Starring: Clint Eastwood, Sondra Locke, Pat Hingle, Bradford Dillman, Paul Drake, Audrie Neenan, Jack Thibeau, Michael Currie, Albert Popwell

"Well, we're not just gonna let you walk out of here." - Harry Callahan

Why watch this? This thriller is the best Dirty Harry film after the original.

Dad's Review: This forth sequel stands out because it's not your standard cops and robbers flick. This dark mystery messes with your head. Sure Harry is still the same stern-faced, embittered cop, but the killer he's looking for is hiding in plain sight. This vengeful murderer is working through victims that are loosely tied on some event in the past. It's up to Harry to put together all the clues and nab the perpetrator before it's too late.

Starring: Tom Hanks, Aaron Eckhart, Laura Linney, Valerie Mahaffey, Delphi Harrington, Mike O'Malley, Jamey Sheridan, Anna Gunn

"This was dual engine loss at 2800 feet followed by immediate water landing with 155 souls on board. No one has ever trained for an incident like that. No one." - Chesley 'Sully' Sullenberger

Why watch this? Often heroism goes unnoticed when it's ordinary people doing their jobs.

Dad's Review: Thanks to a tsunami wave of super-hero films, the definition of the word hero might be a bit skewed. This film focus is airline captain Chesley "Sully" Sullenberg, whose departing flight was struck by birds seconds after takeoff. He was forced to land in the Hudson river. Nobody died, but the FAA wanted to know why he didn't land at nearby Teterboro airport. This amazing film should help us understand true heroism in the most understated manner.

Starring: John Cusack, Daphne Zuniga, Anthony Edwards, Boyd Gaines, Tim Robbins, Lisa Jan Persky, Viveca Lindfors, Nichollette Sheridan

"Spontaneity has its time and place." - Alison Bradbury

Why watch this? How far would you go to reach a "sure thing'? And what does that say about you?

Dad's Review: Walter and Allison are college freshman in New England - and they don't like each other. This road film takes them via carpool to UCLA in California during Christmas break. Alison wants to see her long-distance boyfriend. Walter has been assured by his best friend that he has been set up with a beautiful "sure thing". Thus starts a cross-country, argument-filled trip to remember. Most 80's romantic comedies were crass and superficial. This film takes the time to delve deeper into its characters. It also introduced the world to my man, John Cusack.

The Sweet Hereafter (1997), Director: Atom Egoyan, Rated R for adult topics

Starring: Ian Holm, Sarah Polley, Caerthan Banks, Tom McCamus, Gabrielle Rose, Alberta Watson, Maury Chaykin, Stephanie Morgenstern

"Why am I telling you this, Mr. Ansel? Because we've all lost our children. They're dead to us." - Mitchell Stephens

Why watch this? A small, isolated Canadian town is devastated by a single horrific event.

Dad's Review: An event where 14 children die in a tragic school bus accident is bound to tear up the small community involved. This film deals with the aftermath, when lawyers maneuver to find blame and determine who to sue. There are dark layers of human complexity at play. One survivor, Nicole, is simply fascinating to watch, as she weathers the aftermath and struggles to understand it all.  

Starring: Lee Horsley, Kathleen Beller, Simon MacCorkindale, George Maharis, Richard Lynch, Richard Moll, Anthony De Longis, Robert Tessier

"I will allow you to live as long as you serve me. Betray me, and I will joyfully send you back to rot in hell." – Titus Cromwell, to the newly revived demon Xusia

Why watch this? This above-average action film cashed in on the pre-Conan The Barbarian hype.

Dad's Review: There was huge anticipation for DeLarentis' Conan film. This offering, shameless knock-off, fared surprising well at the box office, and turned a huge profit because of its much lower budget. Hunky Lee Horsely (TV's Matt Houston) is Talon, the savage yet suave hero. He wields a ridiculous three-pronged broadsword. In defiance of physics and medieval weaponry, it somehow shoots its exterior blades, as if fired from a bazooka! Frankly, it so bad, it's good.

