The Shawshank Redemption (1994)

Also known in Taiwan as: "Fantastic."

Production of Castle Rock Entertainment
Directed by Frank Darabont
Starring Tim Robbins, Morgan Freeman, and James Whitmore

A man is convicted of killing his unfaithful wife and her lover in a fit of cold-blooded drunken anger, riddling the bodies with bullets before reloading and firing one more shot into each of their heads.  Sentenced to two life terms, back to back, in Shawshank Prison, Andy Dufresne befriends a lifer named "Red" Redding.  Andy and Red spend their time and resources reforming the prison library, all the while the world passes them by in the form of 20 years.  As the two become what Red refers to as "institutionalized," Andy finds himself working personally for the warden and soon begins to take his own liberties.

The Ninth Gate (1999)

Product of Artisan Entertainment and R. P. Productions
Directed by Roman Polanski
Starring Johnny Depp, Frank Langella, Lena Olin, and Emmanuelle Seigner

In this Roman Polanski film released just before the turn of the millennium, Dean Corso, a dirty rare-book dealer is hired by Richard Nixon another rare-book dealer named Boris Balkan to authenticate a book called "The Ninth Gate."  There are only three of these authentic copies in existence, though Balkan is convinced that his copy is the only remaining authentic.  If its not, Corso is to obtain the last remaining authentic, by any means necessary, with a check to match. 

TRON: Legacy (2010)

Production of LivePlanted and Walt Disney Pictures
Directed by Joseph Kosinski
Starring Jeff Bridges, Garrett Hedlund, Olivia Wilde, Beau Garrett, and Michael Sheen.

In this sequel to the cult classic "TRON" (1982; is this really a sequel?  I can't figure it out), Kevin Flynn has become trapped within his own creation, leaving his son Sam to grow up and take over his multi-billion dollar software company, Encom.  When Kevin's trusted friend Alan gets a page from a disconnected number, Sam is informed, and led to his fathers old arcade.  After some snooping around and clever sleuthing, he is beamed into the very same creation his father was.  Now, he needs to save his father from his own programs, who have become self-aware. 

The Lion King (1994)

Production of Disney.
Directed by Roger Allers and Robert Minkoff.
Starring Matthew Broderick, Jeremy Irons, James Earl Jones, Jonathan Taylor Thomas, Rowan Atkinson, Whoopi Goldberg, Nathan Lane, and Cheech Marin.

So we all know the story of The Lion King.  Let's face it, who doesn't?  You cannot honestly say you don't remember or haven't seen the raging stampede that kills Mufasa or the crazed hallucinogenic songs that Rafiki sings.  Despite this movie being made in 1994 and the fact that I was probably the target market for Disney when I was four, I still love this movie.  Who thinks I have nothing bad to say?

(500) Days of Summer (2009)

Product of Fox Searchlight Pictures, Watermark, and Sneak Preview Entertainment.
Directed by Marc Webb
Starring Zooey Deschanel, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Geoffrey Arend, and Matthew Grey Gubler.

"This is a story of boy meets girl, but you should know upfront, this is not a love story."  This movie is nothing short of a love story, yet its a chick flick with a sense of humor.  Boy meets girl who now works in his office, girl says she doesn't believe in love and serious relationships, boy falls in love with girl, girl just wants to be friends, guy is broken-hearted, you know the rest. This movie is about how they met, how they lived, and how they parted.

Secret Window (2004)

 Product of Columbia Pictures and Grand Slam Productions
Directed by David Koepp
Starring Johnny Depp, John Turturro, Maria Bello, and Timothy Hutton.

Mort Rainey, a writer specializing in short stories and essays, buys a house with what his wife calls a "secret window."  Becoming the basis of his next story and the catalyst to his psyche, Mort and his wife split after he catches her cheating.  But when a seemingly psychotic man from another state shows up at his house claiming that the "Secret Window" story was his idea, all hell breaks loose in Mort's world on charges of plagiarism and other shocking acts of interpersonal terrorism.

Kingdom of Heaven (2005)

Product of Twentieth Century Fox, Scott Free Productions, Cahoca Productions
Directed by Ridley Scott
Starring Liam Neeson, Orlando Bloom, Alexander Siddig, Eva Green, Brendan Gleeson, and Jeremy Irons.

A young blacksmith mourning the loss of his wife is driven to join the ranks of the Crusaders after learning that he is the son of a Baron whose lands in Jerusalem are in danger.  When his father is killed, he is thrust into a world of warfare and incivility, laced by shining spots of humanity.  He alone must defend Jerusalem, the Kingdom of Heaven, where his wife's sins were promised to be absolved by the very men who have betrayed and left him for dead.