Edward Scissorhands
Remember the moment when Johnny Depp went from being the cute guy in 21 Jump Street to a real actor? I do.
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Dances with Wolves
This movie profoundly affected me when I first saw it in the theatre. I know many Oscar revisionists hate that it won Best Picture over Goodfellas, but, for me, I understand why. Sometimes Oscar rewards movies for how they make you feel.
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Ghost
Say what you want, but this movie worked on every level. It’s the kind of lightning in a bottle that Hollywood has been trying to catch ever since.
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Die Hard 2
Not quite as good as the original, but certainly better than all the other imitators. The perfect popcorn pic.
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Pretty Woman
Every inch of my liberal, female conscience screams when I think about how much I love this movie, but I just can’t help myself.
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Misery
Have we ever seen a character quite like Annie Wilkes before? Well, thanks to Stephen King (novel), William Goldman (screenplay), Rob Reiner (director) and Kathy Bates, she is burned into our consciousness.
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Ernest Goes To Jail
Ha ha….just kidding.
Presumed Innocent
Maybe if there weren’t so many crime drama procedurals on tv these days, we’d see more great whodunit movies like this. Such a great thriller that keeps you guessing all the way to the end.
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Goodfellas
So yes, it lost the Oscar for Best Picture to Dances With Wolves, a crime against humanity that will seem to live on in infamy. But didn’t that only improve its rebel status and increase its appeal? I mean, come on, how many times have you even been tempted to watch Dances with Wolves again, but how often have you been flipping through the channels and stop on Goodfellas, no matter the point in the movie? Even on basic cable, where you lose some of the, um, “context” of the dialogue? Sometimes, greatness isn’t measured in awards.
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The Hunt for Red October
Great suspense, great characters, great atmosphere. One of the last great Cold War movies.
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Memphis Belle
A great cast wins out over formulaic, sentimental and predictable every time.
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The Godfather, Part III
Short of winning a third Best Picture for the final act in the Godfather series, Godfather, Part III was going to disappoint. But while it isn’t nearly as good as its predecessors, III actually isn’t as bad as people remember it to be. Sofia Coppola’s performance, on the other hand—is.
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Pump up the Volume
Darker than Footloose, edgier than The Breakfast Club, and more grounded than Heathers, this movie was the teenage angst movie that didn’t speak for my generation, but to it. And that soundtrack!!
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The Movies that Should Have Mattered More:
Awakenings
The first time I realized I could be bored during a Robert DeNiro movie.
I Love you to Death
Oh, what a disaster this movie is. What a way to waste a great cast.
Days of Thunder
Watching cars drive in circles would have been preferable.
Home Alone
Yeah, it was cute, but so what?
Reversal of Fortune
Who knows, I may love this movie now, but, at 20, it made me want to poke my eyes out.
The Movies That Might Have Mattered, But I Missed:
Avalon
Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!
Europa Europa
La Femme Nikita
Miller’s Crossing (the only Coen Brothers movie I’ve never seen. I’m so ashamed.)
The Grifters
Oscar winners of 1990:
Best Picture: Dances with Wolves
Best Director: Kevin Costner – Dances With Wolves
Best Actor: Jeremy Irons – Reversal of Fortune
Best Actress: Kathy Bates – Misery
Best Supporting Actor: Joe Pesci – Goodfellas
Best Supporting Actress: Whoopi Goldberg – Ghost