How to Watch the 25 Great Movies Just Added to the National Film Registry

Directed by Morgan Neville and produced by Gil Friesen, “20 Feet from Stardom” uses archival footage and interviews sharing behind-the-scenes experiences, and shining the spotlight on backup singers, including Darlene Love, Merry Clayton, Lisa Fischer, Judith Hill, Jo Lawry, Claudia Lennear, and Tata Vega.

Archival footage includes performances with Sting, David Bowie, Ray Charles, Michael Jackson, Elton John, Tom Jones, Ike & Tina Turner, Luther Vandross, and more. A highlight of the film includes an interview with Mick Jagger telling the story of how Merry Clayton came to sing the iconic background vocals on “Gimme Shelter.”

A romantic sports drama film written and directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood in her feature film directorial debut. The film is produced by Spike Lee and Sam Kit, and stars Sanaa Lathan and Omar Epps. It tells the story of Quincy McCall (Epps) and Monica Wright (Lathan), two next-door neighbors in Los Angeles, who are pursuing their respective basketball careers before eventually falling for each other. Unforgettable and inspiring, the film has been praised as a refreshing new take on the rom-com genre and has had an enduring impact and ongoing resonance with women athletes and young people.

The film also stars Alfre Woodard, Regina Hall, Gabrielle Union, Dennis Haysbert, Debbi Morgan, Harry J. Lennox, and Tyra Banks

The extreme challenges involved in space travel present compelling cinema storylines, and one cannot imagine a more harrowing scenario than the near tragic Apollo 13 space mission. Director Ron Howard’s retelling is equally meticulous and emotional, a master class in enveloping the audience into a complicated technological exercise in life-and-death problem-solving. Based on the 1994 book “Lost Moon: The Perilous Voyage of Apollo 13” by astronaut Jim Lovell and Jeffrey Kluger, “Apollo 13” blends skillful editing, crafty special effects, a James Horner score, and a well-paced script to detail the quick-thinking heroics of both the astronaut crew and NASA technicians as they improvise and work through unprecedented situations.

The talented cast includes Tom Hanks, Bill Paxton, Kevin Bacon, Gary Sinise, Ed Harris and Kathleen Quinlan. Howard went to great lengths to create a technically accurate movie, employing NASA’s assistance in astronaut and flight-controller training for his cast, and obtaining permission to film scenes aboard a reduced-gravity aircraft for realistic depiction of the weightlessness experienced by the astronauts in space.

A ground-breaking romantic comedy, Ang Lee’s second film focuses on the cultural clashes between East and West, traditional vs. modern lifestyles. To satisfy his parents back in Taiwan and their desire that he get married, a gay Taiwanese American immigrant in New York has a marriage of convenience with a mainland Chinese woman. Complications ensue when the parents decide to visit and meet the bride. The unconventional family trio (gay couple/paper wife) works to create a believable façade. Both hilarious and poignant, the film glides effortlessly between various genres.

In a 1993 Los Angeles Times interview, Lee said he wanted the film to be both funny and provocative: “I love stirring things up rather than sticking to the Chinese ideal, which is to appeal for calm.”

Science fiction film sequels sometimes fail because the original reveals the stunning main secrets, thus reducing the awe and surprise factors in future installments. Not so with “Terminator 2.” Director James Cameron retained the many virtues of the original and added a deft script with more nuanced characters and plot twists, a large budget and cutting-edge special effects for an even more chilling story revealing the bleak future portended in the original. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s mission changes from ending the future of humanity to ensuring its survival, from killing the mother to protecting the son from an assassin adept at quicksilver. The film also marked somewhat of a technical milestone in the transition from practical to CGI special effects.

The young and deeply expressive Macauley Culkin became a superstar thanks to this 1990 mega-hit that has become as embedded into the American culture as any comedy ever has. Left home alone at Christmas time, a plucky youngster uses his own creativity and wit to stave off two bumbling burglars. John Hughes (at that time best known for his teen comedies) fashioned the inventive script while Chris Columbus directed the film for maximum cross-generational appeal. The film also co-stars comic legends Daniel Stern, Joe Pesci and Catherine O’Hara. Composer John Williams contributes a memorable score, including the classic “Somewhere in My Memory.”

Directed by Susan Seidelman, the film stars Rosanna Arquette, Aidan Quinn, and Madonna in her first major screen role. It also features early roles for John Turturro, Giancarlo Esposito, Laurie Metcalf and Steven Wright. Set in New York City, the film centers on two women (a bored New Jersey housewife and a bohemian drifter) who connect through messages in the newspaper personal ads.

Noted for its 80’s fashion, especially Madonna’s personal style, the film also includes Madonna’s song, “Into the Groove,” and although the song does not appear on the soundtrack, it gave Madonna her first #1 spot of Billboard’s Hot Dance Singles Sales chart.

A key figure in the LA Rebellion film movement, director Larry Clark uses “Passing Through” as a rumination on the central importance of jazz in African American culture and the attempts of others to appropriate this legacy for profit. Released from prison, an African American jazz artist refuses to rejoin the music industry he feels is controlled by white mobsters and corporate interests. Instead, he seeks to find his grandfather and musician mentor to preserve his artistic integrity and rediscover the creative and social possibilities of jazz. Rarely seen but of seminal importance, “Passing Through” ranks near the top of the greatest jazz films. Screenplay by Clark and Ted Lange. Music by Horace Tapscott. Preserved by the UCLA Film & Television Archive as part of its initiative LA Rebellion: Creating a New Black Cinema.

Duane Kubo’s UCLA documentary tells the story of the once popular, now principally forgotten, jazz fusion band Hiroshima. The musicians are articulate and interesting and have much to say about their cultures and politics. The film offers a glimpse into the world of these third-generation Japanese-Americas and follows the band as they recount their efforts to create art while searching for identity and meaning. A highlight in the film is a cross-cultural jam with Hiroshima and the Chicano performing arts company El Teatro Campesino.

This exquisitely animated love story between a spoiled cocker spaniel and a mutt was arguably the most mature animation and love story created until then by Disney Studios. It also marked a technological innovation for Disney. In addition to standard theatrical formats, Disney released the film in the wide screen CinemaScope process, in part to keep people going to the theaters following the advent of television. One of the studio’s most beloved animated works, this unlikely love story is made memorable by endearing songs, excellent voice talents (which included Barbara Luddy, Larry Roberts, Bill Thompson, Verna Felton, Bob Baucom, Peggy Lee and Stan Freberg) and iconic moments including a kiss involving spaghetti.

George Cukor directs this comedy with a big-name cast including Jean Harlow, Marie Dressler, John Barrymore, Wallace Beery, Lionel Barrymore, Lee Tracy, Edmund Lowe, and Billie Burke. The film centers around Millicent Jordan, an ambitious New York socialite planning an extravagant dinner party to welcome Lord and Lady Ferncliffe, England’s richest couple. Her businessman husband, Oliver (Lionel Barrymore), contends with financial woes, causing a lot of tension between the couple. Meanwhile, their high-society friends and associates, including the gruff Dan Packard (Wallace Beery) and his sultry spouse, Kitty (Jean Harlow), contend with their own entanglements, leading to revelations at the much-anticipated dinner. The screenplay is by Frances Marion and Herman J. Mankiewicz, and is based on George S. Kaufman and Edna Ferber’s 1932 play of the same title.