1-African-Americans in the Movies
8-Fantasy and Mythology in the Movies
10-History, Religion, Economics and Politics in the Movies
The Birth of a Nation (1915). Two brothers, Phil and Ted Stoneman, visit their friends in Piedmont, South Carolina: the family Cameron. This friendship is affected by the Civil War, as the Stonemans and the Camerons must join up opposite armies. The consequences of the War in their lives are shown in connection to major historical events, like the development of the Civil War itself, Lincoln's assassination, and the birth of the Ku Klux Klan.
The Jazz Singer (1927). Jake Rabinowitz, son of a Jewish Cantor runs away from home and become jazz singer Jack Robin. He has success, but when his father dies he gives up his chances on Broadway and takes over the duties of the cantor at the synagogue.
Gone with the Wind (1939) Scarlett is a woman who can deal with a nation at war, Atlanta burning, the Union Army carrying off everything from her beloved Tara, the carpetbaggers who arrive after the war. Scarlett is beautiful. She has vitality. But Ashley, the man she has wanted for so long, is going to marry his placid cousin, Melanie. Mammy warns Scarlett to behave herself at the party at Twelve Oaks. There is a new man there that day, the day the Civil War begins. Rhett Butler. Scarlett does not know he is in the room when she pleads with Ashley to choose her instead of Melanie.
The Great American Broadcast (1941) After WWI two men go into radio. Failure leads the wife of one to borrow money from another; she goes on, after separation, to stardom. A coast-to-coast radio program is set up to bring everyone back together.
Stormy Weather (1943) Dancing great Bill 'Williamson' sees his face on the cover of Theatre World magazine and reminisces: just back from World War I, he meets lovely singer Selina Rogers at a soldiers' ball and promises to come back to her when he "gets to be somebody." Years go by, and Bill and Selina's rising careers intersect only briefly, since Selina is unwilling to "settle down." Will she ever change her mind? Concludes with a big all-star show hosted by Cab Calloway.
No Way Out (1950) The Biddle brothers, shot while robbing a gas station, are taken to the prison ward of the County Hospital; Ray Biddle, a rabid racist, wants no treatment from black resident Dr. Luther Brooks. When brother John dies while Luther tries to save him, Ray is certain it's murder and becomes obsessed with vengeance. But there are black racists around too, and the situation slides rapidly toward violence.
Carmen Jones (1954) At an all-black army camp, civilian parachute maker and "hot bundle" Carmen Jones is desired by many of the men. Naturally, she wants Joe, who's engaged to sweet Cindy Lou and about to go into pilot training for the Korean War. Going after him, she succeeds only in getting him into the stockade. While she awaits his release, trouble approaches for both of them
Blackboard Jungle (1955) Richard Dadier earns a teaching assignment at a tough high school, where the teenagers make the rules and the staff meekly accept the fact that they've lost control. When Dadier tries exerting his authority, he receives much hostility from both students and faculty, culminating in a threat delivered to his pregnant wife. In anger, Dadier hurls an accusation at Gregory Miller, a black youth whom he suspects of being the chief troublemaker in his class. Is he? Or is he just the suspect because of his color?
To Sir, With Love (1967) Engineer Mark Thackeray arrives to teach a totally undisciplined class at an East End school. Still hoping for a good engineering job, he's hopeful that he won't be there long. He starts implementing his own brand of classroom discipline: forcing the pupils to treat each other with respect. Inevitably he begins getting involved in the students' personal lives, and must avoid the advances of an amorous student while winning over the class tough. What will he decide when the engineering job comes through?
The Great White Hope (1970) Jack Jefferson (James Earl Jones) as a boxer, dealing with the racism and hatred of mid-century white America. He is not only the first black heavyweight contender; he is also in love with a white woman. Jefferson must not only deal with the hatred of whites, he must also deal with the ostracism of some members of the black community who feel he has sold out.
The Greatest (1977) Ali plays himself impressively in this biography of his remarkable boxing career. The greatest commands the screen alongside such actors as Robert Duval, Ernest Borgnine and James Earl Jones. The film is not as powerful, moving or exciting as it could have been and so is a slightly disappointing dramatization of a legendary boxing story. But, of course, just to see Ali doing what he does best (entertaining out of the ring as well as in) is a must for most. So, see it.
Roots (1977) A saga of African-American life, based on Alex Haley's family history. Kunta Kinte is abducted from his African village, sold into slavery, and taken to America. He makes several escape attempts until he is finally caught and maimed. He marries Bell, his plantation's cook, and they have a daughter, Kizzy, who is eventually sold away from them. Kizzy has a son by her new master, and the boy grows up to become Chicken George, a legendary cock fighter who leads his family into freedom. Throughout the series, the family observes notable events in U.S. history, such as the Revolutionary and Civil Wars, slave uprisings, and emancipation.
The Color Purple (1985) This film follows the life of Celie, a young black girl growing up in the early 1900's. The first time we see Celie, she is 14 - and pregnant - by her father. We stay with her for the next 30 years of her tough life...
Eyes on the Prize I (1987) This is a documentary series about the glory years of the American Civil Rights Movement, starting in 1952 with the murder of Emmit Till and the subsequent trial and ending with the civil rights march to Selma in 1965. Along the way, the series touches on the major figures of the movement such as Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks and major incidents such as the Little Rock school riots and Montgomery, Alabama Transit Boycott. II (1990) In this sequel series, we learn about the events of the African American communities efforts for equality from 1965 to contemporary times. Along the way, we learn of figures like Malcolm X and organizations like the Black Panthers as well as key events in that time-frame.
Coming to America (1988) It is the 21st birthday of African Prince Akeem of Zamunda and he is to marry a woman he never saw before. Now the prince breaks with tradition and travels to America to look for the love of his life.
Glory (1989) Based on the letters of Colonel Robert G. Shaw. Shaw was an officer in the Federal Army during the American Civil War who volunteered to lead the first company of black soldiers. Shaw was forced to deal with the prejudices of both the enemy (who had orders to kill commanding officers of blacks), and of his own fellow officers.
Driving Miss Daisy (1989) An elderly Jewish widow living in Atlanta can no longer drive. Her son insists she allow him to hire a driver, which in the 1950s meant a black man. She resists any change in her life but, Hoke, the driver is hired by her son. She refuses to allow him to drive her anywhere at first, but Hoke slowly wins her over with his native good graces. The movie is directly taken from a stage play and does show it. It covers over twenty years of the pair's life together as they slowly build a relationship that transcends their differences.
Separate but Equal (1991) This film follows the true story of the NAACP court court challenge of racial school segregation in the Brown vs. Board of Education. This was the struggle would destroy the legal validity for racial segregation in general and prove to be the start and the first major victory of the civil rights movement.
Malcolm X (1992) Biography of Malcolm X, the famous African American leader. Born Malcolm Little, his father (a minister) was killed by the Ku Klux Klan. He became a gangster, and while in jail discovered the Nation of Islam writings of Elijah Muhammad. He preaches the teachings when let out of jail, but later on goes on a pilgrimage to the city of Mecca, there he converts to the original Islamic religion and becomes a Sunni Muslim. He changes his name to El-Hajj Malik Al-Shabazz and stops his anti-white teachings, as he realizes the error of his mistakes. He is later on assassinated and dies a Muslim Martyr.
The Tuskegee Airmen (1995) During the Second World War, a special project is begun by the US Army Air Corps to integrate African American pilots into the Fighter Pilot Program. Known as the "Tuskegee Airman" for the name of the airbase at which they were trained, these men were forced to constantly endure harassment, prejudice, and much behind the scenes politics until at last they were able to prove themselves in combat.
Rosewood (1996) In 1923, a black town in Florida was burned to the ground, its people murdered because of a lie. Some escaped and survived because of the courage and compassion of a few extraordinary people. This film is for them.
The Nutty Professor (1996) Sherman Klump is an incredibly fat and good-hearted man. He is a college professor on the verge of a breakthrough in DNA restructuring when he meets an admirer of his, named Carla, who is a teacher new to Klump's college. He is enamored of her, but is frustrated by his tremendous bulk. He then decides to test a formula on which he's been working on himself. He is then transformed into the lecherous swinger, Buddy Love, and romantic complications ensue.
Amistad (1997) Freedom is not given. It is our right at birth. But there are some moments when it must be taken. This film is about a 1839 mutiny onboard a slave ship that is traveling towards the Northeast Coast of America. Much of the story involves a court-room drama about the slave who led the revolt.
Buffalo Soldiers (1997) Fact based story about the all-black US Cavalry Troop H which protected the Western territories in post Civil War times. The story focuses on the troops attempts to capture an Apache warrior named Vittorio who slaughters the settlers in New Mexico. The film examines the racial tensions that existed between the black soldiers and some of the white soldiers and the truths about the Indian invaders
4 Little Girls (1997) This film recounts the people and events leading up to the one of the most despicable hate-crimes during the height of the civil-rights movement, the bombing of the 16th Street Church in Birmingham, Alabama. In that attack, four little African-American girls lost their lives and a nation was simultaneously revolted, angered and galvanized to push the fight for equality and justice on
Cinderella (1997) Updated version of the classic Rodgers and Hammerstein musical of the classic fairy-tale, with an all-star, multi-racial cast.
Africans in America: America's Journey Through Slavery (1998) This documentary exposes many of the realities of one of this country's most shameful legacies. Never sensationalizing history, one still comes away realizing how much each of us in the United States owes to the Africans upon whose forced labor our entire economy was built.
Beloved (1998) After Paul D. finds his old slave friend Sethe in Ohio and moves in with her and her daughter Denver, a strange girl comes along by the name of "Beloved". Sethe and Denver take her in and then strange things start to happen...
The Hurricane (1999) This film tells the story of Rubin "Hurricane" Carter, an African-American man who rose above his troubled youth to become a top contender for the middle-weight boxing title. However, his dreams are shattered when he is accused of a triple murder, and is convicted to three natural-life terms.
Men of Honor (2000) The story ultimately revolves around two "men of honor"; their relationship, their individual and joint failures and triumphs. Carl Brashear is determined to be the first African American Navy Diver in a time where racism is strife. Leslie Sunday is his embittered trainer, determined to see him fail. Fate, challenges and circumstances eventually draw these two men together in a tale of turbulence and ultimately triumph.
The Middle Passage (2000) An un-credited cast with no dialogue, only narration. Very powerful, realistic portrayal of conditions and mindset aboard a slave ship bound for the Americas.
Bamboozled (2000) Dark, biting satire of the television industry, focusing on an Ivy-League educated black writer at a major network. Frustrated that his ideas for a "Cosby Show" has been rejected by network brass, he devises an outlandish scheme: reviving the minstrel show. The hook: instead of white actors in black face, the show stars black actors in even blacker face. The show becomes an instant smash, but with the success also comes repercussions for all involved.
Ali (2001) Cassius Clay (Smith) was a smart-talking, fast-stepping ball of fire, in the ring, and out, who lit up professional sports in the 1960's, eventually dropping his slave name and becoming Muhammad Ali, and refusing to go to Vietnam. Champion, leader, and media super-figure... Ali was all four Beatles wrapped up in one.
Bojangles (2001) This biography of African-American William "Bojangles" Robinson (Gregory Hines) explores his earliest roots as a street performer much against his grandmother's wishes, his rise in vaudeville overcoming racial barriers, and then conquering additional racial barriers in Hollywood
Major Artists:
Hattie McDaniel...............Denzel Washington.....Wesley Snipes...............Bill Cosby
Stepin Fetchit....................Whoopi Goldberg.........Laurence Fishburne.....Halle Berry
Lena Horne........................Danny Glover..............James Earl Jones........Harry Belafonte
Bill “Bojangels” Robins....Eddie Murphy.............Gregory Hines.............Dorothy Dandridge
The Nicholas Brothers......Richard Pryor..............Chris Tucker
Sidney Poitier.....................Ving Rhames...............Oprah Winfrey
Morgan Freeman...............Will Smith................... Whitney Houston
Look for the evolution in how African-American are presented and the stereotypes: the maid-mammy, the lazy and stupid good for nothing, the savage raper, the dancer / singer, the servant, the funny guy, the boxer, the civil rights fighter, the victim of slavery, racism and discrimination, the regular citizen, the leader.
Rembrandt (1936): This character study joins the painter at the height of his fame in
1642, when his adored wife suddenly dies and his work takes a dark, sardonic turn that
offends his patrons...
The Life of Emile Zola (1937): The biopic of the famous French muckracking writer
and his involvement in fighting the injustice of the Dreyfuss Affair.
La Vida de Carlos Gardel (1939): The life and music of the great Argentinean singer.
The Adventures of Mark Twain (1944): A dramatised life of Samuel Langhorn
Clemens, or Mark Twain.
Rhapsody in Blue (1945): George and Ira Gershwin struggle to become successful
songwriters. The road to fame takes them from Manhattan's Lower East Side to London
and Paris.
All About Eve (1950): Much-loved, lengthy drama about young actress who insinuates
her way into Broadway stage star's life.
Teatro Apolo (1950). Love and Zarzuela. Great for lovers of traditional Spanish music.
De Madrid al Cielo (1952): A love story and two Spanish artists trying to succeed.
The Big Knife (1955): Charles Castle is a Hollywood actor whose career needs to
rebound after several flops. When he sees his marriage and career crumbling before him..
A Star is Born (1954) (1976): Drunken waining movie star Norman Maine meets
showgirl Esther Blodgett when ...
Lust for Life (1956): Vincent Van Gogh is the archetypical tortured artistic genius. His
obsession with painting, combined with mental illness, propels him through an unhappy life
The Hourse’s Mouth (1958): Gulley Jimson is broke, difficult, conniving, uncouth, and
a welcher - but an artist. The visions in his head may not really satisfy him when realized,
but the quest continues
Mi Ultimo Tango (1960): Sarita Montiel gives us a great performance as always.
The Agony and the Ecstasy (1965): The biographical story of Michelangelo's troubles
while painting the Sistine Chapel at the urging of Pope Julius II
Andrei Rublev (1966): Andreiv Rublev charts the life of the great icon painter through a
turbulent period of 15th Century Russian history
Isadora (1968) A biography of the dancer Isadora Duncan, the 1920s dancer who forever
changed people's ideas of ballet. Her nude, semi-nude, and pro-Soviet dance projects as
well as her attitudes on free love, debt, dress, and lifestyle shocked the public of her time.
La Vida Sigue Igual (1969): Soccer player Julio Iglesias becomes a famous singer....
Music Lovers (1971): Biographical drama about Tchaikovsky focuses on his
homosexuality and his wife's mental problems.
Savage Messiah (1972): Among the best of Ken Russell's films, this work probes, again,
the nature of artistic genius, the mores of artists during the last 150 years and, especially,
the proximity of this form of genius to psycho-pathology.
Mahler (1974): The film takes place on a single train ride, in which the sickly, aged
composer Gustav Mahler and his wife, Alma, confront the reasons behind their faltered
marriage and dying love
Lisztomania (1975): Incredibly offbeat, extravagant biopic about composer Franz Liszt.
Russell fans, art-house devotees seeking lavish visuals, shocking sex, bizarre costumes,
offbeat characters will love this very non-mainstream period piece.
Xanadu (1980): The Greek muses incarnate themselves on Earth to inspire men to achieve. ...
Wagner (1983): A huge panorama of Wagner's life and work, from before the 1848
Revolution, through his exile in Switzerland, his rescue by the besotted King Ludwig II
of Bavaria to the final triumph at Bayreuth. Wagner's radical musical and political ideas,
his German nationalism and even his anti-Semitism are set in the context of his life and times.
Amadeus (1984): The incredible story of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, told in flashback
mode by Antonio Salieri - now confined to an insane asylum.
Gavilan o Paloma (1985): The turbulent life of Mexican singer Jose Jose...
Frida: Naturaleza Viva (1985): This film is a chronicle of painter Frida Kahlo, and her
encounter with the personalities of her time
Caravaggio (1986): This is not a mainstream movie. You may be very distracted by the
presence of jokey 20th century anachronisms in this otherwise grave movie about the
artistic genius, Caravaggio. 17th century merchants use hand-held calculators, modern
instruments play at the parties, local scribes use typewriters, servants dress in modern
dinner jackets.
Placido (1986): Cuban poet.
Camille Claudel (1989): Biography of Camille Claudel. Sister of writer Paul Claudel,
her enthusiasm impresses already-famous sculptor Auguste Rodin. He hires her as an
assistant, but soon Camille begins to sculpt for herself and for Rodin. She also becomes
his mistress.
La Bella de la Alhambra (1990): Cuban republic alegory through the story of a vedette
of musical theatre in the Havana of the 20's and 30's
Vicent and Theo (1990): The familiar tragic story of Vincent van Gogh is broadened by
focusing as well on his brother Theodore, who helped support Vincent.
All the Mornings of the World (1991): It's late 17th century. The viola da gamba player
Monsieur de Sainte Colombe comes home to find that his wife died while he was away.
In his grief he builds a small house in his garden into wich he moves to dedicate his life
to music and his two young daughters Madeleine and Toinette, avoiding the outside world.
Impromptu (1991): In 1830s France, pianist/composer Frederic Chopin is pursued
romantically by the determined, individualistic woman who uses the name George Sand
La Belle Noiseuse (1992): The former famous painter Frenhofer lives quietly with his
wife on his countryside residence in the French Provence. When the young artist Nicolas
visits him with his girlfriend Marianne, Frenhofer decides to start again the work on a
painting he long ago stopped: La Belle Noiseuse. And he wants Marianne as model.
Van Gogh (1991): In late spring, 1890, Vincent moves to Auvers-sur-Oise, near Paris,
under the care of Dr. Gachet, living in a humble inn. Fewer than 70 days later, Vincent
dies from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. We see Vincent at work, painting landscapes
and portraits.
Immortal Beloved (1994): The genius behind the music. The madness behind the man.
The untold love story of Ludwig van Beethoven.
Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle (1994): Talky, polished, deliberately paced portrait
of 20s-era humorist Dorothy Parker and her literary associates. Appeals to fans of witty
and literate dialogue, meticulous period detail who are prepared for downbeat themes.
Surviving Picasso (1996): In 1943, a young painter, Françoise Gilot (1921- ) meets
Pablo Picasso (1881-1973), already the most celebrated artist in the world. For the next
ten years, she is his mistress, bears him two children, is his muse, and paints within his
element. She also learns slowly about the other women who have been or still are in his life...
Wilde (1997): The story of Oscar Wilde, genius, poet, playwright. The self-realisation of
his homosexuality caused Wilde enormous torment...
Goya in Bordeaux (1999): Francisco Goya (1746-1828), deaf and ill, lives the last years
of his life in voluntary exile in Bordeaux, a Liberal protesting the oppressive rule of
Ferdinand VII. He's living with his much younger wife Leocadia...
Frida (2002): "Frida" chronicles the life Frida Kahlo (Salma Hayek) shared unflinchingly
and openly with Diego Rivera (Alfred Molina), as the young couple took the art world by
storm. From her complex and enduring relationship with her mentor and husband to her
illicit and controversial affair with Leon Trotsky, to her provocative and romantic
entanglements with women, Frida Kahlo lived a bold and uncompromising life
as a political, artistic, and sexual revolutionary.
Napoleon (1927) Epic-length, silent biopic is considered by many critics to be a cinematic masterpiece. Visually stunning, well-crafted film is a must-see for classic film buffs, students of cinema history.
Little Caesar (1930) This father-of-all-gangster films charts the rise and fall of a small-time hood who makes it big. Edward G. Robinson's performance is still powerful. Mainly of interest to gangster/crime film aficionados.
Scarface (1932) Powerful portrait of brutal yet sympathetic hoodlum, modeled after Al Capone. Considered the quintessential gangster film, its elegant direction, fiery performances make this essential viewing for noir, crime drama fans
Cleopatra (1934) Opulent epic traces legendary romance between Egyptian queen and two Romans. Lavish decor and dazzling cinematography captivate viewers seeking classic escapist entertainment.
Mary of Scotland (1936) In 16th-century Britain, Mary Queen of Scots attempts to win the throne from her cousin, Queen Elizabeth I. This historical tragedy is based on a play by Maxwell Anderson.
The Story of Louis Pasteur (1936) : Glossy, critically acclaimed saga of dedicated 19th century French scientist fighting disease and medical establishment. Award-winner set the standard for respectful, entertaining biopics. Recommended for fans of classic biographical dramas.
The Life of Emile Zola (1937) Well-regarded biography of the great 19th century French writer emphasizes his courtroom defense of the framed Corporal Dreyfus. Excellent performances, script, period detail appeal to fans of historical dramas, classic buffs.
Victoria the Great (1937) Biopic of the Great Queen starts in black and white, then last reel bursts into Technicolor.
The Story of Alexander Graham Bell (1939) Alexander Graham Bell falls in love with deaf girl Mabel Hubbard while teaching the deaf and trying to invent means for telegraphing the human voice. She urges him to put off thoughts of marriage until his experiments are complete. He invents the telephone, marries and becomes rich and famous, though his happiness is threatened when a rival company sets out to ruin him.
Juarez (1939) Revolutionary commander topples Mexico's corrupt government and becomes the country's leader in this epic biography of Benito Pablo Juarez
Edison the Man (1940) Glossy MGM biopic covers inventor's life and achievements from young adulthood to 82. Tracy is ideal in informative and inspirational film. Highly recommended for biopic, classic drama fans.
Madame Curie (1943) This engrossing, fictionalized biography focuses on the passionate personal life of the woman who discovered radium.
The Babe Ruth Story (1948) Well-meaning biopic of legendary slugger was viciously panned for its ultra-syrupy tone. Strictly reserved for baseball fanatics who are searching for an unabashedly sentimental portrait of the Babe.
The Jackie Robison Story (1950) Bittersweet, straightforward biopic about star who broke baseball's color barrier. Praised for its frank portrayal of racial issues. Poignant drama still resonates with sports fans, civil rights history students.
