Top Ten Films of 1986: World Premieres
Top Ten by U.S. Release Date (Updated) // My 1986 Oscar Ballot (Updated)
| 1. | The Green Ray Dir. Eric Rohmer. With Marie Rivière, Vincent Gauthier, Carita A+ |
| 2. | Hannah and Her Sisters Dir. Woody Allen. With Mia Farrow, Barbara Hershey A+ |
| 3. | Aliens Dir. James Cameron. With Sigourney Weaver, Paul Reiser, Michael Biehn A |
| 4. | Sherman's March Dir. Ross McElwee. Autobiographical record of looking for love A |
| 5. | The Fly Dir. David Cronenberg. With Jeff Goldblum, Geena Davis, John Getz A |
| 6. | Blue Velvet Dir. David Lynch. With Kyle MacLachlan, Isabella Rossellini, Dennis Hopper A– |
| 7. | Peel Dir. Jane Campion. Short film. With Tim Pye, Katie Pye, Ben Martin A– |
| 8. | A Time to Live and a Time to Die Dir. Hou Hsiao-hsien. With Shufen Xin, Mei-Feng A– |
| 9. | The Sacrifice Dir. Andrei Tarkovsky. With Erland Josephson, Allan Edwall, Susan Fleetwood B+ |
| 10. | Something Wild Dir. Jonathan Demme. With Jeff Daniels, Melanie Griffith, Ray Liotta B+ |
Reviews from 1986
★ = Full-Length Review / © = Capsule-Length Review / ★ = Blog/Favorites Review (New Window)
★ Cactus Dir. Paul Cox. With Isabelle Huppert, Robert Menzies, Norman Kaye B
★ The Decline of the American Empire Dir. Denys Arcand. With Rémy Girard C
★ Esther Dir. Amos Gitai. With Shmuel Wolf, Simone Benyamini, Zare Vartinyan B–
★ Hannah and Her Sisters Dir. Woody Allen. With Mia Farrow, Barbara Hershey A+
★ Love Me Forever or Never Dir. Arnaldo Jabor. With Fernanda Torres, Thales Pan Chacon C+
★ Max, mon amour Dir. Nagisa Ôshima. With Anthony Higgins, Charlotte Rampling C–
★ Ménage (Tenue de soirée) Dir. Bertrand Blier. With Michel Blanc, Gérard Depardieu B
★ The Mission Dir. Roland Joffé. With Jeremy Irons, Robert De Niro, Ray McAnally C–
★ Mona Lisa Dir. Neil Jordan. With Bob Hoskins, Cathy Tyson, Robbie Coltrane B
★ Ópera do Malandro Dir. Ruy Guerra. With Edson Celulari, Elba Ramalho, Fábio Sabag C–
★ Pretty in Pink Dir. Howard Deutch. With Molly Ringwald, Andrew McCarthy B+
★ The Sacrifice Dir. Andrei Tarkovsky. With Erland Josephson, Allan Edwall, Susan Fleetwood B+
★ Sherman's March Dir. Ross McElwee. Autobiographical record of looking for love A
★ She's Gotta Have It Dir. Spike Lee. With Tracy Camilla Johns, Tommy Redmond Hicks B
★ Top Gun Dir. Tony Scott. With Tom Cruise, Kelly McGillis, Val Kilmer, Tom Skerritt C
★ Two Friends Dir. Jane Campion. With Emma Coles, Kris Bidenko, Kris McQuade B+
More Grades from 1986
Unreviewed titles I have seen recently enough to grade
Caravaggio Dir. Derek Jarman. With Nigel Terry, Sean Bean, Tilda Swinton, Michael Gough B+
Crimes of the Heart Dir. Bruce Beresford. With Diane Keaton, Sissy Spacek, Jessica Lange D–
Ferris Bueller's Day Off Dir. John Hughes. With Matthew Broderick, Alan Ruck, Mia Sara B
Hoosiers Dir. David Anspaugh. With Gene Hackman, Barbara Hershey, Dennis Hopper D+
Legend Dir. Ridley Scott. With Tom Cruise, Mia Sara, Tim Curry, David Bennant C–
The Making of Fanny and Alexander Dir. Ingmar Bergman. Creative record of production B+
Matador Dir. Pedro Almodóvar. With Nacho Martinez, Assumpta Serna, Antonio Banderas B+
Miss Mary Dir. Maria Luisa Bemberg. With Julie Christie, Donald McIntire, Eduardo Pavlovsky C
Platoon Dir. Oliver Stone. With Charlie Sheen, Tom Berenger, Willem Dafoe, John C. McGinley B+
Poltergeist II: The Other Side Dir. Brian Gibson. With Craig T. Nelson, JoBeth Williams C+
