Now perhaps the most beloved American film, It's a Wonderful Life was largely forgotten for years, due to a copyright quirk. Only in the late 1970s did it find its audience through repeated TV showings. Frank Capra's masterwork deserves its status as a feel-good communal event, but it is also one of the most fascinating films in the American cinema, a multilayered work of Dickensian density. George Bailey (played superbly by James Stewart) grows up in the small town of Bedford Falls, dreaming dreams of adventure and travel, but circumstances conspire to keep him enslaved to his home turf. Frustrated by his life, and haunted by an impending scandal, George prepares to commit suicide on Christmas Eve. A heavenly messenger (Henry Travers) arrives to show him a vision: what the world would have been like if George had never been born. The sequence is a vivid depiction of the American Dream gone bad, and probably the wildest thing Capra ever shot (the director's optimistic vision may have darkened during his experiences making military films in World War II). Capra's triumph is to acknowledge the difficulties and disappointments of life, while affirming—in the teary-eyed final reel—his cherished values of friendship and individual achievement. It's a Wonderful Life was not a big hit on its initial release, and it won no Oscars (Capra and Stewart were nominated); but it continues to weave a special magic. —Robert Horton

Produced in a time when films were both literally and figuratively black and white, Made for Each Other was unique in its effective blending of the comedic, the dramatic, and, as perhaps some would insensitively say, the melodramatic. Beautiful Carole Lombard and likeable James Stewart are Jane and John Mason, a couple who meet, fall madly in love, marry, and quickly have a baby. But while they—and the audience—are confident that they are meant for each other, life intercedes and the couple must meet with disapproving in-laws, job stress, financial challenges and, finally, a devastating illness.

Lombard and Stewart—and the genuinely good people they portray—are utterly compelling and charming. Say yawningly what you will about tradition, but the Masons' is a path many, if not most, go down. And unlike the wonderful but wholly fantasy world of peer Preston Sturges, director John Cromwell's universe is, like real life, full of ups and downs. It's an accessible, sensitive portrayal. He gives the audience characters they want to see succeed, and to see stay together in the process. It may be a tale of triumph of the human spirit, but its ultimate sentiment—one that celebrates the kindness of strangers—is thoroughly sweet, though in no way saccharine.

Look for a great supporting cast, including a blustery Charles Coburn as John Mason's boss, and Lucile Watson as Mason's interfering mother. —N.F. Mendoza

In the vastly overrated 1998 book Easy Riders, Raging Bulls, author Peter Biskind puts the blame for Hollywood's blockbuster mentality at least partially on Steven Spielberg's box-office success with this adaptation of Peter Benchley's bestselling novel. But you can't blame Spielberg for making a terrific movie, which Jaws definitely is. The story of a Long Island town whose summer tourist business is suddenly threatened by great-white-shark attacks on humans bypasses the potboiler trappings of Benchley's book and goes straight for the jugular with beautifully crafted, crowd-pleasing sequences of action and suspense supported by a trio of terrific performances by Roy Scheider (as the local sheriff), Richard Dreyfuss (as a shark specialist), and particularly Robert Shaw (as the old fisherman who offers to hunt the shark down). The sequences on Shaw's boat—as the three of them realize that in fact the shark is hunting them—are what entertaining moviemaking is all about. —Marshall Fine

Filled with heart-stopping jolts mind-bending twists and nonstop suspense this fast-paced thriller pits two unsuspecting teens against an open-road killer with more on his mind than just road rage. Studio: Tcfhe/mgm Release Date: 09/09/2008 Starring: Gina Philips Justin Long Run time: 90 minutes Rating: R Director: Victor Salva

A BOY GENIUS IN THE MAKING MUST COME TO THE RESCUE WHEN THE TOWN'S PARENTS ARE KIDNAPPED BY ALIEN INVADERS PLANNING TO TAKE OVER THE PLANET.

A DOWN-ON-HIS-LUCK FATHER, WHOSE INSURANCE WON'T COVER HIS SON'S HEART TRANSPLANT, TAKES THE HOSPITAL'S EMERGENCY ROOM HOSTAGE UNTIL THE DOCTORS AGREE TO PERFORM THE OPERATION. SPECIAL FEATURES: DELETED/ALTERNATE SCENES WITH OPTIONAL DIRECTOR COMMENTARY: THEATRICAL TRAILER AND MUCH MORE.

