The Little Mermaid (1989) - ★★★★★

Directors: Ron Clements, John Musker
Voice Actors: Jodi Benson, Pat Carroll, Samuel E. Wright, Jason Marin, Buddy Hackett, Christopher Daniel Barnes

The Little Mermaid was the beginning of the Disney Renaissance, a period between 1989 and 1999 which contains a large portion of the greatest films that Disney ever made. As the first of its era, this movie still stands as one of the most beautiful creations in the history of animated cinema. While Ariel longed to be part of our world, as a child I longed to be part of hers. This movie still captivates me to this day, with its sweeping score, groundbreaking animation, and wonderfully entertaining characters. I get emotional at many Disney movies, but The Little Mermaid manages to make me blubber in tears more than almost any other. While its message isn't a particularly admirable one for little girls, it's still a story that many young people can relate to. The longing to break free and discover new things. While many of my childhood favourites faded into mediocrity, The Little Mermaid still ranks as one of the best.

Roger & Me (1989) - ★★★★★

Director: Michael Moore
Writer: Michael Moore

Roger & Me is the very first documentary that Michael Moore ever made, and in my opinion, it is his best. He returns to his hometown to find that the CEO of General Motors, Roger Smith, has decided to close down several car manufacturing plants. At the time, this caused the loss of approximately 30,000 jobs. Moore achieved his goal of showing the audience how detrimental the downsizing was to the people of Flint. As an added spark, we see much of the Michael Moore Flare, as he follows Roger Smith around the country to try to get answers. It's one of the most effective documentaries I've ever seen. Even though the subject is of a much smaller scale than what most documentaries tend to tackle, it's the way Moore presents his case that shows just how important the subject is. It's not a film that changed the world, but it's a very powerful film in itself. The little guy, the unimportant factor in the equation, is fighting back against the careless acts of the big guys.

A family getting kicked out on Christmas Eve.

Pet Sematary (1989) - ★½

Director: Mary Lambert
Writers: Stephen King (Novel and Screenplay)
Stars: Dale Midkiff, Fred Gwynne, Denise Crosby, Brad Greenquist, Miko Hughes, Blaze Berdahl

I'm at a loss for words to describe how bad this movie is. The acting is so bad that I was either gritting my teeth or laughing my ass off the whole way through. It isn't the least bit scary, with minimal suspense and thrill. The special effects are atrocious at times, but what can you expect from a B-grade horror movie from the 80s? The story is actually pretty awesome, it's just executed terribly in every possible way. For me, the one redeeming factor is that Fred Gwynne (AKA, Herman Munster) is in this movie! Pet Sematary is a classic, but it's actually a terrible film.

We're No Angels (1989) - ★★

Director: Neil Jordan
Writer: David Mamet
Stars: Robert De Niro, Sean Penn, Demi Moore, Hoyt Axton, Ray McAnally, James Russo, John C. Reilly

This isn't a bad movie, but it's nothing special or memorable. It seems like a film that was made because De Niro was tired of doing serious roles and wanted something fun. If there is one thing you can take out of this film, it's seeing Sean Penn as a young man, finding his feet in the film industry.

The story follows two escaped convicts, Ned (Robert De Niro), and Jim (Sean Penn). On the run from the unflinchingly cruel, no-nonsense Warden of the prison (Ray McAnally), they find refuge with a church in a small town on the border of Canada. They are mistaken for two priests that did not show up to analyse the town phenomenon of the Weeping Virgin Mary statue. The two are keen to flee across the border to Canada, but one thing after another foils their plans to freedom. Along the way we meet Molly (Demi Moore), an agressive mother of a child who is 'deaf and dumb.' She plays a big role in their plans to avoid being captured.

The story itself is actually pretty funny. My problem is that it didn't come across as funny on the screen. This is supposed to be a comedy, yet I've seen De Niro have funnier performances in many of his serious roles. It has a recipe for a great film: a good story, legendary leading actors, nice cinematography, and a brilliant supporting cast. It just didn't mesh into a consistently entertaining film. For this reason, the movie as a 'comedy' fails.

The supporting cast were funnier than the leads. Particularly John C. Reilly as the young monk who idolizes Father Brown (aka Jim). It's always interesting to see a famous actor's humble beginnings in the film industry. I also thought that Ray McAnally was brilliant as the warden, who was filled with rage because three of his most hated convicts escaped on his watch. Demi Moore was really good as Molly, and also quite irritating. She was strong, stubborn and rude to the priests, but I suppose it was with good reason. These performances were part of the reason this film received two stars.

The other reason this film received two stars is because of one scene which blew me away. It was when Jim gave a speech from the heart about believing in God. "Is God good? I don't know. All I know is... something may give you comfort. And maybe you deserve it. If it comforts you to believe in God, then you do it. That's your business." Sean Penn knocked this monologue out of the park, providing a scene that was much too high a calibre for the movie itself. It really was the highlight of the film for me.

We're No Angels isn't satisfying as a comedy, however, it is satisfying as a film itself. I was never bored for a moment in this film, and never particularly interested (excluding Penn's monologue). If you're a big fan of De Niro and Penn, then you may like this film. I am a big fan of theirs, and I guess that is a part of the reason why I don't hate it. Like I've been saying, it's not a bad film, nor is it good.