Total Number of Movies in Joel’s Collection: 1,338 Page Number: 3 / 27
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Babel

Director: Alejandro González Iñárritu
Starring: Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett, Mohamed Akhzam, Peter Wight, Harriet Walter
Genre: Drama
Studio: Paramount
My Rating:
Rated: R
Rating: 3.5 (333 votes)
Release: Feb 2007
Summary: Brilliantly conceived, superbly directed, and beautifully acted, "Babel" is inarguably one of the best films of 2006. Director Alejandro González Iñárritu and his co-writer, Guillermo Arriaga (the two also collaborated on "Amores Perros" and "21 Grams") weave together the disparate strands of their story into a finely hewn fabric by focusing on what appear to be several equally incongruent characters: an American (Brad Pitt) touring Morocco with his wife (Cate Blanchett) become the focus of an international incident also involving a hardscrabble Moroccan farmer (Mustapha Rachidi) struggling to keep his two young sons in line and his family together. A San Diego nanny (Adriana Barraza), her employers absent, makes the disastrous decision to take their kids with her to a wedding in Mexico. And a deaf-mute Japanese teen (the extraordinary Rinko Kikuchi) deals with a relationship with her father (Koji Yakusho) and the world in general that's been upended by the death of her mother. It is perhaps not surprising, or particularly original, that a gun is the device that ties these people together. Yet "Babel" isn't merely about violence and its tragic consequences. It's about communication, and especially the lack of it--both intercultural, raising issues like terrorism and immigration, and intracultural, as basic as husbands talking to their wives and parents understanding their children. Iñárritu's command of his medium, sound and visual alike, is extraordinary; the camera work is by turns kinetic and restrained, the music always well matched to the scenes, the editing deft but not confusing, and the film (which clocks in at a lengthy 143 minutes) is filled with indelible moments. Many of those moments are also pretty stark and grim, and no will claim that all of this leads to a "happy" ending, but there is a sense of reconciliation, perhaps even resolution. "If You Want to be Understood... Listen," goes the tagline. And if you want a movie that will leave you thinking, "Babel" is it. "--Sam Graham"
 

Baby Mama

Director: Michael McCullers
Starring: Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Steve Martin, Greg Kinnear, Maura Tierney
Genre: Comedy
Studio: Universal Studios
My Rating:
Rated: PG-13
Rating: 6.0 (24,413 votes)
Release: Apr 2008
Summary: Laughter and hearty guffaws abound in this comical look at 37-year-old career woman Kate Holbrook's ("30 Rock's" Tina Fey) desperate attempts to have a baby. Never mind that she's not married and has never been involved in a serious relationship; Kate wants a baby and will stop at virtually nothing to get one. After failed attempts at broaching the concept of conception with first dates and trying artificial insemination with the help of a sperm bank, Kate finds out that her t-shaped uterus leaves her with only a one in a million chance of conceiving a child. Adoption doesn't work out and she's left with the distasteful option of hiring a surrogate mother. Enter Chaffee Bicknell's (Sigourney Weaver) surrogate service and her recommendation of the working-class Angie Ostrowiski ("Saturday Night Live's" Amy Poehler) who, with her common-law husband Carl (Dax Shepard), is just desperate enough to take on the job in order to make some money, and the stage is set for baby making. As fate would have it, Angie and Carl break up just after Angie announces she's pregnant and Angie ends up moving in with Kate. Unfortunately, the two are completely incompatible and what ensues is a hysterical struggle to coexist while clashing over everything from proper nutrition to stroller selection, hair dye, and delivery options. Further complicating matters is Kate's budding relationship with ex-lawyer and juice-store owner Rob (Greg Kinnear), who just happens to be morally opposed to the whole concept of surrogate parenting. Finally, there's the question of just how fully Angie embraces the virtue of honesty. It's the juxtaposition of opposing viewpoints--so boldly stated, humorously set, and blatantly exploited--that makes this witty comedy so darn funny. Expect graphic references, raunchy humor, and a whole lot of laughter. --"Tami Horiuchi"
 

Back to the Future - The Complete Trilogy

Director: Robert Zemeckis
Starring: Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, Crispin Glover, Thomas F. Wilson
Genre: Adventure, Family, Sci-Fi
Studio: Universal Studios
My Rating:
Rated: PG
Rating: 7.6 (6,530 votes)
Release: Jan 2005
Summary: Filmmaker Robert Zemeckis topped his breakaway hit "Romancing the Stone" with "Back to the Future", a joyous comedy with a dazzling hook: what would it be like to meet your parents in their youth? Billed as a special-effects comedy, the imaginative film (the top box-office smash of 1985) has staying power because of the heart behind Zemeckis and Bob Gale's script. High schooler Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox, during the height of his TV success) is catapulted back to the '50s where he sees his parents in their teens, and accidentally changes the history of how Mom and Dad met. Filled with the humorous ideology of the '50s, filtered through the knowledge of the '80s (actor Ronald Reagan is president, ha!), the film comes off as a "Twilight Zone" episode written by Preston Sturges. Filled with memorable effects and two wonderfully off-key, perfectly cast performances: Christopher Lloyd as the crazy scientist who builds the time machine (a DeLorean luxury car) and Crispin Glover as Marty's geeky dad. "--Doug Thomas"
 

Bad Boys

Director: Michael Bay
Starring: Will Smith, Martin Lawrence, Lisa Boyle, Michael Taliferro, Emmanuel Xuereb
Genre: Action, Comedy, Crime
Studio: Sony Pictures
My Rating:
Rated: R
Rating: 6.7 (104,892 votes)
Release: Aug 1997
Summary: Slick to a fault, this glossy action flick takes place in sunny Florida, where Martin Lawrence and Will Smith play two cops--one married with kids, the other a swinging bachelor. The two are forced to trade places to foil criminal mastermind Fouchet (Tchéky Karyo) who has stolen $100 million worth of heroin from a police lockup. Violent, illogical, and filled with wall-to-wall profanity, "Bad Boys" was the last film produced by the hit-making team of Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer before Simpson's untimely death, and marked the directorial debut of Michael Bay who followed up with "The Rock". "Bad Boys" will be of interest to action buffs and fans of Téa Leoni, who makes one of her early screen appearances in the central supporting role. "--Jeff Shannon"
 

Bad Milo

Director: Jacob Vaughan
Starring: Ken Marino, Gillian Jacobs, Peter Stormare, Stephen Root, Patrick Warburton, Mary Kay Place, Nick Jaine, Jonathan Daniel Brown, Toby Huss
Genre: Comedy, Horror
Studio: New Artists Alliance
My Rating:
Rated: R
Rating: 5.2 (362 votes)
Release: Sep 2013
Summary: Ken is an average guy who works at an average office job. But he starts to get pains in his stomach whenever he feels stressed out. Things get worse every time he tries to just hide his stress, by burying it inside. It all comes to a head when that "stress" is turned in to an actual little beast that exits his body via his butt and takes revenge on the things that stress him out. But it soon starts to threaten the one thing he loves, his wife.
 

Bad Santa

Director: Terry Zwigoff
Starring: Billy Bob Thornton, Tony Cox, Brett Kelly, Lauren Graham, Bernie Mac, Lauren Tom, John Ritter, Ajay Naidu, Octavia Spencer, Cloris Leachman
Genre: Comedy, Crime, Holiday
Studio: Sony Pictures Home Ent. UK
My Rating:
Rated: R
Release: Nov 2003
Summary: "Bad Santa" is the story of two conmen who go on a road trip to malls dressed as Santa and his elf. Rather than spreading good cheer, the duo's motive is to rob each establishment, a strategy that becomes complicated when they encounter an 8-year-old who teaches them the true meaning of Christmas.
 

Bad Teacher

Director: Jake Kasdan
Starring: Jason Segel, Cameron Diaz, Kathryn Newton
Genre: Comedy
Studio: Columbia Pictures
My Rating:
Rated: R
Rating: 5.7 (103,095 votes)
Release: Oct 2011
Summary: As any kid who's ever forcibly shot milk through their nasal passages can testify, the key to a great gross joke isn't so much the content as it is the delivery. The proudly crass "Bad Teacher" certainly has great big gobs of greasy, grimy potential, chief among them its central performance by an exceedingly game Cameron Diaz, but it occasionally fails to nail the dismount. This film from director Jake Kasdan ("Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story") is exactly what the title says: after getting dumped by her rich boyfriend, a lying, cheating, and perpetually boozing middle-school teacher (Diaz) hatches a scheme to con her school out of enough money to pay for cosmetic surgery, while squaring off against the aggressively cheerful teacher across the hall (a very funny Lucy Punch). Lessons are not learned, thankfully. Although the title and attitude recall the effortlessly filthy "Bad Santa", "Bad Teacher" feels more like a spiritual sequel to Diaz's earlier "Sweetest Thing", a women-can-be-gross-too comedy that spent more time congratulating itself on how far it was willing to go instead of actually going there. While "Bad Teacher" certainly has its number of belly laughs and worthy outrages (particularly during a hilariously awkward love scene between Diaz and a nerded-up Justin Timberlake), it's hard not to end up with a general feeling of missed opportunities. Too often, it toes the bad-taste line, when it should be jumping over it with a rocket cycle. "--Andrew Wright"
 

Baise Moi

Director: Virginie Despentes, Coralie
Starring: Karen Lancaume, Raffaëla Anderson, Ouassini Embarek, Adama Niane, Marc Barrow, Patrick Eudeline, Ian Scott, Titoff, Zenza Raggi, Jean-Louis Costes
Genre: Drama, Foreign, Indie, Romance, Thriller
Studio: Canal+
My Rating:
Rated: R
Rating: 2
Release: Jun 2000
Summary: Based on the novel by Virginie Despentes of the same title. Manu and Nadine lose their last tenuous relationship with main-stream society when Manu gets raped and Nadine sees her only friend being shot. After a chance encounter, they embark on an explosive journey of sex and murder. Perhaps as a revenge against men, perhaps as a revolt against bourgeois society, but certainly in a negation - almost joyful in its senseless violence - of all the codes of a society which has excluded, raped and humiliated them. Controversial for its violence and real sex scenes: a vividly nihilist road movie set in France.
 

Bambi

Director: James Algar, Samuel Armstrong, Graham Heid, Bill Roberts, Paul Satterfield, Norman Wright, David Hand
Starring: Hardie Albright, Stan Alexander, Peter Behn, Donnie Dunagan, Sam Edwards, Thelma Boardman, Tim Davis, Marion Darlington, Ann Gillis, Otis Harlan, eddie holden
Genre: Fantasy, Animation, Drama, Science Fiction, Family
Studio: Walt Disney Productions
My Rating:
Rated: G
Rating: 7.4 (52,333 votes)
Release: Oct 1942
Summary: The animated story of Bambi, a young deer hailed as the 'Prince of the Forest' at his birth. As Bambi grows, he makes friends with the other animals of the forest, learns the skills needed to survive, and even finds love. One day, however, the hunters come, and Bambi must learn to be as brave as his father if he is to lead the other deer to safety.
 

A Band Called Death

Director: Mark Christopher Covino, Jeff Howlett
Starring: Bobby Hackney, Dannis Hackney, David Hackney, Henry Rollins, Elijah Wood, Kid Rock, Alice Cooper, Mick Collins, Questlove, Vernon Reid, Mickey Leigh, Bobbie Duncan
Genre: Documentary
Studio: Haven Entertainment
My Rating:
Rated: Unrated
Rating: 7.1 (623 votes)
Release: Jun 2013
Summary: Before Bad Brains, the Sex Pistols or even the Ramones, there was a band called Death. Punk before punk existed, three teenage brothers in the early '70s formed a band in their spare bedroom, began playing a few local gigs and even pressed a single in the hoped of getting signed. But this was the era of Motown and emerging disco. Record companies found Death's music - and band name - too intimidating, and the group were never given a fair shot, disbanding before they even completed one album. Equal parts electrifying rockumentary and epic family love story, A Band Called Death chronicles the incredible fairy-tale journey of what happened almost three decades later, when a dusty 1974 demo tape made it way out of the attic and found an audience several generations younger. Playing music impossible ahead of its time, Death is now being credited as the first black punk band (hell...the first punk band!), and are finally receiving their long overdue recognition as true rock pioneers.
 

Band of Brothers

Starring: Damian Lewis, Ron Livingston, Donnie Wahlberg, Frank John Hughes, Neal McDonough
Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama
Studio: HBO Home Video
My Rating:
Rated: Unrated
Rating: 9.6 (124,634 votes)
Release: Nov 2002
Summary: An impressively rigorous, unsentimental, and harrowing look at combat during World War II, "Band of Brothers" follows a company of airborne infantry--Easy Company--from boot camp through the end of the war. The brutality of training takes the audience by increments to the even greater brutality of the war; Easy Company took part in some of the most difficult battles, including the D-Day invasion of Normandy, the failed invasion of Holland, and the Battle of the Bulge, as well as the liberation of a concentration camp and the capture of Hitler's Eagle's Nest. But what makes these episodes work is not their historical sweep but their emphasis on riveting details (such as the rattle of a plane as the paratroopers wait to leap, or a flower in the buttonhole of a German soldier) and procedures (from military tactics to the workings of bureaucratic hierarchies). The scope of this miniseries (10 episodes, plus an actual documentary filled with interviews with surviving veterans) allows not only a thoroughness impossible in a two-hour movie, but also captures the wide range of responses to the stress and trauma of war--fear, cynicism, cruelty, compassion, and all-encompassing confusion. The result is a realism that makes both simplistic judgments and jingoistic enthusiasm impossible; the things these soldiers had to do are both terrible and understandable, and the psychological price they paid is made clear. The writing, directing, and acting are superb throughout. The cast is largely unknown, emphasizing the team of actors as a whole unit, much like the regiment; Damian Lewis and Ron Livingston play the central roles of two officers with grit and intelligence. "Band of Brothers" turns a vast historical event into a series of potent personal experiences; it's a deeply engrossing and affecting accomplishment. "--Bret Fetzer"
 

The Bank Job

Director: Roger Donaldson
Starring: Jason Statham, Saffron Burrows, Stephen Campbell Moore, Daniel Mays, James Faulkner
Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Studio: Lionsgate Home Entertainment
My Rating:
Rated: R
Rating: 4.0 (80 votes)
Release: Jul 2008
Summary: A cheerful, energetic, and completely entertaining movie, "The Bank Job" follows some small-time hoods who think they've lucked into a big-time opportunity when they learn a bank's security system will be temporarily suspended--little suspecting that they're being manipulated by government agents for their own ends. The result is that the movie doubles its pleasures: While the robbery itself has the usual suspense of a heist film, when the robbery is over the hoods find themselves being hunted by the police, the government, and brutal criminal kingpins who were storing dangerous information in a safety deposit box. "The Bank Job" won't win any awards, but it's enormously fun. Director Roger Donaldson ("No Way Out, Species") propels the action along with vigor, editing zippily with perfect clarity among multiple storylines and various colorful characters. Jason Statham ("Snatch, The Transporter"), as the leader of the bank robbers, successfully steps away from his usual bone-crunching roles to a more human presence. The rest of the cast--including Saffron Burrows ("Deep Blue Sea"), Keeley Hawes ("Tipping the Velvet"), David Suchet ("Poirot"), and many faces familiar from British film and television--give their characters the right degree of personality and flavor without getting fussy or detracting from the headlong rush of the story. A little sex, a lot of action, a sly sense of humor, and a twisty plot; if more movies had these basic pleasures, the world would be a happier place. --"Bret Fetzer"
 

Bastards

Director: Claire Denis
Starring: Vincent Lindon, Chiara Mastroianni, Julie Bataille, Michel Subor, Lola Créton, Alex Descas, Grégoire Colin, Florence Loiret Caille, Christophe Miossec, Hélène Fillières
Genre: Drama
Studio: Alcatraz Film
My Rating:
Rated: Unrated
Rating: 6.2 (491 votes)
Release: Oct 2013
Summary: Container ship captain Marco Silvestri is called urgently back to Paris. His sister, Sandra, is desperate; her husband has committed suicide, the family business has gone under, her daughter has been admitted into psychiatric care. Sandra accuses the powerful businessman Edouard Laporte of being responsible. Determined to find the businessman's weak spot and exact a terrible revenge for the violence done to his family, Marco moves into the building where Laporte's mistress, Raphaëlle, lives with her son...
 

