Film Dictionary

July 7, 1989

Kopytem sem kopytem tam (1989) ***

Helmut Newton: Frames From The Edge (1989) ***

Kindergarten Jardin des Infantes (1989) ***

Eight Taels Of Gold (1989) *

Directed by Mabel Cheung. A New York cab driver (Samo Hung) returns to his native village in Mainland China.

Palombella rossa (1989) **

Bizarre comedy about an Italian Communist.

The Sleazy Uncle (1989) *

Italian comedy about an adorable old lecher.

Waltzing Regitze (1989) *

A story of a Danish couple, told mostly in flashbacks.

God Of Gamblers (1989) *

The first in a long series of Hong Kong gambling films.

Leningrad Cowboys Go America (1989) ***

A Finnish band from Helsinki is touring United States of America.

What Time Is It ? (1989) *

Tedious film starring Marcello Mastroianni and Massimo Troisi.

June 6, 1989

Henry V (1989) **

An adaptation of the Shakespeare's play about English invasion of France and the battle of Agincourt (1415). Not bad, but inferior to Laurence Olivier's 1945 version.

Celia (1989) **

Strange Australian film about rabbits, Communists and weird little girls.

May 5, 1989

Cruising Bar (1989) **

One night in the lives of four weirdos (all played by Michel Côté): a hyperactive punk, an eternal looser, a pseudo-sophisticate and a fat, middle-aged Don Juan. Amusing.

Portion d'éternité (1989) *

Meandering film about artificial insemination.

April 4, 1989

Express Yourself (1989) ***

Excellent music video from Madonna, directed by David Fincher.

Martina's Playhouse (1989) ***

She Drives Me Crazy (1989) ***

You Take Care Now (1989) ***

Directed by A.M.Fleming. An excellent experimental film about a woman raped in Italy and hit by a car in Vancouver.

Picture Perfect (1989) *

Directed by Mina Shum. A young guy, addicted to pornography, decides to find a real-life girlfriend.

Diner avec M. Boy et la femme qui aime Jesus (1989) *

Directed by Pascale Ferran. An excentric woman talks with two men in a restaurant.

25 Ways To Quit Smoking (1989) ****

Very witty cartoon about two dozen ways to avoid polluting the lungs. Hilarious.

War Story (1989) ***

An old man is telling about his life in "the old days". Often hilarious and very inventive.

Tummy Trouble (1989) ***

Roger Rabbit and Baby Herman wreck havoc in a hospital. Jessica Rabbit plays a nurse.

Juke-Bar (1989) ***

A restaurant owner, trying to get rid of bugs, uses a juke-box to trap the pesky creatures. This cartoon received the First Prize (short subject) at the Montreal Film Festival.

How To Kiss (1989) ***

Kissing can lead in many startling directions, as demonstrated in this witty cartoon.

Knick Knack (1989) ***

Very amusing Pixar cartoon about a little snowman dreaming of hot babes.

Five people find themselves of an unstable platform, which can only be kept in balance when the weight of all is distributed evenly. A memorable parable about human interdependence and the search for stability. An Oscar-winning gem.

The Hill Farm (1989) **

British animated film about shepherds, fox hunters and a monster.

Next (1989) **

An actor is auditioning on stage. Unlike other Aardman's films, this one uses puppet animation. It's inventive, but a little incoherent.

Nathael et la chasse aux phoques (1989) **

Interesting film about seal hunters in Canada facing pressure from animal rights activists in Europe.

Ident (1989) **

Weird claymation film about ugly people in a labyrinth.

Colporteur (1989) **

A persistent peddler tries to sell umbrellas of varying colors and sizes. His best customers are cactuses suffering from a rainfall.

L'Anniversaire (1989) **

A computer-animated film celebrating the 50th anniversary of the National Film Board of Canada.

245 Days (1989) *

An unremarkable cartoonby Bill Plympton.

Felicité (1989) *

A non-narrative, meditative cartoon full of melancholic images. Its main theme is sunbathing.

La Boite (1989) *

Unlike most Hoedeman's works, dominated by claymation and puppet animation, this film uses a different technique - it animates paper cut-outs.

March 3, 1989

Miami Vice: Victims Of Circumstance (1989) ***

Jeux de societe (1989) ***

Dekalog (1989) *****

Night Trips (1989) ***

Lonesome Dove (1989) ***

February 2, 1989

Driving Miss Daisy (1989) **

Jessica Tandy won a well-deserved Oscar for her superb performance in this hopelessly old-fashioned, conventional comedy-drama about a stubborn old lady and her wise black chauffeur.

Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989) **

Fifth entry in the "Star Trek" saga. The special effects are excellent, but the plot is quite mediocre.

Glory (1989) **

Historical drama starring Denzelm Washington and Morgan Freeman. Possibly the first film since "The Birth Of A Nation" (1915) to tackle the subject of black soldiers fighting against slavery during the Civil War.

Internal Affairs (1989) **

A disturbing thriller about a corrupt cop (Richard Gere), who faces an internal investigation. Slow, but violent.

Steel Magnolias (1989) **

Witty, but hopelessly sentimental film about six women living, loving and dying in a small Southern town. A blend of comedy and melodrama.

Young Einstein (1989) **

Yahoo Serious plays Albert Einstein, a Tasmanian farmer, who invents rock 'n' roll, beer and the atom bomb... while falling in love with Marie Curie... and saving four kittens from being roasted in a pie. It's an ultra-wacky dose of pure ridiculousness, quite funny, but not nearly as inventive as one might expect.

All Dogs Go To Heaven (1989) **

Pleasant animated tale about a dog who takes care of a little orphan girl. Very corny, but often entertaining. A curious mix of "Little Miss Marker" (1934) and "Here Comes Mr Jordan" (1941).

January 1, 1989

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.