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Ten Best List for the Year 1988
- Au Revoir les Enfants -- When the Gestapo discover that a priest has hidden three Jewish youths in a Catholic boys' school, he and the boys are arrested and deported to concentration camps. French writer-producer-director Louis Malle re-creates a painful memory from his own youth in a restrained, humbling, well-acted dramatization of a boy's firsthand experience of the Holocaust. Subtitles. Some rough language. A-II-adults and adolescents (PG) 1988
- Babette's Feast -- Screen version of a story by Isak Dinesen, set in a rugged fishing village in 1871 Denmark, shows the impact of a French housekeeper (Stephane Audran) on two pious sisters who carry on their late father's work as pastor of a dwindling religious flock. Danish director Gabriel Axel's understated but finely detailed work centers on the preparation and consumption of an exquisite Gallic meal, a sensuous labor of love which has a healing effect on the austere sect and the Frenchwoman who prepared it. Subtitles. Cerebral treatment. A-II-adults and adolescents (G) 1988
- Da (FilmDallas) -- Literate, poignant adaptation by Hugh Leonard of his own play and novel about a middle-aged playwright (Martin Sheen) who returns to Ireland to bury his dad (Barnard Hughes) and make peace with his ghost. Director Matt Clark gets outstanding performances from the two leads which helps overcome some confusing flashbacks and jolting sequence featuring the attempted drowning of a pet dog. Some profanity. A-II-adults and adolescents (PG) 1988
- Dominick and Eugene -- Lovely story of an unlikely pair of 25-year-old fraternal twins -- a mentally damaged garbage man (Tom Hulce) and a moody medical student (Ray Liotta) -- following the traumas and conflicts that threaten to disrupt their close sibling bond and the positive changes that result. Director Robert M. Young sensitively underplays a child abuse subplot and does not exploit the violent potential of several incidents. A few sexually suggestive scenes and some profanity. A-III-adults (PG-13) 1988
- Eight Men Out -- Based on the 1919 scandal over bribe-taking Chicago White Sox players in the World Series won by the Cincinnati Reds is this morality tale about compromising a lifetime of professional credibility for big bucks and revenge on a stingy ballclub owner (Clifton James). Writer-director John Sayles does well contrasting honest and dishonest athletes, but the movie bogs down in too much detail and too many indistinguishable characters. Some locker-room language and a theme involving bribery and threats of violent retribution. A-III-adults (PG) 1988
- The Last Emperor -- Sweeping historical saga of Pu Yi (1906-67) who, after being crowned emperor at age 3 of the fading Manchurian dynasty, becomes a passive pawn amidst political power plays until ending his life as a humble gardener under Chinese Communist rule. Italian director Bernardo Bertolucci's movie boasts exquisite historical detail, beautiful costumes, extraordinary location sets in the Forbidden City and breathtaking pageantry, but oddly lacks dramatic punch. Some scenes of violence, sex and opium smoking, though brief and integral to the cultural context. A-III-adults (PG-13) 1988
- My Life As A Dog -- When his mother becomes seriously ill, a fatherless 12-year-old (Anton Glanzelius) finds himself packed off to spend the summer with his uncle in the country where he comes to feel at home amidst the colorful characters living and working nearby. Swedish director Lasse Hallstrom delivers a lovely, spirited and hopeful movie about how people survive life's tragedies and loneliness. Subtitles. Fleeting shot of a nude model and several scenes depicting children's curiosity about sex. A-III-adults (Not rated by the Motion Association of America) 1988
- Rain Man -- A shady Los Angeles car dealer (Tom Cruise) loses the family inheritance to an older brother (Dustin Hoffman) who suffers from irreversible autistic savant syndrome and has been institutionalized most of his life. On a cross-country auto journey, the younger brother drops his plans for a custody battle when he learns to love his brother despite his disability. Under Barry Levinson's direction, the brothers' intense and sometimes comical interaction during the life-affirming journey is wonderful but the rest of the movie is less satisfying and detracts from the character study. Much profanity, a few intense but brief emotionally unhinged outbursts by the autistic protangonist and a fleeting off-camera sex scene. A-III-adults (R) 1988
- Stand and Deliver -- Quietly affecting movie about an extraordinary real-life math teacher (Edward James Olmos) in an East Los Angeles high school who transforms a rowdy class of Hispanics into calculus whiz kids. When teat administrtors question his students' high grades, the teacher fights back with charges of discrimination. Inspiring story, fine acting by the leads and deft direction by Ramon Menendez. Some profanity in a realistic context. A-II-adults and adolescents (PG) 1988
- The Thin Blue Line -- Compelling documentary uses some dramatized footage to reexamine the 1976 murder of a Dallas policeman and explore the fine line between guilt and innocence. Director Errol Morris provides a chilling look at the man unjustly convicted of the murder, the man who fingered him and the legal eagles responsible for a muddled conviction. Some rough language and repeated reenactments of the murder. A-III-adults (Not rated by the Motion Picture Association of America) 1988
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