Batman Begins

Director: Christopher Nolan
Starring: Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Ken Watanabe, Liam Neeson, Katie Holmes
Genre: Action, Crime, Drama
Studio: Warner Home Video
My Rating:
Rated: PG-13
Release: Oct 2005
Summary: "Batman Begins" discards the previous four films in the series and recasts the Caped Crusader as a fearsome avenging angel. That's good news, because the series, which had gotten off to a rousing start under Tim Burton, had gradually dissolved into self-parody by 1997's "Batman & Robin". As the title implies, "Batman Begins" tells the story anew, when Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) flees Western civilization following the murder of his parents. He is taken in by a mysterious instructor named Ducard (Liam Neeson in another mentor role) and urged to become a ninja in the League of Shadows, but he instead returns to his native Gotham City resolved to end the mob rule that is strangling it. But are there forces even more sinister at hand?
Cowritten by the team of David S. Goyer (a veteran comic book writer) and director Christopher Nolan ("Memento"), "Batman Begins" is a welcome return to the grim and gritty version of the Dark Knight, owing a great debt to the graphic novels that preceded it. It doesn't have the razzle dazzle, or the mass appeal, of "Spider-Man 2" (though the Batmobile is cool), and retelling the origin means it starts slowly, like most "first" superhero movies. But it's certainly the best Bat-film since Burton's original, and one of the best superhero movies of its time. Bale cuts a good figure as Batman, intense and dangerous but with some of the lightheartedness Michael Keaton brought to the character. Michael Caine provides much of the film's humor as the family butler, Alfred, and as the love interest, Katie Holmes ("Dawson's Creek") is surprisingly believable in her first adult role. Also featuring Gary Oldman as the young police officer Jim Gordon, Morgan Freeman as a Q-like gadgets expert, and Cillian Murphy as the vile Jonathan Crane. "--David Horiuchi"
 

Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Part 1

Director: Jay Oliva
Starring: Peter Weller, Ariel Winter, Wade Williams, Michael McKean, Rob Paulsen, Maurice LaMarche, Gary Anthony Williams, David Selby, Gary Anthony Sturgis, Paget Brewster, Carlos Alazraqui, Dee Bradley Baker, Maria Canals-Barrera, Cathy Cavadini, Townsend Coleman, Grey DeLisle, Richard Doyle, Greg Eagles, Michael Emerson, Michael A. Jackson, Maurice LaMarche, Yuri Lowenthal, Sam McMurray, Andrea Romano, Tara Strong, James Patrick Stuart, James Arnold Taylor, Bruce W. Timm, Jim Wise, Gwendoline Yeo, Danny Jacobs
Genre: Animation, Action
Studio: Warner Premiere
My Rating:
Rated: PG-13
Rating: 7.8 (13,230 votes)
Release: Sep 2012
Summary: Batman has not been seen for ten years. A new breed of criminal ravages Gotham City, forcing 55-year-old Bruce Wayne back into the cape and cowl. But, does he still have what it takes to fight crime in a new era?
 

Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Part 2

Director: Jay Oliva
Starring: Peter Weller, Ariel Winter, David Selby, Michael Emerson, Grey DeLisle, Frank Welker, Dee Bradley Baker, Michael McKean, Mark Valley, Conan O'Brien, James Patrick Stuart, Robin Atkin Downes, Maria Canals-Barrera, Yuri Lowenthal, Gwendoline Yeo, Danny Jacobs, Townsend Coleman, Michael Jackson, Bruce W. Timm, Tress MacNeille, Paget Brewster, Gary Anthony Williams
Genre: Animation, Action
Studio: Warner Premiere
My Rating:
Rated: PG-13
Rating: 8.0 (7,657 votes)
Release: Jan 2013
Summary: The Batman has returned after a 10-year absence. The Gotham authorities want to arrest him. An old foe wants a reunion. The Feds want the Man of Tomorrow to put a stop to him.
 

Battle Royale

Director: Kinji Fukasaku
Starring: Tatsuya Fujiwara, Aki Maeda, Tarô Yamamoto, Chiaki Kuriyama, Sosuke Takaoka, Takeshi Kitano
Genre: Action, Horror
Studio: Tartan Video
My Rating:
Rated: R
Rating: 8
Release: Jun 2004
Summary: Forty-two students, three days, one deserted Island: welcome to Battle Royale. A group of ninth-grade students from a Japanese high school have been forced by legislation to compete in a new forum of reality television.The students are each given a bag with a randomly selected weapon and a few rations of food and water and sent off to kill each other in a no-holds-barred (with a few minor rules) game to the death, which means that the students have three days to kill each other until one survives--or they all die. The movie focus on a few of the students and how they cope. Some decide to play the game like the psychotic Kiriyama or the sexual Mistuko, while others like the heroes of the movie--Shuya, Noriko, and Kawada--are trying to find a way to get off the Island without violence. However, as the numbers dwell down lower and lower on an hourly basis, is there any way for Shuya and classmates to survive?
 

Battle: Los Angeles

Director: Jonathan Liebesman
Starring: Aaron Eckhart, Michelle Rodriguez
Genre: Thrillers
Studio: Sony Pictures
My Rating:
Rated: PG-13
Rating: 5.8 (111,132 votes)
Release: Jun 2011
Summary: A MARINE STAFF SERGEANT WHO HAS JUST HAD HIS RETIREMENT APPROVED GOES BACK INTO THE LINE OF DUTY IN ORDER TO ASSIST A 2ND LIEUTENANT AND HIS PLATOON AS THEY FIGHT TO RECLAIM THE CITY OF LOS ANGELES FROM ALIEN INVADERS.
 

Battleship

Director: Peter Berg
Starring: Liam Neeson, Taylor Kitsch, Brooklyn Decker, Alexander Skarsgård, Rihanna
Genre: Action, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Studio: Battleship Delta Productions
My Rating:
Rated: PG-13
Rating: 5.9 (124,871 votes)
Release: May 2012
Summary: Based on the classic Hasbro naval combat game, Battleship is the story of an international fleet of ships who come across an alien armada whilst on a Naval war games exercise. An intense battle ensues over sea, land and air. What do they aliens - known as 'The Regents' - want?
 

Beasts of the Southern Wild

Director: Benh Zeitlin
Starring: Quvenzhané Wallis, Dwight Henry, Levy Easterly, Lowell Landes, Pamela Harper
Genre: Drama, Fantasy
Studio: Cinereach
My Rating:
Rated: PG-13
Rating: 7.3 (40,387 votes)
Release: Jul 2012
Summary: Hushpuppy, an intrepid six-year-old girl, lives with her father, Wink, in the Bathtub, a southern Delta community at the edge of the world. Wink's tough love prepares her for the unraveling of the universe; for a time when he's no longer there to protect her. When Wink contracts a mysterious illness, nature flies out of whack, temperatures rise, and the ice caps melt, unleashing an army of prehistoric creatures called aurochs. With the waters rising, the aurochs coming, and Wink's health fading, Hushpuppy goes in search of her lost mother.
 

Beautiful Creatures

Director: Richard LaGravenese
Starring: Emmy Rossum, Jeremy Irons, Emma Thompson, Viola Davis, Kyle Gallner, Alice Englert, Thomas Mann, Alden Ehrenreich
Genre: Drama
My Rating:
Rated: PG-13
Release: Feb 2013
Summary: Ethan Wate just wants to get to know Lena Duchannes better, but unbeknownst to him, Lena has strange powers. As Lena's 16th birthday approaches she might decide her fate, to be good or evil. A choice which will impact her relationship forever.
 

A Beautiful Mind

Director: Ron Howard
Starring: Russell Crowe, Ed Harris, Jennifer Connelly, Christopher Plummer, Paul Bettany, Adam Goldberg, Josh Lucas, Anthony Rapp, Jason Gray-Stanford, Judd Hirsch, Austin Pendleton, Vivien Cardone, Jillie Simon, Victor Steinbach, Tanya Clarke, Thomas F. Walsh, Jesse Doran, Kent Cassella, Patrick Blindauer, John Blaylock, Roy Thinnes, Anthony Easton, Cheryl Howard, Josh Pais, David B. Allen, Michael Esper
Genre: Drama, Romance
Studio: Universal Home Video
My Rating:
Rated: PG-13
Rating: 8.1 (305,178 votes)
Release: Dec 2001
Summary: At Princeton University, John Nash struggles to make a worthwhile contribution to serve as his legacy to the world of mathematics. He finally makes a revolutionary breakthrough that will eventually earn him the Nobel Prize. After graduate school he turns to teaching, becoming romantically involved with his student Alicia. Meanwhile the government asks his help with breaking Soviet codes, which soon gets him involved in a terrifying conspiracy plot. Nash grows more and more paranoid until a discovery that turns his entire world upside down. Now it is only with Alicia's help that he will be able to recover his mental strength and regain his status as the great mathematician we know him as today.
 

Beauty and the Beast

Director: Gary Trousdale, Kirk Wise
Starring: Paige O'Hara, Robby Benson, Richard White, Jerry Orbach, David Ogden Stiers, Angela Lansbury, Bradley Pierce, Rex Everhart, Jesse Corti, Hal Smith, Jo Anne Worley, Mary Kay Bergman, Brian Cummings, Alvin Epstein, Tony Jay
Genre: Animation, Fantasy, Family
Studio: Walt Disney Video
My Rating:
Rated: G
Rating: 8.0 (168,260 votes)
Release: Nov 1991
Summary: Follow the adventures of Belle, a bright young woman who finds herself in the castle of a prince who's been turned into a mysterious beast. With the help of the castle's enchanted staff, Belle soon learns the most important lesson of all -- that true beauty comes from within.
 

Bedevilled

Director: Chul-soo Yang
Starring: Seo Yeong-Hie, Ji Seong-Won, Baek Su-Ryeon, Park Jeong-Hak, Bae Seong-Woo, Woo Yong, Hwang Min-Ho, Je Min, Lee Ji-Eun, Son Young-Soon, Tak Sung-Eun, Jeong Gi-Seop, Hong Seung-Jin
Genre: Crime, Drama, Horror, Thriller
Studio: Boston Investments
My Rating:
Rated: Unrated
Rating: 2
Release: Aug 2010
Summary: Hae-won is a beautiful single woman in her thirties who works at a bank in the Seoul city. She leads a busy life until she becomes a witness to an attempted murder case, and at the same time, things get complicated at work. When things get out of hand she is forced to take a vacation so she heads for 'Moodo', a small undeveloped island, where she had once visited to see her grandparents. And where she had befriended a girl named Bok-nam who stills writes to Hae-won asking her to visit despite the fact that Hae-won never bothered to reply. Upon arriving at the island, Hae-won is shocked to see everyone treating Bok-nam like a slave. As practically the only young woman on the island, she is a plaything for all the men and a free laborer for the women. Sick of all the inhumane treatment, Bok-nam had tried to escape the island several times in the past but had failed each time. She begs Hae-won to help her escape the place, but Hae-won remains indifferent not wanting to be involved in complicated situations. When Bok-nam realizes that her own daughter will follow her footsteps, she tries to escape the island with her daughter. But her daughter gets killed in the process. And when she loses the only thing that had kept her going because of Hae-won's negligence, Bok-nam takes a sickle in her hand for revenge.
 

Bee Movie

Director: Steve Hickner, Simon J. Smith
Starring: Jerry Seinfeld, Renée Zellweger, Matthew Broderick, Patrick Warburton, John Goodman, Chris Rock, Kathy Bates, Barry Levinson, Larry King, Ray Liotta, Sting, Oprah Winfrey, Larry Miller, Rip Torn, Sting, Megan Mullally, John Di Maggio
Genre: Animation, Comedy, Family
Studio: DreamWorks Animation
My Rating:
Rated: PG
Rating: 6
Release: Oct 2007
Summary: Barry B. Benson, a bee who has 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 us.
 

Beer Wars

Director: Anat Baron
Starring: Anat Baron, Sam Calagione, Rhonda Kallman
Genre: Documentary
Studio: Ducks In a Row Entertainment Corporation
My Rating:
Rated: Unrated
Rating: 6.9 (820 votes)
Release: Apr 2009
Summary: A contemporary David and Goliath story that takes you inside the cutthroat world of the big business of American beer.
 

Before Sunrise

Director: Richard Linklater
Starring: Ethan Hawke, Julie Delpy, Andrea Eckert, Hanno Pöschl, Karl Bruckschwaiger, Tex Rubinowitz, Ernie Mangold, Hans Weingartner, Dominik Castell, Bilge Jeschim, Harold Waiglein, Haymon Maria Buttinger, Kurti
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Studio: Warner Home Video
My Rating:
Rated: R
Rating: 8
Release: Jan 1995
Summary: American tourist Jesse and French student Celine meet by chance on the train from Budapest to Vienna. Sensing that they are developing a connection, Jesse asks Celine to spend the day with him in Vienna, and she agrees. Passing the time before his scheduled flight the next morning. How do two perfect strangers connect so intimately over the course of a single day? What is that special thing that bonds two people so strongly? As their bond turns to love, what will happen to them the next morning when Jesse flies away?
 

Before Sunset

Director: Richard Linklater
Starring: Ethan Hawke, Julie Delpy, Vernon Dobtcheff
Genre: Drama, Romance
Studio: Warner Home Video
My Rating:
Rated: R
Rating: 9
Release: Feb 2004
Summary: Jesse, a writer from the US, and Celine, a Frenchwoman working for an environment protection organization, acquainted nine years ago on the train from Budapest to Vienna, meet again when Jesse arrives in Paris for a reading of his new book. As they have only a few hours until his plane leaves, they stroll through Paris, talking about their experiences, views and whether they still love each other, although Jesse is already married with a kid.
 

Before the Devil Knows You're Dead

Director: Sidney Lumet
Starring: Albert Finney, Marisa Tomei, Rosemary Harris, Ethan Hawke, Philip Seymour Hoffman
Genre: Drama, Crime, Thriller
Studio: ThinkFilm
My Rating:
Rated: R
Rating: 3.5 (114 votes)
Release: Apr 2008
Summary: Sidney Lumet’s "Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead" is an exceptionally dark story about a crime gone wrong and the complicated reasons behind it. Philip Seymour Hoffman and Ethan Hawke are outstanding as brothers whose mutual love-hate relationship subtly colors their agreement to rob their own parents’ jewelry store, and more explicitly affects the anxious aftermath of their villainy when their mother (Rosemary Harris) ends up shot. Hoffman’s steely, emotionally locked-up Andy, despite pulling down six figures as a corporate executive, is supporting an expensive drug habit while trying to leave the country with his depressed wife, Gina (Marisa Tomei). Hank (Hawke), a whipped dog of low intelligence, owes back alimony and child support to his ex-spouse. Both men need money and agree to rip off their parents' business, a decision that goes awry and puts both men in various kinds of jeopardy while their mother remains comatose and their father (Albert Finney) lurches along trying to make sense of anything. Writer Kelly Masterson's screenplay employs a perhaps now-overly-familiar time-shifting tactic, jumping around the chronology of the story's events and replaying scenes from different vantage points. The effect is a little tedious but successfully deconstructs the film's drama in a way that shows how such terrible events are directly linked to family dysfunction, old wounds between parent and child, between siblings, that fester into full-blown tragedy. Eighty-three-year-old director Lumet ("Serpico") employs bleached colors and scenes of blunt sexuality and violence, adding to the moral rudderlessness and banality of this airless world. If "Devil" feels a little reductive and insistently grim, it is also a generally persuasive work by an old master. "--Tom Keogh"
 

Beginners

Director: Mike Mills
Starring: Ewan McGregor, Christopher Plummer, Mélanie Laurent, Goran Visnjic, Bill Oberst Jr.
Genre: Drama
Studio: Olympus Pictures
My Rating:
Rated: R
Rating: 7.2 (41,610 votes)
Release: Nov 2011
Summary: Based on indie director Mike Mills's relationship with his father, this intriguing drama tells the story of Oliver (Ewan McGregor), a graphic artist coming to grips with the imminent death of his father (Christopher Plummer), who, at 75, has one last secret: He's gay. Both inspired and confused by his father's determination to find true love at last, Oliver tentatively pursues a romance with commitment-shy French actress Anna (Mélanie Laurent).
 

