MY TOP 50 MOVIES AND DOCUMENTARIES FOR 1990 (in list order)
by DukeEman | created - 06 Jul 2012 | updated - 27 Jan 2022 | PublicThe new decade starts with the weirdness of David Lynch, the birth of Iranian cinema, and the ugliness of Scorsese's gangster world.
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1. Twin Peaks (1990–1991)
TV-MA | 50 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
An idiosyncratic FBI agent investigates the murder of a young woman in the even more idiosyncratic town of Twin Peaks.
Stars: Kyle MacLachlan, Michael Ontkean, Mädchen Amick, Dana Ashbrook
Votes: 215,102
Yeah, I know, it's not a feature film, but for me it is...
2. Journey of Hope (1990)
PG | 105 min | Adventure, Drama
The story of a poor Turkish family who try to emigrate illegally to Switzerland.
Director: Xavier Koller | Stars: Necmettin Çobanoglu, Nur Sürer, Emin Sivas, Erdinç Akbas
Votes: 2,247 | Gross: $0.26M
Refugees journey through hell to get a piece of freedom...
3. Awakenings (1990)
PG-13 | 121 min | Biography, Drama
The victims of an encephalitis epidemic many years ago have been catatonic ever since, but now a new drug offers the prospect of reviving them.
Director: Penny Marshall | Stars: Robert De Niro, Robin Williams, Julie Kavner, Ruth Nelson
Votes: 158,522 | Gross: $52.10M
De Nior and Williams are perfect together...
4. Alice (1990)
PG-13 | 106 min | Comedy, Romance
A spoiled Manhattan housewife re-evaluates her life after visiting a Chinatown healer.
Director: Woody Allen | Stars: Mia Farrow, William Hurt, Joe Mantegna, June Squibb
Votes: 15,329 | Gross: $7.33M
Woody's homage to Fellini...
5. Mo' Better Blues (1990)
R | 130 min | Drama, Music, Romance
Jazz trumpeter Bleek Gilliam makes questionable decisions in his professional and romantic lives.
Director: Spike Lee | Stars: Denzel Washington, Spike Lee, Wesley Snipes, Giancarlo Esposito
Votes: 13,641 | Gross: $16.15M
Spike gets some jazz...
6. Green Card (1990)
PG-13 | 107 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A man wanting to stay in the US enters into a marriage of convenience, but it turns into more than that.
Director: Peter Weir | Stars: Gérard Depardieu, Andie MacDowell, Bebe Neuwirth, Gregg Edelman
Votes: 25,820 | Gross: $29.89M
Pleasant modern day screwball...
7. Golden Braid (1990)
91 min | Drama, Fantasy, Romance
When a man discovers a golden braid hidden inside an antique he has purchased, he becomes obsessed with the fantasy of a love affair from time passed and the woman he imagines the braid belonged to.
Director: Paul Cox | Stars: Chris Haywood, Gosia Dobrowolska, Paul Chubb, Norman Kaye
Votes: 110
The Cox obsession...
8. Goodfellas (1990)
R | 145 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
The story of Henry Hill and his life in the mafia, covering his relationship with his wife Karen and his mob partners Jimmy Conway and Tommy DeVito.
Director: Martin Scorsese | Stars: Robert De Niro, Ray Liotta, Joe Pesci, Lorraine Bracco
Votes: 1,255,733 | Gross: $46.84M
Perfect cast under Scorsese's intense direction...
9. There Were Days... and Moons (1990)
117 min | Drama
How can moon and time affect human mood and fate? In the manner of a Greek tragedy , this movie shows how the chaos of life ineluctably propels its characters towards violence and alienation.
Director: Claude Lelouch | Stars: Gérard Lanvin, Patrick Chesnais, Annie Girardot, Marie-Sophie L.
Votes: 579
Pure poetry fun...
10. Wild at Heart (1990)
R | 125 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
Young lovers Sailor and Lula run from the variety of weirdos that Lula's mom has hired to kill Sailor.
Director: David Lynch | Stars: Nicolas Cage, Laura Dern, Willem Dafoe, J.E. Freeman
Votes: 100,850 | Gross: $14.56M
Lynch goes wild with love...
