IMDb Editors' Favorite Films & Shows of 1990
IMDb editors shared their favorite films and shows released in 1990.
Which of their picks do you like the most?
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- DirectorChris ColumbusStarsMacaulay CulkinJoe PesciDaniel SternAn eight-year-old troublemaker, mistakenly left home alone, must defend his home against a pair of burglars on Christmas Eve.Thirty years later, and Macaulay Culkin may still be working to distance himself from the role that cemented his child star status, but despite his best efforts, I still adore him as the precocious Kevin McCallister. Big respect for his decision to step back into the spotlight in unexpected places ("American Horror Story" is a solid and bold move), but I can’t let the holiday season pass by without watching this infinitely quotable Christmas comedy with an epic cast, including Catherine O'Hara, Joe Pesci, and John Candy. — Hannah
- CreatorAndy BorowitzSusan BorowitzStarsWill SmithJames AveryAlfonso RibeiroA streetwise, poor young man from Philadelphia is sent by his mother to live with his aunt, uncle and cousins in their Bel-Air mansion."The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" gave us one of the catchiest theme songs in recent memory ("Yo Home to Bel-Air"), an iconic dance (The Carlton) and launched the career (and my adoration) of the multitalented Will Smith into the stratosphere. A dramatic reboot of the series was announced earlier this year and I can’t wait to see how the series is reimagined. I just really hope the Carlton dance makes an appearance. — Vanessa
- DirectorRobert ZemeckisStarsMichael J. FoxChristopher LloydMary SteenburgenStranded in 1955, Marty McFly learns about the death of Doc Brown in 1885 and must travel back in time to save him. With no fuel readily available for the DeLorean, the two must figure how to escape the Old West before Emmett is murdered.Comedy, romance, and sci-fi shenanigans in the Old West— what's not to like? While nothing could live up to the impact of the original, Part III blazed its own trail to deliver a pioneering take on the time-travel formula. The movie remains one of my all-time favorite westerns and holds up as a rollicking adventure for the whole family. — Marcus
- CreatorGene RoddenberryStarsPatrick StewartBrent SpinerJonathan FrakesSet almost 100 years after Captain Kirk's 5-year mission, a new generation of Starfleet officers sets off in the U.S.S. Enterprise-D on its own mission to go where no one has gone before.There have been many continuations of the "Star Trek" universe following the Enterprise's original voyages, but "The Next Generation" will always hold a special place in the show's canon for proving that the franchise could live on without Kirk in the captain's chair. The series served up gripping tales of morality in a hopeful future while expanding a generation's dream of what could be. 1990 was a pivotal year for the series, delivering the dramatic conclusion to "The Best of Both Worlds," and providing one of the best two-parters in television history as Picard was captured by the Borg. — Marcus
- DirectorMartin ScorseseStarsRobert De NiroRay LiottaJoe PesciThe story of Henry Hill and his life in the mafia, covering his relationship with his wife Karen and his mob partners Jimmy Conway and Tommy DeVito.Goodfellas is IMDb's most popular movie from 1990 (by rating and total votes) for countless reasons. First of all, you just can't be seduced by Ray Liotta in the role of Henry Hill — even when he's yelling "why did you do that?!" and calling you Karen. And didn't you want to work for Pauly Cicero back in the day and learn to slice garlic with a razor blade for the pasta course? — Arno
- CreatorMark FrostDavid LynchStarsKyle MacLachlanMichael OntkeanMädchen AmickAn idiosyncratic FBI agent investigates the murder of a young woman in the even more idiosyncratic town of Twin Peaks."Twin Peaks" was definitely one of my first memories of appointment TV. Every week my friends and I would crowd around a very tiny TV in my college dorm trying (much like FBI Special agent Dale Cooper) to solve the mystery of who killed Laura Palmer, but quickly getting more invested in the backstories of the bizarre residents of Twin Peaks than the murder itself. I don’t think any of us went in expecting it to be as supernatural, scary, and completely surreal as it turned out to be, but that was definitely the reason why we kept coming back. — Vanessa
- DirectorRob ReinerStarsJames CaanKathy BatesRichard FarnsworthAfter a famous author is rescued from a car crash by a fan of his novels, he comes to realize that the care he is receiving is only the beginning of a nightmare of captivity and abuse.Misery still brings the scares 30 years after its release, due in large part to one of the screen's most memorable villains, Annie Wilkes. It's worth noting that Kathy Bates' Oscar-winning performance secured the only Academy Award ever given to a Stephen King adaptation. — James
