Steel Magnolias (1989)

Steel Magnolias (1989)

[8] The film adaptation of Robert Harling's play is unabashedly melodramatic, nostalgic, and sentimental. Some of those qualities usually annoy the hell out of me, but the ensemble of great actresses and the slew of memorable one-liners make Steel Magnolias hard to…
Enemy Mine (1985)

Enemy Mine (1985)

[8] After tackling fantasy in The Neverending Story, director Wolfgang Petersen turned to science-fiction in this intimate tale of opposing fighter pilots who crash-land on a dangerous planet together. Dennis Quaid plays the human, and Louis Gossett Jr plays the alien, unrecognizable…
Monster (2003)

Monster (2003)

[8] Charlize Theron stars as Aileen Wuornos, the infamous Florida prostitute who became a serial killer, in this film chronicling her last few months of freedom before being captured and executed in 2002. Writer/director Patty Jenkins doesn't shy away from Wuornos' crimes,…
The Revenant (2015)

The Revenant (2015)

[8] Hot off his Best Director Oscar for Birdman, Alejandro González Iñárritu delivers another astonishing directorial effort. The Revenant is shot entirely outdoors with available lighting, capturing the story of an 1820s fur trader (Leonardo DiCaprio) who is viciously mauled by a…
The Lords of Salem (2013)

The Lords of Salem (2013)

[8] I haven't particularly liked any Rob Zombie movies until this one, which is strange because his devoted fans -- by and large -- detest this movie. The Lords of Salem features masterful style and cinematic execution, often reminding me more of…
Eden Lake (2008)

Eden Lake (2008)

[8] This is probably one of the most brutal and harrowing horror films of the past ten or fifteen years. Michael Fassbender hopes to pop the question to his girlfriend Kelly Reilly over a romantic weekend that spirals into a nail-biting fight…
The Hateful Eight (2015)

The Hateful Eight (2015)

[8] Quentin Tarantino's eighth film (because he's counting) is a three-hour long claustrophobic western about eight characters holed up in a lodge during a snowstorm who all have reason to kill one another. Leading the ensemble cast are Kurt Russell as a…
The Danish Girl (2015)

The Danish Girl (2015)

[8] Tom Hooper (The King's Speech) directs this adaptation of David Ebershoff's novel, based loosely on the life of Lili Elbe, one of the first people ever to undergo sex reassignment surgery. Eddie Redmayne (The Theory of Everything) is outstanding as, at…
The Goonies (1985)

The Goonies (1985)

[8] A group of kids who call themselves the Goonies rally together for one last adventure before they're all forced by a real estate meanie to move away from their Pacific northwest coastal community. They find a map and follow it to…
Jaws 2 (1978)

Jaws 2 (1978)

[8] For a studio-enforced, obligatory sequel to a damn-near perfect film, you could do a lot worse than Jaws 2. (Try Jaws 3 or Jaws 4!) The first half of the movie embroils us in the affairs of the Brody family, with…