Starring: John Wayne, Robert Mitchum, James Caan, Charlene Holt, Paul Fix, Arthur Hunnicutt, Michele Carey, R. G. Armstrong, Edward Asner, Christopher George

"I'm lookin' at a tin star with a... drunk pinned on it." - Cole Thornton

Why watch this? Wayne's career was in high gear when he made this rip-roaring gem.

Dad's Review: This was a loose remake of the successful Rio Bravo. Here John Wayne is gunfighter Cole Thornton who plays nursemaid to his drunken friend, the town sheriff, J.P. Harrah. When they arrest the local greedy landowner, they find themselves under siege by a stable of hired gunmen. There's lots of action and great performance by James Caan as 'Mississippi', and Robert Mitchum as the drawling Sheriff Harrah.  

Starring: Millie Bobby Brown, Henry Cavill, Sam Claflin, Helena Bonham Carter, Louis Partridge, Burn Gorman, Adeel Akhtar

"Sometimes you must dangle your feet in the water in order to attract the sharks." - Sherlock Holmes

Why watch this? This is the perfect film for young girls. It's very empowering.

Dad's Review: Who knew that Sherlock Holmes, the famed, elementary detective had a little sister? Well, he does, and she's as intelligent, and, dare I say, even more determined and precocious. Millie Brown, whose previous roles have been serious and stolid, lights up the screen with wit, curiosity and strength. She's clearly having a good time, jaunting around England searching for her missing mother.

Starring: Michelle Yeoh, Stephanie Hsu, Jamie Lee Curtis, Ke Huy Quan, James Hong, Tallie Medel, Jenny Slate, Harry Shum Jr., Biff Wiff, Sunita Mani, Brian Le

"Every rejection, every disappointment has led you here to this moment." - Waymond Wang

Why watch this? There are mind-trip films, then there is this chaotic eye-candy.

Dad's Review: This film follows ordinary Chinese-American laundry mat manager Evelyn Quan. During an IRS review, she's sucked into the multi-verse. There she must battle Jobu, an alternate version of her daughter, to save everything. I read about this film, and purchased the Blu-ray before seeing it. I was THAT sure a) it would be great, and b) I would love it. Both were correct. It's unlike any film I have ever seen, anywhere, anytime.

Every Which Way But Loose (1978), Director: James Fargo, Rated PG for language

Starring: Clint Eastwood, Sondra Locke, Geoffrey Lewis, Ruth Gordon, Beverly D'Angelo, Walter Barnes, Ro Jenson, Bill McKinney, John Quade, William O'Connell

"Well it appears to me that there can't be too many guys driving around this valley with an ape." - Cholla

Why watch this? For years Mr. Eastwood avoided any semblance of comedy due to his action, police and western films. Here, he literally cuts loose.

Dad's Review: First off, orangutans simply crack me up. This film is about Philo Beddoe, a trucker who makes some side money as a brawler. He lives with his fiesty old Ma, his brother Orville and his pet Orangutan, Clyde. This has little bits of everything: An inept motorcycle gang, an odd romance, fist-fights, and chase scenes. It's also very, very funny.

Starring: Alicia Vikander, Oscar Isaac, Domhnall Gleeson, Sonoya Mizuno, Corey Johnson, Claire Selby, Gana Bayarsaikhan

"Isn't it strange, to create something that hates you?" – Ava

Why watch this? This is a superb story about artificial intelligence and the risk it may pose.

Dad's Review: A computer programmer, Caleb Smith, travels to the isolated island of oddly eccentric CEO Nathan Bateman. His unique assignment is to administer the Turing test to a humanoid female robot called Ava. Ava and Caleb meet and begin to form a relationship. She tells him in secret that she wants to escape. This tense, engrossing film calls into question what it means to be human, and whether it's wise to create sentience within a machine. 

Starring: Thomas Horn, Max Von Sydow, Sandra Bullock, Tom Hanks, Viola Davis, John Goodman, Jeffrey Wright

"Oh, I think a lot of things are odd. People tell me I'm very odd all the time." - Oskar Schell

Why watch this? 9/11. This film looks at a single life taken that day, and the massive toll it took.

Dad's Review: This film is about Oskar. His father died when the World Trade Centers collapsed. Oskar is devastated and angry. He finds a key in an envelope with only the word "Black" written on it. The boy feels this is a clue left by his Dad to help him get out and explore and meet people. This wonderful movie is painful, heart-wrenching and at times very joyful, as Oskar struggles to find a way to move forward. 

Starring: Matthew Broderick, Mia Sara, Alan Ruck, Jeffrey Jones, Jennifer Grey, Cindy Pickett, Lyman Ward, Edie McClurg, Charlie Sheen, Ben Stein

"Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it." - Ferris Bueller

Why watch this? Matt Broderick was never better than in this rebellious teen comedy.

Dad's Review: God, I know everybody loves this film. I did not have the same experience because my first reaction was, "Nobody's that damn smart." It's like watching a movie about a guy, written and directed by that same guy. Ferris can do no wrong, he gets everything he wants, and escapes all consequences. I relate more with his angry sister, Jeanie.

Starring: Johnny Depp, Kate Winslet, Julie Christie, Radha Mitchell, Dustin Hoffman, Freddie Highmore, Joe Prospero, Nick Roud

"You find a glimmer of happiness in this world, there's always someone who wants to destroy it." - J. M. Barrie

Why watch this? Pre-Pirates, Johnny Depp had a knack for picking wonderful films.

Dad's Review: Depp portrays J. M. Barrie, a writer and playwright who befriends a widow, Sylvia, and her four sons. He enjoys playing with the lads and soon becomes a surrogate father for them. This displeases Sylvia's controlling mother. Barrie creates a play called Peter Pan based on his time playing with the young lads. This film has a magical quality to it, and I recommend it to parents. It reminds us how important our imagination can be. 

Starring: Keifer Sutherland, Julia Roberts, Kevin Bacon, William Baldwin, Oliver Platt, Kimberly Scott

"I did not come to medical school to murder my classmates, no matter how deranged they might be." - Randy Steckle

Why watch this? You'll love this electrifying thriller about the death experience.

Dad's Review: Sure, it's a silly premise concocted to simply enable Hollywood's prettiest faces to star together and enthrall its audience. That is what all movies are, right? Here our young actors flirt with what a dying person experiences at the moment of death. One by one, they 'kill' a classmate, then count the seconds, before reviving them. As they push the dead time longer, the mental toll taken is more extreme and downright haunting.

Starring: Denzel Washington, Nadine Velazquez, Don Cheadle, John Goodman, Carter Cabassa, Adam C. Edwards, Tamara Tunie, Kelly Reilly

"Hey, don't tell me how to lie about my drinking, okay? I know how to lie about my drinking. I've been lying about my drinking my whole life." - Whip

Why watch this? Captain Whitaker is a complex man, with both demons and heroics within him.

Dad's Review: Denzel portrays an alcoholic airline pilot who miraculously crash-lands his plane after a mechanical failure, saving nearly everyone on board. As investigators uncover unsavory things about his life, his heroism is called into question. Denzel's performance is one of his best ever, and the crash scene is harrowing to witness.

Starring: Hugh Grant, Addie MacDowell, James Fleet, Simon Callow, John Hannah, Kristin Scott Thomas, Sara Crowe, Rowan Atkinson

"The great advantage of having a reputation for being stupid: People are less suspicious of you." – Tom

Why watch this? Hugh Grant may be the most charming and polite person on earth.

Dad's Review: This is a deliciously funny yarn about a group of British thirty-something friends. All are miserably single except for Gareth and Matthew, a delightful gay couple. At the first wedding Charles meets Carrie, an American working in England. They hook up and start a relationship. Charles wants more, but she refuses to commit. There are comical and deeply sad moments here, as love takes a long and frustrating road to get where it's going.

Starring: Steve Carell, Channing Tatum, Mark Ruffalo, Vanessa Redgrave, Sienna Miller, Anthony Michael Hall, Guy Boyd, Brett Rice

"I'm getting Dave. And I don't care how much it costs." - Jon du Pont

Why watch this? It's the true story of the murder of wrestler David Schultz by John E. du Pont.

Dad's Review: This fascinating and tragic story details John du Pont's recruitment of two 1984 U.S. Olympic gold medalist wrestlers, brothers Mark and David Schultz. Du Pont built a training facility he called Team Foxcatcher. At first things went well, but du Pon't behavior grew more and more erratic, eventually resulting in David's murder. Ruffalo and Tatum shine in this bizarre true crime film. Steve Carell's transformation into disturbed du Pont is unforgettable.

Starring: Jamie Lee Curtis, Lindsay Lohan, Mark Harmon, Harold Gould, Chad Michael Murray, Stephen Tobolowsky, Christina Vidal

"It's easy to be you. I'll just suck the fun out of everything." – Anna (in Tess' body)

Why watch this? This film is simply a lot of fun, as two fine actress ham up the switching-bodies theme.

