Favourite Films of 1978

Monday is about movies. Sometimes TV. Sometimes I work through the years and list my favourite films. Today is that day once again, been a while. Today the year is 1978. My favourite films from 1978:

She watched Superman and thought about ending things…

To click back and read (or read again) the previous years before you hit up this one: Most recently it was 1977. And before then of course 1976. Before that, 1975, and ahead of that, 1974, 1973, 1972 and it all started (for me) with 1971.

So many good films in 1978. I doubt I’ll even find space to list The Wiz or Paradise Alley, or Grease, or Every Which Way But Loose. Okay, I kid, but that is maybe a little unfair to Grease, I can certainly see how that would be on someone’s list. It never really did it for me. But you have to remember I was two when these films came out. I arrived at most of them in my teens or even later. So, as usual, this is my list. Not yours. By all means critique my list and/or share your picks below. But here goes with my favourites of a bumper year in cinema.

As always, in no order, beyond how they appear to me, and as I think of them:

Halloween

I guess this one’s the elephant in the room, so I’ll call it straight away. I love Halloween, and it’s been so crucial in my life as a horror movie junkie. I can’t remember when I first saw it, but I reckon I was about 15. I definitely remember the second time I saw it — with friends in the hostel in first year at uni. Some of them were film students, salivating over the opening tracking shot, and Carpenter’s score. I love those things too. And pretty much everything about this film. And, yeah, I know the franchise is silly, at least in parts. But I love it all, and that’s entirely down to this film. It wasn’t Carpenter’s first movie, but it’s also the reason I love all of his movies too.

Interiors

I always point to this as the Woody Allen film that really showcases his skills as a writer/director away from ‘just’ the screwball comedies. And I love those early comedies. They were masterful. And even when they were just absurd, it was good, silly fun. But Interiors is a deep, dark, brooding drama. A no frills drama. And a standalone work that — maybe — is still great today? I don’t know. I don’t much have the appetite to work through Allen’s films again, but I have such fond memories of discovering them all at the time that I think I’ll just leave this one there. Where it belongs.

Blue Collar

It’s funny, when I first wanted to see Blue Collar it would have been as a Harvey Keitel fan, by the time I got to it, I was still a fan (of course) but really he was the last reason for it. By then, it was because of Richard Pryor, and the fact it was a Paul Schrader film. I love almost everything Schrader’s made, or been involved in, but I only saw Blue Collar for the first time about five or six years ago. It (still) knocked me out. Even with such anticipation. Even with reading all about it in the Peter Biskind books, and others of that kind (not to mention the books about Pryor — which I’m always interested in). A compelling drama always wins me over, especially one where you can feel the tension. I love Blue Collar’s every single frame.

The Deer Hunter

I was far too young to see The Deer Hunter the first time around, but I loved the first 90 minutes of it the most. The wedding. The setup. The character-study. The hunting was a tiny bit lost on me, but not as much as the war, and the famous “Russian Roulette” scene. And the torture sequences. By then I might even have fallen asleep eh. I loved the movie straight up because it introduced me to Robert De Niro and Meryl Streep. And I could see — even as a kid — that they were giving great performances, and would give so many more. I remember that sitting with me. I loved the music too. That’s stayed with me forever. I eventually found the score on vinyl a couple of years back. I’ve since watched the film again — but am probably ready and due for one more watch. I love a big sprawling epic, if and when I can find the time. I’m more likely to want to watch two 90 minute films than one 180 minute crawl. But if it’s the right crawl then I am there for it. Deer Hunter was probably the first very long film I ever saw.

National Lampoon’s Animal House

Speaking of being ‘too young’ to see films…this one is one of my favourite memories. My aunty would just let us rent what we liked, we’d go down to The Green Frog Video Hire in Napier, and we’d get films — and we were 6 and 7 and 8, and my brother was 12. And we’d hand the money over and if there was any issue they’d ring my aunty, and she’d say “yep, it’s fine”. She was the responsible adult. She was about 24. Man, it was good times, and such happy memories of having my mind bent, watching Being Different and The Toxic Avenger and Class of 1984 and Beastmaster and, well, all sorts. But especially Animal House, which we just loved. Because we knew Belushi from The Blues Brothers, and that was all that mattered. This stupid frat comedy just sits in my head as a perfect movie — even though it absolutely isn’t. I did rewatch it a few times at high school, and university, but I haven’t seen it in 25 years. And I don’t really plan to. Although just reminiscing about the Green Frog makes me want to start a Green Frog Video Memorial Film Festival, and play Freaks and all of the trash and fascinations we found there.

And here’s five notable mentions — again in no particular order:

Dawn of the Dead

My favourite Romero “Dead” film tends to be whichever one I’m watching. But this was the first of his I ever saw, so another early, crucial horror. And gosh, what a year for horror 1978 was.

Damien: Omen II

I am a big fan of the classic, trashier-than-the-original first horror sequel. A lot of good “2”s out there in the horror franchise. Not many good “3’s, Elm Street and Friday aside. But from ‘78 there’s also Jaws 2, which is fine, but hey, it’s not enough to just have a shark in the water again really is it. My pick of a “horror 2” from 1978 is Damien: Omen II — and not just because I truly do dig it and enjoy the absurdity of it. It also has a cool origin story for me, in that my brother saw it way too young, not me this time. He was at a school thing and they were watching videos backstage in a green room. Some prankster “switched the tapes” and next day everyone was sent home with a letter apologising for the horror movie where the woman had her eyes pecked out. The letter actual revealed that. Lol. So of course young, impressionable me had to see that film. And I think that alone is the reason I’ve always loved Omen II.

Midnight Express

This blurs in my mind a bit with The Deer Hunter, probably due to a similar watching-circumstance. My folks wanted to watch it, knew it wasn’t really appropriate, told me to go to sleep while it was on and “not worry about it” and of course I couldn’t sleep because the movie pulled me in. An Alan Parker film, written by Oliver Stone, and with an absolutely dynamite score by Giorgio Moroder. I’ve returned to this film a few times. It’s one of the great early based-on-a-true-story films for me.

The Last Waltz

I’ve written about this already, it’s my favourite concert film of all time, or first equal with/second to Stop Making Sense. I’ve watched this so many times. And I love it so much. Yes, I love The Band. And many of the guests that appear. And yes, it’s bonus-points for being a Scorsese film too, sure, but I just think this concert-film is electric and wild every single time.

The Driver

There’s such a theme to this set of films eh, it’s all about me seeing them way too early. So I’ll close with another. This one sits in my mind alongside Deer Hunter and Midnight Express a little, although this time I remember we were in Taupo, having a weekend away, staying in a friend-of-a-friend’s house. And this was on the telly late at night. Maybe I was 8 or 9. I loved this film. Years later I’d find out it was a Walter Hill film. And I love so many of his films. And, yes, someone has asked me in the comments from a bit of a Walter Hill appreciation. And I’ll get there. I promise. I have the box set (recently released) of his highlights. This is my pledge to get to that, and to rewatch this, and others.

We want your 1978 movies…they’re good for our under-developed BRAINS!

So there you go. 1978. I could have chosen many more. So many cheesy, schlocky things I loved (The Swarm) and so many other great, great films (Heaven Can Wait). Some brilliant, shocking video nasties (I Spit On You Grave), and some things that get close to that, but area actually not nasty, just brilliant (Long Weekend). And already, if I had my time again writing this, I’d add in Drunken Master, because that set me off on Jackie Chan. But hey, a short list’s a good list. So now, feel free to add yours below. And I’ll link to all the earlier ones in this series if you missed them at the time.