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…
Excalibur (1981)
[9] Director John Boorman (Deliverance, Zardoz) mounts an ambitious pastiche of the entire Arthurian legend with Excalibur. Nigel Terry plays King Arthur from his naïve youth to his death and departure for Avalon, guided nearly every step of the way…
Union Pacific (1939)
[8] Director Cecil B. DeMille sets a love triangle against America's efforts to create the trans-continental railroad in Union Pacific. Barbara Stanwyck (Double Indemnity) gets top billing as the Irish daughter of the engineer in charge of building the railroad.…
Born Yesterday (1950)
[7] Judy Holliday picked up the Best Actress Oscar playing a rough-around-the-edges ex-showgirl in Born Yesterday. Broderick Crawford co-stars as her surly boyfriend, a garbage tycoon schmoozing for favor in Congress. He hires a reluctant journalist (William Holden) to help…
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,…
Rango (2011)
[7] A pet chameleon named Rango (voiced by Johnny Depp) gets lost in the desert where he stumbles upon a drought-stricken town in need of a sheriff. He fakes his way into the job and enjoys playing the part until…
Secondhand Lions (2003)
[7] Haley Joel Osment (The Sixth Sense, A.I.) plays Walter, a boy whose mother abandons him with his two reclusive old uncles, Garth and Hub (Michael Caine and Robert Duvall), who end up providing him with a more meaningful upbringing…
The Stunt Man (1980)
[9] Steve Railsback (Lifeforce, The X-Files) stars as a fugitive who stumbles onto a motion picture set and gets hired as a stunt performer. As long as he's working, the film's director agrees to hide him from the law. The…
The Revolt of Mamie Stover (1956)
[6] Hollywood's quintessential skank, Jane Russell (Gentlemen Prefer Blondes), stars as a San Francisco prostitute fleeing to Honolulu during the dawn of World War II to make a new life of fortune. On the ship to the islands, she falls…
Wild Rovers (1971)
[5] William Holden and Ryan O'Neal co-star as Montana ranch hands who rob a bank and flee to Mexico in this leisurely-paced 'hangout' western from writer/director Blake Edwards (Breakfast at Tiffany's, Victor/Victoria). Holden plays the elder cowboy who wonders how…