Locked in an asylum, Antonio Salieri (F. Murray Abraham), formerly a competent but unspectacular composer, relates his tragic life story to a young priest. A success when he first meets Mozart (Tom Hulce), Saleri eventually sees that his work pales in comparison to Mozart's genius. Salieri's anguish at his own mediocrity manifests itself in anger toward God, whom he has devoted his life. The only release he sees is to renounce the God who mocks him and devise a plan that will lead to Mozart's complete ruin. Directed by Milos Forman. With Elizabeth Berridge, Roy Dotrice and Jeffrey Jones. Categories: Drama, Music. Year: 1984.
1984 in Amadeus
When Detroit cop Axel Foley's (Eddie Murphy) friend is killed right in front of him, he follows the killer to Beverly Hills. After detectives Billy Rosewood (Judge Reinhold) and John Taggart (John Ashton) are assigned to keep an eye on him, Axel investigates the case and learns that the murder is connected to a drug ring run by Victor Maitland (Steven Berkoff), a vicious kingpin. Directed by Martin Brest. With Lisa Eilbacher. Categories: Action, Comedy, Crime, Drama, Thriller. Year: 1984.
1984 in Beverly Hills Cop
Conan (Arnold Schwarzenegger) is a barbarian warrior roaming the land with his band of adventurers. When the evil Queen Taramis (Sarah Douglas) asks Conan to rescue her kidnapped daughter Princess Jehnna (Olivia d'Abo), Conan agrees in the hope that Taramis will be able to reanimate his dead lover. But, when things do not go as planned, he learns that the dark magic of this tyrannical queen cannot be trusted. Directed by Richard Fleischer. With Grace Jones, Wilt Chamberlain and Tracey Walter. Categories: Cult Classics, Action, Fantasy, Adventure. Year: 1984.
1984 in Conan the Destroyer
In 10191, the desert planet Dune has been taken over by the Harkonnens in order to obtain the precious spice that lies beneath the planet's sands. Paul Atreides (Kyle MacLachlan), a warrior messiah, leads the native inhabitants of Dune in an uprising against their evil rulers, battling giant man-eating worms and learning to use a supernatural power. Directed by David Lynch. With Virginia Madsen, Jürgen Prochnow, Patrick Stewart and Sting. Categories: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi, Fantasy. Year: 1984.
1984 in Dune
Dr. Peter Venkam (Bill Murray), Dr. Raymond Stantz (Dan Aykroyd) and Dr. Egon Spengler (Harold Ramis) are parapsychologists dealing in the weird and the occult. After being fired from their jobs, they team up with Winston Zeddemore (Ernie Hudson) to become the Ghostbusters, a team of exterminators who trap and dispose of spirits, ghosts and ghouls. When they discover a dimensional gateway and a terrible supernatural threat to New York, they must figure out a way to save the city and validate their ridiculous line of work. Directed by Ivan Reitman. With Sigourney Weaver and Rick Moranis. Categories: Action, Comedy, Fantasy, Sci-Fi, New York. Year: 1984.
1984 in Ghost Busters
During Christmastime, an inventor father (Hoyt Axton) buys his son, Billy (Zach Galligan), a cuddly creature from a mysterious Chinese merchant. But, when Billy mistakenly breaks the important rules concerning Gizmo's care, it's not long before the entire town is overrun with an overwhelming band of little, green monsters. It's up to Billy, his girlfriend Kate (Phoebe Cates), his neighbor Pete (Corey Feldman) and even Gizmo himself to find a way to stop the gremlins and save the town from certain ruin. Directed by Joe Dante. With Dick Miller. Categories: Comedy, Fantasy, Horror. Year: 1984.
1984 in Gremlins
After escaping a Shanghai nightclub, Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) finds himself trekking through India with his young sidekick, Short Round (Jonathan Ke Quan), and a beautiful but spoiled singer (Kate Capshaw). When they happen upon a village, the elders in the community ask Indiana to find a magic stone that has been stolen and rescue their missing children. The trail leads Indiana and crew to a mysterious palace where evil lurks beneath its regal surface and an ancient cult is regaining its strength. Directed by Steven Spielberg. Categories: Action, Adventure, Thriller. Year: 1984.
