1941 (1979)
[4] After the enormous success of Jaws and Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Steven Spielberg was dealt his biggest box office blow to date with 1941. The film, billed as a 'comic spectacular', takes place in Hollywood the day…
Heavy Metal (1981)
[7] Producer Ivan Reitman (Ghostbusters) wrangled together animation companies from around the world to assemble Heavy Metal, a string of six animated shorts based on the popular adult fantasy magazine. The stories are tied together by a loose framing device…
The Great Outdoors (1988)
[6] John Candy and Dan Aykroyd costar as prickly brothers-in-law who try their best to get along after Aykroyd unceremoniously crashes Candy's planned family vacation. The Great Outdoors was spawned from the ever-prolific pen of John Hughes, coming off a…
Home Alone (1990)
[4] Chris Columbus (Adventures in Babysitting) directs this John Hughes production about an eight-year-old boy accidentally left at home while his family flies to Paris for the Christmas holiday. At first, the boy (Uncle Buck's Macaulay Culkin) enjoys his freedom,…
National Lampoon’s Vacation (1983)
[7] Chevy Chase stars as a husband and father determined to take his family on the vacation of their dreams, cross-country to an amusement park called Walley World. But the trip is fraught with wrong turns, wildlife, hillbilly relatives, and…
Uncle Buck (1989)
[5] Writer/director John Hughes serves up this comedy star vehicle for John Candy, who plays an unreliable uncle called upon to babysit his nieces and nephew while their parents are away on emergency travel. As you can imagine, the meat…
Volunteers (1985)
[3] Tom Hanks stars as a snobby college graduate who escapes gambling debts by joining the Peace Corps on a bridge-building mission in Thailand. But when he discovers that struggle for control of the new pathway will make the local…
The Rescuers Down Under (1990)
[5] Disney's first animated theatrical sequel is a technical and stylistic achievement featuring beautiful character and effects animation, rich background paintings, and thrilling music from the ever-underrated Bruce Broughton. The movie is best at the beginning, during a spectacular sequence…
Splash (1984)
[6] Splash is a sweet-enough fantasy rom-com from Ron Howard (his second feature). Tom Hanks stars as a man who falls in love with a mysterious woman who just happens to be a mermaid. Darryl Hannah plays the fish; John…
J.F.K. (1991)
[10]
It doesn’t matter whether you think Oswald acted alone or not. Oliver Stone’s JFK is stunning in its craftsmanship and enthralling in its narrative construction. If you’re only casually familiar with the people and events surrounding Kennedy’s assassination and the conspiracy theories about it, brace yourself for a fast-paced, provocative, emotionally compelling story that is sure to make you drop your jaw and raise your eyebrows.