Top Ten of 1990: World Premieres
Top Ten by U.S. Release Date (Updated) // My 1990 Oscar Ballot (Updated)
| 1. | Close-Up Dir. Abbas Kiarostami. With Hossain Sabzian, Abolfazl Ahankhah A |
| 2. | No Fear, No Die Dir. Claire Denis. With Isaach de Bankolé, Alex Descas A– |
| 3. | Paris Is Burning Dir. Jennie Livingston. Documentary about New York City drag balls A– |
| 4. | GoodFellas Dir. Martin Scorsese. With Ray Liotta, Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci A– |
| 5. | American Dream Dir. Barbara Kopple. Documentary about a Hormel meatpackers' strike A– |
| 6. | Tilaï Dir. Idrissa Ouedraogo. With Rasmane Ouedraogo, Assane Ouedraogo, Ina Cissé A– |
| 7. | Postcards from the Edge Dir. Mike Nichols. With Meryl Streep, Shirley MacLaine A– |
| 8. | Without You I'm Nothing Dir. John Boskovich. With Sandra Bernhard, Cynthia Bailey A– |
| 9. | Europa, Europa Dir. Agnieszka Holland. With Marco Hofschneider, Julie Delpy A– |
| 10. | The Match Factory Girl Dir. Aki Kaurismäki. With Kati Outinen, Elina Salo B+ |
Runners-Up (alpha): The Comfort of Strangers, Days of Being Wild, Edward Scissorhands,
Ghost, Metropolitan, Miami Blues, To Sleep with Anger, Tongues Untied, Truly, Madly, Deeply
Reviews from 1990
★ = Full-Length Review / © = Capsule-Length Review / ★ = Blog/Favorites Review (New Window)
★ An Angel at My Table Dir. Jane Campion. With Kerry Fox, Alexia Keough C+
© Edward Scissorhands Dir. Tim Burton. With Johnny Depp, Winona Ryder, Dianne Wiest B+
★ Miller's Crossing Dir. Joel Coen. With Gabriel Byrne, Albert Finney, Marcia Gay Harden B–
★ Orpheus Descending Dir. Peter Hall. TV Movie. With Vanessa Redgrave, Kevin Anderson B+
★ Postcards from the Edge Dir. Mike Nichols. With Meryl Streep, Shirley MacLaine A–
★ Wild at Heart Dir. David Lynch. With Nicolas Cage, Laura Dern, Diane Ladd, Willem Dafoe C+
★ Without You I'm Nothing Dir. John Boskovich. With Sandra Bernhard, Cynthia Bailey A–
More Grades from 1990
Unreviewed titles I have seen recently enough to grade
Alice Dir. Woody Allen. With Mia Farrow, Joe Mantegna, William Hurt, Keye Luke C+
Awakenings Dir. Penny Marshall. With Robin Williams, Robert De Niro, Julie Kavner C+
Dances With Wolves Dir. Kevin Costner. With Kevin Costner, Graham Greene B
Days of Being Wild Dir. Wong Kar-wai. With Leslie Cheung, Carina Lau, Maggie Cheung B+
Dry Kisses Only Dirs. Kaucyila Brooke & Jane Cottis. Experimental essay film C+
The Exorcist III Dir. William Peter Blatty. With George C. Scott, Brad Dourif, Ed Flanders B
The Field Dir. Jim Sheridan. With Richard Harris, Sean Bean, John Hurt, Tom Berenger C+
Ghost Dir. Jerry Zucker. With Patrick Swayze, Demi Moore, Whoopi Goldberg, Tony Goldwyn B+
The Godfather, Part III Dir. Francis Ford Coppola. With Al Pacino, Andy Garcia C+
Green Card Dir. Peter Weir. With Andie MacDowell, Gérard Depardieu, Bebe Neuwirth D–
The Grifters Dir. Stephen Frears. With John Cusack, Anjelica Huston, Annette Bening B–
The Handmaid's Tale Dir. Volker Schlöndorff. With Natasha Richardson, Robert Duvall C
Henry & June Dir. Philip Kaufman. With Maria de Medeiros, Fred Ward, Uma Thurman C
Jacob's Ladder Dir. Adrian Lyne. With Tim Robbins, Elizabeth Peña, Danny Aiello C+
Life Is Sweet Dir. Mike Leigh. With Alison Steadman, Jim Broadbent, Jane Horrocks B
Men Don't Leave Dir. Paul Brickman. With Jessica Lange, Chris O'Donnell, Charlie Korsmo B
Metropolitan Dir. Whit Stillman. With Edward Clements, Carolyn Farina, Taylor Nichols B+
Miami Blues Dir. George Armitage. With Alec Baldwin, Fred Ward, Jennifer Jason Leigh B+
Nightbreed Dir. Clive Barker. With Craig Sheffer, Anne Bobby, David Cronenberg D+
