Movie Recommendations

An unusual epic Western with strong performances by Gene Hackman, Candace Bergen, and James Coburn. With echos of 1960’s sensitivities blended in.

Ace reporter Joel McCrea is sent to pre-WW II Europe and is immediately embroiled in a murder and kidnapping conspiracy to sabotage peace talks. Classic Hitchcock.

Wim Wenders’s masterpiece about an angel who yearns to feel, taste, and love like the humans he has observed since the beginning of history. (subtitled)

Epic retelling of the Chinese fantasy saga, with heroic would-be lovers battling an old enemy and a blazing young talent to recover a mystical sword.

Yes, it’s cheezy. Yes, Christopher Lambert is ridiculous as a Scot. But for mindless sci-fi/action, it has moments. Plus some interesting scene transitions and a Queen soundtrack.

Searing examination of a rock star’s attempt to tear down the walls he has built over a lifetime of loss, rejection, and denial…You don’t have to be high to enjoy Alan Parker’s visual counterpoint to the rock album, but liking Pink Floyd’s music undoubtedly helps.

Hysterical account of the tribulations facing an independent film crew during one day of shooting.

One-of-a-kind drama of returning GIs who have to adapt to a fast-changing post-WW II world. Harold Russell’s poignant performance won the best supporting actor Oscar. The scene when Frederick March comes home to wife Myrna Loy is guaranteed to bring tears to your eyes. Dana Andrews is also excellent, as are Teresa Wright and Virginia Mayo.

Cary Grant and Irene Dunne at the top of their form in the second of their classic films about love and marriage. This time, Dunne is shipwrecked long enough to be declared dead and have Grant remarry. Not quite up to the standard set by The Awful Truth (which had been directed by Favorite Wife…

This Sam Peckinpah masterpiece about an aging gang of outlaws and their last big job came out at a defining moment in American cinema, when violence was being portrayed on the screen in new and different ways. Along with Arthur Penn’s Bonnie and Clyde, this western redefined how much gore was allowed in films and…