Jim Thorpe - All american (1951) Moving biopic chronicles life of Native American sports figure whose Olympic medal was revoked for playing pro-baseball. Well-acted drama will satisfy those seeking affecting look at racial issues in sports
The Desert Fox (1951) : Big-budget biopic about famed German general's defeat and disillusionment. Notable for Mason's bravura performance as the wily tank commander. Compelling viewing for WWII buffs, fans of powerhouse character portraits.
The Virgin queen (1955) The relationship between Queen Elizabeth I and Sir Walter Raleigh is detailed in this Hollywood historical drama.
Alexander the Great (1956) Alexander the Great is a good film, perhaps too ambitious, and even though it is not very accessible to viewers not familiar with the territory, it is still quite dramatic, convincing and enjoyable if you like historical epics. And even though the film doesn't ask you to care too much about the characters, it is still an interesting, intellectual, and high minded story you probably will not forget.
The Ten Commandments (1956) Perennial Passover cinematic classic depicts the life of Moses. Towering production values, highly acclaimed special effects, lusty performances, and fast pace make this epic drama widely appealing for lovers of visually stunning, old-style Hollywood extravaganzas.
Spirit of St. Louis (1957) The achievements of the first man to fly solo across the Atlantic, Charles Lindbergh, are recounted in this biographical feature.
Al Capone (1959) Old-fashioned, film-noirish biopic about the notorious mobster is somewhat violent, even by today's standards. With its bravura performance by Steiger, this still pleases fans of tough guy gangster flicks
Spartacus (1960) Lavish, lengthy epic about slave revolt against Roman Empire was a huge hit with critics and audiences. Must-see for fans of sweeping historical sagas, spectacular battle scenes, grand oratorical performances
El Cid (1961) Big-budget Hollywood spectacle about 11th century warrior driving Moors from Spain. Critics praised solid script, performances. Still loved by fans of lavish, old-style epics. Must for Heston connoisseurs
King of Kings (1961) Sweeping cinematic spectacle about the life of Jesus. Passionate, intelligently directed film features gorgeous photography, lavish sets, evocative score; a good bet for those interested in epic biblical tales.
Lawrence of Arabia (1962) Sweeping epic follows British officer's transformation from eccentric to hero in WWI Arabia. Hailed as one of the greatest films, its stunning cinematography, rich characters appeal to virtually every audience.
Cleopatra (1963) Slow-moving, gargantuan Hollywood spectacle is considered by critics one of the most bloated blockbusters of all time. A must for fans of marathon historical opuses, with mega-watt star power, lush cinematography, and dazzling production design.
Becket (1964) Compelling historical drama about strained friendship between Henry II and the Archbishop of Canterbury. Critics applauded its intricate performances, sumptuous cinematography. Richly rewarding fare for drama fans, British history buffs.
The Greatest story Ever Told (1965) Lavishly over-the-top epic about the life of Christ. Critics were lukewarm, but fans of classic Hollywood stars will love this cameo-filled extravaganza, despite its strain on credibility.
Bonnie and Clyde (1967) Groundbreaking crime drama/romance about 1930s bank-robbing couple and gang mixes folksy flavor with bloody shoot-outs. Critics praised stylish crafting, vivid performances. Widely appealing for viewers who don't mind some carnage.
The Lion in Winter (1968) Critically acclaimed British costume drama about King Henry II's deliberations over a successor. Fans of historical drama seeking powerful performances, clever dialogue, and strong character portraits enjoy this.
Anne of the thousand Days (1969)Lush, acclaimed romantic drama traces Anne Boleyn's relationship with Henry VIII. Though noted for its historical inaccuracies, this well-cast film pleases fans of strong character development, finely detailed period pieces.
Patton (1970) Sprawling, epic-length biographical war drama about charismatic WWII general's struggle with Germans, his own demons. The award-winning story, Scott's bravura performance make this a must-see for history buffs, character study fans.
The Great White Hope (1970) Talky, vibrant biopic based on heavyweight great Jack Johnson's life, career, and interracial romance. Less appealing to boxing/sports film fans than to lovers of intelligently scripted character portraits, psychological drama.
Elizabeth R (1971) Queen Elizabeth 1 restores Britain to power and glory in this classic epic miniseries. Its lavish period reproduction, solid performances create believable atmosphere for period-piece drama lovers, undemanding history buffs.
Six Wives of Henry VIII (1972) King Henry is examined in his role as husband to each of his wives. Made for British television. Historical drama fans will appreciate non-sensationalistic tone. Others may find this dry.
The Last Ten Days (1973) Claustrophobic drama chronicles Der Fuhrer's final tirades in his besieged bunker. The uneven style will jar many, but Guinness' performance, startling real-life footage might make this worthwhile for historical drama fans.
Dillinger (1973) Tough though somewhat romanticized account of notorious criminal John Dillinger's bank-robbing heyday. This well-received, extremely violent period noir greatly appeals to fans of gritty, hard-boiled gangster yarns.
Mahler (1974) : Leisurely paced, baroque biopic of 19th-century composer Gustav Mahler. Less hallucinatory than most Russell films; classical music and drama buffs will enjoy rich characterizations, exquisite period detail, and lavish costumes.
Jesus of Nazareth (1977) Superbly mounted made-for-TV miniseries is simultaneously realistic and reverent depiction of the life of Christ. All-star cast, superb direction, and overall intelligence make this powerful experience for fans of biblical epics.
The Greatest (1977) Scattered, episodic biopic of boxing legend Muhammed Ali starring the great man himself. Especially suited for those with special interest in the boxing legend
MacArthur (1977) : Exhaustive biopic of General Douglas MacArthur follows the headstrong military leader's rise from defeated general of the Philippine garrison in 1941 to triumphant military governor of Japan in the late 1940s. It also charts his downfall after he clashed with President Harry S Truman over the conduct of the Korean War
Raging Bull (1980) Hauntingly vivid biography of a prizefighter whose violent nature virtually destroys him. Black-and-white cinematography emphasizes the stark realism and brutality of this "must-see" for serious movie fans.
The Bunker (1981) Powerful made-for-TV drama profiles the final days of Hitler's reign. Hopkins' award-winning performance should grip even those casually interested in WWII history, though it may be too static for many.
Gandhi (1982) : Epic-length, decade-sweeping, Hollywood-style biopic about India's peace-loving leader. This box-office smash was critically praised for its cinematography, lead performance. A must for fans of character-driven, historical drama, armchair travel buffs.
Amadeus (1984) Widely appealing, lengthy, extravagant period biopic about Mozart. Drama lovers are enthralled by the sumptuous design, witty dialogue, strong character development, delirious, over-the-top lead performance. Classical music fans love this.
The Untouchables (1987) Glossy, fast-paced, violent crime drama about naive federal agent battling the Mafia in 20s-era Chicago. Critics were mixed, but this is very enjoyable for crime saga lovers, fans of elaborate shoot-'em-ups.
Mandela (1987) : Glossy HBO biopic about South African leader's struggles. Critics raved over lead performances. Enjoyed by fans of literate, intelligent historical drama seeking clear portrait of leader and his country.
Romero (1989) Sweeping biopic about martyred Salvadoran Archbishop features understated, distinguished lead performance by Julia. Subtle, intelligently scripted story should have much appeal for fans of uplifting, inspirational drama with political underpinnings.
Attila (1991) The story of the conqueror Attila the Hun who is killed with his own sword by a beautiful maiden.
Bugsy (1991) Polished period piece profiles gangster building Vegas' first casino. Its mix of character-driven drama, mob history, and old-fashioned love story makes this widely appealing to mainstream drama, gangster, romance buffs
JFK (1991) Brashly cinematic eye-opener re-examines Kennedy assassination. Blasted as outrageous fabrication by some, praised as plausible speculation by others, this technically outstanding film is a conspiracy buff's dream come true.
The Babe (1992) Sentimental biography of Babe Ruth offers revealing though hardly myth-busting profile of the famed baseball player. Critics adored Goodman's performance. Great for sports fans, American history buffs, drama lovers.
Malcolm X (1992) Sweeping, energetic biography of black leader's transformation from criminal to crusader. Critics praised lead performance, intelligent script. History buffs, fans of strong character development enjoy this compelling, thought-provoking film.
Immortal Beloved (1994) : Period soap opera delves into the question of who was Beethoven's greatest love. Strong characterizations and composer's powerful music distinguish this historical melodrama.
Cobb (1994) Non-reverential Hollywood biopic about one of baseball's greatest players. Critically acclaimed lead performance draws in drama fans seeking strong character portrait, even if they have no interest in the sport.
Catherine the Great (1995) The great Catherine Zeta-Jones, before she became internationally famous, plays "Catherine the Great" in this 1995 film billed as an "A&E Original." It is filmed in what I will call an "antique" look, with a light olive-colored overtone to it and few brilliant colors. Still, it is very beautifully filmed and looks appropriate for the period, the middle 1700s. Zeta-Jones is marvelous as a very believable Catherine II.
Nixon (1995) Slow-paced, deliberate, epic-length biopic of troubled president carries him from childhood through Watergate. Fans of the director will enjoy film's technical brilliance. Not light fare; requires full viewer attention.
Hitler: The Whole Story (1998) : Get Discovery Channel depth in this comprehensive examination of the tyrannical leader's rise to power. Fans of wartime documentaries will be enthralled by thorough research and rare footage.
Elizabeth (1998) : Lavish biopic follows legendary queen's transformation from political neophyte to supreme monarch. The emphasis on personal drama might leave historical purists unfulfilled, but the powerful performances will sweep up period piece lovers.
Ali (2001) : Sprawling sports biopic profiles legendary athlete Cassius Clay's rise from obscure pugilist to world-champion boxer, his controversial name change to Muhammad Ali, his conversion to Islam and friendship with Malcolm X, his defiance of the Vietnam draft and subsequent fall from grace, and his thunderous comeback.
The Paradine Case (1947) The beautiful Mrs. Paradine is accused of poisoning her
older, blind husband. She hires married Anthony Keane as her lawyer and when he
begins to fall in love with her, she encourages him.
The Won’t Believe Me (1947) On trial for murder, Larry Ballantyne regurgitates an
unbelievable story. He recounts how he philanders to other women while his rich loving
wife Gretta tries to keep him in line. According to Larry, his girlfriend Verna dies
accidentally in a car crash and his distraught wife tosses herself over a cliff after he runs
out on her. The jury has a tough decision on this one.
Adam’s Rib (1949) Much-loved comedy classic about married lawyers duking it out in
court. Great star chemistry and witty battle-of-the-sexes dialogue still work magic on
classics fans.
Perry Mason (TV-Series: 1957-66). Perry Mason is an attorney who specializes in
defending seemingly indefensible cases. With the aid of his secretary Della Street and
investigator Paul Drake, he often finds that by digging deeply into the facts, startling facts
can be revealed. Often relying on his outstanding courtroom skills, he often tricks or traps
people into unwittingly admitting their guilt.
12 Angry Men (1957) Tense, richly layered, thought-provoking jury room drama has
become a timeless classic. Still very compelling for fans of intricate character studies and
for courtroom drama buffs.
Witness for the Prosecution (1957) Gripping, acclaimed courtroom drama classic
involves married playboy accused of wealthy widow's sensational murder. Still pleases
mystery, suspense, drama fans with its strong performances, sharp dialogue, and plot
surprises.
Anatomy of a Murder (1959) Since being voted out of office as local prosecutor, Paul
Biegler spends more time fishing than keeping up his law practice. But he does take on
the defense of a lieutenant from the local army camp charged with murdering a
bar-owner who raped his wife. The lieutenant is uncooperative, the wife a floozy, the
judge from out of town, and the prosecution lead by a sharp city lawyer.
Inherit the Wind (1960) Classic fact-based drama puts theory of evolution on trial.
Critics praised star cast's bravura performances, film's intelligent, thought-provoking
handling of still-resonant issues. A must-see for fans of courtroom drama.
Judgment at Nuremberg (1961) It has been three years since the most important Nazi
leaders had already been tried. This trial is about 4 Judges who used their offices to
conduct Nazi sterilization and cleansing policies. Retired American Judge, Judge Dan
Haywood has a daunting task ahead of him. The Cold War is heating up and no one
wants any more trials as Germany, and allied Governments, want to forget the past. But is
that the right thing to do is the question that the tribunal must decide.
To Kill a Mockingbird (1962) Based on Harper Lee's Pulitzer Prize winning book of
1960. Atticus Finch is a lawyer in a racially divided Alabama town in the 1930s. He
agrees to defend a young black man who is accused of raping a white woman. Many of
the townspeople try to get Atticus to pull out of the trial, but he decides to go ahead. How
will the trial turn out - and will it change any of the racial tension in the town ?
The Trial (1963) Idiosyncratic, blackly funny, little-seen adaptation from Kafka's tale of
nightmarish bureaucracy. Expressionistic cinematography and editing, fascinating use of
European locations make this a must-see for Welles devotees.
Sacco and Vanzetti (1971) True-life drama about anarchist Italian immigrants executed
in 1920s in alleged miscarriage of justice. Respectable production highlighted by strong
performances, striking music. Pleases American history, "real crime," drama buffs.
And Justice for All (1979) When a corrupt judge is charged with rape, Arthur Kirkland
must defend him. Kirkland has had problems with the judge in the past, including one
incident when the judge wrongly sentenced his client Jeff McCullaugh because of a
technicality. Kirkland faces a moral and legal dilemma, especially difficult because the
judge admits he is guilty.
The Verdict (1982) Courtroom drama involving jaded, alcoholic attorney who's
re-invigorated by a malpractice suit. Strong character development, acclaimed
performances make this well-crafted vehicle appealing for drama fans who enjoy
emotionally charged experience.
Daniel (1983) The fictionalized story of Daniel, the son of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg,
who were executed as Soviet spies in the 1950s. As a graduate student in New York in
the 1960s, Daniel is involved in the antiwar protest movement and contrasts his
experiences to the memory of his parents and his belief that they were wrongfully
convicted.
Jagged Edge (1985) Popular, steamy courtroom drama/thriller about a female lawyer
getting involved with a client accused of his wife's murder. Suspenseful build-up, strong
performances still please genre fans who aren't overly concerned with plausibility.
Suspect (1987) A judge commits suicide, and his secretary is found murdered. A
homeless deaf-mute man, Carl Anderson is arrested for her murder. Public defender
Kathleen is assigned by the court as his lawyer. She sets to find the real killer, and gets
help from the congressional advisor, Eddie Sanger who is called to be on the jury panel.
Together they discover a dangerous circle of corruption in high places.
The Accused (1988) Emotionally powerful, serious drama about raped woman who
fights back in court. This intelligent, deliberately paced drama thrills Jodie Foster fans,
those who enjoy thought-provoking, affecting, socially relevant dramas.
True Believer (1989) Eddie Dodd is a burnt out former civil rights lawyer who now
specializes in defending drug dealers. Roger Baron, newly graduated from law school,
has followed Eddie's great cases and now wants to learn at his feet. With Roger's
idealistic prodding, Eddie reluctantly takes on a case of a young Korean man who,
according to his mom, has been in jail for eight years for a murder he did not commit.
Roe vs. Wade (1989) Television docudrama about 1970s case leading to landmark
Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion. Strong performances, intelligent script
please social history buffs, fans of intelligent courtroom dramas
Presumed Innocent (1990) After his former girlfriend is killed and he becomes the
prime suspect, D.A. Harrison Ford goes on a search to find the real killer and finds out
he/she may be closer to him than he thinks. Not all punishments come from a court room
Separate But Equal (1991) This film follows the true story of the NAACP court
challenge of racial school segregation in the Brown vs. Board of Education. This was the
struggle would destroy the legal validity for racial segregation in general and prove to be
the start and the first major victory of the civil rights movement
A Few Good Men (1992) Defense lawyers, Kaffee (maverick) and Galloway (dutiful)
are assigned the case of defending two US soldiers, accused of murdering a fellow
soldier who was deemed to have 'broken the code'. Kaffee and Galloway soon run into a
brick wall (Jessup), who sees himself as a military 'untouchable.' The accused claim they
were obeying orders (Jessup's), and that the death was an accident.
Philadelphia (1993) A gay lawyer stricken with AIDS seeks assistance from a
homophobic personal injury attorney when a prestigious Philadelphia law firm fires him
for incompetence. Not the standard 'issue' movie or even the standard courtroom drama
but a sensitive and heartfelt look at the affect of AIDS on family, friends and the people
who interact with an AIDS victim.
The Firm (1993) Mitch McDeere is a young man with a promising future in Law. About
to sit his Bar exam, he is approached by 'The Firm' and made an offer he doesn't refuse.
Seduced by the money and gifts showered on him, he is totally oblivious to the more
sinister side of his company. Then, two Associates are murdered. The FBI contact him,
asking him for information and suddenly his life is ruined.
Murder in the First (1994) Dark, involving, bleak courtroom/prison drama traces
relationship between wrongly accused, inhumanely treated prisoner and his lawyer.
Must-see for genre buffs. Kevin Bacon's scene-grabbing performance also pleases fans of
strong acting.
The Client (1994) A street-wise kid, Mark Sway, sees the suicide of Jerome Clifford, a
prominent Louisiana lawyer, whose current client is Barry 'The Blade' Modano, a Mafia
hitman. Before Jerome shoots himself, he tells Mark where the body of Senator Boyd
Boyett is buried. Mark escapes, and Clifford shoots himself. Mark is found at the scene,
and both the FBI and the Mafia quickly realize that Mark probably knows more than he
says. Mark decides he needs a lawyer, and goes looking for one. He finds Reggie Love,
who also becomes convinced that Mark knows more than he says, but Mark isn't
talking...
Trial by Jury (1994) Valerie is a juror in the trail of a mob boss. When her young son's
life is threatened, she has no option other than to see that justice isn't done.
The Juror (1996) When Annie Laird is selected as a juror in a big Mafia trial, she is
forced by someone known as "The Teacher" to persuade the other jurors to vote "not
guilty". He threatens to kill her son if she doesn't commit. When the trial is over, he can't
let her go...
Crime of the Century (1996) In 1932, the nation was shocked when the 14-month-old
son of Charles Lindbergh was kidnapped, held for ransom, and murdered. Two years
later, Bruno Richard Hauptmann was arrested, convicted, and executed. This film
dramatizes the investigation against Hauptmann, the trial, and the execution, painting a
picture of a corrupt police force under pressure to finger a killer framing an innocent man
by manufacturing evidence, paying-off and blackmailing witnesses, and covering up
exculpatory evidence.
A Time to Kill (1996) Hollywood-style courtroom suspense/drama about white attorney
defending black vigilante in racially charged Southern town. This glossy John Grisham
adaptation pleases his devotees, mainstream drama fans who don't mind
plausibility-stretching plot.
The Chamber (1996) Hollywood legal thriller/family drama about young lawyer's
attempts to save racist grandfather from execution. Critics were lukewarm, but praised
Hackman's performance. For Grisham devotees, fans of mainstream courtroom dramas.
Last Dance (1996) Sober courtroom drama about lawyer trying to save woman on death
row. Critics raved over Stone's performance, but nonetheless panned this. Great for fans
of Stone and mainstream legal dramas.
Primal Fear (1996) Glossy, lengthy legal thriller about hotshot Chicago attorney
defending young man from murder charge. Critics were lukewarm, but this suspenseful
courtroom drama may please genre fans who enjoy mainstream fare.
The Rainmaker (1997) Bestseller-based legal thriller about idealistic law school grad
battling heartless insurance company. While standard-issue plot holds few surprises,
Coppola and Grisham fans may enjoy the numerous engaging characters, funny-yet-moving
storyline.
A Civil Action (1998) Jan Schlichtmann, a tenacious lawyer, is addressed by a group of families.
When investigating the seemingly non-profiting case, he finds it to be a major environmental
issue that has a lot of impact potential. A leather production company could be responsible
for several deadly cases of leukemia, but also is the main employer for the area. Schlichtmann
and his three colleagues set out to have the company forced to decontaminate the affected
areas, and of course to sue for a major sum of compensation. But the lawyers of the leather
company's mother company are not easy to get to, and soon Schlichtmann and his friends
find themselves in a battle of mere survival.
Erin Brockovich (2000) Erin Brockovich is an unemployed single mother, desperate to find a job,
but is having no luck. This losing streak even extends to a failed lawsuit against a doctor in a car
accident she was in. With no alternative, she successfully browbeats her lawyer to give her a job
in compensation for the loss. While no one takes her seriously, with her trashy clothes and earthy
manners, that soon changes when she begins to investigate a suspicious real estate case involving
the Pacific Gas & Electric Company. What she discovers is that the company is trying quietly to
buy land that was contaminated by hexavalent chromium, a deadly toxic waste that the company
is improperly and illegally dumping and, in turn, poisoning the residents in the area. As she digs
deeper, Erin finds herself leading point in a series of events that would involve her lawfirm in one of
the biggest class action lawsuits in American history against a multi-billion dollar corporation.
Runaway Jury (2003) A juror on the inside, and a woman on the outside manipulate a court trial
involving a major gun manufacturer. Trials are too important to be decided by juries.
When Worlds Collide (1951) When a group of astronomers calculate one planet is on course to pass close enough to the Earth to cause havoc on land and sea while a few days later a second will record a direct hit, they set about building a rocket so a few selected individuals can escape to the first of the unwanted intruders
The War of the Worlds (1953) H. G. Well's classic novel is brought to life is this tale of alien invasion. The residents of a small town are excited when a flaming meteor lands in the hills. Their joy is tempered some what when they discover it has passengers who are not very friendly. The movie itself is understood better when you consider it was made at the height of the Cold War - just replace Martian with Russian...
