85%  Winner:   The Sting  129 min,  PG,  [Comedy, Crime, Drama]  [George Roy Hill]  [25 Dec 1973]
Ratings & Reviews:  IMDb Reviews: 83%,   Rotten Tomatoes: 93%,   Metacritic: 80%,   External Reviews
Awards:  Won 7 Oscars. Another 11 wins & 6 nominations.
Actors:  Charles Durning, Paul Newman, Robert Redford, Robert Shaw
Writer:  David S. Ward
External Links:  Wikipedia  Rotten Tomatoes  IMDb     Language:  English    Country:  USA
Plot:  When a mutual friend is killed by a mob boss, two con men, one experienced and one young try to get even by pulling off the big con on the mob boss. The story unfolds with several twists and last minute alterations.
Rotten Tomatoes:   Four years after setting box offices ablaze in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Paul Newman, Robert Redford, and director George Roy Hill re-teamed with similar success for The Sting. Redford plays Depression-era confidence trickster Johnny Hooker, whose friend and mentor Luther Coleman (Robert Earl Jones) is murdered by racketeer/gambler Doyle Lonnegan (Robert Shaw). Hoping to avenge Luther's death, Johnny begins planning a "sting" -- an elaborate scam -- to destroy Lonnegan. He enlists the aid of "the greatest con artist of them all," Henry Gondorff (Paul Newman), who pulls himself out of a drunken stupor and rises to the occasion. Hooker and Gondorff gather together an impressive array of con men, all of whom despise Lonnegan and wish to settle accounts on behalf of Luther. The twists and surprises that follow are too complex to relate in detail -- suffice to say that you can't cheat an honest man, and that you shouldn't accept everything at face value. The Sting became one of the biggest hits of the early '70s; grossing 68.5 million dollars during its first run, the film also picked up seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay, and Best Adapted Score for Marvin Hamlisch's unforgettable setting of Scott Joplin's ragtime music. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

89%  Nominee:   American Graffiti  110 min,  PG,  [Comedy, Drama]  [George Lucas]  [11 Aug 1973]
Ratings & Reviews:  IMDb Reviews: 75%,   Rotten Tomatoes: 96%,   Metacritic: 97%,   External Reviews
Awards:  Nominated for 5 Oscars. Another 9 wins & 8 nominations.
Actors:  Charles Martin Smith, Paul Le Mat, Richard Dreyfuss, Ron Howard
Writer:  George Lucas, Gloria Katz, Willard Huyck
External Links:  Wikipedia  Rotten Tomatoes  IMDb     Language:  English    Country:  USA
Plot:  It's the proverbial end of the summer 1962 in a small southern California town. It's the evening before best friends and recent high school graduates, Curt Henderson and Steve Bolander, are scheduled to leave town to head to college back east. Curt, who received a lucrative local scholarship, is seen as the promise that their class holds. But Curt is having second thoughts about leaving what Steve basically sees as their dead end town. Curt's beliefs are strengthened when he spots an unknown beautiful blonde in a T-bird who mouths the words "I love you" to him. As Curt tries to find that blonde while trying to get away from a local gang who have him somewhat hostage, Curt may come to a decision about his immediate future. Outgoing class president Steve, on the other hand, wants to leave, despite meaning that he will leave girlfriend, head cheerleader and Curt's sister, Laurie Henderson, behind. Steve and Laurie spend the evening "negotiating" the state of their relationship. Meanwhile, two of their friends cruise around town for the evening. Steve has left his car to meek and mild-mannered Terry "Toad" Fields to look after during his absence. The wheels give Toad a new sense of confidence, which he uses to try and impress Debbie Dunham, a more experienced girl generally out of his league. And John Milner, who is seen as the king of the street race in his souped-up yellow deuce coupe, tries to get rid of precocious pre-teen, Carol Morrison, who has somehow become his passenger for the evening, while dealing with the challenge of bold out-of-towner, Bob Falfa.
Rotten Tomatoes:   This Academy Award-nominated classic, voted one of the American Film Institute's top 100 Films Of All Time, features the coming of age of four teenagers on their last summer night before college. Rediscover drag racing, Inspiration Point and drive-ins all over again in this nostalgic look back at the early '60s. The incredible soundtrack brings you the most memorable rock 'n' roll hits of the era. Directed by George Lucas and produced by Francis Ford Coppola, this classic stars Harrison Ford, Richard Dreyfuss, Ron Howard, Suzanne Somers, Cindy Williams, Wolfman Jack and Mackenzie Phillips. Capture the heart of America's last age of innocence with American Graffiti.

