Almost FamousĬameron Crowe’s 2000 masterpiece about a young man (Patrick Fugit) who ends up on tour with a rock band known as Stillwater. Redford is the only cast member in a nearly dialogue-less film about a man who gets stranded in the middle of the Indian Ocean and has to battle the elements to survive. Chandor wrote and directed this dramatic vehicle for Robert Redford and ended up giving him the platform for one of the best performances of his legendary career. Not only did Alien launch a franchise, it created a template for horror set in outer space, rewriting the rulebook in a way that’s still incredibly powerful over four decades later.
Sigourney Weaver leads the crew of the Nostromo, answering a distress call in the far of reaches of space that puts them in contact with the ultimate killing machine. Movies changed forever with the 1979 release of Ridley Scott’s sci-fi/horror classic. This appears to be the original theatrical edition and not one of the alternate versions later released, FYI. Will Smith does possibly the best film work of his career as the legendary boxer, civil rights icon, and all-around role model, and Mann approaches the life of Ali with his own unique craftsmanship. Michael Mann directed this 2001 biopic of one of the most important figures of the twentieth century, Muhammad Ali. The Theory of Everything stars Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones reunite and deliver in a well-made action film that uses a lot more practical effects and stunts than most modern flicks like this and the result is some tension for anyone with even a moderate fear of heights. It’s got cross-demographic appeal for kids and adults in its story of the first people to really break through the clouds in a hot air balloon. It’s a shame because this is a film that deserved more attention. Tom Harper directed this film that just landed in theaters at the end of 2019 and was quickly shuffled off to Amazon. A lot of movies are credited with being ahead of their time, but Ace in the Hole one undeniably was. The amazing Billy Wilder broke through with his direction of this story of a disgraced reporter who will do whatever it takes to get his job back. One of the best performances of Kirk Douglas’s career came in a 1951 noir that has earned its reputation as a classic in the six decades since its release.