20. Anna Karenina (2012) Keira Knightley has appeared in her fair share of historical films and period piece dramas, from 2007’sAtonementto 2011’sA Dangerous Method(neither which appear on this list). This isn’t the first time you’ll see her name pop up, but we’re starting withAnna Karenina, directed by Joe Wright and adapted from Leo Tolstoy’s novel that was published in 1878. Presented as a hybrid of stage theater and cinema, the Russian tragedy is a dazzling aesthetic achievement with an all-star cast, including Jude Law, Alicia Vikander, Matthew Macfadyen, and Aaron Taylor-Johnson....

20. Suffragette (2015) The story of the suffragette women is undoubtedly the most important feminist event in UK history. In 1928, (white) women were finally granted the right to vote, giving them as much say in local politics as men. Well… almost. It didn’t come without a fight, and director Sarah Gavron shows us the grueling, violent, and deadly run up to female suffrage inSuffragette, starring Carey Mulligan, Helena Bonham Carter, Brendan Gleeson, Anne-Marie Duff, Ben Whishaw, and Meryl Streep....

20. Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1987) As you might guess from the title,Planes, Trains and Automobilesisn’t exactly confined to the road—it also takes to train tracks and even the skies at one point. Still, at its core, the film centers on the journey shared by two bickering strangers who spend three days wrestling their way to Chicago for Thanksgiving Day. Steve Martin and John Candy star as the tightly wound marketing exec and his irritating-but-lovable travel mate, for whom just about everything goes wrong....

20. Spaceballs (1987) Decades beforeFamily GuyandRobot Chickendid their hilarious parodies ofStar Wars, Mel Brooks had already riffed on the franchise withSpaceballs. There’s a lot that doesn’t hold up with this movie, but it’s still a fun watch, especially for fans of the genre. In fact, Mel Brooks pokes fun at just about everything in this tacky cult classic:The Wizard of Oz,Planet of the Apes,Alien,2001: A Space Odyssey… you know, all the sci-fi landmarks....

20. Coriolanus (2011) Coriolanusdoesn’t recount the events of the decade-long Yugoslav Wars, but it does use them for context and inspiration. Plot-wise,Coriolanusis a modern retelling of Shakespeare’s final tragic play, written circa 1607. Ralph Fiennes has performed Shakespeare on stage a handful of times, includingMacbethandRichard III, but his on-screen attempt also happened to be his directorial debut! Challenging himself to both star in and direct for the first time, Fiennes plays Caius Martius Coriolanus, who looks down on the citizens of Rome and is consequently kicked out of the city....