11. Presumed Innocent (1990)
R | 127 min | Mystery, Thriller
As a lawyer investigates the murder of a colleague, he finds himself more connected to the crime than anyone else.
Director: Alan J. Pakula | Stars: Harrison Ford, Raul Julia, Greta Scacchi, Brian Dennehy
Votes: 45,743 | Gross: $86.30M
Superb drama...
12. Cyrano de Bergerac (1990)
PG | 137 min | Comedy, Drama, History
Famed swordsman and poet Cyrano de Bergerac is in love with his cousin Roxane. He has never expressed his love for her as he his large nose undermines his self-confidence. Then he finds a way to express his love to her, indirectly.
Director: Jean-Paul Rappeneau | Stars: Gérard Depardieu, Anne Brochet, Vincent Perez, Jacques Weber
Votes: 25,932 | Gross: $15.14M
Depardieu's magic...
13. Ju Dou (1990)
PG-13 | 95 min | Drama, Romance
In rural China, the young bride of a tyrannical owner of a silk-dyeing business finds temporary solace in the arms of her husband's nephew, but problems arise when she becomes pregnant.
Directors: Yimou Zhang, Fengliang Yang | Stars: Gong Li, Wei Li, Baotian Li, Zhang Yi
Votes: 9,007 | Gross: $1.99M
A visual passion...
14. Trust (1990)
R | 107 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
After being thrown out of her house, Maria encounters a married woman who complains of not having children. Maria ends up in an abandoned house, where she meets Matthew. When a baby is kidnapped Maria sets out to find the woman.
Director: Hal Hartley | Stars: Adrienne Shelly, Martin Donovan, Rebecca Nelson, John MacKay
Votes: 12,307 | Gross: $0.36M
The peculiar world according to Hartly...
15. Daddy Nostalgia (1990)
PG | 105 min | Drama, Romance
A retired English businessman has just been through heart surgery but it has, apparently, done little to relieve his constant pain or improve his long-term survival prospects.
Director: Bertrand Tavernier | Stars: Dirk Bogarde, Jane Birkin, Odette Laure, Emmanuelle Bataille
Votes: 847 | Gross: $1.11M
Bogarde and Birkin make it happen...
16. Reversal of Fortune (1990)
R | 111 min | Biography, Drama, Mystery
Wealthy Sunny von Bülow lies brain-dead, husband Claus guilty of attempted murder; but he says he's innocent and hires Alan Dershowitz for his appeal.
Director: Barbet Schroeder | Stars: Jeremy Irons, Glenn Close, Ron Silver, Annabella Sciorra
Votes: 18,717 | Gross: $15.45M
Super performances...
17. State of Grace (1990)
R | 134 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A New York cop is recruited to return to his hometown and infiltrate the mob ran by his best friend's brother.
Director: Phil Joanou | Stars: Sean Penn, Ed Harris, Gary Oldman, Robin Wright
Votes: 24,748 | Gross: $1.91M
Great drama, excellent cast...
18. Open Doors (1990)
R | 108 min | Crime, Drama
A principled judge faces a case that society demands capital punishment for.
Director: Gianni Amelio | Stars: Gian Maria Volontè, Ennio Fantastichini, Renato Carpentieri, Tuccio Musumeci
Votes: 1,001 | Gross: $0.12M
Fascinating look into relationship between Judge and felon...
19. Dances with Wolves (1990)
PG-13 | 181 min | Adventure, Drama, Western
Lieutenant John Dunbar, assigned to a remote western Civil War outpost, finds himself engaging with a neighbouring Sioux settlement, causing him to question his own purpose.
Director: Kevin Costner | Stars: Kevin Costner, Mary McDonnell, Graham Greene, Rodney A. Grant
Votes: 290,208 | Gross: $184.21M
Surrounded by a great crew and cast...
20. The Nasty Girl (1990)
PG-13 | 92 min | Comedy, Drama, History
When a young woman investigates her town's Nazi past, the community turns against her.
Director: Michael Verhoeven | Stars: Lena Stolze, Hans-Reinhard Müller, Monika Baumgartner, Elisabeth Bertram
Votes: 2,755 | Gross: $2.28M
More like the cheeky girl...
