11. Being There
Year of Release: 1979
Overall Rating: 3.0 out of 4 stars
Language: English
Genre: Drama/Comedy
MPAA Rating: PG
Director: Hal Ashby
Actors: Peter Sellers, Shirley MacLaine, Melvyn Douglas, Jack Warden, Richard Dysart, Richard Basehart
Plot: A simple gardener has to leave the only home he has ever known when the owner dies. Out on the D.C. streets alone, only speaking what he has learned from TV, he none-the-less comes into contact with a wealthy lobbyist, who is dying himself. Soon he is the toast of town, but remains the simple man he has always been.
12. The Muppet Movie
Year of Release: 1979
Overall Rating: 2.9 out of 4 stars
Language: English
Genre: Adventure/Comedy
MPAA Rating: G
Director: James Frawley
Actors: Jim Henson, Frank Oz, Jerry Nelson, Charles Durning, Milton Berle, Mel Brooks
Plot: Kermit the Frog goes on a cross-country trek to find fame in Hollywood. Along the way, he meets Fozzie Bear, Miss Piggy, Gonzo and the rest of the Muppets cast, and voilà, the Muppets are born. Kermit's new found friends help him evade the evil Doc Hopper, who wants Kermit to be his "spokesman" for his Frog Leg restaurant chain.
13. Picnic at Hanging Rock
Year of Release: 1979
Overall Rating: 3.0 out of 4 stars
Language: English
Genre: Drama/Mystery
MPAA Rating: PG
Director: Peter Weir
Actors: Rachel Roberts, Vivean Gray, Helen Morse, Kirsty Child, Tony Llewellyn-Jones, Jacki Weaver
Plot: In 1900 the girls from the Appleyard Boarding School go on a Valentine's Day picnic to local landmark Hanging Rock. Three girls and a teacher go missing and the mystery surrounding the disappearance deepens when a search proves futile.
14. Breaking Away
Year of Release: 1979
Overall Rating: 3.0 out of 4 stars
Language: English
Genre: Comedy/Drama
MPAA Rating: PG
Director: Peter Yates
Actors: Dennis Christopher, Dennis Quaid, Daniel Stern, Jackie Earle Haley, Barbara Barrie, Paul Dooley
Plot: Four friends have just graduated high school in the college town of Bloomington, IN. The wealthier college crowd refers to them as "cutters" - the local middle-class townies and generally look down upon them. Yet one of their group, Dave, is obsessed with Italian cycling, to the point where he acts Italian - much to the consternation of his friends and parents. Getting involved with a college girl causes trouble - but when he learns the Italian cycling team is coming to town - he will stop at nothing to race his idols.
15. The Jerk
Year of Release: 1979
Overall Rating: 2.9 out of 4 stars
Language: English
Genre: Comedy
MPAA Rating: R
Director: Carl Reiner
Actors: Steve Martin, Bernadette Peters, Catlin Adams, Mabel King, Jackie Mason, M. Emmet Walsh
Plot: A rags to riches back to rags story of the clueless, innocent Navin Johnson.
16. All That Jazz
Year of Release: 1979
Overall Rating: 3.0 out of 4 stars
Language: English
Genre: Drama/Fantasy
MPAA Rating: R
Director: Bob Fosse
Actors: Roy Scheider, Jessica Lange, Leland Palmer, Ben Vereen, Ann Reinking, Cliff Gorman
Plot: Bob Fosse wrote and directed this somewhat biopic - replacing himself with Joe Gideon, a chain-smoking, drug-abusing, womanizing and struggling father - whose lifestyles is literally putting him in an early grave.
17. The Silent Partner
Year of Release: 1979
Overall Rating: 3.1 out of 4 stars
Language: English
Genre: Drama/Crime
MPAA Rating: R
Director: Daryl Duke
Actors: Elliott Gould, Christopher Plummer, John Candy, Susannah York, Céline Lomez, Michael Kirby
18. The China Syndrome
Year of Release: 1979
Overall Rating: 2.9 out of 4 stars
Language: English
Genre: Thriller/Drama
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Director: James Bridges
Actors: Jane Fonda, Jack Lemmon, Michael Douglas, Scott Brady, Wilford Brimley, Richard Herd
Plot: Kimberly Wells, an inquisitive reporter working on an alternative energy story, oversees an accident at the nuclear power plant. Wanting the break the story immediately, she suddenly finds herself caught in a web of conspiracy, and those in power will stop at nothing to keep the truth buried.
19. The Warriors
Year of Release: 1979
Overall Rating: 2.9 out of 4 stars
Language: English
Genre: Action/Crime
MPAA Rating: R
Director: Walter Hill
Actors: Michael Beck, Dorsey Wright, David Harris, James Remar, David Patrick Kelly, Tom McKitterick
Plot: A popular leader attempts to unite all the gangs in New York City. At a huge rally he is killed and The Warriors gang is fingered for the hit. They must make their way back to their home turf of Coney Island while dodging rival gangs.
20. Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro ( Rupan sansei: Kariosutoro no shiro )
Year of Release: 1979
Overall Rating: 3.0 out of 4 stars
Language: Japanese
Genre: Anime/Adventure
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Director: Hayao Miyazaki
Actors: Bob Bergen, Yasuo Yamada, Eiko Masuyama, Kiyoshi Kobayashi, Gorô Naya, Tarô Ishida
Plot: A princess kept in the clutches of an evil count holds the key to finding a fabulous treasure. Master thief Lupin III and his gang hatch a plan to free the princess and get their hands on the riches.
