The Scarlet Letter (1995)
[9] I know, I know. How on Earth can I love a heinous piece of trash like The Scarlet Letter? Well, I confess it's a bit of a guilty pleasure. But I'll also try to defend a movie that's not nearly as…
Maverick (1994)
[8] This comedic western from director Richard Donner (Lethal Weapon, The Goonies) succeeds largely on the charm of stars Mel Gibson, Jodie Foster, and James Garner, as well as a clever script by William Goldman (The Ghost and the Darkness, Butch Cassidy…
Conspiracy Theory (1997)
[7] Superstars Mel Gibson and Julia Roberts co-star in this psychological thriller from director Richard Donner (Lethal Weapon, Superman) and writer Brian Helgeland (L.A. Confidential, Mystic River). Gibson plays a deeply paranoid and broken New York taxi driver who peddles conspiracy theories…
The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
[9] Here we have a horror film so well executed, it swept the Academy Awards. Anthony Hopkins (The Lion in Winter) and Jodie Foster (The Accused) each deliver career-defining performances as cannibalistic serial killer Hannibal Lecter and neophyte FBI agent Clarice Starling.…
Apollo 13 (1995)
[9] Ed Harris, Kevin Bacon, and Bill Paxton star as the astronauts of 1970's ill-fated Apollo 13 mission to the moon, one in which their vessel suffered an exploding oxygen tank that threatened to leave them stranded in space forever. Losing power,…
Gummo (1997)
[6] Director Harmony Korine (Julien Donkey-Boy, Spring Breakers) hit the indie film scene with Gummo, a film that combines scripted material with documentary footage to deliver a portrait of a tornado-stricken Ohio town whose children all seem to be circling the drain.…
Tombstone (1993)
[7] Kurt Russell and Val Kilmer lead an all-star ensemble in this true story of 1881's infamous showdown between reluctant lawmen and a gang of criminal cowboys previously depicted in 1957's Gunfight at the OK Corral and told again in 1994's Wyatt…
My Own Private Idaho (1991)
[7] River Phoenix and Keanu Reeves co-star in Gus Van Sant's Shakespearean street odyssey about two hustlers who quest from Portland, Oregon to Rome, Italy in search of the mother who abandoned Phoenix when he was a baby. Reeves' character, meanwhile, is…
Rudy (1993)
[7] Director David Anspaugh and writer Angelo Pizzo, who previously collaborated on Hoosiers, presents another true story based on Indiana sports. Their subject this time is Daniel E. 'Rudy' Ruettiger, a short, unexceptional athlete who nevertheless aspires to play football for the…
Dante’s Peak (1997)
[8] Pierce Brosnan (Goldeneye) and Linda Hamilton (Terminator 2) star in this old-fashioned disaster flick about a volcano that's about to wipe a small town off the map. Brosnan plays a volcanologist who, in Jaws-like fashion, warns the town of impending doom…