Clark Gable as the daring mutineer in the screen's most exciting adventure story!

Starring: Charles Laughton, Clark Gable, Franchot Tone, Movita, Mamo, Herbert Mundin, Eddie Quillan, Dudley Diggs, Donald Crisp

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★★ - perfect

"I'll live to see you - all of you - hung from the highest yardarm in the British fleet." – Captain William Bligh, as his mutinous crew casts him adrift in a rowboat.

Why watch this? Laughton's performance as Captain Bligh - he's such a nasty old curmudgeon.

Plot Summary: On a perilous journey across the Pacific to secure breadfruit plants from Tahiti, the HMS Bounty's crew endures the increasingly sadistic tyranny of Captain Bligh. First Mate Fletcher Christian, initially attempting to tolerate Bligh's cruelty, eventually rallies the tormented sailors to seize the ship and remove the captain from command. The consequences of this mutiny on the high seas lead to further adventure and the potential for severe retribution as the story unfolds.

Frank Lloyd, Irving Thalberg;
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

The strangest damned gang you ever heard of. They're young. They're in love. They rob banks.

Starring: Warren Beatty, Faye Dunaway, Michael J. Pollard, Gene Hackman, Estelle Parsons, Denver Pyle, Dub Taylor, Gene Wilder

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★★ - perfect

"This here's Miss Bonnie Parker. I'm Clyde Barrow. We rob banks." - Clyde Barrow

Why watch this? To many Southwestern poor folks, the Barrow gangsters were heroes. Texas lawmen saw it differently.

Plot Summary: During the Great Depression, a bored waitress named Bonnie Parker meets ex-con Clyde Barrow and they begin a crime spree across America. As they rob banks and evade law enforcement, their exploits become more violent. The film follows their love story and growing notoriety as they become infamous criminals.

Warner Bros. Pics; Warner Bros.-Seven Arts

It takes leadership to confront a nation's fear. It takes friendship to conquer your own.

Starring: Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush, Helena Bonham Carter, Guy Pearce, Timothy Spall, Derek Jacobi, Jennifer Ehle, Michael Gambon, Claire Bloom

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★★ - perfect

"This family's been reduced to those lowest, basest of all creatures. We've become actors!" - King George V

Why watch this? Some British films are so delightful. This is one of them.

Plot Summary: Prince Albert, Duke of York, unexpectedly becomes King George VI and must overcome a severe stammer to lead his nation. His wife, Elizabeth, seeks the help of an unconventional Australian speech therapist, Lionel Logue. Despite initial clashes, a unique and supportive friendship blossoms between the two men as Logue employs unorthodox methods to help the future king find his voice and confidence, especially as World War II looms.

UK Film Council, Aegis Film Fund, FilmNation
Ent., See-Saw Films, Bedlam Prod.;
Momentum Pictures

Fear can hold you prisoner. Hope can set you free.

Starring: Tim Robbins, Morgan Freeman, Bob Gunton, William Sadler, Clancy Brown, Gil Bellows, James Whitmore

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★★ - perfect

"Yeah, right. That's the way it is. It's down there and I'm in here. I guess it comes down to a simple choice, really. Get busy livin' or get busy dyin'." - Andy Dufresne

Why watch this? It's simply a modern classic - one of the best prison films, hell films, ever made.

Plot Summary: Andy Dufresne is banker wrongly convicted of murdering his wife and her lover. Sentenced to life in the harsh Shawshank State Penitentiary, Andy must navigate the brutality of prison life, including violence from guards and inmates alike. Despite the grim realities of his confinement, Andy finds friendship with a fellow prisoner, Red, and maintains hope through sheer resilience and determination.

Castle Rock Entertainment;
Columbia Pictures

It's about life. It's about love. It's about us.

Starring: Whoopi Goldberg, Danny Glover, Oprah Winfrey, Adolph Caesar, Margaret Avery, Rae Dawn Chong

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★★ - perfect

"A girl child ain't safe in a family of mens, but I ain't never thought I'd have to fight in my own house! I loves Harpo, God knows I do. But I'll kill him dead 'fo I let him beat me." - Sofia

Why watch this? This incredible saga shows that courage can be silent and strength is enduring.

