Chris Chiarella

Having already cracked the code to what would yield the best animated Batman of all time (and arguably the best adaptation of The Dark Knight, period), the team behind TV’s The Animated Series was ultimately given the green light to make a PG-rated feature film in that same style. And while small-screen Bats pushed creative boundaries, in theaters he went even further, with blood, violence and even (gulp) sex adding a palpable impact to this wholly satisfying adventure.

Perfect for holiday weekend family time, Disney’s beloved Cinderella proffers a more traditional telling, distinct from the versions by Charles Perrault, the Brothers Grimm or even Rodgers & Hammerstein’s subsequent musical take on the story. It remains an emotionally satisfying and an all-too-human tale of an oppressed young woman forced to work as a servant in her own family home. On the night she reaches her lowest emotional ebb, she’s rewarded for her inherent kindness with a magical gift — conditions attached — that might just be enough to deliver her from her current predicament.

Could the acclaimed director of The French Connection still be relevant in the MTV era? That’s a big 10-4, with William Friedkin delivering another edgy tale of cops and robbers in 1985’s To Live and Die in L.A., this time set on the left coast, and even helming the Wang Chung music video for the title tune.