1990 Movies Ranked

<< 1989   1991 >>

15. Die Hard 2: Die Harder

D: Renny Harlin

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I stand by my belief that this is the most underwhelming of the series, and that includes A Good Day to Die Hard, which at least has a great chase scene to show for it.  And don’t get me started about the ceramic Glocks…

14. Troll 2

D: Claudio Fragasso

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Best Bad Movie, which is an informative documentary about Troll 2, seems to confirm that the motivations behind making this movie were indeed horribly earnest.  This is odd, because it doesn’t really seem like a genuinely bad movie so much as intentionally funny camp in the vein of Army of Darkness and Attack of the Killer Tomatoes.  There are so many moments in this movie that have to be intentional jokes.  It’s just inconceivable to me that they’re not.  Oh, well.   

13. Goodfellas

D: Martin Scorsese

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It’s a good movie that has some memorable moments, but it just doesn’t do much for me.  I think that sums up my opinion of most of Scorsese’s movies.  Also, I think movies about Italian mafia members’ being conflicted is a bit of a dead horse, and The Godfather already explored the subject with more style and pathos.

12. RoboCop 2

D: Irvin Kershner

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Its ham-fisted satire lacks the naturally tongue-in-cheek tone of the original, and its story isn’t very good, but I like this movie for its violence and cyberpunk visuals.  Still, it’s hard to believe Kershner went from Empire Strikes Back to this.

11. The Rescuers Down Under

D: Hendel Butoy, Mike Gabriel

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A visually-striking and entertaining cartoon.

10. Memphis Belle

D: Michael Caton-Jones

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An overlooked war movie that’s actually pretty good.

9. Home Alone

D: Chris Columbus

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Don’t deny it.  If you’re my age, you are nostalgic for this movie.  This always came on TV on Thanksgiving, and you just had to watch it.

8. It

D: Tommy Lee Wallace

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It has some Stephen King cheesiness, but I like how it’s about different characters and how they deal with a monster in their youth and adulthood.

7. Miller's Crossing
D: The Coen Bros.
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A unique take on the organized crime genre.

6. Total Recall

D: Paul Verhoeven

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A fun sci-fi movie with some really funny, clever moments.  The crappy remake makes me appreciate it even more.

5. Back to the Future Part III

D: Robert Zemeckis

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Another good Back to the Future movie.

4. The Hunt for Red October

D: John McTiernan

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Atmospheric and fun action movie, although the book is better.

3. Kindergarten Cop

D: Ivan Reitman

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One of Arnold’s funniest performances. 

2. Misery

D: Rob Reiner

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One of the better Stephen King adaptations.  Kathy Bates is excellent.

1. Edward Scissorhands

D: Tim Burton

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A perfect modern fairy tale from the master.  Has a great score, too.

<< 1989  1991 >>