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Weird Science

Yes, that is Bill Paxton as Ilan Mitchell-Smith's militaristic big brother. And that's Robert Downey Jr. as one of the in-crowd jerks who makes nerds Mitchell-Smith and Hall's lives miserable. Fortunately, this is a John Hughes comedy and our smart nerds create the perfect woman, Lisa (Kelly LeBrock), using a computer and voodoo. Lisa is a willing sex toy, has magical powers, and just wants to help the boys get even and meet nice babes. She even cleans up. The fantasy ebullience of Hughes is given full rein here and that's good and bad (mostly good).

The War Of The Roses

Michael Douglas, Kathleen Turner, and Danny DeVito reunited for a third time to fabulous effect in this dark, disturbing comedy of martial trauma and revenge, which couldn't be more different from their sunnier outings in Romancing the Stone and The Jewel of the Nile.

A Walk In The Clouds

After returning from World War II, a young G.I. named Paul Sutton (Keanu Reeves) finds he has little in common with the wife he left behind. Disillusioned, he heads north to work as a traveling salesman. There he meets the daughter (Anita Sanchez-Gijon), of a wealthy vineyard owner (Giancarlo Giannini). On her way home, she's terrified of what her domineering father will do when he learns she's unmarried and pregnant. The young man gallantly offers to help by posing as her husband for one night, unaware that doing so will change both their lives forever.

Waiting For Guffman

One of the funniest films in many a moon was hiding at art house theaters in 1998. Former Saturday Night Live comedian and Spinal Tap member Christopher Guest creates the ultimate parody of small-town dramatics, Waiting for Guffman. Corky St. Claire (Guest), an overwhelming drama director hiding out in Blaine, Missouri, thinks he has found the vehicle to put him back on Broadway: the city's 150th anniversary play, Red, White, and Blaine. As rehearsals start, we learn of the town's history ("the stool capital of the world") including a brush with a UFO.

Urban Cowboy

John Travolta traded in disco duds for a cowboy hat in this corny love story about a working man who breaks up with his girlfriend (Debra Winger), then plays out their relationship's turmoil inside a huge honky-tonk called Gilley's. The story essentially parallels Travolta's prior hit film, Saturday Night Fever, in its blend of ordinary life, incomplete relationships, and personal pride channeled into niche stardom at a neighborhood club.

Unlawful Entry

Jonathan Kaplan (The Accused) directed this creepy thriller about an outwardly friendly cop (Ray Liotta) who attaches himself to a married couple (Kurt Russell, Madeleine Stowe) whom he helps during a crisis. In short order, he's revealed to be a psychopath who wants Russell's wife, but the film is about more than Liotta's mental state. A bold script and Kaplan's astute direction peel away the layers of masculine identity in the male leads and underscore the painful conflicts good men feel when faced with classic territorial challenges.

Uncle Buck

John Candy stars in this John Hughes comedy as an idle, good-natured bachelor who's left in charge of his nephew and nieces during a family crisis. Unaccustomed to suburban life, fun-loving Uncle Buck soon charms his younger relatives Miles and Maizy with his hefty cooking and his new way of doing the laundry. But his carefree style doesn't impress everyone, including Tia (Jean Kelly), his rebellious teenage niece, and Chanice (Amy Madigan), his impatient girlfriend. Uncle Buck is the last person you'd think of to watch the kids.

Up In Smoke

Cheech & Chong's first cannabis comedy is also their best, a souvenir from the more carefree days before "Just Say No," when people did not feel so defensive about inhaling.

Who Am I?

Action superstar Jackie Chan stars in his most thrilling and stunt-packed adventure yet, Jackie Chan's Who Am I? Left for dead after a brutal CIA double-cross, a lone commando (Chan) must struggle to regain his memory and expose an international espionage ring before they can unleash a powerful and lethal new energy source. With the aid of two beautiful sidekicks, Jackie fights his way across continents and faces armed assassins and sinister plots at every turn. For blistering action and adrenaline-pumping excitement, nobody does it better than Jackie.

Terminator 2: Judgment Day

Arnold Schwarzenegger returns as the Terminator in this explosive adventure spectacle. His mission: to protect John Connor, the boy destined to lead the freedom fighters of the future. His opponent: the T-1000, the most lethal machine ever created, sent back through time to kill young John. His ally: Sarah Connor, John's mother, a woman warrior whose warnings go unheeded by a world careening toward a nuclear holocaust she knows is inevitable. T2 is a tour de force of stunts and astounding special effects, built around a touching and emotional human story.

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