Days of Thunder (1990)

Days of Thunder is the semi-dramatic car-racing cousin of Talladega Nights. Director Tony Scott has helmed other high caliber projects such as Top Gun and Crimson Tide. It’s written by Robert Towne who penned Chinatown and Mission Impossible 1 and 2. So why did this movie turn out to be silly? Well, it could be the relationship between Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise. Maybe it’s Michael Rookers’ lack of caution with his brain bleed. Whatever it was, it didn’t stop Robert Ebert from breaking the ethos of Tom Cruise down to a science.

Chinatown (1974)

It’s a dark look at a 1930s conspiracy concerning water rights in the desert city of Los Angeles. Sounds dry, right? Wrong! Watch Jack Nicholson in his prime play Detective Jake Gittes follow a trail of clues that leads him to the deep pockets of the rich. Faye Dunaway stars opposite as a dynamic and tragic figure. It’s not a cheerful end, but it’s one that will keep you thinking.