Holiday
Year Released: 1938 This romantic Golden Age comedy stars the powerful on-screen co-stars Cary Grant and Katherine Hepburn. It didn’t make a ton of money in theaters, but critics loved it. Time Out London said that it was one of director George Cukor’s best films.
Holiday was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Art Direction and carries a 100% rating (out of 24 reviews,) on Rotten Tomatoes.
All the President’s Men
Year Released: 1976 This 1976 film starring Dustin Hoffman and Robert Redford delves into the story of the infamous Watergate scandal that occurred during the presidency of Richard Nixon. Based on a 1974 novel from Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward, the movie was selected for preservation by the Library of Congress in 2010.
All the President’s Men has a 93% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and was nominated for several awards upon its release, including multiple Golden Globes and Oscars. It’s also made a number of lists, like placing 34th on the American Film Institute’s list of “America’s Most Inspiring Movies.”
Aliens
Year Released: 1986 Look back into the cinematic world of the 1980s and we land on one of the most popular sci-fi thrillers of all time: Aliens. This 1986 film starring Sigourney Weaver is still referenced as one of the best of its kind.
The film, directed by James Cameron, won two Academy Awards in 1987; Best Visual Effects and Best Sound Editing. And, it gave us one of the creepiest scenes in film history – you know the one!
All Quiet on the Western Front
Year Released: 1930 This 1930 epic anti-war film is directed by Lewis Milestone, and tells the story of a group of young German Army recruits in the midst of World War I. It is often regarded as the best anti-war film in history and has been praised by critics all over the world.
Of course, Hitler and the Nazis didn’t appreciate the film, so they stooped so low as to toss sneezing powder and mice in movie theaters to keep people from viewing it. All Quiet on the Western Front was nominated for four Academy Awards and won two of them; Best Director and Outstanding Production.
Playtime
Year Released: 1967 Roger Ebert gave this 1967 film a 4/4-star rating. In his review, he goes on to say that Playtime is “one of a kind,” and, “complete in itself.” And he’s not the only one. With a 98% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, it’s highly recommended by both critics and audience members.
The film was the most expensive ever produced in French history, and, even though it was very well-received, it didn’t end up being very successful at the box office. It did, however, win a silver prize at the 6th Moscow International Film Festival, and made the British Film Institute’s director’s list of the “50 Greatest Films of All Time.”