Starring: James Garner, Shirley Jones, C. Thomas Howell, Mark Herrier, Sandy Ward, Jenilee Harrison, James Cromwell, Dorian Harewood

"We're not runnin' from the law. We're runnin' to the law." – Zack

Why watch this? Sometimes it's just a lot of fun to see what I guy can do with a tank.

Dad's Review: Zack Carey, a decorated and well-respected Army officer just wants to retire and spend time with a family his Army duties have caused him to neglect. He owns a old Sherman tank that he shows off in local parades. At a local bar, Carey gets into it with the town's corrupt police. The sheriff plants drugs on Carey's son and throws the boy in jail. Not a smart thing to do to a guy who owns an armored assault vehicle! James Garner is superb throughout!

Starring: Roddy Piper, Keith David, Meg Foster, George Flower, Peter Jason, Raymond St. Jaques, Jason Robarbs III

"They are dismantling the sleeping middle class. More and more people are becoming poor. We are their cattle. We are being bred for slavery." - Bearded Man

Why watch this? Aliens secretly living among us is wonderfully explained in this Carpenter sci-fi classic.

Dad's Review: I feel this is the last great Carpenter film. It's very odd, as was the choice of wrester Roddy Piper, to play the lead role. Upon release, it was a box office failure with critics. Today however, it's critical re-evaluation was more favorable. Its theme is that humans are easily controlled. When two drifters get a hold of special sunglasses that expose the aliens, the action starts as they battle to save the world!

Starring: Frances McDormand, Woody Harrelson, Sam Rockwell, Caleb Landry Jones, Kerry Condon, Alejandro Barrios, Clarke Peters

"I need to tell you something... It was me that burned down the police station." - Midred Hayes

Why watch this? Some people feel helpless against a paralyzed system. Some take action.

Dad's Review: Frances McDormand clearly picks the films she wants to make. She's a force of determination in this film about a mother whose daughter's rape and murder remains unsolved. She rents there billboards in town that say, "Raped While Dying", "And Still No Arrests?", and "How Come, Sheriff Willougby?" She's here to make folks angry, and she succeeds. Woody Harrelson is excellent as the sheriff who really is trying. The surprise performance is Sam Rockwell who kills it as the racist, homophobic police officer.

Starring: Tommy Lee Jones, Barry Pepper, Dwight Yoakam, January Jones, Julio Cesar Cedillo, Melissa Leo, Levon Helm, Mel Rodriguez

"You try to run away again, and I'll kill you. I guess you know that by now." - Pete Perkins

Why watch this? A memorable border tale about murder and retribution.

Dad's Review: This powerful neo-Western is both compelling on it's own, and as an allegorical tale, as it wanders through a young man's racism, crime, torture, and eventual redemption, all at the hands of a hard Texan. After the murder of his friend, Pete Perkins is hell bent on justice and keeping a promise made. Jones and Pepper deliver wonderful performances in this film, which was Tommy Lee' first to direct. 

Starring: Sean Connery, Claudine Auger, Adolfo Celi, Luciana Paluzzi, Rik Van Nutter, Guy Doleman, Molly Peters, Bernard Lee, Desmond Llewelyn

"My dear girl, don't flatter yourself. What I did this evening was for King and country. You don't think it gave me any pleasure, do you?" - James Bond, to Fiona

Why watch this? The only real James Bond takes on SPECTRE once again.

Dad's Review: I think part of my kinship with this film is that my sister had the soundtrack on vinyl. The album cover was so freaking cool, with black and orange-clad scuba divers battling each other with spear guns, all under water with retro mini-submarines. Connery is cool as a cucumber as the world's greatest super spy. Here he squares off against the evil Largo.

