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Post by EdoBosnar on Jun 9, 2023 14:09:06 GMT -5
The Indiana Jones movie didn't age well for me at all; back then, I liked it, but Temple of Doom left such a bad taste in my mouth that pretty much anything was a step up. However, over the years I've found that the only Indiana Jones movie I genuinely like and can watch repeatedly is Raiders - and much of that has to do with Karen Allen's virtually show-stealing performance as Marion Ravenwood.
I think Batman holds up pretty well; it's got its problems, but I still think it's the best Batman movie (after the 1960s one, of course).
Anyway, out of the ones you mentioned, I think I'd pick Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure; Do the Right Thing is a worthwhile movie, although Spike Lee has made better films (but yeah, it's been awhile since I last watched it.)
Looking over the extended list of 1989's movies, there's two honorable mentions for me: UHF and Fletch II - I really like both of the Fletch movies, as they're among those rare instances where Chevy Chase's brand of humor really works for me.
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Post by Slam_Bradley on Jun 9, 2023 14:22:17 GMT -5
The Indiana Jones movie didn't age well for me at all; back then, I liked it, but Temple of Doom left such a bad taste in my mouth that pretty much anything was a step up. However, over the years I've found that the only Indiana Jones movie I genuinely like and can watch repeatedly is Raiders - and much of that has to do with Karen Allen's virtually show-stealing performance as Marion Ravenwood. I think Batman holds up pretty well; it's got its problems, but I still think it's the best Batman movie (after the 1960s one, of course). Anyway, out of the ones you mentioned, I think I'd pick Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure; Do the Right Thing is a worthwhile movie, although Spike Lee has made better films (but yeah, it's been awhile since I last watched it.) Looking over the extended list of 1989's movies, there's two honorable mentions for me: UHF and Fletch II - I really like both of the Fletch movies, as they're among those rare instances where Chevy Chase's brand of humor really works for me. Batman '89 is still my second favorite Batman movie after '66. I haven't seen either UHF or Fletch II in a super long time. I did re-watch Fletch not so long ago and it holds up pretty well. |
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Post by commond on Jun 9, 2023 17:18:56 GMT -5
Whoa, if Spike Lee has made many better films than Do The Right Thing than I haven't seen them. That film is his masterpiece.
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Post by Hoosier X on Jun 9, 2023 19:10:52 GMT -5
For my favorite film of 1989, I would have a tough time choosing between The Killer and Drugstore Cowboy.
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Post by Slam_Bradley on Jun 9, 2023 20:00:50 GMT -5
Whoa, if Spike Lee has made many better films than Do The Right Thing than I haven't seen them. That film is his masterpiece. I think you can make a strong argument for Malcolm X as his best film. But it’s between those two. |
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Post by berkley on Jun 9, 2023 21:30:00 GMT -5
After a quick run-through of the list I'll say The Killer: my first John Woo and my first Chow Yun-Fat, so an important movie for me as a fan. I probably saw it a year or two later, whenever it was released in North America. It was playing at the same cinema where I still see a lot of foreign and independent films to this day. Back then I lived around a 20-25 minute walk away and I remember making a last minute decision to go see it, having to jog part of the way to get there in time. I had read about it in a movie magazine that mentioned Martin Scorsese's praise of it so I was intrigued in spite of knowing nothing further about the film-makers. BTW, this is one of the classic action movies that I think was referenced in the recent John Wick IV - specifically, the visual of the candles in the church.
Other favourites this year would include God of Gamblers (which I didn't see until 1995 or so, at a guess) and the two Jean-Claude Van Damme movies that came out. Cameron's The Abyss I saw only on video, I should try it again some time. I thought I saw Mystery Train but find I can't recall a thing about it so maybe I haven't. I know I missed Johnny Handsome because I was always interested in a new Mickey Rourke movie and failed to get to this one.
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Post by EdoBosnar on Jun 10, 2023 2:55:10 GMT -5
Whoa, if Spike Lee has made many better films than Do The Right Thing than I haven't seen them. That film is his masterpiece. So you haven't seen She's Gotta Have It. Still his best film as far as I'm concerned. I also think Malcolm X and Summer of Sam are better. |
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Post by Hoosier X on Jun 10, 2023 12:06:24 GMT -5
I really like a lot of Spike Lee’s movies. I can see why Do the Right Thing is so highly praised. I saw School Daze for the first time just a few months ago and I thought it was another winner.
