Lisa Laman

The Western isn't just a famous movie genre. It's also one that often replicates the sensation of stories being passed down from one generation to the next over a roaring campfire. Much like classic tall tales would be exchanged under stars, so too are Western movies often handed over to new eras of audiences by way of remakes. Whether it's "The Magnificent Seven," "3:10 to Yuma," or "True Grit" (among many others), classic Western movies keep coming back to rootin'-tootin' life thanks to these cinematic updates. You just can't keep a good entry in this genre down, especially when studio executives sense there's money to be made from a well-known Western brand name.

The 55 best Western movies of all time reflect the reality that there's endless artistic value in one of the most enduring genres in global cinema. Esteemed filmmakers from John Ford to Jane Campion to Kelly Reichardt (among many others) have seen their creativity and visual instincts flourish within the confines of the Western movie. These titles have not only proven consistently valuable artistically, but they've also often been major moneymakers for Hollywood studios. In the middle of the 20th century, especially, the Western was omnipresent in movie theaters everywhere and kept printing money.

Before 1939's "The Wizard of Oz" forever changed cinema, L. Frank Baum's "Oz" books had already been adapted into multiple motion pictures. This included 1910's "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" and a 1925 Larry Semon directorial effort also entitled "The Wizard of Oz." Other fixtures of the fantasy literature scene, like "Alice in Wonderland," were also given a barrage of adaptations across varying eras of cinema history. Given the popularity of these stories, it's no surprise that they'd be rich fodder for cinematic adaptations. In the process, these titles established a precedent for there never being just one definitive cinematic take on a classic fairy tale.

The teenage experience typically includes times in our lives where we feel alone. Other times, it includes days where it can feel like your friends could easily become your greatest enemies. The three "Maze Runner" movies (based on the young-adult "Maze Runner" books from author James Dashner) tap into those universal emotions as well as adding more outlandish scenarios, like being trapped in an impenetrable labyrinth or having to outrace zombies and mechanical beasties. All three of these installments were helmed by then-future "Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes" and "The Legend of Zelda" director Wes Ball and were released from September 2014 to January 2018 by 20th Century Fox.

Since Spider-Man became part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, several major MCU players have been used in Tom Holland's solo Spidey adventures to great effect.

The best Disney movies of all time have cultivated a positive reputation for the studio. The most impactful Mouse House projects, like "Fantasia" or "The Jungle Book," still enchant audiences decades after their respective releases. However, not every Disney feature ends up being a beloved moneymaker, as vividly reflected by its biggest box office bombs. However, it isn't just in financial losses that Disney's released some regrettable titles over the years. Several features from the studio have amassed truly appalling cultural legacies that are nothing short of embarrassing.

For many, James "Jimmy" Stewart isn't just an actor, but the face of American cinema as an institution. That's unsurprising given how many famous films he's anchored, including movies that proved crucial to some of the greatest years in film history. After you deliver unforgettable work in titles like "It's a Wonderful Life," "Vertigo," and "The Philadelphia Story," among countless others, Stewart's more than earned his staggering reputation. Also contributing to his immense fanbase and legacy are his iconic forays into a genre that utterly dominated pre-1965 American filmmaking.

Howdy folks! Lisa Laman here! I've been spending basically the last week focusing just on moving into a new apartment, a process that's been...

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Though the entire DC Extended Universe timeline that began with "Man of Steel" in 2013 and ended with "Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom" 10 years later is gone, that doesn't mean sprawling universes of DC media are over. On the contrary, DC Studios heads James Gunn and Peter Safran have been creating a successor for the DC Extended Universe. "Creature Commandos" and "Superman" kicked off a new era of interconnected DC Comics storytelling in film and television. Subsequently, the second "Peacemaker" season, "Lanterns," and "Supergirl" were all a part of this project known as the DC Universe.