Pretty Woman Dir. Garry Marshall. With Richard Gere, Julia Roberts, Hector Elizondo B–
Reversal of Fortune Dir. Barbet Schroeder. With Jeremy Irons, Ron Silver, Glenn Close B
Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! Dir. Pedro Almodóvar. With Antonio Banderas, Victoria Abril B
To Sleep with Anger Dir. Charles Burnett. With Danny Glover, Paul Butler, Mary Alice B+
Tongues Untied Dir. Marlon Riggs. Documentary. With Marlon Riggs, Essex Hemphill B+
Truly, Madly, Deeply Dir. Anthony Minghella. With Juliet Stevenson, Alan Rickman B+
White Palace Dir. Luis Mandoki. With James Spader, Susan Sarandon, Jason Alexander C
Also from 1990
The memories are fading, but they're somewhere in my brain
Fetching
The Comfort of Strangers Dir. Paul Schrader. With Natasha Richardson, Rupert Everett
The Garden Dir. Derek Jarman. With Johnny Mills, Kevin Collins, Tilda Swinton
Fair
Die Hard 2: Die Harder Dir. Renny Harlin. With Bruce Willis, Dennis Franz, William Atherton
Flatliners Dir. Joel Schumacher. With Kiefer Sutherland, Julia Roberts, William Baldwin
Longtime Companion Dir. Norman René. With Campbell Scott, Stephen Caffrey, Bruce Davison
Misery Dir. Rob Reiner. With James Caan, Kathy Bates, Richard Farnsworth, Frances Sternhagen
Total Recall Dir. Paul Verhoeven. With Arnold Schwarzenegger, Rachel Ticotin, Sharon Stone
Feh
Mr. & Mrs. Bridge Dir. James Ivory. With Paul Newman, Joanne Woodward, Blythe Danner
Presumed Innocent Dir. Alan J. Pakula. With Harrison Ford, Greta Scacchi, Bonnie Bedelia
Flotsam
Dick Tracy Dir. Warren Beatty. With Warren Beatty, Al Pacino, Madonna, Glenne Headly
Home Alone Dir. Chris Columbus. With Macaulay Culkin, Catherine O'Hara, Joe Pesci
Kindergarten Cop Dir. Ivan Reitman. With Arnold Schwarzenegger, Penelope Ann Miller
The Sheltering Sky Dir. Bernardo Bertolucci. With Debra Winger, John Malkovich
Wild Orchid Dir. Zalman King. With Carré Otis, Mickey Rourke, Jacqueline Bisset
Still to Come from 1990
Ten Most Enticing Prospects:
Avalon Dir. Barry Levinson. With Leo Fuchs, Lou Jacobi, Eve Gordon, Armin Mueller-Stahl
Cyrano de Bergerac Dir. Jean-Paul Rappeneau. With Gérard Depardieu, Anne Brochet
The Hairdresser's Husband Dir. Patrice Leconte. With Jean Rochefort, Anna Galiena
I, the Worst of All Dir. María Luisa Bemberg. With Assumpta Serna, Dominique Sanda
Ju Dou Dirs. Zhang Yimou & Yang Fengliang. With Gong Li, Chong Ma, Cong Zhijun
King of New York Dir. Abel Ferrara. With Christopher Walken, Laurence Fishburne
Nouvelle vague Dir. Jean-Luc Godard. With Alain Delon, Domiziana Giordano
The Sting of Death Dir. Kôhei Oguri. With Keiko Matsuzaka, Ittoku Kishibe
Vincent & Theo Dir. Robert Altman. With Tim Roth, Paul Rhys, Adrian Brine
White Hunter, Black Heart Dir. Clint Eastwood. With Clint Eastwood, Jeff Fahey
Further Research:
After Dark, My Sweet Dir. James Foley. With Jason Patric, Rachel Ward, Rocky Giordani
Alexandria, Again and Forever Dir. Youssef Chahine. With Youssra, Youssef Chahine
Arachnophobia Dir. Frank Marshall. With Jeff Daniels, Harley Jane Kozak
Back to the Future III Dir. Robert Zemeckis. With Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd
Berkeley in the Sixties Dir. Mark Kitchell. Documentary about student activism
The Bonfire of the Vanities Dir. Brian De Palma. With Tom Hanks, Melanie Griffith
Bullet in the Head Dir. John Woo. With Tony Leung Chiu Wai, Jacky Cheung, Waise Lee
Captive of the Desert Dir. Raymond Depardon. With Sandrine Bonnaire, Dobi Koré
C'est la vie Dir. Diane Kurys. With Nathalie Baye, Richard Berry, Zabou Breitman
Come See the Paradise Dir. Alan Parker. With Dennis Quaid, Tamlyn Tomita
Cry-Baby Dir. John Waters. With Johnny Depp, Amy Locane, Susan Tyrrell, Polly Bergen