But my favorite is Bamboozled.
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Post by commond on Jun 10, 2023 20:06:00 GMT -5
I can see the case for Malcolm X. Wouldn't make it myself, but I can see others sharing the same opinion.
My favorite film from '89 is Do The Right Thing. I'm also a big fan of Steven Soderbergh's Sex, Lies, and Videotape, which for years and years was a film title I remembered from the video shop rental days but didn't watch until I took place in an 80s film poll. Crimes and Misdemeanors is one of Woody Allen's better films, and there are admirable early works from Gus Van Sant (Drugstore Cowboy) and Aki Kaurismaki (Leningrad Cowboys Go America). I don't think I've ever watched Dekalog in its entirety, but it's considered one of the greatest television series of all-time, and was released as a series of films.
Shohei Imamura's Black Rain is a high quality film, as is Kitano's Violent Cop. Kiki is beloved in Japan and many people's favorite Ghibli movie. Roger & Me is Mike Moore's early hit, then you have great films like City of Sadness by Hou Hsiao-hsien and Life and Nothing But by Bertrand Tavernier. Quite an interesting year, actually, with a lot of interesting films being made around the world.
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Post by berkley on Jun 10, 2023 23:12:28 GMT -5
I can see the case for Malcolm X. Wouldn't make it myself, but I can see others sharing the same opinion. My favorite film from '89 is Do The Right Thing. I'm also a big fan of Steven Soderbergh's Sex, Lies, and Videotape, which for years and years was a film title I remembered from the video shop rental days but didn't watch until I took place in an 80s film poll. Crimes and Misdemeanors is one of Woody Allen's better films, and there are admirable early works from Gus Van Sant (Drugstore Cowboy) and Aki Kaurismaki (Leningrad Cowboys Go America). I don't think I've ever watched Dekalog in its entirety, but it's considered one of the greatest television series of all-time, and was released as a series of films. Shohei Imamura's Black Rain is a high quality film, as is Kitano's Violent Cop. Kiki is beloved in Japan and many people's favorite Ghibli movie. Roger & Me is Mike Moore's early hit, then you have great films like City of Sadness by Hou Hsiao-hsien and Life and Nothing But by Tavernier, Bertrand. Quite an interesting year, actually, with a lot of interesting films being made around the world.
As usual I missed a lot when I skimmed through the list. If Kiki means Kiki's Delivery Service, that would definitely be a highlight of the year, though I didn't see it myself until the late 1990s or early 2000s.
Spike Lee and Steven Soderbergh are two well-known American directors whose films have never attracted me, for whatever reason. I feel like I should try something, but more out of a sense of duty as a film-fan than from any real desire to watch anything of theirs. But I will do it eventually. I have seen one Spike Lee film, Jungle Fever, and I thought that was pretty good, so I'm more inclined to him than Soderbergh.
O f the others you mention, City of Sadness and Life and Nothing But are close to the top of my list. Imamura's Black Rain I'm almost afraid to watch, as I am things in general about Hiroshima - or the Holocaust or the genocide of Indigenous Peoples and other things of that nature, coward that I am.
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Post by Hoosier X on Jun 10, 2023 23:26:29 GMT -5
I forget about Imamura’s Black Rain. I saw that for the first time just a year or two ago. It makes it even harder to pick a favorite.
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Post by commond on Jun 11, 2023 8:59:32 GMT -5
I actually haven't watched many Soderbergh films. I just really like Sex, Lies, and Video Tape. Spike Lee I consider an auteur and would gladly watch any film he directs.
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Post by coke & comics on Jun 11, 2023 22:00:52 GMT -5
1989 is the most formative year of my life. Read my first comic. The Simpsons became my favorite TV show. The San Francisco earthquake left an impression. Two formative movies for me. One of which holds up as my favorite film of the year: The Little Mermaid. The other I'll place at #3 or #4 in my current rankings, Batman. Happened to watch both this weekend to prepare for possibly seeing the new films in cinemas this week that homage them.
#2 is Kiki's Delivery Service.
