Akira (1988) ****

Krotki film o milosci (1988) ****

Bagdad Café (1988) ****

Ice Palace (1988) ****

Cinema Paradiso (1988) ****

Beautiful and touching film about a little Sicilian boy, his childhood and his great love for cinema.

Krotki film o zabijaniu (1988) ****

Wstrzasajacy film o okrutnym zabojstwie taksowkarza przez mlodego wloczege. Film przedstawia ponury obraz polskiej rzeczywistosci u schylku ery komunistycznej. Skrocona, nieco mniej udana wersja tego filmu jest piatym epizodem telewizyjnego cyklu "Dekalog".

Big (1988) ****

A little boy suddenly becomes an adult (played by Tom Hanks).

Dead Ringers (1988) ****

Willow (1988) ***

Excellent fantasy film.

Thin Blue Line (1988) ***

Compelling documentary about a miscarriage of justice.

Talk Radio (1988) ***

Oliver Stone directed this hard-hitting film about a controversial talk radio host.

Plaff! (1988) ***

Brechtian comedy from Cuba.

Oliver And Company (1988) ***

A little cat joins a bunch of canine thieves. A animated adaptation of Dickens' "Oliver Twist", set in contemporary New York. Songs: 

"Once Upon A Time In New York" * 

"Why Should I Worry ?" ** 

"Streets Of Gold" * 

"Perfect Isn't Easy" * 

"Good Company" 

"Why Should I Worry ?" (reprise) *

Little Dorrit (1988) ***

A superlative adaptation of Charles Dickens' novel set in a debtor's prison. It consists of two parts, each telling the same story from a different point of view.

"Nobody's Fault" ***
"Little Dorrit's Story" ***

In The Line Of Duty 3 (1988) ***

Cynthia Khan kicks some major ass in this fine crime flick from Hong Kong. Aka "Force Of The Dragon".

High Hopes (1988) ***

Very original black comedy about snobbery and class-consciousness in Thatcher's Britain.

Hairspray (1988) ***

Ricky Lake is an obese dance contest winner in this campy comedy directed by John Waters.

Dragons Forever (1988) ***

Jackie Chan plays an ass-kicking lawyer in this typical chop socky film.

The Dead Pool (1988) ***

Clint Eastwood, Liam Neeson and Jim Carrey star in the fourth sequel to "Dirty Harry" (1971).

As Tears Go By (1988) ***

A responsible gangster (Andy Lau) has to deal with his impulsive "little brother" (Jacky Cheung) who can't keep out of trouble. Maggie Cheung plays Lau's love interest. This is Wong Kar-Wai's first film, less self-conscious and artsy than his later creations, but beautifully shot and directed.

The Accidental Tourist (1988) ***

Interesting film about a travel-guide writer (William Hurt) and his romance with an excentric dog-trainer (Geena Davis).

The Naked Gun (1988) ***

The first, and the best, of the farces starring Leslie Nielsen as the bumbling Lt. Frank Drebin.

Maitre de musique (1988) ***

Excellent Belgian film.

Hôtel Terminus (1988) ***

Excellent documentary about Klaus Barbie, the notorious Gestapo chief in Lyon.

Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (1988) ***

Excellent, and very sophisticated comedy starring Steve Martin and Michael Caine.

Another Woman (1988) ***

Gena Rowlands star in this serious drama directed by Woody Allen.

Bird (1988) ***

Wonderful jazz musical by Clint Eastwood.

L'Ours (1988) ***

An orphan cub is adopted by a large kodiak bear who's chased by two hunters in the Canadian Rockies. Beautiful film, gorgeous photography.

Police Story II (1988) ***

Jackie Chan plays a disgruntled cop in this engrossing sequel to the 1985 hit.

Powaqqatsi (1988) ***

A follow-up to "Koyaanisqatsi" (1983), filmed in Brazil, Egypt, Kenya, Peru, India, Hong Kong, Israel, France, Nepal and Berlin.

Salaam Bombay (1988) ***

Deeply moving film about young children living on the streets of Bombay.

Salsa (1988) ***

Excellent dance numbers in this fine musical with a Latino flavor. Songs include:

"Cali Pachanguero" *
"Under My Skin" *
"Good Lovin'" *
"Oye Como Va" *
"Puerto Rico" **
"I Know" **
"Spanish Harlem" **
"Margarita" **
"Chicos y Chicas" **
"Puerto Rico" (reprise) **

School On Fire (1988) ***

A young schoolgirl (Fennie Yuen) witnesses a crime, testifies against the triads and pays a heavy price for it by being forced into prostitution. The script belongs to a sexploitation flick, but helmer Ringo Lam directs it like a straight crime movie. Nevertheless, it includes a scene where the girl is forced to strip to her underwear in front of leering gangsters.

