Tootsie (1982)

Tootsie (1982)

[7] Dustin Hoffman stars as Michael Dorsey, a struggling New York actor so desperate to land a job that he transforms himself into a woman to win a part on a daytime soap opera. As Dorothy Michaels, he challenges the show's misogynist…
The Wiz (1978)

The Wiz (1978)

[5] Based on the hit Broadway musical, The Wiz puts an urban spin on The Wizard of Oz with an all-black cast and a post-apocalyptic New York City backdrop. Music sensation Diana Ross stars as Dorothy, a Harlem school teacher who's so…
Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)

Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)

[7] Writer/director Steven Spielberg follows up his immensely successful Jaws with this tale of extra-terrestrials and government conspiracy. Richard Dreyfuss stars as a family man whose encounter with a UFO brings him into contact with a grieving mother (Melinda Dillon) whose young…
Mission: Impossible (1996)

Mission: Impossible (1996)

[4] It's a testament to Tom Cruise's raw charisma and screen presence that I was able to make it through director Brian DePalma's boring big screen upgrade of the '60s television show Mission: Impossible. Because despite having a script co-written by lauded…
Red Rocket (2021)

Red Rocket (2021)

[3] As much as I like Tangerine and The Florida Project, director Sean Baker leaves me cold with Red Rocket. Former adult film actor Simon Rex stars as Mikey, a middle-aged douchebag porn star who flees Hollywood to lick his wounds in…
The Florida Project (2017)

The Florida Project (2017)

[8] Tangerine co-writer/director Sean Baker applies his 'quasi-cinéma vérité' style to this examination of Moonee, an unsupervised six-year old child (Brooklynn Prince) running free-range in an impoverished motel community positioned immediately outside Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida. Along with a couple…
Trading Places (1983)

Trading Places (1983)

[8] Dan Aykroyd and Eddie Murphy headline this comedy from director John Landis (Animal House, The Blues Brothers) in which a snobby stockbroker (Aykroyd) and a petty street hustler (Murphy) are forced to trade places by two wealthy brothers as part of…
The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr Toad (1949)

The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr Toad (1949)

[4] This short feature presentation from Disney Animation is really two short stories slammed together. Up first, we have "The Wind in the Willows," narrated by Basil Rathbone. It's a fast-paced story about three stuffy critters -- a badger, a mole, and…
Boogie Nights (1997)

Boogie Nights (1997)

[9] Writer/director Paul Thomas Anderson's ode to the '70s porn industry brings poignant depth to its sensational subject matter. It's also an amazing showcase of top-notch acting and directing. Anderson is a rare creative talent, as skilled with actors as with the…
The Pirates of Blood River (1962)

The Pirates of Blood River (1962)

[4] Kerwin Mathews (The 7th Voyage of Sinbad) and Christopher Lee star in this would-be swashbuckler about pirates who lay siege to a Huguenot settlement in search of treasure the villagers insist they do not have. Mathews plays the outcast son of…