2. Minority Report (2002)
Tomatometer: 92 percent

Originally conceived as a sequel to the (similarily Philip K. Dick-inspired) Total Recall, Minority Report endured years of developmental twists and turns -- including the loss of a supporting cast that originally would have included Meryl Streep, Matt Damon, and Cate Blanchett -- before finally landing in theaters in 2002. Typical for a Dick story, Report raises some interesting questions about the ethical implications of untrammelled technology, and its dystopian view -- not to mention the dense, thorny plot -- represented something of an evolution for a director and star whose early work is synonymous with the sunny Technicolor vistas of the big-budget '80s. More importantly for Fox and DreamWorks' shareholders, it represented an unqualified commercial and critical success, raking in over $350 million in worldwide grosses and glowing reviews from the likes of FilmStew's Todd Gilchrist, who deemed it "a film for the critical cognoscenti as much as it is for the Goober-munching masses."

1. Risky Business (1983)
Tomatometer: 100 percent

It wasn't his first movie, but for most of us, Risky Business is Ground Zero for Tom Cruise's superstardom -- and for good reason. A number of good reasons, actually, including Paul Brickman's intensely stylish direction, Tangerine Dream's classic score, Rebecca De Mornay's adolescent fantasy of a performance, and -- of course -- the iconic scene in which Cruise's Joel Goodson celebrates his parents' trip out of town by dancing around the house in his underwear. It's been lumped in with the many T&A-fueled teen comedies of the decade, but Risky Business has a much darker heart than most, and provoked comparisons to The Graduate from none other than Roger Ebert, who called it "one of the smartest, funniest, most perceptive satires in a long time."