1990 in film

The year 1990 in film involved many significant events as shown below. Universal Pictures celebrated its 75th anniversary in 1990.

Highest-grossing films

The top ten films released in 1990 by worldwide gross are as follows:

Events

• CGI technique is expanded with motion capture for CGI characters, used in Total Recall (1990).
• The first digitally-manipulated matte painting is used, in Die Hard 2.
• The use of real-time computer graphics or "digital puppetry" to create a character in a motion picture is performed, in RoboCop 2.
• Future movie stars Chris Rock and Adam Sandler join SNL.
• February 4 - Actor Tom Cruise and actress Mimi Rogers divorce.
• December 24 - Tom Cruise and actress Nicole Kidman marry.

Awards

Academy Awards:>

Best Picture: Dances with Wolves - Orion Pictures, Tig Productions, Majestic Films International

Best Director: Kevin Costner - Dances With Wolves

Best Actor: Jeremy Irons - Reversal of Fortune

Best Actress: Kathy Bates - Misery

Best Supporting Actor: Joe Pesci - Goodfellas

Best Supporting Actress: Whoopi Goldberg - Ghost

Best Foreign Language Film: Journey of Hope (Reise der Hoffnung), directed by Xavier Koller, Switzerland

Golden Globe Awards:

Drama:

Best Picture: Dances With Wolves

Best Actor: Jeremy Irons - Reversal of Fortune

Best Actress: Kathy Bates - Misery

Musical or Comedy:

Best Picture: Green Card

Best Actor: Gérard Depardieu - Green Card

Best Actress: Julia Roberts - Pretty Woman

Other

Best Director: Kevin Costner - Dances with Wolves

Best Foreign Language Film: Cyrano de Bergerac, France

Palme d'Or (Cannes Film Festival):

Wild at Heart, directed by David Lynch, United States

Golden Lion (Venice Film Festival):

Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead, directed by Tom Stoppard, U.K. / U.S.A.

Golden Bear (Berlin Film Festival):

Music Box, directed by Costa Gavras, United States

Larks on a String (Skrivánci na niti), directed by Jiří Menzel, Czechoslovakia

1990 Wide-release movies

Januaryâ€"March

Aprilâ€"June

Julyâ€"September

Octoberâ€"December

Notable films released in 1990

U.S.A. unless stated

A-D

A

• The Adventures of Ford Fairlane, starring Andrew Dice Clay
• After Dark, My Sweet, starring Jason Patric, Rachel Ward, Bruce Dern
• Air America, directed by Roger Spottiswoode, starring Mel Gibson and Robert Downey, Jr.
• Alice, directed by Woody Allen, starring Mia Farrow
• The Ambulance, starring Eric Roberts
• American Ninja 4: The Annihilation
• Angel Town
• Another 48 Hrs., starring Eddie Murphy and Nick Nolte
• Arachnophobia, starring Jeff Daniels
• Avalon, directed by Barry Levinson, starring Aidan Quinn, Elizabeth Perkins, Kevin Pollak
• Awakenings, directed by Penny Marshall, starring Robin Williams and Robert De Niro

B

• Back to the Future Part III, starring Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Mary Steenburgen
• Bad Influence, starring James Spader and Rob Lowe
• Betsy's Wedding, directed by and starring Alan Alda, with Molly Ringwald, Ally Sheedy, Madeline Kahn
• The Big Man aka Crossing the Line, starring Liam Neeson, Joanne Whalley and Billy Connolly
• Bird on a Wire, starring Mel Gibson and Goldie Hawn
• Blind Fury, starring Rutger Hauer
• Blue Steel, starring Jamie Lee Curtis
• Boiling Point, directed by Takeshi Kitano, starring Beat Takeshi
• The Bonfire of the Vanities, directed by Brian De Palma, starring Tom Hanks, Bruce Willis, Melanie Griffith
• Bride of Re-Animator

C

• Cadence, starring Charlie Sheen and Martin Sheen
• Cadillac Man, starring Robin Williams and Tim Robbins
• Captain America, starring Matt Salinger
• Childhood Days - Japan Academy Prize for Picture of the Year
• Child's Play 2, starring Jenny Agutter
• China Cry
• City Hunter: Bay City Wars
• Class of 1999, starring Malcolm McDowell and Pam Grier
• Close-Up - (Iran)
• Coins in the Fountain, starring Loni Anderson
• Come See the Paradise, starring Dennis Quaid and Tamlyn Tomita
• The Comfort of Strangers, starring Natasha Richardson and Helen Mirren
• Crash and Burn
• Cry-Baby, directed by John Waters, starring Johnny Depp
• Cyrano de Bergerac, starring Gérard Depardieu - Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film

