Here it is...our annual guide to what we think are the best videos you can rent during the year. We''ve chosen 52 films that range from drama to documentary to comedy and hit most of the bases in between. For most of the movies we''ve tied the week of their recommended rental to some local, national or international event that relates in some way to the movie (in some cases we stretched really, really hard.) After you get done reading our synopses of the movies, clip out the abbreviated list on page 22 and stick it on your refrigerator (or wherever) so you can refer to it all year long.

July 9

Easy Rider

It''s the World Superbike Championship out at Laguna Seca this weekend, right? Lotsa big bikes going around in circles real fast. But when we think of motorcycles, we like to think of the freedom of the road, the wind in our hair. And that''s exactly what''s celebrated in this 1969 film starring Dennis Hopper and Peter Fonda as two alienated guys who set out to find the real America. Sure, it''s dated (especially the scenes in the commune) but it captures the feel of a time when society was in turmoil and the Boomer generation thought that freedom could be bought simply by flipping a finger to The Establishment. This movie made stars of Fonda, Hopper and Jack Nicholson (who plays an alcoholic attorney who decides to go along for the ride).

July 16

Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex (But Were Afraid to Ask)

Woody Allen''s uneven 1972 offering seems like an appropriate way to celebrate the 50th-anniversary year of Richard Kinsey''s first groundbreaking and controversial report: Sexual Behavior in the Human Male. The movie--basically a series of vignettes dealing with the "S" word--still offers plenty of laughs and stars a raft of dissimilar actors including Burt Reynolds, Lynne Redgrave, Tony Randall, Regis Philbin, Louise Lasser and many more.

July 23

Dead Again

Carmel''s Bach Festival is in full swing this week, and what better way to celebrate the quintessential Dead White Male than with this classy 1991 Kenneth Branagh/Emma Thompson suspense thriller. Branagh plays an LA detective who tries to jar an amnesia victim''s memory with the help of Derek Jacobi as a candle-lit hypnotist. It turns out the pair were related in a previous life, involving wealth, lust and murder...but whose? Don''t get up for popcorn during the last scene, when all is revealed.

July 30

Trainspotting

This weekend''s annual Scottish /Irish Festival celebrates all things Celtic. All good things, anyway. In 1996, author Irvine Welsh offered up a bleaker view of contemporary Celts with this unnerving study of a group of hapless young Scottish heroin addicts. Performances by Ewan MacGregor, Ewen Bremner, Jonny Lee Miller and Kevin McKidd make the hopelessness of life in a economically depressed country palpable. We watch--through almost hallucinogenic camera work--simmering depression and rage express itself through self abuse, and seemingly random violence. And yet, in the end, there almost seems to be a flicker of hope.

August 6

Godzilla

No, we''re not talking about this year''s overhyped rendition, we''re talking about the real Godzilla. On Aug. 5, 1945, we dropped the first atomic bomb, unleashing a terror that has informed nightmares around the world. Released in America in 1956 (in Japan, without Raymond Burr, it was released in 1954 as Gojira), this was one of the first sci-fi movies expressing our fears about the hidden consequences of a nuclear age.

August 13

Repo Man

Lots and lots of beautiful cars on the Peninsula this weekend for the Concours d''Elegance and all the related events. This 1984 flick that''s part satire, part sci-fi, and all weird, stars Harry Dean Stanton as a career automobile repossession expert who teaches young Emilio Estevez--a sort of New Wave punk--how it''s done. Basically. But it''s way more complicated than that. We''re betting all those folks in shiny, old cars aren''t worrying too much about the likes of Stanton.

August 20

National Velvet

With all the kids out taking care of their animals at the Monterey County Fair this week, it seemed like a good time to re-watch this 1944 film with a very young, innocent Elizabeth Taylor and Mickey Rooney, about a girl, her horse and her dream to win the Grand National Race. It''s a heartwarming film in a way that Hollywood seems to have forgotten how to make.

August 27

Rocky

Back in 1976, before Sylvester Stallone launched his regular monosyllabic assaults on the movie-going public with Rocky and Rambo sequels ad nauseum, there was the original, which remains a truly great movie. Inspiring without seeming contrived, touching without being cheesy, Sly scored a knockout in this breakout film that he starred in and wrote. Outstanding performances by Carl Weathers, Talia Shire and Burgess Meredith--and theme music we all hum to ourselves at moments of athletic achievement--make this a great way to mark the birthday of the real-life boxing champ Rocky (Marciano) this week.

