Ay Carmela (1990) **

Days Of Being Wild (1990) **

Wong Kar-Wai's second film is a slow-moving melodrama.

God Of Gamblers 2 (1990) *

Andy Lau and Stephen Chow star in this film about Hong Kong gamblers.

The Little Devil (1990) **

A sympathetic devil tries to enjoy himself after escaping from Hell. Director Roberto Benigni plays the title role.

The Match Factory Girl (1990) ***

A minimalist Finnish film about a young girl looking for love and only finding rejection.

A Moment Of Romance (1990) *

A gangster falls in love with a girl he took as a hostage. Weak melodrama from Hong Kong.

La Voce della luna (1990) *

Federico Fellini's last film and possibly his worst.

Song Of The Exile (1990) *

A Chinese girl from Hong Kong accompanies her Japanese mother on a visit to her homeland. **

Taxi Blues (1990) **

A friendship between a Moscow taxi driver and a musician.

Dreams (1990) *

This esoteric film consists of eight segments. It begins with a little boy sent away from home by his mother. In the second episode, another little boy cries, because his favourite peach trees have been cut down. The third one is set during a terrible blizzard. The following segment shows an officer walking through a tunnel, where he meets his dead comrades. Martin Scorsese plays Vincent Van Gogh in the fifth episode, while the next segment shows exploding nuclear power plants around Mount Fuji. The last two episodes contrast the harsh reality of a nuclear winter with a quiet life in a simple village. Directed by Akira Kurosawa, it's among his weakest films.

Island Of Fire (1990) *

Directed by Chu Yin-Ping. With Tony Leung Kar-Fai, Jackie Chan, Andy Lau, Samo Hung). A prison drama from Hong Kong.

Journey Of Hope (1990) *

Turkish peasants try to immigrate to Switzerland. Predictable film that undeservedly won the Oscar for best foreign film over such masterpieces as "Cyrano de Bergerac" and "The Nasty Girl".

Man Behind The Sun (1990) *

At first, it looks like a serious drama about atrocities commited by the Japanese Army in Manchuria during World War II. Later, however, the film becomes increasingly exploitive in nature. It's like watching "Schindler's List" morphing into "Ilsa, She-Wolf Of The SS". The torture scenes are unbearably gruesome.

Nanni Moretti (1990) *

The portrait of the famous Italian filmmaker.

Tilai (1990) **

Beautiful, but difficult film from Burkina Faso.

Ucieczka z kina "Wolnosc" (1990) *

Confusing, self-reflexive satire about Communist censorship. An unsuccessful pastiche of Woody Allen's "The Purple Rose Of Cairo" (1985).

Puta del Rey (1990) ***

Forbidden Love (1990) ***

Porno (1990) ***

Pont de Varsovia (1990) ***

Erotic Ghost Story (1990) **

Halfaouine l'enfant des terrasses (1990) ***

The Ages Of Lulu (1990) ***

Beautiful Dreamers (1990) ***

The Big Steal (1990) ***

H (1990) ***

Cargo (1990) *

Trois survivants d'une tempête sont recuillit a bord d'un mysterieux bateau de cargaison. Un film étrange, presque surréaliste.

Le Party (1990) ***

Vogue (1990) ****

David Fincher directed this music video from Madonna.

Turbocharged Dream (1990) ***

Directed by Ridley Scott.

The Lunch Date (1990) ***

Amusing, Oscar-winning short about an old lady who sees a black man eating her salad.

Nothing Compares 2 U (1990) ***

12:01 PM (1990) ***

An inspiration for "Groundhog Day".

Groove Is In The Heart (1990) ****

A Deee-Lite music video. It received five MTV Video Music Awards nominations.

Freedom 90 (1990) ***

There are many supermodels in this excellent music video. The lyrics were sufficiently cryptic for most people not to realize George Michael was coming out of the closet with this song. It received five MTV Video Music Awards nominations.

The Evil Cameraman (1990) ***

New Shoes (1990) **

Directed by A.M.Fleming. A woman is talking about her crazy boyfriend.

Dear Rosie (1990) **

Oscar-nominated short film.

Escapades Of The One Particular Mr Noodle (1990) **

Directed by Lee Sook-Yin. Short film about a working girl. Length: 11 min.

Le Baiser (1990) **

Directed by Pascal Ferran. Facial expressions of people who are kissing.

Bronx Cheers (1990) *

Short film about a returning soldier befriending a boxer.

Fierrot le Pou (1990) *

A white basketball player is trying to impress a black girl.

