Outstanding crime drama/mystery from David Fincher that follows a mysterious, methodical, and psychopathic murderer (nicknamed "John Doe") who's mercilessly killing specific people in a ruthlessly torturous fashion for no motive other than the victims having committed one of the Catholic-bred seven deadly sins: Pride, Greed, Lust, Envy, Gluttony, Wrath, and Sloth. A skilled and veteran homicide detective named William Somerset is about to retire when the case gets dropped in his lap. He's paired up with a young, cocky, short-fused detective named David Mills. The investigation becomes shockingly gruesome with each horrifying murder as they try to keep the upper hand on John Doe's next move. As time moves on and more people are murdered, it becomes increasingly apparent that John Doe is beginning to target David's life, which throws a crazed plot-twisting ending to the story. This film ranks with the very best of its genre, and still stands as a perfect crime drama today. Morgan Freeman and Brad Pitt both deliver a couple of their all-time best lead performances. They had great chemistry together. While Kevin Spacey only shows up in the last 30 minutes of the film, his role and presence was absolutely fantastic and really elevated the ending of the film. It still stands as one of his most memorable performances. Gwyneth Paltrow, R. Lee Ermey, Richard Schiff, Daniel Zacapa, John Cassini, Julie Araskog, John C. McGinley, and others also had great supporting roles.

Fantastic action-packed crime drama/thriller from Michael Mann that follows a Los Angeles based career criminal named Neil McCauley who's assembled a team of highly-skilled professional bank robbers who take down huge scores. Once they start to feel the heat from executing these jobs, they decide to make one last bank robbery worth $12.2 million before they retire from their treacherous lives of crime. That proves to be a risky decision when Lieutenant Vincent Hanna and the rest of the LAPD are hot on their tracks, and results in a riveting series of deadly events. The good versus evil interactions and respectful conversations between Neil McCauley and Lieutenant Vincent Hanna really adds greatly to the story and feel of the film. It's arguably Michael Mann's finest film, and arguably a perfect crime thriller. Robert De Niro and Al Pacino both deliver amazing lead performances and had great interaction together. I'd say top 5 roles from each actor. Val Kilmer, Tom Sizemore, Amy Brenneman, and Natalie Portman also had great starring roles. Jon Voight, Diane Venora, Ashley Judd, Ted Levine, Mykelti Williamson, Wes Studi, Dennis Haysbert, William Fichtner, Tom Noonan, Kevin Gage, Danny Trejo, Jerry Trimblem and many others had great supporting roles.

Fantastic crime drama from Martin Scorsese set in 1973 and follows a skilled sports handicapper and Italian Mafia associate named Sam "Ace" Rothstein who is sent from Chicago to Las Vegas to run the luxurious Tangiers Casino. Sam is accompanied by a ruthless and short-fused mob enforcer named Nicky Santoro to protect Sam and the casino from corruption. Sam immediately doubles the casino's profits and begins to gain power. While he wants to run the business clean, Nicky is looking to make power moves with the help of Ace's success. Meanwhile, Sam falls in love with gorgeous con artist, showgirl, and former prostitute named Ginger McKenna who's hopelessly dedicated to her ex-pimp, Lester, which causes major waves in Sam's business and personal life. Danger ensues when Nicky's ruthlessly violent and possessiveness clashes with his duties and Sam personal decisions, which puts the two at deadly odds with each other. Fantastic story, production design, dialogue, and casting. Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci are arguably the best duo in the entire crime drama genre, and they both deliver top-notch lead performances. Sharon Stone's Oscar-nominated starring role was also fantastic, and arguably her best. Frank Vincent, James Woods, Don Rickles, Alan King, Pasquale Cajano, Vinny Vella, Kevin Pollak, John Bloom, Craig Vincent, Carl Ciarfalio, and several others also had great supporting roles.

