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In a 1977 New York Times article, director Michael Cimino was asked how big of a role the Vietnam war would play in "The Deer Hunter." He replied, "The war is really incidental to the development of the characters and their story. It's a part of their lives and just that, nothing more. I have no interest in making a 'Vietnam' film, no interest in making a direct political statement."

Released the same year, Francis Ford Coppola's "Apocalypse Now" contemplates the moral ramifications of war whereas "The Deer Hunter" considers how it affects the homefront. "The Deer Hunter" is the story of a group of friends — Michael, Nick, and Steven — that belong to a tight-knit Russian Orthodox community in rural Pennsylvania. With the exception of the infamous Russian roulette scenes, the film focuses on their struggle to assimilate into their community and reconcile their trauma after participating in the Vietnam war.

From a crazy early Nic Cage role to a lesser-known film starring Robert De Niro, here's our pick of 25 underappreciated films from 1989...

Ah, 1989. The year the Berlin Wall came down and Yugoslavia won the Eurovision Song Contest. It was also a big year for film, with Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade topping the box office and Batman dominating the summer with its inescapable marketing blitz.

Outside the top 10 highest-grossing list, which included Back To The Future II, Dead Poets Society and Honey I Shrunk The Kids, 1989 also included a plethora of less commonly-appreciated films. Some were big in their native countries but only received a limited release in the Us and UK. Others were poorly received but have since been reassessed as cult items.

From comedies to thrillers, here's our pick of 25 underappreciated films from the end of the 80s...

25. An Innocent Man

Disney, through its Touchstone banner, had high hopes for this thriller,...

HollywoodNews.com: The 16th Annual Hollywood Film Awards, presented by the Los Angeles Times, has announced that two-time Oscar-winning actor Robert De Niro will be honored with the "Hollywood Supporting Actor Award" at the festival's Hollywood Film Awards Gala Ceremony for his fantastic performance in David O. Russell's "Silver Linings Playbook." The announcement was made today by Carlos de Abreu, Founder and Executive Director of the Hollywood Film Awards. He said: "Robert De Niro is not only highly regarded for his body of work as an actor, producer, and director, but also for the passion, integrity, and dedication he brings to his performances on camera, as well as his intense off-camera preparation and study of the characters he brings to life. His performance in the upcoming film "Silver Linings Playbook" is outstanding." The 2012 Hollywood Film Awards has also announced that it will honor Academy Award-winning actress Marion Cotillard with the "Hollywood Actress Award,...

With numerous exceptions, Robert De Niro's filmography has generally been divided between early drama and late comedy. In accepting the Cecil B. DeMille Award for lifetime achievement, De Niro leaned heavily on the latter.

Sunday at the Golden Globes, De Niro – never one for self-congratulation – declined to play up his iconography, and instead was happy to parody it.

Rather than tout accomplishments such as his performances in "Taxi Driver" or "The Godfather, Part II" or "Goodfellas," De Niro joked that some of his less acclaimed films – "Frankenstein" or "Jacknife" or "Stone" – were missing from the introductory reel.

"All of them are like my children," he said of his films, using the old cliche. After a beat, he added that the exception was his children can't be remade in 3-D to increase grosses.

De Niro even guessed that the Hollywood Foreign Press Association might not have chosen him for the...

Enjoy Ricky Gervais’ Golden Globes performance now as it’ll probably be the last time you see him host the award show.

The comedian eviscerated everyone from Tom Cruise to the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) — aka the people that vote on and run the Golden Globes — in a devastating opening that most likely earned him a spot on the “Do Not Invite” list next year.

Hollywood’s loss is our gain, though, as Gervais imbued the superficial proceedings with rare jolts of earnestness and sincerity, tearing away the veneer of fake smiles and polite applause in favor of numerous “He’s going to get beat up backstage” moments.

But it wasn’t all about Gervais. While the only real surprise came with Paul Giamatti’s upset win over Johnny Depp for Best Actor – Comedy or Musical, there were still myriad best and worst moments, including…

Best Ricky Gervais Amputates...

Subject: Robert De Niro, 67-year old American actor, producer, hotelier & director

Date of Assessment: January 7, 2011

Positive Buzzwords: Legendary, Scorsese

Negative Buzzwords: Quantity over quality, Fockers

The Case: It's a frequently used term in the commend threads of this column; that is, the so-called "free pass" handed out to actors whose careers have undeniably lost their luster but not yet overridden their glory days. However, when an undisputed legend like Robert De Niro has spent the past decade (give or take) churning out a very steady supply of cinematic crap, well, isn't it about time to revoke that free pass? Although I must admit that the true meaning of the term still eludes me, and perhaps I'm reading the situation wrong by using De Niro as an example; but if many of you still care that much about this former legend, then I'm virtually begging you to please explain your definition of "free pass.