Actor John Lithgow (1945)

The American legal thriller film, The Pelican Brief (1993), is an adaptation of John Grisham’s 1992 novel. It was directed by Alan J. Pakula. In the film, two elder Supreme Court justices, Jensen and Rosenberg, are killed by an assassin named Khamel. Tulane University law student Darby Shaw writes a legal brief outlining her theory on the motive behind their murders. Her lover and former clerk of Rosenberg’s, Thomas Callahan, reads the brief and passes it on to Gavin Verheek, special counsel to the director of the FBI. Shortly after, Callahan is killed in a ...

Love, Cheat & Steal (1993) is an American made-for-television thriller film written and directed by William Curran. The protagonist, Paul Harrington, believes he has married the perfect woman – beautiful, kind, and driven. However, beneath Lauren’s outward appearance lies a deceitful individual who framed her ex-boyfriend and sent him to prison. Now released after seven years behind bars, Reno Adams seeks revenge and sets out to make Lauren and her husband’s life a nightmare.

Cliffhanger (1993), an American action thriller film, directed and co-produced by Renny Harlin and co-written by and starring Sylvester Stallone. Rangers Gabriel ‘Gabe’ Walker and his girlfriend Jessie Deighan are sent on a mission to rescue their friend Hal Tucker and his girlfriend, Sarah. Due to an injury, Hal is unable to continue the climb in the Colorado Rockies, leaving them stranded on a peak. As they attempt to save Sarah, her harness breaks, forcing Gabe to try to catch her. Despite his best efforts, Sarah tragically falls to her death. Overwhelmed ...

Brian De Palma wrote and directed Raising Cain (1992), an American psychological horror thriller. Dr. Carter Nix, a respected child psychologist, causes concern for his wife Jenny when she notices him obsessively studying their daughter Amy. To Carter, Amy is like a creation he’s constantly tracking. However, as Carter struggles with multiple personality disorder, his alternate personalities emerge – including violent petty criminal Cain, shy 7-year-old Josh, and protective middle-aged nanny Margo. As the two main personalities work together to kill young mothers and steal their children, they seem to be ...

Ricochet (1991), an action crime thriller directed by Russell Mulcahy, follows the story of Nick Styles. Nick, a rookie police officer and law student in Los Angeles, meets Alice and falls out of touch with his childhood friend Odessa, who has turned to drug dealing in South Central. While patrolling a carnival, Nick and his partner Larry Doyle come across hitman Earl Talbot Blake and his accomplice Kim. A tense standoff ensues when Blake takes a hostage after killing drug dealers. Stripping off his equipment and uniform, Nick relies on a hidden gun in his athletic supporter to shoot Blake in the knee and ultimately ...

At Play in the Fields of the Lord (1991) is an epic adventure drama directed by Héctor Babenco, based on Peter Matthiessen’s 1965 novel. Two explorers, Lewis Moon and Wolf, are stranded in Mãe de Deus (Portuguese for ‘Mother of God’), a remote outpost deep within the Brazilian Amazon River basin, when their plane runs out of fuel. The local police commander has his own agenda: he wants to relocate the nearby Niaruna tribe to avoid conflict with gold miners moving into the area and to appease the provincial government. To achieve this, he makes a deal ...

Directed by Michael Caton-Jones and written by Monte Merrick, Memphis Belle (1990) is a British-American war drama film. The B-17 Flying Fortress and her crew have been tasked with completing 25 missions in order to finish their tour of duty. As part of the squadron, they are assigned to attack a Focke-Wulf Fw 190 aircraft manufacturing plant in Bremen, Germany. While initially accompanied by P-51 Mustangs, the short-range fighters must later withdraw, leaving the bombers vulnerable on their journey to and from the target. The success of the mission is crucial as Belle ...

Out Cold (1989) is an American black comedy film directed by Malcolm Mowbray and set in San Pedro, Los Angeles. The city’s Edward Hopper-inspired scenery sets the stage for a story that unfolds with precise linearity. Sunny enlists the help of a private detective to follow her husband Ernie, whom she suspects of cheating on her. However, it is revealed that Sunny herself is also having an affair. Regardless, she still wants the detective to gather all the necessary evidence so she can take advantage in their divorce proceedings. Impatient and ruthless, Sunny seizes the ...

Distant Thunder (1988), an American drama directed by Rick Rosenthal and featuring John Lithgow and Ralph Macchio, follows the story of Mark Lambert, an ex-Navy SEAL and Vietnam War veteran. After returning from the war, he abandons his family and retreats to the remote wilderness of Washington state where he lives off the land for 10 years. Dealing with posttraumatic stress disorder, Mark eventually decides to rejoin society and reconnect with his now teenage son Jack, who is living in Illinois. As a distant father and ...

Directed and produced by William Dear, Harry and the Hendersons (1987) is a classic American fantasy comedy. After a camping trip in the nearby Cascade mountains, George Henderson drives his family back home to suburban Seattle when an unexpected encounter occurs. While traveling in their station wagon, they accidentally hit a Bigfoot. Excited by the potential for fame and fortune, the family brings the creature along by strapping it to the roof of their car. However, their plans are interrupted when a hunter discovers their damaged license plate, leading him to suspect foul play. That same night, George goes to check ...

