Jack-the-Lad's All-Time Favorite Movie List
|
An ex-projectionist and armchair film critic reminisces... My first cinematic experience was in 1968 when, at the formative age of 6, I was taken to see the original "Planet of the Apes." In the darkness of the theater, I was awestruck at how I was transported to an imaginary world, then magically returned to reality after two hours. I craved the cinematic experience for the next decade, but as a child, was only seldom afforded the opportunity to go. At an early multiplex, I once sneaked up the stairs and peered into a dimly lit projection booth, to marvel at the film chugging through the projectors at 24 frames per second.
A mechanical bell would chime toward the end of a given reel, signalling "get ready for changeover." If the alternate projector wasn't threaded up in advance, the audience saw the dreaded 5-4-3-2-1, then white screen. But 20 minutes is plenty of time to thread the next reel, so it was then a matter of watching for two changeover marks to roll by in the upper right corner of the screen. (Watch for these, when you see your next movie.) First mark, roll the film and open the shudder. Second mark, flip the changeover switch. With practice, these changeovers were so seamless, the audience never noticed.
After graduating high school, I went off to college in Boulder, Colorado, where projectionists were unionized. I scored a better paying job as relief projectionist for various theaters, including the giant Flatirons Theater on University Hill, a (now defunct) Art Cinema on Boulder Mall, the (also now defunct) Holiday Drive-In on the outskirts of town, campus screenings, and others. These more modern projection booths featured "platters," where all reels of a given movie were spliced together into one continuous strip of film, requiring only one projector per theater. Xenon bulbs replaced the old carbon arc lamps. With more modern equipment, my job generally became easier. At least, no more changeovers!
The experience not only payed my way through college, it exposed me to many hundreds of films I wouldn't otherwise have seen. After showing "Reds" or "Raiders of the Lost Ark" all summer long, I knew the script by heart, but still discovered nuances every time I saw the film. Others would be part of a rapidly changing Art Cinema calendar where, like with "Quadrophenia" or "Galipolli," I'd be forever moved after seeing them only once. Having handled so much film with my fingers, I relate to it on a visceral level, as a mechanic would a car, or as a doctor would a body. Movies have profoundly influenced me, including the foreign travels I embarked upon, my musical preferences, my spiritual and political beliefs, my understanding of individual and societal weakness, my choice of career and spouse... basically, every decision I've ever made in life, adding up to who I am today. Cinema is an art medium like no other. Having such a lifetime bond to the cinema, it may surprise you to hear that I have vowed never to set foot inside a movie theater again! I just got fed up with the mobile phones going off in the audience, exhorbitant ticket prices, shoddy projection work (out-of-frame or out-of-focus), audience members talking during the movie, perfumed audience members, the disgusting smell of buttered popcorn (which I never did like), lax management and staff, serious scratches running the entire length of a reel, etc. The quality of a cinema experience, always patchy, has dropped like a rock in recent years. So what was my solution? I got a 34-inch 16:9 flatscreen television with a DVD player and a Netflix subscription. Now, I knock over several movies each week in the comfort of my own living room. At least, I can hit the pause button and go take a leak without missing any part of a film! So without further ado, I present my diverse collection of favorites. They are in alphabetical order, since I couldn't possibly rank-order them. It's biased toward small-time foreign art films, tragic endings, corporate responsibility, triumph-over-adversity, and post black-and-white era films. The list is obviously work-in-progress.
For synopses, reviews, and anything
else you need to know about movies, visit All
Movie Guide. |
![]() |
9½ Weeks | |
| 1986 | ||
| USA | ||
| Director: Adrian Lyne | ||
| Starring: Kim Basinger, Mickey Rourke | ||
|
Highly sexualized but dysfunctional affair. Interesting use of lighting throughout this film. Good soundtrack, especially Bryan Ferry's "Slave
to Love." |
![]() |
Alien | |
| 1979 | ||
| USA | ||
| Director: Ridley Scott | ||
| Starring: Sigourney Weaver | ||
|
Seeing a monster chase her around a spaceship in her underwear at age 17... well, I was moved.