Starring: Christian Slater, Patricia Arquette, Dennis Hopper, Val Kilmer, Gary Oldman, Brad Pitt, Christopher Walken, Bronson Pinchot, Samuel L. Jackson

"We're gonna have a little Q&A, and at the risk of sounding redundant, please... make your answers genuine." - Vincenzo Coccotti

Why watch this? This violent cross-country chase combined a Tarantino script and Tony Scott's brutal action.

Dad's Review: The carnage of this film results when two young toxic lovers stumble upon a bag of cocaine and decide to keep it. Bad people always wants their drugs back. This fast-paced film was called "gutter poetry" by Rolling Stone's Pat Travers, and that sums it up perfectly. It's a smorgasbord of dope violence buoyed up by strong, quirky performances.

Starring: Tyler Labine, Alan Tudyk, Katrina Bowden, Jesse Moss, Philip Granger, Brandon Jay McLaren, Christie Laing, Chelan Simmons, Travis Nelson

"Oh hidy-ho officer, we've had a doozy of a day. There we were minding our own business, just doing chores around the house, when kids started killing themselves all over my property." - Tucker, to the inquiring sheriff

Why watch this? Some films just grab you from the start. This genre role-flipping dark comedy is a riot!

Dad's Review: I just cannot watch another "teens go into the forest and are murdered one by one" film. Just give it a rest. This film, flips the genre on its head, and delivers one of the best black comedies you'll find. Tucker and Dale are just sweetly ignorant rednecks trying to get by. A group of teens convince themselves that Tucker and Dale are serial murders. It's grisly at times, but in a funny way. Of course, there is a wood chipper involved. 

Starring: Helen Hunt, Bill Paxton, Cary Elwes, Jami Gertz, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Lois Smith, Alan Ruck, Sean Whalen, Scott Thomson, Todd Field

"I gotta go Julia, we got cows." – Melissa

Why watch this? Tornados hit Texas quite often, and I know first-hand, they can be devastating. I weathered one up close... and that was enough for a lifetime.

Dad's Review: This film follows a group of highly intellectual and intuitive "storm chasers" during a weather event causing several tornados in rural Kansas. They encounter three very different tornados. It's a lot of exciting fun as the chasers pursue, then have to narrowly escape with their skins. The squabbling and chemistry between Paxton and Hunt is very engaging, as their personal past keeps bubbling out. Look for a young Philip Seymour Hoffman.

Starring: Diane Lane, Raoul Bova, Sandra Oh, Lindsay Duncan, Vincent Riotta, Mario Monicelli, Evelina Gori

"I'd like to make an offer on the house. This is what I can pay, minus the work on the place, and a rental car to drive off a cliff when this all turns out to have been a terrible mistake." - Jojo

Why watch this? A woman, post-divorce, burns her old bridges and starts anew.

Dad's Review: This is a lovely film about the pain and depression that occurs after a divorce. It takes a lot for a woman to move on because regardless of what people think, most women are always more committed to relationships, making their pain deeper. This woman decides, on a whim, to give Italy a try. Then, as a rash decision, she buys a house there...

Starring: Kurt Russell, Ray Liotta, Madeleine Stowe, Roger E. Mosley, Ken Lerner, Deborah Offner, Carmen Argenziano, Andy Romano, Dina Anello

"What are you gonna do, tough guy? You gonna make a citizen's arrest?" – Officer Pete Davis

Why watch this? What do you do when a policeman decides he wants your attractive wife?

Dad's Review: After a break-in, a young couple makes the decision to install a home security system. Officer Davis takes a specific liking to the couple, and performs the install himself. We quickly learn that Davis has a crush on the wife and plans to get rid of her husband. Davis is a decorated officer, who now knows the couple's home security codes! This taut thriller will keep you on edge all the way to its rewarding conclusion. Nobody does crazy better than Liotta.