D

• Dances with Wolves, directed by and starring Kevin Costner - Academy and Golden Globe (drama) Awards for Best Picture
• Darkman, starring Liam Neeson
• Days of Being Wild, directed by Wong Kar-wai, starring Leslie Cheung, Maggie Cheung and Andy Lau
• Days of Thunder, starring Tom Cruise, Robert Duvall, Nicole Kidman
• Death Warrant, starring Jean-Claude Van Damme
• Dei tau lung (Dragon Fighter)
• Delta Force 2: The Colombian Connection, starring Chuck Norris
• Denial
• Desperate Hours, directed by Michael Cimino, starring Anthony Hopkins and Mickey Rourke
• Dick Tracy, directed by and starring Warren Beatty, with Madonna, Glenne Headly, Al Pacino
• Die Hard 2, starring Bruce Willis
• Downtown, starring Anthony Edwards and Forest Whitaker
• Dreams, directed by Akira Kurosawa
• DuckTales the Movie: Treasure of the Lost Lamp

E-K

E

• Edward Scissorhands, directed by Tim Burton, starring Johnny Depp, Winona Ryder, Dianne Wiest
• The End of Innocence, directed by and starring Dyan Cannon
• Ernest Goes to Jail, starring Jim Varney
• Europa Europa - Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film (for 1991)
• The Exorcist III, starring George C. Scott

F

• Fantasia (restored version)
• La Femme Nikita, directed by Luc Besson
• The Field, starring Richard Harris
• Fire Birds, starring Nicolas Cage and Tommy Lee Jones
• The First Power, starring Lou Diamond Phillips
• Flashback, starring Kiefer Sutherland and Dennis Hopper
• Flatliners, directed by Joel Schumacher, starring Kiefer Sutherland, Julia Roberts, Kevin Bacon
• The Fourth War, starring Roy Schneider and Jürgen Prochnow
• Frankenstein Unbound, starring John Hurt
• The Freshman, starring Marlon Brando and Matthew Broderick
• Funny About Love, directed by Leonard Nimoy, starring Gene Wilder and Christine Lahti

G

• Ghost, starring Patrick Swayze, Demi Moore, Whoopi Goldberg
• The Godfather Part III, directed by Francis Ford Coppola, starring Al Pacino, Diane Keaton, Talia Shire, Andy García, Joe Mantegna, Sofia Coppola
• Goodfellas, directed by Martin Scorsese, starring Robert De Niro, Ray Liotta, Joe Pesci, Lorraine Bracco, Paul Sorvino
• Graffiti Bridge, directed by and starring Prince
• Green Card, starring Gérard Depardieu and Andie MacDowell - Golden Globe Award for Best Picture (Musical or Comedy)
• Gremlins 2: The New Batch
• The Grifters, starring Anjelica Huston, John Cusack, Annette Bening
• The Guardian, directed by William Friedkin
• The Guyver

H

• Hamlet, directed by Franco Zeffirelli, starring Mel Gibson, Glenn Close, Helena Bonham Carter
• The Handmaid's Tale, directed by Volker Schlöndorff, starring Natasha Richardson, Faye Dunaway, Robert Duvall
• Hard to Kill, starring Steven Seagal
• Havana, directed by Sydney Pollack, starring Robert Redford, Lena Olin, Raúl Juliá
• Heart Condition, starring Bob Hoskins, and Denzel Washington
• Heaven and Earth, starring Tommy Lee Jones
• Henry & June, starring Fred Ward, Maria de Medeiros and Uma Thurman
• Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer
• Hidden Agenda, directed by Ken Loach, starring Frances McDormand
• Home Alone, starring Macaulay Culkin, Joe Pesci, Daniel Stern
• The Hot Spot, directed by Dennis Hopper, starring Don Johnson, Jennifer Connelly, Virginia Madsen
• House Party
• The Hunt for Red October, starring Sean Connery and Alec Baldwin, directed by John McTiernan

I

• I Come in Peace, starring Dolph Lundgren
• I Love You to Death, starring Kevin Kline and Tracey Ullman
• Internal Affairs, directed by Mike Figgis, starring Richard Gere and Andy García

J

• Jacob's Ladder, starring Tim Robbins, directed by Adrian Lyne
• Jetsons: The Movie
• Joe Versus the Volcano, starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan
• John & Brandy
• Journey of Hope (Reise der Hoffnung) - Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
• Ju Dou, directed by Zhang Yimou and Yang Fengliang, starring Gong Li

