The second installment of John Ford's famous cavalry trilogy (which also includes Fort Apache and Rio Grande), this meditative Western continues the director's fascination with history's obliteration of the past. It features one of John Wayne's more sensitive performances as Capt. Nathan Brittles, a stern yet sentimental war horse who has difficulty preparing for his impending military retirement. All things considered, he refuses to leave before fulfilling his obligation to the local Indian tribe. It's a film about honor and duty as well as loneliness and mortality. And Oscar-winner Winton C. Hoch beautifully photographs it in Remington-like Technicolor tones (you've never seen such stunning cloud-covered skies). The combination of melancholy and farce (Victor McLaglen makes a perfect court jester) evokes comparisons to Shakespeare. Best of all, the scene in which Wayne fights back tears when receiving a gold watch from his troops is unforgettably bittersweet. If you view the whole trilogy, it actually makes sense to save this for last. [+]

Based on the harrowing account of whistle blower Karen Silkwood, this 1983 film directed by Mike Nichols (The Graduate, Postcards from the Edge) is as much a character study of a woman galvanized by injustice as a story of the dangers of nuclear power and the extremes of corporate greed. When Karen discovers unsafe conditions and reckless protocol at the plant where she works, her actions in uncovering the dangers that lie at the plant not only cause a rift between her and her lover (Kurt Russell) and her best friend (Cher), but they threaten her very life. Streep gives yet another bravura performance as a wild child in Oklahoma forced to confront the harsh realities of her life, and the supporting cast, from Cher to Russell to Diana Scarwid is first rate. This true story of the woman who disappeared under mysterious circumstances while trying to find the truth is a well-told, challenging, and emotionally complex tale. -Robert Lane.

A truly impressive French film destined to become a modern masterpiece, Jean de Florette is an evocative adaptation of the highly regarded French novel. Two 1920s farmers engage in a bitter rivalry as one tries to tend to a plot of land and the other deviously undermines his efforts in order to conceal a valuable spring. The peasant farmer (Gérard Depardieu) who comes to the countryside to tend the land he has inherited is a naive and trusting soul seeking only to provide for his wife and daughter, while his neighbor (Yves Montand) is intent on doing whatever he can to discourage and demoralize the farmer so that he can take the land for himself. This simple tale unfolds in a wrenching fashion to a tragic conclusion, bringing forth questions about human nature and the prevalence and price of greed. Along with its follow-up, Manon of the Spring, this film will leave an indelible impression on anyone who sees it. -Robert Lane.

Brendan Fraser made his film debut in this 1992 comedy that never quite discovers its audience constituency. On the one hand, it features Pauly Shore, which would seem to define the picture's tone and identity accordingly. On the other hand, the film's other leading man is Sean Astin, the earnest star of Rudy, suggesting that Encino Man will have a lot of heart despite its silly premise. But none of that turns out to be true. Fraser plays an unfrozen caveman discovered by a pair of California high school outcasts (Shore and Astin). As the grunting newcomer becomes popular with the other kids, Shore and Astin try to bask in his reflected glow. Fraser, beginning a long movie career playing cartoonish goofballs, works entirely on instinct and earns his laughs. Shore, however, relies on his familiar verbal shtick, and Astin makes a great overgrown puppy pining after a lost girlfriend. Directed by Les Mayfield, who came to this project from his acclaimed documentary, Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse. -Tom Keogh.

Awkward and insecure, 10-year-old Mitch Musser (Andy Lawrence) has but one true friend, a centuries-old oak tree that is strong, tall, and unwavering. Mitch finds solace among the tree's sturdy branches when the rest of his life matches his nickname-Mess. On the football field, Mitch is mocked by teammates; at home he is ignored by a father with impossibly high expectations. Mitch's father, Henry, has his own share of problems. As a commercial developer, he has successfully won a contract to bring a new factory to the ailing rural town. The business will provide much-needed jobs, but will also require the bulldozing of Old Oak, his son's beloved tree. With the help of Larry, a kindly older gentleman (Cliff Robertson), Mitch takes a courageous stand to save Old Oak and, in the process, must face off with business owners, townspeople, and his own father. With an impressive ensemble cast, this family flick brims with warmth, worthy role models, and an inspiring message. Also noteworthy is its soundtrack of country ballads sung by LeAnn Rimes, The Judds, Jo Dee Messina, and others. No matter the film's few formulaic moments and a somewhat predictable ending, entertainment that is engaging and appropriate for ages 5 and older, sans profanity or sexual innuendo, is always appreciated. [+]

Desperate for work, troubled high school teacher Jim Norman (Tim Matheson) relocates his family to his rural hometown after procuring a much-needed job there. Once home he must relive and confront a childhood nightmare: the high school hoodlums who murdered his older brother in a tunnel ambush, and were killed themselves by an oncoming train, are slowly rising from the grave to finish the job by killing Norman. The ghostly hooligans, who appear as flesh and blood to students, start "transferring" into school when some of Norman's students mysteriously perish; however their phantom, fire-spitting car is invisible to all but their victims. Suspicion for the inexplicably rising student-body count soon falls squarely on Norman, who must find a way to protect his wife and son from danger, vanquish the supernatural hoods, and cast off the shackles of his past. It's a fairly straightforward plot with some obvious elements, but Matheson and his supporting cast (including wife Brooke Adams) create a suspenseful, fear-inducing atmosphere under the able direction of Tom McLoughlin from a screenplay adaptation by Lawrence Konner and Mark Rosenthal. -Bryan Reesman.