- DirectorStephen FrearsStarsAnjelica HustonJohn CusackAnnette BeningA small-time conman has torn loyalties between his estranged mother and new girlfriend, both of whom are high-stakes grifters with their own angles to play.The 1980s made John Cusack a star, but he made some of his best movies in the '90s, and he kicked off the decade with this Stephen Frears collab — the director's follow-up to Dangerous Liaisons. And let's not forget the movie introduced most of us to Annette Bening, while Anjelica Huston made us look at oranges with a sense of fear and trepidation. — Arno
- DirectorTim BurtonStarsJohnny DeppWinona RyderDianne WiestThe solitary life of an artificial man - who was incompletely constructed and has scissors for hands - is upended when he is taken in by a suburban family.Edward Scissorhands marked the first of the eight quirky film collaborations between Johnny Depp and Tim Burton and is (scissor)hands down my favorite of their work together (though Sleepy Hollow and Ed Wood tie for a close second.) Thirty years on, Depp’s endearing embodiment of the melancholy Edward (alone in his house on the hill) still makes me sad, which is perhaps why I continue to love it. — Vanessa
- DirectorPaul VerhoevenStarsArnold SchwarzeneggerSharon StoneMichael IronsideWhen a man goes in to have virtual vacation memories of the planet Mars implanted in his mind, an unexpected and harrowing series of events forces him to go to the planet for real - or is he?As a fan of Arnold Schwarzenegger's brand of action, I was impressed with the production design and early versions of CGI used to establish the sci-fi universe when I finally watched the movie years after its release. Also, the 1990s were peak Paul Verhoeven. — Sneha
- DirectorGarry MarshallStarsRichard GereJulia RobertsJason AlexanderA man in a legal but hurtful business needs an escort for some social events, and hires a beautiful prostitute he meets... only to fall in love.I’m slightly embarrassed to admit that I first fell for the onscreen pairing of Julia Roberts and Richard Gere when I saw Runaway Bride in the late 90s, and it wasn’t until years later that I pressed rewind and watched the duo in this career-defining film. While the premise of Pretty Woman certainly would not fly today, rom-com queen Roberts (who won a Golden Globe for her performance) is so utterly charming as Vivian Ward that I practically want to kick Gere out of the frame and hang out with her. Does anyone dare remake this with a modernized take? — Hannah
- DirectorWhit StillmanStarsCarolyn FarinaEdward ClementsChris EigemanA group of young upper-class Manhattanites are blithely passing through the gala debutante season, when an unusual outsider joins them and stirs them up.Writer/director Whit Stillman for sure created his own cinematic universe in the early 1990s, as Metropolitan and Barcelona played on a constant tape loop in dorm rooms, crash pads, and beyond. Stillman lambasted privileged society from within, while introducing a generation of movie-watchers to the comedy of manners. His one-two culture punch also positioned Chris Eigeman as an indie leading man a decade before he landed in Stars Hollow. — Arno
- DirectorIndra KumarStarsAamir KhanMadhuri DixitSaeed JaffreyA man pretends to be a rich industrialist to improve his son's chances of marrying in to wealth, but his plan backfires on him.A 1990 box office success, Dil starring Aamir Khan, Madhuri Dixit and Anupam Kher hit alot of the "90s Hindi romantic comedy" beats for me. A story where college rivals eventually fall in love yet are being controlled by society pays tribute to Romeo and Juliet and to Aamir Khan's earlier success inQayamat se Qayamat Tak. Directed by Indra Kumar, Dil showcases Aamir Khan's start in Hindi cinema when he played more mainstream romantic lead roles. Definitely worth checking out. — Sneha
- CreatorDonald P. BellisarioStarsScott BakulaDean StockwellDeborah PrattDuring an experiment into time travel, a scientist finds himself trapped in the past, "leaping" into the lives of different people, sorting out their problems and changing history in hopes of getting back to his own life in the present.By the time Season 2 of "Quantum Leap" kicked off in 1990, I was already a die-hard fan of the sci-fi, mystery-of-the-week series. I’m pretty sure I watched all 97 episodes, never getting tired of Sam Beckett’s “Oh boy…” after discovering whose body he had inhabited for the upcoming episode. I still wonder if he ever made it back home. — Vanessa
