The Shop Around the Corner (1940)

The Shop Around the Corner (1940)

[8] James Stewart and Margaret Sullavan star in this fluffy romantic comedy from director Ernst Lubitsch. Stewart and Sullavan play clerks at a Hungarian general store during Christmastime. Both are courting anonymous, romantic pen pals, with no idea that the…
Strange Days (1995)

Strange Days (1995)

[8] Ralph Fiennes and Angela Bassett star in this tech-noir thriller from director Kathryn Bigelow (Near Dark, The Hurt Locker) and writer James Cameron (Titanic, Avatar). It's late in the year 1999 (four years into the future for when the…
Avengers: Endgame (2019)

Avengers: Endgame (2019)

[8] Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige and writer/directors Joe and Anthony Russo hit a home run that should satisfy all Marvel fans with Avengers: Endgame, the climactic finale to what is essentially an 11-year story arc. It begins with the…
Billy Budd (1962)

Billy Budd (1962)

[8] Peter Ustinov directs and co-stars in this adaptation of Herman Melville's unfinished novel of the same name. Ustinov plays the captain of a British ship sailing to battle against France. His master-at-arms, John Claggart (The Wild Bunch's Robert Ryan),…
Jacob’s Ladder (1990)

Jacob’s Ladder (1990)

[8] Jacob's Ladder is a terrific example of what can happen when an inspired screenplay gets into the hands of a great director and a capable leading actor. I'm talking about Bruce Joel Rubin (Ghost), Adrian Lyne (Fatal Attraction), and…
Shazam! (2019)

Shazam! (2019)

[8] A young teen Billy (Asher Angel) is called upon by mystical forces and given the ability to turn into an adult superhero (Zachary Levi) at will. Together with help from his new foster brothers and sisters, he learns how…
Stage Door (1937)

Stage Door (1937)

[8] Katharine Hepburn leads an ensemble cast including Ginger Rogers and Lucille Ball in this witty but moving comedy/drama about aspiring Broadway actresses living together in a boarding house. Hepburn's character comes from money and wants to find out whether…
Matchstick Men (2003)

Matchstick Men (2003)

[8] Nicolas Cage stars as a neurotic con artist whose life is turned upside down when his teenaged daughter (Alison Lohman) enters his life and distracts him while he's pulling off a big heist with his protégé (Sam Rockwell). While…
The China Syndrome (1978)

The China Syndrome (1978)

[8] Jane Fonda and Michael Douglas play a news reporter and cameraman who try to report on a near-disaster at a nuclear power plant where safety measures aren't being met. While the plant's owners and the TV station hold them…
The Chumscrubber (2005)

The Chumscrubber (2005)

[8] Jamie Bell (Billy Elliott) leads an all-star ensemble in this surreal, satiric look at the breakdown of suburban existence. The Chumscrubber is an ambitious conceptual piece, not unlike American Beauty in tone and style. But where American Beauty centered…