Power Dir. Sidney Lumet. With Richard Gere, Julie Christie, Gene Hackman, Kate Capshaw D+
Also from 1986
The memories are fading, but they're somewhere in my brain
Fetching
The Bombing of Osage Avenue Dir. Louis Massiah. Documentary about violent police crackdown
The Color of Money Dir. Martin Scorsese. With Paul Newman, Tom Cruise, Forest Whitaker
Manhunter Dir. Michael Mann. With William Petersen, Tom Noonan, Dennis Farina, Joan Allen
A Room with a View Dir. James Ivory. With Helena Bonham Carter, Julian Sands, Maggie Smith
Fair
The Money Pit Dir. Richard Benjamin. With Tom Hanks, Shelley Long, Alexander Gudonov
The Name of the Rose Dir. Jean-Jacques Annaud. With Sean Connery, Christian Slater
Withnail & I Dir. Bruce Robinson. With Paul McGann, Richard E. Grant, Richard Griffiths
Feh
American Anthem Dir. Albert Magnoli. With Mitch Gaylord, Janet Jones, Patrice Donnelly
Children of a Lesser God Dir. Randa Haines. With William Hurt, Marlee Matlin, Piper Laurie
Mauvais sang Dir. Léos Carax. With Denis Lavant, Juliette Binoche, Michel Piccoli
Stand by Me Dir. Rob Reiner. With Wil Wheaton, River Phoenix, Corey Feldman, Jerry O'Connell
Flotsam
9½ Weeks Dir. Adrian Lyne. With Kim Basinger, Mickey Rourke, Margaret Whitton
The Morning After Dir. Sidney Lumet. With Jane Fonda, Jeff Bridges, Raul Julia
Peggy Sue Got Married Dir. Francis Ford Coppola. With Kathleen Turner, Nicolas Cage
SpaceCamp Dir. Harry Winer. With Kate Capshaw, Lea Thompson, Tom Skerritt
Still to Come from 1986
Gourmet Prospects:
Betty Blue Dir. Jean-Jacques Beineix. With Jean-Hugues Anglade, Béatrice Dalle, Gérard Darmon
Down by Law Dir. Jim Jarmusch. With Tom Waits, John Lurie, Roberto Benigni, Nicoletta Braschi
Jean de Florette Dir. Claude Berri. With Yves Montand, Gérard Depardieu, Daniel Auteuil
The Last Image Dir. Mohammed Lakhdar-Hamina. With Véronique Jannot, Merwan Lakhdar-Hamina
Manon of the Spring Dir. Claude Berri. With Yves Montand, Daniel Auteuil, Emmanuelle Béart
'Round Midnight Dir. Bertrand Tavernier. With Dexter Gordon, François Cluzet, Gabrielle Haker
Scene of the Crime Dir. André Téchiné. With Catherine Deneuve, Danielle Darrieux, Wadeck Stanczak
Sid and Nancy Dir. Alex Cox. With Gary Oldman, Chloë Webb, David Hayman, Debby Bishop
Thérèse Dir. Alain Cavalier. With Catherine Mouchet, Hélèlene Alexandridis, Aurore Prieto
A Zed and Two Noughts Dir. Peter Greenaway. With Andréa Ferréol, Brian Deacon, Eric Deacon
Further Research:
About Last Night... Dir. Edward Zwick. With Rob Lowe, Demi Moore, James Belushi
Absolute Beginners Dir. Julien Temple. With Patsy Kensit, Eddie O'Connell, David Bowie
An American Tail Dir. Don Bluth. With Animated. Voices of Phillip Glasser, Cathianne Blore
El Amor brujo Dir. Carlos Saura. With Antonio Gades, Cristina Hoyos, Laura del Sol
The Assault Dir. Fons Rademakers. With Derek de Lint, Marc van Uchelen, Monique van de Ven
At Close Range Dir. James Foley. With Sean Penn, Christopher Walken, Mary Stuart Masterson
A Better Tomorrow Dir. John Woo. With Leslie Cheung, Chow Yun-Fat, Ti Lung, Emily Chu
Big Trouble in Little China Dir. John Carpenter. With Kurt Russell, Kim Cattrall, Dennis Dun
Boris Godounov Dir. Sergei Bondarchuk. With Sergei Bondarchuk, Alyona Bondarchuk
Castle in the Sky Dir. Hayao Miyazaki. Animated. Voices of Mayumi Tanaka, Keiko Yokozawa
The Clan of the Cave Bear Dir. Michael Chapman. With Daryl Hannah, Thomas G. Waites, Pamela Reed