Creature Comforts (1990) ****

Hilarious interviews with zoo animals, who complain about their treatment, but are weary about returning to the wilderness. The animation of clay figurines is excellent and the film is a deft parody of journalistic interviews with "real" people. An Academy Award winner.

Roller Coaster Rabbit (1990) ****

Roger Rabbit takes Baby Herman to an amusement park.

The Prince And The Pauper (1990) ****

It's a 24-minutes short subject adapted from Mark Twain's famous story about a pauper changing places with his royal look-alike (Mickey Mouse plays both roles). Wandering among his subjects, the prince discovers the injustices commited in his name, while the pauper in the palace is blackmailed by a ruthless guard captain (as usual, PegLeg Pete plays a heavy). Instead of comedy, the film focuses on action and suspense. The villains are truly evil as they try to crown the wrong prince and imprison the rightful heir to the throne. The only comic bits come from pauper's frantic efforts to avoid being crowned during the climactic ceremony, but justice ultimately prevails and the evil guard captain is defeated by the prince (with some help from ice-cream vendor Goofy, servant Donald and dog Pluto).

About The Tap Who Sang At The Opera (1990) ***

A Grand Day Out (1990) ***

Wallace and Gromit build a spacecraft and they travel to a distant planet, where there is lots of cheese. An Academy Award nominee.

Guy: Double Target (1990) ***

Hen His Wife (1990) ***

Grasshoppers (1990) ***

To Be (1990) ***

A funny little cartoon about cloning.

Plymptoons (1990) ***

A series of amusing spot gags, including one on the evolution from apeman to human to football player and another one on the early days of the mob.

Jours de plaine (1990) *

A perfectly inane little cartoon about the Canadian Prairies. This one really stinks.

Miami Vice: Too Much Too Late (1990) ***

Kabaret Olgi Lipinskiej: Bal (1990) *****

Najlepszy ze wszystkich kabaretow Olgi Lipinskiej. Piosenki:

"Jeszcze nigdy tak nie bylo" ***

"Muzeum i dziewczyna" ***

"W sprawie zakonu o.o. regulantow" **

"A nas przy tym nigdy nie bylo" **

"Rach-ciach i twardo" ("Polskie danie") **

"To nie jest czas dla czlowieka" **

"Wszystko sie ulozy jak w pudeleczku" ***

"Kuku na muniu" **

Kabaret Olgi Lipinskiej: Program na dzis (1990) ***

Piosenki:

"Naga rurka" *

"Pteromania" *

"Wesole zycie jest" **

"Moczmy nogi" **

"To byla piekna katastrofa" **

"Wszystko się chwieje" **

"Kuku na muniu" **

Northern Exposure: Pilot (1990) ****

Twin Peaks (1990) *****

Kabaret Olgi Lipinskiej: Kandydat (1990) ***

Pani Basia chce zeby Blake Carrington wygral wybory prezydenckie w Polsce. Piosenki:

"Idziemy do Europy" **

"Dziewczyna w niebieskim szaliku" *

"Jeszcze roczek, jeszcze dwa" **

"Ballada zimowa" **

"Systemowi czesc" **

"Moderna, awangarda" **

"Kuku na muniu" **

From Moscow To Pietushki (1990) ***

Brilliant film about Russian writer Venedikt Yerofeyev and the plague of alcoholism in the Soviet Union. A TV documentary directed for the BBC by Pawel Pawlikowski.

Secrets (1990) ***

Glimpse 1 (1990) ***

Kabaret Olgi Lipinskiej: Polskie danie (1990) ***

Piosenki:

"Kabaretowa mysz" **

"Rach-ciach i twardo" **

"Bylem idiota" **

"Stary Gaucho" *

"Bar Honolulu" **

"Kuku na muniu" **

Kabaret Olgi Lipinskiej: Strus (1990) ****

Piosenki:

"Kabaretowa mysz" *

"Sluniczko" **

"Schowalem do kuferka" ***

"10 limerykow" **

"Zepsute stery" **

"Bo narusza lad" *

"Kuku na muniu" **

Kabaret Olgi Lipinskiej: Kablowa (1990) ***

Pierwszy odcinek ostatniego cyklu Kabaretu Olgi Lipinskiej. Piosenki:

"Kabaretowa mysz" **

"Ni to ni sio" **

"Wesoly bankiet wielkanocny" *

"Boze przebacz" **

"Adios" *

"Pozylem sobie raz" *

"Kuku na muniu" **

Henry And June (1990) **

The Godfather. Part III (1990) **

Creative Process: Norman McLaren (1990) **

Directed by Donald McWilliams. A documentary about Norman McLaren, Canada's greatest animation artist.

