East of Eden (1955)
[10] James Dean received the first posthumous acting nomination from the Academy Awards for his riveting performance as the troubled Cal in East of Eden, his first major film role. (He died in a car accident just a few months…
Rebel Without a Cause (1955)
[10] James Dean gives one of the most iconic performances in movie history as Jim Stark, an angst-ridden teenager who quarrels with his parents almost as much as he tangles with high school bullies. I normally hate tough guy movies,…
Brokeback Mountain (2005)
[9] Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal star as Ennis and Jack, young cowboys who take a job herding sheep in the mountains of Wyoming during the summer of 1963. Isolated from the rest of the world for months on end,…
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975)
[10] Director Miloš Forman (Amadeus, The People vs Larry Flynt) adapts Ken Kesey's novel about R.P. McMurphy (Jack Nicholson), a trouble-making convict who enters psychiatric care to avoid hard labor. While there, he befriends the patients -- a motley bunch…
L.A. Confidential (1997)
[9] In 1950s Los Angeles, three police officers with very different approaches overcome their differences to collaborate on a murder case that ultimately unveils widespread corruption at the highest levels of law enforcement and the government. Guy Pearce plays the…
Testament (1983)
[9] Director Lynne Littman delivers a devastating drama about a tight-knit California community suffering from fatal radiation poisoning after nuclear bombs are dropped on America's major cities. Based on a short story by Carol Amen, Testament examines the horrors of…
Project Hail Mary (2026)
[10] I strongly suspect directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller (Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse) may have a few more Oscars headed their way after seeing their adaptation of Andy Weir's best-selling novel Project Hail Mary. Lord and Miller cast the…
Adam’s Rib (1949)
[9] Of the nine films which paired Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn, Adam's Rib is often considered the best. Writers Ruth Gordon and Garson Kanin were friends of the famous couple and wrote the film specifically for them. Kate insisted…
Dune: Part Two (2024)
[9] Director Denis Velleneuve (The Arrival, Blade Runner 2049) concludes his adaptation of Frank Herbert's Dune with Dune: Part Two. The sequel picks up after the massacre of House Atreides at the hands of the vile Baron Harkonnen (Stellan Skarsgard).…
Edge of Darkness (1943)
[9] If you want to watch Errol Flynn fight the Nazis, this is your movie! Edge of Darkness is a great World War II drama told from the perspective of a small Norwegian fishing village under Nazi control. Flynn heads…