September 3

On the Waterfront

Marlon Brando stars as an ex-prizefighter who''s now working on the waterfront in New York. A tough look at the corruption on the docks and how labor can be manipulated by management, this 1954 flick has a uniformly excellent cast that developed individual reputations for their acting ability (Brando, Karl Malden, Lee J. Cobb, Rod Steiger). A great movie for Labor Day.

September 10

A Fish Called Wanda

It nailed Kevin Kline a Best Supporting Actor Oscar, but everyone''s in top form in this screechingly funny comedy about a pair of American grifters (Kline and Jamie Lee Curtis) who try to double-cross their British partners after a bungled bank heist. Monty Python''s John Cleese, who wrote the script, plays a stuffy British barrister who succumbs to Curtis'' charms, while fellow Python vet Michael Palin is uproarious as a soft-hearted robber fiercely devoted to his fish. It''s the anniversary of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, and Wanda, the lovely angelfish, holds the key to this plot.

September 17

Bird

With the Monterey Jazz Festival winging its way through town this weekend, here is the perfect time to watch director Clint Eastwood''s dark and somber meditation on the life and music of jazz legend Charlie "Bird" Parker. Eastwood''s appreciation for jazz serves him well in contrasting the personal demons that haunted Parker''s life and personality with the redemptive and revolutionary brilliance of Parker''s music. Forest Whittaker excels as Bird, conveying the joy, madness and innocence that often consumes creative genius. At a time when artists are judged more by their personal lives than public accomplishments, Bird is an important reminder that great art often comes at great cost.

September 24

Raiders of the Lost Ark

Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, seems a good time to enjoy Harrison Ford''s first (and best) Indiana Jones adventure, which takes the intrepid archeology professor to the frozen Arctic and the parched deserts of North Africa in search of one of history''s most elusive prizes: Israel''s holy Ark of the Covenant, lost since the destruction of the First Temple. Directed by Steven Spielberg, written and produced by George Lucas, this is a movie where you cheer for the good guys and boo the extremely evil bad guys (Nazis with monocles, the worst of the worst.) It''s a Western for the ''80s, complete with hard drinking, fast riding and a pretty, but tough, dame.

October 1

Austin Powers

There''s no good reason to see this Mike Myers send-up of the James Bond genre, except that it''s a helluva good laugh. Myers plays both Austin Powers, the bad-toothed, ever so groovy hipster secret agent and the bald-headed Dr. Evil ("I have one simple request...to have sharks with frickin'' laser beams attached to their heads..."), Powers'' nemesis. Put your brain on hold and laugh.

October 8

The Godfather

An offer you can''t refuse: Pick up this grandaddy of all gangster-Mafia movies, starring Marlon Brando, Bobby DeNiro, Al Pacino, Robert Duvall, and Diane Keaton, just to name a few. Like Columbus, who "discovered" America this week in 1492, Vito Corleone (Brando) sailed into New York and forever changed the meaning of "family values." This Academy Award-winning first film in the excellent trilogy by Martin Scorcese tells the fascinating story of a powerful Italian family and features chilling acting by all.

October 15

Heart Beat

Director John Byrum captures the subversive and freewheeling abandon of the so-called Beat Generation in this 1980 film about Jack Kerouac and Neal Cassady, based in part on the memoirs of Cassady''s wife Carolyn. As Kerouac and Cassady, actors John Heard and Nick Nolte bring a real degree of humanity and self-reflection to these near-mythic figures that underscore their search for authenticity against the backdrop of the grim conformity and spiritual emptiness of the Eisenhower years. Of particular note are two great supporting performances by Sissy Spacek as Carolyn Cassady, and the late, great Ray Sharkey in an inspired and hilarious turn as poet Alan Ginsburg. Heartbeat is a great evocation of the man who fathered the ''60s generation, and whose death on October 21, 1969 marked its spiritual passing.

October 22

Liar, Liar

OK, Jim Carey''s comedy can be an acquired taste, and a little can go a long way, but right about now, with the television filled with campaign ads, this seemed an appropriate movie to recommend. Wouldn''t it be cool if all those politicians were forced into a few months of telling nothing but the truth--as Carey is forced to do in this lightweight comedy?