BOB THE TOMATO, LARRY THE CUCUMBER & THE REST OF THE VEGGIE TALE GANG SET SAIL ON A WHALE OF AN ADVENTURE. FILLED WITH MUSIC, LAUGHS & THE STRANGEST ADVENTURERS EVER TO BE SWALLOWED WHOLE, THIS IS THE STORY OF JONAH & THE WHALE AS YOU'VE NEVER SEEN IT BEFORE.

After the success of Jurassic Park in 1993, the floodgates opened for digital special effects, and Jumanji is nothing if not a showcase for computer-generated creepiness guaranteed to give young children a nightmare or two. Whether that was the filmmakers' intention is up for debate, since this is a PG-rated adventure revolving around a mysterious board game that unleashes a terrifying jungle world upon its players, including gigantic spiders, huge mosquitoes, a stampede of rhinos, elephants, and every other jungle beast you can imagine. Robin Williams plays a man-child who's been trapped in the world of "Jumanji" for 26 years until he's freed by two kids who've discovered the game and released its parade of dangerous horrors. A chaotic and misguided attempt at family entertainment, the movie does offer a few good laughs, and the effects are frequently impressive, if not entirely convincing to the eye. —Jeff Shannon

Steven Spielberg's 1993 mega-hit rivals Jaws as the most intense and frightening film he'd ever made prior to Schindler's List, but it was also among his weakest stories. Based on Michael Crichton's novel about an island amusement park populated by cloned dinosaurs, the film works best as a thrill ride with none of the interesting human dynamics of Spielberg's Jaws. That lapse proves unfortunate, but there's no shortage of raw terror as a rampaging T-rex and nasty raptors try to make fast food out of the cast. The effects are still astonishing (despite the fact that the computer-generated technology has since been improved upon) and at times primeval, such as the sight of a herd of whatever-they-are scampering through a valley. —Tom Keogh

Adventure runs wild when renowned paleontologist dr. Alan grant agrees to accompany a wealthy adventurer and his wife on an aerial tour of isla sorna ingens former breeding ground for prehistoric creatures. But when theyre terrifyingly stranded dr. Grant discovers that his hosts are not what they seem. Studio: Uni Dist Corp. (mca) Release Date: 08/24/2004 Starring: Sam Neill Tea Leoni Run time: 93 minutes Rating: Pg13 Director: Joe Johnston

In this sizzling suspense thriller juror moore is terrorized by psychotic mob assassin baldwin. Features additional footage and chapter stop. Studio: Sony Pictures Home Ent Release Date: 09/27/2005 Starring: Demi Moore Alec Baldwin Run time: 118 minutes Rating: R Director: Brian Gibson

A HARVARD LAW PROFESSOR REOPENS A FLORIDA MURDER CASE, AND IS CAUGHT IN A QUICKSAND PIT OF VIOLENCE AND DECEPTION. FEATURES: SCENE ACCESS.

THE TRUE STORY OF RUSSIA'S FIRST NUCLEAR BALLISTIC SUBMARINE, WHICH SUFFERED A MALFUNCTION IN ITS NUCLEAR REACTOR ON ITS MAIDEN VOYAGE IN THE NORTH ATLANTIC IN 1961. THE SUBMARINE'S CREW, LED BY THE UNYIELDING CAPTAIN ZATAYEV, RACES AGAINST TIME TO PREVENT A CHERNOBYL-LIKE NUCLEAR EXPLOSION.

A WASHINGTON, D.C. DETECTIVE STAKES HIS CLAIM ON A NORTH CAROLINA KIDNAPPING INVESTIGATION AFTER HIS NIECE BECOMES THE KIDNAPPER'S LATEST VICTIM. LOCAL AUTHORITIES ONLY OFFER GRUDGING SUPPORT, LEAVING THE DETECTIVE TO DO SOME INVESTIGATING OF HIS OWN WITH THE HELP OF ONE WOMAN WHO ESCAPED THE KIDNAPPER'S LAIR.