Plot Summary: The film follows timid Celie, an African-American woman in early 1900's rural Georgia, as she endures difficult circumstances, including domestic violence and bigotry. Separated from her beloved sister Nettie, Celie finds strength and hope through various relationships, particularly with the strong-willed singer Shug Avery and her own growing self-reliance. The story spans forty years, depicting Celie's journey from oppression to finding her voice.

Amblin Entertainment, The Guber-Peters
Company; Warner Bros.

The World Forever Changes

Starring: Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, Robert Downey Jr., Florence Pugh, Josh Hartnett, Casey Affleck, Rami Malek, Kenneth Branagh, Benny Safdie, Jason Clarke, Dylan Arnold, Tom Conti

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★★ - perfect

"They won't fear it until they understand it. And they won't understand it until they've used it. Theory will take you only so far." - J. Robert Oppenheimer

Why watch this? The Manhattan Project changed everything in a world shackled to a war with no end in sight.

Plot Summary: This historical drama details the origins of atomic theory, the determined scientists, the desperate military leaders, the governmental pressures - all to culminate in a world-changing event. It is a moment in our nation's past that is truly incredible, yet simultaneously horrible - the advent of nuclear fission. Oppenheimer was an American theoretical physicist who served as the Manhattan Project's director at Los Alamos Laboratory, where the atomic bombs were developed that would obliterate two Japanese cities, Nagasaki and Hiroshima, and effectively end World War II.

Syncopy Inc., Atlas Ent., Gadget Films,
Breakheart Films, Peters Creek Ent.;
Universal Pictures

Never stop fighting till the fight is done

Starring: Kevin Costner, Sean Connery, Charles Martin Smith, Andy Garcia, Robert De Niro, Richard Bradford, Jack Kehoe, Billy Drago, Patricia Clarkson

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★★ - perfect

"You wanna know how to get Capone? They pull a knife, you pull a gun. He sends one of yours to the hospital, you send one of his to the morgue. That's the Chicago way!" – Jim Malone

Why watch this? A great, if romanticized, account of the Elliott Ness story.

Plot Summary: Federal Agent Eliot Ness arrives in Prohibition-era Chicago, determined to bring down the notoriously powerful and corrupt gangster Al Capone. Facing widespread corruption within the city's police force, Ness realizes that traditional methods are insufficient to tackle Capone's illegal empire. He assembles a small team of trustworthy lawmen who are unburdened by fear or bribes to confront the ruthless crime boss and his network of organized crime.

Art Linson; Paramount Pictures

An Immortal Screen Classic that will live Forever!

Starring: Renée Jeanne Falconetti, Eugène Silvain, André Berley, Maurice Schutz, Antonin Artaud, Gilbert Dalleu, Michel Simon 

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★★ - perfect

"When the mission that God has entrusted to me is over, I will again dress as a woman." - Jeanne d'Arc, when asked why she wears men's clothing

Why watch this? ... her passion, as shown here, is otherworldly.

Plot Summary: This silent film chronicles the 15th-century trial of Joan of Arc, a young warrior accused of heresy for claiming divine visions. The film focuses on her intense interrogation by church officials who attempt to force her to recant her claims and beliefs. Ultimately, she faces a brutal punishment and becomes a symbol of martyrdom and steadfast faith.

Société Générale des Films

She was heralded as unsinkable...

Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet, Billy Zane, Kathy Bates, Frances Fisher, David Warner

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★★ - perfect

"The press knows the size of Titanic, now I want them to marvel at her speed, too. We must give them something new to print. And the maiden voyage of Titanic must make headlines!" – I. Bruce Ismay

Why watch this? A truly epic telling of the greatest maritime disaster.

