Notes

Saint Ralph (2004)
- Saint Ralph is the unlikely story of Ralph Walker, a ninth grader who outran everyone's expectations except his own in his bold quest of trying to win the 1954 Boston Marathon.
- Director: Michael McGowan
- Writer: Michael McGowan
- Stars: Adam Butcher, Campbell Scott, Jennifer Tilly, ...
- 51 Metascore, 7.6 IMDb, 63% Rotten Tomatoes
Safe House (2012)
- A young CIA agent is tasked with looking after a fugitive in a safe house. But when the safe house is attacked, he finds himself on the run with his charge.
- Director: Daniel Espinosa
- Writer: David Guggenheim
- Stars: Denzel Washington, Ryan Reynolds, Robert Patrick, ...
- 52 Metascore, 6.8 IMDb, 53% Rotten Tomatoes
Dead End (2003)
- Christmas Eve. On his way to his in-laws with his family, Frank Harrington decides to try a shortcut, for the first time in 20 years. It turns out to be the biggest mistake in his life.
- Directors: Jean-Baptiste Andrea, Fabrice Canepa
- Writers: Jean-Baptiste Andrea, Fabrice Canepa
- Stars: Ray Wise, Lin Shaye, Mick Cain, ...
- 6.7 IMDb, 75% Rotten Tomatoes
Runaway Train (1985)
- Two escaped convicts and a female railway worker find themselves trapped on a train with no brakes and nobody driving.
- Director: Andrey Konchalovskiy
- Writers: Djordje Milicevic, Paul Zindel, ...
- Stars: Jon Voight, Eric Roberts, Rebecca De Mornay, ...
- 7.3 IMDb, 87% Rotten Tomatoes, 4/4 Roger Ebert
Interstate 60: Episodes of the Road (2002)
- Neal Oliver, a very confused young man and an artist (played by James Marsden) takes a journey of a lifetime on a highway I60 that doesn't exist on any of the maps, going to the places he never even heard of, searching for an answer and his dreamgirl.
- Director: Bob Gale
- Writer: Bob Gale
- Stars: James Marsden, Gary Oldman, Kurt Russell, ...
- 7.7 IMDb, 96% Rotten Tomatoes
Local Hero (1983)
- An American oil company sends a man to Scotland to buy up an entire village where they want to build a refinery. But things don't go as expected.
- Director: Bill Forsyth
- Writer: Bill Forsyth
- Stars: Burt Lancaster, Peter Riegert, Fulton Mackay, ...
- 7.5 IMDb, 100% Rotten Tomatoes, 4/4 Roger Ebert
Underground (1995)
- This story follows an underground weapons manufacturer in Belgrade during WWII and evolves into fairly surreal situations. A black marketeer who smuggles the weapons to partisans doesn't mention to the workers that the war is over, and they keep producing. Years later, they break out of their underground "shelter" --- only to convince themselves that the war is still going on.
- Director: Emir Kusturica
- Writers: Dusan Kovacevic (story), Emir Kusturica (screenplay)
- Stars: Predrag 'Miki' Manojlovic, Lazar Ristovski, Mirjana Jokovic, ...
- 8.1 IMDb, 81% Rotten Tomatoes, 8.1 Letterboxd
Make Way for Tomorrow (1937)
- An elderly couple are forced to separate when they lose their house and none of their five children will take both parents in.
- Director: Leo McCarey
- Writers: Viña Delmar (screenplay), Josephine Lawrence (based on a novel by), Helen and Nolan Leary (play), Leo Robin (poem)
- Stars: Victor Moore, Beulah Bondi, Fay Bainter, ...
- 8.3 IMDb, 4/4 Roger Ebert, 100% Rotten Tomatoes
The Color Purple (1985)
- A black Southern woman struggles to find her identity after suffering abuse from her father and others over four decades.
- Director: Steven Spielberg
- Writers: Alice Walker (novel), Menno Meyjes (screenplay)
- Stars: Danny Glover, Whoopi Goldberg, Oprah Winfrey, ...
