Jerry Maguire Director: Cameron Crowe Screenwriter: Cameron Crowe

Integrity never looked so good. In Cameron Crowe’s original and genre-defying film, Jerry Maguire is a man who won’t sell his soul to have it all; he wants to earn it the hard way. Filled with great performances and cameos, it’ll make you laugh, cry, cheer for touchdowns, and search for the kwan in your life.

IMAGE ©SONY PICTURES ENTERTAINMENT

Swingers Director: Doug Liman Screenwriter: Jon Favreau

Probably the film that produced more catchphrases per budget dollar in history. Trent Walker (Vaughn), the alpha-swinger, tries everything (Drinks! Girls! Vegas!) to coax his best friend Mike (Favreau) out of a post-break-up malaise. The low-rent digs, the beat-up cars and the constant rejection paint a candid portrait of life for Trent’s not-yet-famous (or never will be) entourage, and the film makes you happy it worked out for so many involved.

IMAGE © MIRAMAX

Top Gun Director: Tony Scott Screenwriter: Jim Cash, Jack Epps Jr.

In Top Gun, men don’t wear pink or have preppy nicknames; they wear green and have bad-ass call signs: Maverick. Cougar. Iceman. Viper. And just like the hotshot pilots onscreen, the filmmakers ooze confidence in the opening scene’s subtitle: “Indian Ocean. Present Day.” Meaning, “Not 1986, but whenever you happen to be watching this, there are insanely good-looking men defending you against the commies.” (And they do their own singing.) Perhaps the most-quotable film in history, Top Gun convinced a lot of guys to enlist – and even more to start hitting the gym.

IMAGE © PARAMOUNT PICTURES

Ferris Bueller’s Day Off Director: John Hughes Screenwriter: John Hughes

30 years after James Dean, Ferris Bueller redefined (and refined) rebellion: Stealing a Ferrari to visit an art museum, dine on pancreas, and attend a cultural parade – all while remaining an angel in his parents’ eyes? A high school senior without a car or a letter jacket, Ferris teaches us all of the right reasons to be popular. Homages to the film’s minor characters – Ben Stein’s teacher, Charlie Sheen’s delinquent, Edie McClurg’s secretary – return to our screens year after year (recognize anyone in Stranger Things?), but there’s never been another Ferris.

IMAGE © PARAMOUNT PICTURES

Rocky Director: John G. Avildsen Screenwriter: Sylvester Stallone

Boxing movies are like apple pies and martinis: they're all made from a simple formula – yet you always remember who made the best one. Written by and starring Sylvester Stallone, Rocky took only about a month and a million dollars to produce. With the release of Creed in 2015, it may be the longest running film franchise after James Bond – but 40 years later, will it last 15 rounds against the competition for a VFA?

IMAGE © MGM

Taxi Driver Director: Martin Scorsese Screenwriter: Paul Schrader

Young people: This movie is the reason your parents a) respect Robert De Niro’s acting, and b) are afraid of New York. Don’t even watch the trailer – it’s full of spoilers. Lavishing additional praise on this masterpiece seems unnecessary today – not only has Taxi Driver stood the test of time, but pretty much everyone involved (Scorsese, De Niro, Foster, Keitel, Brooks, writer Paul Schrader…) is still doing major film work 40 years later – leaving us to wonder how it failed to win more awards.

IMAGE © COLUMBIA PICTURES

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly Director: Sergio Leone Screenwriter: Mickey Knox

Critics panned it. American awards committees ignored it. Today, the final installment in Sergio Leone’s “Dollars” trilogy is not only considered a classic Western but one of the greatest films of all time. Like its predecessors, A Fistful of Dollars and For a Few Dollars More, the film has an Ennio Morricone soundtrack and stars Clint Eastwood as The Man With No Name.

IMAGE © MGM/UA

How to Steal a Million Director: William Wyler Screenwriter: Harry Kurnitz

In Mad Men-era Paris, two American men fight for possession of a statuette of Venus by Cellini (that may be a fake), then over Audrey Hepburn (who never is). The men’s grey flannel suits provide a neutral backdrop for Ms. Hepburn, who appears in a series of dazzling Givenchy outfits. A hit with critics and audiences, this comic art-heist film wasn’t nominated for a single statuette of its own – until the Vintage Film Awards, that is.

IMAGE © 20TH CENTURY FOX

Tom Cruise
as Jerry Maguire in Jerry Maguire

Integrity never looked so good. In Cameron Crowe’s original and genre-defying film, Jerry Maguire is a man who won’t sell his soul to have it all; he wants to earn it the hard way. Filled with great performances and cameos, it’ll make you laugh, cry, cheer for touchdowns, and search for the kwan in your life.

Tom Cruise
as Lt. Pete “Maverick” Mitchell in Top Gun

In Top Gun, men don’t wear pink or have preppy nicknames; they wear green and have bad-ass call signs: Maverick. Cougar. Iceman. Viper. And just like the hotshot pilots onscreen, the filmmakers ooze confidence in the opening scene’s subtitle: “Indian Ocean. Present Day.” Meaning, “Not 1986, but whenever you happen to be watching this, there are insanely good-looking men defending you against the commies.” (And they do their own singing.) Perhaps the most-quotable film in history, Top Gun convinced a lot of guys to enlist – and even more to start hitting the gym.

Sylvester Stallone
as Rocky Balboa in Rocky

Boxing movies are like apple pies and martinis: they're all made from a simple formula – yet you always remember who made the best one. Written by and starring Sylvester Stallone, Rocky took only about a month and a million dollars to produce. With the release of Creed in 2015, it may be the longest running film franchise after James Bond – but 40 years later, will it last 15 rounds against the competition for a VFA?

Sigourney Weaver
as Ellen Ripley in Aliens

The second half of possibly the best one-two punch in cinematic history, Ellen Ripley’s adventures took science fiction, horror, and women of action from the world of the “B movie” to the world of the red carpet. Such a perfect blend of acting, action and special effects is rarely seen, especially with a budget of only $18 million (compare to $25 million for The Golden Child that same year) – but like Ripley in this sequel, Aliens faces more than one tough competitor for a VFA.

Sissy Spacek
as Carrie in Carrie

The first of his stories to be made into a movie, Carrie was anything but scary for Stephen King, who sold the Hollywood rights for $2,500 and was so unknown at the time that they misspelled his name in the trailer. John Travolta, in his first big-screen role, also smiles through to the end. One of those rare horror films that breaks out of its niche, Carrie found an audience with everyone who was teased by the popular kids in high school.