Fantastic crime mystery/thriller from Bryan Singer and Christopher McQuarrie that follows five criminals that are arrested following a deadly shootout in New York City. Frustrated cops interrogate each suspect looking for information about the killings. They finally get to a disabled man named Verbal, who convincingly explains a plan that a mystifying and legendary criminal mastermind named Keyser Söze, which lead them to commit the heist. Christopher McQuarrie definitely deserved the Oscar for best writing. The story is fantastic, boats excellent dialogue, and has a plot-twisting narrative that reveals intricate details of the mystery at key point throughout the film (which is enhanced with multiple viewings). Very entertaining film throughout with a fantastic ending. Kevin Spacey won the Oscar for his role, and is arguably his best lead performance of all time. Stephen Baldwin, Gabriel Byrne, Chazz Palminteri, Benicio Del Toro, Kevin Pollak, and Pete Postlethwaite all bring their A-game and also deliver excellent starring roles. Dan Hedaya, Giancarlo Esposito, Suzy Amis, Morgan Hunter, Peter Greene, Christopher McQuarrie, and others also had great supporting roles.

Powerful and Hilarious comedy drama from F. Gary Gray and Ice Cube set in a poor area of South Central Los Angeles, and follows best friends Craig and Smokey on a frightful Friday that they'll never forget. Craig just got fired from his job, and his parents immediately pester him to go out and get a job. Smokey works with a ruthless drug dealer named Big Worm and sells weed throughout the neighborhood. While Craig normally drinks and doesn't smoke weed, he decides to take Smokey up on an offer to drown his sorrows with a joint. Lots of comical and dramatic situations take place throughout the day as they flirt with girls, gab with locals, dodge drug addicts, and avoid confrontations with the neighborhood bully, Deebo. When Big Worm finds out Smokey smoked all his weed, doesn't have the money to pay for, and partially blames Craig's job loss for the reason it's all gone; Big Worm threatens to kill Smokey and Craig if they don't repay him $200 by 10pm that night. Excellent dialogue, characters, and a powerful underlying story really makes this an underrated gem in my book. Ice Cube and Chris Tucker make an excellent duo and both deliver fantastic lead performances. John Witherspoon, Anna Maria Horsford, Nia Long, Tom Lister Jr., Paula Jai Parker, Faizon Love, DJ Pooh, Regina King, Angela Means, Vickilyn Reynolds, Ronn Riser, Kathleen Bradley, Tony Cox, Anthony Johnson, Bernie Mac, and others also had great supporting roles.

Superb drama directed by and starring Clint Eastwood set in 1965 rural Iowa, and follows a lonesome World War II Italian war bride named Francesca Johnson who's future and lifeless marriage hasn't turned out as great as she hoped it would. When her husband and children leave for four days, a National Geographic Magazine photographer named Robert Kincaid wanders by her house looking for directions. There is an immediate attraction and curiosity that kicks off a friendship, and releases happiness and curiosity that Francesca hasn't felt in years. It soon blossoms into a beautiful and complex love story as Francesca faces a dramatically difficult decision to remain in her soulless and misplaced life, or run off and build a future with Robert. Lovely story with beautiful dialogue and perfect casting. Meryl Streep (Oscar-nominated) and Clint Eastwood both deliver fantastic lead performances with their steamy and electrifying chemistry they share throughout the film. I'd have to say it's my favorite role from Streep. They take up almost all the screen time in the entire film, and it never feels like too much. Annie Corley and Victor Slezak also had nice roles among the minor supporting cast.

Fantastic comedy drama from Wayne Wang that follows the lives of several characters and customers connected to a local Brooklyn-based tobacco shop owned by man named Auggie Wren. Auggie is an amateur photographer, cares deeply about his friends, and is looking to make some big bucks selling illegal Cuban cigars. A snag gets thrown into his life when a former lover of his walks into his life again after 15 years. Paul Benjamin is a recently-widowed intellectual novelist looking for inspiration in life. Rashid is a troubled 17-year-old black man who tracks down his estranged father Cyrus Cole and gets in trouble with some mobsters. There are other correlating stories throughout, and all of them tell a powerful tale. The story and style of the film is excellent throughout, but it was the writing, direction and execution of the casting that really makes this film so fantastic. Every scene has a gripping dialogue. Not a single character or moment feels wasted. Much of the long takes of dialogue are also very powerful, detailed, and thought provoking. Harvey Keitel and William Hurt both deliver a couple of their all-time best lead performances. Harold Perrineau, Forest Whitaker, and Stockard Channing also delivered excellent starring roles. Ashley Judd, Giancarlo Esposito, José Zúñiga, Stephen Gevedon, Jared Harris, Victor Argo, Malik Yoba, Michelle Hurst, Clarice Taylor, and others also delivered great supporting roles.

