Starring: Bradley Cooper, Lady Gaga, Andrew Dice Clay, Dave Chappelle, Sam Elliott, Rafi Gavron, Anthony Ramos

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★☆☆ - great

"All you got is you and what you have to say to people and they are listening right now and they are not going to be listening forever. Trust me. So you gotta grab it and you don't apologize." – Jack

Why watch this? It is nice to see the usually outrageous Lady Gaga portray a regular girl. She's a beautiful soul.

Plot Summary: Jackson Maine, an established but troubled musician battling addiction, discovers and falls in love with Ally, a talented singer-songwriter who's given up on her dreams. He helps launch her career and they embark on a passionate romance, but as Ally's star rises, Jackson's personal demons begin to tear their relationship apart.

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pics, Live Nation Prod.,
Gerber Pictures, Peters Ent., Joint Effort;
Warner Bros. Pictures

Let us take you with us to Solaris, planet of mystery,
embodiment of man's latent conflict with the unknown.
Man, face to face with his conscience, and with his past

Starring: Donatas Barionis, Natalya Bondarchuk, Jüri Järvet, Vladislav Dvorzhetsky, Nikolai Grinko, Olga Barnet, Anotoly Solonitsyn, Sos Sargsyan, Aleksandr Misharin

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★☆☆ - great

"We don't want to conquer space at all. We want to expand Earth endlessly. We don't want other worlds; we want a mirror. We seek contact and will never achieve it. We are in the foolish position of a man striving for a goal he fears and doesn't want. Man needs man!" - Dr. Snaut

Why watch this? This poignant Soviet sci-fi classic will get you thinking, if you let it.

Plot Summary: Psychologist Kris Kelvin is sent to a remote space station orbiting the mysterious, sentient planet Solaris to investigate the severe emotional breakdowns of its remaining crew. Upon arrival, Kelvin finds the station in disarray and is confronted by physical manifestations of his own repressed memories and guilt, including his long-dead wife, Hari.

Vyacheslave Tarasov; Mosfilm

A true story about finding the courage to be yourself.

Starring: Hilary Swank, Chloë Sevigny, Peter Sarsgaard, Brendan Sexton III, Alicia Goranson, Jeannetta Arnette, Matt McGrath

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★☆☆ - great

"Shut up. That's your business. Look, I don't care if you're half monkey or half ape, I'm gettin' you out of here." - Lana

Why watch this? This is the true story of Brandon Teena, a trans-man who was murdered.

Plot Summary: Based on the true story, Brandon Teena, a trans man, living in rural Nebraska, navigates his life and identity while seeking love and acceptance in his community. He falls for Lana, a girl who wants to get away from her small town. When "friends" around them find out the truth, fear and bigotry surfaces and does what it often does - hate what it has been taught to hate, and destroy what it doesn't understand.

Independent Film Channel Prod., Killer Films,
Hart-Sharp Ent.; Fox Searchlight Pictures

How far would you go to protect a secret?

Starring: Kate Winslet, Ralph Fiennes, David Kross, Bruno Ganz, Alexandria Maria Lara, Lena Olin, Vijessna Ferkic, Karoline Herfurth

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★☆☆ - great

"We're changing the order we do things. Read to me first, kid. Then we make love." - Hanna Schmitz

Why watch this? There are always complexities around affairs with strangers. This one is a doozie.

Plot Summary: In 1958, a 15-year-old German lad, Michael, meets a much older tram operator, Hanna. They soon become lovers and Hanna incorporates sessions where he reads his school books to her. This steamy affair is abruptly ended when Hanna leaves town due to a work promotion. Michael takes it hard, but eventually enrolls at Heidelberg University School of Law. As part of class, he attends a trial of several former Nazi SS guards for the murder of Jewish women and children locked in a burning church near Kraków, Poland.

Mirage Enterprises/Neunte Babelsberg Film;
The Weinstein Company

What Love Built A Secret Could Destroy...

Starring: Meg Ryan, Andy García, Lauren Tom, Ellen Burstyn, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Tina Majorino, Mae Whitman

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★☆☆ - great

"Nothing happened, Michael. Nothing has to happen for me to have a bad day. That's the thrilling part of all this. It just comes and hits and runs me over like a g**damn freight train." – Alice

Why watch this? It's a superb, yet very painful, story about battling alcoholism.

