What's in Netflix's '80s grab bag? Swoony Merchant-Ivory films; a trio of John Hughes romantic comedies; early films with Sean Penn and Matt Dillon; Oscar-winning turns by Meryl Streep, Jodie Foster and Daniel Day-Lewis; and a few classics you already know by heart.
Mixed in are probably a few critically acclaimed films you've never seen but always meant to, whether it's B-movie fun like "Big Trouble in Little China" or ultra-arty NC-17 fare like "The Cook, The Thief, His Wife and Her Lover."
(Availability subject to change. DeLorean and pink prom dress not included.)
1. "A Room with a View" (1986) NR
Helena Bonham Carter is torn between freethinker Julian Sands and stuffy fiancé Daniel Day-Lewis in this sumptuous (and very funny) Merchant-Ivory period romance.
2. "The Accused" (1988) R
It's tough viewing, but Jodie Foster is mesmerizing as a rape victim who faces down her assailants in court.
3. "Bad Boys" (1983) R
Sean Penn and Esai Morales star in this gritty drama set at a juvenile detention center. It's also Ally Sheedy's film debut.
4. "Batman" (1989) PG-13 - EXPIRES JANUARY 1, 2015
Would we have "Birdman" if Michael Keaton hadn't signed on to play Batman? No, we would not.
5. "Big Trouble in Little China" (1986) PG-13 - EXPIRES JANUARY 1, 2015
A highly enjoyable action B-movie from John Carpenter, with Kurt Russell doing his best John Wayne impression throughout.
6. "The Breakfast Club" (1985) R - EXPIRES JANUARY 1, 2015
"Does Barry Manilow know that you raid his wardrobe?"
7. "The Brother from Another Planet" (1984) R
Joe Morton is terrific in his first lead role as a mute alien traversing Harlem in this shaggy dog sci-flick by John Sayles. You can also stream Sayles's film "Lianna" (1983).
8. "Children of a Lesser God" (1986) R
Marlee Matlin won a Best Actress Oscar for her role in this drama: She still holds the record for youngest winner in the category. (Sorry, Jennifer Lawrence.)
9. "The Cook, Thief, His Wife and Her Lover" (1989) NC-17
Peter Greenaway's controversial film features sex, food, extreme brutality and a fantastic Helen Mirren, carrying on a passionate affair under her gangster husband (Michael Gambon)'s nose.
10. "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels" (1988) PG
This lighthearted comedy about two con men - Steve Martin and Michael Caine - actually has a better Rottentomatoes score than a lot of the more acclaimed movies on this list, including "Sophie's Choice."
11. "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" (1986) PG-13
"Bueller? Bueller?" Sorry, Matthew Broderick has better things to do than go to school.
12. "Gandhi" (1982) PG
Ben Kingsley stars in Richard Attenborough's epic as the nation-changing revolutionary who advocated nonviolence, a role that earned him a Best Actor Oscar.
13. "Good Morning, Vietnam" (1987) R
Robin Williams in one of his most unforgettable roles: Vietnam-era manic disc jockey Adrian Cronauer.
14. "Gregory's Girl" (1981) PG
Coming-of-age stories don't get much more charming than this offering from "Local Hero" director Bill Forsyth.
15. "Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer" (1986) R
This deeply disturbing documentary-like indie stars Michael Rooker as the cold-blooded killer of the title. Little wonder he's been typecast as bad guys ever since.
16. "The Karate Kid" (1984) PG
Inspiring kids to study martial arts for the last 30 years.
17. "Labyrinth" (1986) PG
David Bowie makes the sexiest goblin king we've ever seen, definitely easier on the eyes than the Goblin King in "The Hobbit." So what if he steals babies?
18. "The Last Temptation of Christ" (1988) R
Martin Scorsese's much-protested, religious drama starred Willem Dafoe as Jesus, Harvey Keitel as Judas, Barbara Hershey as Mary Magdalene, and David Bowie as Pontius Pilate.
19. "The Man from Snowy River" (1982) PG
A rip-roaring Aussie adventure about a young man and his horse.
20. "Manhunter" (1986) R
This stylish crime drama was the first film to introduce (in a small role) Hannibal Lecter, but the focus is on Will Graham (William Petersen), an FBI profiler in pursuit of the depraved killer known as the Tooth Fairy.
21. "My Bodyguard" (1980) PG
Long before "Firefly" or "Chuck," Adam Baldwin starred in this underrated indie as a hulking teen who is hired by another kid (Chris Makepeace) to protect him from a bully (a baby-faced Matt Dillon).
22. "My Left Foot" (1989) R
Daniel Day-Lewis began his triple Oscar-winning streak with this incredible portrayal of Christy Brown, who, with only the use of his left foot, became an artist and an author.
23. "On Golden Pond" (1981) PG
Katharine Hepburn and Henry Fonda both won Oscars for their role as an elderly couple dealing with aging, memory loss and generational conflicts while at their summer house by the lake.
24. "Ordinary People" (1980) R
Timothy Hutton won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar, but Mary Tyler Moore and Donald Sutherland are also heart-breakingly good in this drama about a family devastated by the loss of their oldest son. The film won Best Picture and Best Director for Robert Redford.
25. "Pretty in Pink" (1986) PG-13
John Hughes crafted of our favorite '80s time capsules with funky thrift-store fashion and a great soundtrack, including the title song by The Psychedelic Furs.
26. "Romancing the Stone" (1984) PG
It's no "Raiders of the Lost Ark," but this romantic adventure with Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner is still a lot of fun.
27. "Sophie's Choice" (1982) R
Meryl Streep gives one of the greatest, most challenging film performances of all time as a fragile Holocaust survivor.
28. "Stand By Me" (1986) R
One of Rob Reiner's best films is about childhood, friendship and having to grow up, made all the more bittersweet by the early death of star River Phoenix just seven years later.
29. "Terms of Endearment" (1983) PG
Nearly everyone picked up Oscars for this tale of a tumultuous relationship between a mother (Shirley MacLaine) and her daughter (Debra Winger), actresses whose working relationship was so chaotic that MacLaine famously announced "I deserve this" when picking up her Best Actress statue.
30. "Witness" (1985) R
Harrison Ford received his only Oscar nomination to date for his role as a big city cop who's forced to hide out among the Amish after crooked police come gunning for him. What's to love more: The barn-raising, the unbearably romantic car radio scene, the climactic showdown or just Ford dressed in too-short "plain" clothing?
31. "Zelig" (1983) PG
Woody Allen plays Leonard Zelig in this mockumentary about a man who is so desperate to fit in, he adopts the physical characteristics of anyone he's near. You can also stream Allen's "The Purple Rose of Cairo" (1985), and the underrated, nostalgic "Radio Days" (1987).
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