Severely underrated coming-of-age comedy from Amy Heckerling. The story is a fantastic 1990s time capsule that follows a rich, popular, and fashionable 16-year-old high-school sophomore named Cher Horowitz, who's trying to make the best of her adolescent life. When a new socially "clueless" girl named Tai Frasier arrives in their school, Cher and her best friend Dionne decide to take this hopeless girl, give her a makeover, and make her popular like they are. While many of her friends delve into partying, sex, and drugs, Cher's idealistic personality finds her playing matchmaker with her teachers to improve her grades and keeping her friendships and relationships in check. Meanwhile, she starts to fall in love with the intellectually-natured son of her dad's ex-wife, Josh, which continues to shape her personality. Excellent story, hilarious comedy, fantastic 1990s slang, catch-phrases, and nostalgia. One of my all-time favorite high-school comedies. I also had a huge crush on Alicia Silverstone back in the day. She is absolutely perfect for the role of Cher, and delivers a knockout lead performance. Stacey Dash, Brittany Murphy, and Paul Rudd also deliver some of their best starring roles of their careers. Donald Faison, Dan Hedaya, Elisa Donovan, Breckin Meyer, Jeremy Sisto, Wallace Shawn, Twink Caplan, Justin Walker, Nicole Bilderback, and others also had excellent supporting roles.

Fantastic historical crime drama from Mick Jackson that looks back on the alleged child abuse at the McMartin preschool in Manhattan Beach, California, 1983. The story mainly follows defense attorney Danny Davis, who initially takes the case for publicity reasons, while prosecuting attorney Lael Rubin has the backing of the media who is demonizing the family. What seems like a clear cut case of guilt turns into a batch of flawed evidence that could not convict a single person in a case that lasted 7 years and costed the tax payers $15 million. The accused teacher Ray Buckey was forced to stay in jail without bail for 5 years, with his mother staying for 3 years. And they'll have to carry the accusations with them for the rest of their lives, as much of the public believes they are still guilty. Fantastic courtroom drama all around, with excellent dialogue and superb casting. James Woods arguably delivers his best lead performance to date. The same could be said for Mercedes Ruehl. Shirley Knight also delivered one of her best starring roles, as evidenced by her Primetime Emmy win. Alison Elliott, Sada Thompson, Henry Thomas, Lolita Davidovich, Mark Blum, and many others had fantastic supporting roles.

Epic war drama/historical biography from Mel Gibson set in 1280 Scotland, and follows Scottish warrior William Wallace after losing his family and wife Murron to the oppressive English regime ran by the brutally merciless English ruler King Edward "Longshanks". This leaves Wallace devastated and enraged, as he assembles and leads a group of oppressed countrymen in an uprising historically known as the "First War of Scottish Independence" against the tyranny of England. These deadly battles erupt into relentless war, which eventually becomes the symbol of freedom for Scotland. Excellent story all around, and likely my favorite film Mel Gibson's ever made as evidenced by his Oscar wins for best picture and best director. The action and cinematography is really the standout to the film in my book, which helped it win another 3 Oscars. Mel Gibson also delivers arguably his best lead performance of his career. Sophie Marceau, Catherine McCormack, Patrick McGoohan, and Brendan Gleeson also had excellent starring roles. James Cosmo, David O'Hara, James Robinson, Tommy Flanagan, Peter Hanly, Sean Lawlor, Brian Cox, Ian Bannen, and others also had great supporting roles.

