The Lion in Winter (1968)

The Lion in Winter (1968)

[10] Which of King Henry II's three sons will succeed him on the throne? This question is rife with political intrigue, personal vendettas, and intense family drama in The Lion in Winter. The inter-familial relationships in this film are fascinating to watch…
Fright Night (1985)

Fright Night (1985)

[9] As the horror genre shifted full-bore into gore and kill counts in the '80s, Tom Holland (Child's Play) wrote and directed this Valentine to a simpler, more classic way of spooky storytelling. Fright Night is about a high school boy (William…
Nightbreed (1990)

Nightbreed (1990)

[9] Nightbreed is a bad movie. But it's also one of my favorite movies. Allow me to explain. The film, directed by Clive Barker and based on his book Cabal, wants to be a sprawling horror-fantasy epic for the ages. The complicated…
The Exorcist (1973)

The Exorcist (1973)

[9] Director William Friedkin (The French Connection, Sorcerer) approaches author William Peter Blatty's tale of demonic possession with disturbing seriousness and realism, an approach that struck fear in the hearts of moviegoers like no film has before or since. Ellen Burstyn stars…
Last Summer (1969)

Last Summer (1969)

[10] Barbara Hershey, Richard Thomas, and Bruce Davison play teenagers who form a tight bond during vacation on Fire Island one summer. But when a fourth teen named Rhoda (Oscar-nominated Catherine Burns) tries to join in their reindeer games, the group's equilibrium…
How Green Was My Valley (1941)

How Green Was My Valley (1941)

[9] Director John Ford follows up The Grapes of Wrath with another powerfully moving, literary adaptation about working families weathering a crushing economic tide. How Green Was My Valley, based on the novel by Richard Llewellyn, centers around the warm-hearted Morgan family…
The Devil and Daniel Webster (1941)

The Devil and Daniel Webster (1941)

[10] William Dieterle's adaptation of Stephen Vincent Benet's The Devil and Daniel Webster is a winning combination of rustic Americana and dark fantasy. A cautionary tale of greed and power, the narrative centers around the character of Jabez Stone (James Craig), a…
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…
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…