Titanic (1953) (1997) Its name stirs the imagination... Titanic. The unsinkable ship. The unimaginable catastrophe. The untold stories that lay in mystery two and a half miles beneath the waves of the North Atlantic
The Last Voyage (1960) Robert Stack, Dorothy Malone, and George Sanders star in this 1960s pre-disaster film. The director staged much of the action aboard a ship which was actually being sunk. There is much to recommend -- Malone is quite effective as a frenzied, trapped passenger; Sanders maintains his hubris, but is touching in his final scenes
The Time Machine (1960) (2002) From the book by H.G. Wells, a scientist and tinkerer builds a time machine and uses it to explore the distant future where there are two races, a mild gentle race, and a cannibalistic one living underground. His machine is stolen by the underground race and he must risk capture himself (and being eaten) to return to his own time.
The Day the Earth Caught Fire (1962) British reporters suspect an international cover-up of a global disaster in progress... and they're right. Hysterical panic has engulfed the world after the United States and the Soviet Union simultaneously detonate nuclear devices and have caused the orbit of the Earth to alter, sending it hurtling towards the sun.
Planet of Apes (1968) (2001) This is Commander Taylor, Astronaut. He has landed in a world where Apes are the rulers and Man the beast. Now is caged, tortured, risks mutilation. Because no human can remain human on, The Planet of the Apes.
The Poseidon Adventure (1972) A passenger ship, on her way to the scrap yard is pushed to her limits by the new owners to save on the dismantling fees. A tidal wave hits her, flipping her over so that all the internal rooms are upside down. A priest takes a mixed band of survivors on a journey through the bowels of the ship in an attempt to survive.
Earthquake (1974) Various stories of various people as an earthquake of un-imaginable magnitude hits Los Angeles.
The Towering Inferno (1974) The premiere party for the world's tallest skyscraper catches fire due to poor wiring. A determined fire chief and an honorable architect fight the fire from the outside and the inside respectively. Meanwhile, the fire engulfs floor by floor of the skyscraper, while the owner of the building struggles to find safety for the trapped party.
Meteor (1979) After a collision with a comet, a nearly 8km wide piece of the asteroid "Orpheus" is heading towards Earth. If it will hit it will cause a incredible catastrophe which will probably extinguish mankind. To stop the meteor NASA wants to use the illegal nuclear weapon satellite "Hercules" but discovers soon that it doesn't have enough fire power. Their only chance to save the world is to join forces with the USSR who have also launched such an illegal satellite. But will both governments agree?
Mad Max (1979) The last law in a world gone out of control. When the gangs take over the highway...In a dystrophic future Australia, a vicious biker gang murder a cop's family and make his fight with them personal.
When Time Ran Out (1980) An active volcano threatens a south Pacific island resort and its guests as a power struggle ensues between the property's developer and a drilling foreman.
Escape From New York (1981) A condemned criminal and former war hero is offered his freedom if he can rescue the President of the United States from the walled prison island of Manhattan after a terrorist brings down the President's plane in this futuristic adventure
The Day After (1983) A graphic, disturbing film about the effects of a devastating nuclear holocaust on small-town residents of central Missouri.
Testament (1983) Nuclear war in the United States is portrayed in a realistic and believable manner. The story is told through the eyes of a woman who is struggling to take care of her family. The entire movie takes place in a small suburban town outside San Francisco. After the nuclear attack, contact with the outside world is pretty much cut off.
Threads (1985) Documentary style account of a nuclear holocaust and it's affect on the working class city of Sheffield, England; and the eventual long run affects of nuclear war on civilization.
Miracle Mile (1989) A young man meets and falls in love with a young woman at the La Brea Tar Pits in Los Angeles. This area is known as Miracle Mile, and the whole movie takes place there. They make a date, which he misses, and while he is searching for her, he accidentally finds out that we (the United States) are about to start a nuclear war with the Soviet Union. He frantically searches for her so that they can escape Los Angeles.
Demolition Man (1993) The future isn't big enough for the both of them. The 21st century's most dangerous cop. The 21st century's most ruthless criminal.
Waterworld (1995) The polar ice caps have melted, and the earth is covered by water. The remaining people travel the seas, in search of survival. Several different societies exist. The Mariner falls from his customary and solitary existence into having to care for a woman and a young girl while being pursued by the evil forces of the Deacon.
Twister (1996) TV weatherman Bill Harding is trying to get his tornado-hunter wife, Jo, to sign divorce papers so he can marry his girlfriend Melissa. But Mother Nature, in the form of a series of intense storms sweeping across Oklahoma, has other plans. Soon the three have joined the team of storm-chasers as they attempt to insert a revolutionary measuring device into the very heart of several extremely violent tornados.
Independence Day (1996) On July 2nd, communications systems worldwide are sent into chaos by a strange atmospheric interference. It is soon learned by the military that a number of enormous objects are on a collision course with Earth. At first thought to be meteors, they are later revealed to be gigantic spacecraft, piloted by a mysterious alien species. After attempts to communicate with the aliens go nowhere, David Levinson, an ex-scientist turned cable technician, discovers that the aliens are going to attack major points around the globe in less than a day.
Volcano (1997) Mike Roark is a director of LA's Office of Emergency Management. When the previously unknown volcano erupts in Los-Angeles, he is on duty and separated from his wife and daughter, who are at home. The lava from the volcano runs down the streets of LA and down the underground lines, burning everything on the way and Roark must fight it, with the help of his right-hand Emmit Reese and seismologist Dr. Amy Barnes.
Dante’s Peak (1997) Volcanologist Harry Dalton and mayor Rachel Wando of Dante's Peak try to convince the city council and the other volcanologists that the volcano right above Dante's peak is indeed dangerous. People's safety is being set against economical interests.
The Postman (1997) Post-apocalyptic America. What begins as a con game becomes one man's quest to rebuild civilization by resuming postal service. Post-apocalyptic America. What begins as a con game becomes one man's quest to rebuild civilization by resuming postal service
Godzilla (1998) Guess who's coming to town: Godzilla destroys New York City.
Deep Impact (1998) Unless a comet can be destroyed before colliding with Earth, only those allowed into shelters will survive. Which people will survive?
Armageddon (1998) When an asteroid the size of Texas is headed for Earth the world's best deep core drilling team is sent to nuke the rock from the inside.
End of Days (1999) Prepare for the end. At the end of the century, Satan visits New York in search of a bride. It's up to an ex-cop who now runs an elite security outfit to stop him.
The Perfect Storm (2000) In October 1991, a confluence of weather conditions combined to form a killer storm in the North Atlantic. Caught in the storm was the sword-fishing boat Andrea Gail. Magnificent foreshadowing and anticipation fill this true-life drama while minute details of the fishing boats, their gear and the weather are juxtaposed with the sea adventure.
Cast Away (2000) After FedEx systems engineer Chuck Noland is ripped out of his hasty life by the clock in a plane crash, he finds himself alone on the shores of a tropical island. First, frustration gets to him and then he realizes how little his chances are to ever get back to civilization. Four years later, Chuck has learned very well how to survive on his own.
Artificial Intelligence: AI (2001) In the not-so-far future the polar ice caps have melted and the resulting raise of the ocean waters has drowned all the coastal cities of the world. Withdrawn to the interior of the continents, the human race keeps advancing, reaching to the point of creating realistic robots (called mechas) to serve him. One of the mecha-producing companies builds David, an artificial kid which is the first to have real feelings...
1-Crime School (1938). Humphrey Bogart and the Dead End Kids. Deputy Commissioner of Correction Mark Braden finds a reform school in terrible condition and assumes control himself. He wins the boy's cooperation by being fair and falls in love with gang leader Frankie's sister Sue. This aides disgruntled employees in challenging Braden.
2-On Dress Parade (1939). The Dead End Kids are sent to military school.
3-The Corn Is Green (1945). Bette Davis. Poignant drama about teacher in poor Welsh mining town determined to send star student to Oxford. Amply entertains genre buffs with engrossing, evocative story, vivid characterizations, and richly atmospheric visuals.
4-The Bells of St. Mary's (1945). Bing Crosby, Ingrid Bergman. Feel-good, extremely sentimental drama about a warm-hearted priest squabbling with a parish school's headmistress. Fine, family-safe nostalgia for fans of Golden Age Hollywood films, those seeking sweet-natured fare.
5-Her Twelve Men (1954). Jan Stewart, a new teacher at The Oaks, a boys' boarding school, becomes instructor and mother-figure to a class of twelve. She must overcome the disapproval of Joe Hargrave, head of the lower school, who has misgivings about Jan's inexperience.
6-Blackboard Jungle (1955). Glen Ford & Sidney Poitier. A shock story of urban high school hoodlums. The movie is about a teacher, Richard Dadier, who accepts a job at North Manual High School. At this school, he encounters a school-wide discipline problem. Over the course of the film, Dadier also encounters apathetic teachers, a principal in denial, and a wife who gives birth prematurely. Eventually, Dadier must decide if his pursuit to teach is important enough to endure the hardship.
7-Teacher’s Pet (1958). Clark Gable & Doris Day. James Gannon, the hard-boiled city editor of a newspaper, believes that the only way to learn the business is by way of the School of Hard Knocks, and has a very low regard for college-taught journalism, so he's not pleased when his managing editor orders him to help Erica Stone, a college professor, with her journalism class.
8-Inherit the Wind (1960)(1999). Spencer Tracy / Jack Lemmon. Teacher B.T. Cates is arrested for teaching Darwin's theories. Famous lawyer Henry Drummond defends him; fundamentalist politician Matthew Brady prosecutes.
9-The Children’s Hour (1961). Audrey Hepburn. A private school for young girls is scandalized when one spiteful student, Mary Tilford, accuses the two young women who run the school of having a lesbian relationship. Slow-moving drama -- controversial when released for frank treatment of lesbianism -- seems tame now.
10-The Miracle Worker (1962). Dir. Arthur Penn. Young Helen Keller, blind, deaf, and mute since infancy, is in danger of being sent to an institution. Her inability to communicate has left her frustrated and violent. In desperation, her parents seek help from the Perkins Institute, which sends them a "half-blind Yankee schoolgirl" named Annie Sullivan to tutor their daughter. Through persistence and love, and sheer stubbornness, Annie breaks through Helen's walls of silence and darkness and teaches her to communicate.
11-To Sir, With Love (1967). Sidney Poitier. Engineer Mark Thackeray arrives to teach a totally undisciplined class at an East End school. Still hoping for a good engineering job, he's hopeful that he won't be there long. He starts implementing his own brand of classroom discipline: forcing the pupils to treat each other with respect. Inevitably he begins getting involved in the students' personal lives..
12-Up the Down Staircase (1967). The first mistake this pretty young teacher made was to get off the bus. The second was to walk into inner-city Calvin Coolidge High School for the first time. The third was to fall in love with it.
13-Rachel, Rachel (1968). Joanne Woodward, James Olson. Rachel is a 35 year old school teacher who has no man in her life and lives with her mother. When a man from the big city returns and asks her out, she begins to have to make decisions about her life and where she wants it to go.
14-Conrack (1974). A fine teacher film, it tells the story of a naive Pat Conroy, a young English teacher whose first assignment is in an elementary school on a rural Louisiana island. The only white man on the island, he must battle internal and external pressures as he attempts to instill education and values in children who for generations have been systematically denied such things.
15-Why Shoot the Teacher (1979). A small town in the Canadian hinterlands has little use for the new teacher in town, especially with the Depression in full swing.
16-My Bodyguard (1980). Low-key coming-of-age drama about boy hiring the school grunt to protect him from bullies. Widely appealing sleeper draws in drama fans who are seeking quiet, nuanced, bittersweet yet humorous fare.
17-Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982). Sean Penn. Southern California high school seniors come of age in this wildly popular slice-of-life comedy. Still a hit with teenagers and fans of frank yet funny tales about juvenile misadventures.
18-Teachers (1984). Nick Nolte. A teacher overcomes his frustration in a high-school full of flunkies. As he attempts to educate his students, his attempts to help them gets him into trouble with the school board, which only adds to his problems. With the support of his students he beats the school board and his frustration.
19-Revenge of the Nerds (1984). A group of college outcasts starts a fraternity to counter the humiliations they receive from campus hipsters and co-eds in this lowbrow, sophomoric comedy
20-The Breakfast Club (1985). Much-loved, genre-defining teen drama about high school students bonding during Saturday detention session. Its rousing '80s soundtrack, realistic dialogue, and appealing cast still speak to young adults, nostalgic Brat Pack fans.
21-Lucas (1986). Quirky, bittersweet high-school comedy about a 14-year-old boy in love with an older girl. Teens and adults desiring an emotionally honest, coming-of-age film will enjoy this critically acclaimed sleeper.
22-The Principal (1987). James Belushi & Morgan Freeman. At a high school where the students major in arson, extortion and assault, the new principal and the head of security just might be crazy enough to turn things around.
23-Stand and Deliver (1988). Edward James Olmos. Jaime Escalante is a mathematics teacher in a school in a Hispanic neighborhood. Convinced that his students have potential, he adopts unconventional teaching methods to try and turn gang members and no-hopers into some of the country's top algebra and calculus students.
24-Dead Poets Society (1989). Robin Williams. Painfully shy Todd Anderson has been sent to the school where his popular older brother was valedictorian. His room-mate, Neil, although exceedingly bright and popular, is very much under the thumb of his overbearing father. The two, along with their other friends, meet Professor Keating, their new English teacher, who tells them of the Dead Poets Society...
25-Lean on Me (1989). Morgan Freeman. An arrogant and unorthodox teacher returns as principal to the idyllic high school from which he had earlier been fired to find it a den of drug abuse, gang violence and urban despair. Based on a true story.
26-Heathers (1989). A girl who half-heartedly tries to be part of the "in crowd" of her school meets a rebel who teaches her a more devious way to play social politics.
27-Little Man Tate (1991). Jodie Foster. Dede is a sole parent trying to bring up her son Fred. When it is discovered that Fred is a genius, she is determined to ensure that Fred has all the opportunities that he needs.
28-School Ties (1992). Brendan Fraser & Matt Damon. David Green is brought into a prestigious 1950s elite prep school to help their football team to beat the school's old rivals. David, however, is from a working class background, so he isn't really "one of them", but he's very successful at making friends.
29-Searching for Bobby Fischer (1993). A prepubescent chess prodigy refuses to harden himself in order to become a chess champion, challenging his tutor’s orders.
30-Rudy (1993). Sean Astin. When people say that dreams don't come true, that young people can not overcome major difficulties to achieve high goals, tell them about Rudy.
31-A Man Without a Face (1993). Mel Gibson. A fatherless boy had almost given up all his dreams... until one man believed in him enough to make them come true. He finds out that a disfigured recluse living nearby is an ex-teacher. Mr McLeod will be his tutor...
32-Renaissance Man (1994) Danny DeVito plays an advertising man who is slowly sliding downhill. When he is fired from his job in Detroit, he signs up for unemployment. One day, they find him a job: teaching thinking skills to Army recruits.
33-Dangerous Minds (1995). Michelle Pfeiffer. Teacher and ex-marine Louanne Johnson accepts a full-time job at a East Palo Alto high school without realizing that the students in her class are highly intelligent, but with social problems.
34-Mr. Holland’s Opus (1995). Richard Dreyfuss. It's not about the direction you take. It's about the direction you give. Glenn Holland (Dreyfuss) is a musician and composer who takes a teaching job to pay the rent while...
35-Clueless (1995). Cher Horowitz and her friend Dionne, two of the most popular sophomores in their high school, play matchmakers for two teachers. Inspired by their success, Cher takes under her wing Tai, a "clueless" transfer student. While trying to make an advantageous match for Tai, Cher attempts to find a boyfriend of her own. Several misfires take place, due to poor communication, before she finds the Baldwin of her dreams.
36-The Substitute (1996). Tom Berenger. He has a lesson to teach. And nobody's going to have a problem with it.
37-Patch Adams (1998). Robin Williams. Some believe that while medical doctors take care of their patients’ bodies, teachers take care of their students’ minds and character. This movie may be about a teacher, but it is about a medical student in the 70's
38-Whatever (1998). Mid-1980s coming-of-age drama about talented teenage girl whose self-destructiveness threatens bright future. By-the-numbers plot, but rich adolescent characterizations, sharp slice-of-life appeals to fans of well-drawn character portraits, teen angst buffs.
39-Music of the Heart (1999) Meryl Streep The true story of a young teacher who fights against the board of education in her bid to teach underprivileged kids in a Harlem school the beauty of music.
40-The Cider House Rules (1999). Michael Caine. Homer is an orphan in remote St. Cloud, Maine. Never adopted, he becomes the favorite of orphanage director Dr. Larch, who imparts his full medical knowledge on Homer, who becomes a skilled, albeit unlicensed, physician. But Homer yearns for a self-chosen life outside the orphanage...
41-Cheaters (2000). Jeff Daniels. A teacher at Chicago Steinmetz High recruits seven students for an academic decathlon team. They work long hours, preparing for the regional event, won for ten straight years by a privileged, preppy school. Then, a team member steals a copy of the state test; the teacher and kids face a dilemma: to remain honest, or to cheat and score a victory for kids in underfunded schools.
42-Wonder Boys (2000). Michael Douglas. An English Professor tries to deal with his wife leaving him, the arrival of his editor who has been waiting for his book for seven years, and the various problems that his friends, associates, and students involve him in.
43-Finding Forrester (2000) Sean Connery. Because of scoring exceptionally high on a state wide standardized exam and being an exceptionally good basketball player Jamal Wallace is sent to a prestigious prep school in Manhattan. He soon befriends the reclusive writer, William Forrester...
44-Pay it Forward (2000) Kevin Spacey, Helen Hunt. Young Trevor McKinney, troubled by his mother's alcoholism and fears of his abusive but absent father, is caught up by an intriguing assignment from his new social studies teacher, Mr. Simonet. The assignment: think of something to change the world and put it into action. Trevor conjures the notion of paying a favor not back, but forward--repaying good deeds not with payback, but with new good deeds done to three new people.
45-Bring It On (2000). Upbeat adolescent comedy follows spunky high school head cheerleader as she and her squad learn that there are more important things in life than national championships. Smells like teen spirit.
46-Crazy / Beautiful (2001). When it's real, when it's right, don't let anything stand in your way. At Pacific Palisades High, a poor Latino falls hard for a troubled girl from the affluent neighborhood.
47-Orange County (2002). Offbeat youth comedy about suburban Southern Californian high-school teenager whose well-laid plans to get into Stanford are suddenly derailed, giving him just 24 hours to figure out his future.
Mata Hari (1931) Superb Garbo vehicle about beautiful German spy during WWI. Featuring great dialogue, stylish direction, and an infamous exotic dance sequence, this thrills classic melodrama fans who aren't fussy about historical accuracy.
Stamboul Quest (1934) In 1915, German Counter-Intelligence Chief Von Sturm learns that someone is providing the British with critical strategic planning for the Turkish theater. He suspects Ali Bey, Turkish commander for the Dardanelles, and dispatches Annemarie to Constantinople to secure the proof. En route she becomes involved with Douglas Beall, a footloose American. Complications ensue, requiring Annemarie to engage in some dangerous improvisations.
The 39 Steps (1935) Espionage thriller set in '30s London involving spies and murder. Though not considered one of Hitchcock's best, it's a great curiosity item for fans of classic suspense.
Confessions of a Nazi Spy (1939) Ed Renard is a G-Man investigating a huge Nazi spy ring in the United States. Contacts are discovered and arrested in the U.S., Latin America and Europe.
They Made Her a Spy (1939) A woman becomes a secret agent to avenge her brother's death.
Ninotchka (1939) Only the royal suite at the grandest hotel in Paris has a safe large enough for the jewels of the Grand Duchess Swana. So the three Russians who have come to sell the jewels settle into the suite until a higher ranking official is dispatched to find out what is delaying the sale. She is Ninotchka, a no nonsense woman who fascinates Count Leon who had been the faithful retainer of the Grand Duchess. The Grand Duchess will give up all claim to the jewels if Ninotchka will fly away from the count. But can one count on a count?
Foreign Correspondent (1940) Hitchcock suspense classic about a crime reporter who gets involved in an international espionage conspiracy. Thrills Hitchcock connoisseurs, and a fine entertainment vehicle for fans of classic spy thrillers.
Across the Pacific (1942) Rick Leland makes no secret of the fact he has no loyalty to his home country after he is court-marshaled out of the army and boards a Japanese ship for the Orient in late 1941. But has Leland really been booted out, or is there some other motive for his getting close to fellow passenger Doctor Lorenz? Any motive for getting close to attractive traveller Alberta Marlow would however seem pretty obvious.
All through the Night (1942) Broadway gambler Gloves Donahue wants to find who killed the baker of his favorite cheesecake. He sees nightclub singer Leda Hamilton leaving the bakery. When her boss Marty's partner Joe is murdered, Leda and her accompanist Pepi disappear. It turns out that beneath all the mystery is a gang of Nazi operatives planning to blow up a battleship in New York harbor.
To Be or Not To Be (1942) In occupied Poland during WWII, a troupe of ham stage actors (led by Joseph Tura and his wife Maria) match wits with the Nazis. A spy has information which would be very damaging to the Polish resistance and they must prevent it's being delivered to the Germans.
Sabotage Agent (1943) Stevenson, a British soldier fluent in Rumanian and Russian, goes undercover to sabotage a German poison-gas factory. He turns himself into Jan Tartu, a member of the Rumanian Iron Guard. But when his contacts are destroyed, his cover may get him killed by the very underground he needs to succeed.
Background to Danger (1943) Ankara in neutral Turkey : World War Two. A town of intrigue and of provocateurs. The Germans are planning to leak maps apparently proving that the Russians are about to invade the country. American Joe Barton is in the know and in the middle, along with Zaloshoff and his sister who may or may not be Russians. What is clear though is that odious Colonel Robinson is a full-blown Nazi.