Outstanding Pixar comedy adventure from John Lasseter that follows the toy collection of a fun-loving 6-year-old boy named Andy. When humans are not around, the toys come to life, and have built a society among themselves. Andy's favorite toy is a loyal cowboy named Woody, who generally leads the way and calls the shots among the rest of the toys. However, on the day of Andy's birthday, he receives a Buzz Lightyear action figure, which is the top trending toy in the current market. Buzz quickly becomes Andy's favorite new toy, which leaves Woody jealous and distraught at the thought of losing his best friend. That triggers Woody to sabotage Buzz's chances at spending time with Andy, which has troubling results, and finds in the other toys turning against Woody when they feel he's trying to kill Buzz over his bitter resentment towards him. Woody soon realizes his faults, and works to make things right at all costs. This is the first Pixar film ever made, and it still stands as one of the best films in their catalog. Everything about the story, animation, action, dialogue, and the toy detail was amazingly done. Tom Hanks (Woody) and Tim Allen (Buzz Lightyear) both deliver a couple of their most iconic lead voice performances. Don Rickles (Mr. Potato Head), Jim Varney (Slinky Dog), Wallace Shawn (Rex), John Ratzenberger (Hamm), Annie Potts (Bo Peep), John Morris (Andy), Erik von Detten (Sid), R. Lee Ermey (Sergeant), Laurie Metcalf, and plenty others also had great supporting roles.

Hilarious buddy comedy from Peter Segal that follows a care-free underachieving college graduate named Tommy Callahan who barely makes it through school, and is pumped to return to his hometown of Sandusky, Ohio, where he will be running the family auto parts business with his father, Big Tom. Big Tom is also about to get married to a gorgeous woman (a 10), and couldn't be happier with life. However, on the day of his wedding, he has a fatal heart attack, which puts Tommy in the driver's seat to run the company. Tommy is bound and determined to save the company, and is helped by Big Tom's former assistant Richard Hayden as they drive across the country trying to sell brake pads to various auto parts distributors. Trouble ensues when his Big Tom's wife and mysterious son try to steal and sell the business, and put the local townspeople out of work. Great story all around, and hands-down Chris Farley's biggest and best lead film performance. He showed a lot more range as an actor with this film, and proved he wasn't just a slapstick comic. He and David Spade are perfect together and drive the story perfectly. Brian Dennehy, Bo Derek, Dan Aykroyd, Julie Warner, Sean McCann, Zach Grenier, Colin Fox, and others also had great supporting roles.

Hilarious comedy from Tamra Davis that follows 27-year-old underachiever named Billy Madison that spends his days getting drunk and having fun with his like-minded loser buddies. He's able to live this life since his father is extremely wealthy after building a chain of 650 hotels. Billy is supposed to takeover the business when his father retires, but that's put in jeopardy when Billy has proven to be too stupid and irresponsible to do so. So Billy makes a wager that he can go back to school and repeat grades 1–12 all over again to prove to his father he isn't an idiot, and is capable of running his hotel empire. If he fails, the company will go to the slimy and corrupt executive vice president Eric Gordon, who tries to sabotage Billy at every turn. While this may be the goofiest film of the trio, this is probably my favorite Adam Sandler comedy alongside Happy Gilmore (1996) and The Waterboy (1998). My love for 90s Saturday Night Live humor wins me over every time. Adam Sandler delivers one of my personal favorite lead performances of his career. Darren McGavin, Bridgette Wilson-Sampras, and Bradley Whitford also had excellent starring roles. Norm MacDonald, Mark Beltzman, Josh Mostel, Larry Hankin, Jared Cook, Kyle Bailey, James Downey, Dina Platias, Steve Buscemi, Chris Farley, Theresa Merritt, Jack Mather, and others also had great supporting roles.

