Directed by: Kevin Costner
Written by: Michael Blake
Based on the book by: Michael Blake
Produced by: Kevin Costner, and Jim Wilson
Starring: Kevin Costner, Mary McDonnell, Graham Greene, Floyd 'Red Crow' Westerman, Tantoo Cardinal, Rodney A. Grant, Robert Pastorelli

In this incredibly-directed film from Kevin Costner, he plays John Dunbar, a soldier who is celebrated for ending the Civil War. John then decides to move to the frontier, and live there by himself. He builds a hut, and makes his living there. He then meets a brown wolf with white legs, who he dubs "Two Socks." He soon meets a white woman who was raised by Natives in the frontier. Soon, John is taken in by the tribe of Kicking Bird, and renamed "Dances with Wolves." This brilliantly crafted masterpiece is the highlight of Costner's career with excellent performances by the entire cast, and wonderful music by John Barry. The cinematography, costumes, screenplay, and the direction are all top-notch.

Oscars: Best Picture, Best Director (Kevin Costner), Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Original Score, Best Sound, Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing
Other Oscar nominations: Best Actor (Kevin Costner), Best Supporting Actor (Graham Greene), Best Supporting Actress (Mary McDonnell), Best Art Direction, Best Costume Design

Directed by: Peter Weir
Written by: Tom Schulman
Produced by: Steven Haft, Paul Junger Witt, and Tony Thomas
Starring: Robin Williams, Ethan Hawke, Robert Sean Leonard, Josh Charles, Gale Hansen, Dylan Kussman, Allelon Ruggiero, James Waterston

Robin Williams gives an inspirational performance in a wonderfully directed film by Peter Weir. Todd Anderson has just entered a new university and is soon inspired by the English teacher, John Keating. Todd and his friends are soon told of the "Dead Poets Society", a group of student who read poems. His father tells him not to go, but Todd soon disobeys him and continues doing the meetings. This all leads up to the sad ending. This is a wonderfully directed film by none other then Peter Weir, and brilliantly written is wonderfully well done. Robin Williams gives his best performances and proves he's not just a comedian.

Oscar: Best Original Screenplay
Other Oscar nominations: Best Picture, Best Actor (Robin Williams), Best Director (Peter Weir)

Directed by: Renny Harlin
Written by: Duncan Kennedy, Donna Powers, and Wayne Powers
Produced by: Akiva Goldsman, Robert Kosberg, Tony Ludwig, Don MacBain, and Alan Riche
Starring: Saffron Burrows, Thomas Jane, LL Cool J, Samuel J. Jackson, Michael Rapaport, Stellan Skarsgard, Jacqueline McKenzie

In this interesting spoof on the Jaws series, we meet Dr. Susan McAlester. She is trying to cure Alzheimers Disease by making sharks smarter. They will then taking out their brains, and put it in the medicine. After an attack on some fishermen, her company isn't too satisfied on the idea, but she assured them that it will work. They decide to send someone to inspect the project, and see if it actually works. The system then goes wrong, and sharks escape and try to eat everyone. Before watching this, I thought this was just another tired excuse to return the man-eating shark genre. Instead we get an intelligent well thought out action film. The sharks look fake like they usually do (even though they're computer-generated), but the film is still very suspenseful.

Sierra Award nomination: Best Visual Effects

Directed by: Warren Beatty
Written by: Jim Cash and Jack Epps, Jr.
Based on the comic strip by: Chester Gould
Produced by: Warren Beatty
Starring: Warren Beatty, Al Pacino, Madonna, Charlie Korsmo, Charles Durning, Paul Sorvino, Ed O'Ross, Jim Wilkey, Glenne Headly

Warren Beatty tries his hand at adapting a comic book and the result is a nice experience. Dick Tracy is the biggest detective in town and now he is already on a big case involving Big Boy Caprice, the biggest gangster in the city. Meanwhile, Tracy meets a young boy who soon becomes his best friend. He also has to deal with a sultry bar singer, played by Madonna (when she was popular). Warren Beatty is one of those actors who are very hard to dislike and he isn't here. He gives a great performance as Dick Tracy with Al Pacino doing a wonderful, cartoony job as Big Boy Caprice. The best things about Dick Tracy, though are the comic book-like sets and the songs by none other than Stephen Sodheim.

Oscars: Best Makeup, Best Original Song ("Sooner or Later (I Always Get My Man)"), Best Art Direction
Other Oscar nominations: Best Supporting Actor (Al Pacino), Best Sound, Best Costume Design, Best Cinematography

Directed by: Eric Leighton, and Ralph Zondag
Written by: John Harrison, and Robert Nelson Jacobs
Produced by: Pam Marsden
Voices of: D.B. Sweeney, Alfre Woodard, Julianna Margulies, Max Casella, Ossie Davis, Samuel L. Jackson, Hayden Panettiere

After his egg fell on an island after being kidnapped by a predator, Aladar became apopted by lemurs. Now all grown up, he has to undergo the traditions of lemur mating. Since he is the only dinosaur on the island, he doesn't find a mate. Then a gigantic rock falls to Earth, and the island is destroyed. Only Aladar, and some lemurs survive, so they are forced to go into the desert. There, they find a herd of dinosaurs, who are searching for the sacred breeding grounds. Now they must either listen to the ignorant leader's commands or go back and face the raptors, and T-Rexes. Aladar even falls for someone. This film is visually stunning, placing computer-animated creatures in a live-action environment. Although the story is not that interesting, the price of admission is worth to watch the amazing special effects.

