11.
"Don't Say a Word"
(2001)
Action/Adventure
and Thriller ;20th Century Fox
Starring:
Michael Douglas, Famke Janssen,
Brittany Murphy, Sean Bean
Directed
by Gary Fleder
A noted adolescent psychiatrist,
racing to secure the freedom
of his kidnapped daughter, must
first retrieve a critical piece
of information from his newest
pro bono patient: a catatonic,
violent but angelic-looking
young woman.
<Philadelphia>
12.
"Philadelphia" (1993)
Drama
Starring:
Tom Hanks, Denzel Washington,
Antonio Banderas
Directed
by Jonathan Demme
Tom Hanks plays Andrew Beckett,
a hotshot Philadelphia lawyer
who has been keeping his homosexuality,
and his AIDS, hidden from his
conservative bosses. When he's
suddenly and inexplicably fired,
Andrew suspects AIDS is the reason,
and is determined to fight in
court, even as he is losing his
other battle, against the disease.
Beckett hires attorney Joe Miller
(Denzel Washington) to represent
him, but the lawyer must first
overcome his own homophobia and
fears. Director Jonathan Demme
filmed this after winning the
Oscar for SILENCE OF THE LAMBS.
The amazing cast includes Antonio
Banderas, Joanne Woodward, and
Jason Robards. Roger Corman and
Charles Napier, both in LAMBS,
make appearances. Bruce Springsteen's
haunting song "Streets of
Philadelphia" plays over
the memorable opening credits.
This sensitive, moody film touches
on a vast array of subjects surrounding
gay and straight men, family,
and death, without ever being
maudlin or preachy, which is to
its immense credit. An undoubted
influence on society's growing
acceptance of homosexuality, PHILADELPHIA
reminds us how far we've come
in that direction, and how far
we still need to go.
13.
"8 Mile" (2002)
Drama, Universal
Pictures
Starring:
Eminem, Kim Basinger, Brittany Murphy
Directed
by Curtis Hanson
8 MILE, a drama set against
the 1995 hip-hop scene in Detroit,
is about the boundaries that define
our lives and a young man's struggle
to find the strength and courage
to transcend them.
14.
"Catch Me If You Can"
(2002)
Thriller,
Crime/Gangster, Drama and Action/Adventure
;DreamWorks Pictues
Starring:
Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hanks, Jennifer
Garner
Directed
by Steven Speilberg
Frank Abagnale, Jr. (DiCaprio)
worked as a doctor, a lawyer and
as a co-pilot for a major airline
- all before his 18th birthday.
A master of deception, he was also
a brilliant forger whose skill gave
him his first real claim to fame.
At the age of 17, Frank became the
most successful bank robber in the
history of the United States. FBI
Agent Carl Hanratty (Hanks) had
made it his prime mission to capture
Frank and bring him to justice,
but Frank is always one step ahead
of him, baiting him to continue
the chase.
15.
"The X-Files Fight the Future"
(1998)
Science
Fiction/Fantasy and Thriller ;20th
Century Fox
Starring:
David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson,
Martin Landau, William B. Davis
Directed
by Rod Bowman
"The X-Files" stars
Mulder and Scully make it to the
big screen in this long-awaited
extension of the hit television
series. True to the premise of the
show, the movie opens with the discovery
of a mysterious black substance
which is predictably covered up
by an unnamed, seemingly official
group of men. Evading various perils,
Mulder and Scully scramble through
a series of spectacularly shot scenes
not possible in the television
16.
"Hannibal" (2001)
Thriller
and Drama ; Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Starring:
Sir Anthony Hopkins, Julianne Moore,
Francessa Neri, Giancarlo Giannini
Directed
by Ridley Scott
HANNIBAL is set in Florence,
Italy, a decade after the events
of SILENCE OF THE LAMBS, in which
psychopath Hannibal Lecter (Anthony
Hopkins) was interviewed by FBI
agent Clarice Starling (originally
played by Jodie Foster) while in
the custody of a maximum-security
prison. Then he escaped. HANNIBAL
picks up where that film left off--with
the deranged Lecter now free as
a bird in Italy, and Starling still
on his trail. A terrifyingly horrific
story based on the novel by Thomas
Harris, the film takes viewers on
a sickening journey through Lecter's
violent, cannibalistic mind.
17.
