USCCB - (Film and Broadcasting) - Ten Best List for the Year 1989

Ten Best List for the Year 1989

The Bear -- Glorious nature drama set in turn-of-the-century British Columbia tracks the unlikely companionship of a wounded male Kodiak bear and an orphaned cub as they explore their natural habitat and fend off two relentless human predators. Director Jean-Jacques Annaud dramatizes the story from the bears' point of view, using impressive wildlife photography to connect these majestic animals to humans in astonishing and unforgettable ways. Some bloodied dogs and horses, ongoing menace to the bears and a realistically audible mating sequence may be too intense for very young children. A-I-General Patronage (PG) 1989
Crimes and Misdemeanors -- Writer-director Woody Allen once again examines the limits of our moral universe by focusing on an influential ophthalmologist (Martin Landau) who has his mistress (Angelica Huston) murdered when she threatens to spill the beans to his wife (Claire Bloom) and reveal his embezzlement of philanthropic funds. Allen uses humor, pathos and melodrama to depict the man's struggles with feelings of guilt and accountability ingrained in him by his devout Jewish father, while interweaving a tapestry of other Manhattanites who have moral choices to make as well. Some rough language, explicit sexual innuendoes and a ruthless, off-camera murder. A-III-adult (PG-13) 1989
Do the Right Thing -- After 25 years of selling pizza in the same Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood -- now black and Hispanic -- the Italian-American proprietor (Danny Aiello) attempts to squash racial tensions before they destroy his family business. Writer-director-actor Spike Lee concocts a powerful look at racism with passionate characters, sharp satire, savvy musical counterpoints, theatricality and much humor. Its incendiary point of view -- that violence may be a potentially justified means to an end -- will unsettle many and force viewers to confront stereotypes. Heavy profanity, racial and ethnic slurs, intense climactic racial violence and a brief sexual scene with fleeting nudity. A-IV-adults with reservations (R) 1989
Driving Miss Daisy -- Exquisite adaptation of Alfred Uhry's Pulitzer Prize-winning play about the growing friendship between a wealthy Jewish widow (Jessica Tandy) and her black driver (Morgan Freeman) that begins in 1948 and spans 25 years of turbulent change in the South. Without stooping to sentiment or racial and ethnic stereotypes, director Bruce Beresford sensitively tackles the issues raised by this whimsical friendship, including bigotry, the difficulties of change, the death of the old and birth of the new. The prejudices characterizing the period may be misunderstood by young children. A-II-adults and adolescents (PG) 1989
A Dry White Season -- Wrenching adaptation of Andre Brink's novel about the 1976 Soweto uprisings and a conscience-stricken white Afrikaner (Donald Sutherland) who becomes an anti-apartheid activist after his black gardener and the gardener's young son die from police brutality. Black woman director Euzhan Palcy depicts the moral bankruptcy of those supporting racist policies which lead to the slaughter of defenseless blacks. Brief but graphic scenes of violence. A-III-adults (R) 1989
Enemies, A Love Story -- Brilliant adaptation of Isaac Bashevis Singer's novel about a troubled Holocaust survivor (Ron Silver) who shuttles between three wives (Margaret Sophie Stein, Lena Olin and Anjelica Huston) as he struggles with his indecision to choose one of them, his disillusionment with God and the chaos that his lies have caused. In capturing the feel of Jewish emigre life in 1949 New York City, director Paul Mazursky helps viewers empathize with the tragic flaws of the character and the courageous strength of the women he loves. Polygamous, sexually promiscuous protagonist, several sexual encounters with nudity, some violence and a climactic suicide. A-IV-adults with reservations (R) 1989
In Country -- Old wounds are opened when a recent high school grad (Emily Lloyd) begins to question her grandmother (Peggy Rea) and uncle (Bruce Willis) about her father who died in Vietnam before her birth. Director Norman Jewison's poignant drama about how one rural Kentucky family deals with the unfinished business and personal tragedy caused by the unpopular conflict also includes the crucial element of healing that must occur within all individuals touched by war. Sexual involvement by the young, female protagonist, some rough language laced with sexual innuendo and brief wartime violence. A-III-adults (R) 1989
Jacknife -- While an old Vietnam War buddy (Robert De Niro) tries to jolt a depressed friend (Ed Harris) out of drowning his memories of the war in drink and drugs, a tender middle-aged love story unfolds between the visitor and the troubled vet's shy sister (Kathy Baker). Director David Jones does a subtle job of weaving this low-key story to its conclusion in a well-acted slice of war-at-home life that sensitively explores the ghosts haunting Vietnam vets. Some profanity, brief violence and a discreetly filmed bedroom scene. A-III-adults (R) 1989
The Little Mermaid -- Enchanting Disney animated feature adds a hopeful, happy ending to the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale about a feisty mermaid (voice of Jodi Benson) who falls in love with a human prince. Written and directed by John Musker and Ron Clements, the characters are delightful, the music is exhilarating and the underwater animation is magical. Youngsters will love how its enterprising heroine faces up to typical parental pressures and learns to take responsibility for her own choices. A-I-general patronage (G) 1989
My Left Foot -- Powerful dramatization of the life of Irish writer-artist Christy Brown (1932-81), born with cerebral palsy to a large, impoverished Catholic family, shows his triumph over a disability as the creative intelligence bottled up inside his young, twisted body finds release, thanks in large part to his mother's love and encouragement. Jim Sheridan's sensitive, unsentimental direction and brilliant acting by Hugh O'Conor and Daniel Day-Lewis as the young and adult Christy provide a testament to the power of the spirit over adversity and a tribute to a mother's unquestioning belief in her child. Some violence, sexual innuendo and rough language. A-III-adults (R) 1989