P ASSION

The Pursuit of Happyness (2006)

A struggling salesman takes custody of his son as he’s poised to begin a life-changing professional endeavor.

Burnt (2015)

Adam Jones (Bradley Cooper) is a chef who destroyed his career with drugs and diva behavior. He cleans up and returns to London, determined to redeem himself by spearheading a top restaurant that can gain three Michelin stars.

Invictus (2009)

Nelson Mandela, in his first term as the South African President, initiates a unique venture to unite the apartheid-torn land: enlist the national rugby team on a mission to win the 1995 Rugby World Cup.

Concussion (2015)

In Pittsburgh, accomplished pathologist Dr. Bennet Omalu uncovers the truth about brain damage in football players who suffer repeated concussions in the course of normal play.

Saving Mr. Banks (2013)

Author P.L. Travers reflects on her childhood after reluctantly meeting with Walt Disney, who seeks to adapt her Mary Poppins books for the big screen.

Chasing Mavericks (2012)

When young Jay Moriarity discovers that the mythic Mavericks surf break, one of the biggest waves on Earth, exists just miles from his Santa Cruz home, he enlists the help of local legend Frosty Hesson to train him to survive it.

Million Dollar Baby 2004

A determined woman works with a hardened boxing trainer to become a professional.

Suffragette (2015)

The foot soldiers of the early feminist movement, women who were forced underground to pursue a dangerous game of cat and mouse with an increasingly brutal State.

Warrior (2011)

The youngest son of an alcoholic former boxer returns home, where he’s trained by his father for competition in a mixed martial arts tournament — a path that puts the fighter on a collision course with his estranged, older brother.

VISION

The Social Network (2010)

Harvard student Mark Zuckerberg creates the social networking site that would become known as Facebook, but is later sued by two brothers who claimed he stole their idea, and the cofounder who was later squeezed out of the business.

Steve Jobs (2015)

Steve Jobs takes us behind the scenes of the digital revolution, to paint a portrait of the man at its epicenter. The story unfolds backstage at three iconic product launches, ending in 1998 with the unveiling of the iMac.

Ali (2001)

A biography of sports legend, Muhammad Ali, from his early days to his days in the ring.

INNOVATION

The Prestige (2006)

Two stage magicians engage in competitive one-upmanship in an attempt to create the ultimate stage illusion.

Transcendence (2014)

A scientist’s drive for artificial intelligence, takes on dangerous implications when his consciousness is uploaded into one such program.

The Illusionist (2006)

In turn-of-the-century Vienna, a magician uses his abilities to secure the love of a woman far above his social standing.

Her (2013)

A lonely writer develops an unlikely relationship with his newly purchased operating system that’s designed to meet his every need.

Ex Machina (2015)

A young programmer is selected to participate in a ground-breaking experiment in synthetic intelligence by evaluating the human qualities of a breath-taking humanoid A.I.

OPPORTUNITY/SPECULATION

The Big Short (2015)

Four denizens in the world of high-finance predict the credit and housing bubble collapse of the mid-2000s, and decide to take on the big banks for their greed and lack of foresight.

The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)

Based on the true story of Jordan Belfort, from his rise to a wealthy stock-broker living the high life to his fall involving crime, corruption and the federal government.

Margin Call (2011)

Follows the key people at an investment bank, over a 24-hour period, during the early stages of the financial crisis.

Casino Jack (2010)

A hot shot Washington DC lobbyist and his protégé go down hard as their schemes to peddle influence lead to corruption and murder.

There Will Be Blood (2007)

A story of family, religion, hatred, oil and madness, focusing on a turn-of-the-century prospector in the early days of the business.

Nightcrawler (2014)

When Louis Bloom, a driven man desperate for work, muscles into the world of L.A. crime journalism, he blurs the line between observer and participant to become the star of his own story. Aiding him in his effort is Nina, a TV-news veteran.

Lawless (2012)

Set in Depression-era Franklin County, Virginia, a trio of bootlegging brothers are threatened by a new special deputy and other authorities angling for a cut of their profits.

Two for the Money (2005)

After suffering a career-ending injury, a former college football star aligns himself with one of the most renowned touts in the sports-gambling business.

Blood Diamond (2006)

A fisherman, a smuggler, and a syndicate of businessmen match wits over the possession of a priceless diamond.

PRODUCT/SKILL

The Imitation Game (2014)

During World War II, mathematician Alan Turing tries to crack the enigma code with help from fellow mathematicians.

The World’s Fastest Indian (2005)

The story of New Zealander Burt Munro, who spent years rebuilding a 1920 Indian motorcycle, which helped him set the land speed world record at Utah’s Bonneville Salt Flats in 1967.

Joy (2015)

Joy is the story of the title character, who rose to become founder and matriarch of a powerful family business dynasty.

I Origins (2014)

A molecular biologist and his laboratory partner uncover evidence that may fundamentally change society as we know it.

The Aviator (2004)

A biopic depicting the early years of legendary director and aviator, Howard Hughes, career from the late 1920s to the mid-1940s.

Rush (2013)

The merciless 1970s rivalry between Formula One rivals James Hunt and Niki Lauda.

