King of psychological westerns and hard-boiled noir films, Anthony Mann turned his attention in 1961 to mounting a widescreen historical epic worthy of Cecil B. DeMille. The effort paid off handsomely: the set pieces ...

Bringing into focus both the plight of illegal U.S. immigrants and the persecution of Indian peasants in Central American nations, Nava’s “El Norte” is an eloquent, honest, and sobering testimony about the simple quest ...

As an expertly filmed document of Stritch’s bravura one-woman show that played to sold-out audiences on Broadway and London’s West End, At Liberty constitutes a priceless record of one of the greatest performers of our ...

This engaging, often hilarious satire, centering on a battle of wits between a student and teacher, proves once and for all that contemporary comedies can be both smart and funny. (No wonder the film earned a Best ...

Michael Cacoyannis ("Zorba the Greek") brings Euripides' timeless tragedy to full-blooded life in this Oscar-nominated drama featuring the lovely and blazingly talented Irene Papas. Big-screen adaptations of the ancient ...

A controversial re-imagining of the Columbine High School massacre, Van Sant's unsettling film is composed entirely of long, sinuous tracking shots and tight close-ups of various students going about their young lives. ...

An auspicious debut for Malle, just 25 when "Gallows" opened, this superb thriller pairs a noirish plot involving two murderous couples with a lurid, claustrophobic atmosphere. Julien's efforts to escape the crime scene ...

Warm, original, hilarious film consistently delights and surprises, thanks to a pair of deliciously drawn oddballs. Elling and Kjell make the characters from "The Odd Couple" look like well-adjusted identical twins. Yet ...

Based on the bestselling novel by Sinclair Lewis, this tale of a lustful, larger-than-life charlatan's fall from grace owes its strength to the force of Lancaster's dynamic, Oscar-winning performance. His Gantry ...

Presley looks terrific in Sanders's 1970 docu-portrait of the Memphis legend's bid for glitzy Vegas glory. Beyond the force of his charisma and talent in full blossom, we get a glimpse of Presley's comical, playful ...

If you’re familiar with Herzog’s work (“Grizzly Man,” “Fitzcarraldo”), then you know he likes oddballs, deviants, and putting himself at extremes. In this superlative doc, Herzog finds characters only a novelist could ...

This riveting documentary reviews in minute detail one company’s spectacular rise and fall, delving into the labyrinthine schemes and self-deceptions that helped line the pockets of Enron’s top management, while ...

"Dragon" breathes fire for purely one reason: the riveting presence of Lee, whose personal charisma and particularly ferocious brand of martial arts made him an international star. Part James Bond-style thriller, part ...

Based on a true story about the men whose 1962 escape from the San Francisco maximum-security penitentiary ushered in its demise, this thrilling prison-break tale by "Dirty Harry" director Siegel has all the elements of ...

From director Michel Gondry and the zany brain of writer Charlie Kaufman (“Being John Malkovich”) comes a wildly imaginative, thought-provoking fable about the vagaries of love. Gondry and Kaufman’s loopy romance really ...

Greek master Angelopoulos is often described as a challenging filmmaker, but those willing to submit to his patient rhythms here will be rewarded with a deep, resonant meditation on mortality. A master of the long, ...

Narrated by Max Von Sydow, Lars Von Trier’s early surrealistic political thriller looks and feels every bit as distinctive as a David Lynch period film. Combining some unusually effective special effects with vivid ...

The events depicted in this remarkable film seem improbable at best, yet they’re all true, recorded by the real Solomon Perel in his autobiography. Director Holland, who won an Oscar nod for her screenplay, balances a ...

Swedish master Jan Troell’s Golden Globe-nominated historical epic balances the sweep of a changing era with the intimate moments in the life of one woman. One of the most beautiful films to look at in recent memory, ...

This subtly devastating sleeper from Germany presents an intimate portrait of a relationship unraveling over a vacation in the sun. Though the scenery is gorgeous, Ade wisely keeps her lens trained on her two young, ...