|
![]() |
Amadeus |
| 1984 | |
| USA | |
| Director: Milos Forman | |
| Starring: Tom Hulce, F. Murray Abraham | |
| Not an historically accurate portrayal of Antonio Salieri, whose many pupils included Beethoven, Schubert and Liszt. It is unlikely that any rivalry he had with Mozart resulted in poisoning. |
![]() |
The Atomic Cafe |
| 1982 | |
| USA | |
| Director: Kevin Rafferty | |
| Starring: N/A (Docu-Comedy) | |
| Funny but sobering collection of Cold War propaganda. |
![]() |
Babe |
| 1995 | |
| Australia | |
| Director: Chris Noonan | |
| Starring: James Cromwell, Magda Szubanski | |
| Pig becomes useful to avoid becoming dinner. |
![]() |
Bad Boy Bubby |
| 1993 | |
| Australia | |
| Director: Rolf de Heer | |
| Starring: Nicholas Hope | |
| "God can see everything I do - and he's gonna beat me brainless." Extremely dark humor. First 30 minutes rough. And you think you had a difficult childhood? |
![]() |
Bad Influence |
| 1990 | |
| USA | |
| Director: Curtis Hanson | |
| Starring: Rob Lowe, James Spader | |
| Demonic drifter progressively destroys yuppie. |
![]() |
Baraka |
| 1993 | |
| USA | |
| Director: Ron Fricke | |
| Starring: N/A (Documentary) | |
|
Riveting collage of images and music. No dialog (i.e., a "non-verbal" film). Director Ron Fricke comments, "I really believe that we are connected to everything, that in a sense, I've been invited here to this planet just like you and everyone else has, and life didn't ask anybody to approve of a guest list." |
![]() |
Be Good, Smile Pretty |
| 2003 | |
| USA | |
| Director: Tracy Droz Tragos | |
| Starring: N/A (Documentary) | |
| A daughter's journey to know her father, 30 years after his death in Vietnam. The film's title comes from the phrase Lt. Droz used to close his letters home. |
![]() |
Being There |
| 1979 | |
| USA | |
| Director: Hal Ashby | |
| Starring: Peter Sellers, Shirley McLaine | |
| Mistaken identity turns simpleton into messiah. Filmed at the opulent Biltmore Vanderbilt mansion in North Carolina. |
![]() |
Betty
Blue (37°2 le Matin) |
| 1986 | |
| France | |
| Director: Jean-Jacques Beineiux | |
| Starring: Beatrice Dalle | |
| Romantic obsession descends into insanity. Tasty opening scene. |
![]() |
The Blue Max |
| 1966 | |
| USA / Ireland | |
| Director: John Guillermin | |
| Starring: George Peppard, Ursula Andress, James Mason | |
|
WW I German aviator seeks highest award. Dogfight scenes eat "Top Gun" for lunch. What was it that got this guy in trouble? Cocky attitude? Misguided ambition? Dishonesty? Social stigmatization? Bonking the general's wife? |
![]() |
Body Heat |
| 1981 | |
| USA | |
| Director: Lawrence Kasdan | |
| Starring: Kathleen Turner, William Hurt | |
| Men will never trust women again after this. A kick-in-the-stomach ending. |
![]() |
Breaker Morant |
| 1980 | |
| Australia | |
| Director: Bruce Beresford | |
| Starring: Jack Thompson, Bryan Brown | |
| Military courtroom drama involving three Australian soldiers of the Bushveldt Carbineers, set near the end of the Boer War (1899-1902). Based on a play, which was based on a true story. A definite kick-in-the-stomach ending. "Shoot straight, ya baastads... Don't make a mess of it!" |
![]() |
Cane Toads: An Unnatural History |
| 1987 | |
| Australia | |
| Director: Mark Lewis | |
| Starring: N/A (Docu-Comedy) | |
| Exogenous species multiplies unchecked. Same director as 2000's "The Natural History of the Chicken." |
![]() |
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang |
| 1968 | |
| USA / UK | |
| Director: Ken Hughes | |
| Starring: Dick van Dyke | |
| From an Ian Fleming (of James Bond fame) story. |
![]() |
Cinema Paradiso |
| 1988 | |
| France / Italy | |
| Director: Guiseppe Tornatore | |
| Starring: (Italian cast) | |
|
Movie theater projectionist comes of age. A little schmalzy.