"Face/Off" (1997)
Thriller
;Touching Stone
Starring:
Nicholas Cage, John Travolta, Joan
Allen, Gina Gershon
Directed
by Johs Woo
FBI agent obsessed with the
murder of his son trades faces with
the boy's killer. High-style, large-caliber
action from the master, John Woo,
who keeps a thoroughly insane story
on an even keel aaaaaalllllmost
till the end.
18.
"That Thing You Do" (1996)
Kids/Family
Starring:
Tom Everette Scott, Liv Tyler, Johnathon
Scheach
Directed
by Tom Hanks
meteoritic rise of "The
Wonders," a fictitious foursome
during the early days of pop-rock
fandom. When jazz drummer Guy Patterson
fills in for a session with a friend's
band, a hit single is born and the
smalltown boys find themselves riding
a rollercoaster of success, guided
by the opportunistic hand of a smooth-talking
record label agent. Fun, cheerful,
and innocent. Hanks' directorial
debut. Academy Award Nominations:
Best Original Song ("That Thing
You Do").
19.
"Ghosts of Mississippi"
(1996)
Drama
Starring:
Alec Baldwin, Whoopi Goldberg, James
Woods, Craig T. Nelson, William
H. Macy
Directed
by Rob Reiner
Shortly
after midnight on June 12, 1963,
an assassin's bullet ended the life
of civil rights activist Medgar
Evers, the first field secretary
for the National Association for
the Advancement of Colored People
(NAACP) in the state of Mississippi.
His killer was white supremacist
Byron De La Beckwith, who was released
after two trials in 1963 ended in
hung juries. Nearly thirty-one years
would pass before justice would
make its peace with Medgar Evers.
After he is assigned to reopen the
case, Assistant District Attorney
Bobby DeLaughter enlists the aid
of investigators Charlie Crisco
and Benny Bennett in uncovering
evidence once thought impossible
to reclaim. Throughout a journey
filled with self-doubt and public
criticism, he pursues not only justice
for Medgar and Myrlie, his victimized
widow, but also proof that Mississippi
can change for the better as well.
20.
"You've Got Mail" (1998)
Comedy
and Romance ;Warner Brothers
Starring:
Tom Hanks, Meg Ryan, Parker Posey,
Greg Kinnear, Jean Stapleton
Directed
by Nora Ephron
Based
on the classic film The Shop Around
the Corner, this tale of pen-pal
romance has been updated for the
internet age. Hanks plays a book
mega-store owner who falls in love
over e-mail with the owner of a
struggling children's bookstore,
played by Ryan.
21. "Ocean's Eleven" (2001) Comedy, Action/Adventure and Crime/Gangster ; Warner Brothers
Starring: George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Don Cheadle, Julia Roberts
Directed by Steven Soderbergh
Dapper Danny Ocean (GEORGE CLOONEY) is a man of action. Less than 24 hours into his parole from a New Jersey penitentiary, the wry, charismatic thief is already rolling out his next plan. Following three rules — don't hurt anybody, don't steal from anyone who doesn't deserve it, and play the game like you've got nothing to lose — Danny orchestrates the most sophisticated, elaborate casino heist in history. In one night, Danny's handpicked 11-man crew of specialists — including an ace card sharp (BRAD PITT), a master pickpocket (MATT DAMON) and a demolition genius (DON CHEADLE) — will attempt to steal over $150 million from three Las Vegas casinos owned by Terry Benedict (ANDY GARCIA), the elegant, ruthless entrepreneur who just happens to be dating Danny's ex-wife Tess (JULIA ROBERTS).
22. "Traffic" (2000) Drama and crime/gangster ; USA Films
Starring: Michael Douglas, Don Cheadle, Benicio Del Toro, Dennis Quaid, Catherine Zeta-Jones
Directed by Steven Soderbergh
Based on the 1980s British television miniseries TRAFFIK, director Steven Soderbergh presents TRAFFIC, a patchwork of stories that evokes the high-stakes, high-risk world of the drug trade, as seen through a series of inter-related stories, some are highly personal, some are filled with intrigue and danger. A Mexican policeman finds himself caught in a web of corruption; A pair of undercover DEA agents work in the sordid and dangerous world of San Diego dealers; a wealthy drug baron living in upscale, suburban America is arrested and learns how quickly his unknowing and pampered wife takes over his business; and the U.S. President's new anti-drug czar, an Ohio State Supreme Court Justice, must deal with his increasingly drug-addicted teenage daughter.
