USCCB - (Film and Broadcasting) - Ten Best List for the Year 1992

Ten Best List for the Year 1992

Aladdin -- Vibrant animated Arabian Nights tale of a genie (voice of Robin Williams), a commoner in love with a princess and an evil vizier who connives to capture the genie and marry the princess. As produced and directed by John Musker and Ron Clements, the story is sweet, the animation delightful and Williams' wisecracks wedded to lightning-fast sight gags should hold adult interest. A-I-general patronage (G) 1992
The Best Intentions -- Episodic Swedish family saga set in the early 1900s focuses on the troubled courtship and stormy marriage of a dour, strong-willed Lutheran minister (Samuel Froler) who had grown up in poverty and his bright, willful bride (Pernilla August) whose wealthy family had opposed their wedding. As directed by Bille August, Ingmar Bergman's autobiographical script offers a moody meditation on the emotional affinity of two completely opposite temperaments whose bond of love withstands the resulting clashes and inevitable misunderstandings only because they are willing to forgive one another and go on together. Subtitles. Restrained scene of premarital relations with brief nudity, several scenes of domestic violence, a suicide and a life-threatening scene involving a small child. A-III-adults (Not rated by the Motion Picture Association of America) 1992
Brother's Keeper -- Compelling documentary about the Ward Brothers, four illiterate and elderly dairy farmers in upstate New York, one of whom is put on trial for the 1990 mercy killing of an older brother. Produced and directed by Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky, the film provides an eloquent portrait of the rural community which regarded the brothers as eccentric but harmless recluses and came to the defense of the accused brother whom they believed incapable of murder. Some complex justice questions and a graphic scene of a pig being slaughtered. A-III-adults (Not rated by the Motion Association of America) 1992
The Efficiency Expert -- Gentle Australian comedy about the irresistible effect of the human factor on a rigidly methodical management consultant (Anthony Hopkins) who has been hired to modernize a hopelessly out-of-date family-run shoe factory. Director Mark Joffe's sentimental fantasy centers in its good-natured depiction of the foibles and eccentricities of the factory workers and the idea that there is more to a business than making money. Some violence to property and minor romantic complications. A-II-adults and adolescents (PG) 1992
Enchanted April -- Charming period piece from Elizabeth von Armin's 1922 novel about the transformation of four world-weary London women (Joan Plowright, Miranda Richardson, Josie Lawrence and Polly Walker) when they impulsively rent a medieval castle for a month in sunny Italy. Mike Newell directs a sweetly fanciful film about characters who, removed from their drab routines, learn the value of tolerance and renewed commitment to relationships. Very mild sexual innuendo. A-II-adults and adolescents (PG) 1992
A Few Good Men -- Insecure but glib Navy lawyer (Tom Cruise), goaded by a strong-willed Internal Affairs attorney (Demi Moore), takes on the politically sensitive murder trial of two Marines (James Marshall and Wolfgang Bodison) who are being used as scapegoats by their commanding officer (Jack Nicholson). Director Rob Reiner's tautly-constructed courtroom drama bristles with intense performances while tackling prickly issues of honor, responsibility and personal integrity. An off-screen suicide, a blatantly sexist remark and intermittent rough language. A-III-adults (R) 1992
Howards End -- Exquisitely done drama based on E.M. Forster's novel about an aristocratic widower (Anthony Hopkins) in turn-of-the-century England who cheats a young woman (Emma Thompson) out of property left her by his wife (Vanessa Redgrave) but then falls in love with her, much to the dismay of her egalitarian younger sister (Helena Bonham Carter). Enhanced by the sensitive collaboration of director James Ivory, producer Ismail Merchant, screenwriter Ruth Prawer Jhabvala and a splendid cast, the result does justice to Forster's ironic and witty story of class distinctions and their sometimes tragic outcomes. Discreet sexual innuendo and fleeting violence. A-II-adults and adolescents (PG) 1992
The Ox -- Fact-based Swedish period piece begins in 1868 when a young man (Stellan Skarsgard) is sentenced to life imprisonment for slaughtering his employer's ox to feed his starving family but the village vicar (Max Von Sydow) perseveres in a years-long effort to get him released and restored to his tormented wife (Ewa Froling). Director Sven Nykvist's drama of justice and compassion captures the diverse humanity of its characters with spare dialogue, expert acting and achingly beautiful images. Subtitles. Minor violence and an implied sexual encounter. A-III-adults (Not rated by the Motion Picture Association of America) 1992
Unforgiven -- A reformed gunfighter (Clint Eastwood) and his former partner (Morgan Freeman) join a novice bounty hunter (Jaimz Woolvett) to hunt down two cowboys wanted for cutting up a prostitute, but find a despotic sheriff (Gene Hackman) squarely in their way. Also produced and directed by Eastwood, the richly textured movie demythologizes the Western hero while portraying the main character's moral downfall as tragic. Intermittent violence motivated by revenge and vigilante justice, fleeting bedroom shots, an uncritical acceptance of prostitution and occasional rough language. A-IV-adults with reservations (R) 1992
The Waterdance -- Insightful drama of a newly wheelchair-bound writer (Eric Stoltz) in a multiracial rehabilitation center where he must deal with two battling patients (Wesley Snipes and William Forsythe) and a decision regarding his married girlfriend (Helen Hunt). Co-directed by Neal Jimenez and Michael Steinberg and based on Jimenez' experiences, the movies is an emotionally honest and exceptionally well-acted look at four distinct personalities, each at a turning point in their lives. Some discreet bedroom encounters, brief nudity and occasional rough language. A-III-adults (R) 1992