|
![]() |
The Constant Gardener |
| 2005 | |
| UK | |
| Director: Fernando Meirelles | |
| Starring: Ralph Fiennes, Rachel Weisz | |
| As described by one critic, "a distressingly convincing corrupt world where everyone is guilty and no one is responsible." |
![]() |
The Corporation |
| 2005 | |
| Canada | |
| Director: Mark Achbar, Jennifer Abbott | |
| Starring: Michael Moore, Howard Zinn, Naomi Klein, Noam Chomsky | |
| Based on the book The Corporation: The Pathological Pursuit of Profit and Power by Joel Bakan. |
![]() |
Dawn of the Dead |
| 1978 | |
| USA | |
| Director: George A. Romero | |
| Starring: N/A | |
| Schlock horror cannibal zombie apocalypse. It's so bad, it's good. |
![]() |
Dead Poets Society |
| 1989 | |
| USA | |
| Director: Peter Weir | |
| Starring: Robin Williams, Ethan Hawke | |
| Unconventional educator challenges system. To think how far this actor has progressed... from Mork & Mindy "Nanu, Nanu" sitcom rubbish of the late 70s, to fine flicks like this. Who would have guessed? |
![]() |
El Mariachi |
| 1992 | |
| USA | |
| Director: Robert Rodriguez | |
| Starring: N/A | |
| Made in 2 weeks for $7,000. Simply awesome. (Avoid the commercialized remake, "Desperado.") |
![]() |
The Elephant Man |
| 1980 | |
| USA / UK | |
| Director: David Lynch | |
| Starring: John Hurt, Sir Anthony Hopkins, Sir John Gielgud | |
| From
the director of "Eraserhead," a story of tremendous cruelty, compassion,
and courage towards a
19th Century London man suffering severe congenital disfigurement. "I
am not an animal... I am a human being!!" |
![]() |
Fatal Attraction |
| 1987 | |
| USA | |
| Director: Adrian Lyne | |
| Starring: Michael Douglas, Glen Close | |
| Extramarital fling leads to boiling bunny. Ending was modified to suit test audiences' preferences. |
![]() |
Ferris Bueller's Day Off |
| 1986 | |
| USA | |
| Director: John Hughes | |
| Starring: Matthew Broderick, Jennifer Grey | |
| Teen cuts class to help troubled friend. |
![]() |
Forrest Gump |
| 1994 | |
| USA | |
| Director: Robert Zemekis | |
| Starring: Tom Hanks, Gary Sinise | |
| Intellectually challenged fellow charts history seeking love. |
![]() |
Frances |
| 1982 | |
| USA | |
| Director: Graeme Clifford | |
| Starring: Jessica Lange | |
| Society & self conspire to wreck actress Frances Farmer. |
![]() |
Gallipoli |
| 1981 | |
| Australia | |
| Director: Peter Weir | |
| Starring: Mel Gibson | |
| Young Western Australian pressured into famous WWI battle. The power of this film influenced my decision to migrate to Western Australia a decade later. |
![]() |
The Game |
| 1997 | |
| USA | |
| Director: David Fincher | |
| Starring: Michael Douglas, Sean Penn | |
| Psychological thriller. |
![]() |
Glengarry Glen Ross |
| 1992 | |
| USA | |
| Director: James Foley | |
| Starring: Jack Lemmon, Al Pacino | |
| Character study in this stage play turned film. |
![]() |
The Godfather |
| 1972 | |
| USA | |
| Director: Francis Ford Coppola | |
| Starring: Marlon Brando, James Caan, Al Pacino, Robert Duvall | |
| Early Coppola was good Coppola. |
![]() |
The Godfather, Part II |
| 1974 | |
| USA | |
| Director: Francis Ford Coppola | |
| Starring: Marlon Brando, Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Robert Duvall | |
| Skip the third in the Godfather trilogy.. |
![]() |
Good Will Hunting |
| 1997 | |
| USA | |
| Director: Gus Van Sant, Jr. | |
| Starring: Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Robin Williams, Minnie Driver | |
| Awesome story, dialog, acting. Triumphant breakthrough achievement for two young guys. |
![]() |
The Insider |
| 1999 | |
| USA | |
| Director: Michael Mann | |
