42nd Street (1933)

Musical Rated NR

This may be the definitive Busby Berkeley-choreographed musical simply because the entire movie revels in the sort of things that Berkeley’s elaborate dance numbers revel in: innuendo, flirtations and flesh. The movie chronicles the backstage romances and betrayals of a major Broadway production, but the faceless formations of the finale are what give the proceedings

Dark Blue (2002)

Drama Rated R

Hysterical and melodramatic, the crooked-cop drama Dark Blue nevertheless strikes a nerve due to its incendiary backdrop: the 1992 trial of the police officers who were caught on tape beating Rodney King. A perfectly rumpled Kurt Russell stars as a corrupt Los Angeles detective who slowly uncovers his conscience. Like Sept. 11, 2001, did in

1941 (1979)

Comedy Rated PG

At 146 minutes, Steven Spielberg’s epic misfire is too long to qualify as a fascinating train wreck; even its spectacular badness grows wearying. As it speculates on the riotous paranoia that strikes Los Angeles in the days after Pearl Harbor, 1941 throws gobs of money and special effects at the screen and strains for laughs

Enigma (2001)

Drama Rated R

This is a classic British spy yarn, equally rife with intrigue and tweed jackets. Dougray Scott stars as a World War II code-breaker whose brief, doomed affair with a sultry blond may have led to a massive security breach. When his former lover goes missing, he teams up with her neighbor (Kate Winslet) to discover

Abyss, The (1989)

Action/Adventure Rated PG-13

Almost as ambitious in scope as his Titanic, James Cameron’s The Abyss is a more nuanced melding of large-scale action and intimate romance. When a U.S. nuclear submarine disappears into the ocean canyon that an oil crew is working above, a brusque team of Navy Seals arrives to perform a supposed rescue mission that may

Hero (2002)

Action/Adventure Rated PG-13

This martial-arts drama seems to have been made with one of those jumbo packs of crayons – costumes, landscapes and interior design all burst with vibrant hues. Acclaimed director Zhang Yimou (Raise the Red Lantern) assembles a glittering roster of Asian acting talent, including Jet Li, (Romeo Must Die), Zhang Ziyi (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon),

Adam’s Rib (1949)

Romantic Comedy Rated NR

Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy play opposing lawyers who are in love, and while their pairing emits the sort of electricity casting directors dream of, they’re generating sparks in a strident story. Not content to let its battle-of-the-sexes theme bubble beneath the surface, Adam’s Rib hammers at it relentlessly, from its title to its strained

Howl’s Moving Castle (2004)

Action/Adventure Rated PG

Japanese animation master Hayao Miyazaki (Princess Mononoke) delivers another bewildering and beautiful film fantasy. The title edifice – which is called a castle but actually resembles a medieval hamlet perched on gargantuan mechanical chicken legs – is the sort of burst of imagination that opens your eyes in wonder. The complicated story, based on a

Alamo, The (1960)

Action/Adventure Rated NR

John Wayne took on Davy Crockett’s coonskin cap and directorial duties for this epic take on the famed Texas battle. The film’s nearly three hours are stuffed with showy vistas, corny speeches and static battle scenes in which size seems to be the only thing that matters. The result was seven Oscar nominations, including Best

Laurel Canyon (2002)

Drama Rated R

The battle lines are clearly drawn in this independent drama – brainy academics versus artistic free spirits – and writer-director Lisa Cholodenko has no intention of blurring them. Christian Bale plays a medical student who transfers with his fiancee (Kate Beckinsale) to Los Angeles, where their relationship is challenged by his bohemian mother (Frances McDormand).