The Defiant Ones (1958)

The Defiant Ones (1958)

[8] Socially-conscious filmmaker Stanley Kramer (Inherit the Wind, Judgment at Nuremberg) made an impact early in his directing career with this dramatic chase story of two escaped convicts evading authorities while chained together at the wrists. The twist? One prisoner's…
Hollywoodland (2006)

Hollywoodland (2006)

[8] Adrien Brody (The Pianist, The Thin Red Line) plays a '50s Hollywood detective investigating the mysterious death of actor George Reeves, played by Ben Affleck (Gone Girl, The Town). Hollywoodland is based on the true story of Reeves, who…
Shadow of a Doubt (1943)

Shadow of a Doubt (1943)

[8] Teresa Wright (Mrs. Miniver) plays a bored teenager who's over-joyed when her favorite Uncle (The Third Man's Joseph Cotton) comes to stay with her family. But the warmth of family reunion soon gives way to cold suspicion when Cotton…
Annihilation (2018)

Annihilation (2018)

[8] Writer/director Alex Garland (The Beach, Sunshine) casts Natalie Portman as a biologist who joins a team of other female scientists into a mysterious, growing dome called 'the shimmer'. Inside they quickly learn that the phenomenon is altering the DNA…
Sideways (2004)

Sideways (2004)

[8] Writer/director Alexander Payne (Election, About Schmidt) takes us on a trip through California wine country with two middle-aged college buddies in Sideways, based on a novel by Rex Pickett. Paul Giamatti plays a divorced junior high school teacher suffering…
Ball of Fire (1941)

Ball of Fire (1941)

[8] Gary Cooper and Barbara Stanwyck star in this lively screwball comedy from director Howard Hawks. Cooper is working on a new encyclopedia with seven other scholars when he realizes the group is woefully uneducated in the world of contemporary…
Mulholland Dr. (2001)

Mulholland Dr. (2001)

[8] Naomi Watts and Laura Harring star in this dreamy David Lynch film that almost defies summary, but I'll do my best. Watts plays a young actress fresh in Hollywood who meets Harring, a woman who just escaped a car…
Mary Poppins (1964)

Mary Poppins (1964)

[8] Julie Andrews stars as a magical nanny who swoops into a turn-of-the-century London family's home to help two neglected children (Karen Dotrice and Matthew Garber) reconnect with their busy-body parents. Mary Poppins is often regarded the best of Walt…
The Brave Little Toaster (1987)

The Brave Little Toaster (1987)

[8] The Brave Little Toaster bares the title of an innocuous children's cartoon, but there's more to this gem than may initially meet the eye. First, know that Pixar Animation founder John Lasseter originally pitched this movie as his first…
Call of the Wild (1935)

Call of the Wild (1935)

[8] William Wellman directs Clark Gable in this loose adaptation of Jack London's classic novel. While the book is entirely from the point-of-view of Buck, a weathered sled dog, this film version focuses more on human characters. Gable and his…