Breaking Away (1979)

A small-town boy obsessed with the Italian cycling team vies for the affections of a college girl.

From memory: Amazingly entertaining and unpretentious teen comedy has a good cast and an excellent script.

Halliwell*: "Andy Hardy would have felt at home in this fragmented comedy of the American hinterland; 1979 audiences found it a welcome relief from the stronger brews to which they had become accustomed."

Maltin***1/2: "Winning, unpretentious film...Dooley stands out in first-rate cast as Christopher's bewildered father. This sleeper hit really comes to life with an audience."

The Long Riders (1980)

The origins, exploits and the ultimate fate of the Jesse James gang is told in a sympathetic portrayal of the bank robbers made up of brothers who begin their legendary bank raids because of revenge.

From memory: Stylish, atmospheric and violent modern Western with a good cast and beautiful cinematography.

Halliwell (no star): "Well-worn territory with new-fangled violent detail. Not much of an attraction despite the gimmick of having the various anti-heroesplayed by real brothers."

Maltin***: "...stylish but extremely bloody film. Typically meticulous direction by Hill..."

The Words (2012)

A writer at the peak of his literary success discovers the steep price he must pay for stealing another man's work.

Although based on a good premise and although the three stories are skillfully intertwined, and there are some good performances, the tale becomes sentimental and finally botched by the disappointing background story rendering everything else meaningless.

Maltin**: "At the core of this wildly illogical tale is a good idea that flowers in one key scene, when Irons (in a terrific performance) confronts Cooper...The rest is drivel, made worse by a superfluous framing story..."

Playing For Keeps (2012)

A former sports star who's fallen on hard times starts coaching his son's soccer team as a way to get his life together. His attempts to become an adult are met with challenges from the attractive soccer moms who pursue him at every turn.

Lots of star talent wasted in this minor, mostly uninteresting dramedy about (believe it or not) the marital/parental aches of a has-been football star.

Maltin*1/2: "Innocuous romantic trifle populated by attractive star; easy to take and just as easy to forget."

Truth (2015)

Newsroom drama detailing the 2004 CBS 60 Minutes report investigating then-President George W. Bush's military service, and the subsequent firestorm of criticism that cost anchor Dan Rather and producer Mary Mapes their careers.

Solid, but a bit old-fashioned political docudrama makes well use of its star cast and does manage to convey the vagaries and risks of a high-profile journalistic investigation into a political scandal.

Horsemen (2009)

A recently widowed detective still grieving over his wife's death discovers a shocking connection between a serial killing spree and the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.

Not particularly successful Se7en wannabe loses any credibility by construing a wildly incomprehensible serial killer complot.

Maltin BOMB: "Preposterous, sickening mystery-thriller is only for those who are entertained by graphic images of torture." 

Smart People (2008)

Into the life of a widowed professor comes a new love and an unexpected visit from his adopted brother.

Mildly entertaining and well played, but unspectacular story with a simple message: smart people don't have it easy, too.

Halliwell**1/2: "Bittersweet comedy-drama isn't uninteresting but the script feels undernourished."

Far from Heaven (2002)

In 1950s Connecticut, a housewife faces a marital crisis and mounting racial tensions in the outside world.

In all departments masterful reimagination of a Douglas Sirk melodrama contrasting its artificiality and the protagonists' superficial restraint with the lowdown of the issues that are still relevant even today.

Halliwell (no star): "Elegantly designed and shot and acted, and made in the style of a Douglas Sirk melodrama, this subverts the form by bringing to the fore what would have been the subtext of the movie in the 1950s; it is undeniably clever, but too often feels like an exercise in style."

Maltin***: "Fascinating filmmmaking exercise in which writer-director Haynes replicates the look and feel of a Douglas Sirk Technicolor soap opera, while tackling issues that would have been taboo in that era...Not so much a parody as a recreation, as if a 1957 movie were being made in 2002, with art direction, camerawork, costuming, music, and color that recall such films as ALL THAT HEAVEN ALLOWS."