October 29

The Witches of Eastwick

Cher, Susan Sarandon, and Michelle Pfeiffer play a trio of fun-loving ladies in a small town, who come under the spell of "your average horny little devil," perfectly played by Jack Nicholson. If only all Halloweens could be this weird, sexy, scary and funny.

November 5

Christine

Most translations of Stephen King''s novels onto the screen are dreadful, but this one actually stands out. (Maybe it''s even better than the book, which often seemed redundant.) A teenage boy''s ''58 Plymouth develops demonic powers, and attempts to destroy everyone and everything that comes between them. We wonder if anyone at this weekend''s Cherry''s Jubilee has ever had that problem?

November 12

Heavy Metal

This is actually one that''s best to see on the big screen, with big speakers throbbing to the beat of the heavy metal soundtrack, but it''s not bad on the small screen, either. While the 1981 offering is a bit adolescent, the series of vignettes that range from sex and sci-fi to social satire is still engaging. We particularly like the "Harry Canyon" episode about a New York taxicab driver sometime in the future who''s equipped to deal with most every problem he''s presented. And seeing as how taxicabs first started rolling sometime at the end of the 19th century, it seemed like a good-enough excuse to pull this one off the shelf.

November 19

Death Becomes Her

Why? Because it''s fun...in a sick sort of way. Bruce Willis stars as a plastic surgeon who discovers the secret of eternal life, and gets caught between Goldie Hawn and Meryl Streep as they battle to keep the secret to themselves. Given the level of violence that takes place as the two women go after each other, you might not want younger kids to watch with you, but you''re likely to get a big kick out of seeing them blast, hack and chop the heck out of each other in unsuccessful attempts to off their opponent.

November 25

What''s Eating Gilbert Grape?

Johnny Depp stars as a young man forced to care for his mentally retarded younger brother and his obese mother in Nowheresville, USA. Now, we don''t want to ruin your enjoyment of Thanksgiving dinner--eat all you want--but...the mom''s gotten so huge that she can''t get out the door; she hasn''t left the house in years. Despite the fact this flick lacks any truly cathartic moment, it does offer some very nice, tender scenes and a very dry sense of humor.

December 3

The Doors

There''s no better reason than the week of Jim Morrison''s birthday (the Dionysis of the ''60s was born Dec. 8, 1943) to rent Oliver Stone''s portrayal of the band that rode the drug culture to stardom. The movie''s psychedelic feel and Val Kilmer''s eerily accurate portrayal of Morrison make this a great trip, especially for Doors fans.

December 10

12 Monkeys

Bruce Willis stars as a time-travelling prisoner sent back from a future police state to pre-apocalyptic America in a desperate quest to save mankind from extinction. Director Terry Gilliam is at his visual best, creating a Kafka-esque world of dank prisons, mysterious viruses and plot twists that end in dark alleys, a world where the lunatics are truly running the asylum. Brad Pitt is fantastic as a wild-eyed, bizarrely verbose animal rights activist. International Human Rights Day seems an appropriate time to question which species should be in charge of our planet.

December 17

Ironweed

Jack Nicholson and Meryl Streep are outstanding as a pair of skid row, Depression-era alcoholics who seek to find meaning in their seemingly meaningless lives. Amidst the trash and broken-down machinery of society, the pair explore the concepts of love and redemption in William Kennedy''s adaptation of his Pulitzer Prize-winning novel. If you haven''t read the novel or seen the movie, do so immediately: With the dark days of winter coming on with this week''s solstice, this is a movie that''s both heartwarming and heartbreaking. And it might give you pause to think when you see the homeless couples on our own streets.

December 24

A Christmas Story

Oh, the longings we all felt as children at Christmas-time. Dreaming over catalogs months in advance, then becoming attached to one thing we wanted most of all, but not knowing if we would get it and that feeling of coming out of our room first thing on Christmas morning and...This movie captures all those feelings as a young boy in the ''40s dreams of getting a Red Ryder air rifle. Good family fare with gentle humor and drama.

December 31

Devil in a Blue Dress

Celebrate Denzel Washington''s 44th birthday (Dec. 28) by watching this fine film adaptation of Walter Mosley''s book about Easy Rawlins in post-World War II Los Angeles. The social commentary about a de facto segregated society provides a pertinent backdrop for this tale about a very unofficial private operative who makes his living doing borderline legal jobs that no one else will accept. Washington, as usual, is excellent.

