Return of the Jedi (1983)

Return of the Jedi (1983)

[9] George Lucas wraps up his historic, original Star Wars trilogy with an entry that's widely considered inferior to the first two films -- but that's more a testimony to the unparalleled excellence of those prior films than a knock against it's…
War Horse (2011)

War Horse (2011)

[8] Steven Spielberg traverses the European battlefront of World War I through the eyes of a horse named Joey in this adaptation of Michael Morpurgo's novel and a stage play by Nick Stafford. We see this foal born, trained by a teenaged…
The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

[10] After deciding directing wasn't his favorite thing to do, George Lucas enticed his former film school teacher Irvin Kershner (Eyes of Laura Mars, Return of a Man Called Horse) to helm the dark second act of his historic Star Wars trilogy.…
Star Wars (1977)

Star Wars (1977)

[10] Writer/director George Lucas (American Graffiti) surprised the world with this unassuming and unheralded matinee-style fantasy adventure that, by all industry standards, would be dead on arrival at the box office. But then word-of-mouth catapulted Star Wars to the highest echelons of…
The Poseidon Adventure (1972)

The Poseidon Adventure (1972)

[7] A gaggle of Oscar-winners go topsy-turvy and fight to survive when a luxury liner capsizes at sea in the trend-setting disaster flick, The Poseidon Adventure. The film delivers on producer Irwin Allen's desire to blow shit up (think of him as…
Always (1989)

Always (1989)

[7] One of director Steven Spielberg's less successful films remains this fantasy-romance starring Richard Dreyfuss, Holly Hunter, and John Goodman as aerial forest-fire fighters and best friends. When Dreyfuss's character perishes in action, he comes back as a guardian angel assigned to…
1941 (1979)

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 after the…
Catch Me If You Can (2002)

Catch Me If You Can (2002)

[8] Steven Spielberg directs Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks in this odd, beguiling caper about a 17-year-old con man (DiCaprio) pursued across the globe by a dogged FBI agent (Hanks) for successfully impersonating a doctor, a lawyer, and a commercial airline pilot…
Dial M for Murder (1954)

Dial M for Murder (1954)

[6] Ray Milland (The Lost Weekend) hires a man to murder Grace Kelly in Alfred Hitchcock's Dial M for Murder. The film, based on a stage play by Frederick Knott, opens with Milland hiring an old college acquaintance (Anthony Dawson) to murder…
Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)

Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)

[7] Writer/director Steven Spielberg follows up his immensely successful Jaws with this tale of extra-terrestrials and government conspiracy. Richard Dreyfuss stars as a family man whose encounter with a UFO brings him into contact with a grieving mother (Melinda Dillon) whose young…