The Houseman family goes to their favorite summer resort in the Catskill mountains. Their head strong daughter Baby-Jennifer Grey gets a lesson in life and love when she meets a young dancer in need of an abortion as well as the hot dance instructor for the resort, Danny Castle-Patrick Swayze. While falling for Danny and dealing with older local crowd, she learns important lessons of trust and judgment which helps her mature, much to her parents dismay. But, the movie really brings you in with its catchy and irresistible dance and musical sequences. You can’t help but root for Danny and Baby to somehow make it when you know they never will. It was the feel good coming of age movie of the year and had the best sound track as well.

Although the acting wasn’t Oscar caliber, it was good enough. Jerry Orbach is fantastic as Baby’s father, and, Patrick Swayze, even being a little soft for the role, was a star from then on. Even with other memorable performances like Red Dawn, Ghost, and Point Break. he will always be known for speaking that classic line “No one puts baby in the corner.” if this movie isn’t in your personal library already, it should be. Watch it, again.

Plot: When a US nuclear submarine mysteriously sinks in the open ocean the Navy must begin rescue operations before the approaching storm. The only thing the military can do is enlist the help of a deep ocean drilling station sitting on the ocean floor. The oil rig is run by a tough, no nonsense group of guys who’s leader is Bud (Ed Harris) Once the Navy SEALS arrive at the drilling station with their leader, Coffey (Michael Biehn) and Buds soon to be ex wife Lindsay (Mary Mastrantonio) the entire group is cut off from the surface by the storm. That’s when movie takes off. Everything thing you can think of, drama, suspense, action, and there’s something else down there with them, and its not human. They must battle each other for power, sanity, and rescue in this absolute top notch action thriller.

Acting: Excellent, Ed Harris is great as always. He’s wonderful as the films hero trying to juggle his wife, the emergency, the foreign presence, and still handle the SEALS and there problems. Mary Mastrantonio is wonderful again as Buds almost ex wife who is always on his case and who is sure the foreign presence down there is friendly. Micheal Biehn is at his best as Lt. Coffey The SEAL commander who looses his mind and tries to destroy it all. The rest of supporting cast is good as well.

Special Effects: For 1989 it has some of the best special effects. But like James Cameron (True Lies) always does, a lot of his effects are subtle, so what you get is a movie filled with effects that looks like there’s only a few if any. The real accomplishment here are the real life effects. The water is all real, they are really underwater, deep, and it shows. Some things you just cant fake. Fire, water, humans, those have to be real or the movie doesn’t work. This film has great all around effects as well as real life cinematography.

Final Word: As my Modern Classics category grows I make sure that not only add the movies that have the best acting or story, but, those movies that changed the way they make movies and those films that changed the industry with new technologies and effects or opened whole new genres of film. The Abyss changed they way they made water movies and it is certainly What-to-watch.

Dan Gallagher (Michael Douglas) is an executive with everything. One weekend while his wife and daughter are away he has a small fling with a colleague from work over the weekend. Everything seems fine, wife doesnt have to know and Alex (Glenn Close) seems cool with it. Not! Alex becomes what everyman fears, the girl that wont let go and now she wants more time, attention, and Dan all to herself. Once she reveals her true intentions and state of mind, the movie really takes off.

Plot: The plot is superb, This movie started the genre of stalker movies. What seems to be a one time breach of fidelity for a middle aged business man who really doesnt do this kind of thing, and is happy with wife and marriage, becomes a nightmare of suspense when the woman wont let go and turns out to be a psycho-bitch.

Acting: Excellent, Glenn Close’s performance made her a household name. Michael Douglas and Anne Archer are excellent as well.

Final Word:One of the best movies of the year, or decade for that matter. I my opinion a must see for everyone, not just married couples. Fatal Attraction will stand the test of time for many years to come. It is absolutely What-to-Watch.

The story is simple. Troubled millionaire creates alter ego, the crime fighting hero Batman to protect the city of Gotham and satisfy his own thirst for revenge for the murder of his parents. He doesn’t take the recognition that Superman does, he preferred to remain in the shadows and protect the innocent.

