This intense thriller is a work of fiction with a factual basis. Aidan Quinn stars as Annibal Ramirez, an American naval officer with a striking resemblance to real-life international terrorist Carlos "the Jackal" Sanchez, the scourge of innocent people all over the world in the 1970s and '80s. Mistaken for Sanchez by the Israeli Mossad, Ramirez is arrested but subsequently recruited by the Mossad and the CIA to pose as Sanchez and set him up as a traitor to his underwriters.
When a young Amish woman and her son are caught up in the murder of an undercover narcotics agent, their savior proves to be the worldly and cynical Philadelphia detective John Book. Harrison Ford is sensational as Book, the cop who runs head-on into the non-violent world of a Pennsylvania Amish community. The end result is an action-packed struggle of life and death, interwoven with a sensitive undercurrent of caring and forbidden love.
Nominated for 6 Academy Awards, director Mike Nichols' witty, romantic look at life in the corporate jungle stars Melanie Griffith as Tess McGill, an ambitious secretary with a unique approach for climbing the ladder to success. When her classy, but villainess boss (Sigourney Weaver) steals her business idea, she seizes an opportunity to steal it back by pretending she has her boss's job, taking over her office, her apartment, even her wardrobe.
This lush retelling of the legend of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table is a dark and engrossing tale. Director John Boorman (Deliverance) masterfully handles the tale of the mythical sword Excalibur, and its passing from the wizard Merlin to the future king of England. Arthur pulls the famed sword from a stone and is destined to be crowned king. As the king embarks on a passionate love affair with Guenevere, an illegitimate son, and Merlin's designs on power, threaten Arthur's reign. The film is visually stunning and unflinching in its scenes of combat and black magic.
Mel Brooks' monstrously crazy tribute to Mary Shelley's classic pokes hilarious fun at just about every Frankenstein movie ever made. Summoned by a will to his late grandfather's castle in Transylvania, young Dr. Frankenstein (Wilder) soon discovers the scientist's step-by-step manual explaining how to bring a corpse to life. Assisted by the hunchback Igor (Feldman), he creates a monster (Boyle) who only wants to be loved.
X2 does a fine job of picking up where X-Men left off, giving fans more of what they liked the first time around. Under the serious-minded custody of returning director Bryan Singer, the second film of this Marvel comics franchise ups the ante on Professor Xavier (Patrick Stewart) and the superhero mutants from the first film, pitting them against a mutant-hating scientist (Brian Cox) who's determined to wipe out the mutant race by tricking Xavier into abusing his telepathic powers.
Born into a world filled with prejudice are children who possess extraordinary and dangerous powers - the result of unique genetic mutations. Cyclops unleashes bolts of energy from his eyes. Storm can manipulate the weather at will. Rogue absorbs the life force of anyone she touches. But under the tutelage of Professor Xavier (Patrick Stewart), these and other outcasts learn to harness their powers for the good of mankind.
Welcome to Redemption, your typical old west town. Herod, played by Gene Hackman, is in the villain role, which befits his talents well. Herod is a long time criminal who controls Redemption from the ground up. He's arranged for a "Quick Draw" contest for gunslingers. Ellen, played superbly by the ever beautiful Sharon Stone comes to town with more than just a quick draw competition on her mind. Cort, played by the then burgeoning superstar, Russell Crowe is a former outlaw and friend of Herods, who has found the lord.
When it was released during Hollywood's golden year of 1939, The Wizard of Oz didn't start out as the perennial classic it has since become. The film did respectable business, but it wasn't until its debut on television that this family favorite saw its popularity soar. And while Oz's TV broadcasts are now controlled by media mogul Ted Turner (who owns the rights), the advent of home video has made this lively musical a mainstay in the staple diet of great American films.
The year is 1878, Lincoln County, John Tunstall, a British ranch owner, hires six rebellious boys as "regulators" to protect his ranch against the ruthless Santa Fe Ring. When Tunstall is killed in an ambush, the Regulators, led by the wild-tempered Billy the Kid (Estevez), declare war on the Ring. As their vendetta turns into a bloody rampage, they are branded outlaws, becoming the objects of the largest manhunt in the western history.