#3 probably breaks some rules, so feel free to ignore it if it doesn't count as a movie. But if it does, Lonesome Dove is great.
Then we'll go with When Harry Met Sally.
Runner up is probably The Abyss or Dead Poets Society. Then probably Do the Right Thing and Field of Dreams. Or The Killer.
I do have a fondness for The Last Crusade, though I see it as uneven. The banter between the two actors is charming, and the series of traps that forms the climax is on par with the best of the first film. The rest of the movie feels like it's just there.
I appreciate The Trial of the Incredible Hulk, my introduction to Daredevil and the Kingpin. And Pryde of the X-Men was my introduction to the X-Men. Like I said, formative year for 8-year old me.
At the time, I quite liked Honey I Shrunk the Kids, but now it's been 30+ years since I've seen it.
This was the year my memories started to take shape into something enduring. The first 7 years are a blur, but I remember well all the movies I watched this year. Turner & Hooch. Look Who's Talking. Chances Are.
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Post by badwolf on Jun 12, 2023 8:50:30 GMT -5
1989
Kiki's Delivery Service - the first Studio Ghibli film I saw
sex, lies and videotape
Crimes and Misdemeanors - one of my favorite films ever and Woody's best
Valmont
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Post by Slam_Bradley on Jun 15, 2023 10:54:46 GMT -5
Onward to the 90s with 1990. Goodfellas - This probably isn't Scorsese's best film. But it's definitely the film of his that I've seen the most often. And it's probably the film of his that I enjoy watching the most. Scorsese's direction is flawless. And that tracking shot. The cast is universally excellent. Yes, Pesci gets singled out...and rightfully so. But Ray Liotta, Lorraine Bracco, De Niro, Paul Sorvino, Frank Vincent...they're all just great. And you have to love a young Michael Imperioli as Spider. Simply the best movie of 1990. Miller's Crossing - I'll be honest. I did not like Miller's Crossing the first time I saw it. I don't remember why. I just remember I didn't like it. To be fair, I was almost certainly only about 24 years old and really wasn't that conversant with where it was coming from historically or the tropes that the Coen's were playing with. I've obviously since changed my mind and I really love the film. It is, in many ways, a loose adaptation of Hammett's The Glass Key, which is a highly underrated work in both its quality and its influence. The cast is excellent. The script is crisp and noirish. It's an outstanding film. Total Recall - Yeah, I know that it barely has any resemblance to Dick's short story. I don't care. This is one of the most fun movies of a time when action films were just damn fun. Arnie is as good here as he is in any film. Ronny Cox is a hoot (as usual). I'll take Rachel Ticotin over Sharon Stone...but that's just me. The special effects hold up very well. It's a fun action/sf/comedy. And I'll watch it every time I get a chance. Tremors - I don't remember this movie being advertised. At all. I discovered it well after the fact on TV. And...damn this is a fun film. It walks the tightrope of comedy, monster-horror, and action perfectly. Kevin Bacon and Fred Ward are a shit-all hoot. As are Michael Gross and Reba McEntire. It's just a crazy fun movie and that's all it really needs to be. The Grifters - Excellent adaptation of the Jim Thompson novel. This is a complex web of consequences for the actions of the characters. The script, by novelist and creator of Parker, Donald Westlake is simply outstanding. The cast is superb. A great, under-rated neo-noir. Quigley Down Under - I think this is a great western. Tom Selleck was born to be an old-time western star. Alan Rickman was suitably villainous. I had a big thing for Laura San Giacomo at the time. It just all works for me and it's a movie I watch frequently. As usual there are many films I've either not seen or not seen in far too long. Including; Misery (It's been quite a while); The Hunt for Red October (I wonder how I'd feel about it now); Wild at Heart (I haven't seen it in eons); La Femme Nikita (way too long); Darkman (I'd like to see this again); King of New York (sigh...so long); Arachnophobia (I liked this at the time, I don't know how it would hold up); So what's my favorite film of 1990? It's Goodfellas. I actually like a lot of movies from 1990. And there are a ton that I need to re-watch because I haven't seen them since the 90s. But, while I don't think it is Scorsese's best film, I think it is near the top of oeuvre. And I think it's not only the best movie of 1990 it's one of the most fun to watch. And 1990 in film for those as need a look. |
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