Alice (1990) ***

This might be one of Woody Allen's weakest films, but it's still very original and surprising.

Kill Me Again (1990) **

A routine film noir. Director John Dahl's film debut is clearly a warm-up before his two masterpieces, "Red Rock West" (1994) and "The Last Seduction" (1994).

Presumed Innocent (1990) **

Interesting adaptation of a bestselling novel about an uptight DA (Harrison Ford), who's accused of murdering his former mistress (Greta Scacchi).

Pretty Woman (1990) **

A modern fairy tale starring Julia Roberts as a vulnerable hooker who falls in love with a rich business executive (Richard Gere). Manipulative and conventional. Cleverly ridiculed in "Romy And Michelle's High School Reunion" (1997).

Quick Change (1990) **

Three sympathetic loonies (Bill Murray, Geena Davis and Randy Quaid) manage to pull off an expert bank heist, but their desperate attempts to get to the airport are constantly frustrated by imbecilic road workers, fire hydrants, post-Woodstock vigilanties, foreign cabbies, ruthless mafia bosses, junkie musicians and pedantic bus drivers (the "exact change" sequence is hilarious).

Green Card (1990) **

Gerard Depardieu's first Hollywood film.

Awakenings (1990) **

Robin Williams plays a doctor.

Avalon (1990) **

Tribulations of a Jewish family in Baltimore.

Hamlet (1990) **

Mel Gibson as Hamlet.

The Bonfire Of The Vanities (1990) **

A perplexing adaptation of Tom Wolfe's bestselling novel about a rich New Yorker involved in a nasty racial controversy. Tom Wolf's "Master of the Universe" hero should have been played by someone like Arnold Schwarzenegger, but director Brian DePalma has cast Tom Hanks instead, and turned everything into a wacky black comedy, seriously distorting the author's original message. Still, it's quite a startling film in its own right.

Without You I'M Nothing (1990) **

The Adventures Of Ford Fairlane (1990) *

A wacky, but annoying spoof of the private-eye genre, starring Andrew Dice Clay as the "rock'n'roll" detective investigating a series of murders, insulting every woman in sight and constantly delivering loads of obscene jokes and vulgar one-liners. A fast-paced, but ridiculous film.

Back To The Future III (1990) *

The third part of the "Back To The Future" saga, set in the Old West circa 1885.

Bird On A Wire (1990) *

Horrible action film starring Mel Gibson and Goldie Hawn.

Dick Tracy (1990) *

A film adaptation of the popular comic strip. The cinematography is impressive, but Warren Beatty gives a one-note performance and the plot is very uninvolving. The movie isn't even bad enough to qualify as camp. It's just a humorless bore. There is an excellent review of this film in Slate. Songs:

"Sooner Or Later (I Always Get My Man)" *
"More"
"Sooner Or Later (I Always Get My Man)" (reprise) *
"What Can You Lose" *
"Back In Business" *
"More" (reprise) *

Die Hard 2: Die Harder (1990) *

A very inferior sequel to the 1988 hit. Bruce Willis again prevents a group of terrorists from acomplishing their evil deeds (something about rescuing a notorious drug dealer). Plenty of explosions, but little excitement.

Hardware (1990) *

A bleak vision of the future from Richard Stanley, starring Dylan McDermott.

Julia Has Two Lovers (1990) *

A young man (David Duchovny) seduces a woman over the phone.

Men Don't Leave (1990) *

A sad drama about a young woman (Jessica Lange) dealing with the sudden death of her husband. A typical tearjerker.

Nuns On The Run (1990) *

A comedy about two robbers hiding in a convent to escape their double-crossing pals. A very inferior imitation of "A Fish Called Wanda".

Cadillac Man (1990) *

Robin Williams and Tim Robbins star in this tedious, confusing and disappointing comedy-drama about a used-car salesman held hostage by a wacko.

I Love You To Death (1990) *

A philandering husband (Kevin Kline), who's almost killed by his jealous wife, reconciles with her and they live happily ever after. It's based on a true story. The black comedy lacks rhythm and momentum.

Robocop 2 (1990) *

Incredibly nasty, ultra-violent and fascistic film about a cyborg cop fighting against drug dealers. The villains are particularly forgettable.

Three Men And A Little Lady (1990) *

Badly acted, poorly written and weakly directed sequel to the remake of an excellent French film "Trois hommes et un couffin" (1985).