Dad's Review: After the Parent Trap remake, Disney's next film for Lohan was this comedy. At the last minute, Jamie Lee Curtis signed on, and she basically steals the show. She is wonderful after Lohan's mind enters her body - so energetic, pouty, and defiant! Hats off to Lohan for hanging in with her. It's funny scene after scene as they adjust to their new bodies, then try fix things. It's a hoot to watch.

Starring: Chevy Chase, Madolyn Smith, Joseph Maher, Jack Gilpin, Brad Sullivan, MacIntyre Dixon, Kevin O'Morrison, Mike Starr, Alice Drummond, Brad Sullivan

"Cue the deer." – Andy Farmer

Why watch this? Just when I though Chevy's popularity had run his course, this little nugget dropped. It's so dang funny!

Dad's Review: Chevy Chase and Madolyn Osborne are a married couple who decide to leave city life and move to an idyllic country home. Of course, it turns out a little different thanks to a whole plethora of wacky neighbors who are dead-set against the couple enjoying their new home. There's the hard-drinking hillbilly mail carrier, the road sign altering teenagers, overly nosey townsfolk. It all hilarious as every bad situation is played out to it

s funniest end.

Starring: Mel Gibson, Mark Lee, Bill Kerr, Harold Hopkins, Charles Lathalu Yunipingu, Heath Harris, Gerda Nicolson, Robert Grubb

"The thing I can't stand about you mate is you're always so bloody cheerful." - Frank Dunne

Why watch this? A lot of friends embarked to WWI together. Few of them both came home.

Dad's Review: Two renown Australian sprinters, Archy and Frank, join the AIF and are sent to fight in the Gallipoli campaign in Turkey during World War I. The two friends are initially separated, then reunited. Both are part of a charge during the Battle of the Nek, which was a military disaster for the Australian troops. Weir's powerful anti-war film features an emotionally charged performance from Gibson. It is considered the quintessential Australian film.

Starring: Robert Duvall, Bill Murray, Sissy Spacek, Lucas Black, Gerald McRaney, Bill Cobbs, Scott Cooper, Lori Beth Spikes, Chandler Riggs

"I didn't want forgiveness. No. I needed to hold on to what I did, to be sick from it every day of my life." - Felix Bush

Why watch this? There is a richness to this story about a mysterious Tennessee hermit.

Dad's Review: Set in the 1930's, a bearded recluse has shut himself off from all humanity for over 40 years. As his impending death becomes real to him, he decides to hold his funeral, while he is still alive, and allow folks tell stories they've heard about him. Duvall's acting is incredible and we hang on his every word. When the questions about his life are answered, you will understand. Bill Murray is amazing as the wise-cracking funeral home owner.

Starring: John Travolta, Gene Hackman, Rene Russo, Danny DeVito, Delroy Lindo, James Gandolfini, Dennis Farina

"Rough business, this movie business. I'm gonna have to go back to loan-sharking just to take a rest." – Chili Palmer

Why watch this? This is a slick, star-packed mobster film that almost comes off as a comedy.

Dad's Review: Chili Palmer (Travolta in one of his best roles), portrays a mobster and loan shark who travels to Hollywood to collect a debt. There he quickly learns that "movie stuff" is a lot like his current job. Travolta's patented sexy confidence is key to his character's success in filmland with this all-star cast. And hey, it's just business, right? 

Starring: Nicolas Cage, Sam Elliott, Eva Mendes, Matt Long, Raquel Alessi, Brett Cullen, Peter Fonda, Donal Logue, Wes Bentley

"The story goes he made a deal to save someone he loved. He'd be normal during the day, but at night, in the presence of evil, the Rider takes over." - Caretaker

Why watch this? I love Ghost Rider as a comics anti-hero, but it's Nick Cage who pushes this film to greatness.

Dad's Review: The concept of a hero who is basically a burning skeleton might seem hard to pull off on film. However, this movie works, and the special effects are visually cool as freak! It is certainly helped by a strong supporting cast including Sam Elliott, Eva Mendes, and Peter Fonda. It's a bit trippy, but that's part of the fun.

Starring: Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix, Connie Nielsen, Oliver Reed, Richard Harris, Derek Jacobi, Djimon Hounsou, David Schofield, Tomas Arana

"Father to a murdered son, husband to a murdered wife. And I will have my vengeance, in this life or the next." - Maximus

Why watch this? It's an award-winning film featuring Russell Crowe at his manly best.

