As Good as It Gets (1997)

As Good as It Gets (1997)

[8] A curmudgeonly obsessive-compulsive (Jack Nicholson) falls for a charming waitress (Helen Hunt) and strikes up an unlikely friendship with a gay neighbor (Greg Kinnear) in As Good as It Gets, another comedy/drama hybrid from the sometimes brilliant mind of…
Bohemian Rhapsody (2018)

Bohemian Rhapsody (2018)

[8] Rami Malek stars as Freddie Mercury in Bryan Singer's (X-Men, Valkyrie) biopic about the formation and explosive success of rock group Queen. The film centers primarily around Mercury -- his estranged relationship with his family, his homosexuality, his drug…
The King’s Speech (2010)

The King’s Speech (2010)

[7] Colin Firth plays the stuttering King George VI, who never wanted to be king for fear of his speech impediment bringing shame to him and his family. The King's Speech focuses on the antagonistic relationship between the king and…
Mystic River (2003)

Mystic River (2003)

[8] A family tragedy reunites three men who share a traumatic childhood experience in Mystic River. Sean Penn and Tim Robbins took home richly-deserved Oscars for their performances in this Oscar-nominated best picture from the ever-reliable Clint Eastwood. Mystic River…
Stalag 17 (1953)

Stalag 17 (1953)

[7] William Holden leads an ensemble cast in Billy Wilder's adaptation of Stalag 17. The film takes place entirely in a German prisoner-of-war barrack, where the captured Americans are beginning to suspect that Holden's pessimistic black marketeer character may be…
Manchester by the Sea (2016)

Manchester by the Sea (2016)

[9] Not since 1980's Ordinary People have we had such a genuinely affecting movie about loss and mourning. In Manchester by the Sea, a man with a tortured past discovers he is the legal guardian of his late brother's teenaged…
In the Heat of the Night (1967)

In the Heat of the Night (1967)

[7] Sidney Poitier plays a black Northern detective who reluctantly aides a white Southern sheriff (Rod Steiger) in solving a murder case. The mystery itself is a bit thin, but it's bolstered by good performances from the leads and a…
True Grit (1969)

True Grit (1969)

[7] John Wayne took home the Oscar for his performance as crotchety Rooster Cogburn, an alcoholic US Marshall recruited by a young girl (Kim Darby) to capture her father's killer and bring him to justice. Wayne is low key as…
Dallas Buyers Club (2013)

Dallas Buyers Club (2013)

[7] Matthew McConaughey stars as Ron Woodruff in this true story about a womanizing electrician whose given thirty days to live after doctors discover he carries HIV. The year was 1985 and the American government was loathe to take HIV/AIDS…
The Revenant (2015)

The Revenant (2015)

[8] Hot off his Best Director Oscar for Birdman, Alejandro González Iñárritu delivers another astonishing directorial effort. The Revenant is shot entirely outdoors with available lighting, capturing the story of an 1820s fur trader (Leonardo DiCaprio) who is viciously mauled…