Behind the Candelabra

Director: Steven Soderbergh
Starring: Michael Douglas, Matt Damon, Rob Lowe, Dan Aykroyd, Scott Bakula, Debbie Reynolds, Cheyenne Jackson, Paul Reiser, Boyd Holbrook, Nicky Katt, Eddie Jemison, Mike O'Malley, Josh Meyers, David Koechner
Genre: Biography, Drama, Romance
Studio: HBO Films
My Rating:
Rated: TV-MA
Rating: 7.1 (8,578 votes)
Release: May 2013
Summary: Scott Thorson, a young bisexual man raised in foster homes, is introduced to flamboyant entertainment giant Liberace and quickly finds himself in a romantic relationship with the legendary pianist. Swaddled in wealth and excess, Scott and Liberace have a long affair, one that eventually Scott begins to find suffocating. Kept away from the outside world by the flashily effeminate yet deeply closeted Liberace, and submitting to extreme makeovers and even plastic surgery at the behest of his lover, Scott eventually rebels. When Liberace finds himself a new lover, Scott is tossed on the street. He then seeks legal redress for what he feels he has lost. But throughout, the bond between the young man and the star never completely tears.
 

Being Elmo: A Puppeteer's Journey

Director: Constance Marks
Starring: Bill Barretta, Fran Brill, Kevin Clash, Joan Ganz Cooney, Whoopi Goldberg
Genre: Documentary
Studio: Constance Marks Productions
My Rating:
Rated: PG
Rating: 8.0 (2,154 votes)
Release: Mar 2012
Summary: The film traces Kevin Clash's rise from his modest beginnings in Baltimore to his current success as the man behind Elmo, one of the world's most recognizable and adored characters. Millions of children tune in daily to watch Elmo, yet when Kevin walks down the street he is not recognized. Pivotal to the film is the exploration of Jim Henson's meteoric rise, and Kevin's ultimate achievement of his goal to become part of the Henson family of puppeteers. In addition to puppeteering Elmo, Mr. Clash is arguably the creative force behind today's Sesame Street, producing, directing and traveling around the globe training other puppeteers. Includes interviews with Frank Oz, Rosie O'Donnell, Whoopi Goldberg, Carroll Spinney, Joan Ganz Cooney, Marty Robinson, Fran Brill, and Bill Barretta.
 

Being John Malkovich

Director: Spike Jonze
Starring: John Cusack, Cameron Diaz, Catherine Keener, John Malkovich, Ned Bellamy
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Fantasy
Studio: Polygram USA Video
My Rating:
Rated: R
Rating: 7.8 (177,797 votes)
Release: May 2000
Summary: While too many movies suffer the fate of creative bankruptcy,"Being John Malkovich" is a refreshing study in contrast, so bracingly original that you'll want to send director Spike Jonze and screenwriter Charlie Kaufman a thank-you note for restoring your faith in the enchantment of film. Even if it ultimately serves little purpose beyond the thrill of comedic invention, this demented romance is gloriously entertaining, spilling over with ideas that tickle the brain and even touch the heart. That's to be expected in a movie that dares to ponder the existential dilemma of a forlorn puppeteer (John Cusack) who discovers a metaphysical portal into the brain of actor John Malkovich.
The puppeteer's working as a file clerk on the seventh-and-a-half floor of a Manhattan office building; this idea alone might serve as the comedic basis for an entire film, but Jonze and Kaufman are just getting started. Add a devious coworker (Catherine Keener), Cusack's dowdy wife (a barely recognizable Cameron Diaz), and a business scheme to capitalize on the thrill of being John Malkovich, and you've got a movie that just gets crazier as it plays by its own outrageous rules. Malkovich himself is the film's pièce de résistance, riffing on his own persona with obvious delight and--when he enters his own brain via the portal--appearing with multiple versions of himself in a tour-de-force use of digital trickery. Does it add up to much? Not really. But for 112 liberating minutes, "Being John Malkovich" is a wild place to visit. "--Jeff Shannon"
 

The Believer

Director: Henry Bean
Starring: Henry Bean, Garret Dillahunt, Jack Drummond (II), Kris Eivers, Glenn Fitzgerald
Genre: Drama
Studio: Palm Pictures / Umvd
My Rating:
Rated: R
Rating: 7.3 (20,744 votes)
Release: Oct 2004
Summary: A young Jewish man develops a fiercely anti-Semitic worldview. Based on the true story of a KKK member in the 1960s who was revealed to be Jewish by a New York Times reporter.
 

Bernie

Director: Richard Linklater
Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Jack Black, Shirley MacLaine, Rick Dial, Mona Lee Fultz
Genre: Comedy, Crime, Drama
Studio: Castle Rock Entertainment
My Rating:
Rated: PG-13
Rating: 6.7 (21,036 votes)
Release: Aug 2012
Summary: In the tiny, rural town of Carthage, Texas, assistant funeral director Bernie Tiede was one of the town's most beloved residents. He taught Sunday school, sang in the church choir and was always willing to lend a helping hand. Everyone loved and appreciated Bernie, so it came as no surprise when he befriended Marjorie Nugent, an affluent widow who was as well known for her sour attitude as her fortune. Bernie frequently traveled with Marjorie and even managed her banking affairs. Marjorie quickly became fully dependent on Bernie and his generosity and Bernie struggled to meet her increasing demands. Bernie continued to handle her affairs, and the townspeople went months without seeing Marjorie.
 

Best in Show

Director: Christopher Guest
Starring: Christopher Guest, Catherine O'Hara
Genre: Comedy
Studio: Warner Home Video
My Rating:
Rated: PG-13
Rating: 7.4 (35,127 votes)
Release: Mar 2001
Summary: Christopher Guest, the man behind "Waiting for Guffman", turns his comic eye on another little world that takes itself a bit too seriously: the world of competitive dog shows. "Best in Show" follows a clutch of dog owners as they prepare and preen their dogs to win a national competition. They include the yuppie pair (Parker Posey and Michael Hitchcock) who fear they've traumatized their Weimaraner by having sex in front of him; a suburban husband and wife (Eugene Levy and Catherine O'Hara) with a terrier and a long history of previous lovers on the wife's part; the Southern owner of a bloodhound (Guest himself) with aspirations as a ventriloquist; and many more. Following the same "mockumentary" format of "Spinal Tap" and "Guffman", "Best in Show" takes in some of the dog show officials, the manager of a nearby hotel that allows dogs to stay there, and the commentators of the competition (a particularly knockout comic turn by Fred Willard as an oafish announcer). The movie manages to paint an affectionate portrait of its quirky characters without ever losing sight of the ridiculousness of their obsessive world. Almost all of the scenes were created through improvisation. While lacking the overall focus of a written script, "Best in Show" captures hilarious and absurd aspects of human behavior that could never be written down. The movie's success is a testament to both the talent of the actors and Guest's discerning eye. "--Bret Fetzer"
 

Best Worst Movie

Director: Michael Stephenson
Starring: Michael Stephenson, George Hardy, Darren Ewing, Jason Steadman, Jason Wright, Zack Carlson, Randall Colburn, Adam Deyoe, John Gemberling, Patrick Gibbs, Paul Gibbs, Eric Gosselin, Rocky Jalil, Timothy Marklevitz, Ryan Martin, Scott Pearlman, Chris Pudlo, James M. Tate, Scott Weinberg, Bryn Hammond, Simon Robb
Genre: Documentary, Comedy
Studio: Magic Stone Productions
My Rating:
Rated: Unrated
Rating: 7.4 (3,406 votes)
Release: Nov 2010
Summary: In 1989, unwitting Utah actors starred in the undisputed Worst Movie in History: TROLL 2. Two decades later, the legendarily inept film's child star unravels the improbable, heartfelt story of an Alabama dentist-turned-cult movie icon and an Italian filmmaker who come to terms with this genuine, internationally revered cinematic failure. Most people don't set out to produce a horrible film, so how exactly does it happen? This documentary about 1989's Troll 2 -- often referred to as the "worst movie in history" -- attempts to answer that question. Director Michael Stephenson, who, as a child, starred in the ill-advised horror flick, delves into how an Italian filmmaker, some unwitting actors and a dentist-turned-cult movie icon joined forces to spawn this dubious achievement.
 

Better Off Dead

Director: Savage Steve Holland
Starring: John Cusack, David Ogden Stiers, Kim Darby, Demian Slade, Scooter Stevens
Genre: Comedy, Romance
Studio: Paramount
My Rating:
Rated: PG
Rating: 7.1 (24,127 votes)
Release: Jul 2002
Summary: Lane Myer (John Cusack) is stuck in a personal hell. A compulsive, adolescent Everyman growing up in Suburbia, USA, not only does he fail to make the prestigious high school ski team (again), but his beloved sweetheart, Beth, also leaves him for Roy, the team's popular, arrogant captain. If this isn't bad enough, he's stuck with a mother who frighteningly experiments--rather than cooks--with food, a brother who builds rockets out of models, and a best friend so desperate for drugs that he settles for snorting powdered snow. Faced with these prospects, Lane opts to end it all ... until he comes up with a ridiculous plan to gain acceptance and win Beth back. Director Savage Steve Holland warps this simple, clichéd premise, letting his wacky imagination twist it into a fairly original, slightly dark, and completely hilarious '80s teen comedy. Not as serious a "suicide-attempt" movie as, say, "Harold and Maude" but just as funny, the film's more a collection of screwball sketches than a narrative. Holland livens the high jinks with surrealistic fantasy touches, including Jell-O that crawls, a hamburger that sings Van Halen, drawings that mock its creator, Japanese race-car drivers who only speak Howard Cosell, and a psychotic paperboy seeking blood over a missing $2. Cusack puts the whole thing on his shoulders and carries the insanity with another one of his touching, obsessively romantic performances, which, along with "Say Anything", "The Sure Thing", and "One Crazy Summer", made him the quintessential (and appealing) personification of lovestruck adolescence and suffering. "--Dave McCoy"
 

Beverly Hills Cop

Director: Martin Brest
Starring: Eddie Murphy, Judge Reinhold, John Ashton, Lisa Eilbacher, Ronny Cox, Paul Reiser, Steven Berkoff, Jonathan Banks, Bronson Pinchot, James Russo, Stephen Elliott, Gilbert R. Hill, Art Kimbro, Joel Bailey, Michael Champion
Genre: Action, Comedy, Crime
Studio: Paramount
My Rating:
Rated: R
Rating: 3.9 (18 votes)
Release: Nov 1984
Summary: Tough-talking Detroit cop Axel Foley heads to the rarified world of Beverly Hills in his beat-up Chevy Nova to investigate a friend's murder. But soon, he realizes he's stumbled onto something much more complicated. Bungling rookie detective Billy Rosewood joins the fish-out-of-water Axel and shows him the West Los Angeles ropes.
 

Beverly Hills Cop II

Director: Tony Scott
Starring: Eddie Murphy, Judge Reinhold, John Ashton, Jürgen Prochnow, Ronny Cox, Brigitte Nielsen, Dean Stockwell, Paul Reiser, Gilbert R. Hill, Paul Guilfoyle, Ola Ray, Rebecca Ferratti, Allen Garfield, Chris Rock
Genre: Action, Comedy, Crime
Studio: Paramount
My Rating:
Rated: R
Release: May 1985
Summary: Axel Foley is back and as funny as ever in this fast-paced sequel to the original smash hit. This time, the Detroit cop heads for the land of sunshine and palm trees to find out who shot police Captain Andrew Bogomil. Thanks to a couple of old friends, Axel's investigation uncovers a series of robberies masterminded by a heartless weapons kingpin, and the chase is on!
 

Beverly Hills Cop III

Director: John Landis
Starring: Eddie Murphy, Judge Reinhold, Hector Elizondo, George Lucas, Bronson Pinchot, Joe Dante, Jon Tenney, Joey Travolta, Theresa Randle, Eugene Collier, Jimmy Ortega, Ousaun Elam, Ray Lykins, Tim Gilbert, Gilbert R. Hill, Arthur Hiller
Genre: Action, Comedy, Crime
Studio: Paramount
My Rating:
Rated: R
Rating: 5.2 (39,285 votes)
Release: May 1994
Summary: Detroit cop Axel Foley is back in sunny Southern California in the third installment of the comedic fish-out-of-water Beverly Hills Cop series. On the trail of two murderers, Axel again teams up with Los Angeles cop Billy Rosewood. Soon, they discover that an amusement park is being used as a front for a massive counterfeiting ring -- and it's run by the same gang that shot Billy's boss.
 

Beyond the Black Rainbow

Director: Panos Cosmatos
Starring: Eva Allan, Michael Rogers, Scott Hylands
Genre: Sci-Fi, Thriller, Mystery
Studio: Magnolia Home Entertainment
My Rating:
Rated: R
Rating: 5.7 (2,660 votes)
Release: Dec 2010
Summary: Held captive in a specialized medical facility, a young woman with unique abilities seeks a chance to escape her obsessed captor. Set in the strange and oppressive emotional landscape of the year 1983, Beyond the Black Rainbow is a Reagan-era fever dream inspired by hazy childhood memories of midnight movies and Saturday morning cartoons. From the producer of Machotaildrop, Rainbow is the outlandish feature film debut of writer and director Panos Cosmatos. Featuring a hypnotic analog synthesizer score by Jeremy Schmidt of Sinoia Caves and Black Mountain, Rainbow is a film experience for the senses.
 