Starring: Christopher Guest, Eugene Levy, Fred Willard, Catherine O'Hara, Parker Posey, Lewis Arquette, Bob Balaban, Matt Kesslar, Michael Hitchcock, Larry Miller

"... what the point is that through this accidental meeting—it's like, y'know, it's like a Hitchcock movie, where, you know, you're thrown into a rubber bag and put in the trunk of a car." – Corky

Why watch this? This sublime, reserved mockumentary comedy is slow-burn genius from the wonderful Christopher Guest and his troupe.

Dad's Review: Chris Guest stars as the eccentric Corky St. Clair, a VERY small-time musical director, responsible for the town of Blaine Missouri's 150-Year tribute event. He relies on his local regulars to fill the roles. The genius of the film is that it chronicles "regular people", then allows the actors to amplify their unusual quirks. Corky is determined that this musical will be his crowning achievement, especially when he learns that a Broadway producer, Mort Guffman will attend!  The actual musical is amateurish, clumsy, hokey, and really wonderful.

Starring: Mel Gibson, Madeleine Stowe, Greg Kinnear, Sam Elliott, Chris Klein, Keri Russell, Barry Pepper, Duong Don, Ryan Hurst, Robert Bagnell

"I will be the first to set foot on the field, and I will be the last to step off, and I will leave no one behind. Dead or alive, we will all come home together. So help me, God." - Lt. Col. Hal Moore

Why watch this? This is another excellent Vietnam War film about a bloody battle in the la Drang Valley.

Dad's Review: This effort has been praised for its realism. I know a Vietnam helicopter pilot and he agrees. For today's movie audience, that can be hard to take. Regardless, these stories need to be seen. Mel Gibson is Lt. Col. Hal Moore, the leader of a battalion sent into an early battle in Vietnam. They walk into a trap and are slaughtered. This film covers the bravery of these soldiers as they hold off attacks, so that they can evacuate the casualties.

Starring: Owen Wilson, Vince Vaughn, Rachel McAdams, Christopher Walken, Isla Fisher, Jane Seymour, Bradley Cooper, Ron Canada

"I got to get outta here, pronto. I got a stage five clinger. Stage five, virgin, clinger." – Jeremy Grey

Why watch this? It's raunchy. It's fun. And Jane Seymour shocks the audience.

Dad's Review: This crude comedy focuses on two lovable tools, Jeremy and John, who routinely attending random weddings in order to prey on emotionally vulnerable single women. It's all working out great until John falls insanely in love, which incidentally breaks one of their basic rules. Raunchy dude movie quickly morphs into a sappy RomCom, but it's worth the vulgar ride, especially due to the talents lead actors Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn.

What Lies Beneath (2000), Director: Robert Zemeckis, Rated PG-13 for scary violence

Starring: Harrison Ford, Michelle Pfeiffer, Katharine Towne, Miranda Otto, James Remar, Victoria Bidwell, Diana Scarwid, Dennison Samaroo

"There's a ghost in my house. I saw her in the water, beside me, in the bathtub." – Claire Spencer

Why watch this? The triumvirate of Zemeckis, Pheiffer and Ford brilliantly execute this eerie supernatural mystery.

Dad's Review: A happy married couple lives in rural Vermont, and their only daughter has left for college. Claire begins to experience strange things: odd neighbors, a full bathtub, writing on the foggy mirror. She's convinced there is a presence trying to contact her. She also feels her husband is not being completely truthful. This is a very intense, creepy film that will have you chomping on your finger nails all the way to its shocking end.

Where Eagles Dare (1968), Director: Brian G. Hutton, Rated M (Mature)

Starring: Richard Burton, Clint Eastwood, Mary Ure, Patrick Wymark, Michael Hordern, Donald Houston, Peter Barkworth, Robert Beatty

"Look, Major, either you start playing it straight or you can deal me out of this mess." – Lt. Morris Schaffer

Why watch this? The '60 produced some wonderful WWII espionage films. This is one of the finest.

