A Christmas Story (1983)

Maybe its because I didn't grow up with it and do not have nostalgia goggles through which to watch this, but... The plot was razor thin and not a lot happened. Except for the vague promise that Christmas was coming, no through-thread propelled the story along.

A lot of moments were included (the decoder ring and the various Wizard of Oz references, for example) that seemed to come from nowhere and have no real conclusion or connection to anything else. Nobody seemed to learn anything and not a lot was achieved. Though it did show adults apathy toward Christmas well.

The Stranger (1946)

After a rocky first fifteen minutes or so (for example, what was the significance of the broken smoking pipes?), this movie ramps up the tension and keeps it at a steady level throughout the duration of the film. Not a moment goes by without some additional intrigue or development happening in the story.

The limited characters and locations automatically give the film an extremely claustrophobic feel while the tension of the main plot is drawn out, piece by piece, drawing the film to its inevitable - though we constantly feel - possibly unattainable conclusion.

In short, there is nothing not to like here.

Gangs of New York (2002)

When a dramatic period piece opens with a massive battle sequence that is so poorly choreographed that the viewer wonders if the film is going to be a farce or comedy, you're in for a bad time. Though the rest of the film had its moments, it was self-indulgent and wallowed in points that were (I assume) historically accurate, but not interesting in terms of the story. The main villain also suffered from a terminal case of 'kill everybody mercilessly, except for the main character (for no conceivable reason)' syndrome, which reduced his character from awesome badass to... some threatening dude.

In the Heat of the Night (1967)

Thoroughly compelling from the outset, this film tells the tale of a rather important murder in a small town. However, matters are complicated by the introduction of a highly intelligent and competent black man in the highly racist little town. Exceptionally good at his job, every attempt to, you know, solve the crime is pushed back and railed against by the people who don't appreciate the evidence because of who it is that uncovered it.

The only down side to the film is the horribly dated score, however its overlookable as the films acting, story and direction are so amazingly good.