Resting Place (1986) is an American TV movie directed by John Korty. In 1972, Major Kendall Laird is tasked with providing assistance to the families of fallen soldiers. He is currently accompanying the remains of Army Lieutenant Dwight Johnson to his hometown of Rockville, Georgia. Despite initially expecting a short and uneventful assignment, Major Laird soon realizes that he has a seemingly impossible task ahead of him. The small town is deeply segregated and its authorities refuse to allow the deceased to be buried in the local cemetery designated solely for caucasians. This poses a significant challenge for Major ...

The American science fiction thriller film, The Manhattan Project (1986), follows the story of Dr. John Mathewson who makes a groundbreaking discovery in refining plutonium to high levels of purity. As a result, he is given a laboratory in Ithaca, New York by the US government under the guise of a medical company. Upon his move to Ithaca, John meets real estate agent Elizabeth Stephens and attempts to charm her by inviting her son Paul for a lab tour. However, Paul, a gifted student with a love for science, quickly becomes suspicious when he stumbles upon an impossible patch of five-leaf clover on the premises. Despite John’s confidence in the cover story for ...

In the film Santa Claus: The Movie (1985), directed by Jeannot Szwarc, a woodcutter named Claus and his wife Anya deliver hand-carved toys to the children of their village every Christmas with the help of their reindeer Donner and Blitzen. However, one year they become lost in a blizzard and pass away from the cold. Through a magical turn of events, they are resurrected at the North Pole where they meet a group of elves who have been expecting them. Lead elf Dooley reveals that it was foretold that Claus would come to the North Pole and fulfill his destiny of delivering toys made by the elves to all children around the ...

In the movie Footloose (1984), directed by Herbert Ross, Chicago native Ren McCormack and his mother Ethel move to the small town of Bomont to stay with Ren’s aunt and uncle. At church, he meets Reverend Shaw Moore, his wife Vi, and their daughter Ariel, who is known for her rebellious nature. While at school, Ren becomes friends with Willard Hewitt and discovers that dancing and rock music are banned within the town limits by the town council. Despite this restriction, Ren falls for Ariel, much to the dismay of her boyfriend Chuck Cranston. In an attempt to impress Ariel and prove his worthiness, Ren challenges ...

The film, The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension (1984), follows the American science fiction comedy genre and was created by W.D. Richter, directed by Earl Mac Rauch. Banzai and Dr. Tohichi Hikita perfect the ‘oscillation overthruster’: a device that allows an object to pass through solid matter. Banzai decides to test the machine himself and successfully drives his Jet Car through a mountain, ending up in another dimension. Upon returning, he discovers that an alien organism has attached itself to his car. Meanwhile, inmate Dr. Emilio ...

2010: The Year We Make Contact (1984) is a United States-produced science fiction film written, shot and directed by Peter Hyams. Acting as a sequel to Stanley Kubrick’s famous 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey and based on Arthur C. Clarke’s novel 2010: Odyssey Two (published in 1982), the movie follows a joint American-Soviet team sent to Jupiter to uncover the reason for the failure of the previous Discovery One mission. In this timeline, nine years have passed since the five crew members, ...

Terms of Endearment (1983) is a family tragicomedy film directed, written, and produced by James L. Brooks. It is based on Larry McMurtry’s 1975 novel of the same name. The story revolves around Aurora Greenway, a widow who lives in River Oaks, Houston. Despite having several suitors, she chooses to focus on her close relationship with her daughter Emma. Emma, who is eager to break free from her mother’s controlling nature, defies her objections and marries Flap Horton – a young college professor. However, their constant arguments and conflicting ...

The Day After (1983), an American television film, originally aired on ABC. Dr. Russell Oakes works at a hospital in Kansas City and spends time with his family, despite his daughter Marilyn’s plans to move away. In Harrisonville, located approximately 40 miles (64 km) southeast of Kansas City, the Dahlbergs prepare for their eldest daughter Denise’s wedding rehearsal with Bruce, a University of Kansas student from Lawrence. However, the young couple becomes preoccupied with sexual desires and family issues arise when Denise’s younger sister takes her birth control and Jim catches her sneaking back home the following morning. Meanwhile, Airman First ...

Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983) is an American science fiction anthology film helmed by notable producers Steven Spielberg and John Landis. Inspired by the 1959–1964 TV series of the same name created by Rod Serling, the movie showcases four distinct tales directed by Landis, Spielberg, Joe Dante, and George Miller. Whereas

The American comedy-drama film, The World According to Garp (1982), was produced and directed by George Roy Hill. Its main character, T.S. Garp, is the son of a strong-minded feminist named Jenny Fields, who desired a child but not a husband. Jenny was a nurse during World War II and met a dying ball turret gunner known only as Technical Sergeant Garp – after whom she named her child. As Garp grows up, he becomes passionate about wrestling and writing, subjects that do not interest his mother much. However, his writing catches the attention of Helen Holm – the daughter of the school’s wrestling coach ...