Steve Jobs (2015)

Steve Jobs (2015)

[7] With all due deference to his accomplishments, Steve Jobs' career isn't something I thought I needed to see a movie about. Faithful biopics generally make for uneven films, and how the hell can a dork making computers make for…
Looper (2012)

Looper (2012)

[8] Looper is a mash-up of mobster movie and sci-fi time travel flick, but rather than getting caught up in its own clever twists on a (let's face it) hackneyed sci-fi sub-genre, the movie is wisely more concerned with creating…
The Martian (2015)

The Martian (2015)

[8] Matt Damon carries this Ridley Scott (Blade Runner, Gladiator) film based on the book by Andy Weir. Half the film is practically a one-man show, with Damon playing a NASA astronaut feared dead and accidentally abandoned on Mars for…
Good Night, and Good Luck (2005)

Good Night, and Good Luck (2005)

[4] George Clooney directs, co-writes, and co-stars in this examination of famed broadcast newsman Edward R. Murrow's attempts to thwart McCarthyism at CBS. David Strathairn brings his usual nonchalance to the role of Murrow. Clooney plays his right-hand man, Fred…
Heartburn (1986)

Heartburn (1986)

[4] Meryl Streep stars as a food critic reluctant to remarry. But who can resist the charm of Jack Nicholson? The two marry and squeeze out a kid, and then sure enough, he cheats on her and the infidelity escalates…
The Hours (2002)

The Hours (2002)

[9] The Hours is a fascinating exploration of three women living in different times and different places, each of them struggling to find their personal bliss against the pressures and expectations of marriage and motherhood. The film is a meditation…
Fly Away Home (1996)

Fly Away Home (1996)

[9]

Admittedly, I’m a bird fan, but don’t let the marketing fool you. This is not just a kid’s movie — it’s an incredibly moving, gorgeously made film based on an inspirational true story, and I blubber every time I see it. After losing her mother, young Amy (Oscar winner Anna Paquin, The Piano, True Blood) goes to live with her eccentric inventor father (Jeff Daniels). They’re estranged from one another, but they bond over a common cause: a gaggle of orphaned geese. The hatchlings imprint on Anna, believing she is their mother. Since the geese can’t learn their migratory path unless their mother teaches them, Dad builds a pair of ultra-light planes so he and Amy can lead the geese on an amazing journey to their winter grounds.