Dead Calm (1989)

Dead Calm (1989)

[8] Aussie director Phillip Noyce (Patriot Games, Clear and Present Danger) spins a Hitchcockian yarn based on a novel by Charles Williams. Dead Calm is a solid thriller that takes place almost entirely on the open waters of the Pacific. Sam Neill…
Contact (1997)

Contact (1997)

[8] Contact is a message-driven movie that may be too esoteric for a lot of mainstream moviegoers. It's a character-driven drama with only a few moments of your typical blockbuster spectacle -- but I applaud the movie for daring to tangle in…
Footloose (1984)

Footloose (1984)

[8] At first sight, you might mistake Footloose for just another teen rebellion movie, but Herbert Ross' (Steel Magnolias) sensitive direction and committed performances from John Lithgow and Dianne Wiest help the film transcend its genre. The story about a town where dancing…
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)

Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)

[8] Philip Kaufman enhances the creepiness and desperation in this superior retelling of the classic tale of alien menace and paranoia. The terrific cast includes Donald Sutherland, Jeff Goldblum, Veronica Cartwright, Brooke Adams, and Leonard Nimoy. Ben Burtt provides the spooky sound…
Pineapple Express (2008)

Pineapple Express (2008)

[8] Pineapple Express is Quentin Tarantino meets Cheech and Chong, a hyperviolent action flick crashed into a buddy comedy. The mish-mash may be an acquired taste, but it's a winning combination for me. Seth Rogen and James Franco carry this movie to…
A Christmas Story (1983)

A Christmas Story (1983)

[8] A boy growing up in 1940's middle-America tries to convince his parents to get him a Red Ryder B.B. gun for Christmas. It's hard to judge a movie that has become a holiday tradition. Growing up, I don't think a single…
Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961)

Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961)

[8] You know how people often say such-and-such actor "lights up the screen?" Well, that phrase was made for Audrey Hepburn, because that's what she does in Blake Edwards' adaptation of Truman Capote's novella, Breakfast at Tiffany's. As Holly Golightly, she plays…
Coco (2017)

Coco (2017)

[9] Coco is a lively and emotionally fulfilling film that stands proudly among the many accomplishments of Pixar Animation. Anthony Gonzalez plays the role of 12-year-old Miguel, a boy with a deep passion for music, despite his family's strict prohibition against enjoying…
Planet of the Apes (1968)

Planet of the Apes (1968)

[8] It may be tempting to dismiss Planet of the Apes as high camp, but there's provocative science-fiction under those monkey masks. Charlton Heston plays an American astronaut who's on his way back to Earth when he crashlands on a strange, desolate…
Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead (2007)

Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead (2007)

[8] Two brothers plot to rob their parents' jewelry store, sending their lives and the lives of their loved ones into a tragic, downward spiral. Sidney Lumet (Network, Dog Day Afternoon) directs his final film with a stellar cast in this melodramatic…