January 7

Forrest Gump

New Year''s is often a time of ridiculous optimism, as we try to convince ourselves this year will be a big improvement over the past. As a tribute to wishful thinking, Forrest Gump is an ideal reminder that even fools can triumph over adversity. While Gump has taken some critical hits for its historical revisionism, Tom Hanks'' winning performance as the eponymous idiot savant and director Robert Zemeckis'' deft blending of historical and fictional characters make Gump well worth revisiting.

January 14

Do the Right Thing

Director/actor Spike Lee first raised some eyebrows with She''s Gotta Have It, followed by this story of racial tension set on a steamy day in New York. John Turturro, Danny Aiello, and Giancarlo Esposito turn in great performances and there''s even comic moments amid the violence. On this holiday weekend, think of the ideals of Martin Luther King Jr. as you watch and be glad things are slowly getting better.

January 21

Strawberry and Chocolate

Set in 1979 Havana, Cuba, this movie pairs a gay artist with a stiff-necked poli-sci student who learns that sometimes compassion may be more powerful than ideology. There are some nice performances and lessons about tolerance in this comedic drama. Why visit the island off Florida''s coast this year? It''s the year that Castro''s Cuba turns 40.

January 28

Full Metal Jacket

It is now little more than a footnote to history, but the so-called Tet Offensive in the waning days of January 1968 marked the beginning of the end for America''s war in Vietnam. Few filmmakers have better captured America''s cultural hubris and tragic self-destruction in Vietnam than Stanley Kubrick in Full Metal Jacket. Kubrick divides his film into two distinct set pieces, the first a harrowing recreation of Marine boot camp that features former Marine R. Lee Ermey as the drill sergeant who creates killers out of raw recruits by spewing forth a litany of foul abuse and obscenity that reach symphonic proportions. Matthew Modine and Vincent D''Onofrio are particularly good as recruits who embody the extreme responses to the military mentality. The film''s second half follows Modine overseas in Vietnam and his participation in the offensive to recapture the city of Hue. Kubrick''s vision and intensity is less effective in the film''s second half. Nevertheless, Kubrick has fashioned a devastating metaphor of an America corrupted by indulging in its worst instincts in order to defend what it mistakenly views as its best.

February 4

Once Were Warriors

On Feb. 6, 1840, the Treaty of Waitangi was signed in New Zealand, effectively ending the Maori Wars--and placing the native population under British rule. Today, the Maori are still dispossessed in their own land, and this film about a contemporary Maori family is a study in what happens to a culture that''s stripped of its honor. The father, with few hopes for the future, is alcoholic, and physically and psychologically abusive to the point where his wife and children are endangered. It''s a dramatically tense and well-constructed movie that''s as suspenseful as any mystery. Be warned: The scenes of domestic violence are so graphic it''s often difficult to watch.

February 11

Benny and Joon

There are so many potential choices for Valentine''s Day...Sometimes, however, a sweet, simple love story is the best. Johnny Depp stars as a young misfit who thinks himself the reincarnation of a silent movie star a la Buster Keaton or Charlie Chaplin. He falls in love with Mary Stuart Masterson, a mentally ill young woman being cared for by her older brother (Aidan Quinn), who does his best to care for and protect her from getting hurt. In the end, true love triumphs and we are left with a small tear of joy on our eyelashes. Depp is outstanding in recreating the bits from silent comedies.

February 18

Who''s Afraid of Virginia Woolf

Help Liz Taylor celebrate her 67th birthday by checking out one of her best--and definitely bitchiest--performances as the wife of a mild-mannered professor (played by two-time Liz husband and excellent actor Richard Burton). If you''re feeling a little let down after Valentine''s Day, this might suit a bitter mood and reflect the often painful but buried realities of relationships.

February 25

Wizards

Ralph Bakshi''s 1977 animated tale of good versus evil is absolutely charming, as an old wizard uses magic to battle his younger nemesis who is dedicated to the use of technology. The movie swims along nicely in its ''70s sort of way--not quite na‹ve, not quite cynical--with Bakshi''s always-entertaining visuals providing lot of eye appeal. But then, at the very end, the movie self destructs and seems to offer a final message that is absolutely contradictory to the rest of its premise. See if you can figure it out.