Big Fish

Director: Tim Burton
Starring: Ewan McGregor, Albert Finney, Billy Crudup, Jessica Lange, Helena Bonham Carter
Genre: Adventure, Drama, Fantasy
Studio: Sony Pictures
My Rating:
Rated: PG-13
Rating: 8.0 (259,962 votes)
Release: Jan 2004
Summary: After a string of mediocre movies, director Tim Burton regains his footing as he shifts from macabre fairy tales to Southern tall tales. "Big Fish" twines in and out of the oversized stories of Edward Bloom, played as a young man by Ewan McGregor ("Moulin Rouge, Down with Love") and as a dying father by Albert Finney (Tom Jones). Edward's son Will (Billy Crudup, "Almost Famous") sits by his father's bedside but has little patience with the old man's fables, because he feels these stories have kept him from knowing who his father really is. Burton dives into Bloom's imagination with zest, sending the determined young man into haunted woods, an idealized Southern town, a traveling circus, and much more. The result is sweet but--thanks to the director's dark and clever sensibility--never saccharine. Also featuring Jessica Lange, Alison Lohman, Helena Bonham Carter, Danny DeVito, and Steve Buscemi. "--Bret Fetzer"
 

The Big Hit

Director: Kirk Wong
Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Lou Diamond Phillips, Christina Applegate, Avery Brooks, Bokeem Woodbine
Genre: Action, Comedy, Crime
Studio: Sony Pictures
My Rating:
Rated: R
Rating: 5.9 (19,416 votes)
Release: Apr 1998
Summary: Film fans might someday recognize 1997 and '98 as the years Hong Kong came to Hollywood. Stars Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung, Chow Yun-Fat, Jet Li, and Michelle Yeoh all appeared in major Hollywood projects and directors John Woo, Ronny Yu, and Tsui Hark directed "Face/Off", "Bride of Chucky", and "Knock Off", respectively. Another entry into this new era of entertainment is "The Big Hit", directed by Che-Kirk Wong (who also directed Jackie Chan in "Crime Story"), executive produced by John Woo, and produced by Wesley Snipes. Mark Wahlberg leads this all-American cast in a played-for-laughs macho blowout. Rounding out the testosterone brigade are Lou Diamond Phillips (sprouting a gold-capped tooth and a dirty mouth), Bokeem Woodbine (who, according to this DVD's director audio track, wore extra socks where it counts), Antonio Sabàto Jr., and Avery Brooks. Wahlberg plays Melvin Smiley, a nice-guy hit man with an ulcer and a severe insecurity problem. He's short on cash due to the spending habits of his unsuspecting fiancée Pam (Christina Applegate) and his girlfriend-on-the-sly Chantel (Lela Rochon). He and his crew decide to do a little freelancing and cook up their own heist to make a little mo' money--specifically by kidnapping Keiko (China Chow), the daughter of a Japanese businessman whom they target for ransom. Little do they know her dad is broke and she's the goddaughter of their boss. "The Big Hit" has action scenes aplenty (one of the stunt coordinators worked on Woo's "The Killer" and "Bullet in the Head") and the same cornball sense of humor as other films in the Hong Kong action genre. Slick pacing and over-the-top humor made this movie a miss with the critics but a fun ride for fans of Hong Kong-styled action. "--Shannon Gee"
 

The Big Lebowski

Director: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen
Starring: Jeff Bridges, John Goodman, Julianne Moore, Steve Buscemi, David Huddleston
Genre: Comedy, Crime
Studio: Gramercy Pictures
My Rating:
Rated: R
Rating: 8.2 (315,068 votes)
Release: Nov 2002
Summary: After the tight plotting and quirky intensity of "Fargo", this casually amusing follow-up from the prolifically inventive Coen (Ethan and Joel) brothers seems like a bit of a lark, and the result was a box-office disappointment. The good news is, "The Big Lebowski" is every bit a Coen movie, and its lazy plot is part of its laidback charm. After all, how many movies can claim as their hero a pot-bellied, pot-smoking loser named Jeff "The Dude" Lebowski (Jeff Bridges) who spends most of his time bowling and getting stoned? And where else could you find a hairnetted Latino bowler named Jesus (John Turturro) who sports dazzling purple footgear, or an erotic artist (Julianne Moore) whose creativity consists of covering her naked body in paint, flying through the air in a leather harness, and splatting herself against a giant canvas? Who else but the Coens would think of showing you a camera view from inside the holes of a bowling ball, or an elaborate Busby Berkely-styled musical dream sequence involving a Viking goddess and giant bowling pins? The plot--which finds Lebowski involved in a kidnapping scheme after he's mistaken for a rich guy with the same name--is almost beside the point. What counts here is a steady cascade of hilarious dialogue, great work from Coen regulars John Goodman and Steve Buscemi, and the kind of cinematic ingenuity that puts the Coens in a class all their own. Be sure to watch with snacks in hand, because "The Big Lebowski" might give you a giddy case of the munchies. "--Jeff Shannon"
 

The Big Red One

Director: Samuel Fuller
Starring: Mark Hamill, Robert Carradine
Genre: Action, Drama, War
Studio: Warner Home Video
My Rating:
Rated: R
Rating: 7.3 (10,829 votes)
Release: May 1980
Summary: Sam Fuller's "The Big Red One" was already one of the best films of 1980, despite the fact that the version released to theaters ran barely half as long as the director's cut. Fuller had been America's ballsiest B-movie auteur, an ex-newspaper reporter of the hardnosed breed who made fiercely personal, radically stylized, and politically outspoken films between the early '50s ("The Steel Helmet," "Pickup on South Street") and the early '60s ("Shock Corridor"). "The Big Red One" was his long-dreamt-of account of World War II as experienced by his own squad of the 1st Infantry Division, USA, from the first shot fired (by a dead man, on the coast of North Africa) to the last (in a concentration camp in Czechoslovakia).
Even in the studio-truncated version, there was no shortage of astonishing moments and sequences: the squad choking on dust in a bat-filled cave in North Africa as German tanks clatter past the entrance; Fuller's cold-blooded distillation of the D-Day slaughter on Omaha Beach, with a wrist watch on a dead arm in the surf marking time as the water slopping over it grows redder; the rifle squad delivering a Frenchwoman's baby in a German tank on a battlefield full of corpses; a commando-like raid on Nazi troops bivouacked in a Belgian insane asylum. A quarter-century later, film critic Richard Schickel and Warner Bros. executive Brian Jamieson succeeded in restoring 15 never-seen sequences and fleshing out 23 others to create "The Big Red One: The Reconstruction", a "new" film nearly an hour longer.
Above all, "BR1: The Reconstruction" has a rhythm the 1980 cut lacked. The arc of years, battles, and battlegrounds is so much more satisfying. Greater play is given to Fuller's feeling for children caught up in the sidewash of history and atrocity. And the 2004 cut puts sex back into the movie, not orgiastically but as a fact of life and a rarely forgotten driving force. We can see now that Fuller touched, bluntly and shockingly, on the phenomenon of infiltrators--English-speaking German warriors who donned GI khaki and moved among their enemies waiting for a chance to strike.
It's also apparent, as it was not in 1980, that Lee Marvin as the eternal Sergeant leading the young squad is magnificent. This was Marvin's greatest role, rivaled only by his walking dead man in John Boorman's "Point Blank". Just beneath the masterly implacability, we glimpse the tenderness, rage, dark humor, experience, and wisdom beyond guilt that have enabled him to survive, to preserve others and to soldier on. His performance, like Fuller's film, is a masterpiece. "--Richard T. Jameson"
 

Big Trouble in Little China

Director: John Carpenter
Starring: Kurt Russell, Suzzee Pai
Genre: Action, Adventure, Comedy
Studio: 20th Century Fox
My Rating:
Rated: PG-13
Rating: 7.2 (59,341 votes)
Release: Jul 1986
Summary: Once you settle into the realization that this 1986 John Carpenter ("Halloween") film is not going to be one of the director's more masterful works, "Big Trouble in Little China" just becomes a full-tilt comic blast. Kurt Russell is hilarious as a drawling, would-be John Wayne hero who steps into the middle of a supernatural war in the heart of Chinatown. While kung fu warriors and otherworldly spirits battle over the fate of two women (Kim Cattrall and Suzee Pai), Russell's swaggering idiot manages to knock himself out or underestimate the forces he's dealing with. The whole thing is dopey, but it's supposed to be dopey and Russell's game performance brings an ironic edge. Carpenter directs some nifty spook effects (the sudden arrival of three martial arts demigods from out of nowhere is worth applause), and he also wrote the music. "--Tom Keogh"
 

Bill Cosby, Himself

Director: Bill Cosby
Starring: Bill Cosby
Genre: Documentary, Comedy
Studio: 20th Century Fox
My Rating:
Rated: PG
Rating: 7.9 (2,357 votes)
Release: Aug 2004
Summary: After "I Spy" and before "The Cosby Show", Bill Cosby left his own inimitable mark on the arena of stand-up comedy in this live concert showcasing his down-to-earth observations on the rigors and joys of family life. Cosby, using only a microphone and a chair, discusses his take on raising kids and the illogical nature of children and the futility of trying to argue with a child that in the end may be smarter than you. Notable highlights include Cosby's ruminations on the meaning of the all-purpose phrase "I don't know" to kids, and Cosby describing the effect raising children has on his wife Camille's mental state and the pitch of her voice. Containing the basis for the humor of his long-running situation comedy, "Bill Cosby: Himself" is a polished, occasionally insightful, and frequently hilarious night of comedy from one of the longtime masters of the form. "--Robert Lane"
 

Bill Cunningham New York

Director: Richard Press
Starring: Bill Cunningham, Tom Wolfe, Anna Wintour, Carmen Dell'Orefice, Annette De la Renta
Genre: Documentary, Biography
Studio: First Thought Films
My Rating:
Rated: Unrated
Rating: 8.0 (771 votes)
Release: Sep 2011
Summary: Chronicles a man who is obsessively interested in only one thing,the pictures he takes that document the way people dress. The 80-year-old New York Times photographer has two columns in the paper's Style section, yet nobody knows who he is.
 

Bill Hicks: One Night Stand

Director: John Fortenberry
Starring: Thor Kristjansson, Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson, Damon Younger, María Birta, Vignir Rafn Valþórsson
Genre: Documentary, Biography
Studio: Filmus Productions
My Rating:
Rated: Unrated
Rating: 6.7 (1,927 votes)
Release: Apr 1991
Summary: Legendary, innovative, shocking, stunning but above all very very funny, this is a classic set from the much missed Bill Hicks. Recorded at the Vic Theater in Chicago in the early 1990s, this set is packed with all of Bill's favorite themes: rock 'n' roll, smoking, advertising, and of course flying saucers.
 

Bill Hicks: Relentless

Director: Chris Bould
Starring: Bill Hicks
Genre: Action, Comedy, Crime
My Rating:
Rated: Unrated
Rating: 7.7 (1,009 votes)
Release: Feb 1992
Summary: Comedian Bill Hicks' legend continues to grow more than a decade since his death in 1994 and this DVD is a great introduction to new converts as well as old fans. This performance was filmed during the same set of shows as the 1992 VHS of the same name, but this performance is taken from a different engagement. Watch Hicks in one of his best recorded performances (according to his fans and critics). His delivery, wit, timing and sardonicism are as sharp as ever. He'll make you laugh, think and laugh some more.
 

Black Death

Director: Christopher Smith
Starring: Sean Bean, Eddie Redmayne
Genre: Thrillers
Studio: Magnolia Home Entertainment
My Rating:
Rated: R
Rating: 6.4 (23,239 votes)
Release: May 2011
Summary: A potent combination of medieval combat and religious paranoia, "Black Death" serves as an outstanding example of how a genre film can smuggle in some surprisingly mature themes without missing a kinetic step. Set during the late 14th century, Dario Poloni's script follows a young monk (Eddie Redmayne) struggling with his faith as the bubonic plague runs rampant through Europe. As he contemplates fleeing England for a forbidden romance, he is tasked with leading a team of bishop-appointed mercenaries (led by Sean Bean) on their search for a rumored necromancer in the wilderness. After the group hacks their way through packs of infected marauders and nonbelievers, their search finally leads them to a pastoral town mysteriously free of the disease. When the town's beautiful leader (Carice van Houten) displays what appears to be mystical healing powers, the monk must decide which side God is truly on. Director Christopher Smith, previously responsible for the commendably bent time-travel saga "Triangle", creates a fantastically earthy environment for the film's increasingly supernatural possibilities to take hold. Bolstered by Bean's commanding performance, this is a terrifically grim--and occasionally terribly gory--action film that delivers an unsettling sting in its tail. "--Andrew Wright"
 

Black Hawk Down

Director: Ridley Scott
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Ewan McGregor, Tom Sizemore, Eric Bana, William Fichtner
Genre: Action, Drama, History
Studio: Sony Pictures
My Rating:
Rated: R
Rating: 7.7 (189,150 votes)
Release: Jun 2002
Summary: Ridley Scott's "Black Hawk Down" conveys the raw, chaotic urgency of ground-force battle in a worst-case scenario. With exacting detail, the film re-creates the American siege of the Somalian city of Mogadishu in October 1993, when a 45-minute mission turned into a 16-hour ordeal of bloody urban warfare. Helicopter-borne U.S. Rangers were assigned to capture key lieutenants of Somali warlord Muhammad Farrah Aidid, but when two Black Hawk choppers were felled by rocket-propelled grenades, the U.S. soldiers were forced to fend for themselves in the battle-torn streets of Mogadishu, attacked from all sides by armed Aidid supporters. Based on author Mark Bowden's bestselling account of the battle, Scott's riveting, action-packed film follows a sharp ensemble cast in some of the most authentic battle sequences ever filmed. The loss of 18 soldiers turned American opinion against further involvement in Somalia, but "Black Hawk Down" makes it clear that the men involved were undeniably heroic. "--Jeff Shannon"
 

The Black Hole

Director: Gary Nelson
Starring: Maximilian Schell, Anthony Perkins, Robert Forster, Joseph Bottoms, Ernest Borgnine, Yvette Mimieux
Genre: Family, Science Fiction
Studio: Disney
My Rating:
Rated: PG
Release: Dec 1979
Summary: It is the year 2130 A.D. An Earth exploratory ship, the USS Palomino, discovers a black hole with a lost ship, the USS Cygnus, just outside its event horizon. Deciding to solve the mystery of the Cygnus are: the Palomino's Captain, Dan Holland; his First Officer, Lieutenant Charlie Pizer; journalist Harry Booth; scientist and ESP-sensitive Dr. Kate McCrae, whose father was the Cygnus's First Officer; Dr. Alex Durant, the expedition's civilian leader; and the robot known as V.I.N.CENT. The Palomino attempts a dangerous fly-by of the darkened ship. As they come within close range of it, the buffeting they experience (due to the black hole's gravity) suddenly ceases. They bring more instruments to bear on the derelict, but do not even realize the gravity-free zone is artificial; slipping outside it, they are almost drawn into the black hole, an abyss from which no one can escape. Matters worsen when Reinhardt holds the crew captive, after realizing that they can help him reach his goal.
 

Black Swan

Director: Darren Aronofsky
Starring: Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis, Vincent Cassel, Barbara Hershey, Winona Ryder
Genre: Drama, Thriller, Mystery
Studio: Fox Searchlight Pictures
My Rating:
Rated: R
Rating: 8.1 (335,413 votes)
Release: Mar 2011
Summary: Feverish worlds such as espionage and warfare have nothing on the hothouse realm of ballet, as director Darren Aronofsky makes clear in "Black Swan", his over-the-top delve into a particularly fraught production of "Swan Lake". At the very moment hard-working ballerina Nina (Natalie Portman) lands the plum role of the White Swan, her company director (Vincent Cassel) informs her that she'll also play the Black Swan--and while Nina's precise, almost virginal technique will serve her well in the former role, the latter will require a looser, lustier attack. The strain of reaching within herself for these feelings, along with nattering comments from her mother (Barbara Hershey) and the perceived rivalry from a new dancer (Mila Kunis), are enough to make anybody crack… and tracing out the fault lines of Nina's breakdown is right in Aronofsky's wheelhouse. Those cracks are broad indeed, as Nina's psychological instability is telegraphed with blunt-force emphasis in this neurotic roller-coaster ride. The characters are stick figures--literally, in the case of the dancers, but also as single-note stereotypes in the horror show: witchy bad mommy, sexually intimidating male boss, wacko diva (Winona Ryder, as the prima ballerina Nina is replacing). Yet the film does work up some crazed momentum (and undeniably earned its share of critical raves), and the final sequence is one juicy curtain-dropper. A good part of the reason for this is the superbly all-or-nothing performance by Natalie Portman, who packs an enormous amount of ferocity into her small body. Kudos, too, to Tchaikovsky's incredibly durable music, which has meshed well with psychological horror at least since being excerpted for the memorably moody opening credits of the 1931 "Dracula", another pirouette through the dark side. "--Robert Horton"
 

Blackfish

Director: Gabriela Cowperthwaite
Starring: Kim Ashdown, Ken Balcomb, Samantha Berg, Dawn Brancheau, Dave Duffus
Genre: Documentary
Studio: Manny O Productions
My Rating:
Rated: PG-13
Rating: 4
Release: Jul 2013
Summary: Notorious killer whale Tilikum is responsible for the deaths of three individuals, including a top killer whale trainer. Blackfish shows the sometimes devastating consequences of keeping such intelligent and sentient creatures in captivity.
 

