Stella Dallas (1937)

Stella Dallas (1937)

[4] As much as I love Barbara Stanwyck, I'm surprised to be disappointed by her first of four Oscar-nominated performances. Stanwyck plays the title character in Stella Dallas, a woman from a poor family who ingratiates herself to a wealthier man (John…
The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It (2021)

The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It (2021)

[4] Despite the great casting of Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga, the third Conjuring movie continues the franchise's penchant for mediocrity. The Devil Made Me Do It opens with Wilson and Farmiga, as real life paranormal investigators Ed and Lorrain Warren, helping…
Inserts (1975)

Inserts (1975)

[6] Richard Dreyfuss (Jaws, The Goodbye Girl) stars as 'Boy Wonder', a washed up filmmaker making silent pornos in his secluded mansion in the early 1930s. Inserts is a 'day in the life' film that takes place in real time, kicking off…
You Only Live Twice (1967)

You Only Live Twice (1967)

[7] James Bond (Sean Connery) travels to Japan for the fifth film in the franchise. Someone is capturing both Russian and American space vessels in attempt to start a war between the two superpowers. Bond works with the Japanese Secret Service to…
Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (2005)

Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (2005)

[7] After the mediocre Episodes I and II, Star Wars creator George Lucas finally kicks his prequel trilogy into high gear with Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. The film opens with the Galactic Republic at war with a growing separatist army,…
12 Monkeys (1995)

12 Monkeys (1995)

[7] Bruce Willis plays a prisoner sent back in time to prevent a deadly virus from ravaging the planet in this darkly comedic sci-fi thriller from Terry Gilliam (The Fisher King). Institutionalized upon his arrival in 1996, Willis piques the interest of…
Zodiac (2007)

Zodiac (2007)

[7] Jake Gyllenhaal, Mark Ruffalo, and Robert Downey, Jr. star in David Fincher's film about the investigation of the so-called 'Zodiac' killer in the late '60s through the early '80s. Downey and Gyllenhaal's characters work for the San Francisco Chronicle, which begins…
Real Genius (1985)

Real Genius (1985)

[7] Gabe Jarret stars as a 15-year-old science prodigy who is accepted into a tech college where he's immediately placed on a cutting-edge laser project with other college-aged brainiacs. Val Kilmer plays his roommate, a goofy prankster whose irreverent attitude belies his…
Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning (2025)

Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning (2025)

[6] Writer/director Christopher McQuarrie (The Usual Suspects) concludes the Mission: Impossible franchise with this eighth, overly-long and curiously somber film. Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his team spend half the film wrestling with the U.S. government before finally being cut loose to…
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (2024)

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (2024)

[5] After wrapping up a terrific trilogy of Planet of the Apes films (2011-2017), Fox and Disney saw fit to give us another film that takes place generations later. I went into this latest film with great skepticism, and at first I…