Flight (2012)

An airline pilot saves almost all his passengers on his malfunctioning airliner which eventually crashed, but an investigation into the accident reveals something troubling.

Catch Me If You Can (2002)

A true story about Frank Abagnale Jr., who, before his 19th birthday, successfully conned millions of dollars’ worth of checks as a Pan Am pilot, doctor, and legal prosecutor.

Ray (2004)

The story of the life and career of the legendary rhythm and blues musician Ray Charles, from his humble beginnings in the South, where he went blind at age seven, to his meteoric rise to stardom during the 1950s and 1960s.

8 Mile (2002)

A young rapper, struggling with every aspect of his life, wants to make it big but his friends and foes make this odyssey of rap, harder than it may seem.

The Theory of Everything (2014)

A look at the relationship between the famous physicist Stephen Hawking and his wife.

FOCUS

Limitless (2011)

With the help of a mysterious pill that enables the user to access 100 percent of his brain abilities, a struggling writer becomes a financial wizard, but it also puts him in a new world with lots of dangers.

Focus (2015)

In the midst of veteran con man Nicky’s latest scheme, a woman from his past — now an accomplished femme fatale — shows up and throws his plans for a loop.

The Intern (2015)

70-year-old widower Ben Whittaker has discovered that retirement isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Seizing an opportunity to get back in the game, he becomes a senior intern at an online fashion site, founded and run by Jules Ostin.

Results (2015)

Two mismatched personal trainers’ lives are upended by the actions of a new, wealthy client.

Whiplash (2014)

A promising young drummer enrolls at a cut-throat music conservatory where his dreams of greatness are mentored by an instructor who will stop at nothing to realize a student’s potential.

PARTY

The Great Gatsby (2013)

A writer and wall street trader, Nick, finds himself drawn to the past and lifestyle of his millionaire neighbor, Jay Gatsby.

The Bucket List (2007)

Two terminally ill men escape from a cancer ward and head off on a road trip with a wish list of to-dos before they die.

PERSEVERANCE

The Internship (2013)

Two salesmen whose careers have been torpedoed by the digital age find their way into a coveted internship at Google, where they must compete with a group of young, tech-savvy geniuses for a shot at employment.

The Fighter (2010)

A look at the early years of boxer “Irish” Micky Ward and his brother who helped train him before going pro in the mid 1980s.

The King’s Speech (2010)

The story of King George VI of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, his impromptu ascension to the throne and the speech therapist who helped the unsure monarch become worthy of it.

The Wrestler (2008)

A faded professional wrestler must retire, but finds his quest for a new life outside the ring a dispiriting struggle.

SURVIVE

127 Hours (2010)

An adventurous mountain climber becomes trapped under a boulder while canyoneering alone near Moab, Utah and resorts to desperate measures in order to survive.

Unbroken (2014)

After a near-fatal plane crash in WWII, Olympian Louis Zamperini spends a harrowing 47 days in a raft with two fellow crewmen before he’s caught by the Japanese navy and sent to a prisoner-of-war camp.

Cinderella Man (2005)

The story of James Braddock, a supposedly washed-up boxer who came back to become a champion and an inspiration in the 1930s.

In the Heart of the Sea (2015)

A recounting of a New England whaling ship’s sinking by a giant whale in 1820, an experience that later inspired the great novel Moby-Dick.

After Earth (2013)

A crash landing leaves Kitai Raige and his father Cypher stranded on Earth, a millennium after events forced humanity’s escape. With Cypher injured, Kitai must embark on a perilous journey to signal for help.

Into the Wild (2007)

After graduating from Emory University, top student and athlete Christopher McCandless abandons his possessions, gives his entire $24,000 savings account to charity and hitchhikes to Alaska to live in the wilderness. Along the way, Christopher encounters a series of characters that shape his life.

The Immigrant (2013)

1921. An innocent immigrant woman is tricked into a life of burlesque and vaudeville until a dazzling magician tries to save her and reunite her with her sister who is being held in the confines of Ellis Island.

Intouchables (2011)

After he becomes a quadriplegic from a paragliding accident, an aristocrat hires a young man from the projects to be his caregiver.

LEADERSHIP

American Gangster (2007)

In 1970s America, a detective works to bring down the drug empire of Frank Lucas, a heroin kingpin from Manhattan, who is smuggling the drug into the country from the Far East.

Troy (2004)

An adaptation of Homer’s great epic, the film follows the assault on Troy by the united Greek forces and chronicles the fates of the men involved.

Gladiator (2000)

When a Roman general is betrayed and his family murdered by an emperor’s corrupt son, he comes to Rome as a gladiator to seek revenge.

300 (2006)

King Leonidas of Sparta and a force of 300 men fight the Persians at Thermopylae in 480 B.C.

Lincon (2012)

As the Civil War continues to rage, America’s president struggles with continuing carnage on the battlefield as he fights with many inside his own cabinet on the decision to emancipate the slaves.

The Last King of Scotland (2006)

Based on the events of the brutal Ugandan dictator Idi Amin’s regime as seen by his personal physician during the 1970s

Mongol: The Rise of Genghis Khan (2007)