Excellent action-packed thriller and my second favorite film in the Die Hard franchise. This time we follow NYPD Lieutenant John McClane being targeting by a psychopathic killer named "Simon" who bombs a large New York City department store, claims responsibility for it, and threatens to detonate another bomb unless John goes to the roughest area of Harlem wearing a sandwich board with a printed racial slur that could get him killed. Simon's demands don't stop there, as he sends John on a wild series of dangerous tasks. If he doesn't complete them in time, more people die. He's helped along the way by a black Harlem shop owner named Zeus who gets tangled up in the struggle, and it proves to be John's most difficult missions yet. You don't often see sequels this outstanding for straight action thrillers like Die Hard. The second movie was excellent, and this third installment is even better. The action is the best the franchise has seen yet, and the cast was phenomenal. Bruce Willis delivers one of his all-time best lead performances. Jeremy Irons was a fantastic villain, and Samuel L. Jackson also had a great starring role. Graham Greene, Colleen Camp, Larry Bryggman, Anthony Peck, Nick Wyman, Sam Phillips, Kevin Chamberlin, Sharon Washington, Stephen Pearlman, Aldis Hodge, John C. Vennema, and others also had great supporting roles.

Excellent war thriller from Tony Scott that follows a young and educated Lieutenant Commander named Ron Hunter who is appointed X.O. (Executive Officer) by the aggressive veteran Captain Frank Ramsey of a U.S. nuclear missile sub that's armed and ready to launch in the midst of a heated civil war in Russia. After getting orders to launch nuclear weapons at the enemy, a partial unknown message comes through after that could have given them conflicting information. Regardless, the trigger-happy Ramsey assertively proceeds with the launch, despite other officers' contradictory opinions. Before long, Hunter stages a mutiny and places Ramsey under arrest until they get concrete confirmation to launch the weapons, which could possibly start an unstoppable nuclear holocaust. Excellent story with lots of great dialogue and plenty of great action and tension-filled drama throughout. One of Tony Scott's finest thrillers. Denzel Washington and Gene Hackman both had superb lead performances, and every scene they shared together was electrifying. Viggo Mortensen, George Dzundza, Matt Craven, James Gandolfini, Rocky Carroll, Danny Nucci, Lillo Brancato, Eric Bruskotter, Steve Zahn, Ryan Phillippe, and many others had great supporting roles.

Excellent historical adventure from Ron Howard set in 1969, and follows the true story of the 13th Apollo space mission bound for the moon. The events follows an ambitious astronaut named Jim Lovell who is set to be commander of the mission. Lovell's wife has a nightmare about her husband dying in space as the launch date approaches. Her fears soon find her and everyone at NASA facing a deadly and catastrophic incident after an oxygen tank explodes on the spacecraft and causes a variety of technical problems. The mission is aborted, and it's a race against time to save the lives of Lovell and his crew members Fred Haise and John "Jack" Swigert, and get them back to earth safely. Great space adventure and a well done story overall. The film unsurprisingly won Oscars for best sound and best film editing to go along with the gorgeous production design. The cast was fantastic and really made the film a winner. Tom Hanks, Bill Paxton, and Kevin Bacon all delivered excellent lead performances. Gary Sinise, Ed Harris (Oscar-nominated), and Kathleen Quinlan (Oscar-nominated) also had excellent starring roles. Chris Ellis, Joe Spano, Xander Berkeley, Clint Howard, Loren Dean, Marc McClure, Mary Kate Schellhardt, Miko Hughes, Max Elliott Slade, Jean Speegle Howard, David Andrews, and many others had great supporting roles.

Excellent drama romance from Richard Linklater set in the summer of 1994 Vienna, and follows a young American tourist named Jesse who meets a beautiful young French student named Celine on a train from Budapest. They immediately make a real connection with each other as they talk in the lounge car all the way to Vienna. Jesse is supposed to get off the train when they arrive, and Celine is planning to stay on and take the train back to Paris where she lives. Jesse turns on the charm and persuades her to get off the train and spend the entire day and evening with him until his train comes due the next morning at 9am. It ends up being a magical night filled with love and self-exploration as it leads to the sweetly dramatic conclusion. The story is so simple and the dialogue and acting was so powerful and superbly done throughout. It's easy to see why this film kicked off arguably the best romantic drama trilogy of all time. Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy both delivered fantastic lead performances and shared great chemistry together. They also went uncredited for contributed much of the writing. The supporting cast of unknown actors also delivered very nicely.