Critters Dir. Stephen Herek. With Dee Wallace, M. Emmet Walsh, Billy Green Bush
"Crocodile" Dundee Dir. Peter Faiman. With Paul Hogan, Linda Kozlowski, David Gulpilil
Desert Bloom Dir. Eugene Corr. With Annabeth Gish, Jon Voight, JoBeth Williams, Ellen Barkin
Devil in the Flesh Dir. Marco Bellocchio. With Maruschka Detmers, Federico Pitzalis, Anita Laurenzi
Down and Out in Beverly Hills Dir. Paul Mazursky. With Nick Nolte, Bette Midler, Richard Dreyfuss
Duet for One Dir. Andrei Konchalovsky. With Julie Andrews, Alan Bates, Max von Sydow
Extremities Dir. Robert M. Young. With Farrah Fawcett, James Russo, Alfre Woodard
The Fringe Dwellers Dir. Bruce Beresford. With Justine Saunders, Kristina Nehm, Marlene Bell
Genesis Dir. Mrinal Sen. With Shabana Azmi, Naseeruddin Shah, Om Puri, M.K. Raina
The Golden Child Dir. Michael Ritchie. With Eddie Murphy, J.L. Reate, Charles Dance, Victor Wong
Golden Eighties Dir. Chantal Akerman. With Delphine Seyrig, Myriam Boyer, Fanny Cottençon
Gothic Dir. Ken Russell. With Gabriel Byrne, Julian Sands, Natasha Richardson
Heartbreak Ridge Dir. Clint Eastwood. With Clint Eastwood, Marsha Mason, Everett McGill
Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer Dir. John McNaughton. With Michael Rooker, Tracy Arnold
Highlander Dir. Russell Mulcahy. With Christopher Lambert, Roxanne Hart, Clancy Brown
The Hitcher Dir. Robert Harmon. With Rutger Hauer, C. Thomas Howell, Jennifer Jason Leigh
Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life Is Calling Dir. Richard Pryor. With Richard Pryor, Debbie Allen
Jumpin' Jack Flash Dir. Penny Marshall. With Whoopi Goldberg, Stephen Collins, John Wood
Labyrinth Dir. Jim Henson. With Jennifer Connelly, David Bowie, Toby Froud, Shelley Thompson
Lady Jane Dir. Trevor Nunn. With Helena Bonham Carter, Cary Elwes, John Wood, Jill Bennett
Little Shop of Horrors Dir. Frank Oz. With Rick Moranis, Ellen Greene, Steve Martin
Lucas Dir. David Seltzer. With Corey Haim, Kerri Green, Charlie Sheen, Winona Ryder
Mélo Dir. Alain Resnais. With Sabine Azéma, Fanny Ardant, Pierre Arditi, André Dussollier
The Mosquito Coast Dir. Peter Weir. With Harrison Ford, Helen Mirren, River Phoenix, Conrad Roberts
Native Son Dir. Jerrold Freedman. With Victor Love, Matt Dillon, Elizabeth McGovern
'Night, Mother Dir. Tom Moore. With Sissy Spacek, Anne Bancroft, Ed Berke, Carol Robbins
Noir et blanc Dir. Claire Devers. With Francis Frappat, Isaach de Bankolé, Marc Berman
Parting Glances Dir. Bill Sherwood. With Richard Ganoung, John Bolger, Steve Buscemi, Adam Nathan
Pirates Dir. Roman Polanski. With Walter Matthau, Cris Campion, Damien Thomas
Quilombo Dir. Carlos Diegues. With Antônio Pompêo, Tony Tornado, Maurício do Valle
The Realm of Fortune Dir. Arturo Ripstein. With Ernesto Gómez Cruz, Blanca Guerra
River's Edge Dir. Tim Hunter. With Crispin Glover, Keanu Reeves, Ione Skye, Daniel Roebuck
Ruthless People Dirs. Jerry Zucker, Jim Abrahams, and Jerry Zucker. With Danny DeVito
Salvador Dir. Oliver Stone. With James Woods, James Belushi, Michael Murphy, John Savage
Sleepwalk Dir. Sara Driver. With Suzanne Fletcher, Ann Magnuson, Dexter Lee, Stephen Chen
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home Dir. Leonard Nimoy. With William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy
Working Girls Dir. Lizzie Borden. With Louise Smith, Ellen McElduff, Amanda Goodwin
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