Films of 1989

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Last Updated: 4/17/25
Total Films: 117
Note: The year of each film is according to IMDb. It sometimes changes without my knowledge. When I become aware, I will make adjustments. Like the Oscars, I select the best for each category: picture, actor, actress, supporting actor, supporting actress, director, cinematography, editing, original screenplay, adapted screenplay, and documentary. This is based on the movies I've actually seen, and miniseries and telefilms are fair game. Each winner is named along with the next four ordered runner-ups (which may be less) and honorable mentions (if any). Any of these categories may be left blank if I feel there's no deserving winner. A ranked list of films is presented afterwards.



Best Picture
Glory

2. Lean on Me
3. Cousins
4. Born on the Fourth of July
5. Music Box
Honorable Mentions: A Dry White Season, My Left Foot, and Sex, Lies, and Videotape


Best Actor
Morgan Freeman (Lean on Me)

2. Daniel Day-Lewis and Hugh O'Conor (My Left Foot)
3. Tom Cruise (Born on the Fourth of July)
4. Dennis Quaid (Great Balls of Fire!)
5. James Spader (Sex, Lies, and Videotape)
Honorable Mentions: Matthew Broderick (Glory), Chevy Chase (National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation), Sean Connery (Family Business), Kevin Costner (Field of Dreams), Ted Danson (Cousins), Matt Dillon (Drugstore Cowboy), Michael Douglas (Black Rain), Colin Firth (Valmont), Ed Harris (The Abyss), Dustin Hoffman (Family Business), Steve Martin (Parenthood), Armin Mueller-Stahl (Music Box), Jack Nicholson (Batman), Nick Nolte (New York Stories), Michael Paré (Eddie and the Cruisers II: Eddie Lives!), Eric Roberts (Best of the Best), Mickey Rourke (Francesco), Ron Silver (Enemies: A Love Story), Donald Sutherland (A Dry White Season), James Woods (True Believer), and Chow Yun-fat (Dip huet seung hung)


Best Actress
Isabella Rossellini (Cousins)

2. Jessica Lange (Music Box)
3. Andie MacDowell (Sex, Lies, and Videotape)
4. Annette Bening (Valmont)
5.
Honorable Mentions: None


Best Supporting Actor
Denzel Washington (Glory)

2. Lloyd Bridges (Cousins)
3. Ken Takakura (Black Rain)
4. Danny DeVito (The War of the Roses)
5. Robert Guillaume (Lean on Me)
Honorable Mentions: Dan Aykroyd (Driving Miss Daisy), Alec Baldwin (Great Balls of Fire!), Marlon Brando (A Dry White Season), Dale Dye (Casualties of War), Morgan Freeman (Driving Miss Daisy), Morgan Freeman (Johnny Handsome), Don Harvey (Casualties of War), Danny Lee (Dip huet seung hung), Ray Liotta (Field of Dreams), Yûsaku Matsuda (Black Rain), and Martin Short (The Big Picture)


Best Supporting Actress
Brenda Fricker (My Left Foot)

2. Dianne Wiest (Parenthood)
3. Laura San Giacomo (Sex, Lies, and Videotape)
4. Mae Questel (National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation)
5. Norma Aleandro (Cousins)
Honorable Mentions: Ellen Barkin (Johnny Handsome), Helena Bonham Carter (Francesco), and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio (The Abyss)


Best Director
Edward Zwick (Glory)

2. John G. Avildsen (Lean on Me)
3. Constantin Costa-Gavras (Music Box)
4. Steven Soderbergh (Sex, Lies, and Videotape)
5. Joel Schumacher (Cousins)
Honorable Mentions: James Cameron (The Abyss), Liliana Cavani (Francesco), Jeremiah Chechik (National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation), Danny DeVito (The War of the Roses), Euzhan Palcy (A Dry White Season), Phil Alden Robinson (Field of Dreams), Ridley Scott (Black Rain), Oliver Stone (Born on the Fourth of July), Gus Van Sant (Drugstore Cowboy), John Woo (Dip huet seung hung), and Robert M. Young (Triumph of the Spirit)


Best Cinematography
Freddie Francis (Glory)

2. Douglas Slocombe (Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade)
3. Jan de Bont (Black Rain)
4. Sacha Vierny (The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & His Lover)
5. Anthony B. Richmond (Cat Chaser)
Honorable Mentions: Andrzej Bartkowiak (Family Business), Stephen H. Burum (The War of the Roses), and Mikael Salomon (The Abyss)


Best Editing
Kung-Wing Fan (Dip huet seung hung)

