The Thing (1982)

The Thing (1982)

[10] This movie does two things extraordinarily well. It transports me and it terrifies me. Before anything scary even happens, director John Carpenter (Assault on Precinct 13, Starman) succeeds in creating an atmosphere of mystery and suspense that locks me into the…
Bambi (1942)

Bambi (1942)

[10] With relatively little dialogue and an abundance of montage, Walt Disney's Bambi plays out like a beautiful tone poem on rites of passage, death and rebirth. There's a 'circle of life' undercurrent to the film that makes it especially meaningful for…
All of Us Strangers (2023)

All of Us Strangers (2023)

[10] Most films are designed with universal appeal to attract the widest possible audience. But some of the most powerful films you'll ever see are the ones -- the very rare few -- written and directed with such specificity and targeted sincerity,…
Call Me By Your Name (2017)

Call Me By Your Name (2017)

[10] In picturesque Italy, 1983, a seventeen-year-old boy falls in love with an older man who is working as his father's research assistant. That's it. That's all Call Me By Your Name is about. And it's marvelous. So many other coming-of-age, coming…
The Witch (2015)

The Witch (2015)

[10] I'll come right out with it: The Witch is my favorite horror film of the last ten years. Newcomer writer/director Robert Eggers serves up a masterfully creepy tale that's equal parts psychological and atmospheric, elegant and restrained, but not without some…
There Will Be Blood (2007)

There Will Be Blood (2007)

[10] Director Paul Thomas Anderson (Boogie Nights, Magnolia) serves up a masterful study of two ambitious men -- a turn-of-the-century oil prospector driven by capitalism and a young preacher eager to grow his flock. The two men come to conflict on occasion,…
Little Miss Sunshine (2006)

Little Miss Sunshine (2006)

[10] I love road movies and ensemble pieces, but Little Miss Sunshine goes one step further by saying something we all need to hear from time to time: it's okay to fall short of ambition. The film throws six disparate personalities, all…
The Lord of the Rings (2001, 2002, 2003)

The Lord of the Rings (2001, 2002, 2003)

[10] Peter Jackson (Dead Alive, The Frighteners) embraces the Herculean task of bringing Tolkien's supreme fantasy to the silver screen, and hits a home run. The Fellowship of the Ring gets the trilogy off to a strong start, as Frodo Baggins and…
Wonder Boys (2000)

Wonder Boys (2000)

[10] Michael Douglas gives a career highlight performance as Grady Tripp, a fifty-year-old college professor worried about following up his sensational debut novel in this warm, character-driven comedy from director Curtis Hanson (L.A. Confidential, 8 Mile) and author Michael Chabon. Grady's life…
Fight Club (1999)

Fight Club (1999)

[10] A profound, yes profound, pitch black satire that has become an anthem for a "generation of men raised by women". From a gender studies perspective, Fight Club speaks to the fragility of masculine identity and the disturbing lengths to which misguided…