Plot Summary: A young, upper-class lady, Rose DeWitt Bukater, feels trapped by her engagement to a wealthy but controlling man, Cal. Aboard the luxurious RMS Titanic, she meets Jack Dawson, a free-spirited artist traveling in third class. Despite their stark class differences and Rose's engagement, they fall deeply in love. However, their romance unfolds against the backdrop of the ship's fateful maiden voyage and the impending disaster that will forever change their lives.

20th Century Fox, Lightstorm Ent.;
Paramount Pictures

The spectacular story of America's first astronauts.

Starring: Scott Glenn, Ed Harris, Fred Ward, Sam Shepard, Lance Henriksen, Kim Stanley, Barbara Hershey, Veronica Cartwright, Pamela Reed

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★★ - perfect

"It takes a special kind of man to volunteer for a suicide mission, especially when it's on national TV." – Chuck Yeager

Why watch this? It's an educational, and thoroughly engaging, film about the U.S. space program.

Plot Summary: Based on Tom Wolfe's book, the film chronicles the early days of the American space program, focusing on the lives of the first astronauts. It follows their selection and rigorous training as they strive to be the first Americans in space, juxtaposed with the exploits of legendary test pilot Chuck Yeager.

The Ladd Company; Warner Bros.

The story of a woman fighting for her children, for her land, for the greatest dream there is... the future.

Starring: Sally Field, Lindsay Crouse, Ed Harris, Amy Madigan, John Malkovich, Danny Glover

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★★ - perfect

"You took a no-account piece of land and a bunch of people that didn't know what they were doin' and you farmed that land better than anybody could - colored or white. You're the one that brought in the first bale of cotton this year. Don't you ever forget that." - Edna Spalding

Why watch this? ... two reasons, 1) it's about Texas country folk, and 2) Mom loved it.

Plot Summary: In Depression-era Texas, a newly widowed woman, Edna Spalding, struggles to save her family's farm from foreclosure. Facing immense hardship, she takes the advice of a Black handyman, Moze, and decides to plant cotton, a crop she knows nothing about. To make ends meet and keep her children, Edna also reluctantly takes in a blind boarder, Mr. Will.

Delphi II Productions; Tri-Star Pictures

Amadeus (1984), Director: Miloš Forman, rated PG for some sensuality, crudeness

The man... The music... The madness... The murder... The motion picture...

Starring: F. Murray Abraham, Tom Hulce, Elizabeth Berridge, Simon Callow, Roy Dotrice, Simon Callow, Christine Ebersole, Jeffrey Jones, Charles Kay

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★★ - perfect

"That was Mozart. That! That giggling dirty-minded creature I had just seen, crawling on the floor!" - Antonio Salieri

Why watch this? Well, 8 Oscars is why - plus it IS a brilliant, exceptional film.

Plot Summary: Mozart is blessed with natural musical ability. Though a musical genius, he is outwardly childish and crass. That is until he thinks of his father, a stern man who was constantly disappointed in his son. Juxtapose Mozart to Salieri, a reserved man plays by the rules. He's true to his craft, loyal to his employers, and faithful to God, yet always denied greatness. In his anger, Salieri, forsakes God and becomes obsessed with destroying the young composer.

The Saul Zaentz Co.; Orion Pictures

His Triumph Changed The World Forever.

Starring: Ben Kingsley, Candice Bergman, Trevor Howard, John Gielgud, Martin Sheen, Daniel-Day Lewis, Roshan Seth

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★★ - perfect

"Whenever I despair, I remember that the way of truth and love has always won. There may be tyrants and murderers, and for a time, they may seem invincible, but in the end, they always fail. Think of it: always." – Mohandas Gandhi

Why watch this? This stunning epic still finds a way to intimately touch each heart that views it.

Plot Summary: This epic drama follows the life of Mohandas K. Gandhi, the influential leader of India's nonviolent independence movement against British rule. The story showcases his journey from his time as a lawyer in South Africa to his eventual leadership of the movement in India, promoting his philosophy of nonviolent resistance. It highlights significant events in his personal and political life, depicting both his successes and the challenges he faced in uniting his country and achieving self-rule.
 