Dad's Review: A dangerous mission is required to rescue a captured American general. The team must nab him before he can be interrogated by the Nazis. He's being held in a mountain stronghold, the Schloss Alder, high in the German Alps, accessible only by cable car. Leading the group is American Army Ranger Schaffer and British Major Smith. The scenery is breath-taking, and the plot, with several ingenious twists, makes for a very engrossing WWII movie.

Starring: Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney, Vera Ellen, Dean Jagger, Mary Wickes, Johnny Grant, John Brascia, Anne Whitfield

"Oh, Vermont should be beautiful this time of year, with all that snow." - Judy Haynes

Why watch this? Superb musical numbers, talented dancing, and lots of holiday cheer!

Dad's Review: Bob Wallace and Phil Davis are two best friends who host a TV musical show. They served in WWII together and concoct a scheme to take their show to the a Vermont Inn operated by their former commander, General Waverly. They partner with the sassy Haynes Sisters and off they go! This glitzy musical will impress you with its musical numbers then melt your heart as Phil plays the match-maker for his old single pal Bob.

Starring: Paul Giamatti, Amy Ryan, Jeffrey Tambor, Bobby Cannavale, Burt Young, Melanie Lynskey, Alex Shaffer, Margo Martindale

"If he's Darth Vador, you're the Secret Apprentice." - Kyle

Why watch this? Paul Giamatti continues to impress me with the realness he pumps into his vapid characters.

Dad's Review: Mike Flaherty runs a struggling law practice. He moonlights as a high school wrestling coach. Through a client, he takes in a young, troubled teen from Ohio, and quickly learns the boy is an excellent wrestler. This film twists around decisions that are questionably motivated. To what extent will, or should, a person go to help a boy, who happens to be talented? Who are you glorifying, the boy or yourself? And is that noble or self-serving?

Starring: Jim Cummings, Riki Lindhome, Robert Forster, Chloe East, Will Madden, Annie Hamilton, Jimmy Tatro, Hannah Elder

"Teeth are consistent with a wolf, so if anybody sees that Michael J. Fox guy walking around, let me know." - Officer Julia Robson

Why watch this? It's not easy to pull off bloody murders and snarky humor. This film does.

Dad's Review: Deputy sheriff, John Marshall has anger management issues. He's also got a series of brutal murders to solve. All the evidence points to, well, a 7 ft. tall werewolf. This film is full of smart-ass comments uttered by quirky characters, all set in the chilly, backward town of Snow Hollow, Utah. It's the oddness of if that stays with you.

Starring (Voice): Peter Sallis

"They're techno-trousers, ex-NASA, fantastic for walkies!" - Wallace

Why watch this? This delightfully British stop-motion animated misadventure will leave quite an impression.

Dad's Review: This Oscar-winning animated short film, at only 29 minutes, will have you laughing, while simultaneously amazed at the efforts of its creators. The plot is not really the point. It's about Wallace's new invention: Mechanical Pants. It's a joy to watch. If you want more, I whole-heartedly recommend the sequels: A Close Shave (1995), The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005) and A Matter of Loaf and Death (2008).

Starring: Patrick Stewart, Hugh Jackman, Halle Berry, Framke Janssen, Ian McKellen, Anna Paquin, Kelsey Grammer, James Marsden, Rebecca Romijn, Shawn Ashmore

"As Churchill said, "There comes a time when every man must..." Oh, you get the point!" - Dr. Hank McCoy aka Beast

Why watch this? I personally enjoyed this third X-Men effort as much as the first two.

Dad's Review: The final "original cast" X-Men film primarily focuses on the battle between Magneto's mutant army and humans, who are being secretly helped by the X-Men. Early on, Magneto wins the support of the powerful of Jean Grey, aka Phoenix. At the time, this was the final film in the trilogy, and that might explain why some characters were killed off. The plot, and its many twists, is well-written and memorable. What a pleasure it was to see Kelsey Grammer as one of my favorite X-Men, Beast... he's perfect for the part. 

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