USCCB - (Film and Broadcasting) - Ten Best List for the Year 1990

Ten Best List for the Year 1990

Akira Kurosawa's Dreams -- Beautiful Japanese production presents eight short fragments from the imagination of 80-year-old director Akira Kurosawa. These lyric, at times surreal, musings on childhood, tradition, toxic pollution, nuclear holocaust, art and death are timeless, open-ended and calculated to expand the mind and feelings of the viewer. Sparse subtitled dialogue. Some unsettling themes and a few frightening visuals. A-II-adults and adolescents (PG) 1990
Avalon -- Multi-generational saga about a Russian Jewish immigrant (Armin Mueller-Stahl) who joins his four brothers in 1914 Baltimore, embraces life in his new land and watches their extended family, especially his son (Aidan Quinn), pursue the American Dream. Writer-director Barry Levinson's tribute to family values is well-acted and its positive message is welcome, but its impact is blunted by the heavily nostalgic and sentimental treatment of the characters. A-I-general patronage (PG) 1990
Awakenings -- Refusing to give up on his chronically catatonic patients, a caring doctor (Robin Williams) experiments with a new drug which brings a man (Robert De Niro) out of a trance-like state after 30 years. Director Penny Marshall's sensitive, fact-based drama brings the viewer on a moving, emotional odyssey made all the more poignant by superior performances all around. Minimal rough language. A-II-adults and adolescents (PG-13) 1990
Cinema Paradiso -- In this Italian production, a film director (Jacques Perrin) returns to his hometown for the funeral of the movie projectionist (Philippe Noiret) who befriended him as a youthful patron of the local theater, a social mecca where viewers caroused and the parish priest censored every celluloid kiss and embrace. In comic, nostalgic flashbacks, writer-director Giuseppe Tornatore shows how movies over the years have enriched people's everyday lives. Dubbed or subtitles. Some fleeting sexually suggestive scenes and vulgar antics. A-III-adults (PG) 1990
Cyrano de Bergerac -- Swashbuckling 17th-century poet (Gerard Depardieu), despairing of romance because of his enormous nose, helps a young soldier (Vincent Perez) win the heart of the poet's cousin and true love Roxane (Anne Bouchet) by composing love letters for him. Director Jean-Paul Rappeneau imbues Edmond Rostand's 19th-century French verse play with fresh energy and cinematic beauty but the centerpiece is Depardieu's towering performance as the tragic, unrequited lover. Subtitles. Battlefield violence. A-II-adults and adolescents (PG) 1990
Hamlet -- Crazed by grief, the despairing Prince of Denmark (Mel Gibson) seeks the truth surrounding the death of his father (Paul Scofield) and the precipitous marriage of his mother (Glenn Close) to his murderous uncle (Alan Bates). Franco Zeffirelli's fluid direction of Shakespeare's classic is emotionally charged, cinematically beautiful and boast uniformly superior acting. Stylized violence. A-II-adults and adolescents (PG) 1990
Jesus of Montreal -- Challenging French-Canadian drama about a young actor (Lothaire Bluteau) who takes seriously an invitation to modernize a traditional Passion Play staged annually at a local shrine but the unorthodoxy of his new version causes the cancellation of future performances and a crisis for all concerned. Writer-director Denys Arcand's provocative movie places the Gospel story in the midst of the contemporary world, suggesting parallels to events in the life of Christ with what happens to the dedicated young actor. While some viewers may be dismayed by the work's critical attitude toward the institutional church and its intermingling of the historical Jesus with unseemly aspects of modern life, other may gain some refreshing insights and perspectives on Christianity's continuing relevance in our own times. A-IV-adults with reservations (R) 1990
Longtime Companion -- Moving but somewhat idealized portrait of how the AIDS epidemic affected the lives of three homosexual couples in New York City from 1981 to 1989. Directed by Norman Rene, the movie captures the human dimension of the illness without sensationalism or sentimentality, using understated performances to reveal the everyday heroism of "longtime companions" caring for their terminally ill loved ones. Frank depiction of homosexual life, including male kissing and embraces, casual drug use and sporadic rough language. A-IV-adults with reservations (R) 1990
Mr. & Mrs. Bridge -- Fascinating portrait of a World War II-era, uppercrust Kansas City family, dominated by a rigidly narrow-minded father (Paul Newman) whose submissive wife (Joanne Woodward) is at a loss to draw emotional warmth from her husband or three grown children. Director James Ivory's film is a minor masterpiece of superb characterizations and extraordinary performances, accentuated by fine dialogue and rich imagery. Instances of promiscuity and a fleeting glimpse of female nude photos. A-III-adults (PG-13) 1990
The Rescuers Down Under -- The further animated adventures of top mouse agents Bernard and Miss Bianca who must save a little Australian boy and a beautiful eagle from the snares of an evil poacher. Directors Hendel Butoy and Mike Gabriel have created a captivating eyeful that never flags and is filled with good humor and innocent charm. Delightful family fantasy with several moments of danger and menace. A-I-general patronage (G) 1990