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The Movies of 1985

Trivia, Word Search, and a Quiz

The highest grossing movie this year is the summer blockbuster Back to the Future. A month later Teen Wolf is released which also achieves commercial success. Together these two movies would establish Michael J. Fox as a major Hollywood star. From this point on, he would no longer simply be known as "Alex P. Keaton" — the fictional character he portrayed on the NBC sitcom Family Ties (1982–89).

Capitalizing on this success, Universal Studios would follow-up with Back to the Future Part II (1989) and Part III (1990). While not as successful as the first, both of these movies finished in the top ten for their respective year. Together these three movies form a classic sci-fi trilogy.

Here's some more trivia from the world of cinema in 1985:

  • Emile Hirsch, Dave Franco, and Alison Pill are born this year. Twenty-three years later they would all star together in Sean Penn's Milk (2008). Hirsch also stars with Amanda Seyfried, another actress born this year, in Alpha Dog (2006).
  • Actors making their big screen debuts include Josh Brolin and Sean Astin in the teen adventure comedy The Goonies, and Patrick Dempsey and Kevin Dillon in the comedy drama Heaven Help Us. Don Cheadle also makes his first appearance in the comedy Moving Violations, as does Charles S. Dutton in the horror thriller Cat's Eye, Ethan Hawke in the sci-fi Explorers, Richard Jenkins in the western epic Silverado, Viggo Mortensen in the neo-noir crime thriller Witness, Christian Slater in the action drama The Legend of Billie Jean, Danny Trejo in the action thriller Runaway Train, and Stanley Tucci in the black comedy Prizzi's Honor.
  • The 'stained glass knight' in Young Sherlock Holmes becomes the first character to be completely generated using computer technology (CGI). The 30 second scene takes 6 months to create.
  • The Color Purple is nominated for eleven Oscars and wins exactly zero. This ties The Turning Point (1977) which was similarly shutout.
  • Rock Hudson, who played a Texas cattle baron in Giant (1956), dies this year. Also dying is Orson Welles who produced, directed, and starred in the classic Citizen Kane (1941).

1985 Movies Word Search

The movies in the following two word searches were movies released in 1985. Just like all the movies on this page (unless otherwise noted).

The first word search is easy: 20 movie titles hidden in a small 22 × 20 letter grid. The second is more challenging: 36 movie titles in a large 34 × 32 letter grid.

So load your printer with standard 8.5" × 11" paper, download, hit print and start solving. Our PDF files print out beautifully and are always free to download on our site.

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More Word Searches

These word search puzzles are on particular movies from 1985. They each have 36 terms hidden in a large 34 × 32 letter grid.

Witness Back to the Future The Breakfast Club The Color Purple

10 Question Quiz on 1985 Movies

How well do you know what came out on the Silver Screen in 1985? Take our quiz and find out. There's no time limit and no scoring. Just have fun!

1. What is the name of the harmless but strange-looking character that initially scares the kids in The Goonies?

A. Shrek
B. Sloth
C. Gollum
D. One-eyed Willy

2. In To Live and Die in L.A., Willem Dafoe plays Eric Masters, a criminal who is obsessively pursued by a Secret Service agent because he caused the death of the agent's partner. What type of criminal is Masters?

A. Counterfeiter
B. Hitman
C. Kidnapper
D. Conman

3. High schoolers Emilio 'The Athlete' Estevez, Anthony 'The Brain' Michael Hall, Judd 'The Criminal' Nelson, Molly 'The Princess' Ringwald, and Ally 'The Basket Case' Sheedy are all virtual strangers at the start of The Breakfast Club. By the time closing credits roll, they get to know each other well. This is because they end up spending the entire length of the movie in the same room together.

What was the cause of this confinement?

A. Snowstorm
B. Alien invasion
C. Detention
D. Active shooter

4. What type of traditionalist community is featured in Harrison Ford's Witness?

A. Mennonite
B. Amish
C. Shaker
D. Quaker

5. Besides starring in The Aviator with Christopher Reeve, actress Rosanna Arquette stars in 3 other movies released in 1985. Which one of the following movies did she NOT appear in?

6. After Chevy Chase is kneed in the groin by a cop in Fletch, someone asks him if he's alright. Chevy responds "I feel ___."

A. like dancing
B. crotchety
C. like a hundred dollars
D. a little upset

7. Which actor played James Bond for the final time in A View to a Kill?

A. Roger Moore
B. Timothy Dalton
C. Pierce Brosnan
D. Sean Connery

8. Which actress played Princess Lili — the love interest for Tom Cruise's character Jack — in Legend?

A. Mia Sara
B. Rebecca De Mornay
C. Elisabeth Shue
D. Nicole Kidman

9. What is the subject of St. Elmo's Fire?

A. Children's TV
B. Catholic Church
C. Serial arson
D. Young adulthood

10. What were the character names of Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner in The Jewel of the Nile?

A. Sam & Sarah
B. Simon & Sue
C. Jack & Joan
D. Jake & Jill

Want more? We have another page on the cinema of 1985

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