The plot: Batman has to battle the sinister Joker for control of Gotham city, remain anonymous, and deal with his new girlfriend in his regular life. No origins needed, we all know the story. cool gadgets, even cooler car, beautiful girl, and finally a costume that isn’t corny spandex. Once the Joker is added in by the immortal Jack Nicholson, the movie takes off and never stops. we all waited in line for hours in line to get in and cheered when it was all over.

Acting: Easily one of Jack’s best performances, His joker will go down in movie history as the greatest superhero villain of all time. Everyone else’s performances was perfect. Keaton’s best, and still the best Batman to date even though Jack stole the movie. Basinger, still the best Batman girl. Its just hard to beat the original on any level.

Final Word: You cant go wrong with this one. A must for every home library. A modern classic and definitely What-to-watch.

John McClain (Bruce Willis) comes to L.A. from New York on Christmas eve. to attend his wife’s office Christmas party. A whole squad of Terrorists have also come to the party, but for different reasons. While arguing with his wife Holly (Bonnie Bedelia) John is starting settle in when the bad guys show up. The film goes from zero to sixty in a flash. The rest is pure cinema magic. John tries to stay alive against the smartest group of bad guys ever seen in movies until then. He must rescue his wife, save the hostages and stay alive with no shoes on against an army. Some of the best dialogue and acting in any action movie ever. The best villain in action movie history in Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman). For the young people that may not have seen Die Hard yet, buy it, borrow it, rent it. It is still the gold standard by which all other action movies are measured.

Plot: Perfect, it was the first action movie to use the fish-out of-water genre. take a unlikely, average guy and put him in extraordinary situations. unprepared, not winning, just surviving long enough on his wits and guts. Always in danger of being caught or killed with everything working against him and he barley makes through. He was every man, any man, not a super hero. Just a guy in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Acting: Superb. Willis’s best until the Sixth Sense. This is one the rare times when everyone is perfectly cast and takes the role home. Even the supporting cast is great. The small parts are good. It’s hard to find flaws in a movie that even pokes fun at itself a few times. very violent, very funny, and put lots of the actors involved in the film on the map.

Final Word: If you’re over 30 and haven’t seen it? What the hell? where have you been? That’s a tragedy…. For anyone else, get it now. It will always be at the top of my list of What-to-watch.

The film begins with Duke and Allie, played by James Garner and Gena Rowlands at peace in their comfortable nursing home living out their twilight years together. Duke is reading to Allie from a notebook/diary, telling the story of a young couple in 1940’s North Carolina as they first meet and fall in love. The young couple, Noah and Allie are played by Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams. The movie is told in flash back, chronicling the young lovers first meeting and the eagerness and recklessness of first love. Allie is from a well to do family while Noah is from working class roots. Allie’s parents soon breakup the couple and Noah is of to fight in World War II. During the war Allie nurses a wounded soldier back to health (Lon) played by James Marsden, and after the war courts young Allie, the two are soon engaged. When Allie finds out the Noah has returned from the war is restoring the old home his father left him, she has to see him one last time before she’s married. Here’s when the film really takes off. Lets just say, if true love is to prevail it wont be easy.

Plot: The plot is wonderfully refreshing. Told in flash back and narrated by Garner. Two young people from opposite sides of the tracks who meant to for each other, soul mates. As Duke reads the story to Allie it’s so captivating and exciting that for short moments she regains her memory and we get a chance to see two loves stories. Duke continues to read so he can have brief glimpses of his love captured if only for minutes at a time. There a moments in the film that are truly heartbreaking.

Acting: Excellent all around. Ryan Gosling is fresh and new and shows he can be serious while also being playful and wild at heart in his love Allie. Rachel McAdams is almost unrecognized from her role in “Mean Girls”, beautiful and soft, the role fits her very well. Garner and Rowlands and just perfect. Showing the range and depth of two old professionals that still have what is takes as they deliver some of the most tender and loving moments in the movie.

Final Word: This movie will be in the same category as Titanic, Ghost, Love Story, and The English Patient, just to name a few. So far, this is our generations best pure love story film. It appeals to all audiences, young and old, and if think your not going to cry, think again. When you get your popcorn and cosy up on the couch to watch this one make sure you have plenty tissue handy, your going to need them for this What-to-Watch classic.