Cloak and Dagger (1946) Physics professor trailed by Nazi spies travels to Italy to rescue atomic scientist in fact-based romantic thriller. Provocative anti-nuke coda gutted by studio, but suspenseful story amply entertains undemanding WWII/spy buffs.
Carve Her Name With Pride (1958) Violette Bushell is the daughter of an English father and a French mother, living in London in the early years of World War 2. She meets a handsome young French soldier in the park and takes him back for the family Bastille day celebrations. They fall in love, marry and have a baby girl when Violette Szabo receives the dreaded telegram informing her of his death in North Africa. Shortly afterwards, Violette is approached to join the SOE (Special Operations Executive). Should she stay and look after her baby or "do her duty" ?
North by Northwest (1959) Much-loved thriller chronicles cross-country manhunt for ad executive mistaken as government agent by spy ring. A must for fans of classic, fast-paced cliffhangers. Great introduction to Hitchcock for curious viewers.
Seven Days in May (1964) An unpopular U.S. President manages to get a nuclear disarmament treaty through the Senate, but finds that the nation is turning against him. Jiggs Casey, a Marine Colonel, finds evidence that General Scott, the wildly popular head of the Joint Chiefs and certain Presidential Candidate in 2 years is not planning to wait. Casey goes to the president with the information and a web of intrigue begins with each side unsure of who can be trusted.
The Spy Who Came From the Cold (1965) Alec Leamas, a British spy is sent to East Germany supposedly to defect, but in fact to sow disinformation. As more plot turns appear, Leamas becomes more convinced that his own people see him as just a cog. His struggle back from dehumanization becomes the final focus of the story.
The Ipcress File (1965) A number of leading Western scientists have been kidnapped only to reappear a fews days later. Unfortunately, each scientist has been brain washed and is now completely useless. The British send their agent, Harry Palmer, to investigate. Palmer is surprised to be selected for such a mission (considering his past) and believes he has been chosen because he is expendable.
The Deadly Affair (1967) Secret agent investigates the tangled affairs surrounding a government official's suicide.
Topaz (1969) Complex espionage thriller about quest to expose French spy ring passing NATO secrets to Russia. Considered one of Hitchcock's lesser films, but fans of director may enjoy this multi-layered, attention-demanding mystery.
Scorpio (1973) Tense espionage thriller involves aging CIA operative targeted by turncoat agent. Despite it's lack of gadgetry and effects, the topsy-turvy plot, well-crafted suspense engages fans of old fashioned spy fare.
Seventeen Moments of Spring (1973) The Soviet super agent Stirlitz, 007 style, working inside the German Intelligence. The series is based on a true story of a Russian spy Colonel Isaev (Stirlitz) in Fascist Germany before and during WWII. Stirlitz has worked his way to the very top of the Fascist hierarchy without being caught.
The Conversation (1974) Watergate-era thriller about reclusive surveillance expert who gets emotionally attached to a case. Must-see for '70s film buffs. Suspense fans who enjoy gradual build-up, subtly unfolding storyline love the tension.
The Odessa File (1974) European-style thriller follows German journalist's infiltration of a secret organization of former SS officers. Got mixed reviews for overly measured pace, wooden dialogue, but this is diverting for espionage buffs. Based on the Frederick Forsyth novel.
3 Days of the Condor (1975) Taut thriller about researcher pursued by mysterious CIA assassins. Though somewhat dated, it remains a must-see for political suspense fans. Also pleases drama buffs with its well-developed characters, narrative complexity.
Telefon (1977) Nicolai Dalchimski, a mad KGB agent steals a notebook full of names of "sleeping" undercover KGB agents sent to the U.S. in the 1950's. These agents got their assignments under hypnosis, so they can't remember their missions until they're told a line of a Robert Frost poem. Dalchimski flees to the U.S. and starts phoning these agents who perform sabotage acts against military targets. Since the Soviets can't disclose the crisis to the U.S. government, they send Colonel Borzov, a military intelligence officer, to find and eliminate Dalchimsky before his actions trigger a war.
Eye of the Needle (1981) Englishwoman on remote island falls in love with Nazi spy in spine-tingling cliffhanger. Appeals more to fans of intimate character studies and twisted romances than to traditional spy movie/thriller buffs.
Enigma (1983) KGB tries to assassinate Soviet dissidents while CIA attempts to stop them in this Hollywood spy thriller. Genre lovers may enjoy the strong acting, despite the familiar storyline.
No Way Out (1987) Tension-filled Hollywood spy thriller about wrongly accused naval officer trying to clear his name of murder. Jigsaw puzzle-complex plot and charismatic performances makes this a big hit with suspense addicts.
J. Edgar Hoover (1987) The life and activities of the boss of the FBI during the first 40 years.
Frantic (1988) Espionage thriller about American searching for missing wife in France. Slow-building suspense, charismatic turn by lead please some genre buffs, though this may disappoint fans of adventure, strong character development.
La Femme Nikita (1991) Stylish, adrenaline-pumping, ultra-violent French action thriller about criminal woman recruited as government assassin. Frenzied, breakneck pace, non-stop action, sexy lead star make this must-see fare even for American genre fans.
Patriot Games (1992) Jack Ryan, the hero of Tom Clancy's techno-thriller series, returns in the sequel to The Hunt for Red October. Ryan is on vacation in England when he spoils an assassination attempt on an important member of the Royal Family. Ryan gets drawn back into the CIA when the same splinter faction of the IRA targets him and his family.
In the Line of Fire (1993) Veteran Secret Service agent Frank Horrigan is a man haunted by his failure to save President Kennedy while serving protection detail in Dallas. Thirty years later, a man calling himself "Booth" threatens the life of the current President, forcing Horrigan to come back to protection detail to confront the ghosts from his past.
Clear and Present Danger (1994) CIA thriller dabbles in drugs, violence, and presidential politics. Fans of action movies and spine-tinglers will be glued to their seats. A big hit with Harrison Ford fans.
True Lies (1994) Thrill-packed Hollywood action/comedy about a spy working to balance job and family. A huge critical and audience hit. Pleases action buffs, while fans of mainstream comedy/romance enjoy its light, sure tone.
Mission Impossible (1996) Fast-paced, big-budgeted action/adventure about post-Cold War spy attempting to clear name after bungled mission. With its suspenseful, gadget-filled stunts, this Cruise vehicle pleases Hollywood thriller/action fans who appreciate complex plotting.
Absolute Power (1997) Based on the novel by David Baldacci, Absolute Power is about the ruthlessness of people in power. The President believes that everything he does is beyond reproach, including an affair or two. That leads to murder and everyone around him is involved. There is only one witness, a thief named Luther Whitney. They are sure he'll talk, but when? The Secret Service is determined to keep him quiet, but catching a thief isn't always easy.
Shadow Conspiracy (1997) Bobby Bishop (Sheen) is a special assistant to the President of the United States. Accidentally, he meets his friend professor Pochenko on the street. Pochenko has time to tell Bishop about some conspiracy in the White House but then immediately gets killed by an assassin. Now bad guys are after Bobby as the only man who knows about a plot. Bishop must now not only survive, but to stop the conspirators from achieving their goal. And he doesn't know whom to trust.
Conspiracy Theory (1997) Polished Hollywood thriller about paranoid cabbie stumbling upon sinister shadow organization. While the charismatic leads, smooth production might keep mainstream fans interested, others will find the clashing comic/serious/romantic tones grating.
The Jackal (1997) Super-slick espionage thriller about IRA terrorist aiding the FBI's search for a secretive assassin. Critics blasted its numerous plot contrivances, but forgiving mainstream thriller fans might like the high-tech flashiness.
The Assignment (1997) An American naval officer is recruited by the government to impersonate the most vicious and cold-blooded terrorist there is in order to catch him. But are things really what they seem to be?
Air Force One (1997) Hollywood thriller about a headstrong American president battling a band of ruthless Russian plane hijackers. While cynical viewers will scoff at the flag-waving plot, its taut suspense, effects-packed action should please those seeking action-filled suspense.
Ronin (1998) Fast-paced action/thriller follows ex-Cold War operatives on mercenary mission. Fans of old-school spy-thrillers should enjoy the Euro-scenery, gritty characters, but many viewers may find the numerous double-crosses, car chases repetitive.
Enemy of the State (1998) A labor lawyer finds himself the target of government conspiracy in this action-packed thriller. Amply entertains action buffs with superb pyrotechnics, heart-stopping chases, and dazzling visuals while conspiracy buffs will eat up the paranoid story line.
Mercury Rising (1998) A disgraced FBI agent must save an autistic child from government assassins in this actioner. Cardboard characters, mundane action sequences make this tolerable for diehard Bruce Willis fans only.
The Siege (1998) Glossy drama/thriller about government agents torn between stopping terrorists and protecting Arab-Americans from fascistic military. Its heavy-handed plot will blunt any enthusiasm its admirable message sparks among adult suspense fans.
U.S. Marshalls (1998) U.S. Marshal Sam Gerard is accompanying a planeload of convicts from Chicago to New York. The plane crashes spectacularly, and Mark Sheridan escapes. But when the FBI's John Royce is assigned to help Gerard recapture Sheridan, it becomes clear that Sheridan is more than just another murderer.
Swordfish (2001) When the DEA shut down its dummy corporation operation codenamed SWORDFISH in 1986, they had generated $400 million which they let sit around; fifteen years of compound interest has swelled it to $9.5 billion. A covert counter-terrorist unit called Black Cell, headed by the duplicitious and suave Gabriel Shear, wants the money to help finance their raise-the-stakes vengeance war against international terrorism, but it's all locked away behind super-encryption. He brings in convicted hacker Stanley Jobson, who only wants to see his daughter Holly again but can't afford the legal fees, to slice into the government mainframes and get the money.
Spy Game (2001) CIA operative Nathan Muir (Redford) is on the brink of retirement when he finds out that his protege Tom Bishop (Pitt) has been arrested in China for espionage. No stranger to the machinations of the CIA's top echelon, Muir hones all his skills and irreverent manner in order to find a way to free Bishop. As he embarks on his mission to free Bishop, Muir recalls how he recruited and trained the young rookie, at that time a sergeant in Vietnam, their turbulent times together as operatives and the woman who threatened their friendship.
The Sum of all Fears (2002) International thriller about a greenhorn CIA agent who stumbles on everyone's nightmare scenario — a major terrorist attack with a full-fledged nuclear weapon. Loosely based on the Tom Clancy novel.
Bourne Indentity (2002) Jason Bourne. He has no past and he may have no future. His memory is blank. He only knows that he was flushed out of the Mediterranean Sea, his body riddled with bullets. There are a few clues. A frame of microfilm surgically implanted beneath the flesh of his hip. He was the perfect weapon until he became the target
The Recruit (2003) James Clayton (Colin Farrell) is one of the top prospects in the new crop of CIA recruits. His intelligence and unconventional attitude attract the attention of veteran Walter Burke (Al Pacino) who squires him through the Agency's difficult training courses and helps him to quickly rise through the ranks. Clayton is then given a special assignment, to root out a suspected mole that has infiltrated the Agency.
Cambridge Spies (2003) This moody BBC 2003 dramatization of the most notorious debacle in the history of the British Secret Service raises the specter of the treachery of Philby, Burgess, MacLean, and Blunt for a generation of viewers who can only imagine the shockwaves generated by their duplicity. In 1934, four brilliant young men at Cambridge University are recruited to spy for Russia. Fueled by youthful idealism, a passion for social justice, a talent for lying and a hatred for fascism, the four take huge personal risks to pass Britain's biggest secrets to Moscow. Starring four of Britain's most talented young actors, this epic yet intimate drama brings one of the twentieth century's most compelling true stories to exciting new life.
8-Fantasy and
Mythology in the Movies
The Wizard of Oz (1939) : Beloved musical/adventure/fantasy about farm girl's struggle to return home from far-off land. Must-see for children of all ages for Garland's star-making performance, enchanting characters, exquisite visuals, classic score, witty/poignant story
The 7th. Voyage of Sinbad (1958) When captain Sindbad and his men land on the island Colossa they are confronted with man-eating cyclops. They can escape with the help of the magician Sokurah and his magic lamp. The lamp which contains a helpful demon unfortunately gets lost. Back in Bagdad the magician performs impressive tricks. He wants to start an expedition back to Colossa to bringing the lamp back in his possession. But the kalif rejects the magicians requests. The malicious Sokurah breaks into the rooms of the princess at night and shrinks the princess to the size of an elf. The magician offers his abilities to heal the princess on next day. But one of the magic potions necessary components must be procured from the island Colossa first. So captain Sindbad sails again to the island Colossa and to the dangers expecting him there...
The 3 Worlds of Gulliver (1960) Doctor Gulliver is poor, so nothing - not even his charming fiancée Elisabeth - keeps him in the town he lives. He signs on to a ship to India, but in a storm he's washed off the ship and ends up on an island, which is inhibitated by very tiny people. After he managed to convince them he's harmless and is accepted as one of their citizens, their king wants to use him in war against a people of giants. Compared to them, even Gulliver is a gnome.
Jack the Giant Killer (1962) The terrible and trecherous Pendragon plans to gain the throne of Cornwall by getting the king to abdicate and to marry his lovely daughter. To help him he has his dreadful witches in his castle and his almost unstoppable sorcery. A giant under his control abducts the princess, but on the way home with her the giant meets farming lad Jack who slays him. This is only the beginning. Be assured Pendragon and his evil magic are far from done.
Jason and the Argonauts (1963) (2000) One of the most legendary adventures in all mythology is brought to life in Jason and the Argonauts, an epic saga of good and evil. As a mere boy Jason, the heir to the kingdom of Ancient Greece, witnesses the murder of his father at the hands of his ruthless uncle, Pelias. After narrowly escaping death, Jason flees his home and returns twenty years later to reclaim the throne. Upon learning of his return, Pelias sentences him to death. To save his life, Jason promises to deliver the most converted gift of the gods to his uncle - the Golden Fleece. Joined by the Argonauts, a stout-hearted crew of sailors, he embarks on a perilous voyage to capture the Fleece and fulfill his destiny.
Mary Poppins (1964) Much-loved, upbeat children's musical fantasy about a magical London nanny. With its still-appealing songs, characters, and animation, this is ideal entertainment for younger children.
Doctor Dolittle (1967) Quaint Victorian-era musical adventure about veterinarian who talks to animals. Enthralls children with Harrison's engaging performance, supporting cast of 1,200 animals, delightful mythical creations like adorable Pushmi-Pullyu, and memorable score.
Jack and the Beanstalk (1967) Classic tale of magic beans and high-altitude giant adventure. Story offers very interesting characters (Gene Kelly) in this version of the popular fairy tale, plus music, singing and dancing. Delightful for all children and lovers of adventure and fantasy.
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968) Over-the-top, lavish sentimental children's musical fantasy about magic car and kid-hating country. At its release, critics frowned, but it's been a perennial favorite for many young kids. Enjoyable family fare.
The Golden Voyage of Sinbad (1974) Sinbad and his crew intercept a homunculus carrying a golden tablet. Koura, the creator of the homunculus and practitioner of evil magic, wants the tablet back and pursues Sinbad. Meanwhile Sinbad meets the Vizier who has another part of the interlocking golden map, and they mount a quest across the seas to solve the riddle of the map, accompanied by a slave girl with a mysterious tattoo of an eye on her palm. They encounter strange beasts, tempests, and the dark interference of Koura along the way.
Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger (1977) Eager to win the hand of a princess, Sinbad the sailor tries to release her brother from a spell.
Clash of the Titans (1981) Perseus has to rescue Andromeda, before she has to marry a monster. Zeus has set up a few tests for Perseus on the way, like capturing Pegasus, defeating Medusa, and finding a way to kill the dreaded Kraken...
Time Bandits (1981) Kevin, an imaginative child, goes on a time-travelling adventure with a bunch of treasure-hunting dwarves, who have "borrowed" a map to the Universe's time holes from The Supreme Being.
Dragonslayer (1981) : Energetic fantasy about bumbling sorcerer's apprentice battling fearsome fire-breathing beast. With its still-impressive effects, intelligently crafted plot, this is enjoyable entertainment for lovers of sword-and-sorcery adventure
Conan the Barbarian (1982) Sprawling sword-and-sorcery adventure follows well-muscled warrior's quest for revenge. Impressive sets, mighty combat scenes thrill the action-hungry, male teens. Camp lovers will enjoy Schwarzenegger's wooden performance.
The Beastmaster (1982) Sword-and-sorcery adventure about bare-chested warrior battling evil wizard with help of animal friends. Its exciting action, decent production might interest fantasy fans, while the abundant campiness will please midnight moviegoers.
The Neverending Story (1984) Bastian is a young boy who lives a dreary life being tormented by school bullies. On one such occasion he escapes into a book shop where the old proprieter reveals an ancient story-book to him, which he is warned can be dangerous. Shortly after, he "borrows" the book and begins to read it in the school attic where he is drawn into the mythical land of Fantasia, which desperately needs a hero to save it from destruction.
Conan the Destroyer (1984) Slow-paced, magic-laden, family-safe fantasy/adventure about mighty warrior rescuing beautiful princess. Criitcally panned. Reserved strictly for young fantasy fans and Dungeons-and-Dragons fanatics with an afternoon to spare.
Gremlins (1984) Widely appealing, violent horror/comedy flick about havoc-wreaking monsters spawned by boy's new pet. Wry humor, acclaimed special effects makes this a hit with both kinds of genre fans.
The Goonies (1985) Mikey and Brandon Walsh are two brothers whose family is preparing to move due to a new development that is sure to be started unless enough money is raised, which is quite doubtful. But, when Mikey stumbles on a treasure map of the famed "One-Eyed" Willy's hidden fortune, he, his brother, and a few friends set out on a quest to find the riches in hopes to save their homes. The entrance to a cavern is found, but it is located underneath the house of the Fratelli family, a treacherous group of thieves who attempt to beat the "Goonies" to the treasure.
Red Sonja (1985) : In the dark ages, a fiery heroine sets out to avenge her rape and the murder of her beloved sister
Labyrinth (1986) Grown angry about the fact, that she must watch over her little brother Toby, Sarah (Jennifer Connely) wishes the child to the goblins. They translate this careless statement into action: The Goblin-King Jareth (David Bowie) announces, that soon Toby will mutate into a goblin. There is only one hope: Sarah has to find the way to Jareth´s castle - through a dangerous labyrinth, where she will find strange creatures.
Highlander (1986) He fought his first battle on the Scottish Highlands in 1536. He will fight his greatest battle on the streets of New York City in 1986. His name is Connor MacLeod. He is immortal.
The Princess Bride (1987) A kindly grandfather sits down with his grandson and reads him a bedtime story. The story is one that has been passed down through from father to son for generations. As the grandfather reads the story, the action comes alive. The story is a classic tale of love and adventure as the beautiful Buttercup is kidnapped and held against her will in order to marry the odious Prince Humperdinck, and Westley (her childhood beau, now returned as the Dread Pirate Roberts) attempts to save her. On the way he meets an accomplished swordsman and a huge, super strong giant, both of whom become his companions in his quest. They meet a few bad guys along the way to rescue Buttercup
Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988) : Stunning special effects and wacky humor made this live-action/animation comedy/mystery a huge hit with both kids and adults. An ideal popcorn-muncher for cartoon fans and almost anyone seeking a lighthearted viewing.
Willow (1988) In the dungeons of the castle of the evil Queen-sorceress Bavmorda, a prisoner gives birth to a child who, according to an ancient prophecy, will put an end to the reign of the Queen. A midwife saves the child from the wrath of Bavmorda, but is forced to throw her cradle in a river when reached by the Hounds of the Queen. The river brings the child near a village of dwarves, and little Willow finds and adopts her. When the Hounds reach the village, Willow begins a difficult journey to bring the baby back to her people and to fulfill the prophecy.
The Adventures of the Baron Munchausen (1988) The fantastic tale of a 17th century aristocrat, a character from an European myth, his talented henchmen and a little girl in their efforts to save a town from defeat by the Turks. Being swallowed by a giant sea-monster, a trip to the moon, a dance with Venus and an escape from the Grim Reaper are only some of the improbable adventures.
Cool World (1992) Jack Deebs is a cartoonist who is due to be released from jail. His comic book "Cool World" describes a zany world populated by "doodles" (cartoon characters) and "noids" (humanoids). What Jack did't realize is that Cool World really does exist, and a "doodle" scientist has just perfected a machine which links Cool World with our world
The Pagemaster (1994) Tyler knows a lot about accidents. So much so, he is scared to do anything that might endanger him, like riding his bike, or climbing into his treehouse. While in an old library, he is mystically transported into the unknown world of books, and he has to try and get home again. Along the way he meets some interesting characters, like Fantasy, Adventure, and Horror...
Jumanji (1995) Alan Parris (Williams) has been trapped in an ancient magical board game, Jumanji, for 25 years. When he is finally freed by two children, a herd of wild exotic animals have accidentally been released as well. Now, Alan must try to save his hometown from destruction. Features spectacular special effects from Industrial Light and Magic.
Gulliver's Travels (1996) All star adaptation of Jonathan Swift's satirical tale about a normal man who, after returning home following eight years of absence, relates fantastical tales about how he was thought to be giant in the Land of Lilliput, but was only six inches high in the Land of Brobdingnag. He also tells of his visit to the floating island of Laputa populated by scientists who are so obsessed with reason that they act with no common sense. Finally, he tells of his journey to the land where his disturbing likeness to the bestial Yahoos and his inferiority to the intelligent horses there makes him question the very worth of his humanity.
Dragonheart (1996) The young, sickly King Einon was wounded in a battle. In order for him to survive, he is healed by Draco, a dragon. Some years later, Bowen, a dragon slayer, encounters Draco. The two team up to form a traveling duo that perform an act, but the act is only known by themselves. Bowen supposedly "slays" Draco and then collects a reward from the town or village that he protects by killing the dragon who had been "terrorizing" them. From there, Bowen and Draco must save the entire kingdom from the rule of the now evil King Einon, who is part of Draco and Draco a part of him.
