The Silence of the Lambs (1991)

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…
Platoon (1986)

Platoon (1986)

[8] Oliver Stone's Platoon was one of the first major motion pictures to deal with the Vietnam war. Charlie Sheen stars as an infantry volunteer who finds himself in a moral quandry, torn between two sergeants of differing philosophies. Tom…
Going My Way (1944)

Going My Way (1944)

[8] Jaded or cynical viewers may want to skip this movie, but anyone looking for a feel-good comedy/drama from a simpler time may enjoy director Leo McCarey's Going My Way. Crooner Bing Crosby stars as Father Chuck O'Malley, a young…
Oppenheimer (2023)

Oppenheimer (2023)

[6] Cillian Murphy (28 Days Later) stars as the physicist credited with inventing the atomic bomb in this sprawling, rapid-paced, three-hour Best Picture Academy Award winner from director Christopher Nolan (Interstellar, Inception). The first hour of Oppenheimer focuses on the…
You Can’t Take It With You (1938)

You Can’t Take It With You (1938)

[7] James Stewart plays the son of a Wall Street tycoon whose father (Edward Arnold) is trying to force an eccentric family out of their home so he can pursue a major real estate development deal. Things get more complicated…
Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022)

Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022)

[8] Michelle Yeoh (Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon) plays Evelyn Wang, a laundromat owner taking care of her elderly father (James Hong), quarreling with her daughter (Stephanie Hsu), and teetering on divorce with her husband (Ke Huy Quan). To top things…
West Side Story (1961)

West Side Story (1961)

[8] Tension between rival New York City gangs the Jets and the Sharks is wound to a tragic snapping point after one young Jet falls head over heels for the sister of the Sharks' leader. West Side Story is based…
Gentleman’s Agreement (1947)

Gentleman’s Agreement (1947)

[7] Gregory Peck stars as a widowed magazine reporter who spends six months pretending to be Jewish while researching for an article about anti-semitism. He's startled to discover the ways bigotry manifests in his undercover life -- openly at 'restricted'…
Patton (1970)

Patton (1970)

[5] George C. Scott's charisma is the best thing Patton has going for it. The film is a pastiche of the famous (and infamous) army general's career through World War II, including his successful invasion of Sicily, media blunders resulting…
The French Connection (1971)

The French Connection (1971)

[7] A pair of New York city narcotics cops try to bust a big heroin deal being brokered between suspected mobsters and a French connection. But one of the cops, 'Popeye' Doyle (Gene Hackman), has a history of recklessness and…