10. MOVIE MOVIE

Those who complain that “they don’t make ‘em like they used to” where given a real treat in 1978: a double feature that captured the look and feel of the pictures from yesteryear.  George C. Scott, an actor who seems to have been around since the golden era of cinema, and his real-life wife, Trish Van Devere, star in both pictures.  The first, and best of the two pictures tells the story of a young boxer who fights to pay for his sister’s expensive eye surgery, and refuses to give into mobster when they ask him to throw the fight.  The second, finds Scott as a dying Broadway musical producer who wants to create one final masterpiece before he passes.  Neither film is too deep or too superficial, but rather just pure clean fun – much like the movies of the golden era themselves. 

9. HALLOWEEN

For his slasher classic, John Carpenter thought it’d be fitting to cast Jamie Lee Curtis in the lead role since her mother, Janet Leigh, was the star of the ultimate slasher film, Psycho.  The result is a performance that Curtis would later despise, and for good reasons, but the film’s mediocre acting seems appropriate today given that Halloween has spawned countless poorly-acted horror films since its release.  Yet, even with its cheesy performances, Halloween remains a very effective film today, thanks to its masterful directing and eerie score.

8. SUPER MAN

Quite possibly the first superhero movie ever made, and still one of the best, Superman created the mold for an entire genre that has become tiresome today.  However, it’s impossible not to feel the same thrills that audience members felt back in 1978 while they watched Christopher Reeves fly through the air at lightening speeds.  Unfortunately, the film’s stars could have used some help from Superman themselves: Reeves became paralyzed from the neck down after falling off his horse and Margot Kidder – who played Lois Lane – struggled with mental health issues and eventually committed suicide in 2018.  Yet, for a moment back in 1978, the duo made us all believe in indestructible heroes.

7. STRAIGHT TIME

Two movies for the price of one, Straight Time’s first half examines the life of a criminal – played wonderfully by Dustin Hoffman – after he is released from a long stint in prison.  It captures the struggles, regulations and judgments that cause felons to remain broken long after their release.  The second half of Straight Time shifts drastically into a thrilling story of a convict on the run, who hopes to pull off one final heist before heading to the Mexican border with or without the girl of his dreams.  Straight Time may not be completely original, but its energy and production make it time well spent.

6. A WEDDING

Just how good is Robert Altman?  Good enough to turn a joke into one of the best films of the year.  When asked what he was going to do next, Altman joked that he was going to film weddings, since it was a growing trend in the late 1970s.  And then, he decided that maybe a film that exaggerates all of the little disasters that happen at weddings would make for a good ensemble piece.  And, at least under Altman’s control, it does.  Set almost entirely at a family mansion, A Wedding weaves through so many characters that it’s challenging to keep up.  However, the most interesting characters happen to be three women – to take the title of his last film: Carol Burnett as the mother of the bride who falls for the attention that she’s given by a guest from the groom’s side, Mia Farrow as the nearly mute sister of the bride who is carrying a big secret, and Lillian Gish as the grandmother of the groom, who’s untimely death is the worst kept secret at the party.  A Wedding is funny, original and very much worthy of cracking open the finest champagne.

5. NATIONAL LAMPOON’S ANIMAL HOUSE

With its jokes countlessly imitated and overquoted, it’s easy to take Animal House for granted today.  But back in 1978, it had its targeted audience members rolling with louder laughter than possibly any film before or since.  Powered by comedic genius, John Belushi, Animal House is the original frat house vs. the school dean comedy – the only difference is that it’s actually funny, and as much fun as any toga party in history.  Of course, some of its jokes fall flat and others have since become worn out, but when graded on a comedy curve, this one still deserves straight A’s.

4. THE DEER HUNTER

Of the two great anti-Vietnam films to be released in 1978, The Deer Hunter is the one that received more accolades at the time – including a Best Picture Oscar – and the one that is most widely embraced today.  It’s easy to see why, thanks to its gripping Russian Roulette scenes that are nearly impossible to watch without covering your eyes and even harder to forget.  Yet, as acclaimed as The Deer Hunter is, it also has plenty of opponents as well, who view it as racist and overlong.  I somewhat disagree with both – as the Russian Roulette scenes are meant to be a metaphor of the dangers of the war itself rather than being aimed at any particular race, and although its running time of three hours and three minutes makes it a challenging commitment, the film never feels slow or tedious.  Like the sport of deer hunting, Michael Cimino’s film awards those willing to put in the time and effort with it.

3. AUTUMN SONATA

Autumn Sonata’s tale of regret and abandonment reportedly struck a chord with Ingrid Bergman, who herself had abandoned her family to run off with Italian director, Roberto Rossellini in the late 1940s.  Yet, even those who haven’t dealt with such brokenness and remorse can understand the pain and sorrow of Ingmar Bergman’s heartfelt story of a pianist who left her family to focus on her career and extramarital relations.  Ingrid Bergman, who had just been diagnosed with cancer prior to filming, gives one of the standout performances of her career as the self-centered artist and Liv Ullmann never received the recognition she deserved for matching Bergman’s strong act.

2. COMING HOME

As difficult as it is going to war, coming home to a changed world may be even more difficult – at least that’s what the creators of Coming Home would like you to believe.  And, they make a pretty convincing argument.  Jane Fonda stars as a kindhearted woman who decides to volunteer at the V.A. hospital after her husband is sent away to Vietnam.  While there, she reconnects with a former classmate, played by Jon Voight, who returned home from the war paralyzed and angry.  Obviously, the trail of suffering that follows soldiers long after their return home has been told many times before, and it has been told more effectively (a la The Best Years of Our Lives).  Still, thanks to a handful of great performances, Coming Home from Vietnamhas seldom been more difficult and heartbreaking. 

1. DAYS OF HEAVEN

Upon its release, many critics complained that Terrence Malick’s gorgeous poem of a movie was too simple to warrant a positive review.  Now days, those critics look like amateurs, as Days of Heaven is often considered the masterwork of one of the great filmmakers of the past fifty years.  Filmed almost entirely during the golden hour – the hour before sunrise and after sunset – Days of Heaven boasts some of the most gorgeous cinematography ever filmed.  And although its story is simple, it nearly matches the cinematography in terms of beauty, telling the tale of a hotheaded farm laborer who convinces his girlfriend to marry the wealthy farm owner in hopes of inheriting his wealth.  Days of Heaven, like that farmer, is quiet, full of riches and impossible not to fall in love with.