Tales From The Gimli Hospital (1988) ***

Surrealistic tale about nurses, patients and old Icelandic legends.

Coming To America (1988) ***

Working Girl (1988) ***

Rain Man (1988) ***

The Last Temptation Of Christ (1988) ***

La Petite voleuse (1988) **

Une Affaire de femmes (1988) **

Emmanuelle 6 (1988) ***

La Vie est un long fleuve tranquille (1988) ***

La Lectrice (1988) ***

Le Grand Bleu (1988) ***

Chocolat (1988) ***

Little Vera (1988) ***

The Summer Of Aviya (1988) ***

Karhozat (1988) ***

The Vanishing (1988) **

A heavy and depressing psychological thriller about a young man searching for his kidnapped wife. Well directed and acted, with a shocking and terrifying ending. A coproduction between Holland and France, the film was submitted by Holland for a Oscar nomination, but was rejected because the director is French. French title: "L'Homme qui voulait savoir".

Red Sorghum (1988) **

Visually stunning, but weakly plotted Chinese film about winery workers fighting against Japanese invaders.

Alice (1988) **

A puppet-animated version of Lewis Carroll's "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland".

Tetsuo: The Iron Man (1988) ***

A Taxing Woman's Return (1988) ***

Sur (1988) **

Modernist drama directed by radical Argentinian director Fernando Solanas. Heavy-handed and dogmatic, but visually beautiful.

Tiger Cage (1988) **

Chop socky/police drama about corrupted cops, betrayals, etc.

Au-dela du vertige (1988) *

Film Krzysztofa Zanussiego o dyplomacie i jego chorej umyslowo zonie.

Pelle The Conqueror (1988) ***

My Neighbor Totoro (1988) ***

Her Vengeance (1988) ***

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The Everlasting Secret Family (1988) ***

The Rainbow (1988) ***

Tangerine Taxi (1988) ***

Drowning By Numbers (1988) ***

Les Portes tournantes (1988) *

Francis Mankiewicz's least impressive film.

When We Was Fab (1988) ***

On s'est tous defile (1988) ***

Fingered (1988) ***

Whoregasm (1988) ***

Puissance de la parole (1988) ***

Simply Irresistible (1988) ***

Roll With It (1988) ***

Gercure (1988) ***

Amusing short film about catching cold in Montreal.

Gullah Tales (1988) ***

Oscar-nominated short film set on a slave plantation.

Revolving Door (1988) ***

Here's the ultimate proof of just how powerful and effective this political ad is: it's also known as the "Willie Horton ad", even though it never mentions Willie Horton at all (he became a household name thanks to a different, earlier political ad). But nobody remembers that earlier ad, and everybody remembers that revolving door.

Felix Pommes strips (1988) ***

Appointments Of Dennis Jennings (1988) **

Uneven comedy about a patient trying to kill his psychiatrist (Rowan Atkinson).

The Cat Came Back (1988) ****

An Oscar-nominated cartoon about a man trying to get rid of a cat. A nice title song.

One Of Those Days (1988) ****

Superb cartoon about one horrible, terrible day. Hilarious from start to finish.

Super Powers (1988) ****

Brilliant Iranian cartoon about war.

Love At First Sight (1988) ***

A man falls desperately in love with a heartless woman.

Les Quatre voeux (1988) ***

Technological Threat (1988) ***

Human workers are being replaced by robots in this amusing cartoon. An Academy Award nominee.

Pas à deux (1988) ***

A post-modernist cartoon about dancing, co-directed by Gerrit van Dijk and Monique Renault.

Academy Leader Variations (1988) ***

Innovative variations on a single theme: 8,7,6,5,4,3,2. A co-production between USA, Poland, Switzerland and China. Animators include Jane Aaron, George Griffin, Stanislaw Lenartowicz and Georges Schwizgebel.

Tin Toy (1988) ***

Oscar-nominated cartoon from Pixar.

Lettre d'amour (1988) **

Animated film by Pierre Hebert.

Disconnected (1988) **

The upper half of the head jumps from one headless body to another. A simple cartoon, far less gruesome than its plot summary might suggest.

The Dingles (1988) **

An average cartoon about an old lady and her three cats.

The Writer (1988) *

Paul Driessen's unique graphic style is the main asset of this narratively incoherent cartoon.

A Nice Day In The Country (1988) *

A man is unable to open the door of his house.

Candy Jam (1988) *

Too much candy can be very bad for you. That applies to this film as well.

Arnold Escapes From The Church (1988) *

A rather confusing cartoon about religion...or something.

Trio en mi bemol (1988) ***

Yes Prime Minister: The National Education Service (1988) ***