All Dogs Go to Heaven (1989)

All Dogs Go to Heaven (1989)

[6] Don Bluth's films (The Land Before Time, The Secret of NIMH) tend to be too mature for children and too immature for adults. Consider All Dogs Go to Heaven, where one moment you have cutsey critters singing a cringe-worthy…
Steel Magnolias (1989)

Steel Magnolias (1989)

[8] The film adaptation of Robert Harling's play is unabashedly melodramatic, nostalgic, and sentimental. Some of those qualities usually annoy the hell out of me, but the ensemble of great actresses and the slew of memorable one-liners make Steel Magnolias…
The January Man (1989)

The January Man (1989)

[3] I don't know what the hell I just saw. I could tell you what it's about, but it'd be misleading. See, it's about a discharged cop (Kevin Kline) who is roped back into the police to help them find…
Ghostbusters II (1989)

Ghostbusters II (1989)

[5] The gang is back for another outing, five years after the enormous success of the first Ghostbusters. But its a mediocre follow-up at best. Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, Ernie Hudson, Sigourney Weaver, Rick Moranis, Annie Potts, and…
Road House (1989)

Road House (1989)

[6] Road House is so ridiculous, it's kinda awesome. For starters, Patrick Swayze (and his mullet) play a bouncer/philosopher with lethal fight moves to match his zen attitude. He says no to anesthetic when he gets his cuts stapled shut,…
Casualties of War (1989)

Casualties of War (1989)

[7] Michael J. Fox stars in this Vietnam War flick from Brian DePalma, but combat isn't the focus here. Fox plays a soldier who puts his life on the line when he tries to free a young Vietnamese woman that…
Do the Right Thing (1989)

Do the Right Thing (1989)

[8] Spike Lee explores racism from multiple angles in Do the Right Thing, a provocative but entertaining 'day in the life' flick set in a Brooklyn community on the hottest day of the summer. Films that deal with racism tend…
Batman (1989)

Batman (1989)

[9] It's hard to believe we once lived in a time when superhero movies didn't monopolize the multiplexes. Such a time was the summer of 1989, when Warner Brothers' very first big-screen version of Batman was due to be released.…
Heathers (1989)

Heathers (1989)

[10]

This superb dark comedy blows apart any precious John Hughes-like notions of high school life. Winona Ryder stars as Veronica, a high school girl caught in an elitist bitch-clique with three other young women (including Beverly Hills 90210 star Shannen Doherty) — all named Heather. But when the dangerous and alluring JD (Christian Slater) rides into town, Veronica falls under his spell as the two set out to exact revenge on the Heathers and every other force of alienation in the school. Veronica quickly finds herself in over her head with JD when their shenanigans end up having a body count. As classmates continue to die, Veronica finds herself running from both JD and the Heathers — building to a climax that will change the student body hierarchy forever. 

The Abyss (1989)

The Abyss (1989)

[9] Underwater oil drillers are forced to work with the military to recover lost nuclear warheads, but they discover far more lurking in the depths of the ocean... This unique underwater sci-fi/thriller from James Cameron (Terminator, Aliens) is an ambitious,…