Kull the Conqueror (1997) Lively sword-and-sorcery adventure about enslaved warrior/king menaced by sultry sorceress. Those unamused by buffed-up barbarians or non-bloody swordplay should avoid, but lovers of largely harmless fantasy-adventure will enjoy this quest.
Flubber (1997) Gooey remake of The Absent-Minded Professor follows the misadventures of flying rubber's inventor. Critics thought the film lacked bounce, but kids may enjoy the antic special effects.
The Odyssey (1997) Homer's classic epic poem about the travels of Odysseus after his conquest of Troy is brought to the small screen. However, the gods seize the opportunity to make Odysseus and his crew a domino in their games forcing him to take detours that add years to his trip and throw him into conflict with Circe, the Cyclops, Poseidon, and ultimately to Hades itself. Meanwhile, Odysseus' wife, Penelope, is forced to hold off suitors trying to claim his property in the thought that Odysseus has died. Nonetheless, Odysseus keeps trying to find his way back with the aid of Athena.
Merlin (1998) The Arthurian legend is again retold, only this time from the perspective of the life of Merlin. The story begins with young Merlin being schooled in magic by the evil sorceress, Mab, and her apprentice, Frik. Merlin ultimately rejects her tutelage setting up a war between them which leads to her attack on Arthur. Unwittingly, Arthur impregnates his own half-sister, Morgan Le Fey, which leads to the birth of Mordred, an evil son who ultimately destroys Camelot. Merlin also unwittingly leads to Camelot's destruction when he selects Lancelot to protect Guinevere based on mistaken information he gains from The Lady In The Lake.
Arabian Nights (2000) Long ago, the Sultan Said has gone mad after his traumatizing near assassination in which his wife collaborated and died at his hands as a result. Now he has a paranoid suspicion of women which he plans to express in a diabolical plan to marry a woman from the harem and then have her executed the very next morning. To prevent this, the Grand Visir's daughter and a childhood friend of the Sultan, Scheherezade, offers herself to be that bride. Now, she must gamble that her plan will work as she tries to cure his madness by telling him story after wonderous story which include the tales of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves and Aladdin and his Wonderful Lamp. All the while, the Sultan's villainous brother is making plans of his own and Scheherezade's stories are more useful against him than anyone can anticipate.
Dungeons and Dragons (2000) The Empire of Izmer has long been a divided land. The Mages - an elite group of magic users - rule whilst the lowly commoners are powerless. Izmer's young Empress, Savina (Thora Birch), wants equality and prosperity for all, but the evil Mage Profion (Jeremy Irons) is plotting to depose her
The 10th Kingdom (2000) A young New York City woman and her father step through the looking glass into the world of fairy tales in this offbeat fantasy/adventure/romance. Originally aired on TV as a miniseries.
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) An ancient Ring thought lost for centuries has been found, and through a strange twist in fate has been given to a small Hobbit named Frodo. When Gandalf discovers the Ring is in fact the One Ring of the Dark Lord Sauron, Frodo must make an epic quest to the Cracks of Doom in order to destroy it! However he does not go alone. He is joined by Gandalf, Legolas the elf, Gimli the Dwarf, Aragorn, Boromir and his three Hobbit friends Merry, Pippin and Samwise. Through mountains, snow, darkness, forests, rivers and plains, facing evil and danger at every corner the Fellowship of the Ring must go. Their quest to destroy the One Ring is the only hope for the end of the Dark Lords reign!
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001) Young Harry Potter has to lead a hard life: His parents have died in a car crash when he was still a baby, and he is being brought up by his Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia.On his eleventh birthday, Harry Potter receives a mysterious letter from a certain Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, telling him that he is chosen as one of the future students of that supposedly renowned school. Hagrid, the gigantic man who brought the letter, finally introduces Harry into the real circumstances of his life: His parents were a wizard and a witch, they were killed by the evil wizard Voldemort protecting him. Harry is strongly surprised, yet absolutely happy to start his training.
The Mists of Avalon (2001) It tells the story of the women behind King Arthur; including his mother, Igraine; his half-sister, Morgaine; his aunt Viviane, the Lady of the Lake; and his wife, Gwenwyfar.
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002) Harry Potter is in his second year of Hogwarts School of Witcraft and Wizardry. He is visited by a house-elf named Dobby and warned not to go back to Hogwarts. Harry ignores his warning, and returns. He is still famous, although still disliked by Snape, Malfoy, and the rest of the Slytherins. But then, strange things start to happen. People are becoming petrified, and no-one knows what is doing it.
The Lord of the Ring: The Two Towers (2002) Frodo and Sam take Gollum prisoner and continue on to Mordor on the mission to destroy The One Ring. Whilst their former companions Strider, Legolas, Gimli, Merry and Pippin make new allies in the Ents, The Riders of Rohan and the Stewards of Gondor and launch an assault on Isengard. All the while a growing Shadow falls upon Middle-earth as the Dark Lord's Army marches on to Gondor. The War of the Ring has begun.
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003): While Frodo & Sam continue to approach Mount Doom to destroy the One Ring, unaware of the path Gollum is leading them, the former Fellowship aid Rohan & Gondor in a great battle in the Pelennor Fields, Minas Tirith and the Black Gates as Sauron wages his last war against Middle-Earth.
Los Olvidados (1950): : Stark, gritty urban drama about urchins surviving in Mexico
City slums. Considered a classic by many critics. A must-see for cinema history buffs,
art-house types in the mood for tragedy.
The Wild One (1954): Genre-defining motorcycle film about biker gang terrorizing
small town. This Brando vehicle is dated, but still fun for his connoisseurs. Also appeals
to bike movie lovers needing a testosterone fix.
Blackboard Jungle (1955): Well-received melodrama about teacher fighting for respect
of rowdy slum students. Its rebellion seems tame by today's standards, but its powerful
performances will still entertain classic drama, Poitier fans.
Rebel Without a Cause (1955): Juvenile delinquency drama about new-kid-in-town
trying to prove himself. Achieved cult status with teens when released. Though
somewhat melodramatic today, it's still compulsory for James Dean and youth drama fans.
West Side Story (1961): Oscar-winning musical adaptation of Romeo and Juliet
transposed to lovers from rival gangs in 1950s NYC: one Puerto Rican, the other
Caucasian. Tragic melodrama, memorable tunes, and outstanding choreography please
Broadway and romantic-tearjerker fans.
Blow-Up (1966): Episodic, surreal, voyeuristic slice-of-lifer about mod British fashion
photographer in 60s-era London who witnesses mysterious murder. Much-acclaimed film
still interests fans of New Wave cinema and those who appreciate existential philosophizing.
The Wild Angels (1966): Unintentionally funny, often violent B-movie classic about
marauding Hells Angels terrorizing town. Muddled, occasionally shocking film is a
must-see for 60s trash cinema connoisseurs, action fans in mood for kitschy thrills.
Wild in the Streets (1968): Campy cult classic about teenage government takeover after
voting age is lowered to 15. Its absurd premise, overblown performances are ideal
viewing for the '60s kitsch connoisseur, self-mocking social critics.
Easy Rider (1969): Two bikers motorcycle across America in this landmark
counterculture road drama. Widely considered a classic, this still engrosses those
nostalgic for '60s era, wanderlust-sufferers seeking inspiration for next road trip.
If... (1969): : Surreal teenage angst drama about British boarding school students' literal
rebellion broke the mold for coming-of-age movies. A must-see for 60s cinema fans,
adolescent drama fans looking for something drastically different.
Woodstock (1970): Classic documentary about late 1960s music fest that defined a
generation. Ably blends musicians' performances with interviews of concert-goers. A
must-see for anyone nostalgic for or curious about the era.
A Clockwork Orange (1971): Controversial, cult-status dystopian sci-fi/drama about
experiment to brainwash teen hooligan against violence. Juxtaposes stunning
camerawork, upbeat score with graphic brutality. Appeals to fans of social commentary
seeking disturbing, thought-provoking viewing.
The Last Picture Show (1971): : Acclaimed, once-controversial drama about
small-town Texas teenagers' loss of innocence in the 1950s. Its subtle-yet-stark storyline,
innovative black-and-white cinematography made it popular among fans of multilayered
dramas and vivid character studies.
Mean Streets (1973): Gritty tale of small-time hoods in New York's Little Italy is hailed
by many critics as one of the best films from the '70s. Required for fans of mature,
character-driven crime/gangster dramas.
American Graffiti (1973): Popular coming-of-age tale profiles two college-bound
California high schoolers' final wild evening out. Its breezy atmospherics, classic
soundtrack are sheer delight for backward-looking baby boomers and fans of nostalgic
comedy/dramas.
The Lord of the Flatbush (1974): Slightly offbeat slice-of-life about four young hoods
coming of age in 1950s Brooklyn. Solid sleeper features early appearances by future
superstars; should appeal to fans of nostalgic drama.
Switchblade Sisters (1975): Ruthless rebel teen girls wield knives and show how well
they can hang with the boys. Joyously schlocky and exploitative, this is still a gem of late
night so-bad-it's-good cinema.
Grease (1978): Wildly popular, widely appealing, energetically upbeat musical about
high school romance. Critics raved about choreography, songs, fun feel. Fans of 50s era
or Hollywood-style musicals love this genre classic.
Over the Edge (1979): : Highly realistic drama of alienated teens rebelling in planned
suburban community. Compelling performances, on-target depiction of late '70s youth,
and time-capsule-perfect soundtrack grab decade devotees/fans of unapologetic
coming-of-age tales.
Quadrophenia (1979): Pete Townsend's coming-of-age rock musical about a young Mod
facing clashes with Rockers and his own mates as he tries to find himself in early '60s
England. Funny, surprisingly touching, and powered by a classic Who soundtrack.
The Wanderers (1979): Offbeat, coming-of-age drama about Italian-American
delinquents in early 60s N.Y.C. The alternating humorous/hard-hitting tone may put off
some, this cult favorite appeals to fans of teen rebellion tales, period-flavored dramas.
Scum (1979): Three young convicts struggle to survive in Britain's Borstal Prison.
The Warriors (1979): Gritty, graphically violent, influential action film detailing war
between N.Y.C. gangs. Frenetically paced, comic book-style film, with its innovative
visual style, compelling action scenes, thrills action and cult movie fans.
Pixote (1981): : Harrowing, downbeat look at Brazilian street kids' descent into hell.
With its raw performances, this is appreciated by fans of jolting, caustic melodrama laced
with social commentary.
Rumble Fish (1983): Moody, angst-filled tale of troubled teen gang leader has a cult
following. With its striking black-and-white cinematography, haunting score, understated
performances, it provides much pleasure for fans of coming-of-age dramas.
The Outsiders (1983): Angst-filled, lavishly produced teen melodrama profiling a
small-town juvenile gang in the 1960s. With its fresh-faced, star-studded cast, this is
extremely popular with pre-teen audiences. Adults may find it simplistic.
Scarface (1983): Bloody, profanity-laced, hard-edged drama about brutal Cuban drug
dealer's rise and fall. Ideal fare for fans of hard-core, highly violent mob sagas. Pacino
fans enjoy his ferocious performance.
Once Upon a Time in America (1984): Slow-moving, visually stunning, violent
gangster epic about lifelong friends in N.Y.C. Strong character development, historical
sweep, and stellar cast make this appealing to historical drama and gangster epic fans alike.
Tuff Turf (1985): : A teenager new to the neighborhood gets into trouble by getting
involved with the local tough-guy's girlfriend in this drama.
That Was Then...This is Now (1985): : Melodramatic literary adaptation about an
alienated juvenile delinquent who becomes jealous of his brother's girlfriend. This
downbeat, highly emotional tale appeals to fans of gritty, angst-ridden fare.
Colors (1988) Action-packed, lengthy psychological drama about gang violence in L.A.
Critics were mixed, but praised gritty feel, fast pace. Appeals to fans of realistic,
character-driven urban crime dramas.
Do the Right Thing (1989): Slice-of-life urban drama about flaring racial tensions on a
summer day in Brooklyn. Powerful, vibrantly filmed modern classic was a critical and
popular hit. Thrills fans of hard-hitting, thought-provoking drama.
Boyz N the Hood (1991): Stark, violent portrait of black youth coming of age in South
Central L.A. With its rich performances, this is appreciated by fans of potent drama
seeking character-driven, emotionally intense fare.
Luna Park (1991): Vividly realized film examines neo-Fascists running rampant in
Russia. Impresses those interested in a dramatic study of anti-Semitism and thuggery who
can stomach the ugliness on display.
Straight Out of Brooklyn (1991): Gritty, tough-edged coming-of-age urban drama about
boy's struggles to lift family out of poverty. Critically acclaimed, shoestring-budgeted
film appeals to genre fans seeking complex characterizations, realistic dialogue,
unflinching slice-of-life dramas.
Laws of Gravity (1992): Critically acclaimed, gritty urban drama follows Brooklyn
hustlers through hectic weekend. Frenetic style, raw dialogue appeal more to fans of
hard-boiled, unsentimental drama and crime flicks than to thrill seekers.
South Central (1992): : A prison parolee and former gang leader returns to L.A. to find
his wife addicted to drugs and his young son involved with his old gang. He attempts to
connect with his son to save him from his own violent, dead-end life.
American Me (1992): Ultra-violent, almost-epic dramatic portrait of Mexican crime
lord. With its strong performances, tough glimpse into subculture, this appeals to
mobster/crime film fans prepared to deal with brutally graphic content.
Romper Stomper (1992): : Violent, sexually graphic, controversial Australian drama
about skinheads' brutal attacks on Melbourne's Asian community. Vividly directed, this
appeals to shock-proof character study fans seeking a disturbing portrait of society's
underbelly.
Juice (1992): : Aspiring hip-hop DJ is torn between dreams of fame, beckoning life of
violent crime. With its furious pacing, compelling cinematography/score, nuanced
portrait of inner-city life, this pleases crime/morality drama fans.
Menace II Society (1993): Bleak, brutally violent morality tale about African-Amercian
teenager hovering between life of crime, opportunity for escape. With its authentic feel,
this is ideal for fans of gripping, unflinching social drama.
Blood in Blood Out: Bound by Honor (1993): Ambitious, definitive drama on Hispanic
gang life. Epic film was neglected by critics and unseen by audiences. Too brutal for
casual viewers, but fans of violent action will be well-rewarded.
Mi Vida Loca (1993): Eye-opening, gritty look at tough Latina gang girls in Los Angeles
fighting over a guy. This independently made, rough-edged film finds appeals to fans of
character-driven, slice-of-life friendship studies.
Fresh (1994) : Well-received performances distinguish this controversial film about
streetwise kids fighting back against the realities of harsh city life. Plenty to recommend
for fans of both violent action and drama.
Kids (1995): Controversial, explicit, exposé-style drama about HIV-infected teen girl
racing to stop former lover from having more unprotected sex. Fast-paced,
for-adults-only film is a brutally downbeat, disturbing experience for drama fans.
Hate (1995): Gritty drama about three disaffected multiracial youths in riot-torn Parisian
housing projects. With its innovative cinematography, rough-edged narrative style, this is
ideal fare for art-house connoisseurs, fans of American urban dramas.
Deuces Wild (2002): : Loss-of-innocence drama about 1958 Los Angeles, where the
optimism generated by the newly arrived Dodgers baseball team is being dashed by a
vicious, teen-gang turf war. (United Artists/MGM)
What Price Hollywood (1932) Brown Derby waitress Mary Evans befriends
seldom-sober director Max Carey and is soon in the big-time. She hooks eastern
millionaire Lonnie Borden but he soon tires of the Hollywood lifestyle and of playing
second fiddle to a star. Carey looks on with interest when he can see straight.
Bombshell (1933) Lola Burns is at the top of the pile in Hollywood. But life aren’t easy,
what with her father and brother always hanging around for handouts, and devious studio
publicity honcho Space Hanlon cooking up endless lurid newspaper stories. Makes a girl
want to give up pictures.
A Star is Born (1937)(1954)(1976) Drunken waning movie star Norman Maine meets
showgirl Esther Blodgett when he literally stumbles into her act one night. A friendship
develops which blossoms into romance but tensions increase as Esther's career takes off
whilst Norman's plummets.
A Double Life (1947) Anthony John is an actor whose life is strongly influenced by the
characters he plays. When he's playing comedy, he's the most enjoyable person in the
world, but when he's playing drama, it's terrible to be around him. That's the reason why
his wife Brita divorced him; although she still loves him and works with him, she
couldn't stand living with him anymore. So when Anthony accepts to play Othello, he
devotes himself entirely to the part, but it soon overwhelms him and with each day his
mind gets filled more and more with Othello's murderous jealousy.
Sunset Boulevard (1950) A director, an actress and a writer each explain why they never
want to work with producer Jonathan Shields again. Through their stories a portrait is
sketched of this man who rose from making B-movies to one of Hollywood's biggest
producers by using people in order to get him to the top.
Singin’ in the Rain (1952) In 1927, Don Lockwood and Lina Lamont are a famous
on-screen romantic pair. Lina, however, mistakes the on-screen romance for real love.
Don has worked hard to get where he is today, with his former partner Cosmo. When
Don and Lina's latest film is transformed into a musical, Don has the perfect voice for the
songs. But Lina - well, even with the best efforts of a diction coach, they still decide to
dub over her voice. Kathy Selden is brought in, an aspiring actress, and while she is
working on the movie, Don falls in love with her.
The Bad and the Beautiful (1952) A director, an actress and a writer each explain why
they never want to work with producer Jonathan Shields again. Through their stories a
portrait is sketched of this man who rose from making B-movies to one of Hollywood's
biggest producers by using people in order to get him to the top.
Sudden Fear (1952) Actor Lester Blaine has all but landed the lead in Myra Hudson's
new play when Myra vetoes him because, to her, he doesn't look like a "romantic leading
man." On a train from New York to San Francisco, Blaine sets out to prove Myra
wrong...by romancing her. Is he sincere, or does he have a dark ulterior motive? The
answer brings on a game of cat and mouse; but who's the cat and who's the mouse?
The Big Knife (1955) Charles Castle is a Hollywood actor whose career needs to
rebound after several flops. When he sees his marriage and career crumbling before him,
it's all he can do to keep his spirits up and his wits about him. At this point in his life, the
last thing he needs is more headaches. And then along comes a blackmailer, who
threatens to push Castle's sanity over the edge.
A Face in the Crowd (1957) Larry "Lonesome" Rhodes is a hobo. Discovered by Marcia
Jeffries, he will become a very famous TV star. His success gives him more and more
power. That power will corrupt him, turning him from a sympathetic singing vagabond
into a cynical and powerthirsty egotist.
Two Weeks in Another Town (1962) Kirk Douglas, Edward G. Robinson, Claire Trevor,
George Hamilton, and Cyd Charisse head the cast as decadent Hollywood types in Rome
to make a movie. What that movie's about is anyone's guess, but the melodrama played out
behind the scenes is an over-the-top train wreck directed by the great Vincente Minnelli.
The out of control drive through the streets of Rome by Douglas and Charisse is priceless.
Contempt (1963) Paul Javal, a writer, is hired to work out a script for the new movie
about Ulisses, directed by Fritz Lang and produced by Prokosch. Because he let his wife
Camille drive with Prokosch, and he is late, she believes, that he uses her as a sort of
"present" for Prokosch to get a better payment. So the relation breaks up.
The Last Tycoon (1975) Slow-paced adaptation of Fitzgerald novel profiling
overworked studio executive in Golden Age Hollywood. The star-studded cast's
performances please character-driven drama fans, though the ponderous pacing will try
less patient viewers.
The Day of the Locust (1975) Powerful, disturbing, slow-moving drama explores
Hollywood's sordid underside. With its incisive, downbeat look behind Tinseltown's
glitzy 1930s facade, this is essential viewing for genre fans, anyone with interest in
moviemaking.
The Front (1976) In the early 1950s Howard Prince, who works in a restaurant, helps
out a black-listed writer friend by selling a TV station a script under his own name. The
money is useful in paying off gambling debts, so he takes on three more such clients.
Howard is politically pretty innocent, but involvement with Florence - who quits TV in
disgust over things - and friendship with the show's ex-star - now himself blacklisted -
make him start to think about what is really going on.
Network (1976) In 1975 terrorist violence is the stuff of network nightly news
programming and the corporate structure of the UBS television network is changing.
Meanwhile, Howard Beale, the aging UBS news anchor, has lost his once strong ratings
share and so the network fires him. Beale reacts in an unexpected way. We then see how
this affects the fortunes of Beale, his coworkers (Max Schumacher and Diana
Christensen), and the network.
The Hollywood Shuffle (1987) Bobby Taylor wants to be a respected actor. From Sam
Spade to Shakespeare to superheroes, he can do it all. He just has to convince Hollywood
that gangstas, slaves and "Eddie Murphy-types" aren't the sum of his talents.
The Big Picture (1989) Nick Chapman graduates from film school, and his short film
wins a special prize. This gives him a high enough profile that he can get Hollywood to
back the film he has long dreamed of making. Studio exec Allen Habel is interested. But
Nick soon is seduced by Hollywood and makes one concession after another until his
original movie is lost altogether. Worse, Nick is lost, too, turning on girlfriend Susan and
old buddy Emmet. Will he come to his sense before everything is lost?
Barton Fink (1991) In 1941, New York intellectual playwright Barton Fink comes to
Hollywood to write a Wallace Beery wrestling picture. Staying in the eerie Hotel Earle,
Barton develops severe writer's block. His neighbor, jovial insurance salesman Charlie
Meadows, tries to help, but Barton continues to struggle as a bizarre sequence of events
distracts him even further from his task.