Plot Summary: This is a agonizing story about an ordinary woman, Alice, who is an alcoholic. After a serious incident, she realizes that she has to leave her family and enter rehab. She finds help at rehab and moves back home. Her husband, Michael, has trouble re-adjusting to the new, sober Alice, who is now stronger, more vocal, AND still fighting her addiction. It's going to take her husband to confront how much he was also part of her problem.

Touchstone Pictures, Avnet/Kerner Prod.;
Buena Vista Pictures Dist.

No ordinary love story...

Starring: Leonard Whiting, Olivia Hussey, Milo O'Shea, Michael York, John McEnery, Natasha Parry, Pat Heywood, Robert Stephens

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★☆☆ - great

"Did my heart love till now? Forswear it, sight! For I ne'er saw true beauty 'till this night." - Romeo.

Why watch this? There is not a more tragic love story than this classic crafted by the Bard himself.

Plot Summary: In Verona, a long-standing and violent feud exists between the Montague and Capulet families. Young Romeo Montague attends a Capulet masked ball, where he meets and falls deeply in love with Juliet Capulet. Despite their families' animosity, the lovers secretly marry, hoping their union will end the generations-old conflict. However, a turn of events, including a murder, threatens to tear their secret marriage apart.

BHE Films; Dino de Laurentiis Cinematografica,
Verona Prod.; Paramount Pictures

Sometimes love is the most dangerous game of all.

Starring: Jeff Bridges, Rachel Ward, James Woods, Alex Karras, Richard Widmark, Jane Greer, Dorian Harewood

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★☆ - near perfect

"That idiot football player you were going to get - well, he has got me by the balls." – Ben Caxton

Why watch this? This is one the sexiest films - your eyeballs will fog up.

Plot Summary: An aging football player, Terry Brogan, is hired to find the runaway girlfriend of an old acquaintance, Jake Wise, a shady nightclub owner. When Terry finds her, he and the woman, Jessie, fall passionately in love, complicating his assignment. Their newfound love entangles them in a web of intrigue, including corruption and danger.

New Visions, Columbia-Delphi Prod.;
Columbia Pictures

A story of the most precious moments in woman's life!

Starring: Celia Johnson, Trevor Howard, Stanley Holloway, Joyce Carey, Cyril Raymond, Everley Gregg, Marjorie Mars, Margaret Barton, Wildred Babbage, Alfie Bass

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★☆ - near perfect

"Nothing lasts really. Neither happiness nor despair. Not even life lasts very long. There'll come a time in the future when I shan't mind about this anymore, when I can look back and say quite peacefully and cheerfully how silly I was. No, no, I don't want that time to come ever." - Laura Jesson's secret thoughts

Why watch this? Some affairs begin in the most innocent of settings.

Plot Summary: A married housewife, Laura Jesson, meets a kind stranger, Dr. Alec Harvey, at a train station after he removes a piece of grit from her eye. Their initial chance encounter develops into a series of clandestine meetings where they fall deeply in love, struggling with the guilt and complications of their forbidden affair. Ultimately, they must confront the fact that their time together must end.

  
Noël Coward, Anthony Havelock-Allen,
Ronald Neame; Eagle-Lion Dist.

Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992), Director: Francis Ford Coppola rated R for strong violence, nudity, scary scenes

LOVE NEVER DIES

Starring: Gary Oldman, Winona Ryder, Anthony Hopkins, Keanu Reeves, Richard E. Grant, Cary Elwes, Tom Waits

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★☆ - near perfect

"You will, I trust, excuse me if I do not join you. But, I have already dined, and I never drink... wine." - Dracula

Why watch this? Gary Oldman's portrayal of Dracula is singularly unique... and terrifying!

Plot Summary: In 1897, a young solicitor, Jonathan Harker, travels to Transylvania to handle a real estate transaction for the mysterious Count Dracula. Upon seeing a photograph of Harker's fiancée, Mina, Dracula believes she is the reincarnation of his deceased wife. Imprisoning Harker, the Count travels to London to find Mina, unleashing a reign of terror and seduction upon those seek to protect the girl.

American Zoetrope, Osiris Films;
Columbia Pictures

There Has Never Been A Motion Picture Like... The Red Shoes

Starring: Moira Shearer, Anton Walbrook, Marius Goring, Robert Helpmann, Léonide Massine, Albert Bassermann, Ludmilla Tchérina, Esmond Knight, Austin Trevor, Irene Browne, Hay Petrie

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★☆ - near perfect

"You cannot have it both ways. A dancer who relies upon the doubtful comforts of human love can never be a great dancer. Never." – Boris Lermontov

Why watch this? It really is a work of dance art that overwhelms the senses.

Plot Summary: In South France, a driven young ballerina must choose between her intense ambition to become a great dancer and the love of a composer who wants her to lead a more balanced life. Her demanding instructor, obsessed with the belief that a dancer can have no other life than art, pushes her to an emotional breaking point. This psychological conflict unfolds as she dances the lead in a new ballet production called "The Red Shoes."

Powell and Pressburger, The Archers;
General Film Distributors

Someday in the past he will find her...

Starring: Christopher Reeve, Jane Seymour, Christopher Plummer, Teresa Wright, Bill Erwin, George Voskovec, Susan French, William H. Macy

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★☆ - near perfect

"Do you actually believe that I have nurtured her, cared for her, molded, taught, developed her, for all these years merely to groom a wife?!" – William Robinson

Why watch this? ... it's the first romance I actually liked. Now, I cry every time I see it.

Plot Summary: A playwright named Richard Collier who becomes infatuated with a photograph of a beautiful actress named Elise McKenna, taken in 1912. Driven by an intense desire to meet her, he uses self-hypnosis to travel back in time to the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island, Michigan. There, he encounters Elise, but her strict manager seeks to prevent any potential romance, fearing it could damage her career.

Rastar; Universal Pictures

A lifetime of change can happen in a single moment.

Starring: Bill Bob Thornton, Halle Berry, Heath Ledger, Sean Combs, Mos Def, Peter Boyle, Gabrielle Witcher, Amber Rules

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★☆ - near perfect

"I've always believed that a portrait captures a person far better than a photograph. It truly takes a human being to really see a human being." - Lawrence Musgrove

Why watch this? Most of the film is about pain, its aftermath, and how folks try to move on.

Plot Summary: A white corrections officer, Hank Grotowski, works on death row. After a series of personal tragedies, he quits his job and meets Leticia Musgrove, an African-American woman also dealing with immense personal loss. Unbeknownst to them both, Hank was one of the officers who carried out the execution of Leticia's husband, creating a complex and tragic connection between them.

Lee Daniels Entertainment; Lions Gate Films

They had a date with fate in Casablanca!

Starring: Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Paul Henreid, Claude Rains, Conrad Veidt, Sydney Greenstreet, Peter Lorre

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★★ - perfect

"You know, Rick, I have many a friend in Casablanca, but somehow, just because you despise me, you are the only one I trust." - Ugarte

Why watch this? This is film noir's holy grail. It has all the classic elements.

Plot Summary: Rick Blaine is an expatriate running a seedy bar in Casablanca. In walks Ilsa Lund, an old love, who is now married to Victor Laszlo, a secret Czech resistance leader trying to escape the city. The love triangle heats up as Ilsa clearly still has feelings for Rick. However, World War II is also heating up, and although Rick claims to be neutral, he certainly has no love for the Germans.

Hal B. Wallis; Warner Bros. Pictures Inc.

Every man dies, not every man really lives.

Starring: Mel Gibson, Sophie Marceau, Patrick MaGoohan, Angus Macfadyen, Catherine McCormack, Brendan Gleeson, Peter Hanly, Ian Bannen, James Cosmo, David O'Hara

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★★ - perfect

"Those men who bled the ground red at Falkirk fought for William Wallace. He fights for something that I never had. And I took it from him, when I betrayed him." - Robert the Bruce

Why watch this? This is a powerful film about historical Scotland and its hero, William Wallace.

