Austeria (1983) ****

Excellent Polish drama set during World War I in south-eastern Poland. Poetic, sensual, surprising and exotic. One of Jerzy Kawalerowicz's best films, and one of Franciszek Pieczka's most memorable performances.

Terms Of Endearment (1983) ****

Monty Python's The Meaning Of Life (1983) ****

Fanny And Alexander (1983) ****

The Ballad Of Narayama (1983) ****

Risky Business (1983) ****

Pauline à la plage (1983) ****

Zelig (1983) ****

Brilliant mockumentary by Woody Allen.

The Right Stuff (1983) ****

Compelling drama about the Mercury astronauts.

Trading Places (1983) ***

Octopussy (1983) ***

Star Wars Episode VI: Return Of The Jedi (1983) ***

The Big Chill (1983) ***

All The Right Moves (1983) ***

The Pirates Of Penzance (1983) ***

Kevin Kline gives an outstanding performance as the Pirate King in this entertaining adaptation of Gilbert and Sullivan's immortal operetta. Songs include:

"Apprentice To A Pirate" **
"I Am A Pirate King" ***
"Faithless Woman" **
"Climbing Over Rocky Mountains" ***
"If You Will Cast Your Eyes On Me" **
"Poor Wandering One" **
"I Am The Very Model Of A Modern Major General" ***
"A Regular Terrible Story" *
"Ta-ran-ta-ra" **
"A Paradox" *
"So It Really Doesn't Matter" *
"He Loves Thee" *
"Here's Love" *
"Ta-ran-ta-ra" (reprise) *
"A Policeman Lot Is Not A Happy One" *
"With Cat-like Tread Upon Our Prey We Steal" ***
"We Love Our Queen" *
"Poor Wandering One" (reprise) **

Tender Mercies (1983) ***

Nice, simple film about a former country music singer (Robert Duvall).

Up To A Certain Point (1983) ***

A film about machismo. Director Tomas Gutierrez Alea elaborates on a theme often raised in Cuban films (like "Retrato de Teresa" and the third episode of "Lucia").

Le Bal (1983) ***

An Algerian film about France, directed by an Italian. The concept is brilliant: 50 years of French history told through dancing in the same ballroom. With the dancers (always played by the same actors) changing characters, the film travels through time, from 1930 until 1980.

Sudden Impact (1983) ***

Suburbia (1983) ***

Scarface (1983) ***

Liquid Sky (1983) ***

Flashdance (1983) ***

The Evil Dead (1983) ***

The Dead Zone (1983) ***

Rumble Fish (1983) ***

Directed by Francis Ford Coppola.

Rue Cases-Negres (1983) ***

Memorable French drama set in Martinique.

Never Say Never Again (1983) ***

Sean Connery's last James Bond movie. A remake of "Thunderball".

Local Hero (1983) ***

Wonderful film set in a small village in Scotland.

The King Of Comedy (1983) ***

Two loosers (Robert de Niro and Sandra Bernhard) kidnap a successful TV host (Jerry Lewis). Strange black comedy directed by Martin Scorsese.

A Christmas Story (1983) ***

Wonderfully witty and cynical film about a little boy who wants a BB gun for Christmas. Undoubtedly NRA's all-time-favorite film.

Tchao Pantin (1983) ***

Mortelle randonnée (1983) **

L'Été meurtrier (1983) ***

Coup de foudre (1983) **

Prenom Carmen (1983) ***

À nos amours (1983) ***

La vie est un roman (1983) *

Wielki Szu (1983) ***

Woman In Flames (1983) ***

Patsany (1983) ***

E la nave va (1983) **

Zu Warriors From The Magic Mountain (1983) **

One of many "sword & sorcery" Hong Kong epics, those with flying witches, magicians, monsters, spirits and hopping vampires. Made by Tsui Hark in 1983 and considered a classic, it's nevertheless a rather campy and laughable film. At best, it can be seen as an appetizing hint for the glories to come. "Wu xia pian" isn't Tsui Hark's forte (see Green Snake); Ching Siu-Tung can handle it much better (A Chinese Ghost Story, Swordsman II).

The Legend Of Suram Fortress (1983) *

Boring Armenian film. Static images.

Seeding Of A Ghost (1983) ***

The Fourth Man (1983) ***

Forbidden Relations (1983) ***

Dark Habits (1983) ***

La Chiave (1983) ***

The Boxer's Omen (1983) ***

Nostalghia (1983) **

Andrei Tarkovski's least impressive film.

Videodrome (1983) ***

The Year Of Living Dangerously (1983) ***

Mirage (1983) *****

Beat It (1983) ****

Excellent Michael Jackson music video.

Thriller (1983) ****

A memorable music video from Michael Jackson, directed by John Landis. In 1984, it received five MTV Video Music Awards nominations (including best video and best male video), winning in three categories (performance, choreography and people's choice).

The Pressures Of The Text (1983) ****

One of the funniest experimental films ever made, a wonderful satire on intellectual snobbery. The film forces the viewer to reconsider the meaning of the spoken word and the possibilities of verbal manipulations. Co-directed by Peter Rose.

Syntagma (1983) ****