Top Ten of 1991: World Premieres
Top Ten by U.S. Release Date (Updated) // My 1991 Oscar Ballot (Updated)
| 1. | Daughters of the Dust Dir. Julie Dash. With Cora Lee Day, Alva Rogers, Barbara-O A– |
| 2. | JFK Dir. Oliver Stone. With Kevin Costner, Sissy Spacek, Gary Oldman, Tommy Lee Jones, Joe Pesci A– |
| 3. | Boyz N the Hood Dir. John Singleton. With Cuba Gooding Jr., Morris Chestnut, Ice Cube A– |
| 4. | Naked Lunch Dir. David Cronenberg. With Peter Weller, Judy Davis, Ian Holm, Joseph Scorsiani A– |
| 5. | Poison Dir. Todd Haynes. With Scott Renderer, Edith Meeks, Larry Maxwell, James Lyons A– |
| 6. | The Silence of the Lambs Dir. Jonathan Demme. With Jodie Foster, Anthony Hopkins, Ted Levine A– |
| 7. | Slacker Dir. Richard Linklater. With Richard Linklater, Mark James, Dan Kratochvil, Maris Strautmanis A– |
| 8. | Cape Fear Dir. Martin Scorsese. With Nick Nolte, Robert De Niro, Juliette Lewis, Jessica Lange A– |
| 9. | Beauty and the Beast Dirs. Gary Trousdale & Kirk Wise. Animated. Voice of Paige O'Hara A– |
| 10. | Terminator 2: Judgment Day Dir. James Cameron. With Edward Furlong, Linda Hamilton A– |
Runners-Up (alpha): Edward II, Flirting, Frankie & Johnny, Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's
Apocalypse, High Heels, Life and Nothing More..., Madonna: Truth or Dare, My Own Private Idaho,
Prospero's Books, Raise the Red Lantern, Thelma & Louise
Reviews from 1991
★ = Full-Length Review / © = Capsule-Length Review / ★ = Blog/Favorites Review (New Window)
★ Boyz N the Hood Dir. John Singleton. With Cuba Gooding Jr., Morris Chestnut, Ice Cube A–
★ Bugsy Dir. Barry Levinson. With Warren Beatty, Annette Bening, Ben Kingsley, Harvey Keitel B
★ The Fisher King Dir. Terry Gilliam. With Jeff Bridges, Robin Williams, Mercedes Ruehl B–
★ Frankie & Johnny Dir. Garry Marshall. With Michelle Pfeiffer, Al Pacino, Hector Elizondo B+
★ JFK Dir. Oliver Stone. With Kevin Costner, Sissy Spacek, Gary Oldman, Tommy Lee Jones A–
More Grades from 1991
Unreviewed titles I have seen recently enough to grade
The Ballad of the Sad Café Dir. Simon Callow. With Vanessa Redgrave, Cork Hubbert C+
Barton Fink Dir. Joel Coen. With John Turturro, John Goodman, Judy Davis, Michael Lerner B
Billy Bathgate Dir. Robert Benton. With Loren Dean, Dustin Hoffman, Nicole Kidman C
Black Robe Dir. Bruce Beresford. With Lothaire Bluteau, Aden Young, August Schellenberg B–
Defending Your Life Dir. Albert Brooks. With Albert Brooks, Meryl Streep, Rip Torn C–
Dogfight Dir. Nancy Savoca. With River Phoenix, Lili Taylor, Richard Panebianco C
Edward II Dir. Derek Jarman. With Steven Waddington, Tilda Swinton, Andrew Tiernan B+
Flirting Dir. John Duigan. With Noah Taylor, Thandie Newton, Nicole Kidman, Naomi Watts A–
For the Boys Dir. Mark Rydell. With Bette Midler, James Caan, Arye Gross, George Segal D+
Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse Dirs. F.Bahr, E.Coppola, G.Hickenlooper A–
The Hours and Times Dir. Christopher Münch. With David Angus, Ian Hart, Stephanie Pack B
Jungle Fever Dir. Spike Lee. With Wesley Snipes, Annabella Sciorra, Spike Lee, Tim Robbins C+
Life and Nothing More... Dir. Abbas Kiarostami. With Farhad Kheradmand, Buba Bayour B+
The Lovers on the Bridge Dir. Leos Carax. With Denis Lavant, Juliette Binoche B+
My Own Private Idaho Dir. Gus Van Sant. With River Phoenix, Keanu Reeves, William Richert B+
New Jack City Dir. Mario Van Peebles. With Wesley Snipes, Ice-T, Allen Payne, Judd Nelson B–