March 4

The Princess Bride

Let''s see...romance, fantasy, comedy, adventure, swashbuckling deeds of derring-do...what more could you want from a movie? Director Rob Reiner created a classic in this 1987 movie about a princess (Robin Wright) and her one true love (Cary Elwes). Lots of little subplots and diversions sometimes get in the way of straightforward storytelling, but they offer opportunities for people like Billy Crystal and Carol Kane to strut their stuff in cameo roles. If there''s one standout performance, it''s by Mandy Patinkin, as a Castilian swordsman who helps Elwes, as he avenges his father''s murder ("My name is Inigo Montoya...").

March 11

The Quiet Man

John Wayne stars in this perennial St. Patrick''s Day favorite as an American ex-boxer who returns to his native Irish village and runs smack up against entrenched rural traditions and the wild, headstrong, flamingly red-haired Maureen O''Hara. It''s Taming of the Shrew meets Brigadoon on the old homestead. John Ford directs, and it''s a good thing Wayne didn''t try for the Irish accent. Forgive the pre-feminist jokes about how to tame an unruly woman, and enjoy it for the splendid acting and wonderful scenery.

March 18

A Thousand Clowns

Jason Robards stars in this 1965 movie about a non-conformist and the precocious boy that welfare workers want to take from him. Originally, a Broadway play, the film version more than does justice to the original script. Alternately comedic and poignant, this is another movie that''s best watched as a period piece: The 1960s zeitgeist drenches the movie with its philosophy that you just can''t trust The Establishment--especially when its agents knock at your door and say, "We''re here to help..."

March 25

The Life of Brian

If there''s a Judeo-Christian God in heaven, we''re probably going to spend eternity in hell for suggesting this flick for Palm Sunday...but we''ll take our chances. This movie, as do all of the Monty Python movies, seems overlong; the group''s comedy was much more effective in the short sketches on television. Still, there are bits that are guaranteed to make a person laugh out loud in this religious mistaken-identity parable. Most memorable scene is at the end, with a whole kick-lining, crucified chorus singing "Always look on the bright side of life..."

April 1

The Last Temptation of Christ

Martin Scorcese alienated American Catholics and the entire nation of Italy with his overblown adaptation of this Nikos Kazantzakis novel that explores Christ''s all-too-human reluctance to accept the divine mantle and die on the cross. Willem Dafoe is an appropriately agonized Christ, dubious about the miracles he witnesses and performs, lusting after life''s pleasures, and, ultimately, accepting his harsh fate. The technicolor miracles in the desert are a bit much, but it''s an off-beat take on a story you can share at your Easter table. Barbara Hershey plays an earthy Mary Magdalene.

April 8

For a Few Dollars More

As you begin to seriously think about tax day, you might find yourself fantasizing about things you could do to enhance your financial condition--like maybe tracking down a notorious gunslinger for the bounty money. This, the second in the Sergio Leone/Clint Eastwood spaghetti-western trilogy about the Man with No Name, falls between A Fistful of Dollars and The Good the Bad and the Ugly. Sure, the spaghetti western now seems like a predictable mix of violence and almost-campy caricatures, but they''re still fun to watch.

April 15

Working Girl

If your sympathies aren''t where they should be for National Secretaries Day, go out and rent Working Girl and you''ll be rushing out to shower yours with flowers and gifts, if for no other reason than fear. This is the story of an ambitious and good-natured working girl (Melanie Griffith) who wins over a wheeler-dealer (Harrison Ford) to ultimately triumph over her scheming boss (Sigourney Weaver). A clever comedy directed by Mike Nichols.

April 22

Enchanted April

Ahh, the beauty of Italy, the elegance of British accents, the absence of men. A quintessential and classy "chick flick" brings together Miranda Richardson, Joan Plowright, and Josie Lawrence, who leave their men behind and take a holiday in the sun and enjoy good company in a Mediterranean villa.

April 29

The Quick and the Dead

Sharon Stone in spurs and leather chaps is reason enough to recommend director Sam Raimi''s parody-cum-homage to the Western genre. Stone stars as a mysterious gunslinger with a secret agenda who rides into town to compete in the annual, winner-take-all shootout hosted by the ruthless overlord who uses the contest to secure his stranglehold on the town''s citizens. Gene Hackman, a very young Leonardo DiCaprio, and Stone herself provide terrific performances that play with and against the western stereotype. What truly makes The Quick and the Dead such great fun, however, is Raimi''s pyrotechnic style of flimmaking that explodes in a grab bag of vertiginous camera angles and nifty special effects. Raimi deftly balances an appreciation for the mythic qualities of the Western while keeping his tongue firmly planted in cheek.