- DirectorJohn McTiernanStarsSean ConneryAlec BaldwinScott GlennIn November 1984, the Soviet Union's best submarine captain violates orders and heads for the U.S. in a new undetectable sub. The American CIA and military must quickly determine: Is he trying to defect or to start a war?There’s a star-studded roster of actors who have portrayed analyst Jack Ryan, a character inspired by Tom Clancy’s bestselling novels. Before Harrison Ford, Ben Affleck, Chris Pine and John Krasinski, a slick, young Alec Baldwin played the part in this Cold War-era action thriller. Tales of Americans and Russians joining forces for good aren’t exactly in surplus in 2020, so Ryan’s chummy nature with Soviet sub captain Marko Ramius (Sean Connery) makes an enjoyable throwback watch. — Hannah
- CreatorSusan HarrisStarsBea ArthurBetty WhiteRue McClanahanFour previously married women live together in Miami, sharing their various experiences together and enjoying themselves despite hard times.The '80s TV hit that remained huge in the '90s — and still inspires craft trends in 2020 — was more groundbreaking as a primetime comedy than you might remember. As the last Girl with us, Betty White must live forever. — Arno
- DirectorRon UnderwoodStarsKevin BaconFred WardFinn CarterNatives of a small isolated town defend themselves against strange underground creatures which are killing them one by one.The creature features of the 1950s may be a bit too dated and campy to generate chills anymore, but I've always loved the 1990's Tremors as an effective throwback alternative to those flicks. The movie strikes a great balance of humor and scares, without ever leaning too far in either direction, and never taking itself seriously enough that you're going to leave scared or afraid to turn out the lights. — James
- DirectorSteve BarronStarsJudith HoagElias KoteasJosh PaisFour teenage mutant ninja turtles emerge from the shadows to protect New York City from a gang of criminal ninjas.Although the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise continued to reach new audiences through numerous TV series and movies, it hit peak cultural relevance in the '90s, when you couldn't walk through a store without seeing branded merchandise EVERYWHERE. Even though the movie is best appreciated for the nostalgia, it's fun to revisit a time when practical effects and foam latex was the norm. — James
- DirectorPhilip RidleyStarsViggo MortensenLindsay DuncanJeremy CooperIn the 1950s, a young boy living with his troublesome family in rural USA fantasizes that a neighboring widow is actually a vampire, responsible for a number of disappearances in the area.If you're looking for new nightmare fuel, this is it. The Reflecting Skin looks like an Andrew Wyeth painting come to life, only with demons and vampires wandering the fields of wheat. And if you're devoted to Viggo Mortensen but haven't seen this movie — which was unavailable on streaming until recently — this is one of his earliest, and spookiest, performances. — Arno
- DirectorJoel CoenEthan CoenStarsGabriel ByrneAlbert FinneyJohn TurturroTom Reagan, an advisor to a Prohibition-era crime boss, tries to keep the peace between warring mobs but gets caught in divided loyalties.Goodfellas may be THE gangster movie of 1990, but Miller's Crossing is probably my favorite film in the genre and possibly my favorite film directed by Joel and Ethan Coen. It's a got a twisty, noir-ish plot, striking set-pieces, and features some standout performances by Jon Polito, John Turturro, Marcia Gay Harden, and Gabriel Byrne. — James
- CreatorDick WolfRick EidStarsJerry OrbachJesse L. MartinDennis FarinaNew York's finest police detectives and prosecutors fight to make the city a safer place. With integrity as the guiding force from investigation to verdict, the teams weigh every perspective in their commitment to finding justice.The electric keyboard and guitar plucking of the "Law & Order" theme song has been instantly recognizable to me since I can remember. As a kid, my parents would tuck me in and promptly tune in to the latest episode, and I’d hear the signature “dun-dun” from down the hall. Over the years I’ve put in plenty of time playing catch-up, indulging in countless marathons of the 20-season series (not to mention "SVU"). In hindsight, it has its fair share of cheese and questionable police practices, but between the detective banter, courtroom drama and regular cameos by celebs in their early acting days, the words “In the criminal justice system…” are still guaranteed to grab my attention. — Hannah
- CreatorD.J. MacHaleNed KandelStarsRoss HullDaniel DeSantoRaine Pare-CoullA group of teenagers meet in the woods, and tell scary stories.Growing up, I believed that the episodes from this series were based in reality since they were told by a group of tweens. That's why I regularly had nightmares after watching the show. Looking back, it definitely fits the "Twilight Zone" for tweens style of TV, and I plan on re-watching episodes from the series this Halloween. — Sneha