Night on Earth Dir. Jim Jarmusch. With Winona Ryder, Gena Rowlands, Giancarlo Esposito C–
The Ox Dir. Sven Nykvist. With Stellan Skarsgård, Eva Fröling, Max von Sydow, Liv Ullmann B–
Point Break Dir. Kathryn Bigelow. With Keanu Reeves, Patrick Swayze, Gary Busey C
Prospero's Books Dir. Peter Greenaway. With John Gielgud, Mark Rylance, Michael Clark B+
Raise the Red Lantern Dir. Zhang Yimou. With Gong Li, Cao Cuifen, He Saifei, Kong Lin B+
Rambling Rose Dir. Martha Coolidge. With Laura Dern, Lukas Haas, Robert Duvall C+
The Rapture Dir. Michael Tolkin. With Mimi Rogers, David Duchovny, Patrick Bauchau C+
Salmonberries Dir. Percy Adlon. With k.d. lang, Rosel Zech, Oscar Kawagley, Eugene Omiak D+
Sleeping with the Enemy Dir. Joseph Ruben. With Julia Roberts, Patrick Bergin C
Soapdish Dir. Michael Hoffman. With Sally Field, Kevin Kline, Elisabeth Shue C
Young Soul Rebels Dir. Isaac Julien. With Valentine Nonyela, Mo Sesay, Sophie Okonedo C–
Also from 1991
The memories are fading, but they're somewhere in my brain
Fetching
Dead Again Dir. Kenneth Branagh. With Kenneth Branagh, Emma Thompson, Andy Garcia
High Heels Dir. Pedro Almodóvar. With Victoria Abril, Marisa Paredes, Miguel Bosé
Madonna: Truth or Dare Dir. Alek Keshishian. Documentary about Madonna on- and off-stage
Fair
At Play in the Fields of the Lord Dir. Hector Babenco. With Aidan Quinn, Tom Berenger
The Double Life of Véronique Dir. Krzysztof Kieślowski. With Irène Jacob, Philippe Volter
Fried Green Tomatoes Dir. Jon Avnet. With Kathy Bates, Mary Stuart Masterson, Jessica Tandy
The Prince of Tides Dir. Barbra Streisand. With Nick Nolte, Barbra Streisand, Kate Nelligan
Zentropa Dir. Lars von Trier. With Jean-Marc Barr, Barbara Sukowa, Udo Kier, Eddie Constantine
Feh
City Slickers Dir. Ron Underwood. With Billy Crystal, Daniel Stern, Bruno Kirby, Jack Palance
Little Man Tate Dir. Jodie Foster. With Adam Hann-Byrd, Jodie Foster, Dianne Wiest
The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear Dir. David Zucker. With Leslie Nielsen, Priscilla Presley
Flotsam
Backdraft Dir. Ron Howard. With William Baldwin, Kurt Russell, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Robert De Niro
Hook Dir. Steven Spielberg. With Robin Williams, Dustin Hoffman, Julia Roberts, Bob Hoskins
Impromptu Dir. James Lapine. With Judy Davis, Hugh Grant, Julian Sands, Emma Thompson
A Kiss Before Dying Dir. James Dearden. With Matt Dillon, Sean Young, Max von Sydow
Regarding Henry Dir. Mike Nichols. With Harrison Ford, Annette Bening, Mikki Allen, Bill Nunn
Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves Dir. Kevin Reynolds. With Kevin Costner, Alan Rickman
Still to Come from 1991
Ten Most Enticing Prospects:
The Adjuster Dir. Atom Egoyan. With Elias Koteas, Arsinée Khanjian, Maury Chaykin
La Belle noiseuse Dir. Jacques Rivette. With Michel Piccoli, Emmanuelle Béart, Jane Birkin
Close to Eden Dir. Nikita Mikhalkov. With Badema, Bayaertu, Vladimir Gostyukhin
Delicatessen Dirs. Jean-Pierre Jeunet & Marc Caro. With Dominique Pinon, Karin Viard
Homicide Dir. David Mamet. With Joe Mantegna, William H. Macy, Vincent Guastaferro
Kafka Dir. Steven Soderbergh. With Jeremy Irons, Theresa Russell, Joel Grey, Ian Holm
Strip Jack Naked Dir. Ron Peck. With Nick Bolton, John Brown, John Diamon
The Suspended Step of the Stork Dir. Theo Angelopoulos. With Marcello Mastroianni
Tous les matins du monde Dir. Alain Corneau. With Gérard Depardieu, Anne Brochet
