The Lion King (1994)

The Lion King (1994)

[8] The Disney Animation Studios took Shakespeare's Hamlet and transplanted it to the African savanna with an all-animal cast. Buoyed by a hit soundtrack, lush visuals, memorable characters, and a daring blend of intense drama and whacky humor, the film…
Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)

Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)

[5] Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice feels like a movie with an identity crisis, tasked with performing two disparate, thankless tasks. The first is to set up a big fight between two iconic superheroes. You know, the kind of…
The Thin Red Line (1998)

The Thin Red Line (1998)

[5] John Toll's cinematography and Hans Zimmer's music will wash over you in an ecstatic kind of way in The Thin Red Line. The shots rolling over wind-swept grassy hills are mesmerizing and director Terrence Malick incorporates many other elements…
12 Years a Slave (2013)

12 Years a Slave (2013)

[8] Director Steve McQueen (Hunger, Shame) brings to life the true-life story of Solomon Northup, a free black man from New York who is kidnapped and sold into Southern slavery. Northup endures two different owners and many harrowing experiences before…
Interstellar (2014)

Interstellar (2014)

[8] Christopher Nolan (Inception, Memento) co-writes and directs this emotional sci-fi adventure about a farmer (Matthew McConaughey) who leaves his family during the last generation of human life on Earth, hoping to find a new planet for the species to…
Pacific Heights (1990)

Pacific Heights (1990)

[7] Melanie Griffith and Matthew Modine rent out a room of their San Francisco dream home to the tenant from Hell and barely escape to tell the tale. Michael Keaton plays the psycho boarder, a guy who hammers and makes…
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014)

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014)

[7] The Amazing Spider-Man 2 was better than I was expecting. Unlike nearly all the Batman movies, the Spider-Man movies -- both the Sam Raimi ones and these new ones from Marc Webb -- succeed in keeping the hero upfront…
Bird on a Wire (1990)

Bird on a Wire (1990)

[5] Bird on a Wire is a big, goofy Hollywood action spectacular with two likeable stars at its center. Mel Gibson plays an FBI informant in witness protection and Goldie Hawn plays an old flame he left at the altar…
Thelma & Louise (1991)

Thelma & Louise (1991)

[10] "You get what you settle for." It's a potent little theme that asks all of us to take stock of our lives. It probably helps that I saw Thelma & Louise at a time when, like the title characters,…