Platoon (1986) - 2 stars

One sentence plot summary: The Vietnam War was not as fun as "Good Morning Vietnam" portrays it to be.

Starring: Charlie Sheen, Tom Berenger, Willem Dafoe, Forest Whitaker, Francesco Quinn, John C. McGinley, Richard Edson, Kevin Dillon, Keith David, Johnny Depp, Mark Moses, Captain Dale Dye.

Best of: An intense scene where American soldiers take their anger out on some local villagers.

Worst of: Both Charlie Sheen and Tom Berenger are wildly miscast.

Notable: Sheen and Berenger would reunite, this time appropriately cast, 3 years later for the much superior "Major League."

Out of Africa (1985) - 3 stars

One Sentence Plot Summary: The true story of a Danish woman's attempts to run a business and find love in early 20th century Kenya.

Starring: Robert Redford, Meryl Streep, Klaus Maria Brandauer, Michael Kitchen, Michael Gough, Suzanna Hamilton, Rachel Kempson, Graham Crowden, Benny Young, Iman

Best of: Beautifully shot. Streep is great.

Worst of: Overly sappy at times.

Notable: The director originally wanted a sexier lead, Streep convinced him she was right for the part with a low cut blouse and push-up bra.

Also nominated: The Color Purple, Witness.

Amadeus (1984) - 4 stars

One sentence plot summary: A largely fictionalized account of the relationship between composers Mozart and Salieri.

Starring: F. Murray Abraham, Tom Hulce, Elizabeth Berridge, Roy Dotrice, Simon Callow, Richard Frank, Christine Ebersole, Jeffrey Jones, Charles Kay, Cynthia Nixon, Roderick Cook, Vincent Schiavelli

Best of: Engrossing storyline and tremendous performances from both leads.

Worst of: I wish I had known more about Mozart going in...I think it would have made me appreciate the film even more ad there seem to have been lots of inside jokes.

Notable: Maurice Jarre, in his speech accepting the 1984 Best Original Score Oscar for A Passage to India, expressed his gratitude that Amadeus - with music entirely by Mozart - had not been Oscar-nominated for Best Original Score.

Terms of Endearment (1983) - 2 Stars

One Sentence Plot Summary: Daughter of a dysfunctional mom gets in a dysfunctional marriage and has dysfunctionsal relationships with her kids.

Starring: Shirley MacLaine, Debra Winger, Jack Nicholson, Danny DeVito, Jeff Daniels, Betty King, John Lithgow, Megan Morris, Mikhail Baryshnikov, David Wohl, Albert Brooks, Mary Kay Place

Best of: Jack Nicholson's character and plot line are pretty fun.

Worst of: It's relatively plotless, which can work for a novel...but not so much for a movie. A little less sap wouldn't hurt either.

Notable: Upon completing the film, James L. Brooks was given a gift of a book of cartoons by Matt Groening. This was his first exposure to Groening. The two would go on to create the Simpsons together.

Also nominated: The Right Stuff, Tender Mercies.

Gandhi (1982) - 4 stars

One sentence plot summary: Gandhi was pretty great.

Starring: Ben Kingsley, Rohini Hattangadi, Saeed Jaffrey, Roshan Seth, Candice Bergen, Edward Fox, John Gielgud, Trevor Howard, Martin Sheen, Ian Charleson, Athol Fugard, Geraldine James, Amrish Puri, Ian Bannen, Richard Griffiths, Nigel Hawthorne, Om Puri, Bernard Hill, John Ratzenberger, Daniel Day-Lewis

Best of: The life of Gandhi is so fascinating and naturally dramatic, that to make a film out of it seems effortless. Ben Kingsley is stunning.

Worst of: I like a good epic and he led an epic life, but it's a rare movie that can't be cut to under three hours.

Notable: Over 300,000 extras appeared in the funeral scene. It was filmed on the 33rd anninversary of Gandhi's funeral.

Also nominated: E.T.

Chariots of Fire (1981) - 2 stars

One Sentence Plot Summary: Two runners from the United Kingdom train for and compete in the 1924 Paris Olympics.

Starring: Ben Cross, Ian Charleson, Nicholas Farrell, Nigel Havers, Ian Holm, John Gielgud

Best of: One of the greatest movie themes ever written, but it is way too underused. I kind of wanted it to play the whole movie.

Worst of: Like last year's Ordinary People, it feels dated in a none-too-flattering early 80s sort of way.

Notable: This is pretty fantastic.

Also nominated: Raiders of the Lost Ark.

Ordinary People (1980) - 1 star

One sentence plot summary: A family sees one son die and then another attempt suicide and then we get to watch them be sad.

Starring: Donald Sutherland, Mary Tyler Moore, Timothy Hutton, Judd Hirsch, Elizabeth McGovern, M. Emmet Walsh, Dinah Manoff, Fredric Lehne, James B. Sikking, Basil Hoffman, Adam Baldwin.

Best of: It wasn't a musical.

Worst of: It goes to such a melodramatic place on several occasions that you end up laughing.

I would have liked it better if: all the sadness didn't seem to amount to much beyond just a bunch of sadness.

Also nominated: Raging Bull.

Kramer vs Kramer (1979) - 3 stars

One sentence plot summary: A woman abandons her husband and son and then returns one year later seeking custody of her child.

Starring: Dustin Hoffman, Meryl Streep, Justin Henry, Jane Alexander, Howard Duff, George Coe, JoBeth Williams

Best of: Dustin Hoffman is sincere, lovable and easy to root for. Streep plays her role just complex enough not to fully hate.

Worst of: Vivaldi's Mandolin Concerto was a bit too chipper to really work as the theme. The arc of the story is very predictable.

Notable: Meryl Streep was originally offered only a bit part in the film. She went on to win her first Oscar for this role.

The Deer Hunter (1978) - 2 stars

One Sentence Plot Summary: A tragedy that follows three vietnam soldiers from small town western Pennsylvania before, during and after their tour of duty.

Starring: Robert De Niro, John Cazale, John Savage, Meryl Streep, Christopher Walken, George Dzundza, Chuck Aspegren, Shirley Stoler, Rutanya Alda, Amy Wright

Best of: A stellar ensemble cast. One of the most intense war sequences I've ever seen.

Worst of: When it's not deeply disturbing, it is unwatchably slow-paced.

Notable: John Cazale died of lung cancer shortly after filming was completed. He only appeared in five films in his career, each considered an unqualified classic today.

Annie Hall (1977) - 3 stars

One Sentence Plot Summary: Tiny jewish dudes with glasses have no luck with the ladies.

Starring: Woody Allen, Diane Keaton, Tony Roberts, Carol Kane, Paul Simon, Shelley Duvall, Janet Margolin, Colleen Dewhurst, Christopher Walken, Jeff Goldblum, Sigourney Weaver, Beverly D'Angelo, Shelley Hack, John Glover

Best of: A rare comedy that makes you laugh out loud even when you are alone.

Worst of: Ultimately, I've just always wanted to punch Woody Allen right in the glasses.

Notable: Sigourney Weaver and Jeff Goldblum, neither famous yet, both appear in bit roles.

Also nominated: Star Wars