They All Laughed (1981)

Three detectives (Ben Gazzara, John Ritter, Blaine Novak) follow two women (Audrey Hepburn, Dorothy Stratten) in a throwback to the double-talk, screwball comedies of the 1930s. There’s sweetness to the love stories, and the country soundtrack informs them.

d: Peter Bogdanovich | imdb.com | soundtrack | interview

Stripes (1981)

Bill Murray and straight man Harold Ramis join the Army in a Marx Brothers-style farce, outlasting Sgt. Hulka, seducing beautiful MPOs, surviving basic training and making a rescue mission to Czechoslovakia. One more thing: John Candy mud-wrestles strippers.

d: Ivan Reitman | imdb.com | trailer | Introductions | Graduation
Interview: Bill Murray | Interview: Ivan Reitman | deleted scene

Scanners (1981)

The first 15 minutes include a wonderful head explosion, but that’s when the excitement ends. David Cronenberg’s story of mind control and its misuse devolves into a science-fiction murder mystery, which finally reveals all in the penultimate face-off scene.

d: David Cronenberg | imdb.com | trailer | head explosion