and tell why.

Not a AFI Top 100 film, not necessarily a 4 star masterpiece weighed down by Academy Awards, not what Gene Shalit may have soiled himself over, not a flick Maxim or Time magazines tout as brilliant, and not something TNT shows every time that AMC isn't airing it. But that one movie (or two) that may have been overlooked by every person but you, that may have drawn hate originally but now stays steadily in your sight, your ace in the hole, disc in the tray, that personal classic. Post the title and a brief description if you can manage--video show and tell in a roundabout way.



The Rocketeer (1991): It's the right mix of planes, guns, cars, cleavage, a blimp, and a rocket pack, where the action is more throwback than CGI, more comic book than Crouching Tiger. Jennifer Connelly has the perfect combination of baby fat and curves. Timothy Dalton is convincingly cast as the self-concerned actor, egotist Nazi. The movie has fun dealing with old Hollywood archetypes, with enough sly references to those days of cinema to be appreciated by any fan of the period. Plus, one tracking shot around the ritzy South Seas Club, past the design and dress of the time, should be enough to catch anyone up in the romance of the era. I said it's got a rocket pack.

The World of Henry Orient (1964): Two bright-eyed teens become infatuated with a slightly unstable concert pianist, played with the proper pitch of lunacy and comedic brashness by Peter Sellers. Funny and light-hearted, their teenage crush is the ideal centerpiece for a low-key and genuine look into those impressionable years of adolescence. The girls are innocent without being innocuous, cute without being unbearable, honestly portrayed. Angela Lansbury joins Sellers in the cast of adults who delivers an unheralded performance that's just as effective as anything her career ever supplied. For anyone whoever, in those transitional stages of childhood, felt a little swept up by the older charm of another, you'll understand.