Top 10 Films of the 1980's

1. "Brazil" (1985, Terry Gilliam, UK)

2. ''The Unbearable Lightness Of Being'' (1988, Philip Kaufman, USA)

3. ''The Terminator'' (1984, James Cameron, USA)

4. ''The Stunt Man'' (1980, Richard Rush, USA)

5. "Raiders Of The Lost Ark" (1981, Steven Spielberg, USA)

6. ''Blade Runner'' (1982, Ridley Scott, USA)

7. ''Dangerous Liaisons'' (1988, Stephen Frears, USA)

8. "Peking Opera Blues" (1986, Tsui Hark, Hong Kong)

9. ''Blue Velvet'' (1986, David Lynch, USA)

10. "Moscow Does Not Believe In Tears" (1980, Vladimir Menshov, Soviet Union)

Short Top 10:

1. "Seeing In The Rain" (1981, Chris Gallagher, Canada)

2. "Point de fuite" (1987, Olivier Smolders, Belgium)

3. "Whoregasm" (1988, Nick Zedd, USA)

4. "The Man Who Could Not See Far Enough" (1981, Peter Rose, USA)

5. "Bois ton cafe" (1986, Eric Rohmer, France)

6. "The Deadman" (1989, Peggy Ahwesh, USA)

7. "Les Photos d'Alix" (1981, Jean Eustache, France)

8. "Mirage" (1983, Chris Gallagher, Canada)

9. "Fall Line" (1980, Bob Carmichael, Greg Lowe, USA)

10. "Precious Images" (1986, Chuck Workman, USA)

Top 10 Music Videos:

1. "Thriller" (1983, John Landis, Michael Jackson)

2. "Take On Me" (1985, Steve Barron, A-Ha)

3. "Once In A Lifetime" (1981, Toni Basil, Talking Heads)

4. "Sledgehammer" (1986, Stephen R. Johnson, Peter Gabriel)

5. "Express Yourself" (1989, David Fincher, Madonna)

6. "You Might Think" (1984, Jeff Stein, The Cars)

7. "Straight Up" (1989, David Fincher, Paula Abdul)

8. "Beat It" (1983, Bob Giraldi, Michael Jackson)

9. "When We Was Fab" (1988, Godley and Creme, George Harrison)

10. "Total Eclipse Of The Heart" (1983, Russell Mulcahy, Bonnie Tyler)

Commercial Top 5:

1. "1984" (1984, Ridley Scott, Apple)

2. "Varför ska vi bry oss om varandra?" (1985, Roy Andersson, Social Democratic Party, Sweden)

3. "Morning In America" (1984, Reagan For President)

4. "Manhattan Landing" (1983, British Airways)

5. "Revolving Door" (1988, Bush For President)

TV Top 10:

1. "Dekalog" (1989, Krzysztof Kieslowski, Poland)

2. "Yes Prime Minister: The Key" (1986, Sydney Lotterby, BBC)

3. "Moonlighting: The Dream Sequence Always Rings Twice" (1985, Peter Werner, ABC)

4. "Yes Prime Minister: The Tangled Web" (1988, Sydney Lotterby, BBC, UK)

5. "The Singing Detective" (1986, Jon Amiel, BBC)

6. "Miami Vice: Out Where The Buses Don't Run" (1985, Jim Johnston, NBC)

7. "Taxi: Latka The Playboy" (1981, James Burrows, ABC)

8. "Miami Vice: Evan" (1985, Rob Cohen, NBC)

9. "Lonesome Dove" (1989, Simon Wincer, CBS)

10. "Cheers: Thanksgiving Orphans" (1985, James Burrows, NBC)

Cartoon Top 10

1. "The Man Who Planted Trees" (1987, Frederic Back, NFB, Canada)

2. "Jumping" (1984, Osamu Tezuka, Japan)

3. "One Of Those Days" (1988, Bill Plympton, USA)

4. "Vincent" (1982, Tim Burton, Disney)

5. "The Fly" (1980, Ferenc Rofusz, Hungary)

6. "Jack Mac And Rad Boy Go!" (1985, Wes Archer, USA)

7. "The Cat Came Back" (1988, Cordell Barker, NFB, Canada)

8. "The Big Snit" (1985, Richard Condie, NFB, Canada)

9. "The Frog The Dog And The Devil" (1986, Bob Stenhouse, New Zealand)

10. "Get A Job" (1985, Brad Caslor, NFB, Canada)

Other films from the 1980's:

Top 10 Films of 1980
Top 10 Films of 1981
Top 10 Films of 1982
Top 10 Films of 1983
Top 10 Films of 1984
Top 10 Films of 1985
Top 10 Films of 1986
Top 10 Films of 1987
Top 10 Films of 1988
Top 10 Films of 1989