Scoob! (2020)
[3] Scoob! marks the first time Scooby-Doo and the Mystery Incorporated gang have been brought to life via computer animation, which is a great way to reboot a classic franchise. The film starts with a 10-minute origin story of how…
Venom (2018)
[7] Tom Hardy stars as an investigative reporter who becomes the unwilling host body for a gloppy alien creature -- named Venom -- that gives him superhuman powers. At first the possession experience is scary, with Venom being very much…
Boys (2014)
[7] Two high school relay racers (Gijs Blom and Ko Zandvliet) develop a same-sex attraction, but one of the boys is afraid to make their relationship public. This Dutch drama/romance features a likable, competent cast and is shot in several…
Beasts of the Southern Wild (2012)
[8] A six-year-old girl lives on a small island called "The Bathtub" in Louisiana, where she lives in squalor with her dying, tough-love father until flooding drives them into their makeshift boat to find food and stable shelter. They band…
We Bought a Zoo (2011)
[7] Cameron Crowe (Almost Famous, Jerry Maguire) directs this family drama/comedy about a widower, played by Matt Damon, who buys a rural home that comes with a rundown zoo. Damon and his two young children help the ragtag team of…
The Aristocats (1970)
[4] In one of Disney Animation's weaker efforts, a jealous butler seeks to do away with a mother cat and her three kittens before their owner can bequeath her fortunes to the furry little bastards. I can't blame him, really.…
Giant Little Ones (2018)
[7] Two teenaged boys, friends since early childhood, experience a rift after a night of drunken sexual experimentation. One boy questions his sexuality while the other leans into homophobic name-calling and behavior to distance himself from his former friend. Meeting…
Hotel Rwanda (2004)
[8] Don Cheadle stars as Paul Rusesabagina in the true story of a Rwandan man who saved over a thousand lives by harboring refugees in his hotel during the Hutu slaughtering of the Tutsi in 1994. Hotel Rwanda takes about…
The Object of My Affection (1998)
[5] A New York city social worker becomes pregnant and decides she'd rather raise the baby with her gay best friend than with the baby's father. But when their romantic desires begin to undercut their family goals, frustration gets the…
Adventures in Babysitting (1987)
[6] Elisabeth Shue (Leaving Las Vegas, The Karate Kid) stars as a high school senior who resigns herself to babysitting when her date cancels at the last minute. But when her friend runs away from home and makes a panicked…