Guilty By Suspicion (1991) David Merrill (Robert DeNiro), a fictitious 1950s Hollywood
director, returns from filming abroad in France to find that his loyalty has been called into
question by the House Committee on Un-American Activities and he is unable to work until
cleared. Before being called, his highest priority had been his work to the extent of leaving
his wife (Annette Bening) and son (Luke Edwards) alone for months at a time. He initially
refuses to implicate others or himself in a private meeting with Roy Cohn and a studio lawyer.
This decision initially to stick to his principles first leaves him unable to work in his profession,
even with films and producers he never would have worked with before. Harassment by the FBI
leaves him unable to work on Broadway, with advertising agencies, or even in a small film
repair shop. Finally, having fallen so far, and tempted with a new offer to direct a film from
his old studio (if he testifies), he agrees to go before the Committee, initially planning to name
his friends. But
The Player (1992) A studio script screener gets on the bad side of a writer by not
accepting his script. The writer is sending him threatening postcards. The screener tries
to identify the writer in order to pay him off so he'll be left alone, and then in a case of
mistaken identity gone awry, he accidentally gives the writer solid ammunition for
blackmail. This plot is written on a backdrop of sleazy Hollywood deals and several
subplots involving the politics of the industry.
Swimming with Sharks (1994) A young Hollywood executive becomes the assistant to a
big time movie producer who is the worst boss imaginable: abusive, abrasive and cruel.
But soon things turn around when the young executive kidnaps his boss and visits all the
cruelties back on him.
Ed Wood (1994) A biopic of the life and work of the legendary 'worst director of all time',
Edward D.Wood, Jr., concentrating on the best-known period of his life in the 1950s,
when he made 'Glen or Glenda', 'Bride of the Monster' and 'Plan 9 From Outer Space',
and focusing on both his transvestism and his touching friendship with the once great but
now ageing and unemployed horror star Bela Lugosi.
Living in Oblivion (1995) Film about filmmaking. It takes place during one day on set of
non-budget movie. Ultimate tribute to all independent filmmakers. Nick is about to
discover the first rule of filmmaking: if at first you don't succeed... PANIC! He is
directing a movie with a shoestring budget and a film crew with at least as many neuroses
as goatees. When the action spills outside of the scenes and everything goes all wrong,
(real- life) writer/director Tom DiCillo throws tragicomic jabs at the strange, and
painfully human, process of making movies.
Gods and Monsters (1998) The story of James Whale, the director
of Show Boat, The Invisible Man, Frankenstein, and The Bride of
Frankenstein, who had long stepped back from the glamour and glitz of
Hollywood, in the time period following the Korean War. A stroke
triggers once buried flashes of memory of his life in Dudley, his
film career, and, most influentially, the trenches during the Great
War. Haunted and lonely, he recounts many of his experiences to his
muscle bound gardener, Clay Boone. Whale is homosexual and he
develops a friendship with his gardener, an ex-Marine.
12-Literature
in the Movies
Carmen (1926) (1933) (1945) (1959) (1960) (1967) (1979) (1999) The nuanced, passionate portrayal of the tempestuous, teasing and seductive gypsy girl, Carmen, based on the nobel of Prosper Merimee, makes this film a treat!
The Scarlet Letter (1926) (1934) (1979) (1995) Nathaniel Hawthorne's novel. In Puritan Boston, seamstress Hester Prynne is punished for playing on the Sabbath day; but kindly minister Arthur Dimmesdale takes pity on her. The two fall in love, but their relationship cannot be: Hester is already married to Roger Prynne, a physician who has been missing seven years. Dimmesdale has to go away to England; when he returns, he finds Hester pregnant with their child, and the focus of the town's censure. In a humiliating public ceremony, she is forced to don the scarlet letter A - for adultery - and wear it the rest of her life. Dimmesdale is encouraged by the church fathers to demand of Hester the person with whom she sinned.
Uncle Tom's Cabin (1927) (1987) This is perhaps the best film adaption of the classic Harriet Beecher Stowe novel. One of the more expensive films for the time, a price tag of $1.8 million, it is brimming with brilliant photography and fine performances; one of the few surviving works of director Harry Pollard.
All Quiet on the Western Front (1930) (1979) Adapted from the novel by German author Erich Maria Remarque. A young soldier faces profound disillusionment in the soul-destroying horror of World War I.
Frankenstein (1931) (1984) (1994) Dr. Frankenstein creates a simple creature from various body parts. The creature turns into a monster when Dr. Frankenstein rejects him. Sticking close to the original novel, we are guided through the store of Frankensteins quest for knowledge, and his creates search for his 'father'. Based on Mary Shelley's novel.
Robinson Crusoe / Swiss Family Robinson / Cast Away (1932) (1940) (2000) A family setting out for a new life across the sea is shipwrecked on a deserted island. The family members collaborate to create an idyllic home for themselves, only to find the island under siege by pirates.
A Farewell to Arms (1933) (1957) Tender, passionate interpretation of Hemingway's story about a WWI soldier who deserts for love of a nurse. Luminous photography, unforgettable performances make this a must for lovers of classic drama.
Little Women (1933) (1994) With their father away fighting in the Civil War, Joe, Meg, Beth and Amy grow up with their mother in somewhat reduced circumstances. They are a close family who inevitably have their squabbles and tragedies. But the bond holds even when, later, men friends start to become a part of the household. Based on the works of Louisa May Alcott.
The Invisible Man (1933) A scientist turns himself invisible. However, the formula slowly drives him insane, causing him to terrorize the countryside as an invisible killer. Based on H.G. Wells' work.
Treasure Island (1934) (1950) (1985) (1990) (1999) Young Jim Hawkins is caught up with the pirate Long John Silver in search of the buried treasure of the buccaneer Captain Flint, in this adaptation of the classic novel by Robert Louis Stevenson.
Les Misérables (1934) (1935) (1957) (1998) Jean Valjean, convicted of a minor crime, spends the rest of his life being pursued by a cruel and unrelenting policeman, Javert.
Anna Karenina (1935) (1948) (1985) (1997) Adaptation of Leo Tolstoy's novel of a aristocratic Russian woman defying all convention to have an adulterous affair with a military officer
A Tale of Two Cities (1935) (1958) (1980) (1989) An elaborate adaptation of Dickens' classic tale of the French Revolution. Dissipated lawyer Sydney Carton defends emigre Charles Darnay from charges of spying against England. He becomes enamored of Darnay's fiancée, Lucie Manette, and agrees to help her save Darnay from the guillotine when he is captured by Revolutionaries in Paris.
Crime and Punishment (1935) (1959) (1979) (1998) Movie based on the novel of the Russian writer Fiodor Dostoyesky
Romeo and Juliet (1936) (1954) (1968) (1996) Classic Shakespearean tale of two lovers from warring families. Each convinced that their love in unrequited, and sure that their families would forbid their union, neither dares to approach the other.
The Prince and the Pauper (1937) Mark Twain's novel. On the same day two boys are born: the pauper Tom and prince Edvard. As a kid, Tom sneaks into the palace garden and meet the prince. They change clothes with each other but the guards discover them and throw out the prince, since they are almost identical. Nobody believe them when they try to tell the truth. Soon after, the old king dies and the prince will inherit the throne.
The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) (1976) (1991) (1993) Sir Robin of Locksley, defender of downtrodden Saxons, runs afoul of Norman authority and is forced to turn outlaw. With his band of Merry Men, he robs from the rich, gives to the poor and still has time to woo the lovely Maid Marian, and foil the cruel Sir Guy of Gisbourne, and keep the nefarious Prince John off the throne.
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1938) Sentiment rules in this version of the Twain tale of boyhood in 1850 Missouri, reasonably faithful except for minor details and making the character Jim a boy instead of a man. Includes the whitewash episode, puppy love, the graveyard murder, the boys' running away to Jackson's Island, the salvation of Muff Potter, and the cave adventure.
Gone with the Wind (1939) Based on the novel of Margaret Mitchel. Scarlett is a woman who can deal with a nation at war, Atlanta burning, the Union Army carrying off everything from her beloved Tara, the carpetbaggers who arrive after the war. Scarlett is beautiful. She has vitality. But Ashley, the man she has wanted for so long, is going to marry his placid cousin, Melanie. Mammy warns Scarlett to behave herself at the party at Twelve Oaks. There is a new man there that day, the day the Civil War begins. Rhett Butler. Scarlett does not know he is in the room when she pleads with Ashley to choose her instead of Melanie.
On Mice and Men (1939) (1992) Based on the novel of John Steinbeck. George (Meredith) and half-wit Lenny (Chaney) work on a western ranch during the Great Depression, dreaming of the autonomy of owning and operating their own ranch some day.
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1939) (1960) (1975) (1985) Huckleberry Finn, a rambunctious boy adventurer chafing under the bonds of civilization, escapes his humdrum world and his selfish, plotting father by sailing a raft down the Mississippi River. Accompanying him is Jim, a slave running away from being sold. Together the two strike a bond of friendship that takes them through harrowing events and thrilling adventures
The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939) (1982) (1996) King Louis XI is a wise and old king and Frollo is the Chief Justice. Frollo gazes on the gypsy girl, Esmeralda, in the church during Fool's Day and sends Quasimoto to catch her. Quasimoto, with the girl, is captured by Phoebus, Captain of the Guards, who frees the girl. The courts sentence Quasimoto to be flogged, and the only one who will give him water while he is tied in the square is Esmeralda. Later, at a party of nobles, Esmeralda again meets both Frollo, who is bewitched by her, and Phoebus. When Phoebus is stabbed to death, Esmeralda is accused of the murder, convicted by the court and sentenced to hang. Clopin, King of the Beggars, Gringoire the Husband of Esmeralda, and Quasimoto, the bellringer, all try different ways to save her from the gallows. Based on Victor Hugo's classic novel.
Sherlock Holmes (The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (1939); The Hound of the Baskervilles (1939); Sherlock Holmes and the Voice of Terror (1942); Secret Weapon (1942); Sherlock Holmes in Washington (1943); Sherlock Holmes Faces Death (1943); Sherlock Holmes and the Spider Woman (1944); The Scarlet Claw (1944); The Pearl of Death (1944); The House of Fear (1945); The Woman in Green (1945); Terror by Night (1946); Dressed to Kill (1946)); (1965); (1979); (1983); (1985); ((1990) (1991)). Many people have played Holmes and Watson, but Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce will always be the best as far as I am concerned. These movies are all based o the work of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
The Wizard of Oz (1939) Based on the novel of L. Frank Baum. When a nasty neighbor tries to have her dog put to sleep, Dorothy takes her dog Toto, to run away. A tornado appears and carries her to the magical land of Oz. Wishing to return, she begins to travel to the city of Oz where a great wizard lives. On her way she meets a Scarecrow who needs a brain, a Tin Man who wants a heart, and a cowardly lion who desperately needs courage. They all hope the Wizard of Oz will help them, before the Wicked Witch of the West catches up with them
The Grapes of Wrath (1940) Oklahoma in the Thirties is a dustbowl and a poor mid-west family is forced off their land and travel to California, suffering the misfortunes of the homeless in the Great Depression.After terrible trials en route they become little more than slave labor. Among the throng are the Joads who refuse to knuckle under. A marvellous production of John Steinbeck's epic
The Maltese Falcon (1941) Sam Spade is a partner in a private-eye firm who finds himself hounded by police when his partner is killed whilst tailing a man. The girl who asked him to follow the man turns out not to be who she says she is, and is really involved in something to do with the `Maltese Falcon', a gold-encrusted life-sized statue of a falcon, the only one of its kind. Based on the novel of Dashiell Hammett.
The Sea Wolf (1941) (1993) Humphrey van Weyden, a writer, and fugitives Ruth Webster and George Leach have been given refuge aboard the sealer "Ghost," captained by the cruel Wolf Larsen. The crew mutinies against Larsen's many crimes, and though van Weyden, Ruth, and George try to escape Larsen's clutches, they find themselves drawn inexorably back to him as the "Ghost" sails toward disaster. Jack London's novel.
Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde (1941) (1960) (1990) Dr. Jekyll believes good and evil exist in everyone. Experiments reveal his evil side, named Hyde. Experience teaches him how evil Hyde can be: he kills Ivy who earlier expressed interest in Jekyll and Sir Charles, Jekyll's faincee's father.
For Whom the Bells Tolls (1943) Spain in the 1930s is the place to be for a man of action like Robert Jordan. There is a civil war going on and Jordan who has joined up on the side that appeals most to idealists of that era -- like Ernest Hemingway and his friends -- has been given a high-risk assignment up in the mountains. He awaits the right time to blow up a bridge in a cave.
The Magic Skin (La Piel de Zapa) (1943) Based on the famous novel of Honoré de Balzac. One of the stereotypes of the Human Comedy: Greed.
Doña Barbara (1943) (1998) Doña Barbara is a Pan-Latin American story, and female character. She could be Mexican, Brazilian, Argentinian,...well the novel was written by Venezuela's greatest novelist Romulo Gallegos, but this could be a Bolivian or Colombian character. And similarly, Felix is the all-Latin American actress, an unsurpassed talent standard, against whom all other great Latin actresses aspire to be compared against.
Jane Eyre (1944) (1996) Small, plain and poor, Jane Eyre comes to Thornfield Hall as governess to the young ward of Edward Rochester. Denied love all her life, Jane can't help but be attracted to the intelligent, vibrant, energetic Mr. Rochester, a man twice her age. But just when Mr. Rochester seems to be returning the attention, he invites the beautiful and wealthy Blanche Ingram and her party to stay at his estate. Meanwhile, the secret of Thornfield Hall could ruin all their chances for happiness.
Hamlet (1948) (1964) (1990) (1996)In this film of the classic Shakespearean play, a Danish prince seeks to avenge his father's death when his uncle murders his father, succeeds him as King, and marries the Queen. Along the way, Hamlet spurns his girlfriend, scolds his mother, contemplates suicide, and kills some folks.
Oliver Twist (1948) Based on the Charles Dickens novel Oliver Twist is about an orphan boy who runs away from a workhouse and meets a pickpocket on the streets of London. Oliver is taken in by the pickpocket and he joins a household of young boys who are trained to steal for their master. The boys thieving activities and others who desire to cash in on Oliver's fortune by criminals activities leads to murder and community outrage as they are hunted down. This version of Oliver Twist is topped by Alex Guinness' masterly performance of arch-thug Fagin.
The Three Musketeers (1948) (1973) (1993) The hectic adventures of D'Artagnan, a young provincial noble who just comes to Paris to enter the musketeers. He will meet action, love, hate, the king and the queen as his impetuousness gets him involved in political plots... and of course virile and indestructible friendship with the three musketeers Athos, Porthos and Aramis. Based on Alexandre Dumas' novel.
Madam Bovary (1949) (1991) French author Gustave Flaubert is on trial for writing the "indecent" novel "Madame Bovary." To prove that he wrote a moral tale, Flaubert narrates the story of beautiful Emma Bovary, an adulteress who destroyed the lives of everyone she came in contact with.
Ten Little Indians (1949) (1959) (1966) (1989) Agatha Christie's famous work "Ten Little Indians. A group of amoral people are invited to an isolated island mansion. Upon arriving, a recorded phonograph message accuses them of certain crimes in which they could not be touched by the law. After one dies from poison, another from an overdose of sleeping pills, a third from being struck/falling into a fire, and a fourth from stabbing, (all according to the ten little Indians nursery ryhme) the remaining number realize the killer is among those present.
Doña Perfecta (1950) Based on the work of Spanish writer Benito Perez Galdos.
A Streetcar Named Desire (1951) Set in the French quarter of New Orleans during the restless years following World War Two, A Streetcar Named Desire is the story of Blanche DuBois, a fragile and neurotic woman on a desperate prowl for someplace in the world to call her own.
Ivanhoe (1952) In the centre of this Walter Scott classic fiction inspired film the chivalrousness and the daring stand. Ivanhoe, the disowned knight join to the bravehearted and high-minded Robin Hood, the valiant of Forest Sherwood. They want King Richard to rule the kingdom instead of evil Prince John.
Ulysses (1954) / The Odyssey (1997) Homer's classic epic poem about the travels of Odysseus after his conquest of Troy is brought to the small screen. However, the gods seize the opportunity to make Odysseus and his crew a domino in their games forcing him to take detours that add years to his trip and throw him into conflict with Circe, the Cyclops, Poseidon, and ultimately to Hades itself. Meanwhile, Odysseus' wife, Penelope, is forced to hold off suitors trying to claim his property in the thought that Odysseus has died. Nonetheless, Odysseus keeps trying to find his way back with the aid of Athena.
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954) The oceans during the late 1860-92s are no longer safe; many ships have been lost. Sailors have returned to port with stories of a vicious narwhal (a giant whale with a long horn) which sinks their ships. A naturalist, Professor (Pierre) Aronnax, his assistant, Conseil, and a professional whaler, Ned Land, join an US expedition which attempts to unravel the mystery. Based on Julius Verne's novel.
Otello (1955) (1965) Desdemona defies her father to marry the Moor of Venice, the mighty warrior, Othello. But Othello's old lieutenant, Iago, doesn't like Othello, and is determined to bring about the downfall of Othello's new favorite, Cassio, and destroy Othello in the process, by casting aspersions on Othello's new bride.
War and Peace (1956) (1968) (1973) Spruced up adaptation of Leo Tolstoy's epic novel about the life of a Russian family during the War of 1812. The historical and personal events are seen mostly through the eyes of Natasha, who is 16 years old at the start of the movie. Contains many panoramic shots of battle in action.
Around the World in 80 Days (1956) Adaptation of Jules Verne's novel about a Victorian Englishman, Phileas Fogg, who is challenged to prove his contention that a man can go around the world in 80 days with the help of new steamships and railways. He bets his entire fortune and leaves with a new butler on a world tour. This Victorian adventure has a kicker, the bank of England has been robbed. Is this Fogg's way of avoiding arrest? The detective following him believes so, and his butler is becoming unsure.
Moby Dick (1956) (1998) This classic story by Herman Melville revolves around Captain Ahab and his obsession with a huge whale, Moby Dick. The whale caused the loss of Ahab's leg years before, leaving Ahab to stomp the boards of his ship on a peg leg. Ahab is so crazed by his desire to kill the whale, that he is prepared to sacrifice everything, including his life, the lives of his crew members, and even his ship to find and destroy his nemesis, Moby Dick.
The Brothers Karamazov (1958) In this nice and richly filmed adaptation of the great Russian novelist, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, we get as good a rendering as Hollywood permits, given the time restraints.Lengthy works of certain novelists have to be tapered and trimmed to be watchable and affordable for a studio.
The Old Man and the Sea (1958) (1990) Based on the novel by Ernest Hemingway, Santiago goes out on his usual fishing trip and makes a huge catch, the biggest of his life. Then a shark attacks and tries to steal his catch. Santiago battles with the shark for days. He returns to the shore beaten, tattered and torn, and his catch consisting now of mostly bones.
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958) (1976) (1985) Tennessee Williams' Pulitzer Prize Play is now on the screen! In this drama, wealthy land owner and patriarch Big Daddy celebrates his birthday and is visited by his two sons, Brick and Gooper. Big Daddy has had cancer but his doctor has declared him to have recovered. Gooper and his wife Mae have a bunch of kids and are greedily waiting to inherit Big Daddy's millions. His favorite son Brick, on the other hand, is a drunken ex-football star with an unhappy marriage to Maggie. She is frustrated since she loves her husband, but he despises her. It is everybody's war against everybody to get the money and Brick is the only one who won't suck up to Big Daddy.
The Time Machine (1960) (2002) From the book by H.G. Wells, a scientist and tinkerer builds a time machine and uses it to explore the distant future where there are two races, a mild gentle race, and a cannibalistic one living underground. His machine is stolen by the underground race and he must risk capture himself (and being eaten) to return to his own time.
The Mysterious Island (1961) Based on Julius Verne novel. During the US Civil War, Union POWs escape in a balloon and end up stranded on a South Pacific island, inhabited by giant plants and animals. They must use their ingenuity to survive the dangers, and to devise a way to return home. Sequel to the Sea, 20,000 Leagues Under.
To Kill a Mockingbird (1962) Based on Harper Lee's Pulitzer Prize winning book of 1960. Atticus Finch is a lawyer in a racially divided Alabama town in the 1930s. He agrees to defend a young black man who is accused of raping a white woman. Many of the townspeople try to get Atticus to pull out of the trial, but he decides to go ahead. How will the trial turn out - and will it change any of the racial tension in the town ?
Tom Jones (1963) Tom Jones, a presumed bastard child, is taken in and raised as the child of an English gentleman. Tom is a likeable, devil-may-care chap in adulthood, with a great love for the beautiful Sophie Western but an inability to resist the advances of any other attractive lady. This fault, and the jealousy of others like Blifil, the heir of Tom's benefactor, result in Tom's banishment. But despite his weakness for women and countless misunderstandings, Tom eventually finds his rightful place in life and love. Based on the novel of Henry Fielding.
Lord of the Flies (1963) (1990) Adapted from William Golding's novel of the same name, this is the story of a group of prep school boys who become stranded on an island. With no adult supervision, they develop their own society, with frightening and powerful consequences.
Lord Jim (1965) "Lord Jim" is a film that offers viewers satisfaction on many levels. Although it is set in an exotic locale and has a considerable amount of action, the real story of this movie is its exploration of the human condition. Love, honor, courage, commitment and redemption all come into play as the story moves from the sea to the jungle. It reminds us how a split-second decision can alter dramatically the course of our lives.
Fortunata y Jacinta (1969) Based on the work of Spanish writer Benito Perez Galdos.
Le Pére (Father) Goriot (1971) (1972) Based on the famous novel of Honoré de Balzac. One of the stereotypes of the Human Comedy: The limitless sacriface of a father.
