Movie Recommendations

Beautifully acted and scripted, this small-scale gem shines with an Oscar-winning performance by Ernest Borgnine (nearly always a heavy in films) and great support from Betsy Blair. Iconic catch-phrase: “I don’ know—what do you wanna do?” Romantic but realistic and genuinely heartwarming, with no false sentiment; adapted from his TV play by Paddy Chayefsky.

A lesser but still worthwhile John Ford-John Wayne collaboration. Filmed many times, this tale of redemption and (re)birth in the West has a little comedy, a little pathos, and a lot of sentiment. Three bank robbers on the lam across the desert discover a dying woman and her newborn baby.

Beautifully rendered short version of one of Jane Austen’s gems. The acting is superb in this tale of patience and the enduring power of love.

Judy Holliday’s tour de force as the dumb blonde who blossoms when her gangster boyfriend hires a reporter to improve her social grace.

Unstoppable killing machines are sent back in time to eliminate the leader of humanity’s resistance against the machines. T2 is one of the few sequels to match or even best its predecessor. Haven’t heard anything good about the other sequels, so haven’t bothered to watch them.

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?

Roberto Benigni’s masterpiece of a Jewish-Italian waiter who deftly employs his wit and humor to court a Catholic schoolteacher and protect his family during WWII.