Blade

Director: Stephen Norrington
Starring: Wesley Snipes, Stephen Dorff, Kris Kistofferson, Arly Jover, Udo Kier
Genre: Action, Fantasy, Horror
Studio: New Line Home Video
My Rating:
Rated: R
Rating: 7.0 (122,315 votes)
Release: Aug 1998
Summary: The recipe for "Blade" is quite simple; you take one part "Batman", one part horror flick, and two parts kung fu and frost it all over with some truly campy acting. What do you get? An action flick that will reaffirm your belief that the superhero action genre did not die in the fluorescent hands of Joel Schumacher. "Blade" is the story of a ruthless and supreme vampire slayer (Wesley Snipes) who makes other contemporary slayers (Buffy "et al.") look like amateurs. Armed with a samurai sword made of silver and guns that shoot silver bullets, he lives to hunt and kill "Sucker Heads." Pitted against our hero is a cast of villains led by Deacon Frost (Stephen Dorff), a crafty and charismatic vampire who believes that his people should be ruling the world, and that the human race is merely the food source they prey on. Born half-human and half-vampire after his mother had been attacked by a blood-sucker, Blade is brought to life by a very buff-looking Snipes in his best action performance to date. Apparent throughout the film is the fluid grace and admirable skill that Snipes brings to the many breathtaking action sequences that lift this movie into a league of its own. The influence of Hong Kong action cinema is clear, and you may even notice vague impressions of Japanese "anime" sprinkled innovatively throughout. Dorff holds his own against Snipes as the menacing nemesis Frost, and the grizzly Kris Kristofferson brings a tough, cynical edge to his role as Whistler, Blade's mentor and friend. Ample credit should also go to director Stephen Norrington and screenwriter David S. Goyer, who prove it is possible to adapt comic book characters to the big screen without making them look absurd. Indeed, quite the reverse happens here: Blade comes vividly to life from the moment you first see him, in an outstanding opening sequence that sets the tone for the action-packed film that follows. From that moment onward you are pulled into the world of Blade and his perpetual battle against the vampire race. "--Jeremy Storey"
 

Blade II

Director: Guillermo Del Toro
Starring: Wesley Snipes, Kris Kristofferson, Ron Perlman, Leonor Varela, Norman Reedus
Genre: Action, Horror, Sci-Fi
Studio: New Line
My Rating:
Rated: R
Rating: 6.6 (100,552 votes)
Release: Mar 2002
Summary: A rare mutation has occurred within the vampire community. The Reaper. A vampire so consumed with an insatiable bloodlust that they prey on vampires as well as humans, transforming victims who are unlucky enough to survive into Reapers themselves. Now their quickly expanding population threatens the existence of vampires, and soon there won't be enough humans in the world to satisfy their bloodlust. Blade, Whistler (Yes, he's back) and an armory expert named Scud are curiously summoned by the Shadow Council. The council reluctantly admits that they are in a dire situation and they require Blade's assistance. Blade then tenuously enters into an alliance with The Bloodpack, an elite team of vampires trained in all modes of combat to defeat the Reaper threat. Blade's team and the Bloodpack are the only line of defense which can prevent the Reaper population from wiping out the vampire and human populations.
 

Blade Runner

Director: Ridley Scott
Starring: Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, Sean Young, Edward James Olmos, M. Emmet Walsh
Genre: Drama, Thriller, Sci-Fi
Studio: Warner Home Video
My Rating:
Rated: R
Rating: 8.3 (298,921 votes)
Release: Jun 1982
Summary: When Ridley Scott's cut of "Blade Runner" was finally released in 1993, one had to wonder why the studio hadn't done it right the first time--11 years earlier. This version is so much better, mostly because of what's been eliminated (the ludicrous and redundant voice-over narration and the phony happy ending) rather than what's been added (a bit more character development and a brief unicorn dream). Star Harrison Ford originally recorded the narration under duress at the insistence of Warner Bros. executives who thought the story needed further "explanation"; he later confessed that he thought if he did it badly they wouldn't use it. (Moral: Never overestimate the taste of movie executives.) The movie's spectacular futuristic vision of Los Angeles--a perpetually dark and rainy metropolis that's the nightmare antithesis of "Sunny Southern California"--is still its most seductive feature, an otherworldly atmosphere in which you can immerse yourself. The movie's shadowy visual style, along with its classic private-detective/murder-mystery plot line (with Ford on the trail of a murderous android, or "replicant"), makes "Blade Runner" one of the few science fiction pictures to legitimately claim a place in the film noir tradition. And, as in the best noir, the sleuth discovers a whole lot more (about himself and the people he encounters) than he anticipates.... With Sean Young, Edward James Olmos, Daryl Hannah, Rutger Hauer, and M. Emmet Walsh. "--Jim Emerson"
 

Blade: Trinity

Director: David S. Goyer
Starring: Wesley Snipes, Kris Kristofferson, Parker Posey, Ryan Reynolds, Jessica Biel
Genre: Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Studio: Eurpac
My Rating:
Rated: R
Rating: 5.8 (84,054 votes)
Release: Dec 2004
Summary: Blade finds himself alone surrounded by enemies, fighting an up hill battle with the vampire nation and now humans. He joins forces with a group of vampire hunters whom call themselves the Nightstalkers. The vampire nation awakens the king of vampires Dracula from his slumber with intentions of using his primitive blood to become day-walkers. On the other side is Blade and his team manifesting a virus that could wipe out the vampire race once and for all. In the end the two sides will collide and only one will come out victorious, a battle between the ultimate vampire whom never knew defeat, facing off against the greatest vampire slayer.
 

Blades Of Glory

Director: Josh Gordon, Will Speck
Starring: Will Ferrell, Jon Heder, Will Arnett, Jenna Fischer, Amy Poehler, William Fichtner, Craig T. Nelson, Nick Swardson, Romany Malco, Andy Richter, Nick Jameson, Tom Virtue, Greg Lindsay, Scott Hamilton, Rémy Girard, Zachary Ferren, Ben Wilson, Steven M. Gagnon, William Daniels, Rob Corddry
Genre: Action, Comedy, Drama, Sports
Studio: Paramount
My Rating:
Rated: PG-13
Rating: 6.3 (85,681 votes)
Release: Mar 2007
Summary: When a much-publicized ice-skating scandal strips them of their gold medals, two world-class athletes skirt their way back onto the ice via a loophole that allows them to compete together -- as a pairs team.
 

Blazing Saddles

Director: Mel Brooks
Starring: Gene Wilder, Harvey Korman
Genre: Comedy, Western
Studio: Warner Home Video
My Rating:
Rated: R
Release: Feb 1974
Summary: Mel Brooks scored his first commercial hit with this raucous Western spoof starring the late Cleavon Little as the newly hired (and conspicuously black) sheriff of Rock Ridge. Sheriff Bart teams up with deputy Jim (Gene Wilder) to foil the railroad-building scheme of the nefarious Hedley Lamarr (Harvey Korman). The simple plot is just an excuse for a steady stream of gags, many of them unabashedly tasteless, that Brooks and his wacky cast pull off with side-splitting success. The humor is so juvenile and crude that you just have to surrender to it; highlights abound, from the lunkheaded Alex Karras as the ox-riding Mongo to Madeline Kahn's uproarious send-up of Marlene Dietrich as saloon songstress Lili Von Shtupp. Adding to the comedic excess is the infamous campfire scene involving a bunch of hungry cowboys, heaping servings of baked beans and, well, you get the idea. "--Jeff Shannon"
 

The Bling Ring

Director: Sofia Coppola
Starring: Emma Watson, Leslie Mann, Taissa Farmiga, Erin Daniels, Nina Siemaszko, Gavin Rossdale, Stacy Edwards, Joe Nieves, Israel Broussard, Katie Chang, Claire Julien, Georgia Rock, Carlos Miranda
Genre: Drama, Crime
Studio: American Zoetrope
My Rating:
Rated: R
Release: Jun 2013
Summary: Inspired by actual events, a group of fame-obsessed teenagers use the internet to track celebrities' whereabouts in order to rob their homes.
 

Blood

Director: Nick Murphy
Starring: Paul Bettany, Mark Strong, Stephen Graham, Brian Cox, Zoe Tapper, Ben Crompton, Natasha Little, Adrian Edmondson, Nick Murphy, Patrick Hurd-Wood, Stuart McQuarrie, Daniel Pemberton, Sandra Voe, Jasper Britton, Naomi Battrick
Genre: Mystery, Thriller
My Rating:
Rated: Unrated
Release: Oct 2012
Summary: Thriller charting the moral collapse of a police family. Two cop brothers, smothered by the shadow of their former police chief father, must investigate a crime they themselves have committed.
 

Blood Diamond

Director: Edward Zwick
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Djimon Hounsou, Jennifer Connelly, Kagiso Kuypers, Arnold Vosloo, Antony Coleman, Benu Mabhena, Anointing Lukola, David Harewood, Basil Wallace, Jimi Mistry, Michael Sheen, Marius Weyers, Stephen Collins, Ntare Mwine, Ato Essandoh
Genre: Adventure, Drama, Action, Thriller
Studio: Warner Home Video
My Rating:
Rated: R
Rating: 8.0 (240,904 votes)
Release: Dec 2006
Summary: An ex-mercenary turned smuggler. A Mende fisherman. Amid the explosive civil war overtaking 1999 Sierra Leone, these men join for two desperate missions: recovering a rare pink diamond of immense value and rescuing the fisherman's son conscripted as a child soldier into the brutal rebel forces ripping a swath of torture and bloodshed countrywide.
 

Bloody Sunday

Director: Paul Greengrass
Starring: James Nesbitt, Tim Pigott-Smith, Nicholas Farrell, Allan Gildea, Gerard Crossan
Genre: Drama, War, History
Studio: Paramount
My Rating:
Rated: R
Rating: 7.7 (14,235 votes)
Release: Apr 2003
Summary: With breathtaking verisimilitude, "Bloody Sunday" posits an immediate, you-are-there re-creation of Ireland's most controversial contemporary tragedy. From dusk to dawn, the events of January 30, 1972, are presented in convincing "verité" fashion; by employing rapid fade-to-black transitions, director Paul Greengrass approaches two perspectives with equal anticipation of potential disaster, based on facts as reported in Don Mullan's politically influential book "Eyewitness Bloody Sunday". Ivan Cooper (James Nesbitt) is, ironically, a Protestant Member of Parliament, leading a peaceful but tensely expectant civil rights march through the Catholic "bogside" of the city of Derry, in protest of the British practice of internment without trial. He watches in horror as his throng of unarmed protesters splinters against British paramilitaries who impulsively open fire. No question where Greengrass's sympathies lie (heard but not seen, the first shots are British), but despite charges of inaccuracy and bias, "Bloody Sunday" will likely stand as the definitive cinematic representation of that horrible day when deadly confusion reigned supreme. (U2's "Sunday Bloody Sunday" plays over the closing credits; any other choice would have been blasphemous.) "--Jeff Shannon"
 

Blue Caprice

Director: Alexandre Moors
Starring: Isaiah Washington, Tequan Richmond, Joey Lauren Adams, Tim Blake Nelson, Cassandra Freeman, Leo Fitzpatrick, Al Sapienza, Bruce Kirkpatrick, Alexis Iacono, Greg Paul
Genre: Drama, Crime
Studio: SimonSays Entertainment
My Rating:
Rated: R
Release: Sep 2013
Summary: An abandoned boy is lured to America and drawn into the shadow of a dangerous father figure. Inspired by the real life events that led to the 2002 Beltway sniper attacks.
 

Blue Jasmine

Director: Woody Allen
Starring: Cate Blanchett, Alec Baldwin, Peter Sarsgaard, Louis C.K., Alden Ehrenreich, Charlie Tahan, Sally Hawkins, Max Casella, Tammy Blanchard, Andrew Dice Clay, Bobby Cannavale, Michael Stuhlbarg, Martin Cantu, Daniel Jenks, Max Rutherford, Ali Fedotowsky
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Studio: Sony Pictures Classics
My Rating:
Rated: PG-13
Release: Jul 2013
Summary: A woman whose comfortable life is uprooted after her husband is exposed as a criminal moves to San Francisco to be with her sister.
 

Blue Valentine

Director: Derek Cianfrance
Starring: Michelle Williams, Ryan Gosling
Genre: Drama, Romance
Studio: The Weinstein Company and Anchor Bay Entertainment
My Rating:
Rated: R
Rating: 7.4 (83,722 votes)
Release: May 2011
Summary: Love blooms and dies at the same time in the delicate dance between Oscar nominees Ryan Gosling ("Half Nelson") and Michelle Williams ("Brokeback Mountain"). Gosling's Dean, a high-school dropout, works for a New York moving company. While relocating a frail widower into a retirement home, he spots Cindy, a nursing student who's visiting her grandmother, but the film actually begins six years later. Married with a daughter, they live in rural Pennsylvania. Heavy drinker Dean's looks are fading, while Cindy still turns heads. In his elegantly constructed second feature, writer-director Derek Cianfrance pirouettes between past and present, with each scene commenting on the next (set to the bittersweet tones of Brooklyn band Grizzly Bear). The Dean of the early years pursues Cindy, who resists at first, but a spontaneous date ends with her tap dancing (badly) and him singing (not so badly). She leaves her domineering boyfriend (Mike Vogel) for this attentive stranger, leading to scenes of intimacy that are far more suggestive than pornographic--even if the MPAA briefly rated the film NC-17. Later, when the family dog goes missing, the cracks in their marriage intensify, so Dean arranges for a night of romance, which plays out like a negative image of their first date. If the two actors, who are very good, are meant to carry equal weight, Gosling has the more difficult task. It's harder to like the clingy, insecure Dean, who loves more intensely and less wisely, but that makes Gosling's the braver performance. "--Kathleen C. Fennessy"
 

The Blues Brothers

Director: John Landis
Starring: Dan Aykroyd, John Belushi
Genre: Comedy, Action, Music
Studio: Universal Studios
My Rating:
Rated: R
Rating: 7.9 (95,307 votes)
Release: Sep 1998
Summary: After building up the duo's popularity through recordings and several performances on "Saturday Night Live," John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd--as "legendary" Chicago blues brothers Jake and Elwood Blues--took their act to the big screen in this action-packed hit from 1980. As Jake and Elwood struggle to reunite their old band and save the Chicago orphanage where they were raised, they wreak enough good-natured havoc to attract the entire Cook County police force. The result is a big-budget stunt-fest on a scale rarely attempted before or since, including extended car chases that result in the wanton destruction of shopping malls and more police cars than you can count. Along the way there's plenty of music to punctuate the action, including performances by Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, Cab Calloway, and James Brown that are guaranteed to knock you out. As played with deadpan wit by Belushi and Aykroyd, the Blues Brothers are "on a mission from God," and that gives them a kind of reckless glee that keeps the movie from losing its comedic appeal. Otherwise this might have been just a bloated marathon of mayhem that quickly wears out its welcome (which is how some critics described this film and its 1998 sequel). Keep an eye out for Steven Spielberg as the city clerk who stamps some crucial paperwork near the end of the film."--Jeff Shannon"
 

Bobby

Director: Emilio Estevez
Starring: Demi Moore, Anthony Hopkins, Lawrence Fishburne, Lindsay Lohan, Elijah Wood
Genre: Drama, History
Studio: The Weinstein Company
My Rating:
Rated: R
Rating: 4.0 (46 votes)
Release: Apr 2007
Summary: (Drama) A re-telling of the assassination of Senator Robert F. Kennedy at the Ambassador Hotel in 1968. The film follows 22 individuals who are all at the hotel for different purposes but share the common thread of anticipating Kennedy's arrival at the primary election night party, which would change their lives forever. This historic night is set against the backdrop of the cultural issues gripping the country at the time, including racism, sexual inequality and class differences.
 

