The Godfather Part III (1990)
[7] While I enjoy parts two and three, I have the same general problem with both of them. Why do they exist? The first film tells a complete story, but part two (with its shuffling of prelude and epilogue) plays…
Dracula (1979)
[6] You'll find immense, beautifully dressed sets and breathtaking oceanside locations in the 1979 Dracula. You'll also hear a richly romantic John Williams score. These elements go a long way in creating a mood and atmosphere that are more lush…
An Affair to Remember (1957)
[6] Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr meet aboard an oceanliner and fall in love, despite the fact they are both already in relationships with partners waiting for them stateside. I like the first half of An Affair to Remember. Grant…
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (1945)
[7] Elia Kazan (East of Eden) made the jump from Broadway plays to feature films with this adaptation of the book by Betty Smith. The story centers around a young girl named Francie growing up in Brooklyn in the early…
Mommie Dearest (1981)
[7] Mommie Dearest is something else. I can't tell if it's trying to be an earnest expose on the turbulent home life of legendary star Joan Crawford and her adopted daughter, Christina, or if the dark comedy and camp value were intentional.…
The Town (2010)
[7] Ben Affleck stars in and directs this drama/thriller about a bank robber who falls in love with the manager at a bank he recently took down while he plans his next heist and evades the FBI. Affleck is a…
The Beguiled (2017)
[7] Sofia Coppola (The Virgin Suicides) tackles an obscure remake of a 1971 film based on a book by Thomas Cullinan. The Civil War-era story centers around a small group of women and girls who are living in a nearly-abandoned but still…
Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus (2006)
[7] Nicole Kidman and Robert Downey Jr. star in this odd hybrid of biopic and fable that mixes elements from the lives of photographer Diane Arbus and a hirsute freakshow performer named Lionel. Kidman plays Arbus, a woman who in the…
Miracle on 34th Street (1947)
[4] A man named Kris Kringle (Edmund Gwenn) steps in to replace a drunken Santa in Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, and does such a good job that Macy's then hires him to play Santa in their stores during the holiday season.…
Adore (2013)
[7] Naomi Watts and Robin Wright play childhood friends who grew up together and are practically inseparable, even in their 40s. Their young adult sons, played by Xavier Samuel (The Loved Ones) and James Frecheville, are also best friends. The…