From Beyond (1986) ***

Down By Law (1986) ***

Reform School Girls (1986) ***

The Color Of Money (1986) ***

Paul Newman won an Oscar for this film and it was indeed the greatest performance of his career. It's also a typical early Tom Cruise film about a naturally talented kid (guided by a mentor, and encouraged by an older and more mature woman), who has to master a craft in an arena, and acquire a specialized knowledge that will be tested on a trail (kudos to Roger Ebert who masterfully identified all those key elements of the early Tom Cruise pictures in his excellent review of "Days Of Thunder"). But it's actually Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio who steals the movie from her male costars in a superb Oscar-nominated performance. Oh, and it's also a Martin Scorsese film.

The Name Of The Rose (1986) ***

She's Gotta Have It (1986) ***

Working Girls (1986) ***

Pouvoir intime (1986) ***

An excellent caper film about an armored car heist.

A Better Tomorrow (1986) ***

Violent crime film from Hong Kong about two brothers on the opposite sides of the law.

Born To Defend (1986) ***

Since this is a Jet Li movie, first-rate chop-socky action is de rigeur. It's set in 1940's China and the villains are... Yankee sailors. US citizens (and sympatizers) beware: movies just don't get any more anti-American than that. The kickboxing scenes are terrific; usually pitting Li against a larger, Caucasian opponent. Co-directed (and co-starring) Jet Li and Tsui Siu-Ming, it was produced in China, not Hong Kong.

The Great Mouse Detective (1986) ***

Basil of Baker Street investigates a mysterious disappearance of a toymaker. A nice little animated film from Disney, a warm-up before the great avalanche of classics that would begin in a few years. It's not a musical, but there are a couple of songs: 

"The World's Greatest Criminal Mind" * 

"Let Me Be Good To You" * 

"Goodbye So Soon" **

Little Shop Of Horrors (1986) ***

A musical film about a killer plant. Steve Martin's turn as a sadistic dentist is a riot. Bill Murray has a cameo as his masochistic patient, but that role was played even better by Jack Nicholson in the original, non-musical version from 1960. Songs include:

"Little Shop Of Horrors" **
"Downtown" **
"Somewhere That's Green" *
"Some Fun Now" *
"I'M Your Dentist" **
"Suddenly Seymour" *
"Suppertime" *
"Mean Green Mother From Outer Space" **

Martial Arts Of Shaolin (1986) ***

Great kung-fu fighting amid gorgeous scenery (Forbidden City, the Great Wall and Guilin).

Righting Wrongs (1986) ***

A frustrated attorney (Yuen Biao), tired of seeing criminals go free, decides to take the law into his own hands. But that puts a ball-breaking female cop (Cynthia Rothrock) on his ass. A standard chop-socky fare, but much sexier, as Rothrock does some of her leg kicks wearing a skirt. There is a major kung-fu fight scene every ten minutes.

Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986) ***

The best and funniest of all Star Trek films. Kirk, Spock and the rest of the gang travel to present-day San Francisco to save a pair of whales.

The Mission (1986) ***

River's Edge (1986) ***

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Salvador (1986) ***

Highlander (1986) ***

Hands Of Steel (1986) ***

52 Pick-Up (1986) ***

Absolute Beginners (1986) ***

Excellent British film.

Crocodile Dundee (1986) ***

Excellent comedy from Australia.

Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986) ***

Matthew Broderick is terrific in the title role.

Jean de Florette (1986) ***

Sad film starring Gérard Depardieu.

Mélo (1986) ***

An adaptation of a popular French play. 

Platoon (1986) ***

Realistic film about the Vietnam War.

Tenue de soiree (1986) ***

Black comedy directed by Bertrand Tavernier.

Top Gun (1986) ***

A terrific film in every respect. Quentin Tarantino (in a scene from "Sleep With Me") has an interesting interpretation of it. And his interpretation seems to be confirmed by this trailer.

37,2 le matin (1986) ***

Mauvais sang (1986) ***

Charlotte For Ever (1986) ***

Devil In The Flesh (1986) ***

CK Dezerterzy (1986) ***

My Sweet Little Village (1986) ***

The Sacrifice (1986) ***

Matador (1986) ***

Tampopo (1986) ***

Ginger e Fred (1986) ***

Uneven, but memorable film directed by Federico Fellini. There are many magical moments when Julieta is dancing with Marcelo. 

Snow Queen (1986) **

An impressive, but very pretentious adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen's greatest fairy tale.

In The Line Of Duty (1986) **

Michelle Yeoh fights against four army-buddies-turned-criminals. Aka "Royal Warriors".

Kronika wypadkow milosnych (1986) **

Nostalgiczny, niezupelnie udany film milosny oparty na powiesci Tadeusza Konwickiego.

Legacy Of Rage (1986) **

Brandon Lee plays a young man framed by his best friend (Michael Wong). An early crime melodrama from Hong Kong.