Body Shock: The Man Who Ate His Lover

Director: Srik Narayanan
Starring: Armin Meiwes, Andy Cowton, Steve Gray, Susan Brand
Genre: Documentary
Studio: Mentorn
My Rating:
Rated: Unrated
Rating: 6.7 (64 votes)
Release: Mar 2004
Summary: The true story of two men and their encounter with each other. One is a German, who is also a cannibal. The other man is from Berlin, who's fetish is to be eaten and killed. They meet up on the Internet, and rendezvous in Germany at the cannibal's mansion. There, the willing-victim is drugged up on painkillers. The cannibal then removes the willing-victim's penis while video-taping the incident. The penis is split down the middle for the two to eat; first trying the penis raw, then cooking it. After the willing-victim has bled to death, the cannibal puts his corpse in a bath for ten hours, then uses the corpse's meat for food.
 

Boiler Room

Director: Ben Younger
Starring: Giovanni Ribisi, Vin Diesel, Nia Long, Nicky Katt, Scott Caan
Genre: Action, Adventure
Studio: New Line Home Video
My Rating:
Rated: R
Rating: 6.9 (30,521 votes)
Release: Jul 2000
Summary: The intense soundtrack of "Boiler Room" is a fitting underscore for this movie, which pulses with the vigor of young, rich, amoral men wreaking havoc. This is not the antisocietal havoc of "Fight Club", but the more deliberate mayhem that comes from greed run amok. The testosterone-junkie brokers of J.T. Marlin (the only female in the office is Abby, the receptionist and love interest, played by Nia Long) are out to make the sale, and whether that sale is legal or ethical doesn't matter.
Seth Davis (Giovanni Ribisi) is a 19-year-old college dropout who strives for approval from his father (Ron Rifkin), a judge who is horrified that his son operates a 24-hour illicit casino. When an old friend visits the casino with a fellow broker, Davis is impressed by their wads of money and yellow Ferrari, and decides to join the firm. In no time he's making sales and settling into the groove of the office and all the after-hours perks, but the dream fades when Davis discovers the scam that is making all of the brokers wealthy beyond their dreams.
Borrowing heavily from "Wall Street" and "Glengarry Glen Ross", "Boiler Room" is at its best when dealing with matters of money, and powerful scenes of Davis learning to be a "closer" showcase the significant talent of Ribisi, Nicky Katt, and Vin Diesel. The movie flounders when developing the relationship between Davis and his father, becoming sentimental and trite. However, as a fable of modern society and a nostalgic vehicle about the days of yuppies past, "Boiler Room" is right on the money. "--Jenny Brown"
 

Bolt

Director: Chris Williams, Byron Howard
Starring: John Travolta, Miley Cyrus, Susie Essman, Mark Walton, Malcolm McDowell, James Lipton, Greg Germann, Diedrich Bader, Nick Swardson, J.P. Manoux, Dan Fogelman, Kari Wahlgren, Chloë Grace Moretz, Randy Savage, Ronn Moss
Genre: Animation, Family, Adventure
Studio: The Walt Disney Company
My Rating:
Rated: PG
Rating: 7.0 (87,367 votes)
Release: Nov 2008
Summary: Bolt is the star of the biggest show in Hollywood. The only problem is, he thinks the whole thing is real. When the super dog is accidentally shipped to New York City and separated from Penny, his beloved co-star and owner, Bolt springs into action to find his way home. Together with hilarious new sidekick Rhino, Bolt's #1 fan, and a street-smart cat named Mittens, Bolt sets off on an amazing journey where he discovers he doesn't need super powers to be a hero.
 

The Book of Eli

Director: Albert Hughes, Allen Hughes
Starring: Denzel Washington, Gary Oldman, Mila Kunis, Ray Stevenson, Jennifer Beals
Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama
Studio: Warner Home Video
My Rating:
Rated: R
Rating: 6.8 (141,181 votes)
Release: Jun 2010
Summary: With unflappable cool and surprising gentleness, Denzel Washington strides a bleak and barren world in "The Book of Eli". Eli is headed west, but on the way, he passes devastation and squalor, and occasionally he must mete out some devastation of his own with a sharp blade. But when he arrives in what passes for a town in this dust-and-ash future, the power-hungry owner of the town's bar, Carnegie (Gary Oldman, looking a million years old), covets his one important possession. (Spoiler alert, sort of: it becomes apparent pretty quickly that it's a King James Bible.) Conflict ensues! Though the plot is simple and the "mystery" of the book doesn't last long, "The Book of Eli" is carried along effortlessly by its star. Washington has always had a compelling mixture of authority and tenderness, and it's this latter quality that makes this contribution to the testosterone-and-violence-drenched post-apocalyptic subgenre unexpectedly human. The script, while not particularly original, has effective dialogue and is smart enough not to explain too much. The supporting actors--including Mila Kunis ("Forgetting Sarah Marshall"), Jennifer Beals (who hasn't aged a day since "Flashdance"), and Ray Stevenson ("Rome")--are all capable and easy on the eyes. The movie's bleached-out, sepia-tone look isn't new either, but it suits the subject matter. Anyone who wants to be offended by the movie's spiritual conclusion would be wiser to enjoy the subversive insinuation that religion can enslave as much as save. All in all, a competent action movie with some enjoyably atypical elements. "--Bret Fetzer"
 

The Book Thief

Director: Brian Percival
Starring: Geoffrey Rush, Emily Watson, Sophie Nélisse, Ben Schnetzer, Nico Liersch, Joachim Paul Assböck, Sandra Nedeleff, Kirsten Block, Joachim Paul Assböck, Matthias Matschke, Roger Allam, Nozomi Linus Kaisar, Oliver Stokowski, Robert Beyer
Genre: Drama
Studio: Fox 2000 Pictures
My Rating:
Rated: PG-13
Rating: 7.7 (5,069 votes)
Release: Nov 2011
Summary: While subjected to the horrors of WWII Germany, young Liesel finds solace by stealing books and sharing them with others. Under the stairs in her home, a Jewish refuge is being sheltered by her adoptive parents.
 

Boomtown - The Complete First Season

Director: Jon Avnet
Starring: Donnie Wahlberg, Gary Basaraba, Jason Gedrick, Lana Parrilla, Mykelti Williamson, Neal McDonough, Nina Garbiras, Eric Ty Hodges, Randy Kovitz, Damien Leake, Kristin Bauer, Kim Murphy, Kelly Rowan, Andy Umberger, Paige Hurd, Verda Bridges, Dwight Hicks, Cliff Olin, Gina St. John, Ken Rudolph, Garikayi Mutambirwa, Marquise Wilson, Basil Boyd, Brian Sites, Arlen Escarpeta, David Prov
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Studio: Artisan Entertainment
My Rating:
Rated: Unrated
Release: Jul 2002
Summary: Each episode of this series, set in present day Los Angeles, examines one crime from many different viewpoints - uniformed cops, detectives, witnesses, the media, the fire department and rescue squad, even the criminals themselves.
 

Boondock Saints

Director: Troy Duffy
Starring: Willem Dafoe, Sean Patrick Flanery, Norman Reedus, Billy Connolly, Ron Jeremy
Genre: Action, Crime, Drama
Studio: 20th Century Fox
My Rating:
Rated: R
Release: May 2006
Summary: Charismatic young stars Sean Patrick Flanery and Norman Reedus play two Irish brothers, Connor and Murphy, who believe themselves ordained by God to rid the world of evil men. Their first killing is in self-defense; but after that, they start killing with devotion, gunning down a summit of the Russian mafia. Willem Dafoe plays a gay FBI agent (he listens to opera while examining crime scenes) who knows what the boys are doing but feels that their vigilante tactics are necessary. There's not much plot to "The Boondock Saints"--it's mostly a series of violent scenes in which the boys are partially ingenious and partially lucky. The movie seems to want to provoke debate about vigilantism, but the scenario is too implausible to stir any real controversy. The peculiar mix of earnestness and machismo will not appeal to everyone, but it's certainly unique and may acquire a cult following. "--Bret Fetzer"
 

Bound

Director: Larry Wachowski, Andy Wachowski
Starring: Jennifer Tilly, Gina Gershon, Joe Pantoliano, John P. Ryan, Christopher Meloni
Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Studio: Republic Pictures
My Rating:
Rated: R
Rating: 7.4 (30,361 votes)
Release: Aug 2001
Summary: Destined for cult status, this provocative thriller offers a grab bag of genres (gangster movie, comedy, sexy romance, crime caper) and tops it all off with steamy passion between lesbian ex-con Corky (Gina Gershon) and a not-so-ditzy gun moll named Violet (Jennifer Tilly), who meets Corky and immediately tires of her mobster boyfriend (Joe Pantoliano). Desperate to break away from the Mob's influence and live happily ever after, the daring dames hatch a plot to steal $2 million of Mafia money. Their scheme runs into a series of escalating complications, until their very survival depends on split-second timing and criminal ingenuity. Simultaneously violent, funny, and suspenseful, "Bound" is sure to test your tolerance for bloodshed, but the film is crafted with such undeniable skill that several critics (including Roger Ebert) placed it on their top-ten lists for 1996. "--Jeff Shannon"
 

Bounty Hunters

Director: Patrick McBrearty
Starring: Trish Stratus, Frank J. Zupancic, Boomer Phillips, Joe Rafla, Christian Bako
Genre: Action, Comedy, Thriller, Romance
Studio: Black Fawn Films
My Rating:
Rated: R
Rating: 3.5 (611 votes)
Release: Apr 2011
Summary: A hundred thousand dollar bounty or a million dollar execution? Choosing the former launches the heroes of BOUNTY HUNTERS into an all-out fight just to stay alive. The feature film debut of international fitness model Trish Stratus, BOUNTY HUNTERS is a sexy, action packed ride.
 

The Bourne Identity

Director: Doug Liman
Starring: Franka Potente, Matt Damon, Chris Cooper, Clive Owen, Brian Cox
Genre: Thrillers, Action, Mystery
Studio: Universal Studios
My Rating:
Rated: PG-13
Rating: 7.9 (251,366 votes)
Release: Jan 2003
Summary: Freely adapted from Robert Ludlum's 1980 bestseller, "The Bourne Identity" starts fast and never slows down. The twisting plot revs up in Zurich, where amnesiac CIA assassin Jason Bourne (Matt Damon), with no memory of his name, profession, or recent activities, recruits a penniless German traveler ("Run Lola Run's Franka Potente") to assist in solving the puzzle of his missing identity. While his CIA superior (Chris Cooper) dispatches assassins to kill Bourne and thus cover up his failed mission, Bourne exercises his lethal training to leave a trail of bodies from Switzerland to Paris. Director Doug Liman (Go) infuses Ludlum's intricate plotting with a maverick's eye for character detail, matching breathtaking action with the humorous, thrill-seeking chemistry of Damon and Potente. Previously made as a 1988 TV movie starring Richard Chamberlain, "The Bourne Identity" benefits from the sharp talent of rising stars, offering intelligent, crowd-pleasing excitement from start to finish. "--Jeff Shannon"
 

The Bourne Legacy

Director: Tony Gilroy
Starring: Jeremy Renner, Scott Glenn, Stacy Keach, Edward Norton, Donna Murphy
Genre: Action, Adventure, Mystery, Thriller
Studio: Universal Pictures
My Rating:
Rated: PG-13
Rating: 6.7 (120,850 votes)
Release: Aug 2012
Summary: The events in this movie takes place around the same time that the events in The Bourne Ultimatum. When a British reporter was writing an expose about Black Ops operations Treadstone and Black Briar, and the ones responsible for them are concerned. And when Jason Bourne, former Treadstone operative got the file on Treadstone and Black Briar and gave it to Pamela Landy who them passed it to the media. When the men behind Treadstone and Black Briar learn of this, they're concerned how this will affects other ops they have. They decide it's best to shut down all ops and make sure make everyone involved disappears. They try to take out Aaron Cross who is part of another op called Outcome, but he manages to survive. He then seeks out Dr. Marta Shearing who worked on him when he began. It seems part of the program is for all subjects to take medications but he has run out, which is why he seeks her...
 

The Bourne Supremacy

Director: Paul Greengrass
Starring: Matt Damon, Franka Potente, Joan Allen, Brian Cox, Julia Stiles
Genre: Thrillers, Action, Mystery
Studio: Universal Studios
My Rating:
Rated: PG-13
Rating: 7.7 (213,600 votes)
Release: Dec 2004
Summary: Good enough to suggest long-term franchise potential, "The Bourne Supremacy" is a thriller fans will appreciate for its well-crafted suspense, and for its triumph of competence over logic (or lack thereof). Picking up where "The Bourne Identity" left off, the action begins when CIA assassin and partial amnesiac Jason Bourne (a role reprised with efficient intensity by Matt Damon) is framed for a murder in Berlin, setting off a chain reaction of pursuits involving CIA handlers (led by Joan Allen and the duplicitous Brian Cox, with Julia Stiles returning from the previous film) and a shadowy Russian oil magnate. The fast-paced action hurtles from India to Berlin, Moscow, and Italy, and as he did with the critically acclaimed "Bloody Sunday", director Paul Greengrass puts you right in the thick of it with split-second editing (too much of it, actually) and a knack for well-sustained tension. It doesn't all make sense, and bears little resemblance to Robert Ludlum's novel, but with Damon proving to be an appealingly unconventional action hero, there's plenty to look forward to. "--Jeff Shannon"
 

The Bourne Ultimatum

Director: Paul Greengrass
Starring: Matt Damon, Joan Allen, Albert Finney, Scott Glenn, Colin Stinton
Genre: Thrillers, Action, Mystery
Studio: Universal Studios
My Rating:
Rated: PG-13
Rating: 8.1 (291,912 votes)
Release: Dec 2007
Summary: The often breathtaking, final installment in the" Bourne" trilogy finds the titular assassin with no memory closing in on his past, finally answering his own questions about his real identity and how he came to be a seemingly unstoppable killing machine. Matt Damon returns for another intensely physical performance as Jason Bourne, the rogue operative at war with the CIA, which made him who and what he is and managed to kill his girlfriend in the series' second film, "The Bourne Supremacy". Now looking for payback, Bourne goes in search for the renegade chief of CIA operations in Europe and North Africa, partnering for a time with a mysterious woman from his past (Julia Stiles) and constantly--constantly--on the run from assassins, intelligence foot soldiers, and cops. Directed by Paul Greengrass "(United 93)" with the director’s thrilling, trademark textures and shaky, documentary style, "The Bourne Ultimatum" is largely a succession of action scenes that reveal a lot about the story’s characters while they’re under duress. Joan Allen, Albert Finney, David Strathairn, Scott Glenn, and Paddy Considine comprise the film’s terrific supporting cast, and the well-traveled movie leads viewers through Turin, Madrid, Tangiers, Paris, London, and New York. Overall, this is a satisfying conclusion to "Bourne’s" exciting and protracted mystery. --"Tom Keogh"
 

Boyz N the Hood

Director: John Singleton
Starring: Hudhail Al-Amir, Lloyd Avery II, Angela Bassett, Mia Bell, Lexie Bigham
Genre: Crime, Drama
Studio: Sony Pictures
My Rating:
Rated: R
Rating: 7.7 (58,875 votes)
Release: Jul 1991
Summary: John Singleton, at the age of 23, was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for his debut film, "Boyz N the Hood". The film stars Laurence Fishburne, Angela Basset, Ice Cube, and Academy Award-winning actor Cuba Gooding Jr. in his first starring role in a feature film. Gooding plays Tre Styles, a teenager growing up in South Central Los Angeles. His father, Furious (Fishburne), is divorced and living away from Tre and his mother (Basset), but he's still involved in Tre's upbringing, teaching him the values of right and wrong and responsibility. Meanwhile, Tre's childhood buddies Ricky (Morris Chestnut) and Doughboy (Ice Cube) are living their lives in terms of the epidemic of violence and poverty that has plagued their neighborhood. Ricky, a talented football player, strives to get a full athletic scholarship to college. If only his SAT scores were higher. Doughboy lives a life full of crime but still remains true to his friends. The obstacles that these three young men come across result in dire consequences, devastatingly avoidable and inevitable at the same time. "Boyz N the Hood" is a landmark film beyond its commercial success, presenting a portrait of South Central in the late '80s and early '90s as painted by Singleton (who grew up in that neighborhood), achieving accuracy and dramatic resonance in this story of at-risk youth. "--Shannon Gee"
 

Brave

Director: Brenda Chapman, Steve Purcell, Mark Andrews
Starring: Kelly Macdonald, Billy Connolly, Emma Thompson, Julie Walters, Robbie Coltrane
Genre: Action, Adventure, Animation, Comedy, Family, Fantasy
Studio: Pixar Animation Studios
My Rating:
Rated: PG
Rating: 7.2 (119,555 votes)
Release: Nov 2012
Summary: Set in Scotland in a rugged and mythical time, "Brave" features Merida, an aspiring archer and impetuous daughter of royalty. Merida makes a reckless choice that unleashes unintended peril and forces her to spring into action to set things right.
 