Dad's Preview:  It's hard to argue with 8 Academy Awards. This film is massive and unrelenting, as it follows the life of Mohandas Gandhi, and his non-violent protests against the British occupation of India. Ben Kingsley's performance is hypnotic - he transforms into the peaceful leader. The man Gandhi, was a miracle of a humanity on this Earth and we should all acknowledge his beliefs and way of thinking.

Goldcrest Films; Int'l Film Investors, Nat'l Film Dev.
Corp. of India Indo-British Films; Columbia Pics

Better if all these men were dead. Think about it!

Starring: Toshiro Mifune, Tatsuya Nakadai, Yoko Tsukasa, Isuzu Yamada, Daisuke Katō, Takashi Shimura, Kamatari Fujiwara, Atsushi Watanabe

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★★ - perfect

"I get paid for killing. And this town is full of men who deserve to die." - Yojimbo

Why watch this? This Japanese samurai film is as good and any American Western.

Plot Summary: This tale features a wandering rōnin looking to sell his sword to the highest bidder. By chance, he lands in a small town locked in a vicious power struggle between two bickering bosses. At first he plays both sides against each other, but finally decides to rid the town of both. He is caught, however, and beaten almost to death.

Kurosawa Production; Toho

The most magnificent picture ever!

Starring: Clark Gable, Vivien Leigh, Leslie Howard, Olivia de Havilland, Thomas Mitchell, Hattie McDaniel, Ona Munson

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★★ - perfect

"I'm going to live through this and when it's all over, I'll never be hungry again. No, nor any of my folk. If I have to lie, steal, cheat or kill, as God is my witness, I'll never be hungry again." - Scarlett O'Hara

Why watch this? ... the burning of Atlanta, which is a spectacle on screen to behold.

Plot Summary: It follows the life of Scarlett O'Hara, a spoiled, rich plantation debutante. Then the Civil War begins... As the South's eventual loss becomes evident, Atlanta is burned. In the aftermath, Scarlett finally returns to her devastated plantation home. With her father dead, she has a fight on her hands to keep it. Luckily, the noble scoundrel, Rhett Butler, gives her aid.
 

Dad's Preview: This is the great American story of the Old South.  As I have watched this film through the years, my affection for Scarlett has evolved. The film is about her and the many conflicts she endures. My Mom, though, only saw the handsome Clark Gable and all his confident charm. Many have called this a "racist" film - I disagree. Sure, it portrays a racist South, yet also gave us an admirable black character in Hattie McDaniel as the strong-willed servant Mammy. She was the first African American to win and Academy Award (for Best Supporting Actress).

Selznick International Pictures,
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer; Loew's Inc.

What is the cost of lies?

Starring: Jared Harris, Stellan Skarsgård, Adam Nagaitis, Emily Watson, Paul Ritter, Robert Emms, Sam Troughton, Karl Davies, Michael Socha

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★★ - perfect

"The truth doesn't care about our needs or wants, it doesn't care about our governments, our ideologies, our religions. It will lie in wait for all time. And this, at last, is the gift of Chernobyl. Where I once would fear the cost of truth, now I only ask: What is the cost of lies?" - Valery Legasov

Why watch this? This incredible mini-series realistically explores one of the world's most terrifying disasters.

Plot Summary: Initially, the story details the event itself, and the aftermath, as clean-up crews quickly descend upon the smoldering reactor. Workers and civilians are immediately exposed to lethal doses of radiation. It's gut-wrenching. The Soviet government sends in renown chemist, Valery Legasov, and deputy chairman, Boris Shcherbina, to assess (and deal with) the situation. This historically-accurate accounting leads to the final episode that explains exactly what caused the explosion and immediate meltdown.

Sky UK, Sister Pictures, The Mighty Mint,
Word Games; HBO

All the President's Men (1976), Director: Alan J. Pakula, rated PG

Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein are about to ask you a few questions.

Starring: Robert Redford, Dustin Hoffman, Jack Warden, Martin Balsam, Hal Holbrook , Jason Robarbs, Ned Beatty

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★★ - perfect

"It leads everywhere. Get out your notebook. There's more." - Deep Throat

Why watch this? This explains Watergate in a very interesting and suspenseful manner.