| Starring: Russell Crowe, Al Pacino | |
| Dr. Jeffrey Wigand heroically exposes Big Tobacco. This guy is my personal hero. |
![]() |
Jean de Florette |
| 1986 | |
| France / Italy | |
| Director: Claude Berri | |
| Starring: Gerard Depardieu, Daniel Auteuil | |
| Hunchback struggles to keep his farm alive. See this before "Manon of the Spring." |
![]() |
JFK |
| 1991 | |
| USA | |
| Director: Oliver Stone | |
| Starring: Kevin Costner, Joe Peschi, Sissy Spacek | |
| Iconoclast D.A. challenges Warren Report. Awesome editing. |
![]() |
The
Killer (Die Xue Shuang Xiong) |
| 1989 | |
| Hong Kong | |
| Director: John Woo | |
| Starring: Chow Yun-Fat | |
| Likely wins award for most bullets fired in a feature film. |
![]() |
The Killing Fields |
| 1984 | |
| UK | |
| Director: Roland Joffé | |
| Starring: Sam Waterston, Dr. Hang S. Ngor | |
| Reporter rescues friend from Pol Pot's horror. |
![]() |
Kundun |
| 1997 | |
| USA | |
| Director: Martin Scorsese | |
| Starring: (Tibetan cast) | |
| The Dalai Lama's story. Who would have expected a movie this beautiful from Scorsese? Excellent soundtrack by Philip Glass. |
![]() |
The Last Wave |
| 1977 | |
| Australia | |
| Director: Peter Weir | |
| Starring: Richard Chamberlain | |
| Surrealist psychological drama. Australian lawyer defending Aboriginal experiences apocalyptic premonitions. |
![]() |
Leaving Las Vegas |
| 1995 | |
| USA | |
| Director: Mike Figgis | |
| Starring: Nicholas Cage, Elisabeth Shue | |
| Actually, love doesn't conquer all. |
![]() |
Man
Facing Southeast (Hombre Mirando al Sudeste) |
| 1987 | |
| Argentina | |
| Director: Eliseo Subiela | |
| Starring: (Argentine cast) | |
Psychotic or extraterrestrial? You choose.
|
![]() |
Manon
of the Spring |
| 1986 | |
| France / Italy | |
| Director: Claude Berri | |
| Starring: Yves Montand, Emmanuelle Beart | |
| Sequel to "Jean de Florette." |
![]() |
Midnight Express |
| 1978 | |
| USA / UK | |
| Director: Alan Parker | |
| Starring: Brad Davis, John Hurt | |
| US drug smuggler sent to Turkish prison. This is one of the first films I screened as a theater projectionist in high school. Plans to visit Turkey have been on hold ever since. |
![]() |
Moulin Rouge |
| 2001 | |
| Australia / USA | |
| Director: Baz Luhrmann | |
| Starring: Nicole Kidman, Ewan McGregor | |
|
This film explodes off the screen at you. I cried laughing during the jiggling jello scene of "Like a Virgin." Did you know this is the sixth film named "Moulin Rouge?" "The greatest thing you'll ever learn, is to love, and to be loved in return." |
![]() |
Muriel's Wedding |
| 1994 | |
| Australia | |
| Director: P.J. Hogan | |
| Starring: Toni Colette, Rachel Griffiths | |
| Wallflower ABBA fan seeks fantasy wedding. (Don't confuse this with remake, "My Best Friend's Wedding.") |
![]() |
The Object of Beauty |
| 1991 | |
| UK / USA | |
| Director: Michael Lindsay-Hogg, William Pohlad | |
| Starring: John Malkovich, Andie MacDowell | |
| "Things will work out OK... They always do." |
![]() |
An Officer and a Gentleman |
| 1981 | |
| USA | |
| Director: Taylor Hackford | |
| Starring: Richard Gere, Debra Winger | |
| Self-centered man undergoes character growth. "Way to go, Paula! Way to go!" |
![]() |
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest |
| 1975 | |
| USA | |
| Director: Milos Forman | |
| Starring: Jack Nicholson, Louise Fletcher | |
| Non-conformer leads insurrections in asylum. |
![]() |
Pascali's Island |
| 1988 | |
| USA / UK | |
| Director: James Dearden | |
| Starring: Ben Kingsley, Hellen Mirren, Charles Dance | |
Ottoman secret agent has divided loyalties. Another kick-in-the-stomach ending.