Braveheart

Director: Mel Gibson
Starring: Mel Gibson, Sophie Marceau, Patrick McGoohan, Angus Macfadyen, James Robinson
Genre: Action, Biography, Drama
Studio: Paramount
My Rating:
Rated: R
Rating: 8.4 (436,109 votes)
Release: Aug 2000
Summary: A stupendous historical saga, "Braveheart" won five Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Director for star Mel Gibson. He plays William Wallace, a 13th-century Scottish commoner who unites the various clans against a cruel English King, Edward the Longshanks (Patrick McGoohan). The scenes of hand-to-hand combat are brutally violent, but they never glorify the bloodshed. There is such enormous scope to this story that it works on a smaller, more personal scale as well, essaying love and loss, patriotism and passion. Extremely moving, it reveals Gibson as a multitalented performer and remarkable director with an eye for detail and an understanding of human emotion. (His first directorial effort was 1993's "Man Without a Face".) The film is nearly three hours long and includes several plot tangents, yet is never dull. This movie resonates long after you have seen it, both for its visual beauty and for its powerful story. "--Rochelle O'Gorman"
 

The Breakfast Club

Director: John Hughes
Starring: Emilio Estevez, Paul Gleason, Anthony Michael Hall, Judd Nelson, Molly Ringwald
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Studio: Universal Pictures
My Rating:
Rated: R
Rating: 7.9 (142,660 votes)
Release: Feb 1985
Summary: John Hughes's popular 1985 teen drama finds a diverse group of high school students--a jock (Emilio Estevez), a metalhead (Judd Nelson), a weirdo (Ally Sheedy), a princess (Molly Ringwald), and a nerd (Anthony Michael Hall)--sharing a Saturday in detention at their high school for one minor infraction or another. Over the course of a day, they talk through the social barriers that ordinarily keep them apart, and new alliances are born, though not without a lot of pain first. Hughes ("Sixteen Candles"), who wrote and directed, is heavy on dialogue but he also thoughtfully refreshes the look of the film every few minutes with different settings and original viewpoints on action. The movie deals with such fundamentals as the human tendency toward bias and hurting the weak, and because the characters are caught somewhere between childhood and adulthood, it's easy to get emotionally involved in hope for their redemption. Preteen and teenage kids love this film, incidentally. "--Tom Keogh"
 

Brick

Director: Rian Johnson
Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Emilie De Ravin, Lukas Haas
Genre: Mystery, Thriller
Studio: Universal Studios
My Rating:
Rated: R
Rating: 6.8 (52,385 votes)
Release: Feb 2005
Summary: High school collides with hard-boiled film noir in the twisty, cunning "Brick". When he gets a mysterious message from his ex-girlfriend, a high school loner named Brendan (Joseph Gordon-Levitt, "Mysterious Skin") starts to dig into a crisscrossed web of drugs and duplicity, eventually getting entwined in the criminal doings of a teenage crime lord known as the Pin (Lukas Haas), his thuggish henchman Tugger (Noah Fleiss, "Joe the King"), and a mysterious girl named Laura (Nora Zehetner, "Fifty Pills"). "Brick" has not only the seductive, labyrinthine plot of a crime thriller by Dashiell Hammett ("The Maltese Falcon") or Raymond Chandler ("Farewell, My Lovely") but also a dense high-school version of hard-boiled lingo that's both comic and poetic. The movie unfolds with headlong momentum as Brendan manipulates, fights, and staggers his way through layers of high-school society. Gordon-Levitt is excellent; between this and the equally compelling "Mysterious Skin", he's left his "3rd Rock from the Sun" days behind. Also featuring Meagan Good ("Waist Deep") and Richard Roundtree ("Shaft"). "--Bret Fetzer"
 

Bridesmaids

Director: Paul Feig
Starring: Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Rose Byrne, Chris O'Dowd, Ellie Kemper
Genre: Comedy
Studio: NBCU
My Rating:
Rated: R
Rating: 6.9 (136,625 votes)
Release: Sep 2011
Summary: The delightful Kristen Wiig, who's shone in dozens of supporting roles and on "Saturday Night Live", hits a bull's-eye with her first lead role in "Bridesmaids". Annie (Wiig) isn't doing so well; her bakery failed and she keeps sleeping with a good-looking louse (Jon Hamm, "Mad Men"), but she's always had her best friend Lillian (Maya Rudolph, "Away We Go") to buoy her up… until Lillian gets engaged. Annie becomes maid of honor, but another friend of Lillian's--the rich and lovely Helen (Rose Byrne, "Get Him to the Greek")--wants to take over that position. Misadventures with bad Brazilian food, dress fittings, an unfortunate flight to Vegas, and a sympathetic traffic cop (Chris O'Dowd from British TV comedy "The IT Crowd") follow, with increasingly hilarious results. "Bridesmaids" successfully balances raunchy comedy and character portrait. The embarrassing and socially catastrophic stuff, which in too many movies balloons into absurdity, is here kept in check just enough to allow Annie and the other characters to be multidimensional people--without the movie losing its comic capacity for cringe. (Actress Melissa McCarthy, of "Mike & Molly", works miracles with a character than in most hands would be pure cartoon.) Wiig's enormous appeal keeps Annie sympathetic, even as she becomes more and more of a train wreck. "Bridesmaids" is both smart and dumb, raunchy and earnest, and altogether enjoyable. "--Bret Fetzer"
 

The Bridge on the River Kwai

Director: David Lean
Starring: William Holden, Sessue Hayakawa
Genre: Action, Adventure
Studio: Sony Pictures
My Rating:
Rated: PG
Rating: 8.3 (93,571 votes)
Release: Dec 1957
Summary: Director David Lean's masterful 1957 realization of Pierre Boulle's novel remains a benchmark for war films, and a deeply absorbing movie by any standard--like most of Lean's canon, "The Bridge on the River Kwai" achieves a richness in theme, narrative, and characterization that transcends genre.

The story centers on a Japanese prison camp isolated deep in the jungles of Southeast Asia, where the remorseless Colonel Saito (Sessue Hayakawa) has been charged with building a vitally important railway bridge. His clash of wills with a British prisoner, the charismatic Colonel Nicholson (Alec Guinness), escalates into a duel of honor, Nicholson defying his captor's demands to win concessions for his troops. How the two officers reach a compromise, and Nicholson becomes obsessed with building that bridge, provides the story's thematic spine; the parallel movement of a team of commandos dispatched to stop the project, led by a British major (Jack Hawkins) and guided by an American escapee (William Holden), supplies the story's suspense and forward momentum.

Shot on location in Sri Lanka, "Kwai" moves with a careful, even deliberate pace that survivors of latter-day, high-concept blockbusters might find lulling--Lean doesn't pander to attention deficit disorders with an explosion every 15 minutes. Instead, he guides us toward the intersection of the two plots, accruing remarkable character details through extraordinary performances. Hayakawa's cruel camp commander is gradually revealed as a victim of his own sense of honor, Holden's callow opportunist proves heroic without softening his nihilistic edge, and Guinness (who won a Best Actor Oscar, one of the production's seven wins) disappears as only he can into Nicholson's brittle, duty-driven, delusional psychosis. His final glimpse of self-knowledge remains an astonishing moment--story, character, and image coalescing with explosive impact.

Like Lean's "Lawrence of Arabia", "The Bridge on the River Kwai" has been beautifully restored and released in a highly recommended widescreen version that preserves its original aspect ratio. "--Sam Sutherland"
 

Bridget Jones's Diary

Director: Sharon Maguire
Starring: Renée Zellweger, Colin Firth, Hugh Grant, Gemma Jones, Celia Imrie
Genre: Comedy
Studio: Miramax
My Rating:
Rated: R
Rating: 7.7 (118,664 votes)
Release: Oct 2001
Summary: Featuring a blowzy, winningly inept size-12 heroine, "Bridget Jones's Diary" is a fetching adaptation of Helen Fielding's runaway bestseller, grittier than "Ally McBeal" but sweeter than "Sex and the City". The normally sylphlike Renée Zellweger ("Nurse Betty", "Me, Myself and Irene") wolfed pasta to gain poundage to play "singleton" Bridget, a London-based publicist who divides her free time between binge eating in front of the TV, downing Chardonnay with her friends, and updating the diary in which she records her negligible weight fluctuations and romantic misadventures of the year. Things start off badly at Christmas when her mother tries to set her up with seemingly standoffish lawyer Mark Darcy (Colin Firth), whom Bridget accidentally overhears dissing her. Instead she embarks on a disastrous liaison with her raffish boss, Daniel Cleaver (Hugh Grant, infinitely more likeable when he's playing a baddie instead of his patented tongue-tied fops). Eventually, Bridget comes to wonder if she's let her pride prejudice her against the surprisingly attractive Mr. Darcy.
If the plot sounds familiar, that's because Fielding's novel was itself a retelling of Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice", whose romantic male lead is also named Mr. Darcy. An extra ironic poke in the ribs is added by the casting of Firth, who played Austen's haughty hero in the acclaimed BBC adaptation of Austen's novel. First-time director Sharon Maguire directs with confident comic zest, while Zellweger twinkles charmingly, fearlessly baring her cellulite and pulling off a spot-on English accent. Like "Four Weddings and a Funeral" and "Notting Hill" (both of which were written by this film's coscreenwriter, Richard Curtis), "Bridget Jones"'s stock-in-trade is a very English self-deprecating sense of humor, a mild suspicion of Americans (especially if they're thin and successful), and a subtly expressed analysis of thirtysomething fears about growing up and becoming a "smug married." The whole is, as Bridget would say, v. good. "--Leslie Felperin"
 

Bringing Down The House

Director: Adam Shankman
Starring: Steve Martin, Queen Latifah, Eugene Levy, Joan Plowright, Jean Smart
Genre: Comedy
Studio: Walt Disney Video
My Rating:
Rated: PG-13
Rating: 5.4 (23,351 votes)
Release: Aug 2003
Summary: The pleasingly contrasting comic styles of Queen Latifah and Steve Martin bring some energy to "Bringing Down the House", a hopelessly formulaic comedy. Martin plays Peter, an uptight lawyer too obsessed with work to spend quality time with his kids. Into his life comes Queen Latifah as Charlene, an escaped convict who threatens to wreck his relationship with a wealthy but arch-conservative client (Joan Plowright, in high dudgeon) if Peter won't take up her case. Of course, Latifah's exuberant ways enchant his kids and bring out a looser, livelier side of Peter, all in a series of scenes so standard they hardly register. Thank goodness for Eugene Levy; as one of Peter's law partners with a taste for Charlene's bodacious brand of sexy, Levy's ingenious transformation from nebbish to loverman is the movie's secret weapon, stealthily planting comic explosions amidst the modest rice-krispie-crackle of the stale plot. "--Bret Fetzer"
 

Bronson

Director: Nicolas Winding Refn
Starring: Tom Hardy, Kelly Adams, Luing Andrews
Genre: Drama
Studio: Madman
My Rating:
Rated: R
Rating: 7.0 (37,922 votes)
Release: Mar 2009
Summary: In 1974, a hot-headed 19 year old named Michael Peterson decided he wanted to make a name for himself and so, with a homemade sawn-off shotgun and a head full of dreams he attempted to rob a post office. Swiftly apprehended and originally sentenced to 7 years in jail, Peterson has subsequently been behind bars for 34 years, 30 of which have been spent in solitary confinement. During that time, Michael Petersen, the boy, faded away and 'Charles Bronson,' his superstar alter ego, took center stage. Inside the mind of Bronson - a scathing indictment of celebrity culture.
 

Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Director: Fran Rubel Kuzui
Starring: Kristy Swanson, Donald Sutherland, Rutger Hauer, Fran Rubel Kuzui, Luke Perry
Genre: Thrillers
Studio: 20th Century Fox
My Rating:
Rated: PG-13
Rating: 8.0 (63,573 votes)
Release: Sep 2001
Summary: Fran Rubel Kuzui's 1992 tongue-in-cheek vampire comedy is sugarcoated horror, an unusual mix of the cute and scary, with a splash of postmodern pop nonsense to give culture critics something to think about. Kristy Swanson plays a Valley Girl who learns she belongs to a line of ancient vampire killers. After training under the watchful eye of a mentor (Donald Sutherland), she becomes a spandex-wearing, kung-fu kicking, stake-stabbing babe and the mortal enemy of a narcissistic master vampire (Rutger Hauer). The accent is all on cheery attitude, though the action can be as authentically unnerving as any other halfway decent monster movie. Paul Reubens, formerly Pee-wee Herman, has a small role as Hauer's fanged familiar. "--Tom Keogh"
 

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Complete Series

Director: David Greenwalt, David Grossman, David Semel, David Solomon, James A. Contner
Starring: Sarah Michelle Gellar, Nicholas Brendon, Alyson Hannigan, Anthony Head, James Marsters
Genre: Action, Drama, Fantasy
Studio: 20th Century Fox
My Rating:
Rated: Unrated
Release: Oct 2010
Summary: From its charming and angst-ridden first season to the darker, apocalyptic final one, "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" succeeds on many levels, and in a fresher and more authentic way than the shows that came before or after it. How lucky, then, that with the release of its boxed set of seasons 1-7, you can have the estimable pleasure of watching a near-decade of "Buffy" in any order you choose. (And we have some ideas about how that should be done.)
First: rest assured that there's no shame in coming to "Buffy" late, even if you initially turned your nose up at the winsome Sarah Michelle Gellar kicking the hell out of vampires (in "Buffy"-lingo, vamps), demons, and other evil-doers. Perhaps you did so because, well, it looked sort of science-fiction-like with all that monster latex. Start with season 3 and see that Buffy offers something for everyone, and the sooner you succumb to it, the quicker you'll appreciate how textured and riveting a drama it is.
Why season 3? Because it offers you a winning cast of characters who have fallen from innocence: their hearts have been broken, their egos trampled in typically vicious high-school style, and as a result, they've begun to realize how fallible they are. As much as they try, there are always more monsters, or a bigger evil. Despite this, or perhaps because of it, the core crew remains something of a unit--there's the smart girl, Willow (Alyson Hannigan) who dreams of saving the day by downloading the plans to City Hall's sewer tunnels and mapping a route to safety. There are the ne'r do wells--the vampire Spike (James Marsters), who both clashes with and aspires to love Buffy; the tortured and torturing Angel (David Boreanz); the pretty, popular girl with an empty heart (Charisma Carpenter); and the teenage everyman, Xander (Nicholas Brendon).
Then there's Buffy herself, who in the course of seven seasons morphs from a sarcastic teenager in a minidress to a heroine whose tragic flaw is an abiding desire to be a "normal" girl. On a lesser note, with the boxed set you can watch the fashion transformation of Buffy from mall rat to Prada-wearing, kickboxing diva with enviable highlights. (There was the unfortunate bob of season 2, but it's a forgivable lapse.) At least the storyline merits the transformations: every time Buffy has to end a relationship she cuts her hair, shedding both the pain and her vulnerability.
In addition to the well-wrought teenage emotional landscape, "Buffy" deftly takes on more universal themes--power, politics, death, morality--as the series matures in seasons 4-6. And apart from a few missteps that haven't aged particularly well ("I Robot" in season 1 comes to mind), most episodes feel as harrowing and as richly drawn as they did at first viewing. That's about as much as you can ask for any form of entertainment: that it offer an escape from the viewer's workaday world and entry into one in which the heroine (ideally one with leather pants) overcomes demons far more troubling than one's own. "--Megan Halverson"
 