May 6

Mask

Every mother in the world deserves to be praised on Sunday for the effort she makes on behalf of her children. But there are some stories of motherly love that go far and beyond the norm, and this is one of them. Based on a real-life story, Cher plays the mother of a teenage son with a disease that hideously disfigures him. Standout performances all the way around from Cher, Sam Elliott, Laura Dern and Eric Stoltz as the son. Very, very moving and uplifting.

May 13

Death of a Prophet

This hybrid docu-drama mixes dramatic fabrications with documentary footage from the civil rights movements and interviews with people who knew Malcolm X (who was born May 19, 1925.) Morgan Freeman stars as the charismatic, militant Black Muslim leader who was assassinated in 1965. As drama it''s choppy, as history it''s sloppy; but it illuminates an otherwise under-known facet of black history, and provides a somewhat clearer context in which to understand someone like Louis Farakhan.

May 20

Platoon

The best movie ever made about Vietnam or maybe any war, Platoon launched Oliver Stone''s career with Oscars for best picture and best director. This isn''t just an appropriate movie to watch on Memorial Day, it''s an important way to mark the occasion. A classic tale of innocence lost (Charlie Sheen''s) and the struggle between brutality (Tom Berenger''s) and humanity (Willem Dafoe''s).

May 27

Thief

Actor James Caan delivers one of his best post-Sonny Corleone performances as a professional jewel thief who takes one last crack at the American Dream in director Michael Mann''s ("Miami Vice," Heat) stylish, 1981 crime thriller. Cast by Mann as an existential hero torn between a life of crime and the burning desire for some normal measure of success and respectability, Caan brings his typically explosive intensity to his portrayal of the thief who knows fate conspires against those who try to live by their own code of conduct. Thief highlights Mann''s gifts as a storyteller and feel for the crime genre, and is elevated beyond a straight crime-caper by strong supporting performances by Willie Nelson, Tuesday Weld, and Jim Belushi.

June 3

I Love You Alice B. Toklas

Peter Sellers stars as a middle-age lawyer who discovers pot and hippie-dom and decides he likes it. Lots of fun. And if you''re feeling a little bit like you''re trapped in a job, this might just set the tone for you to create your own summer of love this season.

June 10

The Sheltering Sky

If you''re in the midst of planning a summer vacation, be more thorough than John Malkovich and Debra Winger in this film about an American husband and wife who travel to North Africa in the 1940s with a friend (Campbell Scott) in tow. With their relationship on the rocks, the couple hopes to ignite a latent (or repressed) spark of passion; instead, their sketchy plans go awry and everyone gets burned. It''s a langurous, long (137 minutes) movie, but nowhere nearly as langurous and long as Paul Bowles'' original novel. Most critics weren''t impressed; we were.

June 17

The Graduate

Koo-koo-ka-chu, Mrs. Robinson, the graduation season is upon us. What''s that you say, Mrs. Robinson, haven''t seen director Mike Nichols'' Oscar-winning look at a young man''s struggle with his future in awhile? Maybe it''s time you did. This is the movie that introduced us all to Dustin Hoffman and the music of Simon and Garfunkel, and made us all fall in love with Mrs. Robinson (played by Anne Bancroft.) Woo, woo, woo.

June 24

Grapes of Wrath

On this one-year anniversary of the National Steinbeck Center, rent John Ford''s classic cinema version of John Steinbeck''s most famous book (the one we all read in high school.) Henry Fonda plays Tom Joad, leading his family out of the Dust Bowl to land in California, and he won an Oscar for his efforts.

July 1

Born on the Fourth of July

Tom Cruise has taken a lot of heat over the years for his pretty face, but here he shines in an Oscar-nominated performance as Vietnam anti-war activist Ron Kovic, a flag-waving patriot who returns from the battlefield in a wheelchair, furious at the government that sent him and his buddies to die in a useless war. Some of the film is confusing, some of it facile, but Cruise''s sensitive, passionate interpretation of Kovic''s true-life tragic story makes it all worth watching--and the sentimental parts easier to take. Break out the fireworks!