1989 belongs to all of us

The truth is, I didn't actually see The Wizard or Little Monsters until they hit the video store in '90.
I was very much a rookie theater-goer at the time - having only slept through Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home in '86, but being quite conscious and receptive to Who Framed Roger Rabbit in '88.

But I digress...

More than my earliest theater memories, I'm very pleased and proud to remember most vividly going to Batman opening weekend - unaware of its global popularity and deeply focused on my own fascination with this historic piece of cinema. Though while history lets me know there were plenty of flagship films that year -- never mind such monumental world events like the protests in Tiananmen Square or the fall of the Soviet Union (both of which I remember well) -- but there was very little competition against the 'winged freak' and, even more so, his Jack Palance-shooting, Francis Bacon-loving, scene-stealing Clown Prince of Crime nemesis.
In terms of popular culture, for the first time in my life, I was in on the joke (as it were) - Batman was the #1 movie/soundtrack/everything in the world for the rest of the year, and I got to be part of it.
So, after Pee-Wee and Beetlejuice, it was clear Tim Burton was pulling the strings in my life, all culminating to one memorable Christmas morning. But let's put aside the film world for a minute & see if there were some other important world-dominating details that I might've unknowingly-at-the-time got myself into...

The Ninja Turtles' ambush on my life came in four distinct stages: the cartoon in '87, the action figures in '88, and before the coup de gras of the big screen in '90, we were given Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles for NES in 1989. And even for its 8-bit funk soundtrack and comic book-style graphics, the gameplay was (and is) some kinda vehicle for torture. I still haven't beaten it without the help of a Game Genie.

In the world of television, TV guide made good on their promise & gave us Simpsons Roasting On An Open Fire on December 17th, and their wit and charm captivated audiences old & young alike - myself included. Everyone instantly knew each family member by name, and for months were citing the best scenes and quoting the best lines, and this generation's Dennis the Menace was immortalized in 30 short minutes as one of the pop icons of the 20th century (and beyond).

And while I'd yet to develop any kinda passion for music or bands at that age, the sounds of Top 40 were always in the air, embedding their beats in my brain for some later shades of nostalgia. Songs (and music videos) like "She Drives Me Crazy," "If I Could Turn Back Time," and, of course, "Batdance" feel less like established media now and more like familiar smells from my childhood.

But that's part of the deal here, isn't it? This is coming from a guy who spent half of 1989 in Kindergarten, and while I take pride in my strength in the accuracy and extent of the corners of my mind, it's hard to paint an entire sociological overview of the year I turned 6, and my strongest memories of that time don't hold any weight in a thread like this. So, we'll stick to what's relatable & get back to where we once belonged: the movies.

It was a big year for big sequels - which isn't a bad thing; it's okay when the sequels are okay. Also, it was a spectacular year for Comedies - at a glance, a good handful made it onto my 50 Funniest list (as well as several that didn't, but could've).
As far as Horror goes... let's just say the 80s were coming to a close, and the oft-proclaimed "Golden Age" of slashers and gore had little left to offer. Conversely (in more ways than one) the Family genre was churning out some instant classics (as well as some future cult epics). And if it seems biased for a first-grader to take extra notice of family fare & still embrace it with fondness as an adult, then you can't find the entertainment value in puppies, kittens, giant ants, flying reindeer, talking babies, and Double Dragon.
So take your femur bone and get outta my yard, lame-o!

- Paul

1. Glory
One of the few on the list we haven't covered a dozen times before - and yet, here we are, at the top of the food chain with my favorite film of 1989, the best of the Civil War subgenre (of which there're not nearly enough choices), and one of the best of the whole decade.
War pictures can be as complicated & frustrating as the conflicts they depict; getting them right usually results in getting them wrong. Like a biopic (which this sorta is), combining historical accuracy with a strong emotional curve is generally something movies can't comprehend.
This is not so with Glory.
There's a lot to talk about (all good things), but in this short-form framework, I'd use this space to call attention to what I feel is a major lost art form nowadays: movie music. James Horner's efforts lands somewhere in my Top 3 film scores, and while he maintains a consistent vibe of wartime anxiety and a kind of somber grandeur throughout the movie, his very large, climactic piece titled "Charging Fort Wagner" that plays over the film's already-emotional final onslaught is probably the best example of Cinema, and all that it's capable of. Truly one of the greatest few minutes in movie history.

2. Uncle Buck
No one understood how to take advantage of John Candy's talent the way John Hughes understood - probably because what Candy had to offer and what he was capable of was never easy to define. So, clearly, he always crafted very specific vehicles for this very specific performer - and they weren't always easy to define. Words like "touching" and "sentimental" undermine the laughs, while critical soundbites like "Hilarious" or "A Riot!" undermine the heart. Any movie that manages to transcend any one genre label is always gonna be my favorite kinda anything - because when you can't define it, it's just its own original thing.
No one ever seems to assert this kind of semi-pretentious analysis to this movie (probably because it is "hilarious" and "a riot"), but with hindsight we can stand back from it and appreciate it as the cinematic tribute to its star (and director) that it truly is.