- 7.8 IMDb, 88% Rotten Tomatoes, 87% Google Users
My Blueberry Nights (2007)
- A young lonely woman takes a soul-searching journey across America to resolve her questions about love while encountering a series of offbeat characters along the way.
- Director: Kar-Wai Wong
- Writers: Kar-Wai Wong (screenplay), Lawrence Block (screenplay), Kar-Wai Wong (story)
- Stars: Norah Jones, Jude Law, Natalie Portman, ...
- 6.7 IMDb, 47% Rotten Tomatoes, 2.5/4 Roger Ebert
The Train (1964)
- In 1944, a German colonel loads a train with French art treasures to send to Germany. The Resistance must stop it without damaging the cargo.
- Directors: John Frankenheimer, Arthur Penn (uncredited)
- Writers: Franklin Coen (screen story), Frank Davis (screen story), Franklin Coen (screenplay), Frank Davis (screenplay), Rose Valland (based upon "Le Front De L'Art" by), ...
- Stars: Burt Lancaster, Paul Scofield, Jeanne Moreau, ...
- 7.9 IMDb, 100% Rotten Tomatoes
Ride the High Country (1962)
- An ex-union soldier is hired to transport gold from a mining community through dangerous territory. But what he doesn't realize is that his partner and old friend is plotting to double-cross him.
- Director: Sam Peckinpah
- Writer: N.B. Stone Jr.
- Stars: Joel McCrea, Randolph Scott, Mariette Hartley, ...
- 7.6 IMDb, 93% Rotten Tomatoes
Z (1969)
- Following the murder of a prominent leftist, an investigator tries to uncover the truth while government officials attempt to cover up their roles.
- Director: Costa-Gavras
- Writers: Vasilis Vasilikos (novel), Jorge Semprún (dialogue)
- Stars: Yves Montand, Irene Papas, Jean-Louis Trintignant, ...
- 8.2 IMDb, 4/4 Roger Ebert, 95% Rotten Tomatoes
Under Siege (1992)
- A Navy cook is the only person who can stop a group of terrorists when they seize control of a U.S. battleship.
- Director: Andrew Davis
- Writer: J.F. Lawton
- Stars: Steven Seagal, Gary Busey, Tommy Lee Jones, ...
- 6.4 IMDb, 3/4 Roger Ebert
The Terminator (1984)
- A seemingly indestructible humanoid cyborg is sent from 2029 to 1984 to assassinate a waitress, whose unborn son will lead humanity in a war against the machines, while a soldier from that war is sent to protect her at all costs.
- Director: James Cameron
- Writers: James Cameron, Gale Ann Hurd, William Wisher Jr. (additional dialogue)
- Stars: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Michael Biehn, ...
- 8 IMDb, 100% Rotten Tomatoes, 94% Google Users
Interiors (1978)
- Three sisters find their lives spinning out of control in the wake of their parents' sudden, unexpected divorce.
- Director: Woody Allen
- Writer: Woody Allen
- Stars: Diane Keaton, Geraldine Page, Kristin Griffith, ...
- 7.5 IMDb, 77% Rotten Tomatoes, 4/4 Roger Ebert
The Adventures of Tintin (2011)
- Intrepid reporter Tintin and Captain Haddock set off on a treasure hunt for a sunken ship commanded by Haddock's ancestor.
- Director: Steven Spielberg
- Writers: Hergé (comic book series "The Adventures of Tintin"), Steven Moffat (screenplay), Edgar Wright (screenplay), Joe Cornish (screenplay)
- Stars: Jamie Bell, Andy Serkis, Daniel Craig, ...
- 7.4 IMDb, 75% Rotten Tomatoes, 68% Metacritic
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)
- Blacksmith Will Turner teams up with eccentric pirate "Captain" Jack Sparrow to save his love, the governor's daughter, from Jack's former pirate allies, who are now undead.
