21-30

Dazed and Confused (1993) Takes place in a suburban town in Texas on the last day of high school in 1976.  Everyone tries to stay "clean"…with a classic rock soundtrack and the obligatory feel of relief.
Death in Venice (1971) Luchino Visconti's poetic, good-humored hymn to dying was made into an opera two years later by Benjamin Britten, and contains the magnificent penulminate movement of Mahler's Fifth.
Die Hard (1988) Bruce Willis's marriage is on the rocks.  It's gonna take the counter-infiltration of German terrrorists in a Japanese-owned LA skyscraper for him to win Bonnie Bedelia back.
Down by Law (1986) Two drifters are thrown in jail for crimes they didn't commit, too lazy to fight back.  Their stay, however, combined with Roberto Benigni and his poor English, allows them to see things in a different light.
Dumbo (1941) A very young elephant becomes the laughingstock of the local circus because he has freakishly large ears.  Then a mouse (of all creatures) comes to his aid and shows a use for them: flying.  Disney had previously made a cartoon short of The Ugly Duckling, but it's this one that is the rightful classic.
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982) Steven Spielberg's heartwarming tale of an alien abandoned on Earth, who befriends Henry Thomas, may well be a great antidote to Alien from a few years back.  In fact, the same could be true of the whole stereotype surrounding extraterrestrial life.
Evil Dead II (1987) Cinema's most light-hearted and fun horror movie.
Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986) Yes, there is a Smiths song on the soundtrack (in fact, some depressed people have adopted it as their theme song).  But the film teaches us to call in sick and kick back and relax every once in a while.  Mental health, dude!
Field of Dreams (1989) Kevin Costner becomes baseball's medium: He both creates a pitching field for ghosts and and catches up with his dead father.
Finding Nemo (2003) A film that has unjustly faded into the sands of time since it first came out.  It's a great character study as Albert Brooks' overprotective father loosens up while trying to find his only son—while we loosen up hearing Ellen DeGeneres speak Whale.