To Live and Die in L.A. (1985)

To Live and Die in L.A. (1985)

[7] William Petersen (C.S.I., Manhunter) made his film debut in this William Friedkin crime flick about a secret service agent who obsessively pursues the counterfeiter (Willem Dafoe) who killed his partner. Paired with a conscientious new partner (John Pankow), Petersen…
The Legend of Billie Jean (1985)

The Legend of Billie Jean (1985)

[7] After a confrontation with bullies leads to attempted rape and gunfire, Helen Slater (Supergirl) hits the road with her brother (Christian Slater) and a pair of friends (Yeardley Smith and Martha Gehman). They dodge the police and profess their…
Gentleman’s Agreement (1947)

Gentleman’s Agreement (1947)

[7] Gregory Peck stars as a widowed magazine reporter who spends six months pretending to be Jewish while researching for an article about anti-semitism. He's startled to discover the ways bigotry manifests in his undercover life -- openly at 'restricted'…
Air Force One (1997)

Air Force One (1997)

[6] Harrison Ford stars as the American president in this 'Die Hard on a plane' riff directed by Wolfgang Petersen (Das Boot, Outbreak). When a team of old Soviet Union terrorists led by Gary Oldman take over Air Force One,…
The Happy Years (1950)

The Happy Years (1950)

[7] Thirteen-year-old Dean Stockwell (Kim, The Dunwich Horror) stars in this turn-of-the-century coming-of-age flick about a mischievous boy who mellows after years of preparatory school. Stockwell plays "Dink" Stover, who in the first act of the film is responsible for…
The Dunwich Horror (1970)

The Dunwich Horror (1970)

[5] Dean Stockwell and Sandra Dee headline this so-so adaptation of an H.P. Lovecraft story. I gotta say, I've yet to see a Lovecraft adaptation I really like. The internalized dread and abstract horror just don't translate to film very…
Dune (1984)

Dune (1984)

[8] Dino DeLaurentiis foots the bill for this gravely ambitious film adaptation of Frank Herbert's classic sci-fi novel about the messianic rise of an off-lander who rallies a reclusive desert civilization in a fight against galactic takeover. Hot off The…
Kim (1950)

Kim (1950)

[6] This Rudyard Kipling adventure stars young Dean Stockwell in the title role, playing a sneaky street-wise kid who spies for British Intelligence in colonial India. The adventure is a little more episodic than I prefer, bringing Kim into contact…