3. The 'Burbs
For all our love for Joe Dante, it's fair to say he's had an uneven career - which is perhaps why The 'Burbs may be the jewel in that tipped crown. For a guy who'd been getting bigger audiences that coincided with bigger budgets, he abruptly turned it way down and made this smaller (and possibly more personal) movie - which is typically when directors do their best stuff.
The mild epiphany that placed it onto my Top 100 was the realization that I'm never not in the mood to watch it. It was a consistent video rental while I was growing up, and it was always an event when it was on cable. I've had my own videocassette, DVD, and - now that the cult has clearly broadened - special edition blu-ray - because we're the lunatics.

4. The Wizard
Here we go again: it's 1989, we got the magic key, we got the cross, and we're closing in on the barbarian!
I'm always curious whenever I'm forced to test my feelings for this film yet again to see if my infatuation has waned. And what I always find is that I love it more today than yesterday, but not as much as tomorrow.
Any time I write about it (and if I had my way, it would be all the time), I always try to think of a new angle -- a new defense (since I still feel like I'm fighting for my right to party). I can skip over the plot and the performances and the Nintendo and the adventure and all the other strong suits that draw me to it, and instead call attention to the dry, sunny Southwestern U.S. shooting locations, and the arresting 80s pop soundtrack. At some point after Boogie Nights, Paul Thomas Anderson said something like he only wanted to make movies about karate and pornography for the rest of his life... I just want movies about driving around the desert cut to uninterrupted classic rock. It may be the only reason why I love Easy Rider. It's definitely one of the reasons I love The Wizard.

5. Batman
How do you reinvent live action Batman into the spooky, violent mood it was always meant to be - without veering into self-seriousness? Enlisting the creative talents behind Beetlejuice wouldn't have been the obvious choice... Or was it? A bit of German Expressionism, a preoccupation with freaks and outcasts, a generally morbid outlook, and all the other baggage Tim carries with him was the lethal combination of chemicals to unleash on 'the comic book adaptation.'
And it's sorta true: Chris Nolan gets all the credit for what Burton had already kinda done - take away the costumes & you're left with an old-fashioned gangster melodrama.
For better or worse, a movie that changes all other movies is worth paying extra close attention to. This was for the better.

6. Born On the Fourth of July
I say it all the time: Biopics stink -- for many reasons - the main one probably being that filmmakers are too frightened to apply any creativity into paint-by-numbers storytelling...
Enter one fearless director who blatantly satirizes this watered-down style of storytelling by pitting some over-the-top Norman Rockwell Americana against the most horrific side of reality. This kinda change in tone is the same kind of subversive moviemaking you'd see in something like Blue Velvet.
More than anything else, this is still the movie I point to when I need to make a case for how fucking great Tom Cruise is, and why I wish to God he was still working.*

*I don't count any of this garbage from the past 10 years or so.

7. Little Monsters
The sets, the score, the cinematography, even the performances - all workin' overtime for me. And it took me years to recognize that there's less of an E.T. vibe in the foreground than there is a Beetlejuice wannabe - which isn't a bad thing; few movies (if any) had the balls (or the comprehension) to follow in those offbeat footsteps.
This was the other Fred Savage movie that everyone seems to have a problem with - but unlike The Wizard, I never bother to refute the hate (mostly because I'm unsure as to where it comes from). I can tell you what I keep from it is all the aforementioned attributes (along with the pop song choices, Howie's wardrobe, and peanut butter and onion sandwiches), but even more than that is the overall tone of the picture. The whole setup of moving to a new location and a dissatisfaction with your environment - all with the subtext of emotionally distant parents - leaves a moody, melancholy aftertaste that lingers in between each viewing -- and there have been many.
I'm pleased to've had it as part of my life for nearly 30 years.

8. Lethal Weapon 2
I've always protested that it was better than the first one; it certainly has a higher rewatchability count in its genetic makeup. Part 1 has some action and some laughs, wrapped in a heavy psychodrama. Part 2 is just action and laughs. And the best way to elevate a sequel (sometimes higher than its predecessor) is to skyrocket the threat level against our protagonists - and this particular sequel skyrockets in ways that are so eloquently 1980s.

9. Tango & Cash
Speaking of...
The score is godawful (sorry, Harold), the practical FX are generally impractical, and some of the humor feels better suited to someone like... no one. But the fact that it's completely self-aware of what it is gives it its appeal - kinda. In the 80s, the broad spectrum of Action/Comedies ranged from Beverly Hills Cop to Police Academy, with not much in between -- except for this, which portions out a healthy balance of action and comedy, and resulting in a dizzying crossbreed of a genre that doesn't exist.
The movie features every favorite character actor from A to Z'Dar, but its two main macho leads - and the chemistry they generate - make it what it is: FUBAR, big time.

