Owner’s note – While I agree with every movie on this list… I can’t publish this article in good conscious without including Jaws (1975) as at least honorable mention – Liam)
10. Animal House (1978)
While I do love Animal House as a whole, I particularly appreciate what it did for the comedy genre in film. It helped create the raunchy, college comedy that blazed the trail for films like Revenge of the Nerds, Neighbors, and Old School. On top of John Landis creating a formative comedy film, he directed one of the most iconic characters from the 70s; John Belushi as Bluto. He’s an absolute maniac that drinks and eats everything in sight, while also being an all time glue guy keeping the house together. The guys from Animal House is what every college friend group has thrived to be like for decades after the films release.
4/5 Stars
9. Star Wars (1977)
One of the most famous franchises in film history started in 1977 when George Lucas wrote, directed, and produced Star Wars. It’s a truly fantastic adventure film that’s shaped the childhood of many children from the 1970s to even myself who was born in 2001. It’s a lot like Animal House where it trail blazed a genre and franchise of film that went on to become a cultural phenomenon. The same goes for the characters of Han Solo, Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker, Chewbacca, R2-D2, and C-3PO. Star Wars is an ancillary piece of cinema, not just for the 1970s, but for all of film history.
4/5 Stars
8. Slap Shot (1977)
What I find so special about Slap Shot is that if you’ve ever played any sports, you can watch this George Roy Hill film and relate to one of the characters. Whether you think you’re like Reggie Dunlop, the leader of the team, or one of the Hanson Brothers, a moral boosting ball breaker, everyone can relate. This is a fun, raunchy comedy around the world of sports that focuses on failures and losers trying to wrestle with being past their prime. If you haven’t seen this yet, it’s currently streaming on Netflix. I recommend you watch it now before Netflix takes it down or kicks your household out.
4.5/5 Stars
7. Alien (1979)
The 1970s have proved to be a revolutionary decade for film, but Alien really changed the way people look at the horror genre. Prior horror films like The Exorcist, Nosferatu, or Psycho were very important, but Ridley Scott took a massive risk with Alien because for almost the entirety of the film, you don’t see the Alien. It’s just this crew in an isolated and claustrophobic space as sitting ducks for this menacing creature to prey on them. It was ballsy to do, but Scott pulled it off by building up the tension throughout the whole film. There isn’t a lull in the anxiety that he builds by dancing around this monsters existence. Just pure brilliance.
4.5/5 Stars
6. A Clockwork Orange (1971)
One of the more disturbing films, not just of the decade, but of all time is Kubrick’s A Clockwork Orange. Kubrick has always pushed the envelope of making the audience feel uncomfortable, but his magnum opus of making the audiences stomach turn was A Clockwork Orange. His idea on a dystopian gangster film works on so many levels because it shows the sinister behavior of young people and how they can easily be influenced to become evil. But on top of the youth becoming evil people, it shows the way they’re treated when apprehended and how they feel tortured. While many of Kubrick’s set designs don’t necessarily hold up to what he thought life would be like today, he did capture some brilliance of the justice system towards youth today.
5/5 Stars
5. The Godfather Part II (1974)
Don’t get me wrong, The Godfather is a great film, but it serves as a nice setup piece to possibly the greatest film of all time — The Godfather Part II. Seeing the backstory of the Corleone family is riveting, even after multiple watches. What sets The Godfather Part II over the edge as a great piece of cinema is Michael and Fredo’s relationship. Michael’s clear distrust towards Fredo bubbling and bubbling and bubbling up to him delivering the piercing line “You broke my heart Fredo” has sat with me ever since I first saw the film in middle school. Then, subsequently seeing the silhouette of Neri bringing Fredo out on the boat to kill him was heartbreaking, but you also understood that Michael had to do what he had to do.
5/5 Stars
4. The Sting (1973)
Seeing two of the most important and talented actors in cinema history share a screen is enough to put this in my top five. But then, you get the plot. The idea of these 1930s grifters scamming a mob boss and getting entangled with his business is electric. The Sting doesn’t really present itself as a tense film, but there are many tense moments. When Paul Newman is playing cards against Robert Shaw, and the two are cheating, that is a moment where you hold your breathe. You become legitimately nervous when watching this scene. I also think that the ending is fantastic. When I saw Newman shoot Redford, I audibly gasped. Then a moment later, Redford stands up and everyone laughs. It was a WILD twist.
This is the second George Roy Hill film to make the list. Slap Shot came in at eight.
5/5 Stars
3. American Graffiti (1973)
At the 46th Academy Awards, The Sting won Best Picture over American Graffiti. Even though I adore The Sting, American Graffiti blasts me with the feeling of wanting to grow up in the 1960s. The cast is unreal seeing all these young actors come together who would go onto have great careers — Richard Dreyfuss, Ron Howard, Harrison Ford, Paul Le Mat, and Charles Martin Smith. A take that I will battle with anyone on is that American Graffiti is George Lucas’ best film. It will always be his best film. It’s authentic, tight, and nostalgic, even if you didn’t grow up in this time frame. For its 50th anniversary, American Graffiti is coming to the Regal theater near my college so I’m going to watch it on the big screen. Very excited for this.
5/5 Stars
2. All The Presidents Men (1976)
There aren’t many great films about journalism in cinema history, but the top tier is outstanding. All The Presidents Men sits atop that mountain. Alan J. Pakula covers the most important moment in journalism history as Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman portray Woodward and Bernstein uncovering the Watergate scandal. It plays like a thriller in spots as the characters paranoia grows and at many points is a great drama. Just an all around perfect encapsulation of the Watergate scandal and tells the story very clearly for the audience. It’s currently on HBOMax to stream. If you have an interest in either history, journalism, or both, give it a watch.
5/5 Stars
1. Apocalypse Now (1979)
Two weeks ago, my dad and I saw the directors cut of Apocalypse Now in theaters. While I already knew this was one of my all time favorite films, it further blew me away seeing it on the big screen. This entire, epic story of a group of soldiers traveling up the river in Vietnam to kill a rogue general plays like a great thriller, drama, and horror movie all at once, while also being the greatest war movie of all time. Outside of the deep plot from Stanley Kubrick, we see a loaded cast. Martin Sheen, Marlon Brando, Harrison Ford, Robert Duvall, Dennis Hopper, and Laurence Fishburne all give stunning performances and it’s just really fun to see these guys as young men. Every time I’ve seen this film, I’ve struggled to find an imperfection. It’s a wild ride up the river that’s remarkably tight.
This is the second Francis Ford Coppola film to make the list. The Godfather Part II came in at five.
5/5 Stars