21. Avalon (1990)
PG | 128 min | Drama
A Polish-Jewish family comes to the U.S. at the beginning of the twentieth century. There, the family and their children try to make themselves a better future in the so-called promised land.
Director: Barry Levinson | Stars: Aidan Quinn, Elizabeth Perkins, Leo Fuchs, Eve Gordon
Votes: 6,776 | Gross: $15.74M
Spectacular on the big screen...
22. An Angel at My Table (1990)
R | 158 min | Biography, Drama
Janet Frame was a brilliant child who, as a teen, was misdiagnosed with schizophrenia. Explore Janet's discovery of the world and her life in Europe as her books are published to acclaim.
Director: Jane Campion | Stars: Kerry Fox, Alexia Keogh, Karen Fergusson, Iris Churn
Votes: 8,674 | Gross: $1.05M
Campion steps into the mind of Janet Frame...
23. May Fools (1990)
R | 107 min | Comedy, Romance
During the events of May 1968 in France, different worldviews of conflicting relatives collide in their family estate.
Director: Louis Malle | Stars: Miou-Miou, Michel Piccoli, Michel Duchaussoy, Marcel Bories
Votes: 3,411 | Gross: $1.58M
Malle takes a family out to the country for some political humour...
24. The Sheltering Sky (1990)
R | 138 min | Adventure, Drama
An American couple travel abroad to revitalize their relationship. But as the trip drags on, their attempt at recovering what they once had seems futile.
Director: Bernardo Bertolucci | Stars: Debra Winger, John Malkovich, Campbell Scott, Jill Bennett
Votes: 13,719 | Gross: $2.08M
Bertolucci's African odyssey...
25. Mister Johnson (1990)
PG-13 | 101 min | Drama
In 1923, a local resident of British Colonial Nigeria tries to be equal with the colonial administration.
Director: Bruce Beresford | Stars: Pierce Brosnan, Edward Woodward, Maynard Eziashi, Beatie Edney
Votes: 1,200 | Gross: $1.46M
A little underrated gem...
26. Vincent & Theo (1990)
PG-13 | 138 min | Biography, Drama
The familiar tragic story of Vincent van Gogh is broadened by focusing as well on his brother Theodore, who helped support Vincent. The movie also provides a nice view of the locations which Vincent painted.
Director: Robert Altman | Stars: Tim Roth, Paul Rhys, Adrian Brine, Jean-François Perrier
Votes: 4,203 | Gross: $2.23M
Altman's fascinating mess is still mesmerising...
27. Listen Up: The Lives of Quincy Jones (1990)
PG-13 | 115 min | Documentary, Music
A unique look at the legendary musician, arranger, composer and producer offers a collage of memories, sounds and intimate interviews with musical greats in a rousing showcase.
Director: Ellen Weissbrod | Stars: Clarence Avant, George Benson, Big Daddy Kane, Richard Brooks
Votes: 221 | Gross: $0.78M
Snap your fingers to this one...
28. Berkeley in the Sixties (1990)
Not Rated | 117 min | Documentary, History
A documentary about militant student political activity in the University of California-Berkely in the 1960's.
Director: Mark Kitchell | Stars: Jentri Anders, Joan Baez, Frank Bardacke, Stokely Carmichael
Votes: 776
The perfect history lesson...
29. The Hunt for Red October (1990)
PG | 135 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller
In November 1984, the Soviet Union's best submarine captain violates orders and heads for the U.S. in a new undetectable sub. The American CIA and military must quickly determine: Is he trying to defect or to start a war?
Director: John McTiernan | Stars: Sean Connery, Alec Baldwin, Scott Glenn, Sam Neill
Votes: 214,523 | Gross: $122.01M
Great yarn...
30. Tracce di vita amorosa (1990)
105 min | Drama, Romance
Fourteen short stories starring middle-class people.
Director: Peter Del Monte | Stars: Luciano Bartoli, Giorgio Biavati, Giovanna Bozzolo, Simona Caramelli
Votes: 72
The many facets of love...
31. Miller's Crossing (1990)
R | 115 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
Tom Reagan, an advisor to a Prohibition-era crime boss, tries to keep the peace between warring mobs but gets caught in divided loyalties.