Excellent crime drama based on the true story of Henri Young—a troubled young man who stole $5 from a post office in 1938, and ended up being sent to the most notorious prison of them all—Alcatraz. After being caught trying to escape, they place him in solitary confinement (referred top as "the dungeons" by prisoners), and faced horrifying torture, ruthless beatings, and only 30 minutes of exercise per year. After his time in the dungeon, he's immediately placed back with the other inmates, and promptly kills a man with a spoon. A young idealistic and dedicated attorney named James Stamphill takes Young's murder case and tirelessly works to prove the guards at Alcatraz drove him to a physical and psychological breakdown that drove him to murder the man. Excellent legal drama all around with great dialogue and casting. Christian Slater and Kevin Bacon both delivered a couple of their best lead performances and have great interaction with each other. Gary Oldman, William H. Macy, Stephen Tobolowsky, R. Lee Ermey, Embeth Davidtz, Brad Dourif, and others had excellent supporting roles.

Excellent crime drama/mystery from Taylor Hackford, which is based on the Stephen King's 1992 novel of the same name. The story is set in 1995, and follows a skilled New York City investigative journalist named Selena St. George who battles with a substance abuse problem, depression, and anxiety stemming from her past. She ends up traveling back to her hometown in Little Tall Island, Maine, when her estranged mother Dolores Claiborne is suspected of murdering the wealthy homeowner she's been a caregiver to for 23 years. The story flashes back to 1975 and expands on deep rooted family issues within their family, while a mysterious and aggravating murder investigation rolls forward. Excellent story that beautifully unfolds through poignant drama and great dialogue. The film also has a great musical score. Kathy Bates and Jennifer Jason Leigh are a couple of my favorite actresses, and they both deliver a couple of their best lead performances of their careers. Judy Parfitt, Christopher Plummer, David Strathairn, Eric Bogosian, John C. Reilly, Ellen Muth, Bob Gunton, and others also had very nice supporting roles.

Excellent crime drama/mystery from Spike Lee that follows a troubled young drug dealer named Ronald "Strike" Dunham, who gets mixed up with and manipulated by a vicious Brooklyn drug-lord named Rodney Little. When Rodney exploits the trust he has with Strike and convinces him to murder a former associate under mysterious circumstances, more heat comes down on him from an equally manipulative homicide detective named Rocco Klein, who ends up playing Strike against Rodney. Great story with signature-style Spike Lee dialogue and character development throughout. Lee delivers another powerful film in remarkable fashion. The cast is excellent. Mekhi Phifer, Delroy Lindo, and Harvey Keitel all deliver fantastic lead performances. Isaiah Washington, John Turturro, Keith David, Peewee Love, Regina Taylor, Thomas Jefferson Byrd, Sticky Fingaz, Michael Imperioli, Fredro Starr, Elvis Nolasco, Lawrence B. Adisa, Hassan Johnson, Lisa Arrindell, Spike Lee, Paul Calderon, Mike Starr, and others also had great supporting roles.

Excellent crime drama/mystery from Carl Franklin set in 1948 Los Angeles, and follows a African-American World War II veteran named Ezekiel "Easy" Rawlins who's down on his luck and can't find a job. He ends up being introduced to a suspicious private investigator named DeWitt Albright who offers to hire Easy to find a white woman named Daphne Monet who's been hanging out in black clubs in around town. The money is good, so he accepts the job, and soon finds himself in grave danger involving more gangsters, along with crooked cops and politicians. Underrated story with fantastic cinematography, production design, and arguably the perfect cast. It also boasts a great blues/R&B/jazz soundtrack. Denzel Washington delivers one of his finest lead performances. Tom Sizemore and Jennifer Beals also deliver great starring roles, and Don Cheadle delivers one if his more memorable supporting roles. Maury Chaykin, Terry Kinney, Mel Winkler, Albert Hall, Lisa Nicole Carson, and many others were great among the supporting cast.