10. National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation
John Hughes + Christmas seems to be pretty good - and this is arguably the best it ever was.
This was the videotape everyone seemed to have, and during the holidays, its soundtrack of chainsaws and sleds and shitters and squirrels and explosions was as omnipresent as Christmas carols. Take it, Russ!

11. Major League
The funniest baseball comedy of the 80s: prison jokes, crotch humor, fried chicken, foul balls, voodoo curses - it even has a sterile romantic subplot for all you Bull Durham losers.
But I'm selling it way short; it's really light on the buffoonery you'd expect from sports comedies, and relies pretty heavily on dialogue and performances for laughs - which is impressive for the subject matter (or any other kinda comedy, really).

12. Back to the Future Part II
This was the other event movie I saw in the theater that year: forced to sit in the very front row due to the most packed theater I've ever been in.
All the 2015 stuff was fun the first time around, but it got old fast (thematically, and now, literally). But the real cream of this sequel is how dense and dark it is while still remaining somewhat comprehensible. The first one was fun through & through, but it only hinted at the perils of time travel -- Part II demonstrates the consequences to its fullest effect, giving what could've been just a retread of the same story an exciting curve.

13. Look Who's Talking
This is how I learned about sex - the science part anyway.
In the 80s, kids movies dealt with murderers, monsters, Marshmallow Men, and Michael Jackson, and now here was this one about divorce, infidelity, single parenting, and Vinnie Barbarino... Strong stuff for young minds -- but isn't that the formula that every story tries to perfect: a broad appeal across all ages and sexes? For a plotless character study with no third act, it manages to pull off exactly that.
Great cast, killer soundtrack. And am I the only one who thinks back to all the scenes with James and Mikey every time I watch the showdown between Bruce and Travolta in Pulp Fiction?

14. Honey, I Shrunk the Kids
Between McDonald's campaign, video rentals, HBO, birthday parties, sleepovers, (I think they even showed it in school once) - this movie was everywhere for a little while.
I dug it enough, though it always felt boring in parts. It wasn't until I was an adult that I realized that the kids' storyline is where it sags most, and that the grownups' scenes are really what keep the flow going: they get all the best lines, they're more competent actors, and the nerd in me was more interested in the laser/miniaturization stuff than the waterslide/cookie cream stuff.
Though I still get nervous that a loved one might be in my Cheerios.

15. Ghostbusters II
I was unaware of whether or not it was well-received upon its release, but I am aware that it took me many years to come around and accept it as the adequate sequel that it is.
And to reiterate and/or expand on what I've written before: for all the movie's major (and minor) flaws, there are enough horror/comedy elements (the same talented cast, a strong villain with a neat backstory) to keep it reminiscent of the first film.
Still though, the change in ectoplasm from mucus-colored to pink was a real indication of the (Real Ghostbusters) cartoonish direction they never should've gone toward, but did.

16. The Abyss
By today's standards (or by any era of movies, really) it's original and refreshing to see an underwater adventure flick that's devoid of bloody shark attacks or Soviet torpedo explosions. And for the scifi genre, it was, again, original and refreshing to encounter aliens without the whole narrative erupting into an orgy of futuristic violence (especially from the Aliens guy).
This was a time when lighting effects were done with lights, and special effects were exactly that: special. And while both categories are aces, the real spectacle is that this is a talky, character-driven ensemble picture full of intense performances - that's why it rocks.

17. The War of the Roses
One of the more underrated comedies of this or any other year - so much so that it didn't even chart on my own list (for reasons I cannot recall).
This was my introduction to what 'dark comedy' was supposed to be: it's a bum out for sure, but each sequence contains at least one catch-your-breath laugh.

18. The Adventures of Milo and Otis
Most pictures that feature solely animals usually means talking animals - which I loathe. Such is not the case in this ray-of-sunshine Adventure. Recut and reworked from a 1986 Japanese movie, the 1989 version is eloquently narrated (by Dudley Moore in the English-language version) like a Little Golden Book come to life.
And as an on & off Pug owner for the past 30 years, the movie will always have a comfortable, familiar place in my heart.

19. Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure
Apart from having a cute/clever premise and having legitimate laughs throughout, its biggest (and boldest) achievement is that it's a movie about two post-Fast Times/Porky's teens who are never depicted as drinking alcohol, doing drugs, hounding women for sex, or even cursing. It's unique and actually kinda sweet, but more than that, these semi-traditional elements simply wouldn't've fit in with the tone. It also raises it high above 'teen comedy' and knights it as just 'comedy.'