Not available on DVD |
![]() |
Pee Wee's Big Adventure |
| 1985 | |
| USA | |
| Director: Tim Burton | |
| Starring: Paul Reubens | |
| Nerdy man-child in epic search for beloved bike. (Avoid the sequel, "Big Top Pee-Wee.") |
![]() |
The Piano |
| 1993 | |
| Australia / France | |
| Director: Jane Campion | |
| Starring: Holly Hunter, Harvey Keitel, Sam Neill | |
| Bizarre love triangle in colonial New Zealand. Beautiful soundtrack by Michael Nyman. |
![]() |
Portrait
of a Serial Kisser (Beijoqueiro) |
| 1992 | |
| Brazil | |
| Director: Carlos Nader | |
| Starring: N/A (Docu-Comedy) | |
Brazilian obsessive-compulsive can't be stopped. No one is safe, especially visiting celebrities. Not available on DVD |
![]() |
Powaqqatsi: Life in Transformation |
| 1988 | |
| USA | |
| Director: Godfrey Reggio | |
| Starring: N/A (Documentary) | |
Riveting
collage of images and music. No dialog (i.e., a "non-verbal" film). |
![]() |
Proof |
| 1991 | |
| Australia | |
| Director: Jocelyn Moorhouse | |
| Starring: Hugo Weaving, Russell Crowe | |
| Blind photographer seeks the truth. |
![]() |
Prospero's Books |
| 1991 | |
| UK / France | |
| Director: Peter Greenaway | |
| Starring: Sir John Gielgud, Isabelle Pasco | |
An assault on the senses. Greenaway is very demanding of his audiences. Excellent soundtrack by Michael Nyman.
|
![]() |
Pulp Fiction |
| 1994 | |
| USA | |
| Director: Quentin Tarantino | |
| Starring: John Travolta, Harvey Keitel, Uma Thurman | |
| John can still dance after all these years. |
![]() |
Quadrophenia |
| 1979 | |
| UK | |
| Director: Franc Roddam | |
| Starring: Phil Daniels, Leslie Ash, Sting | |
| Mods vs. Rockers rumble in 60s Brighton. Soundtrack by The Who. |
![]() |
Raiders of the Lost Ark |
| 1981 | |
| USA | |
| Director: Steven Spielberg | |
| Starring: Harrison Ford, Karen Allen, Denholm Elliot | |
| Rush to keep sacred Ark from Nazi hands. |
![]() |
Rain Man |
| 1988 | |
| USA | |
| Director: Barry Levinson | |
| Starring: Tom Cruise, Dustin Hoffman | |
| Selfish brother takes to road with autistic savant. |
![]() |
The Razor's Edge |
| 1984 | |
| USA | |
| Director: John Byrum | |
| Starring: Bill Murray, Denholm Elliot | |
| Bill Murray, in a serious role, did screenplay for and spearheaded this adaptation of W. Somerset Maugham's "story of one man's search for himself." (This remake outshines its 1946 original starring Tyrone Power.) |
![]() |
The Red Violin |
| 1998 | |
| Italy / Canada | |
| Director: François Girard | |
| Starring: Samuel L. Jackson, Greta Scacchi | |
| A musical instrument transcends geography, culture, economics, language, politics, race, love, and history. |
![]() |
Reds |
| 1981 | |
| USA | |
| Director: Warren Beatty | |
| Starring: Warren Beatty, Diane Keaton | |
| Historical romance of radical US labor organizer. "What if I asked you to do something that might seem a little selfish?" ... "Well, I think you should!" |
![]() |
Regret to Inform |
| 1998 | |
| USA | |
| Director: Barbara Sonneborn | |
| Starring: (Documentary) | |
| Analyzes the Vietnam War from the point of view of American and Vietnamese women who lost the men they loved. |
![]() |
Requiem for a Dream |
| 2000 | |
| USA | |
| Director: Darren Aronofsky | |
| Starring: Ellen Burstyn, Jennifer Connelly, Jared Leto, Marlon Wayans | |
| The author of "Last Exit to Brooklyn" and the director of "Pi" create bizarre, surreal, dark, and overlapping tales of addiction and its consequences. Parents, see the unedited version with your teenagers. Music by Kronos Quartet. |
![]() |
Risky Business |
| 1983 | |
| USA | |
| Director: Paul Brickman | |
| Starring: Tom Cruise, Rebecca DeMornay | |
| "My name is Joel Goodson. I deal in human fulfillment. I grossed over $8,000 in one night. Time of your life, huh kid?" |
![]() |
The Road Warrior |
| 1981 | |
| Australia | |
| Director: George Miller | |
| Starring: Mel Gibson, Bruce Spence | |
| Post-apocaylptic sequel to "Mad Max." Gyro Captain is my favorite. Another reason to visit Australia. (Avoid "Mad Max III: Beyond Thunderdome.") |
![]() |
Roger and Me |
| 1989 | |
| USA | |
| Director: Michael Moore | |
| Starring: N/A (Docu-Comedy) | |
