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 computer-animated feature,…
Little Women (1933)

Little Women (1933)

[6] George Cukor directs Katharine Hepburn as Jo March in one of the earliest screen adaptations of Louisa May Alcott's Little Women, a chronicle of the lives and loves of four sisters growing up in New England during the Civil War. There's…
Score (1974)

Score (1974)

[7] A married couple who've made a game out of sexual conquest invite a younger married couple over for dinner. There's much more in store for the evening, though, especially when booze and poppers slick the way for same-sex seduction. Some might…
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 comedic sidekick…
Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark (2010)

Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark (2010)

[7] Guillermo del Toro presents this creepy tale about a little girl (Bailee Madison) who discovers evil creatures live in the ash pit beneath her father's newly acquired mansion. While the creatures try to persuade the girl to join them, they frame…
The Shortcut (2009)

The Shortcut (2009)

[5] After his little brother discovers a dead dog and a scary old man on a wooded shortcut, a new-teen-in-town (Drew Seeley) invites his friends to investigate the trail and the legend behind the mysterious old man who patrols it. The opening…
Taken (2008)

Taken (2008)

[6] Liam Neeson stars as an ex-CIA operative who pursues sex traffickers in Paris to rescue his kidnapped daughter. Taken opens with twenty minutes of clunky, expository screenwriting before Neeson is allowed to kick things into high gear. He single-handedly rescues this…
Voyagers (2021)

Voyagers (2021)

[7] Writer/director Neil Burger (Divergent, The Illusionist) presents a futuristic story about children genetically engineered and sent into space on an 86-year mission to colonize a distant planet. Once they're teenagers, however, the kids become too smart for their own good. When…
Dr. Renault’s Secret (1942)

Dr. Renault’s Secret (1942)

[6] An American (John Shepperd) visits his fiancée (Lynne Roberts) and her father in their rural chateau at the same time a series of murders begins. The father's brutish gardener with a criminal past is a prime suspect. And so is his…
The Nines (2007)

The Nines (2007)

[6] Screenwriter John August (Titan AE, Big Fish) makes his directorial debut in this headtrippy movie about an actor, a TV showrunner, and a video game designer whose lives interconnect in a mysterious way. Ryan Reynolds plays all three characters in three…