20. New York Stories
"Uneven" is putting it a bit lightly - though name another multi-director anthology film that isn't...
Coppola's segment is so forgettable that I've forgotten it. Woody's part has a few laughs, but it's 'high-concept' Woody, which I've never been into.
However - and it's a big however - this movie was right on the brackets of what I consider to be peak-Scorsese; his segment, titled Life Lessons, feels like his early 70s stuff but with more confidence and finesse. Jess thinks it's the best thing he's ever done. In this moment, I'm not inclined to argue.

21. Turner & Hooch
A tired premise wrapped in a convoluted plot. Who cares, right?
It's on the Mt. Rushmore of 80s Tom Hanks (which is always open for discussion), and it was certainly the best cop/dog buddy movie of the year. And I could also argue that no other action/comedies ever had such a moving ending (this is not open for discussion).

22. Prancer
Kids movies can be loud, flashy, and dumb. Inject some Christmas into it and it gets louder, flashier, and dumber. Then along comes Prancer with the quiet, moody magic of an early 20th century paperback they'd have you read in school. I was taken to the theater to see it with no prior knowledge of its existence, but ever since then it's been an integral part of my holiday rotation.

23. Dead Calm
Thrillers are kinda extinct nowadays - especially old-fashioned, connect-the-dots, edge-of-your-seaters like this.
Back when it came out, I feel like it got jumbled into the slew of slightly similar stuff being released around that time. Hold it up against the animated car chases and creaky-door ghost stories of today, and it feels like a breath of fresh sea air. Very effective for folks with a fear of drowning, home invasion, and Billy Zane.

24. K-9
A tired premise wrapped in a convoluted plot... And without the presence of Mr. Tom Hanks, it does get a bit gummed up in these major details.
No matter - it still functions in all the right places, and while I have no strong feelings re. Jim Belushi, he actually feels pretty suited to this role.
It's a movie I think I'll always hold onto because of one brief LOL moment that still gets me every time.

25. Stepfather 2: Make Room For Daddy
Part one was approaching brilliance, and because part two is such a faithful rehash of the first, it can't help but be (nearly) as good. Just the fact that Terry O'Quinn returns in the title role gives the whole show a big boost - because Terry O'Quinn in anything is absolutely worthy of your attention, and you should see both of these movies right away.

26. Society
What begins as a straightforward teen horror/comedy slowly and shockingly coagulates into a perverted mystery of sorts, which then eventually climaxes into what I would describe as an upsettingly wet fever dream that compares with nothing else ever put on film before (and maybe since). It's an effective way to structure any kinda movie - especially Horror. (see: Fire in the Sky, From Dusk Till Dawn, Bone Tomahawk)

27. Night Visitor
Part Rear Window remake, part Are You Afraid of the Dark? episode, all character actor nirvana.
There's an aggressive and frustrating promise of danger throughout this whole thing - so much so that how much or how well it actually pays off is of no consequence. After all, that's how suspense/paranoia works.

28. A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child
It's one of the weakest of the series -- but outside of the ranks of the franchise, a Freddy movie is gonna overcome any year that one is released, because that is how I roll.
If you can conquer the dumb one-liners, the plot holes, and the pacing issues, it has a scene: Alice is confronted by her late boyfriend's parents who passively/aggressively urge her to get an abortion... Heavy stuff for an Elm Street entry, which makes it stand out a bit - but weightier than that is the simple fact that the scene is acted, written, and directed with the grace and maturity of a European stage play -- and less like the jubilee of 80s VFX, rock music, and bad puns that it is.
When I think of the movie, it's the scene I think of.

29. Weekend at Bernie's
Good or bad (mostly good), it's a representative of 1989 and we couldn't conduct class without it. Besides, I did the math: I ran down the list of all the movies released that year, and it still stayed inside the bubble. Because I do like it more than Driving Miss Daisy, The Little Mermaid, and even Last Crusade (which is mediocre at best). I mean, sure, it was badass when Indy came face-to-face with the Fuehrer, but that can't compete with that bikini chick with the big hair and the white high-tops... Sorry, Steven - you shoulda made Rain Man instead like the studio wanted -- then we'd have a real competition here.

30. Lock Up
Sly spent a lotta time behind bars this year - though this stretch wasn't played for laughs.
It's not exactly Papillon or even Cool Hand Luke -- quite the contrary: for a big studio/late 80s prison melodrama, it woulda had no problem fitting in with the Grindhouse circuit of decades past. Gratuitous brutality and clumsy sentimentality paint this picture with shades of Saw, The Longest Yard, and of course, Rocky, but still shapes up as its own twisted thing.
And I do mean twisted: the end credits of this tense, violent thriller roll over freeze-frames from the movie - set to a power ballad soundtrack - like the end of a Perfect Strangers episode. If one were to marathon all the movies on this list in this order, this truly would be the only suitable ending to that journey.