The Millionaires Express (1986) **

Directed by Samo Hung. With Samo Hung, Rosamund Kwan, Yuen Biao, Lam Ching-Ying, Wu Ma and Cynthia Rothrock. A comedy set in a small Chinese village of Hanshui.

The Pointsman (1986) **

Bizarre Dutch film set in a small railway station in the middle of nowhere.

Yellow Earth (1986) **

Directed by Chen Kaige and photographed by Zhang Yimou, "Yellow Earth" was the first Chinese picture made by the filmmakers of the so-called "Fifth Generation". It's the story of a Communist Army soldier who visits a remote mountain village.

In A Glass Cage (1986) *

A disturbing Spanish thriller directed by Agustin Villaronga. Its main protagonist, a sadistic gay Nazi pedophile, is actually a powerless victim of a monstruous psychopath. This way, like playing with a stacked deck, the film prevents viewers from empatizing with the victim, giving itself a licence to show the most abominable acts of cruelty imaginable. Sick sexploitation cinema of the worst kind.

Menu Total (1986) ***

Maris The Chojo (1986) ***

Letters From A Dead Man (1986) ***

Lepota poroka (1986) ***

Egeszseges erotika (1986) ***

Alla vi barn i Bullerbyn (1986) ***

After Spring (1986) ***

Castaway (1986) ***

Amanda Donohoe is a young English woman who volunteers to live for one year on a deserted tropical island with a middle-aged man.

My Beautiful Laundrette (1986) ***

Bois ton cafe (1986) *****

Precious Images (1986) ****

A cross-cut of nearly 100 years of American movies. It won an Oscar for Best Short Film. Updated in 1996.

Meetin' WA (1986) ***

Jean-Luc Godard interviews Woody Allen. Playful.

Sledgehammer (1986) ***

King Of Sex (1986) ***

La Fessée (1986) ***

L'Eleve (1986) ***

Big Time (1986) ***

Wild Wild Life (1986) ***

Mr Right (1986) ***

The Masters Of Disaster (1986) **

Oscar-nominated short documentary about chess players.

Women - For America For The World (1986) *

Another series of platitudes about the danger of nuclear war.

Lupo The Butcher (1986) ****

Gory, but hilarious cartoon about a butcher. A cult favorite.

The Frog The Dog And The Devil (1986) ****

A spectacular cartoon from New Zealand - a superbly directed and visually magnificent film about a drunken cowboy suffering from hallucinations. An Academy Award nominee.

Broken Down Film (1986) ****

A silent cartoon about a brave cowboy. The film breaks down every ten seconds, helping the hero to to save a girl tied to the railway tracks. A wonderfully brechtian deconstruction of the film-making and film-viewing experiences.

Set In Motion (1986) ***

Brief film about room furniture moving freely around.

Royal Flush (1986) ***

Bathroom utilities rebel against their huge, disgusting owner. Brief, but witty.

Mongo Makongo (1986) ***

A trip into tropical jungle full of exotic plants and animals. A visually striking cartoon, very beautiful.

Sweet Dreams Luv (1986) ***

A Greek Tragedy (1986) ***

Every Dog's Guide To Complete Home Safety (1986) ***

Hilarious cartoon about countless dangers threatening a careless family.

The Characters (1986) ***

A couple is under assault from a bunch of letters.

Luxo Jr (1986) ***

A little lamp is playing with a ball. Pixar's first film and one of the earliest examples of computer animation. Nominated for an Oscar. Directed by John Lasseter.

Adam (1986) ***

Weird cartoon set in a post-apocalyptic future. It's a grim allegory about the nuclear war.

When Bats Are Quiet (1986) ***

A mysterious man is searching for a haunted house, with a flashlight, at night, during a rainstorm. Atmospheric, well animated, spooky little film.

Snookles (1986) ***

Brief one-joke cartoon about a baby dragon befriending a cute little birdy.

Heure des anges (1986) **

Codirected by B.Pojar and J.Drouin. Story of a man who falls in love with a beautiful woman, but temporarily looses his eyesight. It's basically a puppet-animated film that uses the pinscreen technique to animate the backgrounds. A co-production between Canada's NFB and Czechoslovakia. **

Augusta Kneading (1986) **

Augusta's culinary abilities leave much to be desired, but she finally succeeds in filling her pot.

Augusta Feeds Her Child (1986) **

Clay animation film about a mother trying to feed her baby.

Animation Has No Borders (1986) **

Semi-abstract cartoon set to the music of "The Internationale", created by 36 animators from various countries.

Quest: A Long Ray's Journey Into Light (1986) *

The view of a futuristic city. An early demonstration of the potential of computer animation.

Si seulement (1986) *

Two beer-drinking pals are killing worms and insects, while on vacation on a tropical island. The film uses some 2-D computer animation.