These are the 1989 Endy Awards, wherein I pretend to give out maneki-neko statues to the best in that year in film. Awards for many other years can be found in the Rankings & Awards Index. Eligibility is determined by imdb date and by whether or not I’ve seen the movie in question. Nominees are listed in alphabetical order and the winners are bolded. And the Endy goes to. . .

Best Picture:

1. A Better Tomorrow III: Love and Death in Saigon
2. A City of Sadness
3. Do the Right Thing
4. Eight Taels of Gold
5. Henry V
6. Kiki’s Delivery Service
7. The Killer
8. My Heart is that Eternal Rose
9. Pedicab Driver
10. When Harry Met Sally. . .

Best Director:

1. Tsui Hark, A Better Tomorrow III: Love and Death in Saigon
2. Hou Hsiao-hsien, A City of Sadness
3. Spike Lee, Do the Right Thing
4. Hayao Miyazaki, Kiki’s Delivery Service
5. John Woo, The Killer

The last time I looked at 1989, it was just after watching The Killer as preparation for a podcast on John Woo, and blown away by that film I moved it into the #1 spot. But now I’m thinking that was a bit rash and I’m moving Do the Right Thing back to its regular position at the top. A City of Sadness rounds out a top three of the year that rates with any in film history.

Best Actor:

1. Kenneth Branagh, Henry V
2. Chow Yun-fat, The Killer
3. Sammo Hung, Pedicab Driver
4. John Cusack, Say Anything…
5. Takeshi Kitano, Violent Cop

Best Actress:

1. Anita Mui, A Better Tomorrow III: Love and Death in Saigon
2. Michelle Pfeiffer, The Fabulous Baker Boys
3. Maggie Cheung, A Fishy Story
4. Annette Bening, Valmont
5. Meg Ryan, When Harry Met Sally… 

Sammo is better as an “actor” in Eight Taels of Gold, but he’s very good in Pedicab Driver, a film in which he does some of his best stuntwork as well. In previous years the sheer quantity of Chow’s excellent work this year (in All About Ah-long, God of Gamblers and A Better Tomorrow III as well as The Killer) would have earned him the Endy.

Supporting Actor:

1. Tony Leung, A City of Sadness
2. Ossie Davis, Do the Right Thing
3. Giancarlo Esposito, Do the Right Thing
4. Morgan Freeman, Glory
5. Tony Leung, My Heart is that Eternal Rose

Supporting Actress:

1. Sylvia Chang, All About Ah-long
2. Amy Madigan, Field of Dreams
3. Nicoletta Braschi, Mystery Train
4. Martha Plimpton, Parenthood
5. Meg Tilly, Valmont

Tony Leung is the third actor in Endy history to be nominated twice in the same category in the same year, joining Harvey Keitel in 1992 and Maggie Cheung in 1996. These are his eighth and ninth nominations. He won Best Actor in 2000 for In the Mood for Love and in 1997 for Happy Together. Chang was nomination-worthy in Eight Taels of Gold and Full Moon in New York, but picks up her first acting Endy in the supporting role here. She was nominated in Supporting for Mountains May Depart in 2015 and Tempting Heart in 1999, and Lead for 20 30 40 in 2004.

Original Screenplay:

1. Chris Matheson & Ed Solomon, Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure
2. Chu T’ien-wen & Wu Nien-jen, A City of Sadness
3. Spike Lee, Do the Right Thing
4. John Woo, The Killer
5. Nora Ephron, When Harry Met Sally…

Adapted Screenplay:

1. Tsui Hark, Edward Leung & Tai Foo-ho, A Better Tomorrow III: Love and Death in Saigon
2. Gus Van Sant & Daniel Yost, Drugstore Cowboy
3. Phil Alden Robinson, Field of Dreams
4. Kenneth Branagh, Henry V
5. Hayao Miyazaki, Kiki’s Delivery Service

Non-English Language Film:

1. A Better Tomorrow III: Love and Death in Saigon (Tsui Hark)
2. A City of Sadness (Hou Hsiao-hsien)
3. The Killer (John Woo)
4. Kiki’s Delivery Service (Hayao Miyazaki)
5. Pedicab Driver (Sammo Hung)

Non-Fiction Film:

1. Roger & Me (Michael Moore)

Animated Film:

1. Kiki’s Delivery Service (Hayao Miyazaki)
2. The Little Mermaid (Ron Clements & John Musker)
3. Wallace & Grommit: A Grand Day Out (Nick Park)

Unseen Film:

1. Black Rain (Shohei Imamura)
2. Born on the 4th of July (Oliver Stone)
3. Casualties of War (Brian De Palma)
4. The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover (Peter Greenaway)

Film Editing:

1. A Better Tomorrow III: Love and Death in Saigon
2. A City of Sadness
3. Do the Right Thing
4. The Killer
5. My Heart is that Eternal Rose

Cinematography:

1. The Abyss
2. A City of Sadness
3. Do the Right Thing
4. Eight Taels of Gold
5. The Killer

Two more tight races here between The Killer and Do the Right Thing.

Art Direction:

1. Batman
2. A City of Sadness
3. Do the Right Thing
4. Henry V
5. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

Costume Design:

1. Batman
2. Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure
3. Henry V
4. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
5. Mystery Train

Make-up:

1. Batman
2. The Killer
3. My Heart is that Eternal Rose
4. Weekend at Bernie’s
5. When Harry Met Sally…

Meg Ryan’s hair.

Original Score:

1. Batman
2. Do the Right Thing
3. Kiki’s Delivery Service
4. The Killer
5. UHF

Adapted Score:

1. Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure
2. Do the Right Thing
3. Drugstore Cowboy
4. The Fabulous Baker Boys
5. Henry V

Original Song:

1. “Fight the Power” – Public Enemy, Do the Right Thing
2. “Drunk for Life” – Sally Yeh, The Killer
3. “Part of Your World” – Jodi Benson, The Little Mermaid

Just writing that made Yeh’s song get stuck in my head.

Sound:

1. A City of Sadness
2. Do the Right Thing
3. Field of Dreams
4. Glory
5. The Killer

Sound Editing:

1. Back to the Future Part II
2. Batman
3. The Killer
4. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
5. Glory

Visual Effects:

1. The Abyss
2. Back to the Future Part II
3. Batman
4. Honey, I Shrunk the Kids
5. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade