This is another one of those years where the highbrow films are less memorable for me (with a couple of exceptions) than the big blockbuster films that closed this decade.
And what a year blockbusters this was -- the summer of '89 in particular will go down in history as one of the most stacked seasons of all time. There were major sequels galore, some big franchise starters and a whole lot of wildly different options to choose from.
This was a hard year to whittle down. I liked quite a lot of this year's films a lot and some great ones like Sex, Lies & Videotape and Parenthood just missed the cut for me. But here are my personal favorites from 30 years ago:
10) Say Anything ... - Really the only Cameron Crowe movie that totally works for me and one of the best portraits of post high school, pre-college adolescence I've ever seen (only The Graduate is in it's class). John Cusack is irresistibly adorable as the meandering Lloyd Dobler who takes a chance on romance with the school overachiever (played believably by the equally adorable Ione Skye). Everyone remembers the famous boom box scene but there are plenty of other moving and hilarious bits. A really special little comedy.
9) Ghostbusters II - I know, I know this sequel can't hold a candle to the original and some purists outright hate it but it has a lot of sentimental meaning for me. I still remember seeing it in theaters and what a touchstone it was for me as a kid. And it doesn't feel like too big a departure from the original, even if it's bigger in terms of scale and FX. Murray, Ramis, Aykroyd and Hudson have still got it and it's got enough thrilling bits mixed with some solid laughs to be an amiable fun time at the movies.
8) Field of Dreams - This tearjerker fantasy always gets me. Kevin Costner is at the peak of his movie star powers here in this improbable hit about an eccentric Iowa farmer who brings legendary baseball players back to life via a baseball diamond he puts on his cornfield. It's hokey to be sure but also gorgeously photographed, filled with stellar acting (James Earl Jones' baseball monologue is achingly good) and it has a great message about being non conformist that runs as a theme throughout it, which I'll always appreciate.
7) Glory - One of the most powerful and vital war films I've ever seen manages to delicately steal focus from its nominal white leading character (Matthew Broderick playing the commander of the first regiment of 'negro' soldiers during the Civil War) to the black infantrymen, among them a stalwart Morgan Freeman, an off-the-charts charismatic Denzel Washington (who won the Oscar for this) and a heartbreaking Andre Braugher (who arguably has the most complex role as an educated black man trying to hold his own with the grunts). This deserved to be a hit and should have broke into the Best Picture race but alas room had to be made for ...cough... Driving Miss Daisy.
6) Indiana Jones & the Last Crusade - Probably the second best Indiana Jones films after the first, this rip-roaring adventure has a great MacGuffin (the Holy Grail) and some new emotional dimension thanks to the father-son relationship between Indy and his father (played by Sean Connery with immense charm) taking center stage. This probably should have been the last Indy adventure. It certainly feels like a fitting end with our hero riding off into the sunset. But unfortunately producers 'chose poorly.' Still, this film shows that there was a lot of life left under that brown fedora.
5) Back to the Future Part II - This is another divisive sequel for some people but I've always loved it. It presents a much darker vision than its predecessor and embraces its meta conceit by literally placing its hero Marty McFly (an affable as always Michael J. Fox) back in the original film that started it all. This is very ambitious narrative filmmaking from director Robert Zemeckis. He unfortunately finished the trilogy with the more traditional Western-set Part III, but if nothing elseI will always appreciate this film for introducing Biff as Trump into the world.
4) National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation - My favorite holiday movie and the last cinematic hurrah for Chevy Chase (although he briefly found his footing on TV's community about two decades later). It's so chock full of unforgettable one liners and moments from 'the blessing!' to 'shitter's full' to 'tap dancing with Danny fucking Kaye.' This movie gets how both brutal and beautiful spending the holidays with your family can be, and while its more hijinks than heart, what sincerity that's in it is quite gracefully handled.
3) Crimes and Misdemeanors - Although a case can be made for Annie Hall, Manhattan, Hannah and Her Sisters -- and several others -- this is my favorite Woody Allen film. It's a devastatingly bleak movie despite the fact that it's one half comedy. The other half is a stone cold serious look at the messy dissolution of an affair with a strong Martin Landau opposite Anjelica Huston. A more complicated film than it appears to be on the surface -- its about faith, fate and why bad things keep happening to good people. It's a shame Allen has so horribly tarnished his own legacy, this film would be elevated into the conversation of great 1980s films in a heartbeat.
2) Do the Right Thing - Spike Lee's crowning achievement just keeps getting better with age. It's a travesty it wasn't more widely seen (one white film critic literally warned that it would cause riots, it didn't) and was largely snubbed by the Academy Awards. It's a great looking, profoundly funny and then truly depressing portrait of the absurdity and very real tension of our ethnic and racial divide, all set over the course of a 24-hours from hell. It's remarkable how talented Lee was at this point in his career that he could both evoke a benevolently bigoted old Italian pizzeria owner (Danny Aiello, in a wonderful performance) and a hot headed wannabe activist (Giancarlo Esposito) with total aplomb. One of the great films of this or any decade.
1) Batman - it's still my favorite superhero movie of all time and it may be the best Tim Burton marriage between his artistic vision and an existing property, the difference is that with this (rather than Alice in Wonderland or reportedly Dumbo) his heart was totally in this one. Jack Nicholson is at his scene stealing best as the Joker and Michael Keaton nails this portrait of Bruce Wayne/Batman -- he leans into the eccentricity and effectively conveys someone who enjoys being Batman (for Bale's version it was always a burden). A triumph of costume design, production design and score -- but also the best kind of major blockbuster, it's creative, thoughtful, funny and it has staying power.
PAST TOP 10 FAVORITE LISTS
1974 #1 movie - The Godfather Part II
1975 #1 movie - Nashville
1976 #1 movie - Taxi Driver
1977 #1 movie - Star Wars
1978 #1 movie - The Deer Hunter
1984 #1 movie - Ghostbusters
1985 #1 movie - Fletch
1986 #1 movie - Blue Velvet
1987 #1 movie - The Untouchables
1988 #1 movie - Coming to America
1994 #1 movie - Pulp Fiction
1995 #1 movie - Heat
1996:#1 movie - Fargo
1997 #1 movie - Boogie Nights
1998 #1 movie - The Big Lebowski
1999 #1 movie - Eyes Wide Shut
2004 #1 movie - Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
2005 #1 movie - A History of Violence
2006 #1 movie - Casino Royale
2007 #1 movie - There Will Be Blood
2008 #1 movie - The Wrestler
2009 #1 movie - Inglourious Basterds
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