Cousin Bette (1971) (1998) Based on the famous novel of Honoré de Balzac. One of the stereotypes of the Human Comedy: Envy. Jessica Lange stars as Cousin Bette, a poor and lonely seamstress, who, after the death of her prominent and wealthy sister, tries to ingratiate herself into lives of her brother-in-law, Baron Hulot.
Marianela (1972) Based on the work of Spanish writer Benito Perez Galdos. The life of a good but deformed girl helping aqnd getting in love with a wealthy blind young man.
The Godfather I, (1972) A Mafia boss' son, previously uninvolved in the business, takes over when his father is critically wounded in a mob hit. II (1974) The early life & career of Vito Corleone is portrayed while his son expands and tightens his grip on his crime syndicate in the 1950's. III (1990) A Mafia godfather attempts to legitimize his business dealings. Based on Mario Puzo's bestseller.
Day of the Jackal (1973) (1997) Based on Frederick Forsyth's novel. A professional assassin codenamed "Jackal" plots to kill Charles de Gualle, the President of France.
A Doll's House (1973) Not bad Ibsen; interesting Fonda. Nora Helmer has years earlier committed a forgery in order to save the life of her authoritarian husband Torvald. Now she is being blackmailed lives in fear of her husband's finding out and of the shame such a revelation would bring to his career. But when the truth comes out, Nora is shocked to learn where she really stands in her husband's esteem.
The Call of the Wild (1972) (1976) (1997) Jack London's classic story from 1903 about Buck, a dog kidnapped from his home in California and taken to the Yukon where he is mistreated until a prospector discovers him and relates to his situation. Although the two are bonded, Buck yearns to run free with the wild dogs in the wilderness
White Fang (1974) (1991) Jack London's classic adventure story about the friendship developed between a Yukon gold hunter and the mixed dog-wolf he rescues from the hands of a man who mistreats him.
Murder on the Orient Express (1974) (2001) Famous detective Hercule Poirot is on the Orient Express, but the train is caught in the snow. When one of the passengers is discovered murdered, Poirot immediately starts investigating.
The Count of Monte Cristo (1975) (2002) Based on Alexandre Dumas' classic novel. Edmond Dantes is falsely accused by those jealous of his good fortune, and is sentenced to spend the rest of his life in the notorious island prison, Chateau d'If. While imprisoned, he meets the Abbe Faria, a fellow prisoner whom everyone believes to be mad. The Abbe tells Edmond of a fantastic treasure hidden away on a tiny island, that only he knows the location of. After many years in prison, the old Abbe dies, and Edmond escapes disguised as the dead body. Now free, Edmond finds the treasure and uses it to exact revenge on those who have wronged him.
Death on the Nile (1978) Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot has a set of murder suspects on a boat in the Nile after a rich heiress is killed. Can he find the culprit before they reach port ?
The Mirror Crack'd (1980) Based on the novel by Agatha Christie. The year is 1953. The small English village of St. Mary Mead, home to Miss Jane Marple, is delighted when a big American movie company arrives to make a movie telling of the relationship between Jane Grey and Elisabeth I, starring the famous actresses Marina Rudd and Lola Brewster. Marina arrives with her husband, Jason, and when she discovers that Lola is going to be in the movie with her she hits the roof as Lola and Marina loathe each other on sight. Marina has been getting death threats and at a party at the manor house, Heather Babcock, after boring Marina with a long story, drinks a cocktail made for Marina and dies from poisoning. Everybody believes that Marina is the target but the police officer investigating the case, Inspector Craddock isn't sure so he asks Miss Marple, his aunt, to investigate...
Cecilia (1982) Based on Cirilo Villaverde's Cecilia Valdes, the film happens in 1830s Havana, amidst the Cuban independence movement, social climber Cecilia Valdés uses santería to conquer Leonardo Gamboa, the son of a rich colonialist family.
The Color Purple (1985) This film follows the life of Celie, a young black girl growing up in the early 1900's. The first time we see Celie, she is 14 - and pregnant - by her father. We stay with her for the next 30 years of her tough life...Based on alice Walker's novel.
The Last of the Mohicans (1992) In this version of James Fenimore Cooper's novel British and French troops do battle in colonial America, with aid from various native American war parties. The British troops enlist the help of local colonial militia men, who are reluctant to leave their homes undefended. A budding romance between a British officer's daughter and an independent man who was reared as a Mohawk complicates things for the British officer, as the adopted Mohawk pursues his own agenda despite the wrath of different people on both sides of the conflict.
The Crucible (1996) The movie is centered around the Salem Massachusetts witch trials of 1692. It is based on the play "The Crucible" by Arthur Miller. He also wrote the screen play adaptation
The House of Mirth (2000) The film is a tragic love story set against a background of wealth and social hypocrisy in turn of the century New York. Based on the classic Edith Wharton novel. Gillian Anderson stars as Lily Bart, a ravishing socialite at the height of her success who quickly discovers the precariousness of her position when her beauty and charm starts attracting unwelcome interest and jealousy.
Murder of Roger Ackroyd (2000) Living quietly in the small village of King's Abbot, sleuth Hercule Poirot becomes involved in the murder of successful industrialist Roger Ackroyd. The number of potential killers is almost as great as the population of the village itself. As Poirot investigates he sees that there might be a connection to the suicide of a local woman, and the death the previous year of her husband.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001) Based on J. K. Rowling's novel, the most read novel of modern times. Rescued from the outrageous neglect of his aunt and uncle, a young boy with a great destiny proves his worth while attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Dracula (1931) (1958) (1979) (1992)
Frankenstein (1931) (1994), Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948),
Young Frankenstein (1974)
The Mummy (1932) (1959) (1999)
King Kong (1933) (1976) (1986)
The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939)
The Wolf Man (1941) Wolf (1994)
Mighty Joe Young (1949) (1998)
The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms (1953)
Them ! (1954)
Creature From the Black Lagoon (1954)
Tarantula (1955)
The Fly (1958) (1986)
The Birds (1963)
Frogs (1972)
Jaws (1975)
Orca (1977)
Empire of the Ants (1977)
Piranha (1978)
The Elephant Man (1980)
Alligator (1980)
The Howling (1980)
Cujo (1983)
The Terminator (1984)
Alien (1986)
Predator (1987)
Edward Scissorhands (1990)
Jurassic Park (1993)
Starship Troopers (1997)
Anaconda (1997)
Godzilla (1998)
Deep Blue Sea (1999)
Octopus (2000)
The Big House (1930) After a manslaughter conviction from drunk driving, nice but foolish Kent is sent to a prison over-crowded and unable to properly deal with it's inmates. There he meets veteran criminals like Morgan and his hardened pal Butch. And the system punishes them all, turning them against each other and bringing out the worst.
I am a Fugitive From a Chain Gang (1932) Returning veteran James Allen, rejecting a return to the old factory grind, degenerates into a hobo. Innocently involved in robbery, he is railroaded onto an incredibly brutal chain gang. Finally escaping, he makes his way to Chicago, where he finds success in the construction industry...and grasping girlfriend Marie, who threatens to expose him if he doesn't marry her. When he meets and falls for Helen, things go from bad to worse.
Brute Force (1947) At overcrowded Westgate Penitentiary, where violence and fear are the norm and the warden has less power than guards and leading prisoners, the least contented prisoner is tough, single-minded Joe Collins. Most of all, Joe hates chief guard Captain Munsey, a petty dictator who glories in absolute power. After one infraction too many, Joe and his cell-mates are put on the dreaded drain pipe detail; prompting an escape scheme that has every chance of turning into a bloodbath
Riot in the Cell Block 11 (1954) Gritty, realistic, semi-documentary style, early film from Don Siegel - two years before 'Invasion of the Body Snatchers'. Essentially a social comment film about the poor conditions in prisons, 'Riot in Cell Block 11' doesn't force its point with cliches and manages to be an effective 'B' Movie. The storyline starts quickly with a group of prisoners taking their warders hostage and barricading themselves in their cell block. Narrative then follows the proceedings to their conclusion, the action never straying from the prison itself.
The Defiant Ones (1958) Joker Jackson and Noah Cullen are two bandits who're in jail. They hate each other. They fly and are pursued by the police. While they're chained, the two are dependent on one another. When they eventually get rid of their chains, their hostility has been changed into fellowship and respect...
Birdman of Alcatraz (1962) Inside the rock called Alcatraz they tried to chain a volcano they called "The Bird Man"! A surly convicted murderer, condemned to life in the notorious prison of San Francisco Bay, held in permanent isolation, seeks solace from the forbidding existence and redeems himself by raising and selling birds, becoming a renowned bird expert. Based on a true story.
The Great Escape (1963) Based on a true story, a group of allied escape artist type prisoners of war are all put in an 'escape proof' camp. Their leader decides to try to take out several hundred all at once. The first half of the film is played for comedy as the prisoners mostly outwit their jailers to dig the escape tunnel. The second half is high adventure as they use boats and trains and planes to get out of occupied Europe.
Cool Hand Luke (1967) Luke is sent to a prison camp, where he gets a reputation as a hard man. The head of the gang hates him, and tries to break him by beating him up. It doesn't work, and he gains respect. His mother dies, and he escapes, but is caught, escapes again, and is caught again. Will the camp bosses ever break him ?
Riot (1969) Grim, brutal, realistic prison drama. A small group of prisoners decide to use the pretext of a riot to cover an escape plan. A fine performance by Hackman, in one of his earlier roles - Jim
The Big Doll House (1971) Their bodies were caged, but not their desires. They would do anything for a man. A prostitute (Judy Brown) is sent to a corrupt prison camp run by a female transvestite. Her cell mates include an informer (Pam Grier), a revolutionary (Roberta Collins), a drug addict, and a cynic. She eventually convinces them to work together to escape from this hell.
The Glass House (1972) A young guard and a college professor convicted of manslaughter both start their first day in prison. The most believable prison movie ever made. No heroes here, just heavy reality crammed into 90 minutes of violence and suffering.
The Big Bird Cage (1972) Terry, a social-climbing young woman accidentally gets caught up in the activities of two revolutionaries, Blossom and Django, and finds herself in a concentration camp for women. The prisoners are subjected to sadistic cruelty from the guards and fellow prisoners
Papillon (1973) Based on a true story, Papillon tells the story of Henri Charriere, also known as Papillon, which is French for 'butterfly', because he sports a large tattoo of a butterfly. Papillon, a petty criminal, is wrongly convicted of murder and sentenced to life in the French penal colony in Guyana (South America). Papillon is determined to escape but his first attempts result in eventual recapture, despite reaching such locales as an Indian paradise and a leper's colony. As punishment, he is sent to Devil's Island, a prison within the Guyana prison, from which no one has ever escaped. He continues his attempts to escape despite incarcerations in solitary confinement as punishment.
Caged Heat (1974) A girl is caught in a drug bust and sent to the hoosegow. The iron-handed superintendent takes exception to a skit performed by the girls and takes punitive steps, aided by the sadistic doctor who is doing illegal electroshock experiments and raping drugged prisoners. After a while the prisoners put away their petty differences and plan the Big Prison Escape.
Escape From Alcatraz (1979) The true story of Frank Morris, a convict who was sent to Alcatraz, the most feared prison in the world. Although nobody had ever escaped from Alcatraz, Frank did it.
Scum (1979) This is the hard and shocking story of life in a British Borstal for young offenders. Luckily the regime has changed since this film was made. The brutal regime made no attempt to reform or improve the inmates and actively encouraged a power struggle between the 'tough' new inmate and the 'old hands'. The film was originally made as a BBC play but it was banned before ever being shown. So Clarke, Alan and 'Roy Minton' (qv) got it re-made as a film. This is a tough and brutal film and should not be viewed lightly.
Brubaker (1980) When the new Warden comes in disguised as an inmate, he sees first hand all the corruption and scams the guards and prison officials and running. When he reveals himself, and starts to implement reforms to stop the corruption, the local community business, who had been benefiting from the scams, fights back, and the corrupt southern prison system, starts making political trouble for the new warden.
Attica (1980) A TV-movie re-creation of the tragic events which followed the Attica Correctional Facility rebellion of September 9, 1971. Inmates demanding better food and living conditions took 38 guards as hostage. Negotiations begin immediately, only to continually break down thanks to uncompromising stubbornness on both sides. Four days into the crisis, the rebellion ends in a bloodbath, with state troopers firing on the prisoners, killing several of the guards in the process. Based on the eyewitness reporting of the New York Times' Tom Wicker (George Grizzard), who was one of the civilian negotiators during the stalemate.
The Executioner’s Song (1982) Based on the true story of murderer Gary Mark Gilmore, spanning the last nine months of his life (May 1976-January 1977) in which at age 35, after being released for serving a long prison term in Utah for armed robbery, the unstable Gilmore murdered two men in two seperate and senseless robberies in which after a brief public trial in October, he was sentenced to death by firing squad which drew a lot of media attention when Gilmore insisted that his execution be carried out and he became the first man to be executed in the USA since the government reinstated the death penalty in 1976.
Chained Heat (1983) Linda Blair plays Carol, a young woman who must serve 18 months in prison after killing a man (by accident). The prison turns out to be brimming with decadence, corruption and sleaze, where the other female inmates are sadistic crack-selling lesbian rapists and the guards and warden are no better. Racial tensions are high as the inmates is divided into two factions, blacks and whites, who must either join together against the management or kill each other trying. A sleazy blend of sexploitation and blaxploitation make this movie a real winner.
Reform School Girls (1986) Look forward to a world without windows, without the possibility of escape, and without hope. A claustrophobic world bursting at the seams with pent-up aggression and caged terror! Jenny is sent to a women's reform school. It is run by evil warden Sutter and her henchwoman Edna. Jenny will stop at nothing to escape but she also has to deal with Charlie the bully
The Shawshank Redemption (1994) Fear can hold you prisoner. Hope can set you free. Andy Dufresne is a young and successful banker whose life changes drastically when he is convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of his wife and her lover. Set in the 1940's, the film shows how Andy, with the help of his friend Red, the prison entrepreneur, turns out to be a most unconventional prisoner.
Dead Man Walking (1995) A caring nun receives a desperate letter from a death row inmate trying to find help to avoid execution for murder. Over the course of the time to the convict's death, the nun begins to show empathy, not only with the pathetic man, but also with the victims and their families. In the end, that nun must decide how she will deal with the paradox of caring for that condemned man while understanding the heinousness of his crimes.
The Green Mile (1999) The story about the lives of guards on death row leading up to the execution of a wrongly accused man who has the power of faith healing.
Paul Edgecomb is a slightly cynical veteran prison guard on Death row in the 1930's. His faith, and sanity, deteriorated by watching men live and die, Edgecomb is about to have a complete turn around in attitude. Enter John Coffey, He's eight feet tall. He has hands the size of waffle irons. He's been accused of the murder of two children... and he's afraid to sleep in a cell without a night-light. And Edgecomb, as well as the other prison guards - Brutus, a sympathetic guard, and Percy, a stuck up, perverse, and violent person, are in for a strange experience that involves intelligent mice, brutal executions, and the revelation about Coffey's innocence and his true identity
True Crime (1999) Steve Everett, Oakland Tribune journalist with a passion for women and alcohol, is given the coverage of the upcoming execution of murderer Frank Beachum. His attractive colleague Michelle died in a car accident the night before. Bob Findley, Steve's boss and husband to Steve's current affair, wants him dead and gone as soon as possible. When Steve stumbles across the possibility of Frank Beachum being innocently on death row, Bob feels his time to have come. Now Steve only has a few hours left to prove the innocence of Frank and to be right with this theory, as he definitely will be history if he's not.
The Last Castle (2001) When three star General Irwin is transferred to a maximum security military prison, its warden, Colonel Winter, can't hide his admiration towards the highly decorated and experienced soldier. Irwin has been stripped of his rank for disobedience in a mission, but not of fame. Colonel Winter, who runs the prison with an iron fist, deeply admires the General, but works with completely different methods in order to keep up discipline. After a short while, Irwin can feel Winter's injustice towards the inmates himself. He decides to teach Winter a lesson by taking over command of the facility and thus depriving him of his smugly position. When Winter decides to participate in what he still thinks of as a game, it may already be too late to win.
Knute Rockne All American (1940) This is the life story of probably the most famed football coach, Knute Rockne. 'Rock' gained fame with his pep talks that led to many memorable victories for his beloved Notre Dame football team.
The Pride of the Yankees (1942) Biopic traces the life of Lou Gehrig, famous baseball player who played in 2130 consecutive games before falling at age 37 to ALS, a deadly nerve disease which now bears his name.
Body and Soul (1947) Charley Davis wins an amateur boxing match and is taken on by promoter Quinn. Charley's mother doesn't want him to fight, but when Charley's father is accidentally killed, Charley sets up a fight for money. His career blooms as he wins fight after fight, but soon an unethical promoter named Roberts begins to show an interest in Charley...
The Babe Ruth Story (1948) The incredible life... the spectacular thrills... the fabulous times of America's best-loved hero...
Champion (1949) Midge Kelly, hitchhiking west with lame brother Connie, is hustled unprepared into a pro boxing match. Though he's severely beaten, manager Tommy Haley finds him promising...
The Jackie Robinson Story (1950) Biography of Jackie Robinson, the first black major league baseball player in the 20th century. Traces his career in the negro leagues and the major leagues.
Jim Thorpe - All American (1951) True story of Native American Jim Thorpe, who rose from an Oklahoma reservation to become a collegiate, Olympic, and professional star.
Requiem for a Heavyweight (1962) They beat him... they broke him... they betrayed him... but they could not crush the towering dignity of a real fighter! Mountain Rivera is at the end of his boxing career after a knockout by Cassius Clay in the seventh round. His left eye is one punch from permanent trauma, his ears turned to cauliflower, his speech slurred from "being hit a million times," and he slings punches anytime he hears a bell, ...
The Sporting Life (1963) In Northern England in the early 1960s, Frank Machin is mean, tough and ambitious enough to become an immediate star in the rugby league team run by local employer Weaver...
The Great White Hope (1970) He could beat any white man in the world. He just couldn't beat all of them. Talky, vibrant biopic based on heavyweight great Jack Johnson's life, career, and interracial romance. Less appealing to boxing/sports film fans than to lovers of intelligently scripted character portraits, psychological drama
Brian's Song (1971) Gale Sayers joins the Chicago Bears and is befriended by Brian Piccolo, an over-achieving running back. Although they compete for the same spot on the team, and despite the fact that Sayers is black and Piccolo white, they become roommates on the road and very close friends...
Fists of Fury (1971) KARATE KUNG-FU! The new screen excitement that gives you the biggest kick of your life! : A young man sworn to an oath of non-violence works with his cousins in an ice factory where they mysteriously begin to disappear.
The Longest Yard (1974) A football player-turned-convict organizes a team of inmates to play against a team of prison guards. His dilemma is that the warden asks him to throw the game in return for an early release...
Rocky (1976) : Wildly popular, widely appealing, redemptive "Cinderella" tale about working-class boxer yearning for success. Still provides great satisfaction for drama lovers seeking gritty character portraits, and sports lovers desiring uplifting adrenaline rush
Slap Shot (1977) A failing ice hockey team finds success using constant fighting and violence during games. The player-coach of a nowhere small town hockey team must deal with an intractable owner, hostile crowds and on-ice thuggery in this warm-hearted and only slightly farcical look at ice hockey.
The Greatest (1977) Ali plays himself impressively in this biography of his remarkable boxing career. The greatest commands the screen alongside such actors as Robert Duval, Ernest Borgnine and James Earl Jones.
North Dallas Forty (1979) A semi-fictional account of life as a professional Football (American-style) player. Loosely based on the Dallas Cowboys team of the early 1970s.
Raging Bull (1980) Based on the life and career of boxer Jake LaMotta, Raging Bull focuses on Jake's rage and violence that makes him virtually unstoppable in the ring. The same anger also drives Jake to beat his wife and his brother Joey, and sends Jake down a self-destructive spiral of paranoia and rage.
Chariots of Fire (1981) The story of two British track athletes, one a determined Jew, and the other a devout Christian who compete in the 1924 Olympics.
Field of Dreams (1984) : An Iowa corn farmer, hearing voices, interprets them as a command to build a baseball diamond in his fields; he does, and the Chicago Black Sox come.
The Karate Kid (1984) A handyman/martial arts master agrees to teach a bullied boy karate and shows him that there is more to the martial art than fighting.
The Natural (1984) An unknown middle-aged batter named Roy Hobbs with a mysterious past appears out of nowhere to take a losing 1930s baseball team to the top of the league in this magical sports fantasy.
The Boy in Blue (1986) Based on the life of Ned Hanlan, the late-19th century Canadian sculler and world champion. Hanlan was one of the first scullers to successfully utilize the "sliding seat."
Hoosiers (1986) Based on the true story of a small-town Indiana team that made the state finals in 1954, this movie chronicles the attempts of a coach with a spotty past, and the town's basketball-loving drunk to lead their high school team to victory.
Major League (1989) An exotic dancer marries the owner of a baseball club. He does not survive the honeymoon and she is in control of his ball club.
The Best of the Best (1989) A team from the United States are going to compete in the world finals in karate. The team consists of fighters from all nations, can they overcome their rivalry and work together to win ?
Kickboxer (1989) Kurt Sloan is the corner-man for his brother, U.S. kickboxing champion Eric Sloan. When Kurt witnesses his brother become maliciously paralyzed in the ring by Thailand champion Tong Po, Kurt vows revenge.
The Babe (1992) Traces the career of Babe Ruth from his days as a youngster in an orphanage to his last days as a manager. Includes such moments as the famous predicted home run and the promise to little Johnny.
The Mighty Ducks (1992) Gordon Bombay, a hotshot lawyer, is haunted by memories of his childhood, when, as the star player in his champion hockey team, he lost the winning goal in a shootout, thereby losing the game, and the approval of his coach. When the court orders him to coach a peewee hockey team, the worst in the league, Gordon is at first very reluctant.