78%  Nominee:   A Touch of Class  106 min,  PG,  [Comedy, Romance]  [Melvin Frank]  [09 Aug 1973]
Ratings & Reviews:  IMDb Reviews: 65%,   Rotten Tomatoes: 91%,   External Reviews
Awards:  Won 1 Oscar. Another 10 wins & 10 nominations.
Actors:  George Segal, Glenda Jackson, K Callan, Paul Sorvino
Writer:  Melvin Frank, Jack Rose, Marvin Frank (story "She Loves Me, She Told Me So Last Night")
External Links:  Wikipedia  Rotten Tomatoes  IMDb     Language:  English, Spanish    Country:  UK
Plot:  American Steve Blackburn, in the insurance business, is married with two kids. Vickie Allessio, a self described design "stealer" for a knockoff fashion house, is a recent divorcée with two kids. Steve and Vickie are running into each other more and more in their day to day lives in London before even knowing who the other is, which suits them both fine, as when they do finally officially meet, Steve is up front that he wants to have an affair with her, Steve who has had affairs in the past whenever his wife Gloria, who is from old money, isn't around which is currently the case as she is in the States visiting her parents. Vickie, in turn, is up front that she is amenable to a no-strings affair with him under specific circumstances, namely that it be at least a classy short term affair, meaning no cheap motels, and preferably a weekend away somewhere warm. Able to arrange a business trip to Málaga, Spain, for a week, Steve convinces Vickie to change their agreed weekend to a week and spend it in the nearby resort of Marbella. However, one issue after another has the potential to derail the Marbella vacation and thus their affair, unless they can overcome all of the obstacles. If they can, they will have to decide if there is any sort of future for them in their real lives.
Rotten Tomatoes:   In this beautifully-constructed comedy of errors, a married insurance executive can't seem to avoid bumping into a divorced fashion designer wherever he goes. Finally bowing to the inevitable, the two fall in love. He suggests a romantic rendezvous in Spain, but nothing, absolutely nothing, goes as planned.

82%  Nominee:   The Exorcist  122 min,  R,  [Horror]  [William Friedkin]  [26 Dec 1973]
Ratings & Reviews:  IMDb Reviews: 80%,   Rotten Tomatoes: 85%,   Metacritic: 82%,   External Reviews
Awards:  Won 2 Oscars. Another 14 wins & 17 nominations.
Actors:  Ellen Burstyn, Kitty Winn, Lee J. Cobb, Linda Blair, Max von Sydow
Writer:  William Peter Blatty (written for the screen by), William Peter Blatty (novel)
External Links:  Wikipedia  Rotten Tomatoes  IMDb  Website     Language:  English, Latin, Greek, French, German, Arabic, Kurdish    Country:  USA
Plot:  A visiting actress in Washington, D.C., notices dramatic and dangerous changes in the behavior and physical make-up of her 12-year-old daughter. Meanwhile, a young priest at nearby Georgetown University begins to doubt his faith while dealing with his mother's terminal sickness. And, book-ending the story, a frail, elderly priest recognizes the necessity for a show-down with an old demonic enemy.
Rotten Tomatoes:   Novelist William Peter Blatty based his best-seller on the last known Catholic-sanctioned exorcism in the United States. Blatty transformed the little boy in the 1949 incident into a little girl named Regan, played by 14-year-old Linda Blair. Suddenly prone to fits and bizarre behavior, Regan proves quite a handful for her actress-mother, Chris MacNeil (played by Ellen Burstyn, although Blatty reportedly based the character on his next-door neighbor Shirley MacLaine). When Regan gets completely out of hand, Chris calls in young priest Father Karras (Jason Miller), who becomes convinced that the girl is possessed by the Devil and that they must call in an exorcist: namely, Father Merrin (Max von Sydow). His foe proves to be no run-of-the-mill demon, and both the priest and the girl suffer numerous horrors during their struggles. The Exorcist received a theatrical rerelease in 2000, in a special edition that added 11 minutes of footage trimmed from the film's original release and digitally enhanced Chris Newman's Oscar-winning sound work. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi