Freaks (1932)

Freaks (1932)

[8] In a traveling circus sideshow, a scheming trapeze artist named Cleopatra (Olga Baclanova) marries a gullible, love-struck little person named Hans (Harry Earles) with plans of poisoning him and inheriting his fortunes. But there's a code among sideshow freaks,…
The Shop Around the Corner (1940)

The Shop Around the Corner (1940)

[8] James Stewart and Margaret Sullavan star in this fluffy romantic comedy from director Ernst Lubitsch. Stewart and Sullavan play clerks at a Hungarian general store during Christmastime. Both are courting anonymous, romantic pen pals, with no idea that the…
In Bruges (2008)

In Bruges (2008)

[8] Writer/director Martin McDonagh (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri) explores the human side of hit-men in his darkly comic, occasionally horrific feature film debut. Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson star as hired guns waiting in idyllic Bruges, Belgium, for their…
Strange Days (1995)

Strange Days (1995)

[8] Ralph Fiennes and Angela Bassett star in this tech-noir thriller from director Kathryn Bigelow (Near Dark, The Hurt Locker) and writer James Cameron (Titanic, Avatar). It's late in the year 1999 (four years into the future for when the…
Avengers: Endgame (2019)

Avengers: Endgame (2019)

[8] Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige and writer/directors Joe and Anthony Russo hit a home run that should satisfy all Marvel fans with Avengers: Endgame, the climactic finale to what is essentially an 11-year story arc. It begins with the…
Billy Budd (1962)

Billy Budd (1962)

[8] Peter Ustinov directs and co-stars in this adaptation of Herman Melville's unfinished novel of the same name. Ustinov plays the captain of a British ship sailing to battle against France. His master-at-arms, John Claggart (The Wild Bunch's Robert Ryan),…
Jacob’s Ladder (1990)

Jacob’s Ladder (1990)

[8] Jacob's Ladder is a terrific example of what can happen when an inspired screenplay gets into the hands of a great director and a capable leading actor. I'm talking about Bruce Joel Rubin (Ghost), Adrian Lyne (Fatal Attraction), and…
Shazam! (2019)

Shazam! (2019)

[8] A young teen Billy (Asher Angel) is called upon by mystical forces and given the ability to turn into an adult superhero (Zachary Levi) at will. Together with help from his new foster brothers and sisters, he learns how…
The Chumscrubber (2005)

The Chumscrubber (2005)

[8] Jamie Bell (Billy Elliott) leads an all-star ensemble in this surreal, satiric look at the breakdown of suburban existence. The Chumscrubber is an ambitious conceptual piece, not unlike American Beauty in tone and style. But where American Beauty centered…
Love Actually (2003)

Love Actually (2003)

[8] A bunch of British people fall in love, out of love, and do lovey-dovey things in the month leading up to Christmas. Now, if you're like me, that's a description that will keep you from ever wanting to watch…