The Holdovers (2023)
[9] One of the surest ways a film can win my heart is by letting me into the lives of characters aching for healing who achieve genuine, emotional human connection. It's why I love films like Pump Up the Volume,…
Written on the Wind (1956)
[7] Lauren Bacall finds herself in a love triangle with two best friends played by Rock Hudson and Robert Stack. She marries Stack, the rich playboy, while Hudson continues pining for her. After moving into the family home, Stack's sister…
The Accidental Tourist (1988)
[8] William Hurt (Oscar-winner for Kiss of the Spider Woman) stars in this adaptation of Anne Tyler's novel about a travel guide writer whose marriage crumbles after the death of his son. While recovering from a broken leg at the…
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…
The Help (2011)
[5] An aspiring writer decides to tell the stories of African-American maids during the turbulent '60s, risking community scorn to publish the truth. The Help, based on the novel by Kathryn Stockett, weaves the stories of several black and white…
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…
Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966)
[8] An associate History professor (Richard Burton) and his wife, the university president's daughter (Elizabeth Taylor), invite a new biology faculty member (George Segal) and his wife (Sandy Dennis) to their house for drinks. But the evening goes hellishly south…
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'…
Anthony Adverse (1936)
[6] In 18th century Italy, an orphan boy comes of age with the help of nuns and a kindly mentor, falls in love, gets embroiled in the slave trade, and fights for his inheritance in this adaptation of Hervey Allen's…
All the King’s Men (1949)
[7] Broderick Crawford plays a small-town hick who attracts a populist following that takes him all the way to the governor's mansion, even though his ascent is riddled with corruption and crime. All the King's Men is really about Crawford's…