Rookie of the Year (1993) When an accident miraculously gives a boy an incredibly powerful pitching arm, he becomes a major league pitcher for the Chicago Cubs.
Rudy (1993) When people say dreams don't come true, tell them about Rudy. Rudy grew up in a steel mill town where most people ended up working, but wanted to play football at Notre Dame instead. There were only a couple of problems. His grades were a little low, his athletic skills were poor, and he was only half the size of the other players.
Angels in the Outfield (1994) Roger who has lost his mother is living separated from his father. As he and his friend J.P. are one of the biggest fans of the Los Angeles baseball team he has got only two dreams: Living together with a real family and let LA win the championship. As he is praying for these two things to happen some angels show up in order to help him
Hoop Dreams (1994) A film following the lives of two African American boys who struggle to become college basketball players on the road to going professional.
Cobb (1994) Al Stump is a famous sports-writer chosen by Ty Cobb to co-write his official, authorized 'autobiography' before his death. Cobb, widely feared and despised, feels misunderstood and wants to set the record straight about 'the greatest ball-player ever,' in his words.
Blue Chips (1994) A college basketball coach is forced to break the rules in order to get the players he needs to stay competitive
Space Jam (1996) Micheal Jordan agrees to help the Looney Toons play a basketball game vs. alien slavers to determine their freedom.
Tin Cup (1996) A washed up golf pro working at a driving range tries to qualify for the US Open in order to win the heart of his succesful rival's girlfriend.
For Love of the Game (1999) Baseball great Billy Chapel, 40, wants nothing more than to reconnect with his one-time lover, Jane Aubrey. On the morning he's to pitch the last game of the season, she tells him she's leaving that evening for a job in London; he also learns that the Detroit Tigers' new owners plan to trade him.
Any Given Sunday (1999) Any Given Sunday" is a behind the scenes look at the life and death struggles of modern day gladiators and those who lead them. When a devastating hit knocks a professional football legend and quarterback Cap Rooney (Denis Quaid) out of the game, a young, unknown third-stringer is called in to replace him.
The Hurricane (1999) The story of Rubin "Hurricane" Carter, a boxer wrongly imprisoned for murder, and the people who aided in his fight to prove his innocence.
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) A feast of martial arts. Two warriors in pursuit of a stolen sword and a notorious fugitive are lead to an impetuous, physically-skilled, teenage nobleman's daughter, who is at a crossroads in her life.
Remember the Titans (2000) The true story of an newly appointed African-American coach and his high school team on their first season as a racially integrated unit.
The Legend of Bagger Vance (2000) A down-and-out golfer attempts to recover his game and his life with help from a mystical caddy.
The Replacements (2000) A comedy based on the 1987 professional football players' strike. Gene Hackman plays the coach of the team, Jack Warden is the owner, Brett Cullen is the All-Pro quarterback that goes on strike and Keanu Reeves is the "scab" who replaces the star QB.
Ali (2001) Forget what you think you know. A biography of sports legend, Muhammed Ali, from his early days to his days in the ring.
A Woman Rebels (1936). A young woman living in Victorian England becomes a
crusader for women's rights.
Stella Dallas (1937). Now-acknowledged classic about mother trying to make better life
for daughter. Genre-defining "women's weeper" is compulsory for fans of five-hanky
melodramas, those seeking a dramatization of 30s-era class structure in America.
Jezebel (1938). Semi-epic romantic soap opera set in Old South about Southern belle
trying to make fiance jealous. Popular for lush photography, strong performances,
sweeping scope. A must for classic melodrama enthusiasts.
Woman of the Year (1942). Comedy/drama focuses on caustic romance between a
sports writer and an international affairs columnist. Much-acclaimed for its style,
sophistication, star chemistry. Widely appealing for romance, drama, classics buffs.
Doña Bárbara (1943). The title role is arguably the greatest female character in Latin
American literature. And Maria Felix? ...Such a supreme screen goddess in Latin
American cinema, I can't think of an English-speaking equivalent.
Jane Eyre (1944). Deliberately paced, moodily atmospheric period love story about
plain-jane girl who grows up to become governess of odd household. Appeals to fans of
Charlotte Bronte novel, classic romance buffs.
Mildred Pierce (1945). Taut 1940s melodrama about single woman struggling to raise
daughter and find love. Loved by vintage domestic drama fans for its mix of suspense,
romance, and wit. Must-see for Crawford devotees.
Adam’s Rib (1949). Much-loved comedy classic about married lawyers duking it out in
court. Great star chemistry and witty battle-of-the-sexes dialogue still work magic.
All About Eve (1950). It's all about women---and their men! This classic story of
ambition and betrayal has become part of American folklore. Bette Davis claims to have
based her character on the persona of film actress Talullah Bankhead.
And God Created Woman (1957). Orphaned 18-year-old waif seeks freedom via her
ability to lure men's sexual attention. This erotically charged Bardot vehicle, set in St.
Tropez, was controversial in the 1950s; modern viewers will find it relatively tame
Some Like It Hot (1959). High-speed comedy about two '20s-era musicians eluding
gangsters by joining an all-girl band. Its lively performances, sharp comic timing remain
a delight for classic comedy buffs. Much-loved by Monroe devotees.
What ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962). Near-Gothic horror melodrama about
squabbling aged sisters. This classic, with its well-crafted script and charged, riveting
performances, still thrills enthusiasts of suspense, drama, and chills. .
Cantando a la Vida (1968). Musical Drama with Massiel. Hippies in Spain.
Lucia (1969). Traces episodes in the lives of three Cuban women, each named Lucía,
from three different historical periods: the Cuban war of independence (with Spain), the
1930's, and the 1960's.
Las Leandras (1969). Musical comedy with Rocio Durcal.
A Doll’s House (1973). Well-made, complex adaptation of Ibsen's play about
independently minded 19th century wife. Some faulted Fonda's performance; others
raved. Impressive cinematography, intelligent direction.
Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974). A widowed mother strives to start new life in
this critically acclaimed, much-loved 70s drama. This touching personal portrait remains
a treat for fans of strong character studies, offbeat family dramas.
A Woman Under the Influence (1974). Harrowing, slow-moving, lengthy domestic
drama focusing on housewife's encroaching madness. This 70s classic, with its strong
directing/acting and ultimately likable characters, is a must for prepared art-house
audiences seeking hyper-realistic cinema.
Switchblade Sisters (1975). Ruthless rebel teen girls wield knives and show how well
they can hang with the boys. Joyously schlocky and exploitative, this is still a gem of late
night so-bad-it's-good cinema.
Julia (1977). Introspective drama focuses on writer Lillian Hellman and her relationships
with Dashiell Hammett and childhood friend Julia. Beautiful, haunting film will appeal
to those appreciating finely etched, moody storytelling
An Unmarried Woman (1978). Portrait of woman coping with divorce still packs an
emotional punch. Praised by critics for groundbreaking, unwaveringly realistic focus.
Pleases domestic drama fans seeking something more than the standard tearjerker.
Norma Rae (1979). Popular, acclaimed, mainstream drama about female textile worker
who begins to protest factory conditions. A crowd pleaser with fans of vibrant,
character-driven Hollywood dramas featuring a strong, central female character.
My Brilliant Career (1979). Spirited coming-of-age drama about independent-minded,
turn-of-century Australian woman who bucks convention. Leisurely paced sleeper is
perfect entertainment for lovers of intelligent character studies, fans of dramas with
strong feminist subtexts.
Retrato de Teresa (1979). Teresa is overwhelmed: with a husband, three young sons, a
job as a crew leader in a textile factory, and volunteer commitments as cultural leader of
her union. Her husband, Ramón, wants more of her attention...
9 to 5 (1980). High-energy slapstick/black comedy about secretaries getting even with
evil boss. Very popular when released. Star power, uniformly strong performances, antic
approach to subject make this solidly entertaining for genre fans.
Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears (1980). Poignant comedy/drama about three Russian
women moving to Moscow in the 1950s. Leisurely pace, low-key approach won't dazzle
impatient viewers, but fans of touching, universal character studies should relish
bittersweet simplicity.
Tootsie (1982). Much-loved, widely appealing tale tracing changes in N.Y.C. actor's life
when he dresses as woman to land job. With its bravura performances, and
thought-provoking, intelligent script, this thrills comedy/romance/drama fans.
Sophie’s Choice (1982). Lavish, epic-length, compelling tale of Holocaust survivor's
attempt to create a life for herself in America. A must-see for fans of character-driven,
serious drama who enjoy bravura performances.
Silkwood (1983). True-life, tension-building drama about whistle blower at Oklahoma
plutonium plant. Evocative dramatizations of workers' lives, well-developed characters,
and stellar performances make this a hit with fans of intense, gripping drama.
Terms of Endearment (1983). It portrays mother/daughter relationship. Its sentimental
storyline, charismatic lead performances, light humor are realy good.
Hasta Cierto Punto (1984). A theater director and script-writer falls for a female worker
from the Havana docks, but his machismo, social and working conflicts, and the Cuban
woman's condition interfere with their relationship.
Camila (1984). In 1840's Buenos Aires, Argentina, a beautiful young socialite named
Camila falls in love with Ladislao, a Jesuit priest. After several failed attempts at fighting
his own feelings, he ultimately succumbs to her.
Plenty (1985). Complex, intimate character study of woman who romanticizes her
Resistance experiences during WWII. With its much-acclaimed lead performance and
compelling characters, this is a sleeper for serious drama fans.
The Trip to Bountiful (1985). Slow-paced, rural-flavored, sentimental tale of widow
making final visit to home town. Critics raved over feisty lead performance. Thrills fans
of character-driven, nostalgic, low-key drama who enjoy a good cry.
Working Girls (1986). A day in the life of several prostitutes in an upscale ...
A Room with a View (1986). Lushly filmed, finely detailed period drama about
Victorian English girl's coming-of-age in Italy.
Crimes of the Heart (1986). Ensemble piece about three quirky Southern sisters
reuniting. Fueled by star power, this appeals to fans of offbeat character studies.
Outrageous Fortune (1987). Female buddy/comedy/chase flick about two drama
students' sudden involvement in espionage scheme. Critics were lukewarm. Pleases fans
seeking lightweight, banter-filled mix of action and slapstick.
Fatal Attraction (1987). Still-controversial revenge thriller about a mistress scorned was
a massive hit with audiences when released. Suspense/thriller fans love its classic
tension-building style.
Gaby: A True Story (1987). Emotion-tinged story of young girl dealing with challenges
of cerebral palsy. Fans of uplifting, inspirational drama who love strong performances
and solid character development will enjoy this critically acclaimed tale.
Square Dance (1987). Well-crafted, slow-paced coming-of-age romantic drama about
teen girl's misadventures when she moves in with free-spirited, estranged mom. With its
powerful performances, this pleases teen girls, fans of female bonding films.
Baby Boom (1987). Career-driven, workaholic woman must suddenly cope with newly
"inherited" baby.
The Accused (1988). Emotionally powerful, serious drama about raped woman who
fights back in court. This intelligent, deliberately paced drama thrills Jodie Foster fans,
those who enjoy thought-provoking, affecting, socially relevant dramas.
Working Girl (1988). Glitzy, Hollywood-ized Cinderella drama about an ambitious
secretary trying to make it in a big company.
Little Vera (1988). Popular Russian slice-life drama about a young woman living in
modern, Glasnost-era Russia. Fans of international cinema will enjoy it.
Driving Miss Daisy (1989). Widely appealing (if anachronistic), leisurely paced
Hollywood drama traces 25-year relationship between aging Southern matron and her
chauffeur confidante. Will thrill fans of quietly observed, sentimental drama and subtle,
nuanced character portraits.
Steel Magnolias (1989). Sentimental, mainstream comedy/drama about Southern women
sharing triumphs and tragedies in beauty salon. Cynical viewers may find it sickly sweet,
but this is ideal for fans of Hollywood female-bonding tales
Sweetie (1989). : Expressionistic, often surreal drama about New Zealand family's
difficulties with wildly dysfunctional daughter. Too bizarre for many, but adventurous
indie art-house buffs will appreciate passionate performances, sly cinematography,
multi-layered script.
Roe vs. Wade (1989). Television docudrama about 1970s case leading to landmark
Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion. Strong performances, intelligent script
please social history buffs, fans of intelligent courtroom drama
Mermaids (1990). Quirky coming-of-age comedy/drama set in early 60s about teen girl
with unconventional mother. With its vivid performances and smart, right-on dialogue,
this greatly satisfies fans of warm-hearted, colorful, character-driven teen dramas.
My Girls (1991). : Bittersweet, sentimental mainstream coming-of-age comedy/drama
about a motherless girl growing up with a distant father. Wildly popular with young teen
girls. Also appealing for fans of Hollywood-style, nostalgic family dramas
Thelma & Louise (1991). Much-loved female buddy/criminals-on-the-lam adventure
about two disgruntled friends who break away from normal lives. Wildly popular for its
strong feminist subtext. Fans of redemption dramas also enjoy.
Where Angels Fear to Tread (1991). : Repressed sexuality and social snobbery of the
British upper-class are undone when a widow on vacation dallies with a handsome,
young Italian. Relatives and friends hurry from England to "save" her.
Antonia and Jane (1991). Low-key, quirky, talky portrait of two competitive friends and
their troubled relationships with men. Well-received British film pleases relationship
drama fans who have a taste for the offbeat and ironic.
Love after Love (1992). A woman is torn between her cheating boyfriend and the
married man with whom she is increasingly falling in love.
Single White Female (1992). : Hollywood slasher/thriller about young woman whose
new roommate is psychotic. A solid, if mainstream, psychological suspense film.
Passion Fish (1992). Slowly unfolding, low-key, offbeat relationship drama about a
paralyzed actress' attempt to put her life back together. Convincing performances, vivid
character development, intelligent script appeal to fans of non-sentimental redemption
dramas.
Mi Vida Loca (1993). Eye-opening, gritty look at tough Latina gang girls in Los Angeles
fighting over a guy. This independently made, rough-edged film finds appeals to fans of
character-driven, slice-of-life friendship studies.
When a Man Loves a Woman (1994). Mainstream Hollywood drama about the impact
of a woman's alcoholism on her family. Appeals to fans of character-driven, emotionally
provoking family sagas looking for a solid, well-acted tearjerker.
A Century of Women (1994). The role of American women over the past century is
examined in both documentary and dramatic form. The framework is a dramatic story
which traces a fictional family and its women from generation to generation.
The Last Seduction (1994). Sexy, edgy, tension-laden neo-noir/thriller about a con
woman on the run after she steals her husband's fortune. Acclaimed art-house hit is an
over-the-top, suspenseful, steamy ride for nail-biter fans who enjoy offbeat, provocative
fare.
Heavenly Creatures (1994). Fantasy-tinged, chill-inducing drama about two teen girls
who commit murder in 1950s New Zealand. Art-house hit pleases psychological drama
fans and suspense seekers with a taste for edgy, dreamy, offbeat fare
Little Women (1994). Sweet-natured retelling of classic about sisters growing up in
1860s-era America. Vivid portrait of family relationships and meaningful examination of
gender roles provide satisfying fare for female audiences.
Disclosure (1994). Slick, glossy, sexy thriller involves corporate conspiracy and the
sexual harassment of a man by a woman. Critics were lukewarm, but this is well-received
by fans of mainstream Hollywood thrillers.
The Incredibly True Adventure of Two Girls in Love (1995). : Feel-good, romantic,
coming-of-age tale of two teen girls — from different backgrounds, lifestyles — who fall
in love. A hit with female audiences, particularly those seeking portrait of the gawkiness
of adolescence.
How to Make an American Quilt (1995). : Feel-good, well-crafted coming-of-age
drama involving rural women's quilting circle. Critics praised strong ensemble cast.
Appeals to fans of slow-moving, sentimental dramas featuring strong female characters.
The Scarlet Letter (1995). Big-budget Hollywood dramatization of novel about 17th
century Puritan woman scorned by society for committing adultery. Only for those
seeking glitz over substance. Not recommended for fans of the book
The Spitfire Grill (1996). Sentimental, rural-flavored, bittersweet melodrama about
young woman's attempts to start life anew after prison release. Greatly pleases fans of
strong female ensemble dramas, those seeking a well-crafted redemption tale.
Striptease (1996). Nudity-laden screwball comedy about Florida stripper caught in
blackmailing scheme with corrupt Congressman. This much-hyped Hollywood film may
disappoint those looking for titillation, but forgiving comedy fans may enjoy.
First Wives Club (1996). Mainstream ensemble comedy about middle-aged jilted wives
plotting revenge against husbands. A box-office hit, particularly with female audiences.
Fans of the stars, those seeking zany, fast-paced, screwball-esque revenge comedy enjoy.
Foxfire (1996).Polished, mainstream teen angst fantasy/drama about charismatic outsider
uniting high school girls against bullies. Character development fans may be
disappointed, but this is a crowdpleaser for target teen girls audience.
Bound (1996). Offbeat, sexy neo-noir thriller about lesbian lovers planning to rob mob
boss. Critics raved about its taut direction, compelling performances, relentless pace.
Keeps noir lovers/nail-biter fans glued to their seats
Freeway (1996). Disturbing, blackly comic drama about feisty delinquent becoming
entangled with murderer, police. Critics loved Witherspoon's tempestuous performance.
Ideal for fans of gritty character studies, lovers of offbeat, rough-and-ready youth dramas.
Girls Town (1996). Gritty, independent film about high school girls coping with friend's
suicide. With its realistic performances and intelligent script, this is enjoyed by art-house
fans, lovers of small-scale, slice-of-life character portraits
Set It Off (1996). Anger-filled action/drama about four frustrated African-American
women undertaking daring bank heists. Its thought-provoking look at class, race should
please social drama-seekers, while the intense robbery sequences will thrill action fans.
The Associate (1996). Mainstream Hollywood cross-dressing comedy about female stock
broker who masquerades as male partner to gain clients. Critics were negative, but fans
of Whoopi Goldberg and light comedy enjoy.
Courage Under Fire (1996). Rashomon-style drama about a military investigator
re-examining an incident in the Persian Gulf War involving a female chopper pilot. With
its riveting performances, this is a crowd-pleaser with wide appeal for fans of war films,
character studies, tearjerkers, and mysteries.
If These Walls Could Talk (1996). Three women deal with unwanted pregnancy in three
different stories, each set 22 years apart. This powerful, star-studded drama first aired on
HBO.
The Juror (1996). Legal potboiler about a female juror harassed by a gangster to acquit
powerful mob defendant. Dismissed by critics as straight-by-the-book formula, fans of
legal suspense may enjoy this mainstream thriller.
Marvin’s Room (1996). Heartfelt, star-studded ensemble comedy/drama about reunion
of estranged sisters when one becomes ill. With its vivid characterizations, this is very
appealing to fans of painfully realistic yet humor-tinged relationship studies.
All Over Me (1997). Low-budget, moody drama about teen girls whose friendship is
tested by their emerging sexuality. With its rich characterizations and raw performances,
this pleases art-house fans seeking gritty, realistic, coming-of-age tragedy/drama.
G.I. Jane (1997). Glossy military drama/thriller about hard-nosed female sailor trying
out for elite unit. Endurance film lovers will relish the hellish training scenes, while
military-minded mainstream audiences should enjoy its gung-ho spirit.
That Old Feeling (1997). High-spirited, mainstream romantic comedy about divorced
couple's reunion at daughter's wedding. Critics were mixed, but this is fun for fans of
Bette Midler, those who enjoy lighthearted, screwball-esque Hollywood comedies.
Mrs Brown (1997) Queen Victoria is deeply depressed after the death of her husband,
disappearing from public. Her servant Brown, who adores her, through caress and
admiration brings her back to life, but that relationship creates scandalous situation and is
likely to lead to monarchy crisis.
Stepmom (1998). Stepmom, mother put aside their differences for kids' sake when mom
becomes terminally ill in uplifting melodrama. Contrived, but inspirational message, rich
central performances will captivate tearjerker buffs, stars' fans.
Elizabeth (1998). Lavish biopic follows legendary queen's transformation from political
neophyte to supreme monarch. The emphasis on personal drama might leave historical
purists unfulfilled, but the powerful performances will sweep up period piece lovers.
Miss Congeniality (2000) When a serial killer indicates that his next target is the Miss
United States beauty pageant, the FBI decides that they must get an undercover agent as a
participnt in the contest. A search uncovers no suitable candidate other than a bumbling
female agent (Sandra Bullock). Reluctantly her captain (Ernie Hudson) agrees to let her
join the team working the case. The team is led by a womanizing agent (Ben Bratt) who
has an apparent reluctant attraction to Bullock's character. She enters as Miss New Jersey
replacing a contestant who was discovered to have acted in a porno film. The pageant
managers (Candice Bergen, William Shatner) are immediately aghast about the agent
appearing in the pageant, but arrange a top handler (Michael Caine) to come give her a
quick makeover with the expected outstanding results.
Charlie’s Angels (2000). Three women, detectives with a mysterious boss, retrieve
stolen voice-ID software, using martial arts, tech skills, and sex appeal.
Victoria and Albert (2001). Sumptuous historical drama about the infamous Queen and
her lover, a handsome German prince who fathers her six children. Originally made for
the BBC.
Major Actresses: Katharine Hepburn, Joan Crawford, Bette Davis, Sally Field,
Meryl Streep, Demi Moore, Jane Fonda, Jodie Foster, Bette Midler, Whoopi
Goldberg, Meg Ryan, Susan Sarandon, María Félix, Daisy Granados, Sara Montiel,
Libertad Lamarque.
Look for the following stereotypes: The docile wife / sweet mother, the femme fatale,
the feminist / independent woman, the lost / bad girl, the empty head / sex symbol,
the old lady, the lesbian, the capricious / dominant young woman, the psycho, the
poor orphan.