Die Hard (1988)
[9] An off-duty police officer takes it upon himself to stop a gang of German terrorists who take an office Christmas party hostage in John McTiernan's iconic action film, Die Hard. Let me put it another way:Â Die Hard is The…
Pumpkinhead (1988)
[9]
As far as monster movies go, this is the one to beat. It’s the only film directed by the late Stan Winston, the special effects wizard who brought so many creatures and otherworldly characters to life in movies like Jurassic Park, Terminator 2, and Edward Scissorhands. I always wished he’d directed another movie, because Pumpkinhead is creepy as hell, a superb dark fairy tale that’s drenched in atmosphere.Â
Working Girl (1988)
[8] Mike Nichols (The Graduate) directs Kevin Wade's tale of a stalwart secretary trying to climb the corporate ladder in New York. Working Girl is a highly enjoyable comedy-drama with a screwball slant. Melanie Griffith has never been better than…
Running on Empty (1988)
[10]
Director Sydney Lumet sets the gritty streets of New York aside temporarily and gives us an emotionally stirring family drama about two parents who have to uproot their family every time the feds catch scent of their trail. If they ever get too comfortable, they run the risk of being locked away for an act of protest that accidentally ended in a fatality during the turbulent ’60s. The family’s vagabond routine is put to the ultimate test when the eldest son, played by River Phoenix in an Oscar-nominated performance, comes of age and wants to attend music school. But if he leaves the family, he may never see them again. Running on Empty is an incredibly moving story about family bonds — both suffocating and empowering — and how loving someone sometimes means letting them go.Â
Willow (1988)
[9] George Lucas produces and Ron Howard directs this fantasy adventure about an unlikely band of heroes who protect a  prophetic baby against an evil queen who seeks to destroy them all. Willow is its producer's baby and has a…
RoboCop (1987)
[10] In the not-so-distant future, a Detroit policeman is murdered by a vicious cop-killer, only to be resurrected as the ultimate cyborg law enforcer. But will RoboCop have free will, or will he be slave to the corporation that facilitated…
Raising Arizona (1987)
[10] Holly Hunter and Nicolas Cage star as Ed and Hi, a police woman and a supposedly reformed felon who try to start a family in Joel and Ethan Coen's Raising Arizona. But when they can't conceive a child of…
Hellraiser (1987)
[9] Clive Barker holds nothing sacred, least of all flesh, in exploring the fine line between love and pain in this sado-masochistic fantasy. The movie throbs with an intense, dark passion -- dark enough for a woman to love the…
Lethal Weapon (1987)
[9] Mel Gibson and Danny Glover star in the definitive ‘buddy cop’ movie, written with humor and heart by Shane Black (The Long Kiss Goodnight, The Nice Guys) and directed with cinematic flare by Richard Donner (Superman, The Goonies). Glover plays…
Empire of the Sun (1987)
[8]
Spielberg explores World War II through the eyes of a young British boy (Christian Bale) separated from his parents in Shanghai and forced to live in a Japanese internment camp. For a director who often celebrates innocence (and sometimes wallows in it), it’s nice to see a darker examination of the subject. In Empire of the Sun, innocence isn’t just lost. It’s almost shattered.Â