- Director: Gore Verbinski
- Writers: Ted Elliott (screen story), Terry Rossio (screen story), Stuart Beattie (screen story), Jay Wolpert (screen story), Ted Elliott (screenplay), Terry Rossio (screenplay)
- Stars: Johnny Depp, Geoffrey Rush, Orlando Boom, ...
- 8 IMDb, 79% Rotten Tomatoes, 96% Google Users
Clear and Present Danger (1994)
- CIA Analyst Jack Ryan is drawn into an illegal war fought by the US government against a Colombian drug cartel.
- Director: Phillip Noyce
- Writers: Tom Clancy (novel), Donald Stewart (screenplay), Steven Zaillian (screenplay), John Milius (screenplay)
- Stars: Harrison Ford, Willem Dafoe, Anne Archer, ...
- 6.9 IMDb, 4.5/5 Amazon, 82% Rotten Tomatoes
Get Him to the Greek (2010)
- A record company intern is hired to accompany out-of-control British rock star Aldous Snow to a concert at L.A.'s Greek Theater.
- Director: Nicholas Stoller
- Writers: Nicholas Stoller, Jason Segel (characters)
- Stars: Jonah Hill, Russell Brand, Elisabeth Moss, ...
- 6.4 IMDb, 72% Rotten Tomatoes, 3/4 Roger Ebert
Bee Movie (2007)
- Barry B. Benson, a bee just graduated from college, is disillusioned at his lone career choice: making honey. On a special trip outside the hive, Barry's life is saved by Vanessa, a florist in New York City. As their relationship blossoms, he discovers humans actually eat honey, and subsequently decides to sue them.
- Directors: Steve Hickner, Simon J. Smith
- Writers: Jerry Seinfeld, Spike Feresten, Barry Marder, Andy Robin, Chuck Martin (additional screenplay material), Tom Papa (additional screenplay material)
- Stars: Jerry Seinfeld, Renée Zellweger, Matthew Broderick, ...
- 6.1 IMDb, 51% Rotten Tomatoes, 80% Google Users
Sleepers (1996)
- After a prank goes disastrously wrong, a group of boys are sent to a detention center where they are brutalized; over 10 years later, they get their chance for revenge.
- Director: Barry Levinson
- Writers: Lorenzo Carcaterra (book), Barry Levinson (screenplay)
- Stars: Robert De Niro, Kevin Bacon, Brad Pitt, ...
- 7.6 IMDb, 74% Rotten Tomatoes, 3/4 Roger Ebert
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)
- An insane general triggers a path to nuclear holocaust that a war room full of politicians and generals frantically try to stop.
- Director: Stanley Kubrick
- Writers: Stanley Kubrick (screenplay), Terry Southern (screenplay), Peter George (screenplay), Peter George (based on the book: "Red Alert")
- Stars: Peter Sellers, George C. Scott, Sterling Hayden, ...
- 8.5 IMDb, 4/4 Roger Ebert, 94% Google Users
Death in Venice (1971)
- In this adaptation of the Thomas Mann novel, avant-garde composer Gustave Aschenbach (loosely based on Gustav Mahler) travels to a Venetian seaside resort in search of repose after a period of artistic and personal stress. But he finds no peace there, for he soon develops a troubling attraction to an adolescent boy, Tadzio, on vacation with his family. The boy embodies an ideal of beauty that Aschenbach has long sought and he becomes infatuated. However, the onset of a deadly pestilence threatens them both physically and represents the corruption that compromises and threatens all ideals.
- Director: Luchino Visconti
- Writers: Thomas Mann (novel), Luchino Visconti (screenplay), Nicola Badalucco (screenplay)
- Stars: Dirk Bogarde, Romolo Valli, Mark Burns, ...
- 7.5 IMDb, 2.5/4 Roger Ebert, 76% Rotten Tomatoes
Welcome to the Rileys (2010)
- On a business trip to New Orleans, a damaged man seeks salvation by caring for a wayward young woman.
- Director: Jake Scott
- Writer: Ken Hixon
- Stars: James Gandolfini, Kristen Stewart, Melissa Leo, ...