Golden Satellite Award: Best Sound
Other Golden Satellite Award nomination: Best Motion Picture, Animated or Mixed Media

Directed by: Emile Ardolino
Written by: Eleanor Bergstein
Produced by: Linda Gottlieb
Starring: Jennifer Grey, Patrick Swayze, Jerry Orbach, Cynthia Rhodes, Jack Weston, Jane Brucker, Kelly Bishop, Wayne Knight

Once again, we see another highly predictable boy-meets-girl, parents-don't-approve story that doesn't work. Leave that sort of thing with Shakespeare. Jennifer Grey plays Baby, a girl who is on a vacation with her family in the Hamptons. She's bored and doesn't have an exciting life, but her life changes when she stumbles upon a hidden shed behind the hotel. She is soon learning to be a 'dirty dancer' with the help of the leader of the group, played by Patrick Swayze. When Baby's father learns of this, he tells her not to see him anymore. Like we see in many of these types of pictures, the female lead disobeys her father and sees the man she loves. When many people from the 80's enjoyed this film, I don't get. The music is memorable and the performances as so-so, but overall it's clotted by bad direction, and a stale script. Give this film a skip.

Oscar: Best Original Song ("(I've Had) The Time of My Life")

Written by: Milt Banta, Bill Berg, and Heinz Harber
Produced by: Walt Disney
Voices of: Clarence Nash, Paul Frees

In this brilliant animated short, Donald Duck takes a magical trip to Math Magic Land for an educational number ride. The tempered bird goes inside his brain, learns pool, and also meets the stars of another Oscar nominated short film, Toot Whistle Plunk and Boom. It's a wonderful documentary that is up there with the science show, Bill Nye, and the McDonalds documentary, Super Size Me as required school viewing. This is a very educational film from the master of animation, Walt Disney and also a great way to introduce youngsters to the wonderful world of mathematics (my favourite subject). This film should be released on DVD along with some other great educational Disney cartoons like the above mentioned short film.

Oscar nomination: Best Documentary Short Subject

Directed by: Richard Kelly
Written by: Richard Kelly
Produced by: Adam Fields, Nancy Juvonen, and Sean McKittrick
Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Maggie Gylenhaal, Mary McDonnell, Holmes Osborne, Daveigh Chase, Patrick Swayze, Katharine Ross, James Duval

Not even all of Charlie Kaufman's screenplays combined are stranger than Donnie Darko. Jake Gyllenhaal gives a creepy performance as a secondary school student who has some serious problems. He takes medication, he goes to a shrink, and he is friends with an imaginary evil rabbit. Later he is told to do very evil acts of violence and vandalism. Okay, and all this proves is director/writer, Richard Kelly is insane. The film has some great performances and wonderfully creepy music, but it still doesn't help the strangeness of this picture. I think someone needs to check himself into the Betty Ford clinic.

OFCS Award nomination: Best Breakthrough Filmmaker (Richard Kelly)

Directed by: Stanley Kubrick
Written by: Stanley Kubrick, Terry Southern, and Peter George
Based on the book by: Peter George
Produced by: Stanley Kubrick
Starring: Peter Sellers, George C. Scott, Sterling Hayden, Slim Pickens, Peter Bull, Keenan Wynn, James Earl Jones

Stanley Kubrick's immortal black comedy is probably his best film and one of the best films of the 1960's featuring amazing performances from the two lead actors. After a crazy general, Jack D. Ripper, gives the order to fire a nuclear bomb to Russia, the Pentagon attempts to stop it from destroying the world. The film follows three different settings and stories. The first features a cowboy setting up for the dropping of the bomb. The second features a group captain trying to get the code to stop the bombing from Ripper. The third one takes place in the war room as the Russian Ambassador, the President of the United States, a mad Nazi scientist, and a "more clever then anyone lets on" general try to figure out what to do before the world ends. Peter Sellers is brilliant in three completely different roles, but it's George Scott who steals the show as General Buck Turgidson. Along with Kubrick's wonderful direction, this is a wonderful and funny satire. However, for those expecting a "belly laughing" type of film, I warn you beforehand, that the humour is subtle British humour and not for everyone.

Oscar nominations: Best Picture, Best Actor (Peter Sellers), Best Director (Stanley Kubrick), Best Adapted Screenplay

Directed by: Ben Sharpsteen
Written by: Joe Grant, and Dick Huemer
Based on the book by: Helen Aberson, and Harold Perl
Produced by: Walt Disney
Voices of: Edward Brophy, Sterling Holloway, Herman Bing, Billy Bletcher, Cliff Edwards, Noreen Gammill, Malcolm Hutton

Another great cartoon from Disney's Golden Age, Dumbo is a rather short film that's still equally entertaining. A mother elephant in a circus gives birth to a son, who happens to have gigantic ears. All the other elephants make fun of him and he later befriends a mouse, the pacaderm's biggest fear. This is a very cute film that while it runs much too short is still one of Disney's great picture.

Oscar: Best Scoring for a Musical Picture
Other Oscar nomination: Best Original Song ("Baby Mine")