K

• Kindergarten Cop, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger
• King of New York, directed by Abel Ferrara, starring Christopher Walken, Wesley Snipes, Laurence Fishburne
• The Krays, directed by Peter Medak, starring Martin Kemp, Gary Kemp, Billie Whitelaw

L-Q

L

• Larks on a String (Skrivánci na niti) - Golden Bear award
• Last of the Finest
• Leatherface: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre III
• The Lemon Sisters, starring Diane Keaton
• Life Is Sweet, directed by Mike Leigh, starring Jim Broadbent
• Lionheart, starring Jean-Claude Van Damme
• Longtime Companion, starring Bruce Davison
• The Long Walk Home, starring Sissy Spacek and Whoopi Goldberg
• Look Who's Talking Too, starring John Travolta and Kirstie Alley
• Loose Cannons, starring Gene Hackman and Dan Aykroyd
• Lord of the Flies, starring Balthazar Getty
• Love at Large, starring Tom Berenger

M

• Mack the Knife, starring Raúl Juliá and Richard Harris
• A Man Called Sarge, starring Gary Kroeger and Marc Singer
• Marked for Death, starring Steven Seagal
• The Match Factory Girl, directed by Aki Kaurismäki, starring Kati Outinen
• Memories of a River
• Memphis Belle, directed by Michael Caton-Jones, starring Matthew Modine, Eric Stoltz, John Lithgow
• Men at Work, starring Emilio Estevez and Charlie Sheen
• Mermaids, directed by Richard Benjamin, starring Cher, Bob Hoskins, Winona Ryder, Christina Ricci
• Metropolitan
• Miami Blues, starring Fred Ward and Alec Baldwin
• Midnight Ride, starring Mark Hamill
• Miller's Crossing, directed by Joel and Ethan Coen, starring Gabriel Byrne, Albert Finney, Marcia Gay Harden
• Milou in May
• Misery, directed by Rob Reiner, starring James Caan and Kathy Bates
• Mo' Better Blues, directed by Spike Lee, starring Denzel Washington, Wesley Snipes, Samuel L. Jackson
• Mountains of the Moon, directed by Bob Rafelson, starring Patrick Bergin
• Movie... In Your Face
• Mr. and Mrs. Bridge, starring Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward
• Mr. Destiny, starring James Belushi
• My Blue Heaven, starring Steve Martin and Rick Moranis
• My Mother's Castle (Le Château de ma mère), directed by Yves Robert, Golden Space Needle award (for 1991) - see novel Le Château de ma mère

N

• Narrow Margin, starring Gene Hackman and Anne Archer
• The Nasty Girl (Das schreckliche Mädchen)
• Navy SEALs, starring Charlie Sheen
• The NeverEnding Story II: The Next Chapter
• Nightbreed, starring Craig Sheffer
• Nuns on the Run, starring Eric Idle and Robbie Coltrane
• The Nutcracker Prince

P

• Pacific Heights, directed by John Schlesinger, starring Michael Keaton, Melanie Griffith, Matthew Modine
• Piece of Cake, directed by Jay Sandrich, starring T. K. Carter, Cleavant Derricks, Vanessa Bell Calloway, Tonya Lee Williams
• Postcards from the Edge, directed by Mike Nichols, starring Meryl Streep, Shirley MacLaine, Dennis Quaid
• Predator 2, starring Danny Glover
• Presumed Innocent, directed by Alan J. Pakula, starring Harrison Ford
• Pretty Woman, directed by Garry Marshall, starring Julia Roberts and Richard Gere
• Problem Child, starring John Ritter
• Pump Up the Volume, directed by Allan Moyle, starring Christian Slater - Golden Space Needle award

Q

• Q&A, directed by Sidney Lumet, starring Nick Nolte and Timothy Hutton
• Quick Change, starring Bill Murray, Geena Davis, Randy Quaid
• Quigley Down Under, starring Tom Selleck and Alan Rickman

R-Z

R

• The Reflecting Skin
• Repossessed, a parody of The Exorcist, starring Leslie Nielsen and Linda Blair
• The Rescuers Down Under
• Revenge, starring Kevin Costner and Anthony Quinn
• Reversal of Fortune, starring Jeremy Irons, Glenn Close, Ron Silver
• RoboCop 2, starring Peter Weller and Nancy Allen
• Robot Jox
• Rock 'n' Roll High School Forever, starring Corey Feldman
• Rockula
• Rocky V, starring Sylvester Stallone, Talia Shire, Burt Young, Tommy Morrison
• Romeo.Juliet
• The Rookie, starring Clint Eastwood and Charlie Sheen
• Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead, starring Richard Dreyfuss and Tim Roth - Golden Lion award
• The Russia House, starring Sean Connery and Michelle Pfeiffer