- DirectorAdrian LyneStarsTim RobbinsElizabeth PeñaDanny AielloMourning his dead child, a haunted Vietnam War veteran attempts to uncover his past while suffering from a severe case of dissociation. To do so, he must decipher reality and life from his own dreams, delusions, and perceptions of death.As a scaredy-cat, I’m not sure how I actually managed to watch this movie, but it has stayed with me for so long probably because it’s so much more than just a horror film, exploring the psychological impact of war; the terror of losing one’s mind, mourning the death of a child. I won’t spoil it for you (even though you’ve had 30 years to watch this), but this film will keep you guessing to the end, and definitely make you think twice about taking the subway at night, or looking through a hole in the wall (why would you do this?), or ever going into a hospital again. — Vanessa
- CreatorRowan AtkinsonRichard CurtisStarsRowan AtkinsonMatilda ZieglerRobin DriscollBumbling, childlike Mr. Bean has trouble completing the simplest of day-to-day tasks, but his perseverance and resourcefulness frequently allow him to find ingenious ways around problems.Rowan Atkinson rarely speaks in "Mr. Bean," but it's for the best because you'll be laughing too hard to hear anyone talking anyway. This is physical comedy at its finest! While the spinoff movies may not have won audiences over in the same way, going back to the British icon's original series is always a treat, and it's a lovely distraction in 2020. — Marcus
- DirectorSam RaimiStarsLiam NeesonFrances McDormandColin FrielsA brilliant scientist left for dead returns to exact revenge on the people who burned him alive.Years before he breathed new life into the superhero genre with 2002's Spider-Man, Sam Raimi showed that his madcap filmmaking style was perfectly suited for comic book adaptations with 1990's Darkman. There's still the gruesome dark humor you'd expect from the director of the Evil Dead films, and it's just as much an homage to Universal monster movies as it is the origin story of a new anti-hero. — James
- DirectorYimou ZhangFengliang YangStarsGong LiWei LiBaotian LiIn rural China, the young bride of a tyrannical owner of a silk-dyeing business finds temporary solace in the arms of her husband's nephew, but problems arise when she becomes pregnant.If you are a fan of House of Flying Daggers and Zhang Yimou's other better-known films, but you haven't checked out Ju Dou, it's the movie that put him on the worldwide scene thanks to its Oscar nomination and condemnation by Chinese censors. The melodramatic narrative (meant as a compliment) and Technicolor-saturated scenes would become trademarks of Yimou's style. — Arno
- DirectorRenny HarlinStarsBruce WillisWilliam AthertonBonnie BedeliaJohn McClane attempts to avert disaster as rogue military operatives seize control of Dulles International Airport in Washington, D.C.I have a confession: Back in 1990, I preferred Die Hard 2 to the original. There's no good reason for that, other than the folly of youth and fact that the sequel dialed everything up to 11, setting the tone for the rest of the franchise: an abundance of action set-pieces, one-liners galore, and enough shattered glass to keep glaziers employed for years to come. — James
- DirectorRajkumar SantoshiStarsSunny DeolAmrish PuriMeenakshi SheshadriAjay Mehra, an amateur boxer, takes revenge against Balwant Rai, a crooked businessman, after his elder brother is killed.Rajkumar Santoshi’s directorial debut, Ghayal is one of Sunny Deol’s most iconic and memorable roles. In a movie packed with action, drama, and romance, my favorite moments come every time Ajay Mehra (Sunny Deol) demands business tycoon Balwant Rai (Amrish Puri) pay for murdering Mehra’s older brother. The dramatic twists and turns in this movie will definitely have you cheering and audibly gasping from your seat. — Sneha
- DirectorGeoff MurphyStarsEmilio EstevezKiefer SutherlandLou Diamond PhillipsBilly the Kid and his band of outlaws are pursued across New Mexico territory by Sheriff Pat Garrett, whom the young gunslingers must face-off with if they are to reach the safety of the border.It may not have been as well-received as Young Guns, but with an iconic line ("I'll make you famous") and an expanded cast of rising young actors, Young Guns II may have left a bigger impression on me than the original. It may have also been that I couldn't turn on MTV in 1990 without seeing Jon Bon Jovi's soundtrack mega-hit, "Blaze of Glory." — James
- DirectorNicolas RoegStarsAnjelica HustonMai ZetterlingJasen FisherA young boy stumbles onto a witch convention and must stop them, even after he has been turned into a mouse.How I missed this 30 years ago is a mystery, but The Witches is worth a watch for Angelica Huston's fabulous performance and for being one of the few truly dark Roald Dahl adaptations. There's also some great puppetry work on display, courtesy of Jim Henson's creature shop. — James