Twenty-five years ago, Taylor Swift and Daniel Radcliffe were just born, the Berlin wall came down and the Nintendo Game Boy hit stores. It might also have been the best summer for movies ever.
While our summers these days are bloated with deflated series (“The Amazing Spider-Man”), explosive, product-placement-ridden eye vomit (“Transformers”) or lame comedies for the lowest common denominator (“Blended”), 1989 was a murderers’ row of hits that went on to become classics.
We got sequels to some of the most beloved franchises of all time — “Ghostbusters,” “Indiana Jones” and “Karate Kid” — and some new, instantly beloved franchises, like Tim Burton’s “Batman.”
Take a look at the lineup below and you’re sure to be asking: Where did your summer movie magic go, Hollywood?
May 24
“Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade”
Indiana was the dog’s name! The final movie in the Indiana Jones trilogy united Harrison Ford and the great Sean Connery in caper-filled adventure that they just don’t make anymore. Good thing they never ruined the legacy of this movie by making an ill-conceived fourth installment in the 2000s.
June 2
“Dead Poets Society”
The film that taught a generation of pseudo intellectuals the concept of “carpe diem.” But it also gave us a great Robin Williams: Serious Person role, as English teacher John Keating, which earned him an Oscar nomination. The film won the best original screenplay Oscar that year. Future stars Ethan Hawke and Josh Charles (“The Good Wife”) were among his students.
June 9
“Star Trek V: The Final Frontier”
The fifth installment of the original Enterprise crew had the highest opening gross of any film in the series at that point, and owned the box office that weekend. Now all we get are J.J. Abrams “Star Trek” movies that look like wannabe “Star Wars” movies.
June 13
“Licence to Kill”
The 16th James Bond movie was Timothy Dalton’s second and final performance as the character. Carey Lowell played Bond girl Pam Bouvier, and the cast was rounded out by crooner Wayne Newton as Professor Joe Butcher and a then-unknown Benicio Del Toro as a henchman in his second ever movie role (his first was “Big Top Pee-wee” the year before).
June 16
“Ghostbusters II”
Critics balked at this sequel, but the “Ghostbusters” return was a line-up-early-outside-the-theater event for this kid and his 8-year-old pals. The movie had the biggest three-day-weekend gross in history ($29.5 million) when it was released (a record broken the next weekend by…)
June 23
“Batman”
Funny to think that 25 years ago, people thought making a comic book movie was a big risk. And that casting Michael Keaton as the Caped Crusader was a bad move. They were all proven so wrong that now you can’t swing a dead Catwoman in a theater without hitting a superhero movie.
“Honey, I Shrunk the Kids”
Rick Moranis, we miss you! Moranis, who has since retired from acting, starred in this creative and fun, pre-green-screen era sci-fi family film. It became the highest-grossing live-action Disney movie ever at the time, and led to an awesome giant-size lawn play area in Orlando’s Disney MGM Studios park inspired by the movie’s scenes.
June 30
“Do the Right Thing”
Spike Lee’s movie about a sweltering summer day in Bed-Stuy is such a classic that it was the movie Barack and Michelle Obama saw on their first date. It nabbed Oscar nominations for best original screenplay and for Danny Aiello for best supporting actor.
“The Karate Kid, Part III”
Sure, it was a bit of a re-tread of the previous two movies. But it was still pretty cool to see Mr. Miyagi one more time. And it was better than “The Next Karate Kid.”
July 5
“Weekend at Bernie’s”
The absurd movie about two guys pretending their dead boss is still alive became a cultural icon, shorthand for “doing weird stuff with dead people.”
July 7
“Lethal Weapon 2”
Danny Glover and Mel Gibson back together! Before Gibson got all weird on us!
July 14
“Peter Pan” (1953 film re-release)
Remember when we would only get, like, one kids’ movie per year? Pretty sure this wasn’t in 3-D either.
“When Harry Met Sally…”
One of the most romantic comedies of all time, it’s responsible for one of the most iconic scenes of all time too: the Katz Deli orgasm scream. Critics also loved it, and Nora Ephron received an Oscar nomination for her screenplay.
July 21
“UHF”
This comedy from Weird Al didn’t tear up the box office, but it became a cult classic. Also, don’t forget Weird Al was the king of the ’80s.
July 28
“Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan”
Jason hitches a ride to the Big Apple! Mayhem ensues! This was a time before theaters were packed with a bunch of mediocre horror movies every weekend.
“Turner & Hooch”
Young Tom Hanks and a big slobbering dog. What’s not to love?
Aug. 2
“Parenthood”
Back when Steve Martin made actual good movies, the film’s ensemble cast (including Rick Moranis, who was pulling triple duty this summer, and a young Keanu Reeves) charmed audiences. Its legacy was so strong it inspired two spin-off series — an unsuccessful one with Leonardo DiCaprio in 1990 and the currently popular one, heading into its sixth season this fall.
Aug. 9
“The Abyss”
Before he had the 3-D blue aliens of “Avatar,” James Cameron went under the sea with this sci-fi hit. It won an Oscar for best special effects.
Aug. 11
“A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child”
A Jason AND a Freddy movie in the same summer? The horror cinema gods smiled upon us.
Aug. 16
“Uncle Buck”
John Candy, we miss you too! The late great comedy star headed up this comedy written and directed by John Hughes. It also introduced the world to a young Macaulay Culkin, who would break out the next year in “Home Alone.”
Aug. 18
“Sex, Lies, and Videotape”
Those who were adults in 1989 ended the summer on a more serious note. This was director Steven Soderbergh’s debut, and won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival. Starring a sexy young James Spader and still-new Andie MacDowell, the title launched a bunch of movie careers — and a thousand parody headlines for tabloid writers everywhere.