Best Films Of 1988
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- DirectorRon SheltonStarsKevin CostnerSusan SarandonTim RobbinsA fan who has an affair with one minor-league baseball player each season meets an up-and-coming pitcher and the experienced catcher assigned to him.This is actually my favorite sports film of all time. And Raging Bull really is the only other true contender for top spot in my mind. And I always say that my favorite sports film is this one because truly Raging Bull is more of a biopic than it truly is a sports film. The film is more about the man, whereas Bull Durham is essentially about the beautiful game of baseball first and foremost. In fact, it's about the religion of baseball. 9/10
- DirectorDavid CronenbergStarsJeremy IronsGeneviève BujoldHeidi von PalleskeTwin gynecologists take full advantage of the fact that nobody can tell them apart, until their relationship begins to deteriorate over a woman.This is one of the great horror films of all time. Perhaps Cronenberg's best work! 8.5/10
- DirectorJohn McTiernanStarsBruce WillisAlan RickmanBonnie BedeliaA New York City police officer tries to save his estranged wife and several others taken hostage by terrorists during a Christmas party at the Nakatomi Plaza in Los Angeles.I saw this in the theatre during it's original run. I was a young teenager and I still recall that night as if it was almost last night.
- DirectorAlan ParkerStarsGene HackmanWillem DafoeFrances McDormandTwo F.B.I. Agents with wildly different styles arrive in Mississippi to investigate the disappearance of some civil rights activists.
- DirectorFrancis Ford CoppolaStarsJeff BridgesJoan AllenMartin LandauThe story of Preston Tucker, the maverick car designer and his ill-fated challenge to the auto industry with his revolutionary car concept.Underappreciated
- DirectorBarry LevinsonStarsDustin HoffmanTom CruiseValeria GolinoAfter a selfish L.A. yuppie learns his estranged father left a fortune to an autistic-savant brother in Ohio that he didn't know existed, he absconds with his brother and sets out across the country, hoping to gain a larger inheritance.
- DirectorJohn LandisStarsEddie MurphyPaul BatesGarcelle BeauvaisAn extremely pampered African prince travels to Queens, New York and goes undercover to find a wife that he can respect for her intelligence and strong will.Saw this in the theatre twice in it's original run actually. Such a classic really. Sexual chocolate!
- DirectorMike NicholsStarsMelanie GriffithHarrison FordSigourney WeaverWhen a secretary's idea is stolen by her boss, she seizes an opportunity to steal it back by pretending she has her boss' job.Such an underappreciated film by Mike Nichols. It was a hit to some degree and popular for sure, but it seems as though many have actually forgotten just how good it is. 8/10
- DirectorMartin BrestStarsRobert De NiroCharles GrodinYaphet KottoA bounty hunter pursues a former Mafia accountant who is also being chased by a rival bounty hunter, the F.B.I., and his old mob boss after jumping bail.A good comedy!
- DirectorMartin ScorseseStarsWillem DafoeHarvey KeitelBarbara HersheyThe life of Jesus Christ, his journey through life as he faces the struggles all humans do, and his final temptation on the cross.Perhaps the most divisive film that Scorsese ever made. Many are not big on it. I find it to be quite interesting actually. 8/10
- DirectorRamón MenéndezStarsEdward James OlmosEstelle HarrisMark PhelanThe story of Jaime Escalante, a high school teacher who successfully inspired his dropout-prone students to learn calculus.
- DirectorDennis HopperStarsSean PennRobert DuvallMaria Conchita AlonsoAn experienced cop and his rookie partner patrol the streets of East Los Angeles while trying to keep the gang violence under control.
- DirectorAndrew SoltStarsJohn LennonYoko OnoPaul McCartneyA biography of the rock music star.
- DirectorRoger SpottiswoodeStarsSidney PoitierTom BerengerKirstie AlleyAn F.B.I. Agent teams up with a tracker to pursue a murderer after he vanishes into the mountains and infiltrates a hiking group.A very solid thriller
- DirectorPenny MarshallStarsTom HanksElizabeth PerkinsRobert LoggiaAfter wishing to be made big, a teenage boy wakes the next morning to find himself mysteriously in the body of an adult.
- DirectorJonathan KaplanStarsKelly McGillisJodie FosterBernie CoulsonAfter a young woman suffers a brutal gang rape in a bar one night, a prosecutor assists in bringing the perpetrators to justice, including the ones who encouraged and cheered on the attack.
- DirectorPhil JoanouStarsBonoThe EdgeAdam ClaytonA documentary of the Irish rock group U2 on their Fall 1987 tour of North America.
- DirectorBud S. SmithStarsAnthony Michael HallRobert Downey Jr.Paul GleasonJohnny's the top high-school football player and many colleges want him. His girlfriend, coach and best friend want him in the college, serving themselves most.Hated by many. Some have called it a wanna be John Hughes film. Sure, the film is very typical in ways and fairly predictable for the most part. Nonetheless I've always loved the little things about this film. There are so many little nuances of humor throughout. Uma is flat out gorgeous here, and both Paul Gleason and Robert Downey jr. are terrific. Downey, as he often did as a youngster, takes a pretty standard part and turns it completely on its head. Jennifer Tilly's small role as Gleason's wife in the film is also a fairly funny bit. I imagine it's perhaps not really all that interesting of a film unless you grew up in the 80's as I did.
By the way, all of the DVD and streaming versions you can watch of this have 6 minutes cut out of the film. My ranking here is for the original release, which can now ONLY be seen on videotape as of 2023. - DirectorStephen FrearsStarsGlenn CloseJohn MalkovichMichelle PfeifferA scheming widow and her manipulative ex-lover make a bet regarding the corruption of a recently married woman.
- DirectorPaul SchraderStarsNatasha RichardsonWilliam ForsytheVing RhamesIn the 1970s, Patricia Hearst is abducted by American revolutionaries, but eventually joins their cause instead.Schrader's film is a pretty interesting meditation on the whole SLA Patty Hearst tragedy. 7.5/10
- DirectorRobert ZemeckisStarsBob HoskinsChristopher LloydJoanna CassidyWhen a cartoon rabbit is accused of murder, he enlists the help of a burnt out private investigator to prove his innocence.
- DirectorCharles CrichtonJohn CleeseStarsJohn CleeseJamie Lee CurtisKevin KlineIn London, four very different people team up on a jewel heist, then try to double-cross one another for the loot, complicated by their efforts to fool the very proper barrister Archibald Leach.
- DirectorBruce GowersRocco UrbisciStarsGeorge CarlinRobert N. AltmanLloyd Lindsay YoungGeorge Carlin changes his act by bringing politics into the act, but also talks about the People he can do without, Keeping People Alert, and Cars and Driving part 2.
- DirectorRichard DonnerStarsBill MurrayKaren AllenJohn ForsytheA selfish, cynical television executive is haunted by three spirits bearing lessons on Christmas Eve.
- DirectorFrank OzStarsSteve MartinMichael CaineGlenne HeadlyTwo con men try to settle their rivalry by betting on who can swindle a young American heiress out of fifty thousand dollars first.