1989: My Top Ten Favorite Movies By Year

519   6.8   7.5 

Or "Close Encounters Of The Under-Water Kind".
Or maybe "The Day The Ocean Stood Still".



We humans are a species capable of our own destruction. Or of our own salvation.
And though sometimes, it's can seem like we're going down the road of total annihilation, there's still enough within us to choose otherwise.
At least, that's the kind of hope the water-breathing life-forms from outer space in this film seem to hold about us.
Personally, I think this is James Cameron's masterpiece. It's actually two stories in one. The alien storyline that provides the twist for the film, crossed over with the tension building plot involving the scientific crew & the naval SEAL team. And both plots, while differently paced, are still very excellently executed. Now, while the edited version that was originally released into theatres is a fine film, for my money, the uncut version is what truly reveals just how great this movie really is.

The Mighty Celestial's rating:

260   7.3   8 

"And what are you? So full of hate you just wanna go out and fight everybody. 'Cause you been whipped and chased by hounds. Well, that may not be livin', but it sure as hell ain't dyin'. And dyin's what these white boys been doin' for goin' on three years now. Dyin' by the thousands, dyin' for you, fool. I know 'cause I dug they graves. . . .
The time's comin' when we gonna have to ante up. Ante up and kick in like men.... LIKE MEN!"

The Mighty Celestial's rating:

181   6.2   6.9 

"Since then he's been slappin' the salami, no offense..... apparently he's goin' for a world record.... anyway, uh, he was afraid there was somethin' wrong with him, like he was a pervert or somethin'. I told him 'That's just what little dudes do. We've all done it'."

"... you need a license to buy a dog or drive a car, hell you need a license to catch a fish! But they'll let any butt-reamin' @sshole be a father."

The Mighty Celestial's rating:

243   7.6   7.9 

"Let me tell you the story of "Right Hand, Left Hand." It's a tale of good and evil. Hate : it was with this hand that Cane iced his brother. Love: These five fingers, they go straight to the soul of man. The right hand: the hand of love. The story of life is this : static. One hand is always fighting the other hand; and the left hand is kicking much ass - I mean, it looks like the right hand, Love, is finished. But, hold on, stop the presses, the right hand is coming back. Yeah, he got the left hand on the ropes, now, that's right. Oh, it's the devastating right and Hate is hurt, he's down - Left-Hand Hate K.O-ed by Love."

225   6.8   7.1 

Sex, lies & videotape:
three great tastes that taste great together.

645   6.8   7.7 

Boy meets girl.
Boy befriends girl. But not in that way.
Then boy sleeps with girl. But will that get in the way?
Will boy get girl?
Well, since it's a Rob Reiner feel-good film....
so what do you think?



IMO, Billy Crystal & Meg Ryan offer up one the best romantic comedic chemistries since His Girl Friday.

The Mighty Celestial's rating:

289   6.8   7.5 

Two old people growing older together.
A quiet, moving picture of a friendship that grows naturally thru time & reveals the not so much obvious (and at times, the more obvious) attitudes of racism & the way that predjudice can extend beyond skin color with just the subtlest of mindsets.

1830   6.9   7.6 

Okay, so maybe, the latest incarnations of the Dark Knight have sort of watered down the impact of the Caped Crusader's modern film debut.
And maybe, Jack Nicholson, for the role of the Joker was a little too old, not to mention, not in the kind of shape that one would expect for a Clown-Prince of Crime.
But for me, personally, this isn't so much about the acting (which I admit, despite the fun he has with it, Jack does tend to opt for a bit of an over-the-top performance, even for the Joker....) but more for the weight that his presence brings to the flick. In the same manner of Marlon Brando's participation in Superman's 1st big budget blockbuster, Nicholson also brings a certain class & credibility to a movie based off of a what the "cool kids" of the general public tend to look at as "just a silly comicbook".
Besides, Tim Burton's adaptation of the Batman still was the first serious effort outside of the comicbook to try & depict ol' Bat's as the true Dark Knight of justice that we nerds who read his comics always knew he was.

The Mighty Celestial's rating:

116   7.3   7.2 

How do you get revenge on a mob boss?
Confront him with the consequences of his actions & then make him eat it.
A beautifully filmed movie with some really rough edges. And I mean that in a good way.

The Mighty Celestial's rating:

184   6.1   6.9 

A team of misfits & losers band together to form a winning world series team.
And the only baseball movie series that exeplifies the idea of a baseball movie by featuring Mr. Baseball himself, Bob Uecker.

The Mighty Celestial's rating: