Favoritest Movies of 1988
Using Paired Comparison Analysis, I'm ranking every movie I've ever seen, year by year; the top 80th percentile from each year advance to the decade round, and from there the all time round.
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88 titles
- DirectorKatsuhiro ÔtomoStarsMitsuo IwataNozomu SasakiMami KoyamaA secret military project endangers Neo-Tokyo when it turns a biker gang member into a rampaging psychic psychopath who can only be stopped by a teenager, his gang of biker friends and a group of psychics.
- DirectorRené LalouxStarsGlenn CloseChristopher PlummerPierre-Marie EscourrouAn evil force begins to destroy the idyllic paradise of Gandahar, where the citizens are in perfect harmony with nature.
- DirectorPhil JoanouStarsBonoThe EdgeAdam ClaytonA documentary of the Irish rock group U2 on their Fall 1987 tour of North America.
- DirectorJohn McTiernanStarsBruce WillisAlan RickmanBonnie BedeliaA New York City police officer tries to save his estranged wife and several others taken hostage by terrorists during a Christmas party at the Nakatomi Plaza in Los Angeles.
- DirectorFrancis Ford CoppolaStarsJeff BridgesJoan AllenMartin LandauThe story of Preston Tucker, the maverick car designer and his ill-fated challenge to the auto industry with his revolutionary car concept.
- DirectorRobert ZemeckisStarsBob HoskinsChristopher LloydJoanna CassidyWhen a cartoon rabbit is accused of murder, he enlists the help of a burnt out private investigator to prove his innocence.
- DirectorRon HowardStarsVal KilmerJoanne WhalleyWarwick DavisA young farmer is chosen to undertake a perilous journey in order to protect a special baby from an evil queen.
- DirectorTim BurtonStarsAlec BaldwinGeena DavisMichael KeatonThe spirits of a deceased couple are harassed by an unbearable family that has moved into their home, and hire a malicious spirit to drive them out.
- DirectorKenneth JohnsonStarsFisher StevensMichael McKeanTim BlaneyRobot Johnny Five comes to the city and gets manipulated by criminals who want him for their own purposes.
- DirectorMike NicholsStarsMelanie GriffithHarrison FordSigourney WeaverWhen a secretary's idea is stolen by her boss, she seizes an opportunity to steal it back by pretending she has her boss' job.
- DirectorThom EberhardtStarsMichael CaineBen KingsleyJeffrey JonesA drunken Sherlock Holmes is really just a cover for the real detective, Dr. Watson.
- DirectorTerry GilliamStarsJohn NevilleEric IdleSarah PolleyAn account of Baron Munchausen's supposed travels and fantastical experiences across late 18th-century Europe with his band of misfits.
- DirectorDavid ZuckerStarsLeslie NielsenPriscilla PresleyO.J. SimpsonIncompetent police Detective Frank Drebin must foil an attempt to assassinate Queen Elizabeth II.
- DirectorJohn CarpenterStarsRoddy PiperKeith DavidMeg FosterThey influence our decisions without us knowing it. They numb our senses without us feeling it. They control our lives without us realizing it. They live.
- DirectorBarry LevinsonStarsDustin HoffmanTom CruiseValeria GolinoAfter a selfish L.A. yuppie learns his estranged father left a fortune to an autistic-savant brother in Ohio that he didn't know existed, he absconds with his brother and sets out across the country, hoping to gain a larger inheritance.
- DirectorStephen FrearsStarsGlenn CloseJohn MalkovichMichelle PfeifferA scheming widow and her manipulative ex-lover make a bet regarding the corruption of a recently married woman.
- DirectorHayao MiyazakiStarsHitoshi TakagiNoriko HidakaChika SakamotoWhen two girls move to the country to be near their ailing mother, they have adventures with the wondrous forest spirits who live nearby.
- DirectorIsao TakahataStarsTsutomu TatsumiAyano ShiraishiAkemi YamaguchiA young boy and his little sister struggle to survive in Japan during World War II.
- DirectorJohn CornellStarsPaul HoganLinda KozlowskiJohn MeillonAustralian outback expert protects his New York love from gangsters who've followed her down under.
- DirectorGraham BakerStarsJames CaanMandy PatinkinTerence StampIn 1988, Earth makes the first contact with an alien civilization. In 1991, these aliens, known as Newcomers, slowly begin to be integrated into human society after three years of quarantine.
- DirectorJulien TempleStarsGeena DavisJeff GoldblumJim CarreyA Southern California girl befriends three furry aliens after their spaceship lands in her swimming pool.
- DirectorChristopher CainStarsEmilio EstevezKiefer SutherlandLou Diamond PhillipsA group of young gunmen, led by Billy the Kid, become deputies to avenge the murder of the rancher who became their benefactor. But when Billy takes their authority too far, they become the hunted.
- DirectorIvan ReitmanStarsArnold SchwarzeneggerDanny DeVitoKelly PrestonA physically perfect but innocent man goes in search of his long-lost twin brother, who is short, a womanizer, and small-time crook.
- DirectorCharles CrichtonJohn CleeseStarsJohn CleeseJamie Lee CurtisKevin KlineIn London, four very different people team up on a jewel heist, then try to double-cross one another for the loot, complicated by their efforts to fool a very proper barrister.
- DirectorMike NicholsStarsMatthew BroderickChristopher WalkenMatt MulhernA group of young recruits go through boot camp during the Second World War in Biloxi, Mississippi. From the play by Neil Simon.
- DirectorDon BluthStarsPat HingleGabriel DamonHelen ShaverAn orphaned brontosaurus teams up with other young dinosaurs in order to reunite with their families in a valley.
- DirectorBuddy Van HornStarsClint EastwoodLiam NeesonPatricia ClarksonInspector "Dirty" Harry Callahan must stop a sick secret contest to murder various San Francisco celebrities, with himself being one of the targets.
- DirectorWalter HillStarsArnold SchwarzeneggerJim BelushiPeter BoyleA tough Russian policeman is forced to partner up with a cocky Chicago police detective when he is sent to Chicago to apprehend a Georgian drug lord who killed his partner and fled the country.
- DirectorDaniel GoldbergStarsRebecca De MornayMary GrossKen MarshallWhile Ellie is strong, streetwise, practical, social but scholarly weak, Janis is the opposite and thus make ideal room and team mates at a tough 16 week FBI training course.
- DirectorRichard DonnerStarsBill MurrayKaren AllenJohn ForsytheA selfish, cynical television executive is haunted by three spirits bearing lessons on Christmas Eve.
- DirectorChuck RussellStarsShawnee SmithKevin DillonDonovan Leitch Jr.A deadly entity from space crash-lands near a small town and begins consuming everyone in its path. Panic ensues as shady government scientists try to contain the horrific creature.
- DirectorRichard BenjaminStarsDan AykroydKim BasingerJon LovitzA creature from another planet tries to seduce a shy Earth physicist to gain control over his researches. The result of this important mission much exceeded her expectations.
- DirectorKen KwapisStarsCyndi LauperJeff GoldblumRamon BieriTwo psychics are hired to find the location of a lost Incan city Located somewhere in the Ecuadorian mountains, that is said to hide a great treasure.
- DirectorGreg FordFriz FrelengChuck JonesStarsMel BlancMel TorméRoy FirestoneDaffy Duck opens a detective agency for the supernatural along side his Looney Toon buddies.
- DirectorNeil JordanStarsPeter O'TooleDaryl HannahSteve GuttenbergWhen a hotelier attempts to fill the chronic vacancies at his castle by launching an advertising campaign that falsely portrays the property as haunted, two actual ghosts show up and end up falling for two guests.
- DirectorLuc BessonStarsJean-Marc BarrJean RenoRosanna ArquetteThe rivalry between Enzo and Jacques, two childhood friends and now world-renowned free divers, becomes a beautiful and perilous journey into oneself and the unknown.
- DirectorJohn LandisStarsEddie MurphyPaul BatesGarcelle BeauvaisAn extremely pampered African prince travels to Queens, New York and goes undercover to find a wife that he can respect for her intelligence and strong will.
- DirectorPenny MarshallStarsTom HanksElizabeth PerkinsRobert LoggiaAfter wishing to be made big, a teenage boy wakes the next morning to find himself mysteriously in the body of an adult.
- DirectorMichael AptedStarsSigourney WeaverBryan BrownJulie HarrisThe story of Dian Fossey, a scientist who came to Africa to study the vanishing mountain gorillas, and later fought to protect them.
- DirectorAllan ArkushStarsJackie MasonRobert StackDyan CannonWhen a crass new-money tycoon's membership application is turned down at a snooty country club, he retaliates by buying the club and turning it into a tacky amusement park.
- DirectorRon SheltonStarsKevin CostnerSusan SarandonTim RobbinsA fan who has an affair with one minor-league baseball player each season meets an up-and-coming pitcher and the experienced catcher assigned to him.
- DirectorFrancis MegahyStarsPierce BrosnanRay McAnallyAlison DoodyAn Irish tough-guy debt collector is asked by his local community to help rid the town of developers bent on building a chemical plant on the outskirts of town. The developers are ruthless and have sent their heavies into town to keep the locals quiet.
- DirectorJohn HughesStarsKevin BaconElizabeth McGovernAlec BaldwinYoung newlyweds find out just how unprepared they are for their future together.
- DirectorPeter HyamsStarsSean ConneryMark HarmonMeg RyanA San Francisco civilian police detective is forced to work on a series of murders with his former enemy commanding officer while dating his daughter.
- DirectorJohn SaylesStarsJohn CusackClifton JamesJace AlexanderA dramatization of the Black Sox scandal when the underpaid Chicago White Sox accepted bribes to deliberately lose the 1919 World Series.
- DirectorLawrence KasdanStarsWilliam HurtKathleen TurnerGeena DavisAn emotionally distant writer of travel guides must carry on with his life after his son is killed and his marriage crumbles.
- DirectorCraig R. BaxleyStarsCarl WeathersCraig T. NelsonVanityVengeance drives a tough Detroit cop to stay on the trail of a power-hungry auto magnate who is systematically eliminating his competition.
- DirectorRamón MenéndezStarsEdward James OlmosEstelle HarrisMark PhelanThe story of Jaime Escalante, a high school teacher who successfully inspired his dropout-prone students to learn calculus.
- DirectorGeorge ScribnerStarsJoey LawrenceBilly JoelCheech MarinA lost and alone kitten joins a gang of dogs engaged in petty larceny in New York City.
- DirectorRandal KleiserStarsPaul ReubensPenelope Ann MillerKris KristoffersonPee-wee Herman is now a small-town farmer with a fiancée, but when a traveling circus comes to town, he finds himself falling for the trapeze artist.
- DirectorJonathan DemmeStarsMichelle PfeifferAlec BaldwinPaul LazarA mobster's wife hates her lifestyle, but gets a chance to change it when her husband is killed - if the Long Island mob and the FBI let her.
- DirectorYahoo SeriousStarsYahoo SeriousOdile Le ClezioJohn HowardAlbert Einstein turns the science community upside down with his discoveries including a formula to put bubbles back in beer and rock n' roll.
- DirectorAnnabel JankelRocky MortonStarsDennis QuaidMeg RyanCharlotte RamplingA college professor's day: his top student allegedly commits suicide, his wife presents him with divorce papers and he overnights in a freshman girl's dorm. The next day: more murders around him. Will he find the killer in time?
- DirectorRobert TowneStarsMel GibsonMichelle PfeifferKurt RussellA former L.A. drug dealer tries to go straight but his past and his underworld connections bring him into the focus of the DEA, the Mexican feds and the Mexican drug cartels.
- DirectorKen AnnakinStarsTami ErinDavid SeamanCory CrowAfter her father's boat is swept away by a sudden storm, plucky Pippi Longstocking is stranded with her horse and monkey in the old family home.
- DirectorTom HollandStarsCatherine HicksChris SarandonAlex VincentA struggling single mother unknowingly gifts her son a doll imbued with a serial killer's consciousness.
- DirectorSidney J. FurieStarsLouis Gossett Jr.Mark HumphreyStuart MargolinA joint U.S.- Soviet strike force is assembled to wipe out a nuclear base in an outlaw nation that plans to take the world hostage.
- DirectorJean-Jacques AnnaudStarsTchéky KaryoBart the BearYouk the BearAn orphan bear cub hooks up with an adult male as they try to dodge human hunters.
- DirectorMartin ScorseseStarsWillem DafoeHarvey KeitelBarbara HersheyThe life of Jesus Christ, his journey through life as he faces the struggles all humans do, and his final temptation on the cross.
- DirectorHoward DeutchStarsDan AykroydJohn CandyStephanie FaracyA Chicago man and his family go camping with his obnoxious brother-in-law.
- DirectorRoger DonaldsonStarsTom CruiseBryan BrownElisabeth ShueA talented New York City bartender takes a job at a bar in Jamaica and falls in love.
- DirectorPaul FlahertyStarsCharlie SchlatterGeorge BurnsTony RobertsAn aging ruthless businessman swaps bodies with his grandson in the wake of getting into a car accident.
- DirectorMartin BrestStarsRobert De NiroCharles GrodinYaphet KottoA bounty hunter pursues a former Mafia accountant who is also being chased by a rival bounty hunter, the F.B.I., and his old mob boss after jumping bail.
- DirectorDonald PetrieStarsAnnabeth GishJulia RobertsLili TaylorThree teenage girls come of age while working at a pizza parlor in the Connecticut town of Mystic.
- DirectorClint EastwoodStarsForest WhitakerDiane VenoraMichael ZelnikerThe troubled life and career of jazz musician Charlie "Bird" Parker.
- DirectorKeenen Ivory WayansStarsKeenen Ivory WayansBernie CaseyAntonio FargasIn this parody of blaxploitation movies, a black hero wannabe reunites former black heroes from the 70s to help him get revenge on Mr. Big.
- DirectorFrank OzStarsSteve MartinMichael CaineGlenne HeadlyTwo con men try to settle their rivalry by betting on who can swindle a young American heiress out of fifty thousand dollars first.
- DirectorGreg BeemanStarsCorey HaimCorey FeldmanCarol KaneA teen decides to go for a night on the town with his friends despite flunking his driver's test.
- DirectorPeter MarkleStarsGene HackmanDanny GloverJerry ReedDuring the Vietnam War, Colonel Hambleton's aircraft is shot down over enemy territory and a frantic rescue operation ensues.
- DirectorAlan MyersonStarsBubba SmithDavid GrafMichael WinslowThe Police Academy's commandant will be honored at a police convention in Miami Beach. At the airport he picks a wrong bag with stolen diamonds. The "owners" want them back.
- DirectorPeter MacDonaldStarsSylvester StalloneRichard CrennaMarc de JongeRambo mounts a one-man mission to rescue his friend Colonel Trautman from the clutches of the formidable invading Soviet forces in Afghanistan.
- DirectorPierre DeCellesStarsGreg BergRuth BuzziNancy CartwrightA magical artifact called the Bone of Scone gives "Puppy Power" to the animals. However, villain Marvin McNasty breaks it so humans lose the ability to understand animals. The Pound Puppies tries to retrieve the Puppy Power.
- DirectorNewt ArnoldStarsJean-Claude Van DammeDonald GibbLeah Ayres"Bloodsport" follows Frank Dux, an American martial artist serving in the military, who decides to leave the army to compete in a martial arts tournament in Hong Kong where fights to the death can occur.
- DirectorDaniel PetrieStarsDon AmecheWilford BrimleyCourteney CoxThe seniors return to Earth to visit their relatives. Will they all decide to go back to the planet where no one grows old, or will they be tempted to stay back on Earth?
- DirectorRenny HarlinStarsRobert EnglundRodney EastmanJohn BeckmanFreddy Krueger returns once again to terrorize the dreams of the remaining Dream Warriors, as well as those of a young woman who may be able to defeat him for good.
- DirectorStewart RaffillStarsChristine EbersoleJonathan WardTina CasparyAn alien trying to escape from NASA is befriended by a wheelchair-bound boy.
- DirectorTommy Lee WallaceStarsWilliam RagsdaleRoddy McDowallTraci Lind"Fright Night Part 2" is a sequel to "link=tt0089175]". Charley Brewster and the horror host Peter Vincent must face more vampires, out for revenge.Love the poster!
- DirectorGeorge Roy HillStarsChevy ChaseMadolyn Smith OsborneKevin O'MorrisonA couple swap city life for the country, but their picturesque new hometown turns out to be just a little bit different to what they were expecting.
- DirectorJames BridgesStarsMichael J. FoxKiefer SutherlandPhoebe CatesA disillusioned young writer living in New York City turns to drugs and drinking to block out the memories of his dead mother and estranged wife.
- DirectorJim AbrahamsStarsBette MidlerLily TomlinFred WardTwo couples of sisters from New York and from the countryside discover that they are connected in an incredible way.
- DirectorGlenn Gordon CaronStarsMichael KeatonKathy BakerMorgan FreemanA hustling drug addict checks himself into rehabilitation to escape trouble with the law and realizes that it's exactly what he needs.
- DirectorRoman PolanskiStarsHarrison FordBetty BuckleyEmmanuelle SeignerIn a hotel room in Paris, a doctor comes out of the shower and finds that his wife has disappeared. He soon finds himself caught up in a world of intrigue, espionage, gangsters, drugs and murder.
- DirectorAlan ParkerStarsGene HackmanWillem DafoeFrances McDormandTwo F.B.I. Agents with wildly different styles arrive in Mississippi to investigate the disappearance of some civil rights activists.
- DirectorDavid GreenStarsPhil CollinsJulie WaltersLarry LambBased on the story of Ronald Christopher "Buster" Edwards (Phil Collins), one of the thieves involved in "The Great Train Robbery" of 1963.
- DirectorJohn R. Cherry IIIStarsJim VarneyDouglas SealeOliver ClarkErnest helps Santa Claus as he searches for his successor.
- DirectorJames B. HarrisStarsJames WoodsLesley Ann WarrenCharles DurningAn obsessive, insubordinate homicide cop is convinced a serial killer is loose in the Hollywood area and disobeys orders in order to catch him.
- DirectorDavid SeltzerStarsSally FieldTom HanksJohn GoodmanA medical school dropout and a housewife/mom try to make it as stand-up comedians. They become friends and help each other out at an NYC comedy club.
- DirectorMichael DinnerStarsBobcat GoldthwaitDabney ColemanJohn CandyAn insecure stockbroker teams up with Don the Talking Horse, a chatty four-legged financial advisor.