Daddy Nostalgia Dir. Bertrand Tavernier. With Dirk Bogarde, Jane Birkin, Odette Laure
Darkman Dir. Sam Raimi. With Liam Neeson, Frances McDormand, Colin Friels
Days of Thunder Dir. Tony Scott. With Tom Cruise, Robert Duvall, Nicole Kidman
Dreams Dir. Akira Kurosawa. With Akira Terao, Mitsuko Baisho, Mieko Harada
Every Other Weekend Dir. Nicole Garcia. With Nathalie Baye, Joachim Serreau
Everybody's Fine Dir. Giuseppe Tornatore. With Marcello Mastroianni, Michèle Morgan
La Femme Nikita Dir. Luc Besson. With Anne Parillaud, Marc Duret, Patrick Fontana
The Freshman Dir. Andrew Bergman. With Matthew Broderick, Marlon Brando
Hardware Dir. Richard Stanley. With Dylan McDermott, Stacey Travis, John Lynch
Havana Dir. Sydney Pollack. With Robert Redford, Lena Olin, Alan Arkin, Tomas Milian
Hidden Agenda Dir. Ken Loach. With Frances McDormand, Brian Cox, Brad Dourif
The Hot Spot Dir. Dennis Hopper. With Don Johnson, Virginia Madsen, Jennifer Connelly
House Party Dir. Reginald Hudlin. With Christopher "Kid" Reid, Christopher "Play" Martin
The Hunt for Red October Dir. John McTiernan. With Alec Baldwin, Sean Connery
I Hired a Contract Killer Dir. Aki Kaurismäki. With Jean-Pierre Léaud, Margi Clarke
Internal Affairs Dir. Mike Figgis. With Richard Gere, Andy Garcia, Laurie Metcalf
Joe Versus the Volcano Dir. John Patrick Shanley. With Tom Hanks, Meg Ryan
Journey of Hope Dir. Xavier Koller. With Necmettin Çobanoglu, Nur Sürer, Emin Sivas
The Krays Dir. Peter Medak. With Gary Kemp, Martin Kemp, Billie Whitelaw
The Lemon Sisters Dir. Joyce Chopra. With Diane Keaton, Carol Kane, Kathryn Grody
The Long Walk Home Dir. Richard Pearce. With Whoopi Goldberg, Sissy Spacek
May Fools Dir. Louis Malle. With Miou-Miou, Michel Piccoli, Michel Duchaussoy
Mermaids Dir. Richard Benjamin. With Cher, Winona Ryder, Christina Ricci
Mo' Better Blues Dir. Spike Lee. With Denzel Washington, Spike Lee, Wesley Snipes
Mountains of the Moon Dir. Bob Rafelson. With Patrick Bergin, Iain Glen
My Father's Glory Dir. Yves Robert. With Philippe Caubert, Nathalie Roussel
My Mother's Castle Dir. Yves Robert. With Philippe Caubert, Nathalie Roussel
The Nasty Girl Dir. Michael Verhoeven. With Lena Stolze, Hans-Reinhard Müller
Night of the Living Dead Dir. Tom Savini. With Tony Todd, Patricia Tallman
Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit Dir. Beeban Kidron. TV Movie. With Charlotte Coleman
Pacific Heights Dir. John Schlesinger. With Melanie Griffith, Matthew Modine
Pump Up the Volume Dir. Allan Boyle. With Christian Slater, Samantha Mathis
Q & A Dir. Sidney Lumet. With Nick Nolte, Timothy Hutton, Armand Assante
Requiem for Dominic Dir. Robert Dornhelm. With Georg Hoffmann-Ostenhof
The Rookie Dir. Clint Eastwood. With Clint Eastwood, Charlie Sheen, Raul Julia
Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead Dir. Tom Stoppard. With Tim Roth, Gary Oldman
The Russia House Dir. Fred Schepisi. With Sean Connery, Michelle Pfeiffer
Stanley & Iris Dir. Martin Ritt. With Jane Fonda, Robert De Niro, Swoosie Kurtz
State of Grace Dir. Phil Joanou. With Sean Penn, Ed Harris, Gary Oldman, Robin Wright
Tatie Danielle Dir. Étienne Chalitiez. With Tsilla Chelton, Catherine Jacob
Taxi Blues Dir. Pavel Lungin. With Pyotr Mamonov, Pyotr Zaychenko, Vladimir Kashpur
Trust Dir. Hal Hartley. With Adrienne Shelley, Martin Donovan, Merritt Nelson
The Two Jakes Dir. Jack Nicholson. With Jack Nicholson, Harvey Keitel, Meg Tilly
Where the Heart Is Dir. John Boorman. With Dabney Coleman, Uma Thurman
The Witches Dir. Nicolas Roeg. With Anjelica Huston, Mai Zetterling, Jasen Fisher
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