With a stacked cast and a finely-tuned script, Norman Jewison’s “madcap ethnic comedy” Moonstruck is not only one of the best films of 1987 but also one that continues to enchant today, its weird and original charm undiminished.

In the Heat of the Night disrupts the Hollywood portrayal of African-American men and women as “bucks” and “mammies."

John McTiernan’s The Thomas Crown Affair (1999), a remake of the 1968 heist romance by Norman Jewison starring Steve McQueen and Faye Dunaway, feels and operates like a polished final draft compared to the original. The remake doesn’t just tweak the rough spots; it reimagines the film’s core elements into a better story, with stronger characters and cast, a more …

The conceit of William Harrison’s short story, “Roller Ball Murder,” presents an intriguing blend of high and low satire. Primarily aimed at a pan-national corporate oligarchy, its commentary also leaves room for criticism for the base mob sated by companies through their addiction to bloodsport. Network meets Death Race 2000, in other words. The gulf between targets manifests in strikingly …