Maverick (1994)

Maverick (1994)

[8] This comedic western from director Richard Donner (Lethal Weapon, The Goonies) succeeds largely on the charm of stars Mel Gibson, Jodie Foster, and James Garner, as well as a clever script by William Goldman (The Ghost and the Darkness, Butch Cassidy…
Rango (2011)

Rango (2011)

[7] A pet chameleon named Rango (voiced by Johnny Depp) gets lost in the desert where he stumbles upon a drought-stricken town in need of a sheriff. He fakes his way into the job and enjoys playing the part until he uncovers…
Promising Young Woman (2020)

Promising Young Woman (2020)

[8] Carey Mulligan (Shame, Never Let Me Go) is equal parts sympathetic and terrifying in writer/director Emerald Fennell's psychological thriller Promising Young Woman. Mulligan stars as Cassandra, a medical school dropout whose life was derailed after the sexual assault of her best…
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…
Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)

Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)

[7] Tom Holland, my personal favorite Spider-Man, returns in his third official film -- although his character has also appeared in many other Marvel movies that don't have his name in the title. This time, the young webslinger is dealing with the…
The Tempest (2010)

The Tempest (2010)

[7] Visionary director Julie Taymor (Titus, Across the Universe) brings Shakespeare's The Tempest to the big screen, with the lead role of Prospero played not by a man, as per tradition, but by Helen Mirren. Mirren's Prospera is raising her daughter (Felicity…
Vice (2018)

Vice (2018)

[8] Christian Bale once again transforms himself completely to become former vice-president Dick Cheney in Adam McKay's (The Big Short) new film, Vice. The film is a pastiche of Cheney's political career, driven in large part by his relationship with wife Lynne…
An Education (2009)

An Education (2009)

[6] Carey Mulligan gives an outstanding performance in this adaptation of Lynn Barber's memoir. Mulligan plays a sixteen-year-old in 1960s London, pushed by her father to study hard so she can get into Oxford. When she falls in love with a charming…