Bug

Director: William Friedkin
Starring: Ashley Judd, Michael Shannon, Harry Connick Jr., Lynn Collins, Brian F. O'Byrne
Genre: Drama
Studio: Lionsgate Home Entertainment
My Rating:
Rated: R
Rating: 3.0 (117 votes)
Release: Sep 2007
Summary: William ("The Exorcist", "The French Connection") Friedkin directed this harrowing portrait of slow-boiling paranoia about a lonely waitress (Ashley Judd) whose world spirals out of control after meeting a charismatic but damaged drifter (Michael Shannon). Said drifter fills the gulf of loneliness that has swallowed Agnes (Judd) whole as she struggles to stay afloat in a backwater desert town; gradually, Shannon reveals that his stint as a soldier in the Middle East has left him infested with microscopic bugs that he believes are part of a government conspiracy. The force of his conviction (combined with the horrific physical self-abuse he endures) slowly persuade Agnes that she, too, is infested, and the pair undergo a gruesome mental and physical meltdown. Based on the theatrical production by Tracey Letts (who also wrote the screenplay), "Bug" has a hard time escaping its stage origins (much of the action takes place in one dingy motel room), but Friedkin ramps up the intensity to near uncomfortable levels, and Judd and Shannon (recreating his performances in the New York and London productions) are more than up to the challenge. Their fearless turns are well-matched by Harry Connick, Jr., as Agnes' creepy ex-husband and Brian F. O'Byrne as a medic who may or may not be part of Shannon's shadowy government cabal. Viewers should be forewarned that the violence is intense and often bloody; those that find insects unsettling should avoid at all costs. " -- Paul Gaita"
 

A Bug's Life

Director: John Lasseter
Starring: Phyllis Diller, Dave Foley, Brad Garrett, Jonathan Harris, Bonnie Hunt
Genre: Animation
Studio: Walt Disney Video
My Rating:
Rated: G
Rating: 7.2 (129,409 votes)
Release: Nov 1998
Summary: There was such a magic on the screen in 1995 when the people at Pixar came up with the first fully computer-animated film, "Toy Story". Their second feature film, "A Bug's Life", may miss the bull's-eye but Pixar's target is so lofty, it's hard to find the film anything less than irresistible.
Brighter and more colorful than the other animated insect movie of 1998 ("Antz"), "A Bug's Life" is the sweetly told story of Flik (voiced by David Foley), an ant searching for better ways to be a bug. His colony unfortunately revolves around feeding and fearing the local grasshoppers (lead by Hopper, voiced with gleeful menace by Kevin Spacey). When Flik accidentally destroys the seasonal food supply for the grasshoppers he decides to look for help ("We need bigger bugs!"). The ants, led by Princess Atta (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), are eager to dispose of the troublesome Flik. Yet he finds help--a hearty bunch of bug warriors--and brings them back to the colony. Unfortunately they are just traveling performers afraid of conflict.
As with "Toy Story", the ensemble of creatures and voices is remarkable and often inspired. Highlights include wiseacre comedian Denis Leary as an un-ladylike ladybug, Joe Ranft as the German-accented caterpillar, David Hyde Pierce as a stick bug, and Michael McShane as a pair of unintelligible pillbugs. The scene-stealer is Atta's squeaky-voiced sister, baby Dot (Hayden Panettiere), who has a big sweet spot for Flik.
More gentle and kid-friendly than "Antz", "A Bug Life's" still has some good suspense and a wonderful demise of the villain. However, the film--a giant worldwide hit--will be remembered for its most creative touch: "outtakes" over the end credits à la many live-action comedy films. These dozen or so scenes (both "editions" of outtakes are contained here) are brilliant and deserve a special place in film history right along with 1998's other most talked-about sequence: the opening Normandy invasion in "Saving Private Ryan".
The video also contains Pixar's delightful Oscar-winning short, "Geri's Game". Box art varies. "--Doug Thomas"
 

Bugs Bunny & Road Runner Movie

Director: Chuck Jones, Phil Monroe
Starring: Mel Blanc, Arthur Q. Bryan, Nicolai Shutorov
Genre: Animation
Studio: Warner Home Video
My Rating:
Rated: G
Rating: 8.6 (4,979 votes)
Release: Sep 1993
Summary: Chuck Jones directed some of the funniest shorts in the history of filmmaking, and this 1979 feature-length compilation includes several of his best cartoons. Among the 11 shorts shown in their entirety are the classics "Robin Hood Daffy", "What's Opera, Doc?", "Bully for Bugs", and "Duck Amuck", which remain as hilarious as they were when first released almost 50 years ago. As with any collection, the viewer wonders why some films were included and others omitted: Why "Hare-way to the Stars" and "Operation: Rabbit", but not "Rabbit of Seville" or "A Bear for Punishment"? Nor is the material always shown to its best advantage: "Long Haired Hare" has, unfortunately, been cut, and combining footage from several "Road Runner" shorts into a 20-minute montage weakens the pacing Jones built into the individual films. These caveats aside, "The Bugs Bunny Road Runner Movie" provides a showcase not only for Jones's razor-sharp timing, but for the work of his exceptional crew, which included designer Maurice Noble, writer Mike Maltese, composers Carl Stalling and Milt Franklyn, and voice actor Mel Blanc. (Ages 4 and older) "--Charles Solomon"
 

Bull Durham

Director: Ron Shelton
Starring: Kevin Costner, Susan Sarandon, Tim Robbins, Trey Wilson, Robert Wuhl
Genre: Comedy, Romance, Sports
Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)
My Rating:
Rated: R
Rating: 7.0 (25,676 votes)
Release: Jun 1988
Summary: "Bull Durham" is about minor league baseball. It's also about romance, sex, poetry, metaphysics, and talent--though not necessarily in that order. Susan Sarandon plays a loopy lady who just loves America's national pastime--and the men who play it. At the opening of every season, she attaches herself to a promising rookie and guides him through the season. Unfortunately, the player she bestows her favors upon does not really deserve it. She knows it, and veteran Kevin Costner knows it. Her choice, a dim bulb played for laughs by Tim Robbins, is the only one who doesn't know it. The film, directed by its writer, Ron Shelton, a former minor league player, is rich in subtle detail. There are Edith Piaf records playing in the background, fast-talking managers, and minor characters as developed as the leads. Sarandon's retro-'50s outfits make you think she's just another bimbo, not an English teacher very much in control of her life. And Costner's clear-eyed, slightly vitriolic performance is devastatingly sexy and keenly witty. The love scenes, though tasteful, are almost as humorous as they are hot. Sarandon's character likes to tie her players up and expand their horizons by reading Walt Whitman to them, "'cause a guy will listen to anything if he thinks it's foreplay." How can you not love a movie with such a wicked sense of humor? "--Rochelle O'Gorman"
 

Bullhead

Director: Michael R. Roskam
Starring: Matthias Schoenaerts, Jeroen Perceval, Jeanne Dandoy, Barbara Sarafian, Tibo Vandenborre
Genre: Crime, Drama
Studio: Savage Film
My Rating:
Rated: R
Rating: 7.6 (2,760 votes)
Release: Feb 2012
Summary: The young Limburg cattle farmer Jacky Vanmarsenille is approached by an unscrupulous veterinarian to make a shady deal with a notorious West-Flemish beef trader. But the assassination of a federal policeman, and an unexpected confrontation with a mysterious secret from Jacky's past, set in motion a chain of events with farreaching consequences. BULLHEAD is an exciting tragedy about fate, lost innocence and friendship, about crime and punishment, but also about conflicting desires and the irreversibility of a man's destiny.
 

Bullitt

Director: Peter Yates
Starring: Steve McQueen, Simon Oakland, Don Gordon, Robert Duvall, Robert Vaughn
Genre: Action, Adventure
Studio: Warner Home Video
My Rating:
Rated: PG
Rating: 7.5 (32,035 votes)
Release: Oct 2010
Summary: An all guts, no glory San Francisco cop becomes determined to find the underworld kingpin that killed the witness in his protection.
 

Bully

Director: Lee Hirsch
Starring: Ving Rhames, Steven Bauer, Adrian Bellani, Marcos Bonetti, Chiquinquirá Delgado
Genre: Documentary
Studio: Starz / Anchor Bay
My Rating:
Rated: PG-13
Rating: 2.8 (30 votes)
Release: Apr 2012
Summary: From Sundance Award-winning filmmaker, Lee Hirsch, comes a beautifully cinematic, character-driven documentary following five kids and families over the course of a school year. Offering insight into different facets of America’s bullying crisis, the stories include two families who have lost children to suicide and a mother awaiting the fate of her 14-year-old daughter, who has been incarcerated after bringing a gun on her school bus. With an intimate and often shocking glimpse into homes, classrooms, cafeterias and principals' offices, this is a powerful and inspiring film that every educator, parent and teenager should see.
 

Buried

Director: Rodrigo Cortés
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Samantha Mathis
Genre: Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Studio: Lionsgate
My Rating:
Rated: R
Rating: 7.0 (80,132 votes)
Release: Jan 2011
Summary: Alfred Hitchcock, eat your heart out. Sure, the master of suspense set himself some tough challenges with limited scenarios: "Lifeboat" took place entirely within the title craft, "Rear Window" didn't stray from Jimmy Stewart's apartment, and "Rope" stuck mostly to an unbroken take. But Spanish director Rodrigo Cortés wants to do the master one better: "Buried" is set inside a coffin, buried beneath a few feet of immovable earth. Paul Conroy (Ryan Reynolds) wakes up inside the coffin, a cell phone and lighter next to him; for the next 90 minutes, we won't leave the narrow space of that wooden box. No cheats: no flashbacks to Paul's past, no cross-cutting with efforts to free him. Cortés sticks to the rules and follows his story out to its conclusion, and in the process he must think of every possible way to shoot and light someone in a confined space. Seems Paul was in Iraq as a non-military truck driver when he got caught in some crossfire, and somebody wants to make a point. The cell phone allows him to speak, and try to puzzle out what's happening, but except for the voices on the other end, this is entirely Ryan Reynolds's show. The actor is up for it: although he can't use his body, he calls on both his action-movie chops and (at certain exasperating moments) his comic talents. By definition, this is a bravura turn, and Reynolds comes through firing on all cylinders. "Buried" is an exercise, but it manages to sneak in a few sly suggestions about the nature of an American's presence in the Middle East. It even earns points for an excellent credits sequence--a clever nod to Hitchcock classics. Somehow you suspect the master would approve. "--Robert Horton"
 

Burn After Reading

Director: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen
Starring: George Clooney, Brad Pitt
Genre: Comedy, Crime, Drama
Studio: Universal Studios
My Rating:
Rated: R
Rating: 7.0 (167,109 votes)
Release: Sep 2008
Summary: After the dark brilliance of No Country for Old Men, Burn After Reading may seem like a trifle, but few filmmakers elevate the trivial to art quite like Joel and Ethan Coen. Inspired by Stansfield Turner's Burn Before Reading, the comically convoluted plot clicks into gear when the CIA gives analyst Osborne Cox (John Malkovich) the boot. Little does Cox know his wife, Katie (Tilda Swinton, riffing on her Michael Clayton character), is seeing married federal marshal Harry (George Clooney, Swinton's Clayton co-star, playing off his Syriana role). To get back at the Agency, Cox works on his memoirs. Through a twist of fate, fitness club workers Linda (Frances McDormand) and Chad (Brad Pitt in a pompadour that recalls Johnny Suede) find the disc and try to wrangle a "Samaratin tax" out of the surly alcoholic. An avid Internet dater, Linda plans to use the money for plastic surgery, oblivious that her manager, Ted (The Visitor's Richard Jenkins), likes her just the way she is. Though it sounds like a Beltway remake of The Big Lebowski, the Coen entry it most closely resembles, this time the brothers concentrate their energies on the myriad insecurities endemic to the mid-life crisis--with the exception of Chad, who's too dense to share such concerns, leading to the funniest performance of Pitt's career. If Lebowski represented the Coen's unique approach to film noir, Burn sees them putting their irresistibly absurdist stamp on paranoid thrillers from Enemy of the State to The Bourne Identity. --Kathleen C. Fennessy
 

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid

Director: George Roy Hill
Starring: Paul Newman, Robert Redford, Katharine Ross, Strother Martin, Henry Jones
Genre: Thrillers
Studio: 20th Century Fox
My Rating:
Rated: PG
Rating: 8.2 (93,675 votes)
Release: May 2000
Summary: This 1969 film has never lost its popularity or its unusual appeal as a star-driven Western that tinkers with the genre's conventions and comes up with something both terrifically entertaining and--typical of its period--a tad paranoid. Paul Newman plays the legendary outlaw Butch Cassidy as an eternal optimist and self-styled visionary, conjuring dreams of banks just ripe for the picking all over the world. Robert Redford is his more levelheaded partner, the sharpshooting Sundance Kid. The film, written by William Goldman ("The Princess Bride") and directed by George Roy Hill ("The Sting"), basically begins as a freewheeling story about robbing trains but soon becomes a chase as a relentless posse--always seen at a great distance like some remote authority--forces Butch and Sundance into the hills and, finally, Bolivia. Weakened a little by feel-good inclinations (a scene involving bicycle tricks and the song "Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head" is sort of Hollywood flower power), the movie maintains an interesting tautness, and the chemistry between Redford and Newman is rare. (A factoid: Newman first offered the Sundance part to Jack Lemmon.) "--Tom Keogh"
 

Butter

Director: Jim Field Smith
Starring: Hugh Jackman, Olivia Wilde, Ashley Greene, Jennifer Garner, Alicia Silverstone
Genre: Comedy
Studio: Michael De Luca Productions
My Rating:
Rated: R
Rating: 6.1 (8,666 votes)
Release: Oct 2012
Summary: In small-town Iowa, an adopted girl discovers her talent for butter carving and finds herself pitted against an ambitious local woman in their town's annual contest.
 

Byzantium

Director: Neil Jordan
Starring: Saoirse Ronan, Gemma Arterton, Sam Riley, Caleb Landry Jones, Daniel Mays, Warren Brown, Thure Lindhardt, Barry Cassin, David Heap, Ruby Snape, Jenny Kavanagh, Glenn Doherty, Edyta Budnik, Gabriela Marcinkova, Uri Gavriel
Genre: Drama, Thriller, Fantasy
Studio: Demarest Films
My Rating:
Rated: R
Release: May 2013
Summary: Two mysterious women seek refuge in a run-down coastal resort. Clara meets lonely Noel, who provides shelter in his deserted guesthouse, Byzantium. Schoolgirl Eleanor befriends Frank and tells him their lethal secret. They were born 200 years ago and survive on human blood. As knowledge of their secret spreads, their past catches up on them with deathly consequence.