Directors: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen | Stars: Gabriel Byrne, Albert Finney, John Turturro, Marcia Gay Harden
Votes: 142,022 | Gross: $5.08M
Coen Bros playing with the gangster visuals...
32. Europa Europa (1990)
R | 112 min | Drama, History, War
A boy in Nazi Germany, trying to conceal that he is Jewish, joins the Hitler Youth.
Director: Agnieszka Holland | Stars: Solomon Perel, Marco Hofschneider, René Hofschneider, André Wilms
Votes: 17,465 | Gross: $5.58M
More horrors of fascism...
33. Tsarskaya okhota (1990)
134 min | Drama, History
In 1775 Catherine II sends infamous count Orlov to capture and bring to Russia the supposed pretender to the Russian throne. Who has been claiming to be Elizabeth of Russia's daughter.
Director: Vitaliy Melnikov | Stars: Nikolay Yeryomenko, Svetlana Kryuchkova, Anna Samokhina, Mikhail Kononov
Votes: 115
Tale of a mysteries Russian Princess...
34. Flatliners (1990)
R | 115 min | Drama, Horror, Sci-Fi
Five medical students experiment with "near death" experiences, until the dark consequences of past tragedies begin to jeopardize their lives.
Director: Joel Schumacher | Stars: Kiefer Sutherland, Kevin Bacon, Julia Roberts, William Baldwin
Votes: 93,333 | Gross: $61.49M
Schumacher makes something silly very fascinating...
35. Dr. Petiot (1990)
102 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
Based on the real life of Dr. Marcel Petiot: During world war II Petiot, an MD living in occupied Paris, promised to help wealthy Jewish people among his patients to flee occupied France ... See full summary »
Director: Christian de Chalonge | Stars: Michel Serrault, Pierre Romans, Bérangère Bonvoisin, Zbigniew Horoks
Votes: 794
Nasty piece of work, but still very interesting...
36. White Hunter Black Heart (1990)
PG | 112 min | Adventure, Drama
A thinly fictionalized account of a legendary movie director, whose desire to hunt down an animal turns into a grim situation with his movie crew in Africa.
Director: Clint Eastwood | Stars: Clint Eastwood, Jeff Fahey, Charlotte Cornwell, Norman Lumsden
Votes: 13,202 | Gross: $2.32M
Eastwood the master story teller...
37. Edward Scissorhands (1990)
PG-13 | 105 min | Drama, Fantasy, Romance
The solitary life of an artificial man - who was incompletely constructed and has scissors for hands - is upended when he is taken in by a suburban family.
Director: Tim Burton | Stars: Johnny Depp, Winona Ryder, Dianne Wiest, Anthony Michael Hall
Votes: 523,381 | Gross: $56.36M
Another Burton and Depp dream...
38. The Hot Spot (1990)
R | 130 min | Crime, Drama, Romance
Upon arriving to a small town, a drifter quickly gets into trouble with the local authorities - and the local women - after he robs a bank.
Director: Dennis Hopper | Stars: Don Johnson, Virginia Madsen, Jennifer Connelly, Charles Martin Smith
Votes: 13,483 | Gross: $1.29M
Love the music...
39. I Love You to Death (1990)
R | 97 min | Comedy, Crime
Joey Boca (Kevin Kline) owns a pizza parlor, and is married to Rosalie (Tracey Ullman). He's also a serial womanizer. Rosalie goes to extremes when she finds he has been cheating.
Director: Lawrence Kasdan | Stars: Kevin Kline, Tracey Ullman, William Hurt, Joan Plowright
Votes: 15,541 | Gross: $16.19M
Absolute fun...
40. The Freshman (1990)
PG | 102 min | Comedy, Crime
An N.Y.C. film school student accepts a job with a local mobster who resembles a famous cinema godfather and who takes the young man under his wing, after demanding total loyalty.
Director: Andrew Bergman | Stars: Marlon Brando, Matthew Broderick, Bruno Kirby, Penelope Ann Miller
Votes: 21,992 | Gross: $21.46M
Brando has a good sense of humour...