S

• The Sheltering Sky, directed by Bernardo Bertolucci, starring Debra Winger and John Malkovich
• Shipwrecked, starring Gabriel Byrne
• Short Time, starring Dabney Coleman
• A Show of Force, starring Amy Irving
• Shreck
• Sibling Rivalry, starring Kirstie Alley
• Side Out, starring Courtney Thorne-Smith and C. Thomas Howell
• Silent Night, Deadly Night 4: Initiation
• Silent Scream, starring Robert Carlyle
• Singapore Sling
• Spaced Invaders, directed by Patrick Read Johnson, starring Douglas Barr, Royal Dano, Ariana Richards, J. J. Anderson
• Stanley & Iris, starring Robert De Niro and Jane Fonda
• State of Grace, starring Sean Penn, Ed Harris, Gary Oldman
• Stella, starring Bette Midler

T

• Taking Care of Business, starring James Belushi and Charles Grodin
• Tales from the Darkside: The Movie
• Tatie Danielle, starring Tsilla Chelton
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, directed by Steve Barron
• Tekken
• Texasville, directed by Peter Bogdanovich, starring Jeff Bridges, Timothy Bottoms, Cybill Shepherd
• Three Men and a Little Lady, starring Tom Selleck, Steve Guttenberg, Ted Danson
• Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!, directed by Pedro Almodóvar, starring Antonio Banderas
• Tilaï
• Total Recall, directed by Paul Verhoeven, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sharon Stone
• Treasure Island, starring Charlton Heston and Christian Bale
• Tremors, starring Kevin Bacon and Fred Ward
• Truly, Madly, Deeply, directed by Anthony Minghella, starring Alan Rickman and Juliet Stevenson
• The Two Jakes, directed by and starring Jack Nicholson, with Harvey Keitel, Meg Tilly, Eli Wallach

U

• UchÅ« no hōsoku
• Ultra Q The Movie: Legend of the Stars

V

• Vincent & Theo, starring Tim Roth
• Vincent and Me

W

• Welcome Home, Roxy Carmichael, starring Winona Ryder
• Where the Heart Is, starring Dabney Coleman
• White Hunter Black Heart, directed by and starring Clint Eastwood
• White Palace, starring Susan Sarandon and James Spader
• Wild at Heart, directed by David Lynch, starring Nicolas Cage, Laura Dern, Diane Ladd
• Wild Orchid, starring Mickey Rourke
• The Witches, directed by Nicolas Roeg, starring Anjelica Huston

Y

• Young Guns II, starring Emilio Estevez, Kiefer Sutherland, Lou Diamond Phillips, Christian Slater, William Petersen

Births

• January 13 - Liam Hemsworth, actor
• March 1 - Harry Eden, British actor
• March 24 - Keisha Castle-Hughes, actress
• April 9 - Kristen Stewart, actress
• April 10 - Alex Pettyfer, actor, model
• April 15 - Emma Watson, actress, model
• May 14 - Sasha Spielberg, actress, daughter of producer/director Steven Spielberg and actress Kate Capshaw
• June 13 - Aaron Taylor-Johnson, actror
• July 2 - Margot Robbie, actress
• July 6 - Jeremy Suarez, actor and voice actor
• July 24 - Daveigh Chase, actress
• August 15 - Jennifer Lawrence, actress
• October 22 - Jonathan Lipnicki, actor
• December 20 - JoJo, Americans singer-songwriter and actress

Notable deaths

Debuts

• Hank Azaria - Pretty Woman
• Benjamin Bratt - Bright Angel
• Julie Benz - Two Evil Eyes
• Robert Carlyle - Silent Scream
• Harry Connick, Jr. - Memphis Belle
• Kevin Connolly - Rocky V
• Russell Crowe - Blood Oath
• Balthazar Getty - Lord of the Flies
• Brendan Gleeson - The Field
• Djimon Hounsou - Without You I'm Nothing
• Charlie Korsmo - Men Don't Leave
• Brad Garret - Jetsons: The Movie
• Reba McEntire - Tremors
• Julianne Moore - Tales from the Darkside: The Movie
• Chris O'Donnell - Men Don't Leave
• Robert Patrick - Die Hard 2
• Christina Ricci - Mermaids
• Catherine Zeta-Jones - Les 1001 Nuits

References