Plot Summary: This story features William Wallace, a Scottish warrior who leads a rebellion against the tyrannical King Edward I of England. Wallace unites his people and fights for Scotland's independence, driven by personal tragedy and a desire for freedom. His bravery inspires a nation and leaves a lasting legacy in their struggle for freedom.

Icon Productions, The Ladd Company;
Paramount Pictures

Forged by a god. Foretold by a wizard. Found by a King.

Starring:  Nigel Terry, Helen Mirren, Nicholas Clay, Nicol Williamson, Liam Neeson, Patrick Stewart, Cherie Lunghi

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★★ - perfect

DML Top 50 #38 - Dad's Full (Spoiler) Review and Deep Dive of Excalibur

"You will be the land, and the land will be you. If you fail, the land will perish; as you thrive, the land will blossom." - Merlin

Why watch this? ... because it is the Arthurian legend in vivid, wonderful detail.

Plot Summary: Told here is the epic tale of King Arthur, tracing his journey from humble beginnings to the throne of a unified Britain. Guided by the enigmatic wizard Merlin, Arthur establishes the legendary Round Table and builds the realm of Camelot, ushering in an era of peace and prosperity. However, the kingdom's glory is threatened by internal strife, including betrayal, forbidden love, and the insidious plots of Arthur's treacherous half-sister, the sorceress Morgana.

Orion Pictures, Cinema '84; Warner Bros.

The Director Of "Batman" & "Beetlejuice" Invites You To Meet His Newest Creation

Starring: Johnny Depp, Winona Ryder, Dianne Wiest, Kathy Baker, Vincent Price, Alan Arkin, Conchata Ferrell

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★★ - perfect

"I don't think it would be snowing now if he weren't still up there. Sometimes you can still catch me dancing in it." - Kim

Why watch this? This odd and sweet film is a lovely journey through Tim Burton's unique brain.

Plot Summary: Edward, an artificial humanoid, is created by an inventor who died before completing him, leaving him with scissors instead of hands. Edward lives in solitude in a Gothic castle until a kind Avon lady brings him to her suburban family's home. While trying to adapt to his new surroundings, Edward uses his unique hands to create beautiful topiaries and hairstyles, becoming a local celebrity. However, his gentle nature and burgeoning love for the family's daughter are eventually challenged by suspicion and misunderstanding from the townspeople.

Denise Di Novi, Tim Burton; 20th Century Fox

Love Is A Force Of Nature

Starring: Heath Ledger, Jake Gyllenhaal, Linda Cardellini, Anna Faris, Anne Hathaway, Michelle Williams, Randy Quaid, Linda Cardellini

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★★ - perfect

"The bottom line is...we're around each other and...this thing grabs hold of us again...in the wrong place...in the wrong time...we're dead." - Ennis Del Mar

Why watch this? This is a love story, set in a place where folks don't tolerate anybody "different".

Plot Summary: In 1963, two out-of-work cowboys, Jack and Ennis, hire on working sheep in the Wyoming wilderness. Unexpectedly, the two become intimate, something they agree was a "one time deal". They return to their lives, both marrying and having kids. Over the next ten years, however, their forbidden relationship grows as they meet for annual fishing trips.

River Road Entertainment; Focus Features

You can erase someone from your mind. Getting them out of your heart is another story.

Starring: Jim Carrey, Kate Winslet, Kirsten Dunst, Mark Ruffalo, Elijah Wood, Tom Wilkinson, Jane Adams, David Cross, Deirdre O'Connell, Thomas Jay Ryan

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★★ - perfect

DML Top 50 #7 - Dad's Full (Spoiler) Review and Deep Dive of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

"Meet me in Montauk..." – Clementine

Why watch this? It's the polar opposite of a RomCom, and the greatest movie about real love I have ever seen.

Plot Summary: Joel discovers his former girlfriend, Clementine, has had their relationship erased from her memory following a breakup. Out of despair, Joel decides to undergo the same procedure to erase Clementine from his own mind. However, as his memories are systematically removed, Joel begins to realize the importance of those experiences, even the painful ones. He attempts to resist the erasure process and hold onto the memories of Clementine, leading to a surreal and fragmented journey through his subconscious.

Anonymous Content, This is that;
Focus Features

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 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.

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