Excellent crime drama from the Hughes brothers set in Brooklyn, New York, 1969. The film follows a high-school senior named Anthony Curtis who decides to enlist in the military to fight in the Vietnam war rather than go to college. After a long 4 years, he returns to Brooklyn a decorated vet, and struggles to face his family obligations with his girlfriend and daughter, as well as trouble finding work due to his status as a vet, in addition to rapid racism and discrimination occurring during the civil right movement. PTSD from the war also weighs heavily on him as his drinking gets out of hand. When tensions rise high enough, he and his partner Kirby and best friends Skip and Jose decide that pulling off a heist involving a government truck full of cash is their best option at survival. Powerful and excellently done film all around. Larenz Tate delivers a fantastic lead performance. Keith David, Chris Tucker, and Rose Jackson also had great starring roles. Freddy Rodríguez, N'Bushe Wright, Terrence Howard, Clifton Powell, James Pickens Jr., Jenifer Lewis, Bokeem Woodbine, and many others had great supporting roles.

Excellent drama/romance from Mike Figgis that follows a deeply troubled Hollywood screenwriter named Ben Sanderson who lost his wife, family, and career due to his uncontrollable alcoholism. He decides to cash out all of his accounts, burn all of his painful memories, and head to Las Vegas to drink himself to death. He believes it will take about 4 weeks to drink himself to death, and ends up hiring a near-equally troubled prostitute named Sera to spend the evening just talking and listening to each other. Deep feelings grow between the two instantly, and Sera invites Ben to move in with her following a nasty debacle with her pimp. Their days are filled with a combination of happiness, joy, depression, anger, resentment, and acceptance; as an inevitable conclusion approaches. Powerful story all around with great structure. Nicolas Cage and Elisabeth Shue both arguably deliver their best lead performances, and have great chemistry together. Julian Sands, Richard Lewis, Steven Weber, Valeria Golino, Graham Beckel, R. Lee Ermey, Danny Huston, Laurie Metcalf, and others had great supporting roles.

Hilarious comedy from Kevin Smith that follows a college student named T.S. Quint who's planning to propose marriage to his girlfriend Brandi on their upcoming vacation to Orlando. When he goes to pick her up, Brandi explains she can't go, they get into a big argument, and they break up. Meanwhile, his best friend Brodie Bruce was just dumped by his girlfriend for being a comic book and video game obsessed underachiever who lives in his mom's basement. They meet up and decide to head to the local mall to ease their loss, and brainstorm how to win them back while they run into several friends, acquaintances, their respective girlfriends, and plenty of bizarre trouble. This is Kevin Smith's second film, which had a huge budget compared to the independently made Clerks (1994). While I don't consider it one of Smith's best films, it's very cleverly written with unique dialogue throughout, and has plenty of laughs. It has a unique charm that I still enjoy and find entertaining to this day. Jeremy London and Jason Lee both deliver excellent lead performances. Ben Affleck and Michael Rooker also had a great starring roles. Shannen Doherty, Claire Forlani, Joey Lauren Adams, Renée Humphrey, Jason Mewes, Kevin Smith, Ethan Suplee, Stan Lee, Sven-Ole Thorsen, and others also had very nice supporting roles.

Powerful and underrated coming-of-age crime drama/thriller from John Singleton set in 1995, and follows the lives of several students who attend a diverse college named Columbus University. Malik Williams is a black high-school track star on an athletic scholarship, who struggles with authority and social relationships stemming from racism, and spends a good deal of time with his party-loving friend and black activist Fudge White. Kristen Connor is a naive white girl from Orange County who is faced with the horrors of rape and makes new relationships through activism. Remy is a troubled metal-head from Idaho who has no friends, feels detached from everything and everyone, and eventually becomes entangles with a group of neo-Nazis. These stories and several other correlating stories end up building an enormous amount of tension which results in very disturbing consequences. Excellent story all around with great character development, dialogue, and casting. Omar Epps, Michael Rapaport, and Kristy Swanson all deliver excellent lead performances. Laurence Fishburne and Ice Cube also have excellent starring roles. Tyra Banks, Regina King, Jennifer Connelly, Cole Hauser, Busta Rhymes, Jay R. Ferguson, Andrew Bryniarski, Adam Goldberg, Bridgette Wilson-Sampras, and others also had great supporting roles.