Murder on the Orient Express (1974)

Murder on the Orient Express (1974)

[7] Director Sydney Lumet (12 Angry Men, Network) takes on Agatha Christie and delivers a light-hearted soufflé of a murder mystery. I always tend to enjoy ensemble films within a claustrophobic setting, so being trapped on the Orient Express during…
Quintet (1979)

Quintet (1979)

[2] Glaciers move faster than Robert Altman's bleak post-apocalyptic drama. The ice-age backdrop is the only interesting thing about Quintet, but it's completely irrelevant to the story line. Paul Newman plays one of the last survivors of the human race,…
Flowers in the Attic (1987)

Flowers in the Attic (1987)

[8] This film version of V.C. Andrews' popular novel is considerably toned down, but it's still a wonderfully creepy and sadistic melodrama. A widower takes her four children to live with their grandmother, who views them all as vile sinners.…
The Reflecting Skin (1990)

The Reflecting Skin (1990)

[8] Imagine Twin Peaks from a child's perspective, paired with the visual austerity of Days of Heaven, and that might give you an idea of what to expect from this odd but utterly compelling little movie. Jeremy Cooper stars as…
The Constant Gardener (2005)

The Constant Gardener (2005)

[6] A British diplomat in Kenya tries to solve the mystery of his activist wife's murder, only to get in over his head with the culprits -- a pharmaceutical company that is intentionally poisoning and killing people. The first third…
Mission to Mars (2000)

Mission to Mars (2000)

[5] Brian DePalma (curiously) directs this wonky sci-fi action flick about a team of astronauts sent to Mars to look for survivors after the first manned mission to the Red Planet encounters a mysterious storm. There's also something about the…
Michael Clayton (2007)

Michael Clayton (2007)

[7] George Clooney stars in this thriller about a lawyer who gets called in by a major corporation to "fix" a potential whistle-blower who is losing his mind the longer he keeps his secret. I never thought I would enjoy…
Along Came a Spider (2001)

Along Came a Spider (2001)

[6] Morgan Freeman reprises the role of Detective Alex Cross (which he began in Kiss the Girls) for this slightly superior sequel involving the kidnapping of a senator's daughter for ransom. At first, I was excited to see that Michael…
Kiss the Girls (1997)

Kiss the Girls (1997)

[6] Morgan Freeman and Ashley Judd mostly succeed in saving this somewhat pedestrian thriller from Lifetime Movie territory. Freeman plays a policeman in search of a possible serial killer and Judd plays the one woman who was able to escape…
Survive Style 5+ (2004)

Survive Style 5+ (2004)

[7] Five disparate stories intertwine in absurd ways in this bizarre but beautifully executed Tarantino-esque flick from Japan. The main story, by a narrow margin, focuses on a man who keeps killing and burying his wife only to find her…