Dad's Review: Not since the epic Spartacus has a film captured the life of a gladiator with such brutal elegance. General Maximus of the Roman army, refuses loyalty to the usurping, and quite devious, Commodus. For this Maximus is imprisoned and sent into slavery. He becomes a fierce gladiator, plotting all the while for a chance to avenge his murdered family and dishonored country. Crowe is excellent, but I found Phoenix's portrayal of Commodus a bit tiring. Because of that, I more enjoyed the film's ending.

Starring: Kōsuke Toyohara, Anna Nakagawa, Megumi Odaka, Katsuhiko Sasaki, Akiji Kobayashi, Yoshio Tsuchiya, Robert Scott Field

"An H-bomb was tested close by on an island called Bikini, and it's very possible that the radioactivity turned the dinosaur there into Godzilla." - Kenichiro Terasawa

Why watch this? This is the best of the grittier Heisei-era Godzilla films. It truly is awesome!

Dad's Review: This film gave us the first concrete Godzilla origin story, featuring a dinosaur, called a Godzillasaurus, that was mutated by nuclear radiation into Godzilla. In present day, aliens arrive from the future (of course), and attempt to help earth by erasing Godzilla's existence. Their true intent is to kill Godzilla, create King Ghidorah, and wipe out earth's future in the galaxy.

Starring: Ben Affleck, Rosamund Pike, Neil Patrick Harris, Tyler Perry, Carrie Coon, Kim Dickens, Patrick Fugit, David Clennon, Missi Pyle

"We're so cute. I wanna punch us in the face." - Amy Dunne

Why watch this? One of the best psychological thrillers ever. And man - Rosemund Pike shines!

Dad's Review: This is a film about "appearances". Things are not always as they seem. A woman is missing. Her husband appears to be a nice, stand-up guy, worthy of consolation. But was he? This is a puzzle to be solved with flawed humans involved in treachery at every turn. You will become engrossed in this journey towards truth.

Starring: Raymond Ochoa, Jack Bright, Sam Elliott, Anna Paquin, A. J. Buckley, Steve Zahn, Jeffrey Wright, Frances McDormand

"Sometimes you got to get through your fear to see the beauty on the other side." - Poppa

Why watch this? This little Pixar film kinda flew under the radar, but once discovered, I fell in love.

Dad's Review: "OK, here comes another overly-sentimental kids movie." I thought. Boy was I wrong. This story follows a young Apatosaurus, Arlo, who finds a feral human boy and befriends him. When Arlo and the swept away in a flood, both are forced to grow up as they trek through their world, encountering new friends and dangers (my favorite is the cattle-herding T-Rexes!). This cute film effort will warm your ticker.

Starring: Timothy Treadwell, Werner Herzog, Amie Huguenard, Carol Dexter, Val Dexter

"What haunts me, is that in all the faces of all the bears that Treadwell ever filmed, I discover no kinship, no understanding, no mercy. I see only the overwhelming indifference of nature." - Werner Herzog

Why watch this? A compelling documentary about a man obsessed with grizzly bears.

Dad's Review: Werner Herzog's documentaries, and I hope this encourages you to explore more, are always multi-layered. Tim Treadwell was nature's cheerleader, a man deeply devoted to wildlife and, in particular, the study of grizzly bears in the wild. Much of the film's footage was filmed by Treadwell himself. However, as time passes, we see him slip into an unnatural level of devotion to these dangerous beasts. He starts to think of himself as one of them, a part of their family - and it eventually costs him.

Starring: Kevin Costner, Ashton Kutcher, Sela Ward, Melissa Sagemiller, Clancy Brown, Omari Hardwick, Alex Davis

"Save the ones you can Jake. The rest, you've got to let go." - Ben Randall

Why watch this? Coast Guard trainees are run through the ringer. One wants to be the best. 

Dad's Review: Many men strive to be great at what they do - a lot of them are motivated by a past trauma, who they didn't save, a bad decision along the way. This film grapples with that subject. Only through a tough mentor can a person face and overcome the demons. The relationship between Costner and Kutcher, and their superb performances, are the glue that holds this film together.

Starring: Shirley MacLaine, Nicolas Cage, Austin Pendleton, Edward Albert, James Rebhorn, Richard Griffiths, John Roselius, David Graf, Dale Dye

"The President is coming to Somersville. Will you have the cars and the machine guns ready in about an hour?" - Tess Carlisle

Why watch this? It's a subtle, brilliant film about the Secret Service's most tedious detail.

Dad's Review: President's widows require Secret Service protection. Mrs. Tess Carlisle is the classic bitch-on-wheels (devilishly portrayed by spunky Shirley MacLaine). Most agents hate her, but she takes a particular liking to Doug, who is calmly effective at dealing with her. Then she is kidnapped...

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