| Iconoclast investigates the decline and fall of Flint, Michigan after GM plant closes. Rabbit lady is my favorite. |
![]() |
Safe |
| 1995 | |
| USA | |
| Director: Todd Haynes | |
| Starring: Julianne Moore | |
| Applause for spotlighting the socially misunderstood but personally debilitating medical condition known as "chemical sensitivity." |
![]() |
Scarface |
| 1983 | |
| USA | |
| Director: Brian de Palma | |
| Starring: Al Pacino, Michelle Pfeiffer | |
| Exiled Cuban crim turns Miami drug lord. Screenplay by Oliver Stone. |
![]() |
The Shawshank Redemption |
| 1994 | |
| USA | |
| Director: Frank Darabont | |
| Starring: Tim Robbins, Morgan Freeman | |
| From a Steven King short story. If you only see one prison flick, make it this one. "Get busy livin', or get busy dyin'." |
![]() |
The Shining |
| 1980 | |
| USA | |
| Director: Stanley Kubrick | |
| Starring: Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall | |
| Stay out of Room 237. As horror stories made into movies, it's the diamond in Steven King's pile of glass. "Redrum! Redrum!" |
![]() |
Sister My Sister |
| 1994 | |
| UK | |
| Director: Nancy Meckler | |
| Starring: Joely Richardson, Julie Walters, Jodhi May | |
| Period piece / psychological drama. Steamy lesbian love affair bubbles up into all-out slaughter. |
![]() |
Sling Blade |
| 1996 | |
| USA | |
| Director: Billy Bob Thornton | |
| Starring: Billy Bob Thornton | |
| "I don't reckon I got no reason to kill nobody." Never underestimate anybody named Billy Bob. |
![]() |
Snow Falling on Cedars |
| 1999 | |
| USA | |
| Director: Scott Hicks | |
| Starring: Ethan Hawke, Max von Sydow, James Cromwell, Yuki Kudoh | |
|
Casting. Script. Lighting. Cinematography. Screenplay. Soundtrack. Editing. This film is a simply awesome combination of talent. Another Australian director triumphs! It unweaves three mysteries: What happened on the boat (as played out in the courtroom)? What is the relationship? What happened to this community during the war? |
![]() |
Something Wild |
| 1986 | |
| USA | |
| Director: Jonathan Demme | |
| Starring: Jeff Daniels, Melanie Griffith, Ray Liotta | |
| Straight-laced yuppie corrupted by wild girl. |
![]() |
Sophie's Choice |
| 1982 | |
| USA | |
| Director: Alan J. Pakula | |
| Starring: Meryl Streep, Kevin Kline | |
| Moral: Don't get into a three-way love affair with a paranoid schitzophrenic. Yet another kick-in-the-stomach ending. |
![]() |
Star Wars |
| 1977 | |
| USA | |
| Director: George Lucas | |
| Starring: Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Alec Guiness | |
| Can you believe it was made for $11 million? The prequels and sequels to this never repeated its charm and magic. To think I dressed up as Luke Skywalker at sci-fi conventions! Jeesh! |
![]() |
Swimming to Cambodia |
| 1987 | |
| USA | |
| Director: Jonathan Demme | |
| Starring: Spaulding Gray | |
| Experimental theater. See after "The Killing Fields." |
![]() |
The Terminator |
| 1984 | |
| USA | |
| Director: James Cameron | |
| Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton | |
| Indestructible cyborg sent back in time on a mission. |
![]() |
Terminator 2: Judgment Day |
| 1991 | |
| USA | |
| Director: James Cameron | |
| Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton | |
| Great when a sequel tops the original. |
![]() |
Thelma and Louise |
| 1991 | |
| USA | |
| Director: Ridley Scott | |
| Starring: Susan Sarandon, Gina Davis, Harvey Keitel | |
| "Sir, you're standing in your pizza." Crime-spree, buddy, road, girls' self-discovery movie. Serious "snowball effect" happening here. |
![]() |
To Die For |
| 1994 | |
| UK | |
| Director: Gus van Zant | |
| Starring: Nicole Kidman, Matt Dillon, Joaquin Phoenix | |
| "The price of fame is murder." This girl can act. |
![]() |
Touching the Void |
| 2003 | |
| UK | |
| Director: Kevin MacDonald | |
| Starring: (Docu-drama) | |
| Gripping testament to human endurance. The fellow, seriously lucky to have survived a mountain-climbing accident on the west face of Siula Grande in the Peruvian Andes, puffs a cigarette as he retells his tale! |
![]() |
Toy Story |
| 1995 | |
| USA | |
| Director:John Lasseter | |