4 Best Movies to Watch by Larry Pine

Staff & contributors

Told with grace and maturity without sensationalizing its subject matter, Dead Man Walking expertly walks the line between taking a moral stand and keeping the messy humanity of its characters intact. Though it may seem just like a legal drama or prison film on the surface, writer/director Tim Robbins weaves in commentary on class and the role religion is expected to play in middle class Southern communities—especially in the context of justice and crime. Sean Penn and Susan Sarandon (in the role that won her her Oscar) play every side to this drama with remarkable control, building an unlikely rapport that culminates in a finale that's as moving as any great tear-jerker. It may be tough to watch at times, given the raw emotions that are laid bare, but Dead Man Walking remains relevant even today.

Genre: Drama

Actor: Adam Nelson, Adele Robbins, Anthony Michael Frederick, Arthur Bridgers, Barton Heyman, Celia Weston, Clancy Brown, Codie Scott, Cortez Nance Jr., Dennis Neal, Eva Amurri Martino, Jack Black, Jack Henry Robbins, Jenny Krochmal, Jeremy Knaster, Joan Glover, Jon Abrahams, Kevin Cooney, Larry Pine, Lenore Banks, Lois Smith, Marcus Lyle Brown, Margo Martindale, Michael Cullen, Miles Robbins, Missy Yager, Molly Bryant, Nesbitt Blaisdell, Pamela Garmon, Pete Burris, Peter Sarsgaard, R. Lee Ermey, Ray Aranha, Raymond J. Barry, Robert Prosky, Roberta Maxwell, Scott Sowers, Scott Wilson, Sean Penn, Steve Boles, Steve Carlisle, Susan Sarandon

Director: Tim Robbins

An inksetter in New York, Quoyle returns to his family's longtime home, a small fishing town in Newfoundland, with his young daughter, after a traumatizing experience with her mother, Petal, who sold her to an illegal adoption agency. Though Quoyle has had little success thus far in life, his shipping news column in the newspaper "The Gammy Bird" finds an audience, and his experiences in the town change his life.

Genre: Drama, Romance

Actor: Cate Blanchett, Gordon Pinsent, Jason Behr, Jeannetta Arnette, Judi Dench, Julianne Moore, Kevin Spacey, Larry Pine, Pete Postlethwaite, Rhys Ifans, Robert Joy, Scott Glenn

Director: Lasse Hallström

Rating: R

In this ensemble cast directed by Wes Anderson, we see a very dysfunctional family with three very unique siblings who grow apart from each other due to their father, a charismatic and ever-absent grifter. However, when he announces his immanent death, the whole family is forced to confront each other, themselves and their childhoods as they gather in their patriarchal home together for the first time in years. An absolutely gorgeously filmed movie, the usage of color, pattern and 60's rock music alone makes it worth seeing, and the beautiful story just sweetens the deal.

Genre: Comedy, Drama

Actor: Al Thompson, Alec Baldwin, Amir Raissi, Andrew Wilson, Anjelica Huston, Ben Stiller, Bill Murray, Brian Smiar, Brian Tenenbaum, Danny Glover, Dipak Pallana, Don McKinnon, Donal Lardner Ward, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Eric Chase Anderson, Frank Wood, Gary Evans, Gene Hackman, Grant Rosenmeyer, Greg Goossen, Guido Venitucci, Gwyneth Paltrow, Irina Gorovaia, Jennifer Wachtell, Jonah Meyerson, Kalani Queypo, Keith Charles, Kumar Pallana, Larry Pine, Liam Craig, Luke Wilson, Max Faugno, Mel Cannon, Nova Landaeus-Skinnar, Owen Wilson, Pawel Wdowczak, Rex Robbins, Roger Shamas, Rony Clanton, Saidah Arrika Ekulona, Sam Hoffman, Seymour Cassel, Sheelagh Tellerday, Sonam Wangmo, Stephen Dignan, Stephen Lea Sheppard, Tatiana Abbey, Tom Lacy, Wes Anderson, 吉恩·哈克曼

Director: Wes Anderson

Rating: R

Set during the swingin' seventies, two small town Connecticut families are the subject of this visually stunning and somewhat disturbing drama. With an all-star cast that includes Sigourney Weaver as Janey Carver, an unsatisfied housewife and mother of two and Elijah Wood as her eldest son, there's plenty of star power and drama. In addition, director Ang Lee brings his signature sense of trial and unease while unleashing a quirky and pointed 70's aesthetic.

Genre: Drama

Actor: Adam Hann-Byrd, Allison Janney, Barbara Garrick, Bettina Skye, Byron Jennings, Christina Ricci, Christine Farrell, Colette Kilroy, Colleen Camp, Courtney Peldon, Daniel McDonald, David Krumholtz, Dennis Gagomiros, Donna Mitchell, Elijah Wood, Glenn Fitzgerald, Henry Czerny, Ivan Kronenfeld, Jamey Sheridan, Jessica Stone, Joan Allen, Joe O'Connor, John Benjamin Hickey, Jonathan Freeman, Kate Burton, Katie Holmes, Kevin Kline, Larry Pine, Maia Danziger, Marcell Rosenblatt, Michael Cumpsty, Miles Marek, Nancy Opel, Robert Westenberg, Sarah Thompson, Scott Wentworth, Sigourney Weaver, Tobey Maguire, William Cain

Director: Ang Lee

Rating: R