1984 in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
After moving from New Jersey to California with his mother (Randee Heller), Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) has trouble fitting in at a new school. Things start to look up when he meets a girl named Ali (Elisabeth Shue), but only until her ex-boyfriend, Johnny (William Zabka), and his group of karate goons begin to harass Daniel every time they see him. Seeking a way to defend himself, Daniel eventually meets Mr. Miyagi (Pat Morita), a wise master who trains Daniel by making him do chores. Seeking to put an end to his feud with Johnny, Daniel convinces Mr. Miyagi to prepare him for a karate tournament, where Daniel's training will be put to the test. Directed by John G. Avildsen. With Martin Kove. Categories: Action, Drama, Family, Sports, Cult Classics. Year: 1984.
1984 in The Karate Kid
In Cambodia, the militant Khmer Rouge is taking over and genocide has begun. New York Times journalist Sydney Shanberg (Sam Waterston) stays on after the American evacuation, showing the harrowing personal price of war and ambition with the help of his courageous assistant, Dith Pran (Haing S. Ngor). Directed by Roland Joffé. With John Malkovich, Julian Sands, Craig T. Nelson and Spalding Gray. Categories: Drama, History, War. Year: 1984.
1984 in The Killing Fields
Winston Smith (John Hurt) is a citizen of Oceania, one of the three superpowers left after nuclear war destroys much of the planet. In a tightly controlled society, Big Brother, the watchful eyes of a totalitarian regime, is willing to kill individuals or even rewrite history in order to maintain its power. After a chance meeting with Julia (Suzanna Hamilton), a proletariat worker, Winston begins to question the horrors of his government's actions with the help of O'Brien (Richard Burton), a top level member of the ruling party. Directed by Michael Radford. With Cyril Cusack, Gregor Fisher and Andrew Wilde. Categories: Drama, Romance, Sci-Fi, Thriller, Based on a Novel. Year: 1984.
1984 in Nineteen Eighty-Four
After thirty years of absence, David "Noodles" Aaronson (Robert De Niro) returns to the streets of Brooklyn he once prowled as a Prohibition era gangster. In a series of flashbacks, we learn the stories of Aaronson and his partners, Max (James Woods), Patsy (James Hayden) and Cockeye (William Forsythe), as Aaronson tries to reconcile his new life with the his actions during those extraordinary times of love and loss. Directed by Sergio Leone. With Joe Pesci, Jennifer Connelly, Treat Williams and Burt Young. Categories: Crime, Drama, Based on a Novel, New York. Year: 1984.
1984 in Once Upon a Time in America
Samantha (Molly Ringwald) wakes up hopeful on her sixteenth birthday, but, when everyone is distracted with making preparations for her older sister's wedding, she ends up getting completely ignored. Dealing with her crush on the most popular boy in school and the unwanted attention of a dorky freshman (Anthony Michael Hall) leads Samantha and the rest of her classmates to an eventful night at a house party. Directed by John Hughes. With John Cusack and Joan Cusack. Categories: Comedy, Drama, Romance, Cult Classics. Year: 1984.
1984 in Sixteen Candles
In the year 2029, the artificial intelligence that rules the earth sends an advanced cyborg into the past to stop the birth of the leader of the human resistance. The Terminator (Arnold Schwarzenegger) seeks to destroy Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton), who doesn't yet realize the role her unborn child will play in the future of mankind. A freedom fighter (Michael Biehn) follows the cyborg back in time and works to save Connor from the killer machine. Directed by James Cameron. Categories: Action, Sci-Fi, Thriller. Year: 1984.
1984 in The Terminator
Followed by a documentary crew Spinal Tap, a long-past-its-prime British heavy metal band, sets out on a revival tour in the United States after a 17 year hiatus. Documentarian Marty DiBergi (Rob Reiner) follows band members David St. Hubbins (Michael McKean), Nigel Tufnel (Christopher Guest), Derek Smalls (Harry Shearer), Mick Shrimpton (R.J. Parnell) and Viv Savage (David Kaff) on their hilarious journey as they try to reclaim the fame they once had. Directed by Rob Reiner. With Tony Hendra, Fran Drescher and Patrick Macnee. Categories: Comedy, Music. Year: 1984.
1984 in This Is Spinal Tap
Harvey Milk was San Francisco's first openly gay Supervisor and one victim of a deadly attack by fellow Supervisor Dan White that killed Milk and Mayor George Moscone. The subsequent trial resulted in one of the most controversial criminal verdicts in American history. Directed by Rob Epstein. Narrated by Harvey Fierstein. Categories: Documentary, Biography. Year: 1984.
1984 in The Times of Harvey Milk