2. John G. Avildsen and John Carter (Lean on Me)
3. William Hoy (Best of the Best)
4. Dennis M. Hill (Major League)
5. Lynzee Klingman (The War of the Roses)
Honorable Mentions: David Brenner and Joe Hutshing (Born on the Fourth of July), Don Brochu, Robert A. Ferretti, Michael N. Knue, and Barry B. Leirer (Lock Up), Ian Crafford (Field of Dreams), Marshall Harvey (The 'Burbs), Michael Kahn (Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade), and Steven Rosenblum (Glory)


Best Original Screenplay
Michael Schiffer (Lean on Me)

2. David S. Ward (Major League)
3. Joe Eszterhas (Music Box)
4. John Hughes (National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation)
5. Steven Soderbergh (Sex, Lies, and Videotape)
Honorable Mentions: Wesley Strick (True Believer)


Best Adapted Screenplay
Michael Leeson (The War of the Roses)

2. Oliver Stone and Ron Kovic (Born on the Fourth of July)
3. Kevin Jarre (Glory)
4. Stephen Metcalfe (Cousins)
5.
Honorable Mentions: None


Best Documentary
Roger & Me

2.
3.
4.
5.
Honorable Mentions: None


Films Rated '10'
  1. Glory

  2. Lean on Me

  3. Cousins

  4. Born on the Fourth of July

  5. Music Box

  6. A Dry White Season

  7. My Left Foot

  8. Sex, Lies, and Videotape

Films Rated '9'
  1. The Abyss

  2. Triumph of the Spirit

  3. Dip huet seung hung

  4. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

  5. Field of Dreams

  6. Parenthood

  7. The War of the Roses

  8. Francesco

  9. Best of the Best

  10. The 'Burbs

Films Rated '8'
  1. Black Rain

  2. Major League

  3. Tango & Cash

  4. National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation

  5. Lock Up

  6. Great Balls of Fire!

  7. Cat Chaser

  8. Lethal Weapon 2

  9. Casualties of War

  10. True Believer

  11. Sea of Love

  12. Longtime Companion

  13. Kickboxer

  14. The Big Picture

  15. Back to the Future Part II

  16. Gross Anatomy

  17. Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure

  18. Cutting Class

  19. Drugstore Cowboy

  20. Stepfather II

  21. Enemies, A Love Story

  22. Wild Orchid

  23. Eddie and the Cruisers II: Eddie Lives!

  24. Dead-Bang

Films Rated '7'
  1. Valmont

  2. Johnny Handsome

  3. Gleaming the Cube

  4. Road House

  5. Family Business

  6. Winter People

  7. The Package

  8. Kill Me Again

  9. Say Anything

  10. Batman

  11. Next of Kin

Films Rated '6'
  1. In Country

  2. The Cook, the Thief, His Wife, and His Lover

  3. Who's Harry Crumb?

  4. Driving Miss Daisy

  5. Let It Ride

  6. Romero

  7. Harlem Nights

  8. Her Alibi

  9. Dream a Little Dream

  10. Weekend at Bernie's

  11. Perfect Witness

  12. Pink Cadillac

  13. The Fabulous Baker Boys

Films Rated '5'
  1. The Case of the Hillside Stranglers

  2. Uncle Buck

  3. The Mighty Quinn

  4. UHF

  5. Physical Evidence

  6. Chattahoochee

  7. Lisa

  8. Jacknife

  9. Dead Calm

  10. Warlock

  11. True Love

  12. Millennium

  13. For Queen & Country

Films Rated '4'
  1. Tempo di uccidere

  2. Fletch Lives

  3. No Holds Barred

  4. Ghostbusters II

  5. My Name Is Bill W.

  6. Night Visitor

  7. When Harry Met Sally

Films Rated '3'
  1. New York Stories

  2. Licence to Kill

  3. Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan

  4. We're No Angels

  5. She-Devil

  6. Collision Course

  7. I, Madman

  8. How I Got Into College

  9. The Punisher

Films Rated '2'
  1. The Wizard

  2. The Karate Kid Part III

  3. Sleepaway Camp III: Teenage Wasteland

  4. Shocker

  5. Pet Sematary

  6. Blind Fury

  7. Manhunt: Search for the Night Stalker

  8. Police Academy 6: City Under Siege

  9. American Ninja 3: Blood Hunt

  10. Dead Poets Society

  11. Worth Winning

  12. Warm Summer Rain

  13. The Gods Must Be Crazy II

  14. Edge of Sanity

Films Rated '1'
  1. A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child

  2. Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers

  3. The January Man

  4. Last Exit to Brooklyn

  5. Teen Witch

  6. Steel Magnolias

  7. Do the Right Thing

  8. Going Overboard