41. I Hired a Contract Killer (1990)
Not Rated | 79 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
Henri is depressed after losing his job, but finds himself too afraid to go through with suicide. He hires a contract killer to do the job for him instead - but what happens if he changes his mind?
Director: Aki Kaurismäki | Stars: Jean-Pierre Léaud, Margi Clarke, Kenneth Colley, T.R. Bowen
Votes: 7,555
A twisted Kaurismaki tale...
42. Oh, Carmela! (1990)
PG-13 | 102 min | Comedy, Drama, War
During the Spanish Civil War, a group of comics lightens the days of the Republican troops. Tired of life in the front lines, they make their way to Valencia, accidentally entering enemy land and falling prisoner.
Director: Carlos Saura | Stars: Carmen Maura, Andrés Pajares, Gabino Diego, Armando De Razza
Votes: 3,333 | Gross: $0.30M
Love Maura under Saura's direction...
43. Postcards from the Edge (1990)
R | 101 min | Comedy, Drama
A substance-addicted actress tries to look on the bright side even as she is forced to move back in with her mother to avoid unemployment.
Director: Mike Nichols | Stars: Meryl Streep, Shirley MacLaine, Dennis Quaid, Gene Hackman
Votes: 19,295 | Gross: $37.96M
Nichols captures the essence...
44. Miami Blues (1990)
R | 97 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
An ex-con's first act of freedom is moving to Miami where he restarts his old criminal ways with even more potency.
Director: George Armitage | Stars: Fred Ward, Alec Baldwin, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Cecilia Pérez-Cervera
Votes: 10,155 | Gross: $9.89M
That cheeky Armitage charm...
45. Henry & June (1990)
NC-17 | 136 min | Biography, Drama
Anaïs Nin meets American writer Henry Miller in Paris in 1931. She keeps a diary of her sexual awakening, which includes Henry and his wife June.
Director: Philip Kaufman | Stars: Fred Ward, Uma Thurman, Maria de Medeiros, Richard E. Grant
Votes: 14,176 | Gross: $11.57M
Kaufman's sexual odyssey...
46. Everybody's Fine (1990)
PG-13 | 118 min | Drama
Matteo decides to take a trip across Italy to go visiting his five children.
Director: Giuseppe Tornatore | Stars: Marcello Mastroianni, Michèle Morgan, Valeria Cavalli, Marino Cenna
Votes: 4,431 | Gross: $1.75M
Marcello shines...
47. The Grifters (1990)
R | 110 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A small-time conman has torn loyalties between his estranged mother and new girlfriend, both of whom are high-stakes grifters with their own angles to play.
Director: Stephen Frears | Stars: Anjelica Huston, John Cusack, Annette Bening, Jan Munroe
Votes: 30,519 | Gross: $13.45M
Wicked people but fascinating to watch...
48. The Field (1990)
PG-13 | 107 min | Drama, Thriller
When a field (which has been farmed by the McCabe family for generations) goes up for auction, the patriarch of the McCabe family will stop at nothing to prevent a rich American from buying it.
Director: Jim Sheridan | Stars: Richard Harris, John Hurt, Sean Bean, Frances Tomelty
Votes: 6,761 | Gross: $1.41M
Sheridan's dream cast...
49. Dreams (1990)
PG | 119 min | Drama, Fantasy
A collection of tales based upon eight of director Akira Kurosawa's recurring dreams.
Directors: Akira Kurosawa, Ishirô Honda | Stars: Akira Terao, Mitsuko Baishô, Toshie Negishi, Mieko Harada
Votes: 29,139 | Gross: $1.96M
Kurosawa's final dreams...
50. The Juniper Tree (1990)
Not Rated | 78 min | Drama, Fantasy
Margit and her older sister, Katla, flee their homeland after their mother is killed for practicing witchcraft. Needing a place to stay, Katla casts a spell over a young farmer named Jóhann which makes him fall in love with her.
Director: Nietzchka Keene | Stars: Björk, Bryndis Petra Bragadóttir, Valdimar Örn Flygenring, Guðrún Gísladóttir
Votes: 2,581
Brothers Grimm dark fairy tale in this bleak but beautiful black and white slow mover that just has your interest...
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