Plot Summary: Two reporters from the Washington Post, Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, are assigned to what initially seems like a minor break-in at the Democratic Party Headquarters in the Watergate complex. As they investigate, they uncover a much larger political conspiracy, tracing the trail of illegal activity higher and higher within the Nixon administration, despite obstacles and threats to their safety. Their persistent investigative journalism ultimately aims to reveal the truth about the Watergate scandal and its connections to those in power.

Wildwood Enterprises; Warner Bros.

A Tale of the Christ

Starring: Charlton Heston, Haya Harareet, Jack Hawkins, Stephen Boyd, Hugh Griffith, Martha Scott, Cathy O'Donnell, Sam Jaffe

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★★ - perfect

DML Top 50 #15 - Dad's Full (Spoiler) Review and Deep Dive of Ben-Hur

"We keep you alive to serve this ship. Row well, and live." - Quintus Arrius

Why watch this? It's epic scale is hard to comprehend in this CGI digital age.

Plot Summary: Judah Ben-Hur, a wealthy Jewish prince in Roman-occupied Jerusalem, is falsely accused of an assassination attempt by his childhood friend, the ambitious Roman tribune Messala. After being sentenced to the galleys as a slave, Ben-Hur vows to seek vengeance for his family's destruction and his own unjust suffering. His quest for justice eventually leads him to a dramatic confrontation with Messala in a high-stakes chariot race.

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer; Loew's Inc.

Stirring - In the seeing! Precious - In the remembering!

Starring: James Stewart, Jean Arthur, Claude Rains, Thomas Mitchell, Edward Arnold, Beulah Bondi, Harry Carey, Eugene Pallette

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★★ - perfect

DML Top 50 #34 - Dad's Full (Spoiler) Review and Deep Dive of Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

"You all think I'm licked. Well I'm not licked. And I'm gonna stay right here and fight for this lost cause!" - Senator Jefferson Smith, Tenn.

Why watch this? ... an idyllic young Senator finds himself attacked by corruption.

Plot Summary: Idealistic young man Jefferson Smith is unexpectedly appointed to the U.S. Senate to fill a vacant seat. Initially, Smith is seen as easily manipulated by corrupt political figures, including his state's powerful political boss and even his childhood hero, Senator Joseph Paine. However, when Smith proposes a national boys' camp that interferes with a corrupt land scheme, he finds himself in a fight for his ideals against the powerful forces of political corruption.
 

Dad's Preview: Nobody plays the underdog like Jimmy Stewart. This is the second Stewart-Capra collaboration. Every American should watch this, and ask yourself, "What do I stand for?" Am I pulling for the young Tennessee senator, Jefferson Smith, who still believes is fair government, helping common citizens? Or do I relate more to the senator who takes bribes from bullying businessmen? Well? I choose Jeff Smith, and a government of the people by the people and for the people. This is a MUST SEE!

Frank Capra; Columbia Pictures

The Joads step right out of the pages of the novel that has shocked millions!

Starring: Henry Fonda, Jane Darwell, John Carradine, Charley Grapewin, Dorris Bowdon, Russell Simpson, John Qualen, Grant Mitchell, Ward Bond

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★★ - perfect

DML Top 50 #28 - Dad's Full (Spoiler) Review and Deep Dive of The Grapes of Wrath

"If I was to pray, I'd pray for folks that's alive and don't know which way to turn." - Jim "Preacher" Casy

Why watch this? The Great Depression left a deep scar on an entire American generation.

Plot Summary: This deeply American story follows the Joad family, Oklahoma sharecroppers who lose their farm to foreclosure during the Dust Bowl and Great Depression. Led by newly paroled son Tom, they embark on a difficult journey to California, lured by the promise of work and a better life. However, upon arrival, they face immense hardship, poverty, exploitation, and social injustice alongside thousands of other migrant workers seeking the same elusive dream.

Darryl F. Zanuck, Nunnally Johnson;
20th Century Fox