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.

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.