Sept. 8 – The Queen (2006)
The Queen is a revealing, witty portrait of the British royal family in crisis immediately following the death of Princess Diana in August of 1997. In the immediate aftermath of the Princess's passing, the tightly contained, tradition-bound world of the Queen of England (Helen Mirren) clashes with the slick modernity of the country's brand new, image-conscious Prime Minister, Tony Blair (Michael Sheen). The result is an intimate, yet thematically epic battle between private and public, responsibility and emotion, custom and action - as a grieving nation waits to see what its leaders will do.

Oct. 6 – Akeelah and the Bee (2006)
A precocious 11-year-old girl, Akeelah Anderson (Keke Palmer), from south Los Angeles, is discovered to have a talent for words. In spite of the objections of her mother Wanda (Angela Bassett), Akeelah enters a spelling contest. Her gift takes her to compete in the National Spelling Bee, the most famous competition of its kind in the world. On the way, she is helped by a forthright, mysterious teacher, Dr. Larabee (Laurence Fishburne), and other members of her community.

Nov. 3 – The Blind Side (2009)
Michael Oher (Quinton Aaron) knew little about family and even less about football. What the homeless teen did know was the streets and projects of Memphis. Well-to-do Leigh Anne Tuohy (Sandra Bullock) knew little about his world. Yet when she and Michael meet, he finds a home. And the Tuohys find something just as life-changing: a beloved new son and brother. This real-life story of family and of Michael's growth into a blue-chip football star will have you cheering with its mix of gridiron action and heartwarming emotion. Share the remarkable journey of the college All-American and first-round NFL draft pick who was a winner before he ever stepped onto the playing field.

Dec. 1 – The Keys of the Kingdom (1944)
After losing his parents and his childhood sweetheart to tragedy, Francis Chisholm (Gregory Peck) enters the priesthood and devotes himself to a life of service and compassion. But Chisholm’s unorthodox beliefs raise eyebrows among his superiors, especially Bishop Angus Mealy (Vincent Price). When he is sent to the farthest reaches of China to rebuild an abandoned mission, Chisholm faces his greatest challenge of all: to tame a hostile land, win the people, and to save his flock from an invading army. Nominated for four Academy Awards, including Best Actor (Peck), The Keys of the Kingdom is a towering film stamped with greatness.

Jan. 5 – Tender Mercies (1983)
Sometimes everything comes together in a movie and it becomes something so much greater than the sum of its parts that it can only be described as a miracle. That's the case with Tender Mercies, a quietly luminous character piece about an alcoholic, washed-up country singer named Mac Sledge (Robert Duvall) in an Oscar-winning performance) who hits bottom in a motel room one night and then slowly finds his way back into the land of the living with the help of a widow (Tess Harper) and her young son. It's a low-key, contemplative film directed by Australian Bruce Beresford (Driving Miss Daisy, Breaker Morant) and written by Horton Foote (To Kill a Mockingbird), who won an Oscar for his screenplay.

Feb. 2 – Amistad (1997)
This film, directed by Stephen Spielberg, is based on the true story of the failed mutiny on board the slave ship Amistad in 1839 and the courtroom battle that followed. In the trial that would challenge the very foundation of the American legal system, abolitionist Theodore Joadson (Morgan Freeman), trial lawyer Roger Baldwin (Matthew McConaughey), and ex-president John Quincy Adams (Anthony Hopkins) argue for the freedom and civil rights of the captive African slaves.

March 2 – Hoosiers (1986)
One of the most enjoyable sports movies ever made, this small-town drama tells the story of an underdog basketball team from a tiny Indiana high school that makes it all the way to the state championship tournament. It's a familiar story, but sensitive direction and a splendid screenplay helped make this one of the best films of 1986, highlighted by the superb performances of Gene Hackman as the coach and Oscar nominee Dennis Hopper as the alcoholic father of one of the team's key players. As the drama unfolds, we come to realize that many of the characters are recovering from disappointing setbacks and this depth of character is what makes an otherwise conventional story so richly rewarding. Hoosiers was nominated for two Oscars and has been hailed by Sports Illustrated and ESPN as one of the best sports movies of all time. This triumphant tale of a high school basketball team's long-shot attempt to win the state championship is filled with edge-of-your-seat suspense and breathless excitement.

April 6 – Chocolat (2000)
Driven by fate, Vianne (Juliette Binoche) drifts into a tranquil French village with her daughter Anouk in the winter of 1959. Her newly opened chocolaterie is a source of attraction and fear, since Vianne's ability to revive the villagers' passions threatens to disrupt their repressive traditions. The pious mayor (Alfred Molina) sees Vianne as the enemy, and his war against her peaks with the arrival of "river rats" led by Roux (Johnny Depp), whose attraction to Vianne is immediate and reciprocal. Splendid subplots involve a battered wife, a village elder (Judi Dench), and her estranged daughter. Chocolat reminds you of life's simple pleasures and invites you to enjoy them.

May 4 – Driving Miss Daisy (1989)
Based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning play, Driving Miss Daisy affectionately covers the 25-year relationship between a wealthy, strong-willed Southern matron (Jessica Tandy) and her equally indomitable black chauffeur Hoke (Morgan Freeman). Both employer and employee are outsiders, Hoke because of the color of his skin, Miss Daisy because she is Jewish in a WASP-dominated society. At the same time, Hoke cannot fathom Miss Daisy's cloistered inability to grasp the social changes which sweep the South in the 1960s. Nor can Miss Daisy understand why Hoke's "people" are so indignant. It is only when Hoke is retired and Miss Daisy is confined to a home for the elderly that the two fully realize that they've been friends and kindred spirits all along. Driving Miss Daisy won Academy Awards for best picture, actress, screenplay, and makeup.

June 1 – The Cheaters (2000)
Moral hypocrisy and the woes of America's educational system are the focus of Cheaters, which is based on a real-life 1995 cheating scandal at a Chicago high school. In a working class area of the city, teacher Dr. Gerald Plecki (Jeff Daniels) is desperate for his students to triumph at an upcoming academic decathlon against students of a magnet school across town. When a team member steals a copy of the test, the teacher and kids face a dilemma: to remain honest, or to cheat and score a victory for kids in underfunded schools. When they do well, they must face a withering barrage of investigations, accusations, lawyers' lies, and reporters' intrusions. Is it all worth it? What lessons does cheating teach?

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