CinemaInternational Posted June 17, 2019 Share Posted June 17, 2019 Also known as the year of a short release slate. Only 12 films, and at least a few of them shone brightly enough. There were 14 in 1987 and in 1989 for reference. Satisfaction began the year. It was a teen rock film, probably most of note for being Julia Roberts' first major studio film and an early job for Liam Neeson. A Night in the life of Jimmy Reardon had River Phoenix as a teenage lothario, with support from Ann Magnuson, Meredith Salinger, Matthew Perry, and Otto the autocensor's least favorite actress Io!ne Skye. Willem Dafoe and Gregory Hines were teamed up for a crime thriller set during the Vietnam conflict. Horror dropped by with Bad Dreams, a saga of a once-comatose woman now pursued by a slasher. After these 4 fared quietly, Fox had their first big hit of the year with the aptly titled Big which gave Tom Hanks his first Oscar nomination. The charmer also found room for Elizabeth Perkins, John Heard, Jared Rushton, Robert Loggia, and Mercedes Ruehl. Teenagers were still in the mix with the youth oriented License to Drive, starring the two Coreys, then much seen around the teen scene. Die Hard was another walloping big hit, and one of the best action films. Bruce Willis made a fine, empathic hero while Alan Rickman (film debut) made a sublime villain. Cap it off with good pacing, a strong story, solid direction, and notable work from Bonnie Bedilia and you have an exemplary film. Sidenote, the building that goes through so much over the course of the film is actually home to some of 20th Century Fox's offices and is actually named the Fox Plaza. Back to the youth group with Young Guns, a pickup from independent Morgan Creek who would supply Fox with some films through the end of 1990. Dead Ringers, a disturbing drama which led to a truly hairraising shock in its final act, received much praise for Jeremy Irons' performance (Performances) as two maladjusted trwin brothers. The David Cronenberg directed film costarred Genevieve Bujold. Los Angeles was invaded by extraterrestrials in Alien Nation, with James Caan, Mandy Patinkin, and Terence Stamp. the alien theme continued with Cocoon: The Return, a sequel to the 1985 hit which reunited Don Ameche, Hume Cronyn, Jessica Tandy, Wilford Brimley, Maureen Stapleton, Gwen Verdon, and everyone else. 1988 closed with another popular film, both with critics and audiences, the sure-footed romantic comedy-drama Working Girl, a great showcase for Melanie Griffith, and with strong work from Harrison Ford, Sigourney Weaver, Philip Bosco, Alec Baldwin, Olympia Dukakis, Nora Dunn, and especially Joan Cusack who ran off with the film with just 7 minutes of screentime. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TopBilled Posted June 17, 2019 Share Posted June 17, 2019 I remember the COCOON sequel not being very good. But at least it gave those legendary actors more work. Most of the teen-oriented films were unmemorable. SATISFACTION shows how big a star Justine Bateman had become. Family Ties turned her and Michael J. Fox into household names. Of course, Justine's movie career was eclipsed by her brother Jason who had also made an impact on a few television sitcoms in the 1980s. I think Bruce Willis made DIE HARD during one of his breaks from Moonlighting, a TV series that had a much-interrupted production schedule. When DIE HARD became a massive hit, he wanted off the show. But ABC wouldn't let him leave, and he had to continue the series until it finally went off the air in the summer of 1989. I don't remember the Hines-Dafoe film. But it looks interesting. I've never seen BIG, except for a few random clips. I liked YOUNG GUNS, though it's been years since I've seen it and I would bet it doesn't hold up very well. WORKING GIRL is basically an 80s update of BABY FACE (1933). In 1989 ALIEN NATION was turned into a TV series, and it aired for one season on the then-fledgling Fox TV network. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LawrenceA Posted June 17, 2019 Share Posted June 17, 2019 Die Hard Young Guns Dead Ringers Big I've also seen Satisfaction, Off Limits, Bad Dreams, Working Girl, License to Drive, Alien Nation, and Cocoon: The Return. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
don96 Posted June 17, 2019 Share Posted June 17, 2019 I've only seen 2 of these films. I saw Big with Tom Hanks when it first came out & I remember liking it very much. The other film, Working Girl , is one of my all time favorites. I thought the 3 leads, Melanie Griffith, Harrison Ford and Sigourney Weaver had great chemistry together. Also, the music by Carly Simon was totally fantastic. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DougieB Posted June 17, 2019 Share Posted June 17, 2019 11 hours ago, don96 said: I've only seen 2 of these films. I saw Big with Tom Hanks when it first came out & I remember liking it very much. The other film, Working Girl , is one of my all time favorites. I thought the 3 leads, Melanie Griffith, Harrison Ford and Sigourney Weaver had great chemistry together. Also, the music by Carly Simon was totally fantastic. Carly Simon's Let the River Run was one of the great song tie-ins ever and won an Academy Award for the movie. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
don96 Posted June 17, 2019 Share Posted June 17, 2019 I also might add, speaking of Working Girl, that i was rooting for Melanie Griffith to win Best Actress for her performance. Unfortunately, she lost the Oscar to Jodie Foster. Anyhow, I thought Melanie was outstanding. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arsan404 Posted June 18, 2019 Share Posted June 18, 2019 Dead Ringers, Die Hard, Big, and Working Girl are the standouts this year. I didn't see Cocoon: The Return because I didn't like the first one that much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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