Movie Recommendations

Overly stagy Hitchcock still has enough classic moments to keep viewers entertained.

A cargo ship of whiskey crashes just offshore of Toddy Island during wartime rationing. The Home Patrol is sworn to protect the goods, but the islanders have their own plans.

Silly—even stupid? Yup. Tasteless? Absolutely. Funny? Indubitably!

What would you do if you lived the same day over for eternity? Bill Murray gives a fine performance as the cynical weatherman trapped in Punxatawney, PA, for a neverending Groundhog Day.

Cary Grant seeks Ingrid Bergman’s help to infiltrate a Nazi cell in South America. But how far will he push the woman he is beginning to love?

Fun homage to Hitchcock’s The Lady Vanishes finds Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor in fine form.

One of the last great MGM musicals, with the singing and dancing of Fred Astaire, the legs of Cyd Charisse, and the comedy relief of Jack Buchanan and Oscar Levant. The extended gangster-style dance routine is one of Fred’s best.

The third of Chaplin’s greatest comedies. Minimal use of sound—which had already been around for about a decade—does not alter the fact that this is still essentially a silent film. Charlie satirizes industrialized life that dehumanizes and oppresses the poor, downtrodden American worker during the Depression. Among the classic bits is his travel through the…

Classy musical based on the hit Broadway show, with score by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and choreography by Jerome Robbins. the opening scene, as the camera descends from the sky to the gang-run streets of New York will long stay with you. The two leads (Richard Beymer and Natalie Wood) leave something to…