- 7 IMDb, 54% Rotten Tomatoes, 50% Metacritic
The Cincinnati Kid (1965)
- An up-and-coming poker player tries to prove himself in a high-stakes match against a long-time master of the game.
- Director: Norman Jewison
- Writers: Richard Jessup (novel), Ring Lardner Jr. (screenplay), Terry Southern (screenplay)
- Stars: Steve McQueen, Ann-Margret, Edward G. Robinson, ...
- 7.3 IMDb, 85% Rotten Tomatoes
How to Marry a Millionaire (1953)
- Three women set out to find eligible millionaires to marry, but find true love in the process.
- Director: Jean Negulesco
- Writers: Nunnally Johnson (screenplay), Zoe Akins (plays), Dale Eunson (plays), Katherine Albert (plays)
- Stars: Marilyn Monroe, Betty Grable, Lauren Bacall, ...
- 7 IMDb, 83% Rotten Tomatoes
Once Upon a Time in China (1991)
- Set in late 19th century Canton this martial arts film depicts the stance taken by the legendary martial arts hero Wong Fei-Hung (1874-1924) against foreign forces' (English, French and American) plundering of China. When Aunt Yee arrives back from America totally westernised, Wong Fei-Hung assumes the role of her protector. This proves to be difficult when his martial arts school and local militia become involved in fierce battles with foreign and local government. As violence escalates even Aunt Yee has to question her new western ideals, but is it possible to fight guns with Kung Fu?
- Director: Hark Tsui
- Writers: Yiu-ming Leung, Elsa Tang, Hark Tsui, Kai-Chi Yuen
- Stars: Jet Li, Biao Yuen, Rosamund Kwan, ...
- 7.4 IMDb, 88% Rotten Tomatoes
In a Lonely Place (1950)
- A potentially violent screenwriter is a murder suspect until his lovely neighbor clears him. But she begins to have doubts...
- Director: Nicholas Ray
- Writers: Andrew Solt (screenplay), Edmund H. North (adaptation), Dorothy B. Hughes (story)
- Stars: Humphrey Bogart, Gloria Grahame, Frank Lovejoy, ...
- 8 IMDb, 4/4 Roger Ebert, 97% Rotten Tomatoes
Grindhouse (2007)
- Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez's homage to exploitation double features in the 60s and 70s with two back-to-back cult films that include previews of coming attractions between them.
- Directors: Robert Rodriguez, Eli Roth, Quentin Tarantino, Edgar Wright, Rob Zombie
- Writers: Robert Rodriguez, Rob Zombie, Edgar Wright, Jeff Rendell, Eli Roth, Quentin Tarantino, Rob Cotterill, Jason Eisener, John Davies
- Stars: Kurt Russell, Rose McGowan, Danny Trejo, ...
- 7.6 IMDb, 83% Rotten Tomatoes, 77% Metacritic
Out of Africa (1985)
- In 20th-century colonial Kenya, a Danish baroness/plantation owner has a passionate love affair with a free-spirited big-game hunter.
- Director: Sydney Pollack
- Writers: Karen Blixen (based upon: "Out of Africa" and other writings), Judith Thurman (book), Errol Trzebinski (book), Kurt Luedtke (screenplay)
- Stars: Meryl Streep, Robert Redford, Klaus Maria Brandauer, ...
- 7.2 IMDb, 56% Rotten Tomatoes, 4/4 Roger Ebert
The Lincoln Lawyer (2011)
- Mick Haller is a defense lawyer who works out of his Lincoln. When a wealthy Realtor is accused of assaulting a prostitute, Haller is asked to defend him. The man claims that the woman is trying to get some money out of him. But when Haller looks at the evidence against him, he learns that his case might be linked to an old case of his.
- Director: Brad Furman
- Writers: John Romano (screenplay), Michael Connelly (novel)
- Stars: Matthew McConaughey, Marisa Tomei, Ryan Phillippe, ...
- 7.3 IMDb, 83% Rotten Tomatoes, 3/4 Roger Ebert