There’s a lot more to Spartacus than men with swords—Stanley Kubrick’s 1961 original is a masterpiece about the meaning of life, the need for freedom, and also an epic love story. In this scene below, Thracian slave Spartacus (Kirk Douglas) … Continued

INT. BEDROOM – NIGHT Christine is on her side in a queen-sized bed attempting to sleep when she hears a voice. VOICE (O.S) Christine. Christine turns over to see Avery standing in her doorway in a tank-top and underwear. CHRISTINE … Continued

EXT. ROAD – NIGHT. Noah and Alison walk down a little paved road that runs parallel to the beach. They are both smoking. ALISON Wow. You are a writer? You must be so smart. NOAH (pleased) Not really. ALISON I … Continued

  INT. LIVING ROOM – DAY DON enters his posh but untidy apartment. He looks around for his wife. DON Megan!? Where are you?! MEGAN walks briskly out of the bedroom in a thin robe. She’s holding a wastebasket. MEGAN … Continued

INT. CAVE – DAY  JON descends into a cave behind YGRITTE. She gives him a seductive look and begins disrobing in front of a waterfall. YGRITTE Is Orelle right? Are you still a crow? Time you proved yourself. JON Ygritte… … Continued

The 1986 film noir, Blue Velvet, is director David Lynch’s most notorious work. In classic Lynch style, it takes a piercing look at the dark underbelly of small town life. The plot involves a slowly unraveling mystery that’s filled with … Continued

At the time True Romance was made in 1993, Quentin Tarantino was not yet well known, and Tony Scott, the director (Top Gun, The Hunger), was promoted as the creative force behind it. But once you’ve read any scene in … Continued

Woody Allen’s 1977 film Annie Hall—which, incidentally, beat Star Wars in the Oscar’s Best Picture race—follows the up-and-down relationship between neurotic comic Alvy Singer (Allen) and the title character (played by Diane Keaton, for whom Allen wrote the role.) In the … Continued

The 1992 erotic thriller Basic Instinct (written by Joe Eszterhas) revolves around the police investigation of the murder—by ice-pick—of retired rock star Johnny Boz. During the course of the investigation, Detective Nick Curran (Michael Douglas) becomes intimately involved with the prime suspect, … Continued

The multiple-Oscar winning 1999 drama American Beauty is a tale of midlife angst. Written by Alan Ball, the film follows Lester Burnham (Kevin Spacey, who nabbed a Best Actor Oscar), a 42-year-old suburban dad who—left unsatisfied by his sexless marriage to his … Continued