Back To The Future II (1989) *

Fast-paced, but disappointing, complicated and confusing sequel to the 1985 blockbuster. This time, Marty and Doc travel to the future only to discover they've unintentionally changed history. So now, they have to travel back to repair the damage.

Eric The Viking (1989) *

A soft Viking warrior (Tim Robbins) finds a magic horn that takes him over the edge of the world. A poor man's "Baron Munchausen".

A Dry, White Season (1989) *

Preachy drama about white South African teacher's gradual realization of horrible racial injustices in his country. Conventional (i.e. white) point of view (presented in far too many films about apartheid), but a good performance from Marlon Brando.

Fields Of Dreams (1989) *

A young farmer (Kevin Costner) hears some voices and builds a baseball field in the middle of his cornfield. Yes, corny.

The Scenes Of The Class Struggle In Beverly Hills (1989) *

Black comedy about two servants trying to seduce their employers.

Always (1989) *

A remake of "A Guy Named Joe" (1943). The immortal Jerome Kerns' song "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes" adds a touch of black humor to this otherwise boring and sentimental story about a fire-fighter pilot dying in a plane crash. Some scenes are deeply moving, but the film is too corny and ultimately too depressing. Directed by Steven Spielberg; probably the least impressive film of his career.

Black Rain (1989) *

Not to be confused with an excellent Japanese film of the same title (also released in 1989). This is an average thriller starring Michael Douglas as a New York cop chasing Japanese criminals in Osaka. As directed by Ridley Scott, the film has some style, but very little substance.

Blaze (1989) *

Paul Newman stars as Louisiana governor Earl K.Long, a flamboyant populist who falls in love with a stripper.

Eat A Bowl Of Tea (1989) *

Boring drama about the tribulations of a Chinese-American couple.

Gross Anatomy (1989) *

A little film about a group of first-year med students.

Look Who's Talking (1989) *

A single mother falls in love with her babysitter. Some jokes misfire, others loose their momentum. Only gossiping infants are funny - the idea of using Bruce Willis' voice for the kid was definitely inspired.

Music Box (1989) *

A successful lawyer (Jessica Lange) defends her father accused of being a Nazi war criminal. A profoundly depressing film, scripted by Joe Esterhaus.

National Lampoo's Christmas Vacation (1989) *

A wacky Christmas in a weird family with crazy relatives and zany neighbors. All jokes miss their punch, comic situations are ill-conceived and the whole film is an undigestible Christmas turkey.

Parenthood (1989) *

Joys and sorrows of parenthood are presented in this comedy/drama.

Prancer (1989) *

A dreadful "Christmas miracle" movie with plenty of sugar and corn. The story concerns a lost reindeer.

Romero (1989) *

Political drama about the courageous archbishop of San Salvador, who was killed by death squads in 1980 for opposing the military dictatorship.

She-Devil (1989) *

A sitcom feature starring Roseanne Barr as a cheated wife plotting against her former husband and his mistress.