Van Gogh Dir. Maurice Pialat. With Jacques Dutronc, Alexandra London, Bernard Le Coq
Further Research:
Antonia and Jane Dir. Beeban Kidron. With Imelda Staunton, Saskia Reeves
Bright Angel Dir. Michael Fields. With Dermot Mulroney, Lili Taylor, Sam Shepard
Children of Nature Dir. Friðrik Thór Friðriksson. With Gísli Halldorsson, Bruno Ganz
City of Hope Dir. John Sayles. With Vincent Spano, Stephen Mendillo, Chris Cooper
The Commitments Dir. Alan Parker. With Robert Arkins, Michael Aherne, Andrew Strong
Divertimento Dir. Jacques Rivette. With Michel Piccoli, Emmanuelle Béart, Jane Birkin
The Doors Dir. Oliver Stone. With Val Kilmer, Meg Ryan, Kyle MacLachlan, Frank Whaley
Germany Year 90 Nine Zero Dir. Jean-Luc Godard. With Eddie Constantine, Hanns Zischler
Grand Canyon Dir. Lawrence Kasdan. With Steve Martin, Kevin Kline, Danny Glover
Hangin' with the Homeboys Dir. Joseph B. Vasquez. With Doug E. Doug, Mario Joyner
Hear My Song Dir. Peter Chelsom. With Brian Flanagan, Constance Cowley, Ned Beatty
In the Shadow of the Stars Dirs. Irving Saraf, Allie Light. Documentary
The Indian Runner Dir. Sean Penn. With David Morse, Viggo Mortensen, Valeria Golino
The Inner Circle Dir. Andrei Konchalovsky. With Tom Hulce, Lolita Davidovich
Jacquot Dir. Agnès Varda. With Philippe Maron, Edouard Joubeaud, Laurent Monnier
L.A. Story Dir. Mick Jackson. With Steve Martin, Victoria Tennant, Sarah Jessica Parker
Life on a String Dir. Chen Kaige. With Liu Zhongyuan, Huang Lei, Xu Qing, Yao Erga
Lovers Dir. Vicente Aranda. With Victoria Abril, Jorge Sanz, Maribel Verdú
Madame Bovary Dir. Claude Chabrol. With Isabelle Huppert, Jean-François Balmer
The Man in the Moon Dir. Robert Mulligan. With Reese Witherspoon, Jason London
Mediterraneo Dir. Gabriele Salvatores. With Diego Abatantuono, Claudio Bigagli
Meeting Venus Dir. István Szabó. With Glenn Close, Niels Arestrup, Mariá Labuda
Mississippi Masala Dir. Mira Nair. With Denzel Washington, Sarita Choudhury, Roshan Seth
Night and Day Dir. Chantal Akerman. With Guilaine Londez, Thomas Langmann
Once Around Dir. Lasse Hallström. With Richard Dreyfuss, Holly Hunter, Danny Aiello
Once Upon a Time in China Dir. Tsui Hark. With Jet Li, Biao Yuen, Rosamund Kwan
Paris Trout Dir. Steven Gyllenhaal. With Dennis Hopper, Barbara Hershey, Ed Harris
The People under the Stairs Dir. Wes Craven. With Brandon Quintin Adams, Everett McGill
Queens Logic Dir. Steve Rash. With Kevin Bacon, Linda Fiorentino, John Malkovich
A Rage in Harlem Dir. Bill Duke. With Forest Whitaker, Gregory Hines, Robin Givens
Rush Dir. Lili Fini Zanuck. With Jennifer Jason Leigh, Jason Patric, Sam Elliott, Max Perlich
A Scene at the Sea Dir. Takeshi Kitano. With Kurôdo Maki, Hiroko Oshima, Sabu Kawahara
Straight out of Brooklyn Dir. Matty Rich. With George T. Odom, Ann D. Sanders
The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe Dir. John Bailey. With Lily Tomlin
Switch Dir. Blake Edwards. With Ellen Barkin, Jimmy Smits, JoBeth Williams, Lorraine Bracco
Toto le héros Dir. Jaco van Dormael. With Michel Bouquet, Jo De Backer, Thomas Godet
Twenty-One Dir. Don Boyd. With Patsy Kensit, Jack Shepherd, Patrick Ryecart, Rufus Sewell
Until the End of the World Dir. Wim Wenders. With Solveig Dommartin, Pietro Falcone
Whore Dir. Ken Russell. With Theresa Russell, Michael Crabtree, John Diehl, Antonio Fargas
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